Struggle For Life Research Articles

HOUSE OF DREAMS, OR NOT

In this paper, we will discuss the role of the built environment as storytelling in the context of Oscar winner Parasite, a film by director Bong Joon-Ho (2019). We will look at the potentiality of the built environment in unveiling film narratives, especially regarding immanent forms of class struggle and exploitation in everyday life. We will investigate the troubling power relations between the rich and the poor in contemporary society and the ways that the concepts of alienation/estrangement, objectification/reification and commodity fetishism can be used to bring these relations to the fore when analyzing the movie. Keywords: Parasite; built environment; inequality; class struggle; alienation; everyday life.

Longitudinal trajectory classes and correlates of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire-triarchic psychopathy scales from adolescence to young adulthood.

The present study examined longitudinal trajectory classes and correlates of triarchic psychopathy domains (boldness, meanness, and disinhibition) from age 16 to 22, leveraging Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ)-based triarchic scales data gathered on a large community sample (ns ranging between 483 and 775 across waves) oversampled for parental substance use disorder (SUD). Growth mixture models were conducted to examine longitudinal trajectory classes for each domain, and their associations with environmental covariates (e.g., neighborhood disadvantage and parental SUD) and outcomes at age 22 (e.g., violent behavior, antisocial personality disorder, and an overall problem index capturing internalizing symptoms and social problems). For boldness, all participants fell in the same class showing relative stability over time. Comparable solutions were recovered for meanness and disinhibition (high-stable/increasing, mid-range decreasing, and low-decreasing). Links with external correlates supported well-known differences between boldness and both meanness and disinhibition and additionally revealed interesting differences between meanness and disinhibition, suggesting that environmental covariates better discriminated meanness trajectory classes. These results demonstrate considerable developmental heterogeneity in these traits across adolescence into young adulthood, which relates to outcomes associated with antisociality and general life struggles. Further, these findings support the adequacy of the MPQ as an operationalization tool for longitudinal investigations on psychopathy.

Communities of Practice: A Strategy for Re-engaging Out-of-School Youth by Nurturing Prospects and Fostering Connections

This research focuses on the potential of the Communities of Practice (CoPs) that might be utilized to bring back the out-of-school youth (OSY) to formal schooling. Even with the attempts to increase enrollment in schools, some of the Filipino youths still have no access to education, and still have difficult life struggles that include loss of jobs and social exclusion. This study discusses the experience and issues with which OSY encounter in CoPs and comprises the valuable prospects for them further. The exploratory research question of the study depicts the experiences of OSY within CoPs in terms of the sense of belonging, social connectedness, and perceived upcoming possibilities. It also narrows down challenges like; they lack financial capital, or have lack of access to services. Subjects of the study were selected within the area of Barangay Nagtenga, Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur. Participants and observations were obtained through interviews, and fundamental trends such as isolation, restricted social relationships, and low earnings were identified. From the study, there is a recommended plan on how to bring about the CoPs that focus on the learning from peers, skills enhancement, and community activities for the enhancement of OSY. This research clearly brings out the significance that can be achieved through community-Based strategies in re-engaging and promoting out-of-school youth.

Family assistant – a modern form of support for multiproblem families

People frequently perceive family as, to quote Anthony Giddens, “the refreshing source of joy, warmth, love andaffection” (Giddens, 2005, s. 196). However, a family can be also the scene of loneliness, violence, and mental insecurity; it may not be able to cope with fulfilling its basic social roles. Such family should be cared for by institutional aid and support, as well as by professional family assistants. Since 2012 families may count on a family assistant in the course of overcoming their life struggles. Even though this profession has been present on our market already for 10 years, its organizational context still needs to be clarified. In particular, there are significant issues referring to the family assistant qualifications, competence, methods, tools, and workroom. The article aims mainly at pointing out to the specific role of the family assistant and to the preferred competence and skills required for this profession.

