Contemporary Perspectives Research Articles

A trans-conceptual model for suicide prevention in social work practice: military and veteran populations as an example

ABSTRACT Despite the multi-disciplinarity of suicidology, social work’s contribution to the conceptual framing of suicide has been limited. Consequently, modern prevention efforts insufficiently reflect person in environment and systems perspectives that are foundational to social work practice. This article centers the potential for social work to serve a critical role within the theoretical framing and conceptualization of suicide. Building upon contemporary suicidological perspectives like the interpersonal theory of suicide and critical responses, such as the cultural-structural theory of suicide, a trans-conceptual model for social work practice is presented. Application is highlighted through the example of military personnel and veterans.

Love matters: the case for an inclusive, contemporary approach to romance themes and texts in subject English

This paper examines analyses of adolescent romance fiction, highlighting key themes and debates over time. I will argue that contemporary social conditions underline the need to reconsider the value of this genre in the secondary English classroom. However, working effectively with genre literature (including romance) requires educators to diversify reading practices, challenging the dominance of the standard ‘class novel’ approach. I will describe the integration of a module on teen romance into a literature course for preservice English educators. Finally, focusing on a specific text, Frankly in Love by David Yoon, I highlight the skilful way in which authors of contemporary adolescent literature weave multiple perspectives into engaging and nuanced narratives in which characters navigate identities, relationships, and ideas about love.

Mohamed Enani's Historical Drama: Contemporary Perspectives in Timeless Theatrical Forms

Mohamed Enani's Historical Drama: Contemporary Perspectives in Timeless Theatrical Forms

Turning queries into questions: For a plurality of perspectives in the age of AI and other frameworks with limited (mind)sets

The editorial introduces issue 21.1 of Technoetic Arts via a critical reflection on the artificial intelligence hype (AI hype) that emerged in 2022 and gives an overview of each of the issue’s ten articles. The first four articles engage with new technologies from different positions in art and architecture. These articles include an exploration of the indexical function of images as a means for revealing cultural premises governing public space during the pandemic in Hong Kong, a neuroarchitectural perspective on immersive architectural environments, and an investigation of the link between the popularity of immersive art installations and the emotions these installations generate. The ‘Cryptoart’ section features an ethnographic study of the DADA digital art collective, shedding light on the role of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in community building. Guest-edited by Professor Tanu Gupta, the Special Section ‘Perspectives from Chandigarh’ constitutes the second part of the journal issue. Based on contributions to the national conference on Contemporary Perspectives in English Language, Literature, and Cultural Studies held on 15–16 July 2022, at Chandigarh University in Punjab, India, the six articles reflect a search for meaningful existence within colonial, patriarchal and biopolitical structures that frame everyday practices of exclusion and oppression. Discussing works of literature and cinema from the European, Japanese and the US American canon, the articles contribute a distinctive perspective to the critical analysis of contemporary societies that are shaped by the idea that progress is technological invention.

The NEFFIE project: Technological innovation, artistic co-creation and social augmented experience

This article presents the NEFFIE (which stands for ‘Neuroaesthetic Photography’) project, a contemporary reinterpretation of Franco Vaccari’s iconic artwork, presented 50 years ago at the 1972 International Venice Art Biennale and entitled Exhibition in Real Time No. 4: Leave on the Walls a Photographic Trace of Your Fleeting Visit. Thanks to today’s technological innovation, NEFFIE develops Vaccari’s idea from a more contemporary perspective. Vaccari’s original photo booth becomes a technologically revisited booth that uses an algorithm and wearable sensors to reshape the subjective emotional-cognitive responses derived from viewing particular images, thus generating the ‘cognitive photograph’ or ‘COFFIE metapicture’. These metapictures are subsequently minted as NFTs (non-fungible tokens) objects and then displayed on a virtual wall, the ‘COFFIE wall’, generating what can be defined as a Virtual Exhibition in Real Time, a hypothetical contemporary re-actualization of Vaccari’s artistic proposition. The NEFFIE project could be considered a pervasive media art proposal capable of promoting social cohesion, by encouraging creative participation and co-creation. The project is being developed in Milan, thanks to a fruitful interdisciplinary collaboration between the Research Center in Advanced Technology in Health and Well-Being of San Raffaele Hospital, and ICONE, the European Research Center in History and Theory of the Image of Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. This multidisciplinary approach combines art-historical theoretical thinking with the world of technological innovation. In particular, the NEFFIE project integrates the visual and conceptual tools of photography with the methodologies and knowledge of biomedical engineering and computer science.

