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This article seeks to address the ever-expanding and shifting communicative demands of 'liquid modernity' by focussing on two key issues: the need to reconceptualize language and communication as a consequence of the diversification of media and resources people draw upon to meet these demands; and the need for a new analytical framework to capture how people perform multiplex roles simultaneously and spontaneously through dynamic and adaptive communicative practices. We do the former through further elaboration of the scholarship on translanguaging and the latter with a new concept of transpositioning. We argue that the latter is enabled by translanguaging practices and is a necessary capacity participants in the social life of liquid modernity need to develop in order to deal with everyday communicative demands. We develop the concept with analysis of two examples of lived experiences of multilinguals and explore the theoretical and methodological implications for applied linguistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the intricate relationship between material culture and the narrative of Charles Dickens's novel Great Expectations. Topics include the impact of Victorian social structures on character development, the significance of material culture in literary studies, and the agentic power of clothing in shaping identity.

This article explores the historiography of the medieval crusades in recent decades. It begins by questioning the usefulness of the compartmentalization of the field of crusade studies into "traditionalist," "pluralist," "generalist," and "popularist" approaches, which has been employed for some time to describe different strands within modern crusade scholarship. It argues that the stark contrast between "traditionalists" and "pluralists" in particular has been overstated and does not accurately reflect the developments of recent research-based work on the crusades. As an alternative, this essay suggests viewing the field in terms of narrative traditions and examines how these traditions, which in some of their constituent elements reach all the way back to the Middle Ages, have been conserved and at the same time transformed in recent decades. It argues that, while textbook histories of the crusades still tend to follow traditional narrative patterns, specialist studies have for some time placed the medieval crusades in new thematic contexts. The article closes with an appeal to acknowledge recent approaches and results of specialist studies by expanding and reorientating the standard master narrative of the medieval crusades. It suggests that they should no longer only be viewed as part of a clash-of-cultures narrative mainly focusing on the geographical edges of Europe but also as a movement which affected and crucially shaped many aspects of mainstream European society during the Middle Ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the use of Pierre Bourdieu's sociological concepts of social fields, capital, and habitus to analyze water management in Colombia. By mapping the social dynamics of water management, this study examines the interactions and power relationships among agents, including government agencies, private companies, academic institutions, non-profits, and local communities. The analysis reveals how various forms of capital, such as economic, cultural, social, and symbolic, influence water management practices, policies, and the distribution of power. Integrating agent-based modeling with hydrological simulations provides a more nuanced understanding of how social dynamics influence water management. This interdisciplinary approach helps develop more adaptive and equitable strategies by capturing the complex interactions between human behavior and environmental factors. This study highlights the need to localize the analysis of the social field to capture regional customs and specific social dynamics. This localized approach ensures that water management strategies are more relevant, context sensitive, and sustainable. This paper advocates for the wider adoption of agent-based modeling in water management, proposing a methodology that combines the engineering principles of practical problem solving and adaptive design with an understanding of the social complexities in water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article explores the philosophical similarities between Dewey and Merleau-Ponty, focusing on their shared emphasis on lived experience and resonance in ethical inquiry. Dewey's denotative-empirical method and Merleau-Ponty's notion of interrogation provide complementary approaches to ethics, leading to a genuinely ecological ethics. The text delves into the importance of habit, body, and flesh in shaping our interactions with the world, emphasizing the contingent nature of existence and the role of experience in ethical decision-making. Ultimately, the article argues for an ethics of responsiveness grounded in attunement to the resonances of culture and nature, highlighting the importance of nuanced judgment and openness to diverse perspectives in moral inquiry. [Extracted from the article]

