Research of the Week: Resisting the Slow Undoing of Human Rights
This week we’re featuring Resisting the Slow Undoing of Human Rights, a Nursing Knowledge Activities column from the journal Research and Theory for Nursing Practice. Author Debra R. Hanna, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, provided some insight as to how she prepared this column to write about the Transcultural Nursing Society. Read more below:
The column about Nursing Knowledge Activities, is intended to inform readers about events and developments in nursing knowledge. Having had a long-term interest in theory and research I wrote a series of columns to showcase different professional organizations dedicated to nursing theory activities.
Usually I write the Nursing Knowledge Activities column about 4-6 months before it appears in print. In October 2017 I began writing the May 2018 column. Having already written about several nursing theory organizations, I wanted to write about the Transcultural Nursing Society started by Madeleine Leininger. That Fall, I was doing background reading about twentieth century American history for a book I am currently writing. Each evening, the national news mentioned Congress wanting to overturn the Affordable Care Act. Also, there were news stories about refugees fleeing crisis situations from several parts of the world. Our politicians seemed divided about wanting to help refugees. That news broke my heart since it seemed that some politicians were not interested in helping humanity.
My first column for May 2018 was focused on a different topic. But then things came together on December 12, 2017. I decided to write a completely different column for May 2018. That morning I had read President Kennedy’s speech during my background reading. It reminded me of Leininger’s approach to human beings that was so nurturing, caring, and respectful of human dignity. The stark contrast between Kennedy’s approach to humanity and current political conversations, created a clear insight. I then examined the Transcultural Nursing Society’s website equipped with that insight. Once I saw the rich treasures that the Transcultural Nursing Society has to offer nurses today, I scrapped my other column. Within a half hour I wrote May’s column from beginning to end.
You can ready Dr. Hanna’s column, Resisting the Slow Undoing of Human Rights, here. To subscribe to Research and Theory for Nursing Practice, click here.