Local Society Research Articles

The production of upstream space (area) of river as tourism site in economic recovery post-COVID-19

This study seeks to explore and analyze the production of the upstream area of the river on the western Anjasmoro flank as a tourism site in economic recovery post-COVID-19. The focus of this research is on the spatial practice, representations of space, and representational spaces carried by the migrants on the flanks of Mount Anjasmoro. The informants were determined using the snowball technique with a subject of seven informants consisting of three key informants and four supporting informants. The results showed that the spatial practice was observed from the method by which migrants obtained the place they desired, and the local society survived as a form of their existence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, the representation of the upstream river area has undergone a complex transformation. The land that was originally used as productive land has turned into built-up land, creating a gap between local society and migrants that triggers spatial conflicts. Third, the representational space of an agropolitan area into a tourist destination is created and advertised worldwide to accelerate its marketing and consumption. In the end, the production of upstream river areas carried out by migrants presents a positive impact on the economy of local society, as it increases their economy.

‘Thinna’ as a quasi-public space: the case of leather homeworkers in Southern India

ABSTRACT Homeworkers form a significant part of the informal economy in the global South, are over-represented by women, and are defined by their place of work, that is, their ‘home’. As production and social reproduction intersect in the private sphere of the home, a woman’s mobility and access to public spaces is limited and gendered. Within this reality, in the narrow streets of the small town of Ambur in Southern India, women homeworkers stitching leather footwear access ‘public’ entities through their ‘thinna’: a porch/veranda-like structure at the entrance of the house. This article explores thinna as a quasi-public space, arguing that even while spatially attached to a private home, it allows women to place themselves and to participate in the realm of the public. Based on in-depth interviews with 62 homeworkers, I show that women homeworkers utilise the thinna to make themselves ‘visible’ – physically, socially, economically, and politically. They sit here not only for better lighting but also to chat with neighbouring homeworking women, thereby keeping themselves informed on what other women are stitching and their piece rates. They engage economically with the contractor(s), using it to showcase their stitching skills. Here, a local civil society organisation convenes meetings to organise them and here leather company representatives ‘visit’ homeworkers. For homeworkers, thus, thinna provides a public and social space where the professional and personal imbricate.

The Perception and Treatment of People about Abscesses in the Song Period: Focus on Hongmai Yijianzhi.

