Identity Markers Research Articles

Queer Affirmative Practice in Africa: A Social Work Practice Model for Working with LGBTQIA+ People

Despite the legislation put in place by the United Nations, Africa continues to grapple with issues of monosexism and heterosexism. In fact, of the 54 African countries, 33 have criminalised queer relationships, a legacy primarily attributed to colonial rule. However, social work literature has recently introduced a culturally sensitive model for working with the LGBTQIA+ community, known as Queer affirmative action. By utilising available literature and adopting an intersectional approach, which was collected and analysed through PRISMA, this paper aims to discuss the Africanising of sexuality in Africa. It argues that it is crucial to undertake a critical analysis of the colonial legacy and its impact on queer identities. Furthermore, the article posits that social work education must incorporate knowledge of the intersection of gender, sexuality, and other identity markers to form an inclusive and comprehensive approach towards practice. An affirmative philosophy to social work practice can serve as a counterweight to all punitive and discriminatory practices. Thus, in Africa, the most effective way to improve the well-being of queer individuals is to eradicate structural forms of inequality and decriminalise same-sex consensual relationships.

HISTÓRIA ORAL, FIGURAÇÃO E INTERPRETAÇÃO DO SERINGUEIRO: UMA ANÁLISE DA REPRESENTÇÃO SIMBÓLICA PRESENTE NA PRAÇA DOS SERINGUEIROS, EM PORTO VELHO.

The present study aims to present an analytical sketch about the interpretative and polysemic possibility of the figure of the rubber tapper. In this sense, the general objective is to analyze how the representation of the rubber tapper is transformed into symbols and historical meanings in a square in Porto Velho. The specific objectives are guided by presenting the implicit discourses of the symbolic representation constant in the rubber tappers’ square; and describe how the statue of the rubber tapper present in the square translates the history of the rubber plantation as a spatial and temporal mark of discourse and identity; The theoretical foundation will be subsidized, mainly, by Joutard (2000) and Caldas (1997), regarding Oral History. Bakhtin (2003) about text and discourse, and Nora (1993), about symbols and Memory of places. In the area of methodology, the research was developed via bibliographical research, whose nature of the texts and literature it is possible to locate the premises that meet the scope and object of the study. As a result, it can be inferred that there are a variety of possibilities for interpreting the rubber tapper square, with regard to the representative symbols marked by the rubber tapper statue. Thus, it was concluded that what has already been written about the story told via oral history of the rubber tappers still remain as a symbol of social resistance and identity of the historical character that was created throughout the period of rubber extraction in the Amazon.

UKRAINIAN IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF RUSSIA'S HYBRID WAR AGAINST UKRAINE. KHERSON

The article is devoted to the study of the preservation of Ukrainian identity in the context of Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine. The study of this topic is extremely relevant to us, especially in times of war. After all, the preservation of national heritage plays a huge role in establishing Ukraine as a free, independent state. Cultural heritage is one of the main factors in the formation of Ukrainian identity and the revival of the spirituality of the Ukrainian people. Under occupation, the threat of losing cultural identity is growing. Therefore, one of the most relevant areas of research is the study of the experience of preserving national consciousness under occupation. One such example is the liberated Kherson. It was during the occupation that Kherson residents fought for their cultural identity. Thanks to modern digital technologies, they resisted Russian culture and the narratives spread by Russia so powerfully. This study examines a narrowly focused example of Ukrainians preserving their national identity under occupation, using Kherson as a case study. The aim of this article is to identify the markers of Ukrainian identity and trace them in the conditions of war.

Diversity in Norwegian mathematics examinations, 1962–2020

ABSTRACT Increasingly, mathematics educators see the importance of representation of diversity in pedagogical texts. The number of identity markers often considered has increased over the previous half century, and now includes, for instance, gender, class, ethnicity, religion, functionality, and sexual orientation. We investigate representation of different identity markers in Norwegian mathematics exams in compulsory school (Grunnskolen) during the period 1962–2020. Through a quantitative content analysis of 1514 exam tasks, we gain a detailed picture of change over time. Representation in Norwegian examination tasks has improved gradually over the past half century. While representation of girls approached 50% in the 1980s, people with non-stereotypical Scandinavian names or appearances (non-white) were in the single digits until the 2000s. However, it appears that inclusion has been selective, and that some groups are still invisible. There are no clear examples of homosexuality and only two of explicitly disabled people in our material.

