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The term "white working-class" has emerged as a focal point in recent discourse, igniting fervent debates around its usage and purpose. Critics like Gillborn have contended that the term, often wielded by right-leaning academics and commentators, artificially segregates the working-class. In this article I seek to understand this, and other criticisms raised in relation to the rise of populism, which have been aimed at the usage and purpose of the term "white working-class". By weighing these criticisms against one another and acknowledging the intersectionality inherent in class formation, I propose a more specific and limited application of the term that I think better aligns with scholarly pursuits and helps to mitigate some of these critics core concerns around the term's overgeneralisation in-particular. Thus, while I also acknowledge that the term "white working-class" ignites debate, it can also unveil intricate social realities, as evidence from Skeggs and Reay suggest. It must ultimately be employed judiciously to avoid sidelining the struggles of other marginalised groups within the class. Balancing its use with caution is essential to harness its potential without undermining the broader context of class-based issues that affect individuals from all backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the long-standing debate about the scientific status of the social sciences and their explanatory nature has been rearticulated through perspectivist, interpretivist, and mechanistic approaches. Whereas mechanistic approaches advocate for realism in sociological models, perspectivist and interpretivist perspectives challenge this by emphasizing the multiple interpretations and meaningful nature of social reality, as opposed to the natural sciences. Currently, the metatheoretical discussion centers on competing views regarding the relationship between theories and the objects they address. In contrast to this focus on theories, I propose a rearticulation of Hacking's interventionist argument. I argue that all sciences share a common epistemic activity—the construction of chains of reference—which points to shared notions of success. This paves the way for realism through a practice-based argument that does not originate from ontological disputes, suggesting that our best theories are those literally embedded in scientific practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese migrant workers have contributed greatly to the industrialization and urbanization of China and have thus long been a popular topic in news reports. Most previous studies on the news about this group have been qualitative or quantitative analyses based on small-scale datasets, with few based on large-scale corpus data. This study combined topic modeling and critical discourse analysis (CDA) to analyze 186,180 reports of migrant workers published by 906 Chinese newspapers between 2001 and 2021. We identified seventeen topics in the news that fell into five categories: "work and labor," "support and care," "rights and interests," "homecoming," and "social emergencies." Overall, news reports on the group have become increasingly diverse, with various diachronic changes in the proportions of topic categories and specific topics. In addition, we found three major types of representation of migrant workers: as a disadvantaged group, as outsiders, and as a group vulnerable to risks. These negative representations might be closely related to government policies, ideology, media stance, and social reality (the broader societal context in which these individuals are situated). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to model the socio-political influences of media use in diaspora. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from Tunisian diaspora members residing in France, Denmark and Sweden. The article proposes 'mediatized diaspora' as a new model explaining the transnational intertwining between media and politics in the diaspora. Four sets of influences enabled by multimodal communication were defined and discussed as components of the model: (1) aspirations for the country of origin; (2) political meaning-making; (3) engaging in political actions; and (4) perceptions of social reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charles Dickens often satirised and sharply criticised the unfortunate social realities of nineteenth-century England through his works such as Oliver Twist (1838), David Copperfield (1850), A Christmas Carol (1843) and Hard Times (1854). In my paper, I will be putting forward the argument that Dickens’s novels advocate for social change by exemplifying the theoretical doctrine of methodological individualism. As a social science doctrine, methodological individualism was first introduced by Max Weber in his work Economy and Society (1922). The central precept of Methodological Individualism, according to Weber, is that individual actions and motivations rather than social and cultural realities should be considered as the chief drivers of social change. However, it should be precisely noted that methodological individualism as a doctrine is not a reckless celebration of individualism, but, more importantly, a careful analysis of how the intentional states of individuals contribute to the unfolding of social changes in a given society. In other words, the doctrine of Methodological Individualism proposes that social structures are influential but they are not superstructures whose influence exceeds the agency of individual members of a society. In order to illustrate the argument, I will be specifically focusing on the novel Oliver Twist. The historical and social context of the novel consists of 1834 Poor Law Reforms and widespread economic and social inequalities in nineteenth century England. Within these contexts the characters of Fagin, Mr Bumble. Nancy, Harry Maylie and Mr Brownlow make highly individualistic choices that shape the narrative of the novel, challenge the established code of social relations and finally restores Oliver Twist to his rightful place in the society of nineteenth century England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern China's acceptance of Dewey's legacy of aesthetic thought is divided into three main periods. In 1906–49, Dewey's Art as Experience was noticed, but due to the fact that China was more concerned with the social realities and national crisis at that time, its