Real Life Research Articles

A confession of a ‘non-native’ speaker: negotiating a socially stigmatised identity

ABSTRACT This autoethnographic study explores the complex intersection of identity, language, and marginalisation as experienced by a ‘non-native’ Russian individual of Chuvash ethnicity. Through personal narrative, I trace my journey of navigating this socially stigmatised identity shaped by ideologies of language standardisation and exclusion. The study engages with co-cultural theory to analyse the strategies I employed to cope with and resist otherisation within the dominant Russian society. Additionally, it draws parallels with the global experiences of non-native speakers, particularly in the context of language-based discrimination in employment. By critically examining the role of ethnicity and language in defining ‘nativeness’, the article reveals the pervasive stigmatisation faced by non-Slavic, non-Russian individuals. The study contributes to the broader discourse on identity, offering insights into the lived realities of marginalised groups and highlighting the necessity of inclusive practices. Ultimately, it seeks to foster understanding and empathy towards those navigating complex identities in ethnically diverse societies.

Indigenous peoples, commons and the challenge of sustaining life amid capitalist land grabs

ABSTRACT The role of Indigenous peoples in the protection of the nature ‘commons’ has gained much traction worldwide. It has been suggested that Indigenous ‘environmental stewardship’ would significantly contribute to addressing the climate crisis and that ‘land tenure security’ is key to this aim. This paper critically explores these assumptions by highlighting the need for closer attention to the lived reality of Indigenous peoples and the state of the commons they inhabit, some of which have been taken over, fully or partly, by big capital, and exhibit a great difficulty to sustain life – as a result of broader capitalist trajectories.

Encountering the Postcolonial State: Development Bureaucracy and Social Transformation in Rural Pre-Independent Bangladesh, 1947–70

This article explores how the rural areas of East Pakistan—Bangladesh since 1971—experienced the postcolonial state during 1947–70. How did the rural population react when facing the state-building efforts? An exploration of this question would reveal how the state carried forward the ‘burdens’ of colonial administration and approach for governance, as well as the ways in which the pre-existing society continued to mould the postcolonial ‘state’. Focusing away from the national elites, this article investigates the dynamics among the rural population, the local elites and the development bureaucracy. The article locates power dynamics in the spatial and temporal realities of social life. Finally, the article indicates to what extent and in which ways continuities and changes occurred during the postcolonial state period (1947–70) for the rural people in pre-independence Bangladesh.

Digital Storytelling and Young Adult Literature: A Methodological Combination for the Language Classroom

Digital Storytelling (DST) originated in the 1990s as a narrative technique highlighting ‘ordinary voices’ in order to contribute to the public media discourse. Soon it was picked up by education to capture the diverse lived realities of students. This paper presents a methodological development in the form of a combination of DST with extensive reading of Young Adult Literature in the English classroom. A scaffolded methodological approach is outlined where DST is used as a post‑reading activity which can be enhanced in any foreign language classroom.

THE BODY'S RESPONSE TO STRESS

Stress, an undeniable reality of everyday life, is a natural reaction of the body to any pressure, threat or demand that requires an intense physical or mental response. It has a positive aspect, "good stress", which can provide additional motivation to complete tasks or face challenges. On the other hand, there is also a negative aspect, excessive stress affecting physical, mental and emotional health. In my opinion, in order to be able to cope with stress, it is important to manage changes, accept failures, put our own needs first, communicate clearly and effectively, eliminate negative thoughts and take emotional risks. Deep understanding and developing stress management skills can significantly contribute to improving the quality of life of each individual

The Idea of the Integrity of Social Being in Russian Religious Philosophy

The article considers the understanding of the nature of public life as some integrity in Russian religious philosophy. It is shown that the main specificity of the way of thinking of Russian philosophers is to distinguish between the empirical reality of social life, which is the “scratching of war” of various subjects and the deep spiritual basis, historically formed and gaining mystical status in people’s minds. Attention is drawn to the fact that its content, according to the considered views of Russian thinkers, includes the spiritual foundations of the family, religious beliefs and the consciousness of the community of historical fate, which make up the meaning of cathedral life in their unity. This way of understanding the integrity of public life eliminates the orientation towards its revolutionary transformation inherent in the collectivist paradigm, since historically formed spiritual foundations oppose such aspirations and, instead of planned improvements in public integrity, can entail severe social consequences. Accordingly, rationally justified partial reforms, the orientation of which is due to the individualistic paradigm, must be consulted with those meanings that have historically developed and form the spiritual basis of social life. The category expressing the way of thinking of Russian philosophers on the integrity of public life is universalism.

