Social Formation Research Articles

Understanding the social identity of adolescents in the Indigenous Kodava Community of India.

The social identity development of adolescents in marginalized communities across the globe holds paramount significance in determining the overall well-being of its future population. Focusing on one such community, the Kodavas, an Indigenous community in South India, this study aims to understand the shifting configurations of social identity based on the changing sociocultural structure and its implications on identity perception among the adolescents belonging to the Kodava community in Kodagu district in Karnataka, India. This study used a qualitative research design to develop an analytical framework of social identity formation and its transitions in the context of the Kodavas. Data were collected from 188 adolescents (47% boys, 53% girls) between 13 and 17 years (M age = 15 years), in the form of essay writing. The findings based on thematic analysis highlight the core traditional elements of Kodava identity, factors influencing the transition in identity, and its reflection in the contemporary period.

Does social media use help individuals with social anxiety form romantic relationships?

AbstractThe goal of this study was to examine how social anxiety contributes to romantic relationship formation and whether technology may be used to assist this process. Participants completed an online survey (N = 242); individuals who scored moderate or higher in social anxiety on the Liebowitz social anxiety scale were invited to participate in an anonymous online chat (N = 41). Quantitative and qualitative data revealed that socially anxious individuals reported more confidence speaking to romantic interests virtually than in person. Social media appears to be a tool for socially anxious individuals to ease stress associated with romantic relationship formation.

Threat, safety, safeness and social safeness 30 years on: Fundamental dimensions and distinctions for mental health and well-being.

In 1993, the British Journal of Clinical Psychology published my paper titled 'Defence and safety: Their function in social behaviour and psychopathology'. The paper highlightsthat to understand people's sensitivity to threat, we also need to understand their ability to identify what is safe. This paper offers an update on these concepts, highlighting distinctions that were implicit but not clearly defined at the time. Hence, the paper seeks to clarify distinctions between: (i) threat detection and response, (ii) safety and safety seeking, (iii) safeness and (iv) their social and non-social functions and forms. Threat detection and response are to prevent or minimize harm (e.g., run from a predator or fire). Safety checking relates to monitoring for the absence and avoidance of threat, while safety seeking links to the destination of the defensive behaviour (e.g., running home). Safety seeking also relates to maintaining vigilance to the appearance of potential harms and doing things believed to avoid harm. Threat-defending and safety checking and seeking are regulated primarily through evolved threat processing systems that monitor the nature, presence, controllability and/or absence of threat (e.g., amygdala and sympathetic nervous system). Safeness uses different monitoring systems via different psychophysiological systems (e.g., prefrontal cortex, parasympathetic system) for the presence of internal and external resources that support threat-coping, risk-taking, resource exploration. Creating brain states that recruit safeness processing can impact how standard evidence-based therapies (e.g., exposure, distress tolerance and reappraisal) are experienced and produce long-term change.

Phenomenal Socialism

Phenomenal socialism says that what we actually, directly, literally perceive is only or primarily instances of high-level phenomenal properties; this paper argues for phenomenal socialism in the weaker, primarily version. Phenomenal socialism is the philosophy of perception that goes with recognitionalism, which is the metaethics that goes with epiphanies. The first part states the recognitionalist manifesto. The second part situates this manifesto relative to some more global concerns, about naturalism, perception, the metaphysics of value, and theory vs. anti-theory in ethics. The third part rehearses two familiar views about the possible contents of perceptual experience, Phenomenal Conservativism and Phenomenal Liberalism. It notes that the usual catalogue omits two other theoretical possibilities, Phenomenal Socialism and Phenomenal Nihilism, and it defends a watered-down form of Phenomenal Socialism from four main objections. The fourth part makes some connections with the epistemology of modality and with the role of the imagination.