aesthetic thought appeared as an accessory to Dewey's social philosophy and educational thought, and its rich significance was properly realized only within the practice of aesthetic education. From 1949 to 1978, Dewey's aesthetics was effectively suppressed through China's ideological storms. From 1978 to the present, benefitting through China's policies of reform and opening, Dewey's aesthetics gradually gained the attention of Chinese academics and found expression in considerable research that develops the book's legacy in distinctive forms of contemporary Chinese aesthetics: life aesthetics, somaesthetics, and ecological aesthetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores the nature of the phantom touch experienced on social VR platforms through social interactions. The phantom touch has the potential to induce happiness in users. The study outlines how VR has emerged as both a technology and an imaginative concept. It examines how social virtual reality platforms can facilitate socialization and connection with friends. It highlights that some users experience phantom touch during simulated faceto-face interactions. The conclusion posits that this type of touch, while highly speculative, may contribute to a greater sense of fulfillment in users’ otherwise less stimulating virtual lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundMethodResultsDiscussionThis study explores the impact on Hearing Voices Group (HVG) facilitators on the rapid shift to using video-teleconferencing communication (VTC) to host HVGs triggered by the COVID-19 global pandemic.A qualitative, interview-based design was implemented, adopting a Grounded Theory approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven HVG facilitators from across the UK using VTC.Nine major themes were identified with four overarching thematic categories; (1) Societal reality & change; (2) Increased reliance on technology; (3) Impact on groups; (4) Impact on facilitator role.A preliminary theory is presented which discusses the inter-relating impact on facilitators and HVGs, in the context of increased reliance on technology, social reality and social change. The recurring themes of limited understanding of and access to IT, and the lack of support structures for HVG facilitators need addressing to support the future efficacy of VTC-mediated HVGs. Limitations are discussed alongside suggestions for future practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study explores the applicability of local grammar in critical discourse analysis, which is demonstrated by an investigation into the discursive representation of climate change. Using UN climate change news as the data, the study shows that climate change was typically construed as ‘Problem’, ‘Cause’, ‘Definiendum’ and ‘Effect’, and a close examination of the semantic roles of climate change reveals how the UN conceptualised the changing climate and urged the public to act on climate change. Overall, the study shows that local grammar can facilitate the identification of semantic roles of discourse phenomena, which in turn contributes to exploring the association between discourse practice and social reality. It is thus concluded that local grammar could be a viable approach to critical discourse studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Contemporary ontological constructivism often rests on the belief that social reality emerges from tacit agreements, underpinning mutual expectations and trust. In social theory, the concept of agreement has evolved from explicit social contracts to normative consensus and the idea of tacit knowledge that subtly binds social actors. This article challenges this prevailing approach by dissecting various constructivist positions and exposing the implications of agreement‐based ontological constructivism on our understanding of culture, norms, and society. The author revisits an alternative perspective, claiming that human society is equally a structure of disagreement. Emphasizing disagreement advocates for a realistic social theory and highlights the vital role of fiction in shaping social life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Writing qualitatively is an immersive experience divergent to other forms of research writing. It is an active construction of reality characterized by integration of the socio-cultural context and in-depth analysis of data viewed through the lens of the writer's own experience of the phenomenon. However, these characteristics prove challenging and qualitative researchers are often at a loss on how to document their findings. Most studies provide a broad sweep of qualitative writing with few explicit examples in practice which further confounds researchers. Consequently, researchers find qualitative writing exacting and intimidating and tend to present their findings objectively with either scarce or excessive reference to the research paradigm, thwarting the full transformative potential of qualitative research. Drawing on my experience as an interpretive phenomenologist, I present the writing cul-de-sacs and alleys I navigated to illustrate my becoming as a qualitative writer. Specifically, I highlight three distinct strategies to write it right, qualitatively. To maximize findings, the writing style should conceptually align with the research philosophy. Textual cohesion and a multi-dimensional view of social reality can be generated through a mixed-genre writing approach. Finally, making the "I" meaningful by incorporating the researcher's experiences into the text affords a deepened understanding of the phenomenon. Tenaciously navigating cul-de-sacs in writing and finding solutions to exit no through roads, and walking those shadowy alleys of theoretical constraints, stylistic impositions, and tight word space endow a concrete visibility to the otherwise blurry aspects of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economics is a societally influential discipline, but the relationship of its theoretical activity to social reality and practical policy is chronically puzzling. Its theoretical models appear to involve a lot of falsehood, and modellers seem unconcerned about this and about any possible future uses of the models, while sticking to the same unifying theoretical framework. Gilboa et al. (2014, 2022) aspire to resolve the puzzle in terms of varying interpretations of models. I offer critical comments on their ideas while expanding and refining my own