British Experience Research Articles

Queer citizenship in 1990s Britain

ABSTRACT This article argues that the 1990s was a distinctive period in the British queer experience. A perceived rise in violent homophobic attacks marks the decade out, as does the activist culture which emerged to counter it. The article argues that ideas of citizenship became an important vehicle for queer activists, especially when challenging legal inequalities such as the age of sexual consent for gay men. Queer citizenship campaigns highlighted the state of legislated inequality for queer Britons which was seen to be worsening during the 1990s. This article examines two main examples of such campaigns, grassroots direct-action movements and legal test cases, arguing that queer citizenship was an increasingly useful concept for queer activists and campaigners.

The Archaeology of Absence in Kamila Shamsie’s <i>A God in Every Stone</i>

Approximately 1.4 million Indians were recruited to the First World War. Despite their role in the war and the high number of deaths, most of the literature in English on the Great War has been narrowed down to British experience. However, in recent years their stories have been emerging through fiction, in academic research and educational projects resulting in a more complete picture of the war and who was involved. A British arts education group engaged students in a project designed to teach and share the stories of forgotten soldiers from World War I. Writing about the project in The Guardian in 2018 Kamila Shamsie claimed the aim was to teach school children about the war and the involvement of non-British recruits whose narratives had up till then been unknown. In academia, respected scholars such as Santanu Das or Claire Buck have undergone thorough research on the representation of Indian recruits through an analysis of literary texts and artefacts states that war memories of the Indian sepoy whose stories were left behind and forgotten on the battle ground. According to Das, the lack of stories by Indian recruits does not mean that history cannot be rectified since it is possible to recover the experience and memory of the recruits. Recently emerging literary representation of the Indian recruit provided historical insight into their experience shedding light on new perspectives of the War. The aim of this article is to analyse the representation of Indian recruits and their experience of World War I in Kamila Shamsie’s 2014 novel <i>A God in Every Stone.</i> I argue that through fiction, it is possible to construct a broader and more inclusive understanding of this historical event as well as to uncover deeper complexities and anxieties on the Indian colonial experience.

Recruited for Colonial Order: Transimperial Perspectives on Police Recruitment in British and German New Guinea (1884–99)

This article seeks to understand how police recruitments worked in two Pacific Ocean colonies, namely British and German New Guinea. Set at the end of the nineteenth century, it examines how both police forces were organised, and who were its first recruits. By taking a comparative look at the two colonies, the article tries to distance itself from narratives which have stressed a specific British or German experience of colonial rule in Papua New Guinea. Instead, it argues that both colonial administrations revolved around similar methods and tactics to enrol Pacific Islanders as colonial policemen.

51551 Results of survey on management of severely dysplastic nevus (DN);The British Experience

51551 Results of survey on management of severely dysplastic nevus (DN);The British Experience

Evolution of dietary patterns in Flanders: an ecological trend study on best-selling cookbook recipes (2008–2018) and their correlation with household purchases

BackgroundWith rising obesity rates in Western societies, analyzing changes in dietary patterns is paramount. While nutritional surveys have been informative, traditional cookbooks have historically shed light on national cuisines and its changes. Despite the growing popularity of online platforms for food information, cookbooks might still reflect prevalent dietary trends and the diets people follow. This study examined (1) the changes in nutritional content and food group usage in the best-selling cookbooks from 2008 to 2018, and (2) the correlation between the food groups in these cookbooks and dietary patterns (inferred from household purchases) over the same timeframe.MethodsAn exploratory ecological study was conducted on 20 main course recipes of each of the five best-selling cookbooks in Flanders annually between 2008 and 2018. Trends in macronutrients and food group usage in these recipes were analyzed using generalized linear models. Additionally, these trends were compared to household purchase data in Flanders using correlation matrices.ResultsOur results reveal a rising trend towards the use of plant-based ingredients and meat alternatives in cookbooks over the period 2008–2018. There was an increase in the usage of vegetables, nuts & seeds, and cheese. Conversely, there was a decline in the usage of meat, sugar & sweeteners, alcohol, and dairy (all p-values < 0.05). In terms of macronutrient content, there was an upswing in carbohydrate, fibre, and sugar levels, while the total fat content showed a decrease (all p-values < 0.05). The levels of protein and saturated fat remained consistent over time. Notably, shifts in plant-based and animal-based food group preferences in popular cookbook recipes align with the trends seen in actual household purchases of these food groups (all p-values < 0.05).ConclusionThese findings indicate that cookbook content evolves over time, potentially reflecting shifts in population dietary patterns. Future research is needed to (1) determine any causative link between cookbooks and any causative link between cookbooks and (2) the potential for cookbooks to aid in health promotion.

