This article examines the mother–daughter relationship in Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit through Adrienne Rich’s concept of motherhood as both lived experience and social institution, alongside an intertextual reading of Perceval: The Story of the Grail and Jane Eyre. It argues that motherhood in the novel functions as an institutionalized form of power through which religious ideology and patriarchal authority regulate female subjectivity. Jeanette’s adoptive mother embodies this institutional motherhood, transforming maternal love into a mechanism of discipline and control. By rewriting the narrative structure of “departure–trial–return,” Winterson exposes the limits of traditional religious and heroic paradigms while revealing the recursive nature of patriarchal domination. At the same time, the presence of non-biological maternal figures articulates alternative modes of maternal care grounded in ethical responsiveness and quiet resistance. This study demonstrates that Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit critiques institutionalized motherhood while reimagining maternal relations as a critical space for female self-definition.

A few centuries before the onset of colonial rule in South India, the focus of historical narratives underwent a gradual shift from the affairs of courts and temples to those of rural communities—migrations, land settlements and the political life of local chiefs. These narratives, referred to as ‘social documents’ in this article, evolved through a range of social institutions and found expression across diverse literary genres. Building on modern historical scholarship on this subject and focusing on the Kongu uplands of South India, this article explores three interrelated processes: socio-economic transformations in a frontier peasant society; shifts in the ‘social framework’ that shaped diverse modes of remembering the past; and the intersecting roles of bards, poets and scribes in recording and transmitting social memory at the local level. The opening sections examine the social function of the past in upland society, focusing on Pulavars as genealogists and custodians of peasant memory, and on the social negotiations that shaped collective and localised pasts. The subsequent sections discuss the processes of transmission and textualisation of social memory.

Aim . The work aimed to analyze institutional transformation processes within the “Vision 2030” reformatory program and to assess their impact on the economic development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Objectives . The work seeks to conduct an interdisciplinary literature review; to explore the problems of the formation and development of institutions in society; to systematize theoretical and empirical research in the context of the chosen topic; to examine current statistical data indicating the dynamics of institutional development in Saudi Arabia; as well as to analyze and evaluate the impact of institutional changes on the implementation of the “Vision 2030” concept and its economic outcomes. Methods . The author applied literature analysis in the field of institutional economics, a synthesis of empirical and theoretical experience, and a comparative analysis of statistical data. Results . The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia demonstrates a unique example of its reformatory pathway. The “Vision 2030” program is primarily aimed to achieve sustainable economic development through economic diversification and scientific and technological progress, which principally requires a comprehensive institutional transformation of the country. A key area of institutional change has been the modernization of government institutions. The creation of specialized agencies, the administrative system optimization, as well as openness and transparency became incentives of the development of small and medium-sized businesses, including those with foreign capital. Reformatory efforts found its way into the religious sphere, while accelerating significantly the scientific and technological progress and the development of promising non-oil sectors. Considerable attention has been paid to the establishment of social institutions and the development of human capital as the main driver of the country’s sustainable economic development. Integration into the international community and the gradual “depreservation” of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are initiating information and cultural exchange. The country’s reformatory policy is resulting in significant changes in institutional norms and the structure of social relations in a relatively short period, which is positively embodied in the creation of an active “dynamic society” and a sustainable economy. Conclusions . Despite significant progress in institutional transformations towards implementing the “Vision 2030” reforms, Saudi Arabia faces a number of challenges. Contrary to expectations, foreign direct investment has declined, jeopardizing a number of infrastructure and ambitious innovation projects. This is due to external factors, such as changes in the global market and inconsistent government actions. Traditionally conservative attitudes have become a challenge in social transformations, hindering the creation of a “dynamic society”. Rapid social changes are causing difficulties for a certain segment of the adult population in adapting to new standards and values. Despite the active development of educational programs and efforts to combat unemployment, the employment scheme remains somewhat hampered by the industry diversity imperfection. Nevertheless, the authorities are continuing their chosen reformatory course. Institutional and structural socioeconomic changes in society cannot be fully implemented in a short period of time. However, significant preconditions have been created for constructive transformations aimed at the country’s sustainable economic development.

