Ethnocultural Minorities Research Articles

Tackling Hate Speech in the Digital Space: Germany’s Plans on an Act Against Digital Violence and its Impact on Ethno-Cultural Minorities

Abstract The increasing significance of online communication services is not yet matched by adequate protections for particularly vulnerable groups, such as minorities, who are disproportionately affected by various forms of digital violence. This article examines a legislative initiative introduced by the German government in 2023, which aims to supplement the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and address certain enforcement gaps in safeguarding individual rights. The analysis reveals that the initiative still faces substantial legal challenges, especially given the harmonizing nature of the DSA, which may require a more refined approach to its ambitious goals. However, a review of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) case law concerning the state’s obligation to protect individuals from hate speech suggests that the primary issues outlined in the draft should continue to be pursued. The article contextualizes the initiative within the socio-technical environment where ethno-cultural minorities are targeted online, particularly through hate speech. By situating the initiative within the current socio-legal framework and incorporating a comparative perspective – drawing on regulatory models from Canada, the UK, and Australia – it highlights key challenges that lie ahead.

Berlin and Brandenburg as “laboratories” of Jewish-Muslim encounter

Currently, Jewish and Muslim communities can be found as ethno-cultural minorities both in Berlin, the capital of Germany, and in the surrounding state of Brandenburg. While they sometimes differ greatly in religious and cultural life, both communities also share similar experiences - such as the (former) existence as immigrants, the image of the “cultural other” and the confrontation with group-related misanthropy (anti-Semitism and Islamophobia). Moreover, there are Jewish-Muslim encounters, there are forms of encounter between Muslims and Jews in the region, in different milieus and intercultural and interreligious projects that appear as a kind of “experimental laboratory”. Though, what are the differences, what are the similarities between the two groups? Finally, this article also relates to how October 7th 2023, Hamas’ brutal massacres of Israeli civilians and the subsequent war in the Gaza Strip influence relationships between Muslims and Jews in Berlin and Brandenburg today.

Health promotion expectations and perceptions of sport club participants.

To develop health promotion (HP) in sports clubs (SCs), stakeholders need to know the HP expectations of sports participants. However, the literature does not provide information on these aspects, which exacerbates the difficulty for SCs to provide an environment, activities and organization that promote health and to play the role entrusted to them in the integration of vulnerable populations. To fill this gap, this study explores the HP expectations and perceptions of sports participants, with a particular focus on ethnocultural characteristics, and documents participants' understanding of HP. A descriptive qualitative study comprising semi-structured interviews was carried out with 22 French and Quebec sports participants. Because they have little experience with HP in their SC, participants do not seem to have many expectations of their SC in terms of HP. Nevertheless, they felt that SCs can play an important role in health and suggested several themes and types of action, such as seminars on nutrition, activities outside the SC to develop cohesion or health monitoring. Sports participants from ethnocultural minorities seem to appreciate the programs designed to integrate them. There is a predominantly physical conception of health and the contribution of SCs to health, and the relationship between the types of health determinants (economic, environmental, organizational and social) and health is not clear. This study shows that the idea of a health-promoting SC appeals to SC participants, but this approach has not yet taken root in this setting or in society as a whole.

Motivations, Barriers, and Supports: An Examination of the Experiences of Women of Color Recreational Sport Coaches

Coaches play an instrumental role in the experiences of youth sport participants. Though girls participate in youth sport at similar rates as boys, coaching positions continue to be dominated by men. Existing research supports the value of diverse role models, especially for culturally diverse youth, and women coaches of color are especially important in sport given the low participation rates of ethnocultural minorities. Given the importance of diverse role models as sport coaches, this study investigates the experiences of women of color who coach sport at the recreational level. Based on interviews with 14 individuals, and grounded in socioecological theory, our findings describe the experience of research participants at each level (individual, interpersonal, organizational, and sociocultural) with a focus on the entry experience, barriers, and supports. Findings suggest that gendered and racial norms influence experiences across the model, and further lead to practical implications for sport managers.

