B. Reviews: bibliographies and works of reference

INDEX DES HITAT: INDEX ANALYTIQUE DES OUVRAGES D'IBN DUQMAQ ET DE MAQRIZI SUR LE CAIRE. Volumes I‐III. By AHMAD ‘ABD AL‐MAJID HARIDI. (Textes arabes et études islamiques, XX.) Cairo, Institut François d'Archéologie Orientale, 1983–84. 3 vols. 463; 221; 389 pp.

WESTERN SAHARA: A COMPREHENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY. Compiled by LYNN F. SIPE. (Garland Reference Library of Social Science, 178). New York, Garland Publishing, 1984. 418pp. One map (based on United Nations map No.2547/Rev 2).

BAHRAIN. Compiled by P.T.H. UNWIN. (World Bibliographical Series. 49). Oxford & Santa Barbara, Clio Press, 1984. xxxii, 265pp. Map. £33.00.

CATALOGUE COLLECTIF DES OUVRAGES EN LANGUE ARABE ACQUIS PAR LES BIBLIOTHEQUES FRANÇAISES, 1952–1983. Préparé par GEORGES HADDAD et MOHAMMED SAID... München, K.G. Saur, 1984. 4 vols. 2667pp. DM 800.—

ARAB AND ISLAMIC INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION DIRECTORY 1984/85. Edited by UNION OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS. (Guides to International Organizations, no.2.) München, K.G. Saur, 1984. 484pp. DM 248,‐.

INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF ISLAMIC CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS. Prepared by ACAR TANLAK and AHMED LAJIMI. Istanbul, Organisation of Islamic Conference, Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture, 1405/1984. (Distributed in the U.K. by Kegan Paul International.) 337pp.

SUFI SYMBOLISM. By JAVAD NURBAKHSH. (Nurbakhsh Encyclopedia of Sufi terminology, vol.I.) London, Khaniqahi‐Nimatullahi Publications, 1984. 228pp. £15.00

IRAN: POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT UNDER THE PAHLAVIS. AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY. By DARIUSH GITISETAN. Metuchen, Scarecrow Press, 1985. xi, 201pp. £15.00.

GUIDE TO REFERENCE BOOKS FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES. By C.L. GEDDES. (Bibliographic Series, No.9.) Denver, American Institute of Islamic Studies, 1985. xiii, 429pp. US $45.00.

MU'JAM AL‐MU'ALLIFIN AL‐SURIYYIN FI AL‐QARN AL‐'ISHRIN. By ‘ABD AL‐ QADIR ‘AYYASH. Damascus, Dar al‐Fikr, 1985. 544pp.

WILLIAM BEDWELL THE ARABIST, 1563–1632. By ALASTAIR HAMILTON. (Publications of the Sir Thomas Browne Institute, Leiden, New series, no.5.) Leiden, E.J. Brill & Leiden University Press, 1985. 163pp. 13 plates. HFI. 46.—

BUCHWESEN IN BOSNIEN UND DER HERZEGOWINA (1800–1878). By JOZO D?AMBO. (Arbeiten und Bibliographien zum Buch‐ und Bibliothekswesen; 2.) Frankfurt am Main, Peter Lang, 1985, 231pp. 2 maps and charts. SFr. 45/US$ 19.55.

MU'JAM AL‐MUSTALAHAT AL‐MASRIFIYYA WA‐MUSTALAHAT AL‐BURSA WA‐L‐TA'MIN WA‐L‐TIJARA AL‐DUWALIYYA. LEXIQUE DES TERMES BANCAIRES: ARABE‐FRANÇAIS‐ANGLAIS. GLOSSARY OF BANKING TERMS: ARABIC‐FRENCH‐ENGLISH. By FARIDI BAZ (Freddie Baz), MAKRAM SADIR (Makram Sader) and JURJ ABI SALIH (Georges Abi Saleh). Beirut, Middle East Media. 1985. (Distributed by MEED Books, London.) 309pp.

CATALOGUE No.555: ORIENTAL MANUSCRIPTS: Offered for sale by E.J.BRILL. Leiden, E.J. Brill, 1986. 161pp. HFI. 15.‐

SHORT GUIDE TO MODERN STAR NAMES AND THEIR DERIVATIONS. By PAUL KUNITZSCH and TIM SMART. Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 1986. 64pp. DM 39.80.

