Western Lens Research Articles

Problematising Aspirations, Transformations, and Societal Expectations: Revisioning Academic Success and Wellbeing Through Cross-Cultural Autoethnographic Exploration

Having aspirations and goals to strive for provides a sense of purpose and motivation, which can greatly contribute to one’s overall happiness and satisfaction. However, there is a lack of in-depth understanding of how individual aspirations interact with societal expectations and constructs, potentially resulting in feelings of anxiety and frustration. This collaborative cross-cultural autoethnographic study examines the interplay between the individual and the sociocultural, with a special interest in Eastern and Western lenses of well-being. Based on data from autoethnographic narratives, fieldnotes, and reflection with critical friends, this study aims to provide an insider’s account of an international doctoral candidate’s experiential journey of aspiration/s, and transformation/s, to meet societal expectation/s. Through analysis of these experiences, we propose that societal constructs should be given more attention in discussions of well-being, to envision a more equitable educational environment in which aspiration/s and transformation/s can be better recognized and appreciated.

Hearing the voice of a graduate Indian international student in the United States: Why my voice matters

AbstractThis contribution focuses on the experience of an emerging scholar practitioner within higher education who also identifies as an Indian international doctoral student. By using a scholarly personal narrative, the author has described their life experiences and negotiations as a part of their study abroad journey from India to the United States. Using various student development theories to understand international student experiences, the author has critiqued the use of a western lens and discussed the need for scholarship that allows practitioners to view international student experiences from a different perspective. This piece also discusses the emergence of the Indian student population within the United States over the last few years and calls out the need to have more research in areas that focus on their student experiences, the development of student development theories that allows practitioners to better understand Indian students’ experiences and future implications for international higher education within the United States.

The Dynamics of Pakistan-Russia Relations in the 21st Century and the Role of U.S. Influence

This qualitative study aims to evaluate the influence of the US and the possibility of Pakistan developing strategic relations with Russia in the 21st century. Historical legacies, an overemphasis on Western dependency and Pakistan's Endocentric viewpoint have all tarnished relations between Pakistan and Russia. Although their relationship has had numerous highs and lows, viewing Russia through Indian eyes and Pakistan through a Western lens. In the context of 21st-century regional stability, economic cooperation, and defense collaboration, the research looks at the evolving dynamics of Pakistan's relationship with Russia. PTI's government sought to strengthen economic relations with Russia. Initiatives have been made to explore investment opportunities. However, the Premier visit was not liked by the US which is evident that the foreign policy of Pakistan is influenced by America throughout. Pakistan should establish long-term relations with Russia as a trading partner which may not affect relations US.

World languages for Black Linguistic Reparations

AbstractThis conceptual work highlights the history of Black erasure throughout the existence of world languages (WLs) as a field of study in the United States. It outlines the unique challenges faced by African descended learners who have and continue to pursue WL study in US classrooms. These include but are not limited to reduced local funding and programmatic expectations due to the remnants of anti‐Black educational policies, monolingual and imperial language ideologies prevalent in texts and pedagogical approaches, and generations of segregation in and outside of schools. Finally, this work proposes WLs serve as a site of Black Linguistic Reparations through, (1) the redistribution of resources in the field, (2) the repair of enacted WL teaching to meet the calls of ACTFL's standards for preparing students for communication in a pluralistic society, and (3) a recreation of the “world” as narrated through a global, rather than a white Western lens.

A Literature Review: Unraveling the Dimensions of Food Quality and Its Influence on Consumer Satisfaction

This research examines food quality dimensions and their impact on customer satisfaction, a topic often seen through a Western lens. By delving into menu variety, taste, presentation, temperature, and freshness, we provide a comprehensive review of food quality aspects. Notably, this study emphasizes on the Asian perspectives, by broadening the understanding beyond Western viewpoints. The methodology comprises a review of literature, spanning a range of scholarly articles and research journals, delving into the discourse of food quality and customer satisfaction. Our findings highlight the significance of diverse menus, sensory taste attributes, and aesthetic presentation in shaping consumer expectations. Furthermore, the importance of food temperature and freshness in determining satisfaction is emphasized. This research crucially blends varied cultural insights with universal food standards, promoting a nuanced approach in the global food industry to optimize customer contentment.
 Keywords: food quality, consumer satisfaction, dimensions of food quality

Short Venture into Protest: Anti-War Protests at TCU, 1960-1973

Past historians have analyzed the 1960s American student antiwar movement mainly through a northern or western lens, focusing on particular hotspots and violent confrontations like Berkely and Columbia. This paper will add to the literature by analyzing antiwar protests on a relatively small, lesser-known college on the edges of the South, Texas Christian University. For despite its small size and failure to achieve tangible results, the TCU peace movement consisted of passionate organizers who utilized uniquely Southern styles of activism to raise awareness for their cause. Constantly attacked by administrative systems, fellow students, and biased publications, student organizations like Students For Peace, the Vietnam Moratorium, and Spunk Magazine brought the war to TCU, eventually pulled the student body out of years of political apathy, slowly changed public opinion, and inspired liberal reforms in school policy.

