International Audience Research Articles

Indian Classical Dancers in the Diaspora: How Free Improvisation and Contact Improvisation Programs Help Enhance Dance Proficiency, Improvisation Competence, and Forming Multigroup Ethnic Identities

ABSTRACT This article reports a quasi-experiment on the impact of contact improvisation (CI) sessions and free improvisation (FI) interfaces on dance proficiency, improvisation competence/output quality, and multigroup ethnic identity formation of Indian classical dancers in the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, and Australia. FI participants reported higher scores on dance proficiency, improvisation competence, and multigroup ethnic identity formation compared to those who participated in the CI sessions. FI was most effective for diaspora female Indian classical dancers, Bharatanatyam dancers, dancers with 9–12 years of dance education, who had an advanced/higher diploma formal education in dance, who attended 21–40 (>50%) FI interfaces, and completed 21–40 (>50%) FI homework sessions. FI is a performance technique foregrounding spontaneity and a modality to augment the repertoire of Indian classical dances to speak to an international audience by adapting western aesthetics. It is a way to bring contemporariness into Indian classical dances and shape postcolonial dancer identities.

Human-Centric and Integrative Lighting Asset Management in Public Libraries: Insights and Innovations on Its Strategy and Sustainable Development

In an era of rapidly advancing lighting technology and evolving public library roles, this study introduces a groundbreaking strategy for human-centric and integrative lighting asset management. Embracing both visual and non-visual effects, “integrative lighting” aims to enhance users’ physiological and psychological well-being. Despite technological progress, notably with LEDs, current asset management often lags, relying on reactionary measures rather than proactive strategies. As public libraries transform into dynamic learning hubs, the significance of indoor lighting, impacting both physical health and holistic well-being, cannot be understated. Yet, many existing solutions are based on controlled lab tests, bypassing the diverse real-world needs of public libraries. Aiming to explore and develop human-centric and integrative lighting asset management strategies to optimize lighting environments in public libraries, this research offers a cohesive approach encompassing context identification, a management framework, and a maturity assessment model. Additionally, this study highlights the synergy between the role of the lighting asset manager, ISO 55000 principles, and these foundational strategies. This holistic approach not only reinvents lighting in public libraries but also aligns it with the broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), advocating for light as a conduit of comprehensive human betterment. The current study is primarily qualitative in nature. While this study is based on public libraries in Nordic countries, the implications and findings can be of interest and value to a broader international audience.

Distance and closeness in translated global news coverage: bilingual representations of culture-bound themes from Bolivia to the world

ABSTRACT Global news agencies are major sources of information about events often happening far away from their international audiences; information that rapidly transcends geographic, cultural, and linguistic boundaries. There is a twofold purpose to the analysis in this study of bilingual feature stories dealing with the representation of faith in Bolivia, published by the news agencies Associated Press, Agencia EFE, and Reuters in Spanish and English. First, it implements an analytical framework to characterize bilingual news coverage by describing types of transcultural transfers, singling out the translation techniques applied, and bringing into focus how the culture-bound elements were rendered. Second, the contrastive textual analysis prompts a methodological discussion on the potential of studying translation distance and closeness in multilingual news production from a non-mainstream locale. Results point to close renditions that may not be considered a typical practice in news translation, yet are ostensibly purposeful both from a translational and from a journalistic perspective. Since journalism and translation coexist in multilingual newsrooms, where the latter often goes unacknowledged, this article ultimately attempts to reveal the role of translation in producing international news about distant realities, such as Bolivia, where cultural specificities are ubiquitous.

Vlogging gastronomic tourism: understanding Global North-South dynamics in YouTube videos and their audiences’ feedback

