Articles In Issue Research Articles

Imagination, disruption and complexity: Strengthening psychological scholarship of activism and collective action

This special issue brings together studies that focus on psychological, social and societal factors related to activism and collective action in the context of the environmental and climate crisis. The special issue builds on an underdeveloped psychological literature on mobilisation, cohesion, collective action and resistance. This perspective article synthesises the key theoretical, methodological, and policy insights of articles in the special issue. The article discusses how the studies contribute to our knowledge of imagination, disruptive tactics, psychological distance and geopolitical context. The article also discusses ways to extend existing scholarship through justice, participatory methods, and inclusive scholarship.

Family members at the epicentre of policy discourses

The articles in this thematic issue of Sociolinguistic Studies, ‘Family as a language policy regime: Agency, negotiation and local practices’, are concerned with the impact of family (language policy) among the minority population, whether indigenous or otherwise, on the sociolinguistic makeup of the contemporary policy regimes worldwide. Although family language policy is already a well-established domain of inquiry, this issue points to the wide range of cases from around the world, including Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Iran, Lithuania, Northern Ireland, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe, to understand how (individual) pathways are formed and choices made in favour of language and cultural maintenance. While covering a wide range of factors and perspectives that contribute to our understanding of families’ linguistic behaviour and the broader social implications of the discipline, these papers emphasise the complex relationships between language, culture, politics, and socioeconomic factors in today’s global multilingual and multicultural mosaic. This edition further underlines a number of present-day requirements in the field, such as being able to examine children’s or extended family members’ agency, use of digital technologies for language maintenance, different forms of parental language planning and activism to mention a few. The collection has emerged in the wake of a symposium ‘Family as a language policy regime: Agency, practices and negotiation’ at the 20th AILA World Congress (19–20 July, 2023, Lyon, France) and a closed call for papers.

Editorial: Beyond Terrorism and Sexual Slavery: Dynamics of armed conflicts, trafficking, and forced migration

This Editorial introduces a Special Issue of Anti-Trafficking Review on the theme of armed conflicts and their relationships with and impact on human trafficking, forced migration, and exploitation. It provides an overview of the literature on this theme, which has primarily focused on terrorism and sexual slavery. It then outlines the articles in the Special Issue, which expand our understanding of the topic by adding nuances to the experiences of people who flee, or choose to remain in, conflict-affected areas.

Problems of Citation in the Study of Religion: Who Do We Cite and Why?

This special issue introduction contributes to emerging discussions on citation in studies of religion. What particular issues of citation arise in cultural, historical, and textual research on religious traditions? What can the study of religion contribute to the study of citation? Weaving together references to the four articles of the special issue, we identify four citational themes that are particularly relevant to the study of religion: the continuing reverberations of colonization; relations to and in canonical traditions; the conjunction of morality and economy in neoliberal academic contexts; and the knowledge that comes from naming and interacting with a wider range of sources, such as ancestors. Finally, in the conclusion we argue for a relational ethics of citation in the study of religion.

Housing Norms and Standards: The Design of Everyday Life

<div><p>This editorial introduces the articles in this thematic issue, which bridge the gap between technical housing standards, design practices, and socio-cultural norms.</p></div>

Playing the political game of innovation: An integrative framework and future research directions

AbstractInnovation politics impact the development and introduction of innovations, yet knowledge about the influence of specific political behavior or behavioral patterns remains blurred. Based on a literature review and the articles in this Special Issue, we propose a three‐part framework that identifies the building blocks of political behavior in innovation: what motivates actors to be political, the different types of political actors, and the effect of various political behaviors on innovation outcomes. Emphasizing the evolving landscape of innovation politics, the framework aims to highlight research gaps and guide future studies toward improving our understanding of the functional and dysfunctional aspects of innovation politics.

What is ‘freelance feminism’?

