The South African Constitution provides a comprehensive list of rights, many of which are important, directly or indirectly, to meet the needs of religious minorities in the country. However, due to South Africa being a secular state and also having particular needs, many workplaces tend to adopt this approach which leads to a conflict between Muslims' religious obligations and the rules of the workplace. As a result, Muslim employees may perceive that their employers are religiously discriminating against them. Muslim women may face more discrimination than Muslim men as their stigma is less concealable due to their modest dressing and the hijab (religious identity marker). Surprisingly, there has been an increase in cases of religious discrimination against Muslim women. To elucidate, these Muslim women employees were asked to remove their hijab on their job as it somewhat violated the company policies. Therefore, presenting a challenge for Muslim women as their religious identity is part of their self-concept and they are required to follow their religious obligations. Informed by theories such as Social Identity Theory and Intergroup Threat Theory, the present study utilised a cross-sectional design to examine the role of Muslim identity in perceived religious discrimination in the workplace. To gain insight about the hijab in various contexts, the current study also examined the comfortability of wearing the hijab in different contexts. The participants were 75 Muslim women living and working in organisations in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The findings of this research indicate that the dimensions of Muslim identity are not significant predictors of perceived religious discrimination; however, psychological identity can lead Muslim women to perceive less or no discrimination. Furthermore, the ANOVA showed that Muslim women did not feel significantly more comfortable wearing the hijab in certain contexts. This study offered implications for both research and practice and made significant recommendations for future research.

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yes / Purpose: This paper discusses the experiences of a group of ten user and carer researchers from mental health and learning disability services who worked together in a research and evaluation project between 2009 and 2012. The research project aimed to identify changes that took place as over 300 people moved from hostel accommodation into independent tenancies in flats and bungalows. These moves were part of a three year project involving a partnership between a local authority and a housing association. Design / approach: The paper describes the process of involving user and carers in the research process, identifying the challenges and benefits of involving users and carers. The ways in which people were trained and supported to take part and stay involved are outlined, as well as how the group felt they learnt new skills and increased their confidence. Findings: User involvement in research can mean different things with different levels of involvement, from consultation through to user-controlled research. The collaborative study had a range of benefits for the lives of the co-researchers, as well as contributing to the development of a new independent living service. A number of factors contribute to the success of user involvement in research and these are listed. Originality / value: This paper adds the voices of the co-researchers to the literature and provides ‘lessons learned’ for other researchers in this area.

Yes / This paper explores issues of partnership and participation in research and evaluation, drawing on the experiences of evaluating a move from hostel accommodation to independent supported living for people with mental health difficulties or learning disabilities. The service change project involved a partnership between a local authority and a housing association with over 300 people moving into their own tenancies in newly-built flats and bungalows. The accompanying evaluation was designed on a model of service user participation and action research and was specifically concerned to explore the impact of the changes on people’s actual or perceived social inclusion into local communities. Ten service user and carer researchers, some of whom were directly involved in the move from hostel to independent living, were recruited and worked with ‘professional’ researchers to examine both the process and the outcomes of the move. The work will be viewed through the insights offered by feminist, transformative and participatory approaches to research. The ‘positioning’ of the researcher in relation to boundaries and the construction of the ‘other’ will be considered, emphasising an approach grounded in reflexivity and an acknowledgement of the complex ethical issues involved. A key feature of this study has been the negotiation involved between a complex change project and a participatory evaluation design. Learning points from the work so far will also be considered in terms of their wider application in future evaluations of complex change projects that involve multiple stakeholders.

Detta är ett kandidatexamensarbete i informationsdesign med inriktning textdesign. I arbetet har jag undersökt informationsupplevelsen och informationsbehovet hos målgruppen medflyttare. Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka hur en integrationsservice och informationsförmedlare för nyinflyttade bättre kan tillgodose subgruppen medflyttares informationsbehov. Samt hur information om servicen kan utformas och förmedlas till målgruppen. Metoderna som har använts för att genomföra arbetet är deltagande observationer, en fokusgrupp samt kvalitativa intervjuer. Resultatet av studien stödjer tidigare forskning om nyinflyttades informationsbehov och informationsbeteenden samt hur sociala nätverk har egenskap av att fungera som en informationskälla och ett sätt för nyinflyttade att ta del av- och sprida information. Resultatet påvisar även informationens bidragande roll i social inkludering och att avsaknaden av- eller bristfällig information kan leda till en känsla av- eller faktisk exkludering. Min studie visar även att information som kan möjliggöra tillgången till det sociala nätverk som medflyttarservicen kan medföra anses utgöra ett särskilt viktigt och vitalt informationsbehov för medflyttarna men att detta inte är något som tillgodoses eller förmedlas ut om i dagsläget. Till följd av resultatet har jag tagit fram ett gestaltningsförslag som baseras på principer om text och bild i samverkan för att skapa ett nytt informationsmaterial om medflyttarservicen. / This is a bachelor’s thesis in information design with a focus on text design. In this work, I have examined the information experience and information needs of the target group withcomers. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate how an integration service and information provider for newcomers better can meet the information needs of the sub-group withcomers. And how information about the service can be designed and mediated to the target group. The methods used to conduct this study are participant observations, a focus group, and qualitative interviews. The results of the study support previous research on the information needs and information behaviors of newcomers, as well as how social networks serve a function as an information source and a way for newcomers to access and mediate information. The results also demonstrate the contributing role of information in social inclusion and that the lack of, or insufficient information can lead to a sense of- or actual social exclusion. My study also shows that information that can enable access to the social network that the withcomer service can provide is considered a particularly important and vital information need by the withcomers, and that this is not currently being met or communicated about. As a result of the findings, I have developed a design proposal based on the principles of text and image interaction to create new informational material about the withcomer service.

