The profound impact of colonialism and Westernization has often been overlooked in studies examining the portrayal of Eastern identity in Arabic literature. This research examines two novels by Najib Kailani, Al-Yawmu Al-Maw'ūd (1960) and Mawakib Al-Ahrār (1985), which reconstruct two distinct colonial periods using Egypt as a narrative setting. The primary aim of this study is to identify and analyze the narrative techniques employed by Kailani to depict Eastern societies and his endeavor to construct and preserve an Eastern identity. Using a qualitative method grounded in the theoretical approaches of narratology, representation, identity, and Occidentalism, this research addresses an urgent and novel gap by elucidating how Eastern identity is constructed in Arabic literature as a response to colonialism and the hegemony of Western discourse. In doing so, it adopts an epistemological approach rooted in Eastern perspectives. The study argues that the novels reaffirm the role of Arabic literature as a medium of resistance and a means of strengthening the collective identity of Eastern societies in the face of colonial and cultural hegemony.

The Relationship Between Competencies and Discipline-Based Epistemological Approaches of Science in Lower Secondary School

Social factors are consequences and determinants of chronic pain, yet little is known about how informal social support operates for people with chronic pain and HIV. The overlapping burdens of emotional distress and chronic pain in people living with HIV raise the need to identify targets for culturally resonant treatments. This qualitative study explored how people living with chronic or recurrent pain and HIV seek informal social support for pain and distress from their social networks, how these networks operate, and how social support is influenced by socio-ecological factors. Adults with virally suppressed HIV who endorsed pain over repeated weeks were purposively sampled (n=18). Semi-structured, individual in-depth interviews explored individuals’ experiences of living with HIV and chronic pain, distress and its relationship to pain, and help-seeking behaviours for chronic pain and distress. Codebook thematic analysis was used within an interpretivist epistemological approach. Support for pain involved more tangible actions by fewer people than support for distress. Disruptions in social support were more likely when the person with pain was irritable, socially withdrawn, or unable to fulfil social roles. Interpersonal conflict could also cause or increase pain and distress. Current pain assessments rarely identify the social interference of pain identified here. This work identified potential targets for individual-level interventions to sustain informal social support: individuals’ abilities to cope with daily stressors, pain self-management strategies to facilitate socialisation and engagement in valued life activities, and strategies to prevent support fatigue in informal social networks.

This article seeks to interpret Yājñavalkya’s teaching on ātman within the problem context of the historical types of knowledge. The focus falls not on external phenomena but on the nature of magical, religious, and philosophical knowledge, approached through the very criteria employed by Yājñavalkya himself. Within this framework, the category of religious knowledge is significantly narrowed. Such an epistemological approach enables a clearer differentiation between religious and magical knowledge within any given religious tradition.

Abstract This paper examines the paradoxical decline in engagement with philosophy of science among engineers precisely when machine learning (ML) systems are increasingly performing complex epistemological functions in engineering practice. We identify how philosophical naivety , characterized by the uncritical adoption of reductive frameworks regarding consciousness, intelligence, and ethics, creates tangible organizational and technical liabilities. We then demonstrate how conceptual limitations in engineers’ philosophical foundations lead to three primary flaws: 1) ontological misclassification of system capabilities, 2) ethical blind spots in ML system design and application, and 3) inadequate epistemological approaches and hidden philosophical commitments for interpreting model outputs. Thus, we argue that renewed engagement with the philosophy of science is not merely academic but necessary for engineers to maintain epistemic authority and responsibility in an era where engineering judgment is increasingly delegated to or mediated by ML systems. In response, we propose a technical-philosophical framework integrating perspectives from philosophy of mind, ethics, epistemology, and engineering to address these shortcomings systematically.

It was the referee’s perception of the situation, plus his knowledge of the laws that were the only base for decisions, but the VAR changed this. The various angles of TV images have more power than the human situational perception. Experience was downgraded, while the value of judgement through TV images increased. The figurative character of football and the sport’s popularity contribute to this pressure. Refereeing is supposed to become more accurate the higher the level of the match. Still, it is the human factor that is essential for the game and all humans can err. Perception and imagination can err as well, Still, a decision must be made by the match officials. Based on the ideas of Radical Constructivism and John Searle’s interpretation of Direct Realism, this article tries to give a view on the essence of football refereeing and how the VAR has changed the game.