From Gone with the Wind to Dave Chappelle's The Closer , much media content has been perceived as violating today's social mores by offending consumers from marginalized groups. As a result, many streaming platforms have faced calls for censorship from consumers. Four preregistered studies, employing different paradigms and diverse groups of consumers, investigate when and why consumers—specifically those belonging to marginalized groups—espouse or reject content censorship. When media content threatens the values that consumers deem critical to protect their marginalized identity, they press for completely deleting the content (study 1). This effect is mitigated when consumers (a) share an identity with the content creator (studies 2A and 2B) and (b) view the issue from a different identity's perspective (study 3). The findings demonstrate how marginalized consumers facing identity threats can use censorship as a means for minority activism and provide insight into the psychology of those traditionally overlooked by consumer behavior researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In southwestern Uganda, a custom of health and social support has been managed through collective organizations known as engozi for centuries. Subscribers advanced help for those who were not able to provide for themselves and their households. Participants pooled financial and food resources, offered emotional assistance, and aided in transporting patients to hospitals. The institution of "free government health amenities" caused the decline of the engozi custom. However, with an insufficient annual health sector budget allocation, the state health services cannot satisfactorily meet the needs. The Kisiizi neighborhood, while depending on the engozi practice, arrived at a CHI system in 1996 as a self-help innovation to eliminate financial obstacles and enhance access to quality health amenities. Numerous studies on CHI have examined the structure, registration and memberships, health-related advantages, and monetary-related benefits, but little has been documented on how cultural beliefs and customs have affected its application. This study aimed to identify the role of culture and customs in tackling healthcare disparities via a CHI strategy. This study adopted a case study methodology and qualitative methods. The study utilizes Woolcock's social capital theory and Cultural competence theory as the analytical framework. It identifies Brotherhood, Solidarity, Belonging, Cooperation, Volunteering, Reciprocity, and Respect for Authority and Leaders as key values upheld by the engozi tradition, strengthening social capital and laying a solid foundation for successful CHI. This study also identified that societal values and traditions have significantly impacted the implementation of the Kisiizi CHI scheme, as evidenced by the influence on CHI leadership and governance, collecting premium fees from subscribers, mobilization and registration of participants, and information dissemination. Lastly, the study identified that CHI has positively affected healthcare challenges within the community, evidenced by increased utilization of healthcare services, improved access to antenatal care, health promotion and disease prevention initiatives, and improved quality of services due to user feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This papers aims to explore the impact of music, musical cultures and humanist education over different historical times showing how emotional expression (music) contributes on social cohesion. For this study is used the historical and theoretical investigation into the formation of music by way to drawing upon insight from both philosophers, theologians and demystifying aspects by looking at ethic-musicological insights It explores how music, as a universal language, transcends cultural and ethnic boundaries, facilitating intercultural communication and understanding. Utilizing historical and theoretical approaches, the document highlights music's evolution from antiquity to contemporary times, emphasizing its impact on personal identity and societal cohesion. Key findings suggest that music not only serves as a tool for emotional expression and spiritual reflection but also plays a critical role in educational settings by enhancing cultural literacy and promoting humanistic values. The document recommends incorporating music education into curricula to foster interpretation skills, thus supporting the integration of diverse cultural perspectives. By referencing influential theories and examples throughout history, the document underscores the enduring significance of music as a catalyst for unity and personal growth. Suggestions would see music education more highly valued and prioritized in school programs to encourage cultural appreciation, empathy building. More data and historical references on the subject of music demonstrate its universal, timeless effects. This empirical evidence also helps to endorse proposals that require music and cultural engagement, as these elements are crucial by nature . The study incorporates examples from history and the work of key figures such as Aristotle, Schopenhauer, John Blacking to offer a detailed panorama on how music has contributed in social life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores Bret Harte's poem "Plain Language from Truthful James" and its examination of religious and racial dynamics in the post-Civil War West. The poem satirically addresses anti-Chinese racism through the character of Ah Sin, but also highlights the othering of Irish Catholics. The article argues that Harte's portrayal of anti-Chinese racism falls short in speaking truthfully about Chinese laborers, and challenges traditional forms of white supremacy in California. It delves into the history of American religion, anxieties over heathenism, and the economic competition and racial tensions between Irish Catholics and Chinese immigrants in California. The text also discusses the racial and religious dynamics between Irish Americans and Chinese immigrants in the mid-19th century United States, highlighting discrimination faced by the Irish and the participation of Irish Catholics in anti-Chinese sentiments. The author argues that Harte's poem critiques this discrimination and promotes religious and racial tolerance. However, the poem's satirical style and semantic imprecision led to misinterpretations that reinforced anti-Chinese racism and contributed to the support for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. [Extracted from the article]

