Sociopolitical Climate Research Articles

High Tech, High Think, High Imagine

Jill Raitt highlights the gap between imagination and information, shifting the conversation towards the tangible impacts of an education system that relies on test scores instead of the quality of learning and teaching. The way an individual is taught influences their perception of the unfamiliar, and thus the quantification of quality in education could lead to irreconcilable sociopolitical climates in the future. Originally published in the February 1991 issue of the Council of Societies for the Study of Religion Bulletin (20, no. 1), the piece continues to speak volumes today, particularly in the context of educating in the age of COVID-19.

Research Note—Equity and Justice in the Social Work Explicit Curriculum

ABSTRACT In the context of the current sociopolitical climate, schools of social work’s expressed commitment to equity and justice is of paramount relevance. Utilizing course descriptions and syllabi posted online, we used content analysis to identify equity and justice-related content within the explicit curricula of 19 master of social work programs in the United States. We searched for content related to differences, diversity, disparities, and inclusion, as well as the mention of specific demographic and social identity groups. Findings indicate that, although social work courses are embedded with equity and justice-related content, the explicit curriculum may be strengthened by allocating greater attention to disparities and inclusion. Consideration of disparities and inclusion is critical in clinical courses, as part of a person-in-the-environment approach, and in macro social work courses that aim to equip future social workers to make broad changes that promote equity and justice in society and institutions.

“It’s a sea-change”: Understanding the role the racial and socio-political climate play on the role-shift of the American college presidency

This inquiry is part of a larger study focused on whether white male presidents in higher education can respond to racism. In the initial study, the author concluded that while presidents were responsive, their responses were not void of privilege, and highlighted the need to further address white Fragility amongst this group. In an effort to advance our understanding of the American college presidency, particularly how the racial and socio-political climate has shaped their leadership, in the current study, the author analyzed data using the perspective offered by the presidents – higher education is in a sea-change, which was also a finding, as well as specific facets of Astin and Astin’ (2000) and Buller’s (2015) respective frames of change. The analysis yielded the importance of naming that higher education is in a sea-change, grappled with the reality of power within the presidency, and articulated the value of being willing over being ready to incite change. In light of these findings, these leaders recognized that not only is higher education due for a change, but so is the postsecondary presidency. Such an understanding expands both the organizational leadership and diversity in higher education literature, respectively.

"I am either all the way there or I am not. I don't know how to walk this middle line" (Skorczewski 109). The Impact of Manic and Depressive States on Anne Sexton's Poetic Depictions of Food.

This research explores poet Anne Sexton’s use of food imagery in To Bedlam and Part Way Back, focusing on the way food is presented in contextual relation to the manic-depressive cycles Sexton was experiencing. This is placed within the socio-political climate of the 1950s-1960s which influences Sexton’s relationship with food.

Work-life balance as a personal responsibility: The impact on strategies for coping with interrole conflict

ABSTRACT In a neoliberal socio-political climate, there is increased pressure at work as well as greater expectations regarding the performance of non-work roles. These factors compound the challenge of coping with interrole conflict. In more economically developed countries, work-life balance is a term that has come to dominate the conceptualization of interrole conflict negotiation within public discourse. The manner in which this term has been adopted within the context of neoliberal ideology has shifted the responsibility for managing interrole conflict from the organizational and policy (macro) level to the individual (micro) level. This process has resulted in a maladaptive situation in which the individual seeks to independently regulate conflicting role demands with problem-focused coping strategies that are largely inspired by performance management techniques of the workplace. In response to this situation, it is first necessary to examine the implicit assumptions held within the public’s understanding of the work-life balance concept and to assess how these assumptions shape the strategies taken up by the individual to cope with interrole conflict. Secondly, there is a need to develop coping strategies that are better adapted to address personal objectives. Alternative models issued from occupational science research, such as occupational balance, lifestyle balance, or life balance, may be better suited to understand and address interrole conflict negotiation on an individual level.

