Sociocultural Features Research Articles

Non-Institutional Forms of Political Participation of Muslim Youth in Modern Scotland

The article examines the main forms and socio-cultural features of the participation of Muslim youth in Scotland in non-institutional politics. As their research goal, the authors chose to identify the mechanisms through which political processes specific to the Scottish context (different from the general British or, for example, the English context) generate various forms of political participation of young adherents of Islam. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study was a significant layer of empirical data (mainly Scottish), comprehended through an interpretive paradigm, which allowed the authors to analyze the non-institutionalized political experience of young Muslims, finding patterns in how Muslim youth perceive and construct the social world around them. The result of the study was an understanding that the strengthening of the “Islamic factor” in the social and political life of Scotland is explained not only by the growth of the Muslim population, but also by the obvious support that the Scottish authorities provide to adherents of Islam. According to the authors, the issue of national and state independence, the specificity of Scottish nationalism, the attractiveness of the political platform of the Scottish National Party for ethno-confessional minorities became the most important primary factors that predetermined the active entry of Scottish Muslim youth into politics. The main conclusion in this article was the idea that the specific socio-political and sociocultural contexts of Scotland create appropriate forms of political participation of young Muslims. Despite the prevailing opinion that Scottish Muslim youth are interested mainly in international events, the authors show a clearly traceable institutional and non-institutional involvement of young Muslims in national and local political issues in Scotland. According to the authors, the non-institutional political participation of young Scottish followers of Islam is manifested in such forms as social movements, activism and charity, and volunteer work.

The Portuguese mediterranean diet wheel: development considerations.

Scientific evidence has been reporting the health and environmental benefits of the Mediterranean diet. However, countries of the Mediterranean region, Portugal included, are gradually abandoning this traditional food pattern. The aim of the present work was to develop the Portuguese Mediterranean diet wheel. Three main steps were followed: (1) establishment of the most relevant Mediterranean diet and lifestyle principles to improve this pattern among the Portuguese population; (2) converting those principles into a captivating and easy to understand tool and (3) obtaining experts' opinion. By a matter of consistency, the preservation and transmission of the Mediterranean heritage was represented through an upgrade of the current Portuguese food wheel guide. This complementary tool highlights the Mediterranean diet enlarged character that encompasses a healthy lifestyle and reinforces sociocultural and environmental features. It was launched at the end of 2016 and was nationally disseminated with the support of the Portuguese Health Directorate. Initially it was presented in a poster format image that was subsequently spread in different communication formats. This newly developed Mediterranean food guide is a complementary educational tool that will support health and education professionals in the never ending mission of promoting healthy food choices.

The role of religiosity in the etiology of vaginismus in the light of socio-cultural features: The case of Turkey

Objective: Vaginismus is the most common female sexual dysfunction in Turkey and Middle East countries. Looking at the medical 
 literature related to vaginismus, studies/patients have concentrated in the Middle east geographic area. Turkey is a developing, secular 
 country located between Middle East and Europe with a mostly Muslim population. Many factors have been discussed in the etiology 
 including psychosocial, cultural, biological and sexual causes. Religious beliefs of a person in the form of religiosity affect all social and 
 spiritual spheres of his/her life in some way positively or negatively. One of the most affected life areas by religious beliefs is sexual 
 life, which has a lots of taboos. In this study we aimed to compare religious belief levels that are thought to be effective in the etiology 
 of vaginismus between patients and healthy controls and to discuss some of the other socio-cultural features.
 Methods: 49 patients and 37 healthy volunteers were included. Sociodemographic data form, religious life scale and a form of common 
 sexual myths were used as the measurement tools. 
 Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the participants with and without vaginismus in terms of education 
 duration, working status, occupations, economical status, longest living place and marriage type (p>0.05 for all). No statistically
 significant difference was found between the belief, emotions, behaviour, knowledge and total scores of both groups in terms of the 
 presence of vaginismus (p>0.05for all).
 Conclusions: In conclusion, most of the sociodemographic data involved in the etiology of vaginismus, including religiosity, can be 
 equalized for both groups - with or without vaginismus - over time in the changing world and in life and mental factors can remain as 
 independent variables therefore expanding our research in this direction will help us understand this disorder better. In addition, it 
 can be considered that male hegemon culture is one of the important factors in the etiology of vaginismus. The interpretation of 
 religion with a male -dominated language may be a result of this hegemon culture.

