Alternative Lifestyles Research Articles

<b>The Imposition of Authoritarian State Sexualism:</b> <b>Theoretical Analysis of State Repression of Sexual Minority Groups Globally</b>

Numerous countries globally have governments who act to repress alternative sexual lifestyle groups. Such governments’ motives to rule in this manner are authoritarian, they wish to promote state controlled sexualism. Authoritarian state sexualism is the government's creation of a homogenized population who all think and act the same way, decided by the dominant ideology. This would include conformity with an authoritarian government of the day’s choice of sexual preference, which is virtually exclusively heterosexuality. This paper discusses covert and overt social engineering that takes place within authoritarian, socially repressive societies, which effectively drive sexual minority groups underground. Imposition of authoritarian state sexualism on people who live in sexually repressive societies, begins in their early years.

Orthodox activism as perceived by the population of the region: main frames

The article presents the results of a qualitative sociological study of Orthodox social activism and its social consequences, undertaken by the authors within the framework of the research project "Social Projects of the Russian Orthodox Church". An analysis of the mutual perception of Orthodox activists and the rest of the population of the region in terms of the implementation of Orthodox social initiatives allows us to identify four main frames of perception depending on the degree of awareness of secular subjects about their activities and attitudes towards interaction or avoidance of it: partnership, client, stereotyping and critical. The partnership frame is characterised by varying degrees of interest of permanent and situational (episodic) partners, the client frame is characterised by the perception of Orthodox charities and aid groups as substitutes for state institutions of social protection or education and the predominant disregard for their religious specificity. Stereotyping and critical frames, based on the attitude of distancing oneself from interaction with Orthodox activists and differing depending on the degree of awareness of their activities, can be considered as forms of negative self-identification of the non-church or weakly churched part of the regional society of their secular subjectivity in relation to Orthodox activists as bearers of alternative values ​​and lifestyle. The stereotyping frame is characteristic of citizens who are not aware of the extra-religious activities of activists (including both non-believers and believers who identify themselves as Orthodox), the critical frame is characteristic of disappointed activists. As a limitation for the institutionalisation of Orthodox social activity, the authors highlight the negative attitude of potential volunteers and activists to the installation of their churching as subordination to religious activity. The tendency to adopt Orthodox family values ​​and lifestyle is characteristic only of some employees of partner state organisations whose job responsibilities are related to the implementation of a social project to increase the birth rate. In general, the attitude to Orthodox initiatives of non-churched or weakly churched clients, partners, potential or former activists is characterised by a focus on separating religious and social activity and a lack of readiness to submit to religious discipline in the non-religious sphere.

Snowboarding while Black: race, aesthetics, and Jamaican migrant workers

ABSTRACT How snowboarding intersects with race in a Canadian mountain resort is explored in this research note. Snowboarding is now globalised but emerged in the USA in the 1960s as an alternative lifestyle sport. Race was embedded in its birth as then, as now, snowboarding is dominated by privileged White participants who are mostly male. The White dominance is masked as whiteness is invisibilized by claims of being neutral or colour-blind. Yet, a Black presence surrounds snowboarding. The second theme examines snowboarding’s commodification of Black aesthetics. It uses Black music and urban fashion to enhance and market its supposedly radical or coolness credentials to its suburban White audience. The mining of Black aesthetics is unacknowledged and thus whitewashes the economic exploitation of Black culture. Migrant workers are the backbone of snow resorts, and the third theme examines this use of transnational labour. It probes why Australians are the visible workers on the snow-kissed slopes and front desks, while Jamaicans are the invisible labour in catering and housekeeping. The use of migrant labour is racialised and further reifies the whiteness of snowboarding. Black snowboarders, riding the snowy slopes for leisure, expose and disrupt the politics of race and place in snowboarding.

