Sociocultural Fabric Research Articles

Youth Practices of Reading as a Form of Life and the Digital World

The proliferation of digital technologies is precipitating a transformation in the socio-cultural fabric of human existence. The present study is dedicated to investigating the coexistence of various reading practices among contemporary youth in the modern era. The advent of new forms of reading has resulted in a shift from conventional paper-based reading to electronic formats, which, in turn, has transformed the practice of reading and the way of life associated with it. The methodological foundation of this research is the socio-philosophical theory that the practice of reading, rooted in the habitus of reading, is enacted by practitioners, and organized through public initiatives. The context of the reading practice system is a distinct historical system of circumstances in which practices are reproduced. This study encompasses an empirical component, focusing on the examination of reading practices among young individuals in a large modern city, specifically within the confines of Yekaterinburg (N = 200). The research was conducted between December 2021 and January 2022. This study permits an analysis of the constituent elements of the reader’s habitus model as a form of life.

Nation, Nationalism, and Womanhood in Farah Bashir’s Rumours of Spring: A Girlhood in Kashmir

Nationalism as a concept gives rise to dogmatic notions of loyalty and allegiance to one’s nation. Ever since the consolidation of the idea of nation-states, the issue of allegiance to the nation has played out differently for men and women. Traditionally, men are responsible for defending the borders of the nation, while women look after the home and the hearth and propagate the prescribed ideals of the nation-state. Consequently, the importance placed on going out to war and the sacrifices made for the sovereignty of the nation and nationhood frames the discourse surrounding the conditions and effects on masculinity and the idea of manhood in general. However, a study of this nexus of religion, nationhood, and identity in allegiance to one’s nation-state from the perspective of femininity and its effects on womanhood in general could showcase how women living in a contested land suffer both direct and indirect effects of the conflict. The autobiographical text by Farah Bashir, Rumours of Spring (New Delhi: Fourth Estate, 2021), showcases the strategies and tools through which women navigate such restrictive spaces. This coming-of-age story in the conflict-torn sociocultural fabric of Kashmir negotiates with varying definitions of nation-states, lending the narrator the scope to negotiate the multiple threads of gender, religion, and identity sewn into the fabric of the macrocosmic nation.

Reimagining communities of care in the performing arts: A call for a community-based task-sharing approach to address the mental health needs of performing artists

Performing artists are known for playing a critical role in the cultural and intellectual richness and wellbeing of society. Additionally, whereas engaging in art and performance can offer a myriad of mental health benefits, mental health and substance abuse disorders are common in this industry yet significant barriers, such as stigma, financial constraints, and lack of relevant training, appear to negatively impact access to mental healthcare. Moreover, the profound changes and uncertainty in the performing arts sector throughout the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to enhance systems of mental health support in this community. Although changing perceptions around mental health and increasing access to care are complex and multi-faceted, approaches from global mental health may offer novel solutions to promote greater access and equity to mental healthcare for performing artists. In particular, capacity building strategies, such as task-sharing, may help to facilitate both the identification of individuals in need of care, and the delivery of basic forms of support, through training of individuals working in the performing arts community. If adopted, task-sharing approaches in the performing arts, could lead to the introduction of new roles that performers can adopt, which in turn, may lead to new job categories within this industry, while still contributing to the sociocultural fabric of the arts. Efforts to engage performing artists in the co-design and adaptation of materials and intervention strategies will play a critical role in the translation of current evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions to contexts and cultures within the arts. Importantly, while certain aspects of the entertainment industry have long been associated with poor mental health, movements among artists and performers are calling for a change in culture. Integrating scalable mental health strategies into the spaces in which the performing arts take place, may offer a critical framework for reimagining mental health support within the arts community.

Using Social Media in Schools

Social media is becoming more eminently woven into the sociocultural fabric of global societies in the 21st century. From emerging platforms and ever-evolving multimodal features, to algorithmic changes and privacy concerns, social media is indubitably shaping the frontier of how people communicate, interact, and perceive the world around them. Using social media in schools is, of course, not a new phenomenon. However, given unabating advances in digital technology coupled with shifting user demands, social media is constantly in flux. Thus, staying abreast of social media trends and uses in the field of education is a critical endeavor and merits on-going conversations.

