Other resources

Book Review of "The Prisoner Society: Power Adaptation and Social Life in an English Prison (Crewe, B.)

Mary Rogan — Tue, 17 May 2011 09:12:44 PDT

This is a review of the book by B. Crew entitled"The Prisoner Society: Power, Adaptation and Social LIfe in an English Prison. Published by Oxford University Press

Irish Gay Men and Tourism: Behaviours and Motivations

Bruce Carolan — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:54:01 PDT

This paper is an exploratory study of the holiday practices of an increasingly important segment of the Irish tourism market: gay men. Studies show that gay men are, in many respects, desirable tourists: they tend to be more highly educated, have greater disposable incomes and a higher propensity to travel than non-gay people. Yet there has been relatively little research – and virtually none in an Irish context – concerning gay male holiday motivations, destination choice and behaviours. After reviewing the existing literature on gay men and tourism, this paper employs qualitative research methods – primarily focus groups, semi-structured interviews and participant observation – in an attempt to identify: Why do Irish gay men go on holiday? Where do they go on holiday and why do they go there? What role does sexuality play in their holiday decision making? How do they define a ‘gay holiday’? Would they go on a gay holiday? What role does sexuality play in the deselection of holiday destinations? These basic research enquiries facilitate a testing of various hypotheses found in the international tourism literature, including: that gay men employ tourism in ‘constructing’ a ‘gay identity’; that availability of sexual encounters is a significant motivating factor in holiday choice among gay men, and; that sexuality plays a much larger role in the deselection of potential holiday destinations than in the selection of where to go on holiday. My findings include: that ‘culture’ is a stronger motivating factor than ‘sexuality’ in choice of a holiday destination among Irish gay men; that once a holiday destination has been chosen, research is undertaken to determine the ‘gay scene’ at the prospective holiday destination; that Irish gay men use the internet to explore the gay scene at a holiday destination, including personal contact with individuals to inquire about the gay scene; that homosexuality is a much larger factor in the ‘deselection’ of a holiday destination than in the selection of a destination, and; that Irish gay men are not attracted to the notion of a ‘gay holiday’, which they define in various ways. Finally, there is a suggestion that certain Irish men may use tourism as a means of avoiding self-identification as gay or bisexual, rather than as a means of constructing a gay identity.

How Just Is the Union's Area of Freedom, Security and Justice?:an Assessment of the Normative Status of International Fundamental Rights in the Union's Legal Order.

Stephen Carruthers — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:52:58 PDT

This thesis argues that international fundamental rights provide the most appropriate measure of justice for the Union’s area of ‘freedom, security and justice’ (AFSJ). However, it is argued that the normative status of international fundamental rights in Union law is undermined by the pursuit of the objective of autonomy of Union law and deficiencies in the legal mechanisms for giving effect to those rights.

This research analyses the sources and normative status of international fundamental rights in Union law, and in particular the AFSJ, both as currently constituted and under the Constitution, and assesses the robustness and effectiveness of the Union’s constitutional order in guaranteeing the protection of those rights.

Part one investigates the relationship of Union law with international fundamental rights. Chapter two provides the theoretical justification for the selection of international fundamental rights as a standard. Chapter three critically analyses the pursuit of autonomy as an objective. Chapter four examines the normative status of international fundamental rights in Union law. Chapter five critically analyses the reforms in the Constitution. Part two investigates the role of justice in the AFSJ. Chapter six outlines the development and ideological basis of the AFSJ. Chapter seven critically assesses the effectiveness of fundamental rights protection in the AFSJ. Chapter eight undertakes a case study on the compatibility of key Union asylum and immigration measures with the principle of non-refoulement.

In conclusion, Chapter nine argues that partnership rather than autonomy should be the basis of the relationship between the Union and national courts with the objective of enhancing the status of international fundamental rights in Union law. The reforms in the Constitution to the structure of fundamental rights protection and to the AFSJ would overall facilitate achievement of this objective and would further the attainment of justice in the AFSJ.

The Children's Rights Amendment and Family Law

Fergus Ryan — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:28:56 PDT

This blog entry is part of a carnival blog posted to http://humanrightsinireland.wordpress.com/ It addresses the provisions of the proposed constitutional amendment on children's rights, as formulated by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children, published in February 2010. This brief comment analyses the proposal, with particular reference to its potential impact on children in non-traditional family units.

Working with Navajos: A Case Study of a Diversity Training Programme

Bruce Carolan — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:33:51 PST

This paper critically analyzes – in a qualitative, exploratory way – a diversity training programme designed by Mr. Marshall Plummer, the former Vice President of the Navajo Nation, called ‘Working with Navajos.’ My research query is whether the training programme is consistent with theoretical models for developing intercultural sensitivity, particularly M.J. Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. (Bennett, 1993; Bennett & Bennett, 2004) My research has included a document review and semi-structured, in-depth interviews with key informants, including Mr. Plummer.