Cultural Activities Research Articles

SUITABILITY OF CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC LIBRARY SPACES TO USER NEEDS AND PURPOSES: A CASE STUDY OF ERZURUM

The library is a societal institution that hosts printed and electronic information sources and facilitates access to these resources when needed. One type of library, public libraries, is an important institution for the education and development of society. Public libraries serve as places where individuals, regardless of age and level, can benefit from library services free of charge, borrow and read books, as well as venues for various social and cultural activities such as conferences, exhibitions, and presentations. In this regard, why public libraries are generally preferred by users has been a subject of curiosity. The changing technology and lifestyle over time have also changed the purposes of library use and users' expectations from the library. The aim of this study is to determine the purposes of use of public libraries today by identifying the purposes of use of libraries. In this context, the "Erzurum Ismail Saib Sencer Provincial Public Library" and "Kazim Karabekir Public Library" in Yakutiye district of Erzurum were selected as the study area. Face-to-face survey was conducted with a total of 110 library users in two libraries, and 100 surveys were evaluated. The survey form was prepared with multiple-choice and Likert scale questions. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using the SPSS 23 program. Frequency, percentage distribution, and arithmetic mean values were used in the evaluation of the data. In light of the obtained data, the relationship between the areas occupied by library sections within the building and the purposes of use by the public was analyzed. As a result of the evaluation, recommendations were made on which areas of the library should be developed and in which areas the public should be directed more based on the needs of the users.

Theoretical substantiation of aspects of physical culture, health and health-preserving activities of the individual

Physical education, health improvement and health-preserving activities are closely related and intertwined, since they are aimed at achieving and maintaining a person’s physical, mental and social well-being. Preserving and strengthening public health is an important task not only for individuals, but also for society as a whole and any modern state. This is facilitated by a healthcare system whose main goal is to improve the health and well-being of the population by providing comprehensive, high- quality and accessible care to all people, thereby ensuring the sustainability of the development of the country as a whole. Maintaining health at the individual level presupposes the choice of such forms of activity that contribute to the preservation and strengthening of human health. This choice is determined by the level of a person’s culture, acquired knowledge and life attitudes, such as: maintaining an optimal movement regime, taking into account gender, age and physiological characteristics; balanced, regular, rational nutrition; cessation of self-destructive behavior: cessation of smoking, use of psychoactive substances, alcohol abuse; compliance with the rules of personal and public hygiene; compliance with the rules of psychoprophylaxis and psychological hygiene; increasing the level of medical knowledge, mastering the skills of self-monitoring of one’s own health. The article analyzes the scientific literature on preserving and strengthening the health of the population through physical education and health activities. The increased interest of scientists in this problem is due to the increased social demand for the formation of a value-based attitude among the population towards their own health; formation of motivation aimed at health-saving activities of each person through physical activity.

Challenging Norms and Practices in Women’s Beach Handball: The Bikini Debate

Since 1978, the Norwegian Act for Gender Equality has created a strong emphasis on the importance of equality in all parts of society. This implies equal access to all cultural and welfare activities and services—including sports. In the media, we often see strong reactions to examples of discrimination based on gender, such as during the 2021 European Beach Handball Championship, when the Norwegian women’s beach handball team was fined by the European Handball Federation for refusing to play in bikini bottoms during their final matches. Media attention was given to the ensuing international outrage, which included well-known music artist Pink offering to pay on the team’s behalf in a gesture of solidarity. In November 2021, the sport’s International Federation agreed to allow women to compete in a similar uniform to men. This study analyses Norwegian newspaper coverage of the responses from Norwegian women athletes, politicians, and the international sports/media community from July 2021 to March 2022. It also provides an opportunity to determine to what extent the media framed and participated in calls for change.

«Печально зимой в Булуне»: А. В. Боголепов о повседневности заполярной Якутии в 1913–1916 гг.

