Equal Partners Research Articles

Introduction Turkey and Africa: Motivations, Challenges and Future Prospects

Turkey's presence in Africa has experienced significant growth over the last two decades. In recent years, Turkey's expanding African outreach has transformed media narratives and generated a surge of scholarly studies on Turkey's involvement in Africa. Turkey's renewed focus on the continent and its commitment to establishing an equal partnership with African nations came after years of neglect. Previously, Turkey's relationship with African countries followed a cycle of ups and downs. The interest in Africa was largely driven by short-term foreign policy considerations, such as breaking Turkey's international isolation and securing diplomatic support from African nations. Understanding how Turkey's carefully crafted discourses resonate with African countries in the face of competition from other external actors is a challenging task. Despite the existence of a rich and extensive literature on how external players engage with Africa, Turkey's role and the long-term impact of its involvement have often been overlooked. This special issue aims to contribute to the existing literature by exploring different dimensions of Turkey's multifaceted Africa policy, including its engagement in the security landscape, the African arms market, humanitarian efforts, and public diplomacy initiatives.

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS AND MARRIAGE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CUSTOMS, TRADITIONS, AND RITUALS IN SUMERIAN, BABYLONIAN, PERSIAN, EGYPTIAN, GREEK, ROMAN, CHINESE, EUROPEAN, AFRICAN AND AMERICAN CULTURES

This comparative study explores the diverse customs, traditions, and rituals surrounding marriage in various ancient civilizations, including Sumerian, Babylonian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, European, African, and American cultures.The study examines gender roles, marriage practices, and the historical and cultural contexts that have shaped them, as well as how marriage has contributed to and upheld social order.It demonstrates that although marriage was regarded as a sacred institution by all cultures, the particular traditions and ceremonies varied widely. This research uses qualitative methodology, which is done through the analysis of secondary sources, scholarly analysis, and thematic analysis of marriage practices among the selected civilizations. While arranged weddings were widespread in Sumerian and Babylonian societies, legal considerations like dowries and divorce laws were highly regarded in Greek and Roman societies. The study also emphasizes how different gender roles and expectations are in marriage, with some cultures emphasizing the submissive role of women while others value marriages with more equal partners. This study sheds light on the nuanced and varied approaches that ancient civilizations had to the institution of marriage and highlights the significance of comprehending previous cultural practices to better understand the roots of our present society.

A strengthened eCK secure identity based authenticated key agreement protocol based on the standard CDH assumption

An Authenticated Key Agreement (AKA) protocol enables two communicating parties to compute a session key with equal partnership, such that each entity is assured of the authenticity of its peer. Identity-based AKA (ID-AKA) protocols facilitate implicit authentication of the participating entities, without certificate verification. However, most of the existing ID-AKA schemes are proven secure based on the strong Gap Diffie-Hellman (GDH) assumption. Currently, there are no known implementation methods to realize the GDH assumption without using bilinear pairings. Further, none of the existing ID-AKA protocols have provable security against practical attacks due to intermediate result leakages. To this end, we propose a purely pairing-free ID-AKA protocol based on the Computational Diffie-Hellman assumption. The protocol offers provable security under the strengthened eCK (seCK) model that captures attacks resulting from intermediate result leakages. Comparative analysis with other ID-AKA protocols suggests that the proposed protocol satisfies stronger security requirements, without the gap assumption.

The Covenants of the Patriarchs with Foreigners at Beersheba

The author of this paper seeks the original historical context as well as the oldest form, structure and concept of the biblical records of the covenants of Abraham and Isaac with the local ruler(s) as recorded in Gen 21:22–24, 25–33; 26:26–31. The patriarchs, who enjoy the status of foreign/sojourner/ resident in the land of the Philistine king, Abimelek, and their peaceful agreements are depicted in three biblical sources, which are very similar to each other in terms of structure and literary context. Those are compared with selected Hittite, Babylonian and Assyrian records of the royal covenants from the 2 millennium BC. The methodology adopted in the research allowed several important formal and substantive points of contact to be noted in the compared sources. Through this comparison, the paper confirms that Gen 21:22–24, 25 33; 26:26–31 reflects two ancient patterns of bilateral covenants between the monarch and an equal or subordinate social partner: royal grants and suzerain-vassal treaties. The paper also discusses the socio-cultural and legal spectrum of the Near Eastern royal procedures and how they were re-edited and adapted by the editors responsible for the current version of the biblical cycles about the patriarchs.