OSMANLI ?MPARATORLUGU'NDAN GÜNÜMÜZE BELGELERLE MÜZ?K (NOTA) YAYINCILIGI (1876–1986). MUSIC PUBLICATIONS FROM OTTOMAN EMPIRE UP TODAY [sic] (1876–1986). By BÜLENT ALANER. (Belgelerle Türk Müzik Tarihi Dizisi, I.) Ankara, Anadol Yaymcilik, 1986. 99pp. 70 ills. (mostly photo‐reproductions from published sheet music).

THE PALESTINIAN PROBLEM AND UNITED STATES POLICY: A GUIDE TO ISSUES AND REFERENCES. By BRUCE KUNIHOLM and MICHAEL RUBNER. (Guides to contemporary issues, 5). Claremont (USA), Regina Books, 1986. 157pp. £16.50 (hardback); £10.45 (paperback).

ENGLISH‐ARABIC DICTIONARY OF COMPUTER TERMS. By FIRAS H. ALI London, Edward Arnold, 1986. 109pp.

ARABIC COMPUTER DICTIONARY: ENGLISH‐ARABIC, ARABIC‐ENGLISH. Compiled by MULTI‐LINGUAL INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS LTD. General Editor ERNEST KAY. London, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1986. 177 + 127 pp. £30.00

AFGHANISTAN: AN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE. A GUIDE TO U.S. OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS AND GOVERNMENT‐SPONSORED PUBLICATIONS. By JULIAN W. WITHERELL. (Near Eastern Series, no. 3.) Washington, Library of Congress, 1986. xiii, 158pp. U.S. $5.00.

A GUIDE TO ‘DOCUMENTS FROM THE NEST OF SPIES.’ By GIORGIO VERCELLIN. (Occasional paper, 26.) New York, Afghanistan Forum, 1986. 29pp.     

Interpersonal Environment Effects on Political Preferences: The “Middle Path” for Conceptualizing Social Structure in New Zealand and Japan

The effect of interpersonal environment, as measured by the degree of heterogeneity or homogeneity of political party preferences among important others in an individual's social network, was investigated using a national probability sample in Japan and regional sample in New Zealand. In both cultures, the interpersonal environment exerted significant and consistent effects on individual voting preferences. Those who reported inhabiting relatively homogeneous interpersonal political environments (IPEs) displayed a strong tendency to vote for the same political party as the important others in their social network. This effect was robust even after controlling for party identification, attitudes, media exposure, and objectively defined group memberships. Importantly, this tendency was not predicated on the frequency of talk about politics with significant others. Implications are discussed for both micro-level and macro-level theories of social structure and political behavior; an argument is made for the importance of a middle path—the psychology of enduring relationships between people.     

Three Traditions of Network Research: What the Public Management Research Agenda Can Learn from Other Research Communities

This article identifies and describes the development of three parallel streams of literature about network theory and research: social network analysis, policy change and political science networks, and public management networks. Noting that these traditions have sometimes been inattentive to each other's work, the authors illustrate the similarities and differences in the underlying theoretical assumptions, types of research questions addressed, and research methods typically employed by the three traditions. The authors draw especially on the social network analysis (sociological) tradition to provide theoretical and research insights for those who focus primarily on public management networks. The article concludes with recommendations for advancing current scholarship on public management networks.     

Criminal records and college admissions: A modified experimental audit

In this article, we consider the effect of criminal records on college admissions. Nearly 72 percent of colleges require criminal history information during their application processes, which indicates that an applicant's criminal history could be a significant impediment to achieving the benefits associated with higher education. We conducted a modified experimental audit to learn whether and to what extent criminal records affect admissions decisions. Matched same-race pairs of tester applications were sent to a national sample of nonelite 4-year colleges, with both testers applying as either Black or White. Within each pair, one application signaled a prior low-level felony conviction only when required by the application. Consistent with the findings of research on employment, we find the rejection rate for applicants with felony convictions was nearly 2.5 times the rate of our control testers. Relative to the large racial differences observed in previous studies of hiring decisions, we find smaller racial differences in admissions decisions. Nevertheless, Black applicants with criminal records were particularly penalized when disclosing a felony record at colleges with high campus crime rates. We address implications for reentry, racial progress, and the college “Ban the Box” movement. We suggest colleges consider narrowing the scope of such inquiries or removing the question altogether – particularly when it conflicts with the goals of these institutions, including reducing the underrepresentation of students of color.”     