The (un)caring experienced by racialized and/or ethnoculturally diverse residents in supportive living: a qualitative study

BackgroundRacialized and/or ethnocultural minority older adults in supportive living settings may not have access to appropriate services and activities. Most supportive living facilities are mainstream (not specific to one group); however, culturally specific facilities are purpose-built to accommodate older adults from a particular group. Our objective was to describe the perspectives of diverse participants about access to culturally appropriate care, accessible services, and social and recreation activities in culturally specific and mainstream (non-specific) supportive living facilities.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 people (11 staff, 8 family members, 2 residents) from 7 supportive living homes (2 culturally specific and 5 mainstream) in Alberta, Canada. We used a rapid qualitative inquiry approach to structure the data collection and analysis.ResultsStaff and family members described challenges in accessing culturally appropriate care in mainstream facilities. Family members expressed guilt and shame when their relative moved to supportive living, and they specifically described long waitlists for beds in culturally specific homes. Once in the facility, language barriers contributed to quality of care issues (e.g., delayed assessments) and challenges accessing recreation and social activities in both mainstream and culturally specific homes. Mainstream facilities often did not have appropriate food options and had limited supports for religious practices. Residents who had better English language proficiency had an easier transition to supportive living.ConclusionsRacialized and/or ethnoculturally diverse residents in mainstream supportive living facilities did not receive culturally appropriate care. Creating standalone facilities for every cultural group is not feasible; therefore, we must improve the care in mainstream facilities, including recruiting more diverse staff and integrating a wider range of recreation and religious services and food options.

The Conundrum of Being a Minority: Choosing a Collective Identity in the Era of Neoliberal Globalism

This paper argues that by portraying minority concerns primarily as cultural concerns and by discussing minority existence independently of capitalism, neoliberalism, feminism, environmentalism, globalization, and the distinction between the Right and the Left, the dominant discourse on ethno-cultural minorities, namely multiculturalism, may lead to the reduction of minority communities to cultural entities in the collective consciousness of the dominant majority. Such reductionism endangers minority existence by identifying the question of minorities with the question of culture to the point that minorities voicing their noncultural political concerns increasingly appear unintelligible, presumptuous, or even destructive to wider society. Against this background, the paper discusses why and how ethno-cultural minorities may find their collective identity in different, not necessarily ethno-cultural, political formations in the age of neoliberal globalism, such as anti-neoliberal, anti-globalist, cosmopolitan, environmentalist, anti-capitalist, feminist, radical democratic, republican, and anti-imperialist. This discussion is based on Ernesto Laclau’s and Chantal Mouffe’s understanding of hegemony and social antagonism.

Delineating the boundaries between genuine cultural change and cultural appropriation in majority-group acculturation

An emerging literature has begun to explore the acculturation of majority-group members within increasingly diverse societies. Given the inherent power asymmetries and ethnic hierarchies that usually favor majority groups, it becomes critical to examine their acculturation process through the lens of power dynamics. Central to this examination is determining when a majority group’s adoption of cultures from other groups (e.g., ethnocultural minorities who are indigenous or have a history of forced or voluntary migration) constitutes cultural appropriation versus genuine cultural change. In this paper, we argue that cultural appropriation becomes evident when majority-group members exploit cultural elements from less powerful ethnic groups against their will, often for material or symbolic gains, without providing proper credit or demonstrating a deeper understanding of the culture. By contrast, genuine cultural change is distinguishable from appropriation when it is characterized by deep cultural learning (as opposed to cultural engagement that remains superficial), concerns other groups as equal, and is consented to by the group whose culture is being adopted. Existing acculturation research suggests that the cultural adoption by majority-group members is typically driven more by self-reported egalitarian motives than by a desire for dominance, and that minority groups do not principally object to this adoption. Therefore, it is improbable that all aspects of majority-group members’ cultural adoption would constitute cultural appropriation. However, further research is needed to empirically differentiate cultural appropriation from genuine forms of cultural change within majority groups, particularly by investigating the perspectives of the groups whose cultures are being adopted.

