Ideological Context Research Articles

Language activism and the power of language in Ukraine during the war (2022–23)

ABSTRACT The article addresses how language is fuelled by political actions and accrues sociopolitical meaning in the context of war. The focus is on public discourse on languages in Ukraine in response to the full-scale Russian war. Texts that appeared on two publicly available platforms, Facebook and TikTok, since 24 February 2022, were collected. These are predominantly verbal texts that contain explicit references to languages and include arguments about languages and language matters during the war. The texts are analyzed qualitatively within the framework of language ideologies. Viewing language ideologies as “the beliefs and attitudes that shape speakers’ relationships to their own and others’ languages” (in the words of Jillian Cavanaugh), the study focuses on the power of images or how languages are portrayed, the power of signs or what distinguishes one’s “own” language from that of the “other,” and the power of language practices. All of these relationships, it is argued, contribute to language activism as a reaction to the war. The discussion places the results within the broader context of the multiple language ideologies that are being constructed, promoted, and enacted in Ukraine, dismantling the colonial relationships of languages, thereby empowering the Ukrainian language.

Literacy (development) in regional collateral languages of Europe – introduction to the special issue of the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

ABSTRACT This introduction provides the theoretical context of the Special Issue on Literacy Development in Regional Collateral Languages of Europe and an overview of the papers in the collection. For this end, it first discusses contemporary perceptions of the terms ‘literacy’ and ‘literacies’. These go far beyond traditional understandings, even though expressing one's thoughts through writing texts and meaning-making through reading are still at the core of literacies. Then, readers are introduced to the concept and the ideological contexts of ‘regional collateral languages’: These are varieties which are, on the one hand, structurally and ideologically closely related, or ‘collateral’, to major languages, often the main languages of nation states. On the other hand, they are deeply rooted in their regions; the paper therefore argues that they deserve specific attention along the lines of other efforts to maintain and develop autochthonous varieties. Finally, the introduction summarises the papers which focus on Scots in Scotland, Low German in Germany, Csángo in Romania, Silesian, Masurian, and Kashubian in Poland, Võro in Estonian, and Latgalian in Latvia, before identifying common denominators of the case studies and possible topics for future research.

The Argumentative Structural Shifts in English-Arabic Translation of BBC News Reports: A Sociolinguistic And Cultural Perspective

The socio-cultural and ideological features of translation have become so prominent that many studies have investigated the translation shifts resulting from the linguistic transference from the source language (SL) into the target language (TL). It is the primary aim of the present article to demonstrate the nature of the structural (morpho-syntactic) shifts in the Arabic written translation of English political British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) news, which may be attributable to differences in cultural, ideological and sociolinguistic backgrounds of the target language speakers (Arabic). The heterogeneity of the socio-cultural context in which the English and Arabic political discourses are communicated is reflected in the syntactic shifts in the sentential and phrasal structure in the translation process of BBC News. The target texts (TT) exhibit a substantial tendency to conform to the socio-cultural and ideological context of the target language (TL) at the expense of the morphosyntactic structure of the ST. The research methodology involves analyzing some English BBC news extracts (ST) and their Arabic translation to investigate the structural shifts in translation. The data analysis, conducted with meticulous attention to detail, shows that the Arabic translation alters the (ST) linguistic structures and shifts the socio-cultural and ideological conceptions of the target text (TT) readers. A key aspect of the methodology is the adoption of a comparative approach, which allows for a thorough examination of the structural differences and similarities and their corresponding content. The article also takes cognizance of Hatim's (1997) ideas on translation across different cultures and those of Fishman (1972) on the sociolinguistic reflections of language. The study concludes that the target readers' cultural background, ideological make-up and sociolinguistic perception can be altered due to the structural shifts in translating political news into Arabic. It shows that the structural shifts lead to specific deviations in the argumentative structure of the source text (ST) through argumentation or counter-argumentation.

