Western Concepts Research Articles

Specifics of the Chinese National Brand as a Tool of Cultural Diplomacy: structure and functions

The article analyzes the specifics of the Chinese national brand as a tool of cultural diplomacy. The concept of “soft power” is considered, which is part of the narrative about the cumulative power of states and the revival of the Chinese nation and occupies one of the significant places in modern Chinese politics. One of the tools of “soft power” is cultural diplomacy – a branch of public diplomacy based on the exchange of ideas, information, systems, values, beliefs, traditions and other aspects of culture to promote mutual understanding between people. The activities that are used to implement cultural diplomacy are given. The main goal of China’s “soft power” concept is to achieve the correct perception of national ideals by the world community. It is noted that Chinese “soft power” differs from the classical Western concept and is purely culture-centric, interpreted as a combination of Confucian political and social values, Chinese art and language, folk customs and traditions. China is working to globally scale its nation brand, which is based on the concept of nationalism, drawing on the country’s cultural capital. The specifics of the national brand from the perspective of macroeconomics and its structural elements are considered: exports, domestic and foreign government policies, population, culture and heritage, tourism and investment. It is noted that when developing a brand and international communications, the Chinese government actively uses the historical context as a tool of cultural propaganda. The features of the national image are identified, designed to form a positive attitude of society towards the country, contributing to increased trust in it. The objectives and instruments of China’s policy to form and maintain its own image in the international arena are given.

IJCM_360A: Do Body Image Concerns Affect Our Adolescent girls? A Cross-sectional Study among female undergraduate medical students in Guntur medical college.

Background: People’s thoughts and feelings about their own bodies are related to their body image. Adolescents want to gain or lose weight in order to achieve the ideal physique in today’s culture due to the developing notion of ideal body image. Because there are currently few studies on body image, this research aims to fill in the gaps in our understanding of the still-developing field of body image perception. Objectives: 1. To find out the proportion of girls dissatisfied about body image. 2. To find the association of various factors with body image dissatisfaction and to ascertain the weight control behaviours adopted by adolescent medical under graduate students. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was done among 300 medical undergraduate college girls in Guntur medical college. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on various factors associated with body image dissatisfaction. Body mass index (BMI) of the participants was calculated. Results: Body image dissatisfaction was there among 65.3% of the girls. It was found that factors such as higher BMI, sociocultural pressure to be thin and depression were all significantly associated with body image dissatisfaction. The most commonly followed weight control behaviours were eating small meals and skipping meals. Improving the appearance and body shape were the main reasons for weight control behaviour. Conclusion: This study establishes the fact that body image dissatisfaction is no longer a western concept and affects Indian adolescent girls to a great extent. Hence, effective interventions have to be planned to increase awareness on ideal body weight and protect our young generation from pressures of negative body image.

Deconstructing the Privileged Status of Religion over the Status of Belief as the Root of Discrimination towards Kejawen Community

The Kejawen community, recognized as a belief system rather than a formal religion, faces systemic discrimination in Indonesia. This distinction underpins the country's recognition of its political and legal status, thereby impeding the rights of Indigenous practitioners, including Kejawen followers. Several factors contribute to this systemic discrimination: the Western conception of religion, the dichotomy between religion and belief enshrined in Article 29 of the 1945 Indonesian Constitution, the narrow definition of religion by the Indonesian Department of Religion, the association of indigenous beliefs with communism post-1965, and the application of blasphemy laws aimed at "purifying" religion while sidelining belief systems. This study aims to explore the discriminative dynamics against Kejawen within the binary framework of religion versus belief through qualitative research and critical discourse analysis. It seeks to uncover the ambiguity surrounding the concept of religion in Indonesia, drawing on a wide range of sources, including historical narratives, academic studies, relevant legislation, and judicial rulings. This research indicates a significant bias rooted in the differentiation between "religion" and "belief," primarily originating from Western perspectives on religion. This bias has led to the marginalization of Kejawen and other similar spiritual practices, which are often viewed as lesser compared to world religions.

