Presence Of Minorities Research Articles

Cross-border cooperation - a tool for capitalizing and promoting culture and historical heritage

The purpose of this article is to analyze cross-border cooperation as one of the important multifunctional tools aimed at developing good neighborly relations with states on the borders of the European Union, as well as supporting economic and social development and promoting European values in partner countries in the context of EU enlargement. The long-term objectives of cross-border cooperation projects aim at: creating more bilateral benefits; improving the physical and economic infrastructure; human resources development of the region; deepening cultural and educational ties; preparing for EU membership; environmental protection etc. Cross-border cooperation is favored by cultural heritage, ethno-linguistic heritage, historical heritage or the presence of national minorities. The Romanian community in Ukraine or the Ukrainian community in Romania, the common ethno-linguistic heritage of the population of Romania and the Republic of Moldova are favorable elements in the process of cross-border cooperation.

(N)one of us? The case for descriptive representation of the contemporary working class

This article departs from the normative-theoretical literature on descriptive representation, which argues that some disadvantaged groups need a special form of representation. Most proponents of a guaranteed presence of women or ethnic minorities, however, do not believe that their arguments equally apply to social classes. The main reason is that the class cleavage historically structured many party systems, making ‘class issues’ extraordinarily present. However, party systems and industrial relations have vastly changed since then, altering the circumstances under which representation takes place. Evaluating the theoretical arguments for descriptive representation with the help of empirical insights on growing political marginalisation of lower-status classes, this article argues that the societal and political changes of the last decades justify descriptive representation of the contemporary working class.

Russian Minority in Ukraine – Current Challenges

The aim of this paper is to attempt to present challenges faced by the Russian minority residing in Ukraine from the Polish perspective. The presence of national minorities in various countries throughout the world is not an isolated phenomenon. However, looking at problems that they must face shows that national minorities do not have it easy anywhere. Union laws and other national and international regulations on the one hand emphasize care for minorities and their rights. On the other hand, a lot of challenges can be observed that minorities need to address depending on many different factors. This is an important element of cultural security of representatives of individual minorities but also of the cultural security of the majority. The basic issue discussed in the paper is current challenges faced by the largest national minority in Poland’s neighbour. It tries to present both the historical context and the identity determinants associated with language or religion. The Crimea context has also become an important aspect, which is crucial to perceiving the Russian minority in Ukraine. The presented contexts are modern challenges that the Russians in Ukraine need to tackle in the face of cultural security of the state in which they are currently located and their own cultural security. The scholarly novelty of the paper involves looking at the issue of the Russian minority in Ukraine from the Polish perspective. The specific feature of this article consists in a presentation of i.a. an analysis of statistical data and opinions on the Russians residing in Ukraine but seen from the perspective of Poland as their neighbour. Conclusions. The specific situation occurring in Ukraine has shown that Ukraine’s national identity cannot be based on solely ethnic contexts. Ukraine’s identity needs to be looked at from a broader perspective, going deeper into territorial and civil criteria. It is them that determine and will continue to determine Ukraine’s self. The numbers of the Russian minority in Ukraine still impact the latter’s identity. Therefore, it needs to be observed and explored to understand and better shape relations between the majority and the minority. The context of cultural security, the aim of which is to examine the country’s future in the context of its coherent functioning, is also not unimportant.

Dual identity in context: The role of minority peers and school discrimination

AbstractImmigrant‐origin minority adolescents combine their common national identity with distinct ethnic identities. Depending on different social ecologies they develop more or less compatible dual identifications. Taking an ecological approach to ethnic‐racial socialization (ERS), we investigate how schools and peers as socializing agents can afford compatible ethnic and national identifications. We draw on the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey of 944 Turkish and Moroccan minority adolescents in 229 classrooms across 55 Belgian secondary schools with low (10%) to high minority presence (60%+). On average ethnic and national identifications were not significantly associated. In support of the protective role of minority peers, multilevel modeling revealed that national and ethnic identifications were more compatible in classrooms with more minority peers; while school discrimination undermined compatibility only in classrooms with fewer minority peers. We conclude that minority peers are key agents in the socialization of compatible ethnic and national identities.

Caste Identity, Board Norms, and Corporate Social Responsibility

As a part of the “rules of the game” with ancient roots, the caste system is a rigid social stratification system that continues to be relevant in management today. We build on social identity theory to develop predictions regarding the impact of directors’ caste on corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Extending the institution-based view, we posit that caste as an informal institution influences CSR engagement through informal norms on the board. We leverage a dataset of 12,274 firm-year observations on CSR projects in 5,012 Indian firms from 2014 to 2018. In contrast to most of the prior literature that shows the presence of minorities on the board increases CSR performance, our findings suggest that this may not always be the case. Specifically, an increase in board diversity, in the form of the ratio of lower-caste directors on the board, may reduce the likelihood that the firms will select CSR activities targeted at lower-caste communities. Such firms will also commit less to CSR activities overall. These effects may be even more profound for lower-caste independent directors.