This paper investigates cognitive mechanisms underlying ancient semantic changes in five key lexemes of everyday vocabulary in Russian and English languages: _god_ (“year”), _chelovek_ (“man”), _novyj_ (“new”), _byt’_ (“to be”), and _govorit’_ (“to speak”). It highlights differences in methods of semantic evolution characteristic of Slavic and Germanic traditions. The stages of development of meanings are examined, revealing the employed cognitive transfer mechanisms such as metonymy, metaphor (including functional transfer), abstraction, symbolization and some others. Additionally, a comparative analysis of cognitive mechanisms of semantic change has been conducted, demonstrating possible distinctions in epistemological approaches among researchers studying Slavic and Germanic language groups. The study concludes that there is a predominance of metonymy and anthropomorphism in Slavic languages, while symbolic-metaphorical mechanisms are more active in Germanic ones. It cannot be ruled out that these differences stem from distinct cognitive strategies involved in the semantic development of Slavic and Germanic lexical items. Slavic etymology predominantly relies on metonymy and anthropological conceptual metaphors rooted in social, economic, and ritual practices, reflecting a pragmatic, context-oriented mode of conceptualization. In contrast, Germanic etymology more readily admits symbolically charged metaphorical transfers derived from mythopoetic thought and demonstrates greater openness to imagistic and associative linkages. However, such discrepancies may be attributable less to actual differences in the cognitive models of ancient language speakers than to national traditions in lexicography and scholarly interpretation. This divergence is evident in lexicographic practice: Slavic sources-particularly the Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages edited by O. N. Trubachyov favor rational reconstruction and avoid symbolic or mythopoetic interpretations, whereas Germanic sources (e.g., Etymonline or the works of M. M. Makovsky) more readily incorporate mythological and poetic hypotheses. It is emphasized that the observed tendencies may reflect either the interpretive biases of lexicographers or genuine differences in ancient cognitive frameworks. Resolving this issue requires analysis of a broader dataset drawn from a wider range of sources.

Background: The absence of financial inclusion has added to the gap that impedes social and economic progress among rural residents in Northcentral Nigeria. To successfully tackle this present situation, it is necessary to gain an understanding of the impediments and patterns that prevent rural residents from accessing official financial services. This study therefore seeks to extend the literature and empirically investigate the effect of financial literacy, financial technology, and cultural value on financial inclusion among rural residents in Northcentral Nigeria, using the access opportunity frontier theory as the underpinning theory, and the family financial socialization theory, disruptive innovation theory as supporting theories. Method: To achieve the study objectives, a quantitative method with a cross-sectional descriptive and epistemological approach was used with a sample size of 38 rural residents of north central Nigeria to conduct a preliminary study to test the validity and reliability of the instrument adapted. The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Result: The findings revealed that the instrument adapted has reliable Cronbach alpha of above 0.7. Conclusion: The analysis established that the adapted instrument achieved a Cronbach’s alpha exceeding 0.7, thereby confirming its reliability and validating its appropriateness for the main study.

Over the past 10 to 15 years, discussions about the importance of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields have gained significant traction. This article highlights the stories of several notable women who have made significant contributions to the fields of technology and computer science. It explores how women have shaped the tech world and examine current statistics on women in tech, aiming to shed light on the inequalities that persist. Additionally, the article analyzes a study conducted by researcher Francesca Ferrando, which investigates the relationship between gender and artificial intelligence (AI). The study also emphasizes the unpredictable and unique ways in which robots and AI systems will evolve. This perspective underscores the importance of incorporating critical frameworks such as feminist epistemology, critical race theory, and postcolonial studies to inform the technological field and develop a posthuman epistemology. Looking ahead, a posthuman integral epistemological approach may enable humans and robots to realize their interconnected potential. This collaboration could contribute to humanity's broader existential quest and redefine the role of both species in the shared pursuit of progress.

