Socio-historical Context Research Articles

A Harmonious Synthesis of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism in the Matrix of Chinese Culture: An Overview

This paper proposes a process of synthesis based on Chinese socio-historical context in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the synthesis of three major religious traditions of East Asia such as Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. At the same time, to be considered is the syncretic approach through which these religions have attained popularity throughout all Eastern and Far Eastern parts of Asia. Thus, in order to make a reasonable justification for the current study, an attempt is made to explore how these religions have appeared to be more or less similar to each other in case of their beliefs and practices. The purpose of the current paper is to decipher the points where and how these three religions interact with each other in terms of belief and practice that is based on a cultural bridge between China and other East Asian countries. This paper offers an overview of the harmonious synthesis of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism in the matrix of Chinese culture. In conclusion, it points out a new mode of syncretism which can be called "Hybridization"- a new insight into the process of synthesis. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (Hum.), Vol. 68(2), 2023, pp. 207-218

Some characteristics of patriotic lyric poetry by Safvet-beg Bašagić

One of the most significant figures of Bosniak cultural and literary revival during the period of Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia was certainly Safvet-beg Bašagić. With an exceptionally wide range of occupations and diverse activities in the field of culture and social and political activity in general, he enormously contributed to the affirmation of the national and cultural identity of Bosniaks and their inclusion in the European socio-historical and cultural context. In the relatively rich literary opus of Safvet-beg Bašagić, one of the most important places certainly belongs to his patriotic lyric poetry. In the current paper, we will point out the sources of his lyric poetry, some of its poetic characteristics, and the most important traits of the two phases that appear in the development of this type of Bašagić's lyric poetry. Keywords: Austro-Hungarian period, revival literature, cultural revival, patriotic lyric poetry

Longing for a Lost Past

Kula 930 is a play written, produced, directed, and performed exclusively by members of the Istanbul Jewish community. It was first staged in 1978 and is considered to be the first play in Türkiye since 1947 that was predominantly performed in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish). This study examines the reasons behind the success of the play, from its first rendition in 1978 to its fourth rendition in 2017. The paper analyses the circumstances and the meaning of the play’s language and its characteristics while highlighting the evolution of the play within the socio-historical context of Jews in Türkiye. 

Reimagining educational linguistics: a post-competence perspective

Abstract Drawing on Bernstein’s sociology of education, this article offers a critical discussion of the origins, assumptions and values of educational linguistics since its foundation in the 1970s. It argues that the sociohistorical context in which the field emerged led to its areas of focus and mission being based on a number of problematic assumptions originating in a primarily Anglophone, Chomskyan theory of language and learning; assumptions that have led to it promoting a strong ‘competence model’ (Bernstein’s term) of education ever since, thereby exacerbating the disconnect between applied linguist and language teacher communities. After identifying important changes in language learning contexts and characteristics worldwide since the 1970s, the article presents a framework for reimagining educational linguistics that looks beyond competence to also recognise the validity of both literacy and pluralist orientations to education and the need for systems, institutions, programs and teachers to move flexibly or choose eclectically along a continuum between these. It discusses the implications of this reimagined vision, including for understandings of relationships in the classroom, notions of authenticity in texts and communities, language modality, curricular outcomes, assessment and language repertoires. A reimagined research agenda is also offered that it is hoped will support attempts to make educational linguistics relevant to the widest possible range of practitioner communities worldwide.

What attachment scholars can learn from research on Black family resilience

AbstractWithin a sociohistorical context of racism‐related physical and emotional threats, Black families in the United States have developed sources of resilience to promote children's safety and positive development. Yet research on Black family resilience has rarely been integrated into one of the most influential theories of child development: attachment theory. In this article, we propose specific ways that attachment scholars can learn from research on Black family resilience to enrich models of parent–child relationships, focusing on three sources of resilience: culturally specific parental protections (e.g., “The Talk,” preparation for bias), extended caregiving networks (e.g., natural mentors, fictive kin, spiritual community), and racial‐ethnic identity development (e.g., racial pride messages to protect against social denigration). We argue that including insights from research on the resilience of Black children and families in the face of racism‐related threats across generations can substantially advance current understanding of caregiving, attachment, and positive child development in context.

