Socio-cultural Spaces Research Articles

Images of Industrial Cities of Tatarstan in the Vision of the Leaders of Urban Communities and Ordinary Residents

The article examines the verbally recorded dominants of the vision and construction of images of non-capital industrial cities of Tatarstan by their leading actors, accepted and described in their own way by ordinary citizens. They are supplemented by the author’s personal observations and analysis of the meanings embedded in urban symbols and toponymy, monumental propaganda and works of art. Conducted in 2021–2022 in Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhnekamsk, Almetyevsk, and Zelenodolsk, expert interviews and problem-oriented interviews with families showed that their industrial specialization (and, accordingly, the designation as a city of mechanical engineers, chemists, oil workers, shipbuilders), as well as the associated features of the mentality of the residents, continued to determine their images. Moreover, the plant becomes a kind of invisible “partner” for every city dweller, setting the rhythm and style of life, key moments of historical memory. At the same time, the individuality of settlements is influenced by the peculiarities of the formation of their population, sociocultural spaces and urban culture, including ethnocultural specifics.

“The wrong side of the desk”: Material and Discursive Struggle in Bud Osborn’s Downtown Eastside

Abstract Bud Osborn (1947-2014) was an American poet and activist who arrived in Vancouver, Canada in 1986. He landed in Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood, the Downtown Eastside (DTES), while struggling with heroin addiction. The DTES is a complex and politically active neighbourhood and site of intersecting social crises. Osborn would spend the remainder of his life capturing this community in his poetry, which is often understood solely through activism for harm reduction and against gentrification. In this article, I engage with his poetry to understand the politics which motivate his activism. This exploration will include a variety of textual mediums, voices, and analytic perspectives to capture the complex politics contained in his words. I believe that by reading his words we can examine his complicated self-positionality as a PWUD (people who use drugs) and a member of the lumpenproletariat who occupied sociocultural spaces that often excluded those from his social standing. This examination shows how he constitutes the DTES as a space of material and discursive struggle. What emerges from this examination is how his poetic resistance at the level of the signifier intertwines with his street-level resistance. That is, how the act of writing and reading poetry can be an act of defiance.

Strategy to improve communication for deaf individuals in a basic health unit: "help, need assistance?"

Accessibility is crucial to ensure that all users have interfaces that meet their needs and preferences, promoting inclusion in all sociocultural spaces. In the context of healthcare services in Guanambi-BA, deaf individuals face communication difficulties due to the lack of accessibility in identification signs, which are written only in Portuguese, excluding those who use Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) as their first language. This creates barriers that compromise the autonomy and quality of life of these individuals. Faced with this reality, the objective of this work was to produce images and videos in Libras, accessible through QR codes inserted in the identification signs of healthcare sectors. This initiative aims to promote the autonomy and dignity of deaf individuals using healthcare services in Guanambi, Bahia, contributing to a more inclusive and egalitarian society.

The impact of globalization on performance musicology: Challenges and opportunities for music education in the 21st Century

Contemporary globalisation has a significant impact on the development of musical art. The aim is to analyse the socio-cultural aspects of performing musicology in the context of globalisation of music education. The implementation of this study involves the use of the following scientific methods. The content analysis and the method of systematization were used. The results of the study demonstrate that contemporary performing music trends in the arts are important components of socio-cultural spaces. They reflect not only the social transformations caused by globalisation of music that are taking place in society, but also have a direct impact on the formation of the artistic trend in general. It is demonstrated that there are bilateral relations that consist in the complex coexistence between music and society. It is also determined that in modern conditions, the main practical task of today's performers is to convey their thoughts and feelings to the audience. The conclusions emphasise that in order to work effectively with modern artistic, educational and musicological environments, future specialists should master various means and methods of performing expression. It is recommended to deepen the use of digital technologies to achieve a new level of performance skills.

