„Symfonije anielskie" Jana Żabczyca w perspektywie angelologicznej

The South Carolina low country has long been regarded--not only in popular imagination and paperback novels but also by respected scholars--as region dominated by what earlier historians called a cavalier spirit and by what later historians have simply described as a wholehearted devotion to amusement and the neglect of religion and intellectual pursuits. Such images of the low country have been powerful interpreters of the region because they have had some foundation in social and cultural realities. It is thesis of this study, however, that there has been strong Calvinist community in the Carolina low country since its establishment as British colony and that this community (including in its membership both whites and after the 1740s significant numbers of African Americans) contradicts many of the images of the received version of the region. Rather than devotion to amusement and neglect of religion and intellectual interests, this community has been marked throughout most of its history by its disciplined religious life, its intellectual pursuits, and its work ethic.The complex character of this Calvinist community guides Clarke to an exploration of the ways particular religious tradition and distinct social context have interacted over 300-year period, including the unique story of the oldest and largest African American Calvinist community in America.

While the 1911 report of the Bell Committee laid down the administrative agenda for the Science Museum’s early decades — an ambitious building programme, a major refocussing of the collections, a new emphasis on education — culturally the great fact of the decade following the Museum’s independence in 1909 was the First World War. Although dwarfed today in the popular historical imagination by the Second World War, the ‘War to End All Wars’ was more deadly, at least as destructive to the national psychology, and at least as disruptive to British society and culture as its sequel. Approximately three-quarters of a million British men and boys fell in the First World War, nearly 7 per cent of the pre-war male population between the ages of 15 and 49. Their absence, as life attempted to return to normal after the Armistice in 1918, was conspicuous. ‘Among the major combatants,’ writes American historian Jay Winter, ‘it is not an exaggeration to suggest that every family was in mourning.’ Winter writes: ‘Commemoration was a universal preoccupation after the 1914–1918 war. The need to bring the dead home, to put the dead to rest, symbolically or physically, was pervasive.’1 When the Science Museum emerged with the rest of British society from the Great War, it was forced to pursue its mission, to argue its cause, to make its way in step with the new realities of this pervasive culture of mourning.KeywordsNational MuseumAdvisory CouncilScience MuseumRoyal CommissionInterwar PeriodThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

The rural environment is a diverse, ample space that is constituted of various types of knowledge. It is a culturally rich territory, a place of differences. As the urban perimeter, the rural space is also marked by its specificities, and particularities with changing identities. It cannot be defined as a homogeneous space. It is necessary to show that the rural space has its singularities in the most different places. When considering these differences, we treat them as ruralities, highlighting the possible rural areas in Brazilian territory. Throughout this research, we approached the ruralities and identities existing in the rural area of Ituiutaba-MG and on how History teaching develops in that space. In this sense, some questions prompt us to reflect: Where are rural schools located in the municipality of Ituiutaba? What kind of ruralities mark the surroundings of those schools? Who are the subjects who attend those schools? Who are the teachers working in the area of History? What is the education of these educators? What is their relationship with the space in which they work? What is the knowledge of those teachers? How does History teaching materialize in those spaces? Our main objective was to analyze the dimensions of teaching History in the final years of elementary school in schools located in the rural area of Ituiutaba-MG, Brazil. The specific objectives were: i) to map the scenario of Ituiutaba; ii) to reflect on school education that takes place in rural areas; iii) to introduce the rural schools in the municipality and their protagonists; iv) to register the dimensions of teaching History in schools located in rural areas and their materialities. To fulfill the proposed objectives, we chose the qualitative approach of educational research, by favoring a broad view of the object studied and the researcher's involvement with the social, political, economic and cultural reality. The subjects participating in this research were teachers who taught History in rural areas in Ituiutaba-MG from 2018-2019. The study showed how teachers teach History in schools located in rural areas. We identified that rural schools have different characteristics even though belonging to the same municipality. Therefore, despite these particularities identified throughout the research process, we emphasize the need to propose training that dialogues and values the multiculturalities present in rural areas.

This book examines the selected writings of John of Wales, a thirteenth-century Franciscan scholar. Though overshadowed historically by men like Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure, John contributed significantly to the preaching explosion of the later Middle Ages, devoting his scholastic energies to the production of encyclopedic preaching aids for the growing number of the devout and learned emerging from the new universities. Through a detailed analysis of his world view, the author establishes John's strong interest in politics and contemporary social issues and helps to explain why his writings appealed to young preachers and the popular imagination. John's historic popularity and literary influence are also fully explored. His works seem to have been an important source of classical material for European literary texts of the period, and therefore, in addition to historians and theologians, this unprecedented book will appeal to those interested in the survival and transmission of Greek and Latin literature.

