Cultural Stereotypes Research Articles

Tayeb Salih's Season of Migration to the North: Investigating Stereotypes and the Dehumanizing Effects of Colonialism

Long before colonialism emerged as an imperial project, cultural stereotypes and myths have fed the Western discourse about the Orient. Even during the medieval ages and Renaissance period, the discourse about Muslims and Islam was deeply informed of the distorted images, fabricated views, and overgeneralizations rooted in racial and religious prejudices. These myths were popularized through European art and literature to construct a particular narrative later used to legitimize the imperial designs and economic control of the native people. The research views this dehumanization of people and the vicious cycle of psychological trauma as a direct result of colonial enterprises by imperial forces. Using anti-colonial theories and postcolonialism as a framework of the study and building on the works of anticolonial theorists like Fanon, Memmi, and Césaire, the research seeks to investigate how these dehumanized images form the core of imperial designs and how colonialism dehumanizes people, distorts perspectives, engenders alienation and perpetuates a cycle of psychological violence across cultures and regions.

Gender and Deterritorialized Identity

This article explores the immersive audio-visual and sculptural art installations in the 59th Venice Biennale (2022) of three transnational contemporary women artists with familial ties to former colonies and protectorates. The Afro-Caribbean artist Sonia Boyce, MBE, presented Feeling Her Way in the British National Pavilion, for which she won the Golden Lion, the biennale’s highest honor. Zineb Sedira, a Franco-Algerian artist who lives and works in Britain, exhibited Les rêves n’ont pas de titre (Dreams Have No Titles) in the French National pavilion. The Moroccan artist, Latifa Echakhch, who was raised in France and lives in Switzerland, represented Switzerland with Le Concert, a sculptural sound installation. Each of their multidisciplinary installations engages differently with the intersections of race, gender, and ethnicity to challenge cultural stereotypes and erasures—of women artists and histories of liberation struggles. This article introduces early works by each artist as a basis for understanding how their biennale projects are decolonial and feminist in order to argue that the deterritorialized may reterritorialize—create new spaces of enunciation—in and through culture. The Venice Biennale installations of Boyce, Sedira, and Echakhch bring light to intersections of present-day and historical politics and memory by engaging with identity—individual and collective—as constructed, negotiated, and always in flux. Their work is shaped by migration, displacement, refugee status, exile, and the frontier as site of obstruction and passage.

Considering hormones as sex- and gender-related factors in biomedical research: Challenging false dichotomies and embracing complexity

The inclusion of sex and gender considerations in biomedicine has been increasing in light of calls from research and funding agencies, governmental bodies, and advocacy groups to direct research attention to these issues. Although the inclusion of both female and male participants is often an important element, overreliance on a female-male binary tends to oversimplify the interactions between sex- and gender-related factors and health, and runs a risk of being influenced by cultural stereotypes about sex and gender. When biomedical researchers are examining how hormones associated with gender and sex may influence pathways of interest, it is of crucial importance to approach this work with a critical lens on the rhetoric used, and in ways that acknowledge the complexity of hormone physiology. Here, we document the ways in which discourses around sex, gender and hormones shape our scientific thinking and practice in biomedical research, and review how the existing scientific knowledge about hormones reflects a complex and dynamic reality that is often not reflected outside of specialist niches of hormone biology. Where biomedical scientists take up sex- and gender-associated hormones as a way of addressing sex and gender considerations, it is valuable for us to bring a critical lens to the rhetoric and discourses used, to employ a sex contextualist approach in designing experimentation, and be rigorous and reflexive about the approaches used in analysis and interpretation of data. These strategies will allow us to design experimentation that goes beyond binaries, and grapples more directly with the material intricacies of sex, gender, and hormones.