Educationalists in 1950s, 1960s Hungary: Identity and Profession through Retrospective Life (Hi)Stories

This paper is based on the lost and found sources from the former Hungarian National Pedagogic Institute (OPI) and the National Educational Institute (OKI): due to the generosity of Professor Gábor Halász we can save valuable archives from disappearance. I found several life-story interviews in the corpus by different Hungarian educationalists, which were recorded in 1984 and 1985. These documents gives a unique opportunity to describe typical career patterns, how a teacher could become a head of a department in the Ministry or held other key positions on the highest level of educational administration in the post-war, communist Hungary. The semi-structured interviews focused on personal transitions and turns, connected with the historical time and political changes, including different socio-historical contexts and dimensions, like the recalled decades of 1950s and 1960, the interviewing period of the late socialism, and finally, the retrospection of the questioners. The biographic nature of the communist political system is a specific characteristics in my analysis: to get a position (like an editor in chief, a school inspector of different districts in Budapest, or a head of a department in the Cultural Ministry) it was required to constantly write and rewrite autobiographies; construct social and professional identities again and again, proved loyalty to the Party. The contemporary reader from 2023 can evaluate the sources as narrations: in the beginning crisis of the system in the 1980’s, the interviewees told their lives with the intention to form the memory, create legitimation and meanings for their past activities and life-stories.

The Vertical Context of Contemporary British Short Prose

The article is devoted to the study of vertical context in contemporary British short prose as the necessary prerequisite for the appreciation and accurate interpretation of fiction. The paper focuses on the socio-historical and philological vertical context of the short stories by contemporary British writers, which comprise Volumes I and II of “Story Time. Contemporary British Short Stories in the EFL Classroom”, a series of textbooks for tertiary education. The paper highlights realia, toponyms, anthroponyms, textual elements referring to characters’ social background and allusions as the most significant categories of vertical context. The authors draw the conclusion that the study of vertical context is of primary importance for achieving adequate understanding of literary texts and thus needs to be taught through practical assignments designed for students reading contemporary prose. They also comment on the current trend that consists in the restructuring of vertical context by shifting from allusions to classics to alluding to contemporary mass culture, quoting contemporary precedent names and titles.

Conceptualizing Care: US and Finnish Caregivers’ Reflections on Caregiving within the Family

The present study investigated how 45 US (N = 25) and Finnish (N = 20) familial caregivers of children conceptualized care within the family. Thematic analysis across the 12 focus groups revealed three main themes, including one that explored the culturally shared ideas of care as “Care as meeting a list of present and future needs,” and two themes that were specifically grounded on the participants’ experiences within their own sociohistorical and cultural context: the US theme of “It’s not easy at all” and the Finnish theme of “The evolution of care.” This study’s findings highlight the culturally situated nature of conceptualizing care and provide evidence of the importance of society in supporting caregivers in their conceptualization and practice of care within the family. Future research should investigate how care is not only conceptualized, but also taught and learned across the lifespan, unraveling the processes that influence how care is understood and practiced.

PEREMPUAN SEBAGAI PEMIMPIN PADA RANAH PUBLIK (Dalam tinjauan metode memahami hadis tekstual dan kontekstual Syuhudi Ismail)

This paper examines the hadith about women being leaders and reviews the textual and contextual rules of Muhammad Shuhudi Ismail. This shows that hadith should not always be understood textually but by taking into account the socio-historical and contextual context of the hadith. The purpose of writing this article is to elaborate on the law of women's leadership in the public sphere. This research method uses a library research approach that aims to explore the study of women's leadership law in the public sphere. The analysis method in this study uses the content analysis method. The results of the research in this paper are: first, the textual hadith of the appointment of women to leadership was forbidden, and at that time women did not have any authority at all. Second, contextually, the understanding of the hadith of women becoming leaders changes with the passage of time, which is increasingly current. Third, classify women's hadith into leaders as hadith related to the situation that is happening (developing). Therefore, the hadith must be understood contextually because the content of the hadith instructions is temporal. The discussion about women's leadership has never subsided, so in the research, the author wants to contribute to complementing the study by trying to provide a different lens about women's leadership in the public sphere explored in the textual and contextual understanding of Syuhudi Ismail. This paper also contributes to strengthening the value of gender equality in Islamic religious teachings, thus encouraging the application of humanitarian principles and justice in society.

Examining interactions between dominant discourses and engineering educational concepts in teachers' pedagogical reasoning

