Western Perspective Research Articles

Utilizing Aboriginal Participatory Action Research-Dadirri-Ganma to Co-Design the Deadly Dental Home.

This study aimed to co-design a "Deadly Dental Home" for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (herein referred to as First Nations). Participatory Action Research-Dadirri-Ganma methods utilized respectful listening (Dadirri), self-reflective knowledge sharing (Ganma), and Yarning to design a model of care for the community. Consumers of dental services, community leaders, healthcare providers, and dental service leaders designed a culturally safe and holistic approach to dental care, bringing together First Nations and Western perspectives. A "Deadly Dental Home" is a dental service that arranges continuously available, comprehensive, coordinated, and culturally appropriate dental care. The expression "deadly" carries a sense of empowerment and positivity within First Nations cultures, representing strength, praise, resilience, and excellence. The research emphasized the integration of cultural needs into dental services. Key themes included Reaching Mob, Dental Care Delivery, and Care Across the Life Journey. Continuous and culturally responsive dental care tailored to different life stages from infancy through elderhood included hands-on education and prevention strategies. The need for a culturally competent workforce, a welcoming dental environment, and flexible appointment scheduling was necessary to foster trust and accessibility. The Deadly Dental Home model promotes a comprehensive approach to care extending beyond traditional dental treatment to address broader health determinants. Continued community engagement, partnership with dental services, and research are essential to refining and implementing this model, ensuring it effectively addresses the unique needs of First Nations people.

Milk-sharing experiences: Perspective among Malaysian donors and rexipient mothers

Background: Shared breastmilk has been a longstanding tradition in many cultures throughout history through wet nursing, cross nursing, and the donation of expressed breastmilk to a milk bank. However, social media has introduced some new dynamics to this practice, making it more visible and accessible; and it is known as milk-sharing. Research on milk sharing is still in its infancy and focused on western perspectives. Therefore, the sociocultural dimensions of milk sharing have not been adequately explored across different settings and cultures. Purpose: This qualitative study aims at understanding the milk-sharing experiences among donor and recipient mothers in Malaysia. Methods: We conducted a social media analysis on milk-sharing postings from four Facebook Groups Pages. This was followed by a detailed exploration of individual experiences throughout the milk-sharing journey using a semi-structured, online interview with thirty mothers. Thematic analysis was applied in the data analysis process using ATLAS.ti 9 software. Results: A total of 252 postings were retrieved from four Facebook Groups Pages. Of these, 151 postings referred to donating milk, 70 referred to requesting milk, and 31 focused on issues related to milk-sharing. Thirty mothers with various milk-sharing experiences were involved in this study. Fifteen donors, six recipients, and nine fell into both categories. The mothers in the study had an average age of 32.9 years and the majority were Malay. In terms of their relationship with the infants, 93.3% were biological mothers with the majority having two to five children. Thematic analysis identified five themes: 1) point of reference, 2) communication platform, 3) altruism for mutual benefit, 4) faith and 5) challenges and problem-solving methods. Conclusions: Milk sharing is a personal and sociocultural-bounded practice where mothers negotiate their understanding of the need to breastfeed and the use of donated breastmilk. Despite its specific focus on the Malaysian context, this research offers a complementary understanding of milk sharing within a non-Western framework and transferable to similar sociocultural backgrounds. The findings are important for intercultural nursing and midwifery practice, where nurses can incorporate sociocultural perspectives into breastmilk donation initiatives to increase public acceptance.

