Popular Beliefs Research Articles

Wettererscheinungen in Märchen, Sagen und anderen Volkserzählungen

Abstract We hear weather reports every day and, in a digitally networked world, learn in real time here and how catastrophic damage causes weather upheavals. The universal significance of the weather for humans, animals and the environment is reflected in different ways in European folk tales. Popular beliefs often play a role in this. This article is intended as an overview of the most important phenomena.

Levels of knowledge and beliefs regarding osteoporosis: Preliminary results of a survey among Moroccan women living in Casablanca

Objectives: To get closer to the beliefs and knowledge of Moroccan women over 18 years old living in Casablanca. Methods and patients: The survey was conducted among a population aged 18 and over. An in-depth questionnaire was carried out with the aim of distinguishing gaps in knowledge but also popular beliefs limiting good understanding. Results: 322 participants were included, aged from 19 to 86 years.96% of participants were familiar with the term osteoporosis without any correlation with age, level of education or place of residence. The primary source of information was family and neighborhood in 59%.57% considered the therapeutic arsenal expensive and was no way correlated with monthly income. 90% mentioned the preponderant role of calcium and vitamin intake in preserving bone health. Vitamin D deficiency, rheumatic and endocrine history represented the popular beliefs most implicated in the occurrence of osteoporosis in 90%,86%,78%respectively. The major impact of osteoporosis represented by the risk of fracture and the disability caused were part of the achievements in 97% and 95% respectively. Conclusion: The general knowledge of the Casablanca female population was high compared to numerous studies carried out in the same context.

Meta-Research in Geriatric Surgery: Improving the Quality of Surgical Evidence for Older Persons in a Multidimensional-Scale Research Field.

The world is facing a significant demographic transition, with a substantial increase in the proportion of older persons, as well as long-lived persons (especially nonagenarians and centenarians). One of the popular beliefs is that old age is synonymous with disease and disability. However, the successful aging hypothesis suggests that those older persons with advanced chronological age who maintain their functional capacity derive from it a delay in biological aging, enhancing the quality of organic aging and regulation. Therefore, regardless of chronological age, even in cases of extreme longevity, those older adults with a successful aging phenotype and favorable functional capacity would be expected to have satisfactory post-surgical recovery with a low risk of morbidity and mortality. Currently, there is a significant gap between the availability of high-certainty surgical evidence that allows for evidence-based interventions applicable to the long-lived population-taking into account the actual conditioning factors of the health phenotype in older persons-and, above all, predictors of satisfactory post-surgical evolution. The application of meta-research to geriatric surgery emerges as a fundamental tool to address this knowledge gap and reveals opportunities and limitations that need to be resolved in the near future to establish evidence-based surgical care for older persons. The aim of this manuscript was to present a real and globally relevant scenario related to surgical care, addressing the longevity, the availability, and the quality of surgical evidence applicable to this population, and also to present variables to consider in analysis and future perspectives in research and meta-research in geriatric surgery.

Conspicuous consumption and conscientious conservation: Testing for a status-prosociality link through need for uniqueness and variety seeking

Whereas the environmental impact of buying luxury goods is debated, there is evidence that purchasing such products—often referred to as conspicuous consumption—can be more sustainable than hoarding cheaper alternatives because luxury goods are more durable and are often passed down through generations, resulting in fewer resources being consumed by the average consumer. Contrary to popular beliefs that conspicuous consumption is inconsistent with environmental concerns, recent studies demonstrate that conspicuous consumption is sometimes positively associated with proenvironmentalism. However, less is known about the psychological mechanisms responsible for this counterintuitive association. In this research, we propose and find that conspicuous consumption orientation is positively related to proenvironmental consumption values, with this relationship being mediated by consumers' need for uniqueness and variety seeking. The proposed framework was tested and supported by a large-scale cross-sectional survey (N = 1400; 59.9% women), with data analyzed using structural equation modeling. Together, the current findings shed light on the processes that explain the link between conspicuous consumption and proenvironmental purchasing preferences, with the current results suggesting that consumers’ tendency to seek unique and varied options in the marketplace may be used to promote sustainable consumption.

