Rural Folk Research Articles

The Transformation of European Fretted Zithers in the 19<sup>th</sup> and 20<sup>th</sup> Centuries

Different types of fretted zithers appeared in the western and northern parts of Europe and in the Alpine regions 500-600 years ago to meet the needs of rural folk music. In the 19th and 20th centuries, in northern Germany, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, zithers were constantly pushed out of village folk music. The final blow was the spread of the accordion to the zither. However, in some regions of southern Germany, Bavaria and Austria, zithers did not disappear, but underwent a number of significant modifications. In the first step, the volume of the instrument was increased (Salzburg form). This variety, called the Kratzzither was further developed in two different ways. To ensure that the zither could play with other instruments, the Scherrzither and Raffele were developed. Another development direction of the Kratzzither was the Schlagzither, which already provided a harmonic accompaniment to the melody. The systematic development of the Schlagzither made possible the birth of the Austrian and German Konzertzithers, whose harmonization already meets the requirements of classical music.

FINANCIAL INCLUSION AND THE INFORMAL SECTOR DURING AND POST-COVID 19 ERAS: STATUS, CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

COVID 19 is one of the major disasters that significantly disrupted the socio-economic statuses of various businesses and nations at large. The purpose of the study was to explore the extent to which COVID 19 affected financial inclusion in Zimbabwe. The quantitative research methodology and the purposive sampling technique were employed. Data was collected using in-depth and focus discussion group interviews from 35 participants. Data was analysed using thematic data analysis approach. Barred people in rural areas from accessing financial services which directly and indirectly increased the magnitude of poverty among people running informal businesses. Financial inclusion, is a key driver to poverty reduction; hence the negative impact of on financial inclusion significantly propels poverty in societies. Digitalizing financial services is one of the strategies which can be utilized to promote financial inclusion in the post- era. Financial institutions should use technology in financial services, so that those in rural areas do not incur transport and logistical costs for accessing financial services. Digital finance and other various financial innovations should be used to achieve financial inclusion in rural areas. Policies that encourage the delivery of formal financial services in rural areas should be developed. Governments should consider granting subsidy to providers of financial services so that they can offer basic financial services at low cost to the excluded population. Thus, governments ought to commit themselves to the delivery of accessible, affordable, appropriate and cost-effective financial services to unserved or underserved households. The study provides managers of financial institutions with various techniques of providing financial services to the informal sector in the post- eras in rural areas. It also provides managers with information pertaining to the risks in providing financial services in post-pandemic era in rural areas. Managers of internet service providers has a role in making sure that the rural folk have access to the facility so that digital banking systems become realizable.

Elderly Victimization in the Context of Witchcraft Accusations and Persons Accused of Witchcraft Practices Living Within the Gambaga Witches’ Camp: Understanding of Human Rights

The practice of sociocultural belief systems in Ghana such as witchcraft accusations leads to situations where some elderly people in the northern part of Ghana are likely to be victimized based on sociocultural belief systems. Persons accused of witchcraft practices can be denied some of their basic fundamental human rights. The lack of a clear understanding of human rights standards among many rural folks, especially in a rural part of Northern Ghana, makes many people consider accusations of persons suspected of witchcraft practices as a non-abuse of victims’ human rights when persons accused of witchcraft are encamped in witches’ camps. Hence, this study sought to explore the accused persons of witchcraft practice’s understanding of human rights and how their conceptualization of human rights has led to elderly victimization based on sociocultural practices regarding witchcraft accusations. The study employed a qualitative method where 37 participants were selected consisting of persons accused of witchcraft practices living within the Gambaga witches’ camp. A thematic approach was used in the data analysis. The study found that accused persons of witchcraft practices have a distinctive understanding of human rights, which they conceptualized to include social and cultural rights, economic rights, civil and political rights and legal rights and missed out on the civil and political aspects of human rights. The study found that the accused persons’ lack of understanding of the civil rights concept of human rights made most of the persons living within the Gambaga witches’ camp to be victims of torture, undergo forced labour, lack their right to protection, gender discrimination and slavery within the camp. The study recommended that traditional leaders should engage in community dialogues that facilitate open and inclusive community dialogues to discuss the negative impact of witchcraft accusations on individuals and the community as a whole.