The Image of Transformation and Cognitive Flexibility

The article suggests to view the image of transformation as an idea, that affects cognitive flexibility (the ability to overcome responses or thinking that have become habitual and adapt to new situations). We may notice, that cultural stereotypes of thinking are partly predetermined by mythology. Myths represent our mind’s view of mental capabilities, the way our conscience interprets unconscious processes. The following describes the images of transformations in ancient Greek and Hindu mythologies as two points of view on psychic processes, letting us notice possibilities and limitations of transformation processes offered by Western and Eastern myths. Transformation is considered a basic task in Jungian theory. Today, the entire world mythology has become accessible due to globalization. The purpose of this work is to consider different versions of the transformation image, making it possible to enrich emotionally significant, archetypal symbols that are used in practice, as well as to think about which symbols and mythological images most accurately represent modern consciousness, today’s reality perception. The signs underlying the image of transformation in Eastern myths are compared with modern empirical data on physiology and psyche. Based on this comparison, it is suggested that modern knowledge on cognitive flexibility is closer to Eastern mythology.

A shifting language-scape

By engaging the literature of transnationalism and Latinx studies with that of multiliteracies, this article contends that the cultural and linguistic complexities experienced by Spanishspeaking populations in global cities can be better addressed by a multiliteracies framework. We argue that using multiliteracies to teach adult learners can challenge negative linguistic and cultural stereotypes in the classroom. We conducted a qualitative study with at-risk adult learners. Using a TV show, we developed a series of pedagogical interventions and exercises to encourage cultural and linguistic pride to mitigate pervasive negative stereotypes around Latinx in the US. We contend that the development of language policies needs to engage the linguistic and cultural complexities experienced by Spanish-speaking people within the diasporic communities of global cities. The study was conducted at Hostos Community College in the Bronx, NY. The study shows that our pedagogical interventions mitigate negative linguistic and cultural stereotypes.

The White Lotus TV Series Season 2: Deconstructing Italians Stereotypes

Modern mass media serve as both a "magic window" into the world and a "door" to new ideas. It is important to look at how the steady growth of media affects the way racial and cultural stereotypes are pushed forward. Stereotypes themselves can influence how people view facts and social events and one of many examples of stereotypes is Italian stereotypes. This study analyzes HBO's popular series, The White Lotus season two, employing Fairclough's model critical discourse analysis to deconstruct Italian stereotypes through the characters' portrayals. This study also examines the sociocultural aspect and physical appearances of the Italian characters portrayed by American television. The findings of this study show the physical portrayal of Italians mostly they have the same features and are known for their fashion sense and attention to appearance. Moreover, Italian characters are portrayed with speak loudly and having the urge to cause some disturbance. The last stereotype is quite expected but debatable, which is the portrayal of Italians being middle-class workers and mafia. This stereotype had some audience feeling disappointed and others pleased enough. Western films' mafia stereotypes could affect how people learn about the culture, and think all Italians are dangerous, poor, and do drugs. Mafias exist and should not define Italian identity, especially in mainstream media.

Signs of Everyday Life in Linguocultural Studies

The article is dedicated to the linguocultural analysis of the phenomenon of everyday life, which refers to the segment of ordinary culture that encompasses the present time. The sources of the study were V. V. Veresaev’s “Memories”, G. I. Uspensky’s essays “Customs of Rasteryaev Street”, S. A. Tolstoy’s diaries, Tula newspapers, and toponyms. The study was conducted using discourse, conceptual analysis, and linguocultural interpretation methods. Culturally marked signs of everyday life were identified, including determination by the present, orientation towards the usual and standard, and precedent character. It was found that everyday life is segmented depending on the interpreter’s qualities and properties. It reflects norms and prohibitions. It is shown that everyday life is ordinary, stable, and at the same time transient, reflects naive consciousness, and is filled with a large array of cultural attitudes, stereotypes, and scenarios. Everyday life forms the basis for evaluating which people follow based on the principles of “this is how it is done” and “this is how it should be”. The semiotic aspect is considered, represented by various human practices and sign sets that are familiar to them. Typical verbal texts expressing everyday life were identified, including memoirs, diaries, travel notes, and newspapers. It is concluded that everyday life is related to identity since it is perceived by the cultural subject as their own, understandable space.