Students’ views on Amazonian ethno-herpetofauna

Ethnoherpetology is the ethnoscience that studies the interactions of humans from different cultures with amphibians and reptiles. The present work aims to describe students' conception of ethnoherpetofauna. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to students (n= 25) in the 7th year of Elementary School. In order to expand and improve the retention of the content covered in classes, a Didactic Sequence (SD) was carried out. The majority of research participants are unaware of or have never heard of the concept of Herpetology (96.0%), not being able to distinguish animals belonging to herpetofauna, such as amphibians. The majority demonstrated an aversion to these animals and considered them to be venomous and poisonous (23.0% frogs and 50.0% snakes). Despite this, the majority recognized the ecological importance of these individuals in the environment, mainly for the balance of the food chain (60.0%). The students pointed out that the main cause of the decrease in reptiles and amphibians in nature is the destruction of habitats (44.0%). It was observed that students' knowledge regarding Herpetology is based on myths and popular beliefs. Such erroneous information contributes to aggressive reactions (19.2%) of students to animals. The teaching methods and resources used were well accepted (80%), especially the exhibition of animals (reptiles and amphibians) preserved in formaldehyde (64%), thus facilitating the retention of the content. In view of this, we reinforce the need for more interventions in the area of ​​environmental education, which address the ecological importance of these animals and which help to conserve the environment.

Social participation in Anvisa's regulations: hybrid, colloquial, and scientific evidence for democratic decision-making.

Anvisa's public consultation (PC) is the most widely used social participation mechanism in current health regulations, which was based on antagonistic movements: the democratization of decision-making and State counter-reformation. Starting from the concept of social participation, defined as various actions from society related to public decision-making, which values diversity and the exercise of citizenship, the present article discusses the possibility of PCs configuring a democratic regulation process by considering popular beliefs and colloquial evidence, and promoting the creation of hybrid evidence in an evidence-moderated model. Despite the different interests, the PCs open the door to opportunities for democratic deliberation by society in the search of understanding, where it is expected that the State will make the best decision and justify it. In this sense, the role of evidence in clarifying complex issues is defined as a space where dissent, believed to democratize society, is important in revealing the limits of scientific evidence in an environment of information asymmetry. Finally, this article aims to refute technocracy as an instrument of power in health regulations, thereby achieving the greatest democratic potential of Anvisa's regulations.

“The Story of You and Me”: Strategic Ambiguity in the Paratextual Reception of Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982

ABSTRACT This article explores the connection between the online commentary on the South Korean novel, and later film, Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982 (2016; film released in 2019), and the perception of feminism within South Korea. To capture how Kim Ji-Young’s “meaning” is entangled with popular beliefs about feminism, I analyze audience reception through Kim Ji-Young’s paratexts: (a) tweets and (b) comments responding to newspaper articles mentioning the novel and/or film Kim Ji-Young from the Korean platform Naver. I examine paratexts to reveal that the “meaning” Kim Ji-Young has in online spaces is not determined solely by the novel or film-as-referent. I show that Kim Ji-Young the source text has become inextricable from the mélange of preconceptions regarding what constitutes a “feminist” stance in Korea, ranging from the stereotype of the selfish “feminist” who shirks her maternal duty towards the nation to the discontent of stay-at-home moms. I show that online misogyny has forced those who support Kim Ji-Young’s feminist message to employ what rhetorician Leah Ceccarelli describes as “strategic ambiguity.” This involves simultaneously disavowing Kim Ji-Young‘s feminism while praising the text’s feminist politics, a tactic used to shield themselves from attacks by misogynistic trolls.

An Invisible Impediment to Progress: Perceptions of Racialization in the Nonprofit Sector

Popular beliefs about the nonprofit sector suggest it as a place devoted to the public good on behalf of disadvantaged individuals and groups. This dominant view implies an organization’s success or failure as the result of individual decision-making, capacity issues, or inability to behave like successful organizations. This fuels a view of the sector as race-neutral where all organizations encounter the same challenges and in the same ways. In this article, I use interview data from a 2-year qualitative study of Black-led organizations in Madison, Wisconsin to examine how Black-led organizations perceive racialization in the sector and its impact on their work. Findings suggest that Black-led organizations perceive racialization in the sector across key areas understood as central to an organization’s operation: leadership, funding, data, collaboration, and volunteering. I conclude by calling for a more robust theory of racialization in the nonprofit sector that might vary by place.