‘A distressing scene’? The corpse in the nineteenth-century working-class home

ABSTRACT When Edwin Chadwick released his report into burial reform in 1843 he was highly critical of the working-class practice of keeping the dead body in the home for up to a week in the period between death and burial. Chadwick argued that the English working-classes kept the body for so long for economic reasons and that as a result of living in close quarters with a corpse they picked up negative associations with death and suffered moral decline. This paper overturns this assumption by using evidence from nineteenth-century folklore collections and working-class autobiography to argue that the long-standing tradition of keeping the body in the home and rallying round to prepare it for burial held a deep significance for rural working-class people. The gradual preparation of the body for burial engaged the senses and centred on the visual appearance of the corpse enabling rural folk to confirm social bonds through the formation of collective memories, demonstrate the respectability of both the deceased and their family, accept the reality of death, and begin the mourning process.

Patterns in Icelandic Elf Hills

The elf dwellings of Icelandic rural storytelling culture and traditional folk belief appear to follow recurring, reasonably fixed patterns in their visual appearance, location, and ways in which local populations engage with them. This article presents a study of elf dwellings in the Strandir region of the Icelandic Westfjords, outlining these patterns through an in-depth engagement with a geographically limited but extensive dataset. The article shows how elf dwellings tend to be identified with erratic boulders and rocky hills of a particular size and appearance, generally located not in the ‘wilderness’, but close to places of everyday activity, especially near farmhouses, historic travel routes, and agricultural land. It highlights patterns of negative (avoidance) and positive (emotional attachment) engagement with such places. This makes a contribution not only to the study of traditional rural folk belief, but also to research discourses on the materiality of religion and spatiality of belief and storytelling.

The allure of the east (Coast of Malaysia)

Every year, from 1955 until the late 1960s, the photographers from the Photographic Society of Singapore would make annual pilgrimages to the towns on the East Coast of Malaysia, to take images of its ‘picturesque inhabitants’. As a result, hundreds of prints of Malay women, children and fishermen in kampong villages and on the beach circulated widely in exhibitions locally as well as internationally, all depicting the East Coast as a rural and bucolic destination. The photographers were largely male and Chinese. In this essay, I present close readings of selected photographs and the language used to describe the visits to discuss a racial and gendered gaze on a community in Malaysia. I argue that while the perception of the Malays as rural and simple folk might have begun as a hangover from colonial stereotyping, subsequent photographic representation manifested different desires. Rather than control and containment, the images made by the Singaporean photographers reflected a nostalgia for kampong life amidst the anxiety of rapid modernisation and the shifting roles of women in society. The influence of photographic pictorialism, with its emphasis on highly stylised photographs, further promoted the production of simplistic, emblematic images.

AN ANALYTICAL RESEARCH STUDY OF REGIONAL RURAL BANK (RRB) AND ITS IMPACT ON RURAL ECONOMY

The Agricultural Banking is one of the important roles in rural development of our country and the village economic system is the spine of the Indian financial system. with out the development of the rural economy, the goal of economic planning cannot be performed. subsequently the nearby rural banks (RRBs) are performs a crucial role in the rural development for the economic system in India. The RRBs had been mounted on October 2, 1975, with the primary goal of a provisional credit score day-to-day rural folks who are not economically robust enough, especially the small farmers, artisans, agricultural people, and even small marketers. The prevailing have a look at is a modest every day rural credit score structure and the role played through RRBs in the improvement of rural economic system. the present research paper is designed in nature and makes use of secondary facts. The relevant secondary statistics have been amassed in particular through the articles, journals, books, and websites had been referred. This paper is daily take a look at the agricultural credit structure in RRBs of Pragathi Krishna Gramin bank. And this have a look at is centered simplest on the specific area like loans and advances made by using the RRBs for 3 years length of 2020-21 daily the 12 months 2021-22. KEYWORDS; A-Agriculture, B-Banking, E-Economic, P-Prevailling, A-Advances

The Historicity of Food Habits as Imagined in the Folk Literature of Erstwhile Kalingo: A Study through the Folk Songs of Chati-Ghoda of Odisha and Bitiali of West Bengal

An effort to get a glimpse of a world-view can be seen through the prisms of rural folk music. They are not only a medium of entertainment for the rural masses, but also a reflection of the untainted rural society that has remained untouched by the humdrum of modernity even today. The rural people live by the age-old practises, beliefs, rituals, and wisdom of traditional knowledge. This paper aims to reproduce the concept of folk music and its typical characteristics, replete with nuances of those pearls of wisdom, that have remained a guiding force for the country people for generations, and how folk music, other than being the prime source of entertainment, is a storehouse of knowledge about the customs, food habits, rituals, and other social behaviours that resonate with the life and living of the populace. This will also highlight some of the extensive citations from the available oral traditions of music.