‘We are citizens, not fans’: frictions and negotiations in idolizing the nation in state propaganda

ABSTRACT State-dominated ‘ideotainment’ has become a global trend to enhance political persuasion. Broadening the geopolitical and ideological contexts of research could further enrich this field. This study analyzes the failed case of state-sponsored virtual idols ‘Jiangshanjiao’ (JSJ) and ‘Hongqiman’ (HQM) with attention to Chinese netizens’ critical responses, and further uncovers the erratic, diverse, and controversial aspects of Chinese fandom nationalism. In China, the Communist Party of China has tamed fandom culture to promote pro-governmental nationalist activism. However, this soft propaganda is sometimes counterproductive and has been underexamined. This study uses textual and critical discourse analyses to examine netizens’ posts, comments, and answers regarding the JSJ and HQM. The findings reveal the conflict between emerging civic spirit and notorious commercialism; the conflict between functional attachment embedded in constructive patriotism and affective attachment embedded in the hierarchy; and the complex negotiation between participatory nationalists, cautious patriots, and rational citizens about the boundaries of politics and entertainment.

Untangling the dominant culture in China’s elite universities

AbstractWestern literature has shown that elite universities are not culturally inclusive, presuming that these institutions predominantly reflect the culture of the affluent middle class. While cultural inclusion of socioeconomically disadvantaged students is a globally relevant issue, the overarching presumption does not necessarily apply to non-Western societies. This article reconsiders this assumption in the Chinese context, addressing the lack of systematic research untangling the dominant culture in elite Chinese universities. A two-phase, mixed-methods case study was conducted at two top-ranked universities in eastern and western China. In the first phase, a content analysis of the stories of the universities’ award-winning seniors was combined with a thematic analysis of the in-depth interviews with 49 graduating seniors to untangle the formal and informal dominant culture in China’s elite universities. The findings led to a three-fold model of dominant culture characterized by an emphasis on individual academic performance, loyalty to Communist Party ideology, and the significant influence of students from advantaged family backgrounds. In the second phase, three hypotheses about the impacts of this dominant culture on students’ socio-cultural integration were tested, largely supporting the three-fold model and highlighting the roles of academic and political performance in facilitating cultural inclusion. This study sheds new light on cultural capital studies in non-Western contexts and emphasizes that cultural (dis)advantages should be cautiously examined considering the historical and ideological context shaping higher education.

Defining, labelling and evaluating poverty: A corpus-based discourse analysis of category construction in The Times newspaper 1900–2009

This paper explores the construction of different understandings of poverty in The Times newspaper (1900–2009). Using corpus-based discourse analysis, it examines the premodification of poverty with different nouns. Rising to prominence from the 1950s onwards, the resulting compound nouns, including world poverty and child poverty, facilitate the discursive construction of different types of poverty as distinct entities. Through close reading of concordance lines and collocate analysis, the paper investigates how these categories are presented as qualitatively similar/different and discusses how such representations reflect broader ideological contexts in the UK.

A Sociological-Ideological Approach to Interpreting 1 Corinthians 7:1-11: The Perspective on Marriage in the Corinthian Church

This article discusses the sociological-ideological interpretation of 1 Corinthians 7:1-11, where Paul responds to the Corinthians' questions regarding marriage and celibacy. In this analysis, the social and ideological context of Corinthian society serves as the basis for understanding Paul's views. By considering the moral conditions and social structure of Corinth, the article examines how the local worldview influenced the interpretation of the text, as well as how the biblical text impacts the social life of the church. The research findings indicate that Paul's decisions about marriage and celibacy were not based on absolute principles, but rather on the specific sociological circumstances in Corinth at the time. Paul's perspective on marriage is also closely related to the Christian teaching on the sacred relationship between Christ and His church. This article emphasizes the importance of considering the social context when interpreting biblical texts, particularly in understanding issues related to family and personal relationships within the church community.