Devotion of Dissent: Contesting Hindutva in Bhakti Tradition

In the past few years, India has witnessed cataclysmic incidents of intermittent violence under the banner of Hindutva. Hindutva is a political ideology which works on extremist agenda to establish a homogenized cultural hegemony by focussing on exclusivist interests of Hindu majoritarian. It advocates revisionist attitude towards Hindu mythical figures by projecting them as prototypes of hypermasculinity to coax common Hindus with pseudo-patriotism. This article discusses on how Hindutva uses the principle of masculinity as its conceptual framework and its ramification on the socio-cultural fabric of India. It also deliberates on the fundamental essence of bhakti tradition, which largely contests Hindutva on ideological plane. Furthermore, it demonstrates the significance of bhakti literature in the present social context by alluding to the rich repository of saint poets whose verses critique Hindutva with a message of humanism.

Faded colors of Western Anatolia, exploring non-Muslim immigration and industrial development in Western Anatolia from the 19th to the 20th century in the example of Ezine's socio-economic transformation

Ezine is in western Turkey, within the borders of Canakkale province, between the legendary Troy and the ancient city of Alexandria-Troas. This paper investigates the socio-economic transformation of Ezine City in response to the Industrial Revolution's impact, positioning it as a crucial supplier of raw materials to Europe's industrialized states during the 19th century. The emergence of new sectors, including raw material production, supply, and transportation, facilitated unprecedented economic growth and development in Ezine. Leveraging the legal provisions of the 1856 Paris Treaty, Ottoman Armenians, Greeks, and Jews migrated to Ezine, strategically settling in the city to capitalize on its thriving economy. By analyzing historical data, primary sources, and legal frameworks, this study explores the profound influence of non-Muslim immigration on Ezine's economic landscape. Furthermore, it examines the dynamics of cultural exchanges, societal integration, and the legacy of this diverse influx on Ezine's socio-cultural fabric. Through an interdisciplinary approach, this research offers valuable insights into the intertwined relationship between industrial development, non-Muslim immigration, and the formation of Ezine's socio-economic identity.

EVIDENCE OF SYNCRETISM IN PRE, COLONIAL AND POST-COLONIAL GOA: A TOURISM OPPORTUNITY

The most benevolent and peace-loving community of the Indian sub-continent was exposed to an adversary that hardly understood the socio-cultural fabric of Goa. Customs and traditions were truncated with political decisions that did involve the Junta (Public) but not at the grassroots levels. While the traditions still were handed down through ancestry, the ever imposing force of the Portuguese was to be reckoned with. The people of Goa carried on with the best of both the indigenous systems and western culture. This has left an indelible mark on the tiny state post-colonial era. The ones that blended in received opportunities related to education, employment, and migration to Lusofonic colonies. This paper tries to trace the evidence of Syncretism that was carried on before, during the colonial era and post-liberation. Amalgamation is still seen in administration, culture, religion, and cuisine of Goa which can also be a tourism opportunity.

Coding reality: implications of AI for documentary media

ABSTRACT This article analyses the frameworks of co-creation between artists and AI in the context of documentary studies. As a result of emerging AI-focused experiments in documentary and transdisciplinary arts practice, we examine the nature and scope of AI as a collaborator with a focus of documentary projects exhibited and showcased at international documentary festivals. An introduction to emergent creative possibilities is made in light of non-humanism and new materialism while presenting the implications for emerging documentary forms and formats. The AI-as-medium approach allows reflection on documentary genres through the limitations and possibilities of algorithms. With the experiential turn in arts, coding has become a means of producing novel experiences. This has led to the emergence of documentary projects at the intersection of human and machine collaboration. The article addresses how operating within AI has wider consequences for collective intelligence by going beyond the visible and locating itself in the ontological. Scholarship concerns are outlined when exploring algorithms in terms of agency and autonomy and consideration of how they have come to affect our socio-cultural fabric. Coding Reality: Implications of AI for Documentary Media further discusses documentaries which were created in close collaboration with AI.

Mi china juventud: Childhood and Hybrid acts in Cuéntame cómo pasó

Abstract Since 1990, Spain has taken in over 200,000 Chinese immigrants. With these citizens often the targets of racist attacks and stereotypes, several filmic and televisual texts offer stereotypical representations of Chinese immigrants either as violent or as a model minority. Nevertheless, texts are emerging that offer more nuanced representations of this migrant body and construct complex characters whose identity struggles form part of Spain’s socio-cultural fabric. Cuéntame cómo pasó (La1, 2001 – present) is one of the first Spanish television programmes to represent a Spanish-Chinese immigrant child this way. This article analyses the Spanish-Chinese immigrant child’s construction within public service broadcasting, arguing that her character’s representation is informed by the channel’s public service responsibility. The analysis considers the notion that her character is the generator of ‘hybrid acts’ and is an agent of cross-cultural contact in her friendship group.

