Cultural Marginalization Research Articles

Quality of Life among the Sámi Population

Abstract Introduction The Sámi, indigenous to Northern Europe, maintain rich traditions like reindeer herding and unique languages. Continuous efforts are made to preserve their cultural identity and practices. Systemic barriers, including cultural marginalization and environmental challenges, exacerbate these inequalities, impacting their ability to preserve traditional lifestyles. It is not known, until now, how this impacts Quality of Life (QoL). Aims Describe QoL in the Sámi population in Norway Methods In 2019/20, the three northernmost Counties in Norway took part in the Norwegian Counties Public Health Surveys (NCPHS), which also has a comprehensive QoL module (comprises subjective and objective measures, Cantril scale). NCPHS is an internet-based survey. On average 25 % of the adult population was invited to participate in the NCPHS. Results Being Sámi was through self-identification, n = 3312. Satisfaction with Life was 7,34 versus 7,41 for the general population. For Loneliness, 15,9 % percent of the Sámi were characterized as lonely (score 6-10) versus 13,3 %, and for positive emotions, there was no difference, with a score of 6,69 for both groups. Sex, age and educational gradients are similar to the general population, for all measures. Minor differences were found according to if one lived in a Sámi-majority municipality or not. Conclusions Overall, being Sámi is associated with slightly lower QoL on several measures, but effect sizes are general small to insignificant. Due to lack of data on the Southern Sámi population, findings cannot be generalized to all Sámi. Key messages • Overall, being Sámi is associated with slightly lower QoL on several measures, but effect sizes are general small to insignificant. • Due to lack of data on the Southern Sámi population, findings cannot be generalized to all Sámi.

Cultural Solidification and Group Marginalization in Hollywood Films

Cultural Solidification and Group Marginalization in Hollywood Films

Effects of climate change on migration in Latin America and Caribbean: a scoping review

Climate change-induced natural disasters such as hurricanes, landslides, forest fires, and changes in precipitation directly affect rural sectors that depend on field production and other dimensions of everyday life. This generates the mobilization of people from their homes to safer places within the same country or across borders. There is a lack of information on the impacts of climate change on environmental migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This scoping review aims to describe the scientific evidence of the health effects of climate change on migrant in LAC. The review was conducted using databases from PubMed, Web of Science (WoS), and Google Scholar in English, Spanish and Portuguese. After screening the title, abstract, and full text of identified hits (n = 726), 31 records were finally included. Evidence indicates that climate change relates to health and healthcare, psychosocial and infrastructure dimensions among migrants in LAC. Health effects refer to limited access to healthcare, underdiagnosis, increased susceptibility to diseases and mental health conditions like stress and anxiety. Psychosocial dimensions refer to a heightened risk of sexual and gender-based violence, social marginalization, family separation, and loss of identity and culture. Infrastructure refers to environmental degradation and agricultural and urban infrastructure destruction. Multiple adaptations to these conditions are described among migrant populations in the region. Recommendations for improvements are presented. This scoping review suggests climate change’s significant health, psychosocial, and infrastructural associations with migrants in Latin America.

Trapped Neighborhoods, Trapped Identities: Wadi Salib and Musrara Compared, 1949-1967

Using the concept of “trapped neighborhoods,” this paper focuses on two impoverished neighborhoods between the years 1949 and 1967 that were a symbol of Mizraḥi protest in Israel: Wadi Salib in Haifa and Musrara in Jerusalem. We consider their residents as not only people living in the margins of the city but also as communities that were trapped within the cultural, social and geographical margins on the border of the Arab existence and recent past, and the Jewish-Israeli present. While Musrara was “trapped” between a physical border in the Eastern-Arab part of the Jerusalem, and an imagined border on its western side, Wadi Salib was “trapped” between “upper” and “lower” Haifa, and between the Palestinian repressed past and the Arab-Jewish identity of its residents. The article examines both the nature of the borders and the mechanisms of crossing them.

