Search

The following paper contributes to interdisciplinary debates at the intersection of informal sport/leisure, migration and urban studies. It does so by drawing on an ethnographic research with young men of migrant origins in Turin, Italy, and by addressing the relevance of parkour in the participants' experiences and negotiations of 'what it means to (not) belong' in urban spaces. The focus on parkour provides a unique entry point to address the politics of belonging that unfold in urban spaces as contested sites where competing images of the city, the nation and of who belongs to them converge, clash and overlap. This is particularly relevant, though not limited to the Italian context, where political narratives and realities still legally and socially define the children of migration as alien bodies in the nation, while Turin's urban leaderships portray youth cultures and multicultural diversity as assets for the city's symbolic, cultural and financial regeneration. As the intersection of such discourses shapes the manifold ways through which post-migrant urban subjects become essentialised, valorised and pathologised in Turin, the paper's findings foreground the relevance of informal sports as entry points to (re)consider discussions on citizenship, conviviality and rights (to the city) in contemporary urban contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deploys a semiotic anthropological analysis of value to understand the recent emergence and spread of the Kurdish book cafe, or pirtûk kafe, using it as a window into the changing state of Kurdish language-activism and Kurdish youth culture in Turkey. Drawing on ethnographic research and interviews with cafe owners, operators, and patrons, the article offers both an overview of the pirtûk kafe in contemporary Turkey and an analysis of its role in promoting Kurdish culture and the use of the Kurdish language among the country’s youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical, psychological and social changes that occur during adolescence constitute a physiological crisis that is necessary for development and growth. The establishment of a suitable "self-image" is important for facilitating harmonious psychophysical development during this time. In the current era, digital technology (DT) serves as an extraordinary means of communication for young people, who make significant use of images as a mode of expression. Accordingly, there is growing interest in the relationship between physical development, self-image and use of DT. A review of the published literature on the topic was carried out in April 2024. Fourteen studies (n = 14) were inclused from search of electronic databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, MedLine, and Cochrane Library. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of (DT) on cultural models of adolescent body image, and how this "social" culture can affect wellbeing and development. It was considered that the rise of DT and social media (SM) emphasized in young people the culture of appearance, adherence to ideal models (thinness ideal) and social comparison at an unprecedented level. It was estimated that the digital mechanism works on the adolescent's vulnerability and stimulates the desire for experimentation and amplifies cultural beliefs that expose the young to deviant or pathological behaviors on the body. The use of digital images emphasizes the perception of self by making it more real and alive but empty of content. Our framework highlights that the adolescent can defend himself if he leaves the homologation that the SM condition, regains his own experiences, fill with emotional content and real life the images and the representation of the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of deindustrialization, many rural areas in the Global North face challenges such as an ageing population, declining welfare systems and limited job and educational opportunities, problems that have been enhanced by decades of depopulation. Young people have left the countryside for careers in larger cities, contributing to stigmatization of those who stay in rural areas. In Sweden, however, statistics show a slow but steady trend of remigration to rural areas, which is described in municipal and state discourse as positive and necessary to 'save' the countryside. This paper examines the perspective of rural youth who feel differently about such counter-urbanization. Based on a yearlong ethnographic fieldwork with youth, the article shows how young men involved in Swedish greaser culture perceived the influx of urban (re)migrators as a threat to their rural lifestyle and the rural place where they wished to stay. This is interpreted as an expression of subcultural, place-based and temporal resistance towards urban and neoliberal ideals that simultaneously reinforce white, masculine values. As these young men will be part of a rural future, they must be considered in the formulation of sustainable politics for rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores what staying rural means for Finnish young people who envision, or consider, a future in sparsely populated regions. The article draws on a qualitative longitudinal study of youth from three different regions. They were followed through qualitative participatory research methods since the age of 15 (2015–2022). The article opens new perspectives on the processes of staying rural by drawing on new materialist framework. The article suggests that staying should be viewed as a dynamic process in which different temporalities, materialities, and agencies intra-act, and which is marked by continuous decision-making and movement. The article introduces the concept of material-discursive practices of staying to highlight that staying is not only about individual or even human conditions but an intra-action of matter and meaning. Particular attention is paid to three material-discursive practices of staying by Finnish rural young people: (1) transgenerational practices of staying, (2) educational and career-related practices of staying, and (3) the outspoken tendency of 'going against the grain' in relation to urban youth cultures and normative expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I examine the ‘homecoming’ experiences of young second‐ and third‐generation Australian‐Hungarians. The aim of the paper is to challenge the compartmentalisation of tourism and migration studies by exploring how these two phenomena intertwine, merge, and influence one another in multiple and fluid ways. Specifically, I attempt to merge the two disciplines by analysing the meta‐narratives that have influenced Australian‐Hungarian youngsters' experiences in Hungary. In particular, I argue that, alongside images internalised in the diaspora, interlocutors heavily rely on a popular Western backpacker discourse. I demonstrate the ways in which these two meta‐narratives are in conflict while at the same time closely inter‐related. Specifically, I look at the ways in which the notion of authenticity and the idea of ‘traveller hierarchy’ are borrowed from backpacker discourse, and through them diasporic themes are targeted and deconstructed. I refer to these youngsters as ‘diaspora backpackers’ to indicate that their journeys are influenced by both diaspora life and contemporary youth culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose a methodological reflection based on the work with photographs of youth published in print media in Chile during the 20th century. We use our proposal for qualitative analysis, which includes intentional work with visual culture, the creation of our own archives, and the development of tools for individual and group analysis of photographs. We propose two specific strategies for the analysis of photographs: the first is "layered analysis", and the second is "group or panel analysis", which allows for linking images, culture, and youth. We trust that this methodological reflection will contribute to the study of youth and stimulate debate in the field of study itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs Adam Possamai's concept of "hyper-real religions" to argue that Thai youth are utilizing various spaces to blend different faiths and popular cultures, and synergizing with consumerism to shape a novel manifestation of "religion." In Thai communities, spiritual practices and mediumship are interwoven into communal dynamics, often supporting local Buddhist institutions. Kitiarsa presented the journey of becoming a medium, which involves physical symptoms, negotiations with spirits, and eventual acceptance. This study explores the notion of "Ong" within contemporary youth culture and analyzes glocalized beliefs among Thai spiritual practitioners on digital platforms through online practice, questionnaires, and interviews. Unlike historical views where Ong bestowed supernatural abilities, contemporary practitioners perceive themselves as empowered to choose. They amalgamate multiple religions and pop culture to make spiritual practices more relatable while acknowledging their embedded political implications. The paper comprises sections on Thai religious practice, hyper-real religions, commodification of faith, de-westernization of tarot reading, integration of Hinduism, and K-Pop's impact on Thai youth spirituality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Novitas-ROYAL is the property of Novitas Royal 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 study explored the intersection of participation rights, politics, and culture in youth councils operating in a polarized socio-political climate. It drew on the case of youth councils integrating Jewish and Palestinian-Arab youth in Israel. Based on interviews with youth council members, adult leaders, and Ministry of Education officials, the findings portray the interrelated political, lingual, and cultural barriers hindering the participation of Palestinian-Arab youth. These barriers were embedded in top-down activities, practices, and structures, unintendedly importing unequal power relations into the councils. We argue that realizing participation rights in youth councils operating in diverse and conflicted societies requires adapting the councils to their participants, their locality, and the circumstances. These adaptations should acknowledge that youth participation is a multidimensional concept whose implementation is contextual, rely on a willingness to relinquish the common one-size-fits-all model of youth councils and aim to create participation spaces that challenge inequalities and social friction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In examining the dynamic interplay of maximalism and streetwear within the criminal genre, our analysis of Suburra and Mare Fuori uncovers a transformative phase that challenges conventional sartorial narratives, introducing a new lexicon of masculinity. These series, emblematic of youth and excess, reflect a societal evolution towards a multifaceted expression of male identity and power. Through this prism, the narratives not only subvert traditional aesthetic norms of the classical depictions in gangster cinema, but also foster a profound engagement with contemporary viewers. Our discourse, after a first reconstruction of the historical characteristics of the genre, navigates through the nuanced terrain of contemporary maximalism, distancing itself from the misinterpretations associated with “bad taste”, to celebrate a composite aesthetic that defies classical taste paradigms. This stylistic approach champions an eclectic freedom that elevates maximalism to a form of narrative and identity expression. In summation, this exploration not only reconfigures established narratives of style, masculinity, and authority but also posits a reimagined conceptualization of excess that synergizes cultural and social capital, heralding a new era in the criminal genre characterized by complexity, vibrancy, and excess.

