Socio-cultural Significance Research Articles

A study on indigenous fermented foods and beverages of Kokrajhar, Assam, India

BackgroundThe Kokrajhar district of Assam in India is a region with rich cultural diversity and ethnic groups. Each ethnic group has its own method of fermenting food materials for the purpose of preservation, taste, and nutritional enhancement and has been carrying this tradition from time immemorial. Due to impact of globalization, these lesser known fermented foods and beverages are at the risk of extinction and its documentation is a very essential part before its further application in food processing industry. Through this paper, a small effort has been made in providing written record about the fermented foods and alcoholic beverages along with its sociocultural significance of the region. MethodsUsing the questionnaire and survey method, diverse types of fermented foods and their sociocultural significance were documented. ResultsIt is observed that diverse ethnic groups of Kokrajhar district have their own traditional food habits associated with their customs and ethos. In total, 12 fermented foods and 3 fermented beverages have been documented in this paper. ConclusionThe application of scientific methodology in the processing of such fermented foods and beverages would contribute to sustainability of regional economy by boosting the livelihood of the rural people.

‘Putting music on’: everyday leisure activities, choice‐making and person‐centred planning in a supported living scheme

Accessible summary Essential Lifestyle Plans are a good way for people with learning disabilities and their support workers to tell people about things they like to do, such as listening to music. These plans also tell people about the things that they need, like what medicine they may need to take. Sometimes it is not easy to put the things we like to do at home into these plans because there are lots of things we do every day. People need to think carefully about how the things we choose to do at home can be put into Essential Lifestyle Plans that are written for us and with us. AbstractBackground: Person‐centred planning, which commonly becomes formalised within services for people with learning disabilities through an Essential Lifestyle Plan (ELP), was intended to help place the choices of individuals at the forefront of service provision. However, beyond UK government policy rhetoric, scholars have raised issues regarding the capacity of person‐centred planning to empower people with learning disabilities to make choices about various aspects of their lives. This article assesses these debates, paying attention to the relationship between ELPs and choices made in relation to leisure activities.Materials and Methods:To examine leisure activities and choice‐making in depth, the article draws upon ethnographic research conducted with four adults living in a supported living scheme. It focuses upon their domestic musical activities, connecting data derived from participant observation with the contents of ELPs.Results:This study found that person‐centred planning underplayed processes involved with articulations of musical choice and also the peculiarities of the settings in which choices were made. It also found that leisure preferences expressed in ELPs did not effectively convey the richness and sociocultural significance of everyday domestic musical activities within the supported living scheme.Conclusions:Person‐centred planning should not be divorced from social context, relationships and differing degrees of dependency. Domestic leisure activities such as listening to music, while not necessarily ‘meaningful’ in the terms laid out in UK policy discourse, can become crucial resources for social bonding for people with learning disabilities. Thus, they should be considered carefully as part of a dynamic, socially situated and person‐centred planning process.

Roland Barthes’ grain of the voice: from mélodie to media

This paper examines the resonance of Barthes’ essays on the human voice in works such as ‘The Grain of the Voice’ in the context of Barthes’ own writings on mélodie and the body, as well as in the more recent and broader sphere of media and ‘sound studies’, a field devoted to investigating the production, circulation, and socio-cultural significance of sounds and listening practices. Recordings of Barthes’ actual voice as heard by those who attended his Collège de France courses and those who listen to digital audio files of his lectures online amplify and complicate his own theory on the ‘grain of the voice’.

Concealment and Exposure: Contemporary Application of Masks in Lampshade

This study explored the use of traditional African masks in the designing and production of interior design accessories. Through pre-colonial antecedent and masks' contemporary explorations, three masks were selected and redesigned for interior ambiance using ceramics studio practice. The selection of the masks was based on their physical characteristics and associated meanings. Masks are believed to be carriers of the spirits they represent and may possess religious, reproductive, socio-cultural and theatrical significance. Due to their original use and symbolism, African masks have scarcely been sociable objects for ordinary domestic and public adaptations. They are deemed mystical, ritualistic, and psychic, and create auras whose exploration for today's design concerns seem plausible. The design outcomes from the study showed that masks as cultural objects associated with mysticism and socio-cultural purifications, could through effective design decisions be adapted for functional and aesthetic concerns.