‘After the fashion of Italy’: Richard Brome and Italian culture

AbstractThe article discusses Richard Brome's engagement with Italy and its cultural legacy in his corpus. Apparently, the playwright's interest in Italy does not seem particularly profound since his works offer several examples of well‐known and worn‐out cultural stereotypes. Nevertheless, at a closer look, the dramatist may be indisputably listed among the early modern English playwrights who were drawn to Italian culture, art and language. Brome's use of Italian settings and his references to Italy and its literary, cultural and theatrical tradition work as a vehicle for a form of political and moral ideology which reflects the concerns of his country in the 1620s and 1630s. As happened for many playwrights from the period, Italy became a screen for the projection of moral, political and social anxieties as well as a mirror to look at England from another perspective. The analysis of Brome's oeuvre offers a fresh and unexpected angle on an area dominated by Shakespearean criticism while re‐igniting the interest in a playwright who has been an understudied figure in the critical debate, despite his contribution to the development of the Anglo‐Italian discourse in the Caroline age.

Revisiting Littlewood : Cultural Stereotypes and Learner Autonomy at a Vocational College in Japan

Revisiting Littlewood : Cultural Stereotypes and Learner Autonomy at a Vocational College in Japan

OVERARCHING OVERTONES: ORACLES ON CAREER CHRONICLES OF WOMEN IN INDIAN HOTEL INDUSTRY

The hospitality sector has been witnessing tremendous changes of late in terms of gender diversity with the increased participatory role of women at all levels of the workforce. The global food and beverage, and lodging industries have been proactively getting women on board down the years, recognising their important role in enhancing visitor satisfaction translating into repeat visits. This trend is however more widespread and popular in developed countries. India’s unique cultural values, social traditions, conventional customs, gender stereotyping, conservative attitudes and religious beliefs have all been challenging age-old obstacles that have largely hindered the greater employment and integration of women in the hospitality sector’s labour market. It is only from the 1960s that the women workforce in the Indian precincts saw limited presence and then slowly grew in numbers. This analytical research paper actively seeks to explore and highlight the trajectory of women employees in the hotel industry. Accurate and objective data for this investigative analysis is obtained from several leading five-star hotels in Chennai. Insights into the hospitality sector are obtained through interaction with a number of women holding managerial positions. The gathered data is decoded, and variables that help it are extracted. This research study on the work trends, changing industry dynamics and administrative challenges encountered by women in the hospitality sector can help establish gender parity by promoting a greater number of women to join the ranks and raise the profile of women in the hotel industry.

CRIMEAN TRAVELOGUES BY LESYA UKRAINKA AND IVAN TRUSH: INTERMEDIAL PARALLELS

The Purpose of the Study is to present the results of the research on the artistic approaches undertaken by painter Ivan Trush and writer Lesya Ukrainka in capturing the multidimensional essence of Crimea. Both artists are prominent representatives of the Ukrainian modernistic culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They paid great attention to the representation of natural and cultural landscapes that inspired European artists. For the first time, the subject of analysis in the article is a comparison of the Crimean discourse by representatives of different art forms, which is the Novelty of the Study. The Мethodology. The topic is comprehended through intermedial interpretation, which involves examining how various artistic forms interact and influence one another. Additionally, the study employs elements of imagological analysis as a branch of comparative studies, delving into cultural images and stereotypes presented in the artists’ works. The Conclusions. The paper proves that Lesya Ukrainka and Ivan Trush expanded the palette of national art with traveling motifs. The Crimean trips played an important role in shaping the creative personality of both authors. In several of their works, mirror impressions are captured through different art forms. Both Trush and Lesya Ukrainka proved to be masters of marine landscapes and mountain views. Both poeticized the exotic vegetation of the Crimea in their travelogues. The poet and painter discovered Crimean Tatar culture, which is represented by images of religious buildings and ethnic peculiarities of local people’s clothing. With their Crimean texts, Lesya Ukrainka and Ivan Trush significantly enriched the traditional picture of the Ukrainian world. The results acquired can serve as a foundational platform for subsequent scholarly inquiries into the intricate cultural interplay between Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar heritages, grounded in the analysis of visual and literary artistic expressions