This article introduces the concept of ‘freelance feminism’: a term we use to highlight how a combination of casualised precarious labour and platformised entrepreneurialism constitute a key terrain through which contemporary feminist work is enacted. The article proposes that this term can be a way to understand new formations and constellations of activity which are being shaped in the intersections between precarity, feminism and entrepreneurialism. How, in what ways, and with what consequences are feminist activism and platformised entrepreneurialism becoming entwined? How are new forms of self-promotion, self-branding and precarity shaping feminist cultures? Are entrepreneurial projects more broadly taking on feminist forms and, if so, how can we understand their politics? To explore these issues, the article examines in turn (1) neoliberal, short-term, precarious labour in the cultural industries and its exacerbation during the pandemic, (2) contemporary entrepreneurial ‘platformisation’ and (3) the increased visibility of feminism in contemporary popular culture. It concludes by introducing the range of articles in the special issue.

Plowing New Fields of Scholarship in Social Studies: Planting New Seeds With Civic, Economic, and Geographic Thinking

This manuscript is the introductory article for the special issue of the Journal of Social Studies Research titled Teaching Disciplinary Thinking, Literacy, and Argumentation Skills. In it, the authors provide an historical overview of disciplinary thinking as outlined by Edwin Fenton and Sam Wineburg. They talk about how the C3 Framework is a melding of a focus on disciplinary thinking outlined by Fenton and Wineburg with the emphasis on preparing K-12 students for their future roles as democratic citizens as stressed by scholars like Shirley Engle. Then, the focus of the manuscript shifts to highlight the underdeveloped areas of disciplinary thinking in civics, geography, and economics. The authors define economic, civic, and geographic thinking and provide habits of mind for each of these disciplines along with classroom activities for each. They close with arguments for why K-12 social studies teachers and social studies education scholars should focus on developing K-12 students’ civic, economic, and geographic thinking skills.

Integrated Performance Assessments: Providing Equitable Instruction and Assessment for ELLs/MLLs

AbstractIn this Teaching Issues article, we make the case for using Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) to get a better picture of ELLs/MLLs learning progress and language development and thus, contributing to more equitable learning environments in both instruction and assessment practices. An Integrated Performance Assessment allows learners to use the three modes of communication—interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational—to communicate their learning and demonstrate language development in an integrated way. We show how IPAs can be used as assessments for, of, and as learning; they promote more authentic teaching and assessment methods, in both formative and summative ways. To illustrate the potential opportunities IPAs can offer over traditional teaching and assessment methods, we share a classroom‐ready example designed by a teacher who participated in a 15‐month professional development project. We posit that IPAs value the resources ELLs/MLLs bring to the classroom and allow them to use these resources in their learning, as well as promote authentic language use and provide a window into ELLs’/MLLs’ progress in ways that advance their learning and language development through collaboration and interaction.

Introduction to the ONDM 2023 special issue

This JOCN special issue contains extended versions of selected papers presented at the 27th International Conference on Optical Network Design and Modeling (ONDM 2023), which took place on 8–11 May 2023 at the University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. The articles in this special issue contain several current topics of optical networking research: quality of transmission (QoT) estimation and its importance in network control and optimization, strategies to reduce power consumption in optical networks, analysis of optical network resilience from the link level up to inter-carrier networks, and strategies to upgrade long-haul quantum key distribution networks.

Introduction to the special issue: Authoritarianism and religion in South Asia: Trends and twists

