Identities Research Articles

Multidimensional meanings of studying abroad : international mobility experiences of Taiwanese joint dual doctoral program students in Belgium

Promoting dual doctoral degree programs is a critical strategy adopted to not only internationalize Taiwan's higher education system but also improve the low enrollment rates in doctoral programs in the country. However, limited research attention has been paid to the experiences of Taiwanese students enrolled in dual degree programs. Therefore, the present study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of Taiwanese students enrolled in a Taiwanese-Belgian joint dual doctoral program. A total of seven Taiwanese students and Belgian scholars participated in this study. The findings indicated that all student informants intended to study abroad before deciding to participate in the joint dual doctoral program; however, due to time and money restrictions, they participated in the joint dual doctoral programs established by their home universities in Taiwan. This study highlighted that students were motivated to participate in international, cooperative doctoral programs because obtaining dual learning experiences at both domestic and overseas universities differentiated them from purely domestic doctoral students. In this manner, the experience of studying abroad enhances their unique value in the academic market. While studying abroad, intercultural communication, in addition to differences in doctoral training schemes and supervision styles, were vital challenges that affected student informants' learning experiences and adaptation to life. During this process, the students constructed their adaptation and negotiation strategies to address those challenges. These strategies made them (re)define and (re)confirm their academic positions and identities. However, the limited period for studying abroad reduced students' motivation to participate and engage in local activities and establish social networks with local residents and friends in the host society. Moreover, the public and academic colleagues' limited understanding of the joint dual doctoral program may not only negatively affect students' academic mobility in terms of obtaining positions in the academic market but also influence prospective students' willingness to participate in such programs. Moreover, this study provides constructive suggestions for the development of joint dual doctoral programs on the basis of students' own practical experiences. Finally, the study's limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Identities, Assimilation, and Race

Identities, Assimilation, and Race

Place attachment and political orientation: The case of localists in Hong Kong

Abstract This study extends the application of place attachment, which is widely used in environmental science research, to the field of political and civic studies. It compares place attachment between citizens with different political orientations and citizenship identities. In addition to its “cognitive” aspect, this study includes an “affective” dimension that has rarely been featured in the extant literature. Our findings, based on a telephone survey of 607 Hong Kong residents, confirm that place attachment is composed of both cognitive and affective dimensions. Besides, the mean score of self-identified “localists” and “Hong Kongers” on place attachment was significantly lower than that of “centrists” and those with no political orientation, as well as those who identified themselves as “Chinese Hong Kongers,” respectively. The weak place attachment among the localists amid Hong Kong's tremendous social and political challenges is most alarming, which highlights the need for policy makers to quickly address the issue.

Erasing Workers' Identities: Comment on Blanck, Hyseni, and Altunkol Wise's National Study of the Legal Profession.

"Bring your whole self to work" remains a common mantra of supporters of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion ("DEI").1 For example, disability rights advocates have long contended that hiding or downplaying one's disability from one's colleagues at work "create[s] an invisible layer of additional work for the individual" in being accepted at the job and negatively affects productivity.2 LGBTQ+ rights advocates have raised similar points, noting that hiding or downplaying one's sexual orientation or gender identity from one's colleagues hinders internal advancement of LGBTQ+ workers.3 As recently as 2019, however, a Deloitte study found that sixty-one percent of workers hid or downplayed one or more of their identities from their colleagues at work.4.

Subtitling into ELF. When accessibility becomes a counter information tool

This study investigates the modalities by means of which the visual arts have recently been transformed by migration, and how aesthetic transformations within the context of (sub)titling have contributed to re-shaping identities and minority groups in filmic genres. The growing interest in migratory aesthetics has brought into representation marginalised subjectivities (i.e. the lives of Italians forced to emigrate from Libya after the Gadhafi coup d’etat as the case in point in this work) in ways that depart from migrant depictions in the conventional media (e.g. the news bulletins). Against the backdrop of translation as a form of re-narration and an instrument of accessibility, and drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics as a method of survey, this study examines the (sub)titling activity in English lingua franca in what may be referred to as “accented cinema”, namely the documentary film My Home, in Libya (2018) directed by Italian filmmaker Martina Melilli. Creativity and experimentation are central to this work of art, also thanks to the use of (sub)titling procedures employed as aesthetic and linguistic devices that go beyond translation proper while covering the filmic narrative areas in terms of authorial titling and diegetic interventions. Against the normative background of subtitles in English lingua franca , (sub)titling is perceived as a practice that encourages the mediation of migrant and marginalised stories, and as a space of re-narration where screen textualities like pieces of (sub)titles give voice to characters’ inaudible thoughts.

