Asian Cultures Research Articles

The relationship between mindfulness and second language resilience among Chinese English majors: the mediating role of academic hope

BackgroundIn light of the heightened expectations surrounding the development of foreign language professionals in the age of artificial intelligence and the pursuit of academic excellence in Asian culture, Chinese English majors are faced with tremendous academic pressure. Accordingly, as a positive individual trait, second language (L2) resilience has recently received considerable attention in foreign and second language learning research.PurposeBased on the hope theory, the broaden-and-build theory, and resilience theory framework, the present study explores the influence of mindfulness and academic hope on Chinese English majors’ L2 resilience.MethodsWe employed descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the relationships among mindfulness, academic hope, and L2 resilience within 351 Chinese English majors.ResultsThe study results found that Chinese English majors’ mindfulness positively predicted students’ academic hope and L2 resilience. Their academic hope also had a significant correlation with L2 resilience. Finally, SEM showed that academic hope remarkably mediated the relationship between mindfulness and L2 resilience.ConclusionsIn a word, this paper reveals the important role of mindfulness and academic hope in enhancing students’ L2 resilience. Besides, strengthening Chinese English majors’ mindfulness also can promote their academic hope. At this point, it also underscores the essential mediating role of academic hope between mindfulness and L2 resilience.ImplicationsThe results of this study have implications for fostering students’ L2 resilience and helping them cope with the challenge of the language learning process. Teachers can implement relevant intervention promoting students’ mindfulness, academic hope, and L2 resilience into language instruction, which conducing to students’ language learning success.

Deconstructing the ‘man’ in Vietnamese labour laws to achieve gender equality

ABSTRACT This study employs legal analysis to scrutinise Vietnam's labour law, highlighting the limitations of the feminist approach in challenging the masculine nature of law. The findings reveal that traditional feminist strategies in Vietnam's labour law may inadvertently intensify gender disparities, rather than dismantling its patriarchal structure, thereby perpetuating inequality in the labour market. Given the persistent gendered nature of law, advancing gender equality through legal reforms requires extending beyond current female-protective measures to include men's perspectives. Using a conceptual framework that combines masculinity theory with feminist legal theory, this study advocates for male-targeted policies as a viable solution to mitigate gender inequalities in Vietnam's labour market. Consequently, this research expands the discourse on the role of gender theories in legal frameworks, fostering progressive changes in societal attitudes toward gender roles, particularly in Asian cultures like Vietnam. By addressing both the symptoms and root causes of gender discrimination, the study contributes to a nuanced understanding of how legal strategies can be adapted to achieve substantive gender equality.

Reconstructing Fairness: A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Beauty Standards in Pakistani Social Media Advertisements

The research intends to challenge assumptions regarding fairness in beauty standards in South Asian culture, notably in Pakistan, by exposing how social media platforms promote beauty norms and public views. The study investigates the portrayal of fairness in Pakistani social media advertising on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, as well as the cultural norms portrayed in these advertisements. A qualitative research approach was adopted, employing purposive sampling to select advertisements from Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok that either explicitly or implicitly promote fairness as a beauty standard. The study analyzed advertisements from the period 2020–2024 to capture contemporary trends and cultural changes. The primary analytical framework for this research was Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA), introduced by Gunther Kress and Theo Van Leeuwen (1996). Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring themes, narratives, and cultural values reflected in the advertisements. The data suggested that social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok reinforce or redefine beauty standards, promoting inclusive advertising practices and challenging harmful stereotypes, influencing policymakers, advertisers, and content creators.

Collective Bargaining: Tour of East and South Asian Cultural Medical Decision Making

Collective Bargaining: Tour of East and South Asian Cultural Medical Decision Making

Mind-Body Correlates in Early Adolescence: Insights From Temporomandibular Disorder Pain and Somatic Symptoms.

