Congratulations to Jane Healy and Rosslyn Dray, both in the Department of Social Sciences & Social Work on their publication today in The Journal of Adult Protection. Their paper’ Missing links: Safeguarding and disability hate crime responses’ considers the relationship between disability hate crime and safeguarding adults [1]. It critically considers whether safeguarding responses to disability hate crime have changed following the implementation of the Care Act 2014. Historically, protectionist responses to disabled people may have masked the scale of hate crime and prevented them from seeking legal recourse through the criminal justice system (CJS). This paper investigates whether agencies are working together effectively to tackle hate crime. The authors conclude that raising the profile of disability hate crime within safeguarding teams could lead to achieving more effective outcomes for adults at risk: improving confidence in reporting, identifying perpetrators of hate crimes, enabling the CJS to intervene and reducing the risk of further targeted abuse on the victim or wider community.
Well done!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
Reference:
- Healy, J.C.,Dray, R. (2022), Missing links: safeguarding and disability hate crime responses, The Journal of Adult Protection, Online first ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-09-2021-0030
Category / Women’s Academic Network
New BU paper on digital tools for diabetes
Congratulations to BU PhD student Nurudeen Adesina on the publication of his systematic review. Nurudeen together with Huseyin Dogan in the Department of Computing & Informatics, Sue Green in the Nursing for Long-term Health Centre, and Fotini Tsofliou in Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) appeared in print just before Christmas with their paper ‘Effectiveness and Usability of Digital Tools to Support Dietary Self-Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review‘ [1].
This new paper highlights that advice on dietary intake is an essential first line intervention for the management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Digital tools such as web-based and smartphone apps have been suggested to provide a novel way of providing information on diet for optimal glucose regulation in women with GDM. This systematic review explored the effectiveness and usability of digital tools designed to support dietary self-management of GDM. A systematic search of Medline, Embase,
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library, and Scopus using key search terms identified 1476 papers reporting research studies, of which 16 met the specified inclusion criteria. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the ErasmusAGE Quality Score or the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018. The findings show that the adoption of digital tools may be an effective approach to support self-management relating to healthy diet, health behaviour, and adherence to therapy in women with GDM as a usable intervention. However, the four authors argue that there is a lack of evidence concerning the effectiveness of tools to support the dietary management of GDM. Consideration for ethnic specific dietary advice and evidence-based frameworks in the development of effective digital tools for dietary management of GDM should be considered as these aspects have been limited in the studies reviewed.
Reference:
Adesina, N.; Dogan, H.; Green, S.; Tsofliou, F. Effectiveness and Usability of Digital Tools to Support Dietary Self-Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review. Nutrients 2022, 14, 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14010010
Launch of New Open Access Comics Database – Supported by BU’s Women’s Academic Network
This week sees the online release of a new open access comics database (https://www.juliaround.com/spellbound) that reveals previously unknown and unpublished information about the British girls’ mystery comic Spellbound (DC Thomson, 1976-78).
British comics dominated children’s entertainment in the United Kingdom for several decades over the latter half of the twentieth century. There were hundreds of weekly titles, with the most popular circulating over a million copies. They were diverse, exciting, irreverent, innovative, and worked on by some of the top talent in Europe (many artists came from Spanish studios). But their taut storytelling, dynamic layouts, and dramatic content are just memories to many old readers today – and in fact even these are fading. Memories from within the industry are equally precarious, as we have sadly lost a number of important creators over the past few years.
My research aims to increase access to information on British girls’ comics for readers, fans, and researchers. The majority of British comics in the 1970s did not credit their writers or artists, and the comics themselves are often hard to access, so preserving and publicising information on their creators and their content is vital to help us remember and explore their legacy.
Over the last decade I have done a lot of research into Misty, a competitor title published by Fleetway/IPC (1978-80). In 2019 I published my book Gothic for Girls: Misty and British Comics which was the first full-length critical history published on any single British comic. It brought together a wealth of primary research taken from archival visits, creator interviews, and online discussions with past readers, and revealed a great deal about the hidden history and production practices of the comics industry in this country. Many of the writers, artists, editors and associates I interviewed had never previously spoken about their work for British comics. Their recollections gave a fascinating picture of how the industry operated – one that is in danger of being entirely lost due to a lack of records and the ephemeral nature of these publications.
It was a joy to help name the creators of these stories and to finally credit them for their work, and when my project ended I wanted to continue this and make more information about British girls’ comics freely available. The Women’s Academic Network awarded me a small amount of funding back in March 2020 to support planned research trips to access archives of 1970s girls’ comics and speak with relevant publishers and creators. Due to the pandemic a lot of this research instead had to be conducted online and I also purchased several lots of comics as I was unable to access archives.