Institutional diversity and the immigrant wage gap? A comparison between the German and British experience with statutory minimum wages

ABSTRACT This article exploits the introduction of a sectoral minimum wage in the German construction industry and the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in the UK to examine the influence of minimum wages on the immigrant wage gap in two sectors with a large population of immigrant worker and varying wage-setting environments. Our results suggest that minimum wage reform may reduce the wage gap between immigrants and natives in liberal market economies where wage-setting arrangements are largely decentralized. As anticipated, this effect appears to be confined at the bottom end of the wage distribution with no apparent spill-over effects higher in the wage distribution.

Technical change, globalization, and the labour market: British and American experience since 1620

Abstract The history of the last four centuries in the UK and USA divides into four phases. Output per worker grew in all of them. Real wages grew on average from 1620 to 1770 and from 1840 to the 1970s. During the Industrial Revolution (1770–1840) and the post-1970 Service Revolution, however, the average real wage was flat and wage inequality increased. Rising real wages in both countries have led to labour-saving technical change. Technical change, structural shifts, and globalization have also led to stagnant wages and increased inequality. British performance has been particularly poor since 1900 and, especially since 1970, as the country has fallen from a high position to the bottom of the west European standings in labour productivity and real wages.

Exploring the Talent Cultivation Pathway for the Integration of Sports and Medicine in China under the Perspective of Hierarchical Diagnosis and Treatment—Insights from the British Experience of Exercise Referral

Exploring the Talent Cultivation Pathway for the Integration of Sports and Medicine in China under the Perspective of Hierarchical Diagnosis and Treatment—Insights from the British Experience of Exercise Referral

LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN KEDAH, MALAYA (1909–1940): THE KEY TO ACHIEVING FOOD SECURITY, ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION UNDER THE BRITISH

LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN KEDAH, MALAYA (1909–1940): THE KEY TO ACHIEVING FOOD SECURITY, ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION UNDER THE BRITISH

An Empire of Influence? British Relations with the United Arab Emirates in the 1970s

ABSTRACT As historical debate has moved from an analysis of the end of empire to its aftermath and consequences, there has been growing emphasis on the retention by the colonial powers of a large measure of influence over their former dependencies. With respect to the British experience, some historians have even suggested that the demission of empire amounted to a shift from formal to informal empire, using the term ‘imperialism of decolonization’ to encapsulate this concept. Given the maintenance of British economic and military ties with the fledgling United Arab Emirates which emerged from the small Sheikhdoms of the Lower Gulf in 1971, the UAE provides an illuminating case study to test interpretations that suggest Britain preserved a degree of influence amounting to the perpetuation of empire. Despite the preservation of such ties, the example provided by the UAE indicates that in the aftermath of formal British withdrawal from the Gulf at the end of 1971, Britain’s political, economic, and military position was eroded by the encroachment of other powers, both regional and international. Equally, an analysis of the United Arab Emirates casts doubt on whether British decision-makers actually sought to establish an informal imperial relationship with the Gulf States after 1971, preferring instead to establish recognisably post-imperial relations which respected their independence. Consequently, the ‘imperialism of decolonization’ paradigm is not an appropriate one to apply to British policy towards, and relations with, the UAE.

Anglo–Dutch financial connections and contrasts in the late eighteenth century: The Amsterdam phase of the 1772–3 credit crisis

AbstractWe examine the Amsterdam phase of the 1772–3 financial crisis using the British experience in the same episode as comparative context. We conclude that, notwithstanding some direct exposures by Amsterdam institutions to the principals of the London crisis, the main linkage between the two outbreaks was the requirement for cash margin on loans backed by British East India Company shares. No significant contagion via the bills of exchange network spread from London to Amsterdam in the period separating the two outbreaks, but some feeding back of distress to London is noticeable after the Dutch outbreak. The crisis was rooted in credit expansion, a deterioration in asset risk profiles, and speculation in West Indian mortgage securities and British equity markets. Speculators were enabled by information inefficiencies in the specialized and layered Amsterdam markets, and by the absence of a gatekeeper who could have regulated the provision of credit to them. To contain the outbreak, the Dutch drew on the cohesion of an informal club of insiders who led business and civic affairs. Though the credit markets resumed normal operations relatively quickly, the incurred losses were transformative for their long term prospects by devastating some of their most important firms.