Nigeria-Rwanda Relations: Strengthening Partnership for Development

Nigeria and Rwanda have long existed as colonial states of European imperialism in the 1800s, and gained their independence in the early 1960s, but they never had diplomatic relations until about mid-2000s. In 2011, the Republic of Rwanda opened its High Commission in Abuja, while the FederalRepublic of Nigeria also opened its High Commission in Kigali in 2012. Since the official opening of their diplomatic missions, both countries have been enjoying very cordial bilateral relations in many sectors, especially in socioeconomic ties. It is a relation that has been described by some pundits as, “A big brother, little brother affair”. From this perspective, the paper examines how “big” and “little” brotherly affair can be taken as “equal partnership” to advance economic development for the benefit of both parties. Data were generated from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was derived from Nigeria High Commission diplomats in Kigali; while secondary data were gathered from newspapers, books and websites. The neoliberal theoretical perspective is adopted as a “partial” approach to analyze the value and volume of economic cooperation and interdependence of state relations. The study revealed that both countries have “signed general agreements for cooperation” which include Air transport agreement between Kigali and Lagos and the Artemis Accord, in Space exploration. As such, the paper stressed the imperative of strengthening of equal partnership that will deliver benefits for both countries’ burgeoning economies. The volume of trade can be increased to boost both countries’ economic development in particular, and Africa’s development in general.

Boundaries and Ethics of Borrowing from Different Cultures in Central European Countries

Purpose: The aim of this study was to debate the boundaries and ethics of borrowing from different cultures in central European countries.
 Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low-cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
 Findings: The findings revealed that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the boundaries and ethics of borrowing from different cultures in central European countries. Preliminary empirical review revealed that cultural borrowing in the fashion industry often raises concerns of cultural misappropriation, lack of recognition and compensation for the original cultures, and perpetuation of power imbalances. It emphasized the need for informed cultural exchange and collaboration. It is crucial to establish guidelines and policies that provide clear frameworks for ethical borrowing practices across various domains such as fashion, music, culinary arts, and visual arts.
 Recommendations: The Cultural Appropriation Theory, Postcolonial Theory and Intercultural Communication Theory may be used to anchor future studies on boundaries and ethics of borrowing from different cultures in central European countries. Open dialogue should be encouraged, equal partnerships and meaningful collaborations between cultures is also essential. Also, legal frameworks should be developed to protect traditional knowledge, cultural heritage, and the rights of cultural communities.

International orthopaedic trials.

Musculoskeletal diseases are having a growing impact worldwide. It is therefore crucial to have an evidence base to most effectively and efficiently implement future health services across different healthcare systems. International trials are an opportunity to address these challenges and have many potential benefits. They are, however, complex to set up and deliver, which may impact on the efficient and timely delivery of a project. There are a number of models of how international trials are currently being delivered across a range of orthopaedic patient populations, which are discussed here. The examples given highlight that the key to overcoming these challenges is the development of trusted and equal partnerships with collaborators in each country. International trials have the potential to address a global burden of disease, and in turn optimize the benefit to patients in the collaborating countries and those with similar health services and care systems.

Music Publishers and Synchronized Scores: Mascagni, Ricordi, and Rapsodia satanica

Music Publishers and Synchronized Scores: Mascagni, Ricordi, and <i>Rapsodia satanica</i>

Chapter 4 Good Medicine: Prescriptions for Indigenous Archaeological Practice

ABSTRACTWhile the history of North American archaeology points to a long engagement with tribal elders and scholars, these encounters largely consist of unequal, extractive relationships wherein Indigenous collaborators and Indigenous archaeologists have been treated more as objects of study and pity—what Bea Medicine refers to as “creatures”—rather than as equal research partners. As an Indigenous woman and a settler Chicanx woman, we reflect on the life journey and scholarship of Bea Medicine, a Lakota scholar‐activist and mentor to Indigenous anthropologists. Dr. Medicine's work has provided generations of Indigenous anthropologists with the means to participate in the discipline with their whole selves and, importantly, on their own terms. We argue that Medicine's contributions provide good medicine for the field in the form of concrete strategies for continuing to decolonize the discipline and for doing work that centers the direct needs and perspectives of Indigenous peoples. When read alongside Indigenous archaeologies’ often overlooked grandmothers, mothers, and aunties, Medicine's work also highlights continuing disparities in archaeological practice, from our relationships with and to Indigenous nations to the relations we cultivate in the Academy as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