My aim was to complete my archival analysis of Spellbound and produce an open access database collating all the information I could find on its content (stories, creator names, recurring themes, etc). I’m very happy to announce I’ve finally managed to get the resulting database online and it has now been published at https://www.juliaround.com/spellbound. It contains story summaries and creator information (where known) on the entire run of Spellbound and is searchable by name, keyword, title, etc. My hope is that it introduces new readers to the types of stories that these comics told, that it helps old readers locate the stories they can’t quite remember and find out more about the ones they love, and that it is generally a useful resource for any fans or scholars interested in these lost publications.
Julia Round’s research examines the intersections of Gothic, comics and children’s literature. Her books include Gothic in Comics and Graphic Novels (2014) and the award-winning Gothic for Girls (2019). She is an Associate Professor in English and Comics Studies at Bournemouth University, UK, co-organises the annual International Graphic Novel and Comics Conference (IGNCC), and edits Studies in Comics journal and the Encapsulations book series. She shares her work at www.juliaround.com.
Announcing the WAN Wellness Mini-Retreat Dec 15
Announcing the (rescheduled) WAN Wellness Retreat fast approaching!
Our WAN (Women’s Academic Network) Wellness Mini-Retreat has been rescheduled to the morning of Wed 15 December. The chance to take care of ourselves under expert tutelage is just what we need after a frenetic semester and before the Christmas madness begins. So join us for a morning of relaxation, recuperation and recovery with friendly folk and our amazing SportsBU Wellness Guru and current WAN convenor, Dr Melsia Tomlin-Kräftner.
Details:
Date and time: Wed 15 December, 10.00-13.00.
Venue: Ashdown Leisure Centre, Canford Heath, Poole (free parking and easy access to Talbot Campus and buses to Lansdowne)
Retreat Programme and participation requirements:
- A mid-morning practice of Yoga, ChiRestore & Relaxation to rejuvenate the body.
- Bring your yoga mat, a large towel, socks & hoodie/woolly.
- Water, fruits and cereal bars will be provided.
- Be prepared to stretch…
Please note: The WAN wellness retreat welcomes all members with inclusive activities accessible for people with various levels of disabilities. Just email your requirements so Melsia can be ready to support you.
Don’t delay – please RSVP to ahamidi@bournemouth.ac.uk
Not a WAN member yet? No problem.
If you are woman academic or PGR and would like to join WAN and access our events just email scrabtree@bournemouth.ac.uk
Dr. Samreen Ashraf Guest Talk
Dr. Samreen Ashraf was invited to be a guest speaker at the Virtual Bootcamp even organised at the Foundation University Islamabad- Pakistan for the aspiring entrepreneurs. The event was well attended by national and international audiences.
Samreen presented her talk on understanding the importance of multiple identities for entrepreneurs to excel in their respective projects. While talking about entrepreneurial identity, Samreen shared some key takeaways, first, importance of understanding who one is to be able to know their own skills, attributes and values, second, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses which then enable them to recognise the right opportunities, third, thinking out of the box and saying ‘No’ to any of the opportunities which are beyond entrepreneurs scope and might not align with their entrepreneurial identities.
The talk was very well received by the students, staff of Foundation University and others present at the event.
Bournemouth University Social Entrepreneurs Forum Welcomes New Advisory Board
BU Social Entrepreneurs Forum (BUSEF) is proud to announce our newest members of the team, our advisory board consisting of Bournemouth University members of staff- Ian Jones, Head of External Engagement; Lois Betts, Sustainability Manager; Stacy Wall, Senior Lecturer In Digital Advertising And Marketing Communications, Faculty of Medica Communications (FMC). With this stellar team in place, we are humbled to be supporting, through mentorship and other support, BU Eco Entrepreneurs Competition 2022 with Santander.
Background
BUSEF was set up in June 2019 by three individuals who are passionate about the power of social entrepreneurs in changing society- Sukanya Ayatakshi-Endow, BU; Gwyn Jones, Association of Sustainability Practitioners and Alun Williams, Rotarian.
Our Vision
- To champion social entrepreneurship in BCP/Dorset.
