Cross-cultural Analysis Research Articles

Comparative Analysis of South Korean and American Soft Power Practices in World Politics

In the 21st century, soft power has proved its effectiveness and expediency and has become one of the most important foreign policy instruments of strong, medium and small powers. The approach proposed by Joseph Nye is considered to be a classic example of soft power politics with the United States being the leading state in this field. However, considering the intensification of glocalization processes and the growth of anti-global and anti-American sentiments, the effectiveness of the US soft power is being called into question. On the contrary, the popularity of South Korean culture has been constantly growing all over the world in recent years, which proves the possibility of successful application of the soft power policy by a non-Western (Asian) state.Aim. The aim is to compare the South Korean and American approaches to the implementation of soft power policy.Tasks. The tasks include studying the elements of the US and South Korean soft power models (culture and way of life, values and ideologies, principles of foreign and domestic policy) and comparing them with each other.Methods. The methods of cross-cultural analysis and secondary analysis of data, including official sources, were used.Results. When implementing the soft power policy, both states use the same resources (elements) distinguished by Joseph Nye (culture and lifestyle, ideology and values, principles of domestic and foreign policy).Conclusion. The difference between national models of soft power lies in the content of these elements. The United States and the Republic of Korea convey different values and prioritize different elements of soft power. The United States, placing the main emphasis on ideology, promotes democratic values, while the Republic of Korea, relying on culture in the broadest sense, appeals to humanistic and Confucian values (love for oneself, caring for others, seeking harmony, cheerfulness). Directions for further research include the analysis of the origins and prospects of such a phenomenon of international relations as Asian waves (Japanese, Korean, Chinese, etc.).

Nikki Giovanni: The Poet Literature of the Black Community

Black women have a long history and practise of activism that can be traced to pre-colonial Africa. Women writers of African descents have challenged the status quo of the cultural, political, and spiritual realms of their communities by using their skills to present women who challenge traditional roles and resist attacks of oppression. The paper deals with the suffering of women in general and black women specifically. The aim of the study is to give a voice to black women through Nikki Giovanni’s poetry, whom is considered the poets’ laureate. Her poems are like weapons against the oppressors. Using a cross-cultural analysis, will give voice to women who had long been silenced and devalued; women who, according to Zora Neale Hurston, "have the status of a mule".

Development and validation of key antecedents of religious brand attitude: a cross-cultural quantitative analysis using smart PLS

PurposeThe religious-based brands are increasing daily, and different organizations target religious consumers. However, a scarcity of research in developing nations makes it difficult to determine how customers evaluate religious brands. This study aims to develop a model based on Ajzen’s (1985) theory of planned behaviour (TPB). It incorporates the three mediating factors of religious brand attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control.Design/methodology/approachA total of 499 (232 Malay and 267 Thai Muslim) respondents were surveyed systematically by adopting the purposive non-probability sampling technique. Empirically three studies with the extended model were tested in a cross-cultural context.FindingsThe results illustrate that the religious brand attitude affects the buying behavioural intentions of Muslims. The analysis found the significant role of Islamic brand attitude and mediating variables. Islamic brand by the customer is the second most significant component after Islamic brand by country of origin. The research provides a theoretical model for the research foundation and a model to analyse religious brands in diverse backgrounds.Research limitations/implicationsOnly three different religious brand views were considered independent factors in this study, together with the development of TPB behavioural expectations. The research looked at three different regions in Malaysia as well as Thailand. The research also provides a model that can be used to analyse how various customers view well-known companies and religious brands.Practical implicationsResearchers, teachers and practitioners in the domains of advertising, marketing communications, consumer behaviour and sociology will find this study useful.Originality/valueThe authors develop a novel dual religiosity conceptual model to delineate the sequential nature of religious opinion formation, behaviour and consumption of religious brands. In addition, the authors provide an example using the PLS model analysis as a supporting example.