Although education is framed as a future‐oriented enterprise, we often fail to serve the diverse futurities of youth, particularly in formal learning environments. The cultural norms of formal learning environments are rooted in dominant ways of being and knowing and this shapes how learning environments and learning technologies can be designed. As a result, the futures youth can envision for themselves in these spaces are often static and limited by the dominant culture. As a move toward supporting youths' diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences, we ask how youth develop relationship with culture through creating culturally centred multimedia projects. Guided by a case study approach, we collected thirty‐six remixing multimedia projects from twelve sixth graders, who created these projects for three culturally centred learning activities over a school year. Findings share one case from each learning activity to demonstrate how students represent their relationships with culture through three forms of symbolising. Implications from this work reject the settled expectations of dominant culture in formal learning environments and, instead, invite youths' knowledges and experiences through remixing with multimedia. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Formal learning environments are shaped by norms rooted in the dominant culture but are often assumed to be acultural spaces. Multimedia technologies have been leveraged to engage youth with culture in the classroom. Remixing is a sociocultural learning process that allows youth to reimagine their lived experiences. What this paper adds Sixth graders' relationships with culture were mediated by remixing with multimedia resources in a series of culturally centred multimedia projects. Forms of symbolising in students' remixing works reveal diverse relationships with their own culture and other cultures. Culturally centred multimedia projects afford the development of intertwined and reciprocal relationships with one's own culture and other cultures. Implications for practice Formal learning environments and embedded learning activities often operate on static or limited relationships between youth and their diverse range of cultural experiences. Engaging with multimedia projects can develop students' relationships with their own culture and other cultures in a reciprocal way. Supporting the development of diverse relationships with culture is crucial to designing a culturally centred learning environment. What is already known about this topic Formal learning environments are shaped by norms rooted in the dominant culture but are often assumed to be acultural spaces. Multimedia technologies have been leveraged to engage youth with culture in the classroom. Remixing is a sociocultural learning process that allows youth to reimagine their lived experiences. What this paper adds Sixth graders' relationships with culture were mediated by remixing with multimedia resources in a series of culturally centred multimedia projects. Forms of symbolising in students' remixing works reveal diverse relationships with their own culture and other cultures. Culturally centred multimedia projects afford the development of intertwined and reciprocal relationships with one's own culture and other cultures. Implications for practice Formal learning environments and embedded learning activities often operate on static or limited relationships between youth and their diverse range of cultural experiences. Engaging with multimedia projects can develop students' relationships with their own culture and other cultures in a reciprocal way. Supporting the development of diverse relationships with culture is crucial to designing a culturally centred learning environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "The Politics of Language in Ugandan Hip-Hop" by Silas "Babaluku" Balabyekkubo and Yaw M. Asare explores the importance of indigenous African languages in Hip-Hop and the colonization of African languages in Africa. The authors argue that the use of European languages in African Hip-Hop is part of the neocolonial project in Africa and advocate for the use of indigenous languages. They highlight the work of the Bavubuka Foundation, founded by Babaluku, in promoting indigenous-language Hip-Hop practitioners across Africa. The foundation celebrates ethnic diversity and challenges the dominance of Eurocentric values in mainstream Hip-Hop. [Extracted from the article]

This article provides resources for understanding different generations, with a focus on Generation Z. It includes links to Wikipedia articles that map out the different social generations and discusses the rise of youth cohorts and their impact on generational experiences. The article also mentions scholarly works that delve into generational research and theory, addressing the concept of social generations and societal changes. Additionally, it highlights Pew Research Center's resources on generations and offers cautionary points about generational claims, such as the potential for stereotypes and oversimplification. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of understanding generations while acknowledging the limitations of classifying group behavior. [Extracted from the article]

