Mainstream Society Research Articles

Colonising the penal body: transit of the convicts from Bengal to the Malay Peninsula

PurposeThe British East India Company (EIC) made connections between the Malay Archipelago and Bengal and established a penal settlement at Bencoolen, followed by the Straits Settlements for the Indian convicts. The convicts from different parts of South Asia today were generally described as “Indian”, such generalisation often hides the identity of specific convicts from South Asia. Among the Indian convicts, the Bengalis were transported to Bencoolen and the Straits Settlements. However, the generic term has made it difficult to reconstruct the history of Bengali convicts’ experiences and pathos. Therefore, this paper attempts to “rediscover” the afterlife of transportation of Bengali felons in the Malay Peninsula.Design/methodology/approachBy examining a range of archival records and current scholarships, this article shows the inclusivity, diversity and accessibility of convict labourers with mainstream society. This study will open up a new avenue of convict histories and subaltern studies on Asia.FindingsThe Bengali convicts in the Straits Settlements, one of the oldest migrant sections, have largely been ignored in historical literature. Though the Bengalis, among other South Asian convicts, constituted a significant portion, they were categorised under the generic term “Indian” (Rai, 2014). Their manual labour was invaluable for the colonial economy and the development of the Straits Settlements.Research limitations/implicationsResearcher faced difficulties to get the descendant of Bengali convicts.Originality/valueThis article is a research paper based on mostly archival records; therefore, it is an original contribution to the existing knowledge on the convict history.

Young North Korean defectors’ new media practices in response to stereotypes by South Korean society

This study analyzed the new media practices of young North Korean defectors (YNKDs) who are portrayed in traditional media as the subject of South Korean stereotypes. Popular content on YouTube channels was examined to determine South Koreans’ perceptions of North Korea and North Korean defectors. We also interviewed YNKD YouTubers and classified the types of practices in response to such perceptions. The results indicated that South Korean subscribers prefer content highlighting South Korea’s superiority over North Korea. In response, YNKD YouTubers have produced content that may be characterized as “cultural assimilation,” “conflict and compromise” and “seeking alternatives.” This study found that the decisive factor that distinguishes these three response types is the pursuit of public interest, i.e., aiming to change South Koreans’ perception of North Korean defectors. Inner conflicts over financial benefits limit YNKDs’ practice and impede their move towards solidarity-based collective action. The findings suggest that YNKD YouTubers who want to change mainstream society’s perceptions can contribute to unification by producing authentic and creative content about North Korea.

CONSTRUCTION OF HYBRID IDENTITY: A CRITICAL STUDY OF HANIF KUREISHI'S THE BUDHA OF SUBURBIA

This research article analyses the authorial perspective and self-reflection in Hanif Kureishi's first novel, The Buddha of Suburbia. The dominant discourses of ethnicity, race, class, and gender are examined in terms of their effects on the categories of subjectivity and identity. The analysis focuses on the novel's protagonist, Karim Amir, tracing his life journey and showing how his self-perception is shaped by forces beyond his control but is malleable thanks to his extraordinary skill of mimicry. Karim mimics white English mainstream society consciously as a way to find his place in society and unconsciously as a political gesture against the forces of colonialism, neocolonialism, and capitalism. Drawing on the work of theorists like Homi K. Bhabha, Stuart, Fanon and others, we see that Karim and his relatives are complex hybrids who question the assumptions underlying Cartesian concepts of identity and subjectivity. Keywords: subjectivity, identity, hybridity, mimicry, colonialism, neocolonialism, capitalism

Identity negotiation and subculture recognition: Exploration of a sexual minority group in a Chinese grassroots sport

This case study delves into the experiences of a women's basketball team situated in Shenzhen, South China, comprised primarily of members of sexual minority groups. Utilizing qualitative research methods, including interviews and observation of team dynamics, this research examines how lesbian and bisexual female basketball players navigate societal norms and negotiate their sexual identities. It also highlights the team's unique strategies for dealing with social interactions, group membership, and power dynamics in resisting heteronormative norms. Team B exemplifies a form of queer resistance in Chinese society and sports that is distinct from the Western pride movements and political advocacy. This strategy involves avoiding confrontation and integrating the nonheteronormative subculture into mainstream sports and society to gain support from families, the general public, and local communities, thereby promoting sports inclusivity and gaining social recognition. This study argues, from a post-structural feminist perspective, that participation in a gender-inclusive sports group provides sexual minority individuals with a unique social position and an empowering means of destabilizing power relations and reducing sexual identity tensions. In addition, it demonstrates the capacity of sports subcultures to foster collective agency and resilience in the face of dominant cultural norms, despite the constraints posed by the unaltered macro-level structure of gender. This case study provides valuable insights into how gender-inclusive sports groups can challenge and reshape preconceived notions of gender and sexuality in Chinese society while serving as a platform for queer resistance.

