Transnational Studies Research Articles

Disabled People and the Intersectional Nature of Social Inclusion

This editorial introduces a thematic issue of Social Inclusion focusing on disabled people and the intersectional nature of social inclusion. This thematic issue includes transnational and transdisciplinary studies and expressions of lived experiences facing disabled people, their families, and allies across the globe from a social, human rights, and/or disability justice perspective. The articles comprising this issue include an explicit recognition and discussion of intertwined and socially constructed identities, labels, power, and privilege as explicated by pioneering Black feminists who introduced the concept of intersectionality. Taken together, the articles within this issue identify and articulate the powerful ideological forces and subsequent policies and practices working against transformational action. As such, we are not calling for the inclusion of disabled people into society as it is today—wrought with social, economic, and environmental crises. Rather, we seek a transformation of the status quo whereby disabled people are respected as an inherent part of human diversity with gifts and worthiness untangled from a capitalist and colonial system of exploitation, extraction, and oppression. This means that achieving social justice and inclusion requires radically reordering our economic and political systems. This thematic issue illuminates the impacts and root causes of exclusion to foment critical thinking about the possibilities for social inclusion from the perspective of those who are marginalized by the status quo.

Introduction to the special issue: Tackling inequality and providing sustainable welfare through eco-social policies

We are increasingly witnessing the social and ecological crises of our time becoming entangled and amplifying each other. The current policy responses from national states and international governance bodies remain within the dominant framework of economic growth-centred strategies. In this editorial, we argue that a new paradigm of sustainable welfare is needed, which includes eco-social policies addressing social and ecological sustainability concerns in integrated ways. We first demonstrate how social and ecological problems are interconnected and why green growth approaches fail to tackle them. As an alternative, and as a pointer to a social security system that can help people navigate the dire straits of increasing eco-social risks, we present the foundations and principles of sustainable welfare, and discuss how this, according to Kuhn, can be understood as a new social policy paradigm. In the second part of this editorial, we introduce the papers brought together in this special issue. The cutting-edge research of the contributing authors includes theoretical and conceptual advances, empirical case studies from different European countries, and transnational studies. Each paper discusses the implications of its findings for European social security systems.

African-Centered Psychological Perspective on Happiness

Happiness scholarship has gained prominence in a number of disciplines over the last few decades, including economics and psychology. In South Africa, we have observed an uptick in happiness studies, but also that these studies are mostly using quantitative methodologies. What is missing in nearly all these studies are conceptualizations of happiness from African-centered decolonial psychological perspectives. The main objective in this article is to approach happiness from an African-centered decolonial psychological perspective. The article draws on data from a qualitative study which investigated happiness and gender equality amongst South African women. Convenience sampling was employed to recruit participants. Eleven qualitative individual interviews were conducted with key informants and three focus groups with women who shared their everyday lived experiences of happiness. We draw only from the individual interviews. The interviews were subjected to an adapted, theoretically driven thematic analysis informed by African-centered decolonial psychological interpretations. Whilst we identified four key themes, we report and discuss only two of these, namely: happiness as inter-connectedness and happiness as maintaining a balanced life. The perspective we adopt in this article offers an opportunity to unpack how happiness is inter-connectedness and how happiness is a balanced life. In enmeshing decolonial African-centered perspectives and African feminist psychology, it was possible to not only produce a more situated analysis of women’s happiness but also to center issues of gender and gender inequality within African-centered psychological thought. Potential directions for further contextual and transnational qualitative studies on happiness that incorporate African-centered decolonial perspectives are offered.

Migration, collective remittances and religion: the growth of Alevi worship places (cemevi) in the rural homeland

ABSTRACT The influence of transnational engagements on emigrant villages has attracted noticeable scholarly attention, however, the religious dimension of the link between migration and remittances remains largely unexplored. Providing an ethnographic study exploring the dynamics and meanings involved in the growth of cemevis in villages, this paper aims to contribute to an understanding of this phenomenon, something that has received less attention in studies of migration and transnationalism. Drawing on a multi-sited ethnography of the British Alevi community in London and their villages in the Afşin-Elbistan region in Maraş province in Turkey, the paper discovers how and to what extent these transnational interactions shape places and social and religious spaces in the villages. The paper describes rural cemevis built by migrants as “remittance cemevis’ that form a channel between the diaspora and homeland and allow migrant Alevis to expand their role in the village community and influence social and cultural life.