Aims
- Support and develop social entrepreneurship within BCP/Dorset
- Encourage businesses generally to consider adopting a social entrepreneurship approach
- Promote and encourage social entrepreneurship amongst students
Objectives
- Support and develop social entrepreneurship within organisations in Dorset
- Encourage businesses generally to consider adopting a social entrepreneurship approach
- Promote and encourage social entrepreneurship among students through
- Encourage BU students to undertake projects/placements/careers with social entrepreneurs
- Establish BUSEF as an independent, sustainable, organisation
Since its inception, BUSEF has explored numerous avenues to support the development and growth of socially focused businesses in the community, including student-led projects at BU; showcase events including the Global Entrepreneurship week events – two in 2019 and two in 2020 on Women’s Entrepreneurship in Covid-19 and Refugee Entrepreneurs and Covid-19; numerous skills-based sessions supporting the specific needs of individuals and businesses who aspire to or identify with social entrepreneurship.
Through numerous student projects at Bournemouth University Business School and Faculty of Media Communications, BUSEF has worked closely with many local small businesses and purpose-led organisations in supporting them with digital and social media marketing outputs; and business model innovation and business planning support. Some of the projects, our students in the final year of their study, have worked on, include Musica; The Poole Powerhouse Project; We Do Ethical; Vita Nova and many more. Kelly Levell, Founder of We Do Ethical, said ” students brought in tremendous value added to our vision and gave us wider perspectives“. Stacy Wall, whose final year students in FMC, who worked with B.O.L.D Lewy Body Dementia project, said , “An exceptional piece of work that was developed by our 2019/20 final year Communication & Media students was the piece that I shared at a BUSEF event that was developed for B.O.L.D. Colour & Sound”. The Poole PowerHouse Team capped it all up by adding , “we are extremely grateful to all the students for their engagement, research and insights into our project. They have all given us useful data, ideas and cause for thought”.
Through the pandemic and its associated lockdown, BUSEF continued supporting social entrepreneurship through knowledge exchange projects via BU courses and other events and workshops. BUSEF was an exemplar in BUBS Small Business Charter Accreditation application (2021) and included in the BU Race Charter Application (2020-21).
With the experiential knowledge and observed impact of BUSEF on social entrepreneurship and on education, BUSEF is now poised to grow and is seeking additional support on numerous levels. With our new advisory board, BUSEF aims to create a lasting impact on social entrepreneurship in the region through meaningful collaborations and projects.
If you are interested in the work of BUSEF and want to know more or get involved, please contact Sukanya Ayatakshi-Endow at the following email address: sayatakshi@bournemouth.ac.uk
Announcing Bespoke Research Masterclasses – Women’s Academic Network
Dear women academics and PGR at Bournemouth University, we would like to inform you that the Women’s Academic Network (WAN) is offering two bespoke, qualitative Research Masterclasses for our members this academic year. We believe these Masterclasses will be helpful to, not only seasoned female academics wishing to polish up their methodological toolkits, but also of particular benefit to ECR and PGR colleagues, and others who are beginning to explore and develop methodologies expertise.
The first of our Masterclasses WAN Masterclass Focus Group Research will be held on November 10, 13.00-16.00 in BG-302 (the new Bournemouth Gateway Building on Lansdowne). This session will be facilitated by Dr Emma Pitchforth, Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow in Primary Care at the University of Exeter and our own Professor Edwin van Teijlingen, Professor of Reproductive Health Research.
Early announcement of second event. This will be an all-day Masterclass workshop on Psychosocial Visual Methods, to be held on 25 May 9.30-4.30, facilitated by Dr Lita Crociani-Windland, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Psycho-Social Studies at University of West of England (UWE), Bristol. Limited spaces. Look out for further announcements.
WAN events:
We would like to remind anyone interested in attending these Masterclasses that while you do need to be a member of WAN to access this event, joining WAN is free, easy and beneficial to women scholars at our institution as well as being a unique initiative supported by UET. We have been described as ‘the most collegial network in BU’ for good reason. Join us and find out more about what we do to help our women colleagues.
WAN Convenors are:
Dr Joanne Mayoh
Dr Abier Hamidi
Dr Melsia Tomlin-Kraftner
Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree
For more information on Masterclass bookings and WAN, please email:
Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree scrabtree@bournemouth.ac.uk
Two scholarships in one month for PhD student
Abier is conducting a PhD on: ‘Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Health Education Strategies in Reducing Harm from HIV in Libyan Married Women’. Recently, she had her first PhD paper “HIV epidemic in Libya: Identifying gaps” accepted for publication by the Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (JIAPAC) published by SAGE [1]. Abier’s PhD project is supervised by Dr. Pramod Regmi (Senior Lecturer in International Health) and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH).
