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Between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s, molecular simulations emerged as a transformative force within materials science. Sidney Yip's early contributions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, alongside his involvement in the 1985 International School of Physics "Enrico Fermi" in Varenna, Italy, catalyzed the convergence of traditional methods with computational techniques and helped drive a redefinition of the discipline's epistemic and methodological boundaries. This article argues that Yip's biography and professional trajectory as a Chinese-born engineer and scientist in the United States during the Cold War facilitated the acceptance and advancement of molecular simulations within materials research. His work also attracted the interest of leaders from established fields, such as condensed matter physics and chemical physics, to explore the potential applications of these techniques in materials science. In examining his journey, this study illuminates the dual processes of cultural assimilation and hybridity, and highlights Yip's boundary work that promoted the integration of diverse epistemic traditions and heterogeneous communities. The analysis traces the epistemological transformations, methodological shifts, and the institutional and disciplinary dynamics that fostered the incorporation of molecular simulations into materials science. This examination foregrounds the co-construction of scientific knowledge and technological practice through Yip's boundary work, and offers an assessment of his contributions within the broader sociotechnical networks that shaped the field. Recognizing the paucity of existing historiography on the subject, this article aims to establish a framework based on primary sources that can serve as a foundation for future scholarly inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses digitised apprenticeship bindings from the Records of London's Livery Companies Online (ROLLCO) to investigate the migration patterns of those moving from Wales to enrol in 10 of the London guilds in the period 1600–1800. Engaging with existing historiography on metropolitan apprenticeship and migration from the English regions to London, this article outlines the sorts of people who travelled from Wales to join the livery companies as well as analysing their motives in terms of push and pull factors. It also compares Welsh migration with the smaller numbers of Irish and Scots who enrolled. Evidence from ROLLCO demonstrates that Welsh migrants moved to London in significant numbers during the early seventeenth century using similar migration routes to many of their English counterparts, but that livery companies did little to integrate Ireland and Scotland into a wider British economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a densely populated city, Hong Kong's housing market is the least affordable in the world. This paper aims to uncover the underlying socio-economic factors behind the changing homeownership patterns of new immigrants before and after the handover. While Mainland immigrants enjoyed the highest likelihood of homeownership among new immigrants before the handover, their advantage disappeared after the handover. The findings support the Assimilation theory's prediction that homeownership is lower among those less assimilated in general, but not among Mainland migrants. Those who were married, well-educated, employers; and had longer residences were more likely to be homeowners. Various admission schemes are implemented to attract talents, professionals and entrepreneurs to reside in Hong Kong but there is no accompanying housing policy to enable immigrants to become homeowners. The results show the homeownership rate of new immigrants dropped by more than half after the handover. Immigrants may feel less secure calling Hong Kong their home if they don't own a "home". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the experiences of international college athletes (ICAs) at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III (DIII) small private institution in the Southern part of the United States (U.S.). ICAs are an integral part of the athletic and academic community and have been part of the NCAA for over 50 years; however, there is limited research surrounding this population's experience of belonging at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), especially at the NCAA DIII level. Drawing on Strayhorn and Merleau-Ponty, this study employs focus groups to examine the lived experience of ICAs (n = 18) and their sense of belonging. The findings reveal the challenges ICAs face, how they overcome these challenges by finding belonging, and feeling forced to assimilate to fit in. We conclude with suggestions for the NCAA and its member institutions, including the need for more research to be conducted on ICAs, particularly at the DIII level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As populations in small and medium-sized Canadian communities steadily decline, migration is increasingly seen as the solution. While government programs promoting migration to smaller centres exist at both the federal and provincial levels, the long-term integration of newcomers to smaller communities remains a challenge. This tendency could be connected to the notable social, economic and political differences that have been described between larger and smaller centres which can be overlooked by theories of integration derived from empirical work conducted in larger, heavily urban centres. This article explores three theories of integration – assimilation, transnationalism and the whole-of-community approach – and their applicability to the study of small centres medium-sized centres. It suggests that the whole-of-community’s emphasis on local context, multilevel governance and dynamic view of culture provides a useful framework for theorizing integration in small centres and develops a sketch of factors relevant to their study in the Canadian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do the relationships between the concept of being indigenous and the processes of ethnoeducation manifest in southwestern Colombia? This ethnographic study explores the complexities of constructing ethnic identity among the indigenous peoples of Nariño, focusing on the implementation of educational programs driven by a population perspective. By questioning the foundations of ethnoeducation from the late 20th century to the early 21st century, we establish a dialogue among various institutional agents within the broader framework of ethnic-based social organization. We also examine the historical relationships, institutional archaisms, and contemporary challenges faced by ethnic educational processes in Nariño. We conclude with insights into the construction of ethnic identity and its implications for the social order governing the interactions between community members and government representatives. We conceptualize the relationship between the State, school, and