Socio-cultural Tensions Research Articles

Why mow?: A review of the resulting ecosystem services and disservices from mowing turfgrass

AbstractTurfgrasses are those grasses that tolerate frequent mowing. The act of mowing turfgrasses, primarily lawn mowing, has received much negative attention primarily due to its labor requirement and the resulting mower emissions. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the benefits and drawbacks of mowing grasses, specifically turfgrasses used on lawns, parks, golf courses, and sports fields, using an ecosystem services and disservices framework. Discussed is the challenge of creating a “one‐size‐fits‐all” approach to selecting the best mowing management practices and sociocultural tensions that exist related to lawn mowing. Discussion also includes the benefits and value gained from mowing turfgrass and strategies to mitigate ecosystem disservices that result from mowing.

"Olympic Hope": Fucoldian interpretations

The study of literary works devoted to running makes it possible to determine their plot dominant as a conflict between the feeling of freedom generated by running and such properties of professional sports as fierce competition of competitive activities and authoritarian regulation of the training process. Sociocultural tensions of this kind were fruitfully conceptualized in the works of Michel Foucault using the concepts of bio-power as a unity of anatomical and biopolitics; disciplinary practices as methods of normalization of bodies; supervision and panopticism as means of control, as well as technologies of self and subjectivation aimed at dampening the effects of excessive domination. The article uses the fantastic sports novel by Danish writer Knud Lundberg "Olympic Hope: The Story that Happened at the 1996 Olympic Games" published in 1955 and not translated into Russian as an object of application of the Fucoldian means of analyzing the above conflict situation. The research methodology is based on a conceptual analysis of M. Foucault's theoretical legacy and the reception of the French philosopher's ideas by Russian and Western scientists. The study revealed that the novel presents four variants of bio-power: German (genetic eugenics), American (hormonal eugenics), Soviet (crippling practices) and Danish (based on the free development of natural predisposition), used to organize the birth and training of top-level runners. The disciplinary practices of runner training are most pronounced in totalitarian states. The methods of their implementation are specialized closed training spaces; strict daily routine; daily monotonous running exercises; constant differentiation of athletes by rating; exams in the form of competitions; medical experiments. The realization of the technologies of selfhood and subjectivation by runners is carried out in the forms of resistance and transgression. K. Lundberg associates his Olympic hopes in sports running not with cruel professionals who are ready to give up their health (the problem of doping) and even their lives for the sake of personal awards and increasing the prestige of their states, but with educated means of humanistic sports by amateur athletes, for whom running has existential significance as a way of holistic, bodily and spiritual self-realization in the ethically loaded sphere of freedom.

Securing brand trust and reputation in an era of political polarisation and AI-driven disinformation

This paper analyses the seismic reputational risks now facing brands as two major sociotechnical forces converge — the rise of ideological polarisation and the emergence of AI’s ability to generate synthetic media impersonating organisations. It examines how brands have embraced polarised stances on social issues to build deeper connections with values-driven consumers, especially younger demographics like millennials and Gen Z. By adopting partisan positions. Brands also become targets for ideological attacks seeking to erode trust. Meanwhile, rapid advances in generative AI empower malicious actors to disseminate disinformation, attacking brands with harmful narratives, misinformation and disinformation on an unprecedented scale and realism to do financial and reputational harm. The paper provides an in-depth examination of both dynamics. It explores how younger consumers increasingly demand corporate advocacy on divisive issues, forcing brands to navigate complex sociopolitical fault lines. Taking progressive stances risks a backlash from ideological opponents ready to instigate reputation-damaging retaliation. The paper also details the exponential threats introduced by AI synthesis technologies like generative adversarial networks. It explains how even modestly resourced attackers could soon produce unlimited volumes of fake content, misinformation and disinformation to target brands across all digital channels and media types. To address these converging risks, the paper recommends that brands invest in capabilities including monitoring sociocultural tensions, technologically authenticating communications, establishing early disinformation warning systems, educating consumers on resisting manipulation, crafting proactive narratives, practicing radical transparency and testing defences. It emphasises the need for holistic ‘narrative intelligence’ combining data analysis, cultural discernment and human wisdom. With deliberate strategies focused on verification, transparency and continuous learning, brands can foster resilience and enduring trust despite inevitable disruptions. The paper concludes that competence in navigating partisan debates and AI deception will become a competitive advantage in determining which brands lead in this complex future.