At the end of 2022, a nonprofit technology research institution funded by Altman and Musk released an AI-based chatbot, ChatGPT, which within just three months has shown utility across various industries, particularly in jobs like copywriting, news report writing, customer service, and legal document creation. Its ability to provide coherent and insightful answers, as well as serve as a brainstorming partner, has some college professors concerned that this machine may replace various human jobs (Stokel-Walker, 2022). One likely negative impact is students using this AI-based writing tool to complete academic assignments in the form of essays (Hutson, 2022). Another implication is that researchers (both students and lecturers) may be able to compose scientific texts, partially if not wholly, and escape the radar of AI-written text detection tools (Kim, 2022), as well as peer reviewers (Else, 2023). The methodology used is digital discourse, aiming to reveal how youth discourse influences the presence of the ChatGPT application and how the consumption practice of the application impacts their creativity and critical thinking skills. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to understanding the impact of AI-based chatbots on critical thinking abilities among young people as a basis for development strategies to enhance critical and creative thinking skills in the era of Artificial Intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intangible cultural heritage is an invaluable treasure for all human beings worldwide. In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed the Chinese Cantonese Opera, also known as Yueju in Chinese Pinyin, on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The awareness of inheriting Yueju is not uncommon, but advancing methods to involve more young generations in this art form is still necessary. In this study, we focused on Yueju videos on Bilibili, a cultural community and video website popular among the younger generation. Through quantitative and qualitative research, we explored the types of Yueju videos that would have a significant spreading effect. The 1916 Bilibili videos related to Yueju were collected using Python crawler technology. We analyzed each video using seventeen variables. The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) forms the theoretical foundation of this research. We constructed the Yueju transmission model with two persuasive routes based on this model. The research methods mainly comprised regression analysis, multi-factor ANOVA, and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). We invited thirty-one experts to assess the importance hierarchy of those video factors and calculate the weight coefficient using AHP. This study demonstrated the central route concerning the causal relationship between video recognition and spreading effect through regression analysis. Additionally, this research identified the optimal combination of 8 video factors using multi-factor ANOVA in the peripheral route. In this study, we focused on the niche of Yueju video transmission on Bilibili. This research utilized the ELM and hybrid methods to obtain the statistical results. Then, we developed appropriate macro-level and micro-level strategies for transmitting Yueju culture, particularly those aimed at the younger generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, the past two decades have been crucial for the growing popularity of Electronic Dance Music (EDM). This is largely due to the burgeoning presence and significance of EDM festivals as a performative site of a contemporary Indian youth culture. A salient feature capturing the zeitgeist of twenty-first century, urban, modern Indian youth is EDM's gradual permeation into the cultural fabric of India through crucial collaborations with cultural industries like Bollywood. It is a truism that the legacy of Goa Trance remains a dominant point of reference in the global imagination of the Indian EDM scene. This article, however, argues that the contemporary mode of Indian Electronic Dance Music Culture (EDMC) has largely developed independently of this legacy. The main proponent of contemporary EDMC in urban India has been the multiple greenfield EDM festivals held annually all over the country. This article draws on fieldwork data collected between 2016-2018 at Indian EDM festival sites. Using this empirical data, the article examines the 'performance' of Indian EDMC and considers whether it is viable to speak in terms of an Indian way of raving, as a variation of other 'local' ways of performing EDMC that may exist elsewhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Future of Social Sciences is the property of Future of Social Sciences 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.)