ethnic identity as a fundamental part of Colombia’s modern project, which has been in development since the republican era. The institutional framework has fluctuated between protectionist, paternalistic, and cultural assimilation policies. However, the current threats to the physical and cultural survival of ancestral peoples must be addressed through the State’s institutional mechanisms and governance technologies. These mechanisms are designed to tackle the challenges of interculturality within a complex and often contradictory framework of relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the South Tyrolean Option of 1939 and the motives of the German-speaking population in the decision "to leave or to stay". It discusses the instrumentalization and different uses of the term. The article also provides an overview of the historical events from 1918 to 1938, the division of Tyrol and the annexation of South Tyrol by Italy. Under the fascist regime, the South Tyroleans were confronted with repression. The Italianization of South Tyrol took place in two phases: first, the political and cultural assimilation through decrees and laws, followed by the majorization, the expansion of industry, and the state-sponsored immigration of Italians. The Option of 1939 allowed the South Tyroleans to choose between German and Italian citizenship and led to their resettlement in the German Reich. [Extracted from the article]

Land allotment was embraced by the U.S. Government in the late 1800s and early 1900s as part of a solution to the "Indian problem", the goal of which was assimilation into the Euro-American cultural and economic system. As a progressivist program, it was imposed with enthusiasm and confidence, dividing reservations into rectangular land parcels (allotments) in the belief that the allotment recipients would become yeoman farmers of the Jeffersonian mold. Tribes were unable to thwart the imposition of allotment, despite their best efforts, and its devastating long-term effects are now well known. Much less is understood, however, about the efforts of various tribes, sometimes successful and sometimes not, to obtain modifications to the terms of allotment imposed on them. We describe how the people of the Standing Rock Reservation in North and South Dakota successfully advocated for modifications which worked to their significant advantage. We draw heavily from the outgoing correspondence and allotment records of the Special Allotting Agent, Carl Gunderson, along with contemporaneous records of legislative proceedings and other documents. The successful efforts of the people of Standing Rock resulted not only in equitable access to scarce timber, but in allotments to numerous individuals who otherwise would have been ineligible. The net impact was the additional allotment of nearly 400,000 acres (160,000 ha) to over 1800 individuals who otherwise would have received nothing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sociology of migration, assimilation theory anticipates second-generations' socio-economic mobility into the mainstream. In contrast, the concept of transnationalism predicts second-generations' simultaneous belonging to the origin and destination countries. We draw on 118 qualitative interviews with second-generation Somali-Canadians whose parents were refugees to assess which of these perspectives best explains our participants' experiences. We explore educational and occupational attainments and transnational practices. Our data show upward mobility and an absence of contemporary transnational practices. Yet, we find that our participants' refugee background impacts their transnationalism; their parents' forced departures as refugees and the ongoing violence in their origin-country lead to second-generation Somali-Canadians' lack of transnationalism. Many, however, emphasize their desire to discover their origin-country at some point in the future. As such, to contribute to the emerging literature on second-generations with refugee parents, we argue that refugee background seems to push transnationalism into the future for our study participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a quarter century has passed since theoretical debates surrounding competing assimilation models emerged, and durably structured research on immigrants and their descendants in America and beyond. In this article, I offer a three-pronged reflection on the contemporary state of assimilation research. First, I aim to take stock of the relative merits of segmented and neoassimilation theories and their ability to explain major empirical trends in both the US and Europe. I argue that there is now an emerging empirical consensus about the second generation in the US and Western Europe primarily experiencing intergenerational progress rather than downward assimilation as envisioned by segmented assimilation theory. I then note six analytical challenges facing further theory building: clarifying the role of race and better understanding how cultural difference shapes assimilation trajectories, rethinking the relationship between immigrant socioeconomic mobility and the experience of belonging, acknowledging the importance of immigrant selectivity in conditioning assimilation, facing issues of in- and out-of-sample selectivity due to processes endogenous to assimilation such as ethnic attrition and incarceration, and studying the third generation. Looking out and into the future, I note the need for conversations across methodological traditions and specialist subfields to encourage further theoretical progress and assess existing data infrastructures and future data requirements. Finally, in tandem with machine learning applications allowing for empirical surprise and abductive reasoning, I argue that the current era of data plenitude and unprecedented ability to collect high-dimensional surveys through nonprobability online samples is likely to lead to further theoretical progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