A shifting language-scape

By engaging the literature of transnationalism and Latinx studies with that of multiliteracies, this article contends that the cultural and linguistic complexities experienced by Spanishspeaking populations in global cities can be better addressed by a multiliteracies framework. We argue that using multiliteracies to teach adult learners can challenge negative linguistic and cultural stereotypes in the classroom. We conducted a qualitative study with at-risk adult learners. Using a TV show, we developed a series of pedagogical interventions and exercises to encourage cultural and linguistic pride to mitigate pervasive negative stereotypes around Latinx in the US. We contend that the development of language policies needs to engage the linguistic and cultural complexities experienced by Spanish-speaking people within the diasporic communities of global cities. The study was conducted at Hostos Community College in the Bronx, NY. The study shows that our pedagogical interventions mitigate negative linguistic and cultural stereotypes.

Reflexive professionalisation in social work practice development, research, and education: the vital challenge of democratic citizen participation

ABSTRACT This paper examines how the renewed critical emphasis on reflexive professionalisation in the field of social work can take into account the challenges regarding the politics of democratic participation of service users as citizens while working towards social justice. Our contribution is based on the findings of a collaborative European research project involving researchers, students, public service organisations, service user organisations, and educators from various European countries. The aim of the project was to gain a differentiated and in-depth understanding of how reflexive professionalisation in social work may function as a concept and practice that stimulates social care that integrates a commitment to democratic citizen participation. Based on a qualitative content analysis of 21 transnational empirical case studies, we identify four vital dimensions of developing reflexive and democratic participatory approaches in social service contexts: (1) cultivating a historical awareness of how the professional identity and mandate of social workers has been and is currently (nationally) defined; (2) articulating the professional positions and normative value orientations that underpin (participatory) practice development; (3) reflecting on the constructions of problems, service user identities and related actions; and (4) creating space for ambiguity, risks and mistakes.

Costa Rica & the United States: A transnational early literacy study

ABSTRACT This transnational comparative study between Costa Rica and the United States provides an in-depth understanding of the similarities and differences of the early literacy practices of educators in the Pre-Kindergarten to Kindergarten classroom settings. Drawing upon Costa Rica’s curricular approach to Early Childhood Education, based upon the Ministerio de Educación Pública, this study positions the learner as the center of the schooling process and considers the teacher as a facilitator, mediator who knows the learners and their families. The main conceptual framework which has guided this research project is the National Reading Panel six pillars of literacy instruction. Specific findings include similarities in early literacy practices for both Costa Rica and the United States include role-playing, hands-on activities, and visual aids. General findings revealed that Costa Rica’s approach to early literacy practices was more holistic and integrated, in comparison to the United States with a more focused and analytical approach.

Reflections on the ‘Trans’ in Jhumpa Lahiri’s In Other Words (In altre parole)

ABSTRACT Jhumpa Lahiri’s translingual text In Other Words (In altre parole, 2015) functions in the article both as a test case to explore disciplinary boundaries and as a case study to examine the ‘trans’ prefix. Firstly, can the infrastructure of Italian Studies accommodate non-Italianist writers and researchers? What sort of conversations might a Transnational Italian Studies scholar have with a comparatist? Secondly, to what extent does Lahiri’s text merit the prefix ‘trans’, especially if we adopt Jessica Berman’s view of the ‘trans’ prefix as disruptive of the normative? An analysis of In Other Words focusing on four trans-prefixed terms – transnational, transgender, transvestite, and translation – reveals a tension between essentialised concepts of national belonging, gender, and language and more performative instances of the same.

Comparison of the neurocognitive profile of the children of parents with bipolar disorder and controls: A transnational cross-sectional study

IntroductionStudies that have compared the cognitive alterations of the children of parents with bipolar disorder (CPBD) versus the children of control parents (CCP), present heterogeneous results due to the studies’ methodological differences, the age of the population studied, and the lack of standardisation of the measures used for the different neurocognitive domains. The objective was to compare the neurocognitive profile of CPBD versus CCP to observe if there are differences that could be proposed as possible endophenotypes of BD. ResultsA total of 107 individuals (51 CPBD, and 56 CCP) with ages between 6 and 16 (mean, 12.2±2.80) years of age were evaluated. Seventy-four point five percent of the CPBD group had some disorder compared to 67.9% of the CCP group. Tests such as letter-F phonemic verbal fluency, letter-S phonemic verbal fluency, overall F-A-S phonemic verbal fluency, story recall and retrieval, and Wisconsin perseverative errors showed a difference with a small effect size, but with a high degree of uncertainty. ConclusionsThe CPBD did not have differences in their neurocognitive profile in comparison with CCP. Both groups have a high prevalence of psychopathology, which is a factor that could explain the lack of differences in neurocognitive performance.

