Matters Campaign Research Articles

Developments in Dance Research: The UK Dance Research Matters Programme

The 2020 Dance Research Matters (DRM) campaign led to the launch of the £500,000 AHRC-funded Dance Research Matters Network programme towards the end of 2022. The article discusses the challenging backdrop against which it was formed, and how it exemplifies the mutual aims that researchers and funding bodies can achieve by working together. It asks what ‘resilience’ and ‘transformation’ might mean for alternative systems (and ways of being) within and beyond the human domain, and also for models of socio-political organisation at the shifting borders of the dance research sector. Examples and issues arising from the aims and events of the five DRM Networks illustrate how crucial it is when taking an ecological approach to funding dance research, for funders, institutions, researchers, and the Creative Industries to have an awareness of the complex and multi-layered implications involved for individuals, dance-related communities and others.

Does "Consent Matter"? An Evaluation of a Sexual Consent Awareness Campaign for College Students.

Consent, or lack thereof, is paramount in instances of sexual violence among college students. The current study assessed the impact of the Consent Matters campaign on Canadian undergraduate students' (N = 799) attitudes toward sexual consent, perceived behavioral control in obtaining consent, use of indirect methods of obtaining consent, as well as recall of the campaign materials. Results indicate no significant impact of the campaign on student attitudes and beliefs regarding sexual violence and consent but do indicate students hold strongly positive attitudes toward consent. Recommendations for future campaigns and evaluations are discussed.

The Every Mind Matters campaign: changes in mental health literacy and its associations with campaign awareness.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects on population level mental health literacy (MHL) of Every Mind Matters over 30 months following campaign launch. To observe changes in MHL over time, we conducted regression analyses on a nationally representative, repeated cross-sectional dataset of nine survey waves from September 2019 to March 2022 and an individual participant data meta-analysis with data from October 2019 to March 2021 to examine the association between campaign awareness and the outcomes. There were small improvements in knowledge of management of stress, depression and anxiety, mental health vigilance, sleep literacy and psychological wellbeing self-efficacy from September 2019 to March 2020 and a deterioration in most MHL outcomes from March 2020 compared with September 2019. Campaign awareness was positively associated with symptom management of depression and anxiety, help seeking self-efficacy, stigma related to mental disorders and mental health vigilance. There is little evidence that the campaign improved MHL in the general population beyond March 2020. Those who were aware of the campaign may have benefitted from its resources.

Making sense of bowel care for patients with spinal cord injury

This article discusses the life-changing consequences regarding bowel function for patients with a spinal cord injury. In the UK, around 2500 people are newly injured each year (one every 4hours) ( Spinal Injury Association, 2023a ). Only one third of patients will gain access to a specialist spinal centre – there are 11 such centres in the UK. The Spinal Injury Association has launched their ‘This is #SeriousSh1t’ campaign to highlight the lack of continuity of bowel care for these patients on hospital admission. In the What Matters campaign ( Spinal Injury Association, 2023b ), bowel management was identified by 72% of respondents as their biggest medical worry.

Corporate socio-political activism and retail investors: Evidence from the Black Lives Matter campaign

This study investigates retail investor responses to corporate engagement in corporate socio-political activism (CSA). Using manually collected evidence of companies' support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign, we find that speaking up in support of BLM attracts retail investor attention. However, it influences their investment decisions only if speaking up is backed up by a monetary donation to BLM-related causes on the same day. This effect is observed for companies that have black directors on their board and companies headquartered in Democrat-leaning states. There is no corresponding increase in firm value. Our results suggest that retail investor preferences for companies that engage in CSA are likely guided by moral sentiment.

Intellectual Freedom Center Provides Support for Censorship Challenges: New Rationales Database is One of Many Resources Available

The recent launch of a book rationale database and the This Story Matters campaign as well as a new research fellowship and outreach to state affiliates highlight NCTE’s ongoing commitment to protecting students’ and teachers’ intellectual freedom.