Retrospective analysis of the construction of the national system of hospice and palliative care in Great Britain

Today, Great Britain has one of the best hospice care systems for palliative patients in the world, which leads to interest in the path of building a Hospice and Palliative Care (НPC) system in this country. The hospice care system is mainly financed by the volunteer sector, which indicates a significant development of the state-society partnership in the organization of НPC. The national НPC system consists of inpatient care, day palliative care, care in the community and emergency hospitals. 2004–2008 is considered the key moment in the formation of the country's НPC system, which will be the focus of this study. For specialist palliative care, the National Health Service of Great Britain allocated almost £50 million a year in those days until 2004. At the same time, volunteer support was about 4 times greater. More than 220 volunteer support groups for palliative patients operated in the country. The success of building a national НPC system is described in the Palliative Care White Paper. A number of interrelated national programs may be used as a standard of palliative care in 20 years by many other countries. The development of the НPC system has influenced the British homes for the elderly, the system of primary care, the attitude to the НPC problem of doctors, local communities and society as a whole, increased the quality and availability of palliative care. Palliative care since those years has been provided 24/7, managed by coordination centers located outside medical facilities and hospices. High national НPC standards and mechanisms for monitoring their compliance have been created. Narcotic analgesia for palliative patients with chronic pain, the necessary medical, psychological, social and spiritual care is mostly available. The public debates the question of a dignified death without restrictions. The value for money of НPC is recognized by British society as acceptable. Therefore, studying the British experience of НPC organization as one of the "best practices" is useful for other countries with less developed НPC systems. Keywords: "best practices", place of death, palliative care quality standards.

Evaluating neurosurgical training: a national survey examining the British trainee experience

Purpose Neurosurgery training in the UK has undergone significant changes over the past few years, including the new competency-based curriculum and a reduction of elective operating due to the pandemic. We conducted a comprehensive survey to assess UK neurosurgical trainees’ experiences and perceptions to develop targeted action plans. Methods An online anonymised survey was developed and distributed amongst the BNTA mailing list. Question types included 10-point Likert scales and free text options. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric testing of Likert scores, and Spearman’s rank correlation were used to analyse responses. Pearson’s chi-squared test was used for subgroup analysis of categorical data. Results A total of 75 trainees with a National Training Number (NTN) responded. Overall trainees feel they are well trained, well supported, and have caught up with training emerging out of COVID. Funding for training varied between deaneries. There is significant concern amongst trainees regarding the workforce crisis. This, as well as financial concerns are leading to more than a quarter of trainees considering quitting. Half of the trainees are considering going OOP. More than one third of the trainees and more than half of the female trainees are considering working Less Than Full Time (LTFT). Most important supportive mechanisms towards completion of training were social support, along with personal satisfaction from work. An independent mentoring scheme is a preferred additional support mechanism. Conclusions Overall training experience for neurosurgery trainees in UK and Ireland was positive. There are significant concerns regarding the workforce crisis and costs of training, with a large proportion of neurosurgery trainees considering resigning. OOP and LTFT are popular means of becoming more competitive for consultant posts and to spend time with their families. Deanery experience, senior and peer support does, and will improve trainee experience and protect against attrition.

History is written by the losers: Strategy and grand strategy in the aftermath of war

ABSTRACT Strategy is a theory of victory; grand strategy is a theory of security. In the ideal, a state’s strategy and grand strategy are mutually reinforcing. Wartime decisions should leave the state more secure in the aftermath, and peacetime decisions should put the state in a good position in the event of future conflict. Yet for various reasons, strategy and grand strategy often drift apart. This article focuses on one type of decoupling. Victorious states tend to expand their grand strategic ambitions, yet nostalgia encourages them to retain increasingly outmoded strategic concepts. Losers, by contrast, are more likely to have frank conversations about the real opportunities and limits of state power, and the ways in which military action can provide meaningful support. I illustrate the argument with case studies from the British experience in the American War of Independence, and the American experience in the first Persian Gulf War.

