Ethnocultural Diversity Research Articles

Working towards inclusive integrated care: a possible lens

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), integrated care’s primary goal is meeting people's needs. Whichever integrative care model is used, the way to gauge the success of this goal is the healthcare user's satisfaction with the care provided, and the extent to which their needs have been met. In the super-diverse context of most Western-Europe cities and regions this is a challenge. 
 Ethno-cultural diversity as one of the visible aspects of diversity resulting from migration is increasing within our population. The question is therefore how we ensure that integrated care is inclusive for this growing ethnocultural diversity among care users. Our studies involving older labour migrants with dementia and their caregivers, both informal and formal, in Belgium indicated that these older adults do not receive care that meets their needs. The reason for this misfit in care is still too often and one-sidedly sought in these older people’s cultural background. Much less attention is paid to the exclusionary mechanisms within the care system. 
 To sharpen the picture, we developed a conceptual lens for inclusive care. This lens looks at the influencing factors for inclusive care at micro, meso, macro and chrono levels. It helps us to observe the complexity of these influencing factors and to avoid the essentialist framework shaping the current debate on provision of care for the 'culturally other'. We detected three building blocks for complexity-responsive integrated care: 1) awareness of the intersectional position of the ‘other’, 2) the need for inclusive care organizations and inclusive care landscapes in a globalized world, and 3) addressing societal exclusionary mechanisms. These building blocks can be a starting point to recognize the intersectional identity of each person involved in care, including the care provider’s, as a stepping stone to inclusive responsive care. This implies that the exclusionary mechanisms associated with social positions are recognized and addressed at micro, meso and macro level. To conclude, the proposed intersectional inclusiveness is a path worth exploring in attempts to achieve the ultimate goal of integrated care: meeting the needs of all care users.

Design, implementation, and evaluation of a training on culturally sensitive care for nursing students: A pilot study

There is a need for culturally sensitive care for people with a migration background because of the increasing ethnocultural diversity in Western countries. Consequently, more and more training programs for health care providers are starting to implement these topics in curricula. However, while the content of culturally competent care is widely debated in nursing literature, a description of how students are and should be taught is lacking. Even more, studies have shown that merely increasing knowledge on ethnicity, culture or migration does not help to increase culturally sensitive behaviour of (future) healthcare providers. On the contrary it even leads to more stereotypical thinking. More critical self-awareness is needed among caregivers to overcome barriers such as othering (i.e., micro-racism by defining the other in an inferior way).
 
 In response to abovementioned shortcomings, we developed, implemented and evaluated a course on culturally sensitive care in the curriculum of nursing students. Nursing students and caregivers were involved in the development of the course. This program (4h) aimed to increase self-awareness among caregivers about othering, racism and exclusion in society and in healthcare. The paper will describe the content of the program (building on the Johari Window model developed to increase awareness in interpersonal relations (Luft & Ingham, 1961), the pilot implementation and evaluation among 34 students. The program was well received by the participants. Success factors (i.e. profile of the teacher, self-awareness positionality) and working points (i.e. ethnic/minority-matching) were detected. This program will be adapted and further implemented in the curriculum based on the feedback.

Tropes in Olonkho: Stability and Variation

This article explores the use of rhetorical devices in the epic imagery of Yakutian epic poetry. The study focuses on the continuity of tropes such as epithet, hyperbole, simile, metaphor, and metonymy, drawing upon various recordings of Olonkho texts from different time periods. The main attention is given to tropes found in the earliest texts (1840-1860s), as this was a period of greatest diversity and variation in their usage. The author proposes a classification of tropes based on their period of usage and spread. It is noted that in the diachronic analysis, there is a demythologization of the image of the “milk lake” and an evolution of the artifact of the “bone bow”. The conclusion is drawn that by the mid-19th century, Yakutian epic art, with its already established regional traditions, possessed a highly developed arsenal of rhetorical devices for epic imagery. It is suggested that the peak of mutual influence among storytellers occurred during the heyday of gold mining in the Bodaiibo residence (1870-1900s), as many Olonkho performers have biographical data indicating their involvement in mining activities in Bodaiibo, where they would have encountered other prominent Olonkho performers. After this period, similarities in the use of tropes can be observed in Olonkho texts. The relevance of this research is driven by the increasing interest in contemporary Russian society towards the ethnocultural diversity and uniqueness of different peoples.

