Social Relations Research Articles

Care as a constitutional value

Abstract This article explores the potential of regarding care as a constitutional issue, rather than addressing it solely through legislation, the family, or the market. It is argued that care is best regarded as a constitutional value, reflecting the reality of our interdependence, and functioning as a crucial counterweight to the fiction that individual freedom can be constituted independently of our social relations. Care as a constitutional value should be regarded as complementing express constitutional commitments to freedom, dignity, and equality, recognizing that relationships are constitutive of the self, and that individuals are partly constituted by society. Just as freedom, dignity, and equality perform important expressive functions in a constitution, so the recognition of care, implicit or explicit, signals the foundational importance of care to everyone throughout our lives and to society’s ability to reproduce itself. Care as a constitutional value should permeate the interpretation of constitutional and other provisions, and enhance accountability for care-related decisions, encouraging decision-makers to pay attention to care, and prompting courts to interpret constitutional and legislative measures with the value of care in mind. In this way, the gaps in welfare law, labor law, and free market regulation can be addressed to face the challenges of care. Equally importantly, care as a constitutional value can act as a catalyst for political activism, legitimizing grassroots campaigns for better recognition of care. This article is normative and exploratory. At the same time, its propositions are tested against constitutional jurisprudence in India, South Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

A cultural comparison of children’s emotion knowledge: Data from two cultures

Knowing about emotions is vital for children’s school adjustment, well-being, and future social relationships. Whereas experiencing emotions is a universal psychological process at the biological level, how emotions are categorized and communicated is shaped by culture. Most studies have investigated cultural differences in emotion (knowledge) in Western and Eastern cultures. To compare emotion knowledge within Western countries, N = 585 children from Germany and N = 100 children from Israel in the two age groups preschool (42–71 months) and primary school (72–89 months) were interviewed with the Adaptive Test of Emotion Knowledge for Three- to Nine-Year-Olds (ATEM 3-9). Generalized linear models (GLMs) indicate that children from Israel showed higher levels of emotion knowledge in the total score and in all seven components of emotion knowledge than their agemates from Germany. These results highlight the importance of differences in family structure and values within Western countries. It is important to determine the various factors and the socialization in the family and in educational institutions that influence emotion knowledge in Germany and Israel.

Youth-led community street sport in practice: balancing programme intentions and peer leadership

ABSTRACT Peer-led sport programmes can provide supportive social relations and opportunities for role modelling and identification. These features can support the inclusion of groups who usually do not participate in sport activities and provide an environment that fosters personal and social development. However, it is important to assess the implementation of peer-led activities to understand whether such potentials are fulfilled. Therefore, we investigated the quality of delivery of peer-led street sport activities implemented by the street sport organisation GAME. The study combined quantitative and qualitative observations. Peer leader practices were assessed quantitatively with 40 observation items scored on a Likert scale. In addition, qualitative observations could be noted on the observation form. We conducted 49 observations at 15 different peer-led street sport activities delivered in low-resource neighbourhoods. We compared peer leader practices with the intentions of the programme as described in the programme logic model and explored influences on delivery in the physical and social setting. Quantitative data showed that pedagogical competencies (‘role modelling’, ‘body language’ and ‘conflict management’) scored highest for quality of delivery. Sport instruction elements, particularly the categories ‘technique’ and ‘instruction’, scored lower. The qualitative analysis suggested that programme features and structure as well as the (mostly outdoor) community setting influenced the possibility of peer leaders for implementing the programme as intended. Peer leaders were often observed to function as role models, mostly in a prosocial manner, although role modelling was also observed to not support programme intentions. The study provided insight into some of the challenges in and potentials inherent to peer-led sport activities in the setting of low-resource neighbourhoods where youth peer leaders are responsible for implementation.

