Cultural Community Research Articles

Scoping Review of Health Literacy Interventions among Migrant Communities in Europe

Abstract Background The increase in migration trends in Europe has brought attention to the significant health disparities between migrant and native populations, which are largely rooted in social determinants of health such as economic difficulties, language barriers, and limited access to services. Tailored health literacy (HL) interventions can serve as an intermediate factor between social determinants of health and health outcome, thereby holding great potential for addressing these disparities. Despite a growing body of research on migrant health, there remains a gap in our understanding of effective HL interventions for this population. Methods A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) updated guidelines and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. Electronic searches were carried out across five databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, PsychINFO, and CINHAL) and supplemented by a manual search. We included European studies on migrant HL interventions, conducted between 2011 and 2023, and published in English or Portuguese language. Results Out of 1018 records, 7 studies met eligibility criteria. Predominantly situated in Northern and Western Europe (85.5%), interventions primarily targeted female migrants (71.4%) through in-person courses (42.9%). Identified intervention strengths included culturally adapted content, migrant engagement, and access to written materials. Gaps included mental health interventions and community outreach. Conclusions This scoping review provides a comprehensive overview of HL interventions targeting migrant populations, highlighting their characteristics, strengths, and gaps. These findings serve as a foundational step towards developing guidelines for effective HL interventions within migrant communities. Key messages • Most European health literacy interventions for migrants target women and are conducted in North or West Europe. • Cultural adaptation and community engagement are key strengths of migrant health literacy interventions, yet gaps remain in mental health support and community outreach efforts.

Developing a tool to support vaccine literacy with a participatory approach: Glossary of essential terms on vaccinations

Abstract Issue Access to vaccination services on their own is often difficult for migrants, especially newcomers (NAM), due to few vaccine literate services. Professionals who meet migrants need easily accessible vaccine information, to strengthen their ability to promote vaccination and facilitate vaccination access for NAM, especially non-medical professionals such as cultural mediators, reception staff, language teachers, social workers and community leaders. Description For offering accurate, accessible and actionable information by using plain language, a Glossary of Essential terms on Vaccination was developed and then tailored in each consortium countries, with a participatory approach. The Glossary is structured in two sections: vaccination related terminology and terms specific to country healthcare organization. Results 8 workshops were organized in Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Romania to consult health and non-health professionals who work with migrants to make the tool as actionable as possible (83 participants). Cultural mediators were most represented, followed by NGO operators and physicians. The workshops were held based on shared guidelines, the focus was on assessing the clarity, completeness and usability of the glossary. 90% reported that the glossary is clear and useful, 80% considered the tool relevant, while 75% thought it is easy to use. The Glossary has been formatted with facing text in different languages for each consortium country, thus providing a comprehensive resource (53 final versions). Lessons By implementing the glossary, we aim to enable, empower, guide and facilitate access to immunization for NAMs. Sharing an essential vaccine-related information tool with “professionals for health” boosts their advocacy for NAM’s vaccination and healthcare system’s responsiveness to vaccine literacy. The participatory approach increases effectiveness and permeability of the tool itself.

Interventions’ transferability assessment to strengthen Vaccination Uptake Among Migrants in Greece

Abstract Background Migrant children in Greece face significantly lower vaccination coverage rates for MMR and HPV compared to their counterparts. To address this disparity, our research focuses on selecting and adapting evidence-based interventions tailored to the specific needs of different migrant communities staying in Greece, guided by the PIET-T framework. Methods Using a stakeholder-engaged approach, we involved 26 key stakeholders to select evidence-based interventions relevant to the Greek context. These interventions underwent detailed analysis, considering their effectiveness, cultural appropriateness, and potential for transferability within the PIET-T framework. Key stakeholders provided input on intervention feasibility and country- and context-specific adaptation. Results Three interventions were identified as promising for MMR and HPV vaccination uptake: two health promoter interventions and a school-based vaccination one. The health promoter intervention was adapted so to involve health professionals and trusted community members delivering culturally sensitive education and navigation support, addressing barriers such as language and lack of information. The original school-based program implements education sessions and on-site vaccinations, leveraging the trusted environment of schools to reach parents and children. On-site vaccinations were omitted since they were not relevant to the Greek context due to legal barriers. Conclusions Our stakeholder-engaged approach, guided by the PIET-T framework, ensures interventions are tailored to the specific needs and contexts of different migrant communities in Greece. By prioritizing cultural sensitivity and community involvement, we aim to enhance MMR and HPV vaccination uptake and improve health outcomes among migrant populations.