ФАКТОР ЭТНОКУЛЬТУРНОГО РАЗНООБРАЗИЯ В РЕГИОНАЛЬНОМ РАЗВИТИИ США

The regional development of one of the largest federations in the world — the United States of America, which is distinguished by the extreme diversity of the population and human potential of various territories and the uneven development of the economy — is historically influenced by the factor of ethnocultural diversity. In recent decades, American federalism has been characterized by a qualitatively “new” trend associated with the regionalization of social and economic relations in the context of regional systems. Based on a theoretical and methodological review of existing studies on the relationship between economic development, ethno-demographic heterogeneity and cultural evolution in the United States, using the necessary econometric methodological support, both theoretical and a number of empirical regression models were constructed. The specifi cation and analysis of the modeling results made it possible to put forward and reasonably confirm hypotheses that refl ect the differentiation of the factor of ethnocultural diversity in the regional development of the United States depending on the mutual influence of concomitant factors, the increasing role of the cultural component and the need to determine the optimal level of ethnocultural diversity for the regions of the country that have retained or are gradually changing their socio-economic genotype. It has been established that the program regulation of regional development in order to equalize the incomes of the population of various ethnic groups, carried out within the framework of the state regional policy of the United States, is largely selective in nature and is generally successful in the retrospective period.

Этнокультурные факторы в условиях больших вызовов (по материалам социологических исследований Республики Саха (Якутия))

In the presented material, the author raises the question of the role of ethnocultural factors in composition with socio-economic determinants as influential the adaptive potential of individuals/groups in the conditions of coursing political discourse about the multinational nature of Russia and extra rise of great challenges. In a multiethnic environment with state support for ethno-cultural diversity, the need for ethno-cultural resources among different groups of peoples is growing, but their level of support is varying and vary. Based on the materials of sociological research, the interrelation of ethnic resources, psychological state and assessment of satisfaction with social reality in the conditions of the pandemic and the polyethnic specifics of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is traced.

Preservation of ethnocultural diversity and fairness in interethnic relations in the estimations of the population of the south of Russia

The article examines views on the issue of preserving and reproducing ethnocultural diversity in the context of multicultural regions in Southern Russia, within the framework of the perception of the implementation of the state's national policy in the categories of social justice in interethnic relations. The authors consider this issue within the discourse of public policy and the everyday perception of ethnic groups residing in Southern Russia. The article is based on materials from exploratory sociological research conducted through questionnaire surveys of the population in the regions of Southern Russia, focus groups, and in-depth interviews with experts in the field of implementing the state's national policy (government officials, scholars, researchers, diaspora representatives). The research covered five regions of Southern Russia (Rostov Oblast, Krasnodar Krai, Republic of Kalmykia, Republic of Crimea, Karachay-Cherkess Republic).
 The article analyses perceptions of ethnocultural diversity in the context of justice in interethnic relations at the regional level. It also explores the connection between identification and socio-psychological characteristics (subjective assessments of violations of rights based on nationality) and the conviction of ethnic groups regarding the observance of justice while preserving the cultural diversity of their people in the region of residence (culture, language, and the development of ethnocultural infrastructure).
 The conducted analysis reveals that issues related to the preservation and development of ethnocultural diversity hold a prominent position in the population's views in the Southern Russian regions regarding the fair regulation of interethnic relations. Points of contention that translate social tension into interethnic tension often revolve around questions of historical memory linked to various forms of ethnic-based deprivation. It is established that the demand for the reproduction of ethnocultural diversity in the regions of Southern Russia is determined by the subjective experience of perceiving violations of rights based on nationality, assessments of justice in managing interethnic relations by the state, and the respondent's type of identity. The core understanding of justice for ethnic groups is linked to sociocultural aspects, and their demand for preserving culture, language, and traditions, regardless of their region of residence, is associated with concerns about their potential loss.

Critical Education in Community Health Literacy for Brazilian Nurses: A Course Evaluation

This article presents an immediate evaluation of a professional development course in community health literacy for Brazilian nurses. An evaluation based on an applied thematic analysis of the accounts of 63 attendees in three Brazilian cities (January 2020) was guided by the following themes: (a) expansion of understanding about community health literacy as a pillar for planning and providing health care; (b) encouragement of innovation in research and/or practice; and (c) plans to incorporate the information shared in the course into professional projects. The evaluation disclosed the complexity of social contexts for health literacy, which is intertwined with ethnocultural diversity and deep socioeconomic disparities, such as restricted access to essential public health services for socially deprived and vulnerable individuals. Expanded understanding about community health literacy is a pillar for care planning and delivery, as well as innovation in research and practice projects. Participants’ evaluations revealed ideas to improve nurses’ practice in promoting community health literacy and empowerment, as well as quality of life and social well-being. Future knowledge dissemination may impact nurses’ clinical practice and management actions, bringing changes in various areas of practice to redesign more socially inclusive actions for clientele. Keywords: Community health literacy; extracurricular education; immediate evaluation; nursing; professional development course.

