Ethnic Studies Research Articles

Evaluation of the role of FMR1 CGG repeat allele in Parkinson's disease from the Chinese population.

There is controversial evidence that FMR1 premutation or "gray zone" (GZ) allele (small CGG expansion, 45-54 repeats) was associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to explore further the association between FMR1 CGG repeat expansions and PD in a large sample of Chinese origin. We included a cohort of 2,362 PD patients and 1,072 controls from the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Multicenter Database and Collaborative Network in China (PD-MDCNC) in this study and conducted repeat-primed polymerase chain reaction (RP-PCR) for the size of FMR1 CGG repeat expansions. Two PD patients were detected with FMR1 premutation (61 and 56 repeats), and the other eleven PD patients were detected with the GZ allele of FMR1 CGG repeat expansions. Those thirteen PD patients responded well to levodopa and were diagnosed with clinically established PD. Specifically, one female PD patient with GZ allele was also found with premature ovarian failure. However, compared to healthy controls, we found no significant enrichment of GZ allele carriers in PD patients or other subgroups of PD cases, including the subgroups of female, male, early-onset, and late-onset PD patients. Furthermore, we did not find any correlation between the FMR1 gene CGG repeat sizes and age at onset of PD. It suggested that FMR1 premutation was related to PD, but the GZ allele of FMR1 CGG repeat expansions was not significantly enriched in PD cases of Chinese origin. Further larger multiple ethnic studies are needed to determine further the role of the FMR1 GZ allele in PD.

CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO (TEACHING) AMERICAN LITERATURE

The paper aims to present some of the most important critical approaches to American literature in recent period and their potential application in the classroom. The first part briefly discusses some of the most important and influential twentieth and twenty-first century theoretical frameworks in the study of American literature, including New Criticism, Postcolonial Theory, Race, Ethnic and Minority Studies, Feminist Criticism. The second part of the paper is dedicated to the specific genres and forms of American literature, e.g., short story, drama, poetry and their treatment in theoretical literature. In the case of the short story, attention is dedicated to recent scholarly approaches to the form that try to re-examine traditional essential definitions by inspecting the short story in its historical and cultural context. The paper also outlines the treatment of American short story writers and their contribution to the development of the genre in theoretical literature.

Implementing Ethnic Studies Courses to Fight the Spike in Anti-Asian Acts

Recent surveys suggest that the anti-Asian attacks that began during the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to occur. One of the ways school leaders can respond to this problem is by implementing ethnic studies courses. Unfortunately, organizers of social movements sometimes thwart efforts to increase ethnic studies courses, claiming that this type of curriculum is anti-White. But since well-taught ethnic studies courses are designed to benefit all students, this claim is based on misconceptions. In this paper, I clarify how ethnic studies courses benefit students from all ethnic and racial groups and why more of these courses need to be implemented to fight the recent rise in anti-Asian attacks.

Fabric Icons: The Impact of Traditional Costume Patterns on Ethnic Identity of the Sichuan Qiang Community

This is a comprehensive study focused on the symbolic significance of traditional costume patterns in the Qiang community of Sichuan. Recognizing culture as the soul of an ethnic group, this study sheds light on how these traditional costume patterns visually represent the Qiang ethnic culture and portray their tenacity and character. Utilizing systematic research into these visually striking patterns, which form a graphical system, this study offers a truthful depiction of the rich cultural heritage of the Qiang people. The paper discloses how a deeper understanding of these traditional costume patterns can enhance the Qiang community's understanding and appreciation of their indigenous culture and nurture a strong sense of ethnic identity. Engaging with these patterns is not merely an act of cultural preservation but also serves as a potent tool to consolidate unity within the community. By revealing the interplay between traditional costume design and cultural identity, this study contributes to the broader discourse on ethnic studies, cultural preservation, and anthropological design. This research provides an insightful perspective for cultural and social anthropologists, designers, and those interested in ethnic cultures and their visual representations.