In England, the period from the late Middle Ages through early modernity was bookended by demographic change. On one edge, there was the Black Death and subsequent plague pandemics, which halved the population, reshaping English society in their wake. On the other, there was the demographic transition of the mid‐eighteenth century, which reduced death rates and led to modern family structures. Between these two epochal events, demographic trends shaped English customs and values, and were in turn shaped by them. The articles in this special issue draw on cutting‐edge demographic research to offer new interpretations of the effects of plague, patterns of marriage, evolving forms of labor, and the morality of crime and charity, among other subjects. Together, they illustrate how quantitative studies in historical demography can shed light on key transformations in culture and society—and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informed by translingual practice [Canagarajah, S. 2013a. Translingual Practice: Global Englishes and Cosmopolitan Relations. New York: Routledge] and poststructuralist conceptualisation of identity [Norton, B. 2000. "Identity and Language Learning: Gender, Ethnicity and Educational Change." TESOL Quarterly 35 (3): 504–505], this qualitative case study explored the process of translingual identity construction and negotiation among a group of Chinese students in a joint education programme between China and the United States. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and observations. Data analysis found that these Chinese students initially perceived themselves as deficient ESL speakers resulting from a lack of competence in English, but were able to transform this dilemma with the development of powerful national identities throughout their China-US transnational experiences. In order to claim ownership of English and membership in the host community, besides using standard norms of English to handle academic and social life communication, students developed translingual dispositions as well as translingual practices to supplement their communicative competence with expanded semiotic repertoire. The study extends previous discussions on identity by examining through an analytical lens as translingualism to explore students' identity construction and negotiation in transnational education spaces and provides implications for translingual-oriented language policy and ideologies in intercultural contexts to enhance outcomes of teaching practices and students' learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Semiotica is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since ancient times, injustice in social life related to gender has become a frequent problem in society. Women are only objects and do not get equal rights in social life, education, and position before the law. Kahlil Gibran, a writer of the Mahjar Era from Lebanon, in the novel المتكسرة الأجنحة Al Ajnihah Al Mutakassirah (Broken Wings), raises the issue of women's helplessness against the influence of male power at that time. The character of Salma Karamy, the daughter of Faris Affandi, a wealthy man in Lebanon, is helpless in the face of the influence of the power of Bishop Bolus Galib who wants Faris's wealth by forcing the marriage of his nephew Mansour Bey Galib to Salma. Salma and Kahlil Gibran's love ran aground. This journal uses a qualitative-descriptive method to examine the novel المتكسرة الأجنحة Al Ajnihah Al Mutakassirah (Broken Wings) by Kahlil Gibran, in terms of feminism, especially liberal feminism according to Naomi Wolf. From the results of research and analysis of the novel الأجنحة المتكسرة Al Ajnihah Al Mutakassirah (Broken Wings) by Kahlil Gibran, it was found that the influence of religious leaders (Bishop Bolus Galib) was very large in social life in society. Women at that time lived oppressed, only as objects, and did not have equal rights with men. "A woman is like a commodity that is bought, offered, and moved from one house to another, then she will become like a piece of old furniture placed in a corner of darkness". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Secuencia: Revista de Historia y Ciencias Sociales is the property of Instituto de Investigaciones - Dr. Jose M. Luis Mora and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A part of the identity and culture of the people of Iran has been preserved in the framework of native and local games. In Iran land, many local and diverse sports are performed in various ceremonies. Among these games that have gained a national aspect in Iranian culture is the game of polo, which has been passed down from one generation to the next and continues to exist. Polo has a high place in Iranian culture. Our understanding of the polo game relies more on historical texts, literature, and artifacts. But the gap that can be seen in this field is the examination of the phenomena and evidence of polo games from the perspective of intangible cultural heritage. Therefore, the purpose of the present article is to know the place, importance, and explanation of the polo match as one of the components of identity in the culture of Iranian people with a descriptive-analytical method. In order to achieve this goal, the game of polo has been considered in various fields of oral traditions, social customs, and performing arts. First, the toponyms that are connected with polo have been checked. Then, the evidence of playing polo among native and local games has been discussed. And it tried to identify the signs of polo and to express its similarities and differences among different regions. The result of the research showed that the polo game was customary not only among the nobles and elders but also among the ordinary people of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a bibliography with listings of books, pamphlets, reports, and series published in Africa, covering a wide range of subjects and genres. The listings include books in English, French, and some in Portuguese, as well as new titles in African languages. It provides full bibliographic information for each title, including author, title, series, number of pages, illustrations, publication date, price, and publisher. [Extracted from the article]