AbstractBackgroundEngineering's introduction into K–12 classrooms has been purported to support meaningful and inclusive learning environments. However, teachers must contend with dominant discourses embedded in US schooling that justify inequitable distributions of resources.PurposeDrawing on Gee's notion of discourses, we examine how teachers incorporate language legitimizing socially and culturally constructed values and beliefs. In particular, we focus on the discourse of ability hierarchy—reflecting dominant values of sorting and ranking students based on perceived academic abilities—and the discourse of individual blame—reflecting dominant framings of educational problems as solely the responsibility of individual students or families. We aim to understand how these discourses surface in teachers' reasoning about teaching engineering.MethodWe interviewed 15 teachers enrolled in an online graduate program in engineering education. Utilizing critical discourse analysis, we analyzed how teachers drew on discourses of blame and ability hierarchy when reasoning about problems of practice in engineering.ResultsTeachers drew on engineering education concepts to reinforce dominant discourses (echoing specific language and preserving given roles) as well as to disrupt (utilizing different language or roles that [implicitly] challenge) dominant discourses. Importantly, teachers could also retool discourses of ability hierarchy (arguing for a more equitable distribution of resources but problematically preserving the values of ranking and sorting students).ConclusionsK–12 schooling's sociohistorical context can shape how teachers make sense of engineering in ways that implicate race, gender, disability, and language, suggesting a need to grapple with how discourses from schooling—and engineering culture—maintain marginalizing environments for students.

“We are stronger than fear of hate”: a longitudinal study amplifying the voices of Asian American and migrant teachers amidst COVID-19

ABSTRACT Theoretically framed by AsianCrit, the current study used a longitudinal qualitative study to explore how larger socio-historical contexts such as the pandemic shape Asian American and migrant elementary teachers’ daily lives and teaching practices. The study’s findings demonstrate that, following the COVID-19 pandemic and an upsurge in anti-Asian hate crime, the teachers’ experiences of racism and positions as Asian Americans and migrants in New York City had radically changed. Their shifted racialized experiences further influenced their elementary school teaching practices, compelling them to become committed to antiracist education. This longitudinal and timely study will contribute to the emerging literature on Asian American and migrant teachers, providing several implications for teacher education and future research. The study’s findings will also shed light on the legitimacy of CRT in investigating the lives and teaching of Asian American and migrant teachers in light of nationwide anti-CRT legislation.

Unveiling Cultural Perceptions: The Concepts “Freedom” and “Slavery” in The English and Georgian Linguistic Consciousness

The interrelationship between language and thought serves as the crux of this study, which delves into the comprehensive analysis of the concepts of "freedom" and "slavery" within the context of the English and Georgian linguistic cultures. Through an intricate exploration of linguistic markers, including dictionary definitions and phraseological units, the research illuminates the nuanced and multifaceted nature of these concepts, emphasizing their dynamic interplay with consciousness and cultural perception. Employing a range of research methods, such as conceptual analysis, interpretive analysis, and introspection, the study unravels the intricate layers of meaning embedded within these terms, shedding light on their socio-philosophical underpinnings. The findings underscore the fundamental role of language as a medium for cultural transmission, reflecting the intricate socio-historical contexts and values inherent within each linguistic community. While both languages accentuate the significance of autonomy and subjugation, they do so through distinct linguistic nuances, showcasing the diverse perspectives that shape their interpretation. This comparative analysis not only deepens our understanding of linguistic diversity but also holds practical implications for enhancing intercultural communication and fostering a more profound awareness of the complexities underlying human perception and behavior. Through its meticulous examination of the intricate relationship between language, consciousness, and cultural perception, this study contributes to the burgeoning field of linguistics and cultural studies, paving the way for further research into the intricate dynamics of linguistic diversity and its profound impact on human cognition and societal constructs. Key words: Language, consciousness, freedom, slavery.

Application of the Enduring Legacy of the Integrative Model to Investigating White Adolescent Ethnic-Racial Identity Development

Intervening in White youths’ ethnic-racial identity (ERI) development during adolescence can support the development of positive anti-racist ideologies and behaviors that challenge privilege and oppression, increase awareness of and reduce implicit bias, and embrace positive intergroup contact attitudes; yet, little is known within developmental science regarding how White adolescents develop their ERI within the United States' sociohistorical context. Thus, this paper reviews the current literature on White ERI development and applies the Integrative Model (Garcia Coll et al., 1996), through its keen attention to how structures of power, privilege, and oppression have a direct impact on various environments and experiences for young people, to White youths’ ERI development. The social stratification of whiteness, school ethnic-racial socialization, color-evasive and anti-racist adapting cultural systems, and ethnic-racial socialization in White families are explored as mechanisms that impact White adolescents’ ERI development within a macrosystem characterized by white supremacy.

