New and old social meanings in urban and rural Sweden

2021 ◽  
pp. 180-202
Author(s):  
Jenny Nilsson ◽  
Lena Wenner ◽  
Therese Leinonen ◽  
Eva Thorselius
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
Inna Andriivna Semenets-Orlova ◽  
Yaroslava Yaroslavivna Kyselova

The article is devoted to the analysis of the process of generating social meanings on the area of European civilization. Authors assign a separate place to the research of the tendency of increasing social activity in local communities, which accompanies decentralization processes in modern Ukraine. The article analyzes the characteristic features of non-tribes, based on the M. Maffesoli’s concept of “neo-tribalism”, and traces the tendency of reactualization a partly transformed communal way of life of modern tribes. The authors investigate the retrieval of the request for a valuable education in society. It is emphasized on the growing tendency of the filling of the meaning of the professional activity of public administrators, according to the significant request of providing public interests and collective goals by citizens. The authors singled out a new role of public administration — providing public education. In the context of this problem, the authors substantiate the critical need for a successful completion of the authority decentralization reform in Ukraine. Proceeding from the process of neo-tribalism that covers modern Europe, the authors predict the emergence of a new collective identities on the European area. The authors point to a characteristic tendency: Ukrainians are deeply embedded in solving internal problems of society, which manifests in the correction of gaps in cultural and educational policies of past years, self-organization (through volunteer and volunteer movements), civil responsibility for the welfare of their communities, and participation in the management of local affairs. According to the authors, this tendency influences the dominant type of future sociality (it is not the individual “Me”, but “Me as a part of community”).


2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 436-455
Author(s):  
Marta Esperti

The Central Mediterranean is the most deadly body of water in the Mediterranean Sea with at least 15,062 fatalities recorded by International Organization of Migration between 2014 and 2018. This article aims at highlighting the rise of a variety of new civil society actors engaged in the rescue of people undertaking dangerous journeys across the sea in the attempt of reaching the southern European shores. The peculiarity of the humanitarian space at sea and its political relevance are pointed out to illustrate the unfolding of the maritime border management on the Central Mediterranean route and its relation with the activity of the civil society rescue vessels. The theoretical aspiration of the article is to question the role of a proactive civil humanitarianism at sea, discussing the emergence of different political and social meanings around humanitarianism at the EU’s southern maritime border. In recent years, the increasing presence of new citizens-based organizations at sea challenges the nexus between humanitarian and emergency approaches adopted to implement security-oriented policies. This essay draws on the findings of a broader comparative work on a variety of civil society actors engaged in the search and rescue operations on the maritime route between Libya and Europe, focusing in particular on Italy as country of first arrival. The fieldwork covers a period of time going between 2016 and 2018. The research methodology is built on a multisited ethnography, the conduct of semidirective and informal interviews with both state and nonstate actors, and the analysis of various reports unraveling the social and political tensions around rescue at sea on the Central Mediterranean route.


2021 ◽  
pp. 136078042110158
Author(s):  
Trang Thi Thuy Nguyen

This study examines ethnic stereotypes toward majority and minority people in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It contributes a more multidimensional perspective on ethnic stereotypes by exploring minority students’ perspectives on how their ethnic group stereotypes Kinh majority people and how they are being stereotyped by the Kinh. Status and solidarity are used as the theoretical lens to gain insights into different stereotype traits and the social meanings underlying the stereotypes. Interviews with eight students in a college in the Central Highlands, which were carried out in 2013, are the main data source. Findings reveal that the students highly appreciated Kinh people’s status-related traits and minority people’s solidarity-related traits. The stereotypes functioned as maintaining the social status quo – where the Kinh justified their position and advantages, while the minorities tended to accept the perceived social status hierarchies. Implications for diminishing negative stereotypes, improving minorities’ existing status, fostering trust-based cross-ethnic contact, and inspiring mutual respect among people of all ethnicities, are hence suggested.


Author(s):  
Debra Ann Metcalf ◽  
Anthony Saliba ◽  
Kirsty McKenzie ◽  
Appy Gao

Abstract Background Alcohol consumption in China has increased rapidly, and there have been calls for policies and programs to address the issue. Alcohol plays a complex and important role in Chinese culture, where it is considered a symbol of happiness and is associated with wellbeing. Alcohol reduction policies may fail unless they take these cultural and social meanings of alcohol, and its relationship to wellbeing into consideration. Baijiu is a clear fermented spirit that is widely consumed in China and has strong cultural associations with health, wellbeing and prosperity. There is a lack of research on how consumption patterns relate to cultural beliefs and subjective wellbeing. Methods An online survey of n = 1992 Chinese adults was conducted to determine frequency and volume of baijiu consumed; beliefs about health benefits and traditional importance; and associations with subjective wellbeing. Results Higher frequency and volume consumed were associated with higher subjective wellbeing, controlling for age and income. We also found small to medium significant associations between consumption frequency and volume and: belief that baijiu is healthy; and that tradition dictated they should drink baijiu. Conclusions The traditional and health values placed on baijiu, and its association with wellbeing, may help inform policy developments and alcohol reduction campaigns.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Amanda Cole

Abstract This paper demonstrates that the differing social meanings held by linguistic features can result in an implicational relationship between them. Rates of (h) and (ing) are investigated in the casual speech of sixty-three speakers from a community with Cockney heritage: Debden, Essex. The indexicalities of h-dropping in Debden (signalling Cockney) are superordinate to and incorporate the indexicalities of g-dropping (working-class, “improper”), resulting in an implicational relationship. H-dropping implies g-dropping, but g-dropping can occur independently of h-dropping. This occurs in terms of co-variation at the between-speaker level and clustering effects at the within-speaker level which is measured through a novel approach using the number of phonemes as the denomination of distance. The features’ differing social meaning are also related to rates of change. Young speakers are shifting away from linguistic features which index Cockney heritage (h-dropping; the [-Iŋk] variant of -thing words) in favor of more general, southeastern, working-class norms (g-dropping).


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