Messages from a rarely visited island: Duress and lack of consent in marriage

If we fear repetition in the signs that come to us from the world, it is because in that repetition we discover that the world's powers are always there, dozing perhaps, and surely somewhat removed, but still present and ready to swallow us as if we were a word in their language. If we feel strangely uneasy when we note that a word, automatically repeated, seems to lose all connection with its meaning, it is because at the very moment we sense the weakness, the precarious nature of the act on which all culture is based.I would like to thank the following for reading and commenting upon my work at various stages: Kate Green, Jeremy Roche and Qudsia Mirza.     

The NGO sector as an alternative delivery system for agricultural public services

In many less developed countries (LDCs) that are undergoing economic adjustment, the promotion of the agricultural sector is constrained by limitations on resources that include finance, and human and institutional capacity. The inability of the state to provide essential agricultural services (for example, agricultural extension and research) leaves a void that could be filled by specialised organisations within the non-governmental sector (NGOs). NGOs as a whole need not fear the loss of other advantages, but rather welcome the contracting out to specialist agencies of those activities that hitherto have been the domain of inefficient and ineffective government services.     

'I've lost the plot': an everyday story of legal aid lawyers

This paper examines the impact on a specific group of solicitors in the United Kingdom of recent changes in the delivery of legal services. These changes are seen as a form of the New Public Management (NPM), and the paper explores the proposition that NPM is producing a public sector characterized by high output but low morale, through an analysis of qualitative data from a group of 'political' legal aid practitioners. The data is seen to support the high-output/low-morale thesis, and the paper argues that one effect therefore of legal aid reform may be to damage the 'political' lawyer's project of empowering the client and countering social injustice.     

Another Missing Dimension? Foreign Languages in World War II Intelligence

This article argues that foreign languages are another part of the ‘missing dimension’ of intelligence. By examining the role of linguists in Y stations and at Bletchley Park in the Second World War, the article explores the institutional language policies developed for intelligence, and the working practices of those with foreign language skills. The article suggests that certain issues raised by this case study might be usefully examined in other intelligence contexts: the ways in which foreign language requirements are officially represented, the problematics of foreignness for recruiters, the status and identities of language workers, and the implications of professional translation practice within an intelligence environment.     

Arts Audiences: Establishing a Gateway to Audience Development and Engagement

ABSTRACT

Demand for mainline cultural art forms, including symphonies, opera, and jazz, is diminishing. As the arts face challenges concerning shrinking and aging audiences, reaching new consumer segments has become an imperative. The present research empirically examines how external forces related to an individual's opportunity to participate in the arts and internal variables related to motivation and ability influence audience development initiatives. In addition, the influence that these variables have on important engagement outcomes such as perceived value, loyalty, and advocacy are also evaluated. Findings offer insight for arts administrators into how consumption for live performing arts offerings can be fostered.