Geographies of girlhood in US Latina writing: Decolonizing spaces and identities

Geographies of girlhood in US Latina writing: Decolonizing spaces and identities

Identity Erasure in Fadia Faqir’s Pillars of Salt, My Name is Salma & Leila Aboulela’s Minaret

This article aims to highlight the desire for identity erasure as a dominant theme in Fadia Faqir’s Pillars of Salt, My Name is Salma & Leila Aboulela’s Minaret. It also examines the process of rethinking and reshaping identity, its concomitant process of labelling and the desire for identity erasure in the target novels using insights from Postcolonial Theory, Freudian Psychoanalysis, Jungian Archetypal Criticism, and Derrida’s Deconstruction. Textual analysis reveals that Faqir and Aboulela aim to highlight the predicament of females in Arab societies and in England where they suffer from patriarchy, alienation, trauma and PTSD that cause them to wish to erase their past and their identities and to develop thanatos to escape the existential situations they find themselves in, and in which they suffer from patriarchy, traumatic loss of/separation from their loved ones, and sometimes a loss of virginity and, hence, a sinful past. Patriarchy, as in oppressive ideology, has a destructive effect upon female experience and female identity. In a world in which patriarchy still dominates, the novels in question function as an eye-opener on the need to empower women and free them from its tenacious grip.

Las especies del género Liolaemus (Liolaemidae). Lista de taxones y comentarios sobre los cambios taxonómicos más recientes

Taxonomic lists are important tools for understanding biodiversity and they provide informationat different scales about the species distributed within a region; as such, they allow us tounderstand the identities of the species that compose a given supra-specific taxon. While listsof the species of the genus Liolaemus have been published over the past few decades, providingtaxonomic and systematic information, these lists are now outdated and the number of validspecies within the genus has fluctuated rapidly over time and many taxonomic changes havegone unregistered. Although there are alternative means to consult this information, thesesources have suffered from a number of involuntary errors as well as some arbitrary omissionsor inclusions that have affected the dynamics of species inventories. In this work, we presentthe most complete taxonomic enumeration of the species of Liolaemus to date, including theavailable names for all of the valid and invalid species associated with these taxonomic changes.We recognize a total of 283 valid species in Liolaemus, along with another 65 invalid names.Fifteen taxa are recognized as species inquirenda, eight as nomina dubia, and two as nomina nuda.We hope that the careful review of each case and the exhaustive literature review will make thiswork a primary reference on South America's most speciose lizard genus.

Multiple identities of multilingual minorities: Values and practices influencing social, national and personal identity formation

This empirical study examined the ways in which multilingualism influences the community identities of individuals and minority groups. The motivations for their specific social behaviors are rarely obvious to the multilingual speakers themselves, which made it necessary to scrutinize their behaviors and attitudes using a mixed-methods analysis (including sociolinguistic interviews, questionnaire surveys, and field observations) of the mostly unconscious processes of identity formation among multilingual Kui speakers in northeastern Thailand. The approach used, focusing on group behavior and analyzing extralinguistic sociocultural data in terms of social identity formation in a minority group, revealed specific rituals and practices. These findings add to the knowledge of overt multilingual language use in the context of multilingual Kui people and demonstrate how social psychology and sociology can be used to analyze the identities of multilingual minorities and show how multilingualism itself does not imply multiple identities. This investigation, using theories of multiple social and linguistic identities, demonstrates how important Thai national identity is and how strongly it influences identity formation in a minority group. Key words: Identity formation, minority languages, multilingualism, extralinguistic practices, social networks, group behavior.

The Mathematical Mindsets and Mathematical Identities Revealed in Social Media Discourse

Mathematics problems are shared rapidly across all social media platforms, and the relative anonymity granted to users can lead to unfiltered discourse. This study examined 1,046 comments from a mathematics problem posted twice to YouTube in February 2016 to determine the underlying narratives that indicate the commenters’ mathematical mindsets and their mathematical identities. These two factors contribute to mathematics success in general. Qualitative themes emerged regarding attributions, motivational goals, response to failure, defensive processing, normative comparisons, and positional acts. A fixed mathematical mindset was the dominant mindset and corresponded to positional acts of superiority, inferiority, or authority. This finding suggests that intellectual capacity or ranking was a core component of the mathematical identities for these users. The growth mathematical mindset was linked to spectator and instructor or solidarity positions, suggesting that these users had more robust mathematical identities that were unthreatened by performance indicators. Further examination of social media discourse andits relation to mathematical mindsets and mathematical identities can lead to a better understanding of the interactions outside the classroom that either encourage or inhibit mathematics success.