Interdisciplinary approach to studying written nomadic sources in the context of modern historiology

This article uses an interdisciplinary approach to analyze textual sources from nomadic civilization. Linguistic analysis has been increasingly used due to the emergence of a huge array of autochthonous and authentic written sources. It is impossible to extract the necessary historical information from those sources without using a new research method. This study aims to apply discourse analysis to medieval textual sources called edicts published in 1400–1635 by the leaders of the Central Asian states. This approach is expected to enable a detailed study of the structure of edicts, as well as speech patterns and terms used in the text. The results of the study revealed the structure of the examined edicts, as well as socio-cultural, economic, and communicative features of the nomadic society. First, the discourse repertoire of Edicts from Sygnak is rather unique, as evidenced by comparative analysis of patents from the cities of Sygnak, Sayram and Turkestan located in the Syr Darya basin. Second, edicts in this study reflect the result of the mutual influence of sedentary and mobile lifeways. Third, the arguments behind certain speech patterns used in the examined edicts emerged under the influence of Turkic traditions.

“Breaking Good”: Mentoring for Teacher Induction at the Workplace

Given the dissonant and complex character of induction for novices at the workplace, I propose a conception of mentoring that focuses on mitigating misalignments between novices’ developmental stage and the socializing characteristics and pressures of workplace induction. Drawing on extant research and conceptualization, including my own research on mentoring for teacher induction, this article addresses three interrelated questions: What are the central tasks of mentors in promoting effective induction of novice teachers at the workplace? What do mentors need to know in order to perform these tasks? What kind of professional frameworks for learning to mentor?
 I claim that in order to help novices ‘break good from experience’, as the title metaphorically suggests, mentors need to be prepared to flexibly adapt strategies from diverse mentoring models according to the particular socio-cultural features of induction of novices’ workplace and to aspects of subject matter teaching. Such kind of mentoring is, thus, attentive to discursive tensions between ideologies, rituals, values, belief systems and behaviors that surge amongst the various players involved. The article describes the central tasks for mentors of novice teachers, the knowledge-base required of mentors in order to perform these tasks and the kind of professional frameworks for learning to mentor.

Mechanisms of support for single-parent families in the sociocultural conditions in cities and villages in Mordovia

Introduction. The article presents an empirical study on the actual problem of supporting single-parent families in modern sociocultural conditions. The purpose of the work is to conduct a comparative analysis of the features of everyday life, current problems and mechanisms of support for single-parent families in the social and cultural conditions in cities and villages in Mordovia. Materials and Methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of the work is presented by a set of concepts and theoretical approaches in accordance with the subject and problem of the study, the methodological tools of family sociology, cultural studies, and psychology. It used the methods of analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparison, secondary analysis of empirical data, and questionnaire. Results and Discussion. The authors conducted a questionnaire of parents from single-parent families in Saransk and Bolsheignatovsky district of the Republic of Mordovia. The subject of the study is everyday life, family culture and mechanisms of support for single-parent families in the conditions of urban and rural socio-culture. As a result, the conditions and factors that influence the spread of problems of single-parent families, their everyday features, are empirically revealed in comparison of social and cultural conditions of the city and the village. The article analyzes the support mechanisms that single-parent families can use in the city and in the countryside, taking into account their opinions. Conclusion. It is empirically proved that the life, family subculture and problems of modern single-parent families are mainly defined by the socio-cultural features of the area of residence. The families are influenced by the location and the infrastructure of the locality, the employment of a single parent, and the forms of interpersonal communication in the socio-cultural conditions of the locality. It was revealed that in Saransk there are state, charitable organizations, where single-parent families can address when having problems. The research novelty of the study is that a comparative analysis of the features of everyday life, current problems and mechanisms of support for single-parent families in the urban and rural social and cultural conditions of modern Mordovia is carried out at the theoretical and empirical levels.