Abstract PO2-09-07: Neighborhood Disadvantage and Social Adversity in Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract Introduction: Neighborhood disadvantage has been shown to independently predict breast cancer specific survival even after considering access to care barriers. This effect may be explained in part by biologic influences of the neighborhood environment on breast tumors. Social genomics literatures posits that this relationship is mediated by chronic stress in the form of social adversity, i.e. disadvantaged neighborhoods may be leading to increased stress for patients which in turn may effect tumor biology. Our objective in this study was to link a measure of patient-reported neighborhood specific stress with an objective and widely used measure of neighborhood disadvantage, the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). Methods: In this prospective cohort study patients with stage I-IV breast cancer completed survey questions from a validated Neighborhood Social Environment Adversity Survey (NSEAS) to measure perceived stress caused by their environment. Questions included both 5-item and 4-item Likert scale answer choices with higher scores indicating higher stress. Responses were standardized into Z-scores and composite and subscale scores were calculated by summation. Subscales included threat to safety, social cohesion, and aesthetic quality. Survey questions demonstrated good reliability with a Cronbach’s α of 0.72. Cohort addresses were used to determine the ADI, a continuous measure from 1-10 with higher scores indicating more disadvantage. Hierarchical linear regression was used to assess the relationship between ADI and NSEAS composite and subscale scores while controlling for covariates. Results: 380 breast cancer patients completed the NSEAS 61.6% were Hispanic, 17.0% were Non-Hispanic White, and 21.4% were Non-Hispanic Black. Mean age (SD) was 56 (12) years. Mean (SD) ADI was 4 (3). On univariate analysis, we found that ADI significantly predicts NSEAS composite and subscale scores (Composite β =0.63, t=5.68, p< 0.001; Threat to Safety β =0.18, t=5.07, p< 0.001; Social Cohesion β =0.19, t=3.35, p< 0.001; Aesthetic Quality β =0.15, t=4.20, p< 0.001). After controlling for age, race, ethnicity, highest education level, patient insurance, and annual household income, we found that ADI continued to significantly predict levels of NSEAS (Composite β =0.48, t=4.02, p< 0.001; Threat to Safety β =0.14, t=3.57, p< 0.001; Social Cohesion β =0.14, t=2.34, p=0.02; Aesthetic Quality β =0.12, t=3.09, p=0.002). Conclusion: In our novel study, we found that higher levels of neighborhood disadvantage independently predict higher levels of perceived neighborhood stress in breast cancer patients. Because of the known detrimental effects of both chronic stress and neighborhood disadvantage on health, understanding the specific factors of stress caused by neighborhood-level social adversity can help define targetable areas of intervention for future studies. These findings contribute to current literature on how and why neighborhood disadvantage leads to worse breast cancer outcomes. Table 1. Hierarchical Regression Illustrating Relationship between Neighborhood Disadvantage and Patient-Reported Neighborhood Social Environment Adversity Survey Scores Citation Format: Alexandra Hernandez, Maya Lubarsky, Susan Kesmodel, Michael Antoni, Neha Goel. Neighborhood Disadvantage and Social Adversity in Breast Cancer Patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO2-09-07.

Impact of Social Media Engagement on Perceptions of Social Capital

Purpose: The general objective of the study was to explore the impact of social media engagement on perceptions of social capital. 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 reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the impact of social media engagement on perceptions of social capital. Preliminary empirical review revealed that active participation on social media platforms positively influenced individuals' sense of trust, reciprocity, and belonging. However, the depth of online relationships varied, with some interactions fostering meaningful connections while others remained superficial. Individual factors such as age, socioeconomic status, and cultural background influenced the relationship between social media engagement and social capital perceptions. The study highlighted the need for further research to understand the underlying mechanisms and develop tailored interventions for maximizing the positive effects of social media on social capital perceptions. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Social Capital theory, Uses and Gratification theory and Social Identity theory may be used to anchor future studies on the impact of social media engagement on perceptions of social capital. The study provided valuable recommendations that contributed to theory, practice, and policy. It enhanced theoretical frameworks by elucidating the mechanisms through which social media engagement influences perceptions of social capital. Practical implications were identified, emphasizing the importance of strategic content creation and authentic engagement for individuals and organizations. Policy recommendations highlighted the need for regulations promoting digital literacy and online safety to foster a healthy online environment conducive to social capital formation. Future research avenues were also suggested, including longitudinal studies and comparative analyses across demographic groups and cultural contexts. Overall, the study's findings offered insights that could inform strategies for enhancing social capital in the digital age.