University and the Narrative of Ethno-Religious Relations in West Kalimantan

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze educational institutions' contribution to the study of Islam and ethnicity in West Kalimantan and to see the relationship between the two. The method used is qualitative, with a literature study approach and documentation of published or published materials. Data analysis by classifying thematically and qualitative description. Testing the validity of the data was carried out using triangulation. The analysis results concluded that educational institutions in West Kalimantan had significantly contributed to building ethnoreligious narratives in West Kalimantan. Through lecturers and students, educational institutions such as IAIN Pontianak, Tanjungpura University Pontianak, IAIN Sambas, Pontianak State Polytechnic have conducted studies on Islam and ethnicity. In particular, studies on Islam and Malay, Islam and Dayak, Islam and China (Chinese), Islam and Madura, and Islam and Bugis are carried out by lecturers and students studying in educational institutions and society. These studies also strengthen the ethnoreligious narrative that Islam is an inessential part of theconstructinghnic communities in West Kalimantan. The systematic research design presents important social engineering material for the future of religious and ethnic relations, especially Islam and ethnicity in this area.

“My People Wouldn’t Stand For This”: Ethnic Studies as Critical Civic Education

Using testimonio method and methodology, this paper provides the stories and narratives of three Chicanx teachers who developed and taught an Ethnic Studies course to Latinx students in a large urban high school. Long celebrated as a way to fill in missing history, art, literature, resistance, and knowledge of communities of color, this paper argues that Ethnic Studies is also a vehicle to grow and embolden student sense of critical civic literacy. Through the narratives that emerge from these three teachers, the curriculum and pedagogy offered by these teachers positively impacts and propels students to advocate for themselves and their communities through civic and political action. The purpose of this article is to highlight the curricular and pedagogical choices of three teachers teaching Ethnic Studies and how Ethnic Studies can be used as a tool to increase Critical Civic Literacy.

Role of serum and salivary microRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers in gastric cancer

Introduction: Incidence of Gastric cancer (GC) is increasing alarmingly in the recent past due to changing lifestyle and diet pattern. GC usually has poor prognosis due to delayed diagnosis. Salivary and serum biomarkers are a potential early diagnostic tool for GC. MicroRNAs are promising biomarkers due to their stability in these body fluids and their pivotal role in carcinogenesis. This study helps to determine the role of serum and salivary microRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers in gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: The systematic review was performed as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and study (PICOS) framework was used as a strategy for this review. The data were retrieved from online databases such as Medline (PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus, and SpringerLink. Risk of bias and applicability concerns were evaluated using the four domains of QUADAS-2: patient selection, index test, reference standard, procedure and timing. Results: Quality evaluation based on diagnostic accuracy revealed that five studies conducted by Hou et al., Jianhong et al., Kaczor-Urbanowicz et al., Saliminejad et al., and So JBY et al. had the lowest risk of bias, according to a risk of bias chart created using Revman 5.4.1 software. A serum 12-miRNA biomarker assay was validated by the low risk of bias research. Conclusion: This systematic review provides an insight into the possible role and application of an array of miRNAs from various body fluids as a biomarker for the early detection of gastric cancer. The serum 12-miRNA biomarker assay, validated by a low risk of bias research can serve as a potential diagnostic tool to detect gastric cancer. However, the validation of other salivary, serum, and plasma miRNAs as a diagnostic biomarker for gastric cancer mandates further long-term follow-up studies in diverse ethnicity of populations.

Integration of Migrants Through the Lens of a Constructivist Approach to Ethnicity

The article rethinks the integration of migrants through the lens of constructivist studies of ethnicity. It is done on the basis of the theoretical language developed by the author, which builds upon other constructivist languages. It is pointed out that ethnicity is the organization of differences around categories, membership in which is predominantly inherited. Categories, according to language, are organized in the form of categorizations, classifications, and taxonomies; categories are associated with attributes, which include stereotypes, indicators, norms, characteristics of relationships with other categories, as well as discourses. Together, categories and attributes form the construction of ethnicity, which is a typical object of analysis and description. Individuals constantly evaluate the surrounding phenomena in terms of conformity with the construction of ethnicity, which is why the construction of ethnicity changes. Integration is a change in the construction of ethnicity or re-categorization of individuals in the space of the dichotomy «migrant» - «local» without changing the construction of ethnicity. In the course of integration, «migrant» categories may be re-categorized as «local»; «local» categories may change the attributes associated with them to include attributes previously associated with «migrant» categories; categories and attributes may not change, while re-categorization occurs at the individual level. How exactly integration will take place depends on a variety of factors that characterize the construction of ethnicity and go beyond it. The construction of ethnicity in Russia is a vernacular taxonomy, which implies the existence of a general category (‘Rossijane’, ‘Russkie’), which includes other categories - defined as the «local» ones. Most of the «migrant» categories correspond to identical in name «local» categories. The integration of migrants in Russia thus takes the form of an individual transition from the category of «Tajik migrants» to «local Tajiks». The language created and studied for applicability to the integration of migrants is analyzed for pros and cons and directions for further work are identified.