The spirit of sports as ideology: a theoretical framework

ABSTRACT The discourse surrounding the spirit of sports, especially under the purview of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), often centers on the philosophical implications of doping and fair play. This research aims to reframe the discussion by employing the lens of historical materialism and Marxist theory, considering sports not merely as isolated physical endeavors but deeply interwoven with societal and ideological transformations. This approach traces the evolution of sports from ancient times, where it served religious and communal functions, to its current status as a component of global capitalist culture. By analyzing the spirit of sports through the theoretical frameworks of Althusser and Žižek, this study explores how sports act as ideological state apparatuses (AIEs), shaping and being shaped by the prevailing economic and social structures. The core argument posits that the spirit of sports is both a reflection of and a contributor to the ideological superstructures that define different historical epochs. The analysis highlights the transition from viewing sports as communal and ritualistic engagements to mechanisms of capitalist ideology, emphasizing competition and profit. Through this historical and ideological critique, the research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the spirit of sports, challenging traditional perspectives that isolate sports from their socio-economic and ideological contexts. The findings suggest that any discussion about the spirit of sports, particularly in anti-doping debates, must consider the broader ideological forces at play, thereby opening pathways for a more nuanced understanding of sports ethics.

The Essence of Marxism and Anarchism from the Labour Theory of Value to the Critique of Political Economy

ABSTRACT The ills of global capitalism, the critical issues of climate change, global warming, and environmental justice, have all collectively continued to generate concerns, with the world itching for alternate ideological solutions. This article aims to provide a comprehensive critique of the amalgamation of Anarchism and Marxism as a theoretical framework for addressing contemporary world development challenges. While both ideologies share common ground in their critique of capitalism, this paper argues that their synthesis even though may fall short in adequately addressing the complexities of today's globalised and interconnected world might offer a realistic pathway to the contradictions of capitalism. To this end, this study interrogates the Marx-Proudhon debate on three major areas of differences or similarities, namely, (1) The Tyranny of Exchange Value; (2) Crisis in the Evolution of Capitalism and (3) Method of intervention; and their response to contemporary challenges. The method of analysis is essentially historical, providing an in-depth critique of the theoretical standpoint of both ideologies. We conclude that scholarly solutions to current global challenges should be approached with a view to adequately situate them within the ideological context. Thus a return to the Marx-Proudhon debate provides a path forward in our search for alternatives to capital.

The Foundations of Russian Statehood

The content of Russian educational material on moral-cultural issues has gradually shifted over the Putin tenure toward a standard that emphasizes state patriotism, syncretic pride in the achievements and heroes of the Tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet periods, and traditional sociocultural values, including respect for religious authorities. The onset of the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War has caused a shift in debates over national pedagogic inculturation among domestic Russian elites, with many calling for the return of “ideology” to properly ensure the formation of future, regime-loyal generations. This article analyzes the first official document of the wartime period that deals with questions of Russia’s ideology—the educational curriculum guidance packet titled “Foundations of Russian Statehood” (FORS) and promoted by the Presidential Administration for use in Russian universities. The article typifies the state of pre-war Russian moral-cultural pedagogical material within its shifting, illiberal ideological context, compares this pre-war setting with the FORS document and the concomitant discursive shift among key Russian officials, and provides a descriptive analysis of FORS itself. In doing so, the article identifies the evocative “pentabasis” framework of the FORS document as a potential core of a crystallizing, official ideology in modern wartime Russia.

The Metamorphosis of the Novel <i>Moment in Peking</i> in Japan, Taiwan, and China

This article focuses on the migration of Lin Yutang’s most-read novel, Moment in Peking (1939), across linguistic, geographic, and media boundaries in East Asia from the 1940s to recent times. It aims to reveal how this novel, originally composed in English and published in the US during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, is translated, adapted, presented, and situated in different literary, cultural and ideological contexts in Japan, Taiwan and Mainland China. Drawing on the principles of Linda Hutcheon’s theory of adaptation and the Manipulation School’s literary translation studies, my analysis highlights the agency of translators, adaptors and publishers in literary production conditioned by the evolving social, historical and political circumstances. The research contends that the metamorphosis of Moment in Peking embodies a literary power game directly linked to shifts in power dynamics between the three entities. At the cultural level, it provides insights into the intricate interplay of three distinct cultural imageries—competing, conflicting or assimilating within a relational framework.