Reference:
- Hamidi, A., Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E. HIV epidemic in Libya: Identifying gaps, Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (JIAPAC) (forthcoming)
BU academic interviewed for major Romanian newspaper on her research on Romanian Diaspora and emotions
BU academic, Dr. Alina Dolea, gave an extensive interview on her research on Romanian Diaspora, the emotional costs of migration, the constant identity struggles, as well as the role of diaspora in public diplomacy. She was interviewed by Elena Stancu, Pulitzer Center’s Persephone Miel Fellows 2021, and photographed by Cosmin Bumbuț; since 2019, the two journalists have been living in a caravan and travelling throughout Europe to document the 5 million Romanian migrants within their project titled “Plecat” (Away/ On the road). They are currently in the UK, gathering stories of migration and giving a voice to the over 1 million Romanians who are currently living here.
The interview was published simultaneously on Teleleu website „Migrația la noi pare să fie ca un divorț complicat, cu multe reproșuri și frustrări, și cu încercări de împăcare” « Teleleu (Migration seems to be for Romanians a sort of messy divorce, with mutual blame games, frustration and make-up trials) and in the major Romanian newspaper Libertatea: Cercetătoare, despre viața românilor în Marea Britanie: „E ridicol când îi auzi pe guvernanți că vor să-i aducă acasă. Îi aduci o lună, un an și apoi pleacă din nou” (Researcher, about the life of Romanians in the UK: “It is ridiculous when you hear government officials wanting to bring back home the Romanians abroad. You bring them back for a month, a year and then they leave again”).
As an interesting fact, the editor-in-chief of Libertatea newspaper is Catalin Tolontan, who lead the team of investigative journalists featured in the Academy Awards and BAFTA nominee documentary “Collective” – About the film — Collective (collectivefilm.co.uk).
Announcing Wellness Retreat – the new WAN Wellbeing Strand
The last 18 months has been extraordinarily challenging for virtually everyone in the UK, for all the usual and known reasons of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, the end of a ‘phoney war’ Brexit to full-blown Brexit realities, terrifying news about the global environmental crisis and endless awful news of social and civic conflict overseas.
In academia we have experienced both the same and different challenges, although what emerging research has taught us is that challenges impact particularly heavily on women academics.
In the Women’s Academic Network (WAN), as is well known, we offer a supportive forum of women academics and PGR, running successful events for our members, for all BU academics, reaching out to others beyond BU too. What we have not offered to-date is care for the mind and body, as caring for self is just as vital for academic success as Fusion is. So this fresh academic year we are rectifying that omission to offer a holistic, new and innovative strand promoting wellbeing in WAN.
Our first event is the WAN Wellness Retreat on the 8th Sept where we are offering a relaxing and rejuvenating morning retreat that will leave participants feeling great and provide them with all the tools and techniques to keep them feeling on top form. And as a special treat we have arranged a luscious goodie bag for participants to take home!
So, what’s in store?
We will start the wellness journey with breathwork and self-hypnosis for inner bliss by the internationally recognised Relational Life Therapist and bestselling co-author of Practical Zen for Health, Sarah Bladen.
Appreciating that daily life takes a toll on your back, we have invited Katanneh, a Pilates practitioner who specialises in Pilates for runners and rehabilitation of back, neck and shoulder injuries to work with you for a better back.
We will wrap up the day with our very own Dr Melsia Tomlin- Kräftner, WAN convenor. academic and in-house SportsBU yoga teacher, who will make sure participants leave the retreat feeling relaxed, revitalised and ready for a busy new academic year.
Spaces are limited and filling up fast. To join us on this complementary retreat email:
ahamidi@bournemouth.ac.uk
Date: 8th September
Time: 9:30am-1:00pm
Location: Student Hall, Talbot House
Bring your mat, a towel and see you there!
Dr Abier Hamidi, Dr MelsiaTomlin- Kräftner, Dr Jo Mayoh and Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree
WAN Convenors
If you are not a WAN member but are interested in becoming one, please email at scrabtree@bournemouth.ac.uk
Two international midwifery publications by Prof. Vanora Hundley this month
Yesterday the international journal Midwifery (published by Elsevier) announced that our paper “Male Involvement in Promotion of Safe Motherhood in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. A Scoping Review” has been published online. [1] This paper is based on Dr. Alice Ladur’s innovative PhD thesis on men’s involvement in their partners’ maternity care in Uganda. This is Alice’s second PhD paper, her first one was published in BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth. [2]
The second international midwifery paper that came out last week is ‘Slovenian midwifery professionalization: Perception of midwives and related health professions’ which appeared in the European Journal of Midwifery. [3] This paper is written with colleagues from Slovenia: Polona A. Mivšek, Majda Pahor, and Valentina Hlebec.
