Abstract
Paid employment in the criminal economy is, in many ways, the essence of precarious labour yet to date criminological work on the so-called ‘gig economy’ is scarce. Here we apply emergent ...sociological literature on ‘post-Fordist’ working cultures to precarious youth employment in Hong Kong, arguing: (1) recent reorganizations of labour markets towards flexible entrepreneurship are mirrored in the illicit economy; (2) a shift in structural features of triad gangs has led to a parallel form of ‘network sociality’; and (3) triad-affiliated youth remained rooted in place-based ‘communities of practice’ that form a point of difference from existing theory. In concluding, we reflect on the implications of these arguments for the study of illicit economies, triads and post-Fordist working cultures.
Abstract
Once feted, Hong Kong has recently become a centre of civil unrest. In this paper, we situate these emergent politics through a case study of corruption and everyday life in Kowloon Walled ...City, a mainland Chinese enclave in British Hong Kong, which developed notoriety as a freestanding grey economy. Drawing from oral testimonies of police officers, triad members and local residents, we excavate the lived experience of confinement within this contested space. These accounts reconstruct the Walled City as a ‘quasi-carceral’ site of enclosure, a zone of colonial exceptionalism and a hybrid cultural space. Through this case study, we historicize current debates in carceral geography, humanize recent interventions in urban scholarship and analyse the shifting politics at the frontier of Chinese expansionism.
Developments in the area of 'precision agriculture' are creating new data points (about flows, soils, pests, climate) that agricultural technology providers 'grab', aggregate, compute and/or sell. ...Food producers now churn out food and, increasingly, data. 'Land grabs' on the horizon in the global south are bound up with the dynamics of data grabbing, although hitherto researchers have not revealed enough about the people and projects at issue. Against this backdrop, this paper examines some key issues taking shape, while highlighting new frontiers for research and introducing the concept 'data sovereignty', which food sovereignty practitioners (and others) need to begin considering.
Almost since its inception, the demise of British drum 'n' bass music has been heralded by critical observers and consistently refuted by its practitioners. More than twenty years since it emerged, ...clubs and raves are still bubbling with its distinctive sound and energy. Part of the music's vibrancy undoubtedly results from the talents of its creators and innovators. Another part is simply the connection drum 'n' bass followers have with the music: a sense that this is their music; a scene they make on the dance floor, over the airwaves, or via social media. Drum 'n' bass is as alive as ever. Yet, like other genres of music -- like popular or rock music more generally -- drum 'n' bass has to deal with the death of leading artists. Almost since its inception, the demise of British drum 'n' bass music has been heralded by critical observers and consistently refuted by its practitioners. Amidst this period of mourning, too, the full-spectrum vitality of drum 'n' bass was on display.
This paper presents a critical examination of smart farming. I follow other critical analyses in recognizing the centrality of innovation processes in generating smart farming products, services, ...arrangements, and problematic outcomes. I subsequently use insights from critical human geography scholarship on the significance of understanding topological transformations to move beyond interpretations that identify only a narrow range of smart farming problems, such as a lack of coordination or limited uptake by farmers. Instead, I examine a broader set of challenges produced by smart farming developments. The overriding concern, I argue, is that smart farming unfolds via the production of numerous ‘misconfigured innovations.’ Using insights from literature on responsible research and innovation I then probe the stakes of looking beyond the misconfigured innovations of smart farming and discuss how new technologies might come to play a role in producing emancipatory smart farming. I pay attention to research on the ‘internet of people,’ which paints a stark new picture of social life generally, and in particular how rural life might be computed and calculated according to new conceptualizations of sociality and spatiality.
•Smart farming developments amplify the relationship between agriculture and the planetary cognitive ecology.•Extant smart farming developments yield ‘misconfigured innovations’.•‘Emancipatory smart farming’ is needed to move beyond ‘Responsible Research and Innovation’ frameworks.•‘Internet of people’ technologies look set to play an unpredictable role in the creation of emancipatory smart farming.
Con base en documentos de archivo relacionados con Herbert Gladstone, primer gobernador general de la Unión Sudafricana de 1910 a 1914, se explora la adopción del poder iterativo, centrado en la ...inevitable falibilidad de las personas encargadas de la toma de decisiones, que responden a la disposición espacial de diversos materiales y flujos, y tratan de alterarlos. Centrándose en la interacción de Gladstone en un incidente crítico en 1914, se revela cómo imaginó alterar la geografía única del país; sin embargo, también se evidencia la manera en que el poder iterativo que él manifestó, finalmente, fue incapaz de gestionar la dinámica de la acumulación capitalista, de la cuestión racial y del proyecto imperial en Sudáfrica.
The spaces of/for (human and non-human) life are inescapably infused and bound up with the digital. The concept of ‘data colonialism’ has emerged against this general backdrop, connecting fruitfully ...with research on ‘digital geographies’ and a broader ‘critical data studies’ literature. ‘Curation’ is frequently invoked in these contributions, although the experiences taking shape when digital subjects curate digital geographies in an era of data colonialism have not been given sufficient attention. In response, this paper uses an autoethnography of everyday digital practices to probe the possibilities and constraints in play when digital subjects curate digital geographies. The analysis reviews how ‘iterative interplays’ and ‘constellations of contingencies’ are given vitality when digital geographies of ‘flow’ and ‘territory’ are pursued. The paper concludes with observations and provocations for future research on what we might refer to as ‘data curation.’
Seafarers are amongst occupational groups with the highest risk for stress, a factor known to impact on mental health. Psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, suicide, and alcohol or drug ...dependence are recognized health problems within the maritime sector. The primary aim of this study was to identify which individual and occupational factors, known to impact on psychological functioning across the maritime industry and other sectors, best predict perceived stress and job satisfaction among a sample of merchant seafarers.
Secondary data analysis was conducted using a work experiences and attitudes questionnaire administered by a large shipping company to seafarers within their organization. Structural equation modeling was conducted using a proposed theoretical model of perceived stress and job satisfaction in a sample of merchant seafarers.
While the structural equation model produced acceptable fit to the sample data according to numerous goodness-of-fit statistics, the comparative fit index and Tucker-Lewis index results indicated less than satisfactory model fit. The model explained 23.8% of variance in the criterion variable of perceived stress, and the strongest predictive effect was for dispositional resilience. The model explained 70.6% of variance in the criterion variable of job satisfaction, and the strongest predictive effect was for instrumental work support.
When addressing the psychosocial well-being of merchant seafarers, findings of this study suggest that dispositional resilience may be a particularly important factor with regards to perceived stress, while instrumental work support appears to be a critical factor in relation to job satisfaction. Importantly, however, an overall work environment that is perceived by employees as supportive, equal and just is a cornerstone for the psychosocial well-being of seafarers.
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