account of what I call model commentary whose task is to help understand and evaluate the process of modelling. I point out the rich complexity of adequate commentaries and discuss the issue of whose responsibility it is to construe and communicate them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study distinguishes between two performances of solidarity—a performer–audience structure and a network structure—illustrated through a review of two case studies from the field of sport: a cross‐national survey of football fans and a historical study of French cycling clubs. Research on nationhood, sport and performance has centred mainly on public events and how they generate focused attention to foster mass solidarity. Scholars have overlooked an alternative model of performance situated in horizontal networks and interpersonal interactions staged in front of a third party, such as found in clubs. Distinguishing between these performance models in sport and beyond can further our understanding of the relations between identity and solidarity in studies of nationhood. Whereas in the former model, expressions of solidarity mainly reaffirm pre‐existing feelings of national identity; in the latter model, solidarity is performative: it does not simply represent social reality but serves to create it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent migration research suggests using “displaced persons” as a broader, more inclusive term than “refugees”, affording us an opportunity to recall the historical genesis and transformation of the concept of “displaced persons”. The concept emerged in the 1940s in the context of the control of forced migration. This article traces the evolution of the term “displaced person”, arguing it was created as a “category of action” for bureaucratic and political purposes, rather than to describe social realities. Understanding this historical context reveals more broadly how such categories have always been tools for political control, underscoring the need for reflexivity in migration studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the relationship between the professional and biographical trajectories of university professors, and the specific work of teaching in an institution founded with a clear mandate of social inclusion: the National University of José C. Paz. Initially, aspects of the career of a professor at said university are reconstructed. In a second moment, the ways in which the baggage built in their formative journey is expressed in the deployment of their classes are documented. Subsequently, the ways in which the teacher produces - in dialogue with the students - the relevance of the contents of the subject in the professional training of those who study, and its relationship with the construction of teaching knowledge are analyzed. The production and analysis of the data presented in the article is oriented from a biographical approach, conceived as a theoretical-methodological approach that allows understanding different dimensions of social reality. The corpus of primary sources was built between mid-2021 and the end of 2023, based on the priority development of interviews and class observations. The relevance of this analytical proposal lies in the possibility of knowing aspects of the social and daily production of a suburban university and the right to higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The background to this research is that ADHD (Attetention Defic Hyperactifity Disorder) children are very dependent on their environment, because they have difficulty focusing and are hyperactive. This will relate to the social and achievement of ADHD children. The aim of this research is to explain the influence of an inclusive school environment on the learning achievement of ADHD children in third grade of elementary school. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative, which allows researchers to clearly explain social reality through observations and interviews at the research site. A qualitative approach is useful for explaining the influence of an inclusive school environment on the achievement of ADHD children in third grade of elementary school. Qualitative research is an inquiry strategy that plays a role in searching for meaning, understanding, concepts, characteristics, symptoms, symbols and descriptions of an event; focused and multimethod, natural and holistic; prioritizes quality, uses several methods, and is presented narratively. An inclusive school environment has an important role in forming social relationships between students who have obstacles and those who do not have obstacles, so that educational goals can be realized optimally. All school members must be able to carry out their respective obligations, as well as students who have obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human mobility is not a conjunctural element, it is part of the construction of a society and it will go through different phases throughout its history. Faced with this social reality, the narratives that are constructed and that seem to be imposed tend, ignoring data, to criminalise migrants, supporting restrictive regulations and policies based on security and the externalisation of borders. The challenge lies in dismantling these narratives and favouring discourses and policies based on human rights that emphasise the dignity of the person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how early Victorian social reformers deployed lists as sanitation devices to organize messy social and material realities into representative categories. Dickens's own notable reliance on lists has been interpreted as dovetailing with a reformist politics of realist representation. But through a reading of Oliver Twist I argue that Dickens transforms lists from a neutral technology of organization to a more anarchic form in which parts multiply without respect to a larger whole. Dickens's lists mingle various and often mutually incompatible categorical systems and flashily attend to grammatical parts over the regulating whole of the sentence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Documentary cinema is a type of film in which facts are conveyed through the language of film and the director's original approach. The 2022 documentary Love, Deutschmarks and Death tells the story of the immigrants from Turkey to Germany since 1961 and the generations that followed them through their music culture. Migration from Turkey