조선로동당 8기 정치국 인선 변화 연구

This paper is an exploratory study that seeks to explain the dynamics between North Korea's traditional ‘Suryong system (수령제)’ (in which the supreme leader is supposed to hold more power than all elites combined) and the growing prominence of the Korean Workers’ Party's (KWP) Political Bureau(Politburo for short) under Kim Jong Un's rule. Certain observers concluded that the ‘Suryong system’ became weaker since Kim Jong Un had assumed power. While this view is not widely accepted, Kim Jong Un did launch a process aimed at restoring and reinforcing the institutional politics of the KWP - a peculiar initiative, since the institutionalization of politics might potentially limit the personal power of the supreme leader. This study seeks to explain this paradox by analyzing the relations between Kim Jong Un and the lower - ranking KWP leaders. By analyzing the changing composition of the KWP Politburo in the framework of Milan Svolik's “power-sharing theory,” the author argues that the fundamentals of the Suryong system have remained unchanged under Kim Jong Un's rule. Since the 8th Party Congress (2021), the KWP Politburo has been dominated by the ruling coalition fostered by Kim Jong Un. However, his co-leaders seem to have been his subordinates, rather than his equal partners. Kim was able to arbitrarily reorganize the composition of his ruling coalition, and frequently change the status of other Politburo members as he saw fit. In Kim Jong Un's Politburo, practices like ‘jumping promotion,’ demotion, and reinstatement of former members have been far more common than in other Communist one-party regimes. Applying Svolik's concepts and terms to the North Korean scene, the author concludes that Kim Jong Un's status as dictator is already ‘established,’ rather than ‘contested.’

Legal Verses About Women's Dignity and Actualization of Gender Equality in the Family

This article is about legal verses related to the noble status of women. So far, some people still think that the status of women is not as special as that of men. Such an assumption has a serious impact on gender inequality in the household, women are often positioned as officers who play a role in "wells, kitchens and mattresses". Whereas in the Qur'an the position of men and women in the family sphere has the same degree, has the same rights and obligations, has the same dignity. The focus of this article is to find the verses of women's law and their actualization of gender justice in the family. This type of article is library research (literary research), using a qualitative approach with discriminatory-analytic analysis, this article explains the verses about the glory of women in Islam. From several stories in the Koran, especially verses about the glory of women. It can be said that Islam came to proclaim the humanity of women as whole human beings. Women are noble beings who have dignity and worth. Islam asserts that all humans (male and female) are created from the same element (nafs wahidah). Islam is very strict about placing women as equal partners to men, including in the family.

Engaging Families from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds in Virtual Individualized Education Program Meetings

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education in a multitude of ways. During this time, school districts struggled to provide students with disabilities access to services and supports under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). School personnel were required to continue holding meetings to review students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) yet did not always have the resources and skills to do so. The increased digital divide between culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families and their White counterparts posed additional challenges for them, such as access to technology and lack of experience with various technology tools. Although this expedited the need for culturally responsive virtual IEP meetings, this option should continue to be provided outside of pandemic contexts. Therefore, it is critical for teachers to facilitate virtual IEP meetings creating spaces where CLD families can participate as equal partners. Utilizing the tenets of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) can help this endeavor. This article explains several recommendations for teachers and school personnel to create identity-honoring, culturally responsive IEP meetings in virtual spaces.

Making an M&A work: equal strategic partnerships smooth the path

PurposeBy providing equal weight to buyers and sellers, the purpose of this paper is to enhance our understanding of the determinants underlying successful mergers and acquisitions (M&As) involving a specific segment of firms involved in such undertakings, i.e., knowledge-intensive innovative and entrepreneurial (KIE) firms.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study, based on eight semi-structured interviews with CEOs representing acquirers and the acquired firms, investigates the focal phenomenon this study addresses.FindingsThe results suggest that knowledge-intensive, innovative and entrepreneurial firms promote entrepreneurial intentions and allow value creation of M&As through four overarching measures. These are buyer–seller fit, aligned incentives, long-term thinking and perpetual alliance.Research limitations/implicationsThe outcomes of this research may have limited generalizable due to the chosen research methodology. Therefore, this study recommends future studies testing the validity of these findings.Practical implicationsThe authors have clarified the drawbacks of integration when being involved in M&As with KIE firms. These drawbacks primarily revolved around not eliminating the entrepreneurs’ autonomy and their routines, but it is also partly related to letting them keep their identity (i.e. their brand) as well as retaining employees’ trust in the new owner.Originality/valueContrary to most papers, this study has taken an approach giving equal weight to both buyers and sellers. In doing so, this study clarified the drawbacks of integration when it involves M&As with KIE firms.

