Socio-historical Analysis Research Articles

Urban Refugee Self-Settlement and Ecological Blame: Insights from Kolkata’s Jabar-Dakhal Colonies

Objective: This study maps refugee self-settlements, or Jabar-Dakhal colonies, in 1950s–60s Kolkata to examine their effects on broader ecological transformations. Demographic 'others' are often segregated and confined to the cracks and margins of the normative city. Kolkata was a major site of refugee influx after the 1947 Partition. The refugees adapted to survive with minimal resources and transformed otherwise inhospitable terrains. The study counters claims that refugees are always environmental burdens and calls for grounded studies on refugee urbanism within the broader discourse of inclusive, sustainable urban development, as envisioned in SDG 11. Theoretical Framework: Urban refugees are understood as ‘bio-political’ subjects in a "state of exception," but with considerable agency. Method: Archival data identifies the locations of 145 pre-1950 and 123 post-1950 Jabar-Dakhal colonies in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area. Using GIS mapping, these locations are studied in relation to depleting eco-sensitive zones, such as the East Kolkata Wetlands. Primary interviews with early settlers offer insights into their resource management practices. Results and Discussion: Findings show little overlaps between refugee colonies and large-scale ecological degradation in Kolkata. State-led urban projects, like Salt Lake Township and Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, caused greater ecological impacts. Self-settled refugees demonstrated adaptive practices and careful resource management. Research Implications: The study advocates for integrating political ecology and socio-historical analysis into urban sustainability research in the Global South. It calls for context-sensitive, long-term research to address structural inequalities. The contemporary urban refugee crisis needs urgent academic and administrative attention to achieve SDG 11. Originality/Value: The study visualizes Jabar-Dakhal colonies’ spatial distribution to counter reductionist narratives of refugee-led environmental degradation. It reframes refugees as active urban agents, and reinforces the need for ‘Southern’ perspectives on urban sustainability.

Soviet Industrialization Narrative in the Context of Constructing Political Discourse: A Museum Commemoration (Cases of the Karaganda Local History Museum and Karlag)

Examining museum narratives subjectively can enhance our understanding of political discourse formation. For this, the article aims to cover the events of industrialization in Kazakhstan as part of the modern historical and political discourse and collective memory, covered by the Kazakh regional museums. The basis of the scientific approach consists of different historical methods: the historical-comparative, the typological, the systematic, etc. The historical-comparative and historical-systemic methods were also used, which helped to determine the value of this topic in the general scientific discourse. This research presents the activities of the regional museums of Kazakhstan as a counterbalance to the Soviet narratives concerning the process of industrialization on the territory of Kazakhstan, which transmitted Soviet political myths to the domestic audience. The results of the study can be used further as material for political and socio-historical analysis.

National Origins of International Solidarity Movements: Nationalism and International Solidarity for East Timor in Post-Cold War Southeast Asia

Abstract The international solidarity movement for the East Timorese was developed in Southeast Asian nations during the 1990s as ‘the issue of East Timor’ became a primary concern for the ASEAN countries’ civil society. Proponents of liberal democracy have assumed that international solidarity movements for human rights and democracy during the 1990s resulted from the powerful momentum of liberal democracy that universally linked foreign people. However, Michael Hardt, Antonio Negri and their marxist followers have explained these transnational movements as a transnational network that overcomes national borders against the capitalist Empire. Nevertheless, the political history of transnational solidarity movements from East Timor to Southeast Asia in the post-Cold War 1990s makes clear that nationalism has continued to be an ideological driver to link people from different nations. Focusing on the international solidarity for the East Timorese independence struggle, this paper demonstrates a transnational function of nationalism through which international solidarity movements are created, resonate and function. The East Timor international solidarity struggle successfully created a transnational platform through the APCET conferences held in the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand in the 1990s. Socio-historical analysis of APCET reveals that nationalists in Southeast Asia shared collective memories of national struggles beyond their spaces and times to create a transnational force to support self-determination for the East Timorese. Through its analysis, this article extends the theoretical framework of nationalism that has explained nationalist movements to serve as a more powerful tool to explain international solidarity in the age of globalisation. (247 words)