Reasonable accommodations and security agendas in multicultural societies: Secular and faith-based approaches to citizenship education in Canada, France and England

In liberal democracies citizenship education is a form of secular worldviews education that focuses on politics and promotes human rights as universal principles. Canada, a bilingual federal state with connections to both Britain and France, illustrates both a liberal nationalist approach, comparable to Britain, in the Anglophone provinces, and radically secularist policies, comparable to France, in the province of Quebec. In a context of global migration and demographic diversity, Canada was a notable pioneer in developing educational responses to its state policies of multiculturalism and human rights. Canadian scholars Charles Taylor and Will Kymlicka developed theories of recognition and reasonable accommodation that accepted religion as both a marker of identity and a set of principles to inform behaviour and decisions. However, national security agendas have also driven education policy in Canada and Europe in response to terrorism motivated by ideological interpretations of religion. Security concerns curtail freedom of religious expression in secularist traditions but also in liberal traditions that recognise the salience of religion. The article argues that education for cosmopolitan citizenship challenges security agendas based on promoting nationalism and that recognition and reasonable accommodation are more likely to promote social cohesion and preserve traditions of democracy and human rights.

Bordering Democracies, Democratising Borders

Over the past 30 years, border scholars have written extensively on what borders are, where they are located, and how they operate, not just to critically understand their changing role, but also to criticise and denounce their violence and discrimination. Yet borders continue to proliferate, in particular as a response to alleged crises affecting Europe. If borders have always constituted markers of social and cultural identity, the more recent process of European re-bordering, I argue, constitutes a challenge for the democratic system as a whole. Implemented by left-wing and right-wing parties alike, this process seems indeed to have been taken away from public discourse and treated as a technical necessity to solve the crises. Far from being neutral or non-political, however, it has disclosed new forms of racial discrimination, political and economic power, and colonial violence. In order to substantiate my argument, I will 1) provide a brief examination of the recent changes in the concept and practice of democracy, as well as their interrelations with the process of European re-bordering, 2) investigate the socio-political and economic conditions under which the current process of European re-bordering has come about, with particular attention to the increasing role of media and political discourses in shaping public opinion, and 3) discuss the repercussions of the process of European re-bordering on the democratic system. The article will conclude by inviting scholars, civil society members, and any interested party to open up a more open and democratic debate around the unequal and discriminatory practices of bordering.

Community Building Through Place-Making Activities: Older Landscapers in a Singaporean Residential Town.

This paper explores how some older residents in B Town, a residential estate in northern Singapore, engage in community building through their 'serious leisure' and 'devotee work' participation in a resident landscaper program. Using data from ethnographic fieldwork conducted from February to November 2020 with participants aged from 60 to 81, I analyze how they built connections with each other, and the wider B Town community, through their participation. Particularly, I examine how the shared identity marker of being former farmers in now-evicted kampungs (villages) before the 1980s drew them together, and informed their continued involvement as resident landscapers. The 'kampung spirit' that they built up through the program enabled the construction of not only social connections, but also exclusionary mechanisms that prevented more older adults from engaging in the activities. These findings highlight participants' agency, and complicate static and/or monolithic conceptualizations of 'aging in place/the community' and 'active aging'.