Previous studies on temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in early adolescence have predominantly featured Western samples, with a focus on mental ill-being. This pioneering study investigated the relationships between TMD pain, somatic symptoms, and both mental well-being and ill-being. It also examined mind-body correlates in Asian young adolescents. Participants, aged 14, were enrolled in a public school. They completed a survey that included socio-demographics, the TMD Pain Screener, Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Life Goals Questionnaire, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale, Satisfaction With Life Scale, and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21. Data were analysed using chi-square/Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearman's correlation (α = 0.05). Among the 142 participants (52.8% female), 12.0% presented with TMD pain and 35.2% experienced medium-to-high somatic symptoms. Individuals with TMD pain and moderate-to-high somatic symptoms had significantly higher scores for somatic symptom burden/TMD pain, depression, anxiety and stress, while having substantially lower scores for the presence of life meaning and life satisfaction, compared to those without TMD pain and none/minimal-to-low somatic symptoms. Moderate correlations were observed between TMD pain and somatic symptoms (rs = 0.40), as well as between somatic symptoms and depression, anxiety and stress (rs = 0.51 to 0.57). Life satisfaction was negatively correlated with emotional distress (rs = -0.43 to -0.61). TMD pain was associated with somatic symptoms but not with emotional distress. The moderate relationships between somatic symptoms and depression, anxiety and stress highlight the concept of somatisation in Asian cultures, even during early adolescence.

Money for Time? Evidence From Intergenerational Interactions in China.

"Filial piety" is deeply embedded value in Asian culture, whereby younger individuals are expected to provide support to the older generation. Nevertheless, financial support is frequently prioritized to the detriment of companionship. Employing data on about 50,000 households from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) survey (2016-2022), this study demonstrates a notable substitution between the provision of financial support to their older parents and the allocation of greater time to interact with them. The results additionally indicate that such substitution is more pronounced among males, individuals of working age, and those in the middle class. However, this issue could be addressed through the implementation of legislation that explicitly requires adult children to regularly visit and communicate with their older parents. In light of these findings, it is evident that there is an opportunity for policymakers to devise innovative strategies that will enhance family solidarity and support for older people.

All flesh is equal

Abstract Research has consistently shown that in comparison to some Western cultural groups, such as American and British individuals, people from Eastern Asian cultures pay heightened attention to the hierarchical position of interaction partners, thereby displaying greater politeness to high-ranking individuals. This study aimed to challenge the long-standing assumption that politeness is invariably contingent upon the status of communication partners in Chinese culture. We demonstrated that due to their religious belief in the principle that “all flesh is equal,” Chinese Buddhists exhibited consistent levels of politeness irrespective of the status of their interlocutor. In Study 1, we investigated how Han Taoists and Buddhists responded to junior or senior individuals when declining a request. The results indicated that while Taoists demonstrated increased politeness to senior colleagues compared to juniors, the recipient’s status did not affect the politeness levels of Han Buddhists. Additionally, there were no observed differences in politeness between the two groups in the junior condition. Study 2 replicated these findings among Tibetan Buddhists. Collectively, these findings suggest that religious affiliations may exert enduring effects on important aspects of politeness strategies and communication styles.

Juxtaposing Well-Being and Social Support on Life Satisfaction and Psychological Distress: A Comparative Study of Bhutanese and Malaysian Adults

This study compared the associations of social support, well-being, life satisfaction, and psychological distress in two Asian contexts: Bhutan and Malaysia. Data from 436 participants revealed more differences than similarities in the hypothesized associations. Among the differences, social support from family, friends, and significant other exhibited no significant association with psychological distress among the Malaysian sample, but these support systems demonstrated differential impacts on the Bhutanese sample. Higher support from significant other was associated with lower psychological distress, while increased family and friends support were linked to higher psychological distress, suggesting there may be other intervening factors that operate in these associations. Multi-group analysis was employed to determine the differences in path coefficients, where results demonstrated the central role of well-being on life satisfaction and psychological distress, with emotional health being the most important dimension for both groups. However, financial well-being was not as important to Bhutanese compared to Malaysian. This study highlighted the distinctions within Asian cultures and provided intricate insights and challenged preconceived assumptions about Asian societies.