The framing of subjectivity: Point-of-view in a cross-cultural analysis of comics

ABSTRACT In visual narratives like comics, the most overt form of perspective-taking comes in panels that directly depict the viewpoints of characters in the scene. We therefore examined these subjective viewpoint panels (also known as point-of-view panels) in a corpus of over 300 annotated comics from Asia, Europe, and the United States. In line with predictions that Japanese manga use a more ‘subjective’ storytelling style than other comics, we found that more manga use subjective panels than other comics, with high proportions of subjective panels also found in Chinese, French, and American comics. In addition, panels with more ‘focal’ framing, i.e. micro panels showing close ups and/or amorphic panels showing views of the environment, had higher proportions of subjective panels than panels showing wider views of scenes. These findings further show that empirical corpus analyses provide evidence of cross-cultural variation and reveal relationships across structures in the visual languages of comics.

To the History of European Nations’ Public Holidays

Holidays are important cultural markers and symbolic structures that define not only religious but also ethnic identity. In developed societies, to which Ukraine belongs, the latter gravitates inevitably towards state identity. The article is aimed at the determination and analysis of the typology of formation of the European nations’ official public holidays, correlating it with key, fateful moments in the history of each national community. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach and the use of the cross-cultural analysis method. Religious holidays are the oldest and most widespread among European nations. Comparing their existing festive systems, we register a significant number of markers related to the church Christian calendar. And this is natural: during the 1st and 2nd millennia A.D. all the barbarian people of Europe have changed paganism into Christianity. The phenomenon of a religious holiday is currently undergoing the development from sacralization to secularization in the public sphere. As in the past, religious traditions are interwoven with ethnic ones, transmitting a sense of identity and culture durability through memory mechanisms. The revival of independent states after the USSR break-up has caused a wave of national and religious renaissance, stimulating the return of people to their historical roots, to the Christian traditions, holidays, customs and rites repressed by the Soviet authorities. The French Revolution of 1789 has become a prologue to the destruction of the archaic feudal-absolutist system of Europe. Military cataclysms and revolutions of the 19th–20th centuries have contributed to the fact that many thrones and royal dynasties ceased to exist and passed into the category of relics of history. Only some European countries have been able to reconcile traditions with the demands of time transforming into a parliamentary monarchy. In the conditions of the modern information society, the holidays of the royal dynasty turn into bright shows that are broadcasted willingly by television and other media.

Toys as Teachers: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Object Use and Enskillment in Hunter–Gatherer Societies

Studies of cultural transmission—whether approached by archaeological or ethnographic means—have made great strides in identifying formal teaching and learning arrangements, which in turn can be closely aligned with models of social learning. While novices and apprentices are often in focus in such studies, younger children and their engagement with material culture have received less attention. Against the backdrop of a cross-cultural database of ethnographically documented object use and play in 54 globally distributed foraging communities, we here discuss the ways in which children make and use tools and toys. We provide a cross-cultural inventory of objects made for and by hunter–gatherer children and adolescents. We find that child and adolescent objects are linked to adult material culture, albeit not exclusively so. Toys and tools were primarily handled outside of explicit pedagogical contexts, and there is little evidence for formalised apprenticeships. Our data suggests that children’s self-directed interactions with objects, especially during play, has a critical role in early-age enskillment. Placed within a niche construction framework, we combine ethnographic perspectives on object play with archaeological evidence for play objects to offer an improved cross-cultural frame of reference for how social learning varies across early human life history and what role material culture may play in this process. While our analysis improves the systematic understanding of the role and relevance of play objects among hunter–gatherer societies, we also make the case for more detailed studies of play objects in the context of ethnographic, archival and archaeological cultural transmission research.

The cross-cultural suitability analysis of “the Educator Cognitive Sensitivity scale”: Empirical exploration from early childhood teachers

The applicability of the Educator Cognitive Sensitivity (ECS) scale is an important prerequisite for promoting teachers’cognitive sensitivity concepts and research. For this reason, we have expanded the study of the measurement properties of the ECS scale in the Chinese context of early childhood teachers and promote the development and research of cognitive sensitivity of teachers in the context of Chinese culture. The scale was used to evaluate 100 Early childhood teachers from a province in eastern China. The results showed that the internal consistency of the scale was good. The structural validity analysis results of the scale were similar to the existing research results; taking some items in the curriculum promotion of “The Path Towards Excellence—Chinese Kindergarten Education Quality Rating Standards” and children’s development scale as the target, the empirical validity analysis results showed that the empirical validity of the scale was not very ideal, which needs further practical exploration in the future.

