Harmful Traditions Research Articles

Traditional female cervical cauterization and risk of preterm birth in Somalia: a single-center prospective observational study

Numerous traditional practices are both beneficial and harmful. Traditional harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation and traditional cervical cauterization, are carried out for a number of reasons but can have negative health and social effects. In addition to deeply held beliefs, a lack of knowledge and awareness of the consequences of these practices contributes to the persistence of these issues. The objective of this study is to examine whether traditional cervical cauterizations were associated with preterm births in Somalia. This prospective cohort study was conducted at our hospital over a one-year period. Seven hundred and two patients were included in this study; these patients were divided into two groups, cauterized and non-cauterized groups, and the two groups were compared on pregnancy outcomes. We examined whether traditional cervical cauterizations were associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm births. According to the findings of this study, traditional cervical cauterization was prevalent among patients visiting MSTREH (n = 328, 46.7%). Infections of the uterine cervix and infertility were the two main indications for cauterization, 44.8%, and 34.8%, respectively.Being older, uneducated, and poverty were significantly associated with traditional cauterization (P < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between prior traditional cervical cauterization and the risk of preterm births. Women with prior cauterization were two and half times more likely to deliver a preterm fetus (OR: 2.64, 95% CI 2.15–3.33) compared to non-cauterized mothers. Our findings show that women who have previously undergone traditional cervical cauterization have a significantly higher risk of preterm birth and negative pregnancy outcomes than non-cauterized women. Health professionals, particularly those who are close to the community, are crucial in developing and putting into practice plans to end harmful traditions in Somalia.

Access to Secondary School Education among Girls from Pastoral Communities: A case of the Barbaig in Hanang District, Manyara Region of Tanzania

Access to education for girls in many societies faces significant challenges, often leading to girls being viewed as inferior to boys. However, little is known about the unique challenges facing girls from pastoral societies and their access to schooling. Therefore, this paper sheds light on girls' access to secondary school education in the Barbaig pastoral community in the Hanang District, Manyara Region of Tanzania. Specifically, it examines the challenges girls face in accessing secondary education in their area. The study uses a cross-sectional research design and involved 210 girls from Dirma, Chief Gejaru, and Mwahu secondary schools. Proportional sampling and simple random sampling techniques were used to obtain respondents for this study. Data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions, and documentary reviews. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used in data analysis. The results revealed that a shortage of girls’ facilities and services in schools, families' low socio-economic status, and harmful gender norms, traditions, and practices were among the challenges. Other challenges include early pregnancies and early marriage, parents’ desire for wealth, nomadic lifestyle, large family size, and long distance from home to school. It is recommended that the Education Department in Hanang District implement educational policies that ensure students in every school have sufficient resources. Furthermore, community leaders should insist on the importance of girls’ education. This will only be possible if local authorities actively collaborate with relevant stakeholders to solve the educational challenges facing the girls from the Barbaig tribe.

The good intentions of federalism

The article is devoted to substantiating the controversial thesis that federalism is not an autonomous type of political structure. Federations are interpreted as a set of specific failures of different origins in the course of following the basic modern scenario of the formation of a unitary nation-state with a consolidated (civil) political identity. The article has for theoretical basis the actor approach, which interprets the political form of the federation as a derivative result of a conflict pact between the central and peripheral elites. In this methodological perspective, the history of the concept of federalism is examined and a comparative historical analysis of the world federal experience is carried out. As a result, a number of interrelated author's conclusions were formulated. First, it is shown that the original Kantian project of a world federation of states has little in common with federalism, which refers to the description of the internal structure of individual societies. Secondly, the conclusion is substantiated by the fact that in the modern theory of federalism a harmful mainstream tradition has developed, which scales as a normative successful experience the centralizing federalism in the United States. Thirdly, the cultural and historical features of the formation of two families of federations are highlighted and analyzed, one of which is associated with the acquisition of independence by offshoots of the West, and the other was formed by the later processes of the collapse of the colonial empires of the West and the liberation of colonies in Africa and Eurasia. Fourthly, it is argued that the federal political structure at the theoretical level was intended to reconcile, at the basis of the political project of Modernity, the liberal utopia of a universal and culturally homogeneous civil nation and the actual cultural diversity of any modern states, which is a permanent source of erosion of its political sovereignty and differentiation of collective identities. Fifthly, it is proved that all derived political, legal, economic and other signs of federalism are due to one initial problem - the legitimation and subsequent institutionalization of the conflict between the central elite and regional elites, challenging the indivisibility of political sovereignty and demanding political autonomy. Sixth, federalism as a changeable pact of elites in specific historical societies does not provide convincing grounds for its qualification as an autonomous political form compared to a unitary nation-state. The final conclusion is that the political format of federalism in most states is a long-term way of formalizing the political divorce of cultural communities that could not create a common political nation.

