Cultural Resistance Research Articles

The Masculinist Construction of the National Woman and Her Gendered Practice of Love in the Colonial Bengali Fairy Tale Tradition

This article will concentrate on the discourses that circulated around the literary genre of the Bengali fairy tale as it developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century India, especially regarding its ownership and genesis, and the interaction of this with the political/social debates/discourses surrounding the position and role of women. The discourses generated through the various prefaces and commentaries that accompanied the story collections, constructed a certain idea of the national woman as the bearer of tradition. They posit a theory of the sustenance of indigenous cultural traditions (which included story telling traditions) in her tremendous capacity for all-consuming love. At the same time, the story texts presented and focused on self-sacrificing heroines who fit into the model of indigenous womanhood that was being constructed during this period. This article will argue that these discourses were built on a series of erasures of women’s voices, life stages and emotional spectrums but were serving the purpose of proving the superiority of indigenous traditions over that of the British imperialists. This project of defending Indian tradition, a central aspect of the cultural resistance to British imperialism, was a masculinist project. It reduced women to being mere sites and objects of knowledge.

Theological Rigidity Against Covid-19 Vaccines Among Rural Christian Learners in Gutu, Zimbabwe

This article explores theological rigidity and misconceptions against solutions to increase COVID-19 vaccination among rural learners in Zimbabwe. This qualitative study is anchored on socio-cultural theory by Levi Vygotsky. An interpretive paradigm embedded in a case study design was used to explore the concepts. We used a purposive sampling technique to select nineteen knowledge rich rural Christians drawn from Pentecostals, African initiated Traditional Churches and Evangelicals denominations. In-depth interviews were conducted with the selected informants. Two focus group discussions (FGDs) were administered with participants drawn from each of the three denomination categories, giving a total of six FGDs. Data generated through focus group discussions were analyzed through thematic content analysis. We found that a significant number of rural learners in Zimbabwe have not been vaccinated due to a myriad of reasons. These include their rigid theological beliefs, cultural resistance and political skepticism. Consequently, the paper recommends that there is need for the Government, Church organizations and other stakeholders to collectively engage each other and find solutions to increase the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among rural learners.

A Study on Clinical Governance and Awareness in Quality Standards in Health from the Perspective of Nursing Management

Nurses, who are seen as the focal point in the implementation of clinical governance, have great importance in terms of knowledge, awareness, issues that they consider as obstacles and difficulties, and their suggestions for solutions. With this study, the clinical governance knowledge and awareness levels of the working nurses were examined, and it was aimed to contribute to the literature on the best practice of clinical governance by taking their opinions and suggestions. The population of the research consists of 716 nurses working in Sivas Health Services Application and Research Hospital. Questionnaires were collected both online and face-to-face. The responses of 122 nurses who voluntarily participated in the study were included in the study. The study was carried out with a mixed method and both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The study included 4 demographic questions and 9 questions about education, work, and knowledge level. In the literature, McSherry et al. (2012), Wallace et al. (2001) 4 Likert-type items were conveyed about the obstacles to clinical governance in their studies, and 2 open-ended semi-structured interview forms were used to determine their opinions and suggestions. In the study, which was shown as an obstacle to clinical governance and was found to be significant as a result of the analysis, the mean score of information technologies, lack of finance, and time was 1.72±0.79, the mean score of negative attitude towards research related to evidence-based practice was 2.07±0.89 The mean score for education and organizational culture change requirement was 1.83±0.85, and the mean score for cultural resistance to change was 2.02±1.04. Considering these values, it was determined that all expressions had a high level of disability score average.

Embroidering Palestine: Tatreez, cultural resistance, and female labour in Palestinian American graphic narratives

ABSTRACT This essay examines the use of tatreez, Palestinian embroidery, in two Palestinian American graphic narratives: Leila Abdelrazaq’s Baddawi and Marguerite Dabaie’s The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories. By including tatreez as a visual motif in their works and referencing it as a cultural practice, both authors demonstrate the importance of continuing the traditional practice of embroidery in order to create connections with Palestinian culture and Palestine as a homeland in the diaspora. However, they also emphasise the need for adapting tatreez to the twenty-first century by drawing it as a versatile and adaptable signifier. Braided together with different symbols of nationalism and resistance, tatreez becomes a critical visual space to unpack the complex relations that Palestinians in the diaspora have with Palestine as a homeland. Thus, Abdelrazaq and Dabaie show that tatreez not only establishes a connection with the past but that it equally functions as a conscious forward-looking approach to engage with Palestinian culture, an approach that draws attention to the materiality of female cultural resistance in its everyday forms and the significant role this type of resistance plays in defining Palestinian identities in the United States and the wider Palestinian diaspora.