During the Song period, abscesses were a disease that could affect anyone regardless of their class. This study examines how people at that time explained the cause of abscesses and their efforts to treat them, focusing on the experiences of those who suffered from abscesses and their families. Previous research on disease history during the Song period primarily focused on ailments like colds and infectious diseases , or plagues prevalent in the southern regions of China. On the other hand, examining abscesses as a common everyday illness that could affect anyone and considering them from the perspective of patients' experiences has remained unexplored in previous studies. To reconstruct the experiences of Song period patients, this study analyzes over sixty anecdotes related to abscesses found in Yi Jian Zhi written by Hong Mai. These cases span across the mid to late 12th century, with a majority of the patients being from the literati () class or connected to the literati. These anecdotes exhibit two distinct trends. One focuses on narratives surrounding the onset of abscesses, attributing their cause primarily to the patients' lifestyle. When the cause of the abscesses was unknown, people metaphorically attributed its onset to perceived blasphemy against God, an act of killing, negligence in duties, or other wrongdoings. This trend is evident among the literati class in particular, where abscesses were often linked to factors such as excessive legal executions or exploitation, and even acts of killing people. Except for those cases, in explaining the cause of abscesses in commoners, there were instances caused by a pediculus infestation, while in case of literati, Dansha () poisoning was a common cause. It is interesting to note that the narrative tradition, prevalent in official history biographies, which attributes the onset of abscesses to worries and resentment, was not evident in written records such as Yi Jian Zhi. Furthermore, the detailed description of external similarities, portraying abscesses as traces of punishment from the underground realm, is a narrative characteristic that solidified such stereotypical perceptions. The literati's notion that they should alert people through these related anecdotes contributed to the spread of this perception. Another trend in these anecdotes was centered around narratives of abscess treatment, where the focus shifted primarily to seeking "doctors," unlike the metaphorical explanations of abscess onset causes and processes. When afflicted with abscesses, people generally sought out those renowned surgeons, known as Yang-yi , and those famous for treating abscesses. In local communities, individuals who had "received the divine secrets of abscesses," those possessing their own mysterious abscesses cures, and those famous for generations for treating abscesses by using stone acupuncture were active. Such information about them was shared within the local societies. Their treatment predominantly consisted of surgical procedures to lance abscesses and drain pus, which often led patients to endure significant pain during the treatment process. In many cases, such patients sought treatment from well-known local surgeons and abscess specialists who surgically treated them. The literati, who are said to have influenced the development of pulse-centered medical and academic medicine in China, also sought out surgeons for abscess treatment. Medical formularies compiled by the court as well as privately published ones rarely mentioned surgical methods utilizing tools. The fact that surgical techniques were utilized in local regions at that time indicates a disparity between the official medical practices documented in texts and the practical methods employed in local communities. An analysis of approximately sixty anecdotes related to abscesses shows that abscesses were characterized by unknown causes and excruciating pain. Their onset was often attributed to the patient's lifestyle and wrongdoings, and they were also perceived as punishment for one's wrongdoings. However, as it was a disease where treatment effects could be relatively easily observed through surgical procedures, there was a proactive utilization of the locally formed treatment environment, preferring surgical interventions over relying on religious powers. Contrary to the medical trends and methods outlined in medical literature, surgical treatments were prevalent as the chosen method of treatment among the population in local communities. It appears that the realities experienced, reasoned, and shared by people in the Song period regarding the perception and response to abscesses did not necessarily align with those of mainstream medical practices. Moreover, despite attributing the onset of abscesses to one's wrongdoing, there was a preference for seeking surgeons or Yang-yi over religious methods in their treatment, reflecting a characteristic of the local medical culture surrounding abscesses during the Song period.

The Development of Potential Blue Economy Activities in The Marine Protected Area: A Literature Review

Sustainable tourism is a concept that aims to reduce the negative impacts of tourism on the local environment, society, culture and natural heritage. In this context, research on sustainable tourism and the blue economy is essential to develop a responsible and sustainable tourism industry. The purpose of this study is to analyse the potential development of blue economy activities in marine protected areas, especially in the field of tourism. This research uses a descriptive bibliometric analysis method. Bibliometric analysis shows that the publisher that publishes the most articles about the blue economy in tourism is sustainability blue economy with a total of 200 articles. The use of Network and Density Visualisation software VOSviewer produces a visualisation of themes related to the blue economy, such as "tourism," "social welfare," "political economy," "contribution," "community", and "sustainable blue economy," This research shows the existence of tourism activities on welfare in marine protected areas.

Investigating the Inclusion of Human Rights Education in Pakistani Elite Schools: A Qualitative Content Analysis of History Textbooks

Pakistani educational system is broadly divided into public and private sectors. Due to specific financial and administrative issues, the public sector has failed to produce social capital that could serve as an advocate of human rights. However, elite schools in the private sector are better equipped to educate their students on human rights. Through qualitative content analysis, the present study explores the status of human rights in history textbooks taught in elite schools from grade 6 to O-levels and the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) Middle Years Programme (MYP). It was observed that the human rights issues in Pakistan remained part of the null curriculum in the books published for Pakistani students. In the I.B. books, human rights issues were discussed at the global level, leaving elite students ignorant and oblivious to the state of human rights in Pakistan. It is suggested that human rights should be transformed from abstract and generalized statements to absolute and concrete reality, first stemming from local society and then advancing to a global community.