A Questão do “Insílio” em Mulheres de Cinza: o Monolinguismo e a Monoidentidade do Outro

Focaliza-se o romance moçambicano como terreno propício para a representação do insílio, isto é, o exílio interno no âmbito da língua portuguesa, e paralelamente, dos processos de identificação cultural, a partir da representação máxima da personagem Imani, tradutora do português na comunidade local. Com base na leitura da obra O monolinguismo do outro ou a prótese de origem, de Derrida procura-se analisar a língua do colonizador enquanto instância surgida no intervalo do jogo entre a presença e a ausência, problematizando-a como o fora, isto é, “a língua que não é minha”, mas advinda do outro. À medida que escapa da total apreensão, esta língua traz consigo a promessa de transbordamento. Nessa linha de raciocínio, reafirma-se, de igual modo, a impossibilidade de uma identidade plena, pronta e acabada, demonstrando-se a configuração de identidades em constante deslocamento.

“One Nanyang, Diverse Identities”: An Approach to Understanding the Classical Chinese Poets in Singapore

“One Nanyang, Diverse Identities”: An Approach to Understanding the Classical Chinese Poets in Singapore

Misfits in the Mountains: Tensions Between Environmental and LGBTQIA Identities in Appalachia

Misfits in the Mountains: Tensions Between Environmental and LGBTQIA Identities in Appalachia

Mapping Victorian Empires, Cultures, Identities: Introduction

Mapping Victorian Empires, Cultures, Identities: Introduction

Las articulaciones globales del campo colombiano: FENSUAGRO, el Coordinador Nacional Agrario y la Ví­a Campesina

Este trabajo buscó comprender los procesos de articulación global que llevan a cabo los movimientos campesinos colombianos al trabajar articuladamente sus luchas una vez enmarcadas dentro del accionar global de La Ví­a Campesina (LVC). Las relaciones entre los movimientos locales y los globales serán vistas desde una lógica integral de la acción colectiva, que aborda tanto las identidades del movimiento campesino como sus estrategias y formas de organización. Se recurre a herramientas teóricas tanto de los movimientos sociales como de los marcos de acción colectiva. En ese equilibrio, es necesaria una lectura crí­tica del escenario internacional (neoliberal y moderno/colonial) ante el que responden los nuevos procesos de movilización campesina. Mediante una revisión documental acerca del accionar de los mayores movimientos campesinos colombianos parte de LVC, y un trabajo de campo se concluye que las experiencias de creación de plataformas polí­ticas, movilización, organización y formación polí­tico-técnica son muestras de los nuevos campos de acción conjunta campesina en Colombia, América Latina y el mundo en resistencia a un sistema global neoliberal.

La calle como campo. Caracterización de la situación de calle en Ibagué

La presente investigación explora y describe la situación de calle a partir del caso de Ibagué, dado que enfatiza en fenómenos característicos que permiten la estructuración de un habitus de calle, a partir de la idea de que la calle misma es un campo. Se empleó una metodología de corte cualitativo, diseño transeccional, con enfoque histórico-hermenéutico que se centró en la comuna uno del municipio. Se logró una caracterización básica de elementos estructurales, así como la identificación de trayectorias de vida, rutas y rutinas de desplazamiento, formas de arraigo e identidades y prácticas de explotación y de violencia sobre el cuerpo de manera diferencial entre sexos y fenómenos psicológicos, tales como desesperanza aprendida y derelicción.

Native teachers, non-native teachers and ELF. Same aims, different approaches?