Harmful Cultural Traditions: An Analysis of Female Circumcision Practice in Maldives

Harmful Cultural Traditions: An Analysis of Female Circumcision Practice in Maldives

Confucian propriety without inequality: A Daoist (and feminist) re-construction

ABSTRACT This work is a thought experiment in re-interpreting the virtue of li or ritual/propriety for the contemporary, multi-cultural, world. Using Zhuangzi, the Lunyu, and Zhongyong as my primary points of departure, I re-interpret the Confucian ideas of hierarchy in terms of the Daoist conception of harmony. Many scholars today argue that Confucianism has a relational ontology, yet at the same time, we find that Confucian values can and do lead to rigid and harmful traditions that have historically oppressed marginalized groups like women. As such, I re-imagine what li might look like if we take relational ontology seriously, Drawing from Zhuangzi, I argue that Confucian harmony and order do not necessarily arise out of hierarchy, and that harmony, the most primary goal of li and of the Confucian project, can be best attained through propriety that is influenced by Daoism and feminist values such as equality.

Gender and access to Inclusive Education in Tanzania: A Case of Selected Primary Schools in Shinyanga and Mwanza Regions

This study examined gender relations and access to inclusive education for children with disabilities in Shinyanga and Mwanza regions. The study was conducted specifically to examine community attitudes and practices towards girls with disabilities, harmful gender cultural norms, practices, traditions and barriers girls with disabilities face in accessing education. The study employed interpretive phenomenological design and purposive sampling technique to obtain 96 participants. Children with disabilities were identified by using the Child Functioning Module (CFM) questions and participants were purposively sampled. Data were collected using key informant interviews, focus group discussions and observations. Thematic analysis techniques were employed to analyse the data. The study found that there were deep rooted discriminatory cultural practices and gender norms which rendered children with disabilities excluded from school as compared to their male peers and those without disabilities. This was further compounded by poor teaching and learning environment. Girls faced greater barriers than boys, including more hours spent doing household chores, early marriages and pregnancies leading to drop out. It is recommended for government, community and development partners to focus more on children with disabilities, especially girls, increase community awareness on inclusive education and gender as well as improve teaching and learning environments.

Regime Stability and the Persistence of Traditional Practices

Abstract I examine why the harmful tradition of female genital mutilation (FGM) persists in certain countries but in others it has been eradicated. People are more willing to abandon their traditions if they are confident that the government is durable enough to set up long-term replacements for them. Using a country-ethnicity panel data set spanning 23 countries from 1970 to 2013 and artificial partition of African ethnic groups by national borders, I show that a one-standard-deviation larger increase in political regime durability leads to a 0.1-standard-deviation larger decline in the share of newly circumcised women, conditional on the presence of an anti-FGM government policy.

Review: Józef Węglarz, [Physical Education in Stories. Between Theory and Practice], Oficyna Wydawnicza “Impuls”, Kraków 2021

The reviewed book is included in the reading list showing the problems of school physical education and looking for their effective solution. The preparation of such a study consists, as Maciej Demel (1973, p. 7) wrote, ‘in critically attacking the present, overcoming outdated and harmful traditions, undermining authorities, (...) constant anxiety and searching, simultaneous penetration of the current state, its origins and prospects.’ The author has prepared the book in a slightly different formula. He presented his anxiety about the future of physical education in stories, which gives the work originality. Józef Węglarz can be counted among the few authors who subjectively, with a bit of sarcasm and humor, reveal the weaknesses of physical education. At the same time, using many years of experience, the author suggests how to solve a given problem…

Перша світова війна і українське суспільство: історична ретроспектива і сучасні рефлексії

