Participatory Culture Research Articles

International students’ acculturation: online cultural participation, cultural self-awareness, and cultural identity clarity

International students’ acculturation: online cultural participation, cultural self-awareness, and cultural identity clarity

Research on Non-heritage Cultural Innovation and Inheritance Based on AI Visual Technology in the Perspective of New Quality Productivity

Under the new quality productivity perspective, artificial intelligence (AI) visual technology provides new opportunities for the innovation and inheritance of non-heritage culture. The Grass Dragon of Lizhuang, as a unique cultural treasure of Lizhuang Town, Cuiping District, Yibin City, not only carries a profound historical and cultural heritage, but also shows the traditional wisdom and creativity of the Chinese nation with its unique art form and production process. In this paper, we will take the Grass Dragon dance of Lizhuang Town, Cuiping District, Yibin City as an example to explore how to use AI visual technology to promote the digital transformation and dissemination of non-heritage culture. The study first analyses the current situation of the innovative inheritance of non-heritage culture in the case of the Grass Dragon in Lizhuang, and then introduces the significance of the innovative inheritance of non-heritage culture based on AI visual technology in the perspective of the new quality productivity, as well as the measures of the innovative inheritance of non-heritage culture based on AI visual technology. Through case studies, the paper shows how these technologies can enhance public awareness and participation in NRH culture, thus promoting the protection and inheritance of NRH culture. Finally, the study points out the challenges faced in practical application and proposes corresponding solutions, emphasising the importance of the deep integration of technology and culture in the innovation of non-heritage culture. The study provides new perspectives and practical paths for promoting the combination of traditional culture and modern technology.

Participation in practice in child welfare: processes, benefits and challenges

ABSTRACT Internationally, there has been a significant focus in policy and practice on the participation of children and young people in decisions that affect them, underpinned by respect for their rights under Article 12 of the UNCRC. While children’s participation has become a core focus for practice improvement in child welfare services, there is a dearth of practical examples of how participation is implemented in organisations. In this paper, we provide a reflective case study of participation in practice in the Youth Advocate Programme (YAP) in Ireland, a large non-profit child welfare organisation. YAP Ireland works with young people who are considered ‘high risk’ using a strength-based approach in a wraparound service that is family-driven and youth-guided. Drawing on qualitative interviews and focus groups with young people, parents, advocates, and staff and management, we describe and critically analyse YAP’s approach to participation. Critical factors in practice include a commitment to participation in policy, practice and culture at all levels of the organisation and scaffolding of participation by staff. Challenges include ensuring that participation principles are upheld consistently across the organisation and resourcing participation.

Towards a history of parliamentary culture in the early modern world: concept, geopolitical scope, and method

ABSTRACT This article proposes an innovative approach to early modern representative institutions, from the later fifteenth century to the early eighteenth. It argues that only a transnational, interdisciplinary, and comparative study of such bodies can reveal their shared culture and prominence in contemporary political discourse, public memory, and cultural production. Central to this new approach is the concept of ‘parliamentary culture’, which sees representative assemblies as collective constructs and embodiments of a political community, and encompasses the transnational tradition of customs, ideas, and cultural expressions associated with them. The article aims to: (1) sketch out the institutional, geopolitical, and historical scope of our enquiry; (2) define parliamentary culture as a collection of practices of legitimation, negotiation, and debate in political assembly that are central to the life of a community; and (3) demonstrate that the distinctive institutional cultures of representative assemblies were an essential component of the public life and political thought of early modern countries; and that there was a common culture of representative assembly shared and recognized throughout Europe which was variously transplanted to and adapted in the overseas territories of the Iberian, Anglo-British, and Dutch empires, often through interaction with Indigenous traditions of assembly. The underlying argument is that only by looking at early modern representative bodies in this way can we appreciate the vitality and significance of this type of political organization.

Evaluating public and patient involvement in interventional research-A newly developed checklist (EPPIIC).

Public and patient involvement (PPI) has been identified as an increasingly desired and, often, required component of trial methodology-leading to higher quality, more accessible and relevant clinical research, alongside increased recruitment, funding success and insight into research impact. However, despite the great variety of frameworks and checklists available for assessing PPI, most are limited with respect to important features (e.g. applicable in specific contexts only, fail to clarify what should be assessed and reported, lack the necessary comprehensiveness or are biased in favour of researcher reporting). Thus, the current research aimed to address such limitations through the development of a new checklist, the EPPIIC, through review, thematic analysis and 'meta-evaluation' in conjunction with PPI engagement. Upon completion of the EPPIIC, three thematic 'sub-scales' emerged: (1) Policy & Practice, (2) Participatory Culture and (3) Influence & Impact. All findings are presented and discussed in light of theory and research. Notably, findings recommend EPPIIC as a useful means of assessing PPI in future trials.