Improving Social Interactions Among Adult Carers of Children with Disabilities Through Dialogic Literary Gatherings: A Case Study from Pakistan

The scientific literature has evidenced that certain educational and dialogic actions have been successful at increasing the quality of social interactions and improving mental health, among other beneficial aspects. One of these dialogic actions is the dialogic literary gathering (DLG). The impacts of DLGs have been demonstrated in Europe and South America but have yet to be explored in Eastern culture. The goal of the current study was to analyze the transferability of DLGs within South Asian culture in Pakistan. Specifically, the aim was to identify how the DLGs impacted the social interactions of middle-aged to older adults who were caregivers for children with disabilities. This research used a qualitative case study design with a communicative methodology to study a group of adult family members at a special education school who participated in the DLGs. Data collection included interviews, focus groups, and observations, and a thematic analysis was carried out. Based on the analysis, four broad categories emerged: cognitive engagement, mental well-being, self-development, and social–emotional experiences. Overall, the results demonstrate that the DLGs facilitated positive self-changes among participants, enabling them to experience and express a wide range of emotions through social interactions.

Universal individuals: national education in a globalized age

Abstract Are there differences between the pedagogical approaches of East Asian and European cultures regarding the question of how to navigate the complex relations of the universal and the particular, the communal and the individual? By no means an abstract question, it calls for thought in what seems to be an increasingly volatile age: from political and social division and polarization, divergent forces of localization, globalization, and glocalization, increasing efforts to acknowledge and recognize different histories and traditions in expanding intercultural communication processes while simultaneously not losing sight of the global challenges that humankind must respond to without much time for hesitation, it seems that conventional approaches to national education need to adapt. As a critical response to certain stereotypes regarding the apparent relations of sociality and individuality in countries traditionally influenced by (Neo-)Confucianism, this suite of articles gathers positions from colleagues working in East Asian contexts and in the UK to explore these and related problems from a variety of viewpoints.

The Good Life: Exploring Master, Alternative, and Personal Narratives of East Asian American Christians

The good life is broadly understood to mean a life worth living, characterized by positive human functioning and well-being. Psychologists have primarily focused on aspects of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being at the individual level. While this continues to be important, the narrative scripts that influence individuals’ concepts of the good life are underexplored. Scripts about “the good life” circulate in every culture and for Asian American Christians, they potentially come from three sources—Asian cultures experienced prior to or during diaspora, Christian culture, and the individual’s personal meaning-making. This exploratory study focuses on perspectives of the good life, told by 31 East-Asian American Christians in the Seattle area. Through interviews, researchers captured participants’ conceptualizations of the good life at societal, communal, and personal levels and thematically coded these stories for motivational themes. For the East-Asian American Christians in our study, master narratives of the good life constellate around achievement and security, and dominant narratives of the perpetual foreigner and model minority persist. Furthermore, alternative narratives of the good life informed by the Christian tradition constellate around relatedness, purpose, and competence. These themes also emerge for personal narratives of the good life, with an amplified emphasis on relatedness.

Genomic Characterization of Vibrio spp. in Asian Seabass (Lates calcarifer, Bloch, 1790) Following Field Vaccination Using a Feed-Based Inactivated Vaccine against Vibriosis