‘COVID impacted my life in so many ways’: a qualitative study of the lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic among people of Black ethnicities living with HIV in England

ABSTRACT Objectives COVID-19 disproportionately affected people of Black ethnicities whilst also negatively affecting the health, wellbeing and livelihoods of people living with HIV. This may have been amplified by pre-existing socioeconomic marginalisation, poorer health, and structural racism. Despite being disproportionately affected by the pandemic, little is known about lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic within these communities. Given these disparities, this paper explores the lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic among people living with HIV and of Black ethnicities in England. Design This qualitative study, comprising five focus group discussions (FGDs) with people of self-reported Black ethnicity, living with HIV in the UK (n = 30). FGDs were conducted between June and August 2022. Topics covered included beliefs and attitudes about COVID-19 (including prevention), COVID-19 information sources and lived experiences. Data were analysed using a reflexive thematic approach. Results Analysis of the data generated several main themes: the collective trauma experienced by Black communities; racial bias influenced by inequitable research; conflicting COVID-19 health messages and medical mistrust; socioeconomic marginalisation including financial hardship; intersecting oppressions such as sexism and ageism; and the overall impact of living with a stigmatising condition such as HIV. Participants additionally found navigating the infodemic, being labelled ‘clinically vulnerable,’ and balancing multiple non-medical needs alongside their cultural, spiritual, and religious beliefs, challenging. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound and enduring multidimensional impacts on the lives of people of Black ethnicities living with HIV. This study reveals how socioeconomic, cultural, behavioural, and biological factors intersected to shape experiences of the pandemic within these communities in the UK. Our data illustrate the lived realities of worsening health and social inequalities due to COVID-19, while at the same time highlighting the central importance of trusted community organisations in mitigating some of these negative impacts. Trial Registration Ethical approval was obtained from the University College London Research Ethics Committee (Project ID/Title: 6698/004).

Gendered Space and Spatial Discourses in Everyday Life: Exploring The Notion of Henri Lefebvre

This paper critically engages with Henri Lefebvre’s concept of space, focusing on its gendered dimensions as experienced in everyday life. Structure on Lefebvre's argument that space is socially produced and deeply intertwined with power relations, we explore how gender operates as a crucial axis in the production of space. Through a close examination of various environments like workplaces, domestic settings, and public spaces, which highlight how spatial practices and discourses perpetuate or challenge traditional gender norms. This analysis emphasizes the lived realities of navigating gendered spaces, reflecting on how these spaces are constructed through both overt social structures and subtle everyday interactions. By integrating feminist geographical approaches with Lefebvre’s spatial theory, research focussed a nuanced perspective on how individuals experience, negotiate, and sometimes resist the gendered dynamics embedded in their environments. This research sheds light on the interplay between space and gender, showing how spatial arrangements both reflect and shape social hierarchies. The study explores the spatiality and spatial discourses in the society through various case across the country.

‘Precarious power’: Implicit infrastructures and electricity access in Witsand, Cape Town (South Africa)

For the poor residents in Witsand, an informal settlement on the periphery of Cape Town, electricity access is an everyday struggle, where households circumvent Eskom's vouchers and prepaid meters to adapt electricity to their lived realities. In this paper, we argue that in a context where Eskom electricity provision is often exclusionary, residents deploy diverse strategies to challenge this form of infrastructure violence. Drawing on over twenty months of ethnographic work, complemented with participant observations and semi-structured interviews, we demonstrate how resident-made electricity connections prove a critical and implicit part of the electricity infrastructure system. Building from a sociotechnical approach to infrastructure, we use the notion of ‘precarious power’ to explore the mix of agency and precariousness that are entangled in the everyday practices of ordinary people making electricity connections. We highlight that in improvising electricity access, residents in Witsand exercised their agency to circumvent and appropriate Eskom electricity. This paper contributes to an understanding of urban residents' everyday infrastructural experiences through an analytical frame that is neither dismissive of their agency nor celebratory of their struggles.

