Perspective Of Local People Research Articles

International Migration, Xenophobia and Migrant Employment in Rural Areas: Konya Example

This study examines the problems arising from that the agricultural sector has become a significant employment area for migrant labor due to migrant migration. The presence of migrant labor in the agricultural sector has increased because of the cost advantages provided by agricultural operators of cheap labor supply despite informal working conditions. Migrant labor has crucial contributions to the sustainability of production activities, especially in the agricultural sector, where the local labor does not want to be employed. However, the perspective of local people toward migrants differs over time, especially due to different social and cultural characteristics. Since these differences are more noticeable in small settlements, such as rural areas people who are migrant to society or national identity become unwanted in the living spaces of local people over course of time, this study aimed to determine the perspective toward migrant labor and to evaluate the impact of this situation on the sustainability of production. In line with the results obtained, policy recommendations were made for the integration of migrant labor and the planning of agricultural activities.

Evaluation of the Effects of Nuclear Power Plants on Tourism from the Perspective of Local People: The Case of Sinop

Ülkelerin ekonomik ve sosyal kalkınmalarını sağlayabilmeleri için yeterli enerji kaynağına sahip olmaları oldukça önemlidir. Enerjide dışa bağımlılığı azaltmak isteyen ülkelerden biri olan Türkiye, yerli enerji üretim kapasitesini arttırmak amacıyla nükleer enerji santrallerin kurulmasına karar vermiştir. Bu kapsamda nükleer santral kurulacak sahalardan biri de Sinop’tur. Bu çalışmada Karadeniz Bölgesi’nin önemli bir deniz ve doğa turizmi destinasyonu olan Sinop’ta kurulacak nükleer santralin yöre turizmi üzerine olası etkilerinin yerel halkın bakış açısıyla değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla santralin etki alanı düşünülerek çoğunluğunu Merkez ilçe, Ayancık ve Gerze ilçelerinden katılımcıların oluşturduğu 415 kişiye anket uygulanmıştır. Araştırma kapsamında belirlenen hipotezlerin test edilmesi için öncelikle keşfedici faktörü analizi, sonrasında ise T testi ve tek yönlü varyans analizi uygulanmıştır. Analiz sonuçlarına göre yerel halk, Sinop’ta kurulacak nükleer santralin deniz başta olmak üzere doğal hayata zarar vereceğini ve yöredeki turizm faaliyetlerini olumsuz etkileyeceğini düşünmektedir.

Contruction of Wawasan Nusantara as a Means of Filtering Foreign Cultures in The Border Areas of Jayapura, Indonesia

Instead of foreign culture enriching the way of life and perspective of local people, its existence has actually weakened the position of local culture. The position of foreign culture is no longer side by side with local culture, but its "beats". Here, local existence is not higher than foreign culture. As a counter to such a massive expansion of foreign culture, Indonesia actually has a Wawasan Nusantara which is a view that every Indonesian must have it as a pride for their own nation. It also meas a way for Indonesia to see itself (geographically) as a unified whole from the aspects of ideology, politics, economy, socio-culture, security, and defense. Referring to it, this study seeks to analyze the construction of Wawasan Nusantara in the border areas to filter foreign cultural exposure, especially by using a human communication approach. During the research period, the values ​​of Wawasan Nusantara were communicated to the border communities to further see what the community was doing. The data was then collected using a mixed method, namely quantitative and qualitative methods that reinforce each other. The results showed that the implementation of the Wawasan Nusantara had an effect in filtering foreign cultural exposure in the border area between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, namely Skouw in Jayapura. Therefore, Wawasan Nusantara can be a solution for managing the exposure to foreign cultures in general. The strategy that can be implemented is strengthening local intelligence to increase public awareness of the dangers posed by destructive foreign cultures and the importance of tightening security in Indonesia's border areas.