LEARNING TAXONOMY FROM THE ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE: IMPLICATIONS ON CURRICULUM INSTRUCTIONS AND DESIGNS

The prominence of the Western taxonomy of learning has resulted in serious epistemological problems and contradicted the Islamic worldview as it aims mainly at the achievement of the material world. Islam, on the other hand, looks into emphasizing a holistic learning taxonomy that does not merely emphasize knowledge of the mind but also includes the knowledge that is essential for the soul. Employing a qualitative method, this paper attempts to explicate the concepts of ilm, hikmah, and tafakkur, and their implications on one’s life, and draw a demarcation between the Islamic and Western concepts of ilm (knowledge) and hikmah (wisdom). Ultimately, this paper proposes the taxonomy of ilm from the Islamic perspective and presents it as an alternative to contemporary Muslim educators and scholars. The findings of the current study highlight the major distinctions between the philosophies and goals of Western and Islamic taxonomies of learning. The multidimensional approach of "adabisation,” which encompasses the moral values of Tauheed-based knowledge, is also discussed.

African Philosophical Contributions to International Criminal Law

Abstract This article displays the various ways that African philosophies have made a contribution to international criminal law. It shows that African philosophies have, to a certain extent, influenced the manner in which post-conflict African states as well as the African Union (au) address accountability for grave breaches of international law. This influence is evidenced in the setting up of traditional African approaches to accountability for international crimes in post-conflict African states as well as in some of the au initiatives which address accountability for grave breaches. The article begins by contextualizing the topic within traditional African cultures through a historical analysis of the practices, concepts and institutions that governed criminal accountability as well as an analysis of the African philosophies upon which these practices, concepts and institutions were anchored. It continues with the concern of ‘how’ and ‘to what extent’ African philosophies have influenced international criminal law. Moreover, it considers some of the controversial areas of international criminal law in which African philosophies are overlooked, despite their potential to make a valuable contribution. This section is supported by the belief that a combined approach to international criminal law, of both traditional African and Western concepts, offers a better solution to the current impasse experienced in certain areas.

The Need to Overcome the Cultural Hegemony of the West in Political Science on The Example of the Problem of Contemporary Islamist Terrorism

Using the example of the problem of contemporary terrorism, the article raises the question of the need to overcome the dependence of Russian science on the hegemony of the West. In the world in general and in Russia in particular, the period of admiration for the Western concept of liberal democracy and the concepts of globalization, human rights, soft power, civil society, democratic transition, terrorism, hybrid wars, etc., developed by liberal thought, is coming to an end. These theories are increasingly less accepted in as normative, universal, whose implementation necessarily requires Western supervision. These theories, developed during a unique historical process in Western countries, cannot be adequately applied to determine the direction of development of non-Western countries. In this study, we consider the problem of contemporary Islamist terrorism as a concrete example of the need for a critical revision of Western ideas. To do this, we turn to the ideas of a number of Russian authors, as well as Western representatives of postmodernism, neo-Marxism and left-radical thought, who sharply criticize the basic dogmas of Western liberal political science. This allows us to conclude that Islamist terrorism is not the result of the activities of individual radicals or a manifestation of the aggressive nature of Islam, but is reproduced by the conflict system of modern international relations. Thus, Islamist terrorism as a radical form of politicization of Islam is most often a reaction of the Muslim world to Western globalism, to the crisis of a number of Muslim societies as a result of Western intervention. The system-functional approach makes it possible to understand the place and role of Islamist terrorism in contemporary hybrid wars, which the West uses to maintain its global empire. Islamist terrorism can be viewed as an element of a system of hybrid wars. In this system, along with Islamist terrorism, there is an important phenomenon of combating it - anti-terrorism, and also, along with Islamist terrorism as the activity of non-governmental armed groups, there is state terrorism, mainly carried out by Western states.