The New Trend of Grassroots Social Governance: The Connotation Extension and Logical Deconstruction of The "three cooperatives" Model

"Community, social organization and social worker" as the key element of "three community linkage" is the latest practice form and theoretical form of grassroots social governance, in the community needs satisfaction, community interest adjustment, community culture cultivation and community strength The cohesion and other aspects have achieved remarkable results. The "three cooperatives" is composed of community "two committees", social organizations and social workers in the main structure, presenting the "state-society-individual" linkage level, which is essentially to build a benign interactive relationship between government and society. In reality, a network matrix structure of "vertical to bottom, up and down interaction, horizontal to side, criss-cross, internal and external integration" has been formed, which finally realizes the structural embedding and functional coupling of various subjects. With the continuous deepening of theory and practice, the connotation of communities, social organizations and social workers should be expanded and extended, and the "linkage" relationship needs to be considered in multiple dimensions. Summarize and summarize the innovative modes and practices of linkage across the country in a timely manner, clarify the dilemmas and difficulties, and on this basis, deconstruct the thinking logic, operation logic and domain logic of the "three cooperatives" mode, and strive to understand and grasp the essential laws of grassroots governance.

Honour, Harmony and the King of Outspokenness. The Use of Stage Plays and Festive Culture in Fifteenth-Century Flemish Coastal Communities

ABSTRACT The history of fifteenth-century theatre in the Low Countries has long been studied primarily as the history of culture, literature and theatre. It has now attracted the attention of social historians and anthropologists and is being studied as an urban history of corporations, fraternities and chambers of rhetoric. That creative and art-loving activities in the Low Countries also frequently occurred in the fifteenth-century coastal communities, which largely comprised fishermen and sailors,, usually escapes the attention of historians. I argue these communities integrated drama into a survival strategy motivated by the spatial, economic and sociocultural context in which they were living.

Contemporary Development Discourse in Northeast India and its Impact on the Tribal Communities

Northeast India, a region characterised by great geo-political and ecological significance, is geographically divided into the plains and the hills and is home to many tribal communities that largely depend on natural resource-based livelihoods. While shifting cultivation (jhum) has been a dominant traditional system of land use among tribes both in the hills and the plains, most of them in the plains abandoned this practice on account of colonial-era encroachment. In the hills, however, shifting cultivation still plays a critical role in maintaining agricultural biodiversity and providing food security to the indigenous communities. The advent of colonial development in the region in the 19th century left a long-term impact on its natural and social landscapes. After independence, especially after the early 1960s, the hills that remained largely excluded from the process of colonial development were also brought under the development agenda of the Indian state. However, in recent times, under the neoliberal Indian state, the development discourse in the region has witnessed an unprecedentedly aggressive character seriously undermining the traditional ecology, land ownership system, livelihood and culture of the tribal communities.

Exploring Culture and Sustainability: Community Participation in Indigenous Tourism in Malaysia

Nowadays, Indigenous tourism contributes to the conservation of cultural heritage and further supports sustainable development for Indigenous communities, which ultimately increases socio-economic well-being. By providing unique cultural experiences, Indigenous tourism gives greater recognition and respect for the culture while also economically benefiting. This paper aims to examine how such dynamics operate in the context of Indigenous tourism from the viewpoint and experiences of Indigenous community members who participated in tourism initiatives. Identifying culture as one of the crucial parameters that determine successful outcomes in this field, this study intends to explore how people participate in sustainable development through tourism and close important gaps using a cultural lens. Numerous databases containing scholarly research, including the Emerald Insights, Science Direct, and Web of Science, have been used in this study. As a response to the ever-growing call for inclusive and respectful tourism, this study aims to contribute valuable insights and geographical relevance to defining policy change, practice modifications, or academic pursuits of Indigenous tourism. The result of this study will fill crucial empirical research gaps in terms of how cultural restoration, tourism management, and community participation can be optimized for sustainable development with nuanced voices that are necessary to drive policy change as well as practice modifications.

