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To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8306.2006.00710.x Byline: Robert M. Vanderbeck (1) Keywords: imaginative geographies; New England; racialization; Vermont; whiteness Abstract: The U.S. state of Vermont is often portrayed as a place where 'race' is of little significance, yet notions of whiteness are central to how the state has been represented and represents itself. A critical analysis of historical and contemporary economies of representation examines how Vermont has been imagined as one of the last remaining spaces of authentic Yankee whiteness while more recently becoming an imagined homeland for particular brands of white liberal politics and social practice in the United States. Narratives of white Vermont identity have often explicitly drawn on oppositions to other forms of whiteness, particularly those associated with the U.S. South, in constructing an image of a comparatively racially benign Yankee whiteness. Recent right-wing discourses have explicitly attempted to construct Vermont whiteness as outside the American mainstream (not least through its discursive association with gay and lesbian sexualities), suggesting a need for geographical work on the (re)configuration of whiteness to reconsider where 'normal' American whiteness is imagined to reside. The examination of the case of Vermont highlights the need for future geographical research to attend to continuities between various territorialized constructions of whiteness as well as contestations within whiteness. Author Affiliation: (1)School of Geography, University of Leeds Article History: Initial submission, November 2004; revised submissions, September and December 2005; final acceptance, January 2006 Article note: Correspondence: School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, U.K., LS2 9JT, e-mail: r.vanderbeck@leeds.ac.uk.

Issues are discussed regarding the shopping mall as a place where poor, inner-city teenagers conduct their lives. Perceptions of neighborhood violence and resource availability affect the choice of this space. The mall also gives them a sense of possibility and choice which they cannot find in other parts of their environment.

This article offers new methodological directions for generating difficult-to-capture evidence on the hidden dimensions of young people's lives in challenging circumstances. We explore how research-led applied arts can advance participatory methodologies to bridge the gap that often exists between participatory research engaging girls meaningfully within the research process, and knowledge exchange processes that connect policy-making with their lived experiences. We demonstrate how this innovative approach, embedded within a girlhood studies framework, amplifies the voices of those marginalised by gender and age in urban settings. It co-creates the (safe) spaces, resources and tools to recognise, explore and intervene against systemic inequalities and injustices. Research-led applied arts provide mechanisms for messaging girls' concerns and perspectives in a non-threatening manner directly to those with the power to address them. Such situated knowledge exchange is crucial if we are to sustainably challenge inequitable gender regimes in ways that respond directly to the everyday challenges faced by girls in developing contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the enactment of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, same-sex couples in England and Wales have the same opportunities as different-sex couples to marry by way of a civil ceremony. However, same-sex couples who wish to marry by way of a religious ceremony are at a significant disadvantage to different-sex couples because only a small number of religious organisations, and a tiny number of places of worship, permit same-sex marriage. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, this article provides the first analysis of the experiences of same-sex couples who have married in a certified place of worship that has been registered for same-sex marriage. We argue that these experiences are shaped in complex ways within an environment in which same-sex religious marriage is lawful but nevertheless difficult to access. The analysis examines the experiences of couples at different stages of the marriage process, including the decision to have a religious marriage, seeking a place of worship, and negotiating the form of the ceremony. We show how many couples, unable to marry within the religious traditions with which they are most familiar, are effectively 'funnelled' towards particular traditions about which they have little prior knowledge. The article offers a unique insight into how English marriage law sustains faith-based discrimination against same-sex couples, and how some couples are able to overcome this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to show that a focus on narratives of childhood and child rearing can enrich current understandings of how imaginative geographies of American whiteness are reproduced and sustained. A case study of narratives concerning Fresh Air Fund, a well-known program for children living in New York City, is examined. The findings of the study are also presented.

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Sustainability and sustainable development are prominent themes in international policy-making, corporate PR, news-media and academic scholarship. Its definitions are contested, however sustainability is associated with a three-pillar focus on economic development, environmental conservation and social justice, most recently espoused in the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. In spite of its common usage, there is little research about how sustainability is represented and refracted in public discourse in different national contexts. We examine British national press coverage of sustainability and sustainable development in 2015 in a cross-market sample of national newspapers. Our findings show that key international policy events and environmental and social justice frames are peripheral, while neoliberalism and neoliberal environmentalism vis-à-vis the promotion of technocratic solutions, corporate social responsibility and “sustainable” consumerism are the predominant frames through which the British news-media reports sustainability. This holds regardless of newspaper quality and ideological orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]