Tool Of Self-expression Research Articles

Identity in Sound Waves: The Interweaving of Immigrant Traditional Music and Pop Culture

This paper aims to delve into the complexity of identity within cross-cultural music, focusing on the interaction and integration of traditional music from immigrant communities with the popular culture of the host country. In the context of immigration, traditional music serves not only as a vessel for the continuity of history and culture but also plays a crucial role in the formation of community identity. As popular culture rises, the expression of traditional music is influenced by various factors, gradually incorporating new elements. This integration reflects both a process of cultural adaptation and a profound examination of identity. Through the analysis of specific cases, this paper reveals the positive role of music in fostering cultural exchange and enhancing community cohesion, while also addressing potential identity crises and cultural conflicts that may arise. This dual influence underscores the significance of music as a tool for self-expression and cultural preservation. Ultimately, the paper summarizes the multiplicity and fluidity of music within immigrant communities, emphasizing that in the context of globalization, music functions not only as a reflection of identity but also as a means for individuals and groups to reshape themselves amidst cultural convergence. Through an interwoven analysis of tradition and popular culture, this paper provides a novel perspective for understanding immigrant identity and outlines directions for future research.

International and intercultural training on the use of Art Therapy for Dementia Care

Abstract In 2023 more than 55 million people had dementia worldwide, with nearly 10 million new cases every year. Currently art therapy has been widely adopted in the assistance of people with dementia because of the positive outcomes in terms of reducing depressive and behavioural symptoms and of improving the patients’ overall quality of life. In literature there was a knowledge gap on social and health professionals’ training for being able to effectively use art therapy in relation with different origins of people with dementia in a multi-ethnic world. This research aimed to assess the impact of promoting joint international and intercultural training session for social workers and health professionals’ students. The used methodology was a prospective research-intervention study with the conductions of two seasonal schools (Florence - Italy in July and Ankara - Tukey in October 2023) on the use of art therapy in the different stages of dementia disease within the Erasmus+ Project DementiaCare (2021-1-TR01-KA220-HED-000027648). Each seasonal school was attended by 25 students from Italy (5), Portugal (5), Slovenia (5), and Turkey (10) to ensure an international and intercultural approach. Pre- and post- test results showed the increased knowledge of students on the theoretical notions on dementia care and art therapy. Positive opinion on the projects developed by mixed group of students (with representants of the 5 involved universities) manifested the enforcement of their relational competences and skills mutually adapting their way of doing and communication register to the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural group’s needs. Evidence showed how mutual knowledge among social and health professionals with different cultures and their joint training allowed these professionals to be able to provide an integrated and effective assistance to every patient with dementia, personalizing assistance according with their different traditions and historical memories. Key messages • Art therapy has been adopted as non-pharmacological approach in dementia care to mitigate progression of symptoms’ severity, serving as alternative tool for self-expression for patients. • Conducting joint international and intercultural training sessions for social and health professionals in art therapy enabled them to develop a respectful, multi-ethical approach to dementia care.

The Power of Handwriting for Self-Expressions and Learning Optimization

Now days most students did not want to make a note anymore by handwriting for their study or when they listen to the lecture in class, and they rely more on digital devices for their lecture activities. The aim of this research was to understand and explain about the utility of handwriting for the process of study and learning, on the other hand, handwriting was also a tool for self-expression, and in the future, it was necessary to preserve handwriting skills. Base on theory of symbolic interactionism by Blumer, that by giving meaning to symbols, human can express things with language, which in turn, symbols form the basis of communication. And further humans used their hands and fingers to produce and develop the communication symbols needed, whether in the form of pictures, paintings, or written letters. Through qualitative research by conducting observations and interviews with 25 students at three universities in Jakarta, and equipped with digital literature study, the research results found that For learning optimizations, it has been proven that the ability to write manually will really help children and students learn fluently, especially in improving memory and helping students focus more on learning. Also known that handwriting a tool for self-expression and creativity, where the writing process will form uniqueness and personal character. Conclusion Policies and methods of learning process needed for preserve handwriting skills.