Cakes and ale: the role of culture in the new municipalism

ABSTRACT The rise of ‘new municipalism’ – imaginative and renascent projects of local organization and government – has been occasioned by resourceful efforts on the part of local states and civil societies, responding to the intensified pressures of austerity, the global pandemic and a crisis of public value. Yet, despite the expansion internationally of an array of municipal initiatives, there appears (as yet) no significant role for culture and the cultural industries, and certainly this is the case in the UK. This review article suggests some possible reasons why UK municipalism might lack something of a cultural contribution or presence, before outlining the potential benefits that could be gained through development of both a “pragmatic” and “managed” – as well as more “radical” – integration of arts and culture into new municipal projects.

Geo-economics of China's rare earths production: Concurrent green transition and environmental vulnerability

Serving as a regional assessment of China's ongoing mining and application of REEs, this article addresses the concurrence of green transition and environmental degradation contextualized in the global sphere of the Critical Mineral mining and application. It narrates a history of China's developmental strategies for REEs mining and production since the late 1970s and addresses the environmental outcomes from the state-determined, globalized national economy and the state-initiated environmental regulations on domestic REEs mining. Focusing on a historical assessment of China's geopolitically-strategized Critical Mineral production and the high environmental cost of the REEs-based green transition, this article discusses how UN's concept of sustainable development is being indigenized in China through the Chinese state's policy practices as well as through the receptiveness of the Chinese populace, and supports the ongoing argument of just transition as an unjust energy transition creating unjustified environmental dispossession, particularly in the local societies in China and elsewhere in the world.

Reviewing Southern Africa’s Status as a Developmental Region through Governance and Development

This case study discusses how the democratic governance principles and norms impact development in the SADC, and how institutional and structural reforms require greater participation by society to address the governance challenges encountered in this subregion of Africa. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to examine and assess the relationship between SADC’s governance, democratic principles and norms, development plans and processes. A comparative analysis was conducted using SADC’s key democratic achievement connected to policies, processes, and remaining challenges. Subsequently, the key causes of SADC’s slow development on the African continent were explored, focusing on the failure to institutionalise liberal democratic governance consistently during postcolonial transition periods, speculating SADC’s slow development. The findings suggest that SADC is impacted by democratic principles, norms, and processes, such as local governance, civil society, and decentralisation of power. Bearing in mind Southern Africa’s economic frailty, elevated levels of civil unrest and poor service delivery, SADC authorities require a strong sub-regional governance strategy supported by robust national programmes to determine and overcome the factors hindering the institutionalisation of democratic principles in SADC, and promote strengthened institutional capacity. The unambiguous progression towards the consolidation of democracy, within the SADC, has impacted the governance and development successes of the region, resulting in democratic values and practices remaining shallowly rooted, and slow progress toward open and transparent governance.

The experience of intercultural mediators in the Italian COVID-19 vaccination campaign

ABSTRACT This research investigates the experience of intercultural mediators who worked with local health authorities and civil society organizations to disseminate information about COVID-19 vaccines to migrants in two Italian territories. Interviews with intercultural mediators underlined the challenges that they faced when translating on the frontline of the vaccination campaign, including the translation of highly specialized terminology and the handling of vaccine-hesitant narratives circulating among the migrant population. In the context of COVID-19, translation involved not only transmission between languages, but also a negotiation between medical discourse and the hopes, concerns, fears, and desires of a culturally and linguistically diverse population.

The energy crossroads: Exploring the moderating role of the energy crisis on the acceptance of the development of a uranium mine