Indigenous media and rural mobilization for development programmes in Nigeria

This paper explores the role of indigenous media in rural mobilization for development programmes in Nigeria. It is a position paper which obtained its data through secondary sources such as textbooks and journal articles. The paper is anchored on the Uses and Gratifications Theory. Indigenous media have been found to be critical components of rural mobilization which empowers rural dwellers to engage in self-actualizing activities in their communities. They are also found to be instrumental to changing the behavioural patterns of rural people towards achieving set development goals. Indigenous media promote awareness and increase active participation of rural people in development programmes. Lack of a unified language system in indigenous communication, lack of official attention from the government and the influence of new media technologies among others have been identified as challenges faced by indigenous media in Nigeria. The paper however, concludes that indigenous media are vital channels for rural mobilization and development in Nigeria. The paper recommended among others that government, policy makers and development stakeholders should deploy indigenous media in rural development programmes for effective mobilization and participation of the rural folks in their development programmes.

Vampires, Revenant Souls, and Objects of Healing

This study searches for the characteristic features of religious healing in three phenomena of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: veneration of miraculous images, apparitions from Purgatory, and vampire incidences. All the examples originate from the Czech lands, and all were in some way related to the Catholic renewal or strengthening the Catholic faith in this region. Individual cases have been analyzed with regard to the social relevance of religious remedies, their connection to social problems, and the interaction between the actors involved. The authors draw attention to the link between physical and mental healing and show the key role of local spiritual authorities, especially members of religious orders and parish priests, in spreading practices of spiritual healing. The study reveals that, however theologically sensitive they might have been, the practices analyzed were apparently encouraged by the clergy and the social elites in the local communities, therefore they can hardly be associated only with the so-called popular piety of the rural folk.

Unequal prefecture-level water footprints in China: The urban-rural divide

Water is vital for inclusive human well-being and economic growth, but water and its benefits are not equally distributed to all. The water gap between city dwellers and rural folks was not well understood. In this paper we assessed prefecture-level urban and rural water footprints (WFs) in China, using an improved multi-region input-output (MRIO) table with resolved urban and rural final consumption data. The assessment provided a quantitative foundation for evaluating and explaining urban and rural water use inequality from the consumption perspective. The results showed that per capita urban WF was on average 2.1 times per capita rural WF. The urban-rural WF divide constituted an important contribution to spatial WF inequality, in addition to provincial-level and prefecture-level differences. Compared to previous provincial-level WF analyses, this high-resolution prefecture-level urban and rural analysis showed clear evidence of economically developed urban areas as hotspots of large WFs. Specifically, our results provided a quantitative assessment revealing that 10 % China's population (urban residents in 51 prefectures) appropriated 25.8 % of the national WF. The dominant driving factor for urban-rural per capita WF disparity in all the prefectures was the consumption level, accounting for on average about 84 % of the disparity. There is an urgent need to leverage socio-economic development and urbanization against equitable and sustainable water use. The results have implications to equitable and sustainable water management from a broader macro-economic view.

Documentation of Ethno-Orthopedic Healing Process in Gurap, Hooghly District, West Bengal

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to document the existing traditional knowledge of the medicinal plants for bone setting health care practices and to analyse the present treatment process and identifying the medicinal plants as key factor of ethno-orthopedic healing system in Gurap area in Hooghly district of West Bengal. Data were collected from the patients as well as practitioners through questionnaires and personal interviews to know about the general information, orthopaedic problems, treatment process, restrictions and the usefulness of the practice through the traditional knowledge and medicinal plant. The predominance of rural folk (86%) indicates the importance of the traditional bone setters as healthcare providers in rural areas. Most of the patients (96%) were satisfied with this treatment. The plant also identified through the present study namely Ipomoea obscura that can be obtained patent and preserve for future generation. The study has drawn upon focuses on the documentation of traditional knowledge, valuable medicinal plant and treatment process adopted in the study area, which may help to the other communities as a medical resource for further use. Library can acts as resource providers of such authentic medicine.