News images have been powerful agents in chronicling humanitarian crises, shaping public engagement with vulnerability, and inhibiting or supporting societal and political interactions. Research critically indicates that refugees frequently face dehumanizing visuals in news media. However, the humanitarian communication literature has primarily limited itself to surveying the vulnerability of the global South as visualized by Western media. This study addresses this gap by employing an inductive-then-deductive framing approach to compare how the news media in the UK, the US, and China visually depict the humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine. The analysis shows that the way humanitarian crises are visualized in the news media is influenced by journalism culture across media systems and the geographical origins of suffering. The UK and US media perpetuate a post-humanitarian routine of cultural assimilation, while Chinese authoritarian media instrumentalize distant humanitarian crises for geopolitical purposes, both reinforcing the visual dehumanization of humanitarian vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adverse perinatal health outcomes are notably high among African-born women living in Australia. This problem is partly attributed to their lower engagement in maternity care services as compared to Australian-born women. Various barriers might limit African-born women's access to and use of services; however, these barriers are not well documented. Therefore, this review aimed to synthesise current qualitative evidence on barriers and facilitators of access to maternity care for African-born women living in Australia. Methods: The search was conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsychInfo, and Maternity and Infant Care databases on 16 April 2023. All articles retrieved were meticulously screened for eligibility by two independent reviewers with any disagreements resolved through discussion. The quality of the included articles was evaluated using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Studies were screened in Covidence and analysed in NVivo. The findings were organised and presented using Levesque's framework of healthcare access. Results: Out of 558 identified papers, 11 studies comprising a total of 472 participants met the eligibility criteria. The review highlighted provider-side barriers such as shortage of information, unmet cultural needs, long waiting times, low engagement of women in care, discrimination, and lack of continuity of care. User-side barriers identified include communication issues, difficulty navigating the health system, and lack of trustful relationships with healthcare providers. In contrast, the review pinpointed provider-side facilitators including positive staff attitudes, service availability, and the proximity of facilities to residential homes, while user-side facilitators such as cultural assimilation and feeling valued by healthcare providers were noted. Conclusions: This review identified barriers and facilitators of access to maternity care for African-born women living in Australia. Empirical evidence that would inform potential changes to policy and practice to address African-born women's unique health needs was highlighted. Designing and implementing a culturally safe service delivery model could remove the identified access barriers and improve African-born women's engagement in maternity care. Moreover, reinforcing factors associated with positive healthcare experiences is essential for improving maternity care access for this priority population. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42023405458. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between December 2020 and January 2021, we conducted an online mixed-methods survey to explore racism in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The survey was completed by exactly 500 residents of the province and was largely representative of the demographics of the province. The survey measured views on racism, multiculturalism, religious diversity, assimilation and linguistic diversity, and also explored lived experiences with racism. In this article, we report respondents' views on multiculturalism, religious diversity, assimilation and racism. The strong majority of Manitobans recognized that racism is a problem in their area of the province, and yet views towards assimilation and support for religious diversity remain mixed. These findings show contradictions between overall support for broad themes like diversity or multiculturalism yet high levels of continuing discrimination and racism in the province. Our findings emphasize the impacts of whiteness, with the intersectional complexities further emphasized by the qualitative stories shared by participants, giving accounts of racism at work, in stores, healthcare, justice and in different demographic groups. Specifically, incidents of racism against Indigenous Peoples were the most commonly experienced and witnessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article examines how the mainstream media and many Liberal and Conservative federal politicians marshalled narratives of Indigenous oil and gas workers during large-scale mobilizations against the Coastal GasLink pipeline in the winter of 2020. The author identifies a dominant vision of Canada as a technologically capable nation of people who work hard to derive wealth from the land, and the author shows how narratives about Indigenous oil and gas workers became important parts of this vision. The author interprets these findings through the writings of Indigenous resurgence scholars as well as through work in science and technology studies that documents and theorizes the co-constitution of dominant technoscience, colonial power, and the ethical stances towards work and land that both require. Through this interpretive lens, the author invokes the historical example of the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railroad to highlight continuities between the discourse from 2020 and older discursive, institutional, and material assertions of colonial power. In 2020, the mainstream media and many politicians' narratives about Indigenous oil and gas workers helped naturalize the idea that working hard to extract value from land is a universally shared stage in human development through which all peoples must pass. This helped legitimize mechanisms of assimilation by presenting them as meaningful steps in the process of reconciliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes have a long history of occupation in what is now known as Oklahoma. This includes evidence of habitations along Camp Creek and Sugar Creek near Anadarko in Caddo County. Here Wichita peoples camped, built grass houses and arbors, and held social gatherings leading up to and following the passing of the General Allotment Act in 1887. After allotment, communal camp and dance grounds were especially important focal points for community building. These places, such as the ichaskhah camp and dance ground discussed in this article, are critical to understanding the multigenerational connections between ancestral and living Wichita peoples. This history is also important to the community today. However, archaeological research of the Allotment period is exceptionally rare in this region. By using collaborative and Indigenous archaeological methodologies, this work documents the complexities of these places, challenging traditional assumptions of allotment-era cultural loss and assimilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the workplace learning of immigrant settlement workers (ISWs) at immigrant service agencies (ISAs) in Canada. Adopting a combination of governmentality and workplace subjectivity as its theoretical framework and institutional ethnography as its methodology, the study examines three forms of workplace subjectivity. First, constructive subjectivity is formed by incorporating racialized immigrants' prior professional and linguistic skills into service delivery. However, the initial hiring intention is grounded in