Learner Identity and Investment in EFL, EMI, and ESL Contexts: A Longitudinal Case Study of One Pre-Service Teacher

ABSTRACT When multilingual learners traverse across cross-border and study-abroad contexts, they enter different sociocultural spaces, negotiate conflicting identities, and may or may not invest in these identities. Addressing the lacuna, this longitudinal case study draws upon the model of investment to conduct a long-term, systematic investigation of the identities and investment of Miranda, a multilingual learner, and a pre-service teacher—as she studied, over seven years, as a university student (B.A.) in mainland China, a taught postgraduate student (M.Ed.) in Hong Kong, and a research student (M.Phil. and Ph.D.) in New Zealand. Findings reveal how Miranda negotiated, constructed, and performed multiple identities in shifting contexts and how the way her capital was valued shaped the way she positioned herself and was positioned by others. Attending to the fluidity and complexity of identities, this study provides educational authorities and teachers with implications for helping to chart the path for empowering students across contexts.

(In)Subordinate Planning: A Decolonial Tool for Marginalized Urban Areas

The city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) has various socially and historically marginalized areas, such as peripheral neighborhoods and favelas, which lack traditional leisure and cultural spaces. These areas are often seen as subaltern, neglected by the state, and not sufficiently contemplated in public policies. Consequently, local inhabitants frequently have to come up with improvised solutions, using their own resources to design and build sociocultural spaces. While much has been written about the practice of self-building in favelas, not enough research has been done from the urban planning/urban studies perspective pairing this practice with the decolonial theory hailing from South America. This article aims to frame the collective self-building of sociocultural spaces in favelas as a type of “insubordinate planning.” The concept of “insubordinate planning” is suggested here as part of a broader decolonial toolbox, regularly used by marginalized urban communities to persist and ensure their right to the city. To illustrate the connection between self-building, sociocultural spaces, insubordinate planning, and decolonial theory, the case study of the Sitiê Park in the Vidigal Favela is presented. This study was conducted through ethnography for a year and proves that decolonial principles are intrinsic to favela dwellers when it comes to building persistent spaces.

Культура инклюзии в образовательной экосистеме современного вуза

<p>This article discusses the current issues of defining the "inclusion culture" in the context of the subjective perceptions of working teachers and students of a pedagogical university about people with disabilities, the peculiarities of their life and the prospects of their social integration. The personal positions of individual actors of the educational space largely determine the generalized image of a certain ideal model of inclusive educational and socio-cultural spaces. Special attention is paid to the issues of unconditional acceptance of persons with disabilities, securing theiractive position, partner co-author participation in the processes of social integration and self-realization. An attempt is made to differentiate the concepts of "inclusive culture" and "culture of inclusion" with the designation of the main components of this definition and the definition of factors for the successful implementation of inclusive processes in the educational ecosystem of a modern university. WE proposed some strategic solutions for the formation and development of a culture of inclusion in the ecosystem of the university according to four vectors of activity with an approximate list of activities. The materials of the article actualize the concepts of the educational ecosystem in terms of its correlation with the processes of inclusion and the development of a system of continuous high-quality and affordable education for all.</p>

Sustainability of traditional building practices in Nigeria: The case of Igala traditional architecture

Nigeria's diverse ethnic landscape is marked by distinct traditional building practices, each representing a unique cultural identity. This study delves into the architectural heritage of the Igala people of North Central Nigeria, shedding light on their sustainable building practice. Despite its profound cultural and historical significance, the Igala traditional architecture, like many others in Nigeria, faces challenges due to modernization. This trend is pervasive across Nigeria, where contemporary buildings often disregard indigenous socio-cultural, environmental, and climatic considerations in their design and construction. Consequently, modern buildings in Nigeria tend to be costly and incompatible with the local culture, environment and climate. This study explores the imperatives and values of Igala traditional housing pattern, aiming to enhance the sustainability of contemporary building practices in Nigeria. Employing a narrative approach, the study utilized archival/historical research, field surveys, and interviews with local building professionals, indigenous elders, and environmental experts to explore the Igala traditional building practice. Thematic content and descriptive analysis were used to interpret the gathered data. The study revealed intrinsic features of Igala traditional housing pattern, including the courtyard system, hierarchical spatial arrangement, organic expansion, food storage facilities and the integration of socio-economic and socio-cultural spaces. These features exemplify sustainability through values such as security, privacy, communal living, cultural identity, energy efficiency, resource efficiency, passive solar techniques and environmental conservation. The research emphasized the critical importance of these identified features and values, not only for preserving cultural heritage but also for guiding sustainable contemporary architectural practices in Nigeria.