Daura Al-Lugatu Al-‘Arabiyyah Fī Tafsīri Al-Qur’āni Li Muḥammadin Abū Zahrah: Dirāsatun Fī Zahrati At-Tafāsīri

The significance of Arabic in the interpretation of the Qur'an is noteworthy from both classical and contemporary perspectives. Among contemporary interpreters, Abu Zahrah stands out for his exceptional focus on Arabic in his interpretation. Although Abu Zahrah's approach to language is similar to that of other commentators like al-Zamakhsyari, the results of his interpretation show significant differences. This research aims to examine the role of Arabic in Abu Zahrah's interpretation and how he addresses various linguistic challenges through qualitative descriptive research and content analysis. The findings revealed that Arabic played a highly significant role in Zahrah al-Tafāsīr's interpretation, becoming one of the main pillars. The study explored linguistic themes such as Isytiqāq, Nahw, Ṣarf, al-Ḍamāir, 'Irāb, and Balāgah. Abu Zahrah's method in dealing with linguistic problems includes referencing the Qur'an and sunnah, employing a balanced linguistic approach, making definitive choices, finding middle grounds between diverse opinions, and critiquing views deemed incorrect. Despite evident influence from al-Zamakhsyari, Abu Zahrah remains critical of his ideas. The evidence of Abu Zahrah's proficiency in Arabic is undeniable.

The Cosmos and Human Beings from an Interdisciplinary Perspective. “Paradigmatické zmeny v chápaní kozmologickej a antropologickej problematiky. Minulosť a súčasnosť,” [“Paradigmatic Changes in the Understanding of Cosmological and Anthropological Issues. Past and Present”] edited by Zlatica Plašienková, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Bratislava 2021, pp. 308 (rev.)

This book presents a complex picture of the universe and man from historical and contemporary perspectives, including philosophical, theological, and scientific perspectives. It consists of several papers by authors from various fields, and it is divided into three main parts. The first part addresses some interesting questions from the history of philosophy and theology; the second part focuses on contemporary astrophysics and astrobiology and the question of extraterrestrial life; the third part considers the ethical and environmental dimensions of these questions.
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 Received: 19/02/2023. Reviewed: 17/03/2023. Accepted: 30/03/2022.

Epistemic virtue in higher education: testing the mechanisms of intellectual character development

Epistemic virtues are character traits conducive to principled ways of thinking, leading to a life of flourishing. Recent years have witnessed an emergence of theoretical accounts describing how they develop. However, few if any studies have conducted rigorous empirical investigation into the mechanisms of intellectual virtue development. In this study, we review several significant frameworks before utilizing a randomized, pretest/posttest control trial design to understand the impacts of a novel thinking disposition intervention on intellectual virtue growth. We ascertain the direct and indirect effects of the intervention on four key intellectual virtues: curiosity, humility, integrity, and tenacity. Additionally, we test theoretical mediators of virtue learning. Clear evidence favoring a theory-inspired mediator is observed, though we observe weaker signals of direct effects, with nuances across the virtues. For instance, tenacity and curiosity variables appear to respond more to the intervention than do humility and integrity. Findings are discussed in light of contemporary theoretical perspectives.

Reasoning and Logical Proofs of the Fundamental Laws: "No Hope" for the Challengers of the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

This comprehensive treatise is written for the special occasion of the author's 70th birthday. It presents his lifelong endeavors and reflections with original reasoning and re-interpretations of the most critical and sometimes misleading issues in thermodynamics-since now, we have the advantage to look at the historical developments more comprehensively and objectively than the pioneers. Starting from Carnot (grand-father of thermodynamics to become) to Kelvin and Clausius (fathers of thermodynamics), and other followers, the most relevant issues are critically examined and put in historical and contemporary perspective. From the original reasoning of generalized "energy forcing and displacement" to the logical proofs of several fundamental laws, to the ubiquity of thermal motion and heat, and the indestructibility of entropy, including the new concept of "thermal roughness" and "inevitability of dissipative irreversibility," to dissecting "Carnot true reversible-equivalency" and the critical concept of "thermal-transformer," limited by the newly generalized "Carnot-Clausius heat-work reversible-equivalency (CCHWRE)," regarding the inter-complementarity of heat and work, and to demonstrating "No Hope" for the "Challengers" of the Second Law of thermodynamics, among others, are offered. It is hoped that the novel contributions presented here will enlighten better comprehension and resolve some of the fundamental issues, as well as promote collaboration and future progress.