Preliminary Survey on Clam Based Tourism and Conservation in Sabah

One nature-based attraction for nature lovers and ecotourists in Sabah is the variety of clam resources where exotic species such as Giant clam are protected under CITES and the Sabah Department of Fisheries. Clams are highly distributed in Sabah, attracting tourists and providing food sources for local people. Despite the popularity of clams, the relationship between clam consumption by the local community and tourists are least documented and studied in Sabah, implicating the management and conservation of clam resources through the perspective of local people and tourists. This research is significant in improving policies and decision-making for the long-term ecological and socio-economic sustainability of clam-based tourism and conservation in Sabah. Online surveys and in-person interviews on local people and tourists were conducted in Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Kudat. Descriptive statistical methods, Chi-squared analysis, and factor analysis were used for analysing data. Findings suggest a relationship between clam consumption by the respondents with clam as traditional food of the respondents and the popularity of clam in the visited area. Factor analysis yielded two factors on the involvement of the local community in clam conservation and utilization in the visited area, and another two factors on the respondent's expectation based on their trip experiences in Sabah. The results also suggest that tourists commonly viewed the involvement of the local community in their visited area as more traditional-like. These views contradict clam conservation efforts in Sabah that adopt modern approaches while excluding the role of local people. This information is crucial in understanding the consumption of clam resources in Sabah's tourism industry, integrating with local cultures and adding value to calm conservation in Sabah.

The Politics of Localizing Human Rights: Chinese Policies and Corporate Practices in Latin America

AbstractThe ‘Going Out’ strategy that China began in 1999 escalated to a global level with the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ in 2013. However, the lack of a clear international framework for corporate accountability accentuates the risks of human rights’ affectation by Chinese corporations, considering their controversial performance in Latin America. This article engages with the scholarly framework of international norm localization to analyze the enactment of Chinese business and human rights standards and their concrete application. This assessment relies on an extensive review of academic and policy research and the analysis of social conflicts around one of the largest copper mines in the region, Las Bambas, located in the highlands of Peru. The case shows that the main problem is not the lack of incorporation of business and human rights standards into national laws and the guidelines of companies’ home regulators, but the different ways they are interpreted by social actors on the ground. Local communities are not passive receptors of those norms but norm makers who appropriate them and provide new meanings in line with their self-determination. Chinese and national authorities and firms, therefore, need to engage with those norms from the perspective of local people.

Local Perception on the Climate Change in Nepali Society: A Spatial Comparison between Urban and Rural Area of Dharan and Bhojpur in Nepal

Climate change has become a global concern and debatable issue worldwide in the present era. It needs to be discussed from rural community and urban perspective in terms of the local understanding, experience, and knowledge in environmental discourse. The local understanding on climate change in Nepali society is the spatial comparative analysis of understanding to the environment from the perspective of local people. Being spatial comparative studies, it compares the understanding of environmental change of people among rural and urban areas Province 1 of Nepal. It underpins the interpretive research philosophy based on the qualitative research approach, employing the convenience sampling of non-probability sampling design with in-depth interview, and observation as the tools of data collection. The six research informants, three from the rural areas of Temkemaiyum of Bhojpur district and three from the urban areas of Dharan Sub-metropolitan City of Sunsari district have selected for the perception and experience collection for the comparative study. The finding has revealed that the both people of urban and rural areas are noticing the climate change. However, their understanding has varied based their knowledge, understanding, and experience. Though the study has focused on climate change, it has been recommended for researchers, policy makers, and policy implementers for environmental discourse in further research in Nepalese context.

Locals’ perspectives on the role of tourism in the preservation of a diaspora language: the case of Veneto in Mexico

ABSTRACT In recent years, there has been growing research interest in the role of tourism for the preservation and revitalization of minority languages. However, scant attention has been given to the diaspora language, a different type of minority language spoken by people dispersed from their place of origin. The present study aims to address this gap by exploring through 17 semistructured interviews, the perspectives of local people from the Italian community of Chipilo in Mexico regarding the potential use of tourism for the maintenance of Veneto. Findings reveal that tourism is relevant for preserving the diaspora language due to its potential to strengthen local pride and sense of identity through promoting the language to tourists and fostering cultural bonds between the community and its historic homeland.