A cross-cultural analysis of ridesharing intentions and compliance with COVID-19 health guidelines: The roles of social trust, fear of COVID-19, and trust-in-God

Ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft have been substantially affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on social capital theory, the current research investigates how social trust relates to three types of trust in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines and consumers' ridesharing intentions. Analyzing data from two economically and culturally distinct countries, the results suggest that social trust positively affects trust in platform companies' compliance with COVID-19 guidelines (TPC), but not (or to a lesser extent) trust in drivers' (TDC) and other riders (TRC) compliance with COVID-19 guidelines in both the United States and Bangladesh. Importantly, TPC, TDC, and TRC are positively related with consumers' ridesharing intentions in the United States but not in Bangladesh. Furthermore, the analysis reveals two counterintuitive moderating effects of fear of COVID-19 and trust in God. The results provide important insights on factors affecting the ridesharing industry in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they emphasize the importance of considering cultural context in understanding consumers’ intentions to engage in the sharing economy.

The development of number line accuracy in elementary school children: A cross-country longitudinal study.

Number line accuracy (NL accuracy) shows improvement over the course of a school education. However, there are practically no cross-country longitudinal studies of NL accuracy over the whole course of elementary school. This study investigated the developmental trajectories of NL accuracy and its types across the elementary school years in two countries-Russia and Kyrgyzstan. The analyses were carried out on the data collected from the sample of 508 schoolchildren at Grades 1, 2, 3 and 4 (aged 6.4-11.9 years) from Russia and Kyrgyzstan, who were surveyed as part of the 'Cross-cultural Longitudinal Analysis of Student Success' project. The participants were administered the 'Number Line' computerized test task and a paper-and-pencil 'Standard Progressive Matrices' test at the end of each academic year. During the course of the elementary school education, NL accuracy increases nonlinearly in both samples from Grade 1 to Grade 4, with a pronounced increase in the rate of improvement from the first to the second year. Cross-country differences in NL accuracy were observed during each year of schooling as well as in the growth of NL accuracy. The development of NL accuracy is described by a model with two developmental types: (1) 'high start and growth' (93% of the pooled sample) and (2) 'low start and no growth' (7%). Both NL accuracy and the rate of its growth during elementary school depend on educational conditions. Cross-country differences in the distribution of schoolchildren by these two developmental types were statistically insignificant.

Cross-cultural factors influencing the adoption of virtual reality for practical learning.

Education is one area that was significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with much of the education being transferred online. Many subjects that require hands-on experimental experience suffer when taught online. Education is also one area that many believe can benefit from the advances in virtual reality (VR) technology, particularly for remote, online learning. Furthermore, because the technology shows overall good results with hands-on experiential learning education, one possible way to overcome online education barriers is with the use of VR applications. Given that VR has yet to make significant inroads in education, it is essential to understand what factors will influence this technology's adoption and acceptance. In this work, we explore factors influencing the adoption of VR for hands-on practical learning around the world based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and three additional constructs. We also performed a cross-cultural analysis to examine the model fit for developed and developing countries and regions. Moreover, through open-ended questions, we gauge the overall feeling people in these countries have regarding VR for practical learning and how it compares with regular online learning.