Targeted Nativism: Ethnic Diversity and Radical Right Parties in Europe

AbstractRadical right parties are commonly associated with nativism and opposition to ethnic diversity, but there have been few systematic attempts to investigate this connection further. Noting that radical right parties in Europe do not express hostility towards all minorities or all immigrants, I investigate possible explanations for the difference in targeted hostility. I introduce the concept of targeted nativism, distinguishing between ethnic minorities that are excluded using the nativist cleavage, and those that are implicitly included in ‘the nation’. I propose three explanations for the targeted nativism, identifying minority outgroups based on: (1) ethnocultural differences, (2) minority political empowerment, or (3) ethnocultural minority accommodation. I examine these explanations using the examples of radical right parties in Sweden and Bulgaria, and further test these hypotheses with a new dataset that identifies targeted minorities. My findings indicate that more distinctive minorities are significantly more likely to be targeted by the radical right.

Индивидуально-авторские новообразования в произведениях Бернардин Эваристо как лингвокультурный феномен

The paper is devoted to the topical issue of studying author’s new lexical units that reflect modern changes and realities in various spheres of society. The aim of the research is to search for and systematise individual author’s neologisms significant for the context in three works by Bernardine Evaristo. The paper provides an overview of the word-formation models of author’s occasionalisms in literary texts and also highlights the functions of neologisms. Scientific originality lies in a comprehensive consideration of author’s neologisms in the context of ethnocultural minorities using the material of modern fiction. As a result of studying neologisms in the analysed texts, the specifics of language use in various segments of London society have been revealed and the word-formation models of author’s neologisms have also been identified. In the course of the analysis, a list of 40 author’s neologisms from three novels has been compiled: “Mr. Loverman”, “Girl, Woman, Other” and “Soul Tourists”. All the selected author’s occasionalisms have a high degree of contextuality and situationality, on the one hand, but they contain common linguocognitive tendencies, on the other hand.

Mental Health and Health-Related Quality of Life of Children and Youth during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey in Saskatchewan, Canada

For children and youth, the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced at a critical time in their development. Children have experienced extended disruptions to routines including in-person schooling, physical activities, and social interactions—things that bring meaning and structure to their daily lives. We estimated the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms of children and youth and their experiences of health-related quality of life (HRQoL), during the first year of the pandemic, and identified factors related to these outcomes. Further, we examined these effects among ethnocultural minority families. We conducted an online survey (March–July 2021) with 510 children and youth aged 8–18 years and their parents/caregivers. The sample was representative of the targeted population. We modelled the relationship between anxiety, depression (measured using the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale), HRQoL (measured using KIDSCREEN-10), and sociodemographic, behavioural, and COVID-19-contributing factors using binary logistic regression. A priori-selected moderating effects of sociodemographic characteristics and self-identified ethnocultural minority groups on the outcomes were tested. The point-in-time prevalence of medium-to-high anxiety symptoms and depression symptoms was 10.19% and 9.26%, respectively. Almost half (49.15%) reported low-to-moderate HRQoL. Children reporting medium-to-high anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and low-to-moderate HRQoL were more likely to be aged 8–11 years, 16–18 years, ethnocultural minority participants, living in rural/urban areas, having good/fair MH before COVID-19, experiencing household conflicts, having less physical activity, and having ≥3 h of recreational screen time. Those who had more people living at home and ≥8 h of sleep reported low anxiety and depression symptoms. Ethnocultural minority 16–18-year-olds were more likely to report low-to-moderate HRQoL, compared to 12–15-year-olds. Additionally, 8–11-year-olds, 16–18-year-olds with immigrant parents, and 16–18-year-olds with Canadian-born parents were more likely to report low–moderate HRQoL, compared to 12–15-year-olds. Children and youth MH and HRQoL were impacted during the pandemic. Adverse MH outcomes were evident among ethnocultural minority families. Our results reveal the need to prioritize children’s MH and to build equity-driven, targeted interventions.

