Invisible Role Research Articles

Women of Maguey and Mezcal: The Other Everyday Symbolic World of the Palenque

Objective: To explore and highlight the role of women in the production of maguey and mezcal in Oaxaca, with the aim of analyzing how they have resisted and adapted to the dynamics of gender, class, and ethnicity that have historically limited their participation in a male-dominated context. Theoretical Framework: It is based on María Lugones' theory of coloniality, Pierre Bourdieu's concept of male domination, and Henri Lefebvre's concept of everyday life. Method: Qualitative research through semi-structured interviews with women mezcal producers and observations in palenques. Results and Discussion: It is revealed that women mezcal producers have played a crucial but historically invisible role in mezcal production. Despite barriers of gender, class, and ethnicity, they have redefined their role in palenques, gaining recognition within their communities. However, they still face cultural and structural challenges that limit their full participation and visibility in the mezcal market. Research Implications: There is a need to revalue the role of women in mezcal production, promoting inclusion and recognition. The visibility of women mezcal producers could transform gender dynamics and open economic and social opportunities. Originality/Value: This research highlights the role of women mezcal producers, providing a gendered and decolonial perspective. It reveals their resistance in a traditionally male-dominated space, suggesting new inclusion policies in rural sectors.

Are Women Sports Journalists in Spain Truly Progressing or Facing “Pseudo-Progress”?

Sports journalism has become one of the news products with the most significant social reach in the press, radio, television and digital media. Despite the significant presence of women in journalism, they continue to face gender-based stereotypes. In Spain, not very many women can effectively access the labour field of sports journalism, and those who do find themselves in a space dominated by men, which results in a perpetuation of the existing imbalances in society. The main objective of this study is to analyse the evolution of the roles developed by women journalists in the article-production aspect of the Spanish sports press between 2010 and 2022. We use quantitative content analysis, studying the articles published in Marca and Mundo Deportivo during the second week of June in 2010, 2014, and 2018, and the third week of November 2022; in each of these years, the men’s FIFA World Cup was played. The results of this study show that: (a) women journalists have an almost invisible role in the production of articles, and (b) rather than progress, women are facing “pseudo-progress”, a more appropriate term for the appearance of a change that is not actually occurring.

Critical whiteness theory and social work education: turning the lens inward

ABSTRACT The social work profession adheres to the values of social justice and equity, yet extensive literature suggests that anti-racism education in social work has room for growth. Research demonstrates that social work practitioners and educators often fail to recognize (1) how structural oppression creates racial inequities and (2) how social workers maintain and reproduce hegemonic power structures. Critical whiteness theory (CWT) seeks to reveal the invisible role of whiteness in constructing racial inequities. As a subject area, critical whiteness studies emerged in the late 1990s as an expansion of critical race theory. A variety of disciplines have incorporated critical whiteness studies as a framework for anti-racism education; however, CWT remains relatively absent from the social work literature. This paper proposes the incorporation of CWT in social work education as a tool to facilitate critical self-reflexivity and combat structural racism within the profession. Engaging with the concepts of white normativity, white ignorance, and white complicity allows social work educators and students to acknowledge and interrogate the formative ways in which social work pedagogy maintains and reproduces white supremacy.

Leaky bodies, vaccination and three layers of memory: bio-immune, social-collective and lived experience

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the omnipresent yet analytically almost invisible role of memory and bodily experiences in childhood vaccination. Previous scholarship on the sociocultural aspects of vaccination has primarily focused on the individual and sociodemographic factors underpinning vaccine hesitancy, the role of healthcare professionals and the politicisation or mediatisation of vaccination. Social practices considering vaccination were primarily explored as a matter of the present. Only little consideration was given to the past, individual biographies and sociohistorical temporalities. To complement this body of work, we focus on cognitively-based, embodied and emotionally-experienced memory related to vaccination. Based on a qualitative study of childhood vaccination conducted in Czechia between 2017 and 2019 consisting of ethnographic observations, in-depth interviews and a document review, we identified three interconnected forms of vaccination memory: bio-immune, social-collective and lived experience. Bio-immune memory refers to the body’s physical memory, gained to protect itself from diseases. Social-collective memory focuses on socially shared narratives about diseases and vaccination in the past. The memory of lived experience refers to feelings, embodied knowledge and pain. Our findings may inspire further analysis of childhood vaccination in other geographical contexts and amidst the reconfiguration of attitudes and newly established memories following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Politics of translation: Assimilation and reflexivity in the transformation of academic texts

