TRADITION PATTERNS OF ANTENATAL CARE AND MATERNAL HEALTH IN MAMFE: UNDERSTANDING THE SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTOR OF MATERNAL MORTALITY IN RURAL CAMEROON

From the case study of Mamfe, this research has been tailored to highlight and examine the influence of traditional patterns of antenatal care on maternal morbidity and mortality in rural Cameroon. The country is one of the underachievers of the MDGs with strong socio-cultural attachment and a consequential high reliance on traditional patterns for antenatal care. Understanding the influence of this reliance gives a more complete view of the socio-cultural factor critical towards underlining the underlying determinants of maternal deaths. The rationales behind most traditional antenatal beliefs and practices, some of which have been highlighted in this work, scarcely correspond to the biomedical norms for useful maternal healthcare. They reportedly fulfill more superior and collective purposes that understandably prevail over maternal health. Non-respect for these traditional imperatives puts transgressors at odds with the community. Given their understandable vulnerability during pregnancy, expectant women are therefore predisposed to a higher risk of complications and death. The research was both cross-sectional and exploratory, constructed on a qualitative design. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to constitute a sample size of 140 participants. Research techniques employed included in-depth interviews, FGDs and direct observation. We discovered that expectant women widely attended conventional antenatal consultations but were rigorously constraint to respect and adhere to beliefs and practices for traditional maternal care. As such widespread facility-based deliveries in rural settings heralded as the ideal solution by many does not necessarily limit the influence of the socio-cultural factor on MMR. KEY WORDS: rural Cameroon, traditional patterns, influence, antenatal care, maternal mortality

Perspectives on the Emergency Remote Assessment during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The unprecedented health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic put on hold traditional educational practices. Emergency remote teaching was adopted as a response, with various degrees of success and satisfaction around the globe. This perspective chapter focuses on the remote emergency assessment as a measure to ensure the completion of the educational cycle for students caught in the 2020 crisis, after debates around the relevance and soundness of such activities both for students, and for society at large. Some voices enthusiastically champion the technological innovation and point to the benefits brought by the computer-assisted assessment, while others warn against the ‘one-size-fit-all’ approach and insist that the emergency measures need a careful examination and, although lessons can be taken away from the situation, the traditional patterns should be kept in place.

“Are you gay or do you do gay?” Subjectivities in “gay” stories on the Persian sexblog shahvani.com

The main goal of this study is to demonstrate the influence of local-traditional perceptions of sexuality in the construction of subjectivity among men involved in same-sex sexual practices in contemporary Iran. In order to do so, I shall briefly outline some essential features of the local-traditional understanding of sexuality, which I consider to be epistemologically and ontologically different from the modern concept of human sexuality. Subsequently, the continuity of the local-traditional understanding of sexuality in the identity construction of those individuals involved in same-sex sexual practices will be demonstrated through an inquiry on contemporary pornographic stories written by users of an online platform with erotic and pornographic content. I will argue that the perception of and the explanation for same-sex desire as well as the categorisations of subjects found in these stories point to the predominance of local-traditional patterns of thought in the imagination of the authors of these stories. However, it will also be demonstrated that the modern idea of sexuality is present among some other users of this platform, whose modern worldview is in conflict and competition with the local-traditional views on sexuality. This conflict is best illustrated in the commentary sections of the stories on this website, where modern-thinking users question the “truth” of the epistemology behind these local-traditional narratives. This modern users’ criticism of the local-traditional view on same-sex desire shall be addressed in the last part of the paper.

Application of Flower and Bird Patterns in Modern Makeup and Hair from the Perspective of Design Culture

Under the background of the vigorous development of various cultural and artistic forms, the traditional patterns that can express the unique charm of Chinese national culture have become an important material for modern design. Traditional patterns not only have unique decorative functions, but also represent the spirit of traditional culture. Among them, flower and bird patterns are also precipitated by history. It is worth exploring how to combine the flower and bird patterns with the aesthetics of the times, and how to integrate the traditional flower and bird patterns with the nature of the times. Starting with the formation and development of flower and bird patterns, this paper analyzes the historical, cultural and aesthetic attributes of flower and bird patterns from the perspective of design culture, and expounds the application of flower and bird patterns in makeup and hair in various historical dynasties. With the development of the times, the application of flower and bird patterns in modern makeup and hair should be both national and in line with the aesthetic requirements of modern people.

Virtual tour of Circassian costume exhibition created by Madina Hatsukova

This article explores the works of the famous Kabardian fashion designer Madina Alisagovna Hatsukova, whose costumes are worn by the guards of the King of Jordan, artists of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, prominent statesmen of the Chechen Republic, popular singers and musicians, and numerous ladies for their wedding ceremonies. The article represents a panoramic overview of the works of Madina Hatsukova, taking into account all aspects of interest of the designer. Description is given to various types of activity of the fashion designer – from hand embroidery and lace weaving to creating sewing patterns and scientific research on decoding of the ornaments in the museum samples of ancient costumes. This publication is inspired by the Madina Hatsukova’s personal exhibition “Princess of the Sun”, held in the North Caucasus branch of the State Museum of Oriental Art in Maykop in September-October 2021. The novelty of this article consists in comprehensive analysis of the works of Madina Hatsukova, which are widely known in North Caucasus and not so much to the Russians audience interested in modern ethnic costume. Although Madina’s works are intentionally limited to the traditional patterns and configuration, she experiments with different types of fabrics, their combinations and color solutions. National costume for a symbol of cultural revival, rather than a symbol of the past; it is the symbol of ethnic identification. Madina Hatsukova contributes to high symbolic load of the traditional costume, forms empathy of not only Circassians, but the entire multicultural population of the Russian Federation.