Gastronomic tourism is a developed research stream in tourism studies. Previous literature, however, has mainly shed light either on the micro-context of food itself or on meso-contexts such as heritage and regional food sourcing. Given this situation, previous research has called for examining this aspect of food tourism, aptly named the ‘cultural turn’ in food tourism. This paper adds to extant theoretical conversations by studying popular international gastronomic tourism videos. As the world becomes increasingly globalized and cultural products suffuse across borders, travellers, particularly those from the Global North, sample and judge local cuisine and this incurs reactions from onlookers. Watched by millions of people, vlogs provide a virtual immersive socio-cultural experience to a tourist site. In this regard, this article asks the following research question: how does the Global North-South divide manifest in vlogged gastronomic tours and what responses do such phenomena provoke among international audiences? Using the approaches of textual analysis, content analysis and sentiment analysis, this study explores the afore-mentioned research question using the canvas of nine gastronomic vlogging tours as played out on YouTube. The authors analyse the most popular food vlogs of all time and use a gamut of more than three hours of video (with more than 215 million views) and more than 128,000 comments. The results show how vlogs may provide authentic cultural experiences and how the Global North-South divide is ameliorated through vlogging gastronomic tours. The question is important not only helpful for guiding destination marketers and tourism service providers about the multifaceted aspects of a destination, but also for understanding how particular social phenomena can foster connections among different peoples.

War power through restraint: The politics of unilateral military action after 1945

AbstractFrom a historical perspective, presidents have frequently directed the use of military force without explicit permission from Congress. Yet, presidents still court legislative approval on select occasions. Why do presidents sometimes seek congressional authorization and other times do not? I explain authorization‐seeking behavior according to variations in presidential bargaining strength. I argue that both weak and strong presidents prefer authorization‐seeking; by obtaining congressional backing, weak presidents conceal a lack of national resolve from international audiences, while strong ones use approval to enhance their coercive authority. Presidents with mid‐level bargaining strength, however, prefer unilateral action; on the one hand, unilateral action may demonstrate resolve in the face of potential legislative resistance, while on the other, it avoids contentious debate that risks “muddying” the diplomatic waters. I illustrate these arguments by revisiting four prominent historical cases: the Korean War, the Gulf of Tonkin crisis, the invasion of Cambodia, and the Persian Gulf War.

Basic principles of corporate social responsibility management under martial law

Corporate social responsibility is an integral element of the modern business model, especially for large companies. Effective management of this process ensures a positive result for both society and the business itself. Therefore, the study aims to substantiate the theoretical foundations of the management process in the context of corporate social responsibility, considering the military conditions in which Ukrainian business operates. To achieve this goal, a systematic approach and methods of analysis, comparison, deduction, comparison, and decomposition were used. The study analyses current approaches to understanding the corporate social responsibility of business. The main vectors in which the corporate social responsibility of enterprises is implemented are allocated. An author’s interpretation of the concept of corporate social responsibility management was formed. The basic principles of implementation of the communication policy for both the internal audience (company employees) and external stakeholders (partners, customers, society, the state) are formed and argued. The features and main directions of implementation of corporate social responsibility initiatives of Ukrainian businesses in the context of war are studied and highlighted. It is established that the priority of corporate social responsibility of companies in Ukraine is to ensure business continuity (allowing to pay salaries and taxes), ensure the safety of personnel (arrangement of bomb shelters, relocation of employees and their families), support for defence capability (various assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine) and assistance to territorial communities. The results of the study can be used by the business environment to form a management mechanism for implementing corporate social responsibility initiatives, as well as by the academic community that studies this issue

Empathetic Solidarity: How Chinese English-Language Media Portrays Urban Community Participation

ABSTRACT This article examines how Chinese state media tries to legitimize and promote civic solidarity in its portrayal of grassroots community participation to an international audience. It performed a corpus-assisted discourse analysis of 758 articles published in major Chinese English-language newspapers between 2001 and 2022. The results reveal a message of ‘empathetic solidarity’ in which Western ideas of liberty are blended, or hybridized, with the Chinese discourse of caring to ‘serve the people’, a fusion of Confucian culture and CCP’s socialist values. This study finds that code hybridization in Chinese media coverage serves a dual purpose: to highlight the agency of individual citizens in the context of caring for others and to legitimize state interference in community issues. By centering civic solidarity in caring and service for ordinary people, the media expands and transforms the code of liberty with a mutual collaboration between the government and individuals.