CONTESTING LINGUISTIC IDENTITIES AND THE PERSISTENCE OF STANDARDISED PRONUNCIATION

Despite a global paradigm shift towards multilingualism and EIL (English as an International Language) in English language education, a stubborn adherence to so-called ‘standardised’ forms of foreign languages persists in non-English language speaking countries. Language teachers, learners and their parents, as much as policy makers and curriculum designers, insist on the adoption of ‘standard’ varieties of English as normative and unquestioned. These expectations are natural, given language users’ awareness of the cultural capital that these standardised forms of pronunciations can afford to them. This paper discusses how formal education, often through the hidden curriculum, reinforces the pressure to conform to standardised pronunciation and how this can negatively implicate language learners’ identities. One may question why a Vietnamese speaker would want to have a distinct ‘American’ or ‘British’ accent when they speak, and what real privileges these bring to them. One may also question why a Vietnamese accent in English, a distinct identity marker, can be deemed to represent less prestigious capital, and whether this may disadvantage them in certain contexts. In discussing the cognitive and cultural benefits of multilingual and culturally responsive instruction, the paper argues that as language educators we need to make our learners aware of their linguistic identities and how intelligible but non-standardised accents of foreign languages can and should be legitimate markers of one’s identity.

“Who Created These Rules?”: Narrative Accounts of Two First Generation Black African Immigrant Students with Dis/Ability Labels

The scholars in Disability Studies in Education (DSE) have explored critical connections between race, disability, and other markers of identity. This article specifically explores narrative accounts of two first generation Black African immigrant students’ educational navigation and their English as Second Language (ESL) and special education experiences. A pluralistic theoretical approach including Disability Critical Race Studies (DisCrit) and Ethnic Racial Identity (ERI) Formation framework is employed. The author proposes a disability-integrated ERI (D-ERI) framework. Some important findings from participant narratives suggest their awareness of the ESL as a formalized system leading to special education placement, and their acts of resistance against the deficit perceptions about their intersectional ethnic-racial identities in U.S. schools.

Casting History in Bronze: Delving into the Political Mosaic of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sculptures

Statues within urban landscapes serve as powerful instruments shaping the collective ethos of communities and ethnic groups, functioning as identity markers and emblematic embodiments of power and ideology. Crafted as vehicles for political messaging throughout history, statues endure as relics, actively participating in societal discourse. They represent collective imprints, embodying a community’s history and broadcasting its traditions, institutions, beliefs, and ideologies. This study explores the commemorative practices and visual rhetoric of monuments and statues, focusing on the iconic status of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Punjab. Analyzing statues in Amritsar and Ludhiana, it delves into their symbolic allure, guided by Mitchell’s Picture Theory, Roland Barthes’ conception of images as political subjects, and Stuart Hall’s “Encoding-Decoding” discourse. Unearthing the interplay of images in shaping collective memory, this research illuminates the contemporary political and cultural significance of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statues.

Islamic Faith as an Ethnic Identity Marker: Overview of Sri Lanka Muslim Identity Formation, Politicization, and Violence

Since the late-19th century, for political expediency, the Sri Lankan Muslims have used Islam as a marker of identity difference which has suffered due to the tensions of religious and ethnic identity markers. Unlike Tamils and Sinhalese ethnic groups, Sri Lanka Muslim elites did not choose language as their primary identity marker but sought to differentiate themselves based on the practices and traditions of Islamic faith. These tensions have manifested in several ways, however, following the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, there has been a great strain placed on Muslim representation as questions have been asked as to whether the religious identity has laid the foundations for the radicalization of the Muslims, especially in the wake of global Islamophobia and concerns about security. Therefore, it is important to answer questions related to Islamic identity manifestation in Sri Lanka: What is the role of an Islamic religious identity in radicalizing Sri Lankan Muslims? Why did Sri Lanka become a convenient place for IS’ activities? Did religious identity alone cause the radicalization of some Muslims? This article would attempt to answer these questions by (1) revisiting the Muslim community’s identity formation before the independence, (2) explaining Islamic identity in the post-independence Sri Lanka and the political representation to win votes and mobilize support during the ethnic civil war between Tamils and Sinhalese, and (3) analyzing factors that contributed to the radicalization of Muslims, and Islam. Drawing mostly on secondary sources, the article attempts to situate Sri Lanka Muslims’ identity formation in Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict and reconciliation. Using answers from interviews conducted through Zoom, WeChat, and WhatsApp, the article assesses the behavior of Sri Lanka Muslims in the face of the 2019 terrorist attack by some Muslims. The article finds that religious identity alone is not sufficient to trigger violence, as evidence suggests that underlying socio-economic as well as political grievances produce polarization and radical actions. We argue that long-standing arguments tying radical actions solely to religion may require substantial revision and need to be situated within a wider frame of national reconciliation especially if it does not consider existing contexts.