Research investigating young people's social media use has been criticized for its limited theoretical foundations and scope. This paper elaborates young people's social media activity from a socio-ecological evolutionary perspective (SEE), where young people's online exchanges cannot be divorced from the highly competitive and achievement-oriented modern market cultures in which they live. In highly competitive and achievement-oriented forms of life, young people's social media environments are often constituted as dynamic and evolving extrinsically oriented ecological niches that afford for status and identity enhancement while also affording for peer approval, belongingness, and selfworth nested within, and subordinate to, these higher-order affordances. The extrinsic value organization of social media platforms that serve young people's status and identity-enhancement are embodied by a community of mutually interdependent criteria that are evolutionary-based, developmentally salient, and market-driven: physical attractiveness, high (educational and extracurricular) achievements, and material success. Young people's online signaling of these interdependent extrinsic criteria affords for status-allocation and selfenhancement, where each criteria becomes an arena for social competition and identity formation, enabling young people to build personal and optimal models of social success congruent with their own interests and abilities. Young people's status and identity enhancing signaling of these extrinsic criteria is moving toward increasingly idealized or perfect embodiments, informed by accelerating, shortterm positive feedback processes that benefit from the technological affordances and densely rewarding peer environments instantiated on social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the booming reverse student mobility in international higher education, pertinent literature is limited due to a narrow focus on the employability and employment of returning graduates, without considering their holistic lived experience in the home context that is subjected to shaping forces of grand narratives that emerge alongside shifting sociohistorical discourses. Shedding light on the emerging ‘Haifei,’ or ‘overseas returning waste’ narrative in China, this study conducted a qualitative inquiry into returnees’ self-identification of and action upon this collective identity. It makes new contributions in revealing some deep-seated contextualized dynamics that underpin the emergence of the new narrative, which are captured in the Sang culture currently engulfing Chinese youths and the concomitant self-formation as identity construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essayistic concepts of generations and their relationships are often mobilized reductively and one-sidedly in climate change debates. Against this background, the article explores whether and how viable the idea of generation-specific differences are with regard to attitudes towards environmental and climate protection. The basis for this is formed by historical works on youth culture as well as demoscopic youth research, which are used both as contemporary testimony and as sources to be read critically. The overview outlines the gradual development of environmental and climate awareness as a characteristic of youth generations. At the same time, it is hard to identify overarching environmental and climate-related conjunctive experiences in the sense of generational theory. The article ends with the open question of whether this is changing in the present, insofar as the worsening climate crisis and the imagination of collective concern are forming an increasingly strong experiential connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media represents a significant part of digital youth culture, providing young people with models, symbolic resources, and space for self-presentation and reputation management. This study explored how the ideal of entrepreneurialism, which marks the social media logic of attention and visibility, is appropriated by young people in ways that allow them to challenge or reaffirm traditional gender and sexual norms. This research was based on empirical material collected through online workshops involving 12 Italian schools (42 classes and about 900 students), in which we asked participants to join in an activity to create fictional accounts that could become popular with their peers. Our analysis shows that young people discursively construct gender and sexual norms, frequently reproducing dominant cultural discourses on gender and heteronormativity. Young people's discourse focuses on the apparent feminization of the internet and a perception of social media platforms as belonging to the female sphere. The feminization of the internet leads to a discourse that concerns men's need to link technical competence, professionalism, and masculinity in order to perpetuate the stereotypical portrayal of women as bearers of an innate sexual power that compensates for their perceived lack of digital skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a contribution to a discussion on how surveys of cultural and media consumptions among children and young people can be as accurate and relevant as possible. Digital culture represents challenges for both cultural statistics, cultural research and cultural policy: Cultural policy tools and categories of cultural statistics need to be developed to reflect digital cultural consumption and production. Using a survey among upper secondary school pupils in Norway about their cultural and media consumption, we discuss how surveys can become more precise tools for both research and policy. We argue in favour of a type of inductive and multi-dimensional cultural consumption survey in which questions and categories are developed based on broad knowledge of the relevant target group's cultural consumption. We show that there is a mismatch between public statistics and actual consumption and discuss how statistics and the categories on which they are based can be developed further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty and gross unemployment among most Nigerian youths have necessitated this paper which shows how art is used as an entrepreneurial tool in contemporary Nigerian society. It borrows insight from the context of artistic practices in pre-colonial African societies, to alleviate the prevailing poverty and joblessness among the youths today. Focusing on the utilitarian sculptures of Ugorji Ndukzve Godswill, a young informally trained wood sculptor based in Nsukka, southeastern Nigeria, I describe the history, materials, techniques, forms, and styles associated with his studio production of side stools, minor stands, reclining chair (Oche Ndabe), wine bars, dining table/chairs, coffee tables, and television stands using processed and unprocessed timber. Of interest is also how the visual poetry held by some species of naturally configured curvilinear wood has become the central focus of Ugorji's utilitarian artworks. Based on a critical and qualitative analysis of data gathered from field situations, participant observation, interviews, and published and unpublished literary materials on the subject matter. I argue that Ugorji's studio practice shows how a return to pre-colonial African art practices and processes can be reconfigured into a veritable entrepreneurial channel for our creative youth today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical, psychological and social changes that occur during adolescence constitute a physiological crisis that is necessary for development and growth. The establishment of a suitable “self-image” is important for facilitating harmonious psychophysical development during this time. In the current era, digital technology (DT) serves as an extraordinary means of communication for young people, who make significant use of images as a mode of expression. Accordingly, there is growing interest in the relationship between physical development, self-image and use of DT. A review of the published literature on the topic was carried out in April 2024. Fourteen studies (n = 14) were inclused from search of electronic databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, MedLine, and Cochrane Library. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of (DT) on cultural models of adolescent body image, and how this “social” culture can affect wellbeing and development. It was considered that the rise of DT and social media (SM) emphasized in young people the culture of appearance, adherence to ideal models (thinness ideal) and social comparison at an unprecedented level. It was estimated that the digital mechanism works on the adolescent’s vulnerability and stimulates the desire for experimentation and amplifies cultural beliefs that expose the young to deviant or pathological behaviors on the body. The use of digital images emphasizes the perception of self by making it more real and alive but empty of content. Our framework highlights that the adolescent can defend himself if he leaves the homologation that the SM condition, regains his own experiences, fill with emotional content and real life the images and the representation of the body.

Big Brother Naija, Nigeria’s localization of the international Big Brother Franchise, is the most subscribed reality show among the Nigerian youth. This is due to its explicit eroticism and lucrative rewards. The show is controversial as the libertine population believes in it while spiritual devotees and culture moralists see the show as social corruption. This study therefore explores the social implications of open eroticism and profligacy on the impressionable youth as this concerns Nigeria’s future sustainability. The research is guided by qualitative research principles and Diana Leat’s conception of Social Change Theory emphasizing culture as pivotal in progressive societal changes. The researcher relied on native intuition for research assertions and digital platforms for accessing videos and commentaries on the reality show. The paper opines that Nigerian youth’s repudiation of due process is injurious to the country’s future. Urgent government’s interventions are inevitable in redirecting the orientation of the Nigerian youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the transformation of religious and non-religious practices in contemporary Japanese youth culture. The article employs both western analysis of 'nones' and Japanese theories to explain this transformation. Three concepts characterize (non-)religiousness in Japanese youth culture: 'practicing belonging', 'vicarious spirituality', and 'gendered fetishism'. These concepts are first exemplified in a culture surrounding the concept of 'tulpa' (created paranormal beings, derived from Tibetan Buddhism) in Japan. Other examples reflecting each of these concepts are presented, along with a discussion of why Japanese youth culture came to manifest such characteristics. In so doing, we will refrain from drawing a rigid line between religious and non-religious settings, acknowledging that what may appear religious to Japanese scholars may not be viewed as such by western scholars. The factors behind the transformation of religiousness in Japan affect not only religious and spiritual but also non-religious or secular settings, resulting in parallel phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy (CE), a sustainability concept that promotes resource efficiency and waste reduction, has garnered significant popularity in recent years due to its potential to address pressing environmental and economic challenges. This study applies the Bayesian Mindsponge Mindspongeconomics (BMM) framework/analytic method, based on the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF), to the factors influencing young adults' pro-environmental behavior and their purchases of green products at different price levels. The findings indicate that young adults who are knowledgeable about the CE and who value environmental protection and energy conservation are more likely to engage in waste sorting, while the factors that affect their willingness to pay (WTP) more for green and energy-saving products vary at different