A Book in a Thousand. Translating Dutch (Post-)Colonial Literature in the Late Fifties: Maria Dermoût’s The Ten Thousand Things In the U.S. and Italy

ABSTRACT This paper examines the successful translation and reception of Maria Dermoût’s De tienduizend dingen (1955), most particularly in the U.S. and Italy: a quite unique case of a Dutch book which has found its way to world literature. In the late Fifties, this beautifully crafted literary work about the faded world of the Dutch Molucca’s prior to WWII, could reckon on sympathy, empathy and interest in different countries. In the U.S., the ongoing decolonization process found a certain support, while Italy did its best to fully erase all traces of its colonial past and only few people with colonial roots tried to keep them alive. The ambivalent, liminar status of this fascinating book, written from a distant elsewhere by a displaced Eurasian author, can explain its appeal to translators Hans Koning and Quirino Maffi – both displaced, too – and international audiences.

Physical training in professional boxing

Professional boxing is a sport popular all over the world, and thanks to its spectacle, it arouses considerable interest from both spectators and experts. It is a high-intensity sport that requires a number of well-adapted physical and physiological characteristics to ensure maximum efficiency and competitiveness in matches. Punches are intended for both offensive and defensive actions, as well as for combining quick blows with the whole body with the speed of strength development. The resulting arm momentum and isometric muscle activity contribute to powerful strokes. The use of multi-faceted exercises in order to improve the rotational range of motion, the speed of force development and the segmentation of the sequence is recommended for the development of an effective stroke. It is necessary to use different training methods to achieve maximum results. The medical aspects and potential health risks of participating in training and competition were discussed. However, there are no comprehensive sources of applied sports scientific research on the preparation of professional boxers for competition. A boxer who receives individual and reasoned recommendations at all stages of training is an athlete who enters the ring with a lower risk of serious injuries in the short and long term. A limitation of this approach is that body weight (category), gender, ethnicity, and individual performance standards must be considered. A number of studies on the preparation of professional boxers for competitions were analyzed. The scientific support of the research of professional boxing is especially important in the interests of the health of athletes, interesting for the international audience, mass media, as well as medical and scientific communities.

Legitimation Game: The Anti-Japanese Textbook Issue in Sino–Japanese Relations, 1914–1937

ABSTRACT This article examines the anti-Japanese textbook issue, a diplomatic controversy from 1914 to 1937 between Japan and China over whether the Chinese government was inciting hatred against Japan by promoting school textbooks with offensive and xenophobic content. I argue that the issue represents a legitimation process, whereby Japan’s concern about the content of these textbooks was determined by, and fluctuated with, its need to mobilise domestic and international audiences for its China policy in changing geopolitical contexts. Such an approach helps to explain why the anti-Japanese textbook issue persisted for more than two decades after 1914 and why Japan’s approach to the matter inconsistently oscillated between interventionist and non-interventionist principles. More broadly, the article illustrates the value of paying closer attention to the internal inconsistencies of Japanese imperialism rather than merely its expansionist tendencies, and of analysing education and the writing of textbooks in early modern East Asia not just as a means of nation-building but also as part of Japan’s efforts to build its empire in a broader, transnational context.

A Solidarity Narrative: The Soft Power of Ukrainian Wartime Poetry

This article undertakes an analytical reading of the new wave of contemporary Ukrainian poetry after the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in particular the poems written and published online and/or in print between 24 February 2022 and May 2023. This Ukrainian post-invasion poetry serves as a cultural response to the war, shaping the national narrative of the war by undertaking a factual and emotional witnessing of the wartime reality and creating an empathetic connection that engenders a solidarity of the international audience with the Ukrainian people. It therefore functions as a tool of soft power which promotes the foreign-policy goals of Ukraine, namely European and transatlantic political solidarity in countering the Russian aggression.

The Surgical Algorithm for the AO Spine Sacral Injury Classification System.

Global cross-sectional survey. To establish a surgical algorithm for sacral fractures based on the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO) Spine Sacral Injury Classification System. Although the AO Spine Sacral Injury Classification has been validated across an international audience of surgeons, a consensus on a surgical algorithm for sacral fractures using the Sacral AO Spine Injury Score (Sacral AOSIS) has yet to be developed. A survey was sent to general orthopedic surgeons, orthopedic spine surgeons, and neurosurgeons across the five AO spine regions of the world. Descriptions of controversial sacral injuries based on different fracture subtypes were given, and surgeons were asked whether the patient should undergo operative or nonoperative management. The results of the survey were used to create a surgical algorithm based on each subtype's sacral AOSIS. An international agreement of 70% was decided on by the AO Spine Knowledge Forum Trauma experts to indicate a recommendation of initial operative intervention. Using this, sacral fracture subtypes of AOSIS 5 or greater were considered operative, while those with AOSIS 4 or less were generally nonoperative. For subtypes with an AOSIS of 3 or 4, if the sacral fracture was associated with an anterior pelvic ring injury (M3 case-specific modifier), intervention should be left to the surgeons' discretion. The AO Spine Sacral Injury Classification System offers a validated hierarchical system to approach sacral injuries. Through multispecialty and global surgeon input, a surgical algorithm was developed to determine appropriate operative indications for sacral trauma. Further validation is required, but this algorithm provides surgeons across the world with the basis for discussion and the development of standards of care and treatment.