For many at the periphery and semi-periphery of the global academic field, translation or self-translation into English has become a prerequisite for the pursuit of an academic career. This article focuses on the academic translators who translate humanities and social science texts and the crucial but highly invisible role of their everyday translation practices in relation to the dominance of Anglophone discourses and concepts. It articulates an interdisciplinary theorization of the politics of translation through the concepts of assimilatory and reflexive translation, which are applied to an empirical investigation based on semi-structured interviews conducted with academic translators in the context of Spain. The analysis brings to light their backgrounds, professional profiles, and perceptions of their working conditions, as well as their views of science and good writing. Academic translators predominantly adopt an assimilatory translation strategy, reformulating texts to adapt them to Anglophone academic conventions. However, habitual collaboration between translators and authors gives rise to deliberation among both actors on how to recreate texts in the new linguistic situation. Such collaboration holds great potential for the development of more reflexive forms of translation in which an invitation to consider translation strategies and decisions is extended to authors and users of translations at large.

The role of status invisibility in mental health and happiness

The role of status invisibility in mental health and happiness

Dispossession and governance: The invisible role of indigenous peoples in protected natural areas in Chile

At the international level, the progressive recognition of indigenous peoples and their customary rights in legislative tools has established new guidelines for the conservation of natural resources in protected areas (PAs). The indigenous peoples (IPs) in Chile who suffered the dispossession of ancestral areas after the declaration of PAs, have demanded their inclusion and participation based on the legislative tools available. Via the available scientific, institutional and gray literature, we identified seven ways in which IPs contribute to and participate in the protection of biodiversity, conservation and sustainability of natural resources in marine and terrestrial ecosystems in Chile: resistance or defense of ancestral areas, biocultural conservation, sustainable practices, participation in consultation, promotion of area creation, development of management plans, and management, comprising participation in administration, co-administration or co-management. Sixty percent of IPs participate in the management of 7.3% of Chile’s PAs. Overall, our results show that the Rapanui and Kawashkar peoples participate mostly in the co-management of 729,439 km2 and 668 km2 of MPAs, respectively. The Aymara and Atacameño peoples lead the management of TPAs in the north of Chile, with 1378 km2 and 872.36 km2, respectively. The Mapuche people, with a higher population density, participate in both environments, leading the administration of maritory with 3475.98 km2 of Marine and Coastal Areas for Indigenous Peoples (MCAIPs). The participation of the remaining peoples is limited. Advancing the recognition and role of IP in the protection of nature via a shared biocultural governance is a challenge for the Chilean State.

Weathering the Storm of Caregiving for Persons with Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive incurable disease affecting an individual's cognitive, behavioral, and physical systems. As individuals become more impaired, assistance is required and care may be provided by spouses, family members, or other close companions who serve as informal caregivers. To examine the perceptions and meaning of caring for a person with AD an interpretive descriptive study was used. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 informal caregivers. Data analysis revealed two themes: Grappling with the Responsibilities of Invisible Care and Weathering the Storm of Visible Care. Both themes relate to the stress and struggle of the visible and invisible roles of caregivers. The results of the study strengthen the need for home care clinicians to support caregivers who provide both visible and invisible care for persons with AD.