The new economy as a gateway to leisure travelling: experiences of highly skilled Indian professionals in Europe

This article investigates India’s professionals’ tourist mobilities during on-site assignments in continental Europe. The concept of experiential cultural capital is introduced to highlight the sociocultural symbolic significance of experiences of travelling for leisure enabled by one’s professional career. The study (conducted between 2007 and 2013) is based on ethnographic research online and in-depth face-to-face interviews with 76 Indian expatriates working in the information, communication and technology (ICT) sector in Brussels. This complementary approach of online and offline research enabled the observation of practices of status distinction, which deepened the understanding of Indian professionals’ tourist mobility. The data of the lived experiences of leisure travelling enabled by professional career trajectories illustrate practices of capital accumulation. In addition, they show how India’s youth, inscribed in new economy sectors, such as the ICT sector, seize the volatile opportunities offered by changing global economic and political conditions. Moreover, this research indicates how occupational identity is intertwined with particular practices of leisure travelling as the organisational culture might influence leisure opportunities. Therefore, by participating in and managing this symbolic resource of tourist mobility, professionals signal their economic success to their family and peers in order to be recognised as such.

The 1883 F.A. Cup Final: working class representation, professionalism and the development of modern football in England

The 1883 F.A. Cup Final has long been viewed as a seminal event in the rise of professional football and an example of the class/culture conflict thought to characterized later Victorian sport. Recent scholarship has improved understandings of the larger contexts surrounding the match but diminish the importance of the 1883 Final as a catalyst for wider change. Little has been done to reconcile traditional understandings with this new, and more complex, view of the motivations for cultural change within the F.A. Utilizing new perspectives on the traditions and character of English sporting culture more generally, this article seeks to recast the 1883 Final within a post-colonial discourse concerning identity and representation. Through this perspective, traditional interpretations can be reconciled with contemporary understandings and the 1883 Final can be re-imbued with a sociocultural significance that more recent perspectives tend to neglect.

La puesta en valor de las calzadas romanas. Estudio, excavación y recuperación social del patrimonio arqueológico inmueble

The interest in bringing archaeology to people has produced projects which have integrated different Roman roads within museums, touristic projects or cultural itineraries, with different levels of coherence, historical accuracy and social reception. But the methodology of these works was far from uniform until recently. In this paper, I briefly outline the state of affairs of the study of the viae, due to the shortage of general studies dedicated to the processes of excavation and research of these archaeological elements. I also try to explain the different value enhancement processes of viae for improving public understanding and appreciation of their historical relevance and sociocultural significance.

Between the built and the unbuilt in vernacular studies: the architecture of the Mru of the Chittagong Hills

The socio-cultural significance of the dwelling has been illuminated in several anthropological studies of ethnic communities in Asia. To some extent, this interest is also shared with architects examining vernacular dwellings. Yet few studies approach these examples primarily as ecologically placed architectural entities, with a temporal-ritual ambience. Drawing on this limitation, we assume a position beyond culture-nature, built-unbuilt or sacred-profane dichotomies in order to examine the case of the Mru of the Chittagong Hills. In doing so, we also reflect on the influences between the disciplines of architecture and anthropology in understanding nuanced meanings of dwelling and related spaces.Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, the article discusses the interrelationship between religion, economy and architecture. It establishes that the function of architecture is complex, and in a traditional community where religion and worldview have an interchangeable relationship with culture, nature and economic behaviour, it is on that premise that meaningful architectural spaces are created.

Constantin Manassès, La description d’un petit homme. Introduction, texte, traduction et commentaires

Constantine Manasses, author of the twelfth century known above all as historian, produced a considerable number of texts that included extensive and skilful ekphrastic discourse, but he also composed five independent ekphraseis. In different manners and to varying extent, all these texts reflect the learned environment in which Manasses was active as teacher and thetorician, that ist, the imperial milieu of Komnenian Constantinople. The aim of this article is to present a new edition and translation of one of the independent ekphraseis, the Description of a Little Man, and to offer a thorough discussion of its literary and sociocultural significance. This ekphrasis stands out as regards the curiosity of its motif: a dwarf, originally from Chios, spending time in Constantinople and living at the imperial palace in order to entertain the court. The present article includes an edition of the Greek text, a translation with notes and a detailed introduction on the rhetorical and `scientific` tradition that precedes and informs this text, interpreted in relation to the Constantinopolitan environment of Manasses and his peers.