Analysis of the Development Trajectory of Marxs Historical Philosophy

In his early years, Marx, inspired by Hegel, believed that history is a process of dynamic evolution. Therefore, he also paid attention to the replacement of social forms and the differences in social forms among different ethnic groups. While Hegel believed that the driving force of historical progress lies in spirit, Marx focused more on the role of material in it. Thus, in his theories of social forms and world history, Marx emphasized the historical progress brought about by changes in the mode of production. Based on this, Marx expounded his views on the evolution of social forms and the development status and prospects of world history. He consistently held a equality political inclination and continued to pay attention to the oppression suffered by backward nations. This paper summarizes Marxs social form theory, world history theory, and his related discussions on backward nations in his historical philosophy. It outlines the global perspective from the internal social evolution of nations to the coordinated development of the world, and then to Marxs humanitarian care for backward nations.

SOSIALISASI PENGEMASAN PRODUK, LABEL PRODUK DAN PEMBUATAN LAPORAN KEUANGAN SEDERHANA BAGI PELAKU UMKM DI DESA ADAT SANUR

Desa Adat Sanur has the potential for natural resources in the form of abundant fish, but the utilization of these natural resources to increase selling value is still not optimal because the fish is sold raw without any processing. In addition, the potential of Desa Adat Sanur is also a strategic tourism object, with this potential certainly having an impact on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) around Desa Adat Sanur. However, there are still many business actors who still combine their business money with their personal money and have not kept financial records so that business profits are also not recorded. Based on these problems, socialization of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises related to increasing selling value and financial recording is important even though it is simple. This village project activity has solutions related to the problems previously described. The method used in this village project is in the form of socialization and mentoring regarding fish processing into finished products in the form of crackers, product packaging, product labels and making simple financial reports for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The results of this village project can provide an understanding of the importance of recording good financial statements and provide an explanation of how to increase the selling value of fish through the processing of raw fish products into finished products in the form of fish crackers.

Structural and Cognitive Mechanisms of Group Cohesion in Primates.

Group-living creates stresses that, all else equal, naturally lead to group fragmentation, and hence loss of the benefits that group-living provides. How species that live in large stable groups counteract these forces is not well understood. I use comparative data on grooming networks and cognitive abilities in primates to show that living in large, stable groups has involved a series of structural solutions designed to create chains of 'friendship' (friends-of-friends effects), increased investment in bonding behaviours (made possible by dietary adjustments) to ensure that coalitions work effectively, and neuronally expensive cognitive skills of the kind known to underpin social relationships in humans. The first ensures that individuals synchronise their activity cycles; the second allows the stresses created by group-living to be defused; and the third allows a large number of weak ties to be managed. Between them, these create a form of multilevel sociality based on strong versus weak ties similar to that found in human social networks. In primates, these strategies appear successively at quite specific group sizes, suggesting that they are solutions to 'glass ceilings' that would otherwise limit the range of group sizes that animals can live in (and hence the habitats they can occupy). This sequence maps closely onto the grades now known to underpin the Social Brain Hypothesis and the fractal pattern that is known to optimise information flow round networks.

Why We Should See YouTube From Digital Ecology Perspective

This study is a critical perspective in exploring changes in social, cultural and political forms related to the development of contemporary communication technology. The main theme of this research is YouTube's digital space with the topic of utilizing the main features of geo-tagging, hashtags and live streaming. Researchers observed three content creators in utilizing the features of the digital platform to carry out social interactions and actions. The purpose of this study is to explain that the character of the users and the current use of digital platforms is a representation of the interaction and socio-cultural situation of contemporary society as a part of the digital ecosystem. This research is qualitative in nature with specific observations on micro phenomena, so the results are not generalizations, but in the form of data findings to support the hypothesis, namely the importance of a critical perspective of digital ecology to explain contemporary digital ecosystem phenomena. This article is supported by comparative descriptions and descriptions of the development of several theoretical models as well as social-technological changes that have occurred before. This research contributes to providing an important perspective that media and technology studies must move from discussions about human and technology interactions, to discussions about human interactions in technology. As a study of ongoing phenomena, the researcher places this research by opening up to the potential for the latest changes that can occur along with technological developments.