institutional governance, which deliberately prepares these workers for the knowledge of outcome measurement evaluation. Second, organisational training naturalises ISWs' professional subjectivity to fulfil their apparatus role for the institutional regime. Lastly, cultural subjectivity manifests itself in two modes of paradoxes. The promotion of Eurocentric workplace knowledge assimilates ISWs' behaviour, communication, and bodily comportment to the practices of neoliberal workplace value. Outcome measurement adopts culture-blind criteria, emphasising programme quantification while ignoring ISWs' cultural identities in service delivery. In light of these findings, we argue that ISWs' workplace subjectivities are purposefully coordinated by translocal governance ruling power that upholds funders' requests for outcome measurement. The findings are significant in developing ways of understanding and exploring ISWs' learning agency in ISA workplaces by capturing and emphasising their voices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advancement of human civilization is in large part due to the contributions that women have made, which are indispensable. The formation of families, the construction of houses by families, the formation of communities, and ultimately the formation of nations are all vital changes that are brought about by women. The migration of Ruth, a character from the Old Testament in the Bible, is the primary topic of this article, which also investigates the impact of this migration and looks at how it has been reflected within the Indian diaspora. The story of Ruth is an example of a traditional type of diaspora narrative, as it embodies the concepts of both loyalty and cultural assimilation, as well as resilience. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate why ethnic background, social status, and marriage should be thoroughly investigated. This is due to the fact that the experiences of Indian women immigrants in the movement and employment market are markedly different from those of Indian men immigrants. This article will illustrate the difficulties of cultural adaptation and the pursuit of acceptance in foreign nations by examining Ruth's story and its relevance with the Indian diaspora. This will demonstrate the universality of Ruth's experiences by highlighting the problems that are associated with these endeavours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Zadie Smith's novel "White Teeth," published in 2000, a deep exploration is conducted into the speculative landscapes surrounding the diaspora of immigrants from various countries to Britain starting from the Second World War onward. The narrative of "White Teeth" intricately navigates the experiences of these distilled immigrants who find themselves ensnared in a disordered, estranged world, compelled to navigate a maze of alienation, seeking to assert their identity through the careful construction of mimicry and adaptation mechanisms. Within the colonial backdrop of Britain, a meticulous examination within this research paper brings to light the existing disparities prevalent during the country's colonial era, shedding light on the transcultural perspectives on racism defined by skin pigmentation and intensity, a pivotal theme that centers predominantly on the characters of Samad Iqbal and his two sons, Millat and Magid. Zadie Smith's exploration in "White Teeth" skillfully juxtaposes the tumultuous interactions between the native British population and the incoming immigrants, offering a profound analysis into how the intertwining of immigrant narratives and the escalating socio-cultural and political undercurrents of White supremacy culminates in the creation of adverse effects, leading to a spiral of isolation within the colonial hub. Through a nuanced lens, the novel delves deep into the complexities of these intercultural dynamics, unraveling the intricate threads that bind together the contrasting worlds of the British and immigrant communities, ultimately exposing the underlying tensions and power struggles that shape their interactions. The gradual unfolding of these interwoven narratives serves to illustrate the profound impact of colonial legacies on individual lives, highlighting the enduring influence of historical contexts on the present-day realities of multicultural societies. In essence, "White Teeth" stands as a poignant reflection on the multifaceted nature of immigrant experiences, offering a compelling insight into the intricate web of socio-political influences that shape identities and relationships in a colonial landscape. By navigating the complex terrain of cultural assimilation and resistance, Zadie Smith weaves a tapestry of narratives that resonate with universal themes of displacement, struggle, and resilience, inviting readers to contemplate the enduring legacy of colonial histories on contemporary social structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary society, the persistent manifestation of gender discrimination continues to impede the advancement of women in their pursuit of gender equality. Within the historical context of the assimilation program, Indigenous Australian women confronted systemic gender disparities. This scholarly investigation endeavors to elucidate the nuanced facets of gender discrimination experienced by Indigenous Australian women affiliated with the stolen generation, as discerned through the lens of Doris Kartinyeri's seminal work, "Kick the Tin." Employing a qualitative research paradigm, this study uses a liberal feminist framework to scrutinize the gathered data meticulously. The findings underscore that Kartinyeri's "Kick the Tin" unveils the entrenched gender discrimination endured by Indigenous Australian women during the assimilation era, delineating their prescribed roles as domestic laborers within the prevailing white societal framework, thereby perpetuating the marginalization of this demographic. In its essence, the narrative challenges the systemic marginalization of Indigenous Australian women, concurrently advocating for their empowerment as a catalyst for fostering an equitable societal milieu. Consequently, this research augments scholarly discourse, serves as a poignant catalyst for heightened social consciousness, and catalyzes imperative shifts toward mitigating the pervasive impacts of gender discrimination on a broader scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the interesting things about the Javanese calendar is its weapons. There are several ways to commemorate birthdays based on wetness in the Blitar community, such as making red and white porridge/jenang, making blessings, and fasting wet. This research is carried out with a qualitative approach through literature research, namely research conducted using library data, both in the form of articles and books and theses. The results of this study The assumption of Kejawen as a clinic and shirk is certainly uncomfortable for most Javanese people. Therefore, a reasonable explanation of Kejawen is needed to dismiss these small