How Bashar al-Asad Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the “War on Terror”

Abstracts This article draws on regime newspaper archives and the Arabic-language speeches of and interviews with Syrian president Bashar al-Asad over the last two decades to track how Syrian governmental rhetoric on the question of “terrorism” has changed over time. Engaging with the literature on how ideas, technologies, and contentious repertoires diffuse and spread and how regimes learn from each other, I show how the Asad regime has moved from a discourse that saw “terrorism” as a Western and/or Israeli concept used to delegitimize primarily Palestinian and Lebanese resistance sponsored by Damascus to a discourse that embraces the rhetoric of the “war on terror” in order to legitimize the regime's counterinsurgency policies during the current conflict. I argue that this rhetorical shift is dependent on the ethno-sectarian identity of the population in question through a comparison of regime rhetoric on three separate uprisings in recent Syrian history: the current uprising (2011–present); the Kurdish uprising of 2004; and the Druze uprising in 2000. Since the current uprising is seen as a predominantly Sunni Arab affair, the Syrian regime has used “war on terror” rhetoric in ways that it did not during the Kurdish and Druze uprisings. I then situate this rhetorical move in time as a post-9/11 development by comparing current regime rhetoric with that of the Hafez al-Asad regime's rhetoric during the uprising centered in Hama in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

A Kingdom of Possibility

A Kingdom of Possibility

Some Effects of Sex and Culture on Creativity, No Effect of Incubation

Results remain mixed regarding the effects of incubation tasks on divergent thinking, a type of creativity, generally assessed via the Unusual Uses Task (UUT). Using a within-subjects design, we compared 64 participants’ performance on the UUT, after four different incubation tasks: copy a simple painting, copy a complex painting, 0-back-task, and rest. We hypothesized that an arts-related activity during incubation (here: copy a painting) would boost subsequent creativity. Five different creativity scores were computed from the raw UUT data, and we provide a step-by-step guide for how to compute these: fluency, flexibility, originality, subjective creativity, and usefulness. Creativity was only modulated by sex; women outperformed men on creative fluency. No other variables, nor the incubations, modulated any of participants’ creativity scores. A within-group comparison showed that the unusual uses of our all-Iranian participants were more useful than unique, echoing previous work suggesting differences between Eastern and Western conceptions of creativity.

OPTIMIZATION OF SAMA', BASHOR, AND AF'IDAH IN LEARNING THE SUBJECTS OF MORAL CREED IN MADRASAH IBTIDA'IYAH QODRATULLAH

Islamic education is vital in determining and producing quality for the next generations; so far, Muslims have adopted more Western educational concepts. However, if Muslims examine more deeply, many Islamic concepts in the Qur'an that teach educational methods are more relevant to Muslims. This study will examine the "Optimization of same, Bashor, and af'idah in learning the subjects of moral creed in Madrasah Ibtida'iyah Qodratullah." This research uses qualitative methods, namely by prioritizing the results of observations and interviews. The results showed that Madrasah Ibtida'iyah Qodratullah teachers using the same concepts, Bashor and af'idah, with a combined approach or adjustment of auditorial, visual, and analytical methods in teaching moral creed subjects could provide a holistic and adaptive approach. By combining all three methods, teachers can create a rich and supportive learning environment, allowing students to understand religious values better. This holistic approach considers the diversity of student learning styles and provides space for each student to find the way of learning that works best for them. In other words, integrating these three methods provides flexibility and responsiveness to diverse learning needs.

Yemeni and regional maritime doctrine in light of the decline of the liberal theory of freedom of navigation in EEZ

The presence of the USCENTCOM , AFRICOM and 34 foreign countries in the vital Yemeni, Arab, and national maritime spheres contributed to a flagrant violation of maritime laws and international political relations. Likewise, the presence and activities of the strategic and tactical military naval units of the aircraft carrier, submarines, and American and British nuclear naval destroyers in the Red Sea. The Gulf of Aden is a breach and violation of international law and agreements regulating freedom of navigation and a blatant assault on Yemeni sovereignty in its vital maritime sphere, as it is located in exclusive Yemeni economic waters, in addition to its nuclear effects in destroying the marine environment and human security. It constitutes a source of danger to food and maritime security, stability, and international peace. The study aims to clarify the influence of Western geopolitical thought and the behavior of American foreign policy in international relations and maritime laws, which is witnessing a major decline and failure in its global policy because it used the policy of American military force to achieve its own political goals and imposed the methodology of Western liberal maritime thought to control and limit the rights of the Yemeni, Arab, and Islamic coastal states. Which contradicts customs, laws, and agreements and affects historical rights and the Yemeni, Arab, and regional maritime domain. The study is expected to confirm the modern Yemeni, Arab, and Islamic hypothesis that the high seas and international maritime waters are within a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baseline and to affirm the right of Yemen and the Arab nation to be protected. The vital area of the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic and regional countries extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean, the Arabian Gulf, the eastern and western Indian Ocean to the Antarctic Ocean, and there is a call for holding maritime conferences in order to develop traditional Western maritime legal theories and concepts that seek to limit the rights of coastal states, establish perceptions, and reach an update to the laws regulating freedom of maritime navigation in accordance with the views of the peoples of the world and in response to global changes in multipolarity.