From traditional to innovation: A comprehensive Analysis of Tourism's Evolution and its Global influence on New Era Dynamics

Tourism is a multifaceted phenomenon that has undergone significant evolution over time, transitioning from traditional mass tourism models to more diversified and sustainable approaches. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of tourism's evolution and its global influence on new era dynamics, drawing on a diverse range of literature and research findings. The study examines key drivers, trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the contemporary tourism landscape, with a focus on the transition from conventional to innovative practices. The analysis reveals a gradual shift towards innovative tourism models that prioritize authenticity, sustainability, and personalized experiences, driven by changing consumer preferences, technological advancements, and global socio-economic trends. This evolution has profound implications for new era dynamics at the global level, including increased connectivity, cross-cultural exchange, and economic growth, but also challenges such as over tourism, environmental degradation, and socio-cultural tensions. To address these challenges and capitalize on opportunities, stakeholders in the tourism industry are urged to embrace innovation, sustainability, and collaboration as guiding principles for future development. Recommendations include promoting sustainable tourism practices, addressing over tourism through destination management, fostering collaboration and stakeholder engagement, and investing in capacity building and education. By adopting a holistic approach to tourism development that balances economic, environmental, and social considerations, stakeholders can navigate the complexities of the tourism landscape and chart a course towards a more sustainable and inclusive future. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the dynamics shaping the tourism industry and provide valuable insights for policymakers, industry practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders seeking to harness the transformative power of tourism for positive impacts on people, planet, and prosperity.

Patriarchy and Communalism in Mahesh Dattani’s Final Solutions

Mahesh Dattani’s themes highlight the problems that so many urban people face on a daily basis. These individuals may be living in historical transitions, torn between the alluring modernism and globalisation and the firm grasp of tradition and societal values. Skilled playwright and theatre professional Dattani discovers the problem, develops characters, and employs time, place, and the stage all in service of the subject he addresses. Indian urbanites of today make up the characters on stage. They work with socio-cultural tensions as their issues, and expressionism is his method. This article explains the patriarchy of these individuals in Final Solutions of Mahesh Dattani.

Orientalism, Arab Jewish identity(ies) and modernity in British Mandate Palestine viewed through the archive of master musician Azuri Effendi/Ezra Aharon

ABSTRACT In 1934 the renowned Iraqi-Jewish musician Ezra Aharon/Azuri Effendi moved to Palestine, then under the British Mandate, where he became a prominent cultural figure who networked and intersected with a variety of agents—British authorities, Zionists, Palestinians, and a German musicologist specialising in ‘Oriental’ music. The correspondences, concert programmes, notes and musical works found in Ezra Aharon’s recently catalogued personal archive, alongside press articles, reveal the sociocultural tensions embedded in the on-the-ground encounter between ‘East’ and ‘West’ occurring in Mandate Palestine. The life story, musical activities and cultural spaces occupied by Azuri Effendi, provide a means of charting how ‘the Orient’ has been musically constructed by different agents, the shifting roles of Arab Jews in this trajectory, and the agency that musical practice brings to this terrain.