Morphological, genetic and pathogenic variability among Botrytis cinerea species complex causing gray mold of strawberry

The necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea is capable of infecting more than 1400 plant species, encompassing both dicotyledons and monocotyledons. Recognized as the world's second most destructive fungal pathogen, B. cinerea is responsible for significant pre- and postharvest diseases, especially gray mold on a variety of economically important crops, vegetables, and fruits. This study focused on characterizing the variability of ten B. cinerea isolates from strawberry fruits harvested across various regions in Egypt. The differentiation among these isolates was evaluated through morphological, genetic, pathogenic, and biochemical methods. The isolates exhibited variation in cultural development, colony color, shape, margin, and texture. The study highlighted morphological differences in conidiophores, variations in conidia size, and sclerotia production on three different media. The ten Botrytis isolates have differed in mycelial growth rate and pathogenicity on strawberry fruits and positively correlated with oxalic acid production. Isolate B3 of B. cinerea was the most aggressive, while isolate B5 demonstrated the lowest. Two isolates of Botrytis represented the first occurrence of Botrytis species in Egypt, B. californica and B. eucalypti, which were identified using ITS sequencing and combined with morphological characteristics. They were also responsible for causing gray mold on strawberry fruits. These results are expected to greatly contribute to the knowledge of morphological and genetic variability in B. cinerea isolates, as well as offer valuable insights for the development of disease management strategies.

The Personal Identity of the Human Being and the Right to Privacy from the Perspective of Standards of the European Court of Human Rights: Theoretical Legal Reflections

Abstract This article seeks to present the problem of the personal identity of the human being as an important element of the right to one’s private life being respected. The presentation is from the point of view of the guarantees related to the establishment of standards for the protection of human rights by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Relevant for this reflection is the theoretical legal approach to this matter, with particular reference to the methods of interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights. The article discusses the problem of understanding personal and social identity in a cultural context related to group and individual axiology. It presents historical determinants of the ideology of approaching the status of the individual within the state and the general standards of the right to have one’s private life respected. Two key methods of interpretation for devising standards of protection, i.e. the evolutionary interpretation and the method of the cultural margin of assessment, are also analysed. Not only do these methods allow for taking changes in European social axiology into account, but they also allow for the distinctiveness of social axiology at the local level. From this perspective, an answer is given to the question, do the ECHR’s standards for the protection of the right to respect for private life serve to reinforce the personal identity of a human being?

IGBO DIASPORA SUSCEPTIBILITY TO WESTERN CULTURAL VALUES

Migration had always been integral to Igbo history during the Pre-Colonial, Colonial and Post-Colonial eras. However, the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War had maximally influenced the rate of International migratory behaviour among the Igbo orchestrated by the desire for greener pastures. The susceptible nature of the Igbo diaspora to Westernization has enormous economic, social, and cultural implications for Igbo society, such that Western civilization has taken precedence over Igbo values and culture. The high level of assimilation into Westernization has led to cultural marginalization, a situation that often presents a real dilemma to Igbo in the Diaspora. In this regard, curiosity comes to mind and raises some apparent paradoxes on why the Igbo, who so much cherished their culture at home, now neglect the same culture abroad. The objective of this paper is to examine the challenges that the Igbo Diaspora faces in the face of two conflicting cultures (Igbo culture and Western culture), especially in raising their children born in the Diaspora in traditional Igbo cultural values despite the ubiquity of the Western socialization process. The methodology adopted by the paper is a historical approach and qualitative approach comprising oral sources and semi-structured interviews gotten from the experiences of Igbo Diasporas who usually come home for one function or the other. The paper found that Western practices are fast gripping into the lives of many Igbo Diasporas. Based on this, the paper concludes by urging that the Igbo Diaspora should evolve a viable option and measures to retain their traditional culture while still living in the Western culture.

Colonial Entanglements and Ecological Power: Spice Commodification in Dune Movie

This study examines the themes of colonial entanglement and ecological power in the film Dune (2021), focusing on the commodification of the spice "melange" on Arrakis. Using postcolonial ecocriticism and cultural studies frameworks, it explores how the film portrays environmental exploitation and the marginalization of the indigenous Fremen. The analysis reveals how colonial powers, like House Harkonnen and House Atreides, dehumanize and oppress the Fremen, ignoring their ecological knowledge and cultural significance. By drawing parallels to real-world colonial histories, the study highlights the film's critique of environmental degradation and cultural marginalization. It underscores the importance of recognizing indigenous knowledge and rights for sustainable and equitable resource management. This interdisciplinary approach provides insights into the ongoing relevance of colonial power dynamics and resource commodification in contemporary society.Keywords : Dune, Ecocriticism, Colonialism, Exploitation, Cultural Marginalization

The Existence of Women's Da’wah in the Dominance and Marginalization of Patriarchal Culture

The Existence of Women's Da’wah in the Dominance and Marginalization of Patriarchal Culture

Transcending Boundaries: The Role of Literature in Challenging Social Norms and Redefining Perspectives on Migration and Cultural Marginality Through the Works of Halaby, Lahiri, and Hamid