SOCIAL FACTORS AFFECTING STYLE VARIATION

This research delves into how gender, age, ethnicity, social network, socioeconomic status, and other social factors impact language choices regarding style. This is called style variation, when people's speech patterns, dialects, and registers change based on social circumstances. Vocabulary is a powerful tool for self-expression and group identification, and this analysis shows how people change their vocabulary to fit in or stand out from their social circles. How prevailing social standards impact linguistic prestige and stigmatization is one area that the article delves into, as does the impact of power dynamics and social stratification on language patterns more generally. The study shows how language is a social identity marker that reflects larger social structures and interactions through case studies and sociolinguistic research. The results indicate that differences in style are not static but depend on the surrounding environment. They are an integral part of society and lighten the relationship between language, culture, and personal identity.

Examining the Influence of Communication Technology, Image Technicalities, and Image Narrative on Environmental Awareness in the Digital Age: A Study of Worlds Top 20 Environmental Photography Winners 2020

In today's digital era, photography has experienced a transformative shift, revolutionizing how we capture, share, and engage with images. Advancements in technology and the widespread availability of digital devices have made photography more accessible than ever. This has resulted in a proliferation of visual content across various platforms, shaping our visual culture and influencing societal perceptions. With the rise of social media and online platforms, photography has become a powerful tool for self-expression, storytelling, and documentation. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to identify the relationship between communication technology, image technicalities, and image narrative in documentary photographic images World Top 20 Environmental Photography Winner 2020 to audience awareness in the digital age. A quantitative approach (content analysis) was used to answer the study's objectives. The study data set was analyzed using IBM SPSS software version 27 to see whether there is a significant relationship. The study results found that the highest βeta value was the narrative image variable of 0.939, followed by the βeta value of the technical image of 0.035, and the last is the βeta value of the communication technology of 0.025. This suggests that image narrative variables are significantly related to interpreting documentary photo images of environmental issues that shape consciousness. The study's implications are anticipated to provide stakeholders insights into the critical elements of photography, serving as a guide for producing high-quality photographic images with meaningful content and effectively educating the public about environmental issues.

Bodies on the screen : A short essay on performative memes

“Bodies on the Screen: A Short Essay on Performative Memes” explores the intersection of contemporary visual art and internet culture through an analysis of memetic performances. Focusing on David Horvitz’s viral “freezer project” as a catalyst, the essay examines the dynamics of repetition and variation within memetic systems, highlighting the role of instructions and the body as a medium of expression. Drawing parallels with more recognized art practices, such as the body-centric works of Bruce Nauman and Erwin Wurm, the article discusses the transformative power of performative memes, which often blur the line between art and everyday life. Through case studies like planking and viral challenges, the essay delves into the concept of “new media idiocy,” coined by Russian scholar Olga Goriunova, and explores the emergence of performative memes on platforms like TikTok, where the human body becomes a central tool for self-expression and identity exploration.

Connecting BOP consumers and retailers: What drives small-time retailing through social media?

Social media has emerged as an all-inclusive technology with the potential to integrate with the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) consumers to provide manifold benefits, ranging from education to retailing. Though the presence of BOP on social media has increased lately, the desired level of adoption by BOP consumers is still far from reality. There is a need to understand what motivates BOP consumers, primarily engaged in small-time retailing (STR), to adopt social media in their daily lives and for what purposes. Using the Gioia method and grounded theory approach, the study interviewed 52 BOP participants to investigate the motivational themes that drive them towards social media adoption. The mined themes were found to align with the Uses and Gratification 2.0 (UGT 2.0) theory, which were classified into four sub-elements of UGT 2.0: agency, modality, navigability, and interactivity. The classification provides interesting insights into what gratifies the BOP consumer to adopt social media as a tool for self-expression and growth. The study provides theoretical and practical insights for academicians and industry to better understand why BOP consumers engaged in STR adopt social media.

