scholarly journals Gastronomy, Tourism, and the Soft Power of Malaysia

SAGE Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401880921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanafi Hussin

This review article examines the link between tourism and soft power in view of five (four proposed by Ooi) interlinked ways (approaches). It also looks whether Malaysia (as a case study) by using the soft power approaches has achieved the desired outcomes or not. The article found that Ooi’s approach is adequate to analyze a country’s tourism policy, strategies, tourists’ perceptions, and the outcomes of tourism. However, it has ignored the independent role of gastronomy, the business-enabling environment, recognition of the cultural and natural sites as world heritage, and methodological approach to address negative stereotypes against other nationalities. The article also maintains that Malaysia has efficiently used the soft power approach and maximally received benefits from it without the use of coercive powers. This research offers insight into different power tools applied in a variety of contexts which shape the image of the country.

Author(s):  
Cristina Lleras

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the surge of identity politics and the diversification of heritage and the tensions that arise with the traditional role of national museums that are expected to support the model of a unitary national identity through their narratives and collections. Engaging with distinct patrimonies and transformations in museums checkmates stagnant notions of heritage, but in turn, these actions might also instigate resistance to change. A case study at the National Museum of Colombia will provide an insight into competing notions of heritage, which can be understood as the relics of a material past, but may also be seen as the meanings created about the past. This analysis instigates thoughts about the role that history and historians might play in the elaboration of narratives of identity.


Author(s):  
Kristina Kironska

Abstract This article combines the study of Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy with a case study of Taiwan–Myanmar relations from a perspective of political relations, economic cooperation, and Taiwan’s (un)recognisability in Myanmar—i.e. Taiwan’s soft power in Myanmar. The first part of the paper introduces the policy and compares it with the previous ones, and sheds light on Taiwan’s motivation to engage with Myanmar. It considers the ongoing trade war between the United States and China, due to which investment relocation from China is expected to sharply increase. The second part of the paper provides an insight into the relationship between Taiwan and Myanmar after Myanmar’s state-led political transformation from military rule and economic liberalisation since approximately 2010. It explains the main aspects and determinants of the relationship between two countries that share a neighbouring potential hegemon which they both wish to balance against.


Author(s):  
Christopher Mudaliar

This chapter focuses on the role that constitutions play in national identity, particularly in states that are recently independent and constrained by a colonial legacy. It uses Fiji as a case study, exploring how British colonialism influenced conceptions of Fijian national identity in the constitutional texts of 1970, 1990 and 1997. The chapter explores the indigenous ethno-nationalist ideals that underpinned these constitutions, which led to the privileging of indigenous Fijian identity within the wider national identity. However, in 2013, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama introduced a new constitution which shifted away from previous ethno-nationalist underpinnings towards a more inclusive national identity through the promotion of a civic nationalist agenda. In doing so, Bainimarama’s goal of reducing ethnic conflict has seen a constitutional re-imagining of Fijian identity, which includes the introduction of new national symbols, and a new electoral system, alongside equal citizenry clauses within the Constitution. This study offers a unique insight into power and identity within post-colonial island states.


Author(s):  
Alexander Lawrie

Most states worldwide possess two or three levels of government, from national to provincial and localities. Subnational governing arrangements are emerging in response to widespread decentralization, globalization, and urbanization, with this level increasingly considered the ideal spatial scale for effectively harnessing governing capacity. Yet regional governing arrangements often lack the traditional statutory and administrative governing tools of the state. Instead, they tend to rely on voluntary co-ordination and co-operation. Emboldened with more traditional governing tools, provincial and local states can work against these networks to protect their own power. This case study of Sydney, Australia, examines the dimensions of hard and soft power in a regional governing network and the role of provincial and local actors in determining the prospects for regional governance. In the absence of state-like mechanisms of hard power, the soft power on which regional governing networks rely will likely remain inferior for the governing task.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Palmieri ◽  
Kerryn Baker

Abstract In this article, we extend empirical understandings of feminist institutionalism by outlining a new methodological approach to the study of parliament as a gendered workplace. We argue that while a localised approach to studying institutional change allows a more nuanced appreciation of the role of local cultural context, internationalised norms can be an interesting starting point to work back from. A case study of the New Zealand parliament’s ‘family-friendly’ workplace practices illustrates this methodological approach. By tracing the establishment of family-friendly practices in this parliament, our study shines a light on the intractable nature of local institutional context in global norm diffusion and hints at the next phase of work required to further the agenda of transformational gender-sensitive parliaments.


Author(s):  
K. K. Yadav ◽  
Kumud Dhanwantri

In the present age of industrialization and unregulated urbanization, the Aravali ranges in India are facing deforestation and degradation. The major reasons behind this are the needs of the poor, and greed of the rich. Therefore, part of the Aravalli Ranges falling in different sub-regions of the National Capital Region, has been taken as case study. The chapter intends to provide an insight into the scenario of forests and wildlife in the sub-regions; the challenges, responses, and immediate initiatives taken up by the constituent state governments. It also discusses ways forward to engage the governments and local communities in the protection of forests and wildlife. The conclusion strives to provide probable strategies that can be adopted to transform the transitions of Aravalli into a positive one and ways for engaging government machinery for better governance to escape the grim future we foresee.