Youthscape of Palestinian everyday life: Rethinking modes of resilience and production of opportunities in Jerusalem

ABSTRACT Driven by local–global factors, youth are mostly the architects who shape their societies. The youthscape in Palestine is shaped by the dynamics of asymmetrical power within challenging geopolitical conditions under the Israeli occupation. Amid individual variations, Palestinian youth struggle for a quality life under uncertainties. This study investigates the perception of everyday life among the youth (18–25 years) of Beit Hanina neighborhood in Jerusalem as they encounter Israeli colonial infrastructure. De Certeau’s theories of space and everyday life and Luhmann’s system differentiation theory are applied. This study qualitatively adopts a survey-based methodology to investigate the relationship between the youth experiences while crossing checkpoints. A conceptual framework is employed to triangulate space, time, and the youth experiences. Modes of resilience are analyzed through the intersectionality of emerging patterns of practices of everyday life and sense of agency to produce a new paradigm of opportunities. The current study clarifies how the youth negotiate their everyday life practices between their own modes of resilience and production of opportunities, thus reshaping the youthscape in East Jerusalem. This study contributes to the literature on everyday life of the youth, particularly within a colonial context.

Reimagining ‘entrepreneuring as emancipation’ as a broader struggle for a freer life

ABSTRACT This paper extends research investigating ‘entrepreneuring as emancipation’ by reimagining it as a broader struggle for a freer life. To do this, I draw upon Martin Hägglund’s philosophy, particularly his view of freedom as having more time to pursue activities that matter to us, and by using two little narratives as illustrative examples. This view of freedom challenges neoliberal and liberal conceptions of a freer life and advances our understanding in two areas. First, the paper illustrates ‘entrepreneuring as emancipation’ as a broader struggle, and as a question of degrees, since it both holds the potential to increase the realm of freedom, thus enabling women to lead freer and more meaningful lives in specific contexts, and the danger of bolstering the realm of necessity, leading women to spend their time on activities where they only endure present ways of living or endorse neoliberal lifestyles. Second, the paper illustrates ‘entrepreneuring as emancipation’ as a broader struggle since it sparks women’s spiritual freedom as they start questioning and transforming taken-for-granted ideas of who they should be and what they should do with their time. Finally, the paper contributes methodologically to research focusing on marginalized voices beyond the lead entrepreneur.

Law of Ukraine on Palliative Care: to be or not to be

The author has conducted an analysis of the laws on palliative care acting in foreign countries:(Italy, Spain, Germany, Slovakia, France), determined their peculiarities, which areconcordant for a national law, the necessity of which has grown in Ukraine. In particular, thegiven peculiarities include: 1) a value-oriented focus of the laws (quality of life, informed consentetc.); 2) the litmus paper — the confirmation of human dignity, anchored in the internationalstandards; 3) the struggle for life «in the boundaries»; 4) an appropriate pain relief as akey algorithm of medical assistance; 5) the foundations of the law constitute a conceptual-categoricalapparatus.The author has formed a mosaic of the strategy of a special law through the prism of a preambula,the definitive-categorial apparatus and the principles, as well as the author's view ofthe content of the act. The author hallmarked that the structure of the domestic palliativecare law should contain, inter alia: the legal status of palliative patients, the legal representativesof palliative patients, the members of their families, as well as the legal status of medicalemployees, which fulfill the provision of palliative care. The author outlined, that amongthe rights of palliative patients, the following possibilities should be concordant to be included:the refusal from medical interventions, an advance directive, the respect to human dignity,obtaining medical information and the refusal of obtaining it, right to autonomy and voluntaryinformed consent to a medical intervention. The author underlined that the palliativecare law should contain a distinct chapter, dedicated to the peculiarities of providing palliativecare to children, as specific subjects of receiving such care. The author focused the attentionto the fact that distinct chapters would have to regulate the legal status of palliative careproviders and their interaction, and contain the division of powers, since the interdisciplinarityof the sphere would combine two institutions of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and theMinistry of Social Policy of Ukraine, various institutions and establishments.The author justified the necessity of determining the key definition of the research sphereprecisely as palliative care, without the hospice one.