Towards Inclusive India: State Legislation for Inter-Faith CoExistence during the Period of Emperor Akbar

The current research focuses on the state legislation during the period of Mughal Emperor Akbar, his attempt to reconcile religion and state legislation and his practical efforts to bring inter-faith co-existence in India of that time. The presupposition of Akbar was based on account of Hindu majority and presence of minorities of various other faiths along with the ruling and martial race of the Muslims. Seeking holistic political and legal legitimacy, Akbar presented Dīn-i-Ilāhī, a divine theory of his own, to introduce a new religious cultural after bringing various religious figures together. The regal attempts for religiosity of the social fabric and holiness of the emperor brought social growth and legal innovations in state legislation and vice versa with the purpose to bring political and legal stability. The present study highlights the long period during which its various acts were promulgated, its impacts on the consolidation of power and social fabric in India during the period of Akbar specifically in terms of inter-faith co-existence and its impacts on the future Mughal administration. The future Mughal administration included Jahāngīr and Shāh Jahān after which it lost its worth as well as application. The study finally concludes that Akbar‟s attempts in the shape of Dīn-i-Ilāhī bore fruits in the shape of the progress and development during the era of two later Mughal emperors.

Addressing the gate blocking of minority faculty

There have been ongoing efforts to increase the presence of underrepresented minorities in medicine (URMM), including faculty development initiatives, mentoring programs and outreach efforts. However, URMM faculty face unique challenges that are crucial for academic institutions and leaders to recognize in order to improve retention of this group and allow for meaningful advancement in the field. This paper introduces the concept of gate blocking, defined as what happens to minority faculty as a result of the consequences of the minority tax and systems designed to advantage some and disadvantage others. In addition to defining gate blocking, the authors make recommendations to address this concern in academic medicine and promote the advancement and retention of URMM faculty.

Transport Infrastructure and Political Factors as Determinants of Tourism Development in the Cross-Border Region of Bihor and Maramureş. A Comparative Analysis

This article follows two important interconnected aspects. On one hand, it investigates whether the political factors represented by the presence of ethnic minorities can be a catalyst for tourism development in cross-border regions, in addition to the development of transport infrastructure. On the other hand, it offers a comparative analysis and territorial diagnosis of the Bihor-Hajdú–Bihar and Maramureş–Zakarpattya cross border regions, analyzing the main tourist indicators and the advances made in the development of the transport infrastructure with a role in the development of tourism. The paper is based on desk and quantitative research involving national and regional statistic data. Research on the literature regarding Hungarian–Romanian and Romanian–Ukrainian borderland was also realized, in order to conduct comparative analysis useful to identify and evaluate the factors linked with tourism development. Using a multiscale approach, the objective is to determine if there is a correlation between the development of the transport network and the increase in tourist traffic. The results show that transport infrastructure plays a critical role in ensuring the connections of border regions. Although the two regions are contiguous, there is an obvious difference in cross-border traffic due to the presence of two different types of border. The transport network and tourism situation in Bihor has improved in the last years, especially under the impact of cross-border cooperation, but the accessibility remains relatively low. In Maramureş, the development of cross-border connections is based on cultural exchange, and less on economic relations. Transport accessibility is a strong point of the Hungarian–Romanian borderland and represents an obstacle for the development of tourism in the Romanian–Ukrainian borderland.

Global distribution of IRC7 alleles in Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations: a genomic and phenotypic survey within the wine clade

The adaptation to the different biotic and abiotic factors of wine fermentation has led to the accumulation of numerous genomic hallmarks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine strains. IRC7, a gene encoding a cysteine-S-β-lyase enzyme related volatile thiols production in wines, has two alleles: a full-length allele (IRC7F ) and a mutated one (IRC7S ), harbouring a 38bp-deletion. Interestingly, IRC7S -encoding a less active enzyme- appears widespread amongst wine populations. Studying the global distribution of the IRC7S allele in different yeast lineages, we confirmed its high prevalence in the Wine clade and demonstrated a minority presence in other domesticated clades (Wine-PDM, Beer and Bread) while it is completely missing in wild clades. Here we show that IRC7S -homozygous (HS) strains exhibited both fitness and competitive advantages compared to IRC7F -homozygous (HF) strains. There are some pieces of evidence of the direct contribution of the IRC7S allele to the outstanding behaviour of HS strains (i.e. improved response to oxidative stress conditions and higher tolerance to high copper levels); however, we also identified a set of sequence variants with significant co-occurrence patterns with the IRC7S allele, which can be co-contributing to the fitness and competitive advantages of HS strains in wine fermentations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Ethnic Diversity, Social Identity, and Social Withdrawal: Investigating Putnam’s Constrict Thesis