An Ethnobotanical Study of Important Woody Medicinal Plants of Jalaun District of Bundelkhand Region

The present investigation deals with the folk knowledge of important woody medicinal plants species that are used by the rural folks of the five sites of Jalaun district of Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, India for the management of different kinds of ailments, found in these sites. The majority of the common vegetation in the Jalaun district is represented by tropical dry deciduous forest and scrub thorn forest. The ethnobotanical investigation revealed 51 woody plant species belonging to 46 genera and 31 families. In this investigation Caesalpiniaceae (5 sp.) was the dominant family followed by Mimosaceae, Moraceae (4 sp. each), Apocynaceae, Boraginaceae and Fabaceae (3 sp. each). Acacia catechu, Acacia nilotica, Azadirachta indica, Albizia lebbeck, Bauhinia variegata, Calotropis gigantea, Terminalia arjuna, Aegle marmelos, Justicia adhatoda, Ziziphus mauritiana and Dalbergia sissoo were the most common plant species in the district. The investigation reveals that there is not any involvement of younger generation in this research so such knowledge is at the risk of disappearance in the future.

Unravelling the Mode of Action of Wound Healing Efficiency with the compounds Screened from Hygrophila auriculata by Molecular docking Studies

Hygrophila auriculata is one of the traditional herbal plants utilized by many rural folks to heal wounds. According to the traditional knowledge, the roots of the plant would be highly effective for wound healing. the plant-based secondary metabolites remain an essential aspect in developing novel drug candidates. the early screening of bioactive compounds for a therapeutic property would be strongly evidenced to carry out the in vitro and in vivo studies. the current study focuses on screening bioactive compounds involved in wound healing using in silico molecular docking studies. the LcMS analysis of H. auriculata yielded about 15 compounds in positive and negative modes with the greatest medicinal properties. the drug-likeness, physicochemical properties, and bioactivity scores were evaluated for 15 compounds using SWISS AdME online tool. the compounds that indicate drug like properties and adhere to the permissible parameters are epiafzelechin, betulin, caffeic acid 3-glucoside, quercetin, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, chlorogenic acid, myristic acid, and 5, P coumaroyl quinic acid implying to be a cell-permeable and orally active drug. the bioactivity scores indicated that the compounds to be highly active. the binding affinities were checked with the wound pathogenic proteins such as Elastase, Glycogen synthase kinase-3β, gelatinase, and collagenase. the compounds that fall within the drug-likeness limit were further evaluated for AdMEt properties and predicted that majority compounds are nontoxic and easily absorbed. the docking score ranged from -1.56 kcal/mol to -9.65 kcal/mol which exhibited the strongest binding affinity. the effective binding of compounds like epiafzelechin, betulin, kaempferol-7-o-Glucoside, linoleic acid, chlorogenic acid, and quercetin with these proteins provides evidence for further research to elucidate the underlying mechanism that promotes wound healing of Hygrophila auriculata root.

An Ethnobotanical Survey on Medicinal Plants used to treat Urinary Tract Infections in Kanyakumari District

This study is an attempt made to explore the indigenous knowledge of medicinal flora used to treat urinary tract infections in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India. The information was collected by intensively interviewing the indigenous people, experienced aged rural folks, traditional healers and herbal drug sellers of Kanyakumari district. A total of 29 medicinal plants belonging to 21 families were identified to be used as curative agents against urinary tract infections by dwellers of Kanyakumari district. The medicinal plants were arranged alphabetically based on its botanical name and other details such as local names in Tamil, family name, plant part used, method of preparation and route of administration were recorded. The indigenous knowledge obtained through this survey might aid the scientific community to investigate these plants for discovery of bioactive compounds that could serve as curative agents against urinary tract infections in future.

