Carta: Reflexiones sobre posibles razones de una minorización profesional excesiva y propuestas para su reversión

Some professions have lower social weight than others, with strength and power below their demographic representation or the use of their services by the population. These can be referred to as minority professions. Archivists, librarians, documentalists, and (perhaps) museologists represent one such example. Some causes of minoritization are general to the profession (e.g., civil servants, auxiliary positions, or work mostly carried out by women). This article does not deal with these, but rather the circumstances in Spain that exacerbate this effect. Two indicators of minority professions are: (1) the absence of the profession from forums where problems and solutions in the world of information are debated, and (2) a low degree of attractiveness of such studies to young people. This article attempts to define the value that a profession contributes to society and analyzes the three elements of such minorization that have been considered particularly Spanish: the secondaryization of studies, the depolitization of professional associations, and the fragmentation of the collective. For each of these, approaches to facilitate the reversal of this professional decline are presented. The work ends with a final reflection on the negative impacts of not reversing this effect. Resumen Algunas profesiones tienen un peso social menor que otras. Su fuerza y poder están por debajo de su peso demográfico o del uso de sus servicios por parte de la población. Nos podemos referir a estas profesiones como profesiones minorizadas. La formada por archiveros, bibliotecas, documentalistas y (quizá) museólogos lo es. Algunas causas de la minorización son generales a la profesión (trabajo funcionarial, auxiliar y mayoritariamente femenino). El artículo no trata éstas, sino las circunstancias que se dan en España que agudizan esta minorización profesional. Dos indicadores de la minorización son: 1) ausencia de la profesión en los foros donde se debaten problemas y soluciones del mundo de la información, y 2) bajo grado de atracción de los estudios entre los jóvenes. En este artículo se intenta definir en qué consiste el valor que aporta la profesión a la sociedad y se analizan los que se han considerado los tres elementos propiamente españoles de minorización, a saber: la secundarización de los estudios, la apolitización de las asociaciones profesionales, y la fragmentación del colectivo. Para cada uno de ellos se dan vías que facilitarían la reversión de esta disminución profesional. Se termina con una reflexión final sobre los impactos negativos de no revertirla.

Visualizing Demographic Representation in ASA Sections: The Case of Race/Ethnicity and Gender in CITAMS

The American Sociological Association (ASA) and its sections have taken on new efforts at increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in recent years. In 2020-21, the Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology (CITAMS) section’s DEI Committee conducted a survey of section elected officials and award winners (n=42). This visualization reports the results of survey participants’ self-identified demographic group memberships across section offices and awards, and compares them to section- and ASA-wide baselines. By doing so, the visualization offers an example of how sections can assess the racial and gender representation of their section leadership and award recipients relative to demographics of the section and ASA as a whole.

Disparities in telephone and video telehealth engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent expansion of telehealth may be exacerbating inequities in ambulatory care access due to institutional and structural barriers. We conduct a repeat cross-sectional analysis of ambulatory patients to evaluate for demographic disparities in the utilization of telehealth modalities. Materials and Methods The ambulatory patient population at Oregon Health & Science University (Portland, OR, USA) is examined from June 1 through September 30, in 2019 (reference period) and in 2020 (study period). We first assess for changes in demographic representation and then evaluate for disparities in the utilization of telephone and video care modalities using logistic regression. Results Between the 2019 and 2020 periods, patient video utilization increased from 0.2% to 31%, and telephone use increased from 2.5% to 25%. There was also a small but significant decline in the representation males, Asians, Medicaid, Medicare, and non-English speaking patients. Amongst telehealth users, adjusted odds of video participation were significantly lower for those who were Black, American Indian, male, prefer a non-English language, have Medicaid or Medicare, or older. Discussion A large portion of ambulatory patients shifted to telehealth modalities during the pandemic. Seniors, non-English speakers, and Black patients were more reliant on telephone than video for care. The differences in telehealth adoption by vulnerable populations demonstrate the tendency toward disparities that can occur in the expansion of telehealth and suggest structural biases. Conclusion Organizations should actively monitor the utilization of telehealth modalities and develop best-practice guidelines in order to mitigate the exacerbation of inequities.

Race and ethnicity representation in clinical trials: findings from a literature review of Phase I oncology trials

Aim: To provide an assessment of published literature on the demographic representation in Phase I trials of biopharmaceutical oncology agents. Materials & methods: We conducted a rapid evidence assessment to identify demographic representation reported in Phase I clinical trials for biopharmaceutical oncology agents published in 2019. Results: Globally, the population was predominantly White/Caucasian (62.2%). In the USA, the distribution was heavily skewed toward White/Caucasian (84.2%), with minimal representation of Blacks/African–Americans (7.3%), Asians (3.4%), Hispanics/Latinos (2.8%) or other race/ethnicity groups. Conclusion: Our data highlight that Phase I oncology trials do not reflect the population at large, which may perpetuate health disparities. Further research is needed to understand and address barriers to participation, particularly among under-represented groups

Racial Dynamics: The Casting of Lucian Msamati as Salieri in the National Theatre’s 2016 Production of Amadeus

This article examines the casting of Lucian Msamati as Antonio Salieri in the 2016 production of Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play Amadeus by the National Theatre in London. This was the first time an actor of colour had played the role of Salieri in a professional production of Shaffer’s drama. How did the casting affect interpretation of the play? And what was its cultural significance in the context of current debates about demographic representation in classical music and efforts to diversify the art form and its practitioners? In order to answer these questions this article examines statements made by the production team, theories of casting, and documented responses to Msamati in this role, including professional reviews and comments made online. The article reveals a complicated picture with regard to the efficacy of this casting choice, highlighting limitations and missed opportunities for deeper engagement with the history and politics of race in classical music whilst acknowledging the positive aspects of the casting and its potential for beneficial social impact. In doing so, this article demonstrates the importance of thinking across different types of representation in both cultural production and analysis: specifically, demographic representation in classical music (i.e., whom it represents and who is missing or under-represented in its practices) and the artistic representation of classical music, specifically, in this case, in theatre.

Ethnolinguistic Vitality, Identity and Power: Investment in SLA

This article concerns the relationship between social context, identity and intergroup relations. It reviews early formulations pertaining to contextual influences and proceeds to examine vitality theory, specifically, ethnolinguistic vitality (EV). The ensuing discussion considers objective aspects of EV such as the demographic representation of a group and delineates multiple influences modulating their impact on intergroup relations. Subjective formulations of EV focusing on how it is perceived are then examined in view of their interaction with intergroup issues such as ideologies, the formation of networks and language loss. While acknowledging the wide conceptual girth of EV, a central intergroup issue remains communication. Following through, issues pertaining to language acquisition are therefore scrutinized as they relate to EV, linguistic identification, and motivation. A parallel is drawn with Bourdeusian approaches, which orient the analysis toward the dynamics of power and investment. Specifically, attention is directed to ideological and identity processes underpinning the learner’s involvement in the learning task. The paper concludes with a discussion of the relevance of the concept of global English as well as the necessity for a framework of contextual factors reaching beyond intrapsychic constructs.