Barriers to cultural participation by people with disabilities: a qualitative investigation about Lollapalooza Brazil (2022)

This study examines the inclusion of people with disabilities at Lollapalooza (2022) based on the perspectives of digital influencers with disabilities. Despite the festival’s professed commitment to inclusivity, it falls short in accommodating these influencers, highlighting mobility and autonomy challenges due to accessibility issues, hindering their full participation. This study emphasizes superficial measures in fostering genuine inclusion and advocates for substantive efforts to ensure the participation and enjoyment of all individuals in public events and spaces.

The Digital Superhero: Conspiracy and Convergence

ABSTRACT The superhero is a popular figure in contemporary media: not just single characters, plots and movies, but entire universes and ‘phases’ spread across multiple protagonists, narrative arcs, devices, mediums and formats, from films and television shows to video games and books. Across much content, a reliance on conspiracy is evident: to motivate characters, link together plots, and move them across time and space. This article articulates paranoia and conspiracy as an emergent aesthetic bound up with the affordances of digital technology. It thus articulates these aesthetic impulses as the outcome of a cultural logic of convergence embodied in the affordances and demands of digital technologies and ecosystems. Considering the three aspects of convergence culture identified by Henry Jenkins (technology, culture, participation), and how they operate within superhero media under the aegis of digitization, this article discusses their penumbra: conspiratorial technology, conspiratorial culture, and conspiratorial participation.

Exploring Culture and Sustainability: Community Participation in Indigenous Tourism in Malaysia

Nowadays, Indigenous tourism contributes to the conservation of cultural heritage and further supports sustainable development for Indigenous communities, which ultimately increases socio-economic well-being. By providing unique cultural experiences, Indigenous tourism gives greater recognition and respect for the culture while also economically benefiting. This paper aims to examine how such dynamics operate in the context of Indigenous tourism from the viewpoint and experiences of Indigenous community members who participated in tourism initiatives. Identifying culture as one of the crucial parameters that determine successful outcomes in this field, this study intends to explore how people participate in sustainable development through tourism and close important gaps using a cultural lens. Numerous databases containing scholarly research, including the Emerald Insights, Science Direct, and Web of Science, have been used in this study. As a response to the ever-growing call for inclusive and respectful tourism, this study aims to contribute valuable insights and geographical relevance to defining policy change, practice modifications, or academic pursuits of Indigenous tourism. The result of this study will fill crucial empirical research gaps in terms of how cultural restoration, tourism management, and community participation can be optimized for sustainable development with nuanced voices that are necessary to drive policy change as well as practice modifications.

Divine Medicine: Healing and Charity Through Spirit-Writing in China

This study traces the evolution of religious healing practices associated with divine presence in China, from pre-modern traditions to the modern use of spirit-writing for obtaining divine prescriptions. It examines the continuity and transformation of these practices from the late imperial period to contemporary times. It argues that healing through divine prescriptions obtained via spirit-writing challenges the perceived dichotomy between religion and science, demonstrating that they have complementary roles, rather than being strictly opposing categories. For members of Jishenghui 濟生會, a lay Buddhist charity devoted to the Buddhist god Jigong 濟公 in Republican China, religion and scientific medical practice were integrated as complementary elements of daily life, combining doctrinal beliefs, ritual practices, and moral self-cultivation. This study examines how Jishenghui used spirit-writing to obtain and distribute divine prescriptions and medicines, demonstrating that the organization’s philanthropic activities and social standing were enhanced by the integration of religious beliefs with medical and charitable practices during the Republican period. This study bridges existing research on the histories of spirit-writing and Chinese medicine, and the distinctions made between “Buddhist medicine” and “Daoist medicine”. The article contends that, for ordinary people, no strict distinction existed between Buddhist and Daoist healing practices; instead, a shared religious culture regarding illness and healing was predominant. By contextualizing key analytical concepts such as “divine medicine”, especially “divine prescriptions” (jifang 乩方 and xianfang 仙方) within the broader history of Chinese medicine and religious practices, this article demonstrates the social significance of spirit-writing as a ritual technique to provide healing and charity by lay Buddhists in Republican China, and its enduring relevance in contemporary Chinese societies.

Cultural Engagement and Subjective Well-Being in the Cluj Metropolitan Area: An Exploration in Cultural Commoning and Collaborative Development

We explore cultural participation's impact on subjective well-being in Cluj Metropolitan Area. Using telephone surveys, we identify a positive correlation between cultural engagement and increased well-being, mediated by cultural appraisal. Three primary participation types—active, receptive, and entertainment-related—are identified. Active and entertainment-related activities indirectly enhance well-being through cultural appraisal, while receptive participation shows no significant direct or indirect effect. Controlling socio-economic factors, the mediation analysis underscores cultural practices’ significant impact on well-being. These findings support the “cultural commoning” hypothesis, indicating collective urban cultural engagement fosters shared values and improves subjective well-being.

