Concept of Cultural Practices in the Context of Social and Cultural Activities Management

From Seriality to Transmediality: A Socio-Narrative Approach of a Skilful and Literate Audience

Even though contemporary discussions of class have moved forward towards recognizing a multidimensional concept of class, empirical analyses tend to focus on cultural practices in a rather narrow sense, that is, as practices of cultural consumption or practices of education. As a result, discussions within political sociology have not yet utilized the merits of a multidimensional conception of class. In light of this, the article suggests a comprehensive Bourdieusian framework for class analysis, integrating culture as both a structural phenomenon co-constitutive of class and as symbolic practice. Further, the article explores this theoretical framework in a multiple correspondence analysis of a Danish survey, demonstrating how class and political practices are indeed homologous. However, the analysis also points at several elements of field autonomy, and the concluding discussion therefore suggests the need for further studies.

The purpose of the research is to analyze the relationship between applied cultural studies and cultural management, to determine the features of modern cultural practices and to substantiate the specifics of being in culture in the context of animated socio-cultural activities, to identify the possibilities of post-war cultural practices for the prevention of social alienation. The basic research methodology is the culturological paradigm and the systemic approach, namely, the study of culture as a whole, the awareness of the cultural dynamics of humanity in phylogeny, the conformity of cultural practices with the model of cultural development, taking into account the dynamics and integration of the processes of cultural creation, the cultural appropriateness of the management system of social processes, etc. The creation of a flexible methodological system that allows analyzing the existing and forecasting the future, not only in theory, but also in practice, to create cultural technologies for the future, thus setting the vector of cultural development, is justified. It functions on the basis of dynamism – research in a state of development under the influence of cultural changes, continuity – the gradual development of cultural practices in relation to the dynamics of culture, innovativeness – the study of innovations and their management in accordance with the needs of the subjects of the socio-cultural process, humanization – the stimulation of the creative potential of the subjects of society. Applied culturology carries out a scientific justification of the process of the existence of social subjects in culture and cultural creation, which is manifested in the search for meanings and the transformation of cultural practices. In this regard, culture management is a process of research, forecasting, organization and management of current cultural practices, their resources, formats, and positioning. The preservation of traditional culture is ensured at the same time as the dynamics of cultural creation, embodied in current cultural practices. Such a theoretical and practical basis is laid in the content of educational activities during the training of future managers of culture. The scientific relevance lies in the methodological provision of further research of applied cultural studies and cultural management, the scientific justification of the introduction of the latest cultural practices, the creation of methodological conditions for the technologization of the modern socio-cultural process. The practical significance lies in the possibility of applying the proposed concept for the development and implementation of socio-cultural programs and projects in the post-war period with the use of the latest means of cultural creation.

Eat, Swim, Pray

This chapter addresses the role of students’ cultural practices in mathematical tasks as a means of enhancing discourse and communication in multicultural classes. It starts by presenting the features of mathematical discourse and highlighting their relationship with students’ native languages and cultures. Next, the concept of cultural practices is discussed and framed in the context of mathematics education. Its potential to launch the construction of mathematical meanings is explored. The integration of students’ cultural practices in the teaching and learning of mathematics is illustrated and discussed through the presentation of examples taken from classroom activities. These examples were collected from a research project that used a qualitative methodological approach to study the integration of students’ cultural practices in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Seventh-grade students’ cultural practices such as surfing were adapted and presented as activities that supported the learning of mathematical concepts. The chapter concludes by arguing for the contributions of students’ cultural practices to the development of their ability to communicate mathematically, to use appropriate forms of language, and to connect mathematics to their daily experiences.

The widespread marginalisation of heritage languages in public and political discourse coupled with the association of proficiency in host languages with personal and professional gain have led many diasporic communities to shy away from transmitting their heritage languages at home (Curdt-Christiansen 2016): a context considered to be optimal for minority language maintenance (Vaccarino 2011). This does not imply however that attempts-on the part of migrants-to keep alive their heritage languages, are non-existent. Demonstrating a harmonious convergence between their everyday language practices and the above-mentioned assumption that the home is a ‘stronghold' for heritage language use (Pauwels 2016 p.90) are a Malayali community based in Yorkshire, England. Making this a possibility was their commitment towards maintaining certain cultural practices and values associated with the first-generation migrants' country of origin, India. Drawing on semi-structured interview responses, observational field notes and audio-recorded family conversations obtained from this community, what I thus propose in this paper is that these cultural values and practices form the pillars that support the Malayalis’ attempts to preserve their heritage language Malayalam. Furthermore, my findings suggest the agents behind these endeavours to pan across three generations, in two countries: the UK and India.