Religious Hegemony and Vernacular Mosque Architecture: Investigating Authority Differentials, Intra group Dissonance and Acculturation among Chinese Muslims

This article engages with the role of sacred architecture as an embodiment of the conflicts, within a Chinese Muslim ethnic minority group, determined by the dispute upon religious hegemony. Vernacular architecture of a minority group has significant socio-cultural implications and can serve as a tool to measure its integration in the mainstream society. Through an ethnographic study focusing upon the Hui, a Muslim minority community of Xi’an, in Communist China and their sacred architecture, it indicates that the architectural archetype of a mosque quite precisely concretizes the religious hegemony, intra group dissonance and acculturative or retentionist trends of Hui community. It demonstrates that certain architectural features, such as the presence or absence of minaret and dome or a Chinese styled roof with carved animals, in the mosque clearly mirror the loci of religious authority of its adherents. It proposes that architectural characteristics can play the role of preservers and charters of cultural identity of a minority group and can equivocally serve as symbols of retention or acculturation in the mainstream society. By applying a socio-architectural approach, it is meant to explore that how mosques architecture in today’s China reflects the intra group dissonance of the Hui community and how shifting paradigms of religiously oriented hegemony are working to eradicate the Sino-Muslim historical architectural relics.

Patterns and correlates of old-age social exclusion in the Balkan states

Social exclusion (SE), or the separation of individuals and groups from mainstream society, is associated with poor health and wellbeing, yet a substantial number of older people are socially excluded. There is increasing agreement that SE is multidimensional, comprising among others social relations, material resources, and/or civic participation. However, measuring SE is still challenging as exclusion may occur in more than one dimension, whereas its sum does not reflect the content of SE. To account for these challenges, this study provides a typology of SE and describes how SE types differ from each other in terms of severity and risk factors. We concentrate on Balkan states, which are among the European countries with the highest prevalence of SE. Data come from the European Quality of Life Survey (N = 3030, age 50 +). Latent Class Analysis revealed four SE types: low SE risk (50%), material exclusion (23%), material and social exclusion (4%), and multidimensional exclusion (23%). A higher number of dimensions from which a person is excluded are associated with more severe outcomes. Multinomial regression further revealed that lower levels of education, lower subjective health, and lower social trust increase the risks of any SE type. Younger age, unemployment, and not having a partner are associated with specific SE types. This study is in line with the limited evidence that different types of SE exist. Policies designed to reduce SE should take account of the different SE types and specific associated risk factors in order to enhance the impact of interventions to reduce social exclusion.

The Integration Paradox: A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Complex Relationship Between Integration and Reports of Discrimination

Social science research has produced evidence of an “integration paradox”: immigrants and their descendants who appear to have greater access to mainstream middle-class society, as indicated by their education or labor market success, often report experiencing more discrimination. Several explanations have been put forth to account for this counterintuitive pattern, supported by a wealth of empirical evidence. To assess the reliable insights generated by this line of research, this article presents a review and meta-analytic analysis of the integration paradox. The article reviews the major theoretical arguments advanced in literature, and derives crucial hypotheses concerning the phenomenon's overall nature, underlying mechanisms, and two key moderating conditions. Specifically, it discusses how factors like better education, which appear to signal improved integration into mainstream society, may also lead to greater exposure to mainstream members, heightened familiarity with exclusionary public discourse, or a heightened risk of downward social mobility. By increasing cognitive susceptibility to framing experiences in terms of discrimination or simply the opportunities to encounter discrimination, these mechanisms are expected to increase reports of discrimination. To test these propositions, the study summarizes and evaluates 280 statistical estimates published in 42 studies, utilizing recent developments in multilevel meta-analysis. The findings support the credibility of the integration paradox, particularly for immigrant minorities who are easily distinguishable from the mainstream and for those who reside in countries with a more open socio-political context of reception. However, the results also suggest that additional research is needed to fully comprehend the underlying mechanisms of the paradox.