Vibriosis outbreaks pose a significant threat to the productivity of Asian seabass culture, causing substantial losses. Nevertheless, the excessive utilization of antimicrobials exacerbates the issue by fostering the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Consequently, exploring alternative disease management strategies, such as the introduction of oral vaccines into Asian seabass culture, has become a subject of ongoing investigation. This study aims to compare the genomic characteristics of different Vibrio species isolated from both orally vaccinated and unvaccinated Asian seabass populations. Archived samples of vaccinated and unvaccinated Asian seabass from one site in Selangor, Malaysia, were utilized in this sample. Briefly, the vaccinated group was administered the feed-based vaccine on week 0 (prime vaccination), 2 (booster), and 6 (second booster) at 4% body weight. At the same time, the non-vaccinated fish were fed with a commercially formulated pellet without the vaccine. Vibrio isolates identified from the gut samples were used in this study. The samples were stored at -80°C before being subjected to genomic DNA extraction, PCR, gel electrophoresis, and sequencing using Illumina and Nanopore platforms. Universal 16s primer and pyrH primer were used to identify Vibrio species. Bioinformatic analysis was done using NCBI BLAST, QUAST, BUSCO 5, CGE, and J Species. The isolates of Vibrio species exhibited smooth, convex, round, and entire colonies on TCBS agar plates, which were yellow and green. Twenty-two isolates were sent for 16s rRNA sequencing and revealed Vibrio alginolyticus (54.54%), followed by V. diabolicus (13.63%) and V. parahaemolyticus and V. harveyi (9.09% respectively). Of the 22 samples, 7 were selected for further Illumina sequencing. The whole genome sequences of the six Vibrio species isolated exhibited good coverage percentage, N50 value, Average Nucleotide Identity (ANIb), single-copy percentage, and GC content, while one sample showed low single-copy percentage and high duplicated percentage, which suggested contamination during DNA extraction. Eight novel alleles were discovered, three from the vaccinated group and five from the unvaccinated group, including the Rec, atpA, gyrB, and pyrH. A virulence factor database analysis search revealed 58 virulent genes from the unvaccinated samples and 39 virulent genes from the vaccinated samples. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into the genomic characteristics between orally vaccinated and unvaccinated cultured Asian seabass in the locality.

Lying ear deformity: Personalized fabricated synthetic expanded polytetrafluoroethylene retroauricular prosthesis as an alternative for its correction.

Lying ear deformity: Personalized fabricated synthetic expanded polytetrafluoroethylene retroauricular prosthesis as an alternative for its correction.

Representation, education and advocacy: Reflecting on the Asian Fashion Archive

The Asian Fashion Archive, launched in 2020, is a digital humanities initiative addressing the marginalization and stereotyping of Asian cultures and individuals in western media and fashion. By presenting a curation of historical and contemporary materials across Instagram and a complementary website, the project challenges Eurocentric narratives, amplifies under-represented voices and repositions fashion as a site of cultural resistance. Combining digital curation with participatory engagement, it fosters global conversations on Asian fashion, identity and history through an accessible space. This article situates the Asian Fashion Archive within broader efforts to decolonize fashion studies, emphasizing the potential of digital tools in disrupting traditional hierarchies and advocating for nuanced representations. The article reflects on the project’s development, challenges and impact, while calling for new directions for inclusive and accessible fashion scholarship.

Sufi Motives in Ancient Turkic Nomadic Culture

The cultural and anthropological concept of Turkic Sufism is rooted in ideals of spiritual perfection, the absolute, and the archetype of the "perfect human". This concept, though widely influential, remains insufficiently explored from sociological perspectives. This article expands on Sufi motives in ancient Turkic nomadic culture by incorporating sociological theories of collective rituals, authority, and cultural capital. Drawing on Émile Durkheim’s notion of collective effervescence, we examine how communal Sufi practices fostered social cohesion and a shared sacred experience among nomadic communities. Using Max Weber’s concept of charismatic authority, we analyze the role of Sufi saints and leaders whose personal spiritual charisma legitimized new religious ideas and guided cultural transformation. Through Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital, we explore how Sufi knowledge, rituals, and symbols functioned as valued social assets that facilitated identity formation and integration into the broader Islamic civilization. The study addresses the synthesis of pre-Islamic Tengriism with Sufism in the Great Steppe, illustrating how spiritual practices shaped collective identity and ethical norms. This sociological reframing clarifies the profound influence of Sufism on cultural values, social structures, and identities, offering a more rigorous understanding of its role in the historical evolution of Central Asian cultures.