Quantifying Bias in Hierarchical Category Systems.

Categorization is ubiquitous in human cognition and society, and shapes how we perceive and understand the world. Because categories reflect the needs and perspectives of their creators, no category system is entirely objective, and inbuilt biases can have harmful social consequences. Here we propose methods for measuring biases in hierarchical systems of categories, a common form of category organization with multiple levels of abstraction. We illustrate these methods by quantifying the extent to which library classification systems are biased in favour of western concepts and male authors. We analyze a large library data set including more than 3 million books organized into thousands of categories, and find that categories related to religion show greater western bias than do categories related to literature or history, and that books written by men are distributed more broadly across library classification systems than are books written by women. We also find that the Dewey Decimal Classification shows a greater level of bias than does the Library of Congress Classification. Although we focus on library classification as a case study, our methods are general, and can be used to measure biases in both natural and institutional category systems across a range of domains.

Indigenous approaches to health assessment: a scoping review protocol

BackgroundHealth assessment tools developed using mainstream or Western concepts have been widely used in clinical practice worldwide. However, even culturally adapted or culturally based tools may not be relevant in other social contexts if they are grounded in Western beliefs and perspectives. The application of mainstream assessment tools, when used in Indigenous populations, can lead to the inappropriate application of normative data and inaccurate or biased diagnosis of conditions as Indigenous concepts of health differ from Western biomedical concepts of health. Thus, considering the need for culturally meaningful, sensitive, safe, and unbiased health assessment approaches and instruments over recent years, tools have been developed or adapted by and with Indigenous populations in Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. However, there is no existing systematic or scoping review to identify the methods and approaches used in adapting or developing health assessment tools for use with the Indigenous population in Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.MethodsIn response to these gaps, we are working with a First Nations Community Advisory Group in Northern Ontario, Canada, to undertake a scoping review following the 2020 JBI methodology for scoping reviews. A systematic search will be conducted in PubMed, APA PsychINFO, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Bibliography of Native North Americans, Australian Indigenous Health info data set, and Indigenous Health Portal. Two reviewers will independently screen all abstracts and full-text articles for inclusion using criteria co-developed with an advisory group. We will chart the extracted information and summarize and synthesize the data. The summarized findings will be presented to a Community Advisory Group, including First Nations community partners, an Elder, and community members, and their feedback will be incorporated into the discussion section of the scoping review.DiscussionThis scoping review involves iterative consultation with the Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, First Nations Community Advisory Group, and community partners throughout the research process. This review aims to summarize the evidence on standard ethical approaches and practices used in Indigenous research while adapting or developing health assessment tools. It will inform the larger study focused on developing an Indigenous Functional Assessment tool. Further, it will seek whether the Indigenous ways of knowing and equitable participation of Indigenous people and communities are incorporated in the Indigenous research process.Systematic review registrationOpen Science Framework https://osf.io/yznwk.

Akulturasi Budaya pada Corak Bangsal Mandalasana dalam Objek Wisata Keraton Yogyakarta