ABSTRACT Since Putnam introduced his constrict thesis in 2007, many researchers have established that ethnic diversity lowers perceptions of social cohesion, at least in the short term. The connection between ethnic diversity and social behavior, however, is less certain. In this paper we draw on social distance and social identity theories to empirically test if ethnic diversity encourages behaviors linked to social withdrawal. Using data from a longitudinal panel study of urban communities in Australia, we examine the influence of social distance on neighborhood ties, neighborly exchange, and civic engagement and assess if an individual’s social identity (ethnic or civic) strengthens or weakens these relationships. We find individuals that endorse an ethnic identity are more likely to engage in social withdrawal behaviors. Withdrawal is also more likely in neighborhoods where individuals distort the presence of minorities.

Mapping Confederate Icons and Their Contestation

ObjectiveIn this article, we use racial threat theory to examine the contemporary debate over the place of Confederate memorials in the public square.MethodWe predict removal of Confederate iconography based on sociodemographic and organizational measures at the county level using logistic regression analysis.ResultsWe find strong evidence to suggest that county characteristics involving urban density, minority presence, average per capita income, and historic patterns of racially motivated social organization do influence the decision to keep or remove Confederate memorials today.ConclusionsThis project speaks to the spatial politics of commemorative landmarks as focal points for broader struggles over the formation and maintenance of community memory and identity. It also sheds light on competing paths moving forward—one focused on stripping memorials away from the public square and the other focused on protecting them for posterity.

The impact of data difficulty factors on classification of imbalanced and concept drifting data streams

Class imbalance introduces additional challenges when learning classifiers from concept drifting data streams. Most existing work focuses on designing new algorithms for dealing with the global imbalance ratio and does not consider other data complexities. Independent research on static imbalanced data has highlighted the influential role of local data difficulty factors such as minority class decomposition and presence of unsafe types of examples. Despite often being present in real-world data, the interactions between concept drifts and local data difficulty factors have not been investigated in concept drifting data streams yet. We thoroughly study the impact of such interactions on drifting imbalanced streams. For this purpose, we put forward a new categorization of concept drifts for class imbalanced problems. Through comprehensive experiments with synthetic and real data streams, we study the influence of concept drifts, global class imbalance, local data difficulty factors, and their combinations, on predictions of representative online classifiers. Experimental results reveal the high influence of new considered factors and their local drifts, as well as differences in existing classifiers’ reactions to such factors. Combinations of multiple factors are the most challenging for classifiers. Although existing classifiers are partially capable of coping with global class imbalance, new approaches are needed to address challenges posed by imbalanced data streams.

People use both heterogeneity and minority representation to evaluate diversity.

The term "diversity," although widely used, can mean different things. Diversity can refer to heterogeneity, i.e., the distribution of people across groups, or to the representation of specific minority groups. We use a conjoint experiment with a race-balanced, national sample to uncover which properties, heterogeneity or minority representation, Americans use to evaluate the extent of racial diversity a neighborhood and whether this assessment varies by participants' race. We show that perceived diversity is strongly associated with heterogeneity. This association is stronger for Whites than for Blacks, Latinos, or Asians. In addition, Blacks, Latinos, and Asians view neighborhoods where their own group is largest as more diverse. Whites vary in their tendency to associate diversity with representation, and Whites who report conservative stances on diversity-related policy issues view predominately White neighborhoods as more diverse than predominately Black neighborhoods. People can agree that diversity is desirable while disagreeing on what makes a community diverse.

Protected black and Acadian electoral districts in Nova Scotia: a case study in institutionalised surrogate representation

From 1991 to 2011, the political representation of the Acadian and black populations of Nova Scotia was ensured via four ‘protected ridings’ - electoral districts with population sizes well below median size created for their significant minority presence, a unique initiative that remains little examined in the literature. Through the reports of the electoral boundaries commissions, I examine the models of representation implicit in this system and use them to further the definition of surrogate representation presented by Jane Mansbridge, finding that what emerged was a system of institutionalised surrogate representation, wherein Acadians and African Nova Scotians throughout the province were represented by the representatives of the protected ridings. Beyond providing an overview of the unique Nova Scotian case, this paper also furthers the literature on surrogate representation by demonstrating that surrogate representation can be subdivided into two forms, which I categorise as ‘promissory/anticipatory surrogate representation’ and ‘gyroscopic surrogate representation’.

