This study seeks to record and document the voices, experiences and representations of men who sell sex to men in London through advertising in queer media. It examines the diverse experiences and representations of men who sell sex to men and the roles they have in coconstructing the meanings of queer, male, and sexual identities and practices. It explores data triangulated from a queer ethnography of London’s queer scenes, including: semi-structured interviews with key informants (n=20), samples of escort and masseur advertisements collected from print media, data from social networking websites aimed at gay men, and field notes from collecting data within London’s queer scenes. Eighteen of the interview participants are gay or bisexual men who have used advertising to sell sex to other men in London themselves. The study finds that classified advertising can be used as a canon of texts to explore socially constructed records of sexual and economic stories. It details how men have used promotion strategies and technologies to sell sex to other men in London from the early 1990s to the present and how those media have evolved in that time. It suggest ways that sex in this queer, commercial scene is often comparable to more explicit forms of commercial sex transactions. In turn, shifts are illustrated in how sex work is defined here, including ways that the socio-economic, embodied, performative priorities of queer men are interrelated with their geographic and temporal contexts. The study examines ways that typological models can be limiting to how sex work is understood and proposes an (inter-) relational model grounded in the data from men who have sold sex, semiotic structures of analysis, and queer theory. Finally, it argues that these frameworks usefully operationalise structures of subjectivity in empirical research of human and social sciences.

The aim of this research project was the investigation of a subculture surrounding the famous Tudor queen Anne Boleyn; what that possible subculture means for those involved, and if it constituted part of a new phenomenon of female orientated online subcultures; cybersubcultures. Through the analysis of film, TV, historical literature and fiction, the research illustrates how subcultures are perpetuated through generations cyclically. The research then documents the transition from the traditional or ‘classic’ subcultural model of the 60s to the 21st century cybersubculture and fandom, suggesting a new way of thinking about subcultures in a post-subcultural age. The research suggests that the positioning of Anne Boleyn as a feminist icon/role model, based mainly on a media-mediated image, has formed a subculture which thrives on disjointed imagery and discourse in order to form a subculture of peculiarly subtle resistance. This new cybersubculture reflects the ways in which women are now able to use social media to form communities and to communicate, sharing concerns over men and marriage, all whilst percolating around the media-mediated image of Anne Boleyn as their starting point. These interactions – and the similarities they shared with the ‘classic’ subcultural style - form the data for this research project. The behaviours are analysed by using a symbolic interactionism approach which best develops the relationship of the fans against this mediamediated image; it show the ways in which the fans gain meaning through the various media depictions of Anne Boleyn and then integrate them into their own lives, exploring issues of masquerade and commodification in the process. Symbolic interactionism also shows how fans engage with Anne Boleyn’s myriad representations as a wronged woman, tragic figure, temptress and traitor. These images are then interpreted through a contemporary ‘pseudo-feminist’ lens. One of the underlying questions posed by the research is: do the fans sufficiently understand the complexities and contradictions in moulding such a divisive figure into a feminist icon? If so, then this can be seen as a ‘flawed project of persuasion’ on the part of Anne Boleyn’s partisans, and part of modern fandom’s usurpation of the conventional reading of texts as a whole. Regarding the question of the ‘flawed project of persuasion’, the research hypothesises that these fans gravitate toward Anne Boleyn partly because she is a contentious figure; feeling disenfranchised themselves, they covet an icon that also projects that persona. As proto-feminists they have chosen a high-achiever, someone who was challenging and remains challenging because of what they represent; this further cements the fact that the fans are subcultural, because they are rebelling against the norm in the choice of their icon – the fact Anne Boleyn herself rebelled against societal norms only closes the case as far as they are concerned.

This research is situated within the Brecon Beacons National Park (BBNP), it explores the role of community driven initiatives in encouraging sustainable rural communities, whilst assessing the relevance of tourism to such schemes. The National Park (NP) provide funding for community led sustainability programmes, known as the Sustainable Development Fund, the examination of this funding led to findings which challenge the common assumption that funding for community led schemes will be of net benefit at the local level. Through the use of a survey, focus groups and interviews it was observed that certain components reflected in most rural development programmes such as the integration of tourism, participation and the development of social capital are still barriers to rural development and continue to hamper the effectiveness of not only the Sustainable Development Funding (SDF) schemes, but the communities striving for sustainability. There is evidence to suggest that community development with a significant emphasis on tourism may be an important element in the survival and revival of the economy of the BBNP as traditional agriculture continues to decline. Tourism, in policy terms, is perceived as a suitable form of economic development for rural areas within the NP. However, as communities turn to tourism as a means to raising income and employment, a lack of understanding of tourism and its impacts has been identified as a barrier to a holistic and cohesive development strategy for communities. Consequently, the use of publicly funded schemes that strive towards community development have failed to embrace the opportunities that tourism offers. Overall, this thesis concludes that, whilst funding via the SDF scheme was facilitating one-off individual community projects, the wider geographic community was not being enhanced or made more sustainable or developed either as a policy output or an output of the SDF projects. The knowledge and skills necessary to acquire funding enabled expert communities to participate and develop isolated pockets of social capital. However, this was at the exclusion of the wider geographic community, who were not as practised at such techniques and processes, consequently, denying them of such opportunities for development. As such, it questions whether current mechanisms of funding for isolated, community driven sustainability initiatives coupled with a lack of integration within the existing tourism structures and policies are assisting sustainable community development within the NP. The research concludes with a model which seeks to identify the key elements that may help develop sustainable communities within the NP and the relationship between these elements. The model could be tested, in future research, and other national parks in the UK that implement the SDF scheme to assess its wider applicability.