There is a separate building that has a contrasting cultural style. Bangsal Mandalasana is a building in the form of a gazebo which functioned as a gathering place for musicians at that time. What is unique is that the styles of musical instruments implemented in this ward are not just traditional Indonesian music, but are musical instruments originating from the West and the Middle East. In fact, some of these instruments are modern musical instruments. It can be seen that there is a common thread between Western culture which has been merged outside the traditional culture of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.The aim of this research is to analyze how decorative patterns in cultural acculturation occur in the Mandalasana Ward building. So that we can draw a historical thread of the fusion of western and Javanese culture which became an accentuation of culture within the Ngayogyakarta palace environment.This research uses qualitative methods by producing descriptive data with a study focus on the Yogyakarta Palace tourist attraction by dissecting the cultural acculturation found in Bangsal Mandalasana ornaments.Ward Mandasana has an octagonal shape with an octagonal pillar structure which is also taken from the shape of gazebos in Europe in general. The base is made flat and uses a fence that is integrated with supporting pillars, which is different from other ward shapes in the palace environment. The ornamental style in this ward uses an unusual material, namely stained glass, where stained glass was used in building culture in the West starting in theGothic which was used to decorate the Cathedral windows in the 12th century. The motifs presented are also Western musical instruments which indicate the existence of Western concepts in Bangsal Mandalasana.
 Keywords: Cultural Acculturation, Bangsal Mandalasana Styles, Cultural Bangsal Mandalasana Styles

The Water Element, Zang-fu Kidney and Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan

The Water Element, as part of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Five Elements, is associated with winter, coldness, darkness and the Zang-fu organs Kidney and Bladder. The TCM Kidney, encompasses far more than the Western concept of an organ which produces and excretes the waste product urine. It controls water and fluid metabolism; a primordial generator (Ming-men Fire, Essence, Jing, promotes growth, skeleton, marrow, innate constitution); Yin-Yang dynamics (innate Yin and Yang); receives Qi; life functions (sexual behavior, reproduction, neuroendocrine axis, nervous system, urinary system, manufacture Blood, acute sense of hearing, controls the 2 lower orifices, assists respiration); as well as supports good life/living (houses commitment, will power, memory). Diseases of the Kidney can manifest as congenital deficiencies, fearful attitude, pathological changes (Yin and Yang Deficiencies, chronic debilitation), and physiological deficiencies associated with senescence. Some of the more common clinical signs of Kidney (Water Element) disease include renal/reproduction disorders, lumbar pain, hind end weakness, teeth/hair loss, deafness, lassitude, neuroendocrine disorders, asthma, congenital disease and bone disorders. One of the most famous formulas to treat Kidney Yang Deficiency and decline of Ming-men Fire is the classical herbal formula Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan. The strategy of this formula is to tonify Kidney Yin to raise Kidney Yang, (since Yin and Yang are mutually dependent), with the addition of warm herbs to ignite the Fire of Ming-men. From a Chinese medical perspective, Kidney Yang Deficiency syndrome may cause endocrine system disorders, immune-deficiency, neurological, renal, and reproductive disorders. This paper will review the Zang-fu Kidney function, and the classic Chinese herbal medicine, Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan (Kidney Qi Pill from the Golden Cabinet).

Nurturing Students' English Communication Skills through the Translation of Ancient Greek Classics

Traditional Chinese teaching often relies on domestic materials for students' understanding of English-speaking countries, limiting exploration of Western concepts and hindering the recognition of English as a foreign language. Recognizing the influence of ancient Greek civilization on Western culture, this article advocates for improving English communication skills through the translation of ancient Greek classics. It emphasizes the importance of this approach in gaining a deeper understanding of Western expressions and highlights the practical value of such translations. Additionally, the article underscores the role of learning classic English translation appreciation in enhancing language proficiency, literary appreciation, cross-cultural communication, and cultural confidence. Lastly, it suggests that employing the teaching method of classic translation can effectively support students' vocabulary learning, memory, and understanding of special meanings in cross-cultural contexts, fostering natural experiences of cultural differences in language and text conversions and promoting cross-cultural awareness.

The Western Concept of Religion seen through Asian Alternatives

In this contribution, I discuss under the heading “inversed hermeneutics” a process wherein the conceptual, classificatory terms of a foreign knowledge system are used to interpret one’s own concepts and their underlying assumptions. A key function of “inversed hermeneutics” is to induce a deliberate alienation and thus momentarily placing the cognizing subject into a liminal state of “unfamiliarity.” This method should help to introduce and probe new ways of classifying things.