The preeminent Indian psychoanalyst, Sudhir Kakar, invites his readers to consider the psychological bases of Hindu childhood and society. Crucial to his project is the Hindu mother’s behavior toward her child. Kakar proposes that, because of her own psychological needs, the mother physically and emotionally indulges her child. It is this indulgence that ostensibly accounts for the central Hindu themes of dharma, karma, and moksa. Kakar equally claims that the mother-infant dynamic accounts for India's signature social institution, that is, caste. This may not be the case. One theme curiously goes unaddressed in Kakar’s work, that is, maya. Within Hindu metaphysics, maya coneys the perception of the external world as illusory, untrustworthy. Psychoanalytically, maya expresses the perception of those with insecure-anxious attachments. Maya is basic mistrust. Maya makes trouble for Kakar. Kakar’s characterization of childrearing in India is incorrect. The ethnographic record indicates a pediatric childrearing strategy, a strategy adaptive for robust infectious disease ecologies. Pediatric caregivers do not emotionally indulge their infants. They tend to nurture insecure-anxious attachments. Such attachments produce personality profiles predisposed to collectivism. Pediatric childrearing, insecure-anxious attachments, and collectivism are anti-pathogen psychologies. Maya reflects the inner world of insecure-anxious collectivists in equatorial South Asia.

Purpose Hospitals, as social institutions that provide health services to the community under its coverage, are one of the pioneer institutions that encourage and use social participation in the management and implementation of public governance. The leading countries in hospital quality improvement and management have generally moved towards models of hospital administration under public guidance and supervision or so-called public governance. This research will be carried out to provide a public governance model for Iran's hospitals, focusing on the management of hospitals with the participation of the people. Design/methodology/approach This research followed a mixed-method design to develop a public governance model for hospitals in Iran. First, the components of public governance for hospitals in Iran are identified by reviewing the literature and experiences of other countries, and then, the viewpoints of experts regarding the components of public governance for hospitals in Iran are collected through qualitative methods such as focus group discussion and interviews. Based on the findings of the literature review and qualitative methods, the initial model of the public governance model for hospitals in Iran will be developed, validated and finalized using the Delphi technique. Finally, the evaluation indicators of the designed model will be extracted. Findings The results of this research will provide policymakers and senior managers of the health system with valuable information to improve the performance of the public governance system in the health system of the country. To achieve this goal, the comprehensive evaluation tools are required. Research limitations/implications This study protocol may face limitations in its applicability to healthcare systems outside Iran due to differences in organizational, cultural and political contexts. The qualitative methods and Delphi technique, while ensuring depth and expert input, might lead to subjective interpretations and potential biases in the final model. Additionally, the reliance on expert consensus may not fully capture all stakeholder perspectives. Future research will need to validate the proposed model in diverse healthcare settings and incorporate a broader range of stakeholders to ensure its generalizability and impact on global healthcare governance practices. Practical implications This study will provide a comprehensive framework for implementing public governance in Iranian hospitals, emphasizing stakeholder participation and transparency in decision-making. The proposed model, once validated, can serve as a practical tool for policymakers and hospital administrators to enhance accountability, optimize resource allocation and improve service quality. By introducing clear evaluation indicators and implementation guidelines, the study aims to address existing management challenges and align hospital operations with public expectations. The findings will offer actionable insights that can be adapted to similar contexts, contributing to the development of more effective and equitable healthcare management practices. Social implications The proposed study will have significant social implications by introducing a governance model that prioritizes inclusive and participatory decision-making in hospital management. By involving various stakeholders, including patients and community representatives, the model aims to foster greater public trust and accountability. Its implementation will likely lead to improved healthcare service quality, equitable access and enhanced satisfaction among users. This participatory approach is expected to contribute to more sustainable healthcare systems, promote social justice and address disparities in healthcare delivery, ultimately benefiting broader society by aligning governance practices with public welfare and shared responsibilities. Originality/value This study contributes to the advancement of healthcare governance by proposing a novel public governance model for hospital management, integrating the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. Unlike traditional models, this approach emphasizes stakeholder collaboration, transparency and accountability to enhance service quality and satisfaction. By employing systematic, qualitative and Delphi methodologies, the study identifies and prioritizes comprehensive evaluation indicators tailored to the healthcare context. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, hospital managers and researchers seeking innovative strategies to address governance challenges in the health sector, ultimately fostering sustainable and people-centered healthcare systems.