A Material Ecology of Toulouse’s Observatories in the 18th Century

Abstract Based on the concept of “material ecology”, which designates the structural properties of space and objects in the constitution of places of scientific practice, this article proposes a socio-historical analysis of the materiality of Toulouse observatories in the 18th century. Toulouse observatories reveal the importance of the material dimension in the organization of scientific work throughout the 18th century. First, the article demonstrates how the material infrastructure of the observatory of the short-lived Academy of Sciences of Toulouse contributed to creating and consolidating the local astronomical community. Secondly, it shows that the architectural characteristics of the observatories built by the most active astronomers in Toulouse served as a model to design later scholarly institutions. The patrimonialization of the old observatories at the beginning of the 19th century is finally discussed. By resorting to the notion of material ecology concerning the places of astronomical observation, the article brings to light the socio-epistemic dimension that underpins scientific practice.

The origins of Russophobia: on the issue of social and political culture of interstate relations

The article examines the concept and implementation of the principle of «Russophobia» as a type of socio-cultural intolerance. The relevance of addressing this topic is justified by the modern realities of the socio-political confrontation of Western countries in relation to Russia. Particular attention is paid to the causes of Russophobia and the main trends in its manifestation in the modern world. The research was carried out using the method of socio-historical analysis, the epistemological method of analyzing literary, journalistic and scientific sources. The research examines concepts formed in different periods of history that comprehend this phenomenon. Based on reflections on Russophobia by authoritative Russian philosophers, writers and publicists, it has been proved that the Russophobic narrative, starting from the 16th century, became a stable ideological trend reflecting the expansionist interests of Western elites. As Russia strengthened on the world stage, Russophobia intensified. The ideological «crusade» against Orthodox Rus' was launched by European travelers of the 17th-19th centuries, who created a negative image of our country in the Western world. Currently, the countries of the united West have declared a «sacred war» against Russia. A powerful propaganda campaign was launched, directed against Russia and everything Russian. The authors of the article give a moral and ethical assessment of the sociopolitical processes of a new surge of Russophobia in modern conditions. It is suggested that in the current conditions it is necessary to carry out an open international fight against Russophobia and create a system of our own channels of influence in the Western information space, as well as counteract internal Russophobia using cultural and educational methods.

П. Л. Лавров о социальной истории революционных идей в России и Северной Америке в конце XVIII в.

The research aims to reveal the interconnectedness between socio-historical analysis and reconstruction within the context of the history of ideas regarding the revolutionary events of the late 18th century in Russia and North America, as presented in the works of P. L. Lavrov, a prominent theorist of Russian populism. The article examines Lavrov’s views as a social historian of ideas, focusing on the intellectual content of liberation ideas in the late 18th century. The scientific novelty lies in the specific research perspective that combines approaches from social history and the history of ideas in analyzing the theoretical legacy of representatives of Russian populism, exemplified by Lavrov’s works. As a result of the research, the author concludes that P. L. Lavrov interprets the social history of liberation ideas within the context of the populist discourse about the societal ideal. Lavrov highlights the egalitarianism of Ye. Pugachev’s slogans, while presenting the liberation ideas of the Enlightenment as being geared towards the interests of the few.

Community Participation in Development Planning: A Socio-Historical Analysis of Its Strengths and Weaknesses

Numerous studies and development theorists have identified the potential of community participation (CP) in development planning. However, limited studies have synthesised existing literature to compare its strengths and weaknesses. This article, therefore, fills this knowledge gap by synthesising critical academic perspectives to (a) contrast the case for and against the promotion of CP theory in development planning and (b) detail its historical effects and contributions to the water service delivery sector. Overall, findings on the weakness reveal that (a) participation at times overrides existing legitimate decision-making processes, (b) reinforces the interest of the already powerful through knowledge acquisition and manipulation, (c) drives out those advantages participation cannot provide, and (d) leads to opportunistic behaviours, that is, free-rider syndrome. On the strengths, participation can lead to the realisation of (a) improved project design, (b) increased project acceptability, (c) a more equitable distribution of benefits, (d) increased resource mobilisation, and (e) improvements in sustainability parameters. Taken together, the authors premise that unless these strengths and weaknesses are fully documented and appreciated from a historical standpoint, efforts to take full advantage of CP as a theory in development planning will remain futile.