“Please god, don’t let it be Muslims”: perspectives on guiding conversations with Muslim children in a climate with prevalent Islamophobi

ABSTRACT Effective intervention in social work requires addressing the contextual challenges clients face. For Muslim communities and families in the West, the context is characterized by decades of post 9/11 scrutiny and anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments. Internationally, with terrorist attacks across the globe, and nationally, with a highly-charged political atmosphere, Muslim communities and families in the U.S. find themselves trying to reconcile conflicting influences. While they may seek to establish themselves as positive members of civil society, they are often viewed with suspicion, merely because of their religion, and their children exposed to threats, bullying, and harassment. This manuscript draws from a practitioner-researcher model that applies a developmentally sensitive and contextually grounded perspective to analyzing themes elicited from workshops for parents and guardians in the wake of terrorist attacks. The workshops were designed to provide caregivers with tools to support their children through honest and developmentally sensitive conversations about the sociopolitical climate, including Islamophobia and other systemic issues. The manuscript concludes with suggestions for practitioners and researchers to promote the positive development and integration of Muslim ‘families’ at individual, family, and community levels.

English

This paper is an ethnographic examination and exploration of the power politics of the Ar Rinci Foirne and the subsequent changes in perceived nationalism, stylizations, and memory of Irish dance as it refers to both the practiced repertoire and textual archive of ceili dancing within Ireland and the Diaspora. The researcher examined each iteration of the Ar Rinci Fiorne antecedent and relevant texts the socio-political climate following the Irish Civil War, and the aims of the Gaelic League to determine how the textual archiving through the 2014 edition of “Ar Rinci Foirne'' affected embodied memory of Irish Ceili dancing. Theories of transculturation, ethnography, post-structuralist criticism, archiving with thematic and chronological examination of texts were utilized with a qualitative methodology. Through the intentional inclusion and exclusion of dances, the Ar Rinci Foirne functions as codification and propaganda of Irishness through dance, while systematically altering and erasing embodied memory of ceili dances within Ireland and the Diaspora.   Key words: Irish dance, ceili, ethnography, embodied memory, folk dance.

Foreign-born Faculty’s Perceptions and Experiences in a Turbulent Sociopolitical Climate

This study investigated the experiences of five foreign-born faculty in the US after the 2016 election. Through a written questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, the participants shared their recollections of several critical incidents, their reactions to Trumpism, and their perceptions of support from their institutions. The analysis of the critical incidents revealed that while the participants experienced varying degrees of collegial support and sense of isolation, for some, their concern with Trumpism impacted their intent to stay at their institution and in the US. The article concludes with recommendations to increase diversity in faculty body, training US-born faculty about diversity and inclusivity, and increasing systems of support for foreign-born faculty in order to increase the recruitment and retention of foreign-born faculty.

"Don't Shoot, I Want to Grow Up": Findings of a Multi-City Youth-led Health Assessment.