Determinants of pre-menarcheal knowledge of menstruation and sociocultural implications in college going girls: A community-based cross-sectional study from Latur, Maharashtra

Introduction: Adolescence marks the onset of female puberty. The first menstruation is often horrifying and traumatic to an adolescent girl because it usually occurs without her knowing about it. Implications of a girl's response to menarche have a socio-cultural and religious significance. Aim and Objective: To study the sociocultural and physiological implications of menstruation in college going girls. Materials and Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional observational study undertaken among college girls. All the girls (n = 252) of the college were enrolled in the study. A structured questionnaire was used as the study tool. The questionnaire included topics related to sociodemographic information, sociocultural implications and first informant about the physiological process of menstruation along with its timing. Results: Majority of the study subjects (77.40%) observed restrictions for religious/holy things. Sleep disturbances were the most common (59%) disturbance faced by the study subjects. Of a total of 252 respondents, majority [104 (41.30%)] had leg cramps. The first informant of menstruation was the mother in 196 (77.78%) girls. Of 252 girls, 86 (34.12%) had pre-menarcheal knowledge of menstruation. Mothers from the urban area and with better education tend to give knowledge of menstruation prior to menarche of her daughter. An increasing trend was observed with increasing educational status of the mother and proportion of them giving pre-menarcheal knowledge of menstruation to their daughter. Conclusions: Menstruation is associated with a high burden of sociocultural implications. Pre-menarcheal knowledge of menstruation is poor. Mothers from the urban area and with better educational level tend to give knowledge of menstruation prior to menarche of their daughter.

Impact of Anthropogenic Factor on Urboecological Space Development

The article discusses the issues of the impact of the anthropogenic factor on urboecological space development. The issues are considered taking into account retrospective theoretical data to show the process of Anthropoecology development as a new branch of sociological science. At present the noosphere acquires features of anthropoecosystems having a number of parameters from the endogenous and exogenous point of view. Anthropoecology has special socio-cultural significance as considers the interaction of all actors of international space. There introduced the new branch Ecopsycology as the outer world is the reflection of the inner human world. There is a definition of the sustainability of ecological system. In the practical part of the article there is an example of academic mobility as the basis of the human potential with possible transfer into the human capital supporting by survey data. In conclusion there are recommendations on management and adaptation of the anthropogenic factor (a kind of biogenesis) in modern urboecological space.

Tree diversity and sociocultural significance of homegardens in the Baramura range, Tripura, North-east India

Baramura forest range is one of the largest forest ranges in Tripura. It is mainly inhabited by people from the Halam scheduled tribe, who have established permanent settlements in and around the forest. The forest harbours a rich biodiversity and it supports local people in contributing to their daily needs. Local people have also established and are managing forest-like, species-rich homegardens. These homegardens have never been studied. In this short note, we report results of the first study on the Halam homegardens of the Baramura range, combining an ecological assessment of the tree component with an assessment of their livelihood importance.

Landscapes of warfare: Intervisibility analysis of Early Iron and Urartian fire beacon stations (Armenia)

Intervisibility analysis provides valuable insight into the sociocultural significance of archaeological features such as tombs, settlements, signaling installations and other landscape markers. Yet, it is difficult to determine whether these observed patterns are intentional. Archaeological remains that are highly visible in general may be intervisible with other constructions only by coincidence. The present study analyzes Early Iron and Urartian (Biainili) fortified architecture in the Lake Sevan region of Armenia (1100–700BCE). A Social Network Analysis (SNA) approach to classic GIS intervisibility analysis demonstrates that these ancient people constructed an elaborate fire beacon system. Random-point simulation, statistical validation and historical documentation support these findings, and show that the spatial organization of these fortress-states was the result of regional coordination. The analysis described in this paper constitutes a novel method for discerning the agency of social actors. Moreover, the study reveals that a fire beacon system was already in place by the Early Iron period, and its continuation during the Urartian period betrays a preoccupation with persistent conflict in this ancient landscape of warfare.