Economy and Identity: The Oraons’ Perspective In Northwest Bangladesh

This paper explains the relationship between economy and identity among the Oraons in Barind region of Northwest Bangladesh. Focusing on original in-depth ethnographic fieldwork in Barind, the paper concerns Oraons’ identity that how it is structured by their present economic condition as well as by the processes that have promoted internal Oraon diversity. Despite this concern, the paper depicts the processes of Oraons’ identity formation as minority group or adibashis or indigenous people. The Oraons, by claiming their identity rights as adibashis, strategically unite with other adibashi group from both Bangladesh and abroad, politically respond to global indigeneity. Theoretically, the paper thus contributes to the literature on ethnic studies explaining the relationship between economy and identity in the case of the Oraons. Social Science Review, Vol. 39(2), June 2022 [Special Issue] Page 39-57

Rivaling efficacy of special stains in the identification of Barr bodies

Background: Gender determination becomes the first priority in process of identification of a person by a forensic investigator in case of mass disaster, crime investigations, and ethnic studies. Demonstration of nuclear sex plays a vital role in determining the gender of an individual. Barr bodies (BB) are known to arise from the inactivation of the X chromosome in a female somatic cell. They are basophilic structures with varying morphology measuring approximately 0.8 × 1.1 microns in the nucleus during interphase. Various nuclear stains such as Thionine, Papanicolaou, Feulgen, Cresyl-violet, Giemsa, Aceto-orcein, and acridine orange & Routine stains can validate Barr bodies. Aim To evaluate the efficacy of Feulgen, Giemsa, and H&E stains in the demonstration of Barr bodies. Materials And Method Buccal smears were prepared from 25 males & 25 females. These smears were stained by Feulgen, Giemsa & Routine staining methods. The Barr body identification was determined by the presence of a darkly stained condensed area on nucleoplasm. The frequency of Barr body was examined by observing 100 nuclei per smear under a binocular light microscope at 100 magnification. For all BB-positive cases, Barr Body Index(BBI) was calculated and compared for the different stains used. Result Buccal cytological smears stained with Feulgen, Giemsa, and Routine stains. Samples with a presence of Barr bodies ≤2 were recorded as male and those with >2 were recorded as female under microscopic findings. The percentage of Barr bodies in Feulgen-stained slides ranged from 30.2 - 37.9 among females and 0 - 0.1 in males, Giemsa slides ranged 14.2 - 22.2 from among females and 0 - 0.3 in males, while with Routine stained slides ranges recorded were10.2 - 14.9 in females and 0 - 0.5 in males. The sensitivity of Feulgen, Giemsa, and Routine stain for detecting sex accurately was 100% and specificity was 100%, 98%, and 94% respectively. Conclusion Feulgen stain proved to be better than Giemsa and routine stain for visualizing Barr Bodies.

Strategic generosity among local patrons: Place belonging and ethnic exclusion in a transforming lower‐income neighborhood of Tel Aviv

