Cultural Myths Research Articles

Community Mobilisation for Human Sample Collection in Sensitive Communities: Experiences from Granular Mapping of Schistosomiasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminths in Ekiti State, South West, Nigeria

Community mobilisation is a vital process for raising awareness and increasing participation in healthcare interventions, research, and programmes that require human sample collection and mass management. In this report, we present the community mobilisation approach undertaken for the implementation of the operational mapping and assessment of granular schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The mobilisation was conducted in 177 communities/wards of the 16 local government areas. A total of 15,340 urine and stool samples were collected in 34 days. The efficacy and success of the strategy were evaluated through the following three performance metrics: community compliance rate, the participant response rate at the community level, and the overall compliance response rate of the four most sensitive LGAs. Community compliance was 93.7% as sample collection was denied in nine communities and two other communities demanded the return of the collected samples despite our mobilisation effort because of cultural bias and myths that connect the collection of stool and urine samples to ritual activities in the local context. The participant response rate at the community level was 86.7%. Three of the four sensitive LGAs (based on previous assessment programmes) demonstrated satisfactory compliance rates of 100%, while a response rate of 64.0% was computed for one of the LGAs. We believe our approach contributed to effective community mobilisation and awareness and that the developed model has the potential to improve participation rates in large healthcare assessments and intervention programmes.

The Legacy of Chūshingura: Cinematic Adaptations and Myth-Making in Japan

ABSTRACT Through extensive reproduction and transmission, the story of the eighteenth-century historical vendetta of the 47 samurai-turned-ronin from Akō domain, often referred to metonymically as Chūshingura, became one of Japan’s most beloved cultural myths, believed to exhibit values shared across Japanese society. It is remembered as a tale about heroic men who fought for a noble cause and no personal gain, and who died by performing seppuku, proud to have accomplished what they set out to do. This article, however, argues that more attention should be given to the many variations in Chūshingura adaptations, which give the tale various nuanced meanings. Using selected film adaptations of the tale, I show how the cause for which the heroes are willing to die has constantly changed, reflecting larger sociocultural and political transformations. In other words, these adaptations exhibit transformations in the understanding of heroism and of what it means to be a hero. This adaptability in creating heroes that suit their times is an important element in sustaining the enduring effectiveness of Chūshingura as a cultural myth.

Comprehension of national cultural myths in Vadim Levanov’s works

Comprehension of national cultural myths in Vadim Levanov’s works

SECONDARY SCHOOL PHYSICAL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ON THE PURPOSES AND GOALS OF SCIENCE TEACHING: THE PRESENCE OF CULTURAL MYTHS

Understanding why teachers teach the way they do is important especially in a time of curriculum reforms. Hence, the aim of this research is to unpack the secondary school physical science teachers’ beliefs on the purposes and goals of science teaching (PGST) and to check the alignment of their beliefs on PGST with constructivism. A convergent parallel mixed method design was employed. Scale and checklist were used to collect data on the teachers’ beliefs. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews was used to explore the teachers’ implementation of the science curriculum. Results revealed that while teachers agree with the basic tenet of constructivism, their beliefs on the PGST were traditional. Difficulties of implementing their constructivist ideas on teaching and learning reinforced the cultural myths. Length of teaching experience and actual classroom teaching hours were seen as significant factors in the development of beliefs, whereas familiarity of curriculum intentions correlate negatively with the development of constructivist beliefs. Keywords: constructivist physical science education, purposes and goals of science teaching, teachers' beliefs, cultural myths in physical science education

Barriers to modern contraceptive utilization in Ethiopia.