Collective Translation as Forking (分岔)

Together with a Taiwanese working group, we have been producing a Chinese translation of Aesthetic Programming: A Handbook of Software Studies, a free and open source book first written by Winnie Soon and Geoff Cox in 2020, and released in English in a git repository, dynamic website, downloadable PDF and printed form. Apart from learning to code in p5.js, the book addresses the cultural and aesthetic dimensions of programming from its insides, as a means to think and act critically, and to understand the importance of programming as a cultural practice that can develop discussion of issues that are relatively under-acknowledged in technical subjects such as gender, race and sexuality. Importantly, the book is understood as a computational object, not released as a fixed and universal teaching resource, but rather a situated curriculum with the potential for extension and customization with other arts and coding communities. The use of Git has allowed the authors to formalize its production as an iterative process, allowing for reversioning and for others to fork a copy and customize with different references, examples, critical reflections and even new chapters. The interest is in forking a book like forking software, and incorporating local knowledge and examples, and how this resonates with a politics of cultural translation. This essay will elaborate on the process of running two open participatory workshops that were conducted in Taipei and London (in 2023) with the aim to challenge some of the normative social relations of production associated with translation, and explore other possibilities of collective practice. The politics of translation has been well-established in general, but what of the specifics of translating a book such as this? Aside from the technical and aesthetic challenges and implications, this raises the question of how the Chinese language model enforces particular hegemonic worldviews that occlude differences. With all the variants of Chinese language, how is this tied to expressions of colonial power that resonates with our use of English? Given the rich variations of Chinese and indigenous languages (not least in a Taiwanese context), we are curious how we might be sensitive to language diversity that challenges the Western-centrism of programming in English (and inherent nationalisms). We are also mindful of the way that “queer” politics has informed the way that terms can be appropriated/expropriated, as a means to “talk back” to the source codes of oppression. What are the implications of drawing the practices of forking and translating together?

Quality of life following Covid-19 vaccination in Lebanese adults

Background: This study investigates the quality of life (QoL) among individuals in Lebanon post-COVID-19 vaccination, focusing on various demographic and lifestyle factors influencing physical, psychological, social, and environmental health domains. Objective: To explore the associations between COVID-19 vaccination status and QoL across four sub-scales: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environmental quality, examining the impact of gender, tobacco and alcohol consumption, chronic diseases, physical activity, employment status, education level, geographic location, and marital status. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 507 Lebanese adults who completed a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire collected data on demographics, lifestyle factors, and QoL using a standardized measurement tool. Statistical analysis, including bivariate analysis, was performed to determine significant associations between independent variables and QoL scores across the four domains. Results: The majority of participants were female (71.6%), non-smokers (83%), and non-drinkers (76.7%). Most had no chronic diseases (83%), and 42.4% engaged in regular physical activity. High educational attainment (80.5% with graduate or professional degrees) and full-time employment (77%) were prevalent. Significant associations were found between gender and all QoL domains, with males reporting higher scores. Physical health scores were higher among non-drinkers, the physically active, independent workers, and vaccinated individuals. Psychological health was better in males, the physically active, and independent workers. Social relationships were stronger among males, independent workers, and those in relationships. Environmental quality was higher among males, non-drinkers, independent workers, and those with no formal education. Vaccination status positively influenced physical health and showed near-significant effects on social relationships and environmental quality. Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccination is associated with improved QoL in Lebanon, particularly in physical health. The findings highlight the importance of considering socio-economic factors and lifestyle choices in public health strategies to enhance overall well-being. Future research should explore longitudinal impacts and address the specific needs of diverse populations.

Children and the Risk Society in Algeria: The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Model

This study aims to describe and analyze the trajectory of children in a society exposed to risks, using the COVID-19 pandemic as an example. Due to concerns over virus transmission, the Algerian government, like many others worldwide, has enforced quarantine and home confinement policies. The aim was to prevent the spread of the virus and reduce the number of victims. As a preventive measure, schools were closed from March 12, 2020. The government also imposed partial or total containment measures depending on the severity of the situation in each region. This situation forced people, including children, to stay at home, even though it was not always safe for them. The lockdown has caused significant changes to children's daily routines. Their education, activities, free time and social relationships have been profoundly affected. These upheavals have had repercussions on their psychological, mental and social well-being.