The purpose of the research is to conduct a comparative analysis of the First World War and the current Russian-Ukrainian war based on the use of mass media materials, statisti- cal data, testimonies of contemporaries in various forms and popular science works published on the eve of and during these armed confl icts. Th e research methodology is based on the prin- ciples of historicism, objectivity, systematicity and the use of universal general scientifi c research methods (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction) and special-historical and interdisciplinary methods (historical-comparative, historical-genetic, statistical). Th e scientifi c novelty is that, for the fi rst time in national historiography, historical parallels between the First World War and the current Russian-Ukrainian wars have been drawn in the international and domestic Ukrainian context. Conclusions. In 2022, as a result of the successful defensive and counter- off ensive actions of the Ukrainian troops and clear signals from the US and European states regarding the full support of Ukraine, materialized in fi nancial and armed aid, hopes for a quick victory over the aggressor appeared in our society, regardless of its huge material and human resources. However, at the end of the year it became clear that the desired victory would not be achieved in the near future. Th erefore, the key to the protection of the Ukrainian state is nation- wide strategic patience, contrary to the harmful national tradition of internal political discord in diffi cult times. So, similar to the war of 1914-1918, the outcome of the current armed confl ict will largely be decided on the “internal front”. However, in contrast to the wartime 100 years ago, when a universally understood ideology of war was never formed, the current Ukrainian- Russian confrontation does not have this problem.

Studying Welty: A Visual Response

Studying Welty:A Visual Response Kain Kibodeaux (bio) In creating this word cloud, I asked myself two essential questions: what does a word cloud—generally and specifically to Welty—aim to accomplish and what does it, as a newfound, fast medium, do differently than other infographics and visual representations? To answer the first question, I believe that a word cloud allows the user or artist to convey nuanced and complex ideas in a small, organized fashion; however, and possibly more importantly, a word cloud simultaneously functions by allowing those ideas to coexist, communicate, and interact with one another. A word cloud forces the viewer to question the relationship between the various words and terms more effectively than other forms of visual representation. For artists such as Welty, the interconnectedness of their themes and ideas is vital. Welty's art is highly intertextual, genre-bending, and thematically intricate; to understand and appreciate her work, it is not enough to recognize each individual moving part but rather how those parts work, as a collective, to complement and bring awareness to each other and put forth a message. For example, female art and southern tradition coexist within the word cloud to accentuate Welty's observations on the South's restriction of female creatives, such as in a character like Miss Eckhart in "June Recital," a figure contained and scorned by her Morgana community. While the themes possess meaning separately, when in tandem, they posit a critique that, in some sense, transcends what the words can accomplish independently, a critique that frames the South's confinement of feminine art through more than just gender but also class and race. [End Page 141] Click for larger view View full resolution Secondly, to me, no other visual representation quite mimics Welty's literary process in the way the word cloud does. In reading her work, albeit a limited selection to date, I find there to be a chaotic orderliness, a phrase that highlights Welty's utilization of postmodern intertextuality, alongside surrealism, to create a discordant narrative that functions as a microcosm for the complexity of real-life socioeconomic inequality and discourse. For example, in "Sir Rabbit," the narrative unfolds along a dream-like hunting ground where Welty imbues King MacLain with aspects of African folklore (the trickster figure), Greek mythology (the Leda and the Swan myth), and southern tradition. To make the story even more complex, Welty employs comedy, nursery rhyme, and therianthropes. As these various elements cohabit the same short story, they converse with one another not [End Page 142] dissimilarly to those of the word cloud. Among all the chaos and conversation, Welty creates a cohesive work that levies a substantial critique against White, patriarchal society and society's complicity in continuing harmful myths and traditions, while also providing disenfranchised groups with the language to retell their own experiences. Of course, when I allude to surrealism, I am not necessarily referring to just the traditional tenets of bizarre juxtaposition, irrationality, and dream-like iconography of the early modern French movement, although they certainly find their way into Welty's writing, but more so, to what I believe we have come to accept as the focality of the artistic movement in modern times: an adamant refusal to accept life in its current state, a rejection of what was and is in favor of what could and ought to be. And, I think that is what I find so inspiring and fascinating about Welty and her work. [End Page 143] Kain Kibodeaux University of West Georgia1 Kain Kibodeaux KAIN KIBODEAUX is a first-year graduate student specializing in creative writing at the University of West Georgia. His academic interests include Southern American Literature, avant-garde poetry, and the creative essay. He plans to attend a PhD program upon graduation and/or teach secondary or tertiary education. Footnotes 1. Kain Kibodeaux is a graduate student who specializes in creative writing at the University of West Georgia. While he has studied Welty's fiction in Dr. Harrison's classes, he was asked to create a visual for the Eudora Welty Review website as part of his work as a GRA that led to this reflection. Copyright © 2023...