- Ladur, AN, van Teijlingen E, Hundley, V. (2021) Male Involvement in Promotion of Safe Motherhood in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. A Scoping Review, Midwifery 103 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613821001698
- Ladur, AN, van Teijlingen E, Hundley, V. (2018) `Whose Shoes?’ Testing educational board game with men of African descent living in UK, BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth 18:81. http://rdcu.be/JXs0
- Mivšek, AP, Hundley V, van Teijlingen, E, Pahor, M, Hlebec V. (2021) Slovenian midwifery professionalisation: Perception of midwives and related health professions, European Journal of Midwifery:30 https://doi.org/10.18332/ejm/137664
The Women’s Academic Network Writing Retreats return!
Interrupted by the pandemic for a year and much missed, the Women’s Academic Network, are back in style to offer their popular, off campus Writing Retreats on July 5, 9.00-5.00.
Places are limited to WAN members, but the good news is that we still have places
This year we are trying out a new venue, new to WAN but not BU, this being the Captain’s Club Hotel, Wick Ferry, Christchurch (https://www.captainsclubhotel.com), where we have booked a large room and adjoining outdoor terrace.Parking, refreshments and buffet lunch included.
The programme
- The WritingRetreat day begins at 9.00 and ends at 17.00
- 1 hour workshop on productive writing tips facilitated by convenors to get revved up into writing mode
- Concentrated individual/small team writing time.
- Lunchtime: buffet lunch, networking/socialising/riverside walk
- Concentrated individual/small team writing time.
- Concluding the day and feedback
Booking
To join us on this splendid day, we ask for 3 commitments from our participants:
- Feedback on the Writing Retreat Day for inclusion in WAN reports (anonymised)
- Follow-up feedback on the results and outcome of your academic writing endeavours for WAN reports to UET (anonymised).
- If asked, participation in future WAN research seminars based on your research and publications (definitely not anonymised!)
To book, please email Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree: scrabtree@bournemouth.ac.uk) to express your interest in participating.
Not yet a WAN member but want to be?
WAN is a non-corporate nexus of women academics and PGR at BU.
Email Sara (above) to express your interest for information. Once you join, WAN resources like the Retreat are available to you.
Mothering, studying and isolating: A mature student’s experience of studying during the Covid-19 pandemic
A guest post by outgoing BSc Anthropology student Natalie Campbell.
While mature students may make up a minority of the student cohort our numbers are not insignificant. There can be advantages to returning to academia later in life. We may bring significant life and work experiences with us and often the driving forces behind our pursuit of education make for dedicated students. However, while we may not be leaving home for the first time and learning to stand on our own feet, we often have to contend with a weight of responsibility not experienced by your average school leaver. Many mature students have careers, homes and families to support requiring a constant juggling act of time and priorities. To me, this juggling act has never been more apparent than throughout the Covid-19 global pandemic.
I myself am a 3rd year undergraduate student studying BSc Anthropology. I am in my 30’s and have three children. As with many undergraduate degrees my final year has been dominated by my dissertation where I explored mothering in prehistory.
The following excerpt is the evaluative supplement of this dissertation where I reflect on the parallels between my research and my experience as a student and mother during lockdown.
I cannot reflect on this paper without first acknowledging the extraordinary circumstances in which it was written. The global pandemic has deeply impacted each and every one of us and encroached into every aspect of our lives for the past year. I cannot fail to see the irony of attempting to complete a dissertation exploring motherhood experiences while I myself, like millions of mothers around the world, was attempting to navigate a new motherhood experience of juggling childcare and home-schooling while working in lockdown. I am not ashamed to admit that during this time I experienced levels of stress I have never known before. However, the experience has taught me valuable lessons both academically and as a mother in patience, prioritising, flexibility, organisation and time management.
Throughout the entire process from researching to writing I was compelled to make considerations and accommodations for my children and other responsibilities. Whether that meant being mother by day and student by night or reading articles with a 4-year-old perched on my knee while watching more TV than is considered healthy. Reflecting on this has given me a deeper insight into how women’s lives are impacted by motherhood and how much of the mothering experience is about evaluating the situations put before us and putting considerations for our children at the heart of our response.
