Conservative Context Research Articles

“Caring for Our Own”

AbstractThis article traces the founding of Senior Action in a Gay Environment (SAGE), the nation’s oldest and largest social service organization for LGBT elders. Drawing on archival documentation as well as interviews with SAGE founders and early members, the article shows how SAGE was born of two largely disconnected social transformations: the gay and lesbian movement and the national expansion of services and programs for the elderly that was enabled by the Older Americans Act of 1965. SAGE’s institutionalization and its relationship with the state allowed it to grow in an increasingly conservative political context while ensuring that the organization would not take a broadly intersectional approach to the challenges gay and lesbian elders faced. Despite its political limitations, however, SAGE provided a setting in which some white gay and lesbian elders began to see themselves as agents of social change.

The Dawn of Christianity: People and Gods in a Time of Magic and Miracles by Robert Knapp

Reviewed by: The Dawn of Christianity: People and Gods in a Time of Magic and Miracles by Robert Knapp Giovanni B. Bazzana Keywords Early Christianity, the Christ movement, polytheism, monotheism, Judaism, history of Christianity, the Mediterranean region robert knapp. The Dawn of Christianity: People and Gods in a Time of Magic and Miracles. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2017. Pp. xvi + 303. Robert Knapp boldly tackles an ambitious goal: describing the context and the emergence of the religious movement that will later be called "Christianity" in the period around the turn of the eras. Knapp sees the Christ movement as establishing a new relationship between humans and the supernatural realm. The ultimate goal of this book's analysis is to elucidate why and how, in a radically conservative context, people made such a change. This very readable book can be divided in two parts of roughly equal size. In the first half (Chapters 1 to 6) Knapp describes the socio-religious contexts for the emergence of the Christ movement. Throughout the Mediterranean region a few basic elements shaping the relationship between humans and gods were shared: an acknowledgement of divine superior power over human affairs and the development of individual and communitarian strategies designed to appease and minimize the unpredictability of the gods' actions. In the first half of the book, however, the Jewish and the "polytheist" strategies are presented separately. The religious history of the Jewish people is described in great detail beginning with the exile and leading up to the introduction of the "sects" (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and so on) which is largely indebted to Josephus and Philo. Throughout these centuries, Knapp emphasizes a few trajectories shaping Judaism (besides the turn toward monotheism). On the one hand, the observance of dietary and purity prescriptions became more widespread even in everyday life, as attested by material remains. On the other hand, average Jews grew more and more disaffected with the Temple and began to orient themselves toward a more "internalized" religiosity to the detriment of the authority of the priesthood. "Polytheist" religion is described in the long Chapter 5 which surveys a broad array of conservative, local, and communitarian sets of practices and beliefs. Knapp identifies two notable changes in this scenario. First, the emergence in Hellenistic times of philosophical schools whose focus is specifically on ethics, thus providing an important corrective for the lack of a moral system in polytheist religion. [End Page 421] Second, religious associations provided an important space for practices and discussions alongside the established spheres of civic and family religion. The second half of the book (Chapters 7 to 11) describes the trajectory of the Christ movement from Jesus to the second century CE. Interestingly, the figure of Jesus is briefly presented in Chapter 7 after a series of other messiahs and charismatics (mostly drawn from Josephus) who appeared and met unlucky ends over the first centuries BCE and CE. Knapp argues that the Christ movement fit well within the trajectories of internalization and moralization that he had sketched out beforehand both for Judaism and polytheist religions. Hostility, however, was generated in both camps by the claim of divine sonship on the part of Jesus and his followers (for the Jews) and by the exclusivist requirement to abandon sacrifices and other similar traditional practices (for the polytheists). In Chapter 10 Knapp maintains that the Christ movement's success depended largely on the miracles and magical acts performed by its missionaries. Such acts were, in the eyes of Mediterranean audiences, indistinguishable from the services provided by magicians and other performers of powerful deeds throughout the entire area in the period under consideration. The last chapter of the book sketches the changes that shaped Christianity under the double crisis produced by the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and the realization that the end of the world was not coming as immediately as expected. Christianity moved sharply away from Judaism and, at the same time, took on more and more "polytheistic" features, both (but in significantly different terms) among the elites and at the popular level. The book is well-written and carefully put together, with a rich complement of seven maps and forty-nine...