Living the tradition: the formation of gaucho masculine identities over time

Identity is a sociocultural construct influenced by markers such as race, gender, nationality, and traditions, and in the gacuho context, beliefs and customs historically transmitted since the colonization of the territory shape masculinities. Manoelito de Ornellas, in his work "Gaúchos e Beduínos: The Ethnic Origin and Social Formation of Rio Grande do Sul" (1956), aims to reclaim the gaucho essence, portraying the man as a courageous, virile, and honorable hero. Thus, a reflection on these values can contribute to the understanding of gaucho masculinities formed through traditionalism. The objective of this study is to reflect on the representations and meanings of gaucho male identities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, based on read and interpretation of Ornellas' work, as well as anthropological references on male identity.

Transformation and Belonging: Analyzing the Dynamics of Property Choices among Rural Migrants Transitioning to Urban Middle-Class Identities in China During the 1990s

This study articulates the transformative trajectory of rural migrants towards urban middle-class status in China during the notable period of the 1990s, placing a particular emphasis on the strategic significance of housing decisions within this metamorphosis. It meticulously examines the confluence of economic imperatives, social networks, and urban governance frameworks as pivotal determinants shaping the housing choices of these migrants, thereby facilitating or constraining their socio-economic mobility and integration into the urban milieu. Employing a robust qualitative methodology encompassing in-depth interviews and case studies, the research elucidates the nuanced interplay between individual agency and structural impediments in the pursuit of urban middle-class identity. This scholarly inquiry not only unveils the complex dynamics of social stratification and urbanization but also enriches the discourse on the socio-political implications of migration and housing policy in the context of China's rapid urban transformation. Through this lens, the study contributes to a more sophisticated understanding of the processes underpinning social identity formation and the reconfiguration of urban landscapes in developing economies.

Non-energy feedback: The unseen impacts of sensory, social, material and systemic feedback on household energy demand

Energy feedback is a central plank in demand management interventions aiming to reduce the quantity or shift the timing of domestic energy use – changes to patterns of consumption widely seen as necessary in energy systems powered by intermittent renewable generation. Despite significant resources and attention, however, the changes in consumption achieved to date through energy feedback have been relatively limited in both extent and duration. At the same time, the energy sector has largely overlooked the role of broader forms of everyday feedback that observably shape when and how energy-using practices are performed. Drawing on ethnographic research with 30 Australian households, this article argues that in order for the sector to both understand and better guide patterns of domestic energy use we need to decentre energy feedback, and instead refocus attention on the non-energy data that informs everyday practices. We bring this empirical material together with social science literature on energy policy, feedback and consumption to propose the concept of non-energy feedback. Specifically, we explore how sensory, social, material and systemic forms of feedback inform the way that people use and think about energy, and consider how conventional and non-energy forms of feedback are used in combination in the course of everyday life. We conclude by exploring both novel and potential feedback concepts that engage households on the basis of their existing interests and capacities, and consider how non-energy feedback can help to address the challenges posed by a decarbonising and decentralising grid in which demand-side participation is increasingly vital.

A Study of Adolescents' Behavioral Responses to Public Events and Guidance Trends in Social Media Platforms

With the popularization and development of social media, adolescence has become an important platform for adolescents to express their views, exchange information and participate in society. The purpose of this paper is to explore in depth adolescents' behavioral responses to public events on social media and their guiding trends and to analyze adolescents' motivations for using social media, the manifestation of public events on social media, the application of social movement theories in social media research, and the modern transformation of public sphere theories. Using a mixed-methods design that combines quantitative and qualitative data analysis, this study provides a comprehensive picture of adolescents' behavioral patterns, motivations for participation, and social impact on social media, as well as their roles and challenges in public discourse. The study revealed that adolescents respond to a variety of types of public events, including posting, commenting, sharing, and engaging in hashtags. Adolescents' interactive behaviors on social media information diffusion, opinion formation, and social mobilization are important social impacts of adolescents' social media behaviors. They accelerate the spread of information through sharing and retweeting, participate in the discussion of public issues and have a direct impact on the formation of public opinion. In addition, social media has become an effective tool for mobilizing social action, and adolescents promote practical action and participation in public issues by interacting with and organizing online activities. This study proposes a series of coping strategies, including improving users' media literacy and information discernment, social media platforms to strengthen the regulation and auditing of information dissemination, and the government and the community to strengthen the regulation and governance of the social media field. This study provides new perspectives for understanding adolescents' social participation in the digital age, showing how social media, as a new public sphere, affects public discourse, social mobilization, and the formation of civic identity. The findings not only provide rich empirical material for sociological theories but also provide valuable insights for promoting social public participation, improving information quality, and advancing social progress. Future research can further explore the impact of social media on adolescents' social participation in different cultural and social contexts, as well as how to optimize the efficacy of social media as a platform for public discourse and social mobilization through educational and policy interventions.

