Incarnating a rhetoric of identity: Pat Robertson and the 700 Club

Abstract

The article analyses the American ‘Christian’ television talk show, the 700 Club, created by Pat Robertson. It suggests that Robertson has developed a sophisticated form of programming based on the creation of a participatory identity between the viewer, programme hosts and interviewees. This is based on the skilful combination of rhetoric and myths, understood in terms of narrative paradigms, supported by the active involvement of worldwide church-based support networks.     

新生代农民工婚姻家庭研究的理论与前瞻

有序推进农业转移人口市民化是当前的社会目标,也是解决好"三农"问题的重要方向。分析新生代农民工的婚姻家庭问题可以找到市民化的可能突破点。由于社会流动、婚姻挤压、双重边缘人的身份尴尬、婚姻策略的盲目调整等方面的原因,新生代农民工婚姻家庭表现出传统与现代的融合特性,丰富了婚姻内涵的同时又带来了很多的社会管理难题。因而以婚姻家庭为突破口,对新生代农民工进行分层化、专门化研究,探索在新型城镇化和市民化的进程中如何缓解成婚难问题,改变婚姻迁移循环式流动的窘境,减轻抚幼赡老维持家庭的经济压力,是当前新生代农民工研究的重要内容。     

Stressful Life Experiences and Peer Externalizing Behaviors Mediate the Relation Between Reduced Family Support and Externalizing Symptoms in Low-Income Urban Youth

Family support, urban stressors, and peer behavior were examined in relation to externalizing symptoms in 605 predominantly low-income urban sixth through eighth grade adolescents. Mother and father support were each associated with lower levels of externalizing symptoms in both males and females. For males, father absence was associated with increased peer externalizing behavior and heightened rates of youth externalizing symptoms. Stress (in the form of major life events, daily hassles, and exposure to violence) and peer externalizing behavior were examined as mediators of the relation between parent support and youth externalizing symptoms. Increased stress exposure mediated the relation between weak mother and father support and youth externalizing symptoms. Additionally, for females, peer externalizing behavior mediated the relation between weak mother support and youth externalizing symptoms.     

Family Group Conferencing: An Indigenous Practice Approach to Compliance With the Indian Child Welfare Act

Native American children are perpetually over-represented in the U.S. child welfare system, despite the creation of the Indian Child Welfare Act. This article examines the use of family group conferencing, particularly initiated in Indian child welfare systems, as a practice method to reduce the disproportionality in this area.     

Navigating the System: A How-To Guide for Implementing a Kinship Navigator Program

This article describes key programmatic and evaluation elements that guided the implementation of the San Diego County YMCA Kinship Navigator Program. A 3-year demonstration project funded by the Administration on Children Youth and Families designed to build a regional navigator system in collaboration with the local child welfare agency to support kinship caregivers. Kinship caregivers (relatives and non-relatives) play a significant role in the well-being of the children in their care. The findings suggest that successfully implemented kinship navigator models are a viable preventive intervention for addressing the needs of kinship families.     

The Relationship Between Use of Specific Services,Parental Problems,and Reunification With Children Placed in Foster Care

Research studies have found that for parents with children in foster care, use of problem-targeted services increases the likelihood of reunification. However, available research focuses almost entirely on substance abusing mothers, and rarely considers parents' use of parenting classes and counseling, services that are commonly ordered for most reunifying parents. This study examined the effects of parents' use of specific services on reunification. Findings suggest that in addition to parents' use of problem-targeted services, use or compliance with parenting classes and counseling services is also heavily weighted in reunification decision-making. Further research is needed to identify factors associated with service use and advance our understanding of the effectiveness of reunification services.     

ARE WE REALLY LOOKING OUT FOR THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD? APPLYING THE NEW ZEALAND MODEL OF FAMILY GROUP CONFERENCES TO CASES OF CHILD NEGLECT IN THE UNITED STATES

This Note advocates for state laws to be amended to implement family group conferencing (FGC) as the first step in cases of alleged child neglect. FGC was developed in New Zealand nearly twenty years ago and have since become a realistic method of balancing the best interests of the children, families, agencies, courts, and communities involved in the child welfare system. A FGC is a meeting among family members and professionals that is conducted in order to develop a plan for a child who is the victim of neglect. FGC places the family at the center of the welfare proceedings and empowers them to reach a solution without having to resort to the often lengthy and expensive adversarial court system. If FGC is incorporated into the child welfare systems throughout the United States, communication between the parents, social services, and the courts could increase, helping families adequately address the problem of neglect and getting the children out of the child welfare system quickly and more efficiently.     

TRENDS IN CHILD PROTECTION MEDIATION: RESULTS OF THE THINK TANK SURVEY AND INTERVIEWS

Several child protection conflict resolution program directors and researchers talked about how best to initiate a networking effort for their field. In September 2007, their conversations culminated in a Think Tank in Columbus, Ohio. This was a collaboration of judges, program directors, researchers, and representatives from national organizations that work in child protection. Participants felt this was a successful effort and that the meeting provided networking opportunities and many provocative discussions. In order to facilitate a meeting that would be meaningful for the Think Tank participants, input was solicited from as many constituent groups as possible. Surveys and interviews were completed in the summer of 2007, which shed light on themes that were ripe for discussion and improvement. This article details the survey and interview results and includes some brief comments from the Think Tank itself. Thoughts about future research in child protection conflict resolution are also provided.     

对未成年人犯罪的家庭预防研究

未成年人犯罪是当今世界一大严重的社会性问题,有人将未成年人犯罪与环境污染、吸毒贩毒列为世界三大公害。不完善的家庭结构及家庭教育是导致未成年人犯罪的家庭因素,在家庭角度应采取切实有效措施预防未成年人犯罪。     

司法的功能与反家庭暴力立法——以家庭暴力的司法介入为视角

家庭暴力是发生在家庭成员间的一种违反法律与善良风俗的暴力行为,已成为一个全球性的社会“癌症”。推动家庭暴力防治专门立法、发挥司法资源的功用、全面保护家庭暴力受害者的合法权益成为当务之急。文章根据我国反家庭暴力立法和司法实践的状况,指出我国司法介入家庭暴力的现实路径。