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 78-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Deans ◽  
Suzana Klarin ◽  
Rachel Liang ◽  
Erica Frydenberg

THIS PAPER REPORTS ON a social emotional learning (SEL) program entitled COPE-R and the role of the teacher in supporting young children's developing social and emotional understandings, particularly around caring and empathy. Thirty-eight four- and five-year-old children and their teacher from an inner-Melbourne city long day preschool program participated in the research. The teacher was also a member of the research team hence the study falls within the realm of practitioner-research, which aims to shed further light on the role of the teacher in designing, implementing and evaluating challenging programs for young children. A qualitative case study methodology was employed to ensure that the voices of the children and the teacher-researcher were centrally located in the research. The data included the teacher-researcher's program plans and reflective journal notes, children's drawing-tellings and transcribed child interview data. Findings highlight the capacities of the participating children to engage in the COPE-R program and to demonstrate increased social emotional skill development—as evidenced through being able to identify and give voice to social emotional issues, enact relational empathy, demonstrate care for others and the environment, and recognise emotions in self and others. Also, the findings provide insight into the role of the teacher in implementing the COPE-R program, which enabled the participating children to give voice to a range of social and emotional issues including empathy, reciprocity, generosity, kindness and joy.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-303
Author(s):  
Charu Dhankar

The nature nurture issue has been an important debate in all aspects of the individual development. According to Jensen’s heritability ratio, hereditary has an impeccable influence in the development process. Based on these, dermatoglyphics has been used in the present case study in order to observe the innate potential of an individual, to give parents an insight into their child’s hidden potential and to groom them effectively. The present case study is confined to the acquiring methods and unique quotients of the subject. The findings of the study revealed the unique quotients of the subject and the best suitable acquisition method for the subject.  Aim/Purpose: To test the methods of learning and unique quotients of the subject with the help of Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligence Test DMIT.  Int. J. Soc. Sci. Manage. Vol-2, issue-3: 301-303 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijssm.v2i3.12651 


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Cerruti

This paper falls within the line of research dealing with the role of intralinguistic variation in contact-induced language change. Two constructions are compared in terms of their respective degrees of grammaticalization: the progressive periphrasis ese lì c/a+Verb, which is widespread in some Northern Italo-Romance dialects, and the corresponding Italian construction essere lì che/a+Verb. The study focuses on the presence of such constructions in Turin, the capital of the north-western Italian region of Piedmont, in which the former periphrasis is less grammaticalized than the latter. It contends that the grammaticalization process of essere lì che/a+Verb was triggered by the contact between Piedmontese dialect and Italian, whereas the pace of grammaticalization of this periphrasis is affected by the contact between different varieties of Italian. The paper points out that the case study may provide insight into more general issues concerning not only the interplay of contact and variation in language change but also the role of sociolinguistic factors in shaping contact-induced grammaticalization phenomena.


Author(s):  
Mathieu Dormaels

Purpose – Within the general context of the Historic Urban Landscape approach and the promotion of community involvement in heritage site management, the purpose of this paper is to describe and to understand the case of Old Québec in order to analyse the management tools put in place, so as not only to grasp the issues and challenges, but also to find out how these tools are perceived by the local actors directly involved. Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual approach of this study is twofold. On the one hand, the author has adopted a phenomenological perspective of heritage, where heritage is understood as a social construction. On the other hand, because the goal of this study is to understand an initiative produced by local actors, the author chose an empirical approach that fosters first a descriptive and then an interpretive analysis of a phenomenon with potentially complex dynamics. To do so, the author chose to conduct the research by carrying out a case study, by using three methods of data collection: non-participating observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Findings – By analysing this case in its context, this research gives a better understanding of this community based initiative of participatory management in the world heritage site of the historic district of Old Québec. It demonstrate how these processes involves issues and challenges, even in a 20 years old inscribed site. It also highlights key elements for this type of initiative that, beyond this case, may be useful to be considered by site managers. Research limitations/implications – As with any case study, this research is highly dependent on the context, and that constitutes the main limitation. Consequently, the findings of this analysis can only be generalized as recommendations. Other case studies should be conducted to better understand the influence of context, and to bring out similarities between various initiatives. Originality/value – More than “best practices”, whose relevance may be questionable for their lack of consideration of the context, this paper aims to provide an example of participatory management and to indicate some key elements that seem to be useful for this kind of initiatives. It also raises important questions on the relevance of such management tools in context less experienced or without previous involvement of local communities. Finally, it proposes a conceptual framework and a methodological approach for the study of such cases.


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