Stowarzyszenie jako element społeczeństwa obywatelskiego

This article aims to analyse and assess legal regulations concerning associations as a feature of civil society. In this context, reference is made to the essence of civil society. It should be emphasised that such a society constitutes the foundation of a democratic state under the rule of law. The article presents legal regulations concerning the right to freedom to associate in associations. According to the provisions of the Polish Constitution, the Republic of Poland ensures the freedom of establish and operate trade unions, socio-professional organizations of farmers, associations, citizen movements, and other voluntary unions and foundations, and also guarantees freedom of association to everyone. The article also discusses the notion and attributes of an association, the activities of associations in practice, as well as the problems they face in these areas.The existing legal regulations concerning the establishment and functioning of associations should be assessed positively. However, they are not free of faults. Introducing a less formal process of applying for grants and curbing excessive bureaucracy would be a change for the better in Polish legislation. This would lead to increased cooperation between NGOs and public administration. It needs to be stressed that until non-governmental organisations, including associations, are treated as an equal partner of public administration, we cannot speak about the existence of civil society in Poland.

УКРАЇНСЬКА МОВА: ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ МАЙБУТНЬОГО ЧИ МАЙБУТНЄ БЕЗ ПЕРСПЕКТИВ? 2

The article contains an attempt to predict the future of the Ukrainian language based on such parameters as demographic power, economic power and communicative power. Due to low birth rate, early mortality, and high emigration, Ukraine suffers from depopulation for the last 30 years. According to the UN forecast, by the end of the XXI century the population of the country will be reduced by half (up to 24 million). Perhaps the only way to avoid a demographic catastrophe is the growth of immigration, in particular from the countries of the Middle East and Africa. In order for immigrants and their descendants to integrate naturally into the Ukrainian-speaking society, immigration should not be violent, but gradual, moderate, ethnically diverse (without a marked predominance of any ethnic group). An efficient economy is an essential factor of language sustainability. Therefore, the future of the language must be ensured not only legislatively and demographically, but also economically. Due to the backwardness of the national economy (agricultural and raw-material specialization, low labor productivity, lack of investment and modern technologies), the economic power of the Ukrainian language remains minimal. The Ukrainian language will be fully established with the development of an innovative, hightech, competitive economy, when Ukraine becomes a profitable and equal partner of the world’s leading states. The strong position of the language also depends on its communicative power. This parameter implies not only the presence of language in all important areas of communication, but also the availability of cultural and intellectual products created in it — significant in quantity, high in quality. This will increase the prestige of the Ukrainian language and create conditions for it to achieve communicative parity with the world’s leading languages. The general prognosis for the Ukrainian language is favorable, provided that the active cultural activity of its speakers and the comprehensive success of the Ukrainian state.

“What's Your Name Again?”: How Race and Gender Dynamics Impact Codesign Processes and Output

Creating technology products using codesign techniques often results in higher end-user engagement compared to expert-driven designs. Codesign sessions are typically structured in flexible and informal ways to achieve equal design partnerships especially in adult-child interactions. This generally leads to better design output, however, it may also increase the enactment of socially constructed stereotypes and biases in ways that negatively affect the experiences of racial minorities and girls/women in design spaces. We codesigned a video game with a K-5 afterschool program located in a working-class, rural, predominantly white county over 20 weeks. We uncover ways that the codesign process and different activity types can create a permissive environment for enacting behaviors that are harmful to minorities. We discuss ways to manage and restructure codesign programs to be more conducive for children and adults from diverse backgrounds, ultimately leading to healthier design partnerships.

State and civil society: peculiarities of the german approach

The article is dedicated to the interaction between the German state and civil society (CS). Germany is known as a developed democratic state with a strong CS in which non-governmental organizations play an active role. They also help the German government to implement its foreign policy vision and maintain its image abroad. The article addresses the question whether German NGOs are equal partners of the state and to what extent they are independent in reality. The author analyses the legal status and financing features of German NGOs, examines the concepts of interaction between the state and CSOs and highlights their underlying principles. The study makes a clear distinction between the academic approach and the state/government approach. For this purpose, the author examines theoretical papers by German academics and analyses conducted by the Bundestag, especially the "Ethics Commissions" of 2002, and compares the German approach to NGOs with other international practices. The article reveals the main points of interaction between the state and CSOs during the chancellorship of G. Schroeder and A. Merkel. The red-green coalition model is analyzed in more detail, as it has become the basis of the modern "social contract". The author concludes that there is no civil society in the classical scientific sense in the FRG. The German state not only actively supports its NGOs financially, but also defines the rules of engagement by clearly identifying organizations that seek political influence.