States should establish in their legislations protective mechanisms which, on the one hand, guarantee the realisation of the rights of the majority and, on the other hand, ensure respect for the traditions, culture and customs of national and ethnic minorities. In Poland there are such guarantees that ensure that minorities can live in accordance with their own traditions and customs, also at the highest normative level. In addition to the legal sphere, one should not forget the equally important sphere of social life, which for some people is even more important. The issue of early marriage in the Roma community is an exemplification of the problem that can be caused by the interference of subject law norms with the centuries-old traditions and customs of a particular national or ethnic group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Couples are making increasingly varied surname change decisions following marriage. However, despite this increased variability, cultural attitudes toward nontraditional surname choices remain rooted in sexism, with women who retain their maiden names often being viewed negatively as individuals and as partners within their marriages. The present study aimed to examine ambivalent sexism as a potential moderator of the link between women's and men's nontraditional surname choices and negative perceptions of those individuals and their marriages. To this end, participants (n = 129) viewed a series of vignettes describing heterosexual couples who made traditional vs. nontraditional choices regarding whether to change or retain their surnames following marriage, and participants' levels of ambivalent sexism were measured. Results indicated that participants with higher levels of sexism perceived nontraditional surname choices, and the individuals who make those choices, more negatively relative to those who make traditional choices. These findings underscore the persistent role of sexism in cultural attitudes toward marital surname choices in an emerging adult population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 1797 and 1798, Germaine de Staël argued that France needed a reformation to end the Revolution, proposing the adoption Protestantism as a religion of state. This proposal has been explained away as an obvious and uninteresting consequence of her Calvinist upbringing. While obviously relevant, Staël’s religious background is not a sufficient explanation for a proposal that would have upended the constitutional principles of the Directorial republic as well as centuries of tradition in France. I argue instead that Staël’s proposal is better understood in framework of the Directory’s plans to breach the state’s neutrality in religious matters, established in the 1795 Constitution, in order to promote love of the republic via a new religion, theophilanthropy. Thus, Staël identified a political opportunity for constitutional change in matters of religion and sought to steer the course towards an existing religion that, as she argued, had all the benefits that the Directory saw in theophilanthropy, but none of the pitfalls, especially the theophilanthropists’ association with the Terror. This re-interpretation of Staël’s proposal, made in Circonstances actuelles, has implications for our broader understanding of this work, hailed as her ‘most substantial contribution to political and constitutional theory’, and the Thermidorian republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"In Search of the Philosopher's Faith" is a scholarly assessment of Rousseau's psychological and theological thought by John T. Scott. The book explores the distinction between Rousseau's personal religious beliefs and those of the Vicar in Rousseau's Emile. Scott argues that there is a significant difference between the Vicar's profession of faith and Rousseau's view of the natural goodness of man and the grounds of a civil religion. The book also discusses Rousseau's concept of conscience and its relationship to Locke's ideas. Overall, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of Rousseau's religious beliefs and their implications. [Extracted from the article]

Contemporary white supremacy often takes hold through strategies of racial disavowal. One strategy that political parties and regular citizens in Bulgaria use is what I call determined indeterminacy. Determined indeterminacy is a collective, institutionalized method of denying the ubiquitous systemic racism that undergirds social life. It allows people to naturalize white supremacy and render it adaptably persistent. This is the case especially in contexts of aspirational whiteness, such as Bulgaria, where whiteness is fraught and many people claim that their country has never been racial. Tracing Bulgaria's history of racial disavowal helps us understand how the local particularities of white supremacy naturalize, transform, and set in place long‐standing racial hierarchies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before receiving the Palme d'Or for her second long feature film Titane (2021), Fémis-educated, punk-looking, thirty-something director Julia Ducournau disrupted French cinema and the Horror genre with Grave (2016), awarded the Critics prize at Cannes. Grave features high-school graduate Justine as she undergoes hazing at the veterinary school her sister Alex/ia attends. Strict vegetarian Justine's values and sense of ethics are shattered by the forced ingestion of a raw rabbit kidney. A coming-of-age story, Grave depicts Justine's struggle with cannibalistic urges and her growth as an individual. This article argues that what makes Justine monstrous is the systemic 'carno-sexist' boys club she lives in—representative of our society—and that uses hazing as a form of conditioning to a system that she rebels against. With Grave, Ducournau transgresses and reframes the cannibal cinematic subgenre and advocates a compassionate world that only an active rebellion against alienating categories, practices, rules, and laws can achieve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the traditions observed in pre-Islāmic Arab society (Jāhiliyya) was the practice of child sacrifice. This practice drew strong condemnation and opposition in various passages of the Qur'ān. The underlying impetus behind the Jāhiliyya Arabs (pre-Islāmic Arabs) to engage in such acts, especially the sacrifice of their daughters, finds its explanation in the phrase khashya imlāq, "fear of poverty," as stated in the applicable passages. Nonetheless, a careful examination of the narrations (riwāyāts) and passages pertaining to the subject reveals a fundamental relationship between the Arabs' custom of child sacrifice and their votive rituals. This paper aims to scrutinize this intricate relationship. It commences with the identification of the riwāyāts linked to the Jāhiliyya society's custom of presenting children as offerings to their deities. Subsequently, a comprehensive analysis will be presented on interpretations put forth by Muslim exegetes (mufassirūn) regarding Qur'ānic passages addressing the theme of child sacrifice. This paper argues that while the ostensible motivation for child sacrifice, particularly that of daughters, is often attributed to peniaphobia, an examination of the relevant passages, riwāyāts, and the exegetical interpretations leads to the conclusion that this practice is intertwined with the votive beliefs once held by the Jāhiliyya Arabs. Accordingly, it can be concluded that belief strongly influences the formation of customs and practices at the social and individual levels, even when forgotten over time. Thus, a notable example illustrates a close relationship between religion and culture. Moreover, the influence of religious motivation and beliefs in legitimizing brutal practices, such as the killing of a child, is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exodus event demonstrates a culture and religious shift from an Egyptian context to that of national Israel. Scholars have underplayed the influence of Egypt on Israel during the exodus while overplaying the influence of Canaan. To be sure, Canaanite mores influence the practices of the Israelites. However, the generation that left Egypt (according to the Biblical account) would have been assimilated to Egyptian mores. Thus, the present article seeks to establish the exodus event as the means by which Israel sheds its former Egyptian mores and becomes "national Israel". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marinyo is a culture left by the Portuguese around the 15th century in Maluku. The purpose of this study was to find out to what extent students' misconceptions about the concept of sound in the Marinyo case in the Kepuluan Tanimbar Regency. The method used was a qualitative study in ethnography in ten villages in two sub-districts. In addition, they conducted a survey in the form of a diagnostic test in the form of questions related to the Marinyo case on 300 elementary school students. The findings in the field show that students experience relatively high misconceptions. It was because teachers did not accustom students to learn from natural phenomena around them and were given scientific questions to seek, find and provide answers and solutions related to these natural phenomena. The teacher was more pursuing the conditions and problems of physics in textbooks and less exploring contextual matters. Future researchers are suggested to develop physics or science teaching materials based on regional local advantages that are oriented towards understanding concepts, mental models, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity and innovative thinking so that teachers and students can learn well so that knowledge of science becomes better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Agricultural Economics & Social Sciences is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper explored the marginalization of women in the Semende community, which is claimed to be matrilineal. According to Semende custom, the eldest daughter is given the power to inherit, manage, and utilize the family's assets of housing and agricultural land. Those women are known as the tunggu tubang. However, according to custom, Semende males are also given the authority to influence the inheritance management carried out by the appointed women. The Semende custom allows the men to "judge" and test the appointed women to see if they are unable to carry out the management of the inheritance and even gain legitimacy if they want to manage the inherited property. This custom suggests that the Semende woman's claim to have power over the inheritance must be questioned. The customary legitimacy of men being allowed to take over the inheritance if needed also confirms that the Semende females have been lulled away from their position as inheriterse. They appear to have the power over the inheritance, but in reality, they have been marginalized in the social structure of their society. For this reason, this article tries to describe the basis for the justification for taking over authority and power from women and the implications for the inherited customs of property and the social structure of the Semende community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to explore the experiences of Behvarzes regarding the reasons behind the insufficient participation of some individuals with the preventive protocols established during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted from July 2021 to December 2022 using the conventional content analysis method. Purposive sampling was employed to select 14 Behvarzes working in villages covered by Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth individual interviews and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results: The study identified seven subcategories which were grouped into two main categories of reasons for inadequate compliance with health protocols by some individuals. These include: (1) Intentional non-compliance with preventive protocols, with the following subcategories: perceived obligation and adherence to social customs, denial of risk, belief in