The Artist's Statement - Economic Reconciliation

The outline of the tipi symbolizes community connectedness and a place of warmth, security, wellness, and sacred tradition and value. Inside the tipi, two individual vines intertwine: one representing corporate Canada and the government, and the other representing Indigenous peoples. The intertwining vines embody reconciliation between these two groups through acceptance, balance, understanding, and engagement. Both vines show a similar level of support, highlighting that Indigenous peoples are equally capable, powerful, knowledgeable, and hard-working as mainstream society. Together, through reconciliation, we can contribute greatly to the Canadian economy through our history, land, and resources. That’s why I chose to have the intertwined vines holding up the Earth (economy). The “Turtle Island” landmass on the Earth acknowledges the land of Indigenous peoples, affirming our equal right to be involved in shaping the economy. With a call to action, we can make it happen and increase opportunities for ourselves in the process.
 The image represents the vision of economic reconciliation, with the value of this vision held within the tipi. Through the intertwined vines and acknowledgment of Turtle Island, the image conveys the message that Indigenous peoples have an equal right to shape the Canadian economy. By taking action, we can make this vision a reality and increase opportunities for ourselves.

Ethno-medicinal plants used by the Baiga tribe of Maikal hills of Central India

The Baiga tribes considered as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), reside in the Maikal hills of central India and are rich in their culture and traditional knowledge. The Vaidya and Guniya are two types of health healers found among the Baiga tribal community. It is found that they have good skills in identifying the mediational plants. The present paper aims to explore the traditional healing system, and tribal indigenous knowledge system and identifies the ethno-medicine used by the Baiga tribes of the Maikal hills of central India. The three-pronged research methodology was adopted in the present study. (i) Desk review, (ii) FGDs, and (iii) personal interactions. Due to development intervention, many medicinal plants disappeared, and there is a need to document and encourage the new generation to continue medicinal practices. Their livelihood opportunities could be increased, and hidden treasury will be helpful to mainstream society for the protection of health care.

From triple quandary to talent quest: The past, present, and future of A. Wade Boykin's contributions to psychology.

A. Wade Boykin's scholarship has provided key insights into the psychological realities of racially minoritized people and catalyzed revolutionary changes in psychology and education. Combining insights from personal and research experiences, Boykin authored the foundational triple quandary (TQ), a framework describing how Black Americans must navigate the often conflicting values and priorities of dominant mainstream society, the heritage culture of Black communities, and dynamics associated with being racially minoritized. TQ describes the unique developmental challenges faced by Black children, for whom misalignment between home cultural socialization and U.S. schooling often leads to pathologizing mischaracterizations of their attitudes and behaviors, resulting in chronic academic opportunity gaps. Boykin used his training as an experimental psychologist to empirically test the validity and explanatory utility of the TQ framework and to determine whether Black cultural values could be leveraged to improve student learning. Focusing on cultural values such as expressive movement, verve, and communalism, studies with his collaborators consistently supported Boykin's framework and predictions for improving Black student achievement-related outcomes. Beginning in the early 2000s, Boykin and his colleagues began to scale the lessons of decades of empirical work into the talent quest model for school reform. The TQ and talent quest continue to evolve in their application, as scholars and practitioners have found them relevant to a diverse range of minoritized populations in American society and beyond. Boykin's work continues to bear on the scholarship, career outcomes, and day-to-day lives of many scholars, administrators, practitioners and students across disciplines and institutions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

헌법해석상 이주민의 지위에 관한 재구성

As the number of migrants residing in Korea gradually increases and they are active in various fields, migrants form political and socio-economic interests within the Republic of Korea, while fulfilling the role of bearing various rights and obligations provided by the state. It functions as a member of the national living community. This reality requires understanding the problem of migrants as a change in the structure and character of our society, not simply as a minority culture for mainstream society, and requires a fundamental discussion on this. The legal status of migrants is the starting point of these discussions, and it has a correlation with the subject matter ofalien‘s constitutional rights. The Constitution does not directly mention whether migrants can become subjects of basic rights. Therefore, the issue of whether migrants can enjoy the basic rights of our Constitution in a position similar to that of Korean citizens and if they can, whether the object of such enjoyment will be all the basic rights enjoyed by Korean citizens is a matter of constitutional interpretation. Nevertheless, the Constitutional Court recognized the subjectivity of basic rights only in terms of ‘human rights’ in the case of migrants who are in a ‘status similar to that of the people’ without specific grounds, but these ‘human rights’ are limited for the ‘interest of the people’. It can be, only a contradictory attitude. In the first place, if the Constitutional Court acknowledged a ‘status similar to that of the Korean people’ because it could not treat Koreans who had lost their nationality after moving abroad before the establishment of the Korean government as mere ‘aliens’, then in today’s multicultural society, members of the national living community of the Republic of Korea. It is necessary to seriously think about how to fulfill the “obligation to confirm and guarantee the basic inviolable human rights of individuals” stipulated in Article 10 of the Constitution for the numerous migrants living in a ‘status similar to that of citizens’. In addition, Article 6(2), Article 10 second sentence, and Article 6(1) of the Constitution should be actively interpreted to guarantee the legal status of migrants not only as legal rights but also as constitutional rights. In order for Korea, which is facing a low birth rate and an aging society, to develop sustainably, it is time to recognize various lifestyles and cultures of migrants, use human, economic, and cultural resources brought by migrants as new growth engines, and use diversity as a resource for innovation and creativity. The legal status of migrants should be considered in the task of a multicultural society.