Trajectories of Mizo tribal historiography

The British colonizers, while writing about Mizoram and Mizo history, stressed their achievements in uplifting the Mizo community. Christian missionaries from Wales landed in Mizoram after the British colonizers annexed the land. They also followed the British administrators’ patronizing way of writing Mizo history. They saw the Mizo people as savage, and unsaved who needed the Gospel. They viewed Mizo society as one that needed a complete transformation. The first-generation Mizo Christians, too, looked at Mizo society from the Western lens. That was because missionaries trained them to be as Western as possible. A significant shift in Mizo Christian historiography emerged in the 1990s, emphasizing that tribal communities accepted Jesus Christ not because of external factors such as the arrival of missionaries from a foreign country, but because God resides in their hearts and that the Holy Spirit inspired them to believe in Jesus Christ, whoever the agent was.

Existence and Dynamics of The Islamic-Malay Sultanate Across The Malacca Strait: A Multifaceted Exploration Of Non-Western Ir Theories

The historical interactions among the Malay sultanates/kingdoms across the Malacca Strait offer a fascinating glimpse into the world of international relations beyond the Western lens. Based on the desire to build a non-Western IR theory, this study has highlighted the rich tapestry of cultural diversity, postcolonial struggles, local agency, alternative ideas, and hybridity that characterized the diplomatic landscape of these kingdoms. The struggle for power, strategic cooperation, and regionalism among the Malay kingdoms were deeply rooted in their cultural heritage, challenging the conventional narratives, and showcasing the resilience and adaptability of non-Western societies in shaping their international relations. As we reflect on these historical dynamics, it becomes evident that the lessons from the past continue to resonate in the contemporary global landscape, emphasizing the importance of embracing diverse perspectives and recognizing the agency of all nations in shaping the course of international relations. This study delves into the intricate historical interactions among the Islamic-Malay kingdoms in the Malacca Strait region. Employing a diverse array of non-Western International Relations (IR) theories, the research sheds light on the multifaceted dimensions of the diplomatic landscape in pre-modern Southeast Asia. Through an extensive library research approach, which involved the analysis of classic manuscripts and texts relevant to the topic, this study unveils the nuanced power struggles, strategic alliances, and regional cooperation mechanisms that shaped the Malay kingdoms' international relations. By delving into these historical records, the research provides a comprehensive understanding of how cultural context, postcolonial perspectives, local agency, alternative ideas, and hybridity influenced the diplomatic maneuvers of the Malay kingdoms, challenging conventional Western-centric narratives and showcasing the richness of non-Western IR theories.

Personalization of Trump and Xi in the U.S.–China trade conflict news: Comparison between the U.S. and China

News personalization in one-party dominant countries has been understudied or often analyzed through a Western lens. This study unpacked this phenomenon in one-party dominant country with the theory of leadership cult and soft power and compared news personalization of Xi Jinping in China with that of Donald Trump in the U.S. against the backdrop of the U.S.–China trade conflict. This study also investigated the influence of press ideology, political–geographical scope of news coverage and the trade conflict period on the presence and valence of personalization within each country. Results showed that leadership personalization was less prominent in China than in the U.S. The manifestation of news personalization in the U.S. was affected more by press ideology, while contextual factors, such as news political scope and the conflict period, played bigger roles in China. These findings provide insights into how news personalization is displayed in divergent political and media systems.