external health locus of control, and fear and distrust of prevention and treatment methods. (2) Unintentional non-compliance with preventive protocols, with the following subcategories: insufficient or contradictory information, negligence, and inevitability. Conclusion: The findings suggest that ensuring compliance with health guidelines is not a one-size-fits-all approach. providing empowerment and obstacle removal solutions to those forced to violate preventive protocols for various reasons are all critical components of successful interventions. Also, cultural familiarity can aid in the design of appropriate interventions to address these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the juristic discussions about women’s access to their financial rights during late Ottoman Egypt. Taking fatwa collections as a source of social history, one can recognize that women sometimes gave up their financial entitlements to their male relatives voluntarily. This concession is thought to have occurred due to the influence of deeply ingrained social customs in some tribes. While various historical and anthropological studies have explored this social practice, this paper focuses instead on the Islamic law ruling concerning this phenomenon. I discuss in this paper how some ostensibly conservative ulama in nineteenth-century Egypt, in pursuit of upholding women’s financial rights against patriarchal oppression, recognized an important principle of social coercion. By considering fear of social stigma as a constraint on women’s free will and thus as a form of legal duress, those ulama enabled women to reclaim their rights when possible— likely following the death of their male relatives. This paper urges us to rethink the position of the ulama in nineteenth-century Egypt regarding women’s rights. Furthermore, it illuminates an overarching concept of coercion in Islamic law, which holds relevance to various modern debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polish Tatars are a minority Muslim community who have lived on the Eastern borderlands of Poland for over 600 years, forming an integral part of Poland despite distinct social and religious customs. I argue that food practices among Polish Tatars in the Podlasie region, rather than being merely a symbolic means of expressing difference, actively create community as forces of both exclusion and inclusion. Affective bonds are reinforced through the bringing together of individuals in the space of the kitchen to cook and consume Polish Tatar food during holidays, but fears of assimilation and loss of identity are reinforced by a perceived weakening of these practices among the youth. Food practices in restaurants represent the community as a type of familiar alterity that is both distinct from, and yet a part of, wider Polish society, while simultaneously mosques complicate binary conceptions of food as belonging exclusively to one group. The contested consumption of pork and alcohol connects Polish Tatars to the wider Polish population as "our Muslims," while also creating boundaries with non-Tatar Muslims. In this paper, food is understood as an agentic force that actively crafts group boundaries of belonging through processes of inclusion and exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the dominance of scholarship from North America, Europe, and Oceania in the field of International Studies (IS) and the need to include perspectives from the Global South. The limited number of eligible scholars and practitioners in the Global South, as well as the legacy of colonial education, contribute to the lack of theoretical production from this region. The article argues for the importance of globalizing the archive of International Studies theories to include diverse perspectives and experiences. It examines the contributions of Cheikh Anta Diop and Walter Rodney, two scholars from the Global South, and how their ideas can be applied cross-regionally to explain universal dynamics. [Extracted from the article]

The rapid development of biotechnology and its presence in the various spheres of human social life brings new issues every day to different fields of science. Using a descriptive-analytical method, this research aims to answer the questions, "How is the embryonic life and when is the beginning of the soul, regarding the Qur'ān and Shiite Hadith?" and "Is determining the exact time of breathing soul in the fetus an intentional obligation or is it associated with symptoms that can be seen with the development of the fetus?" According to the Qur'ān and narratives, the embryo, a few days before the implantation stage, has vegetative life, not plant and human life. The embryonic cell, during the period when the physical creation of the fetus in the womb is not complete, does not have a human life. So it is not an actual human being. Then, the state in which the spirit is blown into the fetus starts with the movement of the fetus into the mother's body and is considered alive human. This honored soul (al-nafs al-muhtaramah) refers to a stage of embryonic development in which the human soul is blown up (wulūj). Additionally, acceptance of a specific time for breathing the soul is not an intentional obligation (ta'abbud) and is an unchangeable matter, but the birth of the soul does not have a specific and definite time, such as the end of four months, etc. Also, the diagnosis of this natural phenomenon will be based on its natural symptoms, which may be before or after the age of four months or may be realized at different times in different cases and living conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic globally, disrupting social life and economies alike, prompting reflections on historical pandemics and their enduring societal effects. Topics include the varied experiences of different global regions and within societies, the economic and social upheavals caused by lockdowns and shifts to remote work and education, and the role of historians in interpreting and documenting these transformative events.

