Occasional Participation Research Articles

'These viragoes are no less cruel than the lads': young women, gangs and violence in late Victorian Manchester and Salford

Young women formed only a small minority of those convicted of gang-related crimes of violence in the Manchester conurbation in the last three decades of the nineteenth century. Nonetheless, press reports and court records document both their occasional participation in confrontations between rival gangs and their more frequent involvement in collective assaults upon local people and the police. Female gang members were loudly condemned as 'vixens', 'viragoes' and 'Amazons' in the local press, and were subjected to stern lectures by magistrates who deplored any evidence of 'unwomanly' behaviour. However, they generally received less stringent sentences than 'disorderly' young men. Magistrates appear to have followed local social commentators in viewing young women as marginal figures in the local gang conflicts, but also seem to have shared a broader Victorian perception of women as more malleable creatures than men.

Migrants' long-distance relationships and social networks in Dakar

This paper describes the changes in the relationships between migrants in Dakar and their relatives in rural home areas, and how traditional kin structures are gradually replaced by new solidarity networks in the city. While remittances are an important resource for rural households, especially during the “hungry months” before the new harvest, migrants' visits are not linked to regular seasonal agricultural work but rather to occasional participation in family ceremonies, suggesting a decrease in temporary migration and a more permanent urban residence.

Migrants' long-distance relationships and social networks in Dakar

This paper describes the changes in the relationships between migrants in Dakar and their relatives in rural home areas, and how traditional kin structures are gradually replaced by new solidarity networks in the city. While remittances are an important resource for rural households, especially during the “hungry months” before the new harvest, migrants' visits are not linked to regular seasonal agricultural work but rather to occasional participation in family ceremonies, suggesting a decrease in temporary migration and a more permanent urban residence.

A comparative outcome study of frequent, moderate, occasional, and nonattenders of alcoholics anonymous

The purpose of this project was to identify the outcomes associated with frequent, moderate, occasional, and nonparticipation in Alcoholics Anonymous by male alcohol dependents during the first month after treatment. Informants reported nonparticipants consumed far more alcohol during a 48 week followup than moderate or occasional participants. Moderate and occasional participants were rated as abstinent more often than nonparticipants. Nonparticipants were also reported jailed more often than participants. All other consumption and quality of life comparisons between the groups were nonsignificant. Occasional and moderate AA attendance appear to be associated with better outcomes than nonattendance, but frequent participation was not associated with additional improvement. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A comparative outcome study of frequent, moderate, occasional, and nonattenders of Alcoholics Anonymous.

The purpose of this project was to identify the outcomes associated with frequent, moderate, occasional, and nonparticipation in Alcoholics Anonymous by male alcohol dependents during the first month after treatment. Informants reported nonparticipants consumed far more alcohol during a 48 week followup than moderate or occasional participants. Moderate and occasional participants were rated as abstinent more often than nonparticipants. Nonparticipants were also reported jailed more often than participants. All other consumption and quality of life comparisons between the groups were nonsignificant. Occasional and moderate AA attendance appear to be associated with better outcomes than nonattendance, but frequent participation was not associated with additional improvement.

Religious participation, Southern University women, and abstinence

Analyses of the influence of religion on deviant behavior have produced conflicting results. Religious participation is found to inhibit individual deviance either in: (1) religious, normatively clear, environments (Stark, Kent, and Doyle, 1982); or (2) secular, normatively ambiguous, contexts (Tittle and Welch, 1983). We argue that publicly supported universities are secular environments characterized by normative ambiguity with regard to alcohol and other drug use. The findings show that southern university women who attend religious services regularly are significantly more likely to abstain and less likely to be dual users of intoxicants than are occasional religious participants. Racial differences in the effect of religious observance on drinking and marijuana use are also found. Support and specification are provided for the Tittle and Welch (1983) contingency model.

