A new edition of the Belizean Studies Academic Journal has been released. The journal is published twice yearly and promotes social research, higher learning and deep thoughts.
Sounds simple, but its not exactly light reading...for example this volume offers: "a comprehensive report of the national capacity self assessment project's findings and recommendations linked to Belize's current capacity to address the coordination of all activities taking place in country on issues of environmental and natural resource management." Whew! As we said, not quite the easy read, but an important read, nonetheless and today co-editor of the periodical Yasmine Andrews dropped by our studios to tell us why you should read this first edition for 2006.
Yasmine Shoman,
"This issue contains five articles. There are two by international researchers. One is from Central Michigan University and his article is based on a comparative analysis of the Belizean export basket since 1981. So it looks at a 25 year period of how our export basket has changed and incorporating our market trends and everything up to current. The second article, done by an international person, is from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and he did a sociological study looking at food consumption patterns of the Mennonite community in Shipyard.
The other three articles are based and focused on the environment. The first has to do with looking at the national capacity self-assessment project and this is initiated by Mr. Anselmo Castenedas from the Department of Environment and within that the other two articles done by local Belizeans, one is by Mr. Ramon Frutos. He does a hydrological mapping system of the Belize River, Yucatan, and El Peten. And then a third one looks at land degradation and pollution in the Belize watershed area.
We try to be as diverse as possible and so the other three articles, especially the one which has to do with the export basket is a very simplistic article. The one also about the Mennonite community is also in very simple language. Even though our papers are very scholarly and it maintains that high level, we try to encourage our authors to be as simplistic as possible since our market is not only our scholarly community but we also target students and everybody else who is interested on issues that has to do with the Belizean society."
Andrews says in the coming weeks they will be calling for papers for the second edition for this year which is scheduled to be published sometime in October. The latest issue is available in bookstores for 25 dollars.