Contraception is a critical service for women to control their reproductive health, allowing them to determine the number and spacing of their children prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality from associated with childbirth, and reduce the likelihood of abortions. Despite its benefits, the utilization of modern contraceptive methods remains low in certain regions of Ethiopia, Particularly in Afar and Somali, which are also experiencing high fertility rates. However, there is a substantial gap in understanding the sociocultural barriers that hinder the adoption of modern contraception in these regions. This study aims to explore these barriers to contraceptive use among women of reproductive age in Afar and Somali regions, providing qualitative insights that are essential for designing effective strategies to improve contraceptive service utilization. Asequential mixed method approach was employed, including scoping review and qualitative interviews. Scoping review focused on qualitative or mixed-methods studies conducted in Ethiopia and published between 2013 and 2023 in English, Selecting 14 articles Additionally, qualitative data were collected from Afar and Somali regions through In-depth interviews with women aged 15-49 who are married or in consensual union, and key informant interviews with health extension workers and contraception providers at health center. A total of 20 in-depth interviews and 07 key informants were conducted. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The integrated findings from the scoping review and qualitative study reveal various barriers and determinants influencing contraceptive use among women in Ethiopia. Barriers includes religious or cultural beliefs, myths and misconceptions, fear of side effects, lack of knowledge and misinformation, negative attitude towards contraceptives, partner opposition, socio-cultural factors, fear of being judged by family and friends, and lack of communication between husband and wife, husband altitude, distance from health facility, availability of service and different contraceptive choice, separate room for family planning services, and cost of contraceptive method and transportation. The scoping review corroborates these findings, emphasizing on the role of socio-demographic, economic, cultural, religious, health service, and knowledge-related factors. Higher education, urban residence, higher income, mass media exposure, spousal communication, family size, and access to quality health services were associated with increased utilization, while lack of awareness, misconceptions, myths, side effects, fear of infertility, partner opposition, social stigma, and cultural norms decreased utilization. The study recommended promoting contraceptive use, challenging socio-cultural norms through Social Behavioural Communication and Counselling (SBCC), engaging partners and community members, and improving the quality of care.

‘More Love Letters, Please!’: Portuguese Love and the Literary Legacy of Sincere Feeling

ABSTRACT: This essay traces the formation of the myth of Portuguese Love, and demonstrates both its transcultural reach and its importance for literary history. Sparked by the tragic love of Pedro and Inês de Castro, the notion of Portuguese Love was crystallized in seventeenth-century France by Lettres portugaises , influenced European letters for centuries, and became an enduring myth in Portuguese culture. Anchored by Roland Barthes’s critique of the contemporary disparagement of sentimental love, the essay argues that Portuguese Love’s continued affirmation, from nineteenth-century literary iterations to current manifestations, demonstrates the power of a discourse of genuine feeling to counter ideological appropriation.

Exploring Mythical Realism and Diasporic Identity in The Mistress of Spices: A Multifaceted Analysis

In this research article, we delve into the intricate interplay between myth, magical realism, and the diaspora experience among Indian immigrants in the United States in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel, The Mistress of Spices. Through a comprehensive analysis, the present study investigates how the narrative employs these elements to weave a tapestry of cultural identity, displacement, and otherworldly enchantment. The article uncovers the ways in which the protagonist, Tilo, navigates the complex realms of myth and magic while simultaneously grappling with the challenges of diasporic existence. By focusing on the novel's portrayal of a mystical Indian spice shop in California, we examine the transformative power of spices and the profound influence of cultural myths in shaping the immigrant experience. Tilo’s journey reflects the broader immigrant experience which blends ancient traditions with contemporary challenges in a deeply human and magical tale. By employing a multidisciplinary approach, we offer a nuanced perspective on the novel's themes that enriches our understanding of the intricate connections between storytelling, cultural memory, and the Indian-American immigrant’s narrative.

Reinterpretation of Mythological Characters in Youth Culture

The article deals with the specifics of modern reinterpretation of mythological characters, as well as its representation in youth culture. Mythological subjects and their heroes remain attractive for the creative sphere for many centuries. For young people, immersion in mythology allows them to develop constructive solutions to many issues, to recreate a positive picture of the world through the eternal idea of the triumph of good and justice reflected in ancient texts. It is the reinterpretation approach to the reading of world-famous works that allows us to use a wide range of myth. For example, the interest in the myths of European society in the second half of the 20th century is due to the fact that this time is associated with the threat of the outbreak of nuclear war and, as a consequence, with constant uncertainty and the simultaneous desire of each person for a life-affirming and immutable basis, such as the classical one. The evolution of representations of myth in culture has led to the emergence of reinterpretations of the original source, making some of them popular, including with youth audiences.In the 21st century, other mythological images have emerged in accordance with the challenges of the time, which we consider as cultural products of a new level, characterized not only by an appeal to the classical text, but also by a commercial component. The article provides several examples of how the new artistic presentation of mythological characters is reflected in modern mass youth culture — in literature, video games and cinema. The modern interpretation of the tales of ancient civilizations is based on the cultural preferences of mass viewers: the images of myths can be canonical or modernized, but in any case universal. The process of giving new meaning to myths familiar from the school days from an unexpected (nonclassical) side has been repeatedly discussed in the scientific cultural field.The relevance of reinterpretation of mythological characters in youth culture is due to the desire of the new generation not only to rethink the cultural heritage, but also to get in touch with it.