Conference on the Teaching of Latin in Inner City Schools

On April 23 and 24, 1970, some thirty Latin teachers and public school administrators-mostly foreign language specialists-met at the University of Pittsburgh to discuss the teaching of Latin in inner city elementary schools and high schools. The conference was organized by the Department of Classics at the University of Pittsburgh and was supported by funds from the National Foundation for the Humanities, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Instruction, and the University of Pittsburgh. The following teachers and administrators participated in the conference: Dr. Jermaine Arendt (Minneapolis); Miss Mary Jane Badino (St. Louis); Dr. Amelia Bingham (Pittsburgh); Mr. Thomas Bruni (Allentown, Pa.); Mr. Donald Crosby (Garfield Heights, O.); Mr. Edwin Cudecki (Chicago); Mrs. Eula Cutt (Detroit); Mr. Joseph Desmond (Boston); Mr. Robert Dobroski (Pittsburgh); Rev. Henry Gardocki (Cleveland); Mrs. Sylvia Gerber (Washington, D.C.); Dr. Arthur Kahn (Brock University, St. Catherines, Ont.); Dr. John F. Latimer (American Classical League); Mr. Bobby LaBouve (Austin, Texas); Dr. Judith Le Bovit (Washington, D.C.); Miss Helen McLain (Harrisburg, Pa.); Mr. Gerald Madigan (St. Paul, Minn.); Mr. Rudolph Masciantonio (Philadelphia); Mr. Don Maudsley (Sudbury, Ont.); Miss Mathilda Meyer (Pittsburgh); Mr. David Plesic (Chicago); Miss Mary Lee Poindexter (Fort Worth, Texas); Mrs. Mary Robb (Baltimore); Mrs. Eleanor Sandstrom (Philadelphia); Miss Marianne Schmid (Minneapolis); Miss Lorraine Strasheim (ACTFL); Miss Marian Thomas (Pittsburgh); Mrs. Elizabeth Temple (St. Louis); Dr. Israel Walker (New York); Mr. David Weiss (New York). Other occasional participants from the Pittsburgh area also were present at some of the sessions.

Conference on the Teaching of Latin in Inner City Schools

On April 23 and 24, 1970, some thirty Latin teachers and public school administrators-mostly foreign language specialists-met at the University of Pittsburgh to discuss the teaching of Latin in inner city elementary schools and high schools. The conference was organized by the Department of Classics at the University of Pittsburgh and was supported by funds from the National Foundation for the Humanities, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Instruction, and the University of Pittsburgh. The following teachers and administrators participated in the conference: Dr. Jermaine Arendt (Minneapolis); Miss Mary Jane Badino (St. Louis); Dr. Amelia Bingham (Pittsburgh); Mr. Thomas Bruni (Allentown, Pa.); Mr. Donald Crosby (Garfield Heights, O.); Mr. Edwin Cudecki (Chicago); Mrs. Eula Cutt (Detroit); Mr. Joseph Desmond (Boston); Mr. Robert Dobroski (Pittsburgh); Rev. Henry Gardocki (Cleveland); Mrs. Sylvia Gerber (Washington, D.C.); Dr. Arthur Kahn (Brock University, St. Catherines, Ont.); Dr. John F. Latimer (American Classical League); Mr. Bobby LaBouve (Austin, Texas); Dr. Judith Le Bovit (Washington, D.C.); Miss Helen McLain (Harrisburg, Pa.); Mr. Gerald Madigan (St. Paul, Minn.); Mr. Rudolph Masciantonio (Philadelphia); Mr. Don Maudsley (Sudbury, Ont.); Miss Mathilda Meyer (Pittsburgh); Mr. David Plesic (Chicago); Miss Mary Lee Poindexter (Fort Worth, Texas); Mrs. Mary Robb (Baltimore); Mrs. Eleanor Sandstrom (Philadelphia); Miss Marianne Schmid (Minneapolis); Miss Lorraine Strasheim (ACTFL); Miss Marian Thomas (Pittsburgh); Mrs. Elizabeth Temple (St. Louis); Dr. Israel Walker (New York); Mr. David Weiss (New York). Other occasional participants from the Pittsburgh area also were present at some of the sessions.