Esoteric Interpretation of the Quran in “The Study Quran”: A New Translation and Commentary (2015) by Seyyed Hossein Nasr et al.

Abstract The fundamental objective of this research is to explicate the uniqueness of esoteric interpretation in The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary (2015) written by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and his team. This library research applies qualitative research methods and an interdisciplinary approach, that is Sufism science. The result unveils that esoteric interpretation tradition in the contemporary era tries not to reduce the esoteric meaning of the Quran to Sufism authority and that every individual has the possibility to interact with the Quran’s esoteric meaning. The uniqueness of moderate esoteric interpretation in The Study Quran helps find new meanings of the Quran as a contemporary perspective in interpreting a text.

Exploring the paradox of gender preferred leadership in Kenya: a GLOBE study on gender egalitarianism and women in leadership

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore gender gaps, values and practices in a Sub-Saharan African (SSA) country, specifically to identify gender inequality in Kenyan leadership and propose suggestions for advancing gender equity.Design/methodology/approachThis Kenya study replicated the research design of the Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness Project for gathering country data. It sampled middle and upper management in the commercial sector (finance and agriculture) and added the civic sectors of health care and education, using quantitative research (267 managers in over 100 organizations) and qualitative research design (30 interviewees from 23 organizations).FindingsGender had no apparent effect on leadership attributes nor on preferred modes of leadership. Statistical and thematic analysis revealed conflicting values and behaviours regarding gender equality and leadership. A high cultural dimension score on practices reflects a traditional leadership approach for male dominance, referred to as the Bwana Kubwa model. However, a high value score for gender equality reflects a more contemporary perspective, identified as the Inspirational Idealist. The gender gap presents a cultural paradox and a leadership constraint.Research limitations/implicationsThe Inspirational Idealist model advances African leadership theory as it identifies a preferred value-based paradigm of effective performance-based leadership. This is contrary to the prevalent patriarchal practices of the Bwana Kubwa (Big Boss) model, which reflects biased gendered preference.Practical implicationsMale and female leaders need to challenge the status quo and align leadership practices with the articulated cultural values expressed as an Inspirational Idealist model. It has considerable relevance to advancing African leadership theory and informing culturally relevant policies and contextualized practices focused on gender equity in leadership.Originality/valueThis research on practices and values pertaining to gender equality of Kenyan managers is the first in-depth managerial leadership study of any SSA country. It is unique in that it broadened the scope of study to include professional sectors, gender, age and ethnicity variables.

From Excluded Middle to Homogenization in Plumwood’s Feminist Critique of Logic


 
 
 A key facet of Valerie Plumwood’s feminist critique of logic is her analysis of classical negation. On Plumwood’s reading, the exclusionary features of classical negation generate hierarchical dualisms, i.e., dichotomies in which dominant groups’ primacy is reinforced while underprivileged groups are oppressed. For example, Plumwood identifies the system collapse following from ex contradictione quodlibet—that a theory including both φ and ∼φ trivializes—as a primary source of many of these features. Although Plumwood considers the principle of excluded middle to be compatible with her goals, that she identifies relevant logics as systems lacking a hierarchical negation—whose first-degree fragments are both paraconsistent and paracomplete—suggests that excluded middle plays some role in hierarchical dualisms as well. In these notes, I examine the role of excluded middle in generating oppressive homogenization and try to clarify the relationship between Plumwood’s critique and this principle from several contemporary perspectives. Finally, I examine the matter of whether Plumwood’s critique requires relevance or whether a non-relevant logic could satisfy her criteria and serve as a liberatory logic of difference. 
 
 

“It made her age hard to guess”: Narrating the dynamics of aging and gender through Victorian Gothic archetypes in Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black

Abstract Although Susan Hill has become a prolific writer of ghost narratives in the last decades, it was at a particularly momentous stage of her life as a woman writer that she published The Woman in Black (1983), which is considered her first ghost novel. Evoking the Victorian past, The Woman in Black engages intertextually with Victorian novels within the Gothic genre. The character of the Woman in Black comprises features pertaining to different Victorian Gothic archetypes, such as the ghost, the vampire, and the double. Some of the traits pertaining to these literary archetypes echoed Victorian anxieties about aging that are recovered and reinterpreted in Hill’s novel. Furthermore, in analogy with a Gothic romance, the encounter between the narrator as a young man, Arthur Kipps, and a spectral aging woman, the Woman in Black, unleashes the hero’s process of coming of age, which he recollects in his old age as he is writing his narrative. Narratological features pertaining to the Gothic genre, like the use of a frame narrative that blends past and present, underscore the dynamics of aging, since processes of interrupted aging and premature aging disrupt the boundaries that conventionally distinguish life stages. This article approaches Hill’s The Woman in Black as a contemporary ghost novel that evokes and subverts Victorian discourses of aging and gender, at the same time that, from a contemporary perspective, it vindicates the figure of the Victorian fallen woman as an aging mother.