assumptions. Conclusion The Javanese people, especially in the areas that were once under the rule of the Mataram kingdom, have distinctive characteristics in terms of dating. The combination of the saka calendar and the Hijri calendar gave birth to the Javanese Islamic calendar initiated by Sultan Agung of the Mataram kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increasing interest of students of all ages towards digital texts, but also the prevalence of the visual over other forms of language, the use of images in the teaching of any type of content should be a priority of the didactic act -- or at least a common didactic practice. Most frequently, however, teaching staff limit this priority to the use in well-defined contexts of certain visual teaching tools, be they digital/ technological or in the form of graphic and figurative materials. Without questioning their effectiveness, we promote their combination with last generation didactic techniques, which could profit from the children' s interest in the visual or hybrid spectacular (Ilie 2020: 159), in ways that stimulate, and even prioritize, the development of their aesthetic and cultural sensibility. In this article, we propose to describe one of these techniques, the art-language technique, and then to exemplify various modalities of using it, especially in the primary education. By assuming the reasoned association of a theme or a message of a literary/non-literary text with an artwork chosen from a series made available by the teachers (Ilie, 2020: 160), the art-language technique can be used in a variety of curricular, but also extra-curricular contexts, that could facilitate children's access to a wide range of contents from the school curricula specific to primary education. The applications presented in this work will take into account the areas of Language and Communication, Man and Society, Arts and Technologies, as well as Personal Development. Of course, the formative valences adjacent to the use of this technique derive from the inter- and pluri-disciplinary character it implies, giving students the opportunity to creatively express emotions and thoughts in a variety of situations. With the help of the teaching staff, the visual art works could be transformed, on one hand, into anchors that can facilitate the adequate assimilation of aesthetic and cultural contents; on the other hand, they could become excellent vehicles of supplementary meanings, resulted from the subjective experience of the student, placed in the posture of a sensible, but also critical observer, who sees beyond color and form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing presence of highly skilled African immigrants in Quebec, Canada, there is a paucity of research on their adaptation processes, specifically regarding survival and social support. This study addresses this gap by investigating the survival strategies of highly skilled African immigrants (HSAI) in Quebec, utilising photovoice to vividly capture their social support systems and survival cultivation. Drawing on Ungar's (2012. The Social Ecology of Resilience: A Handbook of Theory and Practice. Springer) ecological perspective of survival, and Tardy’s model (1985. “Social Support Measurement.” American Journal of Community Psychology 13 (2): 187–202) of social support, this research elucidates the strategies employed by HSAIs to thrive. Data collection involved respondents sharing photographs that symbolise their survival while assimilating into Quebec's labour market, revealing that family, cultural groups, religious organisations, recreational activities, and professional networks play pivotal roles in their adaptation. These findings highlight the importance of a multifaceted support system in fostering survival and successful integration, suggesting that policymakers should focus on enhancing these networks to aid HSAIs’ adjustment to life in Quebec. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Agricultural drainage ditches are essential for maintaining flow efficiency and are often managed by brushing (i.e., vegetation clearing along ditch banks) and dredging. These maintenance practices not only impact flow but also the ditches' capacity to process and assimilate agricultural chemicals. However, the influence of ditch management on microbial activities, essential in processing and transforming these contaminants, remains underexplored. Methods: We conducted a four-year surface water sampling campaign in two long-established (over 40 years) agricultural drainage ditches situated in eastern Ontario, Canada. One drainage ditch underwent intensive bank brushing and channel dredging, while the other remained unmanaged. We assessed the impact of these contrasting ditch management practices on the diversity and compositional structure of surface water microbiome communities, with a particular focus on the distribution of genes associated with nitrogen (N) cycling, using shotgun metagenomics sequencing and an assembly-based metagenome approach. Results and discussion: From 117 surface water samples, we reconstructed 157 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), predominantly from the Patescibacteria superphylum. Brushing alone, conducted about 10 months prior to dredging, had an insignificant impact on the aquatic microbial community. However, dredging led to a significant reduction in community diversity and abundance of genes affiliated with denitrification, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia, and complete nitrification through comammox. Ditch management resulted in noticeable shifts in the microbial community, evidenced by the enrichment of taxa in Polaromonas, Emticicia, Flectobacillus, and Patescibacteria in the water of the managed ditch sites. The metagenomes of these taxa harbor genes involved in various nitrogen biotransformation pathways. Interestingly, following dredging, the levels of ammonia and ammonium, nitrite, and total Kjeldahl N in the managed ditch did not increase, but significantly decreased; likely due to ditch substrate removal and potentially increased flow efficiency and dilution. Being one of the few studies conducted to date, this study provided unique insights into the consequences of drainage ditch management on freshwater microbiomes involved in N cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the debate over an 'antisemitic Marx' in the French context. Since the republication of On the Jewish Question in the aftermath of the Six-Day War, the French intellectual field has seen continuous conflict between supporters of this 'thesis' (Mishari, Kaplan, Birnbaum) and their detractors, who are sometimes militant (J. Aron, Bensaïd) and sometimes academic (De Fontenay, Traverso), including those involved in the Grande édition Marx et Engels (Clochec). First, the article examines at length the French debate which spans over 50 years. Second, building on the insights garnered from this debate, it tackles the limits of materialist criticism of religious views. In light of the contemporary crisis of secularism