Dimensions of quality of life of older adults in relation to selected sociodemographic variables—a prospective cohort study

BackgroundBased on its definition of an individual’s quality of life, the World Health Organization identified the following six basic domains of this concept: physical domain, psychological domain, level of independence, social relationships, environment and spirituality. The aim of the study was to examine these quality of life dimensions in pre-older and older adults in relation to selected sociodemographic variables.MethodsThe study included 2,040 adults aged 55 or older. It was conducted using a diagnostic survey by means of a questionnaire with sociodemographic questions and the EQ-5D-3L descriptive system.ResultsThe vast majority of male and female respondents reported no problems in most EQ-5D-3L dimensions. However, the mean EQ-5D-3L index score indicated a slight difference in scores between men and women. A statistically significant difference between male and female respondents in individual dimension scores was found only for the usual activities dimension. The proportion of respondents reporting no problems decreased with age in most dimensions, except for anxiety/depression. Age was statistically significantly correlated with all individual dimension scores and the index score. The vast majority of respondents across all education levels reported no problems in most dimensions. Education was statistically significantly correlated with all individual dimension scores and the index score.ConclusionThe vast majority of respondents across both sexes and all education levels reported no problems in most EQ-5D-3L dimensions. The proportion of respondents reporting no problems decreased with age in most EQ-5D-3L dimensions. Systematic research on dimensions of health-related quality of life will help design measures for healthy and successful ageing.

Transformative social innovation and rural collaborative workspace assemblages as a means of prefiguring community economies

Background Collaborative Workspaces are rapidly growing and evolving across the world. Traditionally understood as an urban phenomenon, most research understands them as either ‘entrepreneurial-led’, as profit-driven and commercial spaces such as business incubators and accelerators, or ‘community-led’ as being bottom-up, not-for-profit ventures aimed at catering for the needs of their community. Recent years however have seen their diffusion beyond large urban agglomerations to small towns and villages, with their functions assumed to be more community-orientated. At the same time, social innovation, or social innovation processes have been gaining prominence in academia, policy, and practice, as they address societal problems and hold potential for new forms of social relations. This paper attempts to provide a novel framework towards understanding the transformative potential of rural collaborative workspaces, as they engage in processes of social innovation, by drawing from diverse and community economies literature and assemblage thinking. Methods The paper uses international case study comparison between rural Austria and Greece (One case from each country). Methods applied were: semi-structured interviews (N=28), participant observation and focus groups (2). Results Community-led rural collaborative workspaces hold transformative potential from i) their ability to assist rural actors with their capacities and realizing their desires and ii) changing individual subjectivities towards collective. Through changing social relations in praxis and perceptions, we examine how social innovation processes through collaborative workspaces can be understood as a means of opening new economic subjectivities towards creating community economies as their transformative potential. Conclusions Although rural collaborative workspaces hold potential for societal transformation, they require further institutionalization and support to move beyond the interstitial and symbiotic stages of transformation.

Love on Hold

Abstract Two months after the initial announcement of COVID-19, the World Health Organization referred to the pathogen as a pandemic, and by March 2020 large gatherings were canceled as new “social distancing” measures were issued. Statements about the pandemic proliferated on social-media platforms, among them that culturally important gatherings were sources of a new anxiety. Given that qualitative works engaging the sociocultural aspects of people’s experiences, internal reflections, and the ways they navigate vulnerability are essential to a holistic view of COVID-19’s effects and mechanics, the present study posed the question “How has the social distancing order impacted your relationships?” on various social-media outlets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter). This article analyzes the responses. Central to this inquiry is an understanding of how dating, marriage, and family relationships intersected with other axes of power specific to social safety during the pandemic.