Just as children are credited with the creation of language (Bickerton, 1984), youth and youthfulness are the harbingers, the enervating forces of linguistic styles and innovations. To them owes such coinages that captures social and cultural realities, reflect political circumstances, and disrupt established configurations and normative percepts. They are the linguistic movers and shakers (Eckert 1997: 52) who as disruptive elements are described as deviants. Yoruba language is rich with phrases tying youth and deviancy with the street (ìgboro). For instance, ọmọ’ta, ọmọ igboro, ọmọ ori-irin, ọmọ garage, and ọmọ oko, etc. The lexical item ọmọ refers to child\youth. To this root-word is attached different noun modifiers, the new derivation situates ọmọ in the street with a specific form of deviancy. Ọmọ’ta; “street guy”, which connotes a tout or hooligan. Ọmọ igboro; “wild child”, i.e., a truant. Ọmọ oriirin; “child walking the street”, i.e., a prostitute. ọmọ garage; “guys of the motor-park”, i.e., thugs, and ọmọ1 oko; “farm\country child”, i.e., crude or rustic. In Yorubaland ọmọ is the status reserved for young people until they get married and become parents, at which time, their status changes to iya\bale ile, “head of household”. And in place of ọmọ + identifier, they become, “father or mother of X” (name of their first child). In the case of thugs, touts, and deviants of any kind, they are ọmọ+x until they leave behind their street life and criminality and settle down into normative responsibilities of parenthood. Ọmọ is also the generic phrase equivalent to English “guy”. Rarely, do we find equivalent adult phraseology except for agba ọmọ’ta, “grown street guy”, i.e., old rascal. Youths, often, are non-conformists. In urban setup, void of emotional attachments, their activities, which subsume organized gangs, ruggedness, deviance, rebellion and constant subversion of those constants from previous generations, exert profound influence. They dominate music and fashion scenes and set such fascinating linguistic trends that permeate popular imagination and ceaselessly intrigue observers. Ohùn, as they term their speech, is a culture specific agentive slang or “stylect” (Hurst 2008) in use in urban Yoruba city-life by hustling youths. It is presented here as an example of those urban glossae born of the interplay of different socio-economic and political realities into which “youths” are thrust across major African cities.

Purpose This narrative review explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in Tanzania’s primary healthcare system. It aims to identify barriers to adoption, propose strategies for effective implementation and align these insights with Tanzania’s digital health transformation goals. Design/methodology/approach A narrative review methodology was employed, synthesising evidence from 21 peer-reviewed studies and reports published between 2015 and 2024. The thematic analysis examined barriers, strategies and research gaps, focusing on technical, socio-cultural and organisational factors specific to Tanzania’s healthcare context. Findings The review highlights several challenges, including infrastructural limitations, low digital literacy, socio-cultural resistance and the lack of robust policy frameworks. Strategies such as participatory system design, capacity building and investments in resilient digital infrastructure emerged as critical enablers. Insights also underscore the importance of addressing ethical considerations and customising solutions to Tanzania’s unique socio-economic and cultural realities. Originality/value This study uniquely focuses on the Tanzanian context, providing actionable recommendations to bridge the gap between AI-IoT technological potential and practical implementation in low-resource settings. Integrating global and local evidence offers a comprehensive framework to guide policymakers, practitioners and stakeholders in advancing digital health innovations personalised to the needs of primary healthcare systems.

This study examined the reproductive health situation in Bida Emirate of Nigeria, with a view to advancing frontiers in communication support for reproductive health education. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to randomly select 1,200 women respondents that participated in the study. Data was obtained on reproductive health and rights, reproductive health history, and personal and social characteristics of respondents. Data analyses showed that majority (68.1%) of respondents were aware of existing methods of birth control, while 31.9% were not. On the use of methods, abstinence, breastfeeding and use of condoms recorded 42.8%, 22% and 40.3% respectively. Respondents rarely used traditional methods of birth control. Forty five per cent blamed their husbands for not using family planning methods. Surprisingly, 84.8% of respondents had no idea of what HIV/AIDS is all about; only 13% and 3.1% could describe gonorrhoea and AIDS respectively. Results further revealed that there is no significant relationship between personal and social characteristics of respondents (religion, marital status and position, etc) and their attitude towards family planning. However, rural and urban women significantly differed in their health status (t = 0.2729; p < 0.001). Similar trend was observed for attitude towards family decision-making (t = 40; p < 0.001), sexuality and STD prevention (t = 90; p < 0.001), and maternity/childcare (t = 0.001; p < 0.001). In conclusion, the study reveals that there is a wide gap between social expectations of women's reproductive health and cultural realities in Nupeland of Nigeria. The study thus recommends, among others, the need for sustainable safe motherhood campaign in culture bound societies.