International marketing trends and global advertisement: Analyzing the language barriers to efficient online marketing

International marketing trends and global advertisements are widely used by businesses to expand their reach to international audiences and boost sales. This paper examined international marketing trends with a focus on understanding the link between online marketing efforts and language barriers. The findings highlight the importance of linguistics simplicity, cultural adaptive content and accurate translation in enhancing the efficiency of online marketing. The findings reveal three main language-related barriers such as inaccurate translation, linguistic complexity and cultural insensitivity hindering online marketing efforts. The results stress the significance of culturally sensitive, clear and tailored communication in enhancing the efficiency of online marketing. The study provides useful insights for UAE companies to engage in effective marketing techniques to reach a global audience by addressing language barriers identified in the research.

Relationship between tutor support, caring self-efficacy and intention to leave of nursing students: the roles of self-compassion as mediator and moderator.

Analyze the mediating e moderating roles of self-compassion in the relationship between tutor support and both students' caring efficacy and intention to leave. A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire was conducted. Self-compassion mediates the relationship between tutor support and students' caring efficacy. Tutor support play a role on all the facets of self-compassion, but only two dimensions of this variable (mindfulness vs.over-identification) are significantly associated with both the dimensions of caring self-efficacy, with inverse effects. Self-compassion moderates the relationship between tutor support and intention to leave. Tutor support can improve students' caring efficacy by helping them to be mindful of their experiences in a nonjudgmental way. Supportive tutor can mitigate intention to leave by increasing self-compassion ability. Implications for International Audience Nursing education programs should implement workshops and briefings to develop students' self-compassion ability. This can foster perceived caring efficacy instudents and reduce intention to leave.

Inscribing a new page in the history of Ukrainian psychoanalysis during the wartime: The call for contributions

AbstractThis correspondence introduces several distinct current efforts by Ukrainian psychoanalytic practitioners and researchers from various clinical, scholarly, and applied fields to support the sustainable development of psychoanalytic training and work in the context of the ongoing 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among these developments are (a) the translation of the classic and contemporary psychoanalytic texts into the Ukrainian language, (b) the promotion of Ukrainian psychoanalytic contributions within Ukraine and abroad, and (c) the support of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy as an evidence‐based practice to be officially recognized in Ukraine. The initiatives were integrated with the launch of a scholarly peer‐reviewed online open‐access journal—the Ukrainian Psychoanalytic Journal—which has been confirmed by the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science as a scientific periodical. In addition to describing these initiatives, this contribution serves as an invitation to international psychoanalytic audiences to contribute to these processes, including via workshops on psychoanalytic writing and publication, joint panel discussions, or collaborative research projects with Ukrainian psychoanalytic professionals. We also welcome submissions of original previously published (with copyright permission) or unpublished papers to be translated and published in the Ukrainian language.

A collaboratively produced model of service design for children and young people with common mental health problems