Os microdramas de Wolfgang Bauer: o riso como liberação e como provocação

À primeira vista, os microdramas de Wolfgang Bauer, escritos nos anos 1960, parecem ser nada mais do que pequenas brincadeiras engraçadas com o gênero dramático e suas convenções. Partindo da constatação que eles tiveram um considerável efeito provocativo, e até político, no contexto conservador da Áustria daquela década, propõe-se uma reflexão sobre a relação entre a sua comicidade e o seu potencial incitador. Com base em estudos sobre características e efeitos da obra de Wolfgang Bauer (Antonic [2018; 2019]; Melzer [1981], Waggershauser [2016]) e nas teorizações sobre a experiência do cômico de Peter L. Berger (1998) e Uwe Wirth (1999), este artigo sugere que os microdramas de Bauer não são apenas um exemplo de metateatro bastante inovador. Eles permitem surgir um riso “redentor”, libertador, que também pode ser sentido como uma provocação política, especialmente em contextos sociais marcados por discursos essencialistas e/ou fundamentalistas.

Designing a Business Unit and Creating the First Ever Responsive Kitchen

Is it possible to combine strategy, design thinking and scientific approach to develop a method that combines quality, creativity and efficiency, developing learning-samples to inspire change inside organizations? What tools do medium-sized companies own to enhance innovative processes with low financial exposure? How can we develop new know-how from team work? The "Offmat" case demonstrates how it is possible to propose effective multidisciplinary hybrid approaches in conservative contexts such as the secondary industry, with a designed and tested new process. This sample let us identify a new holistic approach to business innovation.

Me and My New World: Effects of a School Based Social-Emotional Learning Program for Adolescents in Panama

Gender inequalities still affect the health and well-being of young people worldwide. Given the apprehensions among government and educators in a conservative context like Panama to implement comprehensive sexual education, there is a need for other educational efforts to stimulate healthy and respectful intimate relationships between adolescents. This article examines to what extent a newly developed Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program, Me and My New World, provides a context in which students can learn to recognize and manage emotions, to care about others and themselves, make responsible decisions, develop social awareness. The program could additionally facilitate behavioral changes of young people towards more gender equality. Specifically, we focused on equal gender roles, equal rights in relationships and nonviolent problem solving, and present the qualitative effect evaluation among adolescents in Panama. The findings suggest that SEL-based lessons might broaden views on how young people experience the process of exploring identity formation, how assumptions of inequalities can be recreated through the lessons, and that SEL can emphasize the significance of choice and decision-making in interpersonal relationships. The perspectives, needs, and limitations highlighted by the adolescents living in a conservative context are highly valuable for improving future learning strategies for the development of healthier relationships.

Language and Groundwater: Symbolic Gradients of the Anthropocene

This article argues that geographers must study the power of words as integral parts of human–environment relationships, with particular attention to local meanings, to intervene more effectively in the Anthropocene. Words are important tools by which people come to understand environmental changes and develop plans to facilitate mitigation and adaptation or, alternatively, to postpone these responses. This project considers the portion of Texas underlain by the Ogallala aquifer as a system of communication, exploring stakeholder articulations through in-depth interviews. The semiotic concepts of gradients, grading, degradation, and grace are employed to facilitate consideration of how verbal articulations intersect with resource use, conservation, anthropogenic environmental change, and action within a highly conservative political context.