Svakodnevni život iz perspektive željezničke štampe Ukrajinske SSR tokom Holodomora (1932-1933)

In this article, the author studied how the local printed media of the South-Western Railways (Ukrainian SSR) reacted to the Holodomor – the artificial famine of 1932–1933. While Soviet newspapers were primarily viewed as instruments for disseminating state-approved narratives, this study argues that the local railway press serves as a valuable but often overlooked source for understanding the multifaceted realities of Soviet society during this tumultuous period. Examining the editorial mechanisms of the railway press, the article discusses the involvement of workers and farmers as correspondents. The use of „robsilkors” (workers’ and farmers’ correspondents) in reporting everyday issues and problems within the railway system highlights a dynamic interaction between the press, its readership, and the authorities. The press functioned as an information conduit to party units and law enforcement, emphasizing the so-called „self-criticism campaigns” and denunciations. Under totalitarian censorship and government control, the newspapers did not openly write about starvation and mass mortality. The press, however, inadvertently provided glimpses into the harsh realities of everyday life, especially in local publications where censorship was comparatively weaker. They unveiled details showcasing the impact of food shortages, malnutrition, and unsanitary conditions. While workers had access to canteens and a food supply system, theft and misappropriation were survival strategies. The press documented cases of intentional damage to grain cargoes and corruption in the food stamps system. Despite receiving state-provided goods, workers faced challenges with the quality of provisions and sanitary conditions in canteens. Moreover, along with covering the famine, the press actively disseminated propaganda aimed at reinforcing the divide between the working class and farmers. This contrast was evident, yet many railway workers experienced life similar to farmers, owning land and resisting state-imposed agricultural policies. The newspapers called on the railway employees to participate in the so-called „mass campaigns” in the villages, which sometimes appeared to be confiscating food from the farmers' houses. Refusal to join these campaigns could lead to the denunciation on the newspapers pages. In conclusion, this research offers a comprehensive understanding of the Soviet railway press during the Holodomor years, revealing its dual nature as a propagandistic tool and a subtle source of authentic information. By dissecting the content and contextualizing the narratives within the socio-political landscape, the study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the complexities of Soviet society during a period of historical upheaval.

“The Source of All My Joy and All My Stress”: Children and Childcare as Underappreciated Sources of Stress That Affect Farm Women

ABSTRACT Objective Women have always played a crucial role in agriculture through their work on the farm, caring for the family and the household, and off-farm employment. Yet, like their essential contributions to agriculture, their mental health and well-being have largely been invisible since much of the focus of the mental health in agriculture research has been on older, male farmers. This paper seeks to address this knowledge gap by focusing on the emotional consequences stemming from the expectations of juggling childcare responsibilities, farm work and managing the household whilst keeping children safe. Methods The data were collected via focus groups and photovoice activity with, respectively, 68 and 33 farm women from Ohio, Wisconsin, and Vermont. Results The content thematic analysis first indicates that the juggling of multiple roles along with limited support deeply impacted farm women’s wellbeing. Worries that the children could get hurt was a major source of stress. Stress and mental health issues connected to children do not lessen as they age but rather shift and become more complex. Conclusion This article highlights the implications of the lack of investment in farm women’s mental wellbeing and their lived realities of caring for children on the farm. Future research should address supply chain and affordability issues, particularly for rural childcare provision.

Thick Black women and misogynoir in the Caribbean

ABSTRACT It is well documented that thick Black female bodies are idealized in Afro-Caribbean communities. However, there is also a long and deep history of oppression of thick Black women in Caribbean spaces based on their race, gender, and body shape and size, which continues to inform the lives of thick Black women in postcolonial Caribbean societies. This paper is an exploratory, grounded analysis of thick Black women’s quotidian experiences in this dialectic, explicitly focusing on Jamaica. Using Caribbean research methodologies situated in decolonial feminist epistemologies, I explore the everyday realities of voluptuous Black women who have to negotiate white Eurocentric body discourses in contemporary Jamaican society. The study foregrounds the voices of thick Black women as they articulate their own lived realities with navigating ‘misogynoir’ in Jamaican public spaces.

