Comparison of Role Perceptions of Immigrant Foster Parents of African Descent from English-Speaking Caribbean Countries and African-American Foster Parents

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a study that compared the role perceptions of African Caribbean (n= 43) and African American foster parents (n= 91) who belonged to a single foster care agency located in New York City. The Foster Parent Role Perception (FPRP) scale was used to measure perceived responsibility. Findings indicated more similarities than differences between the two groups. For example, there were no significant differences between the two groups as regard to demographic characteristics, role perceptions or order of priority given to foster parent role responsibilities. The implications of these findings for practice are discussed.     

论美国早期民主对刑事辩护权发展的影响

美国早期民主政治对后续的社会制度有着深刻的影响,与此同时,律师业也在19世纪取得了飞速的发展。但是,目前关于美国早期民主对刑事辩护权发展之影响的研究却鲜有作品涉及。本文梳理了美国早期刑事司法环境,描绘了19世纪末期的辩护制度发展历程,对比了古代中国集权体制下的刑事司法制度。将美国刑事辩护权发展的实质性因素归纳为:人民主权原则在刑事司法制度中的贯彻,多元分权制度给予辩护权发展的空间,以及司法的最终权威是辩护权发展的强力助推。最后,刑事辩护权发展的最终归属将是权利自由。     

“Those Are Our People and That's Our Family”: Wabanaki Perspectives on Child Welfare Practice in Their Communities

In collaboration with the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission Convening Group, this study explored perspectives of Wabanaki community members and tribal child welfare staff on state child welfare involvement in Wabanaki communities. Qualitative analysis of three focus groups found that participants perceived fundamental differences between what guides the work of tribal child welfare staff and state child welfare staff, as well as differences in understanding the profound impact of removing a child from the community. These findings are suggested to be elements of a Wabanaki counter-narrative that contrasts with the historical dominant narrative about Native families and children.     

从马来西亚与日本的关系变化看冷战后东亚格局的演变

冷战后,东亚地区的国际格局发生了重大的变化,大国关系处于历史性调整时期。东盟在亚太地区的影响日益上升,并逐渐成为塑造东亚格局的重要一极。中国的崛起和日本实力的相对下降深刻地改变了东亚地区的国际关系。本文通过分析马来西亚和日本的关系演变,管窥冷战后东亚格局的演变。     

拉美民众意识形态极化趋势及其影响

拉美国家近年来政局不稳的一个重要原因在于民众的意识形态出现了极化的趋势。本文分析了2012—2019年间“美洲晴雨表”中18个拉美国家的数据,发现自2014年以来,持极端意识形态的民众尤其是持极左观点的民众比重出现了显著上升,这主要是受到经济发展形势和各国执政党意识形态两个因素的交互影响。宏观上,以极左民众比重上升为特征的极化趋势主要是受到整个区域经济持续低迷和右翼政府的紧缩性经济政策影响。微观上,本文通过回归分析发现,民众对国家经济形势的判断与其所在国执政党的意识形态共同影响着其极化方向。在右翼执政的国家,民众对国家经济形势的评价越负面,其持极左观点的概率越高,持极右观点的概率越低;在左翼执政的国家,民众对国家经济形势的评价越负面,其持极左观点的概率越低,持极右观点的概率越高。最后,本文讨论了民众意识形态极化对拉美国家政局稳定的影响。本文发现,拉美极端民众尤其是极左民众参加抗议游行的概率显著高于温和民众。这意味着一国的极端民众比重越高,其发生大规模示威游行的概率越高。     

Protect the unprotected: the escaping North Korean issue and China’s dual dilemma of theoretical enlightenment and operational trial

Escalating tensions in the Peninsula may force voluminous North Koreans to leave the country, although relevant information is limited. China has refused to grant North Korean escapees the refugee status, because the main reason of their departure, economic hardship, is not prescribed in conventional refugee definition. The Bangkok Principles provide principal guidance to Asia’s refugee issues, whereto its non-legally binding framework helps facilitate the fledgling regional efforts and still-developing states’ wills. Yet, China’s insistence in distinguishing economic hardship from political causes reifies its overt cautions to the rapidly evolving refugee causes, and an outright rejection to the indiscriminate humanitarian nature of refugee protection. Another reason is China’s ‘Asian Values’ approach to human right, seeing various aspects of human right as separable. To grant refugees only partial rights would appear theoretically unsound, and blatantly contradicting its integral human-right essence. Realistically, China has only limited refugee reception experiences. Its relevant domestic mechanism is under-developed, whereby positive public opinions cannot be effectively remoulded. China also worries about the unwanted international attentions and entailed geopolitical implications, which imply denunciation of Pyongyang’s governance performance by formally identifying these escapees, refugees. Current dramatic changes in inter-Korean relations urge China to take swift, expedient, and substantive actions.     

东亚文化圈的形成、衰退与重建——以汉字的地位变迁为视角

东亚文化圈立根于魏晋,形成于隋唐,衰落于近代。在20世纪90年代后,又呈现出复兴之势。它是多元文化的结晶,主要包括汉字、儒学、律令和汉传佛教四个要素。汉字作为其他三个要素的传播承载工具,在文化圈形成发展中起了不可替代的作用。汉字在文化圈中的地位变迁见证了文化圈从形成发展、衰退削弱到复兴重建的过程。东亚文化圈的复兴重建,有利于中国文化"软实力"的增强,为当今中国与日韩等国的合作种植了文化根基,为东北亚区域合作构建了文化平台。     

Identification of the source of ivory idol by DNA analysis

In this study, we describe a forensic case dealing with the identification of the source of the processed ivory object by DNA analysis. Two pieces of Lord Krishna's idols from a shop were confiscated by an investigating agency of the Indian government and forwarded to us to identify the source of its origin. We succeeded in isolating DNA from both processed ivory idols by using the phenol/chloroform DNA extraction method. The extracted DNA was subjected to PCR amplification using an elephant-specific mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop marker. DNA sequence analysis of the amplified fragment of mtDNA D-loop region confirmed that the idols were consistent with Asian elephant with 99% similarity.     

Letter from North Haven … Or What the President Should Do Next

Letter from North Haven is an essay on American national identity that shows the depth of small town mentalities in American life—no matter that that life is mainly urban and industrial. We move from Chicago School sociology to the Catcher in the Rye; from Bob Dylan to Steven Spielberg; from Jacksonian Democracy to the Tea Party movement. The essay ends by using the example of politics in North Haven, Maine, to call upon the President to revive his campaign by explaining America's problems in the plain style and tangible context of small town USA.     

重温20世纪80年代美国学界有关“美国衰落论”的争论——兼及当下的“美国衰落论”

本文对美国学界始于20世纪80年代关于美国是否衰落所引发的辩论进行了分析介绍,特别对其中具有代表性意义的两位学者——美国衰落论的主张者保罗.肯尼迪与美国复兴论的倡导者约瑟夫.奈——的观点进行了分析对比,并就此次辩论对于我们如何看待今天美国的力量状况,以及当下的美国衰落论等问题提出了自己的看法。文章认为,此次辩论所涉及的一系列理论性问题——历史类比方法的适用性问题,如何看待历史发展的延续与变化之间的关系问题,如何量度一国之力量问题,硬权力与软权力的关系问题,文化与文明因素在国际政治中的影响与作用等问题——在今天依然具有一定的学术与社会价值,值得继续关注。