North-central Nigerian women’s experiences of obstetric fistula risk factors and their perceived treatment services: An Interpretive Description

BackgroundAn obstetric fistula also known as vesico vaginal fistula (VVF), or recto-vaginal fistula (RVF) is an abnormal opening between the urogenital tract and intestinal tract caused by prolonged obstructed labour; when the head of the baby presses on the soft tissues in the pelvis leading to loss of blood flow to the women’s bladder, vagina, and rectum. This can cause necrosis of the soft tissues resulting in debilitating fistula formations. AimThis study aimed to uncover North-central Nigerian women’s experiences of obstetric fistula and their perceived treatment services. DesignQualitative, interpretive descriptive methodology underpinned by symbolic interactionism involving face-to-face semi-structured interviews was used to explore North-central Nigerian women’s experiences of obstetric fistula and their perceived treatment services. SampleA purposive sample of 15 women who had experienced obstetric fistula at a repair Centre in North-central Nigeria were eligible. ResultsFour themes emerged from North-central Nigerian women’s experiences of obstetric fistula and their perceived treatment services i) I was left alone in the room ii) Waiting for the one vehicle in the village iii) I never knew about labour until that very day iv) and We kept following the native doctors and sorcerers. ConclusionThe findings from this study highlighted the depth of women’s experiences from the devastating complication of childbirth injury in North-central Nigeria. Analysis of insights from women’s voices directly affected by obstetric fistula demonstrated that in their views and experiences the themes identified were majorly responsible for their fistula status. Thus women need to raise their collective voices to resist oppressive harmful traditions and demand empowerment opportunities that will improve their social status. Government should improve primary healthcare facilities, train more midwives and subsidise maternal care for antenatal education and birth services spending for childbirth women may result in improved childbirth experiences for women in rural and urban communities. Tweetable AbstractReproductive women call for increased accessibility to healthcare services and the provision of more midwives to mitigate obstetric fistula in North-central Nigerian communities.

Female Genital Mutilation: Females' Intention in Northern Upper Egypt

Background: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting is an ancient cultural practice, predating the Bible and therefore the Koran, and has no basis in any religion. It is related to deep social and cultural ideas impeded in several societies regarding femininity and modesty because it is viewed as girls clean and delightful only after being genitally cut. FGM/C is additionally viewed as a protection of virginity, and it prevents premarital sex. Aim: The present study was carried find out to assess Females' Intention in Northern Upper Egypt regarding Female Genital Mutilation. Subject &amp; Methods: A Descriptive Cross-sectional study was used. The study was conducted in family health centers (FHCs) in different sitting at Beni-Suef Governorate. A Convenient sample was used. А Structured Interviewing Questionnaire sheet which includes three sections: Socio-demographic data, Intention to practice FGM/C, and Causes for intention or not to practicing FGM/C. Results: The mean age of the studied participants was 22.6±5. Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation is 71.4percentage, 29.7percentage of participants are suffering from complications after FGM. About 28.6percentage of females who had mutilated their daughters were planning to mutilate their other daughters in the future. More than one-third of females (35.5percentage) had an unfavorable attitude and 40.5percentage had poor levels of knowledge regarding FGM/C. 71.3percentage of females mentioned that the source of their information about FGM/C was their personal experience. Conclusion: Northern Upper Egyptian Females' Intention regarding intention of mutilating their daughters was significantly affected by demographic characteristics, level of knowledge, and level of attitude, source information, exposure to complications or pressure from family and neighbors. Recommendations: Alleviate females' intention toward Female Genital Mutilation should be improving their awareness regarding complications and Egyptian law against FGM, established by improve females' resistance toward family or neighbor regarding bad and harmful traditions.