Can corruption connect you to politics? Nepotism, anxiety, and government blame

AbstractCan corruption scandals trigger citizens to punish a poor‐performing government? Citizens often fail to punish governments with subpar policy outcomes because they tend to isolate politics from their personal life and avoid blaming one's own party. Challenging these popular beliefs, our findings from a survey experiment in South Korea indicate that corruption scandals accusing elected officials of nepotism trigger people to blame the government as the cause of their personal grievances. This effect is prominent among individuals who are highly worried about their own education, employment, and retirement, highlighting anxiety as a driving factor. Surprisingly, the effect of nepotism spills across domains; for example, college admission nepotism increases government blame for concerns on not only education but also employment and retirement. Moreover, nepotism may prompt partisans whose party is in power, who are otherwise less likely to blame the incumbent government, to attribute greater blame to the government. These findings imply that corruption scandals can alter perceptions of how government performance affects personal lives. Overall, the study suggests that nepotism in areas critical to personal well‐being may generate an effective opposition against poor‐performing government, as seen in the 2016–17 South Korean presidential corruption scandal.

Interrogating the Drunkards and Representing Drunkenness in the Qing Law

Abstract The consumption of shaojiu or distilled liquor played a significant role in Qing legal culture and contributed to a rise in alcohol-related crimes. Qing officials’ attitudes towards intoxication not only influenced their judgments on many cases, but also reflected important trends of popular beliefs, notions, and practices that constituted shared knowledge and feelings between ordinary people and judges. This paper examines the transformation of Qing judicial practices and concerns regarding alcohol intoxication and crimes, arguing that specific cultural value and ideas that underpinned the public configuration of drinking behaviour during the Qing period contributed to a social pathology around intoxication. Due to the lack of a consistent interpretation of the effects of alcohol on the mind, early Qing officials tended to be lenient towards intoxicated offenders. However, mid-Qing law-makers and rulers recognized the serious administrative concerns associated with heavy drinking and began to conceptualize it as a serious social problem.

Barokowy twórca średniowiecznej przeszłości miast Germanii Słowiańskiej (nieco o społecznych funkcjach historii regionalnej i potrzebie jej modyfikacji)

Historical writing often borders on non-fiction and novelistic fiction. The sparse source base is sometimes supplemented by the imagination of the historian him/herself. The critical scholar confines him/herself to demonstrating that an impressive mixture of legendary themes, folk tales and popular beliefs make up a „mythologised or falsified picture of the past”. The goal is simply to decide who is writing, for whom and for what purpose?

Six Popular Beliefs on Language Learning with the Different Theories and Principles on Second Language Learning

This article defines what language is and how significant it is. It exhibits how language is learned throughout life. It elaborates that there are six beliefs related to language learning. The first belief that the study mentions is that language learning is learned by imitation. The article will exhibit the definitions of imitation case and how it is different from practice. It also shows vivid examples of what is meant by imitation and what is meant by practice. Moreover, the article also shows that learning a language could be done through daily routine and it provides clear examples about this matter. The second belief exhibits that younger learners are better learners than adults. The third belief is the appropriate pronunciation of the sounds to speak. Furthermore, the fourth belief the author explains students learn what they are taught. The fifth belief focuses on learners that they should be corrected as soon as they make errors. Finally, the sixth belief is that students can learn both languages and academic content simultaneously. The article elaborates on the sixth belief in detail explaining each one of them individually. It also sheds light on different theories of second language learning which are universal grammar theory, sociocultural theory, and the monitor model theory. The monitor model theory has five different hypotheses which are the acquisition versus learning hypothesis, The monitor hypothesis, the Natural order hypothesis, the Comprehensible input hypothesis, and The Affective Filter Hypothesis. In addition, the author also speaks about Ellis learning principles which are 12 principles but the Author focuses on only seven of them.