Development and evaluatıon of the Turkısh mobıle real-noıse speech dıscrımınatıon test

BackgroundWhile there is a list of monosyllabic words available for use in speaking tests in our country, the list of sentences is limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the mobile application we developed by creating a list of 4-word sentences that are frequently encountered in daily life, well-known, and spectrally balanced, to be used in speech tests in children aged 8–12 with normal hearing. A total of 50 participants, 25 girls (mean age 9.56 ± 1.56) and 25 boys (mean age 10.60 ± 1.55) with normal hearing, aged 8–12, were included in the study. Familiarity was evaluated by listening to a list of 200 sentences consisting of 4-word sentences to 70 children in 7 geographical regions of Turkey, and the sentences that 80% of the children did not understand were excluded. A list of 60 balanced sentences was determined by performing spectral and coherence analysis of the sentences. The recording of each sentence at 80 dB, 60 dB, and 40 dB intensity levels, respectively, increased in 5 dB steps between the − 10/ + 10 signal-to-noise ratio value and was combined separately with 3 different environmental noises (classroom, shopping mall, amusement park) and uploaded to the developed mobile application.ResultsFor all participants, speech comprehension scores at 80 dB, 60 dB, and 40 dB sound intensity were lowest in the amusement park environment. Speech comprehension scores are lowest in noise levels of 40 dB in amusement park and shopping mall environments. Speech comprehension scores are lowest in noise levels of 60 dB in the classroom environment. There is a statistically significant difference between ambient noises (p < 0.05). When male and female participants are compared, it is seen that male participants’ comprehension scores in noise in the shopping mall environment are higher than female participants. There is a statistically significant difference between genders (p < 0.05).ConclusionWhen the speech in noise tests developed in the literature are examined, even though the word lists are equalized with the phonemic equalization method, they do not reflect the reality of daily life. The Turkish Mobile Speech Discrimination in Real Noise 4-Word Sentence Test that we have developed will contribute to the literature. It is recommended that future research compare the results by adding different ambient noises.

Pedagogical Perspectives of Utu: Reclaiming Primacy of African Values for Moral-ethical for Youth Development in Tanzania

Abstract The decline of moral and ethics in Tanzania especially to the youth is associated by different factors among which is the decrease in abiding by traditional values centered in utu concept. This study examined the way in which, pedagogical perspectives of utu contribute greatly in reclaiming primacy of African values for moral-ethical development of the youth in Tanzania. This study has used a desktop research study method whereby literature has been surveyed. The study argues that pedagogical perspectives of utu should be embraced for reclaiming the primacy of African values for moral-ethical development of youth in Tanzania. This study reaffirms the fact that the utu concept can stand out as a paradigm for the holistic concept of the human person and worldview that sees the reality of life as an interrelated. The moral/ethical values practiced in the light of utu on the basis of unity and brotherhood within a human family can help the Tanzanian society to recuperate a sense of national identity. Therefore, Tanzanian society today needs to cultivate, transmit, and practice utu in daily life for holistic development. The study recommends that, the utu concept which advocates the value of human dignity and identity, reminds us of the necessity of clarifying and living what we mean by “values” in education today since not all aspects of life and practice attributed to culture contain educational values worth of human dignity.

De Kaapsche Kerk, the British Empire, slavery, and the discourses of good and evil