ДИАСПОРЫ И МЕЖЭТНИЧЕСКАЯ КОНКУРЕНЦИЯ КАК ФАКТОРЫ ЭТНОКОНФЕССИОНАЛЬНОЙ НАПРЯЖЕННОСТИ В СОВРЕМЕННОЙ РОССИИ

The changing nature of migration processes in the post-Soviet space, the sharp asynchrony of the demographic behavior of various ethnic groups and other modern factors are aggravating society’s attitude towards diaspora practices. The main motive for uniting the diaspora is ethnofavoritism. It is possible to interpret both tribalistic and familistic preferences, characteristic of traditional societies, as manifestations of “extended egoism.” These preferences undermine the multi-level and extremely complex system of impersonal trust in a multicultural society and reduce the overall quality of its social capital. Today we are faced with an obvious contradiction in the issue of managing ethnocultural diversity: on the one hand, the diaspora model of behavior in a multicultural society is inevitable, on the other hand, government bodies, civil society institutions, and the media are not coping with the task of stopping the influence of diaspora practices on increasing interethnic competition in the Russian society.

ETHNIC ASPECTS OF RURAL MIGRATION IN THE FEDOROVSKY DISTRICT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BASHKORTOSTAN

The article examines the ethnic aspects of population migration in rural Bashkiria. The study area, i. e. Fedorovsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan, is distinguished by a high ethno-cultural diversity of the population with six large ethnic groups living there, namely Tatars, Russians, Bashkirs, Chuvashes, Mordvins and Ukrainians. The methods of research are the analysis of municipal statistics and household books of rural settlements, the study of “genealogical trees”, the questioning of people and the autobiographical interviews. Different data sources were used to analyze the dynamics of rural migration at the level of rural settlements of the Fedorovsky district in the pre-revolutionary, Soviet and post-Soviet periods. It was found that the migration behavior of population depends on the ethnic structure of rural settlements and their geographical location. The ethnic groups represented in the Fedorovsky district are at different stages of U. Zelinsky migration model, which is reflected in the current migration situation in rural settlements. Collected statistical data allowed selective presentation of the post-Soviet structure of the intraregional geography of rural migration of the population of some settlements in the context of the cities close to the Fedorovsky district, i. e. Ufa, Sterlitamak, Salavat, Ishimbai and Meleuz. The final part of the article interprets the results of questioning to describe the mechanism of making a decision on educational migration for residents of three rural settlements with different ethnic structure of population, i. e. Mordovian Kuzminovka, Tatar Deniskino and Chuvash Kiryushino.

School Bullying and Cultural Otherness: Vulnerable Social Groups and Education

Globalization and migration are now common. Internationally, societies are changing economically, culturally, and demographically. Greek society is becoming multicultural, causing many issues such as cultural diversity and the integration of new cultures. Education is affected by population changes and must manage multiculturalism. Interpersonal, social, and emotional interactions, relationships, and experiences occur in modern schools. Intercultural education is used in the multicultural school environment to encourage respect and eliminate preconceptions. School violence, aggression, and bullying are on the rise. It is a social phenomenon that affects more and more students. In this paper, school bullying, its relationship to student ethnocultural diversity, and its management are studied. The conclusion is that school bullying and violence must be prevented and treated systematically; to this end, teacher training, the school’s program, and parent–child relationships should also be addressed.