Educational Exit and the Pursuit of a Happy Childhood Among Singaporean Middle‐Class Families

ABSTRACTOn the basis of ethnographic fieldwork in Singapore, the article explores the tension between children's academic success and emotional wellbeing, and the ways in which middle‐class parents navigate these conflicting aspirations. It delves into families with young children who pursue alternative lifestyles by moving abroad to a presumably less stressful environment or by homeschooling their children. The study aims to understand how parents who ‘opt out’ perceive their children's future and the sacrifices they make in pursuing alternative education for their children. Decisions were made to ‘protect’ the child from the potentially negative effects of a competitive education system, while pursuing an alternative childhood and school–life balance. East Asian education systems are globally renowned for their high academic standards and for producing students who score at the top on international assessment tests and rankings. In this context, alternative educational pursuits are both less established and less well understood, yet they are central to understanding emerging aspirations of wellbeing as well as the reconfiguration of conventional ideals of upward social mobility.

Implementasi Wisata Medis Berdasarkan Undang-Undang Nomor 10 Tahun 2009

Health is one of the basic human needs, now also can be one alternative lifestyle that can be selected by someone to get satisfaction in his life, such as medical tourism. Medical tourism is an activity carried out by an individual to get a health service or medical care abroad. In the effort to develop the health system and competition and the impact of health globalization, it does not rule out the possibility that medical tourism raises intense competition among hospitals in providing quality services and superior service products provided by hospitals in attracting foreign patients to come get treatment. Objective of this research is to determined factors that affect hospital to be medical tourism’s aim. Methods in this research is literature review from international journals. The results is hospital needs to improve their physician’s skill, facilities, accessibility, and promotions. So that medical tourism is a new phenomenon for hospitals in Indonesia to prepare professional and superior health personnel and sophisticated health technology as a developmental need for medical tourism. Need to study or identify factors that influence medical tourism in hospitals in Indonesia.

Social And Cultural Implications of Live-In Relationships In India

Live-in relationships, is considered taboo in traditional Indian society, have gradually emerged as a significant phenomenon with far-reaching social and cultural implications. Live-in relationships, in modern Indian society, challenge traditional norms regarding partnership and familial arrangements. This form of cohabitation, wherein unmarried couples choose to live together in a relationship akin to marriage. Several factors contribute to the increasing acceptance of live-in relationships in India. Urbanization, globalization, and exposure to Western cultures through media have influenced Indian societal norms. Younger generations are more open to exploring alternative lifestyles and relationships. With more women entering the workforce and achieving financial independence, there a shift in attitudes towards traditional gender roles and marriage. Couples often prefer to test their compatibility before committing to marriage. This paper will cover social legal aspects of live-in relationships in India. Through amendments, the law has had enough of a chance to characterize these societal changes. It can't be static; while looking at the historical backdrop of how Hindu regulation developed, it is apparent that it was never static yet sporadically different to address the troubles introduced by moving cultural examples at different moments.

Anarchists, Naturalists, Hippies, and Artists: Beliefs about Midwifery Care and Those Who Choose It

Although demand for midwifery services in Canada is increasing, research suggests that a low proportion of Canadians would consider midwifery care for their or their partner’s pregnancy. There is still a significant gap in knowledge about why Canadians prefer physician or obstetrician based care over midwifery care. In order to further understand these preferences, the current research employed a qualitative exploration of young adults’ commonly held beliefs about midwifery care and people who choose midwifery care. Discussions about midwifery care and people who choose midwives as their primary care provider during pregnancy and birth were elicited through seven focus groups consisting of 3-7 young adults each, for a total of 29 participants (20 women and 9 men). The discussions were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Our analyses of the data suggested that participants seemed to believe that people who choose midwifery care value “the natural”, actively eschew the medical system, rebel against convention, value personal experience, and maintain alternative lifestyles. Midwifery care and midwife-assisted births were characterized as facilitating a positive prenatal and birth experience for the mother, but were also often characterized as risky for the pregnancy overall, and in particular for the baby, requiring a high degree of trust on the part of the mother. Midwifery care and midwife-assisted births were described as old-fashioned, and ultimately uncommon. Recommendations for marketing strategies, based on these findings, are suggested. This article has been peer reviewed.