An Ethical Critique of the Sexist Mining Myths and the Gender Factor in the Extractive Industry of Southern Africa

The extractive industry is an economic venue with enormous potentialities for men and women in Southern Africa particularly, DRC, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa. This part of the African Continent is flourishing with mineral resources in which women participate in different capacities. The contrast here is that of the increased number of women in this industry as opposed to the decline of social and economic wellbeing of women on account of gender based violence and many other oppressions against them. These dehumanising activities against women are fuelled by cultural and sexist mining myths from male peers reinforcing gender disparities. Thus, from an ethical perspective, the present study analyses cultural and sexist myths, deconstructing their patriarchal foundation and valorising women’s human agency and rights within the extractive industry. It is contended that women can contribute to the economic growth of the mining industry in Southern Africa provided that public institutions insure gender parity in the industry. In different levels, a response will be provided to the question: How can the cultural and sexist mining myths be ethically engaged to valorise women’s human agency and rights within the Southern Africa Extractive Industry? In response, this paper critically assesses the cultural basis of sexist myths from a perspective of feminist ethics, proceeding by deconstructing the patriarchal foundation of these myths and affirming women’s experience based on their human and economic capabilities. The present study proposes to contribute to the ethical discourse on gender parity, and the pursuit of women’s social and economic rights in the Extractive Industry.

How Can We Teach When We Are Constantly Learning? De/Colonising Canadian Literature in Grade Seven English Language Arts

ABSTRACT In this paper, I explore the transitional spaces of teaching and writing by restorying an anomalous event in my teaching of Canadian literature in a grade seven classroom and my efforts to decolonise that teaching. Thinking with Elizabeth Ellsworth’s concept of pedagogy as it relates to knowledge in the making and the learning self, I take seriously the manner in which this pedagogy challenges the cultural myth of teacher as expert identified by Deborah Britzman. In my story of de/colonising teaching, a transitional space opens up when I become aware of the ways in which I work against the goals of decolonising in my very efforts towards them, the risks I take, and the damage I can do as I implicate myself and my students in this process. As I teach and as I write, I build from the ruins of this difficult knowledge what it means to de/colonise as an educator.

COVID-19 vaccine rumour and resistance in Indonesia: Analysing vaccine hesitancy and cultural myths circulated on online platforms

BackgroundRumours and misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine have been massively circulated on social media platforms, ranging from misleading information, hoaxes, and conspiracy theories to exaggerating stories mixed with the circulation of cultural myths regarding the vaccine. MethodsThis study examines the contents of social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and WhatsApp posts, also sourced from other Indonesian online portal news and mainstream media websites. ResultsThis research identifies quantitatively several rumours, misleading information, conspiracy theories, and other misinformation, resistance, and rejection toward issues related to the COVID-19 vaccine from March to April 2021. We then combine it with an analysis of the narratives of vaccine resistance and cultural myths that have made people hesitate or apathetic in participating in national vaccine programs by the Indonesian government. ConclusionSourced from the content analysis of this study, we categorised some themes such as vaccine development, availability, access, morbidity, mortality, harmful excesses, safety, and efficacy, both contained and presented in short narratives, visual graphics, memes, and cartoons. This study suggests that these rumours, misleading stories, and myths, may result in the Indonesian public's vaccine resistance and hesitancy, especially since May the Indonesian government stopped distributing the Astra Zeneca vaccines and the controversial issue regarding the availability of ‘Vaccine Nusantara’ (term as ‘Archipelago Vaccine’). This situation may influence the public's attitude to distrust the government and be distracted by misinformation about the vaccination program. Moreover, we see that cultural beliefs and religious stances have made complicated the hesitancy and resistance of the public against the COVID-19 vaccine.

Political Myths in the Armenian Media Environment

Key words: political myths, media, new reality, manipulation, social media, social-psychological environment, influence, public opinion Nowadays, modern mass media have changed their functions, turning into a unique socio-psychological environment of myth-making, wherein a new reality is constructed or reinterpreted. This article is an attempt to study new possibilities of mass media. Our goal is to reveal the connection between the media and myths, highlighting how they shape public opinion. The goal of the research is to identify the features of mythmaking in mass media and their potential ramifications for how the public forms opinions based on the modern real-world examples. Methods of combining scientific materials, historiography, and comparison were used in the paper. The conducted research shows and proves the fact that mass media, using manipulative rhetoric, technologies of influence on consciousness, construct a special virtual reality, that often does not correspond to objective social reality. From this perspective mass media use myths as tools. Having a complex and multi-layered structure, mythologizing, creates new challenges and forces media representatives to develop a new strategy, as a result of which sufficient skills for the effective use of myths along with the new methods and mechanisms of resistance will be developed. This is the reason why the structure, content and function of modern socio-political and cultural myths become the object of study by researchers. This fact highlights the article’s relevance to the current events.