It is a well-known history that the Dutch church in South Africa’s Cape colony up until the early 19th century had readily accommodated the institution of slavery as commonly practiced within Cape Dutch society. Slavery was not seen as “good” but generally accepted as an unfortunate reality of life. Some groups of people, particularly those of non-European heritage, were seen within this colonist society as naturally predisposed for slavery. Biblical arguments regarding examples of the non-denunciation of slavery in both Old and New Testament scriptures could easily be mustered in defence of the institution against the rare voices protesting the practice. In that sense the Cape Church was not any different from most other Christian churches in colonial societies worldwide. Yet the Cape church also had some strong antislavery statements and advocates from within its ranks since at least the first half of the nineteenth century. As seen for example in Dreyer’s collection of documents under the title, “Die Kaapse Kerk en die Groot Trek”, several high placed church leaders opposed the migration of Dutch farmers from the Cape colony in the 1830s on the basis that the migration occurred in disobedience to British colonial legislation that were effectively seen as seeking to stamp out slavery and associated practices. The Dutch farmers tended to see the British Empire as an evil empire. The Cape Church leadership, to the contrary, which by then included a number of abolitionist Scottish pastors in its ranks viewed their emigrating members, at least initially, as being in rebellion not only against the civil rulers but also against the church, and they, albeit for the most part unsuccessfully, sought to dissuade the emigrants from abandoning their chosen paths. In the subsequent decades a number of Cape Church pastors sought contact with the migrants with the intent of bringing them back into the fold. This article presents the case of a noteworthy equalisation campaigner in this regard, Rev. D.P.M. Huet. Another episode occurred later in the 19th century in the mission fields associated with the Cape Church in central Africa, Nyasaland as it was known at the time. Again, it is a well-known story that some of the early Christian missionaries in these areas, most notably David Livingstone, confronted slave traders and agitated against the practice which was still rife throughout the region during much of the 19th century. Yet, as far as the Cape Church and Afrikaners more generally were concerned, historical accounts often suggest that particularly the northern Boers were more often themselves involved in the slave trade rather than acting against it. Yet, as this article will indicate the early missionary enterprise of the Cape Church in central Africa actively engaged in anti-slavery activities with a central character in this being missionary, William Hoppe Murray who served as leader of the mission in Nyasaland for a substantial period.The article finally discusses the case of De Kaapsche Kerk (the Dutch Reformed Church in the Cape Colony) in relation to slavery and empire with reference to notions of good and evil.

Grimalkin

This is a work of fiction examining the impact of witch-fears on the lived realities of women in mid-seventeenth-century Germany. It is largely based on the seminal work on demonological witchcraft, Heinrich Kramer's Malleus Maleficarum (1486), which reflected the principle fears and beliefs surrounding witchcraft, and which dominated much of the next few centuries' discussion on it. Demonological beliefs, the most common school of thought on witchcraft in early modern Germany, were deeply (and often sexually) misogynistic, as well as blood–writers imagined witches to be infanticidal, cannibalistic, and insatiable.&amp;nbsp;Previous research has stressed that women were disproportionally both accused and accusers during German witch panics; this project attempts to imagine the experience of the former and the motivations of the latter. It also argues that (while the modern reader knows witches did not and do not exist), due to the widespread belief in witchcraft, the frequency of the trials, and the extent to which it motivated women's and men's actions, the fear of witches constituted the reality of witches.&amp;nbsp;

Social Criticism and Biographical Literature: Nabokov's Early Exile Writings from the Perspective of Cultural Memory

This article examines Nabokov's works, analyzing the novels Mary, The Luzhin Defense, Despair, and The Gift, which he wrote in Europe during the early period of his emigration. Based on the literary activities of Nabokov's characters, the author explores aspects of biographical literature style. The main character expresses his personal attitude toward the surrounding reality through various forms of writing, such as autobiographies, biographies of others, diaries, poetry, and works considered “final pieces.” Through these forms, he conveys criticism of society, history, and reality. This literary activity covers a wide spectrum of Russian life in the past and symbols of Russian culture, which, like cultural memories, intertwine with the reality of life in emigration. The study applies close reading and comparative analysis methods, incorporating the theory of cultural memory as part of the research methodology. The novelty of this work lies in using literary creativity as a construction method to explain the critical attitude of characters and the author himself. Literary creativity is one of the main activities of the protagonists in Nabokov's early novels written in emigration and serves as an important channel for preserving Russian cultural memory. Nabokov skillfully uses literary techniques to convey his social critique and historical views, while simultaneously creating Russian narrative texts within the emigration context. This article examines the characters' literary activities in Nabokov’s novels as an object of study, allowing literature to be viewed as a field of cultural memory, as well as highlighting the generational context of biographical literature in the novels and its cultural connotation of memory. Through the "motifs" and genres in Nabokov's works, the “memory of genre” is explored, reflecting the socially critical attitude of both the main character and the author.

