Jessica Frantz, Nicholas Michael Perez, Michael White and Aili Malm
The police killing of George Floyd and other high-profile incidents of force sparked massive protests around the world. Amidst eroding public perceptions of police legitimacy…
Abstract
Purpose
The police killing of George Floyd and other high-profile incidents of force sparked massive protests around the world. Amidst eroding public perceptions of police legitimacy, politicians and activists have sought to achieve systemic change. Over the past year, several cities in the United States have implemented various police reform initiatives, including reallocating resources, cutting budgets, and downsizing specialized units. As a result of these changes, the “defund the police” movement may have far-reaching consequences on police culture, especially within specialized units most affected by budget and resource changes. Furthermore, as fentanyl overdoses are surging and the American opioid crisis continues, specialized drug investigation units face a host of challenges in responding to increases in drug-related crime in the aftermath of “defund the police”. Therefore, this study aims to examine the experiences of a Drug Investigation Section in a large metropolitan city.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses data from semi-structured interviews conducted between October 2021 to May 2022. The results of this study provide a thematic analysis that explores the narcotics detectives' perceptions of key features of police culture, as well as how current challenges affect those perceptions.
Findings
Key features of the police culture were noticeably absent from detectives' responses, including an overemphasis on danger, machismo, conservatism, and social isolation. Elements of cynicism, group solidarity, and a mission/action-orientation, did emerge. The context of “defund the police” did little to alter their perceptions, except for heightening cynicism and negative perceptions of politicians and prosecutors (a form of “us vs them”, but not involving citizens). The interviews also revealed various other changes that have occurred in recent years that have adversely affected the section's traditional investigative capabilities, especially with regard to illicit fentanyl distribution, though the addition of an intelligence analyst minimized those negative effects.
Originality/value
This study adds to the scarce research on contemporary police culture in specialized units, especially in the aftermath of the “defund the police” movement, providing a glimpse into its context within a drug investigation section and its potential effects on police culture and narcotics investigations.
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Jessica Chelekis and Bernardo Figueiredo
We introduce critical regionalities and the archipelago metaphor as an analytic lens for interrogating and redrawing regional borders while preserving the benefits of a regional…
Abstract
Purpose
We introduce critical regionalities and the archipelago metaphor as an analytic lens for interrogating and redrawing regional borders while preserving the benefits of a regional approach.
Methodology/approach
Using secondary data from Latin America, we interrogate the mode by which regions are adopted in marketing and consumer research, raising a discussion of the analytical scales and boundaries of regional cultures, considering regional interdependencies and their common sociohistorical backgrounds.
Findings
We use the critical regionalities approach to examine the rise of gated-communities in Latin America and demonstrate how a regional approach can reveal connections between meso-level sociohistorical processes and cultural values.
Research implications
The critical regionalities approach transforms assumptions of national or global scales into tools of inquiry: both the nation and the globe become possible scales to contrast with regional archipelagos and enhance researchers’ reflexivity of the how’s and why’s of consumer phenomena.
Social implications
The method prompts cultural researchers to adopt scales of analysis that more closely reflect the social phenomena being studied, which is especially useful for understanding emerging markets and marginalized areas. We also emphasize the importance of attending to consumer cultural phenomena and processes in non-Western contexts.
Originality/value
The paper offers a solution for the conundrum of how to write about regions without essentializing them. Marketers and policy makers can use the concept of cultural archipelagos to define new segments and understand new markets, without the need to conform to preestablished geographic or political borders.
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Corinna Bruder, Biza Kroese and Sarah Bland
The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how the proceedings of a vulnerable adult protection policy is understood by referrers to affect the psychological and…
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how the proceedings of a vulnerable adult protection policy is understood by referrers to affect the psychological and emotional well‐being of adults with a learning disability. During the research process seven referrers of vulnerable adults discussed twelve different cases in in‐depth interviews. The interviews and matching case notes of protection meetings released by social services were analysed by the application of grounded theory techniques. The result is a model that highlights how appraisals of the experience the emotional and behavioural reactions of the vulnerable adults are shaped by the nature of the abuse, the actions taken by protection meetings, the expectations of the vulnerable adults and the availability of support.
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This article discusses the role that gardening, horticulture and farming can play in promoting mental well‐being and in supporting the recovery of individuals with mental health…
Abstract
This article discusses the role that gardening, horticulture and farming can play in promoting mental well‐being and in supporting the recovery of individuals with mental health problems.
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In the previous chapter, the reader will have become familiar with the idea of screening for traumatic experiences within organisations as a way to identify those who may benefit…
Abstract
In the previous chapter, the reader will have become familiar with the idea of screening for traumatic experiences within organisations as a way to identify those who may benefit most from interventions and support. In this chapter, I present an overview of the trauma therapy literature in the first instance and then explore some of the debates regarding specific trauma-informed treatments versus general therapeutic approaches. The multicultural competency literature is discussed, and the multicultural orientation approach of cultural humility, cultural opportunity and cultural comfort is highlighted in a practice context. This chapter concludes with a case study vignette that brings it all together with a clinical example of what trauma-informed therapy through a multicultural lens might look like. As such I operationalise choice, collaboration , trust and transparency, and cultural principles from the trauma-informed care literature. Although applied here to specific trauma-informed organisations, some of the methods and processes that I unpack can be used in non-specific organisations where social/case managers are employed and wish to operationalise choice and collaboration in a structured way.
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Jennifer A. A. Lavoie, Judy Eaton, Carrie B. Sanders and Matthew Smith
We conducted a narrative analysis of a collective narrative comprising inscriptions left on the locally famed “Apology Wall,” written by thousands of community members in the…
Abstract
We conducted a narrative analysis of a collective narrative comprising inscriptions left on the locally famed “Apology Wall,” written by thousands of community members in the immediate aftermath of the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup Riot. In considering the Apology Wall as an “evocative object,” this study emphasized the significance of material objects as meaning-making devices. Interpretation of themes was conducted through a constructivist lens, specifically guided by literature concerning meaning-making following negative life events. Results bolstered the significance of the Wall as a sense-making device that provided a forum for the community to collectively share positive emotional expression, construct solidarity and collective identity, and express desires for restoration. By studying this collective narrative, the study not only illuminated how those affected constructed meaning after the Vancouver sports riot, but it also contributes to the literature on how communities, in general, make early sense of and respond to destructive events.
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Jessica Schomberg and Barb Bergman
The purpose of this article is to help librarians interested in developing a basic understanding of Sub‐Saharan African cinema and increase awareness of the resources available…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to help librarians interested in developing a basic understanding of Sub‐Saharan African cinema and increase awareness of the resources available when building a collection of sub‐Saharan African films for their library. A general review is provided to help become familiar with the history and nature of the four regions discussed.
Design/methodology/approach
A collection development project to expand a mid‐sized university's collection of sub‐Saharan African films is discussed. Includes brief historical information and core titles, selected for their historical role and/or ease of purchase.
Findings
A list of core films is recommended for academic and public libraries representing four geographic regions of sub‐Saharan Africa: Nigeria, South Africa, West Africa, and East Africa.
Research limitations/implications
Unfortunately, many of the titles referenced in academic literature and winners of African film awards are not available for purchase outside of Africa, making it impossible to accomplish our goal of collecting a core list as intended.
Practical implications
The paper increases awareness of African cinema and value inclusion in library collections.
Originality/value
While there are general articles on the topic of African cinema, there are no recent articles on the topic of collecting African films for libraries.