Renowned Black banjoist Rhiannon Giddens declared a "Black Banjo Renaissance" on February 12, 2024, recognizing the historical significance and precariousness of the Black string band music tradition. The banjo, descended from African spike lutes, was invented by Africans or African Americans enslaved on sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean. The Black banjo tradition faced near extinction at the turn of the twenty-first century but was revitalized by groups like the Carolina Chocolate Drops, leading to a resurgence of Black banjo music and scholarship. The relationship between Black banjoists and archival sound recordings, predominantly collected and controlled by white individuals and institutions, raises complex issues of power, control, and cultural appropriation. [Extracted from the article]

In 1975, New York Times sports columnist Robert Lipsyte published SportsWorld: An American Dreamland , a critical examination of how the values of American sports had become corrupted and distorted by power brokers who pulled the purse strings. "SportsWorld" was an infrastructure first built in the late nineteenth century by industrialists, educators, politicians, promoters, journalists, and military leaders who believed in the potency of sports and American exceptionalism. For the faithful, SportsWorld represented a positive cultural force that unified the nation, strengthened vigorous manhood, and advanced the country's democratic ideals of equal opportunity and fair play. "In sports," Lipsyte reflected, Americans believed "children will learn courage and self-control, old people will find blissful nostalgia, and families will discover new ways to communicate among themselves. Immigrants will find shortcuts to recognition as Americans. Rich and poor, black and white, educated and unskilled, we will all find a unifying language. The melting pot may be a myth, but we will all come together in the ballpark." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memorial Day 2023 was a significant moment in twenty-first-century U.S. military history. Although U.S. service members remained deployed around the world and Operation Inherent Resolve continues to target the Islamic State (in April 2023, the U.S. military and its partners executed thirty-five missions against ISIS in Iraq and Syria alone), this year's celebrations came six weeks after the U.S. Senate repealed the two-decade-old Authorization for the Use of Military Force that had made possible the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was also only the second Memorial Day since U.S. troops left Afghanistan, abruptly and somewhat disastrously, in August 2021. As a result, the holiday was arguably the first in which the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could be understood as having transitioned from "current events" to events whose legacies Americans were beginning to imagine and define. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By comparing Rou Shi’s and Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi’s short stories, it is surprising to find that these two well-known authors, though living in different countries, have created works with very similar meanings. In revealing sufferings and miseries of women of the underclass, they have uncovered the common social problems brought about by poverty, ignorance, and outmoded conventions and customs. In the semi-feudalist society, women from both countries are all in a very humble position: they are deprived of their own social position, thus becoming lambs to be slaughtered, belongings of their husbands, and victims of poverty and backwardness. In their works, both authors unveiled the miserable and inhumane conditions of women, demonstrated the tragic life of working women of that time, condemned tortures and torments brought to women by the unfair social system, and offered their deep sympathy to poor peasants, especially toiling women. This study underscores the enduring relevance of literature in exposing and critiquing societal inequities, offering poignant insights into the shared struggles of women navigating oppressive systems across different national contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The humanistic-geographical associations of popular music foster the potential to articulate the production and reproduction of an activity-centered politicized ontology of space in the everyday social life of any creative communitarian framework where an alternative set of lifestyles, choices, and tastes engage in a constant play. A cursory glimpse at the (counter-)cultural artistic productions of the American 1970s shows that the lyrical construction of real and imaginary geographical locales has remained a distinguishing motif in the song-writing techniques of the celebrated rock poets. In the case of Bruce Springsteen, whether it is the 'badlands', constituting the rebellious and notorious young adults, or the 'promised