Self-Presentational Communication in Context Digital Realities of Modern Society

Introduction. In the age of the digital economy and hyper-competition, self-presentation communication as a type of self-promotion, as the ability to present oneself to a communication partner, employer, business partner or target audience, is considered by experts as a key skill of the 21st century. It is also considered as one of the significant factors of competition both in the modern highly competitive labor market and in the consumer market, both global and local. The article discusses the theoretical foundations of self-presentational communication in its historical retrospective, traditions, innovations and development trends in the conditions of new realities.Methodology and sources. The methodology of philosophical, sociological and interdisciplinary approaches is used. The article uses the following sources: specialized literature from domestic and foreign authors, scientific research, publications and websites that allow one to explore the specifics of digital self-presentation, its new formats and current practices.Results and discussion. Digital society is a society whose distinctive feature is the electronic-digital method of receiving, storing and distributing information, as well as the electronic-digital mediation of social relations and communicative interaction. One of the ways of such interaction is digital self-presentation, which combines the traditions of this content and innovations caused by the development of new technologies.Conclusion. Self-presentational communication, like the entire communicative component of modern society, including the «human-AI» interface, is carried out in three spatial dimensions: real/offline/Physics, virtual/online/Digital, as well as in their interaction offline online/Phygital. In each dimension, self-presentational communication has its own specifics and could can be considered both as a separate phenomenon and in the process of continuity and development.

Exploring How Values of Colorectal Cancer Patients and their Caregivers Influence Treatment Decision-Making.

As we adopt value models to inform drug reimbursement, coverage, clinical trials, and treatment choices, aligning these models to reflect patient values and preferences becomes increasingly relevant. In this study, we focus on colorectal cancer (CRC), which is highly prevalent and a leading cause of death in Canada, and new drug treatment options are costly. The aim of this study was to understand how the values and experiences of people with CRC and their caregivers inform their perspectives about new and emerging colorectal cancer drug treatments. We applied qualitative methods to identify key personal, social, and system factors about how the values of people with CRC and their caregivers' values influence their treatment decision-making in a more holistic manner. Canadian adults (>18 years) living with non-metastatic or metastatic CRC and caregivers were recruited from oncology clinics and Colorectal Cancer Canada (CCC) using purposive sampling. Participants engaged in structured interviews by telephone. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically guided by a qualitative phenomenological approach and Sherwin's ethical theory of relational autonomy using NVivo software. We conducted structured interviews with 12 people with CRC and six of their caregivers, and elicited patient and caregiver values and their influence on treatment decision-making context of key personal, social, and system factors. Thematic analysis of transcripts led to the development of four overarching and intersecting themes that were identified as influencing people with CRC and their caregivers' treatment decision-making: treatment outcomes and effectiveness, intrapersonal and interpersonal factors, quality of life, and survivorship and prognosis. Our findings suggest intersecting influences of patient-, community-, and social network-, and systemic-level factors that influence patients' decisions on treatment. Perceived clinical benefit, requirements of treatment, available information, the impact of treatment on social relationships and daily life, and the impact of social support were key factors described by participants. To our knowledge, this is the first study to utilize the theory of relational autonomy to understand patient and caregiver values in the context of treatment decisions in CRC. Using these findings, a continued exploration of people with CRC's values in treatment decision-making and how much patients value or weight the different aspects of treatment would help further advance patient care and guide healthcare system decision-making.

Vision Rehabilitation Using Contact Lenses in Infantile Nystagmus: A Systematic Review

Background and Objectives: Nystagmus has a negative effect on the patient's quality of life (QoL), leading to an increase in their dependence on others and a decrease in self-confidence and social relationships. Therefore, effective treatment and management are crucial in restoring those affected's visual function and social life. To determine whether contact lens (CL) use impairs the vision of infantile nystagmus (IN) patients, this study conducts a systematic review of the relevant literature. Methods: This systematic review adhered to the guidelines of the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA). We searched databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for relevant studies published up to May 9, 2022. The search was not limited by study type (except for review articles), publication time, or language. We used medical subject headings (MeSH) and keywords such as “nystagmus,” “CL,” “congenital nystagmus,” “IN,” “rigid gas permeable lenses,” and “soft CLs”. Results: Initially, 102 articles were identified. After removing duplicates, 76 articles remained. Of these, 39 were excluded during screening for irrelevance, and 8 were excluded due to inaccessible abstracts or full texts. Ultimately, 29 articles were included in this review. Conclusion: The majority of studies reviewed reported no significant side effects from using CLs, and most patients achieved similar or improved visual function compared to using glasses. As a result, even if CLs are not superior to glasses, they perform comparably and can be considered a primary treatment option when there are indications for prescribing CLs.