CODA：Voices from Two Kinds of Marginalized People

Awarded the “Best Picture” at the 94th Oscars, CODA portrays two kinds of marginalized people: the hearing-impaired people and their hearing descendants. The hearing-impaired people are often the marginalized people who are “otherized” by the hearing people, also their binary opposites; while the descendants of the hearing-impaired people are also marginalized into a third space, since they cannot integrate into either side of the binary opposites. Combining the classic images of the two kinds of marginalized people in other films and works, and explaining the roles of the two kinds of marginalized people in the film with the theories of dualistic opposition and the "thirdspace", we can better learn the survival plight of the two kinds of marginalized people, listen to their voices, and understand their tendencies of resistance and integration in face of the mainstream society and culture.

Exploring Motivations and Benefits of Volunteering: The Perspectives of High School Students in Selected Australian Islamic Schools

Substantial research in educational and non-educational contexts demonstrates the importance and value of volunteering broadly and among young people specifically. However, there is no research that explores volunteering from the perspectives of students in Australian Islamic schools. To fill this gap, this paper explores the motivations for, and benefits of, volunteering from the perspectives of high school students in three Australian Islamic schools (AIS). The research utilised a phenomenological qualitative approach to explore the lived experience of these students vis-à-vis volunteering. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 (13 male and 13 female) high school students (HSS) (year 10 to 12) at three AIS across three states. The findings demonstrate that students were motivated to volunteer because of intrinsic religious reasons, self-satisfaction and development, altruism, knowledge and skill-based enhancement, social motives, employment-based motives, and inspiring parents’ motive. The benefits include individual and societal development, enhanced involvement and belonging within mainstream society, and countering Islamophobia.

Shamanic Culture’s Reconnection of Earth and Heaven (Xu Ditiantong) in the New Era in China: The Dialectical Relationship between Material Civilization and Cultural Intimacy

Shamanic culture, which adheres to the worldview of connecting earth and heaven, has been marginalized in the discourse of the modern material world and separated from mainstream society. However, with the increase in personal problems in civil society and the rise of regional cultural identity since the reform and opening up in China, shamanic practitioners have again become active. Adapting to the official ideology, shamanic culture has emerged in China as a new form of folk culture and cultural heritage. Using Michael Herzfeld’s theory of “cultural intimacy” to a limited extent, this paper regards the new image of the shamanic tradition that has appeared in the new era as a manifestation of “cultural intimacy”, which does not infringe the authority of official discourse, nor damage the interests of government departments, and is in line with the imagination of official discourse about culture. Within the shaman cultural community, the shamanic tradition continues to connect earth and heaven, helping to solve difficult personal problems, alleviating the pressure of the material world, and at the same time making the sacred expression of the members of the shaman cultural community possible. In this way, the shaman tradition, which has emerged in a new image since the new era, has maintained the ecological balance between government and folk practices and formed a more stable pattern of cooperation.