Urban farming has emerged as a strategic response to the decline of agricultural land in urban areas. However, the role of women's farmer institutions and social capital in its development remains underutilized. This study aims to analyze the influence of social capital and women farmer institutions on the development of urban farming in Makassar City. Conducted from July to September 2024 in Tello Urban Village, the study employed purposive sampling involving 20 active women farmer group members. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. The results reveal that social capital characterized by sharing information, coordinating activities, and making collective decisions plays a significant role in supporting urban farming development. Similarly, women farmer institutions function effectively as cooperation, learning, and production units, contributing substantially to urban agriculture. These institutions not only facilitate collaboration among members but also enhance women’s capacity through collective learning, innovation, and the processing of agricultural products with added value. The synergy between social capital and institutional strength fosters trust, participation, and cooperation, which are essential for maintaining the sustainability and resilience of urban farming systems. The findings further indicate that both factors have a moderate but meaningful influence on the growth of urban farming, suggesting that additional external supports such as government facilitation, resource access, technological innovation, and policy strengthening are still required. The study concludes that enhancing institutional capacity and reinforcing social capital are crucial to achieving sustainable, inclusive, and community-driven urban farming development in Makassar City, which in turn can improve household welfare and strengthen food security in urban environments.

Sports function not only as physical activities but also as powerful social institutions influencing behavior, values, and social relationships. This study examines the sociological role of sports in promoting social integration, discipline, leadership, and psychological well-being among youth. Using sociological theories of functionalism and socialization, along with survey-based data collected from students aged 13–18, the research highlights the contribution of sports to social development. The findings suggest that sports participation significantly enhances teamwork, confidence, and social cohesion, making sports an effective instrument for positive youth development in modern society.

This article aims to examine the author’s worldview toward betrayal in the short story Sirrul Marquise. Before exploring the author’s worldview, this study first discusses the historical and social background that underlies the creation of the work. The study employs a descriptive qualitative research method by textual data analysis and interpretation it through the lens of Lucien Goldmann’s genetic structuralism theory. The data consist of primary sources in the form of the contemporary Arabic short story titled Sirrul Marquise and secondary data obtained from related journal articles and previous studies. Through this method, the researcher found that Nabil Al-Othmani, the author of “Sirrul Marquise,” was influenced by Morocco’s social conditions, particularly those related to power struggles and the territorial conflict in the Sub-Saharan region. The short story reflects the author’s worldview on betrayal through four main dimensions: betrayal of social institutions, parental betrayal of children, betrayal of moral and humanitarian values, and betrayal of oneself. Each form of betrayal illustrates a deeper social criticism against the moral decay and crisis of trust in modern Moroccan society. This research contributes to expanding the discourse on betrayal in literary studies, especially within the framework of genetic structuralism, by connecting individual moral collapse to collective social structures. The findings also provide implications for further application of genetic structuralism in modern Arabic literature studies, particularly in works addressing postcolonial identity and social conflict. It is hoped that this study can fill the research gap concerning betrayal in macro social contexts and inspire future studies to explore Goldmann’s theory more comprehensively in various literary works.

This study explored the role of social institutions in preventing social deviance and proposed a conceptual framework to enhance their effectiveness. It focused on the influence of the family, school, and civil society in shaping individuals’ social values. By integrating technology, the study aimed to improve awareness programs and promote positive behavioral outcomes.The study adopted an analytical approach through a review of theoretical literature and previous studies, along with interviews with teachers, parents, and NGO workers to identify challenges and needs related to deviance prevention.The findings indicated that the family plays a central role in instilling social values and developing internal controls from an early age. Schools were found to contribute significantly by promoting moral values and discipline through technology-based educational programs. Additionally, NGOs play an important role in raising social awareness and providing support via digital platforms and smart applications, with coordination among institutions identified as essential for effective prevention.The study concluded that integrating efforts among social institutions and utilizing technology in social work can foster healthy social development, reduce deviant behavior, and enhance social stability. Received: 28 August 2025 / Accepted: 15 December 2025 / Published: January 2026