The Ideological Trajectory within the Taliban Movement in Afghanistan

The ideological transition within the Taliban movement has witnessed several trajectories. Starting from a socio- cultural movement for bringing about law and order in the society as the ruler of Kabul in the mid-1990s; the movement experienced various phases where its norms and practices appeared alien to the socio-cultural fabric of the majority part of the modern Afghan state. At the present juncture, the movement’s aim is to become the ruler of Kabul again but with a new outlook. The movement and its leadership have entered an epoch different from the old Taliban to neo-Taliban and presents themselves as chief propagators of peace within the organisation that only reflects the Taliban’s desperate attempt to save the movement and present it as an alternative to the US backed Afghan government.

Knowledge, beliefs and perceptions of religious leaders on modern contraceptive use in Burkina Faso: a qualitative study.

Introductionin Burkina Faso, despite the strategies implemented to increase the use of contraceptives, the prevalence rate of modern contraceptives remains low. Religion is an important part of the socio-cultural fabric of many communities. Besides, religious leaders play an essential role in adopting and using contraceptive methods to support family health. The study objective was to explore the knowledge, beliefs and perceptions of religious leaders about modern contraceptives among women of childbearing age.Methodsdata were collected in September 2018 from twenty-one religious' leaders of the urban municipality of Dori. Study participants were selected based on reasoned sampling with maximum variation (sex, religion, age, residence and level of education). We conducted semi-structured individual interviews, non-participant observations and documentary review.Resultsreligious leaders have a good knowledge of modern contraceptive methods, but they prefer traditional contraceptive methods and abstinence. They consider modern contraception as abortion and female sterilization and emphasize birth spacing. Furthermore, religious leaders lack training on contraception and have no real links and exchanges with sexual and reproductive health services. As a result, their assessment of the quality of these services is very mixed.Conclusionreligious leaders play a crucial role in improving modern contraceptive methods in Burkina Faso. Close collaboration with family planning services should, at all times, be maintained. The implementation of training and educational activities for religious leaders could help raise modern contraceptive use in Burkina Faso.

Towards a solidary form of publicness: Circulation of cultural assets between alternative cultural organizations of Istanbul and their micro public(s)

One of the world’s mega cities, Istanbul, is changing drastically with the neoliberal and conservative policies transforming its public spaces and sociocultural fabric in contested ways. These changes require stimulating reflections on the formation of new public spheres. This paper approaches this problematic through a focus on the ways in which alternative cultural organizations in Beyoglu – the cultural hub of Istanbul – create new forms of publicness.Drawing on a comprehensive empirical research, this paper argues for a solidary form of publicness developing in and through alternative cultural organizations of Istanbul via the circulation of cultural assets. This particular form stimulates thinking about publicness as circulation, going beyond the over-simplistic idea of the physical togetherness of people in one particular place. Instead, it aims to reconceptualize publicness through the solidarity relations of alternative cultural organizations and their micro public(s) and to observe the formation of multiple (counter) public spheres as an emergent infrastructure of circulation connecting different sites, people and media across cultural spaces.

Narrative Strategies of Decolonisation: Autoethnography in Mamang Dai’s The Legends of Pensam

According to John Quintero, “The decolonisation agenda championed by the United Nations is not based exclusively on independence. It is the exercise of the human right of self-determination, rather than independence per se, that the United Nations has continued to push for.” Situated within ontologies of the human right of self-determination, this paper will focus on an analysis of The Legends of Pensam by Mamang Dai, a writer hailing from the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, to explore the strategies of decolonisation by which she revitalizes her tribe’s cultural enunciations. The project of decolonisation is predicated on the understanding that colonialism has not only displaced communities but also brought about an erasure of their epistemologies. Consequently, one of its major agenda is to recuperate displaced epistemic positions of such communities. In the context of Northeast India, the history of colonial rule and governance has had long lasting political repercussions which has resulted not only in a culture of impunity and secessionist violence but has also led to the reductive homogeneous construction of the Northeast as conflict ridden. In the contemporary context, the polyethnic, socio-cultural fabric of the Northeast borderlands foregrounds it as an evolving post-colonial geopolitical imaginary. In the light of this, the objective of this paper is to arrive at the ramifications of employing autoethnography as a narrative regime by which Mamang Dai reaffirms the Adi community’s epistemic agency and reclaims the human right towards a cultural self-determination.