AbstractWorking at the intersection of exchange theory, urban anthropology, and ethnic and racial studies, this article offers an original perspective on the role of local patrons’ exchange networks in constructing place belonging during racial urban change. Inspired by a middle‐ground approach to reciprocity, embodying both solidarity and distrust within the same ethnic community, and manifested in an interracial context, the article proposes the integrative term of strategic generosity. The concept includes two interlinked layers: the combination of altruism and self‐interest in local patrons’ exchange practices within the same ethnic community, and patron exchange circles as mechanisms for the exclusion of racial Others reproducing boundaries between social groups. The case study is HaTikva—a lower‐income neighborhood in downtown Tel Aviv originally inhabited almost exclusively by disadvantaged Mizrahi Jews (of Middle Eastern origin), and more recently transformed by the arrival of African asylum seekers. Based on fieldwork conducted from 2010 to 2013 among long‐term Mizrahi residents, I argue that although local Mizrahi patrons use parental metaphors to describe their unconditioned giving to their own community; in fact, altruist and instrumental actions intermingle in the management of their reciprocity network. The exchange networks help vulnerable agents and enhance Mizrahi place attachment, but at the same time buttress the patrons’ own standing in the neighborhood and exclude the non‐Jewish African Others. These findings are discussed in the context of everyday life in a marginalized ethnic community as well as a barrier to integration and the concept's contribution to exchange theory more broadly. [strategic generosity, ethnic exclusion, exchange theory, place belonging, Mizrahi Jews, Tel Aviv]

Towards a Rural Ethnic Studies, via Ruth L. Ozeki’s My Year of Meats

Journal Article Towards a Rural Ethnic Studies, via Ruth L. Ozeki’s My Year of Meats Get access Surabhi Balachander Surabhi Balachander surabhib@umich.edu Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, isad027, https://doi.org/10.1093/isle/isad027 Published: 13 June 2023 Article history Received: 13 January 2023 Revision received: 08 May 2023 Editorial decision: 28 May 2023 Accepted: 29 May 2023 Published: 13 June 2023

Racial Discrimination and Sleep Quality during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from the Health, Ethnicity, and Pandemic (HEAP) Study.

Previous research has documented the association between racial discrimination and poor sleep quality. However, few studies have examined this association during the COVID-19 pandemic when racial discrimination is on the rise due to structural injustice and racism against people of color. Using data from the Health, Ethnicity, and Pandemic (HEAP) Study, a nationally representative survey of US adults, we assessed the association between racial discrimination and sleep quality among overall adults and by race and ethnicity. We found that racial discrimination during the pandemic was significantly associated with higher risks of poor sleep quality among non-Hispanic Black (OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.13-4.25) and Asian (OR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.53-4.94) participants, but not among the other groups. The results suggested that sleep quality among Black and Asian populations may have been disproportionately affected by racial discrimination during the pandemic. Further study is needed to assess the causal relationship between racial discrimination and sleep quality.

Death of a guitar hero: The art of metal reputation maintenance

Combining insights from identity, gender and ethnicity studies while incorporating notions of the sacred, the death of guitar hero, Randy Rhoads, in a plane crash in 1982 is addressed to establish how maintenance of Rhoads’s reputation as a saintly, innocent character who died because of a mysterious accident has been constructed and maintained for over forty years. Situating his death in a comparative analysis with premature deaths of other guitarists, Tommy Bolin and Allen Collins, in addition to artists from other musical genres, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston and Donna Summer, frames of similarities and differences emerge to reveal how identity and reputation is achieved and maintained after death within heavy metal but also in other genres. Three specific tropes including accident equals innocence, transgression equals recklessness and transgression equals criminality are defined and applied throughout. These reveal that posthumous identity, be it positive or negative, is actively constructed and is imbued at times with gendered and racial elements. Via the application of criticality, the findings show how the posthumous consecration of Rhoads and other decedents is accomplished via selective emphasis on particular claims and the silencing of others, with locus of responsibility for a tragic death, either internal or external, being crucial.

Ethnic Studies as Social Movement: Resistance in the Face of Public Reaction

Ethnic Studies as Social Movement: Resistance in the Face of Public Reaction

Mary Prince’s Undisciplining Lessons: Counter-Narrative and Testimonio in The History

This essay discusses teaching The History of Mary Prince at a Hispanic Serving Institution via Ethnic Studies praxis. It develops Nicole Aljoe’s definition of Prince’s narrative as counter-story and testimonio and explores the undisciplining effects of reading Prince’s history as relevant to the lives of Borderlands students. To understand the multiple meanings of “undisciplining’ this essay draws on the theory of Sylvia Wynter and shows how Prince’s testimonio offers an alternative to Western epistemologies via communal resistance and resurgence. Several pedagogic tools are explored for teaching Prince in this way.