Socio-cultural tendencies of the design evolution

The authors conducted a retrospective review of the design and resolved the relevant question of its socio-cultural essence within the framework of scientific and practical spheres. Research methodology is based on the use of systemic-structural, socio-cultural, synergistic, art- historical, and praxeological methods, which gives grounds for considering design at the junction of technological, intellectual, and artistic cultures. Attention is focused on the relationships of functionality, technological efficiency, and aesthetics in the process of designing various objects, regarding stylistic trends of certain periods and regional specifics, which makes it possible further didactization of the interdisciplinary design researches. During the 20th century technical aesthetics was formed as the theory and methodology of design, which includes compositional forming, ergonomics, bionics, technical standardization, projecting, and modeling. It is noted that design activity considers technological, political, socio- economic, and artistic changes in society, which significantly affect design education. Moreover, design processes are dynamic, and heterogeneous, with local and national features. The theoretical significance of this study will be relevant to the development of integrated educational and professional programs in Ukraine.

A qualitative approach to interrogating the age and gender divide in digital SRHR platforms in Kenya

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) programmes for 10–17-year-old adolescents in many African contexts are school-based and often aim to manage the risks associated with adolescent sexuality. Such programmes are critiqued for adopting pathologising, biomedical, moralistic and/or authoritarian approaches. Critiques of conventional ASRHR initiatives and technological advancements have resulted in an increased use of digital technologies to facilitate ASRHR. However, there is a gender and age divide whereby adolescent minors, particularly girls, remain excluded, unreached, or unable to exercise their agency. Despite the existence of a gender and age divide in digital SRH platforms, the divide remains uninterrogated. Data were collected in four phases from November 2019 to April 2022 using a qualitative mixed methods design that included review of online information and communication technology (ICT)-based sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) websites and platforms, 18 interviews with implementers of the platforms, and seven focus group discussions with adolescent girls. Even though ICTs have demonstrated their ability to navigate socio-cultural tensions surrounding SRHR, an age and gender divide poses a barrier for them to achieve this anticipated potential as adolescent girls below the age of 18 have the least access in Kenya. Socio-cultural norms surrounding adolescent sexuality in Kenya continue to inform ASRHR policies and programmes that exclude 10–17-year-old girls, particularly those in low-income urban contexts. Such exclusionary norms permeate digital spaces, inhibiting the potential of digital spaces to offer comprehensive and holistic services to adolescent girls who are not legally adult.

ОТРАЖЕНИЕ СОЦИОКУЛЬТУРНОГО КОНТЕКСТА В НАРРАТИВЕ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ ПОВЕСТВОВАНИЙ ВИКТОРИАНСКОЙ ЭПОХИ)

The article considers the issue of narrative sociocultural orientation as a way of translating general cultural norms and values, mechanism of social interaction organization. The author substantiates relationship between narrative texts structural-content characteristics and the corresponding sociocultural context. A method of researching a narrative text is proposed. It involves study of narration event structure and reflected value and role models in social relations organization, correspondence of the narration main plot to traditional archetypical plots and presence of the storyline narrative transformations is revealed. Empirical material of the study is the Victorian era narrative texts. Analyzing narrative forms of that time, the author reveals sociocultural changes influence on textual characteristics. Compositional and plot construction of narratives represents the Victorian era heterogeneity. The narration reflects social contradictions between conservative system of values inculcated by church and the state and search for relevant spiritual guidelines by progressively thinking individuals. Rapid growth of science and new industrial relations undermined faith in the biblical truths stability, the Victorian system of values impeccability. These sociocultural tendencies find expression in the motifs of open or veiled satirical criticism of the Victorian society hypocritical morality, assertion of human rights to boldly express their own assessment of social issues through narrative storyline event blocks inversion.