Goals. The article introduces an unknown manuscript by A. Bogolepov titled ‘Bulun Village of Verkhoyansk District (Yakutsk Oblast)’ and compiled during an exile to the isolated Arctic locality of Yakutia. The narrative was written before the revolutionary events of 1917 and is of certain interest since it lacks any political bias, being characterized by restrained neutrality and sufficient depth of observations over everyday realias of the small northern settlement. A. Bogolepov’s text is attractive for the breadth of issues covered, its consonance with the social and cultural problems faced by the era and discussed by the advanced public. So, it seems reasonable enough to publish the identified document for further discussion in an interdisciplinary perspective. Materials and methods. The manuscript was discovered at the State Archive of Irkutsk Oblast (Coll. 293 ‘East Siberian Department of the Russian Geographical Society’). Furthermore, in search of additional data on the former’s author we investigated the State Archive of Altai Krai (Barnaul), State Archive of Krasnoyarsk Krai (Krasnoyarsk), National Archive of Sakha-Yakutia (Yakutsk), Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow) and its St. Petersburg Branch, and the efforts have yielded a variety of precious finds. The methodological basis rests on the principles characteristic of the field the researchers are actually engaged in — cryoanthropology. Results. The discovered materials open a previously unknown page in the Yakut pre-Soviet Northern studies. A. Bogolepov’s manuscript is rich in data on natural conditions, economic and cultural activities in the small remote settlement somewhat representing the polar world in miniature. The author highlights the interpenetration of Russian and Yakut cultures, mentions some specific local sociocultural phenomena resulting from the geographical location and climatic features. The long cold period — as is stressed by A. Bogolepov — shapes the entire life cycle of the settlement: it completely determines the functioning of the transport network, household and trade agendas, everyday life and leisure pursuits of locals. The isolation and scarcity of social activity, temporal and event-based ‘frozen’ everyday life of the northern society are emphasized. The manuscript is an important source for the research of cryoanthropology, and also contains valuable information on Yakutia’s socioeconomic and cultural history throughout the early decades of the twentieth century.

The delivery of creative socially prescribed activities for people with serious mental health needs during lockdown: Learning about remote, digital and hybrid delivery.

Social prescribing interventions connect mental health service users to community resources, to support physical and mental wellbeing and promote recovery. COVID-19 restrictions impacted the delivery of socially prescribed activities, preventing face to face contact for long periods. The aim of this study was to understand how Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations working with a local NHS mental health Trust responded to the challenges of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This understanding will be used to make recommendations for future practice, post-lockdown. Using a convergent mixed methods design, we surveyed VCSE providers of socially prescribed activities intended to be accessible and appropriate for people with severe mental health needs. Follow-up interviews explored further how they adapted during the first year of the pandemic, the challenges they faced, and how they sought to overcome them. The survey and interview data were analysed separately and then compared to identify convergent and divergent findings. Twenty VCSE representatives completed the survey which provided a snapshot of changes in levels of connection and numbers reached during lockdown. Of 20 survey respondents, 11 participated in follow-up interviews. Interviews revealed that lockdown necessitated rapid change and responsive adaptation; activities were limited by resource, funding, safeguarding and government restrictions; no single format suited all group members; connection was key; and impact was difficult to gauge. VCSE organisations commissioned to deliver creative socially prescribed activities during the pandemic rapidly adapted their offer to comply with government restrictions. Responsive changes were made, and new knowledge and skills were gained. Drawing on experiences during lockdown, VCSE organisations should develop bespoke knowledge, skills and practices to engage service users in future hybrid delivery of arts, sports, cultural and creative community activities, and to ensure that digital activities offer an equivalent degree of connection to face-to-face ones. Additionally, more effective methods of gaining feedback about patient experience of hybrid delivery is needed.

영화를 활용한 다문화 학습에 대한 연구

Objectives This study emphasizes the usefulness of various films for multicultural learning and analyzes learners' perceptions of multicultural education through movies. Methods For this purpose, the research’s video media centered on Paddington, which helps pupils understand the process of adapting to other cultures, and Serial Bad Weddings, which highlights cultural differences between countries. The teaching procedure consisted of four stages: The cultural preparation stage, the cultural under-standing stage, the cultural organization stage, and the self-evaluation stage. Learners used a self-evaluation journal and responded to an open-ended questionnaire to determine their awareness and satisfaction with how cultural classes utilized films. Results The result revealed that learners were delighted with cultural classes employing multicultural media (83.7%). Specifically, the students cited the usefulness of cultural learning, media use, fun, and participation ac-tivities for their high satisfaction levels. Conclusions Task-oriented participatory activities using video media should be actively utilized during multi-cultural learning. Instructors should design participatory activities for multicultural education to engage learners.