The role of corporate social advocacy forms in shaping young adults’ responses

PurposeThis study aims to examine the role of different forms of corporate social advocacy (CSA) in shaping individuals’ attitudinal and behavioral intentions towards companies taking their public stand on controversial socio-political issues. With an online experiment as the research method, this study tests whether depicting nonpolitical or political behaviors in CSA messages increases individuals’ positive behavioral intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a single factor between subject online experiment. A total of 135 US young adults were recruited through a Qualtrics online panel. Three social media mockups were created to manipulate three levels of actions in CSA messages (no action, nonpolitical action and political action). Participants viewed one of those social media posts depicting presented actions to counter anti-LGBTQ + legislation in the USA and answered questions about values-driven motives behind CSA, brand preference and positive word-of-mouth (WOM) intention.FindingsParticipants displayed higher levels of brand preference when they viewed CSA messages depicting the company’s political action intended to repel anti-LGBTQ + legislation. Participants showed more positive WOM intentions towards the company when they perceived its political actions as more values-driven.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study offer practical insights to companies when designing CSA messages and strategies. The results of this study indicate that the presence of political actions in CSA communication increases individuals’ positive behaviors towards companies. The results also suggest that depicting altruistic motives behind CSA leads individuals to talk about companies more in positive ways.Originality/valueThis study is one of the early studies investigating the impact of various forms of CSA on individuals’ attitudinal and behavioral intentions to companies practicing CSA. This study provides practical implications on how to effectively appeal individuals’ favorable attitudes and behaviors towards CSA. In particular, this research presents the importance of action aspects in individuals’ attitudes toward corporations’ CSA messages.

Radical Visible Pedagogy and Cumulative Knowledge-Building in Education

Twenty-first century learning revolves around a pedagogical discourse based on simplistic dichotomies, favoring a student-centered approach. This direction claims that such a learning model will lead to in-depth learning in education. This paper refutes this claim and argues that curricula based on twenty-first century learning promotes a social and context-dependent form of knowledge. To examine the problem of 21st century learning, and to develop an alternative, this paper introduces Bernstein’s pedagogical modalities, which are investigated using the terms “semantic gravity” and “semantic density.” These concepts are used to analyze teachers’ pedagogical practices in three different subjects, considering the further effects of these practices on learning and knowledge-building, as expressed in submitted student papers. The analysis suggests that practices that create long semantic waves, where knowledge is transformed between decontextualized meanings and contextualized meanings, are a condition for in-depth learning and cumulative knowledge-building. The paper argues that this form of knowledge-building is a result of a radical visible pedagogy, which includes practices that are based on different forms of knowledge, making visible how these forms of knowledge can be connected and transformed in education.

The Law of Social Enterprises: Surveying a New Field of Research

AbstractSocial enterprises are becoming increasingly popular across the globe. They are seen, particularly by younger generations, as an exceptionally promising organizational model. More recently, the idea to tackle social challenges with entrepreneurial means has also been met warmly by policymakers. However, the legal framework for social enterprises remains poorly developed and legal analysis of the subject matter in academia is only slowly gaining momentum. Against this background, this article outlines the multifaceted, real-world phenomenon of social enterprises in business practice and management research, whereby different patterns of thought in Europe on the one hand and in the United States on the other can be identified. It then introduces the (corporate) law of social enterprises, especially the development of new organizational forms, and takes stock of this gradually emerging field of research in Germany, Europe, and the United States. Furthermore, it addresses research perspectives and open questions in the new field of social enterprise law, highlighting, inter alia, that one should distinguish more strongly than before between different models of social enterprises and organizational forms when considering a new legislative creation.