Coping with Teacher Professional Identity Tensions: Using TPACK During Global Crisis Time

ABSTRACT Sudden teachers’ transition to an online context has remarkably influenced their professional identity construction. However, little is known about the tensions English Language Teachers (ELTs) experience during this shift. The present study examined ELTs’ identity tensions in online courses, the relevant coping strategies, teachers’ TPACK level and its relationship with their professional identity development. The data were collected through a TPACK/teacher identity questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Descriptive data analysis revealed that teachers had a high level of TPACK with moderate technological knowledge. The teacher identity analysis indicated that the teachers reported institutional, pedagogical, and sociocultural tensions with varying degrees. Likewise, the qualitative analysis revealed similar tensions, including low access to basic infrastructure and professional support, greater responsibility, top-down online policies, etc. The teachers also reported various coping strategies for these tensions. The study concluded with pedagogical implications for policymakers, administrators, and teacher educators. To support English language teachers’ professionalism, there is a need to rethink policies, facilities, and contextual factors and promote effective technology integration into course content and pedagogies.

Creating Pathways to Opportunity: Non-formal Educational ‘Inclusion’ for Rohingya Refugee Children in Bangladesh

In coordination with the Government of Bangladesh, the United Nations Children’s Fund and Save the Children International have been conducting a non-formal educational programme for the children of Rohingya refugees since 2017. Domestic partner non-governmental organizations are implementing the initiative. The purpose of this study was to examine the policy and the institutional arrangements and determine how they may influence the inclusion of Rohingya children in the education system. We found that the programme has set up infrastructure, but the location of refugee education that the government created is distinctly short-term, top-down, emergency-oriented and restrictive in many ways. Evidently, in order to avoid geopolitical and local sociocultural tensions, the host government did not really want to integrate refugees into local services and facilities, particularly access to education in public institutions. Nevertheless, civil society organizations and the Rohingya negotiated with the government, to a certain extent, an ‘inclusive’ space through discussion, dialogue and resilience for an expansion of this educational sphere. This space has created a limited sense of empowerment among the Rohingya.

PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVALS AND FAIRS: SHOWCASING NEW IDEAS IN PHOTOGRAPHY

This article assumes that photographic festivals and fairs can play a role in articulating and promoting new ideas in photography. As exhibition spaces, these public events guide and showcase new trends, perspectives and practices in the art of photography. They not only permit exhibiting the variety of photographic art forms, innovative ideas and the most cutting-edge practices, but also serve as a catalyst that stimulates the ongoing evolution of photography in a socio-cultural setting. Firstly, using specific examples of photo festivals and photo fairs, the article examines how they can showcase and guide new ideas in photography. It further explores how they reflect and foster innovation in photographic artistic thought by demonstrating recent trends in photography, capturing new socio-cultural tendencies, and reinterpreting iconic works. Furthermore, the article investigates how these photography exhibition spaces enable communication and exchanges between artists, curators, and viewers. Festivals and fairs present both the author and the viewer with new ways of understanding the art of photography and offer them new experience. The role of the viewer changes from passive to active: now, by participating in the discussion of the artwork, reflecting on it, the viewer becomes a catalyst for innovation. Finally, photo festivals and fairs have led to a transformation in the ways of viewing and creating, and changed the roles of viewer, artist and curator. Through innovative ways of exhibiting, such as virtual reality or multimedia technologies, they have stimulated the development of ways of viewing and understanding photography artworks. Hence, in this article, we delve into photography festivals and fairs as a sort of window through which we can observe the emergence, evolution, and propagation of new concepts, artforms, and practices of photography. At the same time, they foster innovative ideas and play a key role in the development of means of visual artistic expression and photographic practice. The objective of this study is to provide scholars, practitioners, and photography enthusiasts with a deeper understanding of photographic festivals and fairs and to shed light on how this medium can be used to develop and innovate the art of photography. Hopefully, this article will provide a new perspective and understanding of photography research and practice and contribute to the further development of the art of photography in the 21st century.