Can digitalization mitigate barriers to intermodal transport? An exploratory study

Although it offers11This paper is developed from a master thesis done at Chalmers University of Technology: Eriksson, G., & Yaruta, M. (2018). Mapping barriers in intermodal transportation both economic and environmental advantages particularly for long-distances, intermodal transport is still not utilized effectively, and it is challenged by many barriers to its utilization. On the other hand, the transport sector is influenced by recent trends, such as digitalization, Industry 4.0 and many technological innovations are introduced, aiming to transform the way of doing business. Therefore, understanding digitalization's potential to solve the transport sector's struggle for a higher degree of integration between different modes in intermodal transport is important. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential of different digital tools in mitigating barriers for increased utilization of intermodal transport. Semi-structured interviews and a policy Delphi study combined with a brainstorming session are conducted to classify various barriers for intermodal transport under certain categories and to understand if and how selected digital tools could help to mitigate these barriers. Findings indicate that the multi-actor nature of intermodal transport networks results in varying perceptions related with digital tools and technologies. This variance acts as a hindrance for digitalization within the conservative context of transportation industry and its cost-based competition structure. Adoption by market leaders, demand from intermodal transport buyers, vertical integration in intermodal transport chains are potential mitigation factors for elimination of barriers to digitalization in intermodal transportation.

Insights into the structure and function of Est3 from the Hansenula polymorpha telomerase

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme, which maintains genome integrity in eukaryotes and ensures continuous cellular proliferation. Telomerase holoenzyme from the thermotolerant yeast Hansenula polymorpha, in addition to the catalytic subunit (TERT) and telomerase RNA (TER), contains accessory proteins Est1 and Est3, which are essential for in vivo telomerase function. Here we report the high-resolution structure of Est3 from Hansenula polymorpha (HpEst3) in solution, as well as the characterization of its functional relationships with other components of telomerase. The overall structure of HpEst3 is similar to that of Est3 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human TPP1. We have shown that telomerase activity in H. polymorpha relies on both Est3 and Est1 proteins in a functionally symmetrical manner. The absence of either Est3 or Est1 prevents formation of a stable ribonucleoprotein complex, weakens binding of a second protein to TER, and decreases the amount of cellular TERT, presumably due to the destabilization of telomerase RNP. NMR probing has shown no direct in vitro interactions of free Est3 either with the N-terminal domain of TERT or with DNA or RNA fragments mimicking the probable telomerase environment. Our findings corroborate the idea that telomerase possesses the evolutionarily variable functionality within the conservative structural context.

The political socialization of Latinx youth in a conservative political context

Drawing on semi-structured interviews, participant observations, surveys, and voting records, this mixed-methods study investigates Latinx youths' political socialization and grassroots organizing efforts in a conservative, anti-immigrant regional context. This investigation makes three contributions. First, findings suggest that under hostile political contexts, vertical (adult-to-youth) forms of political socialization may rarely guide Latinx youth in taking political action, and may sometimes even discourage participation. Second, we show that, despite political opposition, youth organizing groups can function as vehicles of horizontal (peer-to-peer) socialization, bolstering members' political engagement and providing them with valuable civic knowledge and skills. Third, youth-led grassroots mobilization efforts can increase young voter turnout, as evidenced by our experimental findings. We argue that grassroots youth organizing groups can empower their members to operate as agents of political socialization among a peer constituency that extends far beyond their friendship networks and schoolmates.

Assessment of Contraception Use among Early Married Females in Rural Districts in Giza Governorate, Egypt

Background: Family planning improves the health outcomes of mothers and children and reduces pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality, and the economic costs of early pregnancy. Objective: Describe the effect of the age of marriage on contraceptive behaviors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a systematic randomly selected five rural primary health care centers in Giza governorate, Egypt to estimate the use of family planning methods among two subgroups using an adapted questionnaire: female married before 18 Y and that married ≥18 Y. A structured interview conducted among 650 females in reproductive age. Results: Pregnancy number and family size were significantly higher among female married before 18years (3.3±1.9) and (4.8±1.6) versus (2.7±1.5) and (4.4±1.3). Family planning use after first and second child were lower among early married females (84.3%) and (82.5%) versus (85.2%) and (87.4%) of their counterparts married ≥18 Y respectively with no statistically significant differences. The bivariate analysis showed that the likelihood of using a family planning method after the first child was higher among educated women and women with an educated husband than among illiterate women and women with non-educated husband [COR, 2.6; 95% CI,1.5-4.5] and [COR,1.7; 95% CI,1.1-2.9] respectively. Conclusions: Family planning method use was particularly low among females married before 18 and consequently, their family size and their pregnancy number were high. Education is a significant determinant of the age of marriage and of FP use. These factors should be considered during the design of short- term and long-term family planning strategies to effectively increase family planning methods use among early married females especially in conservative contexts.