The Evolution Logic and Its Influence of the Geopolitical Conflict in the Middle East Under the Profound Changes Unseen in the Century—— A Study on the Evolution of the Syrian Civil War—Proxy war Conflict

The civil war in Syria became the “crater” and “pustule mouth” of the Jasmine Revolution. Looking back at history, the development trend in Syria is based on the logic of “civil strife-civil war-chaotic war-proxy war”. Anti-government armed activities aimed at overthrowing Bashar regime are one after another, and Syria's political and economic development has been seriously affected. Compared with other countries in the Middle East, Syria's civil war is slightly different. This is not just a civil war and sectarian conflict in a strict sense. In the later period, its civil war evolved into a geopolitical game in which the big countries inside and outside the territory and the triple powers in Syria crisscross each other. In addition, the spillover effect of the Syrian civil war has had a substantial impact on the Middle East. The development sequence of Syrian geopolitical conflict is from civil war to Proxy war, which is essentially the external manifestation of several rounds of military and political games between big countries. The logic of this geopolitical conflict is universal in the Middle East. Syria’s geopolitical strategy is prominent, and multi-dimensional forces inside and outside the region participate in it. Its geopolitical game has experienced a long period, while other Middle Eastern countries may have only experienced part of it. In the Middle East, due to sectarian contradictions and political dominance competition within the country, it will eventually develop into a geopolitical situation in which internal and external forces are superimposed. In short, in the future development process, these “indirect forces” inside and outside the domain will probably still play an invisible role in the geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East, and will continue to influence the development trend of the geopolitical pattern of Middle East countries.

Uncovering the Role of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church in the War between the Tigrian Forces and the Federal Government

Abstract The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church (EOTC) has a long and glorious history in the Ethiopian polity. It was an institution deeply engaged in Ethiopian politics and has long served as a unifying political force. For example, when foreign enemies invaded Ethiopia, the EOTC was tasked with uniting Ethiopians to fight against aggressors. However, in times of internal political crisis, particularly in contemporary Ethiopia, the EOTC’s role is relatively insignificant. Previous studies have not focused on this issue. Through a qualitative research approach, this study takes the post-2020 conflict between Tigrian forces and the federal government as a litmus test for showing the EOTC’s insignificant role in cases of internal political crisis. It shows that, as an institution, the EOTC played an insignificant role in reconciling, condemning, or trying to manage the conflict. Indeed, two challenges prevented the EOTC from doing what it was supposed to do in this conflict: ethnic politics and the EOTC’s top authorities’ submissiveness to the ruling regimes. This article recommends further studies aimed at assessing the invisible role of the EOTC in the Ethiopian polity and its counter-relationships. Conducting additional studies is significant for policymakers in general and the EOTC in particular.

Nas coxias da ciência: a peça “Gutenberg - drama histórico em 5 atos e em prosa” de Juliette Figuier: práticas de vulgarização científica e invisibilização feminina no século xix

Abstract: The aim of this article is to look at, through the case of Juliette Figuier, the often invisible role of intellectual women in the dissemination of scientific culture in France and Brazil. It focuses on her play Gutenberg (1869) which was translated into Portuguese in 1877 and circulated in Brazil. The play, which deals with the mythical life of the inventor of the printing press, is included in the list of narratives about science produced by popularizers of science - such as her husband, Louis Figuier. Often mistaken as a work of the latter, Gutenberg was originally written by Juliette Figuier. The article seeks to discuss through this case how women could participate in the production of cultural goods which projected the image of Science in a mediating role.

A remarkably diverse and well-organized virus community in a filter-feeding oyster