The Renaissance Revisited

The Renaissance Revisited

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE'S INVOLVEMENT IN CAMPAIGNING THE ANTI-RACISM MOVEMENT

The issue of racism is still common, especially in the black race. Black people are often subjected to discriminatory treatment, such as violence to slurs. The death of George Floyd in 2020 adds to the dark history of racism, and this has further strengthened the campaign against the importance of anti-racism to black citizens through the slogan "Black Lives Matter". The spread of this slogan has made this campaign spread to transnational society, including the administrators and athletes in the English Premier League (EPL). This research focuses on discussing the role of the EPL in the anti-racism movement through the Black Lives Matter campaign, where the research question is: "how is the implementation of the involvement of the English Premier League in campaigning for the anti-racism movement through the "Black Lives Matter" Campaign in the 2019/2020 Season?". The purpose of this study is to explain the role of the EPL in the anti-racism movement through the “Black Lives Matter” campaign, as well as the implementation of its campaign. This study uses a literature study data collection technique, with secondary data sources from books or reports, and analyzed using descriptive qualitative methods. This research is based on the theory of the British School as well as the concept of Transnational Advocacy Networks (TANs), both of which are used as analytical instruments. Based on the analysis, it is found that the role of EPL in supporting the “Black Lives Matter” campaign is very explicit. This can be seen in the support from the league management (CEO), to the coaches and players. The EPL campaigns in three forms, namely: changing the name on the uniform with the words “Black Lives Matter”, installing a slogan logo on the uniform, as well as kneeling on one leg while holding hands up before the match starts. Therefore, it can be concluded that the EPL's role in campaigning for the “Black Lives Matter” issue is manifested through real actions that refer directly to the slogan campaign.

THE EXPRESSIVE SPEECH ACTS IN KAMALA HARRIS` VICTORY SPEECH: A STUDY OF MULTICULTURAL VALUES

This paper explores the types of expressive speech acts used by Kamala Harri in her victory speech as the first black female vice president in American history. Her personality as a Jamaican-American-Indian woman has attracted public attention, especially after the Black Lives Matter campaign. The five types of expressive speech acts in this study are based on Searle (1976). This speech act then refers to the words used to express the speaker’s feelings towards the situation, such as apologizing, thanking, deploring, and welcoming. The method used in this research is a qualitative method that involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data. The data of this study were taken from the transcript of Kamala’s victory speech retrieved from the website of the Washington Post. The results show there are 20 sentences used as the expressive speech act which reflect cultural values she owned as a Jamaican-Indian woman. These include greetings, gratitude, sadness, praise, happiness, and attention. Attentive speech includes speech acts of appreciation, willingness (hope), encouragement, the pride that shows solidarity. Behind these expressive speech acts, Harris implies a great intention to embrace multicultural values ??and empower the entire black community, especially women, and fight racism in the United States. Through her victory speech, Harris embodied multicultural values ??which imply her pride toward her ethnic roots and that she celebrates unity among diversities in the country of United States. Besides, the expressive speech acts reflect the social functions in leading a country.

Arvèdres Lenin. Il busto di Cavriago e l’abbattimento dei monumenti comunisti

In Cavriago, a town of 8000 inhabitants in the province of Reggio Emilia, there is a square named to Lenin with a bust of the Soviet leader in the middle. In the article, I reconstruct the history of this monument, inserting the story within the framework of the process of eliminating communist symbols in the ex-Soviet area and the recent Black Lives Matter campaign.

‘Please don't destroy until it's completely destroyed’: Arts of education towards democracy

The Black Lives Matter campaign has led many people around the world to reassess monuments that are installed in public spaces to commemorate historical figures. These reassessments raise questions about what it means to attack the statues of the past, what the rights and wrongs of such actions are, what this teaches us and how all this is passed on to the next generation. In line with this, I focus on a statue of the former dictator of Korea, Chun Doo-hwan, installed in 2019. The purpose of the statue was, however, somewhat different from that of many other statues currently at issue. It was erected for the purpose of humiliation rather than respect. By examining the case of the statue of Chun Doo-hwan in Korea, this paper discusses the nature of democracy in relation to these attacks on statues. In particular, it attempts to interpret the installation of the statue as a form of art for an emancipated community, where democracy is understood as involving a haunting of the collective memory. It concludes that democracy is something never to be grasped fully, something that slips away from its intentions and that is always to be tested and reconsidered. Finally, the paper addresses the educational significance of the statue in question in terms of how history is to be taught and how, in our interactions with the statues around us, the past is to be remembered.