Seal hunting in Newfoundland from the perspective of local people

The hunting of harp (Pagophilus groenladicus) and grey (Halichoerus grypus) seal are part of Newfoundland and Labrador’s cultural heritage, tradition, and livelihood. Controversies, however, exist around seal hunting and the permanence of the industry, which is infused by the perceived impact of seals to the local fishery and the growing populations of these species off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. To include coastal residents in the seal debate, a self-administered questionnaire was randomly distributed across 40 communities (38 rural and 2 urban). Overall, respondents valued seals for their ecological, intrinsic, cultural and instrumental values, expressed positive attitudes toward seals, believed seals were causing the decline of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), held low trust toward the federal agency governing the sea, did not think the hunting was cruel and supported continuity of the activity. Results from structural equation modelling showed that support for stopping the seal hunt was positively influenced by beliefs about cruelty associated to hunting, and negatively influenced by acceptability of using seals for commercial and subsistence purposes. Statistical differences were found between rural and urban respondents, yet both groups held similar views. Findings suggested that despite positive ecological and intrinsic values and attitudes, seals were perceived as an abundant species that needs to be lethally controlled. The lack of trust on the government suggested that an open dialogue is necessary for an effecting seal management.

Two tropical research stations in Mexico: 50 years of contributions and challenges

Tropical ecosystems have been transformed at alarming rates provoking their transformation mainly into agricultural and pasturelands for cattle. This has drastically modified landscapes, the provision of ecosystem services, and thus human livelihoods. As a response to the need to preserve and study tropical forests, the National Autonomous University of Mexico created two research field stations around 50 years ago. Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station located in a tropical rain forest on the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and the Chamela Biological Station established in a tropical dry forest on the central Pacific coast. A significant amount of research has been conducted in both areas although one question that arises pertains to the impact these stations have had on the areas in which they are located. The aim of this paper is to analyze the scientific production of the research field stations and their relation to local information needs and interests, as well as to document local people's perspectives regarding their presence in their regions. Research methods included interviews and surveys with local communities, as well as analysis of the stations' databases. Although our results are preliminary, they show that from the identification of information needs and interests of local communities at each site (52 and 28 respectively), around 40% were not covered by existing knowledge. Furthermore, those fully or partially covered would need to be transformed into products accessible to rural communities. In both sites, local people expressed an interest in the work of the stations and particularly, they acknowledge possible benefits for their regions. If the goal is to reverse the degradation of ecosystems and mitigate environmental problems, field stations can no longer work in isolation but become agents of social transformation. It is necessary to revise how biological, ecological, and socio-ecological knowledge can be shared with people so that it is meaningful and useful for them. A linkage process between scientific institutions and local people should be strengthened in order for scientific knowledge to have a local impact on the long-term maintenance of tropical socioecological systems.

Tourism and Community Empowerment: The Perspectives of Local People in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT There has been an increase in research tourism and community empowerment. Yet, most of the research has denied local people an opportunity to be heard concerning their views and perspectives on tourism's ability to empower communities. This article examines the views and perspectives of local rural people in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe regarding tourism and community empowerment. In-depth interviews, direct observations and informal conversations were used to collect data from 43 local people in the province's four districts. The article argues that while tourism development in Manicaland empowers local people economically, socially, politically , and psychologically, signs of disempowerment are still visible. This research contributes to the alternative approach in tourism studies which seeks the perspectives, expectations and loved experiences of local communities.

Narratives of everyday resilience: lessons from an urban kampung community in Surabaya, Indonesia

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss what people perceive as risks and resilience factors, and how they build everyday resilience.Design/methodology/approachThe study focuses on Kampung (literally “village”) Plampitan, a neighbourhood in the inner-city part of Surabaya. The research used field observation, in-depth interviews and workshops during community meetings to collect data.FindingsThe results show how people respond to daily risks and find the support necessary to survive. The problems and risks revealed in the study include crime and economic difficulties, such as unemployment and insufficient income. Coping strategies identified are classified into place-based adaption, people-based network and political network. These strategies can serve as a starting point for local communities to assess their resilience and assist them in enhancing “everyday” resilience.Originality/valueThe paper argues that the concept of resilience must go beyond top-down approaches to disaster risk management and integrate bottom-up understanding from the perspective of local people, especially among marginal and disadvantaged communities. The paper develops the emerging and overlooked concept of “everyday resilience” and suggests that it is essential in surviving both “everyday” or small-scale chronic risks and large-scale disasters.