The image of a "new woman" in the novel "Virgin Soil" by I. S. Turgenev and in the short story "Mourning the Dead" by Lu Xun

The object of this article is the image of "new woman" in Russian and Chinese literature. The subject of the study is the correlation between the characters of two heroines, Zijun and Marianna, who are the bearers of a new female identity, in the story "Mourning the Dead" by Lu Xun and the novel "Virgin Soil" by I. S. Turgenev. The aim of the study is to identify the main factors that determined different outcomes of the storyline of these characters, despite the similarity of their fates. In order to achieve the set goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks: 1) to reveal the personality of the two characters by analyzing their life path, as well as the beginning and end of their respective love; 2) to analyze the author's intention based on the socio-historical context of the period of creation of these two works. The following methods were used during the study: comparative method, method of holistic analysis of a literary work, as well as cultural-historical method. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that the article is the first attempt to compare Lu Xun's short story "Mourning the Dead" with I. S. Turgenev's novel " Virgin Soil ", with special attention paid to the opposite denouement of the stories of Zijun and Marianna. Based on the analysis, it is concluded that the outcome of the fates of these heroines is directly related to their perceptions of their own lives and love, which are conditioned, in turn, by the different intentions of the authors regarding the logic of the development of their characters. The scientific significance of the study lies in the fact that the data obtained not only reveal the ideas about the image of the "new woman" in general, but also contribute to a deep comparative understanding of the analyzed books, which can contribute to the field of comparative literary studies between Russia and China.

«Произведение большого дыхания…»: М. Горький о романе «Жизнь Клима Самгина» в интервью итальянской прессе (1926–1928)

The complex creative history of M. Gorky’s novel “The Life of Klim Samgin” is characterized by the constant development of his original idea, which was the result of a writer’s deep artistic and philosophical understanding of the changing sociohistorical context. This process took place in parallel with Gorky’s work on the novel. During his stay in Sorrento, Gorky gave several interviews to the Italian press (in 1926, 1927 and 1928), which were devoted to the writer’s work on “The Life of Klim Samgin”. These are the following interviews: the interview “Maxim Gorky and his new novel “Researcherˮ for newspaper Il Mezzogiorno on March 23–24, 1926; the interview “Gorky’s new novel” — to Corriere della Sera on January 29, 1927, reprinted by Il Giornale d’Italia on January 30, 1927 under the title “Gorky writes a great historical novel in Sorrento”; the interview “At Maxim Gorky’s Sorrento asylum. A conversation with the writer about his new novel “Forty Yearsˮ — to the newspaper Il Messaggerо on June 5, 1927 (its summary was published by Corriere della Sera on June 6, 1927); the interview “Maxim Gorky’s sixtieth birthday” — to the newspaper Il Messaggero on March 30, 1928. During these three years, the writer created the first (winter 1924–1925 or spring 1925 — the end of June 1926) and the second (summer 1926 — the end of February 1928) parts of the “Life of Klim Samgin”. The writer’s interviews reflected the gradual clarification of the time, setting and the scope of the novel, its title, volume and structure, the psychological type and the occupation of the main character.

Ali Shariati and Crafting a Collective Revolutionary Islamic Identity for Women: A Socio-Historical Perspective

The literature on Ali Shariati, “the ideologue’’ of ‘‘the Iranian revolution,” and his arguments about women presents varied views, including rejection, criticism, and confirmation. While this literature is instructive, it primarily interprets Shariati’s texts from today’s socio-political perspective, and it thus lacks an analytical dimension that examines how and why Shariati’s ideas profoundly influenced numerous Iranian women in the 1970s. By revisiting the global and local socio-historical context of the 1970s and analyzing its influence on Iranian society, particularly the youth, as well as on Shariati’s perceptions and ideas about women’s social role within that socio-political context, this paper argues that Shariati crafted a “collective revolutionary Islamic identity” for women. This concept underscores the socio-historical and political significance of Shariati’s arguments about Muslim women in the political setting leading up to the revolution of 1979.

Feminist Interpretation and the Struggle for Women's Rights in Public Space

Issues regarding gender never end, such as leadership issues and the role of women in the public sphere. Some interpretations of the Qur'an show views that do not fully recognize the human dignity of women. The push to reinterpret verses relating to gender to realize gender justice was carried out by Muslim intellectuals with feminist views. Among them, Amina Wadud Muhsin was challenged to fight for the reinterpretation of this problem using the hermeneutic method. The research was carried out by collecting library data, especially Amina Wadud's thoughts on feminist interpretation. Amina Wadud interprets the leadership and polygamy verses to mean that the concept and role of leadership in Islam are not limited to a particular gender. Polygamy is not an ideal form of marriage because it does not allow for the creation of a mutualistic relationship. The methodology used by Wadud critically considers the socio-historical context in which the verses of the Koran were revealed and provides space for a feminist perspective to fight for women's rights.