Comparison between Islamic educational philosophy and secular western educational philosophy Ahmad tafsir perspective

Comparison between Islamic educational philosophy and secular western educational philosophy Ahmad tafsir perspective

Unraveling the stigma: a qualitative descriptive exploration of the relationship between culture, religion, and mental disorders in Saudi Arabia

BackgroundA lack of understanding about the needs of people in Middle Eastern and Islamic contexts living with mental health disorders, and their experiences of diagnosis-related social and personal stigma inhibits high-quality care.MethodsThis qualitative descriptive study, based in Saudi Arabia, used the Stigma Mitigating Conceptual Model to explore mental disorder-related stigma from the perspective of challenges and strategies connected to knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. Thirteen adults with mental health disorders completed semi-structured interviews, analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsFour major themes and nine subthemes pertaining to the impact of stigma on public and self/personal knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors were identified: (1) effects of the mental disorder on everyday life, (2) challenges, (3) overcoming the challenges, and (4) types of stigma experienced. Greater knowledge of mental health disorders promoted Islamic principles of compassion and support, while the absence of knowledge exacerbated public stigma and fears the individual is under the influence of the ‘Evil Eye’, or lacks prayers and devotion. Participant strategies to mitigate stigma include education, and more opportunities for those living with mental health disorders to share their stories.ConclusionsStudy findings provide nuance into the role of stigma in the context of cultural and religious factors in Saudi. These insights can be used to help tailor care and interventions to people from Middle Eastern contexts, as Western perspectives have predominantly driven mental health care.

Placing Amos Rapoport in the First Nations Cultural Landscape

ABSTRACT From a Western perspective, the interwar and post-war periods of the 20th century were foundational in the establishment of formal built environment professions in Australia. The First Nations cultural landscape that these professions built on have existed for many millennia longer and are best known as Country. Architect, town planner and co-founder of Environment-Behaviour Studies (EBS) Amos Rapoport wrote numerous publications in the late 1960s and early 1970s that explored the relationship of Aboriginal and Western conceptions of the cultural landscape as part of his global comparative studies. However, unlike his fellow “anti-architect” Robin Boyd, and (Sir) John Buchan, little is known about Amos Rapoport. This paper explores Rapoport’s work, its influences and what it influenced, as well as its appropriateness today among the burgeoning First Nations publications relating to the Australian built environment. Finally, it places Rapoport among contemporary conceptual and theoretical investigations into the cultural landscape and proposes revisions to his EBS framework for future investigations into the Australian cultural landscape.

Ethical Striving with Other-Than-Humans in Contemporary Improvised Music

This article presents an ethnographic analysis of the care and attention between other-than humans and musicians in the contemporary improvised music scene. From dominant Western perspectives, ethical relations are considered in anthropocentric terms: only persons with the capacity for self-awareness, autonomy, and rational judgment are considered able to engage in ethical practice. Even though there are increasing instances in Western contexts of attempts to expand definitions of personhood to other-than-humans, these retain an anthropocentric core. The improvising musicians with whom I worked question such a hegemonic narrative, and, coming from the understanding that the music they make emerges from a dense web of interconnected agencies, make music together with other-than humans. In other words, these musicians strive to relate with other-than-humans in mutual ethical relations of care. Second, even though the trope of improvisation features prominently in the philosophy of ethics, and even though ethical striving in recent anthropological studies of ethics has all the characteristics of improvisation, there is a surprising absence of discussion about improvisation itself. This article begins to address this gap by attending to the practices of skilled improvisers, and offers insights into how people ethically negotiate as yet unknown situations to them, in this case how to relate with other-than-humans. The focus on improvisation itself shows how ethical striving can be generative of ethical possibilities in intercultural and changing circumstances. Keywords: ethics, improvisation, contemporary improvised music, other-than-human, ethics and the politics of care, normative perception

Anthropological lens on the epidemiology of measles at Moletjie-Ramakgaphola in Limpopo province