Hong Kongers and their languages: bordering, scale and identity

Abstract In this paper, we examine discourses about border and scale in the context of Hong Kong’s relationship with mainland China. We argue that, as the physical and political borders between Hong Kong and the mainland are eroding, other forms of bordering practices – such as linguistic borders – become more salient and contested. We draw on selected thematic analyses of a corpus of 70 articles from Hong Kong English media, as well as socio-historical analyses that have widely circulated since Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China, in order to examine how the construction of “Cantonese” and “Mandarin” is managed against anxieties about Hong Kong’s potential loss of distinction and fears of becoming “just another Chinese city”. In this process, both borders and scales become key terrains of negotiation and function themselves as ideological resources in debates about Hong Kong’s identity and future, as certain distinctions take on reduced or pronounced meaning from particular scalar perspectives. Amid an ongoing reframing of what it means to be “Chinese”, examining language ideologies in Hong Kong contributes to our understanding of how national and linguistic categories achieve or reframe their social meanings.

Cultural heritage as the basis for the harmonious development of a personality in the modern information society

The article reveals some features of statehood formation in the Republic of Belarus and the role of culture in this process. We are talking about the difficult historical conditions in which the formation of the state took place, the accumulation of material cultural heritage, spiritual values, folk traditions, customs and rituals. Modern problems of pressure on young people from Western liberal ideology pose a threat to the formation of civil identity in the Republic of Belarus. Updating the role of the traditional cultural heritage of the Belarusian people is becoming an important factor in countering this. The goal of the research is to reveal the features of socio-cultural construction in the Republic at the present stage. The method of socio-historical analysis is used. The special role of the Soviet period of social development has been highlighted, when the cultural life of the country received a new breath. It has also been noted that in the first half of the 21st century, the formation of the Union State, the economic growth and cultural development of the country played a huge role in the formation of a rich material and spiritual heritage, and the education of civic and patriotic personality traits in young people. Material is presented on improving the status of cultural institutions in the republic. As a result, it has been concluded that an important factor in the growth of authority and recognition of the Republic of Belarus in the international arena was its peace-loving policy and stabilization of public life, the adoption of the Constitution, state symbols «anthem, coat of arms and flag», decisions of the People’s Assembly, Presidential decrees and government regulations.

Kohelet, Sadducees and Pharisees

Abstract According to my recent research, the book of Kohelet has a link to the emergence of the Sadducees (Mandey, 2023). As a product of a thought movement, Kohelet could be the forerunner of Sadduceism. This paper aims to give a closer look at the link between Kohelet and Sadduceism as well as examine their relationship with the Pharisees as another movement that emerged alongside the Sadducees. Despite the challenges of historical information about the emergence of both the Sadducees and the Pharisees, a socio-historical analysis is conducted using literary sources.

Racism and the Development of Pentecostalism in South Africa: A Socio-Historical Analysis

Racism and the Development of Pentecostalism in South Africa: A Socio-Historical Analysis

A socio-historical study of the emergence of celebrity culture in Iran: causes and roots

ABSTRACT This research provides a socio-historical analysis of the emergence of celebrity culture in Iran, covering the period from 1817 to 1961. The historical period is divided into four periods: During the first period (1817–1925), communication technologies were introduced to the country mainly through the Qajar kings’ intermediation. In the second period (1925–1941), Reza Shah improved the infrastructure of the country and initiated institutionalisation and legislation processes. In the third period (1941–1951), which coincided with Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s reign, the first Iranian celebrities emerged. The fourth period (1951–1961) witnessed a significant increase in cultural intermediaries and certain social changes, leading to the emergence of Iranian celebrity culture in the mid-1950s. While Iranian celebrity culture was influenced by global trends such as population growth, urbanisation, economic growth, inequality, commodification, and consumerism, the impact of local patterns and perceptions cannot be ignored. In contrast to Western societies, the rise of celebrity culture in Iran was facilitated by an anti-democratic coup in 1953, and the secularisation process in this country was not the result of gradual changes in societal values, beliefs, or attitudes. Rather, it was a political project imposed from the top down by a military ruler.

Socio-Historical Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility in India with Case Studies

Abstract: Corporate Social Responsibility, as we know it, is a product of a nascent legislation which makes it mandatory, under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013, for companies turning a profit over a certain threshold to publish and maintain a CSR report constituted by a Board. This obligation is not merely a statutory one but rather a sociological one, too. While the country develops and upgrades to unfathomable limits, there remains a sizeable population of people who need help and assistance to have their basic constitutional right to a dignified life.