Emergent place-identity: place activation through the architectural restoration of a small Hakka household in the Hong Kong countryside

AbstractThis paper discusses the cocreation of an emergent place-identity in a Hakka household in the Hong Kong countryside triggered by architectural restoration. Located in Kuk Po, a quintessential Hakka village that was established over 300 years ago, Yeung House was restored by the research team under a government-funded initiative to regenerate architectural values. Rebuilt in 1967, Yeung House has experienced decay and evolution over the years. It signifies the adaptive lifestyle of Hakka immigrants through its adapted siting, hybrid tectonics and modernised features. After restoration, Yeung House was repurposed into a base for education and research managed by the three house-owning villagers. Different activities were initiated by the villagers and coarranged by the research team. As a serendipitous outcome, the front yard of Yeung House has been activated into a multifunctional communal space. Subsequently, it is argued that a place-identity has emerged in Ng To and is influenced by the distinctiveness of the restored Yeung House and the continuity of the front yard. New meanings of the place have been created by the villagers through the practice of a potential, alternative lifestyle in the rural-urban parallel.

#Nowhereland

Rural places and small towns are highly valued by lifestyle migrants who wish to live close to nature (Verdich 2010) and have a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Ängsbacka is a course center and a community for alternative lifestyles, located on the outskirts of a small town in mid-Sweden. The center emphasizes community and belonging, while also being a place characterized by cosmopolitan taste patterns and constant mobility, which can be described as a cocoon community (following Korpela and Dervin 2013).
 The members of the cocoon community use social media platforms such as Instagram to make place for themselves, to communicate belonging. Through images, hashtags and captions, they make connections between various places, people, activities and emotions that together contribute to the user’s spatial self (Schwartz and Halegoua 2015) and to the place making efforts of the community. Those using the hashtag ängsbacka often do so to communicate a deep connection between the place and themselves. At the same time, while the local place and nature is at the center of their activities, it is simultaneously a mere backdrop for their projects of personal development.
 Using Ängsbacka as a case, the article adds to research about digital place making beyond cities, by examining how the local place is given meaning within a community defined by privileged mobility. To analyze the intermingling of the local and the global in the context of sustainability, I combine theories of place making with Carfagna et al’s (2014) concept of ecological habitus. I argue that discourses on sustainability and harmony with nature can create a connection and sense of belonging that combines the (hyper)local with global (alternative) lifestyles.

Secular Spaces in Israel and Turkey

Abstract This article offers a comparative analysis of Tel Aviv and Izmir based on their urban identities grounded on a secular modernist ideological outlook and a Mediterranean way of life based on egalitarian and democratic norms. These criteria will be operationalized by analyzing the ideological preferences as well possibilities for alternative lifestyles for the residents of both cities. Due to the policies of right-wing governments in both countries, there has been an increasingly overbearing impact of religion in the daily lives of the people and have been undergoing a redefinition of their national identities at the expense of the secular aspects of their national attributes. While a significant number of citizens in both countries have been leaning towards an ethnoreligious worldview, Tel Aviv in Israel and Izmir in Turkey resist such attempts and remain bastions of secularism with their Mediterranean way of life. This study purports to present the similarities and differences between the two cities within their larger conservative setting.

Effectiveness of lifestyle interventions/culturally bespoke programmes in South Asian ethnic groups targeting weight loss for prevention and/or remission of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention trials.

People from South Asian heritage are at high risk of type 2 diabetes, but there are limited specific strategies to prevent and manage this condition. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of culturally bespoke lifestyle programmes in South Asians that target weight loss for the prevention or remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention trials. PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE (EBSCOhost), CINAHL, PsycINFO and CENTRAL were searched. Human intervention trials (randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental) investigating the effect of lifestyle interventions on the prevention and remission of T2DM in South Asians were included. Studies including participants at risk of T2DM (prevention trials) and having the disease (remission trials) with duration ≥12 weeks were eligible. For prevention trials, the primary outcome was change in weight (kg) from baseline; for remission trials, it was decrease in HbA1c to non-diabetic levels (HbA1c ≤ 6.5%) without diabetes medications. Prevention trials were separated into (i) lifestyle modification advice and (ii) lifestyle modification advice including a supervised physical activity programme. Twenty-four trials were eligible (21 prevention trials and 3 remission trials). In T2DM prevention trials involving only lifestyle modification advice, the mean postintervention difference in weight between intervention and control groups was -0.65 kg (95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.04, -0.26; p = 0.01). Lifestyle modification advice including a physical activity programme was associated with greater decreases in weight: -1.13 kg (95% CI: -2.04, -0.21; p = 0.02). Fasting blood glucose levels were slightly lower in intervention groups for both intervention subtypes, although there was no significant change in HbA1c levels or 2-h plasma glucose levels. Diabetes remission trials showed potential acceptability but were limited in number and involved a small sample size, and some did not include a control group. In South Asians, lifestyle interventions for prevention of T2DM offer only modest impacts on weight and glucose control and will unlikely reduce diabetes incidence. Alternative lifestyle interventions co-designed with members of the communities and aimed at both prevention and remission of T2DM must be urgently considered. Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO CRD42022385174 https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=385174.