Islamic beliefs and host-guest relationships in Iran

This study examines how Islamic beliefs affect host-guest interactions from the perspectives of local people in two Islamic heritage villages in Iran. Face-to-face interviews with 51 people across ...

Factors Improvement of Sustainable livelihoods from the Perspective of Local People, Case Study: Ardabil County

Factors Improvement of Sustainable livelihoods from the Perspective of Local People, Case Study: Ardabil County

Farmers’ perception on causes, indicators and determinants of climate change in northern Ethiopia: Implication for developing adaptation strategies

Even though climate change is recognized as a major challenge for the economic growth of developing counties such as Ethiopia, little information has been documented about climate change from local people perspectives. The objectives of this study are to describe socio-economic, biophysical and institutional characteristics of farmers, and assess the causes, indicators and determinant factors of climate change based on farmers’ perception in northern Ethiopia. Systematic sampling technique was used to select 60 sample household head farmers. The sample farmers were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive, chi-square (χ2) and logistic regression analysis. This study revealed that farmers’ socioeconomic, farm and institutional attributes influence their perception on climate change. Significantly higher proportions of farmer respondents perceived that deforestation (93%) followed by soil degradation (88%) are the main causes of climate change. Higher proportions of the respondents also identified that the most commonly used indicators of climate change are variability in rainfall (92%), erosion rate (90%), temperature (85%) and agricultural outputs (85%). The success of logistic regression model overall prediction is described by model χ2 = 81, p = 0·003, indicating that the independent variables significantly explained the dependent variable. The success of the regression model prediction level is also described by a strong association between the perception of farmers on climate change and the group of the explanatory variables by coefficient of determination of 83%. Among the explanatory variables, access to rain-fed agriculture, experience on soil management and water harvesting structures were significantly important determinants of farmers’ perception on climate change. It is thus suggested that introduction of comprehensive activities tailored to show in-depth examples of local and global causes and indicators of climate change, considering the determinant variables can enable farmers to design suitable adaptation strategies to climate change (.e.g., land-use based on its suitability, intensifying moisture and water harvesting practices, introducing high yield but short season variety, drought, pest and diseases tolerant crop varieties).

Typology of the ecotourism development approach and an evaluation from the sustainability view: The case of Mazandaran Province, Iran

This paper identifies the ecotourism development approach in the Mazandaran Province of northern Iran. It also evaluates the sustainability of this approach from local people's perspectives. Thirty indicators were developed for the typology of the approach and the respondents were key figures in the province's tourism sector. To evaluate the sustainability of this approach, 31 indicators were established, and based on cluster sampling and Cochran's method, 600 questionnaires were completed in 6 target cities in the Mazandaran Province. The study's findings show that ecotourism development in this region is based on a ‘hybrid approach’ (the combination of boosterism and economic factors), which have led to an unequal power interrelationships and interactions between the natural environment and human, and host and guest. Evaluating the sustainability of ecotourism, from local people's perspectives, has revealed that ecotourism in the Mazandaran province has failed to be sustainable.

Contested Sovereignty: Local Politics and State Power in Territorial Conflicts on the Vietnam-China Border, 1650s–1880s

This article analyzes territorial disputes and political relationships at the border between China and Vietnam from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Predominant Western scholarship argues that, owing to the tributary relationship among states and polities, there was no territorial boundary in premodern Asia; furthermore, it suggests, the concept of the “geo-body” of a nation or sovereign state only arose with the transfer of new mapping technology from Europe. This article argues instead that the absence of lines of demarcation on Vietnamese and Chinese maps before the late nineteenth century does not connote a lack of consciousness of the existence of borders. The quest for autonomy throughout history by local communities living between China and Vietnam gave rise to border conflicts, which led to the intervention by and expansion of these two states, as well as negotiations and territorial division between them. The transformation of the China-Vietnam border from a premodern to a modern form thus did not depend solely on its cartographic representation; it also involved the power of the state to control space. Additionally, this article demonstrates that tensions over the border did not simply involve central governments but often resulted from a combination of local conflicts and the complicated relations between local actors and the state. The article suggests a new approach to exploring the history of state borders from the perspective of local people, in which the “in-between communities” are not seen as passive objects of border demarcation but are also a driving force in the establishment of a frontier. While the “in-between communities” discussed in this article were behind conflicts over land and its division into national territories, their manipulations of ethnic identity and transgressive mobility also helped blur the border between the two countries.