The Holy Qur'an Approach to Family Building

هدف هذا البحث إلى استنباط القواعد والأصول والأسس التي وضعها القرآن الكريم لبناء الأسرة المستقرة، والوقوف على ما استنبطه علماء التفسير والفقه والحديث من قوانين وشروط وضوابط في هذا المجال، واختيار الأرجح الذي يحقق مقاصد الدين الكلية في سعيه لتكوين الأسرة المستقرة، مع بيان العادات والتقاليد الضارة التي لبست ثوب الدين. وقد جمع البحث بين علم التفسير والفقه من جهة وعلم الاجتماع البشري من جهة أخرى، إذ يؤسس لرؤية القرآن الكريم في بناء الأسرة وفق تطبيق قواعد المنهج الاستقرائي لشرح نصوص الكتاب والسنة المتعلقة بقضايا الأسرة، ويستخدم أسلوب التفسير المقارن بين نصوص الكتاب والسنة وأقوال العلماء للخروج برؤية شاملة توضح منهج القرآن الكريم. يثبت البحث أن الرابط العقدي والمادي يعدان من أهم قواعد وأصول المنهج القرآني في بناء الأسرة، وأن هذا المنهج القرآني بين في نصوص صريحة جملة من الأحكام والمعاني التي تتعلق بآداب المعاشرة الزوجية، والتي من غيرها تفقد الأسرة الاستقرار السكينة والطمأنينة، وتفشل في دورها التربوي. وكشف البحث عبر تحليل كثير من نصوص القرآن الكريم الواردة في قضايا الخلاف الأسري عن قواعد وأصول إنهاء الحياة الزوجية بصورة تجعل الآثار المترتبة من هذا الانهيار أقل ضرراً على أفراد الأسرة والمجتمع. كشف البحث أن ما يتعلق بمؤسسة الأسرة من رؤى وأحكام وعادات وتقاليد يخضع لثقافة المجتمعات قديماً وحديثاً، وتظل الأصول والقواعد والأسس التي وضعها القرآن الكريم هي الأفضل في بناء الأسرة.

Dynamics in Academic Achievement of Female Education in Jima Arjo Woreda and the Role of Governmental and NGO’s Organizations

The study was conducted on issues affecting the academic achievement of female students in selected primary schools of Jimma Arjo woreda while its objective was to investigate the major factors that affect the academic achievements of female students in primary schools of four sampled primary schools/Arjo primary school, Andinnet, Arbi-gebeya and Wayu Warke primary schools. Female students academic achievements show an upgrading from time to time, but still the rise is delicate when contrast to males. The finding identified the five broad categories, Family related, school related, socio-economic related, cultural related were the major factors that affect the academic achievements of females’ education. The common issues household responsibilities, low awareness of parents towards females education, parents financial problems, parents education level, lack of school facilities, school distance, the nature of teacher student relationship, the study behavior female students implement, teaching method teachers use, early marriage, less avails of role models are the main reasons for squat academic achievements of female students on education. To alleviate these upward parents awareness to wards the benefit of educating females, motivating female students, providing financial supports for the poor female students, improving school facilities and protecting female from abduction and early marriage/from any harmful traditions were recommended.

Maternal Mortality in the District of Uzumba in Zimbabwe

Maternal mortality is among the neglected problem in the District of Uzumba, Zimbabwe. This qualitative study therefore, explores the patriarchal hegemonies embedded in the socio-cultural harmful practices, traditions, beliefs, values and norms associated with maternal mortality in Uzumba district. These have been neglected in the reduction initiatives of maternal mortality. The originality of this study lies in the use of primary data through interviews and observation methods on the key informants and significant. Snowballing technique was employed in this study to select the key informants and significant others. The study have also benefited from the proliferation of secondary data on the social phenomena of maternal mortality across the globe. The results of the study showed that, despite the medical related causes of maternal mortality, the non-medical aspects such as patriarchal hegemonies in the socio-cultural practices, beliefs, traditions, norms, values and perceptions play a significant role in escalating maternal mortality especially in Uzumba district, Zimbabwe. The article therefore, recommends that maternal mortality reduction needs more of a holistic approach of medical and non-medical initiatives as it is still the major problem in Zimbabwe’s rural communities. Therefore, maternal mortality can be addressed and reduced within the socio-cultural context as shown in Uzumba district, Zimbabwe.