Risk-Taking: Liquid Modernity and Extreme Outdoor Practitioners

ABSTRACT In recent decades, the number of extreme outdoor sports in the natural environment has increased significantly. It could be said that, nowadays, extreme outdoor sports are more popular than ever. Part of the explanation probably lies in the fact that we find ourselves in the socio-historical context that Zygmunt Bauman called liquid modernity, which has transformed several activities, previously considered as marginal and/or exclusive, into mainstream. The concept of liquid modernity illustrates how social structures and identities are characterized by unpredictability and change in contemporary societies, and among its consequences we find the pluralization of outdoor physical-sports practices. Through 18 semi-structured interviews, this study set out to better understand the impact liquid modernity has had on extreme outdoor practitioners. A hierarchical content analysis led to the identification of two main themes: (a) freedom and intensity, and (b) a plurality of practices. The paper concludes with a number of practical implications and suggestions for further research that would continue to shed light on the phenomenon of extreme outdoor sports and their practitioners.

Modern episteme, methodological nationalism and the politics of transnationalism

Methodological nationalism can be understood in the broadest sense possible as any kind of correspondence between society and the unit of the nation-state. This equation can be traced and understood at two levels: firstly, within the socio-historical context of the rise of nationalism and the development of human and social sciences; and secondly, within the cognitive context of the emergence of nationalism and these sciences, or the modern episteme, in other words. By focusing on the latter, the present article aims to indicate that the problem of methodological nationalism can be effectively grasped by exploring the intricate interplay among modernity, the discourse of nationalism, and the emergence of social science, particularly concerning the modern episteme. It becomes apparent that the regime of foundationalist differentiation ingrained within the modern episteme has established the foundation for this correspondence or congruence—a regime that, while constructing determined, regulated, unified and completed categories, such as society and the social/nation-state and the national, simultaneously sets the ground for the exclusion of other non-social/non-national phenomena and events. In this paper, the objective is to demonstrate how, by disclosing the implementation of this regime as well as highlighting the contingent nature and, consequently, the conditions of the possibility of social phenomena in the path of their grounding, alongside prioritizing the indeterminate social configurations and arguing for a post-foundationalist approach and the politics of transnationalism, it becomes possible to overcome the problem of methodological nationalism. This, in turn, sets a basis for taking into account excluded and indeterminate phenomena and actors within a global context.

Leading from equity: changing and organizing for deeper learning

PurposeThis study aims to explore how educational leaders in South Korea adopted equity mindsets and how they organized changes to support students' deeper learning during COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachThe authors developed a comprehensive framework of Equity Leadership for Deeper Learning, by revising the existing model of Darling-Hammond and Darling-Hammond (2022) and synthesizing equity leadership literature. Drawing upon this framework, this study analyzed data collected from individual interviews and a focus group with school and district administrators in the K-12 Korean education system.FindingsThe participants prioritized an equity stance of their leadership by critically understanding socio-political conditions, challenging unjust policies, and envisioning the big picture of equity-centered education. This led them to operationalize equity leadership in practice and create a more inclusive and supportive environment for student-centered deeper learning. District leaders established well-resourced systems by creating/developing instructional resources and making policies more useful. School leaders promoted quality teaching by strengthening access, developing student-centered curricula, and establishing individualized programs for more equitable deeper learning.Research limitations/implicationsThis study builds on scholarship of deeper learning and equity leadership by adding evidence from Korean educational leaders during COVID-19. First, the findings highlight the significance of leaders' equity mindsets in creating a safe and inclusive environment for deeper learning. This study further suggests that sharing an equity stance as a collective norm at the system level, spanning across districts and schools is important, which is instrumental to scale up innovation and reform initiatives. Second, this research also extends comparative, culturally informed perspectives to understand educational leadership. Most contemporary leadership theories originated from and are informed by Western and English-speaking contexts despite being widely applied to other contexts across the culture. This study's analysis underscores the importance of contextualizing leadership practices within the socio-historical contexts that influence how education systems are established and operate.Practical implicationsLeaders' adopting equity mindsets, utilizing bureaucratic resources in creative ways and implementing a school-wide quality curriculum are crucial to supporting students' deeper learning. District leaders can leverage existing vertical and horizontal networks to effectively communicate with teachers and local communities to establish well-recourced systems. As deeper learning is timeless and requires high levels of student engagement, school leaders' efforts to establish school-wide curricula is critical to facilitate deeper learning for students.Originality/valueThe study provides a nuanced understanding of how equity focused leaders responded to difficulties caused by the pandemic and strategized to support students' deeper learning. Existing studies tend to prioritize teacher effects on student learning, positing leadership effects as secondary or indirect. Alternatively, the authors argue that, without leadership supporting an inclusive environment, resourceful systems and student-centered school culture, deeper learning cannot be fully achieved in equitable ways.