Listening to Women: Understanding and Challenging Systems of Power to Achieve Reproductive Justice in South Carolina

AbstractSouth Carolina women, especially low‐income women and women of color, face greater disparities in reproductive health outcomes, including low birth weight, preterm delivery, infant mortality, and maternal mortality, than do women nationally. The purpose of this study was to utilize a reproductive justice framework in which reproduction is considered a woman‐centered experience (as opposed to a social issue to be solved) to understand the reproductive experiences of women in South Carolina. We conducted 70 in‐depth interviews with women aged 19–78 years and analyzed these interviews using a constant comparative method. Study findings revealed that participants faced the consequences of oppressive systems of power when accessing reproductive health care, including high costs and lack of adequate health insurance coverage. Participants recognized the complexity of navigating reproduction in a conservative social context (i.e., South Carolina), further “compounded” by their gender and race. Women of color specifically noted challenges to reproductive care based on historical injustices and discrimination, including racial bias in hospital settings and aversion to certain contraceptive methods (e.g., IUD). Participants described the need to exercise reproductive autonomy and to have a “voice” in order to make desired lifestyle choices (e.g., career, motherhood) to overcome these challenges. Study findings evidence the women‐centered experience of reproduction within a specific sociogeopolitical context in order to uncover the challenges and opportunities to improving women's reproductive health in South Carolina.

Adolescent Porn Viewing and Religious Context: Is the Eye Still the Light of the Body?

ABSTRACT While prior research has examined the relationship between personal religiosity and porn viewing, little do we know about the overall religious context and its influence on porn viewing. Using two waves of data from the National Study of Youth and Religion merged with county-level U.S. Census and religious data, this study finds that the higher the county-level conservative Protestant population share, the higher the chances of porn viewing during adolescence. This relationship remains robust even after controlling for a host of individual, peer, family, and county-level variables. Further analyses reveal that within a conservative Protestant religious context, non-conservative Protestant youth are more likely to view porn than their conservative Protestant peers, the gap of which widens when county-level conservative Protestant population share increases. A similar yet stronger religious contextual effect is found for county-level total religious adherence rates: a one unit increase in county-level total religious adherence rates is associated with an increase in the odds of porn viewing by 66.53%.

Thermodynamics in theories of gravity with coupling between matter and geometry

The character of thermodynamics for theories of gravity with coupling between matter and geometry in the FLRW universe has been studied in this paper. The result shows that on the apparent horizon, both the temporal and spatial component of the Friedmann equations can be written as the form of the first law of thermodynamics in the conservative context, but some additional terms are appeared due to the matter-geometry coupling and the non-equilibrium in the system. Moreover, the derived generalized second law of thermodynamics can not be always held in our considering case, which is different from the one given in general relativity. The condition to protect it is obtained, when we consider results from observational data and numerical solutions.

Counterspaces against the odds? The production and emancipatory potential of alternative spaces

Prefigurative action that aims to construct desired transformations pose new and interesting questions centering on the geography of transitioning towards more ecologically-sound and socially-just systems. Geographers and others have employed a number of theoretical lenses to grapple with how best prefigurative activities might be supported, and how they both envision alternative futures and actually ‘do stuff’ to embody that vision. However, missing from this academic conversation is that prefigurative activity is not solely about the alternative material and economic practices, but the creation of alternative social spaces. This paper draws from both a Lefebvrian reading of space and a feminist geographical perspective to explore the spaces of a prefigurative community teeming within the politically and religiously conservative context of Salt Lake City, Utah (USA). An in-depth ethnography was conducted over an 18-month period, employing both participant-observation and semi-structured interviews. The sociality and spatiality of the production of alternative spaces is explored through Lefevbre’s discussion of abstract and differential space, which opens up multiple possibilities for resistance. This research finds that the process of creating this alternative space is grounded in five moments: (i) the self, (ii) social networks, (iii) material practices, (iv) knowledge creation, and (v) economic practices. At the same time, a feminist ‘killjoy’ perspective calls attention to the limits of the emancipatory potential of these movements.