Otherness in Arundhati Roy’s “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness”

This research delves into an examination of the marginalization process by closely analyzing Arundhati Roy's work, "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness." The objective is to uncover how Roy employs her artistic prowess to bridge the gap between marginalized segments and the mainstream, thereby attempting to rejuvenate the former glory of the Indian societal framework. Through the lens of oriental discourse, this study scrutinizes the novel, particularly emphasizing the strategic foothold achieved within the established system through acts of rebellious creativity, unconventional thinking, and alternative lifestyles. This study elucidates the intricate interconnections among the novel's multi-layered narratives, which lay bare the harsh realities of society, such as the dire circumstances faced by minority groups, the degrading existence of transgender individuals, the lackluster state of governance, the struggles of Naxalites, instances of rape, murder, social inequality, and preconceived biases. In "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness," Arundhati Roy explores societal categorization through the lens of “Otherness”. Characters like Anjum embody the challenges faced by those deviating from societal norms, particularly in terms of transgender identity. The narrative extends this exploration to figures like Musaa and Talio, engaged in the Kashmiri conflict, highlighting a political form of “Otherness”. The central aim of this research is to identify and delve into India's marginalized "Others," encompassing the impoverished, those deemed as "apostates," outsiders, and third-gender individuals, who are often subjected to subjugation or victimization. This study focuses on the theory surrounding the analysis of orientalist discourse and focuses on the “Otherness” of the novel‘s main character Aunjum or Aftab who rejoice in their wretched condition and the survival creativity of these “Other” in their conditions of acute Precarity.

Pasar Tradisional dan perubahan daya hidup masyarakat pedesaan: Study Pajak Gambir Pasar VIII Desa Bandar Klippa Kecamatan Percut Sei Tuan

Tax is a place to sell food and other necessities for use in daily life. The tax will continue if buyers and sellers both need it. The tax designation is different from the market designation for other areas outside North Sumatra. The purpose of this writing is to describe the changes that have occurred in the Gambir market and the lifestyle of the surrounding community. The research location is Bandar Klippa village, Percut Sei Tuan District, Deli Serdang Regency. This research uses a naturalistic approach. Focus on the strength of the ethnographic method which describes qualitatively and empirically. Data is collected from several sources, both verbally and in writing/documents, relying on involved observations and/or relatively informal conversations, data analysis using an interpretation of meaning, function, and all the consequences arising from various human actions and interaction practices in society. The traditional Gambir tax market has gradually become a place for transactions for global economic products, in addition to local economic products which continue to maintain their existence. Thus, today's traditional market culture has experienced a mixture of modern market culture through the existence of consumerist and modern products, and the lifestyle of the people around the market which tends to indulge in pleasure activities and alternative lifestyles, apart from agriculture and farming

Democratising cities: introduction

The world’s cities are plagued by serious ills of injustice, inequality and uneven development. Through hard-fought struggles against these urban inequalities and injustices, cities remain important breeding grounds for forms of democratic action that have the potential to reinvigorate the practice and potential of democracy itself. Contemporary struggles over rights to the city generate new answers to questions at the heart of the democratic ideal. In the everyday battles that take place over the institutions and infrastructures that will shape their everyday lives, urban inhabitants frequently resist the ossification of democracy in its inherited forms. Their struggles not only demand new solutions to the pressing urban challenges they face, they also challenge democracy as it is and make claims about democracy as it should be. As such, the historical geography of democracy maintains a close association with the city. This Special Feature on Democratising Cities brings together a survey of city-scaled possibility, canvassing diverse democratisation strategies across a variety of places. We treat democratisation as a process of extending and enacting a logic of equality as the foundation for legitimate authority in the face of specific problems and injustices. Our focus is on the doing of democratisation, exploring a set of innovative democratic practices that people in cities are employing in their efforts to make a better urban life—from alliances, networks, issue-based movements and citizen platforms to digital strategies, political contracts, participatory budgeting, occupations and alternative lifestyles and communities. We show how these practices of democratisation generate new understandings of the who, what, where, when and how of democracy itself.