Manugkomposo: Music, Life, and Stories of Capisnon Musicians

Preserving Capiz's vast cultural heritage in modern times is crucial, with musicians from Capiz playing an essential and transformative role in these preservation efforts. The study documented how Capisnon musicians compose their musical pieces and what experiences of these musicians contributed to the development of their craft in music. This utilized qualitative narrative inquiry research design and employed in-depth interview as mode of data collection. This was conducted in the municipalities and one component city in the province of Capiz. Twelve komposo artists served as informants. Thematic analysis was used in data examination. Komposo artists make their compositions through: (1) peaceful environment and personal preferences; (2) researching of ideas; (3) conforming to the forms and specifications of komposo; (4) drafts initial lyrics and tone; (5) revisions of the composition; and (6) finalization of the composition the craft-developing experiences of Capisnon musicians were: (1) music exposures from childhood to present; (2) achievements, victories, failures, life struggles, and sacrifices; (3) livelihood and work; (4) pivotal realizations and talent discovery; (5) trainings and skill-improving workshops; and (6) people's intervention and encouragement. The experiences of Capisnon komposo artists are crucial in shaping their music. Their personal journeys provide them with credibility, passion, and insights, enriching their compositions and allowing them to capture and immortalize the stories of Capisnon.

Challenges and coping strategies for providing maternal health care services among health care professionals in rural health facilities in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia: a qualitative study

BackgroundMany factors can decrease job productivity and cause physical and psychological complications for health care professionals providing maternal care. Information on challenges and coping strategies among healthcare professionals providing maternal healthcare services in rural communities is crucial. However, there needs to be more studies, especially qualitative research, to explore challenges and coping strategies for providing maternal health care services in Ethiopia among health care professionals, particularly in the Wolaita zone.ObjectiveTo explore the challenges and coping strategies of professionals providing maternal health care in rural health facilities in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia, in 2023.MethodA phenomenological qualitative study design was applied from May 20 to June 20, 2023. The study was conducted in rural areas of the Wolaita Zone, southern Ethiopia. Healthcare professionals from rural areas were selected using purposive sampling, and in-depth interviews were conducted. A qualitative thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. Field notes were read, recordings were listened to, and each participant’s interview was written word for word and analyzed using ATLAS.ti 7 software.ResultFive main themes emerged from the data analysis. These themes included inadequate funding from the government, societal barriers to health and access to health care, professionals’ personal life struggles, infrastructure related challenges and health system responsiveness, and coping strategies. Reporting to responsible bodies, teaching mothers about maternal health care services, and helping poor mothers from their pockets were listed among their coping strategies.ConclusionHealthcare professionals have a crucial role in supporting women in delivering babies safely. This study revealed that they are working under challenging conditions. So, if women’s lives matter, then this situation requires a call to action.

Perseverance and Faith Play a Vital Role in One's Struggle in Life as Depicted in The Old Man and The Sea

Perseverance and Faith Play a Vital Role in One's Struggle in Life as Depicted in The Old Man and The Sea

Stát jako organismus? Kritická reflexe dosavadních interpretací konceptu státu Friedricha Ratzela

Friedrich Ratzel (1844–1904) is often portrayed in the Czech context as a controversial figure in the development of political-geographical or geopolitical thought. This is probably a consequence of the lack of attention and research interest in the Czech Republic. Nevertheless, his conception of the state resonates quite strongly in the domestic literature. Available sources indicate that under the influence of Social Darwinism he came up with the idea of the state as a (living or biological) organism that must grow (expand its Lebensraum), become stronger and occupy more and more space in order to survive (in the struggle for life). This interpretation, which is in fact very misleading, forms an important pillar of Ratzel’s overall negative perception. For it implies that his conception of the state is an application of Darwin’s natural selection and the struggle for survival to human society, states and international relations. Such an interpretation of Ratzel’s thought sounds truly sinister, and in this vein could be used to justify territorial expansion as the natural right of the stronger. On closer examination, however, it turns out that the Social Darwinist interpretation of Ratzel’s thought is highly questionable and that his conception of the state cannot be used in this way.

Home, family, and violence: the films of João Canijo

ABSTRACT Portuguese filmmaker João Canijo’s films and his use of family and home present a portrait of contemporary Portugal: underprivileged families trying to survive in the modern world, emphasising the women’s lack of power and the imposition of a patriarchal community. Moreover, using the same narrative pattern, these films allow a study of the tensions in Portuguese society. The place where the narrative develops is the family’s home, the site for the struggle of everyday life. This artistic analysis can be read through the lenses of a cultural analysis made in the past decades by researchers and essayists who examine how the Portuguese cultural representations are strongly attached to a Salazaristic ideology. The films of João Canijo build upon these cultural representations against a harsher reality, which is represented by the way families implode with systemic violence. Thus, this article argues how the home is a claustrophobic space –filled with markers of nationality in its mise-en-scène–, where families cannot live together, and where violence destroys the idyllic cultural representations of Portugal.