An Era of Continuing Change: Reflections on Local Government in England 1974–2014

Abstract

This article sets the current position of local government in a longer historical perspective. It begins with a discussion of the 1974 local government reorganisation and argues that many of the principles and assumptions determining the ways of working of local authorities remained unchanged after this reorganisation. However, the next 40 years were ones of continuing change, much of it imposed by central government, and the article discusses the often piecemeal implementation of individual changes and the resulting atmosphere of uncertainty and instability. This is followed by an analysis of the cumulative impact of the changes and identifying key problems, and the article concludes by drawing on this analysis to set out the challenges that have to be met if the full potential of the local government is to be realised in the future.     

From Fashion Colours to Spectrum Analysis: negotiating femininities in mid-Victorian women's magazines

This article closely examines the first set of accusations in the Matthew Hopkins witch‐hunting phenomenon in early modern England by paying particular attention to the female actors. It reveals that Matthew Hopkins was not only a member of the elite group that lent credibility to the witchcraft accusations arising from within the community, but he also had kinship ties with Susan Edwards, mother of the child supposedly bewitched to death by this group of women. This impacts on the traditional historiography concerning Hopkins's role as a witch‐finder. Secondly, the evidence reveals a group of marginalized women who befriended and supported one another. It is argued that this group of independent women, meeting together without the supervision of a man, challenged the social order. Witchcraft was a social phenomenon that had the ability to satisfy many divergent needs. When multiple agendas converged, a suggestion by a cunning person could end in the execution of many victims. The author suggests that the so‐called witches' meeting was actually a prayer meeting of semi‐literate, devout women, who fell outside the parameters of the ‘godly’ community of Mistley parish. In this case, the accusations may not have spread any further than the two women who were initially suggested by the cunning woman, if it had not been for the women's group meetings.     

Longitudinal Disparities of Hazardous Drinking Between Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Individuals from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Sexual minority (lesbian and gay, bisexual, mostly heterosexual) individuals are at an increased risk for hazardous drinking than heterosexual individuals, but little is known about the nature of the disparities as adolescents reach adulthood. We used four waves of a nationally representative data set, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), to examine disparities of hazardous drinking outcomes between sexual minority and heterosexual men and women from adolescence to young adulthood. Participants were 14–18 years old at the first assessment (N = 12,379; 53 % female) and 27–31 years old at the fourth assessment. At the fourth assessment, 13 % self-identified as sexual minority individuals, 16 % were Hispanic, and 36 % were of minority race, including primarily African Americans (60 %) and Asian Americans (18 %). There were clear hazardous drinking disparities between sexual minority individuals and heterosexual individuals over time. During adolescence, sexual minority individuals, particularly females, reported higher levels of hazardous drinking. As study participants reached adulthood, the magnitude of the hazardous drinking disparities increased among sexual minorities, sexual minority men in particular. Additional research is needed to better understand the developmental mechanisms that underlie the emerging sexual orientation related disparities of hazardous drinking in young adulthood.     

‘HOTTEST 100 WOMEN’

Social movement theorists have developed several concepts to explain the role of social networking in maintaining social movements. This is particularly relevant for periods when levels of public activism are low due to backlash, hostile social contexts and structural uncertainties. As part of my study of the women's movement online and feminist blog networks in Australia, I provide a review of several of these concepts, interrogating their applicability to the study of online communities. This paper explores the relevance of the social movement theory concepts of submerged networks, abeyance structures and the related idea of counterpublics for the study of feminist blog networks. In 2009, the radio station Triple J's ‘Hottest 100 of All Time’ poll featured no solo women artists, and women played on few tracks. In response to this, several strands of discourse developed in the Australian feminist blogosphere identifying ways that the history of rock music excludes or erases women. Activists developed a cross-platform poll on Twitter, Facebook and email, and promoted it through blogs and Twitter, to counter the ‘Hottest 100 Men’ with a ‘Hottest 100 Women’. This paper shows the ways these women have used blogging networks to challenge mainstream discourses and generate new ones.