This study examined the generational differences between the first generation of British born females of Caribbean descent who attended school in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and 1970s and their daughters. Through the exploration of these two generations' experiences of school the research examined the similar trends and gained an understanding of the difficulties that they encountered and cited as barriers to their education. It explored the worries and anxieties of first generation mothers, and the measures they applied to improve the educational experiences of their daughters. It is qualitative research of twenty-six Black Caribbean women in London and Oxford. Access to participants was gained using the snowballing method and semi-structured interviews were used to trace the discussions about the educational experiences across the two generations. Documentary sources such as government reports and other research provided the historical perspective and contextual background to the study. When these historical documents were analysed they showed there was on-going political tension around educational issues. The main contention of the early immigrants of the 1960s was educational inequality which resulted in a disproportionate number of West Indian children in educationally subnormal schools. The study analyses some areas which were of concern to the mothers in respect to their dissatisfaction with their children's schooling. It showed that some first generation mothers felt that they received very little support from their parents in school. Immigrant parents were unaware that they were expected to participate in the education of their children. However, unlike their parents, mothers in this study used their experiences of education and applied various measures in an attempt to support the academic performance of their children. This is in contrast to some of the stereotypes of indifference, disengagement and detachment of Black Caribbean parents. There is constant comparative analysis between the mothers' and daughters' experiences. The results showed that both mothers and daughters were affected by teachers' perception, and low academic expectation. The study also highlights their perception of discrimination, isolation, exclusion and prejudicial practices. It seems that the education system through its operations and practices have maintained a structure that undermines self-confidence and performance of some Caribbean students. It was concluded that when mothers and daughters experiences of school were compared that many similarities existed. There was increased access in the education system that resulted in the availability of opportunities to further and higher education. However many issues still exist that prevents greater equality in the British education system.

This research examined the nexus between the environment, conflict and security in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria as well as the factors that led to the conflict. Since the discovery of oil in 1956, the Niger Delta has been entrapped in environmental degradation as a result of oil mining, spurring a wide range of developmental challenges. Subsequently, by the 1990s, deepening poverty and underdevelopment, exacerbated by ecological problems, opened the space for the emergence of youth restiveness and a violent arms struggle. This violent struggle by the Niger-Delta youth seeks to challenge the legitimacy of the Nigerian state and the perceived corporate irresponsibility of Multinational Oil Companies (MNCs). Thus, the region faces security challenges triggered by neglect on the part of international and local oil companies and the failure of Nigeria's central government to meet the developmental, environmental and security demands of local communities. Given this background, the research questions are: (1) In what ways do natural resources contribute to conflicts and environmental despoliation in Nigeria's Niger Delta region? (2) Do the federal government and oil companies meet the demands of the community regarding environmental protection and the development and security of inhabitants? (3) Who are the actors in the resource conflict? To address these questions, the research used a triangulation approach, using primarily qualitative primary data sourced through 28 in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions of 5-7 people per group. The data obtained were coded and analysed thematically, and secondary quantitative data was used to supplement primary data. The original contribution of this research is in three main aspects: First, my research reveals a complex relationship between the local oil servicing contractors and the militant groups. There is strategic destructive alliance between these two actors underpinned by moral hazard. The oil servicing contractors employ the services of the local people to vandalise the oil pipelines in order for the MNCs to award contract to them for repair of the vandalised pipelines. Second, the Presidential Amnesty granted to the militants appear to have produced unintended outcomes in undermining productive economic activity and exacerbating insecurity in the region. The monthly payments of allowances to former militants under the amnesty programme incentivised the otherwise peaceful youths to join militancy to benefit from amnesty benefits. This intervention gives credence to the view that the federal and state governments only listen to those who take up arms against the state. Third, this research proposes a revised theoretical model that integrates two previous frameworks to illuminate the nature and context of resources curse. This integrated model brings together the rentier model and Dutch disease/resource curse to explain the characteristics and complexities of natural resource governance issues in Nigeria. It can be applied to other regions with similar challenges and profiles. Overall, the research has elicited significant theoretical and empirical insights into different views of the oil extraction, security and development. Recommendations are provided for future research and policy interventions.