Роль территориальной автономии в разрешении этнополитических конфликтов

The article considers potential opportunities of territorial autonomy as an effective mean of solving and preventing conflicts by way of satisfaction of basic needs of ethnocultural minorities in the boundaries of the unitary state. Different approaches to this matter cause widespread discussions in the political literature concerning peaceful solutions of the conflicts aimed for self-determination. One of the results of these discussions seems quite evident: it presupposes that strict compliance of minority rules is a preliminary condition for peaceful coexistence of different ethnic groups in the society. In the opposite case, the territory-located groups of people would demand their statehood based on self-determination right. The author investigates positive and negative practices of different countries concerning mollification of separative pressure between nationalistic movements and the state. As a result, the author stresses the role and meaning of the political and legal nature of autonomy of the states considered in this article.

Does Procrastination Have a Cultural or a Neurological Source? Evidence of its Mediating Role in the Relationship Between Psychological Capital and Academic Adjustment

Objective: I examined the relationships between psychological capital (PsyCap), academic adjustment, and tendency toward procrastination in 3 groups of students in higher education-an ethnocultural minority group (Israeli Arabs), a neurotypical ethnocultural majority group (Israeli Jews), and an ethnocultural majority group diagnosed with learning disabilities (Israeli Jews with learning disabilities). The goal was to deepen and expand understanding of the factors that affect academic adjustment. Methods: Overall, 449 post-secondary students enrolled in various academic institutions in Israel participated in the study. The data were collected using an online Qualtrics questionnaire. Results: First, I hypothesized a positive relationship between PsyCap and academic adjustment and a negative relationship between those 2 variables and academic procrastination. This hypothesis was fully corroborated. Second, I hypothesized that students from an ethnic minority group and majority students with a diagnosed neurological disability would present lower levels of PsyCap and academic adjustment and higher levels of academic procrastination than a majority neurotypical group. The hypothesis was only partially confirmed. Third, I hypothesized that the higher the PsyCap, the lower the degree of academic procrastination and, in turn, the higher the academic adjustment. The hypothesis was confirmed. Conclusion: The findings can help support the design of academic assistance programs to improve the integration into higher learning of students who belong to special groups.

Acculturation expectations of German majority members in relation to their intercultural competence and identifications

Economic internationalisation and refugee movements entail that many Western societies are characterised by ethnocultural diversity to an increasing degree. For the relationship between ethnocultural minority groups and the respective societal majority, acculturation strategies and preferences are of high pertinence. Since following a specific acculturation strategy is not only at the discretion of ethnocultural minorities, but also depends on the opportunities granted by the respective society majority, the expectations of the majority for a specific acculturation strategy is a central limiting factor. In the present study, we examined associations of intercultural competence dimensions and group identifications with the acceptance of multiculturalism by German majority members. We found that two intercultural competence dimensions – cultural empathy and flexibility – are associated with the acceptance of multiculturalism. Thus, the ability to understand other cultures and the ability to adapt to unfamiliar situations might be beneficial for the acceptance of lived cultural diversity. We also observed that European identification was associated with the acceptance of multiculturalism. European identification is likely to function as a superordinate identification which embraces a variety of ethnocultural groups, so that these ethnocultural groups are part of the wider, superordinate ingroup. While common group memberships tend to foster positive attitudes towards ingroup members, a high European identification also appears to be an indication of a generalized acceptance of cultural diversity or multiculturalism. Our demonstration that superordinate identification and both dimensions of intercultural competence are associated with the acceptance of multiculturalism suggests possibilities of fostering multiculturalism via intercultural trainings and international encounters.