Britain and Islam: A History from 622 to the Present Day. By Martin Pugh (New Haven, Yale University Press, 2019) 319 pp. $40.00

<i>Britain and Islam: A History from 622 to the Present Day</i>. By Martin Pugh (New Haven, Yale University Press, 2019) 319 pp. $40.00

Combating Stigmatization and Social Discrimination Phenomena Arising from Covid-19 Pandemic Health Responses in Nigeria

Purpose: This paper attempted to x-ray the incidence of COVID-19 global pandemic and the resulting unfortunate stigmatization and social discrimination experiences which people with the pandemic are going through. The paper as a as a theoretical paper examined the effects of the instances of stigmatization arising from fear, misinformation, lack of adequate information and the corresponding social tension. Some of the discriminatory behaviours that accompany such fear, as they damage not only the socio-cultural fabric in the long-run, but also compromise present efforts to contain the disease were discussed.Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive research design.Findings: from the paper revealed that everyone is capable of helping to stop stigma related to COVID-19 through assisting oneself and others to cope with the stress associated with the pandemic in order to make the community stronger. Attempt was therefore made to highlight some strategies that could be considered and explored by different stakeholders such as the government, media, community, the individuals and research institutes towards mitigating the effects of stigmatization and social discrimination created by the global pandemic called COVID-19. It concluded that we all have a responsibility to help correct the misconceptions through policy shift and interventions that can promote less chances of stigmatization in case of any pandemic.Unique contribution to theory, policy and practice: Members of any community experiencing COVID-19 cases must be ready to maintain privacy and confidentiality of people with such cases so that they will not be unnecessarily exposed to instances of stigmatization and discrimination. Timely public health interventions capable of addressing cultural impact and the risk of stigmatization along with proper screening, treatment and follow up will reduce any anticipated spike in the spread and resultantly bring down the chances of stigmatization and discrimination. Health workers would need to be more conscious of the names of diseases and using of words and phrases such as “epidemic”, “the epicenter of the disease”. The media personnel equally need to be cautious about the images that are shared by making sure that they do not reinforce stereotypes. They must be very careful in their choices of awareness materials. Scholars would need to be encouraged to get involved in action researches that can promote the development of vaccines and drugs that can help reduce the menace of COVID-19 which is currently characterized by deaths and numerous instances of stigmatization and discrimination

Coronavirus Disease 2019: The Success Story from Kerala, India

Kerala, a state in the southern part of India, has recently been in the news for its successful handling of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Here, we briefly share the various factors leading to this success so that these can be learning points for others. The successes of the State's strategies are attributed to a multitude of factors. A firm rooting on evidence-based public health, the high rate of literacy among its population, the investment in universal health care, the unique sociocultural and political fabric, and the strict but humane approach of the bureaucrats and civilians alike are some of the factors that played a key role. It is a reflection of the consistent efforts of the State in diverting significant resources every year toward building public health infrastructure, trusting village-level bodies with autonomy and funds, and promoting shared values that encourage social cooperation. The multidisciplinary teams provided counseling and psychosocial support for people in isolation and quarantine. The focus was also on tackling the stigma surrounding the virus. There are also lessons to be learned from how Kerala treated its migrant population of workers, rechristened as “guest workers.” Thus, a multipronged approach, based on a combination of science and social–humanitarian values, was successful in meeting this challenge.

WILL THE MECHANISM OF PRESERVATION HELP TO CONSERVE THE OLD CENTER OF SAMARA

The article analyzes the project of preservation and regulation the historical center of Samara (the historical settlement) and consider the positions of developers, authorities and local architects about it. The subject of protection, regulation tools and the concept of integrated protective zone are discussed. The article argues that the policy of the historical settlement project in Samara is aimed not to preserve the historical environment, but to stimulate a densification with new buildings due to the demolition of dilapidated houses. The protection zones are being reduced, regulations make it possible to densify urban blocks with new buildings. They violate the parameters of the historical buildings (height, proportions, percentage of land use, the boundaries of land surveying). The list of valuable town-forming objects, which has not yet been accepted, did not include buildings located inside the blocks. It will lead to the destruction of their internal structure and loss the main unit of morphology and socio-cultural fabric of the old center samaras courtyards.