At the Turn of the Century: Professional Secrets of Lviv Designers

The purpose of the work is to investigate the conditions of the designers’ creative work at the Lviv Art and Production Plant in the socially critical period of the late 1980s and the early 1990s, to identify the features of technological processes in design and layout in the absence of basic professional materials, raw materials and tools. The research methodology lies in studying the scientific literature on the socio-cultural environment features of the Soviet period of the second half of the twentieth century and gathering information by interviewing a former design team member. The scientific novelty of the research is the introduction of the design activity experience of the artists and designers’ creative group and the cooperative “Artes” during 1988-1991 into scientific circulation; its coverage from the inside of the work process. Conclusions. The results of the study capture the unique experience of a group of Lviv designers at the art plant, who, in difficult ideological and material constraints, were able to implement a large number of projects, ranging from the development of machine housings for industrial production and ending with small printing products. An important factor is the compliance of their unique design products with world parameters from a technical and aesthetic point of view, and the use of certain methods and technologies indicates the process of comparison with world achievements in the field of design.

К вопросу о межпоколенческих различиях в социальном самочувствии подростков: жизненная позиция и оценка значимости угроз

The article examines the specifics of social well-being in teenagers based on the opinions of 4,837 middle and high school students obtained during an anonymous questionnaire survey in 2020. The questionnaire included closed questions about priorities in life values, emotional assessment of future prospects, plans for the future and assessment of the significance of threats from the social environment. When analyzing the empirical material, the influence of demographic and social stratification factors is considered. Special attention is paid to identifying the relationships between values, the clarity of plans, the assessment of life success and possible social threats, taking into account the influence of gender and age characteristics. Based on the data comparison of a monitoring questionnaire for students of grades 9 and 11 conducted in 2010 (993 respondents) and 2020 (1327 respondents), using mathematical procedures of factor analysis, the characteristic changes in the social well-being of adolescents were identified that have occurred over the past 10 years. Modern teenagers plan their future more carefully, and the complex of life values associated with self-realization in the educational, cultural and professional spheres is more significant to them. At the same time, the values associated with successful implementation in family life have become less significant; the possibilities to provide for oneself are assessed as real social risks, and the tendencies of infantilization are increasing. In general, the set of indicators of social well-being used in this work can be used in psychological and pedagogical programs to study the sociocultural features of socialization in students of adolescent and young age.

Formation and Development of Educational Potential of Russian Unemployed Adolescents

The problem of educational potential and work potential is multifaceted. First, it is necessary to increase their rational use for sustainable development of the country. Secondly, the value components of educational potential and work potential of young people are unstable and contradictory. This fact leads to socio-cultural features and has an impact on the level of development of the social potential of modern youth. This work addresses the status roles of the unemployed, types of their employment behaviour, attitudes to education, training, retraining, self-development of unemployed youth as a specific social group. The features of value components of educational potential and work potential of the Russian unemployed youth in modern conditions are analyzed based on authors' research. The article analyzes the possibility of using various systems and technologies of training, including traditional, electronic, distance; it also reveals modern methods and techniques of training and offers a model of distance learning for young unemployed.

Taking a Step Back? Expatriation Consequences on Women in Dual-Career Couples in the Gulf

This article develops our understanding of how host country contextual features affect the career coordination strategies of dual-career couples (DCCs) from the perspective of expatriate women. The lived experiences of nine women expatriates in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) were explored through in-depth interviews. The findings challenge our understanding of the coordinated career strategies of DCCs by suggesting that sociocultural features of the host country context can hamper egalitarian career strategies such that they become hierarchical and subsequently negatively impact women expatriates’ career capital. Not only are women’s careers hampered while in the GCC, but the contextual setting has a long-term adverse effect on women’s career capital. The main results from this study suggest that sociocultural features of the host country setting, such as the inability to access professional networks due to gendered segregation, prevent women’s careers from being prioritised and force a ‘tipping point’, creating a lag in women’s careers and negatively impacting their career capital.

Factors Influencing Leprosy Incidence: A Comprehensive Analysis of Observations in Wenshan of China, Nepal, and Other Global Epidemic Areas.