The state of human self-awareness is analyzed as a process and result of person’s self- consciousness. It is proved that this state becomes a fundamental factor of human health, and accordingly, the task of education as a social institution is to form and develop a state of self- consciousness in participants in the educational process, which (state) makes a person a creative, happy, healthy being, capable of being responsible for his/her actions. It is shown that the key quality of the personality — consciousness/self-awareness (as a person's ability to be aware of himself/herself through reflection — the ability to look at himself/herself from the outside, to achieve transcendence — going beyond the current givenness) presupposes the freedom of a person from the determinism of the world, which makes the person a creature who is freed from the animal fate of biological robot and begins to be responsible for his/her actions/deeds (only a free person/being who is capable of controlling certain aspects of social reality can be responsible for his/her actions). As relevant studies have proven, human freedom is realized as an internal motivation, which, in turn, is associated with such aspects of a person as supra-situational activity, reflexivity, abstraction, transcendence of the existing situation «here and now», non-adaptive behavior, going beyond the boundaries of need-based and situational determination, liberation from the determinism of the world, creative activity, consciousness/self-awareness, — all that makes a person a thinking being who possesses the «I» — the human personality — a unique and self-identical essence. Studies of the state of consciousness in various spheres of human activity and life are outlined, in particular, the experiments of E. Langer and her colleagues are considered: retrotherapy; experiments with elderly people who took responsibility for their actions; the counterclockwise study, which revealed the influence of a person on the processes of their aging; research in which clothing is used as a factor in overcoming the processes of human aging; experiments with maids who were offered to consciously perceive their work as training; experiments on improving human vision; research on the influence of conscious perception of reality on the processes of healing wounds of a persons and the duration of their sleep; both the effects of a person's conscious attention to the variability of environmental signals/stimuli and the determinants/factors of female leadership were also studied. Studies of the state of consciousness in various spheres of human activity and life are outlined, which indicate a profound positive impact of the state of consciousness on a person in the context of his/her harmonious multifaceted development, as well as spiritual-intellectual, psychosomatic, social health, creativity and longevity.

We investigate the explanatory role of epistemic virtue in accounting for the success of science as a social institution that is characterized by predominantly epistemic ends. We explore several structural explanations of the epistemic success of science that commonly rule out virtue attributions to scientists. These accounts underline the economic structure of science as the chief explanatory factor in its collective success, and endorse a common conclusion, namely that collective epistemic virtue can obtain in the absence of individual epistemic virtue. We call this position virtue radicalism. We analyze the credibility crisis in the social and behavioral sciences as an anomaly for the virtue radicalist position, as the same incentive structure is shared across all scientific fields but leads to different collective outcomes. We then argue for a stronger claim against virtue radicalism, namely that the collective success of science cannot be reduced to any social structure, because the presence of a significant proportion of epistemically virtuous scientists in a scientific community is a necessary condition for the establishment, maintenance, and reform of any social structure with a view to reliable and sustainable knowledge-production.

The present study addressed the requirements of international projects as an effective tool in internationalizing higher education institutions for social work. The study aimed to identify the requirements of international projects to internationalize social work education institutions. The study used the social survey method, utilizing a regular sample of (240) faculty members and auxiliary bodies in the faculties of social work at the universities of Helwan, Fayoum, Assiut, Aswan, and Beni Suef. The main findings of the study revealed the ranking of international project requirements for the internationalization of social work education institutions.

ABSTRACT In this article, we discuss two cases of the disappearance of children in Israel and Canada that are haunting both societies. We focus on the clash between social groups and institutions in both societies pursuing disparate narratives, each claiming to hold the truth. The first case concerns the disappearance of Yemenite children who during the mass immigration to Israel following its independence in 1948 were announced dead after being hospitalised. A narrative emerged that they were kidnapped and sold for adoption, while three commissions appointed to investigate the matter concluded they found no evidence to substantiate this claim. The second case concerns soil disturbances discovered in Canada in 2021 on the grounds of an Indian Residential School run by the Catholic Church. A narrative emerged that these were graves of missing children who were secretly buried there after being murdered by school personnel. This narrative has been advanced amidst a contrary argument that there was no evidence to substantiate this claim. Based on our observation of the role played in both cases by politicians, political activists, government commissions, the media and academic scholars we propose a set of conclusions on the relations between narratives and factual evidence.