Environmental health is concerned with relations between the environment and human health and their management and remains a considerable public health challenge into the 21st century, particularly for cities where more than half the world’s population now lives. In South Africa local government Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) have been regulating local environmental health since Victorian times and are well placed to bring protective and developmental laws to life but are confronted by challenges not dissimilar to their Victorian forebears. The main research question is therefore: how do the EHPs of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality (CoJ) regulate environmental health? A literature review developed an interdisciplinary model of governance to describe and explore how EHPs regulate environmental health (EH) and the factors that could influence this process. This model utilised a socio-legal framework grounded in theoretical perspectives from criminology, history, the law, organisational studies, political science and sociology. A multiple case study strategy was developed to test this model. Qualitative methods were conducted on 10 street-level case EHPs from four CoJ regional offices through observation, interviews, questionnaires and the analysis of regulatory documents. These were supplemented by observations and interviews with other street-level EHPs and their managers and the analysis of other relevant documents, including quantitative data on the activities of CoJ EHPs. A new model of governance was developed by this thesis to describe, analyse and explain how CoJ EHPs regulate and found most of their work focused on a traditional regulatory ‘law enforcement’ pathway alongside other activities, notably an EH monitoring role for other CoJ departments and provincial government. But contrary to their Victorian inspector stereotype, EHPs behaved as responsive regulators and used mainly persuasive approaches (e.g. education, advice, negotiation), with more punitive approaches generally used for serious cases or when persuasion fails. This responsiveness was limited by factors including resources and weaknesses in more punitive approaches. A second regulatory pathway involving EH project and promotion activities was documented but remained secondary to traditional regulatory work. In conclusion, the model of governance conceptualised urban EH regulation as the continuous circulation of power within and between EHPs and local government itself, other spheres of government and civil society. Power was unequally distributed between these actors, but there were many opportunities for challenging power that were rarely captured or closed. Local government EHPs are therefore contributing towards making cities more productive, inclusive, sustainable and better governed and the model of governance created by this thesis was a useful tool for exploring their work.

This research investigates the intersection of ageing, gender, class and sexual identity with a particular focus on the role of same-sexuality social groups and networks for older lesbians and bisexual women. Thirty-five women aged between 57 and 73 were interviewed about a range of topics including what it was like to come out in the 1950s and 1960s, their education and employment, their feelings about ageing, whether they had been lonely or isolated and their experiences of attending groups for lesbians and bisexual women. The research found that many participants experienced feelings of being ‘out of place’ that were not to do with financial or structural inequalities but were culturally and socially shaped by aspects of their social mobility, generation, gender and sexuality. Using an intersectional approach, I draw on Bourdieu’s work, using the concept of habitus dislocation to consider the contradictions of these mobilities. I suggest that many of my participants faced unprecedented and unique disjunctures between their original habitus and the new classed, sexual and gendered locations in which they finally ‘arrived’. The research indicates that participants’ friendships and families of choice, as well as the social groups they have created and attended across the life course, have had an important role to play in helping to alleviate the feelings of difference that are a consequence of multiple mobilities. For many participants they are sites of resilience and help to promote positive ageing, offering a sense of belonging to a generation of lesbian and bisexual women who have faced marginalisation across their life course. However, they are also locations of hierarchy and privilege, where some are excluded or precariously positioned. This study offers a unique view of habitus dislocation as a consequence of multiple mobilities across the life course of a generational cohort of women, often under-represented or absent from sexualities research. It makes an important contribution to the literature on lesbian, gay and bisexual ageing that focuses solely on loneliness and isolation and the significance of social support.

While short-term and working memory deficits in individuals with dyslexia are well documented, the effects of dyslexia on prospective memory (PM) have been neglected. A range of PM measures were administered to different samples of university students with and without dyslexia (typically N = 50, 25 per group, matched for age and IQ, and differing on reading and spelling measures). Questionnaire data indicated that individuals with dyslexia perceived themselves as significantly worse on everyday PM activities than non-dyslexics. These data were corroborated by ratings taken from close friends/relatives of the participants. Naturalistic data revealed that adults with dyslexia performed more poorly on a time-based task involving a delay of 40 minutes and 24 hours and an event-based PM task involving a one week delay. There were no event-based PM deficits in dyslexia in the experimental tasks. However, adults with dyslexia were significantly worse at time-based tasks. Difficulties with PM would, therefore, seem to be evident in adults with dyslexia and tend to manifest themselves in time-based PM tasks. This interpretation is consistent with executive functioning problems associated with dyslexia and theories that take a broader view of dyslexia than phonological processing alone.

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No description available.