Abstract 82: The Language of Cancer Communication in Africa

Abstract Purpose: Communication is an essential aspect of cancer care and awareness but has been largely understudied in the African setting. There is no documentation, to our knowledge, of the spoken language used to communicate cancer terms in African languages. These languages are characterized by immense linguistic and ethno-cultural diversity and may not have any official term for ‘cancer’. Instead, the communicated language may have nuances and connotations which need to be understood. Methods: We conducted a survey on “The Language of Cancer Communication in Africa”. The aim was to gather information on how the medical language of cancer and its treatment is communicated to patients and by the community in African languages, and what these communication terms mean. Using an online survey administered in the English and French, a list of 16 cancer terms used in diagnosis and treatment (such as ‘cancer’, ‘biopsy’, ‘radiotherapy’, ‘chemotherapy’) were provided to participants who were asked to provide these terms in their local language (if it exists) followed by a direct translation of the meaning of the term into English (if they know). Participants were also allowed to provide any additional information or comments regarding the term to allow for documentation of nuances in the form of idioms, metaphors, or euphemisms. Analysis included descriptive and summary statistics on the variables collected as well as thematic analysis. Results: We present here examples of results from Zimbabwe and Uganda for the term ‘cancer’. The Shona (Zimbabwe) word is “gomarara” which means a parasitic plant. One of the explanations from the participants was that “This is a plant that grows on top of another plant, in a parasitic way, usually killing or disabling the plant.” In Uganda, the Luganda word for cancer is “kokolo” which means “Once it has come, no retreat, the disease will eat you until death”. Conclusion: The survey is still ongoing and will highlight the existence or nonexistence of cancer terms as well as the nature of cancer terminology in African languages and how it may contribute to fear, disparities for patients, and pose communication difficulties for Health Professionals. We envision that information collected from this survey will highlight the state of cancer communication in Africa and serve as platform for future in-depth work on the topic given the multiplicities of languages and cultures across the Continent. Citation Format: Hannah Simba, Justina Onwuka, Bernadette Chimera, Yahya Mahamat Saleh, Felix Oyinje, Grace Akinyi Odongo, Miriam Mutebi, Adamu Addissie, Efua Prah, Elom Aglago, Joachim Schuz, Valerie McCormack, Moses Galukande. The Language of Cancer Communication in Africa [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Closing the Research-to-Implementation Gap; 2023 Apr 4-6. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 82.

Языковая политика Швейцарии в условиях федерализма

Modern plural societies characterized by ethno-cultural diversity are forming demand for effective balance of inter-group relations. The institutionalization of language policy is becoming the way of inter-ethnic relations regulation. The problem of language policy implementation is the relevance in modern European federations, the boundaries of which are overlap on the boundaries of the linguistic communities’ residence. In such cases the language policy of the federal center includes the impact on the federal and regional authorities’ relations. Switzerland is the research interest as one of the most decentralized federations in Europe. The compact residence of four linguistic communities’ impact on the institutional foundations of the federal structure. The existing interaction of models between central authorities and cantons requires consideration as a tool for normalizing and influencing relations in plural societies. In this article the authors consider the influence of federalism and federal principles on development of language policy. The article reveals the regulatory framework of Swiss federalism, its institutional foundations, which impact on regulation of the language regime, both at the federal and regional levels. Based on the statistical data, an assessment is made of the language situations in the monolingual and bilingual cantons. The authors capture the main principles of the Swiss language regime. The principles of equality of languages, free language choice for the regions and the formal consolidation of languages’ territoriality as the basis for the stability of the Swiss model of federalism. It is concluded that federalism observed the harmonization of the language situation due to division of federal and regional powers.

Canada: A Very Short Introduction by Donald Wright (review)