한국 영상문화 기술의 확장 분야로서 문화유산 관리의 디지털화 ODA 사업에 대한 분석

Developing countries such as Myanmar, Laos, and Kyrgyzstan recognize the need for digital transformation and have asked Korea, as a donor country, for official development support, to support digitalization of their cultural heritage management. The National Asian Cultural Center of Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism accepted this request of receiving the assistance and included equipment support and joint development of cultural contents in the process of digitizing these countries' cultural heritage management systems and strengthening their capacity to use them. However, as this project was focused on collecting and managing cultural heritage, it did not fully utilize the video culture technology belonging to the Korean Wave. This paper proposes the construction of facilities that can digitize the entire process of discovering, managing, and utilizing cultural heritage that is valued by the people of developing countries, and the way to support Korea's video culture technology in the 'Digitalization ODA of Cultural Heritage Management', a project that strengthens the capacity to efficiently utilize it. To this end, this paper discusses the concept and timely value of digitalization ODA in cultural heritage management. In addition, after examining the digital restoration of the Hwangseong in the region Hue in Vietnam and the CRMS construction and capacity building project of the Ministry of Culture of Myanmar in detail, the feasibility of applying digital video culture technology to content production based on cultural heritage in addition to strengthening capabilities centered on existing databases and methods of use is explained. As a result, it was found that the digitalization project of the cultural heritage management system in the recipient country supported by the Korean government would greatly contribute to realizing global values and the national interest of coexistence by producing content based on cultural heritage in addition to systematizing digital management and strengthening capabilities. In particular, the way of thinking that attractive video culture technology that can attract the attention and response of the recipient country's citizens is applied to the ACC's ODA project is suggestable in that it avoids self-culturalism and discrimination for minorities, and strengthens public interest as a public good. Finally, this researcher argues that since a country's cultural heritage is a resource of all mankind internationally, this proposal to apply Korea's video culture technology to the country's own cultural heritage embodies the justification and necessity of international development cooperation.

Rituals of Belonging: Challenging the Sacred Marginalised Views of Hijras in India

Hijras, a third-gender community deeply rooted in South Asian cultures, has long held spiritual and social significance. Revered for their unique position outside the traditional gender binary, Hijras were historically believed to possess powers to bless and curse, playing integral roles in various rituals and ceremonies. This research article explores the intricate relationship between Hijra rituals, identity formation, and societal perceptions in India. Drawing on cultural relativism, the study challenges the dominant societal tendency to position Hijras within a binary of sacredness and marginalisation, hindering their full participation in everyday life. Through in-depth analysis of rituals, informed by seminal works like Gayatri Reddy's With Respect to Sex: Negotiating Hijra Identity in South India (2005) and Serena Nanda's Neither Man nor Woman: The Hijras of India (1996), the research illuminates how these practices become a powerful means for hijras to construct and negotiate their identities. By examining rituals as vehicles of both religious and cultural expression, the study reveals how hijras navigate their marginalised status while simultaneously carving out a space of profound meaning and belonging. This binary view, venerating them as sacred or ostracising them as outcasts, ultimately denies Hijras the recognition and inclusion they deserve as equals within Indian society. This research contributes to broader discussions on gender diversity, cultural heritage, and the complexities of social inclusion in India, emphasising the importance of understanding Hijra experiences through their own cultural lens.

Buddhalaisuus Juha T. Koskisen teoksessa Dream Transmission (2019)