Knee osteoarthritis pre-screening questionnaire (KOPS): cross-cultural adaptation and measurement properties of the brazilian version—KOPS Brazilian version

BackgroundDespite the criteria already established for the classification of knee osteoarthritis (OA), a radiographic and/or clinical knee OA diagnosis usually occurs in cases of fully manifest or more advanced disease, which can make health promotion, prevention, and functional rehabilitation in more advanced stages of the disease less effective. In addition, radiographic knee OA can generate more financial costs for health services. Therefore, developing and validating screening instruments to assess the probability of development and progression of knee OA would be of great value for both clinical practice and science.ObjectiveTo cross-culturally adapt and investigate the measurement properties of the Knee OA Pre-screening Questionnaire Brazilian version.MethodsA total of 250 individuals of both sexes aged between 35 and 92 years [(mean (standard deviation): 63 (11) years old; 74.1 (15.1) kg; 1.59 (0.09) m; 29.38 (5.44) kg/m2] participated in this study. The cross-cultural adaptation and analyses of the measurement properties of the KOPS Brazilian version included: (1) assessment of conceptual and item equivalence; (2) assessment of semantic equivalence; (3) assessment of operational equivalence; and (4) assessment of measurement equivalence, reliability, and validity.ResultsCronbach’s alpha for the internal consistency among the six components of the KOPS Brazilian version was 0.71. The test-retest 72 h apart for each component resulted in a coefficient correlation intraclass ranging from 0.74 to 1.00. The probability of an individual randomly chosen from the population having KL ≥ 1 and KOPS Brazilian version ≥ 21 points was 0.74 (area under the curve of the Receiver Operating Characteristic – AUC of ROC); furthermore, the AUC for KL ≥ 2 and the KOPS Brazilian version ≥ 23 points was 0.77.ConclusionThe KOPS Brazilian version is a reliable and valid instrument for early screening of knee OA in individuals aged 35 years and over in the Brazilian context.

Modifying the humanities: global challenges of the digital revolution

The relevance of the research is conditioned by the fact that the global challenges of the digital revolution aggravate the dynamic problems faced by the humanities in one way or another. These challenges “modify” the socio-cultural contexts, amending significantly “power maps” and economic realities, as well as traditions and norms, thus influencing the spiritual existence of man and humanity as such at a regular stage of epochal changes. The process of renewal of major institutional discourses is underway, which increases the risks and respectively the ways of their overcoming, complicating the forecasts and expertise of scenarios for the future of the humanities. The purpose of the research is to identify the basic parameters of new paradigms and concepts that influence the change in research and management prospects, as well as to actualise the specific role of humanitaristics and cultural institutions responsible for the process of formation of social consciousness and individual socialisation at the digital age. The essence of humanitaristics is conceptualised by the authors as a set of humanities supplemented by new sociocultural technologies. The research has an interdisciplinary character and is based on theoretical aspects and materials of different sciences (cultural anthropology, philosophy, culturology, semiotics, and sociology); it combines general scientific, philosophical, and culturological methods, among which cultural/historical and social/analytical methods, as well as cross-cultural analysis, are of particular importance. At the same time, the integral approach is viewed by the authors as the methodological basis for the analysis of the specified problems, since it allows a researcher to consider the whole complex of interrelations between the global media sphere, society, and the individual, which influences the evolution of the humanities significantly. The undertaken study provides an opportunity to consider the potential of digital humanitaristics in the system of social sciences, their interdisciplinary development and enhancement in the historical and cultural perspective. As a result, the mission of specialists’ humanitaristic training is identified, which defines the system of values and purports as a basis of the smart-future society. The authors assert that new sociocultural practices of informative/ communicative character are being formed, creating qualitatively changed characteristics of the developing society in digital networks, where an individual’s freedom, cultural self-identification, and opportunities for self-realisation in a virtual environment are perceived differently. Exploring different communication styles in the digital revolution period, the authors highlight such features as its independence, emotional and intellectual openness, focus on innovations, and formation of new intellectual capabilities of the individual in the Internet space – the factors that contribute to the formation of identity, self-esteem and intrinsic values, tolerance, global orientation, social and civic responsibility. This proves that humanitaristics in the 21st century is acquiring new qualities of transdisciplinarity and a new ideological status making it possible to explore human existence in the cardinally changing global landscape.