Дагестанский государственный университет

The article analyzes the practical steps of UAE state institutions to encourage the development of tourism in the country, while observing a compromise between the forced liberalization of certain spheres of social life under the pressure of external and internal circumstances, and the preservation of Islamic canons as a dominant in the ideological and practical field. It is noted that the development of the tourist sector in UAE economy became possible due to the achievement of a balance between global trends and preserving a conservative way of life in the society based on the principles of Islamic ethics. The latter reveals itself in the corporate culture – voluntary corporate social responsibility, and a strict migration policy, known as kafala, which is a component of the industrial relations between the employer (contractor) and the migrant worker. The reduction of potential socio-cultural tensions as a result of the influx of tourists from a foreign cultural environment is achieved by the state not only through the implementation of various state programmes aimed at maintaining Islamic canons in the socio-economic and spiritual spheres of the country, but also through the achievement of broad awareness of those entering the country of the presence of a wide range of prohibitions and restrictions. The author concludes that the Islamic factor combined with a nationally oriented domestic policy can lead to impressive results in travel activities, as has been achieved in the UAE.

University students’ feedback regarding effective measures to prevent bullying

ABSTRACT This study explored university students’ perceptions of the usefulness of some antibullying measures in ensuring a bullying-free learning environment. The results in this paper are part of a larger comparative study that investigated the prevalence of bullying in Norway and Ghana, albeit limiting this paper to students’ recommendations of preventive measures. Students from Norway (n = 438) and Ghana (n = 751) were recruited. The comparative study highlights the sociocultural tendencies underlying some recommendations to provide holistic knowledge. The analyses revealed significant differences in students' recommendations from both countries. Generally, the responses suggest the need for the impartial application of disciplinary measures to students and lecturers; independent contact persons for reporting; students’ and authorities’ collaboration for bullying prevention; antibullying employment contracts; counselling services; and awareness creation. With unique national cultures and changing societal trends, we suggest that national policies that aim at cultural consciousness regarding bullying would be ideal for its prevention.

Does diversity matter for development? New evidence of ethnic diversity's mediation between internal migration and economic growth across Indonesia's regions.

Migration can contribute to economic growth. Its impact on ethnic diversity may also generate socio-cultural tensions and political instability. Having said that, ethnic diversity can play a role in both promoting and hindering economic growth depending on its form and extent. This role often rests on the levels of either ethnic fractionalization (usually related to higher economic growth) or ethnic polarization (more commonly associated with lower economic growth). Such considerations raise a question about the ways ethnic diversity mediates the relationship between internal migration and economic growth. The following paper responds to that question by focusing on different regions of Indonesia. Drawing on comprehensive statistics and updated classification of Indonesia's ethnic groups, it presents new evidence on the archipelago's ethnic diversity which is cross-referenced with recent fractionalization and polarization indexes. This methodological enhancement allows the study to translate with a greater degree of accuracy the mediation of ethnic diversity on the relationship between internal migration and economic growth across Indonesia's regions than previously carried out. What emerges is a rather mixed picture of the intermediating role of ethnic diversity. There is a significant influence in various regions, but different sets of variables also modulate the relationship in others. We can also discern an identifiable link between the economic region in question, the indicators of ethnic diversity referenced, and the given rate of migration. Placed in composite relief, the findings draw attention to the uneven and complex character of Indonesia's regional development.

Status Consumption and Negotiation of Tastes: Anchoring on Ethnic Capital

This study examines status consumption and socio-cultural tensions between wealthy Turkish indigenes and newly enriched Kurdish migrants in Şanlıurfa, an underdeveloped city in Turkey. The article focuses on ethnicity, which enables the construction and negotiation of consumer identities and (re)production of distinctions between competing groups under the conditions of marketization. Ethnic capital, a subcategory of social and cultural capital, refers to the dispositions, rituals, and skills of an ethnic group and its members and serves as a source of social power to reproduce group distinctions. The findings contribute to the literature by revealing that, in a context where modernity is not completely entrenched, ethnic capital can explain the scope of competitive status consumption and power struggles. Consumers can still remain attached to their ethnic capital, as they move between different competitive positions in the field of consumption. It has been found that ethnic groups see themselves as having superior qualities—and yet a need to improve—and try to reflect this not by emulating necessarily ‘the’ or ‘an’ other but by emulating lifestyle consumption.