The spread of English used as a lingua franca (ELF) in several multilingual communicative settings and the emergence of World Englishes (WE) have inevitably impacted on the field of English language teaching (ELT) calling into question traditional notions and assumptions and highlighting the need to revisiting teachers’ roles and approaches to the English classroom. In this respect a research study was carried out withing a recent PRIN project which aimed at the exploration of ELF pedagogy in the Italian school contexts. The Roma 3-unit members investigated teachers’ current practices in English language classrooms, with the research objective of enhancing WE and ELF aware teaching to be implemented especially in the training of teachers involved in multilingual learning environments. Two online questionnaires were used in order to gather data from non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) and English Language Assistants (CEL) – i.e. native English-speaking teachers (NESTs), to investigate current ELT practices as well as teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about the current status of English both in Italian high schools and at university level. This paper aims at illustrating the findings of the survey administered to almost 80 NESTs working as language assistants in Italian universities and language centres. A 32-question survey was administered in 2017 to investigate native teachers’ ELF-awareness, attitudes and beliefs, especially, in ELT current routines and concerns, models and lesson planning, material development and assessment criteria. The main results will highlight respondents’ emerging identities as native teachers as well as their positions and views towards ELF-awareness and New Englishes (NE). Implications for the need to go beyond the deep-rooted discriminatory dichotomy ‘NESTs vs. NNESTs’ and for the reconceptualization of the role of ELT for the new societal trends will also be discussed.

Organizaciones de derecha y la violencia paraestatal en la Argentina. Un siglo de relaciones, afinidades y complicidades con el Estado

Distintos intereses han marcado la orientación de los estudios dedicados al desarrollo de las derechas en el siglo XX argentino. Tradiciones intelectuales, redes, organizaciones, vínculos transnacionales y la articulación con diversos actores y agencias, han permitido reconstruir al conjunto de protagonistas que hemos de ubicar dentro del amplio abanico de valores e ideas que asociamos con las identidades políticas que engloba esa clasificación. Esta reconstrucción contribuyó tanto a la caracterización del objeto derechas en sí mismo, como a la comprensión de otros procesos o fenómenos donde las mismas se encontraron involucradas. El Estado fue uno de los interlocutores con el que las derechas establecieron vínculos que, en la mayoría de los casos estudiados, expresaron coincidencias en el desarrollo de proyectos y objetivos políticos. Uno de los elementos destacados que conformó esa intersección ha sido la represión, y dentro de la misma, la violencia paraestatal y cómo la derecha ha confluido en su desarrollo, emergen como aquellas preocupaciones que constituyen el punto de partida de este dossier.

Educação básica e o acesso de transexuais e travestis à educação superior

O presente artigo tem por objetivo discutir sobre como os debates de gênero e sexualidade durante a educação básica podem interferir no acesso de transexuais e travestis à educação superior, com base nos dados obtidos por meio de pesquisas realizadas por iniciativas de projetos, produções acadêmicas, organizações não governamentais (ONGs), redes de apoio ou de associações, como também por notícias em mídias sociais, além das ações governamentais que têm o intuito de promover equidade e respeito às identidades de gênero na escola. De acordo com o estudo proposto, embora as questões de gênero e sexualidade tenham obtido relevância em políticas e legislações que se vinculam tanto ao campo da educação como a outros campos, estudantes transexuais e travestis ainda têm dificuldade para concluir o período de escolaridade obrigatória. Por conseguinte, propor reflexões e trabalhar conceitos nas escolas de educação básica não é o suficiente, é preciso investir na formação inicial e continuada de todo o corpo docente.

Uses of English as a Lingua Franca in Domain-specific Contexts of Intercultural Communication

This special issue of Lingue e Linguaggi collects the contributions presented at the International Conference Uses of English as a Lingua Franca in Domain-Specific Contexts of Intercultural Communication , which took place at the University of Salento, Italy, in December 2019. The Conference represented the conclusion of a PRIN Project co-funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, which started from the assumption that ELF is an area needing a more principled systematic investigation since, so far, it has not been recognized as a use of English that is independent from English as a Native Language. The chapters of this special issue concern ELF variations employed in: (a) institutional, professional, as well as ‘undeclared’ migration settings (UniSalento Unit); (b) digital media employed for global communication (UniVerona Unit); (c) multicultural and multilingual classrooms characterizing contemporary western societies (UniRoma Tre Unit). The contributions enquire into the ELF uses in domain-specific discourses that demonstrate the extent to which the English language comes to be appropriated by non-native speakers who, indeed, do not experience it as an alien ‘foreign’ language, but rather as a ‘lingua franca’ through which they feel free to convey their own native linguacultural and experiential uses and narratives, rhetorical and specialized repertoires and, ultimately, their own socio-cultural identities. The contributors’ research has provided evidence in support of an acknowledgement that people from different linguacultural backgrounds appropriate English by making reference to their own different native semantic, syntactic and pragmatic codes through which they convey their own communicative needs.