Purpose: This essay advocates for epistemic freedom and the development of situated theoretical perspectives in accounting research relevant to African contexts. The paper underscores the urgent need to move away from the dominance of Global North frameworks, which often impose ethnocentric perspectives on African accounting practices, and foster research grounded in Africa's socio-political, economic, and cultural realities. The essay argues for the critical need for context-specific theorising in African accounting informed by African intellectual traditions. Methodology: The paper is a reflective essay that intends to decolonise the study of accounting in Africa, allowing for more relevant and diverse insights into the continent's accounting practices and phenomena. It encourages African scholars to embrace their own intellectual heritage and contribute original, contextually grounded theories to the field. Findings: The essay outlines that despite the increasing attention paid to African contexts, most accounting and finance research on Africa applies Global North theoretical frameworks without considering African countries' specific socio-cultural and political contexts. This results in a limited understanding of Africa’s accounting and finance practices and phenomena. The findings highlight the importance of African scholars taking inspiration from local intellectual traditions, philosophers, and social theorists to develop more relevant theoretical frameworks. The paper suggests drawing upon frameworks from prominent African intellectuals to shape more relevant and contextually grounded research. Implications (optional): By advocating epistemic freedom, the paper encourages African scholars to rethink and reshape accounting theories to suit their contexts better, resisting the colonial legacy in academic research. The paper finally calls for a decolonial approach to finance and accounting research, urging a shift from the imposition of Global North theories to creating knowledge that reflects Africa’s realities. Originality: This essay's originality lies in its emphasis on decolonising accounting research by fostering situated theoretical perspectives based on African contexts. It highlights the gap in African accounting research and proposes a movement toward epistemic freedom. Furthermore, it advocates for embracing African philosophical and intellectual contributions, a novel approach that challenges the dominant Global North paradigms in accounting research.

Africa is almost fully known for the great number of its local languages, number diversely appreciated by natives and non-natives, mainly researchers in linguistics. Some take the great number of local languages in individual countries as a handicap to national language use whereas others consider it as a cultural prosperity. Today, the question is about the real linguistic needs for Africa to start science transmission in them for competitive and sustainable development. The researcher believes that African development cannot be effective and sustainable without scientific acquisitions and applications of its own. The present paper aims to discuss the needs through which African languages could be used to conduct instructions and scientific researches. The results of the study show that some effort started with functional literacy classes in rural areas with limited contents and that today, with formal learners from universities in local language literacy classes, the main condition along with linguistic policies is lexical needs to express new cultural realities and conduct scientific writing in local languages as they try them in western languages.

BackgroundMalaria remains a significant public health challenge, and Plasmodium knowlesi malaria has become the predominant cause of malaria in Malaysia. Despite progress in eliminating nonzoonotic malaria species, Malaysia continues to face challenges in controlling P. knowlesi. While epidemiological and vector control studies are reported, less is known about the community-level sociocultural dynamics influencing prevention behaviours. Therefore, this qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) aims to consolidate existing evidence on community experiences and perceptions related to P. knowlesi malaria, as well as the social, cultural, and contextual factors influencing prevention and healthcare-seeking behaviours in Malaysia.MethodsThis QES protocol has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD 420251045457). A systematic literature search was conducted in electronic databases, and data analysis followed Thomas and Harden’s thematic synthesis method.ResultsThe QES included five qualitative and mixed-method studies published between 2022 and 2024 that explored community perspectives on P. knowlesi malaria in Malaysia. Three analytical themes were synthesized: (1) ‘Knowledge and Lived Realities Shape Community Risk Perception of Knowlesi Malaria’, suggesting community understanding of P. knowlesi, fear of hospitalization and income loss influencing health-seeking behaviours; (2) ‘Environmental, Structural, and Social Barriers Constrain Community Engagement with Malaria Prevention and Healthcare Seeking’, where environmental exposure, occupational risks, challenges to the use of personal protection, and access barriers were major determinants; and (3) ‘Malaria Prevention Practices Reflect Local Knowledge, and Availability of Formal Prevention Measures’, highlighting the application of natural and household remedies for prevention, while using formal preventive measures.ConclusionsThis QES consolidates the available evidence for P. knowlesi malaria control strategies including prevention and healthcare seeking. It highlights that malaria prevention behaviours are shaped not only by knowledge on transmission and diseases, but also by the social, environmental, and cultural realities in local context. Therefore, integrating local community perspectives and challenges into prevention and vector control programs could enhance the sustainability and equity in rural areas in Malaysia.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12936-026-05785-4.

