Finding a Home of Their Own: Immigrant Housing Experiences in Central Okanagan, British Columbia, and Policy Recommendations for Change

Housing for refugees and immigrants is increasingly an issue in small- and mid-sized cities in the British Columbia interior (Central Okanagan), where the real estate market is one of the most expensive in Canada. This study examines the housing experiences of immigrants in Vernon, Penticton, and Kelowna, using data from focus groups of new immigrants and interviews with key informants. Respondents encountered discrimination based on country of origin, immigration status, and ethnicity or race, as well as housing affordability problems. Participants cope with the latter barrier by either sharing housing to save money or renting a basement. Key informants suggest that government, especially the federal government, must help address the immigrant housing crisis in Central Okanagan by funding affordable housing construction, regulating and cooperating with developers, facilitating dialog between landlords and renters, and supporting community organizations. Municipal governments lack the resources and the constitutional powers to deal with this issue on their own.     

Home literacy experiences and literacy acquisition among children in Guangzhou, south China

Sénéchal's research in the West with English- and French-speaking children included positive relations of the development of literacy skills with home literacy experiences. There is a need to extend this research to other countries, especially in China where few studies have been done. This study examined relations of parental reports of formal and informal home literacy variables with Chinese children's vocabulary and written language development. Consistent with previous studies in the West, informal home literacy experiences were associated with Chinese children's vocabulary knowledge, and formal literacy experiences with reading skills. These findings fit previous research which distinguishes formal and informal literacy experiences in relation to children's performance on reading and language skills, and indicates reading to children is less effective for acquisition of print-specific skills.     

Paradoxes: Their Roots,Range and Resolution

Book Information Paradoxes: Their Roots, Range and Resolution. Paradoxes: Their Roots, Range and Resolution Nicholas Rescher, Chicago and La Salle : Open Court, 2001, xxiii + 293, US$24.95 (paper). By Nicholas Rescher. Open Court. Chicago and La Salle. Pp. xxiii + 293. US$24.95 (paper:).,     

Language and identity among British South Asians: A theoretical review

Given the pervasiveness of language in social life and the implications that language use can have for one’s individual and collective identities, attempts were made to explore the theoretical and empirical advantages in connecting social psychological theories of identity and sociological/sociolinguistic approaches to language use and language choices in order to make sense of language and identity among second-generation British Asians. The current theoretical essay features a brief overview of the sociology of British Asians in the United Kingdom and a detailed consideration of dominant theories of identity in social psychology, namely, Social Identity Theory Tajfel (1982), Self-Aspects Model of Identity (Simon 2004) and Identity Process Theory (Breakwell 1986). It is considered that the latter two theories lend themselves readily to the study of language and identity. The present essay considers the substantive literature on language and identity and deconstructs notions such as ‘mother tongue’ in an attempt to demonstrate the constructedness of such terminology. It is argued that a social psychological approach to questions of language and identity among British South Asians is a valid one and that a qualitative methodological approach is particularly well-suited to the area under investigation.     

Premature mortality due to suicide, homicide, and motor vehicle accidents in health service delivery areas: comparison of status Indians in British Columbia, Canada, with all other residents

From each of 15 health regions, potential years of life lost (PYLL) before age 75 for Status Indians is compared for select causes of death with all other residents. Mortality data from 1991 to 2001 for rates of PYLL (standardized to the 1991 population) are from tables of the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency and First Nations and Inuit Health Branch in 2002. PYLL rate differences and rate ratios were compared for two groups with significance of the former indicated by the 95% confidence interval. Overall, the rates of PYLL for suicide, homicide, and deaths due to motor vehicle accidents were about 224%, 340%, and 248% higher among Status Indians than all other residents. Rates of PYLL for homicide and deaths from motor vehicle accidents among Status Indian women exceeded those of other residents who were men. For suicide, Status Indian men ranked first and all other male residents of British Columbia ranked second.     

Hiring practices in British sociology: linkages among top-rated sociology doctoral programs

The extent to which top-rated and lower-rated doctoral programs in sociology in Great Britain hired their own and one another's graduates was evaluated. The 8 top-rated doctoral programs in sociology in Great Britain did not hire one another's graduates to the extent this occurs in such doctoral programs in sociology in the United States.     