THE FUTURE BACHELORS’ ACQUIREMENT OF MODERN TECHNOLOGIES OF STUDENT’S SOCIALIZATION AS IMPERATIVE OF PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE TEACHER

The article highlights the main problems and conditions of introducing modern educational technologies (including ICT) of students’ socialization in the educational process of future Bachelors trained in a two-tier system of teachers’ professional education. Global geopolitical changes in the world, economic sanctions against Russia and humanitarian intervention in the form of numerous pressures on Russian society, including technological, informational and others, have actualized the problem of accelerating socio-economic development of our country and using innovations in all spheres of our society. Taking into consideration the socio-cultural significance of the contemporary requirements and targeted goals, it is important to find the ways and methods of developing integral professional skills and creative abilities of future teachers to master the modern technologies of education enhancing personal development of students and involving them in the system of social relations and active self-realization. It should be mentioned, that market economy and philosophy of new social and labor relations need new methods and mechanisms of involving people in labor, social life and education of a new type of workers. They are in the development of motivation and a new system of personal-value guidelines and meanings reflected in the strivings for success, competitiveness, credibility, and achievement of efficient results of the work. Among pedagogical factors that affect the processes of socialization of students (pupils), an important place belongs to personality-oriented technologies enhancing the development of cognitive activity, which are necessary for future teachers of technology. Technologies of labor education through the development of cognitive activity include student-oriented approaches, informational, integrative and others.

BADAN, PELESTARIAN TRADISI BULAN SYAWAL PADA MASYARAKAT MUSLIM KEMBANGARUM KOTA SALATIGA Tafsir “Saling Memaafkan” dalam al-Qur’an

This article seeks to uncover the reason culture on Muslim society Kembangarum Salatiga in the Badan tradition. It also intends to reveal the meaning of the tradition for today's society. This qualitative study uses literature review andfinds that the tradition is one of the expression of religious communities, as a manifestation of gratitude to God, concern for nature, and cohesion and communality among the public. In addition to the cultural meanings, Badan tradition also has economic and sociocultural significance for local governments and communities.

Policy Briefing. Co-Management of Coastal Fisheries in Hawaiii: Overview and Prospects for Implementation

Communities across Hawai‘i continue to depend on marine resources and habitats as a significant source of sustenance, and for important recreational and cultural practices that are part of the heritage of the islands. Fishing and gathering remain a central aspect of Hawaiian communities in terms of their sociocultural significance and for food security, yet many fisheries resources and habitats have declined significantly. In the past several decades, the State’s enforcement of rules governing fisheries has been minimal due to chronic resource limitations. As a result, many communities across Hawai‘i have expressed concerns with the current management and regulatory regime for coastal fisheries resources and habitats. One management alternative that has gained significant attention is community-based subsistence fishing areas (CBSFAs) and the development of management partnerships between State resource management agencies and community groups. Co-management of coastal fisheries has a short but interesting history in the Hawaiian Islands. Although two co-management pathways exist, ultimately both routes must pass through an onerous rulemaking process, complicating implementation. In this policy brief we examine this process and discuss the prospects for implementation in Hawai‘i.

Indigenous pottery at Sirigu: Dialogue on materials, methods and sociocultural significance

Abstract Sirigu is a major artistic community in the upper east region of Ghana; its decorative murals have attracted admiration globally. Besides wall paintings, Sirigu women also produce a variety of pottery for domestic, religious and commercial purposes. Although much valued, not much is known about their pottery. This research has studied the raw materials, production techniques, ornamentations and uses of the women’s pottery products at Sirigu. Further, the educational implications of the pottery industry of the Sirigu women have been discussed. Primary data were gathered through field research, including observations and interviews with relevant informants, which were recorded using note-taking, voice recordings and photography. These were complemented and framed through information from secondary sources. Raw materials used are obtained from the immediate environment, are organic in nature and are processed in indigenous ways. The study indicates that the art of pottery making has potential for improving the standard of living of the people, as well as for promoting quality Visual Arts education in Ghana.