This research is a multidisciplinary study constituting both indigenous knowledge systems and medical anthropology, which focuses on people’s health and well-being and the possible cultural ways of dealing with factors influencing their health and well-being. This study aimed to explore and describe what are the views of Moletjie-Ramakgaphola community on the causes of measles. Lastly to come up with recommendations on how indigenous knowledge can be incorporated in the epidemiology of measles. The study followed a qualitative research approach. Purposive sampling was used with snowballing as a technique. Data were collected and fieldnotes were written during the interviews to record the non-verbal cues from the participants and face-to-face interviews with an interview schedule. Scientific research procedures and ethics were respected and maintained throughout the research process from the initial stage to the last. The collected data were analysed using thematic analysis. Our research findings are threefold. The first category is the terminology used in a vernacular language (Sepedi) to refer to measles. The second category is the limited knowledge by participants regarding the causes and symptoms of measles form both African and Western perspectives. The third category is the knowledge by participants on curative measures from indigenous point of view and otherwise.Contribution: This research sought to make a scholarly contribution to the field of anthropology and indigenous knowledge systems with specific reference to the epidemiology of measles.

Global South and western divergence on Russia's war in Ukraine: implications for world order

Abstract Since February 2022, there has been much commentary about the divergence between responses of the global South and western perspectives in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There has been less discussion about this contrast representing a democratic divide. Yet the ‘non-aligned’ stance adopted by some of the world's largest democracies throws into question the framing of the war as a struggle between democracy and autocracy, as favoured by former United States President Joe Biden. This article highlights both differences and affinities in the international behaviour of democracies which are obscured in generalizations about a North/South dichotomy. Instead, it assesses Ikenberry's categorization of the competition to shape world order as an interaction between ‘Three Worlds’ (the global West, East and South). The article also uses Johnston's concept of international order as ‘a world of multiple orders in different domains … rather than a single, U.S.-dominated liberal order’. Finally, it draws on Moravcsik's ‘new liberalism’ regarding the primacy of interacting state preferences in international relations. The article argues that the case of the Ukraine conflict exemplifies how democracies converge and/or diverge in responding to issues in different domains of world order(s), thereby challenging the notion of a systemic North/South dichotomy in approaches to a purported liberal international order.

Integrating Agricultural Science and Community Knowledge through Service-Learning to Enhance Food Security: A Participatory Lens

Food security is a growing concern on the African continent. Creative ways are required to maximise the quantity and quality of food production in society to meet the needs of the community and learners that form part of the increasing population. As an approach, service-learning can potentially merge academic learning with community engagement to address food security issues. However, when community wisdom is disregarded as equal to formal education, significant information may be omitted, hindering all stakeholders’ deep learning. This paper aimed to create a service-learning experience that allows learners and the community to learn agricultural science and practice sustainably to address food security. Data was generated in four cycles of a participatory action research design, using vegetable garden and livestock management strategies. The thematic analysis indicated that the process gave 10 participants a better understanding of managing vegetable gardens and livestock farming sustainably. The participants valued Western knowledge without neglecting the local wisdom perspectives shared throughout the process. This reciprocal learning boosted development on personal and professional levels. The study proposes that food security cannot be effectively addressed by favoring one dominant knowledge system. Instead, blending local wisdom and Western perspectives, when applied with care, could eradicate poverty and hunger and promote sustainable food production in Africa. Keywords: Agricultural Science, Community, Food Security, Learners, Sustainable Agriculture

Exploring the Issue of Western and Local Perspectives on Yangshao Culture

The discovery of Yangshao Village stands as one of the most significant archaeological findings in Chinese history. Its study, ongoing since the last century, holds immense importance for understanding the origins of Chinese civilization. The Swedish archaeologist Johan Gunnar Andersson played a pivotal role in the excavation of the Yangshao site. Central to the research is the debate between the Western origin theory and the indigenous origin theory of Yangshao culture. The discovery of Longshan culture serves as evidence against the Western origin theory. Through analysis, it becomes clear that both Longshan and Yangshao cultures are indigenous to China, not opposing entities but rather representing different chronological periods. Although Andersson's initial hypotheses were flawed, his contributions to the inception of Chinese archaeology and the training of field archaeologists were decisive.