Equality Between and the Hearing-Impaired Based on the Relationship with Peers with Hearing Disabilities

Objective: This study examines the prediction of high equality scores between hearing people and those with hearing disabilities, according to the type of relationship existing between them. Theoretical Framework: Inequality regarding hearing-impaired individuals is a challenge that must be addressed by society to ensure that this population enjoys a full quality of life. Therefore, policies should be adopted to ensure inclusion and to address the harmful perspectives that continue to exist. Method: The study sample consisted of 823 adolescents aged 13 to 16, enrolled in Compulsory Secondary Education. For data collection, the Scale of Attitudes towards People with Hearing Disabilities and the Scale to Evaluate the Relationship with Peers with Hearing Disabilities were administered. Logistic regression and ROC Curves were used to analyze the influence of social relationships on equality between hearing and hearing-impaired individuals. Results and Discussion: The Odds Ratio predicts that the probability of earing a high score on equality between the hearing and the hearing-impaired will increase with each point of increase of the analyzed variables. Research Implications: The results suggest the need to promote positive attitudes among hearing and hearing-impaired students to encourage social relationships between them and to promote equality. These implications could influence depending on the social and educational context in which the student is immersed. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by showing how the relationships, interactions and contact between students with and without disabilities provide an egalitarian and quality environment.

Migrant Voices in Multilingual London, 1560–1600

Abstract Early modern London was multilingual, and early modern urban life was shaped by linguistic diversity. This article draws on the multilingual archives of Elizabethan London's ‘stranger churches’ – Protestant congregations which catered to the needs of French-, Dutch- and Italian-speaking migrants (among others) – to explore how linguistic diversity shaped social relations. These sources offer insights into the everyday multilingualism of the early modern city. They demonstrate London's migrant communities’ intense interest in what people said and why, and show how different languages and their speakers interacted on the streets and in the spaces of later sixteenth-century London. By charting how linguistic diversity was part of the lives of ordinary Londoners in this period, including close examination of incidents of multilingual insult, slander, and conflict, this article argues that the civic and religious authorities relied on the stranger churches’ abilities to carry out surveillance of speech in languages other than English, and that urban social relations and urban spaces were shaped by multilingualism. It ends by arguing that linguistic diversity played an essential but understudied role in the social history of early modern cities.

Scalable intimacy: Rethinking intimate sociality and its problem of scale in digital China

With the development of the Internet in China, people have increasingly turned to digital communication and networking tools for personal connections and social relations. From messaging and dating apps to microblogging and live-streaming platforms, mediated forms of sociality constitute a significant part of people’s intimate lives. Scholarly works on modern and contemporary China have shown how practices and politics of intimacy are formulated and contested against the backdrop of the tensions between the residual culture of Confucianism, the socialist ideological regime, and China’s participation in global capitalism. On the contrary, research on global network societies has foregrounded the role of information and media technologies in mediating intimacy with conceptual frameworks such as programmed sociality and networked intimacy. Bridging these two areas of research, this essay attempts to understand how intimate sociality is configured within China’s burgeoning digital economy and culture. It first provides a review of previous works on forms of intimacy and sociality mediated by network technologies ranging from mobile phones to online dating. Using the popularity of live streaming in current-day China as a case study, this essay then introduces the problem of “scale” to consider how intimacy is mediated at scale with Internet-based media technologies and discuss how scalability shapes intimate lives in Chinese society as a shared rationale behind modernization, network technologies, and new forms of economies. This essay proposes the concept of scalable intimacy to move beyond the platform-centered approach and develop a more contextualized framework for understanding intimate sociality in digital China.