Holy Ingredients Used in Sacred Thread Ceremony: A Historical Prospective of Cultural Practices in Kumaun Himalaya

The present paper emphasizes the role of important plant ingredients applied in sacred thread ceremony. Information related to important ingredients used in sacred thread ceremony was gathered during Navratra season in the year 2013 and 2014 from different places of Kumaun. A list of 36 important ingredients was prepared describing about their method of worship. These ingredients are used to perform this ceremony in the Kumaun region. Out of these maximum 15 were plant ingredients followed by 14 plant products and only seven were other ingredients namely, red soil, cow urine, cow dung, holy water, clay lamp, Panchmethai and cooked food. Some famous sacred places related to this ceremony are also described here. The historical information regarding socio-cultural, environmental and economic significance of listed plants and their ingredients was also gathered from sacred literature.

Having Your Cake and Eating It? The “Painful Cake” Incident of 2012 Examined

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size AcknowledgementsOur warmest thanks to Professor Gabriel Griffin for reading and discussing an early version of this article with us, inspiring us to continue with it. We would also like to thank all the researchers in Forum for gender studies for creative responses to our thoughts. The work with this article has been done in the research project “Normalization and the neoliberal welfare state. Challenges of and for gender theory” (Vetenskapsrådet, 344-2011-5104).SummaryOn the 15th of April, 2012, The Modern Museum (Modernamuseet) in Stockholm celebrated the World Art Day by having a reception with the Swedish cultural minister present, at which an artwork in the form of a cake made in the likeness of the body of a caricatured black woman was served, cut up and eaten, while the artist, masked as the cakes head, screamed. This conceptual, relational, and contextualizing artwork, which leads to a much heated debate in Sweden and which was also internationally picked up on, was made by the explicitly anti-racist artist Makode Linde. In this article, we explore the problem of this event in terms of its sociocultural significance. How did we react upon the drama that we were following from a distance? What did it make us see? What questions did the incident raise about the Swedish society of today? These are examples of the questions we as gender researchers working in Sweden will discuss in the form of a triptych. We use the triptych metaphor as a tool for opening dialogue. By opening its panels it becomes possible to decommodify the single image of the artwork and make relations between agents traceable, visible, and readable.Siv FahlgrenDepartment of Social SciencesMid Sweden University851 70 SundsvallSwedenE-mail: Siv.fahlgren@miun.seKatarina Giritli NygrenDepartment of Social SciencesMid Sweden University851 70 SundsvallSwedenE-mail: katarina.giritli-nygren@miun.seMagnus GranbergDepartment of Social SciencesMid Sweden University851 70 SundsvallSwedenE-mail: magnus.granberg@miun.seAnders JohanssonDepartment of HumanitiesMid Sweden University871 88 HärnösandSwedenEmail: anders.johansson@miun.seEva SöderbergDepartment of HumanitiesMid Sweden University871 88 HärnösandSwedenE-mail: eva.soderberg@miun.se

Nutritionally ‘empty’ but full of meanings: The socio-cultural significance of birthday cakes in four early childhood settings

This article examines the socio-cultural significance of birthday cakes with the purpose of reflecting upon birthday cake practices enacted in four early childhood settings in England. I argue that birthday cakes occupy an ambiguous place in early childhood practice: seen to be both ‘risky’ – a term I problematise – and important in terms of the rituals each setting had developed in relation to them. The research also highlights the way in which children appropriate the medium of birthday cakes in their pretend play, creating birthday cakes from a range of resources to initiate contact with practitioners and peers. Despite the positive framing of birthday cakes in early childhood settings adopted in this article, it is important to recognise the Othering of some families’ food practices that takes place through the vehicle of foods such as birthday cakes brought from home. In addition, the rituals associated with birthday cakes might also be conceptualised as an enactment of ‘groupism’ as opposed to a celebration of individual identity. Nevertheless, it is argued that birthday cakes should not be prohibited in early childhood settings. To do so would ignore the meanings that are attached to certain foods and the practices associated with them.