to Germany and its effects have been analyzed in many studies. There are also studies examining how migration is conveyed in fiction films and documentary cinema. However, there is no study that examines how migration is conveyed in documentary cinema with German in particular and music culture. This situation shows the importance of this study. The music culture described reflects realities in an artistic style, just like documentary cinema does. When the music depicting the problems of immigrants is combined with the documentary's depiction of immigrants through this music, a layered and effective narrative emerges. This study examines how the documentary Love, Deutschmarks and Death conveys immigrants and music culture through the elements of documentary cinema. How the music, interviews and archives in the content of the documentary are used, how they are connected or edited with each other, and how the music used reflects social realities are analyzed through content analysis. It has been observed that the documentary Love, Deutschmarks and Death narrates the social effects of migration by blending it with music culture and uses interviews and archives, which are the prominent elements of documentary films, with a subtle editing style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a way to think through the division between religious and secular approaches to contemporary society through the use of rival myths. Myths are narrative structures that invite the interplay of language and the imagination, resulting in the creation of virtual realities and social imaginaries. Strong virtual realities were once premised on myths that guided the imagination to embrace an openness to mystery and the unknowable; however, current technological culture is predicated on a closed imagination that has led to worldwide despair. Religion was originally grounded in the virtual reality inspired by language and the capacity of language to distill and extract the "virtual" from the real. The ability of language to create a virtual reality created the capacity to think of a soul, as well as destinations for the soul. In the twentieth century, Freud found that the notion of "God" that was created had become problematic for humans and so created a modern myth that would provide a secular substitute. After providing a close reading of Freud's governing myth for modern culture, showing how it inspires the imagination and the ways in which it falls short, this article concludes with an alternative myth—that of the Invisible City—proposed to inspire faith, hope, and love in our modern world. My approach relies on a depth psychological framework, which was formed to interrogate the nature of reality (relative to individuals and culture) at the intersection of myth, religion, language, and imagination. Throughout, I use a hermeneutic methodology, which is consistent with the initial mode of depth psychological exploration as well as the central role language plays in revealing the truth of a reality. This orientation enables an exploration of a deeper sense of virtual realities than what is deployed through current technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sweat, meaning to sweat, is a moniker attached to prearranged but unorganised and informal sport and physical activity within local communities in Trinidad and Tobago. Explained as a culturally significant phenomenon, the sweat is a space of community cohesion and radical questioning through its resident attendant ole talk where the critical deconstruction of social reality readily occurs. Using Paolo Freire's pedagogical ideas of problem-posing dialogue, this ethnographic paper, explores three main areas. Those being, the sweats and ole talk; the radicality of the sweats displayed in individual agency against the structured restrictions of formal sports participation; and the sweats as a site for cross-cultural integration and interaction in an otherwise ethnically diverse country. Through the experiences of eight individuals associated to the sweats, Freirean ideas of love, radicality and hopefulness are prominent in the description of the sweats. To this end, this paper adds to the growing body of literature on informal sport participation as a site to negotiate and reconcile differences in local communities, as well as a site for social and sport-for-development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While recommendation algorithms have significantly empowered human communication process, there is an emerging scholarly and societal concern regarding the potential discrimination inherent in algorithmic decision-making. The present study employs a novel agent-based testing approach to conduct an automated audit of the Douyin algorithm's recommendations for health-related videos, aiming to investigate its relationship with information inequalities between individuals who are socioeconomically advantaged and disadvantaged. Our findings imply the possible existence of a new digital divide, wherein the algorithm tends to recommend a smaller proportion of authenticated health-related videos on cheap phone models, representing users in low socioeconomic group. Furthermore, this divide was mitigated when both groups demonstrated the same watching strategy for authenticated information. This study implies that recommendation algorithms actively perpetuate and exacerbate discriminatory social structures in reality. We also advocate for increased attention and education among the low socioeconomic group to enhance their health information literacy and understanding of algorithmic mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes violence against women in the novel "Páradais" by Fernanda Melchor. It examines physical and sexual violence against female characters, as well as sexist cognitive schemas and socialization agents that contribute to these behaviors. The objective is to understand how macho violence is represented in the work and compare it to Mexican social reality. The importance of the feminist perspective in understanding these manifestations of violence and power is highlighted. Additionally, the objectification of women in sexual relationships and the influence of culture and pornography on the perception of rape are mentioned. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Journal of Babylon Center for Humanities Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) 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.)