On the Issue of Integration Education Kyrgyz Language and Kyrgyz Literature

The article describes the most fruitful culturally oriented integration techniques in the practice of teaching Kyrgyz literature and the Kyrgyz language. The importance of subject-integrated learning lies in improving the quality of education and students’ interest in learning. The areas of cultural and creative activity in language universities of Kyrgyzstan are considered. The significance of this study lies in the need for an integrated approach to explaining the practice of teaching and learning the Kyrgyz language. In teaching the Kyrgyz language, as in the modern context of globalization, the technology of integrated teaching of the Kyrgyz language and literature comes to the fore). This technology contributes to the formation of a holistic worldview. The authors of this work found that many topics in Kyrgyz literature correspond to the topics of the Kyrgyz language discipline and can be integrated. The importance of subject-integrated learning lies in improving the quality of education and students' interest in learning. Thanks to modern teaching methods, it can be concluded that teaching the Kyrgyz language in integration with literature will allow students to discover and understand the Kyrgyz culture.

Childhood and Midlife Cultural Awareness and Activity Engagement Among Korean Married Couples.

Cultural reproduction theory posits that cultural resources are transmitted across generations, suggesting early parental influences on cultural experiences in adulthood. Further, cultural resources may be transferred within the same generation-through significant others, such as spouses. This study investigates cultural engagement among middle-aged adults, focusing on individual and spousal influences of childhood cultural engagement. A sample of 1,271 couples (age 49-66) from the 2012 Korean Baby Boomer Panel Study and the Korean Forgotten Generation Study was analyzed. Each respondent reported the number of arts and cultural activities (e.g., paintings, literature, and classical music) and levels of perceived cultural engagement (i.e., cultural awareness) during childhood and at midlife. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIM) were estimated to examine how spouses' childhood and midlife cultural engagement were linked within couples. Findings showed that wives reported higher levels of activity participation and cultural awareness in childhood and midlife, compared to husbands. The APIM results indicated that beyond one's own childhood cultural engagement, spouse's childhood cultural awareness was associated with both levels of participation in arts and cultural activities (only for husbands) and cultural awareness (for both husbands and wives) at midlife. Cultural activities and awareness can be valuable assets to enhance overall well-being in later life. Given the cross-spousal associations in cultural engagement among Korean middle-aged couples, both spouses' cultural resources need to be considered for the design of interventions and policies to cultivate cultural competence and promote cultural engagement in adulthood.

Theme Exploration and Sentiment Analysis of Online Reviews of Wuyishan National Park

The study aimed to explore the relationship and interaction between humans and nature in specific areas. Latent Dirichlet allocation topic recognition and SnowNLP sentiment analysis were used to extract the topics and analyze the sentiments from visitors’ online reviews of Wuyishan National Park. The conclusions were as follows: (1) The tourists mainly expressed positive emotions toward Wuyishan National Park, and the tourists acknowledged its ecological environment and natural and cultural heritage value. (2) The tourists’ comments focused on four themes: tourism activities and facilities, natural and cultural heritage value, characteristic tourism products, and tourism management and services. Natural experience was the main tourism activity in Wuyishan National Park, while cultural activities were related to the tea culture. (3) The tourist facilities, ticket and reservation mechanism, and management and services of Wuyishan National Park were the main concerns of the tourists. The study suggested that Wuyishan National Park could be transformed from a tourist destination into a comprehensive national park that provides recreational experiences and environmental education. This should be conducted by (1) developing detailed natural and cultural education and experience products and (2) improving public service functions and enhancing the public welfare of the national park.