British Models of Person Centered Medicine

Background: The National Health Service (NHS) was established in 1948 as a publicly funded healthcare system in the UK providing universal health coverage that is comprehensive, equitable and free at the point of delivery. The British experience of person centered medicine (PCM) is enshrined in the NHS constitution. Objectives: The objective of this study was to highlight important developments in and evolution of PCM within the NHS in person-centered care (PCC), research and innovations in undergraduate and graduate health education. Methods: This is a narrative overview of the British experience of PCM. Results: It is evident that the British experience and practice of PCM have evolved naturistically over seven decades since the establishment of the NHS. Academic research groups in collaboration with the NHS have introduced person-centered models of care supported by pivotal research in practice. Importantly, person-centered nursing has been widely adopted following the early development of a framework for person-centered nursing and its extensive evaluation. There emerged many initiatives on PCM by National Voices, the Health Foundation, British medical schools and the Royal Medical Colleges. The landmark development was the production by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK of the first blueprint for a postgraduate psychiatric curriculum that is in tune with person-centered psychiatry. Conclusions: It is envisaged that the NHS will evolve and increasingly promote, adopt, codesign and implement PCC approaches adapted to the local, regional and national contexts including services redesign, health education and applied health research. These innovations contribute to the universal development of person-centered healthcare and health education.

‘Sick Hands, Thin and White, Were Always Slipping Offerings across My Windowsill, Offerings for the Little Birdlings’: Multispecies Encounters within and around Modern Rural British Sanatoria

The use of ‘open-air’ as a therapeutic agent in sanatoria, hospitals, and schools in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries led to the development of specific material features associated with modern design. By taking a sensory history approach which intersects with architectural and medical history methodologies, this article will use patient memoirs and oral histories of British experiences to explore multispecies encounters, particularly with birds, both within and around these clinical institutions. Medical concepts which prioritised the importance of fresh air and sunshine for prevention as well as therapeutic purposes led to architectural and design interventions for rural hospital buildings that encouraged windows and doors to be kept open at all times, as well as the construction of balconies and terraces onto which patients could be wheeled. This lack of firm architectural boundaries caused tensions for medical staff as it led to potentially unwanted ‘germ-laden’ species, such as birds and mice, to cross the institutional threshold into the clinical ‘germ-free’ interior. In turn, and often in contradiction to the concerns of medical staff, these multispecies interactions were sometimes able to co-produce a valuable sensory experience for patients, perhaps occasionally mitigating the difficulties and challenges of the modern, clinical setting.

Elusive mother country: The literature of the Indian-Caribbean Windrush

The recent commemorations in 2018 and 2023, of the 70th and 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks, have prompted a deeper engagement with the history of post-war migration from the Caribbean to the ‘motherland’. As public awareness of the economic contribution the Windrush Generation (1948–1971) made to Britain grows, there is also an increasing curiosity in the artistic output of this community and their descendants. However, when museums and cultural institutions choose to engage with the history of the Windrush Generation and its influence, such representations focus on Black Britain and a celebration of the African-Caribbean presence; little or no acknowledgment is given to the community of Indian-Caribbean heritage, who also formed part of the Windrush Generation. Frequently for example, art exhibitions, book lists and musical celebrations ignore the Indian-Caribbean presence with the UK’s Guardian newspaper recently publishing an article entitled ‘Windrush at 75: books that shaped the black British experience’ (author’s italics).In this article I seek to analyze the literary contribution made by writers of Indian-Caribbean heritage, who were part of the Windrush Generation. From Sam Selvon, the author of the classic Windrush novel The Lonely Londoners to lesser-known writers such as Lakshmi Persaud and Elly Niland, I argue that Indian-Caribbean writers have complicated the binaries of the current Windrush narrative and have perhaps been afforded less consideration as a result. My aim in this article is to offer a preliminary analysis of the literary odyssey of Indian-Caribbean writers during this period

The Fundamentals of Public Ownership: Learning from UK Historical Experience and Recent Scottish Policy

AbstractPublic ownership has emerged as desirable and achievable in the United Kingdom in the 2020s. The ongoing water crisis in England and concerns about ‘greedflation’ in sectors such as electricity and gas following recent price rises have encouraged interest in public ownership. Informed discussion is compromised, however, by a gap in public knowledge. This partly stems from the distance of time, a generation or more, since publicly owned enterprises operated in these sectors across Britain. We argue that public ownership is best understood in terms of fundamentals. Our proposed typology presents the predominant form of public ownership, nationalisation, as a response to fundamental problems, or devised as more efficient management of fundamental sectors, or established to achieve fundamental citizenship values. The typology is developed in dialogue with historical British experiences, then applied to contemporary examples of Scottish government policy, namely shipbuilding, social care and railways.

British Experience of Keeping Prisoners of War in the Era of the Napoleonic Wars (1808—1812)

British Experience of Keeping Prisoners of War in the Era of the Napoleonic Wars (1808—1812)

Letter from America: A British addiction psychiatrist's experience of opioid agonist treatment in the United States

Letter from America: A British addiction psychiatrist's experience of opioid agonist treatment in the United States