Sociological Study of Obstacles and Limitations of Women's Presence in Socio-Cultural Spaces in Tehran

Sociological Study of Obstacles and Limitations of Women's Presence in Socio-Cultural Spaces in Tehran

Enacting care and control: leadership in Chinese secondary school dining halls

ABSTRACT Caring is considered an essential quality for principals and vice-principals in China, which is explicitly stated in the standards-based policy for school leaders at the national level. This study delves into this concept of caring and investigates how standards related to caring leadership were enacted in one particular setting: the school dining hall. The study drew upon both theoretical discussions and qualitative findings from three secondary schools in northern China. Adopting a spatialized lens of policy enactment, this study reveals the strategies used by school leaders to show they care for their (teaching and administrative) staff, such as ensuring food provision and encouraging non-formal conversations. However, we also argue that school dining halls are socio-cultural spaces where school leaders were able to enact control over staff. As a result, school hierarchies were reinscribed by school leaders’ exercise of benevolent governance within school dining halls, which became contradictory spaces of caring, control, inclusion and exclusion.

Проблема феномена визуальности в современном англо-американском научном дискурсе

В статье исследовано отражение феномена визуальности в современном англо-американском академическом пространстве. Особое внимание уделено освещению явления визуального поворота в исследованиях, а именно, почему внимание ученых ХХ в. привлекла визуальная культура, и как визуальность завоевывала различные социокультурные пространства. Проанализированы взаимосвязи между визуальным поворотом и привилегией зрения над другими органами чувств (окулоцентризм) и появлением новых технологий. Проникновение визуального в теорию культуры и распространение образов в самой культуре называют «визуальным поворотом» (иногда его также называют «пикториальным поворотом» или «иконическим поворотом») («pictural turn», «iconic turn»). Он был представлен в исследованиях одного из самых выдающихся теоретиков медиа и визуальной культуры У. Дж. Т. Митчелла. Со временем понятие «визуальность» успешно утвердилось не только в самой культуре, но и в других направлениях, таких как культурология, философия, социология и история, которые всебольше переплетаются через изображение. Неудивительно, что в текстах известных исследователей и теоретиков культуры, таких как Стюарт Холл, Гордон Файф, Джон Ло, Джон Питер Бёрджер, Мартин Джей, Элла Шохат, Роберт Стэм, Донна Харауэй и многих других, уделяется большое внимание изучению различных аспектов проблемы визуальности, а фокус академических исследований часто смещается на междисциплинарный уровень. В исследованиях большое внимание уделено определению визуальности и других явлений феномена видимости, онтологии зрения и видения, выявлению границ между видимым и невидимым, освещена проблема образа, теоретических свойств образа в фотографии, кинематографе, искусстве, образовании и т.д. Проблема визуального была возведена в центр новых исследований, заложен фундамент для появления новых направлений исследований, в частности визуальных. Это знаменует начало нового этапа в развитии гуманитарных исследований, когда отпростого наблюдения за тем, что мы живем в эпоху доминирования образов, мы переходим к теоретической концептуализации этого явления.