BackgroundViruses play critical roles in the marine environment because of their interactions with an extremely broad range of potential hosts. Many studies of viruses in seawater have been published, but viruses that inhabit marine animals have been largely neglected. Oysters are keystone species in coastal ecosystems, yet as filter-feeding bivalves with very large roosting numbers and species co-habitation, it is not clear what role they play in marine virus transmission and coastal microbiome regulation.ResultsHere, we report a Dataset of Oyster Virome (DOV) that contains 728,784 nonredundant viral operational taxonomic unit contigs (≥ 800 bp) and 3473 high-quality viral genomes, enabling the first comprehensive overview of both DNA and RNA viral communities in the oyster Crassostrea hongkongensis. We discovered tremendous diversity among novel viruses that inhabit this oyster using multiple approaches, including reads recruitment, viral operational taxonomic units, and high-quality virus genomes. Our results show that these viruses are very different from viruses in the oceans or other habitats. In particular, the high diversity of novel circoviruses that we found in the oysters indicates that oysters may be potential hotspots for circoviruses. Notably, the viruses that were enriched in oysters are not random but are well-organized communities that can respond to changes in the health state of the host and the external environment at both compositional and functional levels.ConclusionsIn this study, we generated a first “knowledge landscape” of the oyster virome, which has increased the number of known oyster-related viruses by tens of thousands. Our results suggest that oysters provide a unique habitat that is different from that of seawater, and highlight the importance of filter-feeding bivalves for marine virus exploration as well as their essential but still invisible roles in regulating marine ecosystems.APUP9ceFw5rgMggB2pWS5VVideo

Law’s imposition of a heteronormative timeline in a rapidly ageing authoritarian state

This article discusses how China, an authoritarian state with a rapidly ageing population, uses its laws and regulations to impose a heteronormative timeline on its citizens to get married and give birth. I use the pressure felt by China’s ‘leftover’ women to get married according to a heteronormative timeline to discuss law’s role in shaping and reshaping our understanding of age, ageing, and time. These women’s experience reveals law’s seemingly invisible role in imposing and sustaining dominant timelines, especially in authoritarian states that actively use law and media to depict those who are different from the majority as deviants. This article explores and exposes law’s invisibility and hegemonic nature in everyday life, in an effort to explain how different laws work among themselves and with other normative orders to set a timeline that eliminates differences and imposes pressure on those who ‘fall behind’ to catch up with the mainstream. Using legal pluralism as an analytical tool, this article further examines how state laws depend on and work with other normative orders to sustain dominant timelines. It is my hope that this article could invite law and society scholars to rethink how state law violently eliminates diverse ways people organise their everyday lives by imposing dominant timelines on them.

Doubly invisible: Anna Larpent, domestic censorship, and the translation of performance cultures in Georgian Britain

ABSTRACT Drawing on censored manuscripts and personal writing, the article uncovers the invisible role played by Anna Larpent, the wife of John Larpent (Royal Theatre Censor 1777–1824), in shaping foreign drama and opera in Georgian Britain. Anna's journals demonstrate that, as a more attentive theatregoer and critic than her husband, she took on many aspects of the role of reviser and curator of the submitted plays and became an important mediator between European performance cultures and Georgian audiences. The article explores the complex and contradictory role played by Larpent as an “agent of translation” selecting and censoring European performance cultures throughout this period and introduces the notion of “domestic censorship” to give visibility to the labour and agency of women. In doing so, it highlights the value of archives of life writing in providing empirical evidence of the wide range of agents involved in shaping the translation of performance cultures.

The invisible role of feminine caregivers in Palestine. The Emancipatory Research process as a path towards well-being

The paper aims to analyse the well-being of feminine caregivers in Palestine. In order to do that it explores the outcomes of the preliminary step of the Emancipatory Research (ER) carried out in the “PARTICIP-ACTION” Project (financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation – Ministry of Foreign and International Cooperation, promoted and carried out by EducAid – Inclusive Education and Social Innovation for International Cooperation). The ER is a bottom-up process that promotes a progressive involvement of vulnerable groups of people as researchers at first hand. In case herein considered, the researchers are 30 feminine caregivers of relatives with disability. Starting from their own point of view and their own personal experience, they first selected and then investigated a few dimensions of well-being deemed essential for them to reach a good quality of life.