No / The article first argues that there is a range of approaches and models developed in relation to the question of representing ethnic minorities and migrants when it comes to trade union strategies. There is no single model. Instead, there is a variety of approaches and politics, just as there are with a `traditionally established workforce'. Second, this study finds that the understanding of ethnic minority needs varies and the politics of this must be central to any discussion, as one cannot read off assumptions about the issue from formal union strategies, traditional practices and established customs in relation to regulation. In effect, there is a politics of trade union responses and there is diversity in the way the `problem' is read and understood. Third, the article argues that the issue of minority ethnic workers raises questions of trade union identity and purpose. This points to much deeper issues related to the role of regulation and strategies of inclusion — and the extent to which they cohere. It also raises the issue of the configuration of strategies of social inclusion and on occasions how strategies ignore the broader issue of participation of those they seek to represent. To this extent the article is not exclusively about inclusion and exclusion — but about the politics and contradictory dynamics of inclusion.

Yes / Dementia friendly communities, in which people living with dementia actively participate and those around them are educated about dementia, may improve the wellbeing of those living with dementia and reduce the associated stigma. The Adopt a Care Home scheme aims to contribute towards this by teaching schoolchildren about dementia and linking them with people living with dementia in a local care home. Forty-one children, ten people living with dementia and eight school / care home staff participated in a mixed methods (questionnaires, observations, interviews and focus groups) evaluation to assess the scheme’s feasibility and impact. Data were analysed statistically and thematically. The scheme was successfully implemented, increased children’s dementia awareness and appeared enjoyable for most participants. Findings, therefore, demonstrate the scheme’s potential to contribute towards dementia friendly communities by increasing children’s knowledge and understanding of dementia and engaging people living with dementia in an enjoyable activity, increasing their social inclusion. / University of Sheffield's Faculty of Medicine Dentistry & Health Innovation Fund.

This article analyzes the technocracy emergence in social sector, through the study of the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion case, created in 2011 in response to one of the essential themes of Ollanta Humala’s electoral campaign: social inclusion. This paper aims to determine which factors led to the establishment of a technocracy linked to social policy in a country where it has been traditionally linked to political usage and patronage. There are three factors that explain the positioning of a technocracy in this ministry addressed throughout the article. On one hand, there was the presence of a consensus about the need for a technical management of this sector in the search of generating legitimacy and autonomy. On the other hand, it happened to be a favorable political environment characterized by a wide political support from the government. Finally, the wide discretion of the technical team in the design of MIDIS and during formation of the first ministerial body of bureaucrats allowed the emergence of a technocratic institution. To this end, this article describes development of the stages of the creation of the institution, design, approval and implementation and shows a corroboration of the technocratic profile of the initial top management team of this ministry. / El presente artículo analiza el surgimiento de una tecnocracia en un sector social, a través del caso del Ministerio de Desarrollo e Inclusión Social, creado en el 2011 en respuesta a uno de los ejes centrales de la campaña electoral de Ollanta Humala: la inclusión social. Este texto busca determinar qué factores permitieron el establecimiento de una tecnocracia vinculada a la política social en un país donde esta ha estado tradicionalmente vinculada a un manejo político y clientelar. A lo largo del artículo, se abordan tres factores que explican el posicionamiento de una tecnocracia en este ministerio. Por un lado, existió un consenso sobre la necesidad del manejo técnico de este sector en la búsqueda de generar legitimidad y autonomía. Por otro lado, se dio un entorno político favorable caracterizado por un vasto respaldo político del gobierno. Por último, el amplio margen de decisión de los técnicos en el diseño del MIDIS y en la conformación del primer cuerpo ministerial permite el surgimiento de una institución de carácter tecnocrático. Para ello, esta investigación describe el desarrollo de las etapas de creación de esta institución, de diseño, aprobación e implementación, así como presenta una corroboración del perfil tecnocrático del equipo inicial de alta dirección de este ministerio.

The Diploma thesis focuses on the issues of social exclusion and people threatened by social exclusion phenomenon. In the thesis I address the process of social inclusion, which is related to socially excluded localities based on particular characteristics and local problems. A separate chapter is devoted to the method of community work that is focused on the effective response to the needs of socially excluded people. Furthermore I emphasize the work of the Agency for Social Inclusion, a major instrument of the Government of the Czech Republic, providing support to municipalities in the process of social integration. The relationship of the majority towards the socially excluded is also discussed within the thesis. Many studies consider the municipality and its government to represent the key role in the process of social inclusion of people endangered by social exclusion. However in the reality there are big differences among the municipalities with regard to the operation and support of socially excluded people. Social departments of some municipalities are acting proactively, others are not. The main difference lies in the self-government approach. Therefore I decided to focus my Diploma thesis research on this particular issue. The aim of the thesis is to describe the attitudes of the members...

The Diploma thesis focuses on the topic of Socially excluded locality and its perception by municipal politicians. The topic is researched in three specific municipalities within a region and on the approach of local municipal politicians towards the issue of social exclusion, while the close proximity of the municipalities also allows to monitor the diversity of particular municipality's approaches on the issue of social exclusion. In the thesis the concept of social exclusion is defined and also described historically both in global and European context. The concept of social exclusion is closely related to the topic of socially excluded locality and the adoption of socially vulnerable people by the majority, therefore the second chapter of the thesis is devoted to this topic. Another theme prepared on the basis of the professional literature focuses on description of the specific situation in the Czech Republic, possibilities and scope of national and municipal politicians' activity. In the last chapter the possibilities of support and work with socially excluded citizens are introduced. Many studies consider the municipality and its government to represent the key role in the process of social inclusion of people endangered by social exclusion. However there are big differences among the...