Buddhism in Juha T. Koskinen’s Dream Transmission (2019): performer and audience perceptions in Finnish and Japanese contexts Composer Juha T. Koskinen’s (b. 1972) composition Dream Transmission for solo clarinet and electronics was premiered at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in 2019 by clarinetist Lauri Sallinen, who commissioned the work. The composition, representing Western and Finnish classical concert music tradition, draws a strong influence from Japanese Buddhism, like the shōmyō (Buddhist chanting) and includes reciting mantras as well as physical gestures, such as sitting in a kneeling position (seiza) and hand signs (mudra). Besides the Japanese influence, it also uses other culturally and geographically marked source material, such as a German lullaby and sounds of the Finnish sauna. In this article, I combine cultural music analysis, close reading, and performance studies to examine the piece from the perspective of a performing musician, critical music analyst, and researcher of East Asian cultures, in order to draw attention to cultural sensitivity in music. The main research question is: How are the cultural traits of Japanese Buddhism represented in Dream Transmission, and what kinds of problems do these cross-cultural representations create from the perspective of cultural sensitivity and the social responsibility of the performer? I performed Dream Transmission in five concerts during 2023 and 2024 in Finland and Japan. In connection with these performances, the audiences’ reactions were investigated using a semi-structured questionnaire. I examined how Finnish and Japanese audiences received the performances, how they perceived the cultural connotations of the work, and how the composer’s aims were transmitted to the listeners. The composer’s perspective and background of the work were explored through interviews. I reflect on how much a non-Buddhist performer should familiarize themselves with the Buddhist content before performing the work, how much information of cultural contextualization should be given to the audience, and in which way, in a concert situation. By analyzing the complexity of the cultural layers of all the elements used in the work, as well as the audience reception, I argue that culturally connected materials should be communicated more openly to the audience. Source references in the score with cultural contextualization could benefit the performer to produce a more culturally informed performance, as Western classical music tradition often draws inspiration from non-European cultures.

Lion’s Mane for Your Brain and Body

Lion’s mane<i> (Hericium erinaceus</i>) is a unique and fascinating mushroom species. Lion’s mane is saprophytic, meaning it feeds on decaying organic material, particularly dead trees, fallen logs and wounded trees. Native to both North America and Eurasia, lion’s mane mushrooms are easy to identify and are most commonly foraged during late summer and autumn on hardwood trees. They are also cultivated and available as supplements year-round in markets, health food stores and online. Lion’s mane is a versatile ingredient in the kitchen, perfect for marinating, sautéing, barbecuing, stir-frying, or baking. Lion’s mane taste and texture is often compared to crab or other seafood, which makes it a highly sought-after edible mushroom species. Lion’s mane has a long history of medicinal use in Asian cultures, dating back millennia. Recent research indicates potential health benefits include avoiding dementia and improving cognitive function; easing depression and anxiety; reducing risk of heart disease; diminishing diabetes symptoms and improved immune system function. Evidence of improved cognitive function has been particularly significant and well documented. Certain individuals should avoid consuming lion’s mane mushrooms or supplements due to potential health risks. This includes individuals with bleeding disorders or taking blood thinners and people with diabetes taking blood sugar-lowering medications. While published peer reviewed scientific studies of lion’s mane mushrooms effects continues to grow, much of the current evidence is based on non-human animal and laboratory studies. More human research is needed to determine the full extent of its health benefits for a growing interested public. Nonetheless, the identification of specific lion’s mane bioactive compounds, hericenones and erinacines, has sparked significant interest in both research and medical communities, paving the way for future applications in brain, heart, blood, and overall health.

Electronic Performance Monitoring and Employee Creativity in the Digital Era: Cultural Variations in Power Distance

ABSTRACTWith the emergence of digital technologies, electronic performance monitoring (EPM) is becoming more prevalent in the Asian workplace. However, the consensus on EPM and Asian culture has not been updated with technological advancements. This study investigates the impact of the dualistic functions of EPM on employee creativity, considering power distance within the framework of the job demands‐resources model. Based on a sample of 276 employee‐colleague dyads from a Chinese company, we found that for employees with high (vs. low) power distance orientation, the positive impact of developmental EPM on employee creativity through harmonious passion is attenuated, as the job resources provided by developmental EPM, which require autonomy from employees, are perceived as psychological burdens. Conversely, the negative impact of deterrent EPM on employee creativity through obsessive passion is amplified, as the job demands imposed by deterrent EPM are seen as duties to be adhered to. This study sheds light on the crucial role that cultural orientation plays in the effectiveness of EPM and highlights the necessity for managers to consider cultural factors when implementing EPM in the digital era.