Garihma (to Care for)

Garihma (to Care for)

The dark side of online transition of exams in higher education: a perspective of an emerging nation

PurposeHigher educational institutes (HEIs) are experiencing a significant shift towards online education, which has been fast-forwarded with the global pandemic of COVID-19. The forced shift has also exposed many vulnerabilities in online education, especially assessments. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential dark side of the digital transformation of examinations through the lens of university students.Design/methodology/approachThis study involves a sample of 127 university students from the fields of business and science, technology, education and management (STEM) and the key factors affecting student perception were assessed quantitatively to explore the interrelationships.FindingsResults revealed that both business and STEM students have a similar impression of the use of online examinations, and the majority still have mixed feelings about them as a replacement for physical examinations. The regrouping of the factors revealed two key dimensions, trustworthiness and apprehensible education, as key areas of student perception in the context of online examinations.Research limitations/implicationsThis study aims to strengthen the understanding of Kolb’s experiential learning mechanism through a discussion on the importance of abstract conceptualization as opposed to concrete experience in the establishment of the online assessment and learning space. Practically speaking, increasing investment in internet infrastructure and forming strategic alliances with important parties, like internet providers, to create uninterrupted network coverage, are an effective place to start if one wants to make sure that the process of moving to online learning is becoming more and more accepted by educators, students, and the general public.Originality/valueThe online transition to higher education has seen expedited growth since the pandemic and has not given much room for many HEIs globally to adjust. The procedures and techniques implemented take a Western lens, and less attention is given to the emerging context and its context-specific characteristics in such implementation. This study takes the theoretical lens of Kolb and proposes the key learnings for a successful online transition to assessment in emerging contexts.

Contrasting one's share of the shared life space: Comparing the roles of metacognition and inhibitory control in the development of theory of mind among Scottish and Japanese children.

Cultural comparisons suggest that an understanding of other minds may develop sooner in independent versus interdependent settings, and vice versa for inhibitory control. From a western lens, this pattern might be considered paradoxical, since there is a robust positive relationship between theory of mind (ToM) and inhibitory control in western samples. In independent cultures, an emphasis on one's own mind offers a clear route to 'simulate' other minds, and inhibitory control may be required to set aside one's own perspective to represent the perspective of others. However, in interdependent cultures, social norms are considered the key catalyst for behaviour, and metacognitive reflection and/or suppression of one's own perspective may not be necessary. The cross-cultural generalizability of the western developmental route to ToM is therefore questionable. The current study used an age-matched cross-sectional sample to contrast 56 Japanese and 56 Scottish 3-6-year-old's metacognition, ToM and inhibitory control skills. We replicated the expected cultural patterns for ToM (Scotland>Japan) and inhibitory control (Japan>Scotland). Supporting western developmental enrichment theories, we find that inhibitory control and metacognition predict theory of mind competence in Scotland. However, these variables cannot be used to predict Japanese ToM. This confirms that individualistic mechanisms do not capture the developmental mechanism underlying ToM in Japan, highlighting a bias in our understanding of ToM development. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We replicate an independent cultural advantage for theory of mind (Scotland>Japan) and interdependent advantage for inhibitory control (Japan>Scotland). From a western lens, this pattern might be considered paradoxical, since there is a robust positive relationship between theory of mind and inhibitory control. Supporting western developmental enrichment theories, we find that the development of inhibitory control mediates the link between metacognition and theory of mind in Scotland. However, this model does not predict Japanese theory of mind, highlighting an individualistic bias in our mechanistic understanding of theory of mind development.

Decolonising the psychology curriculum: a perspective.

Decolonisation seeks to reverse the impact of colonisation on minoritised groups. Governments, healthcare institutions, criminal justice and education systems have procedures and protocols deep-rooted in colonisation and operate through a western lens. Decolonisation reaches beyond increasing inclusivity and aims to re-establish history through the experiences and perspective of those most affected. As with many disciplines, core theories, practices and interventions within Psychology, an ethnocentric viewpoint has been used, continuously reinstated through its curriculum. With awareness around diversification and increase in varying demands, it is important that the Psychology curriculum evolves to suit the needs of its' users. Many recommendations for decolonising the curriculum are trivial surface changes. These involve including required bibliography from diverse minority authors within the modules syllabuses or organising a one-off lecture or workshop from a minority ethnic speaker. Some universities have also suggested that lecturers participate in self-awareness practices to ensure they understand decolonisation to appropriately address it through their teaching, whilst others have provided checklists against which they can check the inclusivity of their modules. All these alterations fail to target the root of the problem. To properly reverse the effects of colonisation within the curriculum it would be necessary to re-evaluate the Westernised history that has been retold for years and teach past events through the experiences of those who suffered. Research into how decolonisation can occur in a structured and comprehensive way is necessary to enable the redress for abolition of colonial practices on a global scale.

The role of culture and social threats in constructing shame: Moving beyond a western lens.