Black Schoolgirls at the Intersection of Consent and Property: Mapping a Socio-Historical Analysis for Anti-Rape Education Futures in Schooling

ABSTRACT This article examines how the concept of consent, persons as property, with its links to the convergence of law, imperial governance and schooling reveal the fragility and possibilities of consent as a political refusal against school-based sexual violence for Black schoolgirls in the United States. Data in this research are drawn from a multiyear critical ethnography. Structural intersectionality is applied to map the contours of a socio-historical analysis for anti-rape education futures in public schooling. Refusal is also used as a discursive analytic and posture for considering modes of liberation in this context.

Ethnocultural Description of the Persians (Socio-historical analysis)

Concepts such as the Persian nation, the Persian regime and the Persian ethnic group in the Islamic Republic of Iran appear in scientific and public literature. In the historical process, it is impossible to obtain reliable information that the Persians were the dominant people in Iranian geography. Research conducted in this direction shows that it is impossible to get an idea of the great unity of the Persian-speaking peoples, a single ethnic group and a single system of cultural values. At the same time, it is known that the Persian language is widely promoted, taught and celebrated as a poetic language in a wide area, especially in the Islamic cultural sphere. From this point of view, the role of the Persian language in this area, the process of formation of the Persian ethnic group and the study of aspects that hinder this process are topics that attract attention. The reasons for the absence or failure to form a major union of Persian-speaking peoples, as well as its failure to become the dominant nation in Iranian geography, express the picture that emerged from the study. Considering this issue in historical dynamics, one can identify an interesting ethnocultural picture. The concept of "Iranian", emerging as a result of the synthesis of language, religion and ethnicity, is presented as a modern Persian national identity. The article proposes an approach to the problem using the historical-comparative method.

The evolution and transformation of youth entrepreneurship in China: a sociological analysis

The purpose of the article is to conduct a socio-historical study of the evolution and stages of the formation of youth entrepreneurship in China. The main problem is to identify and characterize the evolution and patterns that reveal the entrepreneurship of Chinese youth as a market mechanism that successfully functions in the conditions of the socialist economy of China. The object of the study is the entrepreneurial activity of young Chinese people. The subject of the study is the systematization of the stages of formation of youth entrepreneurship in various periods of transformation of Chinese society. The sources of information are scientific research carried out by Russian and Chinese researchers, as well as researchers from other countries. A comprehensive analysis of the sociodynamics of the development of youth entrepreneurship in China allows us to thoroughly and objectively identify and characterize the main systemic connections of this social phenomenon. The research methodology assumes a socio-historical analysis of the stages of the formation of youth entrepreneurship in China. A generalized analysis of the significant dependence of youth entrepreneurship on the general trends in the development of entrepreneurship in China as a social institution and the need for significant regulatory, organizational, educational efforts on the part of society and the state for its formation, maintenance and development is carried out. It is shown that at the stage of transition of Chinese society from subsistence farming to a planned economy (1945-1950), youth entrepreneurship was mainly spontaneous, non-institutional in nature and manifested itself as facts of entrepreneurial activity of individuals. The patriarchal way of life and rigid hierarchies of relations did not contribute to the development of entrepreneurial initiative of young people. At the second stage, in the process of transition to an industrial society (1951-1966), the centralization of the economy is increasing, and the main areas of activity of Chinese youth are directed to the political sphere, to the detriment of entrepreneurial initiatives in the economy. The third stage, the transition to an open society (1967-1978), is characterized by changes in the understanding of the political role of youth in society, the era after the Cultural Revolution laid the foundation for recognizing the important role of market foundations and youth entrepreneurship in the subsequent stages of China's development. The transition to a legal society (the fourth stage of the "Four Modernizations", after 1978), gives impetus to the development of youth entrepreneurship in China.