The Cosmopolitan Stranger in Muriel Spark’s The Finishing School

Abstract This paper aims to offer a critical discussion of the representation of the cosmopolitan stranger (Marotta 2010) in Muriel Spark’s last novel, The Finishing School (2004). A category taken from the social sciences, mostly from the work of G. Simmel and Z. Bauman, the stranger as a literary figure has been associated with binary modes of relationship, whose versatile presence is usually responsible for destabilising socio-cultural spaces through his/her permeability and ambivalence. This notion will provide a valuable background for a better understanding of the game of doubles played in Spark’s novel through which the author challenges binary logic in character development and trespasses symbolic boundaries involving the encounter of otherness and a re-evaluation of the self. Our study re-examines Spark’s avant-gardism and foresight in her perception of a figure who reflects contemporary, multiple, playful and hybrid identities, one who may occupy this interstitial and ambivalent space which problematises social and cultural boundaries as unstable and permeable rather than reinforcing them. It adds a new perspective on Spark’s final novel which, as most of her later ones, may be said to be permeated by a sense of hybridity as a synonym for completeness, and a yearning for transition by implying the acceptance of new forms of interpretation and in-between spaces where fictional representation is negotiated and the intersection of opposites may enhance the inherent duality of existence.1

Anthropological Study of a Typical Drought-Prone Village in India: Strategies for Sustainable Rural Habitat

Drought-prone villages are constantly facing the challenges of agricultural productivity, lack of alternative livelihood opportunities due to ecological vulnerability, predominance of wasteland, inadequate water supply, and absence of physical and socio-cultural infrastructure. The study aims to develop a comprehensive policy framework to mitigate the socio-economic and environmental issues against the threat. The methodology comprises an anthropological study from micro to macro level to synthesize the dynamics of drought in the economic, ecological, and socio-cultural indices of a typical agrarian village of Purulia District in West Bengal, India. The results illustrate ecological susceptibility such as extreme climatic condition, futile wasteland cover, rocky undulating landform, top soil erosion, and human-made contingencies including deforestation, absence of water conservation practices, over utilization of existing water bodies resulting in water scarcity, loss of biodiversity, and absence of major agrarian livelihood. Lack of alternative livelihood practices such as agro-forestry and non-farm activities, appropriate knowledge regarding drought mitigation, sustainable living practices, inadequate physical infrastructure. and pressing issues in housing with population growth results in degradation of socio-economic profile of the residents, loss of natural resource. and poor socio-spatial livability quotient. It also increases the risk of habitat loss with regular drought occurrence. The study can be further adapted and strengthened according to varied rural settlements according to their geographical context, climatic vulnerability, predominant livelihood contingencies, and socio-cultural resonance. Most research in this domain focuses on the geophysical and meteorological parameters while the anthropo-geographical aspects such as local ecology, indigenous livelihood patterns, and native strategies of drought management are largely overlooked. The policy framework has been suggested to facilitate an integrated measure for the ecological and economic sustainability against drought with diversified livelihood opportunities, environmental upgradation, and augmentation of physical infrastructure. This policy can be further strengthened with retrofitting strategies of housing for future expansion and optimization of socio-cultural spaces to foster a sustainable economy, cohesive socio-cultural well-being, and resource optimization.

К вопросу о культурной (африканской) специфике «ответственного искусственного интеллекта»

The article deals with the problems associated with the socio-cultural specifics of the development of practical principles of "responsible artificial intelligence (AI)". At present, much attention of researchers is attracted by the African continent, stereotypes about which were associated with backwardness and underdevelopment. Currently, African countries, while effectively building their economic strategies, are also using AI technologies. The concept of Umeå University professor Virginia Dignum, which she outlined in one of the sections of the book “Responsible AI in Africa. Problems and Opportunities” (Springer, 2023). The main logic of Professor Dignum's theory is that all the consequences of using AI technology do not depend on AI, but on the socio-cultural characteristics of the socio-techno-anthropological environment in which these technologies are applied. Using Ubuntu philosophy as an example, Virginia Dignum shows how the sociocultural philosophical aspects of "non-Western" philosophy can be applied to the creation of new socioethical principles that emphasize the cultural diversity of modern AI ethics. The position of Virginia Dignum's theory on the sociocultural specifics of the ethics of "responsible AI" seems to be important, which, in our opinion, can be adapted for various sociocultural spaces that, to one degree or another, do not coincide with the Anglo-American paradigm of economic civilization.