This research examines the role of culture as a mediating force in long-run processes of economic transformation and social change. Moving beyond purely economic explanations of structural change, it integrates insights from political economy, institutional economics, and historical sociology to analyze how cultural drivers shape economic trajectories across distinct stages of development. The analysis adopts a historical and comparative scope, focusing on three broad phases of transformation: the transition from agrarian to commercial economies, industrialization and labor reorganization, and the contemporary era of services and financialization. Five core cultural drivers—religion and ethics, education and knowledge, social norms, institutions, and technology adoption—are examined through an inductive, non-empirical methodology based on historical narratives and cross-stage synthesis rather than econometric estimation. Their relative influence is assessed using an ordinal framework and summarized through conceptual heatmaps and quadrant visualizations. The findings indicate that cultural drivers operate in differentiated and stage-specific ways: education and technology adoption emerge as structurally transformative in advanced stages of development; social norms function as key mediating mechanisms shaping coordination and governance; institutions play a predominantly supportive and enabling role; and religion and ethics remain context-dependent, exerting indirect influence rather than disappearing in modern economies. Overall, the study demonstrates that culture is not a static determinant of economic outcomes but a dynamic and reconfiguring force that evolves alongside economic structures, conditioning the paths through which economies transform over time.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the origin, structure and the role of Tigania clans and Gichiaro (blood brotherhood) as a system of social control in pre colonial Tigania of Meru prior to the adoption and adaptation of circumcision age set system. Specifically, the study examined how the clans emerged among the pre colonial Tigania, how they were structured and their specific roles. The study further investigated the origin of Gichiaro (blood brotherhood) and how it was used to bring harmony among different clans of the Meru. The study was interpreted within the theory of social structuralism which was used to analyze the functionality of the clans and blood brotherhood among the pre-colonial Tigania. The study employed a descriptive research design. The study location was in Tigania, Meru County targeting the population with knowledge on clan/lineage system. A sample size of 40 respondents aged 60 years and above based on the concept of data saturation was selected, although some younger respondents were selected due to their knowledge on Tigania culture as result of education and community leadership. The sample was selected from the target population through purposive and snowballing sampling procedures. The respondents at this age possessed less diluted information as they acquired it from their parents or grandparents on clan and Gichiaro structures. The data was mainly collected from secondary and oral sources and then corroborated. The data collected was analyzed qualitatively and presented thematically. The research was carried with strict adherence to the ethics of research. The research found out that, pre-colonial Tigania were not initially organized into clans prior to their migration. The clans developed on the course of migration. The Gichiaro system of social control was later developed to keep the clans united and promote brotherhood even after the clan separation. The clan played vital role in pre colonial Tigania such as defining boundaries, land allocation, political leadership, intermarriages, performance of cultural rituals among others. This research is important on informing the policy makers on the vital role such traditional social institutions played in the society. Such institutions ensured social order, discipline and harmony in the society thus fostering a strong social fabric. Therefore, with sound policies such social institutions can be sustained. The research also contributes to the knowledge on social cultural history of pre colonial Tigania of Meru.

ABSTRACT This paper builds on R. Scott Kretchmar’s contention that game play – not simply complex language – served as a primary generator of culture over the course of human evolution. Kretchmar’s ‘games-first hypothesis’ challenges the dominant privileging of language as the sole prerequisite for conventions forming our social institutions. On this view, ‘game acts’ – not ‘speech acts’ – stand at the root of what social otologists such as John Searle call ‘social reality’. Oldham makes the case that we hold game acts – more specifically physical game acts (i.e. sport) – as mechanisms par excellence for the development and display of trust and trustworthiness, fundamental elements of social institutions including language. Anchored thus in ontologically objective evolutionary processes, ‘game acts theory’ not only presents a novel solution to social ontology’s persistent problem of irreducibility to brute facts, but opens up a significant new perspective in the debate concerning value and meaning in sport and games. It is here, in fact, with a question about value – Does the Olympic Oath carry a moral obligation? – where the paper begins. The search for an answer launches an exploration of the origins of social conventions on an evolutionary time scale, decentring language and laying the groundwork for a new ontological understanding of sport.