Building a Culture-Conscious Workforce

This systematic literature review investigates the synergy between organizational culture and effective Human Resource Management (HRM) strategies in cultivating a culture-conscious workforce. Anchored in the recognition that organizational culture profoundly influences employee behavior and performance, this study delves into the evolving landscape of HRM practices that acknowledge and integrate cultural nuances. Through a rigorous synthesis of diverse scholarly works, including empirical studies and theoretical frameworks, the review delineates the intricate interplay between culture-conscious HRM and its impact on employee engagement, satisfaction, and overall organizational effectiveness. It elucidates the multifaceted dimensions of cultural alignment within HRM, spotlighting strategies that bridge cultural gaps and foster adaptive employee practices. The findings illuminate the empirical connections between culture-consciousness and collaborative outcomes, such as innovation and communication. While underscoring the numerous advantages, the study also acknowledges the challenges of overcoming ingrained cultural biases and resistance to change. The research culminates in a comprehensive understanding of the pivotal role culture-conscious HRM plays in cultivating a motivated and adaptable workforce, thereby offering actionable insights for practitioners, researchers, and organizational leaders seeking to optimize HRM practices through a cultural lens.

Il profilo dell’insegnante specializzato. Quali variabili nei saperi e nelle prassi di inclusione ed equità?

School inclusion in Italy, since its beginnings, opens up the complex issue, not without controversy, of teacher for educational support, defined as specialised if in possession of specific training. It is a profession that, even today, is compromised by representations, opinions, perceptions, and dichotomous postures among curricular and specialised teachers, by cultural resistance and by critical nodes in the co-construction of alliances with families and the territory and among teachers. Aspects that inevitably affect the knowledge and practices of inclusion and equity, the integrated management of the class group and, not secondarily, the involvement of families in their children’s life project. These peculiar elements will be discussed by analysing some of the results of a research-training project involving specialised teachers during their university training and after taking up their posts at school.

Artists Behind Barbed Wire: Art Exhibitions in the Detention Camps in Cyprus, 1947–1948

ABSTRACT Between 1946 and 1949, more than 55,000 Holocaust refugees, 20 percent of them children and youth, were detained by the British in various camps in Cyprus, in order to prevent their entrance to Eretz Israel (Mandatory Palestine). Relief organizations and emissaries from Eretz Israel were engaged in providing basic needs, occupation, and education to the detainees. Among other initiatives, art classes were organized for the young and adults alike, and occasional exhibitions were held to display their works. This paper tells the story of these exhibitions from different perspectives – therapeutic, educational, artistic, practical, and political. It exposes the politics behind the exhibits, as well as the competition surrounding them between the different political movements operating in the camps at the time. By analyzing the works of the young students in particular, and based on memories and research, the author shows how art was often used as an ideological tool as well. The youngsters had been directed to express their dreams of a wishful future in Eretz Israel, rather than their traumatic memories and losses in the Holocaust. Sculptures of Zionist leaders, models of kibbutzim, and displays of agricultural tools, among others, were common, while horrors of the war were hardly expressed in these exhibitions. One exhibition, displayed by the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement, serves as a case study in this paper. This unique project, called ‘To-No’ (Hebrew initials for ‘Youth Production’) is presented here through its numerous artifacts preserved to this day in archives in Israel, and through later exhibitions of them in Cyprus (2014) and in Israel (2017), accompanied by catalogs and articles of scholarly interpretation. They carry a universal message on the power and influence of artwork and artifacts as a means of resilience and rehabilitation, and as a model of spiritual and cultural resistance.