The River God Cult and the Reshaping of Political Authority—Reading Inscriptions from the Hezhong Area in Tang China

The River God cult held a significant place in state rituals in imperial China. While scholars have primarily focused on the evolution of the River God sacrificial system, with its interplay of the official granting of noble titles and popular beliefs, this paper offers a further examination of the River God cult. By reading the “Stele of the (Shrine) Temple for the River God honored as the Duke of Numinous Source” (hedushen lingyuangong cimiao bei 河瀆神靈源公祠廟碑), created in the Tang Dynasty, this study explores the interactive relationship between the River God cult and state power in the Hezhong 河中area during that time period. We contend that the traditional River God cult and the participation of both officials and civilians in common rituals throughout past dynasties not only created a concentration of historical memories and reverent emotions but also established a strong social foundation for belief in the River God within the Hezhong region. This cult attracted both state endorsement and popular support. Thus, Guo Ziyi 郭子儀 (697–781), a famous military general in the Tang Dynasty, sought to renovate a temple and erect a monument for the River God. This monument was to serve as a cultural symbol that would strengthen the connection between the state and the local community, and hence ease the social tensions in the Hezhong area after the An Lushan Rebellion. In sum, such a construction would enhance the psychological and cultural identity of the people with both the mandate of heaven and the Tang imperial authority.

Forensic Audio and Voice Analysis: TV Series Reinforce False Popular Beliefs

People’s perception of forensic evidence is greatly influenced by crime TV series. The analysis of the human voice is no exception. However, unlike fingerprints—with which fiction and popular beliefs draw an incorrect parallel—the human voice varies according to many factors, can be altered deliberately, and its potential uniqueness has yet to be proven. Starting with a cursory examination of landmarks in forensic voice analysis that exemplify how the voiceprint fallacy came about and why people think they can recognize people’s voices, we then provide a thorough inspection of over 100 excerpts from TV series. Through this analysis, we seek to characterize the narrative and aesthetic processes that fashion our perception of scientific evidence when it comes to identifying somebody based on voice analysis. These processes converge to exaggerate the reliability of forensic voice analysis. We complement our examination with plausibility ratings of a subset of excerpts. We claim that these biased representations have led to a situation where, even today, one of the main challenges faced by forensic voice specialists is to convince trial jurors, judges, lawyers, and police officers that forensic voice comparison can by no means give the sort of straightforward answers that fingerprints or DNA permit.

Raganavimas Lietuvos kaimo bendruomenėje XXI a. pradžioje (folkloro ekspedicijų duomenimis)

The article is based on the materials collected during four folklore fieldwork sessions that took place in the different regions of Lithuania in the first decade of the 21st century. The aim is to present popular beliefs and legend-like narratives related to harmful magic that are still preserved in the Lithuanian villages, and the informants’ attitudes towards them. The point of departure for the analysis was the category of the “strange people” discussed by Norbertas Vėlius in his book “Mythical Beings of the Lithuanian Legends”. However, as folklore data from the beginning of the 21st century reveals, some subcategories of these “strange people” discerned in the book are by now totally extinct from the living tradition (like werewolves or “soul-seers”), while others, including witches, wizards, evil-eyed people and partly, charmers, have inextricably merged together. Thus the article focuses on a general, overlapping phenomenon, namely witchcraft. Having taken into account the universal character of this phenomenon, the author strives to discern its peculiarities that are typical to the Lithuanian village communities. Using comprehensive analysis of the figure of the neighborhood witch developed by the Slovenian folklore researcher Mirjam Mencej, the author discusses typical features and activities of this quasi-mythical being, as reflected in the Lithuanian fieldwork material, i. e. harming of livestock, love magic, curses, and evil-eye. The neighborhood witch is perceived as acting within the framework of the opposition between one’s own and other, moreover, representing both sides of it. Precisely this, according to the author, induces great fear and anxiety that other members of the community exhibit towards this figure, at the same time resulting in its exceptional persistence and longevity.