Branding the Order of Texts and Bodies in Medieval South India

Abstract Branding is a popular mode of bodily marking among several Vaiṣṇava traditions in southern India. This article examines how a practice with no discernible basis in the Vedas was transformed into a marker of Vaidika piety and Brahman identity. I examine the first known Sanskrit treatise about devotional branding, a short essay titled Protective Amulet of Righteous Conduct (Saccaritrarakṣā) written by the influential Śrīvaiṣṇava scholar Vedānta Deśīka (c. 14th/15th CE). Like most of Vedānta Deśika’s writings, The Protective Amulet is an exemplar of high scholarship. But unlike many works of Sanskrit scholarship, the Protective Amulet seems to have bubbled up from a world of popular practice. This article is about the Vedicization of bodily branding and the process in which forms of reading and interpretation were used to transform new practices into allegedly timeless markers of identity and devotion. The close connection between branding as both a bodily and scholarly practice means that this article is also about the connection between words and flesh. Branding is, of course, material. It entails fire, metal, ash, sweat, skin, and scars. But branding is also semiotic and discursive, both in the many meanings grafted onto a single branded symbol as well as in the enormous volume of writing and debate that bodily branding provoked. A study of branding pushes us to think about texts and bodies as connected in ways that intellectual history and material studies have yet to fully acknowledge.

Inventors emerging in-school and out-of-school: six iterations of educational design to promote equitable student engagement

Invention education is an emerging field that shows promise for fostering equitable student engagement, especially related to disciplines of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), in both classroom and informal learning. A central concept for practitioners, researchers, and evaluators, student engagement connects with academic, socioemotional, career, and civic success. Nonetheless, more work is needed to ensure more equitable approaches to educational design for student engagement, especially with youth of one or more minoritized identity markers (e.g., Black, Brown, or Indigenous youth; female or non-binary youth; youth from lower socioeconomic statuses; etc.). This Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy article describes six iterations of educational designs for invention education with grades 6–8 classes and camps. Three of the iterations revised the same curriculum for grade 7 classes (N ~ 160 students/year), and the other three iterations involved similar yet distinct curricula for grades 6–8 camps (N ~ 25 students/year). Taking a cultural psychology approach to design-based research, we conducted a phenomenological mixed-methods study for convergence. That is, we iteratively refined educational designs within given microcultures, and we sought to better understand participants’ lived experiences. We share evidence of high affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement, within and between both individual and social levels, alongside development of self-efficacy with respect to ability beliefs and anxiety management. With a few exceptions, our findings suggest equitable participation of youth. These findings we connect with educational design considerations, including individual vs. social supports, explicit attention to youths’ hobbies and peer-inventors, and formative assessment that broadens response scales and gradations of challenge. Our work supports a more nuanced and socially-situated six-dimensional framework for student engagement, expanding upon commonly-used three-and four-dimensional models. We conclude with local and transferrable implications, towards the main goal of fostering equitable student engagement in science and engineering through invention education.

English Code-Mixings in WhatsApp interactions among Spanish adolescents and their orthographic competence