This study aims to explore the visual discourse about women and their roles in the Romanian village, a discourse created by the picture postcards from the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. To reach this aim, we considered the following objectives: to realise a typology of the used research material, to identify the main representations of women, to analyse the relationship between the representations of women and the other represented elements (men, children, rural landscapes, households, tools, etc.), to discuss the main features of the visual discourse about the women from the rural area, for the respective period, based on the previous identification of the elements that became iconic through repeated representation. We used a critical visual methodology and discourse analysis to explore the picture postcards that represented women from the Romanian village, underlining the connection between their meanings and the cultural reality. Our findings are useful for similar research on gender and its visual construction from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th.

The article examines the aspects and meaning of the cultural practice of worker’s house (Gongyou zhijia) of Pi Village(Picun) in Beijing, focusing on how the status of Chinese workers is changing since 2000s and how cultural realities and discourse are organized and changing, Through the discussion of this article, I have stated that what the practice in Pi Village is done directly by new worker through the method of literary and artistic and that it is a practice that constitutes the commons. Above all, this is important in that it was done through discourse and practice that rejects the name “peasant who works and lives in city(Nongmingong)" given by the system and names themselves "new workers(Xingongren)." The practice of Pi Village expresses surrounding new workers are the industrial and service workers who are not peasants any more and urban workers who have the right to live, be educated and work in the city at the same time. This is a practice that reveals the problems of the uneven binary system that separates the city from the countryside, which defined them as peasants out of conformity with reality, while renaming themselves as new workers. In this regard, the case of Pi Village is a reality that takes issues with the rural-urban dichotomy.<BR> the social and historical level of China, the discourse and practice of Pi Village can be re-contextualized as revealing the problems of this uneven urban-rural binary system and carrying out the revising it directly. Through the practice of Pi Village, the relationship between urban and rural areas in China during the post-socialist period is being re-thought and re-established.

Purpose: The main objective of the study was to investigate the rural development strategies through livestock policy.&#x0D; Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.&#x0D; Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to rural development strategies. The study underscored the significance of livestock farming as a crucial component of rural development strategies worldwide, emphasizing its multifaceted role in providing income, employment, food security, and cultural heritage, particularly in developing countries. It highlighted the need for context-specific and evidence-based livestock policies tailored to diverse socio-economic, environmental, and cultural realities, promoting sustainable resource management and addressing rural poverty and inequality. Additionally, it emphasized integrating holistic development objectives such as gender equity, social inclusion, and climate resilience into livestock policy frameworks to maximize social, economic, and environmental benefits. Lastly, the study stressed the importance of continuous monitoring, evaluation, and adaptive management in livestock policy implementation to foster learning-oriented processes and enhance resilience and responsiveness to evolving dynamics in rural areas. Overall, the study highlighted the pivotal role of livestock policy in shaping rural development trajectories and improving the well-being of rural communities.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Dependency theory, Institutional theory and Political Ecology theory may be used to anchor future studies on rural development strategies. The study yielded several recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of livestock policy interventions in promoting rural development. These recommendations included prioritizing inclusive livestock extension services, improving access to credit and financial services, integrating climate-smart livestock practices, supporting value-adding and market access initiatives, investing in livelihood diversification, and promoting participatory policy processes. By implementing these recommendations, policymakers and stakeholders aimed to enhance the resilience, sustainability, and inclusivity of rural development efforts, ultimately improving livelihoods and fostering sustainable rural transformation.

A popular prejudice is that rural communities are close-knit, cooperative and supportive and the people self-reliant, friendly and helpful. However, a host of systemic changes in rural life, taken cumulatively, suggest that this ‘rural idyll’ etched in the popular imagination is under threat. In order to evaluate whether this is indeed the case, the results of 350 interviews conducted in five contrasting rural communities during 2000–2001 are reported here. This reveals that despite a widespread perception that community spirit is alive and well in rural areas, such attitudes are not always expressed in the actions of the rural population. A large minority of the rural population, composed mostly of low-income and jobless households, find themselves excluded from both community-based groups and one-to-one networks of reciprocal support. Arguing that there is a need for policies to encourage their reinclusion into rural life, the paper concludes by outlining a number of policy initiatives to achieve this goal.

A popular prejudice is that rural communities are close-knit, cooperative and supportive and the people self-reliant, friendly and helpful. However, a host of systemic changes in rural life, taken cumulatively, suggest that this ‘rural idyll’ etched in the popular imagination is under threat. In order to evaluate whether this is indeed the case, the results of 350 interviews conducted in five contrasting rural communities during 2000–2001 are reported here. This reveals that despite a widespread perception that community spirit is alive and well in rural areas, such attitudes are not always expressed in the actions of the rural population. A large minority of the rural population, composed mostly of low-income and jobless households, find themselves excluded from both community-based groups and one-to-one networks of reciprocal support. Arguing that there is a need for policies to encourage their reinclusion into rural life, the paper concludes by outlining a number of policy initiatives to achieve this goal.