A Sonic Indofuturism

Abstract This article explores an under-discussed and unclaimed conceptualisation of futurity that can be located within historical sound practices and sonic thoughts of the Indian subcontinent. In the 1950s and 1960s, this alternative sonic worldview influenced Western music and its sound pallet without credit. The intervention of this futurism in the Western model of music, sounding and listening was revolutionary, proliferating an alternate aesthesis of time, space and subjectivities in sound practices – with an emergent environmentality, manifesting arguably in the birth of ambient music and sounding arts and remodelling of sensing the world from a relational perspective. Yet, this sonic worldview, knowledge system and a radical sense of non-linear futurity were not recognised then. But the importance of the futurity can be appreciated today on the verge of multiple planetary crises. It is in this time and day that a futurist vision may provide a new sense of surviving for a posterity and generate a possibility of emancipation from the fear and loathing for a dystopian tomorrow, which is construed from a Western perspective entrenched in its rationality. How can we hear possible futures from perspectives of South Asia that have been marginalised in sonic epistemologies by an absence of voices, which could offer new grounds?

Why are you not doing research in your home country? dissecting expectations of southern researchers

ABSTRACT Why are you not researching your home country, and why did you choose “elsewhere”? Would research in another country in the South be familiar to you? Assumptions and prompts are often posed to southern researchers when they select their fieldwork and case studies. This article dissects the rationale behind southern researchers based in Western academia choosing countries other than their home, the fieldwork experience, and the creation of post-fieldwork knowledge. Through a reflexive approach, we discuss pre-fieldwork training, moving positionalities, gender and religious identities during fieldwork encounters and the imposition of Western perspectives in knowledge creation. To do so, we interrogate the entrenched inequalities in global power dynamics within the architecture of knowledge creation, emphasising the need to decolonise knowledge and (re)evaluate research ethics and training. This article advocates for re-considering knowledge creation and power shifting as a process rather than the outcome, and fieldwork as an essential knowledge creation component enabling post-knowledge production and doing research differently.

The analysis of the culture-specific items in Roberta Rich’s The Harem Midwife and in its Turkish translation within the framework of watermark translation and retro-translation

Abstract In The Harem Midwife , set in 16th-century Constantinople, American author Roberta Rich presents Ottoman culture from a Western perspective. As a foreign writer depicting the Ottoman world, Rich’s portrayal reflects a mental translation of cultural elements, shaped by her own understanding of the foreign culture. This mental translation process is examined through Sündüz Öztürk Kasar’s concept of watermark translation, which refers to the subtle traces of translation embedded in a text when an author writes about a culture she does not directly belong to. This study aims to explore how these cultural references are transferred and transformed both in the source and target texts within the framework of Aixela's strategies for translating Culture-Specific Items (CSIs). This analysis highlights the strategies used to convey Ottoman life and examines the writer and translator’s role in mediating these elements for English and Turkish readers. The most commonly employed strategies by the watermark translator include transliteration, intra-gloss strategy, extra-gloss strategy, repetition, linguistic translation, and limited universalization. In contrast, retro-translators tend to rely more on strategies such as naturalization, deletion, repetition, and autonomous creation. Ultimately, this study emphasizes the importance of conducting comparative analysis within the context of watermark translation and retro-translation to understand how cultural elements transform.

Man as Subject of Education: Islamic and Western Philosophical Review of Freedom and Responsibility

Freedom in the context of Islamic education is understood as the freedom to choose a way of life that aligns with religious teachings, while in Western philosophy, it is more focused on autonomy and critical thinking within a pluralistic society. This article explores the relationship between freedom and responsibility in education by comparing Islamic and Western perspectives through a qualitative literature review of both classical and contemporary works. The findings indicate that, despite differences in approach, both traditions agree that freedom must always be accompanied by responsibility to develop individuals who are not only intellectually capable but also contribute positively to society. An ideal education system should integrate these two values to shape well-rounded individuals—intellectually, morally, and socially—ensuring that education remains holistic and relevant in the era of globalization. This study provides deeper insights into how education can cultivate individuals who are not only intelligent but also responsible, both personally and socially, thereby contributing to the formulation of more relevant and applicable educational objectives in today’s interconnected world.