Reconstruction of the Urban Historical Centre: Contemporary Problems, Difficulties, and Perspectives

Adapting historical city buildings into modern facilities is a basic problem in architecture today. In many large cities, historical centers preserve cultural heritage, including spiritual, cultural, economic, and social capital of irreplaceable value. Because of their importance, these centers must consider the unique characteristics of their surroundings, including harmony of size, spatial composition, architectural environment, facades, and the facilities in general. Disharmony in the architectural design of these centers is evident in the non-compliance of new objects, particularly in historical areas of the city. The restoration, reconstruction, and repair of these historical sites require special knowledge. Experts with this special knowledge can implement modern methods, strategic and operational modes of architecture, and public programs to preserve the historical and cultural values of these sites, thus preserving them for the future, which follows the sustainable development concept. The main conclusion of the research is that unique modern buildings, including novel architectural and constructive elements, can coexist with historical ones by using right policies and methods.

Dangerous reading: How socially constructed narratives of childhood shape perspectives on book banning

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to connect the dots between contemporary efforts to ban “dangerous” reading material and Western narratives about childhood innocence that rose to prominence in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Understanding these narratives is important, because they underlie common misapprehensions about how children consume and process literature. By illuminating the history of beliefs about childhood and reading that are used to justify censorship, as well as alternatives to them, this article will provide librarians with useful context for our contemporary moment and perspectives that may prove beneficial when they face book-banning efforts in their communities. Public significance statement By illuminating the history of beliefs about childhood and reading that are used to justify censorship, as well as alternatives to them, this article provides librarians with useful context for our contemporary moment and perspectives that may prove beneficial when they face book-banning efforts in their communities.

An Ayurvedic & Contemporary Perspective on a Comprehensive Appraisal of Ageing

As well as being a Swabhavaja Vyadhi (natural sickness), Avurveda has seen Jara or Vardhakya as a natural and unavoidable process. When an organ of a different system begins to degenerated and lose its anatomical and physiological capabilities over time, it is said to be ageing. This process can occur in a cell, an organ, or the entire organism.
 Shareera (physical), Indriya (emotional), Satwa (psychological level), Agni (metabolism), Bala and Ojas etc. are influencing factors for Jara (ageing). The final stage of life is called Vriddhavastha (Jara). During this phase, every aspect of the body begins to degenerate, including the Dhatu (different anatomical tissues), the Indriya (sensory and motor organ), the ability to perceive, the power of speech, the power of the body, and numerous mental and cognitive functions (such as memory, intellect, reception, retention, analytic ability, etc).
 The Vayu dosha predominates throughout this phase (one of the three physiological body factors). The most noticeable physical changes at this time include ageing skin, greying hair, baldness, and a decline in physical stamina. Loss of muscle compactness, joint looseness, vitiation of Rakta (blood), excessive production of Meda (fatty tissue), failure of Majja (marrow) accumulation in bone, failure of production of Shukra (semen), and loss of Ojas component are examples of these pathological alterations. This article is made to explore the physiological changes during Aging.

The sicarii. The course of the attack of ancient terrorists from a contemporary analytical perspective

The authors claim that contemporary international terrorism differs a little from the acts of violence that took place in ancient history. Such an example of the use of political terrorism was Sicarii, a Jewish sect operating in Palestineand Egypt in the years 66-73 CE. Almost all information about this group comes from Flavius Josephus, a Roman historian of Jewish origin. The term sicarii itself has a Latin etymology and means murderers or assassins. It appeared in legal Latin in 81 BCE together with the Act Lex Cornelia de sicariis et veneficis, which was one of the first legal regulations in the field of serious organized crime. The Sicarii, however, fought in their own country with the intention of liberating it from the rule of a foreign power, Rome. Using the available source materials, the authors analyzed a typical attack made by Sicarii and confronted it with the achievements of modern forensics and experience in the field of secret services. This made it possible to establish the conditions that had to be met for such an attack. To take place to effectively use terrorism for political struggle by the Sicarii.