Building an Archival Persona: The Transformation of Sufi Ijāza Culture in Russia, 1880s–1920s

Abstract This article analyses the uses of education certificates (ijāzas) as a tool of self-expression by Russia’s Muslims in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While the transmission of ijāzas as such served as a means of constructing the ideal Muslim personality, manuscript evidence suggests that a selective approach to compiling ijāza miscellanies could successfully be employed in building one’s own archival persona – the way how an individual wanted to appear on pages of future biographical books: not only as an important transmitter of prestigious lineages, but chiefly as a unique performer of their selective combinations. The presence of Sufi certificates on multiple lineages within and beyond the borders of the established Sufi ‘orders’ suggests the increasing heterogeneity of Sufi organization and practice that was part of the phenomenon of a broadening cultural repertoire, from which individuals could draw upon for their archival persona. The type of ijāzas that we analyse here, namely the separate documents and miscellanies listing the transmitted practices, were very much the product of their time and their wide circulation in late imperial Russia suggests, as we argue, an unprecedented rise of ijāza culture, imported from the Ottoman realm.

Articulating Syrian women refugees’ education in an age of uncertainty

Political conflicts propelled a wave of refugees that are seen as a force that threatens the stability of the UK and Western Europe. It has left many refugees bewildered and vulnerable in a transition to a new land, which may or may not cater to their cultural, religious, ethnic, and social needs. This paper examines the role of adult education in the lives of Syrian women and education’s ability to bridge the gap between cultures. We posit that education serves as a tool of self-expression and integration for Syrian women refugees in their adopted communities. Using a feminist life history method, the stories of three Syrian women will be discussed. In doing so, we revisit the definition of ‘refugees’ and ‘immigrants’ as posited by various scholars to shed light on the crisis and how it has risen from a counter-terrorism strategy in the UK and reveal the implications that this has had over the past years on the British education system.

Challenging the binary principles : LGBTQ+ Wiccan practice in the Berkano Wicca tradition in Hungary

Wicca is one of the fast-growing New Religious Movements (NRM) of the 21st century, although its roots can be traced back to the early 20th century. This article focuses on the analysis of Hungarian LGBTQ+ Wicca practitioners' practices in the Berkano Tradition, with a special interest in the representative aspects, such as altars and home altars. This element of the material dimension will illustrate how LGBTQ+ practitioners challenge the binary aspects of Wicca and how they utilize the liminal aspects of gender. With guided interviews, this article illustrates and provides a deeper understanding of how the traditional Wicca binarity of a God and Goddess is changed according to the given individuals' sexual orientations and how these individuals innovate their altars and reinterpret the traditional Wicca worldview and religious practice to create a closer, more personal religious attachment. With respect to gender and the spectrum of sexuality, the Berkano Tradition and their Wicca beliefs accommodate their identity very well; most of them skew and modify the rituals and praxis in their own way, so that they can be the most comfortable and at ease with their religious belief. My original interpretation that LGBTQ+ Wiccans use the adjective of Wicca because it is a belief system that is universalistic yet so individualistic is correct because they use Wicca as a tool of self-expression regardless of their sex, gender, and or sexual identity. They use different kinds of objects for their ritual to accommodate their needs; they also reinvent and reinterpret their Wiccan beliefs for their own good, so that they can be the best version of themselves. This article then closes with a positive statement that Berkano Tradition's Wicca is a religion that can be modified accordingly to fit within the framework of the given individuals/members.

Voices in the year 7 classroom: a case study tracing evolving gender identities during a poetry unit of work focused on gender consciousness

ABSTRACT This case study explores how literature, in particular poetry, can be used as an educational platform within the secondary classroom to explore gender identity. A six-week unit of poetry was created as part of a broader project to enable pupils to reflect on their personal and familial experiences of gender, whilst also utilising creative writing and performance as a tool for self-expression. The all-female class were studied before, during and after the learning process to holistically evaluate their development of gender-consciousness. A key area of focus is the strengths and limitations of the use of performance poetry when developing awareness of gender identity within adolescents.