What Is a Good Death in South Asia? A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis.

To deliver palliative care, it is important to understand what a "good death" means to the relevant people. Such studies have mostly occurred in high-income settings that usually live by Western ideals. What matters to people is likely to vary across different regions of the world, influenced by multiple factors. Although there is a great need for palliative care in South Asia, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of what a good death means in this setting. This study aimed to increase understanding of what is considered a good death in South Asia. Systematic review and narrative synthesis. A systematic search was conducted across eight databases, an Advanced Google search, and a bibliography search of selected articles. A data-based convergent synthesis was performed, along with quality appraisal. Twenty-five empirical studies were selected for analysis from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. Four themes emerged. Mutual care and connection support a continued sense of self: contributing to others, while receiving connection through relationships and spiritual practices, was important for patients and supported by families and healthcare workers. Freedom to choose-privilege or burden?: the choice to participate in care was necessary for some patients but a burden for others, who preferred the family to lead their care. Severe uncontrolled pain and financial distress precluded choice for some patients, who felt death was the only option. Decisions regarding artificial prolongation of life were complex for patients and healthcare workers. Opportunities in the last days: when actively dying, there was general agreement on the importance of being pain-free, feeling safe, and having family present. Home was not always the preferred place of death. For family, it was critical to perform last rites. After death matters: What happens after death-influenced by leaving a legacy and religious beliefs-affected all parties before, during, and post-death. To our knowledge, this is the first review of what a good death means in South Asia. There is a dearth of research from most South Asian countries. Although the South Asian perspective has similarities with the Western perspective, we note important nuances around decision-making, prolongation of life, prognostic awareness, and wanting to end one's life, moderated by culture, religion, and poverty. We support policies that account for these variations. Ongoing work is required to provide good symptom management, thus increasing opportunities for patient participation in care. Further research is needed in areas of ethics and religion at the end of life in South Asia.

Ideal Approaches to AI Regulation in LATAM Countries: Promoting Technological Advancement and Human Rights Protections

Background Today’s approaches to regulating AI diverge from countries and regions. For instance, Japan’s framework emphasizes agile governance, relying on soft law, corporate cooperation, and a deregulatory approach. In contrast, the EU adopts a hard law model with a risk-based approach centered on protecting human rights. Discussing the benefits and downsides of each will be deemed valuable for LATAM’s journey to regulating AI. Methods The authors identified guidelines and laws from Japan and the European Union by searching official websites and Google Scholar through 2023 and 2024. We divided the search between both researchers, one of us in charge of the Japanese documents and the other of the EU and Latin America ones. The relevant documents were selected when containing soft laws, hard laws, and independent reports about AI. The authors then proceeded to conduct a document analysis of the current situation in the LATAM region as well as a comparison between the Japanese and EU approaches to AI. Through this process, the logic behind each approach was deduced and then evaluated for suitability for the LATAM region. Results LATAM faces unique challenges in regulating AI. Limited investment in innovation and research, along with insufficient venture capital, places the region below global averages in technological development. Overly restrictive regulations risk worsening this disparity. A Japanese approach appears more convenient for the region rather than a European one. In this realm, it is crucial to avoid a binary logic that positions technological growth and human rights protection as opposing objectives. Conclusions The study proposes five principles for future AI regulation in LATAM: fostering innovation, balancing risks, and benefits, tailoring frameworks to regional needs, avoiding restrictive measures, and incorporating both Western and Asian perspectives. Ultimately, this study underscores the importance of context-specific, balanced regulations that address LATAM’s unique challenges and opportunities in AI governance.