Reading Romeo and Juliet’s Illustrations as Paratext: A Close-up on the Balcony Scene

"Reading “Romeo and Juliet”’s Illustrations as Paratext: A Close-up on the Balcony Scene. Paratextual elements, particularly illustrations, play a crucial role in how the texts they accompany are understood by their readers. As instances of intersemiotic translation—the result of transfer of linguistic signs into visual ones—, they direct the readers’ meaning-making process by encapsulating not only the illustrators’ own artistic vision, but also by bringing to the fore socio-cultural elements of both the historical context and its contemporary readership. The range of intersemiotic translation techniques in use to do this lead to the creation of illustrations whose degree of faithfulness to the text varies. This article considers a number of illustrations corresponding to the balcony scene in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that were produced in a time span between the 18th century and the present. It looks in more detail at how these illustrations faithfully connect to the original play and to the broad historical context in which it was written or, rather, use them as input only to reflect other attitudes, points of view, socio-cultural tendencies, etc. Keywords: illustrations as paratext, interesemiotic translation, the balcony scene, William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” text re-creation"

Item Response Analysis, Invariance, and Validation of the Multicultural Personality Inventory

In a global community with increased immigration and rising sociocultural tensions, there is a need for psychometrically strong instruments that assess adjustment to increasingly culturally heterogeneous environments. The Multicultural Personality Inventory (MPI) is one such instrument, but previous studies have not reported the instrument’s invariance or item-level responses. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the MPI using item response theory, invariance analysis, and structural equation modeling with a sample of 1,194 participants. We found evidence for a 34-item instrument with a bifactor internal structure that demonstrated partial invariance across gender, race, and generational status. Evidence of concurrent and incremental validity of the MPI was established through predicted associations with acculturation, satisfaction with life, social dominance orientation, mental health, color-blind racial attitudes, and self-reported high school grade-point average, beyond any variance accounted for by Big Five variables.

Right, yet impossible? Constructions of healthy eating

Eating healthily is widely understood as a key way for individuals to achieve and maintain good health, but how people make sense of what healthy eating involves is more complex. In a context characterised by shifts in authority around health and knowledge, and neoliberal and healthist discourses, we ask how the task of ‘eating healthily’ is made sense of in the everyday. We examined constructs around healthy eating in Aotearoa New Zealand, using 118 stories collected using the story completion method. Participants wrote stories in response to a story prompt about a person who was about to start eating healthily. Using a constructionist version of reflexive thematic analysis, we developed four key themes: healthy eating is constantly under threat; to separate fact from fiction; can you afford not to (eat healthily)?; and, healthy eating takes a particular type of person. These four themes told an overarching story of the impossible rightness of healthy eating – healthy eating was simultaneously what one should do, but difficult, if not impossible, to do. This novel method generated a nuanced understanding of some of the representational or sociocultural tensions that may limit engagement with healthy eating.

Jeep Girls and American GIs: Gendered Nationalism in Post–World War II China

AbstractOver a hundred thousand US servicemen were stationed in post–World War II China, resulting in the largest grassroots interactions in Sino-US history. Reexamining this unprecedented encounter in the context of American global military empire, this article investigates the sociocultural tensions caused by GIs’ sexual relations with Chinese women between 1945 and 1949. While conservatives maligned “Jeep girls” out of racial and sexual anxieties, liberals and self-identified Jeep girls invoked the language of modernity and patriotism. However, in the wake of the Peking Rape incident in 1946, the once diverse debate quickly ended as nationwide protests raged against American imperialism. In contrast with previous studies highlighting how Communist propaganda led to new anti-American sentiments, this research, by uncovering the complexities of Chinese women's experiences and their stories—which have been muffled or filtered through patriarchal agendas—foregrounds the key role of gendered nationalism in Sino-US relations.