Copyright of Diálogos Pedagógicos is the property of Universidad Catolica de Cordoba 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.)

Copyright of Political & International Approaches / Faṣlnāmah-i Rahyāft/hā-yi Siyāsī va Biyn/almilalī is the property of Shahid Beheshti University 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.)

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion 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.)

Copyright of Journal of Modern Science is the property of Alcide De Gasperi University of Euroregional Economy 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.)

In order to explore the relationship between research and universities with a Christian identity, it is important to be clear about the identity of social realities and the meaning of 'Christian identity' when applied to universities. In my view, the latter requires three elements: (1) assigning a central role to theological reflection, (2) recognizing a mediating role to philosophy, and (3) encouraging a reflective posture in all disciplines. These three aspects should be considered and secured through adequate research policies that manage external constraints with internal ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social interactions in the youth environment are regulated not only on the basis of generally accepted models, but also on the basis of goals-principles that are formed among young people themselves as a response to changes in social and cultural conditions of life. From the point of view of the institutionally approved norm, these principles are socio-cultural deviations. At the level of consciousness, they are represented in the form of various configurations of meanings-judgments that are realised by different groups of young people in the process of interactions. One of the manifestations of deviation is the regulatory meanings orienting to separation and self-assertion at the expense of others. The data obtained in the course of a nationwide survey conducted by the Centre for Sociology of Youth of ISPR FCTAS RAS in 2021 are analysed. The links between labour, education and interpersonal interactions with sociocultural deviations of young people in social reality are considered. The incorporation of sociocultural deviations into the process of regulating interactions in the youth environment is reflected in young people's justification of the practices of bullying, provocation, evil pranks and disrespect for teachers as acceptable ways of interaction in important spheres of life. Their use is accompanied by the assignment of certain semantic characteristics to labour, communication and education in youth groups. In the course of data analysis, it was found that judgments about bullying and trolling differentiate young people by the meaning of labour "feeling of their usefulness". In addition, the judgement of bullying differentiates youth on the meaning of "forced necessity". The links of respondents' approval of judgements about bullying, trolling and teacher with the meaning of communication "joy, happiness" and "inner need" were revealed. It was also found that judgements about prank and teacher differentiate young people according to the meanings of education "opportunity to make a career" and "development of abilities".

Introduction. In the age of the digital economy and hyper-competition, self-presentation communication as a type of self-promotion, as the ability to present oneself to a communication partner, employer, business partner or target audience, is considered by experts as a key skill of the 21st century. It is also considered as one of the significant factors of competition both in the modern highly competitive labor market and in the consumer market, both global and local. The article discusses the theoretical foundations of self-presentational communication in its historical retrospective, traditions, innovations and development trends in the conditions of new realities.Methodology and sources. The methodology of philosophical, sociological and interdisciplinary approaches is used. The article uses the following sources: specialized literature from domestic and foreign authors, scientific research, publications and websites that allow one to explore the specifics of digital self-presentation, its new formats and current practices.Results and discussion. Digital society is a society whose distinctive feature is the electronic-digital method of receiving, storing and distributing information, as well as the electronic-digital mediation of social relations and communicative interaction. One of the ways of such interaction is digital self-presentation, which combines the traditions of this content and innovations caused by the development of new technologies.Conclusion. Self-presentational communication, like the entire communicative component of modern society, including the «human-AI» interface, is carried out in three spatial dimensions: real/offline/Physics, virtual/online/Digital, as well as in their interaction offline online/Phygital. In each dimension, self-presentational communication has its own specifics and could can be considered both as a separate phenomenon and in the process of continuity and development.