Psychological Grounds for Spreading Criminal Subculture Among Schoolchildren Brought to Criminal Responsibility

Criminal subculture goes far beyond the prison system, involving new socio-cultural spaces, exerting an increasing influence on the younger generation. Traditionally, penitentiary institutions, including those for minors, are considered to be the source of the spread of the criminal subculture elements. However, its distribution channels are transformed over time. The aim of the study was to clarify the psychological reasons for the spread of criminal subculture among schoolchildren who have committed criminal offenses. The study involved students of the Federal State Educational Institution Secondary School No. 2 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Sverdlovsk Region and the Federal State Educational Institution Secondary School of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Tyumen Region, a total of 165 teenagers. There are also 52 students of secondary schools in Sverdlovsk and Tyumen regions who are registered with the criminal executive inspectorate. As a result of the conducted research, two groups of psychological grounds were identified: external and internal. A group of external factors is associated with the influence of the Internet space, the public environment, creating a strong and domineering image, as well as family and loved ones belonging to the criminal sphere. A group of internal factors related to psychological grounds includes: the need for communication, the value of belonging, the ability to receive vivid emotions, feelings of control and subordination. It is established that a significant part of juvenile offenders is not driven by romanticizing prison life. They committed their crimes without ideological convictions, at the same time sharing criminal norms and values.

Dawn Marie Hayes, Roger II of Sicily. Family, Faith, and Empire in the Medieval Mediterranean World. (Medieval Identities: Socio-Cultural Spaces, Vol. 7.) Turnhout, Brepols 2020

Article Dawn Marie Hayes, Roger II of Sicily. Family, Faith, and Empire in the Medieval Mediterranean World. (Medieval Identities: Socio-Cultural Spaces, Vol. 7.) Turnhout, Brepols 2020 was published on February 1, 2023 in the journal Historische Zeitschrift (volume 316, issue 1).

Odouring Foodscapes, Ordering Gender: Mapping Women and Caste in Samskara and The Weave of My Life

abstract The article locates the caste-spaces in India through the sensoriality of smell emitted by food in different gastronomical zones and its influence on the socio-political condition of Dalit women. It focuses on the embedded olfactory value of food to inform the contested nature of the Indian caste system and enables an understanding of the gendered aspect of the caste-spaces. By examining caste as spatial, sensorial and corporeal, the article confronts the crucial gaps in caste and food studies by deconstructing the order and odour of foodways in U.R. Ananthamurthy’s Samskara (1976) and Urmila Pawar’s The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirs (2008). While critiquing the caste system narrative, the selected texts map different olfactory zones in intercultural culinary landscapes. The article argues how the caste society is built on the gastronomic idea of ‘we are/smell what we eat’ by mapping the ways in which the two texts explore the physical and sensorial consumption of food in different socio-cultural spaces. It is argued that gendered meanings around smell are invariably connected to the caste system, and that Dalit women’s relationships to food and smells should be foregrounded in the olfactory politics of caste. The article traces the ways in which smellscapes highlighted in the selected texts create invisible boundaries of spatial and moral stratification (order) through the invisible medium of smell (odour). It also situates the praxis of deodorisation as a tool of dissent by Dalits, and especially Dalit women. The article raises critical inquiry into how the olfactory effect of food is not just a chemical by-product, but rather a symbolic agent which can work both to oppress − through spatial and corporeal discourses − or be opened up to rigorous inquiry.

Inclusive culture in the aspect of realizing the rehabilitation potential of subjects accompanying children with autism spectrum disorders