in France, this problem forces Marxist and critical thinkers (Tosel, Meziane) to reassess the issue of religious minorities and their 'assimilation' to the 'national majority'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Son Kijŏng's monumental victory in the 1936 Berlin Olympic marathon propelled him to the status of hero in both colonial Korea and Imperial Japan. His triumph symbolised the successful fulfilment of Japan's colonial policy of assimilation (dōka). Yet, this very event – the moment when assimilation was ostensibly realised – created the opening for a legendary act of resistance to Japanese colonial authority: the publication, in the Tonga ilbo, of a photograph with the Japanese flag on Son's chest blotted out. This article explores colonial-era representations of Son's achievement as well as the formation and solidification of a historical narrative that portrays Son as a champion of Korean nationalism. Rather than any act performed by Son, it is the malleability of representation established during the colonial era that has allowed for the valorisation of Son as a symbol of resistance to Japanese colonial authority. More recently, colonial-period images of Son, building on the established dominant historical narrative of resistance, have been refashioned as blank canvases from which imagined historical outcomes can be created and formed into narratives that speak to current ideological demands for portrayals of active resistance to Japanese colonial rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether immigrants and their descendants are catching up socioeconomically with the rest of society is a fundamental question in the study of immigrant assimilation. In this paper, we examine the progress that Hispanic immigrant men make catching up with the earnings of later-generation Whites across generations. We rely on data from multiple years of the Current Population Survey linked with individuals' tax earnings. This unique dataset allows us to overcome some important limitations of previous studies that employ a synthetic generation approach in which individuals born approximately one generation earlier are used as proxies for actual parents. Our matching strategy also enables us to identify the exact third generation and evaluate the contribution of ethnic attrition to estimates of intergenerational mobility. Second-generation Hispanic men are found to experience lower mobility than later-generation Whites for most values of parental earnings. However, their lower mobility can be explained by their immigrant parents' lower education levels. In contrast, third-generation Hispanic men experience lower mobility even after accounting for parental education and ethnic attrition. This finding is consistent with a stalling or reversal in the socioeconomic progress of Hispanics beyond the second generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay uses Freudian–Lacanian psychoanalytic theory to interpret Hassan Blasim's short story "The Nightmares of Carlos Fuentes". Blasim's story depicts the psychological struggles of an Iraqi emigrant relating to his embattled sense of belonging in a Dutch society due to the recurrent nightmares of his "traumatic" past. It challenges his assimilationist fantasies. I develop Lacan's idea of ontological lack as a structural susceptibility that is exacerbated by actual experiences of trauma to underline how racialized refugees from the war-torn global South are doubly vulnerable to experiencing subjective dehiscence between their efforts to forget past war traumas and the challenges of assimilating into (white) host nations. This essay uses Blasim's story to illustrate a serious psychological issue experienced by racialized minority subjects in white/European host countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Industrial Removal Office funded 39,000 Jewish households to leave enclave neighborhoods in New York City from 1900 to 1922. Compared to neighbors with the same baseline occupation, program participants earned 4 percent more ten years after relocation. These gains persisted to the next generation. Benefits increased with more years spent outside of an enclave. Participants were more likely to speak English, and married spouses with less Jewish names. More Jewishly-identified men (as measured by own names) were more likely to return to the city. We contextualize these results with new national evidence on Jewish economic and cultural assimilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Europeanisation of national political parties is often considered a crucial element in the democratisation of the EU. Yet, party Europeanisation has remained limited. The traditional argument explaining this is that the low political relevance of European affairs creates limited incentives for party organisations to Europeanise. But what happens in a context where Europe ìs politically relevant? Denmark, with its high parliamentary and public scrutiny of European affairs, provides us with such a case, allowing a view through the looking glass on whether and how national political parties Europeanise in a Europeanisation-friendly context. This article finds that Danish parties Europeanise rather differently from what has previously been found elsewhere, focusing strongly on internal cohesion, to the detriment of transnational cooperation. As such, empirically scrutinising a long-standing theoretical argument, this article adds much-needed nuance to the debate on party Europeanisation, its causes and relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this introduction to the special issue on 'The Europeanisation of identities through everyday practices', we argue for a more thorough shift towards everyday practices, lifeworlds and leisure-time activities as important terrains for research into (ultimately also politically relevant) identifications among Europeans. Doing so entails the idea that the Europeanisation of identities might unfold in a more subliminal manner, and might hence be anchored less in policy changes and people's positionings towards political issues in a narrower sense. In contrast, mindsets, aspirations and frames of reference might undo a more unconscious transformation due to various activities in lifeworldly, cultural, leisure time-related, and even private spheres. Drawing on a multitude of fields (e.g. cultural heritage, university cooperation, everyday routines in the border region, arts, sports and gaming) as well as varying approaches and different methodologies, this Special Issue aims at demonstrating that ever more Europeanised identities might emerge from multiple sources and activities, which are not obviously tied to political agendas and frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the impact of European Union (EU) funds on corruption in the EU ex-communist countries by following a panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach. The panel includes 10 former EU communist countries, over 2007–2019. The key findings reveal that an improvement in the EU funds paid