This study aims to examine the transformative power of literature in challenging prevailing social norms and reshaping perspectives on migration, alterity, and cultural marginalization. Focusing on the novels Once in a Promised Land by Layla Halaby, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, and Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, the analysis examines the representation of the individual Other, challenging stereotypes, and highlighting the characters’ personal and political traumas. The concept of nowhereness, which stands for the emotional and psychological state of migrants moving in unfamiliar cities, is explored, highlighting the paradoxical experience of simultaneous death and rebirth. The characters in these novels are in a deep state of emptiness, serving as “citizens in waiting and deportees in waiting.” Their experiences in the liminal space of waiting are closely intertwined, creating a shared temporal landscape that enriches the exploration of the complexity of migrants. In this regard, the authors challenge the conventional tactics of silencing voices and concealing images to transform the harrowing ordeals of the Other into a powerful means of social introspection. The authors engage with Western hegemony and imperialism, seeking to inspire understanding and admiration for subaltern cultures that are marginalized by the Western world.

Queer immigrants’ performative identity and cultural marginality in the context of queering ESL education

Abstract This qualitative study analyzes three gay Chinese immigrants’ experiences and perspectives regarding English hegemony, internalized oppression, and sexual identity using language ideology, social positioning, and performativity. The findings show that speaking English still determines one’s proximity to American culture, and language ideology affects attitudes towards one’s own culture and language. In particular, the study demonstrates a triple marginalization in which participants are more or less marginalized because their inherited American values clash with their marginality, and at the same time, because of their negative experiences with local gay communities and rejection from their own culture, they feel alienated, displaced, and immobile as a result. Additionally, English learning and interacting with LGBTQ content contribute to their language acquisition, sexual identity transformation, and activism development. Queering ESL education is needed because English learners inherit oppressive English ideologies and show discrimination towards other marginalized groups. As a gateway to American society and cultures, ESL classes present opportunities to raise awareness and challenge hegemonic discourse. Furthermore, ESL classrooms can also be powerful places for queer students whose cultures provide little or no validation of their sexuality to cultivate their cultural competence and affirm their place within society.

THE KAMTAPUR MOVEMENT AND THE CALL FOR A DIVIDED STATE IN NORTH BENGAL

The Kamtapur movement is a socio-political movement that originated in the northern part of West Bengal, India, and it has significant historical, cultural, and political dimensions. This demand is embedded in a distinct cultural and historical identity, tracing back to the ancient kingdom of Kamata. The movement, rooted in ethnic identity and historical grievances, reflects the aspirations of the Rajbongshi community, predominantly inhabiting this region. The demand for a separate state or autonomous region, termed Kamtapur, arises from perceived injustices, including economic disparity, cultural marginalization, and political underrepresentation. Furthermore, the Kamtapur movement intersects with broader issues of identity politics and regional autonomy within Indias federal structure. The Rajbongshi communitys quest for recognition and empowerment within the framework of Indian democracy amplifies the movements significance. Over the years, the movement has witnessed various forms of agitation, including peaceful protests, political lobbying, and, at times, violent clashes. This study covers the historical background of the Kamtapur movement and the various factors that led to the movements demand in North Bengal. It also looks at the dynamics shaping the movement today, such as political mobilization, cultural resurgence, and socioeconomic difficulties. Additionally, it examines the role of various stakeholders, such as political parties, and the state government, in either fuelling or addressing the movements grievances. Our analysis shows that the Kamatapur movement is currently revolving around three main issues i.e. more militant political-cultural demands expressed through violence, moderate political demands for autonomy, and cultural demands for recognition. The movement has received some attention from regional political parties recently, especially during election seasons, as they try to win over the Kamtapuri community. However, neither the Indian government nor the state authorities have accepted their demand for a separate state.

Global Threads, Unveiling Unevenness: Contemporary Maximalist Projects Interrogating Cultural Hybridisation and Marginality

Global Threads, Unveiling Unevenness: Contemporary Maximalist Projects Interrogating Cultural Hybridisation and Marginality. Within a frame that emphasizes the tension between the global and the local, this paper aims to investigate the ways in which complex narratives that incorporate the tropes of migration, periphery, and marginality, amongst others, can bring to light aspects of unevenness and cultural and formal hybridisation. Works like Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, or Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other employ distinct maximalist modes of inquiry (Nick Levey) to question topics related to inequality, cultural relevance, or representational biases, in a type of novel about which James Wood claimed that it “suffered from an excess of storytelling and an almost paranoid preoccupation with linking up their many subplots in a web of forced meaning.” What stands at the core of this article is precisely this impulse to force a meaning which seems most frequently disrupted by an anarchetypal propensity to renegotiate a “rhetoric of inclusivity” (Franco Moretti) through which the maximalist author tries to exhaustively encompass the whole world (Levey). By selecting a corpus of maximalist novels to illustrate their evolution from the second half of the 20th century until more recent works, such as Evaristo’s, this paper investigates the shift through which these narratives have started to factor margins in, differently and more frequently than in the beginnings of this literary form. Keywords: Maximalist Novels; Hybridisation; Migration; Periphery; Marginality; Anarchetype; Postmodernism.