‘Maasainess’ and Whiteness: The Ruins of Colonial ‘Penetration’ in Hoffman’s The White Maasai and Budgor’s the Warrior Princess

This paper looks at ‘Maasainess’ and Whiteness as binaries in constant engagement aimed to question how Whiteness is re-inscribed in Maasainess in the autobiographical genre. It explores the image of the Maasai often figured as a male warrior, a residue from the colonial intrusion into the East African region during the nineteenth century. To trace the various embodiments of this male figure and how it enhances the intersections between Maasainess and Whiteness, I focus on two autobiographies by Euro-American women: Corine Hoffman’s The White Maasai and Budgor’s The Warrior Princess: Becoming the First Female Maasai Warrior. Drawing from Mary Louise Pratt’s idea of the contact zones and Renato Rosaldo’s imperial nostalgia, the paper reads Maasainess and Whiteness as sites of cultural encounters, even contested encounters. Both Hofmann and Budgor appropriate the Maasai male warrior by way of nostalgia as a trope and double cultural signifier to embody and reflect white privilege as well as freeze the image of Africa to its colonial past. It argues that the autobiography as a tool for self-expression is employed to extend the colonial agenda to appropriate cultural spaces and entities to further perpetuate the differences between Maasainess and Whiteness as cultural markers. However, the two autobiographies read here as medium of self-expression defy such cultural appropriations through their constant engagement with Whiteness and Maasainess as categories of difference, highlighting the fault lines in the cultural appropriation of Maasainess by Whiteness.

"It All Makes Us Feel Together": Young People's Experiences of Virtual Group Music-Making During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We know little about the psychological experiences of children and young people who have participated in virtual group music-making during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Adopting a mixed-methods design, we worked across three music education hubs in the UK, with a total 13 virtual music groups. These included a range of mainstream ensembles, inclusive ensembles targeting young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and inclusive music production spaces, targeting young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Reported progress in intra- and inter-personal psychological outcomes was investigated using quantitative and qualitative staff session reports, which were collected since before the pandemic (n1 for in-person sessions = 87, n2 for virtual sessions = 68), and surveys distributed to tutors, young people, and their parents during the first and second United Kingdom (UK) national lockdowns (n3 for qualitative responses = 240, n4 for quantitative responses = 96). Satisfaction of three basic psychological needs of self-determination theory and their relation to joint music-making in virtual spaces was also observed in real time by the researchers performing quantitative checklist observations on 16 separate occasions. Findings indicated that virtual music groups represented a meaningful psychological resource for the participating children and young people, especially considering the lack of opportunities offered by their schools and other extra-curricular activities. Through their participation with virtual group music-making activities, young people used music as a tool for self-expression and emotion management, restored lost musical identities and confidence, and preserved treasured social connections. Virtual alternatives to group music-making appear to indirectly nurture the sense of belongingness, mediated by supportive staff behaviors, but their direct connection, which has been widely reported for in-person group music-making experiences, has not been observed in virtual music groups.

Мовна стійкість як вияв ставлення до мови (на матеріалі опитування)