Winds of Change: The Later Wittgenstein’s Conception of the Dynamics of Change

The theme of change is one of the most prominent traits of Wittgenstein’s later work, and his writings have inspired many contemporary thinkers’ discussions of changes in e.g. concepts, ‘aspect-seeing’, practices, worldviews, and forms of life. However, Wittgenstein’s conception of the dynamics of change has not been investigated in its own right.&#x0D; The aim of this paper is to investigate which understanding of the dynamics of changes can be found in the later Wittgenstein’s work. I will argue that what emerges is a rich and complex picture that has the potential to aid our thinking in politics and elsewhere when developing strategies for creating changes. It can do so both as source of inspiration and by countering tempting, yet ultimately problematic ways of conceptualizing change like the hope for transforming harmful traditions and social practices with the help of a general explanatory theory of the fundamental dynamics of changes.

Stereotypes and chronotopes: The peasant and the cosmopolitan in narratives about migration*

AbstractStereotypes are chronotopic (Bakhtin, 1994) in the sense that they make good use of character types in time and space to utter identifiable speech forms and make evident other semiotic displays. This paper argues for sociolinguistics to expand its interpretation of the chronotope to encompass the relationship between “character” and “author” in identity texts. It suggests that conflating author and character in identity scholarship, as is the case in much sociolinguistic research, risks losing an opportunity to understand how people author characters in their narratives to project sets of values and beliefs. Using linguistic ethnography, we report on two migrant women and their interactions among colleagues to illustrate their authoring of two characters, namely the peasant and the cosmopolitan. We show how these specific women mobilize these characters in narrative production to refute harmful traditions and ethnolinguistic stereotypes in favour of cosmopolitan identities which draw on broader geographical and social scales associated with the city.

The promise and the peril of using social influence to reverse harmful traditions.

For a policy-maker promoting the end of a harmful tradition, conformist social influence is a compelling mechanism. If an intervention convinces enough people to abandon the tradition, this can spill over and induce others to follow. A key objective is thus to activate such spillovers and amplify an intervention's effects. With female genital cutting as a motivating example, we develop empirically informed analytical and simulation models to examine this idea. Even if conformity pervades decision-making, spillovers can range from irrelevant to indispensable. Our analysis highlights three considerations. First, ordinary forms of individual heterogeneity can severely limit spillovers, and understanding the heterogeneity in a population is essential. Second, although interventions often target samples of the population biased towards ending the harmful tradition, targeting a representative sample is a more robust way to achieve spillovers. Finally, if the harmful tradition contributes to group identity, the success of spillovers can depend critically on disrupting the link between identity and tradition.

Cultural evolutionary public policy.

Interventions to reverse harmful traditions, such as female genital cutting, have had mixed success, sometimes backfiring. Policymakers’ intentions collide with cultural traditions and the ethics of tolerance collide with universal human rights. New research introduces a cultural evolutionary modelling framework to explain previous results and guide future campaigns for endogenous change.

Impediment To Adequate Utilization of Primary Health Care Facilities Among Pregnant Women in Ikpoba-Okha LGA of Edo State

This study was designed to investigate impediments to adequate utilization of Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities by pregnant women in Ikpoba-Okha LGA of Edo State. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study and a multistage sampling technique was used to select the study sample of 250 respondents. The instruments for data collection were checklist and questionnaire designed by the researchers and built around the research questions. The reliability of the questionnaire was established through test re-test method and a correlation co-efficient of 0.84 was obtained. The researchers led a team of two trained research assistants to administer the instrument to the women during antenatal care services in their PHC Centres. The instrument was then retrieved immediately after completion. Data were analysed using frequency counts and simple percentages. The results of the study showed that: socio-cultural issues, attitudes of health staff, infrastructural decay, accessibility and traditional beliefs affect adequate utilization of PHC facilities by pregnant women in Ikpoba-Okha. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that health education be intensified in creating public awareness on the importance of using PHC facilities among pregnant women and that harmful traditions should be discarded. Keywords: Impediment, Adequate Utilization, PHC, Pregnant Women DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-17-13 Publication date :June 30 th 2019