Class-Caste Politics, Hierarchy, and Hindutva in Indian Cinema and Protest Theatre

Caste-based atrocities and discrimination have been an unfortunate reality in India for centuries. Although the administrative and structural implementation of an affirmative action system in the mid and later part of the twentieth century helped in the process of upward mobilisation of the lower castes and Dalits in India, the socio-cultural aspect of caste and thus the exclusionary politics that is associated with it has long been imbibed within the fabric of social memory of the subcontinent. Upper caste monopoly over intellectual and academic space have furthered the epidemic of marginalisation of lower caste communities for centuries. Simultaneously, the rise of Hindu nationalist politics in neo-liberal India has resulted in brutal segregation of the Dalits as well as the religious minorities. The origins of such alternative movements and methods of cultural resistance have often been rooted in social movements led by students, activist and leftist intellectuals. This paper is an attempt to explore the portrayal of caste and religious identity based violence, the idea of ‘Hindutva’ and the socio-cultural resistance against such forces through the lens of alternative/parallel cinema and protest theatre in India.

Rediscovering Identity and Restoring African Values through Cultural Resistance

Rediscovering Identity and Restoring African Values through Cultural Resistance

Examining organisational subcultures: Machinery of Government mergers and emerging organisational microcultures

AbstractMachinery of Government restructures—transformations that create or abolish departments or move functions between agencies—often result in the misalignment of cultures and subcultures that impact business operations and customer service levels. An understanding of how subcultures are impacted during restructures is vital as they can reveal diffused microcultural boundaries that reflect highly problematic cultural tensions. This study provides rare ethnographic insights into how Machinery of Government restructures destabilise the delivery of optimal customer service by disrupting Business as Usual operations. Based on 74 interviews and ethnographic methods, the integrationist ‘DNA’ culture, subcultures, and emerging microcultures within Service NSW, a public sector agency in New South Wales (Australia), were examined during and after its merger with the Department of Customer Service. Microcultures were shown to function in a way that preserved Business as Usual activities and responsibilities to secure task independence, highlighting the importance of developing a conceptual framework for the detection and resolution of cultural resistance. Scholars and practitioners may adopt the framework used in this study to determine how, when, and where cultural resistance is likely to emerge.Points for practitioners This study critically analyses the ‘DNA’ culture of a service delivery agency in New South Wales during and after its merger with the Department of Customer Service. Service NSW's ‘DNA’ integrationist culture, the broader subculture of its ‘Support Office’, and various microcultures were detected. Microcultures were shown to preserve Business as Usual activities and secure task independence as reflected in backstage sites of enactment. The degree of intra‐ and interpersonal tensions experienced by Service NSW employees was opaque to senior leaders responsible for the restructure. Leaders and practitioners responsible for mergers should fully understand the changing nature of employee language and behaviour. It is advisable they act on the assumption that employees are experiencing tensions resulting from the organisation's disturbed social reality. Scholars and practitioners may adopt the conceptual framework and this case study's methodological approach to analyse a public service agency's various cultures, before, during, and after Machinery of Government (MoG) mergers or restructures, to pre‐empt, identify, and reduce cultural tensions, and should consider the feasibility of appointing a Workplace Change Committee. Workplace Change Committee Members act like first responders across impacted departments and divisions within subcultures. Workplace Change Committee Members manage emerging issues, specifically cultural disparities to ensure both the intra‐ and interpersonal safety of employees impacted by MoG mergers.

Capacity of laboratories as surveillance sites for Neisseria gonorrhoeae culture and antimicrobial resistance or susceptibility testing in public hospitals within Kisumu County, Kenya

Capacity of laboratories as surveillance sites for Neisseria gonorrhoeae culture and antimicrobial resistance or susceptibility testing in public hospitals within Kisumu County, Kenya

Landscape changes in the city of Barbacena – Minas Gerais recorded in photographs as a didactic resource for Environmental Education processes: A proposal in the light of Historical-Critical Pedagogy

The present study proposes a critical pedagogical practice in Environmental Education, using as a teaching resource photographic sequences from the city of Barbacena-Minas Gerais, which captured the transformations in its urban environment, with the purpose of awakening in students a critical perception of their reality. local and then think about global issues. For this, the methodological perspectives of Tozoni-Reis (2009) were used about the guidelines in Environmental Education research and the analyzes of the selected photographs were constructed from the method described by Panofsky (1979) contemplating denotative and interpretive elements of the images. Based on analyzes and discussions based on the basic theoretical framework of this study, a proposal was built to be carried out by teachers working in Environmental Education in the light of the path proposed by Saviani (1983) for teaching processes supported by Historical-Critical Pedagogy. It was concluded that the proposed theoretical and practical path opens several possibilities for the generation of critical and sensitive stimuli considering scientific and popular knowledge. In addition, it will enable ties and approximation with the identity of values of the students' community, representing a singularity of community values, memories and singularities, contemplating Emotional and rational skills and building cultural resistances in counterpoint to global reality