Work, care and creativity in a time of COVID-19: creatively mapping presence bleed in the home

ABSTRACT The pandemic restrictions and lockdowns have seen working from home (WFH) becoming a mundane practice. During the lockdowns, all movement were situated in the rhythms of the domestic and its infinite regresses of 'presence bleed' (Gregg [2011]. Work’s Intimacy. London: Polity.) – informal care of older parents and young children, the gendered nature of care work and its often invisible role as it convergences with uneven expectations around working from home (WFH) and home schooling. In June 2020 we developed an open call for responses to the Work, Care and Creativity Study (WCCS). The study sought to explore the lived experiences of primary carers who are also creative professionals working and caring from home (WCFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Deploying creative practice techniques which use prompts (such as photos, drawing and creative writing responses) to elicit participant’s experiences and emotions, this study sought to render visible some of the overlooked experiences, perceptions and practices emerging over the pandemic.

Analyzing Vocables in Rap

This article examines the structural and semiotic functions of vocables in rap music. Analytical studies of the rapping voice have predominantly focused on lyrics, rhyme, accent, rhythm, and the emergent property of flow. Although timbral aspects of the voice play an important role in rappers’ flow, identity construction, and reception, investigations of timbre and non-lexical expression (e.g., vocables) remain comparatively rare. As a case study, I focus on the signature ad-lib vocable of Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion—a creaky-voiced [æ] vowel, like the “a” in cat. Analyzing a corpus of all recorded instances of this vocable in her commercially available recordings (699 instances in 101 songs), along with timbral and phonetic close-reading, I claim that vocables can serve both percussive and formal functions in rap music. Synthesizing perspectives from sociolinguistics, gender and sexuality studies, and brand theory, I argue that Megan Thee Stallion uses her vocable as a timbre trademark: a unique, memorable, and immediately recognizable sonic icon of her brand persona. This brand is closely associated with the gendered and racialized social history of vocal fry in representations of female sexual pleasure. I close by suggesting that vocal timbre plays a leading though often invisible role in hip-hop expression and politics.

KwieKulik through the Lens of Feminism

Active in the 1970s and 1980s, KwieKulik was a Polish artistic duo comprised of Zofia Kulik and Przemysław Kwiek. Despite the duo’s dissolution in 1987 and Kulik – the female artist – having departed from her previous practice, KwieKulik’s art is framed by the so-called political and regional context of Poland’s state socialism. This article argues that the still on-going struggle of Kulik for self-definition opens up the possibility of rereading KwieKulik’s art through the lens of feminism. It analyses the visible and invisible gendered roles and identities reflected in two of KwieKulik’s most characteristic performances: Monument without a Passport and Activity for the Head: Three Acts. The visible refers to how, in their performances, Kulik had to actively allow herself to be restricted and humiliated in order to be viewed as a subject. The invisible, meanwhile, refers to the maintenance work that Kulik did for KwieKulik, which was once rendered secondary to Kwiek’s ambition for the appearance of spontaneity.

Curtailing invisibility of health and safety risks

Risk control in many areas in society is based on known danger and avoidance of predicted accidents. Between accidents as predicted and accidents as they actually occur, there is a gap however. This gap hides a multitude of relevant safety information which might therefore not be considered in safety management systems, risk inventories and accident scenarios. Hence, it might help to pay attention to the gap of "invisible" phenomena and mechanisms and study the concept of "invisibility". Wondering about the role of invisibility in this respect, the authors explore literature using a scoping review approach, in search of invisibility concepts: ways in which full or partial invisibility exists in a variety of areas relevant to safety. Some 202 of such concepts are found. They can be grouped into 22 frequently found types of invisibility, each capable of hiding relevant safety information. Using a theoretical object-path-observer model, deconstruction of invisibility concepts into their constituting parts, and a proposed systematic combination process, an inventory with many more invisibility concepts can be generated than presently found in literature. This provides a new tool to search for currently hidden safety information and scenarios in the gap. Several examples of newly generated scenarios are discussed. The methodical limitations of this study make the current results indicative only. Both the 22 most frequently found invisibility types and the generation of new object, path and observer property combinations are recommended for use in safety management practice. Further research is recommended to gather more complete data for justification of an invisibility concepts classification.

Dispossession and Governance: The Invisible Role of Indigenous Peoples in Protected Natural Areas in Chile

Dispossession and Governance: The Invisible Role of Indigenous Peoples in Protected Natural Areas in Chile