Realms of conservation or “wildlife liberation”: a case of Sengwe in Zimbabwe

In the past two decades, adoption of Transfrontier Conservation Areas by African governments as a panacea to the management of wild resources that transcend political boundaries has been on the increase. The implementation process, however, has effects not only on the proliferation of the tourism industry and improved conservation of natural resources, but on the livelihoods of local people. Using the case of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area initiative, this study looks at its effects on the livelihoods of Sengwe people and how they respond to these external shocks and stresses as well as their ability to handle risks. I use qualitative methodology to detail an ethnographic account of the local people’s resilience to the effects of the initiative, covering the period 2007–2009. The study draws attention to the voices of those who are seldom heard. I show how little has changed regarding translating conservation policy into practice from the perspective of local people despite the shift from the exclusionist approach of the colonial era to participatory rhetoric. I argue that the initiative is constructed on top-down hegemonic development approaches with effects on the livelihoods of local people. Local people adapted a number of livelihood strategies to cope with external shocks from effects of the initiative. The study concludes that the initiative did not attain all its objectives and its focus on wildlife suggests a facilitation of the commoditisation of wild resources that is not a people-centred initiative.

Local Perceptions about the Effects of Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) and Castor (Ricinus communis) Plantations on Households in Ghana and Ethiopia

Biofuel plantations have been hyped as a means to reinvigorate Africa’s rural areas. Yet there is still apprehension about the negative environmental and social impacts of large-scale commercial biofuel production around rising food prices, land grabbing, ecological damage, and disruption of rural livelihoods. Given the extent of Jatropha curcas production in Ghana and Ethiopia and Castor bean (Ricinus communis) in Ethiopia, this paper presents the results of a study that assessed the socio-economic implications of industrial Jatropha plantations on local livelihoods in Ghana, and of industrial Jatropha and Castor plantations on local livelihoods in Ethiopia. This study used primary data collected from 234 households in Ghana and 165 in Ethiopia. The cultivation of Jatropha and Castor has had several important effects on local livelihoods in the study sites, most notably decreases in household landholdings due to the arrival of industrial Jatropha or Castor plantations; and the resulting changes these plantations have caused in household socio-economic status, food security, fallow periods, and fodder availability. We consider how a lack of meaningful consultation between local people, their traditional authorities and the biofuel company managers, along with shortcomings in each country’s broader land acquisition process and poor land use information, may have contributed to these overall negative effects on local livelihoods. We conclude by suggesting several ways that emerging biofuel industries could be improved from the perspective of local people and their livelihoods.

Multiple Ontologies and the Problem of the Body in History

ABSTRACT In this article, we return to a fundamental anthropological question: How can we understand apparently incommensurate perspectives on the human body? While applauding recent moves to place local people's perspectives on an ontological rather than epistemological footing, we suggest that both of these approaches fail to explain how different ontological perspectives can ever communicate with one another and how historical change takes place. To understand this, we offer a different model of multiple ontologies that also makes room for physical materials; we explore this through the ontologies of Native America and Western Europe from medieval times to the present day.

Competing Claims and Contested Boundaries: Legitimating Land Rights in Isiolo District, Northern Kenya

People from five different ethnic groups share the territory that is Isiolo District, situated in northern Kenya. This article gives an account of the different groups’ claims to land in this inter-ethnic setting, which is located in the border area of the vast drylands southeast of the Sahara. Presenting contemporary claims in a narrative form, the authors illustrate how these claims seek legitimacy through reference to historical processes, to first-comer status and to former governments’ decisions, to citizenship dues, as well as to “tribal” group rights. Taking into account the fact that the broader constitutional, political and social contexts related to these narratives and claims are, at present, in a state of transition, the article seeks to situate the local people's perspectives and local land dynamics within broader discourses on land conflict and land policy reform in Africa. In this way, it also provides context for the series of new inter-ethnic clashes that took place in Isiolo District in 2011.