The energy crisis caused by the lack of supply from some countries involved in armed conflicts, coupled with society's continuous demand for energy production, is leading to the proposal of new energy sources, such as the development of uranium mines to increase nuclear energy production. Mine projects (MPs) trigger numerous conflicts in the local societies involved. While for some people, they represent an opportunity for development and benefits, for others these proposals are perceived as a threat and a health risk. However, energy scarcity and price increases create a social dilemma that moderates the established relationships between the perceived risks and benefits and the valuation of energy proposals. This research aims to analyze both the weight of the factors influencing the acceptance of a uranium MP and the moderating role of the energy crisis on these factors. A total of 629 people participated in this study (371 before and 258 after the energy crisis). The participants answered a questionnaire assessing their socio-demographic characteristics, beliefs about the environment, the perceived risks and benefits, and their emotional balance, as well as their level of knowledge and acceptance of the uranium mine proposal. The results show that age, gender, and level of education and knowledge both directly and indirectly influence the acceptance of a mine. In addition, the perception of risks and benefits is associated with the emotional balance generated, explaining the level of final acceptance of the proposal. The moderation-mediated energy crisis hypothesis influences the relationship between the perceived risks and acceptance of the uranium mine. The results are discussed in order to determine factors for intervention to alleviate the social conflicts created by new energy proposals.

Research on the Development Strategy of Red Study Tourism in Ganzi Prefecture

The study found that Ganzi Prefecture is rich in red historical sites and cultural symbols, but faces multiple challenges in its development, such as insufficient policy support, problems with tourists’ experience, and difficulties in cultural inheritance. By strengthening policy guidance, improving product quality, promoting the integration of industry and education, as well as focusing on cultural inheritance and innovation. At the same time, it focuses on environmental protection and social participation in the development process to ensure the sustainability of red study tours, promote the combination of red study tours and cultural inheritance, and realize the win-win situation of economic benefits of tourism and cultural heritage, which is of positive significance for promoting the development of local society and economy, as well as protecting and inheriting the red culture.

Mid-Holocene hydroclimatic change and hurricane activity in Central America recorded by an Isla de Mona Stalagmite

In recent years, Puerto Rico has been repeatedly hit by drought and hurricane, causing severe damage to the local society and economy. Therefore, understanding the region's climate variability and predicting extreme weather has become an important scientific problem. Cave stalagmites are widely recognized as high-quality terrestrial paleoclimate proxies due to their accurate dating and high resolution. In this study, we present a stalagmite-based multi-proxy reconstruction of hurricane and hydrological changes in Central America from the island of Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico, for the mid-Holocene period (4700–6260 a BP). Our data suggest a significant influence of solar activity on rainfall patterns in Central America via changes in the mean position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Our study further shows that El Niño may have played a role in influencing hurricane development at a decadal scale, and also found that the relationship of hurricane activities and El Niño intensity on the decadal and centennial scale is variable. The implications of our findings are crucial for informing contemporary climate models and enhancing our preparedness for potential future climate scenarios in the region.

Radiocarbon-Refined Archaeological Chronology and the History of Human Activity in the Southern Tarim Basin

Famous for Taklimakan, the world’s second largest sandy desert, the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang has long attracted researchers from various fields to investigate its paleoenvironment and antiquity. The southern part of this basin is an ideal region in which to investigate the interactions between humans and the environment due to its fragile habitat and prosperous ancient civilizations. However, the lack of direct radiocarbon dating data has caused the chronologies of some of the archaeological sites to be debatable, which hinders our ability to reconstruct historical patterns of human activity and further understand, in a coherent manner, their interaction with the environment. This study reports 25 new radiocarbon dates acquired from ten undated archaeological sites in the southern Taklimakan Desert in order to refine their chronologies. Based on this, a radiocarbon dataset was established to reveal the trajectory of human activity with the support of Bayesian chronological modeling. The results indicate a two-millennium continuous flourishing of the local society since the beginning of the first millennium BCE, as well as a peak of human activity during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). The distinct trajectory of human activity in the southern Tarim Basin revealed by this study provides a solid foundation for further assessments of human–environment interaction in the Tarim Basin and along the Silk Road.