Gender and the Changing Feminist Discourse in Islam – A Socio-Historical Analysis

Feminism within Islam represents a dynamic and growing discourse, shaped by scholarly inquiry into the intersection of gender and religion, debates regarding interpretations of religious texts, cultural practices and the lived experiences of Muslim women. This paper explores the socio-historical aspects of gender dynamics and feminist discourse within Islam. It acknowledges the fluidity of feminist thought and the changing interpretations of gender roles over time. Using secondary data, including scholarly articles, books and reports, the analysis examines historical shifts and contemporary developments in Islamic feminist discourse. One important development in the changing feminist discourse within Islam is the re-evaluation of religious texts through a gender-sensitive lens. Scholars such as Amina Wadud have challenged patriarchal interpretations, advocating for an inclusive and egalitarian understanding of Islam. This shift is influenced by factors like: increased access to education, globalization, and digital communication technologies, facilitating transnational networks of feminist solidarity and activism. Wadud’s investigation of Islamic feminism highlights the critical re-interpretation of the Quran and Hadith, emphasizing passages promoting justice and gender equality. Scholars also emphasize the importance of women’s rights within Islamic frameworks, advocating for legal reforms which address gender-based violence and discriminatory family laws. The study adopts a qualitative research approach, specifically a literature review methodology to systematically analyze secondary sources. The selection of materials is guided by their relevance, reliability, and scholarly rigor, ensuring a comprehensive coverage of socio-historical aspects of gender dynamics and feminist discourse within Islam.By combining a socio-historical lens along with an awareness of diverse interpretations within Islam, this paper aims to contributes to an informed understanding of gender dynamics, feminism and the evolving discourse within the Islamic community.

‘Social Dimension’ in Christian Mission: An Appraisal of Social Mission of the Church in India

The social dimension of the Christian mission played a vital role in the mission of the church. This has to do with uplifting the poor, eradicating social evil, reflecting fraternity, bringing social justice, seeing the progress of better humanity, peace, unity, etc. With the arrival of colonial rule in India, the mission of the church appeared to be engaged in so many social activities. Foreign missionaries arrived with their strategy, but with the pressure of colonial rulers in India, they could have achieved exactly what the mission of the church was supposed to be. However, an attempt to strengthen society is always as appreciable as service to God in favour of human beings. In the present era, the social dimension has gone down in the mission of the church. Therefore, it is important to research for better humanity when one thinks of the service of the church. Even amid difficulties in the church, social division is seen as a service to God. Here I appeal for continuing the social acts in Indian society in service of God as a reflection of the true mission of church. For this article, I have used the technique of socio-historic analysis in an ethno-religious approach.

Interrogating the origins of informal urbanisation: A socio-historical analysis from Paris and Madrid (1850s–1970s)

Current perspectives on informal housing (particularly, the illegal development of precarious, self-produced housing areas) associate it with state regulations. However, scholars have yet to link informal housing and the socio-historical regulations that gave rise to the birth of urban planning at the beginning of the 20th century. This article draws on archival and historiographical research to discuss the juridical construction of informal urbanisation in two capital cities at the core of the world-system, Paris and Madrid. In both cities, shantytowns were legally developed from at least the 19th century. However, such spatial production was outlawed (without addressing the root causes) from the first decades of the 20th century. Thus, precarious housing became informal housing as we know it today, giving rise to comparable but differentiated patterns of legal and extra-legal shacks construction, commercialisation and control (much like those generally associated with the global south). This article traces the long-durée and transnational nature of the informalisation of self-produced housing during the first half of the 20th century. Housing tenure conditions and shelter rights were weakened not only in Europe but also in other areas under its political and cultural influence. European urban policies, developed during the first half of the 20th century, may have induced dynamics of informal spatial production at a global scale.

The rise and demise of Ashkenazi cuisine in Israel/Palestine: The marginalization of the foodways of a hegemonic ethnicity

ABSTRACT Food plays a central role in the construction of national and ethnic identities. This article examines the marginalization of Ashkenazi (Jews of European descent) cuisine in Israel/Palestine, despite the dominance and hegemonic status of Ashkenazi identity in Israeli society. By examining the foodways of a ‘hegemonic ethnicity’, we expand upon previous research on ethnic identities in migrant communities. By analyzing the culinary processes of adaptation, simplification, and vulgarization that East-European fare underwent in Israel/Palestine, as well as the social contexts of the centrality of the Holocaust in Israeli cosmology and the consolidation of Mizrahi identity, we explain the rise, demise (and, perhaps, revival) of Ashkenazi cuisine in this country. Drawing on ethnographic and primary historical sources, this socio-historical analysis uncovers the intermittent processes of marginalization and estrangement, as well as the dynamic and contingent nature of the de-ethnization and re-ethnization of hegemonic ethnicities’ cultural practices.