Sharía e identidad musulmana. Una pareja bien avenida

Este artículo examina los vínculos existentes entre sharía e identidad en algunas sociedades mayoritariamente musulmanas, así como los debates en los espacios públicos y las manifestaciones en defensa de la aplicación de la legislación islámica. Analiza igualmente el recurso a la sharía por parte de diferentes actores sociopolíticos, incluidos regímenes árabes en determinadas coyunturas, al igual que su inclusión en discursos abiertamente islamófobos en sociedades occidentales con presencia de minorías musulmanas.

Kitsch landscapes as tourist destinations in South and Southeast Asia (China, Vietnam, Nepal)

Carried out within the framework of the AQAPA programme 2014-2019 of the French National Agency for Research (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR), this study focuses on the stereotypical kitsch-based “staging” of tourist sites and resorts, taking as examples three Asian tourist regions characterized by the presence of ethnic minorities: Da Lat in Vietnam, Pokhara in Nepal and Sandu in China. This staging notably relies on the use of false décors (Baudrillard, 1981) – what Umberto Eco (1985) called an “artistic lie” – and aims to provide the tourist with “a reassuring but artificial vision of things” (Menon, 2006). This article thus looks at this kitschifying of landscapes developed for tourism at the rural/urban interface (scenography, experience provided for tourists, processes mobilized) and the objectives it serves, in order to start to understand and interpret the underlying message(s).

Urban mobility and resilience: exploring Boston\u2019s urban mobility network through twitter data

Human mobility connects urban dwellers and neighborhoods and impacts social equity. An in-depth understanding of human mobility helps to enhance urban resilience. However, limited research has focused on mobility resilience. Building on previous research, this study looks at the neighborhood connectivity enabled by urban mobility. We analyze the aggregated mobility patterns in Boston through the coupling of network structure and social characteristics. Geocoded twitter data combined with socioeconomic datasets were used to create a mobility-based urban network. Through the quantitative analysis, we found that the social segregation in Boston shapes its mobility network. Network communities identified by the Louvain modularity algorithm are often self-containing, meaning that their residents are more likely to move within their communities. A multinomial regression reveals that spatial racial and income segregation has a strong impact on the dynamic segregation of the network. The beneficial network characteristics –e.g. higher density and well-connected motifs– are less present in areas with bolder presence of minorities. Thus, the resilience state is not equitable among neighborhoods of different income levels and races, indicating that the resilience measures of urban networks need to be adapted according to sociodemographic characteristics.

A Link to the Past: Race, Lynchings, and the Passage of Stand-Your-Ground Laws

ABSTRACT What social and political factors explain the presence of Stand-Your-Ground (SYG) laws in US. states? This paper assesses the influence of crime and violence prevalence, minority threat theory, and self-help theory on SYG law adoption using discrete-time event-history analysis. Our findings indicate that these laws are linked to a violent vigilante and racially animus past. We also find evidence for minority threat theory with minority presence positively associated with SYG law adoption.

Perceived Threat of a Linguistic Community and Context Effect on Attitude toward Immigration in Hong Kong

Abstract Typically grounded in a discussion of contact vs. threat theory, much research has examined the impact of the presence of ethnic minorities in residential contexts on people’s attitude toward immigration. Yet, there has not been much evidence regarding whether the presence of a linguistically-defined minority can create similar impact under specific political conditions. This article examines Hong Kong, where the arrival of immigrants from mainland China has aroused controversies. The presence of Mandarin speakers, under the contemporary conditions, could be perceived as representing the cultural threat posed by China onto the city. Data from representative surveys were combined with district-level census data. The analysis shows that people living in a district with higher proportions of residents using Mandarin as the usual spoken language indeed favored more restrictive immigration policies. Contextual presence of Mandarin speakers also moderated the impact of tolerance and holding of negative stereotypes on attitude toward immigration.

Multi-ethnicity as a moderator of contextual effects on tolerance: The case of Hong Kong

ABSTRACT Grounded in intergroup threat theory, much research has illustrated the negative impact of the contextual presence of ethnic minorities construed as threats by the mainstream society on racial attitudes. This study examines the possibility that the presence of other “non-threatening” ethnic minorities could undermine such negative impact. We contend that the presence of genuine diversity can promote multicultural experiences and reduce people’s tendency to single out specific ethnic groups as threatening. Analysis of telephone survey (N = 2407) and government by-census data in Hong Kong shows that proportion of district residents being South Asians and proportion of district residents using Mandarin as their usual spoken language were associated with lower levels of social and political tolerance when proportion of district residents being other ethnic minorities was low. The negative impact became weaker when proportion of other ethnic minorities increased. The pattern of results was more conspicuous among less educated citizens.