Community‐based research requires the involvement of both the community and researchers to investigate the influence of existing political, social and structural factors on the…
Abstract
Community‐based research requires the involvement of both the community and researchers to investigate the influence of existing political, social and structural factors on the health of individuals and communities. In the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, a community‐based intervention is proposed, as part of an EU INCO DEV‐funded project that aims to assess reproductive health care among Bedouin in Lebanon and Jordan. This intervention intends to train Bedouin community health volunteers (CHVs) to spread reproductive and child health knowledge and awareness among the Bedouin community and link them to the existing primary health care centres. The challenges facing this intervention relate to the existing political atmosphere and the difficult process of building and maintaining a partnership between the research team and the Bedouin. Evidence from the data‐collection phase and the current implementation phase of the Bedouin project has shown that the positive outcomes that result from community‐based interventions can be outweighed by the burden of obstacles and challenges that arise. These have to be carefully anticipated and tackled to guarantee a successful intervention. This paper will explore these obstacles and highlight some recommendations for implementing a community‐based intervention on the basis of our experience with the Bedouin.
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The populations of the Middle East have experienced particularly rapid socio‐economic change over the past 40 years, due largely to the consolidation of the nation‐state after the…
Abstract
The populations of the Middle East have experienced particularly rapid socio‐economic change over the past 40 years, due largely to the consolidation of the nation‐state after the break‐up of the Ottoman Empire at the close of WWI. The basic social, political and cultural rights of the pastoral populations (the Bedouin) of this region have been largely ignored, however, in part due to their remoteness and inaccessibility, but also because of the very fact of their mobility and physical marginality. With a few exceptions ‐ such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia ‐ cultural differences between the mobile Bedouin and the settled urban and agrarian populations have translated over time into development of discriminated minorities. The Bedouin way of life has come to be regarded as backward and primitive; in some places their very authenticity as part of the nation‐state has been questioned as they fail to ‘Modernise’ at the same pace as surrounding populations. Thus in Lebanon the majority of Bedouin are ‘stateless’ without papers and live beyond the ‘boundaries’ of government services. Their mobile way of life is largely a thing of the past, but their sense of tribal belonging remains strong. Their desire for nationality papers reflects a wish to end their marginalisation and statelessness and be able to access government services.
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Stephanie D. Short, Nikhil Hawal, Nasser Sai Albusaidi and Farah Purwaningrum
The purpose of this paper is to identify the elements of effective policies and processes to inform future health professional regulation reforms and practice in the Emirates.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the elements of effective policies and processes to inform future health professional regulation reforms and practice in the Emirates.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on qualitative exploratory methodology. Methods of data collection and analysis included document analysis of the relevant literature, newspapers (as featured on their online websites), policy documents and official statistics. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders, including employers in the health and higher education sectors in Ras Al Khaimah, human resources managers, regulators and public health professionals and scholars.
Findings
This paper brings to light the issues of maldistribution of the medical workforce, Emiritisation and examines implications for more effective medical workforce governance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Originality/value
First, the study provides policy recommendations for medical workforce governance in the context of UAE. Next, empirical studies on health workforce governance in the Middle East’s Gulf Cooperation Council are lacking and primarily focus on the international mobility of expatriates. The study addresses the lack of empirical studies on this topic in the UAE. Third, the UAE is a fertile ground for research on medical workforce governance and, more broadly, the mobility of health professionals due to its economic diversification strategy and thriving medical tourism industry.
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The purpose of this paper is to attempt to provide a critical assessment of the trajectory and nature of the production of knowledge on cultural heritage on the Arab world. This…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to attempt to provide a critical assessment of the trajectory and nature of the production of knowledge on cultural heritage on the Arab world. This evaluation of the discipline or field of cultural heritage will focus on both a historic evolution and on current practices in order to understand the nature and politics of that evolution.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach and research methodology adopted for this paper depends primarily on a long-term critical literature review and content analysis that took place over the past 25 years concerning key reports, journal articles, books and other publications on cultural heritage on the Arab world.
Findings
The paper's main findings centers on presenting current practices/production on cultural heritage which are divided into two categories in terms of production of knowledge: an abundant engagement with a technical sphere dominated with concern for documentation and conservation technology of cultural heritage; and a scarce engagement with epistemological and theoretical spheres that delves into processes of cultural heritage definition, consumption and continuity in the Arab world.
Originality/value
The paper attempts to engage in and commence a much-needed wider discussion on the historical transformation concerning knowledge production on cultural heritage in the Arab world and its related practices and processes. The paper emphasizes the significance of this engagement with theoretical spheres of conservation and calls for an expansion of such engagement in order to elevate the discourse and debate on cultural heritage in the Arab world.