land', which is the desired destination of all his characters, his lyrical oeuvre has numerously provided an alternative sense of place. Springsteen's lyrical and musical characterization of fleeting urban images like alleys, hotels, engines, streets, neon, pavements, locomotives, cars, etc., have not only captured the American cities under the changing regime of capital accumulation but also contributed to the inseparability of everyday social lives and modern urban experiences. Against the backdrop of this argument, this article seeks to explore how the socio-political and cultural aesthetics of Springsteen's song stories unfurl distinct spatial poetics through their musical language. Also, the article attempts to delineate how Springsteen's unabashed celebration of the working-class geography of the American 1970s unveils a site of cultural struggle, wherein existing social values are reconstructed amidst imaginary landscapes and discursive strategies of resistance are weaved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents artwork from the project, 'The botanical afterlife of indenture: Mehndi as imaginative visual archive', which memorializes the legacy of Indian indenture by recording the flora brought by indentured workers as they exist in the midst of contemporary social life and in the region's landscape. In the project, mehndi works as a decolonializing and embodied, post-indenture feminist aesthetic praxis and a method for contributing to a new world visual archive. Indo-Caribbean imaginative visual archives can challenge gendered and racialized exclusions in colonial and creole visual representations, and can instead image indenture and post-indenture histories in ways that are accessible, inclusive, consensual and popular; connecting all in the Caribbean and its diaspora to the afterlife of indenture. The article reflects on the images produced, how they echo biographical and fictional writing, and how they critically engage with the orientalising lens of colonial-era photography. In presenting these original designs of a botanical imaginary, the project aims to transform mehndi in post-indenture sites so that art forms which are both traditional and contemporary can be seen as post-plantation techniques for making memory-work an act of beauty. Inspired by his scholarship and encouragement, the project is dedicated to beloved Professor Emeritus Brinsley Samaroo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Korean historian Moon Il-pyeong's concept of "Joseonsim," or the spiritual essence of Korean culture, emphasized retaining a respect for traditional Korean culture, especially unique Korean inventions such as Hangeul. He was a sharp critic of what he deemed to be Korea's excessive reliance on Chinese culture and customs to the extent of belittling Korean tradition and customs and urged the Korean public to have pride in Korea's authentic national culture. Such emphasis on "Joseonsim" formed the core of Moon's nationalist understanding of history, for he sought to use history as a vehicle to educate the Korean public about Korean history as a means to overcome both the traditional Sinophile attitude and the Westernization of Korean society through Japanese colonialism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University academic success is influenced by a number of variables. One of the factors influencing both neurotypical and neurodiverse students' academic success at university is their social life. Students that are neurodiverse, however, also face additional challenges in maneuvering through their social life in comparison with neurotypical students. This paper argues that academic success for neurodiverse individuals is significantly influenced by their experiences in university social life. The social model of disability is the theoretical framework used in this article to examine and understand the relationship between the experiences in the social life of neurodiverse university students and their academic success. This paper argues that to increase the level of support provided to neurodiverse students, all stakeholders must work together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the author's observations of tourism in Goa, India, over a period of two decades. The author notes that while the tourist landscape has changed with the arrival of affluent Indian domestic tourists, two aspects have remained constant: the desire for "whiteness" and the lingering effects of colonialism. The author highlights the complex relationship between postcolonial people and their former colonizers, as well as the phenomenon of colonial nostalgia and hybridity. The article also includes anecdotes from Indian domestic tourists expressing admiration and curiosity towards white tourists. Overall, the article explores the enduring impact of colonialism on postcolonial societies and the complexities of identity in the context of tourism. [Extracted from the article]