Bunian People: Myths, Perceptions and Impressions of Behavior and Culture in Minangkabau

Minangkabau has a unique and diverse culture, starting from art, culture, songs, fairy tales, poetry, beliefs, characterizations and visual characters. One of the unique things about Minangkabau is that it is a belief that is widely known by the public and has been discussed from time to time until now. One of the interesting beliefs in Minangkabau is about the Urang Bunian mythology, however, the lack of understanding of the target audience and the lack of optimal media in conveying information about Urang Bunian visualizations are the main factors for the author to design the Urang Bunian character design in Minangkabau culture through the Art Book media. Urang Bunian was made in the form of an Art Book media which contains about creating character designs from the information obtained. Apart from the Art Book media, the delivery of this information is also supported by several other media which help the main media to introduce the subject to the target audience, namely posters, stickers, t-shirts, tote bags, holograms, x-banners, mini x-banners. The design method used is the 5w+1h approach, namely what, who, when, where, why and how. By using the 5w+1h theory, all aspects summarized in the character design design process can be created through Art Book media

Cultural Myths Debunked: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Socioeconomic and Lifestyle Factors Influencing BMI in Ghana, a Pilot Study

Cultural Myths Debunked: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Socioeconomic and Lifestyle Factors Influencing BMI in Ghana, a Pilot Study

“Nature is All Personal”: St Francis of Assisi in the Ontology of Mikhail Prishvin

This article analyses Franciscan ideas in the work of M. Prishvin from 1908–1953 in the context of European and Russian Francisciana of the Silver Age. The texts reveal direct and hidden references to the image of St Francis of Assisi and Franciscan texts (The Canticle of Brother Sun and Vita Prima by Thomas of Celano, and Little Flowers of St Francis). It is shown that Franciscan texts become a source of direct, ontological, and personalistic experience of the world as a beautiful and miraculous integrity for Prishvin, creating a paradisiacal harmony between man and creation. St Francis’ compassion for nature became one of Prishvin’s creative impulses in Ginseng (1933) and The Golden Horn (1934). The Franciscan experience of nature in its living reality and personalist uniqueness (nature as subject, not object) is one of the main sources of “kindred (merciful) attention”, Prishvin’s main ontological and life-creating principle. Prishvin polemicised against the opposite of Franciscanism, the utilitarian, object-oriented attitude towards nature in Soviet practice, in which the living, ontological, and personal reality of nature was perceived as an object and replaced by a “patriotic” and utilitarian ideology. In the 1940s, Prishvin returned to the cultural myth of St Francis as a renaissance figure, which emerged in the Russian religious and philosophical renaissance at the turn of the twentieth century; in this myth, St Francis, through his acceptance and justification of the world as God’s creation, overcomes medieval ascetic dualism (matter as evil, the gap between flesh and pirit) and expresses humanistic values (personalism and ontologism), thus uniting God and the world, Christianity and nature, Christianity and culture. For Prishvin’s concept of the integrity of being (the unity of the earthly and the heavenly, the flesh and the spirit), St Francis becomes one of the main sources. What also makes Prishvin similar to St Francis is the concept of joy, which the writer experiences ontologically as the essential basis of being. The image of St Francis becomes not only a literary but also an existential, ontological and creative response of the writer to the challenges of his time. Summing up his life, Prishvin defines his life-creative strategy and mission in the tragic twentieth century in the spirit of St Francis (‘life is happiness’).

Польские города как пространство истории в Семейном архиве Бориса Херсонского

This article is focused on the so-called urban texts related to Poland with a special emphasis on the historical and geographical region of Galicia, which covers the territories of Red Ruthenia in Ukraine and Lesser Poland, and on their historical connotations as presented in Boris Khersonsky’s book of poetry Family archive (2006). Khersonsky is a Russian-speaking Ukrainian poet from Odesa, who has been awarded prestigious prizes for his literary work both in Ukraine and abroad. Family archive can be described as a sort of novel in verse about the tragic history of the 20th century told through the family history of the author himself. The main goal of this article is to analyze the specific spatial structure of the book in the context of geopoetics and places of memory with a special accent on Polish cities and towns. This territory is the quintessential locus of historical events connected to Eastern European Jewish heritage and the tragedy of the Holocaust. This paper seeks to reconstruct the image of Poland with all the connotations and cultural myths associated with its multicultural experience.