Beyond In/Visible Tokens: Complicating Narratives of Blackness and Belonging at an Oceanic University

This photo essay incorporates a creative visual ethnic studies approach to express Black students' experiences, understanding, and concerns on oceanic Blackness and belonging at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The students, from Hawaiʻi and the continental United States, share their thoughts on how the university and island provide possibilities for oceanic ways of thinking about Blackness that render them invisible, visible, safe, threatened, complicated, and whole on campus and in Hawaiʻi. These visual vignettes reflect how students negotiate with their presence on a campus with few Black students, staff, and faculty, where they feel a lack of connection in nearly all locations on campus yet strive to develop a sense of belonging through interpersonal relations and possibilities.

Syllabus for Race, Performance, and Media Studies

A reflection on the serious work and pressing exigencies of interdisciplinary teaching at the intersection of media studies, performance studies, and race and ethnic studies, this syllabus is both a portrait of pandemic pedagogy and a reflection of the work of friendship and mutual struggle.

Racial-ethnic disparities in psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: the role of experienced discrimination and perceived racial bias

BackgroundResearch on mental health disparities by race-ethnicity in the United States (US) during COVID-19 is limited and has generated mixed results. Few studies have included Asian Americans as a whole or by subgroups in the analysis.MethodsData came from the 2020 Health, Ethnicity, and Pandemic Study, based on a nationally representative sample of 2,709 community-dwelling adults in the US with minorities oversampled. The outcome was psychological distress. The exposure variable was race-ethnicity, including four major racial-ethnic groups and several Asian ethnic subgroups in the US. The mediators included experienced discrimination and perceived racial bias toward one’s racial-ethnic group. Weighted linear regressions and mediation analyses were performed.ResultsAmong the four major racial-ethnic groups, Hispanics (22%) had the highest prevalence of severe distress, followed by Asians (18%) and Blacks (16%), with Whites (14%) having the lowest prevalence. Hispanics’ poorer mental health was largely due to their socioeconomic disadvantages. Within Asians, Southeast Asians (29%), Koreans (27%), and South Asians (22%) exhibited the highest prevalence of severe distress. Their worse mental health was mainly mediated by experienced discrimination and perceived racial bias.ConclusionsPurposefully tackling racial prejudice and discrimination is necessary to alleviate the disproportionate psychological distress burden in racial-ethnic minority groups.

Analysis and Mapping of Scientific Literature on Detention and Deportation of International Migrants (1990-2022).

Millions of people cross political borders yearly without having the proper documents. This has led to increased detention and deportation practices in destination countries for reasons related to security and sovereignty. The objective of the current study was to analyze and visualize research publications on the detention and deportation of migrants to identify current research hotspots, research gaps, and potential future research in the field. Relevant research articles were obtained from the Scopus database for the study period from 1900 to December 31, 2022. The analysis included presentations of key contributors to the field and visualization of topics, themes, and international collaboration. In total, 906 articles were found. The earliest was in 1982. The majority of articles were published in journals within the subject areas of social sciences and humanities. The number of publications showed a steep rise from 2011 to 2022. The Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies was the most prolific, but publications in the Citizenship Studies journal received the highest number of citations per article. Researchers from the United States contributed the most. Mexico ranked fifth in the number of publications. Oxford University was the most prolific institution, followed by three universities in Australia. The majority of articles were single-authored, indicative of limited author-author collaboration. Research hotspots in the field were "human rights" and "mental health". The detention and deportation of Mexican and other Latino migrants in the United States constituted a distinct research theme in the field. International research collaboration was limited by geographical proximity (e.g., the United States and Mexico) or common language (e.g., the United Kingdom and Australia). Future research topics should focus on alternatives to detention, family separation, and healthcare services for detained migrants. Research activity on detention and deportation is required from all world regions, including the source countries of migrants. Future research should promote alternatives to traditional detentions. The contribution of countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South-Eastern Asian regions needs to be encouraged. Future research on the detention and deportation of non-Latino migrants is highly required.