A phenomenological study of the lived experience of minority students: The paradox of equitable education and school practices

The focus of this research was to understand the level at which the voices, backgrounds, and experiences of ethno cultural minority students are represented and received recognition or consideration in Ethiopia's education policy formulation context and the actual process and structure of schooling. Using a qualitative phenomenological research approach, this study investigates how the hidden curriculum manifests and shapes the lived experiences of ethno cultural minority students in Ethiopian public elementary schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 students and 8 teachers from four ethno culturally diverse primary schools. The emerging themes were investigated using theories of hidden curriculum, cultural reproduction, multiculturalism, and culturally responsive schooling. The study's results revealed that the hidden curriculum exclusively promotes the hegemonic dominance of the cultural capital of the majority, thereby discouraging equality, equity, and social justice. Ethno culturally diverse primary schools in Ethiopia are lacking in the practical implementation of multi-cultural and culturally responsive education. The goal of achieving unity through diversity, which was not accompanied by an understanding and accommodation of our differences, resulted in unequal educational system that effectively marginalized minority students. Therefore the research recommends policymakers should eradicate such a discriminatory, inhuman social treatment and prejudiced policy and practice environment that excludes the experience, aspiration and dreams of minority students. And hence the real and concrete malpractices that the research has uncovered must be stopped with urgency. They have to design policy frameworks that are inclusive, culturally responsive and critical in order for the life goals of minority students to be realized.

The effect of end-of-life decision-making tools on patient and family-related outcomes of care among ethnocultural minorities: A systematic review.

End-of-life decision-making tools are used to establish a shared understanding among patients, families and healthcare providers about medical treatment and goals of care. This systematic review aimed to understand the availability and effect of end-of-life decision-making tools on: (i) goals of care and advance care planning; (ii) patient and/or family satisfaction and well-being; and (iii) healthcare utilization among racial/ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. A search was conducted in four electronic databases (inception to June 2021). Articles were screened for eligibility using pre-specified criteria. We focused on adult patients (aged ≥18 years) and included primary research articles that used quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs. Complementary quality assessment tools were used to generate quality scores for individual studies. Extracted data were synthesized by outcome measure for each type of tool, and an overall description of findings showed the range of effects. Among 14,316 retrieved articles, 37 articles were eligible. We found that advance care planning programs (eleven studies), healthcare provider-led interventions (four studies), and linguistically-tailored decision aids (three studies) increased the proportion of patients documenting advance care plans. Educational tools (three studies) strongly reduced patient preferences for life-prolonging care. Palliative care consultations (three studies) were strongly associated with do-not-resuscitate orders. Advance care planning programs (three studies) significantly influenced the quality of patient-clinician communication and healthcare provider-led interventions (two studies) significantly influenced perceived patient quality of life. This review identified several end-of-life decision-making tools with impact on patient and family-related outcomes of care among ethnocultural minorities. Advance care planning programs, healthcare provider-led interventions and decision aids increased documentation of end-of-life care plans and do-not-resuscitate orders, and educational tools reduced preferences for life-prolonging care. Further research is needed to investigate the effect of tools on healthcare utilization, and with specific patient population subgroups across different illness trajectories and healthcare settings.

Ethnic Diversity and Politics of Inclusion: Tribes in North East India

In a multi-ethnic country like India, accommodating diverse realities around different communities and regions has been engaging framers of national policy since the beginning of the Indian state. The ability to accommodate newer politico-legal and administrative structures that would minimise conflict and maximise social, political and economic justice has been an unending issue, especially for the tribes in the Northeastern region. The autonomy framework needs to be premised on the condition that people of a specific locality know best what specific autonomous spheres’ activities/powers and resources they should be endowed with and be given constitutional recognition. In this context, it is pertinent to examine whether this framework has fulfilled the aspirations of tribals and addressed their grievances, and thus yielded the desired results, or if there is a need to relook at the structure. The political instability and peoples’ resistance, especially the tribal group as well as the ethnocultural minority group that clamour against the state and dominant politics, has been a never-ending issue in the region. The article brings forth the nuances of inclusive policies and their limits for accommodating ethnically diverse communities. It also examined the framework of federal arrangement and elucidated peoples’ experiences of self-governance and its problems.