Activities of religious creeds in culture and education in the Bielsko poviat district in the years 1918-1939

The Bielsko poviat is known to have had a complex denominational situation. Key denominations of the region included Catholics, Protestants and Jews. In the city Bielsko itself lived followers of all three religions. The relations across the various religions of the region were heavily influenced by the nationalities of the population. In the inter-war period there were twelve Catholic parishes, four Protestant churches and one Jewish community in the Bielsko poviat district. The article presents the cultural and educational activities in the Bielsko poviat district in the years 1918-1939 against the backdrop of the above-mentioned religious groups.

An exploratory study on material deprivation and loneliness among older adults in Hong Kong

BackgroundPoverty, as a risk factor for loneliness, has been understudied, and there is a need to gain a better understanding of the relationship between poverty examined by material deprivation and loneliness among older adults in Hong Kong. It also aimed to explore the possible mediation and moderation effects of social support, social networks, neighborhood collective efficacy, and social engagement in the link between material deprivation and loneliness.Methods1696 Chinese older adults aged 60 years and above (Mage = 74.61; SD = 8.71) participated in a two-wave study. Older adults reported their loneliness level, material deprivation, perceived level of social support, social network, neighborhood collective efficacy, social engagement, and sociodemographic information. Logistic regression was conducted to examine the effect of material deprivation on loneliness, as well as the mediation and moderation models.ResultsThe results indicated that material deprived older adults reported a significantly higher level of loneliness 2 years later when controlling for demographic variables, health-related factors, and loneliness at baseline. We also found that engagement in cultural activities partially mediated the effect of material deprivation and loneliness. Furthermore, neighborhood collective efficacy and engagement in cultural activities were significant moderators that buffer the relationship between material deprivation and loneliness.ConclusionsOur results suggested the need to alleviate the negative impact of material deprivation on loneliness by developing interventions focused on promoting neighborhood collective efficacy and social engagement, which could be aimed at building meaningful bonds among Chinese older adults in Hong Kong.

ВЛАДИМИР КУЗЬМИН: СОЦИОКУЛЬТУРНЫЙ ОБЛИК СВЯЩЕННИКА

The object of the study is the personality of the missionary priest of the Minusinsk District Vladimir Kuzmin, the subject is his activity in the context of the concept of “sociocultural image”. Based on the biographical research method, the main aspects of V. Kuzmin’s life were studied. The paper sets the following objectives: to reveal the level of education of the priest, to analyze the situation in society, to study the main directions of cultural and educational activities, to outline the position during the First World War and the revolutions of 1917. Particular attention is paid to the activities of V. Kuzmin in the place of a missionary priest in Askiz parish. His merits in the field of combating drunkenness among parishioners and childhood alcoholism are noted. V. Kuzmin was particularly concerned about drunkenness among the non-Russian population. On his initiative and under his leadership, temperance societies and the Brotherhood of Prayer and Temperance were created in the name of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the Minusinsk District. The problem of drunkenness and alcoholism became especially urgent during the First World War. V. Kuzmin actively collaborated with the magazine “Yenisei Diocesan Gazette”. His publications on the pages of the magazine were always timely and devoted to topical issues in the daily life of not only parishioners, but also the population of the entire province. At meetings of diocesan congresses and pastoral and missionary meetings, he advocated a complete state ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages. As a missionary priest, he proposed specific measures to improve missionary activities. As a dean archpriest, V. Kuzmin was fruitfully engaged in social and political work. He was a member of the Minusinsk City Duma and a member of the District government. During the period of the revolutions of 1917 and the civil war, there was an evolution in the socio-political views and activities of the archpriest V. Kuzmina. He welcomed the February Revolution of 1917 and stood at the head of the Minusinsk group of the Labor People's Socialist Party. Missionary priest V. Kuzmin was an interesting, versatile personality who deserves further attention from researchers.

Systematic challenges and opportunities in insect monitoring: a Global South perspective.