BackgroundLittle is known about the effectiveness of, and implementation complexities associated with, service delivery models for children and young people (CYP) experiencing ‘common’ mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, behavioural difficulties and self-harm. This paper outlines how a model for high-quality service design for this population group was developed by identifying available services, their effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability, and the barriers and enablers to access.MethodsSequential, mixed-methods design, combining evidence syntheses (scoping and integrative reviews of the international literature) with primary research (a collective case study in England and Wales). Data from these two elements were collaboratively synthesised in a subsequent model-building phase.ResultsThe scoping review yielded a service model typology. The integrative review found effectiveness evidence only for four models: collaborative care (the only service model to also have cost-effectiveness evidence), outreach approaches, brief intervention services and an organisational framework called ‘Availability, Responsiveness and Continuity’. No service model seemed more acceptable than others. Three case study themes were identified: pathways to support; service engagement; and learning and understanding. The model-building phase identified rapid access, learning self-care skills, individualised support, clear information, compassionate and competent staff and aftercare planning as core characteristics of high-quality services. These characteristics were underpinned by four organisational qualities: values that respect confidentiality; engagement and involvement; collaborative relationships; and a learning culture.ConclusionsA consistent organisational evidence-base for service design and delivery in CYP’s mental health spanning many years appears to have had little impact on service provision in England and Wales. Rather than impose – often inflexible and untested – specific local or national models or frameworks, those commissioning, designing and delivering mental health services for CYP should (re)focus on already known, fundamental components necessary for high-quality services. These fundamental components have been integrated into a collaboratively produced general model of service design for CYP with common mental health problems. While this general model is primarily focused on British service provision, it is broad enough to have utility for international audiences.

Narrating the state in miniature: philatelic representations of Kazakhstan, 1992–2021

ABSTRACT Postage stamps, despite being somewhat cloaked over time by both obscurity and sheer ubiquity, are important official, primary source state documents. The iconography and visual data on the stamp have been used by states to project an official narrative, at times crossing into propaganda. Scholars have analysed these data to access how a given state has sought to portray itself to both domestic and international audiences. Over the course of its first 30 years of post-Soviet independence, Kazakhstan has produced 1130 visually distinct postage stamps. Visual content analysis reveals that much (nearly 45%) of this state’s philatelic representation can be assigned to two thematic categories: Nature and Notable People. Iconographic representations found on Kazakhstan’s first stamp issue (and others featuring the Golden Man), selected representations of flora and fauna species, a selection of stamps displaying Nursultan Nazarbayev imagery, and other selected stamps displaying multiple themes are scrutinized. These representations additionally project a concretization of the state and its territory, as well as sovereignty. While the messaging medium is miniature, for Kazakhstan the narrative itself is monumental.

Symposium: National Extension Workshop: Experiences with conducting poultry extension programs for international audiences

Symposium: National Extension Workshop: Experiences with conducting poultry extension programs for international audiences

From Positive to Negative Historical Statecraft: The Shifting Use of History in China’s Diplomacy

Abstract Typically, China has tried to use positive aspects of its history, such as its previous grandeur and its philosophical and cultural heritage, to guide its diplomatic strategic narratives – a kind of historical statecraft. However, this has largely failed to inspire international audiences. Analysis of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ regular press conferences over a twenty-year period reveals there is an observable seeping of more negative aspects of history into China’s diplomatic language during Xi Jinping’s second term. Negative history appears in China’s strategic narratives to highlight changes in the international order by reframing understandings of China and the nature of other major powers. Negative history of this type might afford Xi significant domestic legitimacy, as well as some international supporters, for its assertive articulations; at the same time, however, it reduces China’s ability to win over international audiences and positively disseminate its vision of international order.

Public Relations Management After COVID-19 Lockdown: A Case Study of Wuhan, China

The aim of the research study was to understand the effectiveness of the public relations strategies of crisis communication and how impactful they were for saving the image of Wuhan city after the pandemic. Wuhan was hailed as the epicentre of Corona virus infections as the initial infections have spread from this place. Thus, the image of this prominent city was maligned not only towards the local and national audience, but the international audience as well. Thus, the Wuhan government took up most of the necessary public relations strategies to restore the image of the city among the national and international audience. This paper has intrinsically dealt with the opinions from the different sample population on the effectiveness of the crisis communication done by the PR strategists of the Wuhan government. From most of the respondents it has been found out that Wuhan government and its public relations strategies were wholly operated through the digital medium and this has helped in restoring the image of the image to greater and effective extent. Through the disposition of information through different social media networking sites like Facebook and Sina Weibo, the PR strategists were able to provide information on the improvements in the city condition and the reduction of infection in Wuhan along with other positive news articles. However from the respondents it has been also found that, including lesser opinion from the public, decrease in the participation of the common mass in the information dissemination process by the Wuhan government has decreased the effectiveness of the image restoration PR strategy in the Wuhan city. The research study concludes that while the PR crisis communication and its strategies have been helpful towards restoring the image of the city, there are still some loop holes that needs to be fixed.