Aims: The widespread use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) among adolescents has favored the creation of a newly written code called digitalk. This new code includes, among other characteristics, the use of foreign words as textisms, mainly anglicisms. These textisms also serve as a mark of identity among young speakers. The aim of this paper is twofold: first, to describe which are the more frequent anglicisms used by Spanish adolescents in their CMC and the code-mixing pathways of inclusion; second, to examine the possible influence between the use of anglicisms in the CMC of Spanish adolescents and their orthographic competence. Method: Based on an exploratory methodology, a corpus of interactions through WhatsApp of a group of adolescents attending Compulsory Secondary Education in a region of southern Spain has been analyzed. Data analysis: Sketch Engine software was used for corpus analysis, presenting the normalized frequency (1/1,000) of textisms, misspellings, and multimodal elements. Finally, for the descriptive statistical analysis of the data and for the bivariate correlation analysis applying Pearson’s coefficient, IBM SPSS v.26 software was used. Findings: The results indicate that young people use English Code-Mixings (ECM) as discursive framers with an expressive aim and as a sign of belonging to a specific community of speakers. Moreover, no positive correlation is observed between the use of these ECMs and a lower orthographic competence. Implications: ECMs show an important pragmatic function in CMC among Spanish adolescents. Furthermore, they are one of the elements that have been incorporated into the digital norm of Spanish and can be used in Compulsory Education as a resource for the acquisition of communicative competence in adolescents along with other textisms. Originality: This is the first research that analyzes the frequency and function of anglicisms in Spanish CMC and their impact on the orthographic competence of Spanish adolescents.

‘Outsourcing patriarchy’ in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE)

In recent years, many Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) programs, formed to counter radicalisation into ‘jihadist’ extremism, have begun to address far-right extremism. In this paper, we critically assess this expansion through a focus on masculinities. We conduct an in-depth intersectional analysis of representations of masculinities in 87 publications by ten influential organisations working in transnational P/CVE. We explore how these representations intersect with identity markers of race, age, class and geographic location and how they are connected to notions about gendered and political violence as systemic or aberrant. We relate this to an underlying dynamic which Inderpal Grewal has termed ‘outsourcing patriarchy’, a move which aligns patriarchal and misogynist ideas with the Non-West. Our analysis shows that despite efforts to overcome both gender-blindness and the singular focus on ‘jihadist’ extremism, P/CVE programs still tend to be based on notions of masculinities that perpetuate patriarchal and colonial legacies.

“Spiritual Armour”: Crafting Ukrainian Identity through Vyshyvanka

The brightly coloured and delicately detailed “vyshyvanka”, the traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, has long been a marker of Ukrainian ethnic and cultural identity. In recent years in particular, the vyshyvanka has become an internationally recognized symbol of “Ukrainianness”; and yet despite its importance in Ukrainian identity-building and independence movements, remarkably little scholarship exists on this topic. This lack of academic engagement stems in part from twin forms of domination – colonial domination and gendered domination. Ukrainian history has often been overshadowed by Russo-centrism, while the significance of handicrafts practices such as embroidery has been dismissed because of their association with femininity and “women’s work”. Yet the sheer number of digital images of vyshyvanka and the proliferation of vyshyvanka-related designs in light of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, make this a topic worthy of our attention. In this article, I explore how and why the uses of vyshyvanka have evolved over time, charting differences in how the vyshyvanka has been depicted, and used, both by Ukrainians and by those seeking to denigrate or deny the existence of the Ukrainian nation. I focus in particular on the explosion of digital images featuring the vyshyvanka, which have been circulating since the Euromaidan of 2013-14, and on the history of the creation of World Vyshyvanka Day, now celebrated on the third Thursday of May and serving as a vehicle for mobilizing solidarity with Ukraine from Taiwan to the UK to Israel.

Маркеры этнічнай ідэнтычнасці жыхароў Віленшчыны (па матэрыялах палявых этнаграфічных экспедыцый пачатку ХХІ ст.)

The article presents an analysis of ways to articulate one's and another's ethnic identity of the inhabitants of Vilnius region on the basis of linguistic, territorial and religious markers of distinctiveness. The research is based on the ethnographic fieldwork materials collected in 2007-2011. Language is the most significant marker of ethnic identity in the Belarusian-Lithuanian borderland, where it is difficult to find other contrasting cultural differences between Lithuanians, Poles and Belarusians. For example, in Vilnius region Lithuanians are most often identified by local Slavic-speaking residents on the basis of this feature. However, in the case of people who speak a regional variant of the Belarusian language in Vilnius region, we are dealing with an ethnic anomaly or liminal category – often referred to as locals (“people from here”). Residents who consider themselves Poles call their language simple (prostaya mova). For them, it is no longer a direct marker of ethnicity. In this case, other determinants become markers of identity. First of all, it is the territory of origin and religion that situationally signal the ethnic boundaries between Lithuanians, Poles and Belarusians of Vilnius region.