Insect monitoring is pivotal for assessing biodiversity and informing conservation strategies. This study delves into the complex realm of insect monitoring in the Global South-world developing and least-developed countries as identified by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development-highlighting challenges and proposing strategic solutions. An analysis of publications from 1990 to 2024 reveals an imbalance in research contributions between the Global North and South, highlighting disparities in entomological research and the scarcity of taxonomic expertise in the Global South. We discuss the socio-economic factors that exacerbate the issues, including funding disparities, challenges in collaboration, infrastructure deficits, information technology obstacles and the impact of local currency devaluation. In addition, we emphasize the crucial role of environmental factors in shaping insect diversity, particularly in tropical regions facing multiple challenges including climate change, urbanization, pollution and various anthropogenic activities. We also stress the need for entomologists to advocate for ecosystem services provided by insects in addressing environmental issues. To enhance monitoring capacity, we propose strategies such as community engagement, outreach programmes and cultural activities to instill biodiversity appreciation. Further, language inclusivity and social media use are emphasized for effective communication. More collaborations with Global North counterparts, particularly in areas of molecular biology and remote sensing, are suggested for technological advancements. In conclusion, advocating for these strategies-global collaborations, a diverse entomological community and the integration of transverse disciplines-aims to address challenges and foster inclusive, sustainable insect monitoring in the Global South, contributing significantly to biodiversity conservation and overall ecosystem health. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.

The New Dutch Water Defense Line (Nieuwe Waterlinie): Preserving Historical Qualities in a Context of Very High Spatial Pressure

The New Dutch Water Defense Line (Nieuwe Waterlinie): Preserving Historical Qualities in a Context of Very High Spatial Pressure

Sand Talk: Process Philosophy and Indigenous Knowledges

Abstract Through a close study of T. Yunkaporta's 2019’s Sand Talk, this article explores fractal thinking and the pattern of creation in Indigenous cosmology; the role of custodianship in respectful interaction between living systems; alternative Indigenous understandings of nonlinearity, time, and transience; the process-panpsychism and animism present in Indigenous perceptions of cosmos as living Country, illustrated in the Dreaming and Turnaround creation event; the role of embodied cognition and haptic and situated knowledge in Indigenous science; Indigenous holistic reasoning and the mind-body connection; the process-relational metaphysic embedded in ritual and yarning practice; the knowledge encoded in place-based totemic mythology, lore, and ritual; and Indigenous understandings of complex systems as adaptive, self-organizing, and patterned. This article does not offer a process reading of Indigenous thought but rather demonstrates the significant contribution to process metaphysics that may be provided by an Aboriginal Australian perspective. Yunkaporta's text carves out a language of resistance to the McDonaldization of Indigenous research. While historic scholarly engagement with Aboriginal culture has overemphasized content, Yunkaporta demonstrates how this has occurred to the exclusion of the processes of Indigenous knowledge transmission and creation. Yet a process view requires engagement with the how, not only with the what. Such knowledge transmission is discerned in daily lived relationships among land, spirit, and people—binding epistemology to participation in a specific landscape embedded within a living culture. Place-making for Indigenous knowledges requires exploring how Indigenous ways of valuing, knowing, and being, shaped by cultural activities on Country, offer new understandings for Western metaphysics.

Strengthening character of cultural conservation through an android application containing public history for high school students in Indonesia

Introduction. The cultural heritage passed down by our ancestors to the next generation must be preserved. It is necessary to understand the history of the formation and development of the preservation of this cultural heritage to know its importance. Innovative methods are needed to increase the awareness and understanding of the younger generation regarding the history and conservation of cultural heritage. This research aims to analyze the strengthening of the character of cultural conservation when students learn history using an Android application with public history content. The public history content developed contains historical narratives of Semarang, as shown in videos. Information about the content is compiled using historical methods, including discussions about the importance of understanding historical heritage conservation for a society. Study participants and methods. This research involved 25 students in the experimental class and 25 in the control class to test the effectiveness of the Android application on students' cultural conservation characteristics. This research was conducted at SMA 5 Semarang (a High School) in Central Java Province, Indonesia. This school is one of the schools in the province with intense research activities. This study uses a quantitative research approach with quasi-experimental methods. The statistical method used is the Pearson chi-square test to evaluate the relationships between relevant categorical variables. Results. The results showed that high school students in the experimental group had a higher understanding and appreciation of public history and cultural conservation than students in the control group. The calculation results (χ² = 8,72; α < 0,05) conclude a significant relationship between the use of Android applications and interest in cultural preservation activities. So, the Android application is called DiHistory, developed to increase students' access to information on historical objects or buildings. This application was developed by the Research Center from the History Education Laboratory at Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia. The application is practical in increasing the interest and motivation of high school students to study public history and strive to participate in preserving the local cultural heritage. Practical significance. This research has practical significance in education and cultural preservation in Indonesia. Through the development of the DiHistory application, which contains public history, this research has been proven to strengthen the character of secondary school students by introducing and increasing their understanding of Indonesia's cultural heritage. This research also shows the impact on strengthening character, student involvement, understanding cultural preservation, and increasing awareness. This research combining these aspects, this research has practical significance, which can positively contribute to education, student character, and cultural preservation in Indonesia.