Analysing transnational labour mobility regimes

Labour regime analysis is enjoying a resurgence as a way of (re-)centring workers at the heart of questions concerning the organisation of production and social reproduction in the global economy (Baglioni et al, 2022). Migrant labour, and specifically the regulation of migrant labour, is part and parcel of these dynamics yet is often left to the sidelines of labour process studies. Bringing together six papers presented at the 2023 International Labour Process Conference at Strathclyde University, this themed issue of Work in the Global Economy considers how our understandings of international labour migration and its regulation can be extended through a transnational labour mobility regime approach. The rationale is to bring together labour process approaches and theoretical insights from migration studies. These six contributions examine how transnational labour mobility within and from the majority world intersects with a variety of specific local labour control regimes (Jonas, 1996), collectively foregrounding how the bordering of capital-labour relations (within/ beyond the worksite/ state) informs workers’ individual and collective struggles for life and livelihoods.

From the Ideal Human Perspective in Ludwig Feuerbach’s Philosophy to the Practical Human Perspective in Karl Marx’s Philosophy

Humans are a category that philosophers are always interested in research as they are the object and the subject of cognitive activity in social life. From a humanistic point of view, humans were mentioned in Renaissance philosophy as well as in the Enlightenment era as “Liberty – Equality - Fraternity”. Continuing that humanistic tradition, the ideal human perspective was analyzed more broadly and humanely by Ludwig Feuerbach based on the spirit on Enlightenment philosophy. Nevertheless, an humanistic view of humanity has not helped people liberate themselves to have a real life as Ludwig Feuerbach wanted. Humans – living and creative entities – want to liberate themselves and must participate in labor and struggle in practice life, which Karl Marx absorbed and developed in his research. Through Karl Marx’s theory of men, workers fight for a realistic happy life for themselves.

Ontological ekphrasis Elena Shvarts’ poem “Memory of the Fresco of Fra Beato Angelico ‘Baptism’ at the Sight of the Head of John the Baptist in Rome”

Scientific interest in the problem of ekphrasis and the peculiarities of ekphrastic description has increased over the past decades. The article analyzes the ekphrastic poetics of E. Shvarts’ poem “Memory of Fra Beato Angelico’s fresco ‘Baptism’ at the sight of the head of John the Baptist in Rome”. The aim of this article is to identify the intermedial correlation of the verbal level with the visual level, revealing the ontological ekphrasis in this poem. The author of the article examined how the three levels of the image in the poem correlate in their ratio: artistic text, frescoes’ visual images, and symbolism (cultural codes). Ontological ekphrasis helps the poet find new ways to reveal traditional Christian themes. Visual images of the early Renaissance fresco acquire an ontological status in the text (dove, “rose,” gray color, water, fog, coal [fire], flower, river, blood, wine, relics [the head of John the Baptist], Lapis Niger, dawn). Through symbols and cultural codes, these images reveal the metaphysics of Baptism from a historical, cultural, and modern perspective, leaving the reader with options for interpretation. In the spirit of the early Renaissance artist himself, Shvarts ontologically recodes the medieval symbolism of Baptism, immersing it into thereality, perceiving Christian history as a struggle of life and death, culminating in the eschatological hope of the Second Coming of Christ. Fra Angelico turned out to be in tune with Shvarts precisely as an artist of the early Renaissance, in the painter’s movement of medieval mysticism to Renaissance ontologism and humanism.

An Analysis Of Feminist Thoughts Of Life’s Struggle Presented In The Movie “Little Woman (2019)”

Modern women frequently encounter challenges in their perspectives on life's struggle, such as focusing on social expectations of women, experiencing a lack of spiritual support in relationships, and facing a disconnection between education, job, and marriage, which hinders their pursuit of an ideal partnership. This research examines the life of education, marriage experiences, ideas, and inspirations of Jo March in the movie "Little Women" to face the challenges of women in their views on life. The data was collected from two sources the movie Little Women (2019) and other sources of literature. The result revealed that the feminist thought of life struggle found in several aspects, such as the struggle for freedom, the struggle for education, and the Struggle for happiness. These struggles were fueled by the unfair treatment of women, who were subjected to a patriarchal society that taught them they were less important than men and should adhere to men's decisions. The societal expectation that women's happiness was contingent upon male support further limited their pursuit of independence. In this era, the concept of freedom seemed distant and unattainable for women, highlighting the pervasive and systemic barriers they faced.