Reviewed by: Canada: A Very Short Introduction by Donald Wright Barry Ferguson Wright, Donald–Canada: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. 160 p. Donald Wright’s Canada: A Very Short Introduction is a fresh and snappy historical overview replete with insights and explanations for anyone curious about modern Canada. It is well-grounded in history and social science, and draws on the arts to punctuate its arguments. The brevity of the format leads to bold assessments that invite critical discussion. The book begins and ends with vignettes about a family of recent refugee immigrants to the country. These snapshots prompt Wright to pose a longstanding question raised since the late nineteenth century by non-Canadian and Canadian commentators. Many writers have been puzzled by the country’s very existence. Is a country that lacks a “national identity” and tight unity truly a “real country”? The basic issues that have raised these doubts are Canada’s vast geography, its ethno-cultural diversity, and a “complicated,” that is divisive, history. Wright is critical of this entrenched perspective and counters it with eloquent arguments enucleated in the 1960s by Ramsay Cook. Cook explained that Canada was a distinct country precisely because it lacked an official culture, dominant concept of nationality, or stable political majority. Although Wright does not explore the ideas, they have been explained by others, notably Cook’s intellectual ally, Pierre Trudeau. Years before his political work fighting Quebec separatism and shaping constitutional transformation, Trudeau’s academic writing consisted of a remarkable demolition of traditional nationalisms and a fierce defence of plural states. [End Page 239] Wright’s book consists of six pithily stated and deftly illustrated themes that explore Canadian national experiences. The chapters consider the many historical attempts to impose unity, their divisive effects, and the twentieth- and twenty-first-century emergence of the plural, diverse, and functional country that has survived despite its divisions. These explorations start with two broad historical overviews. “Beginnings” and “Dispossessions” summarize the long history and great achievements of the highly diverse Indigenous Peoples as well as the lasting impact of three centuries of French and British colonial projects. Understandably, there is little space for nuanced discussions. For instance, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 heralded the British colonial takeover, the recognition of Quebec’s separate institutions, and also the primary British sovereignty over Indigenous nations. Quebec has understandably chafed under aspects of that separate institutional identity, but Quebeckers still value its constitutional force. Two centuries of political protest and litigation have resurrected the Royal Proclamation as an “Indian [sic] Bill of Rights.” In explaining “dispossessions,” Wright examines the relentless economic and political expansion and exploitation, the crucial and deadly effects of “viral pathogens,” and the intricacies of legal doctrines and public policies. The legal framework is epitomized by the 1876 “Indian Act,” a reviled but continuing foundational legislation to control Indigenous Peoples. Public policies are seen through the notorious residential school system that began in the 1880s and persisted for over a century to impose assimilation. The original Confederation of Canada in 1867 and the crucial treaties with and laws governing Indigenous Peoples punctuated a project that both defined and severely marginalized the original peoples. The book then examines four of modern Canada’s most significant facets. First, it considers the continuous impact of “nationalisms” as ideas and policies. Second, it reviews the post-1945 emergence of a “rights” culture. Third, it outlines the modern problems of Canada in the international order, or its “borders” as Wright puts it. Finally, the book assesses the country’s physical environment using the concepts of its “norths.” The treatment of “nationalisms” proceeds from the book’s initial pluralist interpretation. Nationalist movements are shown to have more often divided rather than unified political and social life. The deep social bases and corrosive effects of the sectarian and ethnic/racial nationalisms of French and “English” Canada (the latter would more accurately be described as “British” Canada) are explained. The discussion is insightful but would have been clearer if the varieties of nationalisms—ethnic, racial, and religious as well as civic and political variants—were specifically laid out from the outset. The impact...

Happily Ever After or Not? Marital Quality among Culturally Diverse Older-Aged Canadian Parents

The quality of partnered relationships is integral to individual and family health and well-being over the life span. Significant shifts in ethno-cultural diversity, parental roles, and family life contribute to more complex partnership experiences in North American society. Drawing from a socio-cultural life course lens, we examine parental marital satisfaction/quality in later life in terms of ethnicity, socio-demographic variables (e.g., ethnic identity, gender, age, health status) and family context (e.g., presence of children at home, intergenerational relations, retirement status). Data are drawn from a sample of 454 married/partnered adults aged 50+ with a least one child aged 19–35 who reside in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, from four cultural groups: British, Chinese, Persian/Iranian, and South Asian. Using Ordinary Linear Regression, we model predictors of three dependent variables: global marital satisfaction and two sub-scales, including positive and negative emotional/cognitive appraisals of relationship quality. Several ethnic group contrasts were supported, with Chinese reporting lower global marital satisfaction than the South Asians and Persian/Iranians reporting lower levels of positive marital appraisals than the South Asians. In addition, these associations were nuanced by interactions between ethnicity and gender, revealing distinct relationships with the dependent variables. Results also support associations for several covariates. In particular, greater income satisfaction and those reporting lower conflict with their children had higher marital quality; and males and those reporting better health only had positive associations with the global marital satisfaction scale. Implications for theorizing relationship quality in later life and recommendations for those who work with culturally diverse older adults (e.g., mental health care professionals, community service providers) are discussed.