Introduction. Socialization of children with autism spectrum disorders is carried out through their immersion in the sociocultural space. The most important component of sociocultural integration is reliance on the rehabilitation potential of both individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their immediate environment. An analysis of understanding inclusive culture was embedded in the ideological concept of the research initiative. The study aims to determine the conceptual positions of inclusive culture as a specific system of attitudes, knowledge and skills that contribute to solving problems of including children with autism spectrum disorders and their immediate environment in various sociocultural spaces and relationships. Materials and methods. The study involved 307 people representing four subject groups of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast of the Russian Federation: teachers/specialists of preschool educational institutions, teachers/specialists of general education organizations, parents of children with autism spectrum disorders and students receiving defectology education. The main research method was the author's questionnaire survey of respondents followed by expert assessment. Results. The obtained results reflect the variable subjective positions of respondents in relation to various aspects of inclusive culture as the basis for the inclusive potential of persons with autism spectrum disorders and their immediate environment. The differences in understanding the essence and mechanisms of inclusive culture and of its place in personal and social context among different subjects of educational space are updated. This aspect allows objectifying the problem of effective interaction between family and educational organization in disclosure and implementation of the rehabilitation potential of persons with autism spectrum disorders. More than 50% of teachers/specialists of educational organizations, as well as 70% of surveyed students and parents of children with autism spectrum disorders, differentiate the concepts of ‘culture of inclusion’ and ‘inclusive culture’, giving them different content contexts. 57% of surveyed teachers and 65% of parents consider persons with disabilities to be objects of inclusive culture, i.e. they are assigned a more passive role as a consumer of this very culture specially formed for them. Conclusion. The results obtained allow determining the main directions of educational, advisory and psychocorrectional work aimed at increasing psychological and pedagogical competence of specialists and parents who accompany children with autism spectrum disorders. Subjective expectations and ideas of respondents about the indicators and criteria of psychological culture, inclusion and features of interaction between society and people with disabilities act as a guideline for strategic planning of comprehensive support for families raising children with autism spectrum disorders

Проблемы формирования идентичности в эпоху глобализации: философско-правовое измерение

Globalization significantly influences the social, legal, cultural factors of the objective and subjective transformation of personality, creating new forms of articulation of politics and economics, formed on the interaction of capital and advanced information technologies. This global system, together with cyberspace, has a huge impact on the state structure of countries, the management system, law, culture, a person with his inherent identity, creating conditions for both homogenization and differentiation of identity. In the period of globalization, the processes of searching and protecting identity not only do not lose relevance, but on the contrary, they acquire incomparably greater importance for society and the individual. Modern realities confirm the opinion that it is impossible to live in the modern world while at the same time being aloof from the trends that determine both global and local levels of social development. In this context, the issue of defining the concept of identity and the legal mechanisms of its formation is becoming relevant. The study of identity through the prism of globalization is determined by the need to search for peaceful and fair, free coexistence of different people, socio-cultural spaces and lifestyles (styles). In the context of the development of the modern information society and global challenges, the phenomenon of “identity crisis” has formed, as a result of which an urgent need has arisen to solve the dilemma of real and unreal existence, to search for the inner, real “Me”. The problem of the search for identity prompts many modern scientists to return again and again to the philosophy of existentialism and rethink its influence on modern relations. In particular, the ways of finding one’s own identity proposed by existentialists, the ideas of freedom as an existential choice, as a set of possibilities remain relevant for modern science. Their deep content has not yet been fully revealed and studied and requires new awareness and interpretation to create a more holistic view and expand the spectrum of understanding of the existentialist worldview in the domestic philosophical and legal space.

“Examined Masculinity”: Bi + Men’s Experiences of Sexuality and Gender across Heteronormative & Queer Spaces

Bi + individuals make up the largest proportion of the LGBTQ + community (Gates, 2011), but are often underrepresented in the literature (Galupo at al., 2017). Most research on bi + experiences focuses on discrimination (Roberts et al., 2015; Sarno et al., 2020; Weiss, 2003), whereas less research has examined the ways in which bi + men develop their own self-concepts of gender and sexuality while facing negative stigmatization and erasure from both heterosexual and queer communities. This study implements Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR; Hill et al., 1997; Hill et al., 2005) to examine the question: how do bi + men develop and express their masculinity and sexuality while moving between and within heteronormative and queer sociocultural spaces? Findings consist of six domains including: (1) Beyond labels; (2) Fighting for authenticity; (3) Policing identity; (4) Importance of social support; (5) Intersecting identities; and (6) Family influence. Ultimately, bi + men described flexibility in their gender and sexual identities, a resilient pursuit of authenticity amidst negative experiences and ostracization from possible spaces in which to explore identity, the influence of racial, religious and cultural values on their identity development, and the invaluable nature of an affirming, accepting and encouraging environment.