A place to remain in the village. Dutch planning cultures and rural housing policies from 1945 onwards

ABSTRACT Historical consciousness leads to a deeper understanding of rural housing policies and helps to find structural solutions to the present-day situation. This statement is illustrated with a study on two villages in the Dutch province of Drenthe. Starting with a historical account of the post-war ‘top-down’ planning culture, the analysis moves further by assessing the change towards a ‘bottom-up’ planning culture. This culture fulfils the needs of those who living in villages better. However, old habits remain in place and hamper the new culture to become more mature. Historical consciousness helps administrators, civil servants, and actors from the local civil society to become aware of (in)effective behaviour. The concept of a new ‘bottom-up’ planning culture helps them to develop the formal and informal ways for the construction of housing further.

Haul Solo Tradition: Structural-Functional Analysis for the Harmonization of Multicultural Society in Surakarta

This research focuses on the Haul Solo tradition, an annual cultural event that has been celebrated for hundreds of years. The tradition has become a defining characteristic of the city of Surakarta, particularly among the people of Kampung Arab. The aim of this study is to explore the congregation's interpretation of the Haul Solo tradition, the role of societal elements within it, and their function in maintaining social harmony. This study employs a qualitative approach with an ethnographic methodology. The data was collected through ethnographic interviews, participant observation, and documentation. The implementation of the Haul Solo tradition is closely tied to the roles of various societal elements, including family descendants, close relatives, santri, local government, and local society. Each element's role is adjusted according to their social status. By collaborating effectively, the multicultural structure of society is strengthened. The Haul Solo tradition serves not only as a commemoration of the death anniversary of Habib Ali Al-Habsyi, but also as a means of preserving and maintaining harmony within a multicultural society. The function of the Haul Solo tradition in bonding elements of society consists of 3 functions, religious function, social function and economic function.

How the Fourth Statistical Account of East Lothian Recorded Developments in the Church in the County Between 1945 and 2000

This article will use the Fourth Statistical Account of East Lothian, which was produced by a consortium of local history societies, to provide a case study of how the church in the county developed between 1945 and 2000. Because East Lothian is the only Scottish county to have a fourth statistical account, the study provides a unique opportunity to trace the development of the church within a Scottish local authority during the second half of the twentieth century. The article will use, as its main sources, essays on four established denominations and the sections on ‘Belief’ in each of the parish entries. It will detail how the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Methodist Church contracted between 1945 and 2000; show that, while the Roman Catholic Church was more stable, it began to suffer from a lack of vocations and the disinterest of younger members of the Catholic population, and that, while the Baptist Church increased its presence in the county and Pentecostal congregations and ‘house churches’ were formed, the Brethren and Church of Christ both declined and, as a consequence, these other churches remained on the margins of the church in East Lothian.

Северокавказцы в Османской империи до эпохи мухаджирства: формы проникновения и особенности интеграции/элитизации

The article is based on both published and unpublished Turkish sources and modern, mainly for-eign, historiography, examines the ways and channels of the early (pre-muhajir) penetration of ethnic North Caucasians into the Ottoman Empire and the features of their integration into local society. Particular attention is paid to elucidating the factors and mechanisms of the formation, reproduction and functioning of the Caucasian (Circassian, Abkhaz, West Georgian, Daghestani) elite groups and strata of slave and non-slave origin and their place in the structure of state power and social life of the Ottoman Empire in the classical and postclassical periods of its history. An attempt was made to examine the nature of this community’s ethnonational identity, which demonstrated a certain resistance to assimilation as well as the potential to maintain some aspects of its original cultural profile for an extended period of time. The involvement of Istanbul’s “Cir-cassian” elites in developing and implementing the Porte’s Caucasian policy, as well as launching the enormous exodus of highlanders from the Caucasus to the Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century, appears insignificant.