Leprosy remains endemic in some regions and is a global health concern. However, the possible causes and risk factors of the disease remain unclear. Data in Wenshan, China were collected from the Wenshan Institute of Dermatology (1986–2015); data in Nepal were obtained from the Leprosy Control Division, Department of Health Services, Nepal (2011 to 2015); and data from Indonesia, India, and Brazil were collected from WHO records. We assessed the epidemiological trends of leprosy in Wenshan and compared the features of possible causes and risk factors with those of other countries. We then performed a descriptive and statistical analysis to make our study more purposeful and definitive. A total of 3,376 cases were detected in Wenshan from 1986 to 2015. The overall prevalence rate (PR) of leprosy presented a decreasing trend with a peak (4.9/10,000 population) in 1986. The detection of new leprosy cases was higher in males than in females. Visible deformity increased every year since 2005 with a disability of 34.8% in 2015 among new cases. In Nepal, 2,461 leprosy patients received multi-drug therapy (MDT) in 2015 which corresponded to the PR of 0.89/10,000 population. Geographic latitude and socio-economic situations appeared to be the main causes of leprosy, and the healthcare condition was an important factor associated with leprosy incidence. The introduction of MDT effectively reduced leprosy prevalence worldwide. Wenshan (China), Nepal, and other countries share similarities in various aspects with respect to socio-cultural features, geographical distribution, environmental factors, and economic situation, which may contribute to leprosy being endemic in these areas.

The economic and ecological benefits of saving ecosystems to protect services

The concept of Ecosystem Services (ES) defines the nature benefits in an anthropocentric way for sustainable development goals. However, a conservation dilemma arises from the question of how much the ES cost and which ES should be prioritized in effective landscape planning. Thus, we test how the balance of economic and ecological values can be useful for improved conservation outcomes. Under a comprehensive meta-analytical approach, we address the monetary values of ES and incorporate habitat quality maps for setting national conservation targets in mainland Portugal. As a practical pathway to achieve sustainability from local to macro scales, we design an integrative approach showing that prioritization models focused on ES can encompass economic and ecological values in balance with the landscape. We find 72 studies with 167 economic estimates based on biophysical, socio-cultural and environmental features. Our results indicate that ES values in Portugal can represent about 12% of its total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which in turn can ensure key conservation sites for multiple ecosystems. Combining the trade-offs and synergies between ecological and economic benefits of ES, we suggest an integrative strategy to save ecosystems and protect services through cost-effective conservation models. Given the economic and ecological interface of this approach, our findings can be helpful to bridge the gap between environmental economics and conservation science, following three main components – most economic benefits, best habitat quality and less land requirements. This would bring market values on realistic scales, where stakeholders are expecting positive returns.

Phenomenon of Education: Philosophical and Methodological Aspects of Research

The purpose of the work is to identify in the study of education, as a socio-cultural phenomenon, its functional and structural-organizational features at different historical stages of development and to analyze the relation of the concepts of "education", "science" and "intelligence". Methodology and research methods used in the study are the following: comparative analysis method, systematic approach, functional and cultural approaches and philosophical reflection. Key findings are the following: strategy of introducing new standards in the educational process in connection with the transition to digital reality requires changing the educational methodology and creating a new format for the development of teaching methods. The relation between the concepts of "methodology", "education" and "science" are ambiguous, their use is contextual. The main method of analysis of the study of functionality is philosophical reflection, which reveals their meaning and purpose. As a result of the study of the functional, structural and organizational features of education, the necessary object (material or spiritual) of research is created, where the relation between science and education is revealed. The question of the relation of research methodology and methods of the educational process becomes a question of the interactions of spirituality and science, values and knowledge.

Guidelines for Management of Geoheritage: an Approach in the Sertão Central, Brazilian Northeastern Semiarid

The characterisation of geoheritage and the understanding of the physical and socio-cultural features of a territory are essential to achieve the major geoconservation goals: protection and sustainable use of exceptional elements of geodiversity. This research was done in the Sertao Central, an economic vulnerable area in the hinterland of northeast Brazil, remarked by the Caatinga Biome and a rocky, semiarid landscape. The area comprises an assemblage of deformed igneous and metamorphic rocks, such as gneisses, TTG rocks, schists, and granites. Starting from a regional geoheritage inventory done in 2015, fourteen geosites were selected and assessed, representing a wide regional tectonic evolution from the Precambrian West Gondwanan orogenesis to the Cenozoic development of particular examples of Brazilian granitic inselbergs. In addition to the inventory of geosites, six geodiversity sites were also evaluated, along with five geocultural sites, highlighting the cultural value of geodiversity in the area. Based on the available information, an analysis with the main features and spatial configuration of the geoheritage was developed, allowing to designate the most appropriate use for each geological site. Considering geoconservation as a geoscientific fostering for the sustainable development, our study suggests a set of general guidelines for the management of geoheritage, in order to facilitate the decision-making process by local managers and stakeholders as well as to promote the discussion on geotourism strategies for the region. Organised according to well-defined geoconservation strategies, these guidelines could enhance the sustainable development of vulnerable regions, such as Sertao Central itself.