“Don’t Shoot, I Want to Grow Up”: Findings of a Multi-City Youth-led Health Assessment Catalina Tang Yan, MS, Craig J. McClay, Melissa Maharaj, BA, Hafia Gray, MA, Necole Muhammad, LCSW, RYT, Shontel M. Lewis, BA, Uchenna Ohaya, BA, Gloria Fallini, Jennifer Whistler, Coy Walker, Jamorris Patterson, Robin Miller, Diego Gonzales, Tamara Ross, Zaynah Burch, Dy’Mon Pendleton, and Linda S. Sprague Martinez, PhD What Is the Problem? • Youth of color are disproportionately exposed to toxic conditions in their living and social environments. • Youth of color have been perceived as troublemakers and passive recipients and participants of social and health services. • Youth of color have not been engaged meaningfully in leadership positions throughout all stages of research, program planning, or local health and community development initiatives. What Is the Purpose of this Study/Review? • In 2016, university researchers partnered with grassroots leaders and adult staff at community-based organizations across five U.S. cities to engage youth of color in the design and implementation of a multi-city youth-led health assessment. • Engage youth meaningfully as co-researchers in all stages of the research and health assessments. What are the Findings? • Youth researchers across the five sites identified relations with police as a major risk factor to the health and well-being of youth. • Antagonizing relationships with police and increased surveillance was exacerbated by gentrification in public spaces where youth used to congregate and limited youth’s access to resources and stress coping strategies. • In addition to individual behaviors and factors that contributed to youth feeling stressed or unsafe, youth identified the role of structural-level factors such as racism, violence, and police brutality in aggravating youth’s health and well-being. Who Should Care Most? • Academic scholars, researchers, and policymakers interested in designing youth and community-based applied research and policy related to health. • Community-based organizations working with youth and academic institutions interested in amplifying youth voices in health promotion strategies and initiatives to achieve racial justice. [End Page 269] Recommendations for Action • Hire, train, and partner with youth as co-researchers to design health interventions that reflect a critical understanding of their lived experiences and realities. • Consider sociopolitical climate and relevant contextual factors when understanding the health and well-being of youth. [End Page 270] Catalina Tang Yan Boston University School of Social Work Craig J. McClay Boston Medical Center Melissa Maharaj Community Partner Hafia Gray Community Partner, Mental Health Counselor at Uptown Therapy MPLS Necole Muhammad Community Partner, Speaker, Author, Consultant; Community Partner Shontel M. Lewis Community Partner Uchenna Ohaya Community Partner Gloria Fallini Community Partner Jennifer Whistler Community Partner Coy Walker Youth/Young Adult Researcher Jamorris Patterson Youth/Young Adult Researcher Robin Miller Youth/Young Adult Researcher Diego Gonzales Youth/Young Adult Researcher Tamara Ross Youth/Young Adult Researcher Zaynah Burch Youth/Young Adult Researcher Dy’Mon Pendleton Youth/Young Adult Researcher Linda S. Sprague Martinez Boston University School of Social Work Please note: In addition to educational credentials, all co-authors in this publication have relevant and unique, expertise, knowledge, lived experiences, and leadership positions as changemakers in their communities. Copyright © 2021 Johns Hopkins University Press

La Rivoluzione Macchiata: The Stained Revolution

Although graffiti gained popularity through the expansion of American pop culture, its origins are greatly embedded in Italian culture and history. Not only does the word graffiti come from the Italian word "graffiato" or "scratched "off", but some of the world's first graffiti was found in Pompeii's ruins. Over the last few years, Italy has been governed by right-wing coalitions that have implemented fascist practices once used by Mussolini. Given that there is little space for leftist ideas to emerge in the public space, Italians have used graffiti as a form of political activism and protest. Conversations surrounding fascism, racism, women's rights, immigration and the LGTBQ community have arisen within graffiti, allowing outsiders to better understand Italians' takes on these issues. This study investigates Italy's sociopolitical climate through graffiti as a form of art, and also sheds light on how graffiti provokes its audience. The graffiti found in Florence, Bologna, and Naples proves to be linguistically complex, and provokes observers both through heightened language and visuals. This study suggests that the majority of Italian sociopolitical graffiti belongs to students who are unable to take part in democracy based on their age or legal status. While often deemed a vandalistic act, graffiti has allowed Italian individuals to protest what is unjust, and make themselves heard in a society where their voices are being suffocated by right-wing political parties and their media.

The 1968 effects and civic responsibility in architecture and urban planning in the USA and Italy: Challenging ‘nuova dimensione’ and ‘urban renewal’

ABSTRACT The article scrutinizes the impact of the 1968 student protests on architectural education and epistemology within the Italian and American context, the advocacy planning movement and the relationship of architecture and urban planning with the socio-political climate around 1968. It aims to demonstrate how the concepts of urban renewal and ‘nuova dimensione’ were progressively abandoned in the USA and Italy respectively. It presents how the critique of these concepts was related to the conviction that they were incompatible with socially effective architecture and urban design approaches. The article sheds light on the complexity of the reorientations that took place in both contexts, taking into consideration the impact of student protests, and the 1968 Civil Rights Action the architects and urban planners’s task on the curricula of schools of architecture. It also investigates certain counter-events and counter-publications in the USA and Italy, shedding light on how they reinvented the relationship between architecture and democracy. It reveals the tensions between enhancing equality in planning process and local bureaucracy in the case of advocacy planning strategies.