Ethnicity and socioeconomic status: missing in research means missing in clinical guidance.

As GPs, medical students and researchers serving diverse and disadvantaged communities, we are often frustrated by the lack of evidence for chronic disease management that is tailored to the populations we serve. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter campaign have highlighted how racism and inequality persist in society and the impacts this has on health inequalities, including inequities in representation in clinical guidelines. Type 2 diabetes is an excellent example of a condition which is socially patterned and is also more prevalent in Asian and Black patients compared to those of White ethnicity in the UK, with differences in morbidity and mortality.1 The metabolism, the therapeutic effectiveness of drugs, and the risk of adverse drug reactions can vary significantly between different ethnic groups.2 There is also ethnic variation in drug compliance and healthseeking behaviours, which can reflect structural inequities in healthcare delivery.3 The intersection of ethnic minority status and low socioeconomic status (SES) can compound the effects of the health inequalities linked to ethnicity. SES influences disease prevalence and patient response to treatment,4 with greater challenges meeting diabetic care targets in areas of deprivation.5 Clinical trials often fail to include representative proportions of certain groups, such as ethnic minorities, women, or those with a low SES.6 This means that clinical guidance is often based on evidence that has not explored the best treatment options for individuals from these underrepresented groups.7 For type 2 diabetes, this …

Postcolonial history education: Issues, tensions and opportunities

This paper introduces a journal special issue devoted to an exploration of post-colonial history education with contributions from Ghana, Uganda, New Zealand, Canada, Botswana, Nigeria, Cyprus, Lebanon and London. It provides an overview of key issues, tensions and opportunities around decolonising the history curriculum. Relevant contexts such as the ‘History Wars’, subaltern studies, the conception of decolonising the mind and the possibilities of de-colonising pedagogies are explored. History education lenses around critical historical literacy, historical consciousness, multidimensional identities and multi-perspectivity are brought to bear upon the question of re-thinking forms of postcolonial history education. Specific political circumstances inform the nature of history education in every national jurisdiction; here the contemporary Black Lives Matter campaign, the fallout from the mismanagement of the fate of the ‘Windrush’ settlers in the UK and the recent focus of protestors globally upon colonial oppressors memorialised in statues frame the authors’ reflections. However, echoing the optimism of most of the special issue contributions, opportunities to build bridges between divided communities, open up more inclusive history curricula to student voices and nuance and complicate homogeneous national narratives are identified and recommended.

‘I’m Not Afraid of the Dark’

‘I’m Not Afraid of the Dark’

Evaluation of Movements Matter: A social media and hospital-based campaign aimed at raising awareness of decreased fetal movements.

The Movements Matter campaign aimed to raise awareness of decreased fetal movements (DFM) among pregnant women and inform clinicians of best practice management. To conduct a process evaluation of campaign implementation, and an impact evaluation of the campaign's effects on knowledge and experiences of pregnant women, and attitudes and practices of clinicians in relation to DFM. This study used a cross-sectional before-after design. Pregnant women and clinicians were sampled at five hospitals. Women were surveyed about their knowledge of DFM, and actions to take if they noticed DFM. Clinicians were asked about their current practices and attitudes about informing women about DFM. Logistic regression was used to calculate campaign effects on outcome measures. The Movements Matter campaign reached 653262 people on social media, as well as being covered on news media and popular women's websites. The evaluation surveyed 1142 pregnant women pre-campaign and 473 post-campaign, and 372 clinicians pre-campaign and 149 post-campaign. Following the campaign, women were more likely to be aware that babies should move the same amount in late pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.81, 95% CI 1.43-2.27), and were more likely to contact their health service immediately if their baby was moving less (aOR 1.52, 95% CI 1.22-1.91). Clinicians were 2.84 times more likely to recommend women should come in for assessment if they experience DFM (95% CI 1.35-5.97). This evaluation has shown that a campaign using social media and in-hospital education materials led to some increases in knowledge about fetal movements among pregnant women.