Donor Conception in the Interests of the Well-Being of Donor-Conceived Persons, and Other Parties Connected through Donor Conception–A Review

Gamete donation is increasingly being used by individuals to build their families, but legislation, policies, and practices vary significantly across jurisdictions. Historically, donations were often anonymous—a practice that remains possible in some countries, including across the Asia–Pacific. However, the significant advances in science that have allowed families to be created using donated gametes have also advanced the growing availability of direct-to-consumer DNA testing. This, coupled with a growing recognition of the rights and needs of donor-conceived persons (DCP), has driven a shift toward greater openness, particularly in Western countries. Individuals considering donor conception (DC) or becoming donors need to be aware of the psychosocial implications for themselves, their families, and, most importantly, the donor-conceived individuals. This review highlights key considerations, including disclosure of DC, access to identifying information about donors and siblings, opportunities for contact, altruistic donation, and adequate support systems. It also explores factors that can influence these provisions, such as cross-border reproductive care, informal or out-of-clinic donations, and large or unspecified donor limits. While not exhaustive, this review provides an overview of critical issues in the field. It is important to note that much of the existing research reflects a Western perspective, underscoring the need for further studies, particularly in the Asia–Pacific region.

Pathways to young Namibian mothers’ high school engagement: The role of Afrikan wellbeing practices

Abstract Across diverse communities, girls who leave school without a high school diploma are at risk for a wide range of problematic developmental outcomes. Yet, most research on educational engagement and resilience is conducted from a western perspective and within western contexts. Sensitized by Afrocentric frameworks, Ubuntu and Afrikana womanism, this study uses postcolonial indigenous research methodologies to examine the experiences of young, Namibian mothers enrolled in school. Thirteen young mothers participated in talking circles and individual, conversational interviews. Inductive analyses of transcribed interviews revealed challenges and facilitators to school engagement that resonate with the international literature including: poverty, stigmatization by educators, and othering by peers, psychosocial, and economic support from the baby's father and extended family, and school based psychosocial and educational supports. Analyses also revealed several distinctly Afrikan practices that young mothers described as supportive of their school engagement including ‘truth-telling-talk’, frank discussions with elders, ohungi (evening-talk), a traditional context in which elders provide guidance, and omayeletumbulo [wisdom sayings], proverbs that give meaning to complex life challenges. We discuss the implications for expanding western theories (e.g. resilience), practice, policy, and research.

Fragmented frontiers: three approaches to understanding irregular warfare

ABSTRACT This article surveys current thinking, both academic and doctrinal, on the subject of irregular warfare. It argues that from a western perspective the debate has essentially resulted in three competing forms of understanding, what this paper terms the maximal, traditional, and competition-disruption models. Conceptually, all have certain strengths but also a number of highly significant weaknesses. It nevertheless proposes that the last of these, particularly when articulated as a form of ‘strategic disruption’, offers the most coherent vision of irregular warfare. Even then, significant gaps in reasoning still exist. Ultimately, the ability of western thinkers and doctrine writers to agree a common understanding of irregular warfare remains an inherently fragile endeavor.

Leadership for Sustaining Cultural Identities: Pacific Ways of Knowing, Being, and Doing in ECE

ABSTRACT This article explores the integration of Pacific ways of knowing, being, and doing into leadership in early childhood education (ECE) in Aotearoa New Zealand to sustain Pacific children’s cultural identities. Current leadership models in education reflect dominant systems that do not fully recognize the diverse contributions, needs, and priorities of Pacific communities. By foregrounding collective and holistic approaches linked to identity rather than individual performance, this research article supports the shift toward culturally sustaining leadership. Using a qualitative methodology and the Pacific concepts of relationality and teu le va (Samoan: nurturing the relational space), the research study engaged 15 leaders and teachers from five ECE centers in talanoa (open talk) to explore leadership understandings, values, and practices that contribute to Pacific children’s success. Findings suggest that effective leadership for Pacific children in ECE prioritizes a focus on affirming relational connections and promoting cultural identity as a strong foundation for their educational success. The article argues for ECE leaders of Pacific children in Aotearoa to embrace Pacific perspectives alongside Western perspectives in creating an environment that is culturally responsive and sustaining, ensuring Pacific children’s early education is grounded in knowledge about and appreciation for their cultures, languages, and heritages.