Remembering through #LetUsTalk: an affective archive narrating Iranian women´s everyday trauma and resistance habits

ABSTRACT This article explores the intersection of hashtag activism, remembering practices, and the diaspora by focusing on the #LetUsTalk hashtag. Employing feminist memory studies, it examines the evocation of objects, occasions, and experiences associated with the hashtag, particularly focusing on diasporic Iranian women´s memories of compulsory hijab and how these memories are embodied and remembered. This article argues that #LetUsTalk is a form of hashtag memory activism enabling diasporic Iranian women to shape an archive of affect. Within this archive, a diverse range of affective responses, bodily reactions, and resistance habits emerge as participants recall forgotten, mundane, and unwanted memories. Through conducting memory work, it sheds light on the capacity of hashtag memory activism to create a space for collective remembrance. In this type of collective remembering, non-participants add their voices to hashtag contributors to unveil hidden struggles of everyday life in connection with mundane memory objects, leading to the generation of new political and transformative actions even if they perform in a minor key.

Queer Nightlife and Contemporary Art Networks: A Study of Artists at the Bar

This article positions queer nightlife as a central vehicle in the lives and practices of queer Latinx artists working in Los Angeles over the past decade. It highlights how queer nightlife has provided a generative space for art making and community building in LA and considers how the usage of queer nightlife as a frame of study ruptures existing art historical and curatorial methodologies relative to Latinx art. I closely analyze works by artists rafa esparza, Sebastian Hernandez, and Gabriela Ruiz drawn from the gay bars and streets of downtown and East Los Angeles to underscore the radical and sophisticated ways by which these artists create art, community, and opportunity. By critically examining three case studies—Escandalos Angeles (2018), a performance by Hernandez and Ruiz at Club Chico in Montebello, California; Nostra Fiesta (2019), a storefront mural by esparza, Ruiz, and friends at the New Jalisco Bar in downtown; and YOU (2019–ongoing), a queer party directed by Hernandez and launched at La Cita Bar in downtown—I reveal how queer nightlife has served as an incubator for these artists to come together, express themselves, and generate a sense of joy and freedom from the struggles of everyday life.

Canaan Hymns: Toward a decolonizing missiology of the Chinese church movement

This article provides a narrative of how the collection Canaan Hymns is embedded in the context of the life and struggles of ecclesial life within the Chinese church movement, embodied in their pneumatologically-led creation, and empowered by the theology of laity and women. It argues that the ecclesiological mode of the grassroots together with the affective style of worship and reflections form the two key characteristics of a decolonizing missiology, offering an epistemology of “knowing with” in relation to missio Dei. This is followed by further examining the mission impulse, nationalistic fever and transnational currents. Contesting the ideology of atheism, a decolonizing missiology of the Chinese church movement offers a bottom-up construction in that the lived embodied experiences of everyday life in Christ within a cultural soil take priority as sources of a theology of mission.

Contemplative Dispositions and Mental Health: The Supportive Role of Self-Compassion and Mindfulness on College Students’ Resilience

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to report the results of a study exploring the mediation effects of self-compassion and mindfulness on the relationship between mental distress and resilience among a national sample of college students (N = 260). The results of the structural equation modeling (SEM) serial mediation analysis revealed that mindfulness through self-compassion fully mediated the relationship between mental distress and resilience. Simple mediation demonstrated that self-compassion accounted for 79.3% of the total effect on resilience, while mindfulness accounted for 46.5%. After accounting for mental distress, follow-up regression analysis identified the mindfulness facet of non-reactive (β = .19, p < . 01), and the self-compassion subscales of mindful awareness (β = .32, p < . 01), common humanity (β = .20, p < . 01), and reverse-scored isolation (β = .17, p < . 05) to predict resilience. For students experiencing depression, anxiety, and loneliness, the dispositions of being present, non-judgmental, and accepting of life struggles may be particularly important for resilience and college persistence. Implications address how college counseling professionals can promote self-compassion and mindfulness on college campuses.