Discrimination and social identity: interrogating the impact of local lingua francas on inclusion politics in public institutions in Nigeria

AbstractThis study is concerned with addressing discrimination in public spaces and interrogates the extent to which the social identity function of a local lingua franca impacted inclusion politics in leadership selections for public institutions in Africa. Guided by social identity and ethnolinguistic identity theories, selecting Ahmadu Bello University in Northern Nigeria as a case study, and using the qualitative research technique, this study found a three-level ethno-religious discriminatory categorization – Core Northerners, Peripheral Northerners and Non-Northerners – accommodated within the institution’s power hierarchy. Fluency in Hausa, the local lingua franca in Northern Nigeria, was the common factor. Although the language was not a requirement for appointment, it turned out to be the marker of social identity that positively impacted inclusion politics. With extensive linguistic acculturation, African nation states are better off investing in the propagation of the local lingua franca to address negative discrimination in public spaces.

Intersectionality in Educational Psychology and Curriculum Studies: A Critical Review

The review article draws on key literature on intersectionality: theory, methodology, and empirical applications in Educational Psychology and Curriculum Studies. The review points out the urgent need to account for diverse learners’ intersectional identities (racial/ethnic backgrounds, gender, linguistic ability, citizenship status, and other social identity markers) and embrace a social-justice-oriented praxis in education. We argue that integrating the intersectionality framework with existing learning theories, methods (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed), and pedagogies is possible and necessary. Based on the critical review, we propose four recommendations for researchers and practitioners in Educational Psychology and Curriculum Studies: (a) staying faithful to the activism and liberatory commitment of intersectionality, (b) adopting appropriate method(s) and methodology with sound epistemological and axiological orientations, (c) reconceptualizing extant learning theories, which entails the re-thinking and validation of some education and psychological constructs, and (d) encouraging teaching and research on intersectionality and/or from an intersectional lens. The review article can serve as a guideline to incorporate intersectionality as theory and analytical framework. It is only through these practices that center intersectionality that we, as researchers and practitioners, become capable of creating a more equitable and inclusive learning environment from K-12 to Higher Education.

DEFINING PAG-IPAT: A MULTIMODAL SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF MAGUINDANAON’S HEALING RITUAL

Pag-ipat (ritual against disease) is a traditional healing ritual of the Maguindanaon people in the southern Philippines. Devoid of Islamic components, it is based on numerous ideas such as possession, invisible spirits, mythological history, and the offering of sacrifice. This study explores the signs and symbols incorporated in pagipat. Through a multimodal semiotic analysis, specifically ethnographic observation, this research determines the meanings conveyed by the semiotic resources used, expounds on how semiotic resources are orchestrated to communicate meaning, and rationalises the ideology expressed in the ritual performance. Findings reveal that the resources utilised in the performance of pag-ipat communicate gratitude and love, recognition, honour, appreciation, journey, generosity, kindness, recognition of their ancestor, invitation to the neighbours and the community, healing, enlightenment, freedom from darkness, identity marker, greediness, and life. Through the manner of installing the pandala (flags), the presence of the sambulayang (set of flags), the quantity of food, the quality of the cloth, the number of days spent in the ritual, the design of the food and clothing material, the dance movement of the medium, and the kulintang music produced by the performers, the healing rite manifests social standing and artistic skill of the performers. The practise of pag-ipat tells us that regardless of Maguindanaon’s observance of Islam as official religion, some believe in the existence of ancestral spirits, mythological entities, and spirit animals which has a significant impact on their beliefs and behaviour. Thus, ritual elements increase signification and meaning-making potentials in the discourse environment because of their iconicity, indexicality, and meaning-making potentiality.