It is my hope that this insight was carried through into my research project, and that I was able to successfully demonstrate that mothering cannot be reduced to those large events such as childbirth and weaning, that are often the subject of anthropological and archaeological research. Much of mothering is in the small moments of care and consideration that take place every day, which may seem on the surface as invisible not only today but also in the archaeological record. However, by taking a more holistic approach we may be able to scratch the surface and see small traces of mothering in unexpected places such as the diet of a sick child or the positioning of bodies in graves.
While formulating a methodology for my project I struggled to compile a scientific framework that could present these intangible aspects of mothering in context, without losing the personal human experience aspect of mothering. When I was introduced to the concept of a fictive osteobiographical narrative I recognised its potential to represent scientific data in an accessible way. This was important to me as I was keen not to weigh motherhood down with academia to the extent that the human experience is lost. This is a fine line to tread while researching and writing for academic purposes. While some may consider a fictive narrative beyond the scope of academia, I believe it serves as a necessary reminder that behind the data, hypothesise and science are the real people who lived conscious, messy, complicated lives.
At the very beginning of this project, I was advised to choose an area I was truly interested in, otherwise I would be thoroughly tired of the subject by the end. When I first read the case study of the multiple burial at Monkton-Up-Wimborne I was instantly struck with a sense of empathy, not for any specific suffering or hardships they might have faced in life but as one mother to another recognising the extra mental load that comes when factoring children into every aspect of our lives. I remember remarking that I could barely get my children to school without some level of stress yet alone repeatedly escort them to the Mendips and back on foot! In contemporary Britain such an undertaking would require immense planning and consideration and I felt compelled to know if the same were true of Neolithic Britain.
I was to learn through my research that this line of thinking has the potential to create a bias in how we perceive the movement of women in past sedentary societies, where outdated assumptions that women only moved for marriage have prevailed. More research into the motivations behind female mobility is clearly necessary.
Further areas identified throughout this study for future research involve the visually identifiable impact of mothering on skeletal remains, including physical markers of carrying children and whether the higher levels of stress identified in Neolithic women was purely due to pregnancies or if the exertions of mothering had an impact too.
Finally, while this undertaking has been one of the hardest challenges I have faced, I can honestly say it was worth every moment of stress experienced. I entered this degree with the intention of improving my potential in order to support my family, but along the way I have discovered a passion for research which moving forward I would love to foster and develop.
ICM Media & Midwifery presentation today
Today Prof. Vanora Hundley, based in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, gave a well-received presentation on ‘Changing the narrative around childbirth: whose responsibility is it?’ at the 32nd ICM (International Confederation of Midwives) Virtual Triennial Congress. Prof. Hundley presented online a BU collaboration published in the journal Evidence-based Midwifery [1]. This presentation is part of a larger body of interdisciplinary work between media and heatlh scholars at Bournemouth University [see 2-6].
The finding that UK midwives fear the media resonates with experiences from many other countries and professional groups. There is a need to change media discourse in fictional and factual representations of childbirth, and midwives have a critical role to play in this, but to do this they need to equip themselves with the skills necessary to engage with the media. Guidelines on responsible media reporting could ensure that media producers portray pregnancy, midwifery
and maternity care as naturally as possible.
- Hundley, V., Luce, A., van Teijlingen, E., Edlund, S. (2019) Changing the narrative around childbirth: whose responsibility is it? Evidence-based Midwifery 17(2): 47-52.
- Luce, A., Hundley, V., van Teijlingen, E. (Eds.) (2017) Midwifery, Childbirth and the Media, London: Palgrave Macmillan [ISBN: 978-3-319-63512-5].
- Luce, A., Cash, M., Hundley, V., Cheyne, H., van Teijlingen, E., Angell, C. (2016) “Is it realistic?” the portrayal of pregnancy and childbirth in the media BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth16: 40 http://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-016-0827-x
- Angell, C. (2017) An Everyday Trauma: How the Media Portrays Infant Feeding, In: Luce, A. et al. (Eds.) Midwifery, Childbirth and the Media, London: Palgrave Macmillan pp: 45-59.
- Hundley, V., Duff, E., Dewberry, J., Luce, A., van Teijlingen, E. (2014) Fear in childbirth: are the media responsible? MIDIRS Midwifery Digest24(4): 444-447.
- Hundley, V., Luce, A., van Teijlingen, E. (2015) Do midwives need to be more media savvy? MIDIRS Midwifery Digest25(1):5-10.
Reflecting on ‘Doing Diversity Better: Interrogating ethnic and gender equality among BAME academics in HE’ Q&A Panel Event, April 22.