It is indicated that public administration attracts the attention of scientists from various fields as a complex social activity of government structures that combines legal, economic, managerial and social mechanisms for the high-quality provision of public services and meeting the needs of citizens and territorial communities. The article attempts to analyze the philosophical and legal methodology of researching public administration instruments, namely its epistemological dimension. It is emphasized that the epistemological approach provides a holistic and multidimensional vision of the process of cognizing the instruments of public administration, combining logical-philosophical and empirical methods aimed at identifying the ways, limits, and means of acquiring scientific knowledge about them. The application of dialectical, metaphysical, logical methods, and hermeneutics enables the researcher not only to accumulate factual material and build conceptual generalizations on its basis but also to maintain consistency, semantic accuracy, and the unity of the terminological framework. Attention is drawn to the fact that philosophical methodology plays the role of a theoretical foundation for specifically legal research, since it is precisely philosophy that forms the initial worldview and value guidelines that define the framework of legal analysis. Philosophy outlines the basic criteria of truth and validity of knowledge, without which specifically legal methods would remain applied techniques without proper conceptual support. On this basis, it becomes possible to apply such specifically legal methods as the formal-legal method (analysis of the content of legal norms), the comparative-legal method (comparison of regulatory models in different legal systems), the systemic-structural method (study of instruments within the holistic system of administrative law), the historical-legal method (analysis of the genesis of legal institutions), as well as the method of legal modeling (construction of normative frameworks suitable for improving existing legislation). In conclusion, it is noted that philosophical methodology not only outlines the strategic horizons of cognition but also creates the conceptual foundation for the tactical level of research – specifically legal methods, which in turn ensure the concretization and verification of the formulated provisions in the legal dimension.

Students and practising vets are required to reflect as part of professional development. This qualitative study explored what prompts reflection and how reflection developed employability skills. Employability incorporates technical competencies and career satisfaction, an important issue relating to career longevity and retention in the profession. This study could inform teaching and assessment on reflection and employability attainment in undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. Semi-structured interview data were analysed via thematic analysis. The epistemological approach was constructivism within a pragmatist philosophy. Data were interpreted through the lens of employability theory. Seven themes were developed. Three themes related to how reflection is operationalised, including utilisation of a variety of formats of reflection, how reflection changed as a skill, and confusion over reflection. Themes that pertained to employability attainment included reflecting for life-long learning and personal development, reflecting with others, the impact of critical reflection for critical incidents, and skill development for sustainable careers. A range of reflection was reported with the main type being quick skills reflection. Reflection changes over time and was essential for life-long learning. Reflection with others was fundamental to vets and used to develop confidence, rationalise experiences, and improve team and practice culture. Critical incidents were most likely to precipitate critical reflection. Reflection was used positively to oppose perfectionism, develop confidence, cope with difficult cases, and develop resilience, all attributes that promote employability attainment. Barriers to constructive reflection included writing, confusion, ruminating, and negative connotations in the workplace. Vets struggled with obligatory reflection as required by continued professional development (CPD) or further qualifications. Reflection was triggered by curiosity for learning and surprise at novel or difficult situations. To conclude, reflection is used frequently and develops competencies that enhance employability. Future recommendations include exploring other methods of reflection such as spoken, giving vets flexibility around reflective format, and providing more information when needed.

How should the diversity of Nordic War/Military Studies be explained? Despite having experienced similar external shocks to international security since the end of the Cold War, and notwithstanding their relative cultural homogeneity, university environments throughout the Nordic states have developed diverging conceptualizations of War/Military Studies. We demonstrate that this variation can be explained in terms of supply and demand factors in relation to teacher expertise and target professions for students, with proximity to the military profession as a main factor. This affect whether the subjects focus on the conduct of war or include issues in relation to the full “conflict cycle.” In addition, whereas we identify a Nordic consensus in favor of multi-disciplinary conceptualization of War/Military Studies, we find that constraining regulations for accreditation can motivate more mono-disciplinary conceptualizations. We argue that the examined factors can explain broad categorizations of conceptualization of Nordic War/Military Studies, but that further research should investigate the role of individual entrepreneurs and bureaucracy to flesh out disciplinary trajectories at the individual institutions. In conclusion, we propose that Nordic War/Military studies have the potential to converge on a shared ontological and epistemological approach, but that the field is best served by affirming divergent disciplinary foci and breadth.