Picture communication symbols and voice symbols: iconicity and preference among healthy older adults in Taiwan

Purpose: Unaided (e.g., speech and gestures) and aided (e.g., symbol corpuses) communication modes facilitate older adults’ expression and comprehension. Adults aged 65 years and above constituted 18.27% of Taiwan’s total population in 2023; hence, prioritizing high-quality healthcare for older adults becomes critical. Commercial symbol corpuses, such as Picture Communication Symbols (PCS) and Voice Symbols (VS), play a vital role in aiding older adults with expression and comprehension in Taiwan. Previous studies on iconicity and preference of symbol corpuses have primarily been conducted in Western and South Asian cultural communities. However, these findings may not apply to all Asian communities. Hence, studies investigating these aspects in specific communities are needed. Through quantitative nonexperimental observations, we explored the iconicity of and preference for PCS and VS among 30 healthy older adults in Taiwan. Materials and Methods: A total of 12 practice words and test words each, familiar to the participants and socially and culturally validated, were selected for the developed VS–PCS iconicity and preference measurement. Verbal choices were made to select one line drawing in both measurements. Results & Conclusions: The findings revealed that VS is significantly more transparent and preferred than PCS. Accounting for the iconicity of and preferences for symbol corpuses is pivotal for symbol selection.

Cafecitos as a Conduit for Latinx Family Engagement Through Community Cultural Wealth

This critical ethnography presents findings from a two-year-long study of Latinx family engagement using cafecitos in a dual-language elementary school. Using ethnographic approaches to data collection and analysis, the researchers analyzed how to implement cafecito monthly meetings with parents that focused on engagement approaches and arts integration surrounding a community cultural wealth model. Findings revealed a correlation between positive family and student identity development because of the integration of community members as experts within the cafecitos. We share recommendations for using cafecitos as a tool for parental engagement to create a more inclusive, supportive, and culturally responsive environment that benefits students and their families.

Global Community in James Welch’s The Heartsong of Charging Elk

Human beings have had beautiful dreams for a harmonious world since centuries ago; this can be termed cosmopolitanism, shijie datong, or global community. Based on theories expounded by Confucius, Tönnies, Anderson, Bauman, Derrida, and Appiah, we closely examine the concept of “global cultural community” or “international community”, that is, the community involving individuals or groups of two or more countries by way of textual analysis, with James Welch’s The Heartsong of Charging Elk as an example. Through an analysis of the plot in the novel, we find that the American Indian protagonist Charging Elk integrates into the local French culture, while retaining his indigenous cultural identity, and thus negotiates a global community. This finding is also evaluated in the context of all five novels by Welch and in a broader scope of American Indian literature with inter-continental themes. The studies on cosmopolitanism or global community in American Indian literature can play an important role in exploring the construction of a global community for humanity for a shared future.

Improvement of physical culture and sports in communities during the war and post-war recovery

The article is devoted to the topical topic of improving the field of physical culture and sports at the local level during Russia's war against Ukraine and during the post-war reconstruction. Research methods of the theoretical level (analysis, synthesis, as well as comparison), systematization and generalization of data from information sources, as well as surveys of physical education instructors of rural communities and directors of the State Educational Institutions, who made up the expert group, were used. A total of 57 specialists were interviewed (physical culture instructors of rural united territorial communities and directors of youth sports schools). Received responses that determine their preferences for a number of possible actions. A comparison of the advantages of the two groups of the indicated specialists was carried out. Based on the analysis of five comparisons of the responses of the specialists of VFST "Kolos" and the directors of the State University of Education, the following general conclusions can be drawn: specialists of VFST "Kolos" usually show a more strategic and analytical approach, they tend to support initiatives, but at the same time analyze risks and problems more deeply. Their answers reflect both a positive assessment and a more critical view of the complexities. The directors of the State University of Higher Education demonstrate a more pragmatic and cautious approach. They generally support initiatives, but with less confidence and focus on practical implementation in wartime. The lack of hesitation and the greater number of answers "Rather agree" indicate their awareness of difficulties and readiness for compromise solutions.