An Exploration of China-Africa Cooperation in Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges in Open Distance Learning

Cognisant of the wide range of cooperation between China and Africa and the existing strong Sino-African relationship, this article explores the international cooperation between Africa and China in the higher education domain, especially in the field of Open Distance Learning (ODL). The study employed data triangulation relying on both secondary and primary sources to address the main research questions. It sheds light on the development of ODL in Chinese Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with a focus on professional development of university teachers. The article argues that ODL is crucial for emerging economies’ sustainable development. Key factors such as political, technological and socio-cultural features play a crucial role in the development and effective implementation of ODL. By exploring the potential opportunities and identifying related challenges, this article contributes to an understanding of how mutually beneficial partnerships between African universities and Chinese HEIs can be developed within the wider framework of Sino-African relationship.

Exploring the Portrayal of Female Voice in ‘Heer Ranjha’: A Gender-Based Study

The present study aims at explicating the theme of love in the folk tale Heer Ranjha through the discourse stylistics perspective. To do this, Fairclough (2015) model is employed with a focus on lexical choices. The metaphors used in the dialogues portraying the theme of love have been carefully selected, and further the linguistic pattern employed has been significantly discussed to highlight the embedded theme of love as a dominant human emotion in folk tales. The study also aims at providing a richer, more complex and enlightened canvas of feminist theory highlighting the role of women and power relations between the two sexes. The data comprises on twenty passages from the translation of ‘Heer Ranjha’ by Usborne (1973) where the translator claims to have translated the epilogue at full length while the rest of the poem has been condensed without omitting anything significantly important to the theme. The study throws light on the language of the folk tale, which reflects socio-cultural features such as the patriarchic family structure of the time through the language choices. The flute, a bamboo musical instrument, is a metaphor of love in a dream-like romantic sound. Finally, this paper helps to develop a better understanding of folktales in a particular socio-cultural background.

Концепция цифрового правительства как политический проект для России: перспективы реализации в условиях вызовов и рисков цифровизации общества

At the faculty of political science of Lomonosov Moscow State University on November 25, 2020 an expert round table was held on topical issues of forming a digital government as a political project of modern Russia, which considered the results of research on the first domestic pilot projects of smart city, conducted at the Chair of Russian Policy under the leadership of professor A.Р. Kochetkov. The discussion focused on such topical issues as the main content of the digital government project; its socio-cultural and historical features; the need to take into account the positive and negative aspects of international experience in the theory and practice of digital government; the problems and risks of its implementation in Russia; the impact on changing the relationship between government and civil society; and the prospects for forming an effective model of digital government in Russia. Leading political scientists, MSU professors, attended the discussion. They are A.I. Soloviev, V.I. Kovalenko, I.A. Vasilenko, S.V. Volodenkov, professor of the National Research Institute of the WEIR, RAS K.S. Gadzhiev, and the assistant of MSU E.G. Kirsanova. MSU professor A.P. Kochetkov led the round table.

A typological, environmental and socio-cultural study of semi-open spaces in the Eastern Mediterranean vernacular architecture: The case of Cyprus