and their rate of absorption can reduce the level of corruption in the long-run in the recipient EU ex-communist countries. This is due to better monitoring of EU funds paid compared with national resources, and a more efficient and fairer channel of EU funds absorption. In parallel with the EU funds, corruption can be controlled in certain conditions by the degree of economic development, size of government, level of democratisation and religiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses attitudes around the projection of the EU among Latin American elites, namely the determinants of support for a Free Trade Agreement between the two regions and the trustworthiness of the EU government. We take as data elite surveys conducted in 15 Latin American countries (2014–2019) and consider sociodemographics, ideology, support for democracy, views of foreign powers, exports to the EU, and electoral democracy. Results show that ideology and support for democracy are key determinants of support for an interregional FTA, and that the trustworthiness of governments in the US, China, and Spain covary with attitudes toward the EU. The latter (trust in the government in Spain) proves to be the main driver and, furthermore, its impact is conditional on the economic strength (observed as exports) of the EU: wherever the EU is not a strong economic actor in Latin America, trust in the Spanish government does nothing but improve the image of the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Which factors influence bilateral counterterrorism (CT) cooperation between EU Member States? Although scholars have studied European CT, the question still needs to be answered. This paper addresses the issue by introducing a new theoretical framework that combines CT and Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) literature. As citizens' threat perception increases, governments are pressed to act. Overall, centrist cabinets tend to rely more on cooperation agreements; likewise, pushed by threat perception, left-wing executives also recourse to international cooperation. I tested this framework on a newly collected dataset, which comprehends bilateral CT agreements signed among EU Members from 2002 to 2017. As such, this paper fosters studies on EU CT, focusing on a less debated issue: bilateral cooperation between EU Member States. The results support the initial hypotheses, disclosing a robust influence of threat perception and cabinet ideology on the number of bilateral CT agreements signed. Furthermore, they show that the perception of the threat is more influential on cooperation than the actual impact of terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a bottom-up perspective, cleavage theory links the socio-economic trends existing in the political community with the shape acquired by party politics. Globalization and European integration impacted European society, creating novel socio-economic divides and bringing new social, cultural and economic issues into the political discussion. The impact of the novel cleavage over the pre-existent societal socio-political fractures acquires a central role in the study of European Union politicization. Deploying critical discourse analysis (CDA) and discourse-historical approach (DHA), this study aims to comprehend how the emergence of a novel cleavage has influenced the discourse of the mainstream European parties. The manifestos of the European Christian democratic, socialist and liberal parties from the last three European Parliament elections are analyzed to assess the contemporary relevance of the left-right political competition in a scenario characterized by the salience gained by transnational issues and the electoral success of populist elites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agreements on Next Generation EU (NGEU) and the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021–2027 (MFF 2021–2027) are extraordinary milestones for the EU integration process. Not only do both regulations have important redistributive effects within a defined timeframe, but both regulations shape the hierarchy of objectives and instruments of EU budgetary policies. This is particularly true for cohesion policy, which has been characterised as the model of EU multilevel governance (MLG). Drawing on historical institutionalism and Peter Hall's classification of policy change, this text examines the dynamics of change in MLG. In particular, this research looks at the timing and scope of changes in EU cohesion policy since the 1980s. We ask whether or not the adoption of NGEU and the MFF 2021–2027 is likely to represent a critical juncture for the MLG and to what extent both regulations modify objectives and instruments of cohesion policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on Euroscepticism tends to portray parties opposing European integration or criticising the European Union (EU) as a family of Eurosceptic parties (either hard or soft). Recent literature, however, offers empirical evidence on the ambivalence and diversity of the EU critique. What is still unclear are the reasons behind the chameleonic nature of Euroscepticism and the implications that this may have for the EU critique and the changes proposed about EU policy or institutions. The present article addresses this question exploring the role of EU crises to capture the changing nature of Euroscepticism and suggests that it is related to contextual pressures on the political debate around the EU. The paper develops this argument and illustrates it through the analysis of the Alternative für Deutschland in Germany, covering the EU crises of the last decade, including the recent period of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine invasion. Drawing on a corpus of party manifestos and speeches between 2013 and 2022, this study shows that there are three main frames used by the party to criticise the EU. It also concludes that these frames involve distinct political implications for the EU critique and the alternative proposals presented by the party. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), despite being regarded as the most developed integration project in the post-Soviet area, has faced different hurdles in acquiring international recognition. Especially, the EU, the EAEU's Significant Other, has been reluctant to formally recognize it, in spite of close ties with EAEU member states as well as of its own self-image as a supporter of regional integrations. This paper focuses on this puzzle and examines how the EU has been discursively explaining its non-recognition of the EAEU at the institutional level. Based on the analysis of EU-articulated narratives since 2010, the paper reveals three dominant representations of the EAEU in the EU discourse: (1) Russia's geopolitical project; (2) a protectionist union; and (3) a dysfunctional union. These narratives have been used by Brussels to create the EAEU's image as a threatening Other, thus justifying why the EU cannot formally recognize the EAEU and officially engage with it. The paper also identifies five different stages of the EU's discursive representation of the EAEU since 2010, when its tone and content varied. The paper concludes that such non-recognition from the Significant Other still limits the EAEU's international agency despite its increasing interest in cooperation with non-Western actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union (EU) has developed cultural policy initiatives that seek to promote cultural Europeanization with the purpose of constructing European identity narratives and facilitating citizens' sense of belonging to Europe and the EU. The article focuses on the citizens' perspective to cultural Europeanization through ethnographic research on one central action in the EU cultural policy, European Heritage Label (EHL). We analyse the interviews conducted in selected EHL sites with Central and East European (CEE) citizens who were visiting the sites as well as with cultural heritage practitioners working at three EHL sites located in CEE countries. We ask how the practitioners and the visitors engage with European identity narratives and elaborate their European belonging. We especially scrutinize how everyday encounters and experiences, such as mobility, shape identifications with 'Europe' and perceptions of what is 'European'. The interviews are interpreted in the theoretical framework of 'being' and 'becoming' European. This framework indicates a centuries-long liminal position of the Central and Eastern Europe. It enables us to scrutinize CEE citizens' sense of belonging to Europe in an intersection of dual Europeanization, i.e. cultural Europeanization and 'Europeanization' of the CEE countries to overcome this liminal position and become 'true' Europeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How has the Europeanisation of football at the level of governance (due to for example the effects of the Bosman ruling and the formation of the UEFA Champions League) – influenced the identities of football fans? This paper explores how such structural Europeanisation in football is influencing identifications among fans. Based on an analysis of articulations in selected online message boards, we distil the positioning of fans towards 'Europe' in football, and the factors which shape it. We control for three main avenues of impact: the club level, the league level, and the societal context. Our inquiry is based on a set of paired comparisons of fan scenes for football clubs in four different European countries. Results show that the factor carrying the most explanatory power is the club's participation in European-level competition. Although this broadly confirms a 'contact hypothesis' – according to which the more fans are exposed to cross-border contacts, the less relevance they attribute to aspects of national belonging – significant variations of how frequent exposure to European-level competition translates into more Europeanised perceptions do exist. For European identity studies, the work corroborates that a lifeworld arena such as football can foster Europeanised identifications, albeit not in a uniform manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I discuss Lithuanian LGBQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer) people's views on belonging to the West/EUrope. I will argue that the research participants' age group, location of residence, their (not)involvement with LGBTQ+ leisure culture and/or their migrant status made a significant impact towards forming their subjective sense of (not) belonging to the West, when they discussed their personal experiences of spending time abroad. When belonging to the West/EUrope was discussed against the backdrop of national belonging, the research participants syncretised the elements of the dominant nationalistic narrative, and the Rainbow Europe narrative in order to homosexualise the national canon and to construct an accommodating version of Lithuania as the Rainbow Nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-border regions are often deemed laboratories for initiatives to increase Europeanization. Our paper examines the German-speaking Community of Belgium in the Euregio Maas-Rhine to assess the relevance of everyday cross-border activities to the perception that living in a border region presents a unique opportunity to feel and think as a European. Departing from the assumptions of both Deutsch's transaction theory and Allport's contact hypothesis, we analyze Eurobarometer data (population-level surveys) and use data from focus groups with regional MPs. Results from quantitative data analysis suggest that perceptions of life in cross-border regions are positively influenced by frequent cross-border movement (functional dimension) as well as general trust in other people (emotional dimension). Our qualitative data from focus groups support the findings from the quantitative analysis and demonstrate further that it is not merely the quantity but the quality of contacts that contribute to a gradual 'growing together'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the existing evidence on gamification in educational settings, highlighting its impact on motivation and academic performance. Methodologically, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was developed under the PRISMA statement criteria using three multidisciplinary databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and Scielo. According to the inclusion, exclusion, and quality criteria, it was determined to include 9 SLR articles on gamification that address at least one of the two key variables: student motivation or academic performance. The articles were published between 2016 and 2022, available in open access, written in English or Spanish, and with content that is directly related to the research questions. The results reveal that gamification significantly influences motivation by facilitating the assimilation of knowledge, the improvement of skills and academic competencies of students, and specifically refers to a wide range of capabilities that are essential for success in the educational environment and that can be enhanced through playful and interactive learning experiences. These skills can be cognitive, self-learning, social, or collaborative, among others. It is concluded that creativity and adaptability are key to successfully implementing gamification in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a comprehensive exploration of Malcolm X's activism and his evolving views on black nationalism and separation. It examines the different interpretations of black nationalism throughout history and emphasizes Malcolm X's unwavering support for black nationality. The article delves into his advocacy for territorial separation and independence, as well as his views on self-defense and violent revolution. It also touches on the concept of emigration and potential destinations for the black community. Overall, the article offers a nuanced understanding of Malcolm X's beliefs and the complexities of black nationalism. [Extracted from the article]