Text "HEALER": Using Text Mentorship to Engage American Indians and Alaska Natives Interested in the Health Professions.

ProblemThe persistent underrepresentation of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) in the health professions and the decline of AIAN matriculants into health-related programs suggest interventions are needed. The authors developed Healers, a text message mentoring service, to engage and support AIANs interested in the health professions.ApproachHealers, launched in 2018, seeks to reach urban and rural high school/college-aged AIANs and other AIANs. Individuals subscribe by texting "HEALER" to a numeric code using their mobile device. Two concurrent intervention strategies include: (1) a 17-week schedule of scripted texts and (2) live weekly office hours with 2 health pathway coaches. During the pilot year (June 2018-June 2019), participants were recruited via national conferences, health fairs, social media, and word of mouth. Intake and exit surveys were conducted. Content analysis of text messages received during office hours was conducted.OutcomesDuring the pilot, 304 subscribers opted into Healers and generated 2,933 text messages. Intake survey respondents included high school students (n = 18/77, 23.4%), college students (n = 29/77, 37.7%), and others (n = 29/77, 37.7%). They represented 60 Tribes from 28 U.S. states. Among exit survey respondents, 26/28 (92.9%) reported Healers was useful, 25/27 (92.6%) reported it exposed them to new health professions, 26/27 (96.3%) expressed stories from AIAN health professionals were valuable, and 25/26 (96.2%) reported pursuing a health professions career seemed possible. Five themes emerged from the analysis of the 346 participant texts received during office hours: cultural support, mentorship, opportunities, wellness, and community building.

Reimagining Indigenous Tourism: The RISE Framework

ABSTRACT This paper introduces the RISE framework (Rich Intercultural Spiritual Exchange), aimed at innovating Indigenous spiritual tourism planning and execution. Grounded in the capability approach and acculturation theory, RISE facilitates immersive cultural experiences while preserving spiritual legacies, responding to calls for reimagining Indigenous tourism. Despite its potential, current practices often marginalize Indigenous communities, perpetuating issues like misrepresentation and limited participation. Embracing indigeneity unlocks opportunities for cultural exchange and community empowerment. Spiritual tourism, a key aspect, fosters personal growth and well-being while promoting cross-cultural understanding and environmental stewardship. RISE addresses shortcomings by prioritizing Indigenous voices and cultural preservation. This framework offers valuable contributions to tourism scholarship, providing insights into visitor engagement and cultural assimilation. It also aids destination planners in creating meaningful, sustainable experiences, fostering cross-cultural understanding and community empowerment. Ultimately, RISE guides stakeholders in developing authentic, culturally enriching tourism that benefits both visitors and Indigenous communities.

“She” power: role transition and self-empowerment of women in rural tourism

It is widely believed that participation in tourism empowers women, particularly by providing direct employment and income generation. However, this perspective frequently overlooks women’s agency and self-actualization. This study examines the Tingsong Cultural Community (TCC) in northeast China, integrating self-empowerment with role theory to focus on female participation in tourism. Utilizing multiple data collection strategies, both primary and secondary data were gathered between July 2019 and December 2022. Through inductive thematic analysis, the research unpacks the role transitions of Chinese rural women within tourism practices and the dynamics of self-empowerment. The findings reveal that: (1) role transition is a dynamic process involving exploration, identification, and obligation, marked by an enhanced sense of self-empowerment; (2) self-empowerment arises from awareness and interaction, benefiting from economic, cultural, and subjective dimensions; and (3) external support is essential for empowerment, ideally starting with vulnerable individuals to allow self-empowerment to develop organically. This study refines the concepts of role theory and self-empowerment while establishing the relationship between rural women’s role transitions and self-empowerment, contributing to existing knowledge. The practical implications related to external investment, endogenous development, and digital engagement are insightful for the sustainability of similar destinations.

