Shifting The Boundaries

Canada is often called a pluralist state, but few commentators view Aboriginal self-government from the perspective of political pluralism. Instead, Aboriginal identity is framed in terms of cultural and national traits, while self-government is taken to represent an Aboriginal desire to protect those traits. Shifting Boundaries challenges this view, arguing that it fosters a woefully incomplete understanding of the politics of self-government. Taking the position that a relational theory of pluralism offers a more accurate interpretation, Tim Schouls contends that self-government is better understood when an “identification” perspective on Aboriginal identity is adopted instead of a “cultural” or “national” one. He shows that self-government is not about preserving cultural and national differences as goods in and of themselves, but rather is about equalizing current imbalances in power to allow Aboriginal peoples to construct their own identities. In focusing on relational pluralism, Shifting Boundaries adds an important perspective to existing theoretical approaches to Aboriginal self-government. It will appeal to academics, students, and policy analysts interested in Aboriginal governance, cultural studies, political theory, nationalism studies, and constitutional theory.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, this book draws on legal, HRM, occupational psychology and economic perspectives to innovatively explore the conflicts and blurring boundaries affecting the Gig Economy in terms of the worker, employee identity, status and relationships, and team and career management.

An outstanding group of authors address the structure of theological education using different avenues of approach. Each writer describes and frames a theological response to a major feature of the contemporary scene. The contributors look at events and movements that shape the organization of theological studies, including a review of black religion, feminism, practical theology, and liberation movements. They explore interrelating issues such as social ethics, seminary and university education, and historical consciousness.

Alexis M. Silver examines the experiences of unauthorized immigrant youth and U.S.-born children of immigrant parents, and their search for membership in a multi-layered political environment that inconsistently offers them spaces of inclusion while barring them from full membership and participation. Drawing on four years of ethnographic research and seven years of in-depth interviews in North Carolina, this longitudinal study explores how national, state, local, and institutional policies interact to create a chaotic and confusing environment for immigrant and second-generation youth.

Though there are still just twenty-four hours in a day, society's idea of who should be doing what and when has shifted. Time, the ultimate scarce resource, has become an increasingly contested battle zone in American life, with work, family, and personal obligations pulling individuals in conflicting directions. In Fighting for Time, editors Cynthia Fuchs Epstein and Arne Kalleberg bring together a team of distinguished sociologists and management analysts to examine the social construction of time and its importance in American culture. Fighting for Time opens with an exploration of changes in time spent at work—both when people are on the job and the number of hours they spend there—and the consequences of those changes for individuals and families. Contributors Jerry Jacobs and Kathleen Gerson find that the relative constancy of the average workweek in America over the last thirty years hides the fact that blue-collar workers are putting in fewer hours while more educated white-collar workers are putting in more. Rudy Fenwick and Mark Tausig look at the effect of nonstandard schedules on workers' health and family life. They find that working unconventional hours can increase family stress, but that control over one's work schedule improves family, social, and health outcomes for workers. The book then turns to an examination of how time influences the organization and control of work. The British insurance company studied by David Collinson and Margaret Collinson is an example of a culture where employees are judged on the number of hours they work rather than on their productivity. There, managers are under intense pressure not to take legally guaranteed parental leave, and clocks are banned from the office walls so that employees will work without regard to the time. In the book's final section, the contributors examine how time can have different meanings for men and women. Cynthia Fuchs Epstein points out that professional women and stay-at-home fathers face social disapproval for spending too much time on activities that do not conform to socially prescribed gender roles—men are mocked by coworkers for taking paternity leave, while working mothers are chastised for leaving their children to the care of others. Fighting for Time challenges assumptions about the relationship between time and work, revealing that time is a fluid concept that derives its importance from cultural attitudes, social psychological processes, and the exercise of power. Its insight will be of interest to sociologists, economists, social psychologists, business leaders, and anyone interested in the work-life balance.

In the late 1980s, despite the fact that the vast majority of women now had a dual role – in paid work and in the domestic realm – the world of work, the welfare state, and the domestic sphere were all still organized as though women’s place were primarily in the home. Though this contradiction most directly affected women, it had implications for the lives of both sexes, and in a much wider social context. Women’s changing role had paralleled a major restructuring of the economy but the importance of these changes was barely reflected in contemporary political discussions, or in political science or social policy literature. In this title, originally published in 1987, articles from women in Italy, France, Denmark, Norway, the US and Britain bring the issues sharply into focus. Applying fresh perspectives, they widen and enrich the debate. This book marks a powerful contribution to a new and more realistic assessment of women’s dual role in the state and the economy which should be read by all those concerned with the development of women’s issues and with women’s studies.

When to say yes, when to say no to take control of your life.