EU commission (2023). Culture and Democracy. The evidence: How citizens’ participation in cultural activities enhances civic engagement, democracy and social cohesion. Lessons from international research

EU commission (2023). Culture and Democracy. The evidence: How citizens’ participation in cultural activities enhances civic engagement, democracy and social cohesion. Lessons from international research

Cultural Tourism at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium

Cultural tourism needs to be preserved as it can be a forum for future generations to continue to learn about local traditions and cultures amid rapid technological advances. Researchers use this title to identify the potential of cultural tourism at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK). SUGBK was chosen as a locus because it is an important cultural landmark in Jakarta with various art and cultural activities. This research uses qualitative methods, with a qualitatively descriptive approach. Data collection is done through field surveys, interviews and literature studies. The need of this research is to explore the potential and impact of SUGBK cultural tourism on social, economic and cultural aspects. Socially, the stadium is a means of cross-cultural interaction and enriches people's insights. Economically, tourism creates business opportunities such as street sellers and souvenir sellers around the stadium. Meanwhile, from a cultural point of view, the various traditional art performances held at the stadium helped preserve the ancestral heritage.

Bridging Distances: The Impact of ICT on Diaspora Connectivity and Cultural Exchange

This paper examines the transformative role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in enhancing diaspora connectivity, cultural preservation, and economic contributions to homelands. Through quantitative and qualitative analyses, it delves into various ICT toolsincluding social media platforms, mobile applications, online forums, and virtual cultural festivalsand their pivotal role in sustaining and strengthening the ties of diaspora communities with their countries of origin. It also explores the revolutionized remittance landscape, crowdfunding for development projects, and the facilitation of diaspora entrepreneurship and investment through digital platforms. Employing models like the Network Analysis Model, Remittance Flow Model, and Event Participation Model, the study provides insights into the increased frequency and depth of communication, significant reductions in remittance transaction costs and times, and the enhanced engagement in cultural and economic activities. The findings highlight ICT's capacity not only to maintain but also to enrich the cultural, social, and economic fabric of diaspora communities, underscoring its vital role in promoting global connectivity, cultural exchange, and economic development.

中国“东亚文化之都”建设与发展研究

After more than a decade of exploration and practice, China has developed into the country with the highest number of “East Asian Capital of Culture,” not only establishing an operational model of “government-led, socially participated, internally and externally integrated, and co-constructed sharing” but also evolving and maturing its selection mechanism and innovating international cultural exchange activities. Furthermore, its value in promoting urban cultural empowerment, exchange and mutual learning among Asian civilizations, and the excavation and dissemination of East Asian culture has become increasingly prominent, making it a focal point in the fields of culture, tourism, and urban construction. However, systematic or thematic studies on this topic are rare in academic circles. In light of this, this paper conducts a systematic analysis of the environment and the evolution of the selection mechanism for the construction and development of China's “East Asian Capital of Culture.” It reveals the development trajectory, characteristics, and the successful experiences and areas for improvement of China's “East Asian Capital of Culture” selection and development model. Furthermore, it proposes targeted development strategies and suggestions, providing a reference for the construction and cultural dissemination of other countries' culture capitals.