“Nilai-nilai Bawah Tanah:” Tinjauan Antropologis Tentang Anarkisme Dalam Paradigma Cultural Studies di Kalangan Anak Muda Kota Makassar

The anarchist punk subculture started with a spirit of resistance, but unfortunately the popular culture that absorbed this subculture has caused it to lose its resistance essence. Despite its spirit, the subculture has been integrated into the very system it previously resisted. This article focuses on the ways in which young people in Makassar City consume "underground values" and their anarchic forms of expression in adopting these values through creativity, especially in the form of music. This research uses Critical Ethnography as a cultural research approach that uses a critical paradigm, which criticizes and offers solutions to cultural injustice, marginalization, exploitation, and subordination. The Cultural Studies paradigm highlights conflicts, interests, and power in culture. The informants in this article are young people who join a group that consumes "underground values" on a daily basis. The data collection techniques used in this research are through interviews and participatory observation used in the context of qualitative research because it allows researchers to directly observe the actions, attitudes, and atmosphere that exist. The informants in this study were determined by purposive sampling with reference to the following criteria: Young people who join subcultures that consume “subteterranean value” and express them in their daily lives. The results show that political norms and culture influence individual experiences, even encouraging adaptation to expectations that may conflict with personal desires. The transformation of subcultures and "underground values" that originally focused on resistance to the dominant culture, but later integrated into the structure of the dominant culture. The influence of the dominant culture creates alienation and inequality, limiting the freedom of individuals to shape their identity. "Underground values" are a form of alternative and counterculture to the dominant culture, reflecting strong values of collectivism and anti-hierarchy. Despite the transformation, the essence of underground values continues to criticize capitalism and conventional norms in society. This subculture continues to offer a space for expression, despite the pressures and changes that occur over time.

Black Epistemologies and Music: A Dialogue with Emicida's Sobre crianças, quadris, pesadelos e lições de casa

Abstract: The arts have consistently been interlocutors for Black scholarship in the humanities. Poetry, literature, and music are sources of knowledge for theorizing social realities. This relates to two elements: (a) an epistemology that values the production and spread of oral, subjective, and aesthetic forms of knowledge; (b) the systematic exclusion of Black people from academic spaces, especially in Latin American contexts, which encourages alternative practices of reflection and registry. Many artists actively consider what is produced in the cultural margins to be a strong locus of political and intellectual creativity. In Brazil, the rapper Emicida has been trying to make his artistic projects catalysts for philosophical reflection. His album Sobre crianças, quadris, pesadelos e lições de casa resonates with Asian, African, Black Atlantic, and Latin American sources of knowledge including religious practices, pop culture, and philosophy. It discusses themes such as love, race, racism, history, family, environmental crisis, and work relations through the combination of musical styles from Brazil, specifically, and the Black Atlantic, more generally. This article establishes a dialogue with the theories and debates suggested by this album, thus situating its contribution to Black scholarship and epistemology.

The Syndrome of an Emigrant: Memory, Trauma, Longing, and Loss in the Art of Józef Czapski

This article addresses the multilayered thematic area focused on the impact of trauma, caused by war and political oppression, on the attitudes of artists who followed combat trails and migration routes to ultimately settle far from their homeland. What I consider particularly challenging in this field of study is to find an answer to the question: why did some of the forcefully displaced artists manage to integrate with the art scene of their final destination, while others preferred to attain their position on the cultural margins of the new locality? The best exemplification of these complex issues is the biography of Józef Czapski (1896-1993), a Polish writer, essayist, art critic, and painter, who fought in the ranks of the Polish army on the fronts of World War I and World War II, and, eventually, permanently settled in France. I argue that it was the wartime and the hell of migration that caused Czapski’s inability to fully assimilate in the Parisian art world, and stimulated his aversion to avant-garde progressivism and innovative experimentation. My analyses reveal that his paintings epitomise remnants of collective and individual trauma, an overwhelming sense of loss, and a ‘residue’ of painful experiences resulting from expulsion and exile.