Semi-open spaces – largely incorporated in vernacular dwellings in Cyprus during the 19th and 20th centuries – formed diachronically significant socio-cultural, functional and environmental features of the vernacular architecture of the area. The climate of the Eastern Mediterranean region, i.e., hot summers and mild winters, encouraged the use of open weather protected spaces, thus leading to the widespread incorporation of such spaces in the vernacular architecture of the region. This paper focuses on the interconnections between architectural forms and human comfort, convenience or pleasure in relation to the semi-open spaces found in the vernacular architecture of Cyprus – an island in the Eastern Mediterranean region. For the purpose of this research, characteristic traditional settlements found in the coastal, lowland and mountainous areas – which represent three different climatic regions and topographies of the island – were selected for an in-depth investigation. The findings confirm a high frequency of semi-open spaces, as well as the existence of a remarkable richness of typologies. Although semi-open spaces constitute a fundamental part of the structure of these vernacular dwellings in all climatic regions examined, they dominate in the lowland regions due to the particularly hot climate, as well as the specific activities of the inhabitants of these areas. The prevailing architectural forms and constructions of these spaces in each climatic region under investigation was found to be closely adapted to the local resources, terrain and climate, while also being related to the social, household and agricultural needs of the inhabitants, thus underlining their sustainable and locus-specific conception. Research findings can contribute towards critically re-thinking semi-open spaces and their inherent value in rehabilitation projects, as well as in contemporary residential architecture.

Postcolonialism in Central Europe •

AbstractThe paper discusses the post-1990 historical developments in Central Europe as a specific instantiation of postcolonialism, particularly in the linguistic domain. After the severe communist rule and Soviet military occupation in most countries (which enjoyed a non-typical colonial status), this region was freed, but many socio-cultural features of culture, language policy, language use, and everyday communication activities show that many forms practiced during the colonial period are still maintained. These remnants show a certain postcolonial way of life in the region. The paper first surveys the literature, discussing the validity of the notion of postcolonialism for the given period in Central Europe. In the second part, general postcolonial features pertaining to the Hungarian language community are introduced. These features are detailed first focusing on the developments in Hungary, then on the minority Hungarian communities across the border around Hungary. Factors are presented including communicative systems, language policy, language variants, reflection, and self-reflection on the language community and identification, language rights, and public education, with attention paid to adherence to colonial schemas and the quick transition to postmodern communication forms.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ФОРМУВАННЯ ПСИХОЛОГІЧНОЇ ГОТОВНОСТІ ОСОБИСТОСТІ ДО ВИКОНАННЯ РІЕЛТОРСЬКОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ

Introduction. Modern professional real estate activity changes to meet time requirements. This activity is treated broadly, as subsystem that operates at the intersection of many professions that’s why its universal, so available, mass etc. Brokering activities is the main subject in the real estate market. This profession has common characteristics with the work of a stockbrocker (intermediary between company and shareholders), broker (professional mediator), real estate manager, engineer etc. The process of acquiring a specialty, entering to the world of professional real estate workers depends on the state of psychological preparedness for this activity.Purpose. Reveal the features of the program’s content, designed to create psychological preparedness for real estate activity. Methods. The theoretical methods were used to develop the programme – analysis synthesis, generalization, classification, categorization, methods of systemic, comparative and structural-functional analysis.Originality. Subject-action, personality-activity and competence approaches are used in the work on formation of psychological readiness for real estate activity, which allow to construct a dynamic educational environment taking into account the specifics of personality, socio-cultural educational environment and features of professional real estate activity.The system of formative influences consists of three directions: activation, actualization and amplification. As a result of activation of the cognitive component of psychological readiness, subject-professional training is carried out, ie professional education, which contributes to a better understanding of the content of real estate work and self-awareness in this activity of the individual. As a result of actualization professional consultation, practical performance of component types of works of the realtor are carried out; professional and personal goals are realized, a professional plan is drawn up. As a result of amplification, the process of orientation in the content of the activity performed by the realtor is specified, the specialization of professional activity is specified. The result of the implementation of the system of formative influences is the formation of components of psychological readiness for the work of a realtor in the specialty, namely: subject, personal, communication. They, in turn, form the basis for the formation of subject-professional orientation in real estate activities and professional success, which in turn are the basis for the formation of a system of established qualities, ie system of competencies (general; professional; professional competencies defined by the corporation; professional competencies appropriate to specialization).Conclusion. Professionally significant personality traits are seen as defining for real estate worker productivity. They consist of a group of narrower qualifications. Core professional competencies determine the professional mobility of the realtor of any level of development. In forming programme an attempt has been made to take into account content, structure, patterns and features of the real estate agent’s professional activities, which determine his or her professional success and development of universal competencies to enable the correct implementation of it’s various types.