Dispossession after War: A Feminist Political Economy Perspective

“Post war” has been highlighted as an arena in which, under the banner of reconstruction, processes of accumulation by dispossession are often intensified. This conceptual article explores gaps in how “dispossession” is typically defined, to deepen understanding of the complex, gendered modalities that occur in post-war, when the population is already living in the wake of wartime land dispossession. Through an interdisciplinary feminist political economy and conflict studies lens, “dispossession” as a concept is interrogated beyond the original Marxist meaning of separation from the means of production via wholesale agrarian transition. The article argues that, in the long post-war “moment,” gendered dispossession might occur in three interrelated ways, all connected to wartime dispossession. The first is bodily dispossession which occurs through shifting forms of patriarchy. The second is dispossession manifesting within reconfigured social reproductive relations. The third is piecemeal dispossession, through the embedding of other capitalist relations, including lifetime debt. HIGHLIGHTS A feminist approach to dispossession reveals its less visible and its gendered dimensions. Conflict-related dispossession consists of more than mass land expulsion during war. In post-war, dispossession connects to both state and capitalist logics of accumulation. Dispossession can have different modes: it is an embodied process, occurs through social reproduction, and can happen covertly. A feminist re-conceptualization contributes to analyses of violence against women in war and post-war.

Loneliness, office space arrangement and mental well-being of Gen Z PR professionals. Falling into the trap of an agile office?

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to assess how the well-being and loneliness of public relations and communication professionals are impacted by the post-pandemic characteristics of the work environment: flexible work schemes, non-territorial office arrangements and video communication technologies. It was hypothesised that the post-pandemic workplace landscape poses several new challenges to the practice of PR – an industry which invariably relies on working with other people and demands a good level of social resilience. Loneliness and well-being both depend on the experience of having good and efficient social relationships, but the pandemic has directly and indirectly led to their deterioration.Design/methodology/approachThe project employed a correlational design and used an online survey system to collect responses from Gen Z professionals employed in the public relations and communications industry in the UK and the US via the Prolific platform. Demographical and workplace-related characteristics were assessed to investigate links with loneliness (measured using a three-item scale adopted from Russell et al., 1980 in Hughes, 2004) and well-being (using a short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale scale). Causal relationships between data were tested using regression analysis for continuous variables and analysis of covariance for categorical factors. Bootstrapping was used to test mediated relationships that explain loneliness, job satisfaction and the well-being of Gen Z PR professionals.FindingsSeveral types of flexible working schemes, defined as the ability to work from home on any number of weeks, showed an impact on loneliness and job satisfaction but not on well-being. However, all remaining aspects of the post-pandemic office did manifest as important predictors. In the sample, 30% of Gen Z PR professionals showed signs of mild to clinical levels of depression, and the best protection from this state was the presence of a significant other. Lower levels of loneliness were related to non-territorial office arrangements and job satisfaction. The use of hot desks and open-plan arrangements led to a significantly lower level of job satisfaction than a traditional, cellular office. Both excessive online meetings and face-to-face only interactions led to marginally lower levels of loneliness and job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe present research is limited in several aspects. Firstly, while the project evaluated loneliness, job satisfaction and mental well-being (with each of these elements including a component of the requirement for building effective relationships), the quality of relationships built by PR professionals was not measured. Secondly, the project focused only on post-pandemic aspects of the workplace and did not cover other important components of job satisfaction. Lastly, the measure of online meetings was declarative rather than behavioural, and greater control of the number of online meetings held would be required to show more reliable links between variables.Practical implicationsThis study calls for proposing recommendations for employers to develop organisational-level measures and programmes to counteract loneliness. While traditionally intimate relationships of employees were not a direct focus of HR programmes, employers should develop elements of organisational culture that would support employees in building effective intimate relationships. Separately from this, despite immediate financial benefits, employers should avoid using open-space and hot desk policies, as they contribute negatively to job satisfaction (and indirectly to well-being). The sample of UK and US professionals was chosen for analysis because in these countries employers have more capacity to introduce changes to tangible characteristics of the workplace and work culture, which may positively impact the well-being of their employees.Social implicationsIt is expected that both employers and employees will revisit their approach to post-pandemic financial and logistic challenges related to the workplace. A lower level of job satisfaction and well-being is linked to the lack of assigned office space, but the ability to work exclusively from home leads to loneliness. Employees – when offered this possibility – should work in offices they are provided. Employers must appreciate the negative link between open and hot-desking policies and job satisfaction and well-being of their employees.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the post-pandemic workplace and personal characteristics of public relations and communications professionals in the UK and US and show how they impact job satisfaction and well-being. The study shows that 30% of employed in the PR industry are at risk of depression or anxiety. The connecting factor between personal and work-related characteristics that explains this problem is loneliness.