Structural and cultural competencies in maternity care for ethnic minority and migrant women: practitioner perspectives from Aotearoa New Zealand

PurposeWith global migration, the number of ethnic minority and migrant women receiving maternity health care in dominantly Anglo-European societies has increased significantly but they consistently have among the worst pregnancy and maternal outcomes. This paper aims to analyse gaps in structural (migration-related inequalities) and cultural (responsiveness to ethno-cultural practices) competencies among maternal health practitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ).Design/methodology/approachUsing a semi-structured interview guide, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 maternal health practitioners in NZ. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis framework.FindingsThe results highlight significant barriers around language and communication, cultural stereotyping by professionals, ethnic women’s own constraints around family and cultural expectations and their lack of knowledge about reproductive health. In addition, practitioners’ own ethnic differences are inseparable from their approach to structural and cultural competencies; there were instances of ‘over-’ or ‘under-’ reading of culture, practitioner constructions of ideal pregnancies and anti-racism concerns that shaped maternal care practices that were sensitive to, but also marginalised, ethnic migrant women who attended maternity services.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the only study in NZ that examines the impact of complex dynamics of migration and culture on knowledge, beliefs and values of practitioners, in context of their own personal biographies. Identifying strategies to improve the way diversity is practiced in hospital settings can be transformational in improving maternal outcomes for ethnic migrant women in NZ.

Pro et contra of frontier interpretation of Sintashta antiquities (Bronze Age in the Southern Urals)

The practice of archaeological research often illustrates situations where the sum of facts does not corre-spond to the cultural-historical approach; it is impossible to squeeze this sum into the framework of the term “ar-chaeological culture”. Deviations from his canonical understanding of the term may relate to the duration of the phenomenon, its spatial distribution or the degree of stereotyping of material culture and rituals. The frontier can be one of the options for interpreting such non-standard groups of archaeological objects. The purpose of the study is to test the possibilities of using the concept for the interpretation of the Sintashta sites of the Bronze Age of the Southern Urals (the turn of 3rd — 2nd millennium cal BC) in the light of new data from a comprehensive study (paleogenetics, chronology, etc.). Sintashta settlements and cemeteries are located on the compact territory of the northern steppe: settlements in the Trans-Urals, the burial ground — on both sides of the Ural Mountains. Previous studies have accumulated a huge amount of data on all major aspects, but the general concept remains debatable. The new data comes from mass radiocarbon dating, which allowed to use Bayesian modeling. New data of mass radiocarbon dating confirm the brevity of the functioning of the Sintashta settlements and burial grounds, as well as the possibility of partial synchronization of this tradition with others. Paleogenetic analyzes (more than 50 samples) have shown the heterogeneity of the Sintashta population. Peleogenetic data made it possible to diagnose traces of a subtratian population absorbed by the main migratory group. In material culture, The evidences in material culture are not traced. The same data confirmed a special scenario for the formation of necropolises, weakly associated with the consanguinity of the buried individuals. Only 1/5 of the deceased turned out to be relatives of the first and second degree. The new data significantly complement the previously formulated crite-ria, which allow us to consider the group of Sintashta sites as a reflection of the situation of the frontier. The Sin-tashta society in the frontier was formed as complex society. But it did not have the prospect of forming statehood.

The International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation and Chinese Cultural Diplomacy during the Interwar Period

In the Interwar period, the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation (ICIC) of the League of Nations promoted international understanding and functioned as a cultural center for international communication. Chinese scholars and diplomats actively participated in the activities organized by the ICIC and utilized these as vehicles to establish broader international acknowledgment of China. The article argues that, in its role as a cultural center, the ICIC was not apolitical but shaped by different levels of political considerations. One important aim for Chinese scholars and diplomats had been to reconstitute the image of China in order to enhance its international status. Simultaneously, this reconstitution effort was also targeted towards domestic society. This article first focuses on Chinese diplomats’ attempts to fight for Chinese membership on the Committee of the ICIC. It then probes the negative aspect of this articulation, namely countering prejudices against China. The article considers how Chinese scholars had felt insulted by cultural prejudices and stereotypes and hence called for a new image of China. Finally, the article investigates the positive aspect of this articulation, namely the attempt to reconstitute a more favourable image of China, examining this reconstituted image and how it was disseminated within China.