Local Ventures’ Shared Leadership Persuasion: How Knowledge Sharing and Interactive Work Culture Influence Employees’ Innovation

This research investigates the effect of shared leadership on employee innovation and the mediating and moderating roles of knowledge-sharing and interactive work culture in the relationship between shared leadership and employee innovation. A total of 840 respondents from 120 local beverage companies in three provinces in Indonesia were selected using purposive sampling. The survey instruments were initially tested for validity and reliability as a preliminary analysis. Data obtained during the survey were then analyzed using the hierarchical regression method with Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). This research reveals that shared leadership positively affects knowledge sharing and employee innovation. In addition, knowledge sharing partially mediates the relationship, while interactive work culture moderates the relationship between shared leadership and employee innovation behavior. This study is among the first to discuss the relationship between shared leadership and employees’ innovative behavior using knowledge sharing as a mediator and interactive work culture as a moderator in the context of local beverage companies in Indonesia.

Engaging the everyday: the concept and practice of ‘everyday heritage’

ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore what it means to link heritage to the everyday, how this has been framed in the field of heritage studies to date and how engagement with the everyday might generate future opportunities for heritage practice. We highlight distinctive aspects of everyday heritage, including its post-representative nature, the importance of urban activism, digital and historical forms of cultural participation, as well as its aesthetic re-framing of the ordinary. We conclude that while the term is often used to describe a non-hegemonic, unofficial form of heritage, everyday heritage tends to merge the authorised and the unauthorised. We finish by distilling our findings into a working manifesto for everyday heritage as a provocation for future discussion and debate on this topic.

Systematic Literature Review: The Effect of Quality of Work-Life Balance and Corporate Culture on Employee Engagement

This study explores the impact of work-life balance and organizational culture on employee engagement within an organization. As companies navigate the global market, human resources play a critical role in determining performance and competitive advantage. Organizational culture serves as a guiding framework that shapes employee behavior, while work-life balance directly influences employee well-being and productivity. Using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology, the study synthesizes findings from peer-reviewed publications indexed in Sinta, focusing on the relationships between these variables. The results indicate that both work-life balance and organizational culture significantly contribute to higher levels of employee engagement, enhancing motivation, commitment, and organizational performance. Employees in environments that prioritize work-life balance and foster open, participatory cultures tend to be more productive and loyal, reducing turnover rates. This research highlights the importance of creating policies that support a healthy work-life balance and positive work culture to improve employee engagement. Future research could examine these variables longitudinally, consider industry-specific dynamics, and incorporate qualitative methods for deeper insights.

HOLISTIC AND HUMANISTIC: AN ANALYSIS OF WOMEN HEALTH NARRATIVES IN RURAL INDIA

A female’s physical and psychological being is structured around the roles of belief systems and shared culture. The stigma around women’s health in India incorporates many factors, concepts, and theories. A woman’s diagnosis is seen as biologically biased and the medicine in itself is gender biased in practice. The reductionist approach explains an illness through the biological lens and not much favourable to women. Therefore, a holistic and humanistic approach recognises human illness as a whole concept with social, cultural, political, and personal factors. The medical humanities increase awareness of social, humanistic, and cultural dimensions around health. This paper studies two case study based out of rural India which speak comprehensively of possible prejudice and practices in the health sector. The research draws upon a conceptual study through medical humanities approach. Concluding upon the structures of biomedical discourses and how they can affect the agency of women’s bodies and being, and how gender and illness coalesce to reflect upon a woman’s suffering.

Inspiring Contributions: Fan Leaders’ Directives and Encouragement in the Chinese Online Celebrity Fan Community

Abstract In the neoliberal era, there is a new phenomenon where numerous fans follow fan leaders’ instructions to make tangible or intangible contributions to support celebrities, which has exacerbated economic polarization. Although past studies have explored fan empowerment in the Internet era, fan leaders’ promotion effect has remained unstudied. This study aimed to discover fan leaders’ role in guiding fans’ contributions in the Chinese fan community. By integrating a two-step flow model and participatory culture theory, it used qualitative content analysis to analyze 410 posts and 972 comments in the Chinese singer Song Yaxuan’s fan community from February 3 to 10, 2023. Through an inductive approach, four main themes were derived from results: (1) task delegation and empowerment; (2) user-friendly instructions and seamless communication; (3) highlighting a sense of crisis and putting pressure on fans; and (4) fostering a collective mindset. The findings revealed fan leaders use different techniques and the top-down structure in the community to encourage fans to give voluntary contributions of money or time to the celebrity’s development. Theoretically, this study showed internal operation logic in Chinese fan community. Practically, the study shed light on how to lessen the harmful consequences of neoliberalism’s features within the Chinese entertainment industry and realize healthy development.