Tribal Masculinity: An Alternative of Anti-ecological Masculinity

Masculinity is considered as behavior and attributes expected out of men. It is a socially constructed concept that is shaped by gender roles, societal expectations, and power dynamics that vary across cultures and historical periods. The studies concerning men, masculinity, and nature relations emerged as a response to the essentialized notion of associating men with culture, patriarchy, oppression, and women with nature, rather than focusing on the complexity of masculinities and their relation with nature. Further, Ecomasculinity and Ecological masculinism are Western concepts and frameworks that evolved out of the studies concerning men-nature relationships. Considering the plurality of masculinity and the nuances of men-nature relationships, this paper explores the intersection of men, masculinity, and nature in Tribal society in the context of South India. The study employs textual analysis as a method to explore men-nature relationships. The text considered for the analysis is the novel Huntsman by Lakshmi Saravanakumar, translated into English by Aswini Kumar. The novel presents an indigenous tribal society rooted in the forest with interpersonal connections between humans and non-humans. The paper demonstrates how the concept of Home, Indigeneity, and life in tribal society caters to the construction of the notion of masculinity, which emphasizes caring attitudes toward nature. The perspective of indigenous society challenges the traditional notion of masculinity as dominant and oppressive. This paper argues that masculine discourse in Tribal society is counter-hegemonic, and is built on caring towards humans and nonhumans rather than domination.

Contributions of Positive Psychology to Higher Education Across Asia: A Scoping Review and Unifying Thematic Framework

Positive psychology offers a scientific window onto understanding and enhancing the welfare and growth of university communities, and as well as improving academic performance. This holistic approach is on the rise, yet most research is conducted in Western countries. This situation prevails despite the fact that two-thirds of the world’s population live in Asia. This review collated and synthesised published work on applications of positive psychology in higher education conducted in Asia, to describe the current status, explore conceptual perspectives and identify knowledge gaps. A total of 147 articles (157 experimental studies), published since 2000, were included. These were descriptive explorations (12.1%), quantifying associations between positive psychology constructs (62.4%), interventions (19.7%), and psychometric evaluations (5.7%). Key topics were academic leadership, organisational commitment, student engagement and foreign language learning. The thematic framework centered on ‘Optimal Functioning’, with ‘Personal Resources One Can Draw On’ and ‘How One Interacts With The World’ as direct influencing factors, and ‘Environment’ as an indirect factor. Across the Asian region, positive psychology’s major contribution is to identify what types of personal resources are associated with optimal functioning in higher education, but there is little high-quality evidence for intervention benefits, nor a deep understanding of how those resources can be effectively deployed to achieve well-being. As part of the third-wave positive psychology movement, scholars in Asia can play a greater leading role in re-evaluating traditional Western concepts to account for the socio-cultural context in which students and staff are embedded.

Reflecting on the Distinction between Philosophical Daoism and Religious Daoism Based on the Transmission and Transformation of the Concept of “Philosophy”

The distinction between philosophical Daoism and religious Daoism is widely influential yet highly controversial. The current popular empirical methods often overlook the vicissitude of the concepts underlying the reception history of this distinction. Therefore, this article adopts the method of intellectual history, based on the transmission and transformation of the concept of philosophy, to examine the rationales of the establishment and reception of this Daoist distinction. Here, we present that, though the Confucian tradition of ranking Daoist figures provided soil for this Daoist distinction, the establishment of the dichotomy with terminological awareness should be attributed to the cooperation between Victorian Protestant intellectuals and their late Qing Confucian collaborators. The concept of philosophy that pursues eternal wisdom and truth and traces the origin of all things has played an essential role in the establishment of this distinction. The thought of Laozi and Zhuangzi was valued and preferred in mainland China because of its deemed congruence with this Western concept of philosophy, while other more religious branches of Daoism were belittled. However, the philosophies of anti-metaphysics engender a new paradigm of thinking. On the one hand, under the influence of logical positivism and its successors, natural science has become an excellent model for other studies. In light of empirical methods, the distinction between philosophical Daoism and religious Daoism becomes an erroneous and inefficient metaphysical distinction. On the other hand, inspired by continental philosophers such as Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Derrida, scholars gained a new perspective on understanding the thought of Laozi and Zhuangzi. Thus, a new consensus emerges: eternal truth based on concepts and logic distorts the real world of life. According to this, the distinction between philosophical Daoism and religious Daoism is only an imaginary and conceptual distinction, which does not apply to the understanding of living Daoism.