Positive School Climate and Emotional Engagement: A Mixed Methods Study of Chinese Students as Ethnocultural Minorities in Malaysian Secondary Schools

Past research on ethnocultural minority students indicates that persistent inequities require greater attention to the multiple learning supports needed to enhance school success. The present study was designed to extend research in this area by exploring school climate and emotional engagement among minority ethnocultural Chinese students in Malaysian secondary schools. We employed quantitative surveys with 724 students ( Mage = 16.1 years; 47.9% female), followed by qualitative interviews with a subset of 25 students ( Mage = 16.1 years; 52% female). Path analysis indicated that feelings of safety, socio-emotional support from teachers and peers, and student voice were predictors of emotional engagement for Chinese students, which further predicted cognitive engagement, academic performance, and school behavior. Thematic analysis further revealed that language and communication barriers and bullying negatively impacted students’ sense of safety and engagement. Caring, respectful relationships with teachers led to students having opportunities to direct their own learning and make decisions on schoolwide activities, promoting students’ feelings of engagement. Support from peers increased students’ emotional engagement by reducing school-related stressors. The findings suggest that a mutually respectful, caring school climate and opportunities for student voice can enhance critical school experiences for ethnocultural minority high school students.

Paradoxical inclusion of India’s ex-untouchables in New Casteist media

Media as a site of reproduction of existing social relations and inequality is a significant area of research. This article explores how mainstream print media contributes to an area of entrenched inequality in India: caste-based inequalities and dominant-subordinate power relations. It explicitly examines how Dalit communities, who for centuries were forced to abide by casteist notions of hierarchy, are framed by Indian news media. A comparative approach using content and framing analysis have been undertaken to analyse the news media reports on Dalit discrimination published in the leading English (Times of India) and Hindi newspaper (Amar Ujala) from 2011 to 2014. Conceptualising the data along the lines of framing theory in a transitioning society, this study explores a new-casteist approach to reporting Dalits. The news media reports the Dalit grievances but ignores the complexities of ethnocultural minorities in a transitioning democratic society and involves Dalit passive-fixation and/or demonisation.

The Future of Virtual Care for Older Ethnic Adults Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how Canadians access health care. Although it is undeniable that the rapid adoption of virtual care has played a critical role in reducing viral transmission, the gap in equitable access to virtual care remains pervasive for Canada’s aging and ethnocultural minority communities. Existing virtual care solutions are designed for the English-speaking, health-literate, and tech-savvy patient population, excluding older ethnic adults who often do not see themselves reflected in these identities. In acknowledging the permanency of virtual care brought on by the pandemic, we have a collective responsibility to co-design new models that serve our older ethnic patients who have been historically marginalized by the status quo. Building on existing foundations of caregiving within ethnocultural minority communities, one viable strategy to realize culturally equitable virtual care may be to engage the highly motivated and skilled family caregivers of older ethnic adults as partners in the technology-mediated management of their chronic disease. The time is now to build a model of shared virtual care that embraces Canada’s diverse cultures, while also providing its older ethnic adults with access to health innovations in partnership with equally invested family caregivers who have their health at heart.

Роль советской идентичности во взаимосвязи мультикультурализма и проницаемости социальных границ для русских в Армении

The article considers whether support for multicultural ideology by the ethnic majority leads to a more inclusive sociocultural context for ethno-cultural minorities. We investigate the role of common superordinate identity in these relations on the example of Soviet identity in Armenia. A socio-psychological survey was conducted among 213 representatives of the ethnic majority of Armenia using the scale of multicultural ideology of J.W. Berry (2020), the scale of Soviet identity by K. Velkova (2020) and the scale of the permeability of social boundaries as adapted by M.R. Ramos et al. (2016). The results show that support for multicultural ideology by Armenians is positively associated with the permeability of social boundaries for Russians only if the Soviet identity is highly important for Armenians. To conclude, recategorization is influential for building inclusive sociocultural context and harmonizing intercultural relations.