Last week, the Women’s Academic Network (WAN) hosted an extremely powerful, thought provoking and very well attended, public engagement Q&A Panel discussion that brought together four eminent women scholars-of-colour from different minoritised ethnic groups, as well as a representative from the Bournemouth University Student Union (SUBU), to discuss one of the most urgent and critical issues of social justice facing HE today.
Our esteemed panellists were:
Professor Kalwant Bhopal, Professor of Education and Social Justice, Director of the Centre for Research on Race and Education, University of Birmingham.
Professor Ann Phoenix, Professor of Psychosocial Studies, at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education.
Dr Samantha Iwowo, Programme Leader of MA Directing, Film and TV at BU.
Professor Gargi Bhattacharyya, Professor of Sociology at the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging, University of East London
Ms Chiko Bwalya, Education Vice President of SUBU.
All our panellists work within the broad areas of racialisation/ethnicisation and brought their own particular research expertise, intellectual and experiential understandings to a grounded, candid and hugely resonant discussion of diversity in contemporary HE.
The VC, Professor John Vinney, opened the event with a most engaged and thoughtful address that skilfully foregrounded the panel discussion. All the speaker contributions were premised on the demographic evidence and perception that the UK academy is characterised by a homogeneity that fails to reflect social diversity, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender and class. Moreover, the alarming lack of representation among minoritised ethnic groups in HE not only exemplifies a dereliction of social justice but is demonstrably counterproductive to the academy across every area of scholarly endeavour, including inclusive pedagogy.
The resulting discussion was varied and broad in scope, rich in concept, and profoundly analytical, where both the Athena SWAN and the Race Equality Charter under AdvanceHE were scrutinised by Professor Kalwant in reference to authenticity, equality and effectiveness. Intersectional differences and epistemic violence formed the basis of Professor Phoenix’s discussion, while Dr Iwowo closely considered decolonisation of curricula. Professor Bhattacharyya explored the vexed question of ‘What can we do when we are told there is no racism?’; and this in turn was followed by a talk from the youngest but no less impressive speaker, Ms Bwalya, on the impact on these deficiencies on the student experience.
Judging from the popularity of the event, the high level of engagement, the feedback and questions from a respectful but riveted audience this was not only a very timely occasion but one that was seen to make a hugely important contribution to HE debates on diversity. We were delighted that not only were so many key members of UET and BU present, but that this event had a very wide reach attracting an audience from right across the HE sector and the interested lay public as well. Through events such as these, WAN is additionally showing that the network has come-of-age in engaging with some of the most pressing agendas preoccupying HE today.
Accordingly, we would like to extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to all our panellists with a special acknowledgement to Dr Iwowo and Ms Bwayla for acting as the internal BU panellists, along with Professor Phoenix who is a Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences. We would like to very warmly thank the VC and all others members of UET for their support of WAN and their strong encouragement of the event, which was recognised as a truly excellent contribution to diversity and inclusion at BU. A final thanks to our great support team in IT, Communications, Events & Conferences for all their help in making this fantastic event happen.
Finally, if unfortunately, you missed the event but would like to learn more about it, please contact me for more information on scrabtree@bournemouth.ac.uk
Congratulations to PhD student Raksha Thapa
This week BU PhD student Raksha Thapa heard from the editor of the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health that her manuscript “Caste Exclusion and Health Discrimination in South Asia: A Systematic Review” has been accepted for publication [1]. Raksha is supervised in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences by Dr. Pramod Regmi, Dr. Vanessa Heaslip and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen. The paper is a systematic review and the protocol for it was published in PROSPERO early on at the start of her PhD studies [2].
References
- Thapa, R., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P., Heaslip, V. (2021) Caste Exclusion and Health Discrimination in South Asia: A Systematic Review, Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health (accepted).
- Thapa, R., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P., Heaslip, V. (2018) Caste exclusion and health discrimination. Prospero CRD42018110431crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?ID=CRD42018110431
‘Doing Diversity Better: Interrogating ethnic and gender equality among BAME academics in HE’ April 22 14.00-16.00
The Women’s Academic Network (WAN) at BU are delighted to host this powerful and timely public engagement, open-to-all, Q&A Panel Discussion on one of the most important and urgent issues facing Higher Education (HE) in the UK today.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor John Vinney, will formally open the event which brings together four hugely eminent women academics of-colour, as well as a representative from the Bournemouth University Student Union (SUBU), who are all working within the broad areas of racialisation/ethnicisation and social inequalities. Each panellist will bring their own particular research expertise together with intellectual and experiential understandings to a grounded, candid and in-depth discussion of diversity in contemporary HE.