Socio-economic factors affecting access to birth registration among children born out of marriage: A study conducted in Harare

Africa, conceptually, geographically, politically, economically, religiously and socially is in bondage. Zimbabwe faces the problemof officially registering the births of children born out of marriage and other vulnerable children. This study explored the socioeconomic barriers hindering the Zimbabwe government birth registration of children born out of marrriage in the Harare central district of Zimbabwe. The impediments encountered by parents and guardians of children born out of marrriage have also emerged as a global human rights issue, with over 237 million children under the age of 5 without birth registration as at 7th July 2021, following the UNICEF birth registration tracking. Using qualitative phenomenology design, the study investigated livedexperiences of parents within the Harare Central district area. The participants were selected using the snowball samplingtechnique, while three key informants were purposively sampled by the researchers. The study findings indicated that there are aplethora of socio-economic challenges emanating from a deficient government registration system, more inclined to cater for theurban based population than the rural folk. Additionally, general poverty among the majority of the population played a significantrole for the majority, who could not afford transport fees to travel to registration centre among many others. Moreover, religiousand other patriarchal cultural practices hinder access to birth registration. How to reference using ASWNet style:Mavuka, A., Mashiri, C. & Soko, S. (2023). Socio-economic factors affecting access to birth registration among children born out of marrriage: a study conducted in Harare. African Journal of Social Work, 13(4), 207-216. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i4.4 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

Mismedication as COVID-19 pandemic response of rural folks: Implications for national COVID-19 response policy of Lesotho.

COVID-19's super-spread nature, its adverse impacts, and the associated public fear and panic have resulted in the use of "dangerous" substances and medicinal herbs (mismedication), particularly in rural parts of Africa. Exploring the phenomenon of mismedication is crucial for promoting effective public health policies. This study adopted a qualitative study design and purposively selected and interviewed 50 rural folks cutting across the 10 districts of Lesotho in Southern Africa. The study's findings show that rural folks perceive a high vulnerability to the COVID-19 virus. They also consider COVID-19 a dangerous virus and have high fear arousal of contracting the virus. It was realized that rural folks resort to unreliable sources of information on COVID-19 pandemic, such as friends and family members, social media, village members, and grandchildren. These untrustworthy sources spread a lot of misinformation about COVID-19, causing fear and panic among rural residents. To remedy the spread of the pandemic, its impact, and the underlying public fear and panic, rural dwellers have resorted to the use of unapproved medicinal plants. Trust in unapproved medicinal plants influences rural dwellers' compliance to the standard protocols implemented to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The study recommends the urgent need to intensify scientific investigation into the various medicinal plants for their efficacy, side effects, preparation, and approved dosage. Again, effective public education on the efficacy and dangers associated with the use of unapproved medications must be strengthened, particularly in rural communities through the active participation of opinion, traditional, and religious leaders.

Women Empowerment Impact through Nagaland State Rural Livelihood Mission Scheme in Dimapur District of Nagaland

Background: Nagaland being NRLM implementing agency and provide guidance to them nurturing till there is visible economic and social upliftment among the rural women folks were highlighted. 66.70 per cent were in high, followed by 33.30 per cent in medium category. Methods: The present research investigation was carried out during the agricultural year 2018-20 with a total of 120 respondents were selected by following purposely stratified simple random technique. Result: The impact of NSRLM among the beneficiaries in terms of marketing skills and technical skills to a great extent. The beneficiaries of NSRLM have faced various problems and challenges situations viz; lack of coordination followed by lack of knowledge.

Education and marriage behavior Among rural folks: A dilemma of senior high school graduates in Northern-Ghana

Education is necessary for human development, especially at a time when the conventional labor market is in decline, yet the challenges of child marriage remain unresolved. The study examined how Northern Ghana’s rural folks handle calls for marriage and higher education. A case study design was implemented within the qualitative method to achieve the stated goal. Results revealed that factors influencing marriage and education choices include poor educational background, peer influence, teenage pregnancy, financial constraints, and parental pressure. There was a greater interest in marriage than in higher education. The institution of marriage is cheap compared to the cost of tertiary education, combined with economic and social advantages. This negatively affects education decisions. Results also showed that higher education helps build better homes and keeps marital households financially secure. However, females are less likely to marry and have children than their male counterparts. The results uncovered elements of incrementalism in the decisions of Senior High School graduates. This is reflected in limited expert advice, limited consideration of alternatives, and more focus on personal experience and feelings related to problem-solving and troubleshooting. However, when confronted with the consequences of their decisions, the study detected traces of rationality and incrementalism.

Why the New Deal Matters

Why the New Deal Matters