Targeted Antimicrobial Prophylaxis with Cefmetazole Based on Presence of Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Isolates to Prevent Post-Prostate Biopsy Infectious Complications

Fluoroquinolones (FQs) have been traditionally used for prophylaxis against bacterial infection. However, the rapid emergence of FQ-resistant Escherichia coli due to overuse and misuse have resulted in an increase in post-biopsy infections. We requested 723 patients undergoing transrectal or transrectal plus transperineal targeted prostate biopsy to provide preprocedure rectal swabs. The rectal swabs were plated onto deoxycholate hydrogen sulfate lactose agar culture and FQ resistance tests were conducted using the disc diffusion method following the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. All patients undergoing biopsy were given a 1.0 g intravenous injection of cefmetazole (CMZ) 30 min before and 12 h after biopsy. Patients with FQ-resistant organisms received an additional 1.0 g intravenous injection of CMZ every 12 h for an additional 1.5 days, while those without FQ-resistant organisms received levofloxacin 500 mg for 4 days. We evaluated infectious symptoms during the 30 days after the biopsy. We also evaluated the incidence of acute prostatitis within 7 days after the biopsy and isolation rates of FQ-resistant strains. A total of 289 patients (40%) had FQ-resistant isolates on rectal swabs. The overall infectious complication rate was 0.69%. Two patients with FQ-resistant isolates and three patients without them experienced infectious episodes. One patient with FQ-resistant isolates and two patients without them suffered acute prostatitis. The difference in the rates of infectious complication and acute prostatitis rates between FQ-resistant and FQ-susceptible carriers were not significant (p = 1.0 and 1.0, respectively). Post-biopsy sepsis was identified in one patient (0.14%) who had FQ-resistant Escherichia coli. Targeted antimicrobial prophylaxis with cefmetazole based on presence of FQ-resistant isolates on rectal swabs may prevent post-prostate biopsy infectious complications, especially in geographic lesions with a high incidence of FQ-resistant strains in rectal flora.

Registered Nurses' attitudes towards end-of-life care: A sequential explanatory mixed method study.

To examine registered nurses' attitudes about end-of-life care and explore the barriers and facilitators that influence the provision of high-quality end-of-life care. A sequential explanatory mixed methods research design was used. An online cross-sectional survey was distributed to 1293 registered nurses working in five different hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Frommelt Attitudes Towards Care of the Dying Scale was used to assess nurses' attitudes towards end-of-life care. Following the survey, a subset of registered nurses were interviewed using individual semi-structured interviews. Four hundred and thirty-one registered nurses completed the online survey, and 16 of them participated in individual interviews. Although nurses reported positive attitudes towards caring for dying patients and their families in most items, they identified negative attitudes towards talking with patients about death, their relationship with patients' families and controlling their emotions. The individual interview data identified the barriers and facilitators that registered nurses experience when providing end-of-life care. Barriers included a lack of communication skills and family and cultural and religious resistance to end-of-life care. The facilitators included gaining support from colleagues and patients' families. This study has identified that while registered nurses hold generally favourable attitudes towards end-of-life care, they have negative attitudes towards talking with patients and families about death and managing their emotional feelings. Education providers and leaders in healthcare settings should consider developing programmes for undergraduate nurses and nurses in clinical practice to raise awareness about the concept of death in a cross-section of cultures. Nurses' attitudes towards dying patients will be enhanced with culture-specific knowledge which will also enhance communication and coping methods. This study used the Mixed Methods Article Reporting Standards (MMARS).

Inclusión Digital y Acceso a Tecnologías de la Información en Zonas Rurales de Ecuador

The study analyzes digital inclusion and access to information technologies in rural areas of Ecuador, revealing important challenges and opportunities. The technological infrastructure in these areas is significantly limited, with only 27% of rural households having access to the Internet, compared to 67% in urban areas. The lack of adequate technological devices and insufficient network coverage exacerbate this situation. Digital skills training programs have shown mixed results, being most effective when they combine technical training with ongoing support. Public policies such as "Ecuador Digital" have improved connectivity, but face challenges in terms of reach and sustainability. NGO participation has been crucial in promoting digital literacy and access to devices. Economic and social barriers, such as lack of financial resources and cultural resistance, limit equitable access to ICTs. Mobile technology and successful initiatives are highlighted as potential solutions to improve digital inclusion. It is recommended to increase investment in infrastructure, promote public-private partnerships, develop customized training programs and establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure the effectiveness of policies