Notes on the Present and Future Research on World Literary Journalisms

This review article offers a glimpse into the problems and promises of current research on world literary journalism. It discusses the rise and spread of press cultures via colonialism, the contentious nature and taxonomy of the fact—its subjectivism, accessibility, and veracity—within an inconsistent global press, and how the porous divide between fiction and nonfiction genres is affecting the production and consumption of literary journalism around the world. The article concludes by offering nine areas of research (from canon-building and historiographies to digital news platforms and gendered media) still under-represented in international and transnational literary journalism studies.

Barriers and facilitators of physical activity among Latina immigrant and Mexican mothers living in the US and Mexico: A qualitative study.

Latina immigrant women are among the least physically active when compared with women in other racial/ethnic groups in the US. Similarly, Mexican mothers in Mexico have low rates of physical activity. Motherhood and immigration experiences are recognized barriers to engage in physical activity among Latina immigrant mothers. Less is known about the factors that promote and limit physical activity engagement among Mexican mothers in Mexico, and how their experiences compare with their immigrant counterparts. This transnational qualitative study aimed to investigate the barriers and facilitators of physical activity of 25 Latina mothers in Mexico and the US. Low-income Mexican mothers of kindergarten aged children and Latino mothers of similar aged children were recruited in San Luis Potosí, Mexico and central Illinois, US. Semi-structured interviews were administered by two bilingual and bicultural researchers in participants language of preference. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic network approach and multi-stage coding analysis guided by the Socio-Ecological Model framework. We found that at the macro-level: 1) familial obligations, and 2) cold weather after migrating; at the mezzo-level: 1) changes in walking patterns, and 2) social cohesion (e.g., lack of an invitation to engage in activities); and at the micro-level: 1) individual perceptions, particularly unattainable perceptions of physical activity and 2) shift exhaustion were perceived as barriers and occasionally facilitators of physical activity by mothers in both countries. Context-specific interventions are needed to increase women's physical activity levels in the US and Mexico.

Health Experiences of Women University Students of Color and Women International Students in the United States During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From a Transnational, Virtual Photovoice Study.

Women university students in the United States who are students of color and international students consistently experience health disparities. These were exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and racial upheaval following the murder of George Floyd. Within that context, this study aimed to explore the health and well-being experiences of women students of color and international women students at a university in the Midwestern United States in 2020-2021. This participatory, transnational study utilized a virtual adaptation of Photovoice with 14 participants who joined the study from five different countries. Participatory elements included participant co-researchers co-leading development of the photo "mission," icebreakers, naming of the project, design of the project logo, choosing photos for discussion and exhibits, initial analysis of emergent themes, and approval and editing of photos for exhibit. Inductive thematic analysis revealed three themes: (1) grief and loss, (2) barriers and facilitators to social health, and (3) fear and stress from simultaneous social stressors. Data was not mutually exclusive with some photos and narratives illustrating more than one theme. The women experienced grief and loss while negotiating effects of social isolation and adapting to maintain social health. Negative mental and emotional health experiences were amplified as the social context of police brutality and anti-immigrant sentiments overlaid the stress of the pandemic. Study results demonstrate need for increased and tailored health and social service support for women students of color and international women university students.

Towards an emotional geoeconomics? Masculinity and emotions among Mexican and Guatemalan temporary agricultural workers in Quebec

AbstractThis article explores the emotional geographies underpinning the experiences of temporary agricultural workers who migrate yearly to fields of labour in Canada. The research is based on a transnational qualitative study in Quebec, Mexico, and Guatemala. To provide a theoretical framework for this article, we bring the concepts of geoeconomics and geographies of emotion into conversation. We then briefly present the history and evolution of temporary agricultural work, highlighting its deeply racialized and gendered nature. We argue that the mobilization and interiorization of a particular form of masculinity and emotional expression are central to both the exploitation of workers and their acceptance of their working conditions. These forms of masculinity and emotional expression are tightly bound to the workers’ role as household providers. Workers demonstrate satisfaction and pride in fulfilling their roles while negotiating an ongoing fear of job loss if they do not comply with work expectations. We argue that this represents a new form of subaltern masculinity that underpins Canadian geoeconomic strategy.