AbstractAs the severity of rural old-age care in China becomes increasingly evident, the manner in which rural elderly individuals obtain economic support has emerged as a significant societal concern. Central to this paper is the question of whether the new rural pension scheme, as the first government-provided institutional pension, influences the longstanding intergenerational economic support within families. Drawing upon classic altruism theory and exchange motivation theory, this study analyzes the complex rural social reality in China. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) for the years 2013 and 2015, we employ a two-part model to examine the policy effects of new rural pension scheme, as well as the 2014 pension insurance reform and pension increase. Our findings reveal that (1) altruism and exchange motivation coexist in the rural Chinese social reality and jointly influence the behaviors of rural families. (2) Intergenerational economic support for the elderly in rural Chinese families primarily depends on the exchange motivation aspect of intergenerational care. Thus, it is vital to strengthen the intergenerational support of the family in addressing the pensions of the elderly in rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of metaverse systems is marked by uncertainty regarding their technical architecture and the scope of their capabilities. Current social virtual reality (SVR) systems offer glimpses of future metaverse environments but remain fragmented, with limited interoperability, poor discoverability, and challenges in preserving assets and social capital across different platforms. Drawing parallels with the evolution of the Internet and World Wide Web, the essay argues that while certain metaverse standards may emerge naturally, fundamental challenges persist, particularly concerning client software. The essay highlights three overlooked yet critical issues for user experience: interoperability, scalable awareness, and accessibility. These challenges, often underemphasized in current standards discussions, are crucial for the practical development of user-friendly metaverse systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion 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.)

Technical communication aids in helping people envision the usability of technology. A similar need exists for constructing the usability of data sets, but the rhetorical work is less well documented. This article reports on how writers attribute meaning and usability to a geolocation data set and its derivative objects. This rhetorical work connects the data to existing and potential social realities, which provide a framework for thinking of that data set’s usability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Religion has a unique, distinct nature in the classical phenomenology of religion that can never be delivered to a historical, social and political matter and should be considered in his own terms and value, i.e. religious, sacred and supernatural essence. the method; here, in the analytic-critical approach, the foundations and assumptions of the suigeneris religion are discussed. the consequences of this look at the phenomenon of religion are:essentialism which causes the reduction of multiplicity to unity and dehistorization and generalization of religious phenomena, regardless of the social and cultural contexts and differences, studies merely non-historical structures and patterns. hence, the worldly function of religion is neglected. requires a theological, ideological and apologetic conception, a transcendental and metaphysical assumption and paying attention to religion focus and its ontological reality and the existence of religious practice instead of studying religion. incomparability, escaping from explanation and limited description of religious phenomena, and devout belief authentication to preserve the status and value of religion and thus its product is unrealistic and non-untenable and without scientific value and proof. Methods: classical phenomenology of religion recognizes religion as unparalleled phenomenon in human life which can never be reduced to an ordinary one. Here, in the analytic-critical approach, the foundations and assumptions of the suigeneris religion are discussed and to what extent it might affect Religious Studies from the social science religionists’ point of view. Results: the consequences of this look at the phenomenon of religion are:(1)essentialism which causes the reduction of multiplicity to unity and dehistorization and generalization of religious phenomena, regardless of the social and cultural contexts and differences, studies merely non-historical structures and patterns. hence, the worldly function of religion is neglected.(2)requires a theological, ideological and apologetic conception, a transcendental and metaphysical assumption and paying attention to religion focus and its ontological reality and the existence of religious practice instead of studying religion. (3) incomparability, escaping from explanation and limited description of religious phenomena, and devout belief authentication to preserve the status and value of religion and thus its product (4) is unrealistic and non-untenable and without scientific value and proof. Conclusions: Criticisms that focus on ignoring the historical, political and social dimensions of religion ask religious phenomenologists not to be phenomenologists in some way, but instead to be historians, sociologists and researchers of social sciences. However, the claims of the phenomenology of religion were very exclusive and questioned the validity and importance of other approaches to religion, and certainly one should have waited for such reactions from their representatives. In fact, this claim of phenomenologists who are interpreters and describers of religious experiences is true to a large extent. Every religious person feels empathy with Eliade's writings about sacred time and place since are tangible and understandable for them. For a religious person, a time and a place that has value and importance from a religious point of view is really seen in a different way, but not ontologically, that it is considered completely separate from other times and place. If religion is unique and in its own kind (1), then religious data must have a special superiority and rank, which is claimed to be non-reductive; (2) Religion has a supernatural and metaphysical nature that is beyond the historical, social and political contexts and it should not be explained by these approaches because it causes religion to be ignored its sacred and transcendent reality. As a result (3) leads to generalization. It turns into overlooking historicalgeographical, cultural and social differences, the incommensurability of religious phenomena from non-religious ones, and subjective and personal interpretation of religion.