Managing Sex Education Controversy Deep in the Heart of Texas: A Case Study of the North East Independent School District (NEISD)

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), one of the key evidence-based strategies in our programmatic toolbox to address adolescent pregnancy and birth rates, remains a politically-charged issue countrywide. Though there is some funding available at the federal level, there are no national policies mandating the provision of sex education; as such, most decision-making occurs at the state or even the local level. Consequently, the provision of sex education and the quality and comprehensiveness of curricula used to do so are highly variable across the country, and are heavily influenced by the level of support or resistance in communities. This paper analyzes the experience of institutionalizing an evidence-based sex education in a large suburban school district in San Antonio, Texas, a socially conservative context. Understanding the politics of sex education is key to developing effective policies and strategies to ensure quality sex education programs are provided in public schools. However, there are no published papers documenting specific experiences with resistance to sex education in local communities in the USA. Given this, the strategies employed by opponents and the response by district officials can be informative for other school settings in the USA and around the world. Abbreviations: AFLA: Adolescent Family Life Act; CHAMPSS: Choosing And Maintaining effective Programs for Sex education in Schools Model; CSE: Comprehensive sexuality education; DTL/RTL: Draw the Line/Respect the Line; HSAE: Human Sexuality and Abstinence Education, the middle school sex education curriculum in NEISD prior to 2008; NEISD: North East Independent School District; SAFA: San Antonio Family Association; SHAC: School health advisory council; STI: Sexually transmitted infection; TEC: Texas Education Code; TPIA: Texas Public Information Act; USA: United States of America; UTHSC: University of Texas Health Science Center

Does Female Autonomy Affect Contraceptive Use among Women in Northern Nigeria?

Literature identified female empowerment as a predictor of positive health behaviour. However, in the context of conservative and traditional society, this is yet to be explored. This paper explores the role of female autonomy in contraceptive use among currently married women in northern Nigeria. Nationally representative Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS, 2013) data for 18,534 currently married women in northern Nigeria was analysed. Complimentary log-logistic regression (cloglog) was used to analyse the data. Current use of modern contraceptive was 6.6% among currently married women in northern Nigeria. Results show that female autonomy was significantly associated with modern contraceptive use. Respondents' education, wealth status and desire for no more children were associated with higher contraceptive use. Despite the conservative and religious context of northern Nigeria, female autonomy significantly predicts modern contraceptive use. Thus, empowering women in northern Nigeria, especially by education, will enable them to participate in healthy contraceptive decision making.

Gothic Nationalism: Iurii Kuznetsov’s Poetic Ideology

The article examines a curious resurgence of the Gothic mode in late Soviet culture. As the author shows, in the 1970s and 1980s the Gothic served an important function in the fast-developing discourse of Russian nationalism. The article identifies this “nationalist Gothic” in the works of the understudied, yet influential late Soviet poet, Iurii Kuznetsov. Gothic discourse was unusual for mainstream Soviet literature and aesthetics, but this very exoticism also made it appealing for the articulation of a non-conformist historical consciousness. Close readings show how Kuznetsov deployed Gothic conceptions of the lingering presence of an irrational, primordial past as an alternative to the increasingly discredited Soviet ideology of modernity and futurity. In this, the poet articulated the crisis in Soviet society. Tracing Kuznetsov’s career and reputation forward into the post-Soviet years, the article demonstrates how, despite the fact that in a conservative context (such as late Soviet culture), the Gothic aesthetic can serve as a powerful form of cultural criticism, it nevertheless harbors dangerous potential for extreme nationalist and even fascist ideological formations.

