Bourdieu's theory of aesthetic taste shares with social identity theory the concepts of reciprocal comparison and differentiation among social groups. This study used discourse analysis of interviews with further-education students on the topic of aesthetic taste to test the hypothesis, derived from these theories, that individuals always present their tastes in line with social differentiations. Since these students were moving from working-class to middle-class identities via education, it was expected that their discourse would be rich in the inconsistencies which need (...) discourse analysis. Most respondents denied links between social class and aesthetic taste, but produced inconsistent “individualist” and “socialisation” repertoires. The individualist repertoire gave priority to individual choice in looking forward to a middle-class identity, while the socialisation repertoire favoured egalitarianism in looking backward to working-class origins and tastes. This inconsistency was resolved in one of two ways, “reconstrue society”, or “reconstrue self”. The “reconstrue society” resolution had three versions: progressivism ; reduction of class to resistible peer pressure; and subdivision of the working class into non-cultured and cultured segments, identifying the self with the latter. “Reconstrue self presented the self as overriding socialisation forces, but split identity between a social outer appearance and a private inner self. (shrink)

Nurse engagement, empowerment and strong relationships among staff, residents and families, are essential to attract and retain a suitably qualified and skilled nursing workforce for safe, quality care. There is, however, limited research that explores engagement, empowerment and relational coordination in long‐term care (LTC). Nurses from an older persons’ mental health and dementia LTC unit in Australia participated in this study. Forty‐one nurses completed a survey measuring psychological empowerment, work engagement and relational coordination. Twenty‐nine nurses participated in individual interviews to (...) further explore these concepts. Although nurses reported high psychological empowerment and work engagement, their relationships with key stakeholders varied. Our findings suggest that nurses in LTC require both supports and opportunities to contribute as active members of the multiprofessional care team that includes tailored education, professional development and positive interactions within the care team. Regular support is needed to enable nurses to feel empowered, foster relationships and communication, and facilitate work engagement. Based on these findings, we suggest that it is important to find ways to ensure that all who provide care perceive that they are part of the whole care team and able to contribute to the care and well‐being of people in LTC. (shrink)

This work gathers together essays by eighteen internationally known scholars, including Huston Smith, James Cutsinger, Philip Sherrard and Martin Lings. Frithjof Schuon's considerable influence on the thinking of contemporary philosophers and specialists in comparative religion is reflected in the wide range of contributions which make up this fascinating volume.