The varieties of vitality: A cross-cultural lexical analysis

Vitality has been underappreciated and underexplored by academia at large. This oversight is potentially explained by the Western-centric nature of most fields, with vitality having been comparatively neglected in the West relative to elsewhere. One explanation for this lacuna is that vitality is not easily pigeonholed within the ontological categories dominant in the West, such as mind and body. This paper therefore aims to learn from cultures that have cultivated a greater understanding of vitality, doing so by engaging with relevant ‘untranslatable’ words (i.e., those without exact equivalent in English), thus enriching our conceptual map of this topic. Over 200 relevant terms were located and analyzed using an adapted form of grounded theory. Three themes were identified, each with four subthemes: spirit (life force, channels, soul, and transcendence); energy (fortitude, channeling, willpower, and recharging); and heart (desire, passion, affection, and satisfaction). The paper thus refines our understanding of this important topic and provides a foundation for future research.

Who are the religious “dones?”: A cross-cultural latent profile analysis of formerly religious individuals.

Who are the religious “dones?”: A cross-cultural latent profile analysis of formerly religious individuals.

The Chinese Dream as Cultural Myth: A Narrative Analysis of President Xi Jinping's Speech

The Chinese Dream is the most important national narrative in Chinese political discourse. Existing studies have mainly focused on its political implications or diplomatic influences. However, limited study has been done to examine the narrative structure and mythic natures of the Chinese Dream. This study provides a cross-cultural analysis of the Chinese Dream narrative, revealing the significant role of the collective hero and the dynamics of a dual protagonist that are deep-rooted in the Chinese cultural and historical context. The analysis of the Chinese Dream has important implications for understanding the significance of cultural dimensions in narrative criticism.

A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Medicinal Plant Utilization among the Four Ethnic Communities in Northern Regions of Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Medicinal plants are utilized around the globe for the treatment of a wide range of ailments. This study is an attempt to document the utilization of medicinal plants across the four different cultural groups residing in the rural and remote villages of the northern districts of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. To gather information related to medicinal plants and health care practices among the local folk, field surveys were conducted from February 2018 to May 2021. The ethnomedicinal information was gathered through semi-structured interviews and group discussions. During the study, a total of 109 plant species belonging to 35 families were recorded as commonly utilized by the local population, with Asteraceae reported as the dominant family. The most common growth form was herbs, with a percentage contribution of 86%. Leaves (38%) were the most commonly used plant part for the preparation of traditional remedies, and most of the remedies were prepared as paste and applied topically. The highest use value of 0.30 was reported for Capsella bursa-pastoris. Greater similarity (14% species) in the usage of plants was shown by Bakerwal, Gujjar, and Pahadi ethnic groups, whereas the least similarity (1%) was observed between Bakerwal and Kashmiri ethnic groups. Based on the results obtained in the present study, further phytochemical and pharmacological analysis of plants is recommended to confirm the efficacy and safety of the remedies used and to possibly elucidate candidates for the development of new drugs.

The Effect of Cultural Descriptive Norms on Financial Systems: A Cross-Cultural Analysis

We investigated the effect of descriptive, cultural norms on national financial systems by comparing the incentive for achievement and risk-aversion attributes of 32 different nations’ cultures. Multiple regression analyses showed that performance and future orientation positively relate to market capitalisation, but institutional collectivism and uncertainty avoidance negatively correlate. Performance orientation boosted market capitalisation, but institutional collectivism, whereas uncertainty avoidance hindered it. We could not find any relationship between the cultural norms and the bank deposit ratios. Two steps scatter plot analysis showed clusters between cultural norms, bank deposit, and future orientation norms.

Dekodierung der Implizitheit des wertenden Urteils in Komplimenten (am Beispiel der cross-kulturellen Analyse von Gesprächen in männlichen geschlechtshomogenen Gruppen)

AbstractDecoding the implicitness of evaluative judgment in compliments (based on the cross-cultural analysis of conversations in male gender-homogeneneous groups). In this paper, the implicit (anti)compliments within male gender-homogeneneous groups are examined in a contrastive way. After reviewing some findings to the implicit compliments, the paper deals with a case study referring to decoding of implicit positive evaluative judgment, which constitutes a primary illocution of the compliment. The following study examines whether there are certain differences and similarities in the frequency, subject matter and phonological design of implicit (anti)compliments in [the] groups of males with different cultural backgrounds. The study also shows whichcontextualization cuescan contribute to the decoding of the negative evaluative statement in implicit anticompliments.