This article deals with the problem of language attitude investigation. For this purpose, we tried to analyze the relation between language stability and language attitude how these phenomena interreact and how the knowledge of language stability can reflect the language attitudes. The scientific researches prove that the knowledge of the language attitude allows to evaluate not only loyal attitude (favor) to the language but also its functional value. In such conditions, language attitude shows the symbol role of language as a value of national identity, symbol of authentication, bridge to the past history of the nation, as well as, the means of the goal achievement and self-development. Considering the investigations of scientists from west countries, we understand language attitude as both positive or negative evaluation to any object and as an accumulated knowledge which in general helps to estimate the language stability, which is one of the characteristics of the language behavior and is reflected during the language activity processes. The motives of usage one language instead of the other in the bilingual’s situation is one of the subjects of the language attitude investigation in Ukrainian sociolinguistics. We conducted the survey which helped to describe the Ukrainian youth’s language attitude now and build the perspective of the language situation development in the future. For Ukrainian-speaking young people, language is the highest national value, a guide for identification, which demonstrates the promotion of the integrative language attitude. In this case language is a value, and not just to express their own thoughts, but a tool for professional and social growth. According to opinions of the Ukrainian-speaking youth it is essential to keep the prestige of the language and the assertion of its state status. Whilst Russian-speaking youth use the language as a tool that helps to communicate, which shows the benefits of instrumental language attitude, where language is a means to achieve communicative goals and professional growth. The results of our investigation show that language attitude among Ukrainian youth, who participated in the survey has instrumental and integrative meaning, which confirms that the language is not only the means of language activities but also a value, a tool for self-expression and identification. Our study is an attempt to outline the trends prevailing among young people in Ukraine and to explore how the language stability of the speaker can reveal their language attitude and how the latter affects the language behavior of the participant in the communicative process. The prospect of further research is the analysis of the language situation in Ukraine and a comprehensive study of the language attitude in the Ukrainian youth environment.

The Initiators of Our Everyday Life – Relationship between Coffee and Instagram

Abstract In this study, I would like to understand the background of sharing coffee online and get to know why it encourages young people to post their coffee. I analyse the two popular parts of our everyday lives, coffee and Instagram, and their connection points, which are coffee posts as communication tools and their posting and content sharing itself as a form of communication. In my theoretical background, I reflect on the process of coffee becoming a consumer product, the relationships between cafés and the public, and I reflect on the features of Instagram that captivate young people and enable online social rites. Regarding the question of presence, I am looking for the answer to the peculiarities of the relationship between online and offline, the dissonance caused by the simultaneous appearance on the two stages. The aim of the paper is to compare the traditional and the online characteristics of the coffee community and to interpret it as a rite. Based on the theoretical background of digital ethnography, using participatory observation and photomontage techniques, I explore attitudes and motivations among the Generation Z young people in Târgu-Mureş in terms of this activity. These two evocative methods, further interpreting the visuals of Instagram, allow interpretation not only from an aesthetic point of view but also in terms of the analysis of their symbol system, background, and motivations. In my interpretations, the acceptance of manipulation, the attitude of reality, the social characteristics of online coffee communities, the relationships between Instagram visuality and Generation Z media consumption needs, compensation practices that use coffee posts as an excuse and provide insight into the self-reflexive process of coffee post backgrounds are explicated. In my final conclusions, I outline the system of likeability for coffee posts as a feature of competitive, community photography. I refer to the sharing of coffee online as new contexts of parasocial relations, and I also reflect on coffee posts as a self-branding opportunity that can be used as a tool for self-expression.

From the streets to the mainstream: popularization of Turkish rap music

ABSTRACT Turkish rap music has dominated the scene since 2017. This transformation occurred very quickly. Turkish rap was pioneered by alienated Turkish immigrants in Germany. Initially, it served as a tool for self-expression and dissent from an underground position. Although political rap gained popularity for a short period during the Gezi protests, today’s rappers are turning into influencers rather than protestors and harming rap’s ability of social expression. This research focuses on Turkish rap music’s integration with the current capitalist industries by using the perspectives of both cultural studies and political economy through interviews with industry professionals and historical analysis.

Accounting the ‘self’: From diarization to life vlogs

The diarization of the self emerged through historically contingent social and economic relations and the practice of accounting as an integral aspect of industrialization and capitalism. From the journal to new media technologies, the recording of everyday life is about the governance and construction of the self, illuminating the ‘everyday’ as a salient dimension of sense-making in relation to the wider world. Accounting the self today has gained renewed prominence through new media technologies and social media platforms and its increasing incorporation into everyday life, inviting a public interface. The teleology of older forms of accounting the self (i.e. the journal) to new media technologies needs to be seen through a continuum in which sociocultural and economic forces enmesh with the medium of communication as a tool of self-expression to capture the self in its diurnal mode. This article utilizes Raymond Williams’ notion of cultural materialism, in linking the diary as a modern technology of self-expression with vlogs in the post-digital terrain wherein material practices shed light onto our lifeworlds construed through the resources available within material and immaterial infrastructures, offering both agency and abstraction by capital. As such, the manifest cultural form is intimately mediated by cultural technologies.