The Significance of Integrating Critical Thinking Perspectives in EFL Programs

Various comprehensive language education programs have been employed by educational institutions to advance their curricula in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). However, the focus of most of these EFL programs was to improve students’ vocabulary and grammar without improving their awareness of the English language. The focus was on rote learning which depends on the memorization of rules and vocabulary without using the target language effectively. With conservation learning, students, as well as instructors, have been exposed to looking at the target language critically and how this language functions effectively within social, cultural, and ideological contexts. This study investigates the thoughts on integrating critical approaches, critical language awareness (CLA), and critical discourse analysis (CDA) into EFL programs to equip students with cognitive and analytical to communicate in the target language effectively. In this study, 20 participants from a higher education institution consented to conduct a semi-structured interview to measure the students’ inclination to include critical thinking courses in English language teaching. It has been shown that most students believe in the importance of critical thinking courses to be familiar with contextual awareness, assumption analysis, and imaginative speculation.

고등학교 교과 간 통합수업의 설계와 실행방안

This study proposes a way to add depth and interest in learning classical novels. It is an integrated class between subjects through combination with the contents of the 'ethics and thought' subject. In order to pursue an in-depth understanding of classical novels using the socio-cultural and ideological context of literary works, an integrated class of 'literature' and 'ethics and thought' subjects, which are optional courses for high school, was designed. To this end, the analysis, design, and development stages were discussed by referring to the ADDIE model widely used in teaching and learning design. In the analysis and design stage, the achievement criteria of the curriculum that can realize the goals of this study were selected, and the learning goals and learning contents were sequenced. In the development stage, based on the contents of the previous stage, a plan for producing teaching and learning materials that can be practically used and a course plan that will be the basis for class implementation was presented. In the future era, integration will be more important than the segmentation of knowledge. In order to improve learners' practical thinking skills, develop solutions to various complex problems in the real world, and promote critical creative thinking, integration between subjects should be discussed much more actively than now. The integrated class of the two subjects proposed in this study is expected to develop various core competencies and thinking skills of learners. The significance of this study is that it proposed specific implementation plans in high school education, where discussions on inter-subject integration are not active.

Leveraging history to invoke nationalism: from the annals of history to social engineering of present and future in Hindi cinema

ABSTRACT Nationalism calls for one’s loyalty and affiliation towards their chosen nation. Various versions of nationalism emphasise that one must prioritise said nation above themselves and their personal ethics, hence, allowing the nation to overpower the nationalist’s individuality. In this article, we use Critical Discourse Analysis to deconstruct the narratives of nationalism as portrayed in two popular films, viz. The Kashmir Files and Uri: The Surgical Strike, which are based on real historical events – the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus and the surgical strike by the Indian Army in retaliation to the Uri attack. Both films use narrative strategies to frame key historical events into certain ideological contexts, and hence they serve the populist purpose of swaying viewers’ opinion in favour of the dominant socio-political class.

Reclaiming Power or Reinforcing Inequities: Exploring Egg Freezing Debates on Social Media

ABSTRACT In China, unmarried women are prohibited from egg freezing despite high demand and declining fertility rates. Within such a context, this article aims to examine public attitudes toward reproduction and egg-freezing on social media, with particular attention paid to how these discussions reflect the multi-level determinants influencing decision-making regarding egg-freezing practices. Within the context of Chinese gender ideology, we conducted a critical discourse analysis of 1,437 Weibo posts discussing egg-freezing. Our analysis identified four significant themes: reconstructing romantic relationships and family structures, conspiracy theories and distrust surrounding assisted reproduction, exposing and challenging reproductive policies within a patriarchal framework, and interconnections and stratification among women. Accentuated by the egg-freezing discourse, we argue that current Chinese women’s bodily autonomy is entangled with traditional norms and state control, underscoring the intricate interplay between individual choice and societal dynamics, as well as the ideological contradictions at the intersection of Western technological influence and Chinese societal structures. Furthermore, we illuminate the challenging landscape faced by online feminist movements within such a complex context. Our findings set the stage for shaping future initiatives focused on advancing reproductive justice and empowering fertility choices among Chinese women.