price tiers. This study demonstrates that knowledge of the CE, daily waste sorting habits, and environmental concern positively impact young adults' WTP for products that are priced 5%, 10%, and 15% higher, respectively. Furthermore, this study also highlights the potential of educational programs and cultural influences in nurturing a generation that prioritizes environmental value. This research integrates multidisciplinary perspectives and offers practical implications for policymakers, educators, and businesses seeking to promote green literacy and foster an environmental culture among the youth, contributing to the broader goals of green transformation and sustainable development associated with the CE and the green economy, especially in the urban areas of emerging countries and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite decades of feminist scholarship, Lydia Bennet has consistently been taken at Jane Austen’s word: she is viewed as capricious, difficult, and silly, and in most cases found to be deserving of her fate. But with the adaptation The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Lydia became the character most likely to inspire a heightened emotional bond with viewers. Because of the show’s format, Lydia’s voice and experiences became more central, and were conveyed with greater sympathy than prior adaptations. Against all anticipation, many viewers immediately identified not with Lizzie, but with Lydia. My paper explores the cultural contexts surrounding the web adaptation and examines the heated discourses on Lydia’s character circulating in fan blogs, YouTube comments, and discussion boards (preserved in their original form), and ultimately considers how this change in feeling might cast new reflections upon the original Lydia of Pride and Prejudice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Egyptian Journal of Social Work (EJSW) - English Journal is the property of Helwan University, Faculty of Social Work 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 article aims to shed new light on young people's participation in non-formal associations aimed at safeguarding traditions and national culture. Focusing on two case studies from Latvia within the international project CHIEF (Cultural Heritage and Identities of Europe's Future), the study provides an in-depth analysis of how 'culture' is understood, practiced, and transmitted in non-formal education settings. The article also discusses what motivates young people in Latvia to get involved in associations aiming to preserve cultural heritage, and how these activities are connected to identity and attitudes toward other cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we explore how girls identify and resist the girly-girl, an imaginary white, middle- or upper-class, cis-gendered, able-bodied, and heterosexual abstraction ubiquitous in media representations. She reflects a globalized youth culture that encourages girls to become visibly successful. We ran a series of workshops that allowed girls to engage with girl-centered media and products geared towards them but necessarily created by them. The girls in this study expressed a dislike of the girly-girl and the girl-type leisure activities associated with her. Yet, at times they took pleasure in some girly-girl activities. This contradiction led us and the girls to engage with the girly-girl by incorporating their lived experiences in the creation of their own definitions of girlhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A deep understanding of the cultural and political dynamics of Indian youth is a matter of critical concern today. This article theoretically analyzes the relationship of Indian youth to the nationalistic discourse in the digital age through the lens of Herbert Marcuse and his persuasive concept of "onedimensionality." It is noticeable that among youth in the nation today, apart from a few dissenting voices, critique in the political sphere seems minimal. Moreover, such a trend is not confined to India. Rather, this new turn in youth culture has to be understood in a much wider context and seen alongside the emergence of a toxic technological society and new cyberspace. Marcuse's concept of "one-dimensional man" is therefore extremely relevant to the study of youth culture in India today. This article delves into the Marcusian concept of "mechanics of conformity" and tries to analyze how Indian youth lose their traits of critical rationality as modern capitalism and technology develop in the Indian context. Finally, this article asserts by showing how the Marcusian concept of "negative thinking" can become a mechanism for Indian youth to overcome insuperable one-dimensionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role of fashion and dress in Australian history as popular culture. It challenges the notion that fashion has been primarily feminine and elite, highlighting its presence in popular culture since the late nineteenth century. The author defines popular culture as the practices and meanings people create from commercialized cultural resources. Examples of dress as popular culture include studio photography, spectator sports, and costumed events. The article also examines the role of young people in shaping fashion as popular culture, showcasing examples from the late 1980s to late 1990s. The author suggests incorporating fashion into history teaching on popular culture by considering it as a component of various cultural developments. The text delves into the role of fancy dress in popular culture and its various purposes, such as promoting social harmony, challenging norms, exploring identity, and championing causes. It highlights the use of fancy dress in events like the Sydney Mardi Gras and fancy dress balls as fundraisers. The text also explores the relationship between fashion and youth culture, noting that young people have long used fashion to distinguish themselves and create a sense of belonging. It emphasizes the significance of dress in both challenging and reinforcing gender conventions and shaping experiences of gender. [Extracted from the article]