The purpose of the article is to substantiate animation approach to sociocultural activities and culture management as a mechanism of overcoming social alienation and exclusion, and to present a system for animation sociocultural activities management.
 The methodology. The research is based on a cultural studies paradigm, which provides for establishing a place of social exclusion phenomenon in the contemporary model of humanity’s culture. Interconnected fundamental and applied cultural studies constitute the foundation of deep analysis of culture management and contemporary culture practices. Synthesis of scientific knowledge and generalization of scientific facts acted as a foundation of conclusions about the significance of animation approach in culture processes management. Systemizing and modeling as scientific cognition methods enable designing an animation sociocultural activities system, which allows realizing the process of overcoming social exclusion.
 The results. During the research, it was established that characteristic features of culture management, through the prism of animation approach to sociocultural practice, manifest themselves as: stimulation and motivation of people and groups to directly participate in sociocultural processes; ensuring active performance; accompaniment of initiatives in sociocultural field; assistance in self-organizing; ensuring eventfulness and creativity of cultural practices to improve the animation effect. This shapes animation management as a process of creating conditions for uncovering creativity in various manifestations (social — self-organization, artistic – art, civic — social activities etc.). Culture management within the context of applied cultural studies, through the prism of animation approach, must study contemporary practices, ensure culture-creating being, facilitate creative self-development of society’s subjects and improve their participation in opposition to alienation in the sociocultural space.
 The scientific topicality. Rethinking of topicality of scientific research in contemporary sociocultural situation is caused by contemporary crisis realities. It is especially related to theoretical generalization of contemporary culture space management, which reacts promptly to challenges under conditions of extermination of our people’s cultural heritage. Special kind of responsibility rests upon those who must ensure active inclusion of society’s subjects into culture-creation processes, facilitate overcoming social alienation, and accompany continuousness of translation of Ukraine’s values on “the culture front”. Under such conditions, cultural practices that possess deep meaning, inspirational, culture-rehabilitating effect, and renew lost faith in the beauty of true human being become topical, which animation approach to sociocultural activities manifests in itself.
 The practical significance. A system of animation sociocultural activities was developed, which incorporates animation approach in culture management in order to overcome social exclusion and alienation. The system is based on high level of openness, motivated participation of social subjects in improving system’s functioning, the presence of a great number of various elements, which causes expansion of the system’s organization element etc. Based on the system, contemporary animation culture practices are improved and developed.

Balanced and progressive regional development is characterized by multi factors and the readiness of the society to resist internal and external challenges. Among the significant factors stabilizing the social situation is the institutional potential of culture as a branch of the social sphere. In studying the opinions of the region’s inhabitants, the goal of the research was achieved. It is the definition of the institutional potential of culture, which acts as a tool to ensure the sustainability of the regional society. Furthermore, the sociological analysis of the population’s involvement in cultural and leisure practices and satisfaction with the institutional conditions of functioning of sectoral organizations in the socio-economic system of the region was carried out. The high level of satisfaction of the population with cultural and leisure practices and readiness to spend their own free time in the institutional environment of culture is considered by the organizers of the study as full use of the potential and implementation of the established functions of cultural and leisure organizations in the region. For the regional society, the scale of involvement of the population in positive cultural practices provides its resistance to negative influences.KeywordsCultureInstitutional potential of cultureSustainabilityRegional society