Italo-Soviet Architectural Exchanges and Postmodernism under Late Socialism

A global movement, architectural postmodernism cannot be reduced simply to the cultural logic of late capitalism, nor should its analysis be restricted, as in recent revisionist histories, to the geo- graphical confines of the Eastern Bloc. By revealing that the ideas, design strategies and images that make up postmodern architecture did not belong squarely to either side of the Cold War geopolitical divide, this paper argues that a full understanding of the movement requires an inquiry going beyond the scope of a single ideological context. The emergence of architectural postmodernism is to be located in the interstitial space between the 'capitalist West' and the 'socialist East'. Yet familiar narratives of knowledge transfer from the former to the latter are reductive and fail to capture historical reality in all its complexity and ambiguity. For instance, Aldo Rossi's work was known and may have been consciously replicated by Soviet architects. Less acknowledged is the fact that, in the Italian context, the rise of architectural postmodernism went hand in hand with the consolidation of a 'tradition of study of Soviet architecture'. Rossi was just one among many Italian architects —  such as Paolo Portoghesi, Carlo Aymonino or Vittorio Gregotti —  who, undertaking a critique of modernism, drew crucial inspiration from Soviet architecture, particularly Socialist Realist theory and practice.

The Political and Ideological Contexts of the Family Image and Family Education in Russian Post-Soviet and Contemporary Feature Films

The Political and Ideological Contexts of the Family Image and Family Education in Russian Post-Soviet and Contemporary Feature Films

Structuralizing Culture: Multicultural Neoliberalism, Migration, and Mental Health in Santiago, Chile

The arrival of Afro-descendant migrants, mainly from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, has led to the emergence of new discourses on migration, multiculturalism, and mental health in health services in Chile since 2010. In this article, I explore how mental health institutions, experts, and practitioners have taken a cultural turn in working with migrant communities in this new multicultural scenario. Based on a multisited ethnography conducted over 14 months in a neighbourhood of northern Santiago, I focus on the Migrant Program—a primary health care initiative implemented since 2013. I argue that health practitioners have tended to redefine cultural approaches in structural terms focusing mainly on class aspects such poverty, social stratification, and socioeconomic inequalities. I affirm that this structural-based approach finds its historical roots in a political and ideological context that provided the conditions for the development of community psychiatry experiences during the 1960s and 1970s, as well as in multicultural and gender policies promoted by the state since the 1990s. This case reveals how health institutions and practitioners have recently engaged in debates on migration and intersectionality from a structural approach in Chile.

PROTOCOL: Abortion and mental health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This is a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of research on mental health outcomes of abortion. Does abortion increase the risk of adverse mental health outcomes? That is the central question for this review. Our review aims to inform policy and practice by locating, critically appraising, and synthesizing empirical evidence on associations between abortion and subsequent mental health outcomes. Given the controversies surrounding this topic and the complex social, political, legal, and ideological contexts in which research and reviews on abortion are conducted, it is especially important to conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis with comprehensive, rigorous, unbiased, and transparent methods. We will include a variety of study designs to enhance understanding of studies' methodological strengths and weaknesses and to identify potential explanations for conflicting results. We will follow open science principles, providing access to our methods, measures, and results, and making data available for re-analysis.

On the Enlightenment Movement: The Impact on Western Society and the Social Problems Brought by the Lack of Chinese Enlightenment

In his article "What is Enlightenment", Foucault once said, "By explaining it this way, people can discover a starting point for analysis, which is to describe people's so-called attitudes towards modernity.". The Enlightenment legitimized human rights, and with the Enlightenment as the boundary, humanity entered a stage of modernity. Modern human rights ideology was initially established, and Western social life underwent earth-shaking changes. It also impacted China as far away as the East, as the ideas of the Enlightenment formed the cornerstone of modern society and established the embryonic form of modern society. Although China has been affected by this, due to the lack of philosophical education, people only have a vague understanding of concepts such as human rights, democracy, freedom, and so on, without a profound understanding, which has led to some social problems in China being particularly prominent compared to the West. This article explores the issue of legalization in the Enlightenment by analyzing the ideological context before and after the Enlightenment, focusing specifically on human rights. It also attempts to categorize the concept of power during the Enlightenment period and explore several types of power in human society, discussing the impact of the Enlightenment from the above points. Afterward, this article attempts to analyze the impact of the Enlightenment on Western society, using the presence or absence of the Enlightenment as a variable. As a comparison, it analyzes some social problems in China caused by the lack of popularization of knowledge and philosophical education related to the Enlightenment.