ABSTRACT Losurdo’s commitment to emancipation overcomes dogmatism and bestows a pioneering character upon his theoretical endeavour. One must remember that Losurdo’s environment was not dissimilar to that of Western Marxists, whom he unapologetically criticised and distanced himself from. Instead of being seduced by neoliberal promises commingled with the so-called “End of History,” Losurdo’s work demonstrates a commitment not only to theoretical but also to practical emancipatory struggles. This article examines three elements that make Losurdo’s work significant and highly topical: a counter-history, a counter-philosophy, and a counter-politics. Losurdo’s counter-history demolishes Western intelligentsia’s rewriting of history and is, therefore, vital to regaining and repositioning class consciousness in today’s capitalism. His counter-philosophy does not investigate “concepts” and “categories” in themselves, in isolation, as transcendental entities. Instead, he brings philosophical categories and social institutions together, examining how they have been apprehended historically, thus superseding simplistic views that reduce philosophy to hagiography. Finally, unlike most intelligentsia of the capitalist core—who systematically overlooks Western imperialism, (neo)colonialism, and the remaining consequences of centuries-long imperialist exploitation and violence—Losurdo’s counter-politics pays heed to various liberation struggles and contextualises them not from a moral standpoint but rather dialectically in relation to dominant powers from which people liberate themselves.

Unconditional cash transfer (UCT) schemes have been launched by various state governments but their impact on women’s empowerment is vigorously debated. In this article, the cash transfer amount is assessed as a proportion of earnings of female workers and as a proportion of monthly per capita expenditure. We find that CTs constitute a significant proportion of monthly earnings of female self-employed workers as well as casual workers. CTs also account for a significant proportion of spending by bottom 50% of the population across states. Hence, CTs have a significant impact on income poverty for poor women in the short run. However, as a standalone measure CTs impact on empowerment of women is uncertain. While CTs may strengthen women’s bargaining power at the workplace but they may also reduce her participation in paid work. At the same time, CTs do not address the factors that impact women’s empowerment such as gendered division of work, high burden of unpaid domestic and care work, and prevalent social norms and institutions.

ABSTRACT This article examines Domenico Losurdo’s concept of the “idealism of practice.” This concept denotes a theoretical misunderstanding of the material objectivity of social institutions like the state or the market that subsequently endows practice with an illusory ability to shape, transform and even eliminate such institutions. Typically arising out of revolutionary enthusiasm, this ideological regression represents an internal danger for social movements insofar as they risk losing sight of social objectivity and thereby overstepping the real limits of the concrete situation. This article then turns to the Burkinabè revolution of 1983 to illustrate how this idealism specifically arises under neocolonial domination. The reality of underdevelopment, comprador mismanagement, and imperialist exploitation as well as the immense practical effort required to overcome these challenges establish the conditions for a potential backslide into the idealism of practice. This article demonstrates how a momentary lapse of this type is evident in Thomas Sankara’s battle with the Burkinabè trade-unions and his dramatic decision to fire 1380 striking teachers. Given the recent developments in the Burkina Faso and the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), this examination offers a lesson in critical history for the ongoing anti-imperialist struggle in the region.

Realizing the Ecological University is an ambitious statement about the university of the twenty-first century; an institution embedded in environments characterized by multiplicity and ‘total interconnectivity’ (p. 1). It adds to a growing literature that attempts to fundamentally reconfigure how we think about the university at a time when growing instrumentalism, managerialism and performativity have transformed its mission, contributing in its way to planetary crisis. Whilst not the first book to position the university in ecological terms, Barnett takes the bold step to understand it as nestled in multiple, entangled ecosystems: knowledge, learning, economy, culture, social institutions, the polity, individuals and nature. The central idea is that all eight ecosystems are damaged, and that the university is ‘partly culpable’ in those distortions and must work to ameliorate them (p. 2). Detailed analysis and deliberation run through a book that offers no quick fixes but many directions for action. These ideas and suggestions are weaved together in a tone of compassion, with the hope that something can be pulled from an institution that still carries the promise of contributing to the world at a critical juncture. It is a brave, insightful and hopeful text that demands to be read and debated at what feels like the eleventh-hour for one of our most resilient cultural forms.