(4) Mere and non-analytical description and refraining from explaining religious phenomena and adhering to and confirming the belief of religious people, apart from its correctness and incorrectness, has no scientific value and phenomenology becomes a recounting of religious practice and not an academic and defensible work. The phenomenologists of religion, instead of discussing about the inherent or unique feature of religion, simply assumed it as a principle of their research. .(6) Phenomenologists with their theological tendencies followed the solution of the fear of losing the place of religion in scientific circles through the strategy of reinterpreting and demarcating the new time in repeating the control of the present time by placing it in patterns from the past and judging the present time based on the criteria of the past. which ends in a passive and static, shallow and unthinking, theological, conservative, elitist and vague, superiority-seeking and self-made and emotional interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the intricate relationship between opium addiction, religion, and commodity culture in Charles Dickens' "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," illustrating how these themes reflect a commodified society. Topics include the portrayal of John Jasper's futile quest for relief through opium, the blurring of real and representational worlds in a highly spectacular culture, and Dickens's critique of psychological escapism as a commentary on addiction and social reality.

This research aims to reveal the dark cultural dimensions in the novel "A Crazy Night" by Mohamed Hamdan Ben Jarsh, utilizing the radiations of the text that the writer artfully conveys within a framework of semantic data that implies cultural systems. The creative text carries multiple dimensions that do not directly surface and cannot be identified through a first reading; these dimensions require diving deep to search for signals that illuminate its obscurity . The study is based on both analysis and interpretation, being mindful of its intellectual perspective by following the course of events, recognizing the characters, and subsequently elucidating the ideas they carry, the principles they believe in, and the beliefs they yield to, while linking all of it with the external environment. The paper characters do not represent an individual case in a transient text; they consciously indicate- by the author's awareness-models in social reality. Consequently, a character may symbolize a thought of a particular group that believes in what this character believes. Thus, we focused on the most important elements and characters that open a window to the intellectual vision embedded in the novel text, aiming to engage with it to produce it anew within the critical space . The research axes are as follows: (The Obscurity of the Main Title, The Dark Cultural Dimensions in the Novel, Entry into Life, A Window of Hope, First Character: Salem/The Flute, Second Character: Hisham, Third Character: Noor Said Al-Sari). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the complex relationship between agents and their actions, identifying what is referred to as the 'agent-action problem' in action theory. Topics discussed include the philosophical challenges of defining the agent's relation to their actions, the implications of Bradley's Regress in this context, and potential solutions inspired by the insights gained from understanding both issues.

In this paper, I make the case for 'living theory', a genotypical approach to systems change brought forth by Lewin and exemplified in Scharmer's Theory U. Living theory is a genre of theory that arises from, and in response to, the social challenges of a given time; that remains in close, ongoing 'dialogue' with this context; and that expands our fundamental understanding of social reality, opening the door to new ways of knowing, understanding and acting in the world. Drawing on the work of Lewin and Scharmer, I suggest that living theory provides a much-needed frame for whole-to-parts and parts-to-whole relations, where the whole is the wider eco-system around a specific context, such as the existential crises facing the global community, and the parts are place-based actions in specific contexts. By connecting whole and parts in a way that provides meaning, purposefulness and guidance for effective action, living theory is a social science framework built for our times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As social virtual reality (VR) continues to grow as a medium for digital communication, sustaining presence among communicators remains one of the main constructs that researchers and practitioners use to assess the quality of user experience. In the present paper, we explore language patterns as a behavioral link to presence. We accomplished this through an exploratory text analysis of over 4,800 min of conversation in social VR, consisting of over 130,000 spoken words from 126 participants. We observed that the use of self-references and collective references positively correlated to social presence and spatial presence. Furthermore, median interpersonal distance between communicators was positively associated with using impersonal pronouns, suggesting that participants who stood farther apart from their interlocutors tended to speak in more impersonal terms. Our work sheds light on the possible psychological mechanisms behind presence and the potential of using speech data to help build systems that enhance user engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The connection between the Late Bronze Age (LBA) Aegean costumes and