Representations of girls and women in a Saudi Arabian family education curriculum: a content analysis

This paper reports on a content analysis of Saudi Arabian high school Family Education curriculum, examining how girls and women are represented. The textbooks were published after the launch of the Saudi Vision 2030 reform initiatives. Considering previous research on school textbooks’ contributions to youth self-image formation and confidence development, the Family Education curriculum was optimal for examining contemporary representations of Saudi girls and women. Content analysis was conducted on the Vision 2030 documents to discern specific principles of women’s empowerment. This study presents a framework highlighting significant elements that provide a better understanding of inequalities in the textbooks portrayals of women that guided the recommendations for future changes. Four themes were constructed: Awareness of Women’s Rights and Responsibilities, Exclusion, Stereotypes, and Lack of Female Role Models. Together, these themes indicate inklings of positive change, as well as enduring inequality. They suggest a gap between the 2030 Vision goal to empower Saudi women and high school textbooks which effectively underrepresented women as equal partners in the country’s development. Revision of textbooks is required in light of the country’s new vision.

The constitutional right of a person and a citizen to legal aid and its implementation by refugees with the help of the advocacy institute

It is indicated that, despite the importance of socio-economic, ideological, political guarantees, the main ones are undoubtedly the legal ones (the guarantee of constitutional rights and freedoms and the impossibility of their cancellation and limitation, the guarantee of judicial protection of rights and freedoms, the right of everyone to know their rights and obligations , the right to legal assistance, etc.).The authors conclude that the institution of advocacy in the mechanism of protection of human and citizen rights and freedoms acts as one of the means for self-limitation of state power through the creation and active functioning of an independent human rights institution, which is an active actor in the process of implementing the main constitutional function of the Ukrainian state - the implementation and protection of rights and freedoms person and citizen. The constitutional and legal status of the bar allows it to actively ensure the rights of not only every person, but also of the entire civil society, to effectively implement the human rights function of the state by ensuring proper interaction in the activities of state authorities and civil society. The main features of advocacy in the mechanism of refugee rights protection, which reveal its essence in the mechanism of providing legal aid, are: 1) advocacy acts as a separate human rights institution for refugee rights; 2) the status of the bar is specifically defined in the Constitution of Ukraine; 3) the bar actively interacts with state authorities and institutions of civil society as an equal partner in the mechanism of protection of refugees’ rights; 4) as part of their professional duty to protect the rights and interests of refugees, as their clients, lawyers play an essential role in the fair administration of justice. Being an active participant in the mechanism of law enforcement, occupying an independent place in the mechanism of justice, the bar performs (should perform) an important function of public control in this area.

Role relations in the family: characterization of beliefs of boys and girls in the period of matrimonial choice

Introduction. The family as a resource for psychological well-being influences the formation of personal beliefs about interpersonal and role-based family relationships. The reflected experience of relationships in the family of origin and subjective models of interaction with the world are reflected in the beliefs of boys and girls about the family structure. Beliefs about role relationships in the family influence the matrimonial behaviour of the individual, determining the choice of a strategy of actions based on the hierarchy of family values.Purpose. Identification and description of the features of the content of the individual’s beliefs about role relationships in the family during the period of matrimonial choice.Materials and methods. The study involved 135 people (55 boys and 80 girls, aged 17-21 years), students from Adygea State Pedagogical University, who are in the matrimonial choice period. The Role Expectations and Claims in Marriage (RESM) test by A. N. Volkova and the Distribution of Roles in the Family methodology by Yu. E. Alyoshina, L. Ya. Gozman, E. M. Dubovskaya were applied. A comparative analysis of the severity of beliefs about the desired role behaviour of the future marriage partner in boys and girls was carried out.Results. The specificity and gender differences in the severity of beliefs indicators about the distribution of roles in the family among modern students are shown, taking into account the gender factor. The importance of personal identification with a partner is reflected (girls have an average score of 6.9, boys 5.6 according to the RECM method) and the expected performance of the emotional-psychotherapeutic function by the family (average score 7.2 for girls and 6.6 for boys). The beliefs of students of both sexes about the structure of the family reflect the features of the egalitarian type of family, that is, the expectations of equal partnership in the family (the results obtained using the Distribution of Roles in the Family methodology showed no significant differences in the views of girls and boys).Discussion and conclusion. The adequacy of the reality of ideas about the requirements for a partner, the subject of role behaviour, provides awareness of matrimonial choice, which is necessary for building a prosperous and constructive interaction in the family. In conclusion, the effectiveness of art therapy in psychological support programmes for the development of constructive ideas about the psychological determinants of a successful family among young people is emphasized.