Longitudinal effects of sexual minority stigma on depressive symptoms among young men who have sex with men: Distinguish between and within person effects.

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) may experience high levels of sexual minority stigma (SMS) and depressive symptoms (DS) over the world and in China. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the longitudinal effects of SMS on DS of YMSM, especially focusing on YMSM and separating the between-person and within-person effects. This study aimed to fill the said gaps. Study data were derived from a prospective cohort of 349 YMSM from central China (Wuhan, Changsha, Nanchang), the baseline survey was started in 2017 with one follow-up visit every year. SMS and DS were measured three times using valid and reliable instruments. The cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and the random intercept CLPM (RI-CLPM) were used to examine the between-person and within-person concurrent and lagged effects, respectively. Findings of CLPM revealed bidirectional associations between SMS and DS over time. RI-CLPM suggested that at the between-person level, SMS was significantly associated with DS, echoing the results of CLPM. However, this reciprocal relationship has not been found at the within-person level. The associations between SMS and DS among YMSM at the population level is more significant than that at the individual level. We suggest that interventions should be against the adverse effects of cultural marginalization and systemic change the social concepts to reduce the amount of SMS in society.

Gandhian Intervention and the AFSPA in Northeast India: The Case of Irom Chanu Sharmila

Political violence and conflicts have been predominant features in Northeast India which comprises the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, and Sikkim. Resistances in many states arose to counter the perceived loss of land, demographic change, and political, cultural, and economic marginalization of indigenous communities. Some of the resistances had arisen due to the harboring of national visions by groups in Northeast India which were inimical to the visions held by those in the centers of power in the country. There have also been interventions, either official or unofficial or both to resolve these conflicts and violence. Some of these interventions are inspired by Gandhian principles of conflict resolution. This paper intends to provide an insight into one of the Gandhian interventions in Northeast India and discusses Irom Chanu Sharmila’s sixteen years long fast to have AFSPA repealed.

Geek nostalgia: The reflective and restorative defence of white male geek culture

During recent decades, geek culture has become increasingly visible, and the geek has left the cultural margins, becoming more popular than ever. At the same time, nostalgia has emerged as a central component of geek culture. Framed by a post-structural understanding of gender and race and drawing on cultural theorist Svetlana Boym’s distinction between reflective and restorative nostalgia, this article explores how and why geeks nostalgically long for a time when they were largely marginalized. We combine readings of Swedish online geek podcasts and YouTube channels with ethnographic visits to geek conferences and pop-cultural “geek fairs,” such as Comic Con and SciFiWorld. We argue that geek nostalgia represents a clinging on to a “constitutive wound,” allowing the geek figure to mobilize masculine victimhood in ways that simultaneously underpin geek privilege and allow the geek to continue operating as a white male gatekeeper of geek culture.

Judiciary: The Protector of the Tribal Rights

Since its emergence after independence, the judiciary has played the role of protector of the Constitution. The framers of the Constitution have also made provision for the judiciary to discharge this role through various writs under Articles 32 and 226. To protect, promote and preserve the rights of the tribal communities various provisions are enacted in the Indian Constitution. The development of tools like Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by the judiciary in the late 70s has significantly contributed to the protection of public interests. In protecting the constitutional and fundamental rights of the helpless, deprived and displaced tribals, the judiciary has interpreted the constitution's right to equality under Article 14-18, right to liberty and livelihood under Article 19, right to life under Article 21, right to religious freedom under Article 25-28 etc. according to the times and circumstances. Through judicial activism and public interest litigation, the judiciary has provided justice to all the underprivileged, exploited, victims and poor of the country who did not have access to the courts. According to the 2011 census, there are about 8% tribal communities in the country. This community is not only uneducated but also an economically weaker section of the society. Most importantly, this tribal community is also the most affected by liberalisation and developmental works. Governments not only displace this community to exploit natural resources but in many cases neglect to allocate compensation. There are many cases where even after decades, the work of rehabilitation and resettlement has not been completed. In such cases, it is only due to the intervention of the judiciary that the deprived and displaced people can get justice. In many cases, after the decision of the judiciary, the development projects have been stopped and the rehabilitation works of the displaced people have been completed. Due to the socio-economic, cultural and political marginalisation of the tribal communities, the Judiciary has adopted a positive approach towards these people while delivering the judgement according to the provisions made in the constitution. In this research paper, I will look into the cases related to the tribals with non-tribals, civil society organisations, the state which are called in the context while dealing with the tensions and conflicts by the judiciary in its judgements in the tribal areas.