The Architectural Intersection of Museums and Disability Policy

The way in which people with disabilities devise methods to move through the world and faced barriers before architectural modifications evolved based on legislation intersects with the architectural preservation of culturally significant sites, specifically museums. By excluding the disabled community in museum spaces, it perpetuates the ableist mindset of society further by limiting information, creating a disparity in cultural climate and community belonging. How do museums preserve historical significance, while also creating a space for all? In order to devise an accepting space within museums and go beyond the idea of inclusion, people within public spaces need to strive to understand the way that individuals interact with the institution, while adjusting the space in an inherent way to include access for all beyond the legal policy.

Ethnomycology and Uses of Macrofungi in Brazil: a Bibliometric Review From 2014 to 2024

Objective: The objective of the study was to present an overview of ethnomycological publications in Brazil on the use of macrofungal species based on the analysis of their evolution between the years 2014 to July 2024. Theoretical Framework: Ethnomycology is research field that goes beyond traditional and scientific knowledge and has the purpose of documenting the customs and the material and spiritual culture of different communities with respect to fungi. Method: We conducted a bibliometric analysis with data obtained from four databases: Scielo, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and PubMed. The Prisma 2020 method of meta-analyses was used. Results and Discussion: The central sub-themes of the retrieved studies were related to Brazilian ethnomycology, perception of medicinal and/or edible use of macrofungi in Brazil, as well ethnomicological perception of macrofungi in schools in Brazil. Research Implications: The region with the highest number of publications was the Northeast (46.6%), with six studies, five of them in the state of Piauí, followed by the North, with four studies. The sub-theme "perception and uses of macrofungi" stood out (78%). Originality/Value: The studies focused on rural and urban communities in Brazil. We conclude that more efforts are needed to disseminate Ethnomycology and the gaps between humans and fungi, especially considering the lack of studies in some states of Brazil.

Unleashing quantum algorithms with Qinterpreter: bridging the gap between theory and practice across leading quantum computing platforms

Quantum computing is a rapidly emerging and promising field with the potential to transform various research domains including drug design, network technologies, and sustainable energy solutions. Due to the inherent complexity and divergence from classical computing, several major quantum computing libraries have been developed to implement quantum algorithms, namely IBM Qiskit, Amazon Braket, Cirq, PyQuil, and PennyLane. These libraries enable quantum simulations on classical computers and execution on corresponding quantum hardware, such as Qiskit programs on IBM quantum computers. Despite the variations among these platforms, the core concepts remain the same. One notable challenge is the absence of a Python-based quantum interpreter to connect these five frameworks, a gap that remains to be fully addressed. In response, our work introduces a tool called Qinterpreter, accessible through a user-friendly web interface, the Quantum Science Gateway QubitHub, which operates alongside Jupyter Notebooks. Built using the Python Object-Oriented Programming System, Qinterpreter unifies the five well-known quantum libraries into a single framework. Designed as an educational tool for students and researchers entering the quantum domain, Qinterpreter enables the straightforward development and execution of quantum circuits across such platforms. This work highlights the quantum programming versatility and accessibility of Qinterpreter and underscores our ultimate goal of pervading Quantum Computing through younger, less specialized, and diverse cultural and national communities.