Poland and the Holocaust in the Polish-American Press, 1926–1945

Poland and the Holocaust in the Polish-American Press, 1926–1945

Black Awakening in Obama’s America: The End of an Illusion

Abstract The aim of this study is to present and describe the social and political situation in the United States before and after Barack Obama’s presidency regarding Black people and their position in the American mainstream society. What exactly does Obama’s election portend for race in America? This essay uses the tremendous racial disparities in the American social and political system to assess race and racism as key features of contemporary society. In America, African Americans were, and are, locked in a “racial prison”. As Blacks, their identities were defined in opposition to whites and whitness. Of course, Blacks could free themselves by changing their names, reframing their identities, and discharging their culture and heritage. To do so, as Malcolm X pointed out, required some radical action, a kind of suspension of judgement that would permit Blacks to see themselves in tension with the normative white gaze. As long as African Americans place their faith in political rightness and correctness of American democracy, they would never know what it feels like to be equal. The hope and optimism that coursed through Black America in anticipation of Obama’s victory as the first Black president in 2008 seemed a million miles away. It seems like slavery was never abolished; it was only redesigned.

Aamer Hussein's The Cloud Messenger: A Migratory Bird's Co-Existence in a Multicultural World

This article explores the transcultural contact zone in Aamer Hussein’s fiction through Pratt's concept of autoethnography in the cultural contact zone. Hussein presents residents of a multicultural world, coexisting with people of diverse nationalities and cultural backgrounds. The social positioning of his characters as a minority cultural group has been theorized through Kymlika’s description of social classes. Hussein portrays the identity issues of his characters in the multicultural, cosmopolitan world. His characters develop connections with their current habitus and their previous home to discover ways to translate their cultural identity to their mainstream society. Cultural traits, modes of life, and the nature of cross-cultural relationships of the characters have been explored through common grounds proposed by Pratt and Krupat in their theories of ethnography and ethnocentricism respectively.

How Name-Based Discrimination Affect Minority Groups

According to Pikhart, people with Chinese ethnicity usually use English names while living and studying in North America to foster connections and relatedness to the local culture, to help them integrate faster into mainstream society. This study aims to investigate whether name-based microaggression and name-based group-specific stereotypes towards the Asian population are rooted in North American culture. In a research done by Arai, Bursell, and Nekby in 2008, researchers compared employer’s attitudes towards CVs of equal observable quality between Arabic names and Swedish names in Sweden, it was found that Arabic men suffered most from name-based discrimination by receiving fewer interview offers, the results of employers’ subconscious decision-making show that implicit name-based microaggression is a serious problem that deprives competent individuals of having the equal opportunities they deserve. In order to address this problem, interventions from different aspects can undermine it, whether in the workplace, at school, or in renting market. It is crucial for organizations such as schools, companies, and government to implement measures to enhance people’s awareness of name-based discrimination.

Women Social Inclusion through Micro Financing in Case of Pakistan

In developing or "third-world" countries, women's social inclusion is a big problem. This is because women are such an important part of society in the modern era of globalization. In the majority of patriarchal societies, women are treated as subordinates with no power. Another significant social issue in Pakistan is the social integration of women into mainstream society. Investigating women's emancipation, social inclusion, and demographic factors through microfinance is the study's aim. Using a structured questionnaire with binary and categorical replies, information was gathered from 305 respondents. Information from the respondents was collected simply through random sampling. Advanced statistical approaches were employed to evaluate and interpret the data, which were analyzed using the SPSS-24 version. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the demographic variables, while inferential statistics were used to analyze the other variables related to the objectives. The results of the study demonstrated a relationship between the demographic factors and those that affected their social inclusion. Through microfinance, women are given more power, which has enhanced their participation in economic activities as well as their empowerment in all spheres, including social, cultural, economic, and inclusion in public spheres through the improvement of decision-making abilities.

Ethnic Clothing, the Exercises of Self-Representation, and Fashioning Ethnicity in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

Ethnic clothing has long been a value-laden visual index to define, display, and, more recently, commodify ethnicity in China’s ethnic politics, especially its role in the imaging and othering processes by the state and mainstream society. The question that needs further exploration is the negotiating processes that ethnic members strategically engage as part of the encounters. Through bringing traditional Dai ethnic clothing back to style, a recent fashion in Xishuangbanna, southwest China, provides an opportunity to expand our understanding of the interplay between self-conscious sartorial practices, the exercises of ethnic self-representation, and the politics of ethnicity (re)construction in China’s contemporary minority regions. This article addresses not only what kind of collective Dai-ness (especially Dai femininity) these fashion-makers have crafted through their redesigning of Dai clothing but also their capability to carry out these exercises as central agents within the larger structure of the state. It particularly explores the question of “how it works”—the mechanism through which ethnic members navigate China’s political-economic-technological power circuits, rework the state and mainstream discourses as direct participants, and turn their sartorial practices into a communicative channel to reconfigure ethnicity in their own fashion.