AbstractReligious sentiments have become a potent tool for political elites, altering national identities and citizenship criteria. This manipulation, driven by majoritarian ideologies, has marginalized religious minorities, leading to discrimination, violence, and legal persecution against them. Hindu, Islamic, and Buddhist nationalisms seem to collectively erode secular democracy in South Asia. Moreover, right‐wing populist leaders, notably Modi in India and the Rajapaksas in Sri Lanka, have merged religious nationalism with authoritarian political orientations posing a challenge to democratic foundations and impacting significantly on the dynamics of state and societal relations. This is the context in which this World Affairs 2024 special issue delves into the relationship(s) between religion, politics, and authoritarianism in the South Asian region. It examines the evolving “religion‐politics” nexus or “complex” to explicate the relationship between religion and authoritarianism, particularly with respect to authoritarian governments mobilizing religion as a readily available resource for popular political mobilization, legitimization, and power consolidation. India's BJP employs Hindutva ideology to marginalize minorities, Bangladesh's regime uses Islam for political legitimacy, and Sri Lanka's Sinhala‐Buddhist nationalism fosters exclusionary policies. By fostering social and cultural polarization, this fusion of authoritarianism with religious nationalism poses a serious challenge to the secular state. The articles in this special issue explore these themes comprehensively, delving into the ideological foundations of political decisions and their consequences for marginalized communities. By shedding light on this multifaceted interplay, the collection offers valuable insights into South Asia's sociopolitical landscape, serving as a vital resource for scholars, policy makers, and global observers seeking to understand the region's complex dynamics.

Introduction to the virtual issue on bioeconomy innovation pipelines and supply chain shocks

Abstract This introduction presents five articles of the virtual issue on bioeconomy innovation pipelines and supply chain shocks. The presented cases use alternative methodological approaches with their own advantages and disadvantages. The conclusion we can draw is that the specificities of individual case studies make it difficult to generalise and many more cases would be needed to perform a meta-analysis. We encourage agricultural economists to provide further research on detailed cases, which will be particularly important for gaining a better understanding of the potential effects of the EU Green Deal.

The Promise and Challenges of Practice-Oriented Research: A Commentary on the Special Issue.

At the centre of POR is the concept of collaboration between patients, therapists, agencies, and third-party payers. For this commentary, I review the articles of the special issue with attention to both the opportunities and challenges offered by practice-oriented research (POR).I also reviewed some previous research on practice-research networks and how that research might inform POR. The use of routine outcome monitoring (ROM), artificial intelligence (AI), and program evaluation (PE) models show promise for advancing POR. However, each comes with its challenges. The use of ROM to improve patient outcomes has research support. However, researchers have identified problems with implementing ROM because of low uptake by clinicians and because clinicians may see ROM as a potential intrusion. AI shows promise to improve patient outcomes by potentially providing therapists with immediate and nuanced data to inform interventions and interpersonal stances specific to each patient. However, the scaling up of AI runs the risk of dehumanizing psychological interventions. PE may provide a context for allowing therapists to engage in POR to address real-world processes and outcomes of mental health interventions. However, like ROM PE faces the challenge of trust among clinicians and patients who may be reluctant to participate. Despite these challenges, and because of efforts to nurture and maintain respectful collaborations, articles in this special issue highlight how POR can play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Improving Researchers’ Capacity to Address Injustice: An Introduction to the Special Issue

Many education policy researchers have turned to critical policy analysis as a means to better understand and examine injustices in education and beyond. However, such work is still uncommon in educational journals. In this introduction, we describe the purposes of this special issue and offer readers a framework for understanding critical approaches to education policy research, its general tenets, and how it differs from other kinds of policy research. We then outline the contributions of the articles in this special issue. We highlight analytic moves that researchers of all kinds can make based on the critical education policy research tenets we discuss. The introduction concludes with suggestions for where we hope the field will go next.

Professional learning for praxis development: reflections

ABSTRACT Praxis development remains invisible in many discussions of professional learning because professional educators take praxis development for granted as an indissoluble part of education and educational work. This special issue provides new insights into professional learning for praxis development, and about the conditions that enable and constrain the development of educational and social practices through professional learning initiatives. In the lead article in this special issue, Salo, Francisco and Olin Almqvist outline key features of professional learning for praxis development, which are extended in the later article by Francisco, Forssten Seiser and Olin Almqvist. Together, these important features are: power and solidarity, trust, recognition, agency, reflection, collaboration, and time. These are key ideas to be kept in mind in research and practice in professional learning, and in the organisation and administration of professional learning initiatives.