The effects of exposure to violence on social network composition and formation

How does exposure to violence affect civilian social networks during wartime? Social networks play critical roles in civil wars by enabling civilians to endure the destruction of conflict. However, little is known about how these networks change in response to violence. I employ original survey data from camps for the internally displaced in Kachin State, Myanmar, an area of active civil conflict, to determine how exposure to violence affects the social networks of internally displaced people (IDPs). I find that those exposed to violence have fewer initial, new, and close ties. However, those exposed to violence do not form ties with other exposed IDPs at a higher rate than with non-exposed IDPs.

Міжсекторальна співпраця в контексті соціального розвитку територіальних громад України

The article examines the social aspects of the organization of intersectoral cooperation as one of the sources of the development of territorial communities and their adaptation to the complex socio-political and socio-economic conditions of the war period. The need to speed up recovery processes and successfully develop the country’s economy in combination with the European integration tasks currently makes this area of scientific research relevant. The purpose of the article is to determine the transformational changes in the development of intersectoral cooperation in territorial communities with the substantiation of stimulating mechanisms in the context of their social development tasks. The novelty is the generalization of the results of changes which took place in the organization of intersectoral cooperation in the field of social service provision in communities during the war period. The article uses the methods of system analysis, generalization and comparison, economic and statistical analysis. It was revealed that intersectoral cooperation in the territorial communities of the country has not yet acquired a systemic nature with appropriate legislative and regulatory support and is practiced only in case of critical exacerbation of local socio-economic or socio-ecological problems. The specifics of the modern organization of intersectoral interaction in the communities of the country was considered and the main trends of its development in the field of social service provision, as well as the possibility of overcoming the wartime barriers, were identified. It was found that the main obstacles to the development of intersectoral cooperation are related to its informal nature, the low level of complementarity of interacting parties’ interests, and the lack of platforms for communication. In the absence of a comprehensive concept of the development of territorial communities’ social sphere in the war period, an assessment of the sphere of social service provision in the communities was carried out, and the problems of its digitalization and staffing were determined from the perspective of the possibilities for development of various social interaction forms. The need to transition to a new format of intersectoral cooperation based on partnership, social responsibility, and constructive dialogue between participants in order to successfully implement local initiatives and minimize the negative consequences of competition between various entities and social groups has been proved. Actively spreading the possibilities of cross-sectoral cooperation, formed on collective efforts and joint responsibility on a partnership basis, to the social development of communities will ensure the successful solution of local socio-economic, information & communication, environmental protection problems, taking into account the interests of local residents. The article defines directions and conditions of the organization of intersectoral cooperation that are strategically significant for the social development of the country’s territorial communities and suggests appropriate mechanisms capable of strengthening its potential in the near future.

Engaging With Race and Racism Through the Sensory: Four Pedagogical Instigations

Teaching and learning effectively, inclusively, and critically about the power and politics of race and difference remains a protracted yet important struggle. Race is an emotionally laden and provocative issue facing many societies, and the concomitant privilege and ideology that upholds it are oftentimes surpassed through processes and mechanisms of “invisibling.” In this article, I add to the plethora of debates and discussions concerning race as an organizing principle by showing how through the sensory, seemingly one of the most mundane, banal, and quotidian aspects of social life, can be a potent epistemological tool with which to teach how “race” can be reconstructed, negotiated, and maneuvered by social actors in the context of multicultural Singapore. Social formations of “race” undergo new ways of categorization, perpetuation, and judgment with the sensory as an emotive medium of recognition and placement. I foreground some of the pedagogical strategies I have employed that draw on emotions and the senses to instigate meaningful and critical class discussions, and the variegated classroom responses to the teaching of race and multiculturalism in everyday life. More specifically, I show how students as well as their respondents deploy emotions and the sensory in practices of inclusion and exclusion upon racial selves and others. A more creative and inclusive classroom and learning environment is therefore imperative to stimulate discussion, particularly alternative, critical, and meaningful ways of thinking about race. This, I contend, will necessitate a reflexive reconfiguration and maneuvering of power dynamics within the classroom setting, and our experience in teaching undergraduate students through particular kinds of strategies I have used during discussion groups have reaped interesting outcomes, both on the parts of the instructor as a reflexive participant and the students in the classroom.