Challenging gender norms: women’s leadership, political authority, and autonomy

Purpose In patriarchal settings, cultural barriers continue to influence women’s participation in positions of leadership and political authority. This paper aims to explore these findings in light of the theoretical concepts of “hegemonic masculinity” and “patriarchy,” which explain gender disparities in the occupancy of political power and leadership positions in Qatar. Design/methodology/approach Data from original face-to-face national surveys conducted among subjects in Qatar were used, including 1,611 completed household interviews. Findings The findings were consistent with the prevailing patriarchal beliefs present in Qatari society and Arab Gulf States. The analysis showed that there was greater significant support for men holding key leadership and authority positions than women. Individual-level factors were found to have a significant association with attitudes favoring women. Compared to respondents who had never attended school, those who had completed secondary school and those who had partaken in higher education favored having women in leadership roles. Practical implications As a means to fix the gender imbalance within the occupancy of positions of political power in Qatar, this study recommends putting substantial efforts into increasing the number of interventions underpinning gender equality through social awareness programs that may improve the public’s perceptions. Furthermore, gender-equitable affirmative actions are needed to promote the inclusion of women in power and increase their presence in leadership roles. Originality/value This study is among the very few that have theoretically and empirically addressed the issue of women’s authority and involvement in key leadership roles in the context of Qatar.

FAST principles for preprint feedback

There has been strong interest in preprint commenting and review activities in recent years. Public preprint feedback can bring benefits to authors, readers and others in scholarly communication, however, the level of public commenting on preprints is still low. This is likely due to cultural barriers, such as fear by authors that criticisms on their paper will bias readers, editors and evaluators, and concerns by commenters that posting a public critique on a preprint by a more senior colleague may lead to retribution. In order to help address these cultural barriers and foster positive and constructive participation in public preprint feedback, we have developed a set of 14 principles for creating, responding to, and interpreting preprint feedback. The principles are clustered around four broad themes: Focused, Appropriate, Specific, Transparent (FAST). We describe each of the FAST principles and designate which actors (authors, reviewers and the community) each of the principles applies to. We discuss the possible implementation of the FAST principles by different stakeholders in science communication, and explore what opportunities and challenges lie ahead in the path towards a thriving preprint feedback ecosystem.

Retrospektywna perspektywa badań prowadzonych przez Alice Miller nad związkami czarnej pedagogiki i znaczeniem relacji rodzinnych dla kształtowania się postaw społecznych wspierających nazizm i faszyzm

A retrospective analysis of the conditions that influenced the emergence of Nazism and fascism indicates that one of the factors that fostered the emergence of both systems were specific family relationships and the upbringing currently referred to as black pedagogy. Alice Miller claimed that the full subordination of children to the will of adults, resulting from the use of mechanisms of black pedagogy, led to the subsequent political subordination, which was an element of social relations in the totalitarian system of the Third Reich. Miller noticed the roots of black pedagogy in the educational tendencies present in the German cultural circle as early as the 18th century, and she noticed ethnocentric conditions based on black pedagogy, also in the post-war period. The contemporary international legal standard for the protection of the subjectivity of the child should contribute to the creation of systemic and cultural barriers against black pedagogy and its consequences.

Optimal Use of L1 and L2 in Teaching Chinese to Sri Lankan Students: Approaches and Challenges

Traditional perspectives on monolingual education and total immersion have been substituted by more novel approaches to multilingual education such as translanguaging and partial immersion where the learners’ language repertoire is paid adequate respect. The present study investigates the role of L1 and L2 in teaching Chinese in Sri Lanka using 42 adult Chinese language learners in Sri Lanka as informants and a structured questionnaire was used as the main data collection tool. The informants have a highly divided perspective towards the use of L1 and L2 in the classroom. Most students have favored English instruction considering its efficacy in career prospects and Sinhala for convenience of comprehension. Considering the existing situation of Chinese language textbooks, language policy, and recent trends in multilingualism in Sri Lanka, total immersion is less likely to bring optimal effectiveness in teaching Chinese. The present study suggests that partial immersion and translanguaging would be more constructive for Sri Lankan students if cautiously handled with less hindrance to the delivery of target language content and its accuracy. A multilingual approach would, on one hand, offer a safe space for students to communicate while penetrating cross-cultural barriers through cultivation of culture-sensitivity.

From urban waste to urban farmers: Can we close the agriculture loop within the city bounds?

As urbanisation intensifies in Brazilian cities, life quality in urban centres becomes a challenge for policymakers, and transitioning urban systems to sustainability is required. Circular economy concepts may contribute to face them, especially those owing to municipal solid waste (MSW) management. Curitiba, a Brazilian municipality known for its innovative initiatives towards sustainability. Despite a long tradition in recycling inert waste, MSW system struggles to promote composting even considering a decade in force national law. Decentralised composting through the Urban Agriculture Program (UAP) is the city’s strategy to tackle this struggle. This strategy faces difficulties as, even if urban agriculture facilities seem to be a promising context, closing the agricultural loop within the city bounds was not possible in the 24 urban farmers communities trained in composting techniques. The literature has shown difficulties in government experiments to promote practices in the long run and several experiences in Brazil are already described. This study reveals cultural barriers that influence adoption of domestic composting, by following a secondary data review on past experiences with interviewing and observing participatively urban farms communities. From the fieldwork, cultural perspectives from four different relevant actor roles in the UAP were elaborated and conflicts between them revealed cultural barriers hindering composting practices adoption. Recommendations based on these barriers argue for bottom-up approaches for transition experiments and recognising the sense material and technical support makes to practitioners.

