Search results

"Civil society and civic engagement have increasingly become topics of discussion at the national and international level. The editors of this volume ask, does the concept of 'civil society' include gender equality and gender justice? Or, to frame the question differently, is civil society a feminist concept? Conversely, does feminism need the concept of civil society? This important volume offers both a revised gendered history of civil society and a program for making it more egalitarian in the future. An interdisciplinary group of internationally known authors investigates the relationship between public and private in the discourses and practices of civil societies; the significance of the family for the project of civil society; the relation between civil society, the state, and different forms of citizenship; and the complex connection between civil society, gendered forms of protest and nongovernmental movements. While often critical of historical instantiations of civil society, all the authors nonetheless take seriously the potential inherent in civil society, particularly as it comes to influence global politics. They demand, however, an expansion of both the concept and project of civil society in order to make its political opportunities available to all."--Back cover

Harm reduction entails policies, programs and practices aimed at reducing the harms associated with the use of psychoactive drugs in people who are unwilling or unable to stop. The focus is on the prevention of harm, rather than on the prevention of drug use itself. Harm reduction has been a principle of Australias approach to drug use for several decades. However, recent overdose deaths and hospitalisations at music festivals have highlighted the clear harms of illicit drug use and prompted a debate over the introduction of pill testing, with political leaders being reluctant to implement the measure. This book explores the ethical, legal and medical pros and cons in the debate, with a topical focus on pill testing. Does pill testing give young people a false sense of security and promote further risky drug use, when there is really no safe level at which these substances can be taken? Or are harm reduction approaches such as pill testing and needle and syringe programs simply about saving lives and giving people a safety net? In a perfect world, no one would risk their lives by taking party drugs but in reality, is harm reduction too bitter a pill to swallow?--