Aesthetic transgression, writing pain, and the construction of female subjectivities: Joyce Ash’s Beautiful Fire

Joyce Ash’s Beautiful Fire focuses on womanhood and its thematization in multiple contexts. In this collection of poems, she presents a historical trajectory of the struggles of the woman for self-definition. Her exploration of the plight of womanhood sheds light on cultural stereotypes associated with such figuration as she seeks to contest and reconfigure female identity in new cultural and geo-political spaces. In this paper, I explore the meaning of the woman as writer as she ventures into forbidden masculine spaces and claims those spaces for herself. This sense of intrusion is indicative of female resistance and reinvention. I draw from the spirit of Ellen Kuzwayo’s biography Call Me Woman, incidentally the title of the first section of Ash’s collection, to establish a framework for analysis of the poems. I make the claim that the woman writer’s use of the pen to create new genres, the biography in verse, is a mechanism of resistance, self-definition and empowerment.

Substandard vocabulary in the sublanguage of the coal mining industry

The article is devoted to the multidimensional characterization of the substandard vocabulary of the sublanguage of the coal mining industry. The functional-semiotic and structural heterogeneity of sublanguage slang has been established on the concrete material of the modern miner's sublanguage. The stratification categories of substandard vocabulary (professionalisms, interprofessionalisms, quasi-professionalisms, professional jargonisms), lexico-thematic groups, functions are described in detail. Special attention is paid to the characteristics of the ways and sources of the formation of special vocabulary of the lower case of the miners sublanguage slang, the main ways of forming the analyzed vocabulary are described in detail: the creation of a formally new unit and various semantic changes of words. It is concluded that the emergence and functioning of a developed system of substandard vocabulary in the miners' sublanguage is associated with the action of two main trends: the tendency to nominativeness, due to the need to overcome lacunarity and linguistic redundancy, as well as the tendency to portability, imagery and expressiveness. The thesis is put forward and supported by linguistic material that the special vocabulary of the sublanguage slang of the coal mining industry, considered in the socio-cultural aspect, represents the linguistic embodiment of the world of a special professional subculture, demonstrates the peculiarities of perception of objects of the outside world, ways of interacting with them, cultural stereotypes, values, motives and attitudes common to representatives of this profession.

Santa’s Got a Gun: A Case Study of Cultural Stereotypes Embedded in a Map

In the 20th century, the General Drafting Company was one of the “Big Three” American road map makers. When it came to the Company’s Christmas card maps cultural biases overrode their commitment to accuracy and high standards. Starting in 1930, General Drafting produced a series of Christmas card maps that featured Santa Claus. Cultural and regional stereotypes are highlighted in the 1930s maps; the 1950s maps also reveal a prominent American nationalist worldview. Although Santa Claus generally serves as an avatar for the benevolent “Traditional American” who is generous and jolly, the Santa of General Drafting maps portray him differently. Santas are seen harvesting natural resources, hunting animals, and being shown deference by non-Americans while disparaging the Soviet Union. Most disturbingly, Santa is shooting a Native American in the back, and enslaving other Santas in Siberia. The abhorrent behavior is being cloaked by the kindly image of Santa Claus to make his (America’s) actions more palatable. These Christmas card maps are compelling and unique examples that illustrate how accurate cartography can be supplanted by deeply engrained cultural stereotypes and ideologies.