Cultural schemas and folk-belief: an insight into the belief in worshiping the Mother Goddess in Vietnam

Religious belief, as noted by scholars like Émile Durkheim (1858–1917), Max Weber (1864–1920), Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), and William James (1842–1910), reflects shared values, shapes human conduct, and provides spiritual strength. Furthermore, it is considered a template that expresses the basic spiritual needs and aspirations of human life, containing many cultural values and characteristics of the thinking of ethnic communities. Moreover, people perceive everything by schemas formed in memory. In this study, the authors chose the subject of the belief in worshiping the Mother Goddess—one of the most popular and ancient beliefs in Vietnam and inscribed by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. Employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys, linguistic materials, and field research, the study explores how Vietnamese cultural beliefs shape perception, behavior, and lifestyle. Therefore, understanding and analyzing the characteristics of the beliefs in worshiping the Mother Goddess through the lens of Cultural Linguistics can present the actual spiritual experiences of Vietnamese people. From this unique perspective, the process of perceiving the world has meaning to the language and behavior of a community culture.

Wild mushrooms

This article presents the uses, consumption practices, and popular beliefs related to wild mushrooms in Europe and Siberia from the Neolithic period to the present day. First, we will introduce various saproxylic mushrooms used for starting fires, as well as the medicinal uses of some species. Then, we will describe the gathering and consumption practices of edible wild mushrooms in Europe and Siberia. These consumption practices, varying by culture, region, and time period, will be specified for six edible species. Finally, we will address popular beliefs and the magical-religious rituals associated with some mushroom species.

Popular Beliefs in the Celebrations Associated with Saint Demiana as One of the Intangible Cultural Tourism Components in Egypt The Celebration of St. Demiana in Dakahlia Governorate as a Case Study

Popular Beliefs in the Celebrations Associated with Saint Demiana as One of the Intangible Cultural Tourism Components in Egypt The Celebration of St. Demiana in Dakahlia Governorate as a Case Study

АУҒАН ЖЕРІНДЕГІ ЛАМҒАН АТАУЫНЫҢ ТАРИХИ-ТІЛДІК НЕГІЗІ

In this article, from a linguistic point of view, the name of the Lamgan region, which now belongs to the state of Afghanistan, is considered. The article attempts to determine the true origin of the toponym «Lamgan», since before that there were various unreliable assumptions about the origin of this name. Among them there is also a reflection on the origin of this name of the conqueror of India, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, a descendant of Amir Temir, but known to linguists for his valuable autobiographical work «Baburname», written in the Chagatai language, Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur (1483-1530). According to him, the grave of the Great Lama, the father of the prophet Noah, is located in the Alisheng fog (in the Lamgan region). In some chronicles it is also called Lamech, Lamekan. The inhabitants of this country sometimes pronounce the letter kaf as ghayn. That is why the area was called Lamgan. At first glance, this opinion looks like a scientific etymological version, but in the course of linguistic analysis it turned out that this version is based only on popular beliefs. During the study, collection methods, traditional description, comparative methods were used. As a result of the study, we came to the conclusion that the name Lamgan is based on the name of the Lamba (Lampaka) people who inhabited it, i.e. ethnonym with the addition of the Persian suffix -ğān to it, which has the meaning of belonging (Lam + ğān).

Buddhist environmental ethics and climate change

AbstractPhilosophically, Buddhist ethics would appear to be well‐prepared for the climate change age. Buddhists receive encouragement to extend compassion and nonharm throughout a universe that is utterly interconnected across time and space. Such positive extensions result in a strength of the tradition involving some welcome positive treatment of nonhuman animals. However, looking closely in terms of practical outcomes reveals some serious limitations regarding Buddhist environmental ethics. Not all animals receive ethical value and care, for instance, and the tradition provides a historically unstable platform for vegetarianism despite some popular beliefs to the contrary. Even worse, perceived sentience is required to receive substantial Buddhist moral value, in most cases leaving plants, stones, and bodies of water without ecological respect. Since managing climate change precisely includes the moral management of plants, stones, and bodies of water, our ethics regarding these entities must be clear. Buddhist environmental ethics, though, today provide us with few tools for developing such ethics for entities considered by Buddhism to be insentient, although perhaps views are changing.