Suchergebnisse

The first essays in this volume locate Latin America within the postmodernism debate by addressing both its position in the theory of the postmodern and the peripheral existence of the continent in light of the globalizing practices of the contemporary world. The next essays focus on the Caribbean and elements of the formation of identity and culture in a group of societies belonging to the same geographic region but confronted with the idiosyncrasies of their colonial histories, the problematics of race and language, and their relation to the politics and cultures of metropolitan powers. There are three essays concerned with re-readings of the first encounters between Europe and America and discussions of more recent fictional representations of the past which attempt to recover the lost Amerindian Other of the Conquest and Colonization and to reveal the constructedness of History. Finally, preceded by two texts on ways of reading and writing in Latin America, the final four essays are concerned with challenges to the discourses of power by Latin American women who re-define the subject and counter the established hegemonies of religion, culture, and social structure both in their writing and political actions. As a collection of essays, this volume will appeal to readers who are interested in Post-modernism as a global phenomenon and in understanding the different forms it takes and the issues it addresses in different cultural environments

Strayer et al.'s conclusion that their "cognitive distraction scale" for auditory-vocal tasks indicates "significant impairments to driving" is not supported by their data. Additional analysis demonstrates that slower brake reaction times during auditory-vocal tasks were fully compensated for by longer following distances to the lead car. Naturalistic driving data demonstrate that cellular conversation decreases crash risk, the opposite of the article's assumption. Hence, the scale's internal and external validities for indicating driving impairment are highly questionable.

The European Union has increasingly professed a priority commitment to conflict resolution policies, predicated upon a targeting of the 'root causes' of instability. The challenge posed by 'failed' or 'failing' states has become a well-established and prominent concern of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). This article explores this question through an analysis of European approaches to conflict prevention and resolution in West Africa, namely Sierra Leone, where the UK has played a prominent role, and Ivory Coast, where France has been primary protagonist. The article addresses three questions. First, how have EU conflict resolution policies and instruments evolved, both generally and as they apply to West Africa? Second, what has been the relationship between UK and French national policies, on the one hand, and common EU-level strategy, on the other hand? Third, how have British approaches in Sierra Leone compared to French strategy in Ivory Coast? Based on this analysis, the conclusion argues that some of the core lessons learned in conflict resolution assessments still await incorporation into EU strategies.