Social Stratification on the Political Participation of Generation Z Women in Pantai Bahagia Village and Medalkrisna Village, Bekasi Regency

This study aims to understand the relationship between social stratification and the political participation of Generation Z women in Pantai Bahagia Village and Medalkrisna Village, Bekasi Regency. The method used was a mixed-methods approach that combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The political participation of Generation Z women was measured based on the forms of conventional, non-conventional, cultural, and digital participation. The research results indicate that there is variation in political participation based on social stratification, with the lower strata tending to be more active in conventional political participation, the middle strata being more active in digital political participation, and the upper strata being more involved in election administration. This study highlights the importance of creating an inclusive political environment to enhance young women’s political participation.

Disrupting harmful gender norms: Youth at the centre

Disrupting harmful gender norms: Youth at the centre Dr Claudia Mitchell, Director of the Participatory Cultures Lab, Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE). McGill University, tells us about the TRANSFORM project aimed at disrupting harmful gender norms and mobilizing for social change. Gender inequalities and discrimination persist glaringly around the globe. Gender-based violence stands out as one of the most widespread human rights violations. Forced and early marriage and female genital mutilation also continue to have an impact on the lives of young people. The United Nations has identified transforming harmful gender norms as a critical goal among its 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.

Community, Socialisation, and Empowerment in Cultural Game Jams with Youth Citizens

This paper examines social and collaborative elements of Cultural Game Jams developed and implemented in the large-scale Europe Horizon research and innovation project, EPIC-WE: Empowered Participation through Ideating Cultural Worlds and Environments (2023-2026). The project explores and develops transdisciplinary collaboration and co-creation across cultural heritage institutions, creative industries, higher education institutions, and youth citizens (ages 16-25) towards Cultural Game Jam interventions across three European sites: Óbidos (Portugal), Hilversum (Netherlands), and Aarhus (Denmark). The Cultural Game Jams are held at cultural heritage sites and are aimed towards value-sensitive game design and youth empowerment. This paper explores Cultural Game Jams as a potential format for enabling and developing youths’ empowered participation, communality, and cultural socialisation by analysing the first Cultural Game Jam (2024). Framed by a Design-Based Research methodology and guided by experimental and short-term ethnography and design experiments, the analyses draw from qualitative empirical material, e.g., interviews, participatory observations, field notes, and the Cultural Game Jam participants' reflective process and design documentation. The analyses illustrate how co-creating games within cultural heritage contexts can develop youth perceptions of community, cultural socialisation processes, and individual/collective empowerment. Furthermore, the paper offers insights into the co-creation of games as new expressions of cultural heritage through epistemic collaboration and cultural participation in game jams while discussing possibilities for enabling new experiences of empowered participation, social learning, and community among youth citizens.

The Impact of Total Quality Management (TQM) on Innovation Performance with Knowledge Sharing and Organizational Culture as Intervening Variables: A Study on PT Pos Indonesia (Persero) Bandung

This study examines the effect of Total Quality Management (TQM) on innovation performance at the Main Branch Office of PT Pos Indonesia (Persero) Bandung, with knowledge sharing and organizational culture serving as intervening variables. The data was collected using a saturated sampling of 85 respondents and analysed using Structural Equation Modelling using SmartPLS. This research method is commonly used in quantitative research. Organisational culture, knowledge sharing, and innovation performance are all positively and significantly impacted by TQM, according to the findings. Furthermore, the connection between TQM and innovation performance is moderated to a large extent by both knowledge sharing and organisational culture. This research shows that TQM, supported by a values-driven culture and an emphasis on information sharing, is essential for encouraging innovation.

Co-creation of value in a cultural organizations’ ecosystem

From the perspective of Service Dominant Logic (Vargo and Lusch 2018), this research analyzes how co-creation of value develops in a Peruvian cultural ecosystem through analyzing its actor’s engagement, embeddedness, and value-in-context. The findings obtained aim to contribute to the dialogue between S-D logic and Arts Marketing, and to put light on the mechanisms that activate and restrict cultural participation in a service ecosystem. The research consists of a multiple case study which analyzes the Peruvian Puntos de Cultura Network (PPDCN) through 9 of its organizations. Participants include organizational leaders, users, and Network central headquarters’ managers. The instruments were an exploratory survey, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. The analysis included codification, inter-rater reliability, ‘making-strange tool’ and a meta-matrix. Through the study of the co-creation of value in the PPDCN, findings revealed the following mechanisms for cultural participation: (1) Activation mechanisms: co-production between organizations and users; high leader engagement; cultural identity activities; educative, affective and entertainment-oriented activities. (2) Restriction mechanisms: different institutional logics at any level of interaction: organizations and Headquarters managers, organizations and socio-cultural environment, Headquarters managers and state actors; misalignment of platforms.