Von Lipowanern, Merja und Mari: Denis Osokins Poetisierung ethnokultureller Diversität

Summary In the current Russian literary scene the writer Denis Osokin (*1977) takes on the role of a poet of ethno-cultural diversity. In his texts, Osokin evokes other languages and cultures. In doing so, he makes use of various textual operations of mystification, which, besides a primitivist author’s mask, include pseudotranslation. The aim of this article is to explore this literary technique central to Osokin and its implications for a general understanding of (Russian) culture and ethno-cultural diversity. Thereby the text-centred model of pseudotranslation introduced by the Israeli literary scholar Gideon Toury will be extended and pseudotranslation will be conceptualized, as proposed by Brigitte Rath, as “a mode of reading” (Rath 2014) – a literary technique through which an original is imagined that is not accessible as the original itself, but only through this imagination. In Osokin’s work, this original can take on the form of a text, a language, or an entire culture. By imagining an original and/or origin that is marked as fictional, Osokin undermines identity discourses and destabilizes seemingly stable categories and assumptions, such as centre and periphery or majority and minority cultures. The aesthetic-poetic and the critical-deconstructionist potential of Osokin’s prose will be exemplified by the short prose text Eugen Lwowskis Geschlechtsbeziehung mit einem Spiegel, which presents itself as a pseudotranslation from German, and the short story Ovsjanki, which is a miniature pseudo-epic reviving the Finno-Ugric people of the Merja, who were assimilated centuries ago by the Slavic-Russian population.

Legal issues pertaining to the collection of sociodemographic data in emergency departments.

Legal issues pertaining to the collection of sociodemographic data in emergency departments.

The Assembly of people of Kazakhstan as an institution of interculturalism policy

The article reveals the origins of the systemic crisis of the neoliberal model of multiculturalism. It is shown that the conceptual foundations and socio-political technologies of the neoliberal project of a multicultural society were unable to combine the principle of recognition and promotion of cultural diversity with the imperative of strengthening the civil-political, cultural, spiritual unity of the people. The search for a new model of nation-building and management of ethno-cultural diversity led to the emergence of the concept of interculturalism in the early 2000s. Interculturalism is considered by modern political theory as a kind of third way between the extremes of multiculturalism and the policy of assimilation. The article shows that the approaches and principles of interculturalism are consistently and effectively implemented in the national policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, having received institutional consolidation in the form of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan.

Coursework, field-based teaching practices, and multicultural experiences: Analyzing the determinants of preservice teachers’ ethnocultural diversity knowledge

Based on a performance test of 819 preservice teachers from six different teacher education programs in Flanders (Belgium), the current study examined the links between preservice learning opportunities and future teachers' ethnocultural diversity knowledge. Multilevel regression analyses revealed a significant relationship between integrating diversity throughout education courses and preservice teachers' diversity knowledge. No relation was found between cultural diversity knowledge and stand-alone cultural diversity courses or field-based teaching experiences. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the implications for teacher education programs.

Digital Ethnic Enclaves: Mate Preferences and Platform Choices Among Chinese Immigrant Online Daters in Vancouver

In light of the growing racialized immigrant population in Canada and advances in dating technologies, this study examines Chinese immigrants' partner preferences and mate selection processes through the lens of online dating. We draw on in-depth interviews with 31 Chinese immigrants who have used online dating services in Metro Vancouver to search for different-sex partners. Chinese immigrant online daters show strong preferences for dating Chinese. They emphasize permanent residency status and similarity in age at arrival when evaluating potential partners. Given their preferences, Chinese immigrants strategically choose the dating platforms they primarily use. Men exhibit higher selectivity in their preferences and choices of platforms. Notably, platforms catering to Chinese users create "digital ethnic enclaves" where Chinese immigrant daters congregate. The findings illuminate the intersection of race, gender, immigrant status, and age at arrival in shaping divergent experiences of mate selection and immigrant assimilation in the digital era.

The Muslim genome: postcolonial nation-building through genomics in Pakistan

National genome projects are often celebrated as assertions of genomic sovereignty, with limited critique of their potential as instruments of biopolitical control and extraction by the state. This paper extends analyses of genomics and nationalism by examining how genomics is mobilized in service of an authoritarian nation-state and ideology in Pakistan. Since independence, Pakistan has sought to unify and centralize the state under a militarized project of Islamic nationalism. I demonstrate how the Pakistani genome was scientifically characterized along key contours of statist ideology to naturalize an imagined religious-nationalist-genetic community. Further, I discuss how genomics attempted to resolve two major tensions in statist narratives: the nation’s immense ethnocultural diversity under a homogenous national identity, and a territorial disjuncture between its geographical “homeland” and ideological “heartland”. Thus, I situate Pakistan’s genomics effort in the history of ideological collaboration between state and intellectual elites, and challenge the inherently emancipatory assumptions of national genomics initiatives.