Measuring the effectiveness of theory in action: grass-roots initiatives and social justice for Japan’s Kurdish migrants

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-180
Author(s):  
Anne Ambler Schluter
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-94
Author(s):  
Matthew Conner ◽  
Leah Plocharczyk

While libraries have sought to advance diversity in their services, they have yet to engage a specific population which tests the limits of the profession’s capabilities and the scope of its mission.  Those with Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) combine the categories of learning and physical disabilities and demand the highest level of support.  But the impediments to reading imposed by their cognitive condition make it difficult for them to access the library’s materials.  Beset by funding shortages and systemic change, what are libraries to do?  This study examines how convergent trends in educational theory and practice as well as grass-roots initiatives have created new possibilities for library services to this population.  The study reviews these trends as well as a case study to suggest that libraries have much of what they need in their traditional programming and training when combined with a deeper understanding of the dynamics of social justice.


Te Kaharoa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelli Te Maihāroa

This paper traces the peacebuilding efforts of Anne Te Maihāora Dodds (Waitaha) in her North Otago community over the last twenty-five years. The purpose of this paper is to record these unique localized efforts, as an historical record of grass-roots initiatives aimed at creating a greater awareness of indigenous and environmental issues. It describes the retracing of ancestral footsteps of Te Heke Ōmaramataka (2012), the peace walk at Maungatī (2012) and the Ocean to Alps Celebration (1990). This paper also discusses the genesis behind cultural events such as Oamaru Stone Carving (2000), the short film entitled Tohu (2006), the dramatization of Te Maihāroa and Te Heke (2002) and the historically significant Waitaha Taoka (treasures) held within the Willets Family Artefacts Collection (1990). The accompanied whānau photographs present a visual snapshot of these experiences and provide a sense of the occasions. This paper is concluded with a brief synopsis of these peacebuilding activities, and the added richness to this rural community.


Adeptus ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Majerska-Sznajder

The development and current state of the linguistic landscape – the case of the Wymysorys languageWymysorys is a micro-language with Germanic roots spoken by the residents of Wilamowice, a small Silesian town located between Oświęcim and Bielsko-Biała, where it was brought by settlers from Western Europe in the thirteenth century. It has been the subject of scholarly interest among specialists in a number of fields, not only linguistics and ethnology, since the early twentieth century. Following a ban issued by local authorities in 1945, the use of Wymysorys was prohibited and public manifestations of local culture were severely punished. This policy resulted in a drastic decline of the number of its users. The recent interest of researchers is focused not only on the documentation of Wymysorys or its sociolinguistic situation in the past and today, but also on the effects of its revitalization in the last decade. Despite the lack of institutional support, the users’ community has been engaged in grass-roots initiatives leading to the emergence of Wymysorys in the cultural landscape. Recent activity of its users indicates that the language has already spread beyond the circles of local activists and, after years of persecution, functions again in society, evolving and taking new forms. Rozwój i stan krajobrazu językowego – przypadek języka wilamowskiegoJęzyk wilamowski, którym posługują się mieszkańcy Wilamowic (wym. Wymysoü), od początku XX wieku interesuje naukowców wielu dziedzin – nie tylko lingwistów i etnologów. Został on przywieziony przez osadników z Europy Zachodniej w XIII wieku na teren obecnych Wilamowic – małego miasteczka na Śląsku leżącego między Oświęcimiem a Bielskiem-Białą. Na skutek zakazu wydanego przez władze lokalne w 1945 roku używanie wilamowskiego było zabronione, a wszelkie publiczne przejawy odmiennej kultury ostro karane, w związku z czym liczba użytkowników wilamowskiego zaczęła drastycznie maleć. Zainteresowanie badaczy ostatnimi czasy wzbudza nie tylko kwestia dokumentacji tego mikrojęzyka o germańskich korzeniach czy stan etnolingwistyczny. Obserwacji podlegają również obecne efekty zaaplikowanych w ostatniej dekadzie procesów rewitalizacji językowej i zmiany lokalnej, a także państwowej polityki językowej. Mimo braku instytucjonalnego wsparcia, społeczeństwo użytkowników oddolnie podejmuje inicjatywy, których efektem jest między innymi pojawianie się wilamowskiego w krajobrazie kulturowym. Ostatnie działania użytkowników języka świadczą o tym, że opuścił już kręgi lokalnych aktywistów i ponownie, po latach zakazu, funkcjonuje samodzielnie w społeczeństwie, ewoluując i przybierając nowe formy.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliana Harrigan ◽  
◽  
Ellie McBurney

Young people, aged between 18 and 29, have an untapped potential to generate effective transboundary water diplomacy. Two thirds of the 263 transboundary water bodies around the world have no cooperative agreement, and climate change is expected to exacerbate pre-existing challenges. There are three key rationales for involving youth in transboundary governance: doing so is a form of climate justice; youth have a recognised ability to aid peacebuilding and conflict resolution; and there are a number of positive multiplier effects of youth empowerment as reflected by the Sustainable Development Goals. Case studies are presented to highlight these points. In the Nile Basin, youth have been involved in grass-roots initiatives, including a workshop on transboundary diplomacy by the Water Youth Network, and the Nile Project, where cultural connection across borders is achieved through music and a university scholars’ programme.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Margaret Friedel ◽  
John Brisbin

Lack of engagement with rangelands by the general public, politicians and some practitioners has led to policy failure and unsustainable practice. We argue that thinking in terms of cultural reciprocity with land will lead to greater sustainability of rangeland uses. Many grass-roots initiatives are already showing the way by working at the boundary of science, society and decision makers, involving everyone with a stake in the outcome and developing genuine collaboration and acceptance of diverse value systems.


Author(s):  
Larry Naukam

There is a rising awareness of the tools of Geospatial Information Systems on the part of both amateur and professional historians. Professionals (historians, political and social scientists, and even medical historians) are able to see and think about various trends in a more visual and useful way to them (think of seeing how various diseases spread and where and why), while amateurs seeking more information of their ancestors can also benefit by seeing migration patterns and places of origin, which could help them think about why their ancestors left a place to immigrate to a new country.Knowing who controlled what land and when can make the task of finding appropriate records, for any purpose, a bit easier. Also mentioned are grass roots initiatives, that is, not created by governments or commercial organizations, but by local genealogical and historical groups. This brief overview, done primarily from a layman's viewpoint, can engage the reader with an idea of how to get their work more appreciated and out "into the world". A study by a student at California State University at Fullerton mentions that such genealogy researchers tend to be generative (that is, concerned with passing information along to those following), and very aware of themselves and their ancestors in a time and place.Hopefully this will get more interaction between academics and people out in the world who can appreciate their work.


Heritage ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 1912-1926
Author(s):  
Konstantina Nikolopoulou

Heraklion is gradually transforming into the newest tourist destination in Crete, which is one of the most popular island destinations in Greece. The regional statutory and local tourist bodies aim to develop Heraklion as a destination per se, overcoming the “gateway to the rest of the island” identity that the city currently holds. At the same time, grass-roots initiatives are active in the city context, defending public space and urban cultural heritage, in idiosyncratic, bottom-up ways. This paper investigates the role undertaken by three such initiatives, currently active in Heraklion, to better comprehend their possible impact on the urban landscape and cultural heritage, within this gradually developing tourist landscape. The structure, aims and vision of the initiatives were documented through semi-structured interviews. Their actions, despite being diverse, are compared to the wider activity of similar initiatives in Greece, especially against neoliberal politics, culminating in defending public space, activating bottom-up musealisation mechanisms and participating in urban design in their own ways.


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