Uncertainty-Adjusted Recommendation via Matrix Factorization With Weighted Losses.

In a recommender systems (RSs) dataset, observed ratings are subject to unequal amounts of noise. Some users might be consistently more conscientious in choosing the ratings they provide for the content they consume. Some items may be very divisive and elicit highly noisy reviews. In this article, we perform a nuclear-norm-based matrix factorization method which relies on side information in the form of an estimate of the uncertainty of each rating. A rating with a higher uncertainty is considered more likely to be erroneous or subject to large amounts of noise, and therefore more likely to mislead the model. Our uncertainty estimate is used as a weighting factor in the loss we optimize. To maintain the favorable scaling and theoretical guarantees coming with nuclear norm regularization even in this weighted context, we introduce an adjusted version of the trace norm regularizer which takes the weights into account. This regularization strategy is inspired from the weighted trace norm which was introduced to tackle nonuniform sampling regimes in matrix completion. Our method exhibits state-of-the-art performance on both synthetic and real life datasets in terms of various performance measures, confirming that we have successfully used the auxiliary information extracted.

Suleiman Al-Nabulsi and His Position on Arab Nationalist Causes

This study addressed the position of Suleiman Al-Nabulsi on many Arab and national causes, as Al-Nabulsi is considered one of the men of Jordan had a prominent role in the Jordanian and Arab political life. His life reflected to a large extent the reality of political life and its interactions in the Jordanian arena and the Arab world at large ,this study aims to underline Al-Nabulsi ’s position regarding all causes at Jordanian and Arab national levels , such as the Palestinian situation, Arab unity, the Algerian revolution, the Baghdad Pact, the tripartite aggression against Egypt and other Jordanian and national causes, in addition to clarifying Al-Nabulsi ’s philosophy of national loyalty, which stems from principle of Arab existence unity. he is one of the prime ministers in Jordan who did not limit nationalism just at Jordan’s level , besides his role in the social reform that aims to attain more of democracy and opposition to foreign mandates which he considered as a form of colonialism (Al-Mousa, 1986, p. 57), and therefore it was natural that this philosophy will be in conflict with the philosophy of the state which aims to maintain its entity and independence ,the descriptive historical method was used that relies on the historical events as they appeared in their sources ,and to apply critical approach and analyze them in a scientific ,rational and neutral objectivity far from prejudice .the study reached many conclusions some of which are :the national philosophy of Al-Nabulsi that transcends the political and geographical boundaries of Jordan ,because he upholds the high values and ideals in his calculations ,and in fact he tried to subject reality to those values , also President Nasser’s ideas regarding unity has a great impact on his personality ,so he experienced a conflict between the loyalty to the country ,and the loyalty to Arab nationalism by president Nasser ,so naturally he saw no conflict between the two loyalties to the country on the one hand and the larger Arab nationalism on the other hand (Al-Mousa 1986 ,P 58 ), but the two loyalties complimented each other and he defended this concept until the last day of his life.

Beyond the Harvard Definition: A Critique of Josef Seifert’s Realistic Phenomenological Approach to Brain Death

This article explores the significance of context in defining death, particularly through the lens of the Harvard definition and the critiques offered by Josef Seifert. The Harvard definition, established in 1968, is examined within its medical context, highlighting how it reflects pragmatic interests and raises critical questions about the boundaries between life and death. Seifert’s critiques focus on the reductionist nature of equating personhood with consciousness, emphasizing the need for a broader understanding of life indicators beyond mere physiological functions. The article also discusses the social implications of medicalization in the dying process. Furthermore, it addresses the challenges posed by the cessation of brain function as a criterion for death, contrasting it with more observable signs of life such as breathing and heartbeat. Ultimately, the article argues for a more nuanced understanding of death that incorporates social, cultural, and ethical dimensions, advocating for ongoing dialogue and potential revisions of death definitions to reflect the complexities of human experience. This comprehensive approach aims to bridge the gap between medical definitions and the lived realities of individuals facing death.