Nomadic Sisters: Migrant Identity in Joanna Bator’s Cloudalia and Sandra Cisneros’ Caramelo

The article provides a comparative analysis of Joanna Bator’s Cloudalia and Sandra Cisneros’ Caramelo with regard to similar identity construction of the main female characters. Both authors concentrate on young women (Dominika Chmura in Cloudalia and Celaya Reyes in Caramelo) who set out for a journey of feminist self-discovery, crossing the boundaries of geography, history and culture. The author of the article argues that, despite the obvious differences between Poland and Mexico, the protagonists rebel against the same legacy of the Catholic patriarchal culture, reinforced by national visions of history and literary canon in the respective countries, and they gradually manage to rework historical trauma by reconstructing the doppelganger figure and creating new transcultural feminist paradigms. The arguments are reinforced not only by references to autobiographical motives in Bator’s and Cisneros’ fiction and diaries, but also by transnational identity studies of Zygmunt Bauman and Amaryll Chanady.

Transnational Curriculum Studies: A Postcolonialist Perspective

This essay offers a postcolonialist standpoint on transnational and international curriculum studies, addressing such concepts as “Asia as method”, the politics of “helping”, the “post-reconceptualisation” of curriculum studies, decolonising curriculum, and the contemporary relevance of love and care in framing curriculum problems and issues.

Introduction: Critical issues in Transnational Italian Studies

Introduction: Critical issues in Transnational Italian Studies

Exploring physician gender bias in the initiation of prescribing cascades for older men and women: a qualitative clinical vignette study protocol

IntroductionA prescribing cascade occurs when a drug is prescribed to manage the often unrecognised side effect of another drug; these cascades are of particular concern for older adults who are...

Transnational death and technological haunting

The paper proposes “technological haunting” as a concept in migration and transnational death studies. Existing theory and empirical work in media studies explore connections between new media and grieving practices and how affordances of co-presence and portability shape how people maintain bonds with the deceased. The unique considerations that “technological haunting” brings to the study of transnational families and death still need to be addressed by both media scholars and researchers within digital migration studies.

VREA PROJECT - A DIGITAL CURATOR FOR ARCHITECTURE AND DIGITAL PERSPECTIVES FOR HERITAGE MANAGEMENT AND ENHANCEMENT

Abstract. Thinking about architectural education, one must face the challenges of the ever-changing and digital world and bear in mind the figure of the architect of the future - the curator of digital data. Nowadays the aim is to train specialists who know how to manage the production of digital products and are able to face the challenges of digital change in the field of architecture and architectural heritage management. Virtual Reality Engineering and Game Design for Architecture and Cultural Heritage (VREA) will be a new Master’s degree course designed to generate a new professional figure in charge of the technological evolution and at the same time having critical sensitivity towards the architectural heritage, its conservation, and enhancement. These objectives received funding as part of the call of European Erasmus Mundus Design Measures (ERASMUS-EDU-2021-EMJM-DESIGN) for the development of new, innovative, high-level integrated transnational study programmes at the Master level. VREA project aims to create a basis for a new international joint Master level course to create a new generation of architects and engineers equipped with the cultural and technical knowledge for managing Digital Twins in the field of Cultural Heritage, outlining at the same time the future course of study for architects and engineers. The result of the work is an innovative, international and comprehensive programme, strengthening the competences of all project participants and aimed at educating architects and engineers of the future, prepared for the challenges of the 21st century.

В поисках глобальной памяти: куда ведет транснациональный поворот в Memory studies?

The article is devoted to the transnational turn in the research of collective and cultural memory in the 21st century, reflecting the desire of scientists working within Memory studies to go beyond “methodological nationalism” and explore the formation and circulation of historical memory across borders. Based on the English-language literature of the 2000s—2020s, the author analyzes the emerging field of Transnational Memory studies from the point of view of the categorical apparatus, disciplinary features and research approaches. Having documented that discussions about the transcultural dimension of collective memory are present even in the works of the classics of Memory studies, the author shows that the efforts of their modern critics are driven by the attempts to conceptualize the memory of the Holocaust, World War II, colonialism and other events of the “difficult past”. The abundance of closely related concepts elaborated in recent years creates an illusion of competition in this field, but these concepts are often based on fundamentally different ideological and methodological settings, and if some of the concepts possess a certain empirical potential, others are completely normative. The author identifies six main research lenses within the current state of Transnational Memory studies — international, supranational, diasporic, mediatized, digital and, finally, global, associated with the problem of memory synchrony/simultaneity. At the same time, according to his conclusion, getting rid of the national perspective in understanding transnational memory is still far from complete, and the very fact that scientists look beyond borders indicates that such borders still exist.