Стратегічні аспекти економіко-енергетичної політики України в контексті сталого розвитку

The article is aimed at developing strategic directions and introducing regulatory measures for the formation of Ukraine’s energy policy on the principles of energy saving and the development of renewable energy industry. On the basis of scientific works, the main organizational-economic vectors of energy industry sector development are systematized, which are associated with the formation of a favorable socio-political climate regarding the priority of using renewable energy sources in the fuel and energy complex; development of effective methods of both the State-based and the market-based regulation by the world community; coordination of the strategy of sustainable development of the world economy. It is determined that the energy saving policy should be based on a flexible combination of the State-based regulation and the market environment for the formation of the most acceptable stimulation mechanisms in the specific economic and political situations, which allows for the greatest economic benefit. It has been found out that the implementation of energy saving processes is impossible without the mass use of renewable energy carriers, which are a universal resource for processing to the right types of energy, are marked by energy independence related to obtaining economic benefits and contribute to the creation of an ecological friendly environment. In the perspective, the energy saving processes, the transition of the national economy to wide implementation in the production of high-tech technologies and the use of renewable energy sources should become the determining factors of Ukraine’s energy strategy.

Experiences of Transgender Couples Navigating One Partner’s Transition: Love Is Gender Blind

This study investigated the experiences of romantic couples who maintained their relationship when one partner transitioned gender. For this phenomenological study, 13 couples were interviewed as a dyad and individually. Relationship changes included improved communication skills and language changes, affirming sexual relationships, and redistribution of power within the couple dyad. Benefits of the gender transition included improved relationships overall, emergence of support from communities and loved ones, passing privilege, and improved awareness to social issues. Challenges included losing close relationships, difficulty with remaining patient in transition, and adjusting to new identities such as feeling queer invisibility or a loss of heterosexual privilege. Finally, couples shared that political issues in the current sociopolitical climate had a personal impact on their felt safety and daily lives. Clinical and empirical implications are discussed.

(Re)examining the effects of open classroom climate on the critical consciousness of preadolescent and adolescent youth

An open classroom climate, one where diverse opinions and discussion of social and political issues are welcome, promotes civic development among youth and fosters critical consciousness. Critical consciousness, defined as the capacity to recognize societal inequity along with the motivation and action taken to challenge such inequity and promote positive social change, also engenders civic development and engagement. Advancements in critical consciousness measurement and changes in the sociopolitical climate over the past two decades suggest the need to reexamine the effects of open classroom climate on critical consciousness. This paper explores the extent to which an open classroom climate is associated with critical consciousness in a contemporary, diverse sample of preadolescent and adolescent youth (n = 4,901, Mage = 14.69). Results suggest open classroom climate is linked with the reflection, motivation, and action dimensions of critical consciousness. Implications for promoting an open classroom climate and critical consciousness are discussed.

Salt

My practice focuses on exploring media, censorship, and communication through the mediums of painting, installation, and performance. Satellite dishes are one of the primary communication devices used to access mass media and as a result, have become part of urban design. Many regions are still subject to restrictions in media infrastructure, and their inherent biases. Underground information networks thus emerge. Many secretly engineer homemade devices, such as satellite dishes, as a lifeline to outside media. Using the concept of cybernetic networks, this project seeks to examine the relationship that exists between the political body and the invisible networks demonstrated in unassuming infrastructures, through the use of an autobiographical methodology. Drawing together medium and message, the work explores the materiality of place and person, to demonstrate the complicated relationship that exists between technology and our socio-political climate.