Review: A contemporary Perspective on the Peculiarities of the Bulgarian National Character (On 𝑆ℎ𝑡𝑟𝑖ℎ𝑖 𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑎 𝑛𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑡𝑒𝑟…)

Review: A contemporary Perspective on the Peculiarities of the Bulgarian National Character (On 𝑆ℎ𝑡𝑟𝑖ℎ𝑖 𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑎 𝑛𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑡𝑒𝑟…)

On the Need to Apply the Ālayavijñāna theory to Modern Meditation Practices: Focusing on the first argument of the Eight Proofs of the Existence of the Ālayavijñāna

This paper analyzes the content of the eight proofs of the existence of the Ālayavijñāna, which were established in the context of the Viniscayasamgrahani of Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra the Viniscayasamgrahani, in a contemporary perspective, and suggests the necessity of applying them to modern meditation practices. If we understand the eight proofs of the existence of the Ālayavijñāna in a modern context, they can be summarized as follows. The first proof is that the discriminative function of five consciousness and the sixth consciousness, which perceives the functioning of the sense organs, is incapable of the function of upādi, and only the Ālayavijñāna is capable of this function of upādi, which applies to the body, speech, in seed. The second proof is that the birth of all living beings is only possible with the existence of the Ālayavijñāna. The third proof is that only with the existence of the Ālayavijñāna can one perceive all aspects of an object clearly. The fourth proof is that only with the existence of the Ālayavijñāna can one retain the potentiality for nāma-grāha and ātma-grāha within the mind. The fifth proof is that only with the existence of the Ālayavijñāna can one contain karma. The sixth proof is that only with the existence of the Ālayavijñāna can one experience the various sensations of the body. The seventh proof is that only with the existence of the Ālayavijñāna can one continue life in the state of asaṃjñi-samāpatti and nirodha-samāpatti. The eighth proof is that only with the existence of the Ālayavijñāna can one explain the differentiation of bodily sensations between the head and the feet cooling down at the time of death. When the eight proofs of the existence of the Ālayavijñāna are combined with modern meditation techniques, it can surpass the limitations of various meditation practices being conducted in Korea and can heal even the deepest inner the Ālayavijñāna. Especially, the function of upādi demonstrated in the first argument, is an area that can be reached through prolonged and in-depth observation of the body of the sensory organs and thoughts. In addition, it is important to practice prenatal meditation related to the birth of life, and it is necessary to develop death meditation in relation to the phenomena that occur at the time of death. In addition, in the consciousness only school of Buddhism, it is claimed that the Ālayavijñāna creates the body and seeds when it is turned inward, and creates the natural environment, when it is turned outward. Therefore, developing meditation techniques that combine with the natural environment is required for overall healing of the mind.

THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM JUSIP'S FAMOUS WORKS

This article examines universal human values in the legacy of the genealogist, historian, poet and ethnographer Mashhoor Jusip. The next generation needs to recognize universal values in the works of the poet, study them and promote them according to the needs of the time. The article examines the importance and significance of universal values in human life, and analyses the universal values of Mashhur Jusip's heritage from a contemporary perspective. The poet's works prove through examples that they involuntarily induce clear thinking, thinking, and self-education. In the introductory part of the article it was written about when, where and how famous Jusip was born and grew up. It was mentioned that in the world of literature Mashhur Jusip found harmony with the works of Yusup Balasagun, Akhmet Ygunikey, Suleiman Bakyrgani, Rabguzi, Kutyp, Khorezmi, Khusam Katip and Safe Saray. He is looking for the answer to the question of what is valuable in life. In the main part of the article national values in the legacy of Mashhur Jusip are analyzed. In his works he called us to restrain our lust and strive for perfection. It is proved by his works that the poet’s works are not chosen by the nation, but are in the direction of universal values. One of the most important concepts in the philosophy of Mashhur Jusip is to love people. Looking at values from universal perspective, Mashhur Jusip adheres to the point of view that people are all human beings, regardless of their religion, language or nationality. The main part of the article reveals the works from that point of view. In the final part of the article Mashhur Jusip proves that the main idea of his poems is morality, justice, acting wisely, preserving the human nature. He reveals the unique nature of the Kazakh nation and summarizes with his works that he called not to lose that nature, not to lose honour and not to defile honour. The importance and meaning of the national values in the human life is analysed. National value is a precious helpmeet of a nation depicted.