School Social Environment and Psychological Wellbeing among Learners in Junior Schools in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya

The study sought to establish the relationship between school social environment and psychological wellbeing among learners in Junior Schools in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. It adopted descriptive survey and correlational research designs. Multistage sampling was used to select 377 respondents comprising of 328 grade 8 learners, 42 grade 8 class teachers and 7 Sub- County Quality Assurance and Standards Officers. Psychometric test instrument, questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data from sampled respondents. Reliability of the instruments was ascertained through Cronbach analysis of data obtained from a pilot study carried among 53 respondents sampled from the same study area but who were not involved in the actual study. Data was collected from 325 grade eight learners, 41 grade eight class teachers and 5 Sub-County Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (SQASO) in Tharaka Nithi County giving the study a return rate of 98.41%. Qualitative data obtained was analyzed thematically while quantitative data was analyzed descriptively and inferentially with the aid of the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0 computer software. Frequencies and percentages were used to describe the existing relationship between the variables while hypothesis was tested using regression analysis at 95% level of significance. The study established that a positive social relationship between among peers and positive interactions between learners and teachers catalyze the social environment which promotes junior school learners psychological wellbeing. It concluded that the school’s social environment is negatively and significantly related to the psychological wellbeing of junior school learners.The study recommended that management of public junior school in collaboration with other education stakeholders launch and monitor turn-around initiatives aimed at fostering quality school social environment for learners’ improved psychological wellbeing. Areas of focus could include workshops on peer relations, stress management techniques, seminar on teacher-learner interaction, problem-solving techniques, and goal-setting for social and academic success could be part of the initiatives.

Personhood Disrupted: An Ethnography of Social Practices and the Attribution of Mental Illness in Abeokuta, Nigeria.

This paper explores the intricate interplay between living with mental illness and the processes of identifying mental illness in Abeokuta, Nigeria. With a particular focus on the contextual understanding of personhood, this study reveals how sociocultural backgrounds modulate the understanding of mental illness and its treatments within the Yoruba context. Through nine months of ethnographic fieldwork and discursive narrative analysis, the research revealed that becoming a mentally ill person is deeply intertwined with the everyday social life in the study site. The analysis highlights the multifaceted nature of personhood, encompassing various aspects such as parenthood, friendship, employment, and financial freedom. These facets of personhood are shaped by specific social practices and embedded within complex webs of social relations, often becoming more pronounced when these relationships are disrupted, leading to certain behaviours being categorised as mental illness. This paper underscores the significance of recognising and acknowledging the contextual notion and understanding of mental illness to ensure the provision of acceptable and effective care and recovery strategies.

Interview with Werner Bonefeld: Open Marxism and the Critique of Society

Werner Bonefeld is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Politics at the University of York, UK, and Adjunct Professor at the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU (Ljubljana, Slovenia). He has published on topics as varied as the development of the British state during the 1980s and 1990s, Europe’s monetary union, ordoliberalism, and Marx’s critique of political economy. A ground-breaking critical theorist, Bonefeld’s contribution to an ‘open’ Marxism developed a rigorous critique of capitalist social relations without omitting the significant themes of lived experience and class antagonism. The following interview marks the publication of a recent monograph titled A Critical Theory of Economic Compulsion: Wealth, Suffering, Negation. Bonefeld discusses his reading of Frankfurt School critical theory and its relation to heterodox and open Marxist social theory with Alex Alvarez Taylor, whose research focuses on early critical theory.