Alternative lifestyles: A plague persistence hypothesis

AbstractSeveral explanations have been posited for how the plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) reemerges during sylvatic cycles within the same foci over many years, and often without direct evidence of host die‐offs. One prevalent view is that transmission‐optimized Y. pestis bacteria, exhibiting epizootic/enzootic behavior, almost continually replicate and survive through repeated, linked, host‐centered propagation events. These bacteria, we will refer to as “r‐pestis” type ecotype(s), represent a limited number of phenotypic lineages exhibiting optimal transmissibility and high rates of reproduction. These attributes, it is thought, assure their durability through time. For continuous r‐pestis type expansions to be successful, adequate numbers of fleas and hosts must become infected to produce massive numbers of bacteria. In the process, host and flea numbers decline as they succumb to plague. Here we hypothesize that r‐pestis population expansions seed the environment and confront a unique, highly competitive local milieu, where natural selection favors new ecotypes that incorporate a range of emergent adaptive survival strategies. These newly adapted survivors we recognize as a range of “K‐pestis” ecotypes with greater durability and lower reproduction rates. These emergent K‐pestis forms may arise in succession or coexist for varying periods of time with r‐pestis ecotypes, and with other K‐pestis ecotypes. Among K‐pestis ecotypes, we hypothesize that through adaptive radiations, some persist within flea life stages, soil, organic waste, amoebae, plants, carcasses, hosts, or within niches yet to be characterized. In some settings, after a long quiet period, when favorable, K‐pestis bacteria may trigger a singular event where an r‐pestis transmission stream emerges precipitating another enzootic/epizootic progression. If this hypothesis withstands rigorous testing, then Y. pestis might represent an even more formidable, enduring, and adaptable foe, where unforeseen local events could trigger new epidemic and epizootic/enzootic events threatening humans and populations of other mammals, including those of conservation concern.

Myxococcus xanthus PilB interacts with c-di-GMP and modulates motility and biofilm formation.

The regulation of biofilm and motile states as alternate bacterial lifestyles has been studied extensively in flagellated bacteria, where the second messenger cyclic-di-GMP (cdG) plays a crucial role. However, much less is known about the mechanisms of such regulation in motile bacteria without flagella. The bacterial type IV pilus (T4P) serves as a motility apparatus that enables Myxococcus xanthus to move on solid surfaces. PilB, the T4P assembly ATPase, is, therefore, required for T4P-dependent motility in M. xanthus. Interestingly, T4P is also involved in the regulation of exopolysaccharide as the biofilm matrix material in this bacterium. A newly discovered cdG-binding domain, MshEN, is conserved in the N-terminus of PilB (PilBN) in M. xanthus and other bacteria. This suggests that cdG may bind to PilB to control the respective outputs that regulate biofilm development and T4P-powered motility. In this study, we aimed to validate M. xanthus PilB as a cdG effector protein. We performed a systematic mutational analysis of its cdG-binding domain to investigate its relationship with motility, piliation, and biofilm formation. Excluding those resulting in low levels of PilB protein, all other substitution mutations in PilBN resulted in pilB mutants with distinct and differential phenotypes in piliation and biofilm levels in M. xanthus. This suggests that the PilBN domain plays dual roles in modulating motility and biofilm levels, and these two functions of PilB can be dependent on and independent of each other in M. xanthus. IMPORTANCE The regulation of motility and biofilm by cyclic-di-GMP in flagellated bacteria has been extensively investigated. However, our knowledge regarding this regulation in motile bacteria without flagella remains limited. Here, we aimed to address this gap by investigating a non-flagellated bacterium with motility powered by bacterial type-IV pilus (T4P). Previous studies hinted at the possibility of Myxococcus xanthus PilB, the T4P assembly ATPase, serving as a cyclic-di-GMP effector involved in regulating both motility and biofilm. Our findings strongly support the hypothesis that PilB directly interacts with cyclic-di-GMP to act as a potential switch to promote biofilm formation or T4P-dependent motility. These results shed light on the bifurcation of PilB functions and its pivotal role in coordinating biofilm formation and T4P-mediated motility.