social, cultural and political changes is a rather unexplored topic. Probably the only exception are kilts, the connection of which to such changes on Crete during the 15th century BCE remains a commonly discussed topic in studies focusing on the LBA Aegean iconography and other data sets. However, many questions remain open and the topic is far from exhausted. In this paper I build on the work of various scholars who have studied LBA Aegean kilts in the context of social, political and cultural changes. I diachronically study the changes in the representations of kilts since the beginning of the LBA in the Aegean until the end of the Palatial period on the Greek Mainland (ca. 1700/1600–1200 BCE). Moreover, I examine the spatial distribution of specific kilt types in different periods. In cases of several different kilt types appearing in contemporary contexts in the same region, I explore whether similar costumes might have had different social connotations within the same communities. Moreover, I examine the influence of elite power structures and socio-political changes on the perception of kilts. However, I do not observe kilts as passive reflections of specific social, cultural and political contexts, but rather as material forms actively used in the creation of social realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the persisting issue of women's underrepresentation in political news partly arises from biases in the social reality, journalism plays a crucial role in mediating these biases. This study proposes a multilayered framework of gendered influences in journalistic news production to understand how journalistic factors exacerbate or mitigate women's media representation. Drawing from a mixed-methods design (content analysis, survey, interviews), journalists' own gender emerges as the strongest predictor of gendered representations. Women's underrepresentation is also influenced by professional roles but not by organizations' gender guidelines. We explore how journalists perceive these influences and discuss conceptual and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes "The Politics Episode" of One Day at a Time, an animated very special episode produced and aired during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. I focus on two aspects that prompt broader considerations about the role of scripted television in responding to pressing social issues. First, I demonstrate how the episode's narrative structure appeals to democratic deliberation as an idealized form of conflict resolution. Second, I consider how its production and airing timeline responded to—and failed to account for—the current events its narrative attempted to incorporate. Although the disjuncture between these two elements demonstrate the pitfalls for fictional television to address social issues in a time of constant crisis, I conclude by proposing that these "failures" can also serve to illustrate a specific "post-pandemic" structure-of-feeling, one where futures are perpetually deferred and where dealing with new social realities requires constant speculative iterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While research on postgraduate thesis writing has investigated how students cope with institutional assessment criteria, this study explores how students form their own criteria for self-assessment through the writing process, aiming to account for the development of their independent thinking in academic socialisation. Based on in-depth interviews with 10 Chinese master's students, the study found that their self-assessment criteria not only represented solutions to problems identified by their supervisors and examiners, but also embodied aims established by students themselves. Those criteria were not fixed textual properties of a 'good' thesis, but were dynamic representations of textual and social realities constituting students' lifeworlds. Viewed from this perspective, self-assessment is a situated process whereby students re-experience and re-interpret multiple sets of realities juxtaposed against their writing. Pedagogically, the study implies that postgraduate thesis supervision could facilitate the expansion of students' self-assessment criteria to develop their capacity for making independent judgements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Areas of social development are manifestations of Social Reality (SR) which defines possibilities and barriers to achieving a better life. An argument is made to unravel the "dialectic" of a broken society in the post-imperialist world. At the heart of Liberatory Development, one must recognize the lethality of coloniality and its vestiges that incubate a culture of dehumanizing subjugation, urbicidal inequality, and global injustice. A Kaleidoscopic view of human misery and our failure to address fundamental issues signifies the call for needed praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Research in Developmental Social Work is the property of Beni Suef University 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 development of the metaverse presents novel ethical challenges to society. There is a lack of knowledge of the potential metaverse and its effects on society. In this article, several ethical challenges of the future metaverse are discussed to responsibly prepare for the metaverse. A systematic literature review was conducted that showed the void of literature, meta-information of the state of the field, and level of maturity of the research. After defining the metaverse concept and reviewing its constructs, we present an overview of ethical challenges for the metaverse which ask for governance awareness and responsible action in the future. These ethical challenges have been clustered in the following pairs: Privacy & Freedom, Duplicate & False identities, Abuse & Manipulation, Trade & Ownership, Censorship & Surveillance, Democracy & Participation, and Regulation & Control. Related to these pairs, we also show some potential governance topics as a research agenda for the metaverse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Beytulhikme: An International Journal of Philosophy is the property of Beytulhikme: An International Journal of Philosophy 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.)