SOCIAL CHANGE IN South Africa, particularly since the country's first democratic elections in 1994, has triggered various conferences which had been designed to deal with one or other crucial aspect of a society in transition (from oppressive power relations to more democratic and humanizing social practices). It is against this background of dynamic social change that Stuart Hall's (1997) oral presentation, Random Thoughts Provoked by the Conference `Identities, Democracy, Culture and Communication in Southern Africa' (1) should be viewed. The title of Hall's summing up was also the title of the Conference held in February 1997, at the University of Natal, to reflect on the `state of culture' in Southern Africa. The implicit aim of the Conference, was at least in part, to counter the hegemony of Western-centred notions of cultural forms, relations and practices (its corollary being Eurocentricism) in the emerging democracy on the African subcontinent. This implicit goal is, indeed, made quite explicit in Tomaselli's article in this volume. Here, Tomaselli (1999) highlights, amongst others, the excessive `culturalism' (ie. culture defined outside the historically-grounded practices of Capitalist Political Economy) characterizing `intellectual products'--such as Stuart Hall and Edward Said--of the former colonies. Hall (1997:2) identifies four main themes covered by the speakers at the Conference, viz: democratization and the media, identity, negotiating cultural identities in Southern Africa, and the relationship between cultural identity and democratic development in Southern Africa. Hall's description of the various ideas, what he calls thoughtlines (p.2), informing the major Conference themes is strikingly heuristic (where the narration of the detail is simultaneously subjected to some form of questioning), open-ended, yet anticipatory. For example, he raises the question of `gender', and then remarks in an open-ended manner: [W]e can't just swim into [those old things we used to talk about] with `identities' as our banner as if everybody is agreed. Yet, he remarks, in anticipatory mode, I think we are talking about the same thing (original emphasis, p.3). Hall's textual `inclusiveness' however, conceals his analytical silences. For example, in his reflections on the above themes, Hall, eschews the socio-economic-political relations of power that inform, structure, situate and, largely direct/orient, both the `roots' and `routes' (cf. pp. 4-5) of cultural practices in South and Southern Africa. His reference to `globalisation' (pp. 8-11) largely functions as a descriptive device, signposting the world-wide networking of reproductive relations of power (commercially and ideologically), as opposed being also an ensemble of productive relations of power signifying the political obsolescence of the Nation/State within an increasingly economically integrated global reality. Accenting this structural elision in Hall's essay, however, is not to suggest that one should be logocentric or reductionistic in outlining and describing the form, substance and overall dimensions of specific cultural practices, but surely, when one deals with culture at national and sub-continental level, the prior question that should be asked is: What is the Nation/State or nation-state and how and by whom is it constituted? How are the relations of power institutionally, organically inscribed (not merely conjuncturally reflected! [cf. eg. Hall, 1997:5]). And, in terms of the prevailing configuration and alignment of power relations, how do identities (ethnic, racial, class, linguistic, religious and so forth) arise, adapt, evolve, change in the midst of the tensions, contradictions, struggles underlying the prevailing geo-political order? (I introduce the concept `geo-political order' as the geo-politics of the Western Cape and Kwazulu/Natal renders the South African State profoundly problematic--here one also has to bear in mind the `Third Force' [ie. …

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the relationship between the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness) project national cultural dimensions of values and practices and the Corruption Perception Index (CPI).Design/methodology/approachMost empirical research on culture dimensions and corruption is based on Hofstede's dataset of culture conducted more than 25 years ago. Evidence from a more recent dataset of culture dimensions is needed before current generalizations can be made. The GLOBE project is based on the perceptions of 18,000 individuals.FindingsThe results provide empirical support for the influence of uncertainty avoidance values, human orientation practices, and individual collectivism practices on the level of corruption after controlling for economic and human development, which, in turn, adds to the efforts to build a general theory of the culture perspective of corruption.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings offer valuable insights on why cultural values and cultural practices should be distinguished as they relate to corruption.Practical implicationsInternational policy makers as well as managers at multinational corporations can benefit from the findings of this research study.Originality/valueThe research reported is among the first to investigate the issue of corruption from the perspective of national cultural values and practices.

The central purpose of this research paper is to explore the nature and underlaying reasons of the decaying cultural practices of the Garo community, a South Asian indigenous group inhabiting in Bangladesh for decades. The leading research question is: ‘What are the elements of the Garo’s culture in danger and why?’. The Garos have their century long own distinctive language, food habits, dress patterns, and also religion, which is, in many respects, different from the mainstream Bengali cultural practices. Garo language- Achchik Katha, traditional Garo religion- Sangsarek, traditional dress and ornament pattern, food and drink pattern, and nature of being matriarchal and matrilocal in family- are the cornerstones of the Garo culture. However, study unearths that all these traditional and cultural elements and practices of Garo are on the verge of extinction. Children and youths of the new generation know very little about their own culture and, as a consequence, there is a growing tendency among them to be assimilated into the mainstream lifestyles. For many, school curriculum- medium of instruction, contents, pictures, textbooks, background of teachers, language of textbooks- is thought to be one of the major factors behind this cultural loss. The schools, where most of the Garo children attend, are no different from the mainstream schools in any respect; predominance of the Bengali traits and rhetorics is ubiquitous in every component of the curriculum. Contents relating to the Garo or any other indigenuous groups are too little to represent these groups of people. In addition, the predominance of the mainstream culture and conversations in the media, literature and entertainment industry, as many Garo people opined, is playing a significant role in the decay of the Garo culture. In other words, the hegemony of the Bengali culture in every sphere of life has made it difficult for all other indigenuous cultural elements to survive. Whatsoever, in order to cease any further disappearance of the cultural norms, study suggests, contexual curriculum needs to be introduced which will entail language of certain textbooks and instruction in Garo language, with a particular focus on the religious, historical, traditional and cultural aspects of the community. Establishing a museum exhibiting Garo history, tradion and culure will add some significant values to this effort, which will ensure smooth transfer of necessary knowledge to the newer generations of Garo children. Furthermore, the extent of the representation and presence of the indigenuous groups need to be extended in the media, literature and entertainment industries, which will contribute to the enhancement of self esteem and confidence of the Garo children and youths. In doing this research, both qualitative and quantitative data were used from both primary and secondary sources. For primary data, in addition to the interview and FGD, the textbooks of the Primary and Junior Secondary grades have been throroughly studied.

Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1996, Vol 41(4), 396. Contributors to Cultural Practices as Contexts for Development (see record 1995-97387-000) examine an approach to the study of development-in-context that is grounded in the notion of cultural practices. These practices are defined as actions that occur routinely in everyday life and are shared widely by the group. The several writers contributing chapters here illustrate the conceptual and methodological practices of this approach as they are demonstrated in specific studies. Opening with a general introduction to the concept of cultural practices, the bulk of the text documents the following research: moral principles implicit in the practice of where family members sleep each night; development through participation in a sociocultural activity; identity formation among Indian Hindu adolescents in the United States; cultural practices and the concept of individual differences; and the history and current usage of such terms as “practice,” “activity,” “situation,” and “context.” (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

Challenges in operationalizing cultural practices in classroom and peer communities

Purpose This paper, an exploration into Black women cultural consumers of Tyler Perry Productions, examines the ways cultural consumption practices contribute to transformative ideologies and behaviors. Methodology/approach This regionally diverse ethnography using yo-yo fieldwork in Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, and New Orleans, is based upon the author’s experiences over the course of five years engaging theater attendees and the casts and crew members of multiple Perry productions. Findings The author first discusses the dichotomous and provocative responses to Perry’s work by scholars, critics, and consumers of Tyler Perry Productions. After an ethnographically rich discussion of the setting surrounding a performance of the stage play Madea’s Big Happy Family, the author discusses how Black women report Perry’s work as a site of resistance to, and resources for responding to, microaggressions and other structures of oppression. Originality/value Building on the work of black feminist theory (Bobo, 2001, B. Smith, 1998) and black feminist theater aesthetic (Anderson, 2008), this paper, by crafting a Black Women’s Theatre Aesthetic that, for the first time, engages with and gives primacy to the consumers of theatrical productions, opens a portal for understanding the creative ways Black women call into play cultural consumption practices as tools and devices for transformative praxis.

Introduction. In Russia, after the start of the Special Military Operation in Ukraine, large-scale transformations accelerated, affecting all spheres of activity, including cultural consumption practices. A number of people in the creative professions publicly supported or, on the contrary, condemned what was happening, which influenced their perception by government officials and fellow citizens. However, attitudes towards authors and performers are closely related to attitudes towards the objects of cultural consumption they produce. This study was undertaken in order to find out how people’s cultural preferences change (and whether they change) (at the level of a single region) during the period of the Special Military Operation. Materials and methods. The research was conducted from September to November 2024 in the Republic of Mordovia by the method of questionnaire survey, implemented on the “Yandex. Forms” platform. A total of 370 residents of the region from more than 80 settlements were interviewed. The quota sample represents the population by gender, age and place of residence. The research is of an exploratory nature. Results. In the context of the Special Military Operation, the majority of respondents maintained their cultural preferences; every fourth stated that they had changed them. Less stable cultural consumption practices are characteristic of older people, pensioners with low incomes; more stable ones are characteristic of young people living in the capital of the region, as well as of people with a high level of education and income. Three clusters have been identified, allowing participants to be classified according to their attitude toward the current situation in the sphere of cultural consumption: liberal, conformist, and conservative. The liberal cluster unites those who oppose censorship and excessive state control. The conservative cluster includes supporters of reasonable restrictions on freedom of speech, the need to support figures demonstrating patriotic beliefs, and to cancel those who are recognized as foreign agents. The conformist cluster was made up of respondents with the least stable habits of cultural consumption, oriented towards those narratives that are associated with the preservation and reproduction of traditional values and promoted by the state. Discussion and Conclusion. Cultural consumption correlates with the level of economic and cultural institutionalized capital. Changes in cultural consumption under conditions of tension occur mainly on the basis of coincidence or inconsistency of political beliefs of the consumer and the producer of the cultural product. The most significant factor affecting cultural consumption in the context of the Special Military Operation is the official information agenda broadcast by the state. The obtained results may be useful for managers responsible for the formation and implementation of cultural policy.