Protestant Ghosts and Spirits of Capitalism: Ecology,Economy, and the Reformation Tradition

This essay analyzes current Protestant perspectives on the relationship between this tradition and capitalism from the perspective of social and ecological concerns. Rather than deciding between the tradition's purity or culpability in the rise of capitalism, this essay suggests that those concerned with both the future of the tradition and social/eco‐justice must acknowledge both the tradition's congruence with global capitalism and the tradition's prophetic ability to critique and propose alternatives.     

Caste and Identity Processes among British Sikhs in the Midlands

This article examines the role of caste in the lives and identities of a small sample of young Sikhs in the English Midlands, using social psychological theory. In many academic writings, there is an implicit representation of caste as a negative aspect of South Asian culture and religion, and of caste identification as a means of oppressing vulnerable outgroups. Twenty-three young Sikhs were interviewed, and the qualitative data were analysed using Identity Process Theory. The following themes are discussed: (i) Caste as a Dormant Social Category, (ii) Anchoring the Caste Ingroup to Positive Social Representations, and (iii) Caste as an Inherent or Constructed Aspect of Identity? It is argued that neither caste nor caste-based prejudice appear to be prominent in the lives and identities of our interviewees but that, because caste is an important symbolic aspect of identity which can acquire salient in particular contexts, some Sikhs may wish to maintain this identity though endogamy. What is understood as caste-based prejudice can be better understood in terms of the downward comparison principle in social psychology. The implications for caste legislation are discussed.     

Home country national intelligence and self-employment rates among immigrants in Norway

The level of self-employment varies significantly among immigrants from different countries of origin. The objective of this research is to examine the relationship between home-country national intelligence and self-employment rates among first generation immigrants in Norway. Empirical secondary data on self-employment among immigrants from 117 countries residing in Norway in 2008 was used. The relevant hypothesis was tested using hierarchical regression analysis. The immigrants’ national intelligence was found to be significantly positively associated with self-employment. However, the importance of national IQ for self-employment among immigrants decreases with the duration of residence in Norway. The study concludes with practical implications and suggestions for future research.     

Ancestral Voices, Spirits, and Magic: Dance a New Dance in the Family Therapy Room

Despite important moves toward reconciliation and dreams of a rainbow nation, the culture of violence impacts upon family and community life. This article is written within this context and more specifically within the writer's personal reflections on her practice of working as a family therapist in one of South Africa's largest black townships, Mdantsane. It challenges the relevance of first world theory and practice of family therapy in the third world context but is written in the first person and thus in the form of a reflective practitioner. The usefulness of the Milan approach is questioned and a move toward a social constructionist approach is favoured. The metaphor of dance and music is used to capture the dynamic interaction between client and therapist in the search for a relevant and respectful way of working with families in the South African context.     

Idols and Demons: On Discerning the Spirits

This article elaborates on the distinction between two spiritual ailments, which can be properly identified as idolatry and demonry. They represent opposite but complementary age–long phenomena still relevant to the analysis of the contemporary spiritual situation in explaining disorders of the soul as well as cultural derangement. The text suggests that the church as the spiritual community is the locus for the discernment of the spirit and that in its two distinguishing foundational and functional features (the proclamatory function and the communion function) it is molded precisely to confront both idols and demons.     

Sexuality and the drive for muscularity: Evidence of associations among British men

Previous studies have documented associations between sexuality and body image, but the directionality of this association is unclear among men. This study examined whether men's drive for muscularity can be considered a correlate of their sexuality. A community-based sample of 292 heterosexual men from London, UK, completed a survey consisting of measures of drive for muscularity, sociosexuality, sexual assertiveness, sexual esteem, and sexual sensation seeking. A multiple regression analysis showed that greater drive for muscularity was predicted by more unrestricted sociosexuality (i.e., a greater proclivity for short-term, transient relationships), greater sexual sensation seeking, and greater sexual assertiveness, once the effects of participant age and body mass index had been accounted for. Possible avenues for intervention based on a sex-positive approach are discussed in conclusion.     

Genetic Counseling for Early-onset Familial Alzheimer Disease in Large Aboriginal Kindred from a Remote Community in British Columbia: Unique Challenges and Possible Solutions

A novel, pathogenic presenilin 1 (PS1) mutation has recently been identified in a large Aboriginal kindred living in dispersed communities throughout British Columbia, Canada. Disseminating genetic information and ensuring that appropriate genetic counseling services are provided to all concerned relatives have posed several unique challenges. These challenges include knowledge exchange and continuity of care in a geographically remote and culturally distinct community. To our knowledge, this is the first time a specific genetic counseling approach has been needed for early-onset familial Alzheimer disease (EOFAD) in a North American Aboriginal community.