For more details and registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/womens-academic-network-bournemouth-university-doing-diversity-better-tickets-146743055429
The panel context
UK HE is characterised by a homogeneity that fails to reflect social diversity, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender and social class. These issues need to be located within a complex terrain of interwoven, intersectional experiences. The handy portmanteau term: ‘BAME’ (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) can also unhelpfully work to subsume entire groups who are otherwise subject to different levels of discrimination that may thereby remain less visible and therefore neglected. For example, a UCU 2019 report recorded that of a total number of professors in the UK, those self-identifying as ‘Black’ numbered just 85 individuals, and of these a mere 25 were women (Rollock 2019). While recent HESA (2020) data confirms that less than 1% of UK professors self-identify as Black. Unsurprisingly, Mizra (2019, p. 39) refers with horror to the overwhelming ‘hideous’ whiteness of academia. This alarming lack of representation among minority ethnic groups in HE not only exemplifies a dereliction of social justice but is demonstrably counterproductive to the academy across every area of scholarly endeavour, including inclusive pedagogy. The Race Equality Charter under AdvanceHE offers a valuable tool towards remedial action, but without direct debate, will towards and strategies for root-and-branch sector change, such charters are unlikely to create the necessary traction.
Our Panellists:
Professor Kalwant Bhopal is Professor of Education and Social Justice Professor of Education and Social Justice Director of the Centre for Research on Race and Education, University of Birmingham
Professor Ann Phoenix is Professor of Psychosocial Studies, at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education
Dr Samantha Iwowo is the Programme Leader of MA Directing, Film and TV at BU.
Professor Gargi Bhattacharyya is Professor of Sociology at the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging, University of East London
Ms Chiko Bwalya is the Education Vice President of SUBU.
We in WAN look forward to welcoming you.
Colleagues – please share among your networks. Students welcome
‘Doing Diversity Better: Interrogating ethnic and gender equality among BAME academics in HE’ April 22 14.00-16.00
The Women’s Academic Network (WAN) at BU are delighted to host this powerful and timely public engagement, open-to-all, Q&A Panel Discussion on one of the most important and urgent issues facing Higher Education (HE) in the UK today.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor John Vinney, will formally open the event which brings together four hugely eminent women academics of-colour, as well as a representative from the Bournemouth University Student Union (SUBU), who are all working within the broad areas of racialisation/ethnicisation and social inequalities. Each panellist will bring their own particular research expertise together with intellectual and experiential understandings to a grounded, candid and in-depth discussion of diversity in contemporary HE.
For more details and registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/womens-academic-network-bournemouth-university-doing-diversity-better-tickets-146743055429
The panel context
UK HE is characterised by a homogeneity that fails to reflect social diversity, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender and social class. These issues need to be located within a complex terrain of interwoven, intersectional experiences. The handy portmanteau term: ‘BAME’ (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) can also unhelpfully work to subsume entire groups who are otherwise subject to different levels of discrimination that may thereby remain less visible and therefore neglected. For example, a UCU 2019 report recorded that of a total number of professors in the UK, those self-identifying as ‘Black’ numbered just 85 individuals, and of these a mere 25 were women (Rollock 2019). While recent HESA (2020) data confirms that less than 1% of UK professors self-identify as Black. Unsurprisingly, Mizra (2019, p. 39) refers with horror to the overwhelming ‘hideous’ whiteness of academia. This alarming lack of representation among minority ethnic groups in HE not only exemplifies a dereliction of social justice but is demonstrably counterproductive to the academy across every area of scholarly endeavour, including inclusive pedagogy. The Race Equality Charter under AdvanceHE offers a valuable tool towards remedial action, but without direct debate, will towards and strategies for root-and-branch sector change, such charters are unlikely to create the necessary traction.
Our Panellists:
Professor Kalwant Bhopal is Professor of Education and Social Justice Professor of Education and Social Justice Director of the Centre for Research on Race and Education, University of Birmingham
Professor Ann Phoenix is Professor of Psychosocial Studies, at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education
Dr Samantha Iwowo is the Programme Leader of MA Directing, Film and TV at BU.
Professor Gargi Bhattacharyya is Professor of Sociology at the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging, University of East London
Ms Chiko Bwalya is the Education Vice President of SUBU.
We in WAN look forward to welcoming you.
Colleagues – please share among your networks. Students welcome