The pattern of spondylosis deformans in prehistoric samples from west‐central New Mexico

A Pre‐Columbian skeletal sample (n=42) from two ancestral Pueblo sites in the Rio Grande valley of west‐central New Mexico was examined for frequency and severity of spondylosis deformans (vertebral osteophytosis). No significant sex differences were detected. Degenerative changes in the collective sample are generally confined to no more than well‐defined horizontal lipping at the joint margins. Advanced proliferative osteophytic change is infrequent even in the oldest age category. Not surprisingly, the lumbar vertebrae were the most frequently and most severely involved vertebral segment for all three adult age cohorts defined. The cervical vertebrae were the least involved. This pattern generally conforms with observations made on other archaeological samples from west of the Mississippi River, but it contrasts with the general pattern of more extensive cervical involvement in Pre‐Columbian North American samples from the Eastern Woodlands. This possible east–west difference is hypothesized (Bridges, P.S. 1994. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 93: 83–93) to be related to differential burden bearing habits. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Where Do You Belong? Identity,New Guinea Islanders,and the Power of Peles

Peles is a Melanesian concept related to the grounding of a person's Indigenous origin in a particular place. This notion is especially important in Papua New Guinea where, upon first meeting, people are likely to ask, ‘Where are you from?’ Ascertaining someone's peles enables the rapid establishment between previously unknown people of social connections and obligations, kinship, and identity. Despite the increasing influences of westernisation, globalisation, urbanisation, and migration, peles remains steadfast at the centre of Papua New Guinean social identity construction. This article addresses the current and emerging ways in which people of New Guinea Islander descent – both at ‘home’ or in the diaspora – connect to peles, whether physically or otherwise and details the social politics of these assertions.     

‘You shouldn't blame religion … but the person’ – the ethnic boundary work of young second-generation migrants in Rotterdam

In the Netherlands, as in most other western European countries, the desirability and the governability of a multicultural society are topics of debate. In the last decade, this debate has increasingly centred on second-generation migrants, focusing on their high rates of crime and school drop-out. In the Dutch context, however, little scholarly research has paid attention to second-generation migrants’ own experiences. In this paper, I therefore focus on the perceptions of ethnic boundaries held by 12- to 19-year-old second-generation migrants and how they negotiate these boundaries in the low-income, multi-ethnic Feijenoord area of Rotterdam. The study shows that young people are used to living together with many different cultures and see themselves as being on both sides of the ethnic boundary between the Dutch-majority society and the culture of their parents. However, they also encounter prejudice and discrimination in their day-to-day lives, which calls into question the success of multiculturalism.     

The Political Economy of Unemployment Insurance based on Individual Savings Accounts: Lessons from Chile

In recent years, unemployment protection systems based on individual savings have been instituted in several developing countries. Chile was one of the first to establish such a system, which at the time was widely cited as a model for other countries. This article discusses the particular political context in which the Chilean system was created before examining how it works in terms of coverage and levels of benefits received by unemployed workers. The authors undertake a detailed analysis of the administrative data produced by the system and conclude that the insurance covers only a small proportion of the unemployed, as most workers generally had precarious jobs that did not allow them to contribute to the system consistently. The Chilean case illustrates how difficult it is to establish functioning unemployment insurance in developing countries with precarious labour markets. Based on the interaction between employment characteristics and the conditions imposed by the benefit system, the article assesses the efficacy of the Unemployment Insurance Savings Accounts (UISA) system and analyses whether it can indeed serve as a model for other developing countries.     

Magna Carta: repositioning the secular as ‘sacred’

Museums and heritage attractions worldwide are dependent on their volunteers, and this is particularly the case within the UK. However, the demographics of volunteers are changing and volunteers are more likely to be retired individuals than seeking work experience. Traditionally, volunteer management in the UK has adopted a top‐down approach. This paper, based on a sample of 222 volunteers within museums and heritage visitor attractions in the UK, argues that a significant proportion of volunteers are leisure seeking. Volunteers at ten museums and heritage attractions were questioned about their motivation, and predominantly leisure‐like motives were cited, including subject interest and social interaction. Indeed, volunteer's motives bear a strong similarity to those of visitors. Thus, older, leisure‐seeking volunteers would be more appropriately considered as an additional element of the museum's audience. A model showing the relationship between visiting, volunteering and paid staff is presented.