Ethnobiological Uses of Plant Species among the three Ethnic Communities in the Administrative District (Kupwara) of Jammu and Kashmir-India: A cross-cultural Analysis

Introduction: In the valley of Kashmir-India, use of flora is not only prioritized over fauna species to get against health disorders but plays a vital role in the cultural aspects. The uses of herbs, particularly those that have a scientific basis as remedy of minor illnesses are progressively appreciated across the modern world. Methods: The present study was conducted from March 2019 to August 2021 for the collection of medicinally important plants and related traditional knowledge in the frontier administrative district (Kupwara) of Kashmir- India. A simple stratified sampling using semi structured interviews followed by group discussions was employed to achieve the goal. Results: A total of 53 plant species belonging to 36 families, with Asteraceae as the dominant family (11%) were recorded. The most dominant life form used in the treatment of various ailments were herbs with 42 species (79%), followed by trees (6 species, 11%), shrubs (3, 6%), ferns and fungi (1 species each). Roots were most frequently used (39%), followed by leaves (21%), tuber, stem latex, whole plant (5% each), wood, fruits (3% each), fruit, bark, seed, fruiting body, twig and whole frond (2% each). The ICF (Informant Consensus Factor) values ranged from 0.95 to 0.98, and the highest ICF was recorded for gastrointestinal disorders, liver diseases, bone and joint disorders, dental diseases and kidney problems (0.98 each), while as the lowest values of ICF were recorded for ethno-veterinary diseases (0.95). Gastro-intestinal disorders were treated with most species (22%). Highest Use Value (UV) was recorded for Artemisia absinthium while lowest values of UV were recorded for Eryngium billardieri. A cross-cultural comparison of plant resources shows that 41 plants were commonly used by all ethnic groups. Upon the similarity of usage, Gujjars and Bakarwals (26%) showed greater similarity, whereas the least overlap was observed between Kashmiri and Bakarwal (9%). Cluster analysis yielded two primary clusters, cluster first included the plant species with medicinal (Med) attributions and Cluster 2 comprised the species with a variety of attributions like food, fodder, spice, black magic (bla-mag); herbal tea (her-tea) and fuel wood (fue-wod). The highest FUV (Family Use Value) was reported for Pinaceae (0.49) followed by Asteraceae (0.47) and Polygonaceae (0.46). The results in this study have listed some of the medicinal plants like, Rhodiola fastigiata, Lilium polyphyllum, Betula utilis and Anagallis arvensis reported for the first time with traditional usage. Conclusion: The present study reveals the importance of the plants across the frontier administrative district (Kupwara) of Kashmir- India. The use of local plants for medicinal purposes and other traditional uses are being practiced from generations; in this regard species with high UV can be bio-profiled for the possible elucidation of some novel molecule with potent medicinal attribution. Keywords: Plants, medicinal, Use Value, cross-culture

Cross-cultural analysis of a new indicator which measures the degree of Islamophobia social awareness

There is ample evidence documenting the problem of Islamophobia (discrimination and racism against the Muslim community). However, the extent to which the European population is aware of this injustice has not exhaustively been assessed. The aim of this research was to measure in a valid and reliable way the degree of social awareness of Islamophobia in four European countries: Spain, France, United Kingdom and Germany. The sample consisted of 1846 volunteers from these countries. All of them answered a structured protocol on social awareness called Degree of Islamophobia Recognition (DIR). Several cross-cultural analyses based on the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) technique, the ordinal alpha coefficient and the Greatest Lower Bound (GLB) were applied to analyze the dimensionality of the DIR and its reliability. Six sex-differentiated population scales were made based on derived typical scores (TS). The results revealed that the DIR consisted of two cultural dimensions: perceived vulnerability and connection. Both dimensions explained between 51% and 61% of the variance in all countries. Reliability coefficients were acceptable in all cases (>0.7). We propose that public policies combat Islamophobia considering these dimensions and taking into consideration the thresholds of the derived PTs to identify in which regions or social groups these intervention policies are needed.