Rethinking “State Shinto” in the Past and the Present

AbstractThis article reflects on the meaning of recent arguments concerning “State Shinto” in the contemporary Japanese right-wing and conservative social context. Shimazono Susumu’s recent analyses of State Shinto in postwar Japan have stimulated discussion of the subject. His understanding that State Shinto has survived from the prewar years is based on his analysis of both Imperial House Shinto, which was not affected by the Shinto Directive issued in 1945, and the postwar political activism of the Association of Shinto Shrines and its political arm, the Shinto Association for Spiritual Leadership. The political campaigns of these Shinto groups can be situated in a larger context of the rise of neonationalism in contemporary Japanese society. Given the relationship of Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine and Ise Jingū (Ise Shrine), and the current interest among the public in the rituals of the emperor and the imperial family, a reconsideration of the concept of State Shinto seems warranted. A critical rethinking of State Shinto may be regarded as a warning against attempts by conservative religio-political movements to revive prewar State Shinto.

Comparing same- and different-sex relationship dynamics: Experiences of young adults in Taiwan.

Few studies of same-sex relationships are able to capture the dynamics of these relationships from formation to dissolution, and even fewer provide evidence on these dynamics in a non-Western context. Using retrospective relationship history data collected from a nationally representative sample of young adults, this study compares the processes of forming and terminating relationships between same- and different-sex couples in Taiwan, an Asian society featuring both strong parental influences on children's mate selection and an ongoing legislative effort to legalize same-sex marriage. Results from event-history models show that factors associated with relationship formation and dissolution are largely similar for same- and different-sex unions and that same-sex relationships do not have higher dissolution rates. Nevertheless, premarital coresidence with parents, which is likely to amplify parental influences on children's mate selection, deters the entry into and accelerates the dissolution of same-sex relationships more than it does different-sex relationships. Moreover, same-sex relationships are more heterogamous in family economic background, but more homogamous in age and education level, than different-sex ones. This study is among the first to provide evidence on the dynamics of same- and different-sex relationships in a non-Western context. Aside from a few differences between same- and different-sex relationships related to parental influences, our study provides strong evidence that same- and different-sex couples experience intimacies in similar ways-even in a relatively conservative cultural context like Taiwan.

Contraception in adolescence: the influence of parity and marital status on contraceptive use in 73 low-and middle-income countries

BackgroundThere is still a large gap in relation to effectively meet the contraceptive needs and family planning goals of adolescents. Our aim was to describe how having a partner and children impact on contraceptive behavior of sexually active female adolescents from low and middle-income countries (LMICs).MethodsAnalyses were based on the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Surveys carried out since 2005 in 73 LMICs with available data for sexually active women aged 15–19 years. Modern contraceptive prevalence and demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods of contraception (mDFPS) were estimated among three subgroups of adolescents considering their parity and marital status- not married, married without children, and married with children – at national and regional levels.ResultsFemale adolescents who were married with no children presented the lowest median modern contraceptive prevalence in all world regions, ranging from 2.9% in West & Central Africa to 29.0% in Latin America & Caribbean. Regarding mDFPS, the lowest coverage for married adolescents without children was found in West & Central Africa (12.6%), whereas Latin America & Caribbean presented the highest (50.4%). In East Asia & Pacific, not married adolescents were the group with the lowest mDFPS (17.1%). In 12 countries, mDFPS was below 10% among married adolescents without children: Angola, Chad, Congo, Congo DR, Guinea, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal in Africa, Philippines and Timor-Leste in Asia and Guyana in Latin America & Caribbean.ConclusionsIn most countries, modern contraceptive prevalence and mDFPS were particularly low among married female adolescents without children, which should be considered a priority group for intervention. The findings suggest that social norms regarding marriage and fertility expectations and other cultural barriers have a role at least as relevant as contraceptive availability. All these aspects need to be considered in the design of family planning strategies to effectively increase modern contraceptive use among adolescents everywhere, particularly in conservative contexts.