This article examines the development of accounting science in the modern era through an epistemological approach, focusing on the influence of globalization, economic dynamics, and rapid advances in information technology. A fundamental change occurred when the role of accounting shifted from merely recording transactions to becoming a strategic instrument that plays an important role in the business decision-making process. This shift indicates that accounting is no longer viewed as an administrative activity, but as an information system capable of providing added value to organizations. The integration of technologies such as accounting information systems, financial software, and big data analysis has brought about major changes in accounting practices, making them more efficient, accurate, transparent, and adaptive to the times. Through an epistemological review, a deep understanding of the origins, structure, and validity of accounting knowledge is obtained, including the philosophical dimensions that shape the framework of thinking and methodology in this discipline. Using a literature review method, this article emphasizes that the development of accounting is not only oriented towards technical aspects, but also towards conceptual and philosophical foundations that strengthen its position in facing modern business challenges. Accounting now plays an important role in supporting decision making, creating organizational efficiency, and responding to the needs of economic globalization.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate corporate governance in Brazil from the epistemological perspective of Imre Lakatos, reflecting on the applicability of his concepts—hard core, protective belt, auxiliary hypotheses, positive and negative heuristics—to the field of governance, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and possible directions for research programs. Theoretical Framework: The study is based on the methodology of Imre Lakatos's scientific research programs, articulating his core concepts with the literature on corporate governance. The study considers the contributions of classic authors such as Jensen and Meckling (1976) and Silveira (2002; 2004), as well as normative contributions from the IBGC (2020), the CVM, and corporate legislation, which have shaped the development of governance in Brazil. Method: This is a theoretical, reflective, and conceptual essay that does not seek to empirically test hypotheses, but rather to interpret and discuss Lakatos's epistemological foundations in the context of corporate governance. The analysis was conducted through a critical review and integration of the literature, allowing for the reconstruction of historical, normative, and institutional approaches related to the topic. Results and Discussion: The results revealed that the establishment of a protective belt of the hard core in Brazilian corporate governance is still poorly adhered to, given that progressive and regressive hypotheses and movements can be shared by different paradigms. However, it was difficult to clearly separate positive and negative heuristics, given the complexity of the relationships between variables such as company size, economic-financial performance, and ownership structure. Research Implications: This essay contributes to the field of corporate governance by offering an epistemological reflection on the limits and potential of applying Lakatosian methodology. The theoretical implications encompass an understanding of the field's evolution as a research program under constant development, while the practical implications include support for researchers and managers interested in strengthening the conceptual foundation of governance practices, integrating them with social and environmental dimensions. Originality/Value: The study's value lies in its original contribution by bringing Imre Lakatos' epistemology closer to the debate on corporate governance in Brazil.

This research examines the reconceptualization of the contemporary psychologist's role through an integrative epistemological approach that reconciles dual specialization in behavior and humanity. The analysis begins with the historical tension between explanation (erklären) and understanding (verstehen) in psychology, identifying how this epistemological dichotomy has systematically fragmented disciplinary identity. Through systematic review of phenomenological, existential, humanistic, transpersonal, and liberation traditions, we develop the Scientific-Humanistic Complementarity Principle (SHCP) as a theoretical framework for integrated psychological praxis. This construct presents transversal implications for academic training, empirical research, and professional intervention. Within the Latin American context, this proposal constitutes an epistemological vindication rooted in the Global South, oriented toward systematic articulation of scientific rigor with ethical understanding and human dignity. The resulting model seeks to establish scientifically rigorous psychology without compromising humanistic commitment, responding to contemporary complexity through preservation of technical rigor and existential depth.

This article examines the paradigm shift in tawḥīd from a theocentric–eschatological orientation to an anthropocentric framework by integrating the ideas of Ismāʿīl Rājī al-Fārūqī and Ḥasan Ḥanafī. Employing a qualitative, analytical–epistemological approach, Thomas S. Kuhn’s framework is used to trace the stages of normal science, anomaly, crisis, and paradigm revolution within the discourse of tawḥīd. Conceptual data are drawn from the principal works of both thinkers and analyzed comparatively and integratively. The findings reveal that the theocentric–eschatological paradigm continues to dominate Islamic scholarship and remains insufficiently responsive to contemporary humanitarian challenges. Al-Fārūqī’s tawḥīd-based principles, encompassing the unity of God, creation, truth–knowledge, life, humanity, and the reciprocity of reason and revelation, provide a multi-sectoral Islamic worldview. Meanwhile, Ḥanafī’s reinterpretation of classical kalām themes, particularly the doctrine of divine attributes, offers operational dimensions for transforming consciousness and guiding social praxis. Their integration produces an anthropocentric tawḥīd that supports the renewal of Islamic sciences, ethical–humanitarian agendas, and educational policy. This study contributes to restoring Islam’s vital élan as both a transformation of consciousness and a spectrum of exemplarity, offering a framework for contextual scholarly responses to the paradigmatic crisis facing Muslims in the digital age.