Socio-cultural barriers to the adaptation of foreign students to Russian higher education

Interest in the problem of socio-cultural adaptation of foreign students is growing due to intensification of the processes of internationalization of education, global competition of universities, and increase in the export of educational services. The purpose of the study is to analyze the types and causes of the emergence of socio-cultural barriers to adaptation of foreign students in the context of higher education in Russia; to work out recommendations for their reduction. The theoretico-methodological basis of the research is the ABC model of culture shock, phenomenological approach to the analysis of intercultural communications (ICC) in the global world. The socio-cultural barriers to the adaptation are considered through the prism of the lack of ICC resources increasing the manifestations of culture shock, and first of all—social perception. Based on the synthesis of studies by Russian and foreign authors, the article examines the causes of the formation of deficiencies in the linguistic, paralinguistic, cognitive and behavioral competencies necessary for successful socio-cultural adaptation of foreign students. The primary materials are the results of the monitoring ^Assessment of the quality of education at the Financial University» conducted by the focus group method at the Financial University in the 2020-2021 academic year. To improve the socio-cultural adaptation of foreign students to education, the authors propose telecollaboration. The conclusions and recommendations given in the article can be used in the field of education for children and adults, including additional and inclusive education (students with disabilities, migrant students, etc.).

Edouard Glissant's Rhetorical Marronnage or the Abolition of Generic Artistic Boundaries in his Fictional Work

The present article seeks to analyse Edouard Glissant’s intellectual marronage, which is closely linked to his rebellious rhetoric, by which the Martinican writer tries to use a patent suit to tackle imperialist systems, which cultivate monolithic and unidirectional western rhetoric. For this reason, he transcends generic boundaries by abolishing the artistic and cultural barriers. In this perspective, he needs to experience his new dynamics of trans-rhetorical, which is based on the implementation of the intermixing between oratorical genres (judicial impetus, epidictic eloquence and deliberative aim) in his novels. Correlatively, the West Indian novelist, ethnographer and philosopher makes use of his trans-generic aesthetics, which is coextensive with the trans-rhetorical, in order to incorporate not only historiography, ethnography, poetry and theatre in his romantic fiction, but also music, painting, sculpture and arts of photography and filmmaking. This is how he places his new geopoetics under the label of intermixing between different human imaginations.

Placing equity at the heart of eHealth implementation: A qualitative pilot study

Background: There is a growing urgency to tackle issues of equity and justice in the implementation of eHealth technologies. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 multidisciplinary health professionals to explore the implementation and uptake of eHealth technologies in practice. Results were analysed using Nancy Fraser’s social justice framework to identify key dimensions and patterns of distribution, recognition, and participation in the implementation of digital health services.Results: Health professionals reported that eHealth offered their clients a greater sense of safety, convenience, and flexibility, allowing them to determine the nature and pace of their healthcare, and giving them more control over their treatment and recovery. However, they also expressed concerns about the use of eHealth with clients whose home environment is unsafe. Application of Fraser’s social justice framework revealed that eHealth technologies may not always provide a secure clinical space in which the voices of vulnerable clients can be recognised and heard. It also highlighted critical systemic and cultural barriers that hinder the representation of clients’ voices in the decision to use eHealth technologies and perpetuate inequalities in the distribution of eHealth servies.Conclusions: To facilitate broad participation, eHealth tools need to be adaptable to the needs and circumstances of diverse groups. Future implementation science efforts must also be directed at identifying and addressing the underlying structures that hinder equitable recognition, representation, and distribution in the implementation of eHealth resources.

Narratives in conflict and the limits on the interpreter’s agency: A case study from the UN Peacekeeping mission in Lebanon

This article presents a socio-linguistic analysis of interpreting in conflict zones and paints a picture of the limits on the interpreter’s agency when working in the field. It focuses on the interpreter’s behaviour towards cultural and linguistic barriers in communication between foreign military personnel and the civilian population in Lebanon. The aim is to analyse the level of agency that the interpreter has when working in a military deployment, taking into account the context and the narrative features that require mediation. Data were gathered through interviews with interpreters in Lebanon and analysed by applying narrative theory. Knowing and appreciating both the theoretical context and the linguistic and cultural barriers identified through the analysis are fundamental to understanding the difficult role that the interpreter-mediator plays in conflict settings and to reflecting on interpreter training that is appropriate to this context.

After the fact(s): Communicating scientific complexity, risk, and uncertainty in Aotearoa

<p>This thesis draws on social constructivist theories of scientific knowledge to analyse the public engagement practices of a cohort of scientist-communicators in Aotearoa as they represent scientific complexity, risk, and uncertainty in public. Through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, this thesis demonstrates that participants think defensively about the publics they communicate to, drawing boundaries between science and publics that minimise exposure of the elements of scientific knowledge they perceive might undermine scientific authority. Such boundary-work often demarcates public engagement from scientific knowledge production, constructing public engagement as a subjective process applied to scientific knowledge after the fact. These science-communicators also work to overcome these very same boundaries by making science more accessible and democratic. Such tensions suggest that participants not only socially construct science, but also contribute to the social construction of public engagement with science as they work to transform systemic and cultural barriers acting to entrench science as an inaccessible, exclusive, and unilateral arbiter of knowledge. In doing so, participants found that presenting a more accurate, complex picture of science—with all its uncertainties and failures—had not undermined public confidence in science. Instead, complexity, risk and uncertainty could become transparent elements of scientific knowledge production, thereby open to public scrutiny and definition. Participants’ representations of complexity, risk, and uncertainty were influenced by accessible, local publications, and economic and institutional conditions, but rarely by established public engagement scholarship.</p>