The Pushkin Myth in modern literature for children (based on the works of K. Strelnikova, M. Bershadskaya, Ai eN (Irina Krestyeva))

The article presents an understanding of the functioning and role of the Pushkin myth in modern Russian children's literature. In the book of short stories by Kristina Strelnikova "The Magnificent Wreath of Wreaths", Maria Bershadskaya "Pushkin and Company" (the tenth story from the cycle "Big Little Girl"), the novella "P.Ushkin and Pixels" by AI eN (Irina Krestyeva), the story of Ksenia Dragunskaya "Pushkin is urgently needed!" Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin appears not only in the image of a great poet. His presence in modern texts for children, on the one hand, is due to the presence of the Pushkin myth in culture as a whole, on the other – the early acquaintance of children with the work and facts of the poet's biography. The specificity of the image of the personality and creativity of A.S. Pushkin is due to the peculiarities of children's perception: the biography and creativity of the writer are transferred to the everyday sphere. During the research, historical, cultural, comparative and biographical methods of literary criticism were used. A.S. Pushkin in modern literature for children and adolescents is transformed from the image of a brilliant writer into the image of a friend whose everyday life is no less interesting and fascinating than his works. The texts of K. Strelnikova, M. Bershadskaya, and Ai eN reflect the facts of Pushkin's biography (studying at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, marriage, duel), as well as his works (poems, fairy tales are quoted). The Pushkin myth is undoubtedly the most significant literary myth, the myth of genius in Russian culture, which does not lose its relevance over time, but on the contrary, is becoming increasingly widespread in the mass consciousness. Modern children's literature actively uses trends characteristic of "adult" literature, including mythologization, the inclusion of myths about the "new cultural hero", which, of course, is A.S. Pushkin.

Meaning The Mythic Symbols Of Beliefs Of The Sea Island Communities Of South Kalimantan In Film Saranjana: Ghaib City Works Of Johansyah Jumberan

Myths are closely related to local culture in Indonesia. Saranjana City, known as the unseen city, is on Laut Island, South Kalimantan. This city is famous for its myths which are legendary for the people of the region. There are several myths depicted with symbols that can only be understood by the people of the South Kalimantan Sea Island region. The legend of the myth of the city of Saranjana made a film director create it in the form of a feature film in the horror genre. The aim of this research is to describe the meaning of the cultural myth symbols of the people of Laut Island, South Kalimantan in the film Saranjana: Kota Ghaib by Johansyah Jumberan using Roland Barthes' semiotic concept. This research uses qualitative research, with descriptive methods and a phenomenological interpretative approach. The data in this research are symbols in the form of narratives, dialogues, monologues, pictures, scenes from the film Saranjana: Kota Ghaib by Johansyah Jumberan which contains local cultural myths. The results of the research show that there are several myths such as the use of traditional clothes, yellow cloth, mandau and mosquito nets which show symbols believed by the people of Laut Island, South Kalimantan.

The Reconstruction of the Mythical Image of Satyavati in Kavita Kane’s The Fisher Queen’s Dynasty

Indian myth as it is represented in Indian literature and how cultural myth criticism is employed to evaluate the text

The traditional ecological knowledge of the local people of Cijambu Village, Sumedang, Indonesia, on the diversity, utilization, management, and conservation of bamboo

Abstract. Ihsan M, Irawan B, Iskandar J. 2024. The traditional ecological knowledge of the local people of Cijambu Village, Sumedang, Indonesia, on the diversity, utilization, management, and conservation of bamboo. Biodiversitas 25: 1754-1770. Bamboos have been known to play an important role in the socio-economic, cultural, and ecological benefits of rural people in West Java. However, many bamboo gardens have been converted to other land-use types, including commercial vegetable gardens. The study aimed to record local people's Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Cijambu, Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia, regarding the diversity, utilization, management, and conservation of ethnobotany and bamboo. The mixed method, combining approaches with an ethnobotanical perspective, was employed in this study through semi-structured and structured interviews with informants. The study results showed a diversity of bamboo landraces with six types of bamboo identified by the community: Awi Tali (Gigantochloa apus), Awi Gombong/Awi Surat (Gigantochloa verticillata), Awi Temen (Gigantochloa atter), Awi Bitung (Dendrocalamus asper), Haur Héjo (Bambusa vulgaris var. vulgaris), and Haur Konéng (Bambusa vulgaris var. striata). Bamboo has 41 uses: 3 ecological uses, 32 economic uses, and 6 socio-cultural uses. Bamboo management involves maintaining and transforming bamboo gardens into mixed gardens, combining vegetables and coffee plants to increase income. Community conservation efforts involve selective logging to ensure the sustainability and regeneration of bamboo. The conservation process is influenced by cultural beliefs and myths, such as refraining from cutting or taking bamboo on Fridays. Bamboo people believe in Tolak Bala, which uses Haur Konéng bamboo.