Social workers' perception of practice with lesbians, gays and bisexuals (LGBs) in Nigeria

People from Low-to-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) like Nigeria, irrespective of differences in beliefs and sexual orientation, face similar challenges in terms of living standards, access to resources and quality of life. However, people who have been ‘othered’ on the basis of their nonconformity to heteronormativity face additional challenges. The existence of the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act (SSMPA) of 2014, which criminalizes the normalization of homosexual ‘lifestyles’ and the persistence of a homophobic socio-political climate in Nigeria, exposes lesbians, gays and bisexuals (LGBs) in Nigeria to unique difficulties. Although social workers are expected to work, guided by the values of social justice and respect for human rights, with the vulnerable and oppressed in society such as LGBs, the socio-political contexts they operate in can limit how well they do this work. This paper seeks to explore the views of social workers on social work practice with LGBs in Nigeria, with qualitative data obtained from 12 professional social workers using in-depth interviews that were thematically analysed. Findings show that social workers’ perception of practice with LGBs in Nigeria is influenced by existing policies in the country, in addition to cultural and religious beliefs. Some social workers also view LGBs through a medical perspective of homosexuality being an illness, which can affect their work with this population. Recommendations from the study include developing a contextualized ethical code that addresses practice dilemmas and further research centred on the experiences of LGBs and social work practice, as this is one of the few studies on social work practice in Nigeria with this population.

Selling South Africa: Tourism and the Construction of a Post-Apartheid Nation

South Africa’s nationalistic landscape is currently defined by a series of monumental, architectural edifices whose symbolic capital lies in their assumed ability to generate ideological unifications within the country’s charged, often fraught, spaces. Yet the failure of these forms to address the tensions and divisions that continue to define South Africa’s current socio-political climate raises questions as to whether such architectures are capable of acting in a nationalistic capacity within a country that is still negotiating its contemporary post-Apartheid identity. This paper suggests an alternative built landscape for consideration within discussions of South Africa’s current nation-building apparatus, specifically that of tourist space. The unregulated utilization (and exploitation) of structural languages from South Africa’s traumatic past allow tourist space to function as a “counter-monument” within the country’s contemporary nationalistic environment, provoking uncomfortable but potentially necessary confrontations with the charged elements of South Africa’s history as well as their continuity into the present period.

Practical Resources for Talking to Children with Autism about Systemic Racism.

As part of the child-rearing process, situations that invite difficult conversations will inevitably arise. Oftentimes, there are no guidelines or structure for how to discuss topics such as sex education, systemic racism, bullying, grieving, and gun violence. Accordingly, adults may feel at a loss for how to address difficult topics and may even avoid difficult conversations completely. When adults choose to have these conversations, they may imitate the conversations their caregivers had with them, and therefore further the cycle of systemic racism, often unknowingly and unintentionally. Racial injustice has been a core part of the American experience since the founding of the republic; hence, conversations about systemic racism are long overdue. The need has significantly increased, given the current socio-political climate. Social justice may be a sensitive topic for some, but it is a needed conversation for all, including children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Currently available curricula and teaching manuals in the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) literature include little or no resources for caregivers on how to address systemic racism with their children on the spectrum. Children with ASD should be educated about how they, and their families, can combat systemic racism in their everyday lives. The present paper addresses this gap in available treatment resources by offering practical suggestions and guidelines for how adults can address the topic of systemic racism with children on the autism spectrum to educate them and prepare them to contribute to a more equitable and just future.

Youth in Northern Ireland: Linking Violence Exposure, Emotional Insecurity, and the Political Macrosystem.

Youth in Northern Ireland: Linking Violence Exposure, Emotional Insecurity, and the Political Macrosystem.

(Mis)Recognizing Undocumented Students & Families in a Rural School

ABSTRACT School and educator responses to the immigration policy environment may depend on what educators know about who is in their school community. This paper examines whether and how educators in a rural Midwestern community recognize undocumented and mixed-legal status students in their school community. We utilize concepts from recognition theory to understand the mechanisms that may have facilitated or hindered an elementary school principal and two teams of 3rd and 4th grade teachers’ recognition. The findings present a picture of a school in the nascent stages of recognizing how the sociopolitical climate and enforcement of immigration law powerfully impact children and families.