Socio‐economic differentiation and relations of production among rural‐based petty producers in central Peru, 1880 to 1970.

In an attempt to uncover the complexity of socio‐economic differentiation, detailed evidence is presented of the changing production relations among the Huasicanchinos of Central Peru over a period of ninety years.

It is argued that the process of differentiation can only be understood within the context of a quite specific system of production. An examination of the specificity of the relations of production in a particular period then reveals the complexity of this differentiation process and exposes some of the difficulties involved in a class analysis where capitalist relations have not been generalised throughout the social formation.

The study of this group of Central Peruvian petty producers over ninety years reveals that the differentiation process was a function of specific features of the relations of production in each of three periods; these relations were themselves emergent from the articulation of huasicanchino petty production with the changing form of dominant capitalism in Peru. As a function of differing relations to large capital, petty production units took on a variety of forms. Qualitative differences in the form of small production units in one period then gave rise to quantitative differences in control over resources in a subsequent period. Quantitative differences were in turn expressed in variations in relations of production between controllers and direct producers, and so on.

It is concluded that assumptions about inevitable polarisation should not obscure the complexity of a process which can only be understood by reference to the particular history of a social formation.     

The art of law (and the law of art) is perpetual crisis

In this performance-based work, which essentially concerns the fable of ‘Khi + Ordo’, we obliquely—through visual-textual storytelling—focus on what we call ‘the agency of the artist-scholar’, deconstructing, inter alia, many of the rules and regulations associated with the art-academic industrial complex—i.e., the institutional dictates to produce commodifiable works, the enforced metrics associated with authorised forms of research and publication, and the often-inelegant and mostly unnecessary dance that the artist-scholar performs with ‘all of that’. The photo-essay is developed from the archive of the Out of India Collective (OOI), but in association with the Metropolitan Transmedia Authority (MTA), its successor collective. It draws upon documents associated with OOI experiments in transmedia undertaken across multiple submissions for residencies, exhibitions, and publications in both academia and the art world in the years 2017–2019, even as it focuses upon the fable of ‘Khi + Ordo’. ‘Ordo’ is a synonym (or metaphor) for totalitarian states and regimes—‘regimes’ being, in this case, those that rule art + law. ‘Law’ here infers, through its negation, the appearance of a higher law, one that is entered upon when one resists assimilation to the rules and regulations associated with police states—incipient or otherwise. We call that other law ‘works-based agency’, and the artist-scholar is beholden to it once s/he departs company with all such quotidian systems of abject hegemony. One crisis leads to another, so to speak, on multiple levels and all at once.

     

Housing chronically homeless women: “Inside” a safe haven

Abstract

This case study of an innovative pilot project for chronically homeless, mentally ill women in Toronto exposes assumptions that professionals embarking on initiatives to house chronically homeless women may bring to the design of such facilities. The value of in‐depth ethnographic research in charting the effectiveness of initiatives to alleviate chronic homelessness for women and in understanding the barriers that hinder the development of effective programs is highlighted.

This article challenges conventional static understandings of the concepts of “private” and “public” and explores issues related to spatial privacy and communality, sense of ownership, ideas about the safe haven being both a home and a hostel, planning for flexibility, accountability to public flinders, and accommodation of individual needs.     

Acquisition‐Hungry Premier Swallows RHM*

Premier Foods was successful in becoming the UK's largest grocery supplier in early 2007 after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), the UK competition authority, approved its £1.2 billion purchase of RHM. The merger means that iconic brands often found in British kitchens, such as Hovis breads, Lyons cakes, Bird's custard, Branston pickle, and dozens of other well‐known products, will now be manufactured by the same food group.

Gavin Murphy examines the OFT's merger assessment.     

Experiences with Parental Aggression During Childhood and Self-Concept in Adulthood: The Importance of Subjective Perceptions

That individuals' realities are subjectively constructed is a basic, fundamental concept in psychology. However, past research examining child maltreatment in relation to psychological functioning has only investigated the frequency with which parental aggression occurs. Here, adults' perceptions of the abusiveness of their parents' aggressive behaviors during childhood were investigated as a predictor of current self-concept. Participants (N = 119) completed questionnaires assessing the extent to which they experienced parental aggression during childhood, their subjective perceptions of their parents' behaviors, and their current self-concept. Results indicated that how participants perceived their parents' aggressive behaviors was a more important predictor of self-concept than was the frequency with which those aggressive parental behaviors occurred. How individuals characterize their experiences with parental aggression should be taken into account when examining the psychological effects of aggressive parental behaviors.     

Implementing eGovernment without promoting dependence: open source software in developing countries in Southeast Asia

Given that eGovernment is likely to become part of development strategies, the most desirable form of eGovernment is that which promotes the domestic generation of intellectual property or, at least, contributes least to the international intellectual property (IP) imbalance. One way to achieve these ends is to implement eGovernment using free or open source software (FOSS). This will reduce dependence on software owned by major companies in developed countries. It could also promote an IP generating capacity in developing countries. An examination of the status of free or open source software in developing countries in Southeast Asia reveals that governments in these countries are aware of FOSS and wish to foster its use (but face considerable pressure to use proprietary software). This examination also reveals the presence of small but active groups seeking to develop and promote the use of free or open source software. This article is comprised of a discussion of FOSS (including that suitable for eGovernment), an explanation of the importance of FOSS for developing countries, a justification of government's centrality to the introduction of FOSS and a consideration of policies and initiatives undertaken by governments in developing countries in Southeast Asia. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.