Performance, cultural resistance and social justice: India’s creative economies since the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global cultural and creative sector has experienced major transformations in the way performances are conceived of, produced, packaged, and sustained. The involuntary shift to the online (and now hybrid) models and platforms of showcasing have compelled artists not just to rethink performance itself but also to address larger global and local socio-political and economic issues. This paper aims to look at two short case studies – dance and theatre – to underscore the transformations in “performance economy” in the pandemic. It considers the adaptability of these forms to newer idioms/platforms, and the creative labour involved in their sustenance through ongoing challenges. The study focusses on interviews of performers, and self-reflexive experiences of pedagogic training as a dancer through online apps. In doing so, the paper asks how cultural resistance, social citizenship and inclusivity in performing arts address questions of labour, inequality, and creative justice.

Italian Nostalgia: National and Global Identities of the Italian Novel

The production, distribution and consumption of the Italian novel in the global editorial market has accompanied the gradual creation of a national branding process that does not coincide with the literary identity Italy tends to associate with. When considering the main analysis approaches of the Italian literary canon—the top-down one of the country’s yearly national bestsellers, literary prizes, suggested readings in Literature courses at University and school anthologies—and the larger-scale, bottom-up view of digital platforms like Amazon and Goodreads, Wikipedia stands in a middle, unexplored ground between the two. Through the comparative quantitative analysis of data derived from some of these sources, this article aims to gain more awareness on Italian literature from 1980 to 2021, to start addressing why national book prizes winners do not make it to the global market and if it is possible to talk about a national cultural resistance, which allowed authors like Elena Ferrante and Goliarda Sapienza to become literary sensations abroad before it happening in their own country. While some studies have already dealt with the unchanging aspect and the lack of diversity of the Italian literary canon, there has been little quantitative research on the two brands of the country, the national and the global, and on the dynamics between them. As well as proposing a methodology for the ongoing study of literary reception of Italian novels under multiple points of view, this article contributes to the discussion on the reliability of measures for studying the canon.

Experiences on the Utility and Barriers of Telemedicine in Healthcare Delivery in Kenya.

Telemedicine is the provision of health services over a distance using information communication technology devices. Telemedicine is emerging as a promising component of healthcare care delivery worldwide, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assessed the factors promoting uptake, barriers, and opportunities for telemedicine among doctors in Kenya. Methodology. A semiquantitative, cross-sectional online survey was conducted among doctors in Kenya. During a month, between February and March 2021, 1,200 doctors were approached by email and WhatsApp, of whom 13% responded. Findings. A total of 157 interviewees participated in the study. The general usage of telemedicine was 50%. Seventy-three percent of doctors reported using a mix of in-person care and telemedicine. Fifty percent reported using telemedicine to support physician-to-physician consultations. Telemedicine had limited utility as a standalone clinical service. The inadequate information communication technology infrastructure was the most reported barrier to telemedicine, followed by a cultural resistance to using technology to deliver healthcare services. Other notable barriers were the high cost of initial setup limited skills among patients, limited skills among doctors, inadequate funding to support telemedicine services, weak legislative/policy framework, and lack of dedicated time for telemedicine services. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the uptake of telemedicine in Kenya. The most extensive use of telemedicine in Kenya supports physician-to-physician consultations. There is limited single use of telemedicine in providing direct clinical services to patients. However, telemedicine is regularly used in combination with in-person clinical services, allowing for continuity of clinical services beyond the physical hospital infrastructure. With the widespread adoption of digital technologies in Kenya, especially mobile telephone technologies, the growth opportunities for telemedicine services are immense. Numerous mobile applications will improve access capabilities for both service providers and users and bridge the gaps in care.

Indigenous and Black Confraternities in Colonial Latin America: Negotiating Status through Religious Practices

Indigenous and Black Confraternities in Colonial Latin America: Negotiating Status through Religious Practices

Early Detection of Antibiotic Resistance in Positive Blood Cultures: A Study from a Tertiary Care Center in India

Early Detection of Antibiotic Resistance in Positive Blood Cultures: A Study from a Tertiary Care Center in India