The political work of graffiti during the Covid-19 pandemic: a view from Tottenham, London

Graffiti and its ancillary forms have been used for a wide variety of purposes including ornamentation, territorial demarcation, commercial announcements and political contestation. This visual essay takes up Lyman Chaffee’s notion that graffiti can constitute an alternative media system that offers a glimpse into emerging and evolving political discourses. Using ‘walking-as-method’ in a north London neighbourhood, it surveys the array of political graffiti produced in the context of the UK’s first wave of Covid-19 and accompanying period of lockdown. In so doing, it presents a visual chronology of shifting popular opinion on the British state’s handling of the pandemic and illuminates the ways that the politics of pandemic management has intersected with other national and local concerns, from the resourcing of public services to the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Analyzing Public’s Reaction towards Black Lives Matter Campaign using Machine learning-based Approach through Spark

Since the end of May 2020, there is a massive wave of protestant in the United States addressed to the government regarding the case of police violence towards black people. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-years-old black American man was killed during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill in Minneapolis. This study analyzes the public’s reactions towards the Black Lives Matter campaign using a supervised machine learning-based approach. The proposed model uses logistic regression with word vectors as its feature. The model classifies the public’s reaction represented by tweets and crawls using Spark Streaming into sentiment class, i.e. positive, negative and neutral. In addition, named entity recognition analysis was also conducted in this study. The aim is to find who else besides George Floyd whose rights have been fought for by the public. SparkNLP is used to build the logistic regressions model, sentiment analysis and named entity recognition. This study finds that most of the public tweets had a negative tone addressed to the Floyd incident specifically and to the violence towards black people in general. Another finding is that the campaign not only fought for George Floyd, but also fought for the other victims like Rayshard Brooks, Dominique Fells and Eric Garner.

Black Kids Matter initiative calls for greater inclusion of Black children in clinical trials.

During 2020 a group of Italian clinicians set up the Black Kids Matter study group, which was inspired by the international response to the Black Lives Matter campaign that followed a high-profile death in the USA. The project has a number of aims with regard to healthcare professionals and paediatric patients. It aims to involve clinicians living outside the main urban areas of low-income countries in research projects (1,2) and develop dedicated teaching programmes for medical students and residents.

Race and Racism in Primary Care: A special collection from BJGP Open.

The Black Lives Matter campaign has highlighted issues of race and racism that are present in all parts of our communities and organisations. We stand in solidarity against racism in all forms and acknowledge that organisations, including those within the publishing world, need to do more. BJGP Open must ensure that ethnic minority voices are heard and represented within our leadership, board members, fellows, editorial staff, readers, and authors.1 The statistics on under-representation of ethnic groups at all levels of publication and academia make uncomfortable reading, and the reluctance to openly acknowledge this is delaying progress.2,3 The tokenistic phrases and well-intended platitudes on the need for greater diversity must be matched with measurable action. As a journal, we need to play our part and demonstrate a commitment to meaningful progress on this issue. Accordingly, BJGP Open has set out an ambitious programme of work on race and diversity. It starts with this special issue, in which we have collated individual and collective experiences on racism in primary care alongside relevant policy and practice submissions. GPs, trainees, medical students, and academics have shared their recent lived experiences of the everyday racism that ethnic minorities face in our discipline today.4 These challenging experiences range …

Monuments after Empire? The Educational Value of Imperial Statues

Abstract The Black Lives Matter campaign has forced a reassessment of monuments that commemorate historical figures in public spaces. One of these, a statue of General Lord Roberts, stands in Glasgow, once the Second City of the Empire. A critical reading of this monument as a memorial text in a landscape of power contrasts the intended heroic depiction of Roberts with the excluded histories of those who were on the receiving end of his actions. I consider possible courses of action in determining what should be done with this memorial, recommending against its removal. Keeping the monument in its privileged public space without further action will not do. Arguing that the Roberts memorial is educationally valuable, despite and because of its celebration of Roberts as a hero of Empire, I defend its potential role in postcolonial and postimperial education.