The study was a qualitative research, employing ontological and epistemological approaches to explore the philosophy of global warming. Questionnaires and interviews were conducted with students and teachers, which examined whether the current implementation of global warming education aligns with ontological and epistemological perspective and propose recommendations to improve global warming education in science lesson. The ontological perspective begins with literature review that examines the unique of greenhouse gasses characterized as heat traps, focusing on microscopic view of vibrational modes of molecules and their impact on global warming. Furthermore, the epistemological perspective explored how researchers validate the scientific understanding of global warming and its impact on the environment. In addition, the questionnaire result showed that various teaching method, such as experiment, video, PhET simulation, teacher explanation, and internet exploration, were used. But most of students never see the microscopic view of vibrational greenhouse gas molecules that trap the heat. Students also did not evaluate and validate the influence of greenhouse gas concentration on increasing system temperature as epistemological approach. Therefore, the lesson of global warming especially the concept of greenhouse effect, needs an approach that integrates ontological and epistemological perspective, such integrating modeling or simulation in microscopic scale into experimental activities (bifocal modeling).

The critical engagement with everyday lived experiences and the politics of memory are key dimensions in Feminist Peace Research. They help us theorise feminist peace not as a singular state or moment in time that comes after conflict, but rather as a non-linear process that exceeds conventional binary logics at the core of mainstream approaches. Yet we need a better understanding of how to conceptualise the fluidity, contested nature and plurality of meanings peace might take in a specific context. While much of the feminist peace literature focuses on lived experiences and narratives as an approach to complicate the conflict/peace binary, in this paper, we pursue a less explored trajectory. The paper proposes art and aesthetic methods as an epistemological approach through which to unravel binary imaginaries associated with conflict/peace, revealing peace as necessarily ‘unfinished’. We develop this contribution through an analysis of two contemporary art exhibitions in Post-Good Friday Agreement Northern Ireland which, as we illustrate, creatively embody contestations around the boundaries of peace and the memorialisation of conflict. We trace how the artwork’s imaginative practices destabilise conventional narratives and oppressive binaries, enfolding the legacies of the ‘Troubles’ in wider histories and struggles for gender liberation and social justice. Engaging with the exhibitions as productive thinking spaces enables us to sense, feel and experience peace as an open-ended process of rich emotional tapestries, fragility and in-betweenness. The paper contributes to ongoing feminist, queer and other critical research in IR that questions binary and linear understandings of peace, proposing alternative ways of knowing to unsettle existing boundaries between conflict/peace.

The rigidity of the takhrīj mażhabi methodology in pesantren fatwa traditions necessitates a new epistemological approach that is more responsive to contemporary realities. This study aims to explore ijtihād irsyādi as a methodological alternative that maintains continuity with classical tradition while enabling contextual creativity grounded in maqāṣid al-sharī’ah. Employing a qualitative-descriptive-analytical-exploratory approach and a case study method focused on the fatwas of the Lajnah Bahtsul Masail (LBM) Lirboyo from 2019 to 2024, the analysis reveals significant epistemological transformation in istinbath structures. Key findings demonstrate that ijtihād irsyadī prioritizes maslahat (public interest), referential flexibility, and social interpretation as legal foundations, replacing the deductive-formalistic patterns of madhhab-based takhrīj. This approach reinterprets classical authority through maqāṣid frameworks without negating its legitimacy, as evidenced in the 2023 BPJS Healthcare fatwa that teleologically reconstructs social insurance concepts via taḥrīr al-mafhūm (conceptual liberation), tanqīḥ al-manāṭ (ratio legis purification), and ta'līl maqāṣidī (teleological justification). The novelty lies in articulating an adaptive, integrative fatwa epistemology that proactively engages temporal dynamics, offering a reformative paradigm for Indonesian pesantren fatwa methodologies and a substantive contribution to renewing contemporary Islamic legal thought.

ABSTRACT This paper proposes an integrated epistemological and methodological approach to narrative identity research that leverages the strengths of big story and small story traditions. We outline the study design for researching the dynamics between micro-social identity processes and stabilized identity positions. We suggest sampling dyads and gathering data regarding the unresolved experience in two main phases: individual interviews and interactions. A binocular approach to analysis of contrasted individual stories and negotiation is advanced, in which narrative and discursive resources are utilized to trace the identity co-construction. The data analysis in each of the two phases is organized through three levels, illustrated with an example: preparatory work, core analysis, and higher-order interpretation. Highlighting the the interconnectedness between motivational-emotional and identity processes, our framework offers a dynamic, processual, and contextual approach to narrative identity co-construction. Suggested design moves us toward bridging the individual/social divide that is persistently reproduced in psychological theory and research.