«Ведьмы» и «валькирии» хранителя древностей: к типизации женских образов в дилогии Ю. Домбровского

The aim of the study is to identify the ways of typification of female images in Yu. Dombrovsky’s duology “The Guardian of Antiquities” and “The Faculty of Useless Knowledge”. As a result of the analysis, it was found that typification takes place at three levels: mythological, socio-historical and at the level of mass culture. At the same time, all the levels are connected by the author’s consciousness, which is defined as archaeological and androcentric. The mythologisation of the artistic world of the duology is explained by the specifics of the “archaeological” type of consciousness as one of the variants of the author’s “self” presented in the text. It is found that the female characters in Dombrovsky’s duology are variants of the “witch” archetype, they have a connection with myth and ritual, they remain “prophetesses”, “maidens of fate”, creating written texts in social reality: complaints, protocols and denunciations. The typification of female images also occurs with the help of the stereotypes of contemporary mass culture individually processed by the author. The study is original in that it is the first to analyse the androcentric paradigm of world understanding and modelling in Yu. Dombrovsky’s duology, where male norms and scenarios of conduct in life are claimed to be universal. “Physicality” as sexuality becomes a criterion for evaluating female characters.

Биографический миф о Гайдне в интерпретации Стендаля и Жорж Санд

The article deals with the peculiarities of the interpretation of the Haydn myth in the French literature of the Romantic era ‒ Stendhal’s essay “Vies de Haydn, Mozart et Metastase”, 1814 and George Sand’s novel “Consuelo”, 1843. It is shown how the invariant of the biographical myth is adjusted ac-cording to individual creative attitudes and existing cultural and artistic stereotypes. Stendhal, remaining within the established biographical invariant, emphasizes Haydn’s ingenuity and tenacity, discipline, natural optimism and devotion to his work. He sees in Haydn’s melodicism a manifestation of talent, free from the restrictive rules of counterpoint. At the same time, the life story of the composer is an opportunity not only to express his idea of music as the most unformal form of art, but also to try on the fate of the artist-creator. George Sand’s Haydn is shown as the incarnation of the exemplary ideas of genius and in this sense is opposed to the protagonist – Consuelo. Like Stendhal, the writer actualizes those dominants of the biographical image which are concordant with her ideas of a creative personality. The novelistic Haydn is laborious, determined, unpretentious, good-hearted and fully devoted to music. These are the qualities that serve to ensure the artist’s inner free-dom. However, despite all the differences in creative strategies, both Stendhal and George Sand proceed from the biographical myth of Haydn which is rooted in the European cultural tradition and is based on the key seme “Papa Haydn” that conceptually determines the composer’s creative manner, character, lifestyle and way of social interaction, as well as his place in the musical landscape of the time.

From England to Austria and Croatia: Transfer of Technology and Strokes of Fate

In The Waterfalls of Slunj (1963), Heimito von Doderer constructs an exceptionally diverse and character-rich novel which takes place in the decades around the year 1900 in Vienna and various other locations in the Habsburg Monarchy, including Croatia. The plot is set in motion by an English industrialist who decides to set up a plant to produce agricultural machinery in Austria. However, it does not honor its initial promise of a long-winded portrayal of economic, social and political circumstances; Doderer’s concern seems to demonstrate superordinate, fateful correlations pointing the characters’ “cluelessness and diffidence” regarding “the fate of others” (Schmidt-Dengler). Even though the novel focuses on private, everyday occurrences, numerous references to contemporary developments in the history of mentalities, the judicial and economic systems, as well as in engineering and technology suggest that the coordinates of its narrative universe are construed in accordance with the historical reality. In this respect, it discusses not only the conditions specific to the so-called ‘Austrian version of capitalism’, but also its repercussions for the imperial periphery and, by extension, for Croatia. However, through an uncritical portrayal of relationships of dominance in line with those actually present in the Habsburg Monarchy, the author delineates the “Other” according to preconceived cultural stereotypes. Consequently, the novel can be read as a retrospectively oriented utopia, in which the positive representation of the Habsburg Empire and the omission of political history point to Doderer’s discontent with his own and Austria’s Nazi past.