Особенности социальных конструкций Дагестана и их влияние на общественно-политические процессы в регионе

The article examines the features of geographical diversity and socio-political development of Dagestan in the 18th – early 19th centuriy. The major role of natural-geographical determinism is emphasized, which influenced the forms of economic structure, the dominant sectors of economic activity and the socio-political processes that differed depending on the spatial localization of the regions. In high mountain areas, due to harsh landscape conditions and a shortage of available vital resources, archaic forms of economic activity and social structure were preserved for a long time. It was dominated by free rural communities with collective ownership of the main means of production. Foothill, coastal and lowland areas, due to their less closed nature and accessibility to external influences and mutual influence, as well as the possibility of obtaining a large set of life benefits, went beyond the socio-cultural archaism and represented territories with a developed system of social differentiation, which most domestic researchers define as feudalism. In such areas, local societies, earlier than in the mountainous ones, were forced to socio-political development, which took them beyond the boundaries of communal-tribal relations. In economic and socio-political terms, Dagestan was divided into socio-cultural formations that differed and competed with each other.

Analysis of the socio-economic parameters of farms applying soil restoration strategies in Bulgaria and Austria

This article presents the assessment of the degree of influence of socio-economic parameters of farms applying soil restoration strategies over the supply chain cooperation, public-private partnerships, and landscape alliances in Austria and Bulgaria. The aim of the assessment is to highlight new socio-economic opportunities, which can be a target for the public policies. The study is based on the pilot farms analysis of the TUdi1 project survey results. The analysis of the socio-economic parameters is made with an Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). The results are analyzed on both county and soil restoration strategy base. The analysis shows that Fertilization strategies have impact on supply chain cooperation. The goal aims to involve all suppliers and the most important socio-economic opportunities are certainty of demand, access to finance, and uncertainty of income. In terms of fertilization and remediation strategies, the analysis shows that the most important socio-economic opportunities are related to certainty of demand and access to finance. On the other hand, the implementation of Remediation strategy requires higher consensus in the local society and more activities, which explains the stronger interaction of this criteria with the goals public-private partnership and landscape alliances. In this case, the most important socio-economic opportunities are certainty of demand, access to finance, political support, and training and equipment.

Legal basis for the regulation and functioning of youth sports and educational organizations in Eastern Galicia from 1848 to 1939

The Prosvita Society in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries played a key role in the formation and development of the Ukrainian cultural and educational sphere in Eastern Galicia. Its activities were based on historical and legal principles that determined its purpose, tasks and organisational structure. The main goal of Prosvita was to raise the educational and cultural level of Ukrainians. Its activities were based on the idea of national and cultural consciousness and self-awareness. It also promoted the creation of an extensive network of societies covering different segments of the population. This allowed for the formation of a united community that understood national needs and aspirations. She actively worked on the Ukrainisation of the school system and the promotion of the Ukrainian language in the educational process. «Prosvita» initiated and supported the creation of various public, educational, cultural and other organisations, such as «Selskii Hospodar», «Maslosoyuz», «Narodna Torgovlya», «Ridna Shkola», «Ruska Besida», «Union of Ukrainian Women», «Sokil», «Sich», «Plast», «Luh» and many others. It played a prominent role in the national liberation movement, in which Prosvita was considered one of the main institutions that fostered patriotic feelings and national consciousness among Ukrainians. The organisational structure of Prosvita helped to unite Ukrainians into a strong and well-organised community that was ready for self-determination and national revival. It actively worked to preserve and develop Ukrainian culture and identity, supporting Ukrainian traditions and language. A number of student organisations, such as the Ukrainian Student Society Sich, Academic Circle, Druh, Druzhnyi Lichvar, Academic Brotherhood, Vatra, Academic Community, Osnova, and Ukrainian Student Union, demonstrate the diversity and multilayered nature of the Ukrainian student movement. They worked on the basis of the leading higher education institutions of Lviv, such as Lviv University and Lviv Polytechnic. On the eve of the Second World War, in the western part of Ukraine, particularly in Galicia, there were a significant number of youth associations that were united into county unions. These associations ranged in size from 10 to 30 local societies and performed various functions in the fields of sports, culture, and education. At the end of May 1933, there were 109 unions in Galicia, uniting 12 county and 254 local societies. Their membership totalled 13,245 people. The societies were actively engaged in various activities such as football, volleyball, skiing, drama, and other types of cultural and educational events.