The concept of “intercultural competence” in educational and scientific discourses

This article attempts to analyse the definition and structure of the concept of "intercultural competence" in scientific research and normative documents at the Ukrainian and European levels, to identify commonalities and differences, to characterise positive changes and, based on the analysis, to formulate a definition of the concept that would reflect today's realities and take into account modern challenges in education (general, foreign language). Starting from the end of the 20th century, scientific works of English-speaking, German-speaking, and domestic scientists were studied, but the main focus was on research from the last 20 years due to significant changes in the structure of societies due to globalisation, migration processes, and the activation of contacts in the professional and private spheres of representatives of different linguistic and cultural communities. Attention is drawn to the fact that understanding the concept of "intercultural competence" acquired new meanings at different stages of its research. Among the reasons for reconsideration and clarification are primarily the challenges that appeared under the influence of social processes in the pan-European and world dimensions, taking into account the national characteristics of countries' development. In accordance with the shift in emphasis in the definition of the concept, its structure also changed; however, despite the selection of specific components by different authors, the structure of intercultural competence retained a common core and layered new components. In the educational discourse, there is a noticeable increase in attention to the concept in the context of social competence, the development of which is aimed, among other things, at conflict-free coexistence, successful communication, and the ability to adapt to a multilingual and multicultural society.

Вклад Н.И. Воробьева в районирование этнографических групп чувашей (по данным этнографии)

N.I. Vorobyev made a great contribution to the comparative study of the history of settlement and traditional culture of the ethnographic groups of the Chuvash, their interethnic interaction with the contacted ethnoses. He identified three ethnographic complexes based on the features, both those that had archaic signs and newly formed ones. Regarding the history of the formation of ethnographic groups, the researcher argued that the population of the north-east of the Chuvash Volga region perceived more southern Turkic influences in their everyday life, began to differ in language and way of life from the north-western population, although they retained commonality with it in the main elements of language, culture and lifestyle. His conclusion that the main ethnographic groups of the Chuvash, as he considered the upper Viryal and lower Anatri, were finally formed during the 15th century in the northern regions of Chuvashia as a result of the rapprochement of the indigenous population of these areas with newcomers from the south, cannot be considered justified. The work of ethnographic expeditions in the Chuvash regions in the late 1940s and early 1950s, she showed that the archaic complex was most characteristic of the costume of the middle-aged Chuvash Anat enchi, although N.I. Vorobyev considered them an average or mixed ethnographic group. In general, he represented that group as part of the Anatri, who changed their way of life under the influence of borrowing from the Tatars. The author’s team, under the guidance of the scholar, developed in detail the classification of the Chuvash into groups and subgroups based on folk costume. N.I. Vorobyev for the first time identified three subgroups as part of anatri. The border zone between Anatri and anat yenchi, which was not clearly defined by its predecessors, in particular G.I. Komissarov, N.I. Vorobyev, was also not resolved. The riding costume was formed as a result of interaction with the mountain Mari people, although many features that unite it primarily with the anat Enchi costume were not replaced in it. The authors emphasise that the striking external differences that were recorded in the riding Chuvash northwestern subgroups and grassroots chuvashki hirti. They did not violate the common cultural community of the Chuvash people. It should be noted that the task of a more detailed substantiation of cultural and linguistic areas at the level of subgroups within the ethnographic groups of the Chuvash, divided into four subgroups in the upper zone and three in the middle and lower ones, unresolved by the expeditions of the late 1940s – early 1950s, remains relevant.

På höjderna och i stadens utkant. Gravfält och gravgårdar i det äldsta Sigtuna

This article discusses late Viking Age mortuary practices in the town of Sigtuna during the early urban phase (c. 980–1100 AD) with focus on the so-called graveyards (Sw. gravgårdar): cemeteries where the dead were inhumed mainly in accordance with Christian customs, but that lacked churches. It aims to trace cultural, social, or religious communities among the early town dwellers based on an analysis of their burial rituals, in combination with results of osteological and bioarcheological studies of their physical remains. The paper shows that burial customs varied within the early townscape: the dead were laid to rest under visible grave constructions in exposed topographical locations, as well as on flat-ground cemeteries in lower terrain close to the settlement area or at early churchyards. Moreover, diversity in mortuary customs, sex and age distribution, gender division, and diet can be detected between individual cemeteries, indicating that they were used by different urban groups that to some extent parted from their dead in different ways. The results of bioarcheological analyses indicate a heterogenous early urban population, comprising people from the Mälaren area, and also from distant regions. The burial customs reflect this specific urban situation, bearing witness to both long-distance contacts and roots in local mortuary traditions.