The role of culture and social threats in constructing shame: Moving beyond a western lens.

An exploration of a third participatory museology approach in the interaction with local business and tradition at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area art museums

PurposeThis paper aims to summarize the conditions under which participatory art museums and local commercial traditions can have positive and sustained interactions.Design/methodology/approachThe methods include studying the quantity and content of exhibitions in the four cities of the Bay Area, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Shunde, to compare their academic positioning and influence on local commercial production. Through interviewing curators, artists and university scholars who are active in the Bay Area and are invited by the museums on a regular basis, it will let us understand the attitudes from the government, public and capital towards the regional art museums and how these attitudes influence the choice of theme in the participatory art museum practice.FindingsTo summarize the findings, the author concludes that a participatory art gallery with commercial production in the Bay Area requires the following: a long tradition of local business and wealth accumulation; a local area is of a size where the community of acquaintances can interact on a regular basis; continued interest of a diverse local elite, including a mix of businessmen and gentry, government officials and various sectors of the public; and museums serving as intermediaries to coordinate the effective integration of the commercial and traditional resources.Originality/valueParticipatory approaches and their impacts are a shared area of interest across urban planning, heritage studies and the creative arts. Crucially, solely relying on either the Latin bottom-up community-oriented approach (Barnes, 2003) or the British top-down policy-oriented approach (Heijnen, 2010) did not maximize benefits, though these distinctive two approaches were convinced that museums should play a larger role in becoming agents of contemporary social change. By contrast, in focusing on Chinese Art Museums, this study will explore participatory practice in the Asian context. In doing so, it will not only diversify the emerging literature on the social and economic impacts of arts and heritage organizations but also challenge the Western lens through which participatory approaches are viewed in the interdisciplinary literature. As Lefebvre acknowledged his lack of non-Western regions in his research, this study will offer new perspectives on museology and its contributions to the Production of Space.

Culture as Treatment: A Pathway toward Indigenous Health Equity

In this paper, we report on the process by which health equity has historically been conceptualized from a western lens, continuing to leave behind Native Nations. We present how the historical context impacts the present day disparities experiences by Indigenous communities in the US. We conclude with examples of Indigenous culture as treatment as a pathway towards achieving Indigenous health equity.

Toward New Feminist Aesthetics

Toward New Feminist Aesthetics

‘Womanhood on the Streets’: African Women at the Crossroads of Religious Violence and Social Justice

The proliferation of religious extremism and religiously motivated violence in Africa is increasingly eliciting scholarly interest though there remains a deficiency in the feminisation of such discourse. Nigeria has endured the explosion of such religious extremism and violence, eliciting mass civil unrest, particularly in the last two decades. Often women are especially at risk of victimisation, enduring diverse forms of human rights violations including rape, kidnap, assault, torture and murder. However, their participation and instrumentalisation in orchestrating such acts of violence complexifies the relationship between gender and religiously motivated violence in Nigeria. In addition, the exploration of their efforts to form part of the nexus of public discourse critiquing religious extremism and violence in the public sphere within scholarly discourse leaves room for more to be said, especially with respect to Nigerian and African women. Through the juxtaposition of two such women-led efforts, this paper seeks to engage contemporary scholarship on the intersection of religion, violence and gender by examining the resources Nigerian and African women utilise in their mobilising quest towards demanding accountability and justice for the oppressed. As postcolonial beings whose lived experiences are often rendered through a prejudiced Western lens, this paper will argue that Nigerian and African women's pursuits for social justice are often constructed in spaces of duality where their ability to operate within and through seemingly contesting variables is affirmed, such that their agency is firmly asserted and remains uncontested.

The importance of being diverse: Exploring the journey from Brexit to Belonging

In this position paper, I use auto-ethnographic approaches and case studies to explore the findings from the 2020 British Association for Music Therapy Diversity Report which highlighted the disturbing gaps in the diversity of music therapy in the United Kingdom. I focus specifically on racial issues in music therapy and the impact of Brexit as a cultural demarcation landmark in the political landscape of the United Kingdom. Throughout this article, challenging terminology and language are used to explore the systemic nature of prejudice and oppression. In the clinical examples, I attempt to denote when elements of therapeutic intervention framed by a prejudicial, Western lens can result in therapy which can be damaging. This article involves the critical discussion and use of some offensive language, including the explicit spelling of derogatory terms.

Responsibility in Universal Healthcare

Responsibility in Universal Healthcare