Feedback Loops: Future Present Becomings-With Critical Qualitative Inquiry

The following texts, by three critical session leaders, provide perhaps a conclusion to the special issue articles, but more importantly, may serve as “feedback loops” for becomings-with future present critical qualitative inquiries, for more just becomings that we have not thought. We become-with a new scholar who shares the important issues of her life as a beginning researcher, and we become-with two more senior researchers who share their critical experiences along with possibilities for reconceptualizing critical work as ethical ontologies.

The Philosophy of Epistemic Autonomy: Introduction to Special Issue

ABSTRACT This paper provides an introduction to the special issue on the philosophy of epistemic autonomy. In addition to giving some background on various conceptions of epistemic autonomy it provides brief summaries of the articles in the special issue.

Current issues in dose-finding designs: A response to the US Food and Drug Adminstration's Oncology Center of Excellence Project Optimus.

With the advent of targeted agents and immunological therapies, the medical research community has become increasingly aware that conventional methods for determining the best dose or schedule of a new agent are inadequate. It has been well established that conventional phase I designs cannot reliably identify safe and effective doses. This problem applies, generally, for cytotoxic agents, radiation therapy, targeted agents, and immunotherapies. To address this, the US Food and Drug Administration's Oncology Center of Excellence initiated Project Optimus, with the goal "to reform the dose optimization and dose selection paradigm in oncology drug development." As a response to Project Optimus, the articles in this special issue of Clinical Trials review recent advances in methods for choosing the dose or schedule of a new agent with an overall objective of informing clinical trialists of these innovative designs. This introductory article briefly reviews problems with conventional methods, the regulatory changes that encourage better dose optimization designs, and provides brief summaries of the articles that follow in this special issue.

The hippocampus and implicit memory

ABSTRACT The traditional memory-systems view is that explicit (conscious) long-term memory is associated with the hippocampus and implicit (nonconscious) memory is associated with non-hippocampal brain regions. This special issue of Cognitive Neuroscience focuses on whether the hippocampus is associated with implicit memory. An empirical fMRI paper by Miller, Kennard, Gowland, Antoniades, and Rosenthal (this issue) evaluated recognition memory performance of autobiographical amnesia patients with bilateral damage to hippocampal sub-region CA3 and found they had greater than chance recognition memory performance for spatial sequence learning, spatial item learning-same location, and non-spatial item learning, but chance performance for non-spatial sequence learning and spatial item learning-different location. These results are at odds with the view that the hippocampus is generally involved in sequence learning and complex event recognition. A discussion paper by Steinkrauss and Slotnick (this issue) considered whether fMRI studies have provided evidence that the hippocampus is associated with implicit memory. It was argued that all previous studies have been confounded by explicit memory, attentional states, stimuli, or novelty. This discussion paper is followed by commentaries from Hannula (this issue), Henke and Ruch (this issue), Rosenthal (this issue), Spaak (this issue), Thakral et al. (this issue), and Züst (this issue). The articles in this special issue illustrate that the association between the hippocampus and implicit memory is under active investigation and debate. It is hoped that the evidence and discourse in this issue will provide directions for future research.

Introduction to Special Issue: Activism as the Asian Feminist Critical Race (AsianFemCrit) Praxis

The introduction article of the special issue draws from a rich history of Asian American feminist activism, highlights the evolution of this movement across various domains, and emphasizes the role of intersectionality in combating racism, xenophobia, and misogyny. We propose an Asian Feminist Critical Race (AsianFemCrit) framework with activism as its praxis. Asian American feminist activism is a form of resistance and a transformative practice aimed at dismantling systematic inequalities and advocating for solidarity and justice. Through AsianFemCrit praxis, we offer (a) listening and storytelling and (b) community care and collective intergenerational healing as new ways of understanding our relationships with ourselves, our community, and our integrity. Articles in this special issue present a blend of theoretical insights, empirical studies, and practical interventions, offering a diverse view of Asian American feminist activism’s past, present, and future trajectories. Through this lens, the special issue aims to advance understanding, inspire solidarity, and foster collective healing and liberation, underscoring the strength found in unity and celebrating the persistent spirit of Asian American feminist activism.