#Vanlife

Abstract As an early piece of digital ethnographic work, this article aims to convey an ambience for full-time vanlifers who are supposedly ‘living the dream’ in Europe. A reflection of the causes and developments of the #vanlife movement sets the foundation for discussing overregulation of restrictions on vanlifers in England, which is juxtaposed to the joy of thriving nomadically in continental Europe. The resulting discussions reveal that for some members of the vanlife community, this alternative lifestyle is embraced to attain their own sense of personal autonomy, ontological security and overall higher quality of life in a neoliberal late-stage capitalistic society that has left far too many people alienated and struggling to survive the nightmare of economic uncertainty.

Collective urban gardens: growing, learning and fostering social engagement

ABSTRACT Scholars have recently worked to broaden the definition of urban engagement in order to better understand the multiple manifestations of this concept. Some, interested in grasping the potential transformative or demonstrative effects of everyday actions in urban settings, have examined active practices, such as gardening. Others have focused on the scale of action and have demonstrated how limited activities can have significant effects on individuals and communities. Building on the case studies of collective gardens in the significantly different urban settings of Québec City (Canada) and Madrid (Spain), we explore how the practices of urban gardening offer forms of learning that often go beyond gardening itself and expand into collective decision making and social engagement. The gardens we look at are grassroots based, have been in operation for approximately ten years and receive a form of support from city programmes. Our results show that these gardens are the sites of social processes where gardeners develop a strong identity in relation to the alternative lifestyles that they build, as well as a sense of belonging that goes beyond the boundaries of their garden and that connects them to nature. By developing their ethos of care, gardeners learn that neighbourhood-oriented actions have political implications that can help change the city.

Differences of Sucker Formation Processes Depending on Benthic or Pelagic Posthatching Lifestyles in Two Octopus Species.

AbstractMorphologies of animal appendages are highly diversified depending on animal lifestyles. In cephalopods (Mollusca, Cephalopoda), an individual possesses multiple arms that contribute to elaborate behaviors, and suckers on them enable various arm functions. In octopus hatchlings, arm and sucker morphologies can be divided into two different types due to alternative posthatching lifestyles, that is, pelagic or benthic lifestyles, although the underlying developmental differences have yet to be elucidated. In this study, therefore, detailed developmental processes of arms and suckers were observed during embryogenesis in two different octopus species, Octopus parvus and Amphioctopus fangsiao, showing pelagic and benthic posthatching lifestyles, respectively. In O. parvus, sucker formation stopped at a relatively early stage in which three suckers on an arm were produced. In addition, at late embryonic stages, cell proliferation was hardly detected in whole arms, while in A. fangsiao, sucker production continued throughout embryogenesis and cell proliferation also remained active in whole arms even in the late stages. Therefore, although further investigations in other octopus species are required, it is suggested that in octopus evolution, the developmental program of suckers has been modified in accordance with the acquisition of a novel lifestyle.

Opting out of the city: lifestyle migrations, alternative education, and the pursuit of happiness among Chinese middle‐class families

AbstractThis article responds to calls among anthropologists to attend to the aspirational qualities of life pursuits by respecting idealized life visions and acknowledging the suggestiveness of living otherwise. It follows a cohort of formerly urban middle‐class Chinese families that have chosen to ‘opt out’ of their successful city lives to pursue alternative lifestyles and education for their children in China's rural southwest. Drawing on literatures about voluntary lifestyle migrations and alternative parenting and education, I show how these families construct meaningful social worlds through class histories, family ideals, and presentist temporalities that deviate from Western class formation and neoliberal constructions of self defined by individualistic identity pursuits. Through analysing a configuration of self and sociality that emphasizes the family and routes parental self‐aspirations through children, the article deepens our understanding of child‐centredness as a key feature of Chinese lifestyle migrations. It shows how quests for ‘the good life’ take shape through diverse sociohistorical and familial contexts with their own temporal orientations and life politics.