Law, Culture and Decolonisation: The Perspectives of Aboriginal Elders on Family Violence in Australia

Family violence within Aboriginal communities continues to attract considerable scholarly, governmental and public attention in Australia. While rates of victimization are significantly higher than non-Aboriginal rates, Aboriginal women remain suspicious of the ‘carceral feminism’ remedy, arguing that family violence is a legacy of colonialism, systemic racism, and the intergenerational impacts of trauma, requiring its own distinctive suite of responses, ‘uncoupled’ from the dominant feminist narrative of gender inequality, coercive control and patriarchy. We conclude that achieving meaningful reductions in family violence hinges on a decolonizing process that shifts power from settler to Aboriginal structures. Aboriginal peoples are increasingly advocating for strengths-based and community-led solutions that are culturally safe, involve Aboriginal justice models, and recognises the salience of Aboriginal Law and Culture. This paper is based on qualitative research in six locations in northern Australia where traditional patterns of Aboriginal Law and Culture are robust Employing a decolonising methodology, we explore the views of Elders in these communities regarding the existing role of Law and Culture, their criticisms of settler law, and their ambitions for a greater degree of partnership between mainstream and Aboriginal law. The paper advances a number of ideas, based on these discussions, that might facilitate a paradigm shift in theory and practice regarding intervention in family violence.

The politics of fear in Hong Kong protest representations

This study gives a corpus-assisted discourse study of the representations of 2019 Hong Kong protests in the New York Times. With the corpus-analytic tools Wmatrix and Wordsmith, it examines both the dominant patterns in its representations and the specific strategies used. The findings suggest that while NYT still draws on the traditional patterns in its representations of Hong Kong protests, it deviates from the protest paradigm in its representations of concerned parties. Meanwhile, emotion discourse has emerged as a distinct strategy in its representations. This is most revealing in the emotion of fear, and a close analysis of its use in its context has revealed its role in the construction of concerned parties and the distrust of Hong Kong people towards the Chinese government.

The Significance of the Black Stool as an Educational Resource in Akan Traditional Patterns of Learning

The Black Stool has been considered by Western missionaries and missionary established churches mainly as a sacred object and religious material for rituals without much attention to its educational significance. The Western missionaries introduced Christian education and schooling pattern of learning to the Akan societies. The introduction of Western and Christian education came with Bibles, Hymn Books, Liturgy books and other educational materials. Even though the Akan had their own forms of learning, the indigenous educational resources did not attract the consideration of the missionaries. The missionary legacy of not recognizing the indigenous educational materials such as the Black Stool has remained with Christian education in Akan churches and other educational patterns. The study is an examination of the educational dimensions of the Black Stool and its significance for moral and leadership formation. Using both primary and secondary sources to examine the role of the Black Stool in moral education and leadership formation, the study points out the fact that the Black Stool is capable of providing even education in Christian history and calls for the need for re-thinking Akan Christian history to reflect significant intellectual weight embedded in the Black Stool. The study has established that the Akan Black Stool that over the years has been considered mainly from its sacred and religious dimensions has educational dimensions that equally must attract intellectual attention. The study identifies the traditional pattern of learning as a discipline that must attract intellectual attention. Moreover, there is a need for a paradigm shift on the perception of the Black Stool. A paradigm shift on the perception of indigenous educational resources will position the Black Stool as a relevant educational resource for a traditional pattern of learning. The study calls for a need for re-thinking of Akan Christian history to retrieve Christian information and history that have been embedded in indigenous resources like the Black Stool. Keywords: Akan, Black Stool, Traditional Patterns of Learning, Christianity, Educational Resources.

Sustainability of Regional Factors on the Gendered Division of Housework in China

In China’s labor market, the traditional patterns of “male breadwinners, female housewives” have been changing noticeably, whereas such patterns remain unchanged in the household production field. This phenomenon greatly affects gender equality and social sustainability. Until now, most of the studies have focused on the attribution of micro-factors (e.g., individual income, education level, and time availability) to the formation of this pattern. However, the effect of macro-region factors (e.g., the regional economic development, population composition, employment, and gender norms) on the distribution of housework have been rarely studied. In this study, the data from the China General Social Survey (2015CGSS) and the China Genuine Progress Indicator Survey (2017CGPiS) of Beijing Normal University were comprehensively analyzed. On that basis, a gender norms index was first constructed to measure regional differences in gender concepts. Moreover, this study, by considering macro-region-varying factors, suggested that the synergetic effect between all of the mentioned factors could significantly impact the distribution of housework, especially in eastern China. Nevertheless, in western China, the effect of male gender norms on the distribution of housework is significantly more serious than that of female gender norms, which inspires the authors of this study to strengthen the male’s family consciousness education. All of the mentioned findings could help formulate region-differentiated policies and strategies to achieve more reasonably and sustainably distributed housework in China.