Exploring the Effect of Paper-and-pencil vs. Blog JW on L2 Writing in terms of Accuracy, Fluency, Lexical Complexity, and Syntactic Complexity

In the field of second/foreign language learning, Journal Writing (JW) has been used as a tool for self-expression, acknowledged for its multiple benefits with regard to various aspects of language learning. With the advancements of technology, however, few studies have addressed the potentials of internet-based platforms such as blogs in the practice of JW. The present study, therefore, has attempted to juxtapose the traditional paper-and-pencil mode of JW with Blog JW to explore the potential impacts on L2 learners’ writing skill. To this end, four elements of accuracy, fluency, lexical, as well as syntactic complexity were examined in the participants’ writing samples through relevant measures. To analyze the data, (M)ANCOVAs and (M)ANOVAs were conducted, the results of which are summarized and presented. The general conclusion of the study was that, JW, in particular, in the form of blogging has the potential of enhancing the quality of language learners’ writing.

The Americanisation of Israeli housing practices

The UN Resolution 181 of 27 November 1947, which called for the establishment of a Jewish state in parts of Palestine, was one of the only votes backed by both the USSR and the USA. Both superpowers saw the future state as a potential ally. Though being long affiliated with the American agenda, the young state of Israel did possess several Soviet-like characteristics during the early rule of the socialist Mapai party. One of the young state’s key projects was the construction of new industrial towns and residential neighbourhoods. These environments corresponded with ruling socialist ideology as they consisted of affordable, repetitive, and customised public housing estates. The growing alliance with the USA in the 1960s significantly influenced the Israeli culture and economy, as both underwent a process of ‘Americanisation’. This included the promotion of liberal values, such as privatisation, entrepreneurialism, and individualism. ‘Americanisation’ largely affected the local built environment. Through an intense process of privatisation, the former monotonous publicly built housing estates began giving way to new privately constructed projects. Ultimately, what began as a tool of self-expression was taken over by large-scale private corporations. The early public housing estates first turned into private houses, and later into a commodity. This article aims to reveal how the Israeli allegiance with the USA affected its local culture and economy. Leading to a transformation in the system of housing production, it replaced the former socialist housing approach with a market-driven one. The article focuses on five adjacent settlements located beside the Green Line and the West Bank: Kibbutz-Eyal (1950), Tzur-Nathan (1966), Sal’it (1977), Kochav-Yair (1986), and Tzur-Yitzhak (2005). Analysing their development, the article shows how the growing privatisation process altered the development of the built environment while adapting to changes in local politics, culture, and economy.

Perceived Closeness and Autistic Traits Modulate Interpersonal Vocal Communication.

Vocal modulation is a critical component of interpersonal communication. It not only serves as a dynamic and flexible tool for self-expression and linguistic information but also plays a key role in social behavior. Variation in vocal modulation can be driven by individual traits of interlocutors as well as factors relating to the dyad, such as the perceived closeness between interlocutors. In this study we examine both of these sources of variation. At an individual level, we examine the impact of autistic traits, since lack of appropriate vocal modulation has often been associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders. At a dyadic level, we examine the role of perceived closeness between interlocutors on vocal modulation. The study was conducted in three separate samples from India, Italy, and the UK. Articulatory features were extracted from recorded conversations between a total of 85 same-sex pairs of participants, and the articulation space calculated. A larger articulation space corresponds to greater number of spectro-temporal modulations (articulatory variations) sampled by the speaker. Articulation space showed a positive association with interpersonal closeness and a weak negative association with autistic traits. This study thus provides novel insights into individual and dyadic variation that can influence interpersonal vocal communication.