Population genetics analyses of North-East Indian indigenous rice landraces revealed divergent history and alternate origin of aroma in aus group

AbstractThe rice-based agriculture of the Indian subcontinent has been interwoven in the rich socio-cultural fabric of the country. Of which, bio-culturally diverse North-Eastern states nurture thousands of landraces with poorly tapped agronomic traits. In the present study, 27 standard microsatellite data from 171 rice landraces from six states were analysed to understand their genetic diversity and population structure. Further, combining with a global dataset, we determined subpopulation identity using both model-based and multivariate analyses to uncover their history. We found moderate to high genetic diversity and high differentiation [standardized G”ST = 0.57]. The AMOVA partitioned overall variance into within population (75%) and among population (25%). The landraces from six states remained at various degrees of differentiation (pairwise FST = 0.09–0.41). We have detected a preponderance of aus-type in a majority of aromatic landraces. Rests were japonica and admixed with a little representation of indica. The presence of aromatic aus probably implied assimilation into local culture from the primary aus growing region of Bangladesh and India. Likewise, the arrival of japonica may stem from the exchange of goods among neighbouring dynasties via Southern and Southwestern Silk routes. The shared ancestry may reflect a merger of two ancient cultures. Our analyses also uncovered the existence of aus-type short and medium grain aromatic rice predicting an origin of aroma in aus subpopulation. Collectively, it demonstrated the diversity and divergent history of the rice landraces have been shaped by various socio-cultural interactions operative over time and space.

Engaging absentee landholders in ecosystem service delivery in south-eastern Australia

As absentee landownership continues to increase in many regions of Oceania and the world, there is a growing need to better understand the behaviours and values of this landholder group. The increase in absentee landholdership can impact the provision of ecosystem services, as well as alter the rural socio-cultural fabric; the values, beliefs, knowledge types and social connections amongst landholders in rural communities. Consequently, this presents challenges to natural resource management (NRM) practitioners seeking to implement better resource management strategies across property boundaries. This case study research on the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, aims to better understand the characteristics of absentee landholders, including their motivations for holding land, their existing levels of knowledge concerning land management practices, and their views and preferences for cross-property collaborations and, in turn, explore the role they could have in the delivery of ecosystem services.Our results show that recreation and amenity relating to private cultural services are the main drivers of land acquisition and motivation for land use by absentee landholders in the region. Cross-property collaborations that absentee landholders are most interested in are related to the maintenance of supporting and regulating services, particularly through weed management and pest animal control. An important implication of these findings is that the facilitation of cross-property collaboration, by accommodating for the growing heterogeneity in values and beliefs, can become a mechanism for enhancing the delivery of public-benefit ecosystem services from absentee-held land.

“In search of a good life”: Perspectives on village out-migration in a Tanzanian marine park

Abstract This paper draws from ethnographic fieldwork conducted between August–October 2014 and July–August 2015 in a rural village located inside of a Tanzanian marine park. Through narrative responses elicited during interviews with village residents, coupled with ethnographic vignettes from a key interlocutor in the village, the paper reveals people's diverse perspectives on village out-migration. In doing so, it interrogates the claim that the marine park has forced people to out-migrate. Some respondents explained that men generally engage in circular forms of labour-related mobility in the context of seasonal fishing activities and short-term business ventures. Others said that people choose to out-migrate due to everyday hardships, leaving “in search of a good life.” These narrative responses are at once commentaries on the macro-level political and economic drivers of rural out-migration, and on respondent's micro-level aspirations for future socioeconomic autonomy. Thus, they are both expressions of structural constraint and individual agency. While very few interviewees believed that people were forced to migrate because of the marine park, most respondents contended that it had deepened pre-existing experiences of a “hard life,” and exacerbated lived experiences of vulnerability. However, migration has historically been woven into the sociocultural fabric of the community, and there are broader trends of rural population mobility in Tanzania, and fisher mobility in coastal areas, which long pre-date the establishment of the park. Furthermore, some respondents offered alternative narratives, noting that villagers may choose not to out-migrate, and that village in-migration may be increasing due to various pull factors. As such, the paper complicates the scholarly discourse on the relationship between marine protected areas and displacement of local communities.