scholarly journals Afros, activism,and affinity: the politicization of black natural hair, racism and a sense of belonging in the Greater Toronto area

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmine Homer
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Mixed Race ◽  
Black Hair ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Natural Hair ◽  
Greater Toronto Area ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
Intergenerational Knowledge

This research study explores the natural hair textures of six Black/mixed-race women as a symbol of activism in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), where natural Black hair continues to be discriminated against in public and private spheres. While all six women experienced racism in the GTA, intergenerational knowledge from family played a larger role in shaping their negative perceptions of their own hair, and how members of the dominant group may perceive their hair. Their experiences were assessed alongside their opinions on Canada’s well-known Multiculturalism Act (1982, c.24) which seeks to preserve and enhance multiculturalism. While all six women believe that cultural celebrations (e.g. Caribana, Taste of the Danforth, etc.) are a demonstration of The Act in play, they all find that The Act is ineffective in bridging the gap between ideology and practice, and therefore does not facilitate social inclusion between members of the dominant group and racialized ‘Others’. Key Words: Racism in Toronto; Natural Hair; Activism; Multiculturalism Act; Social Inclusion

Home and Belonging in an Ethno-Nationalist Society

2020 ◽  
pp. 126-153
Author(s):  
Gracia Liu-Farrer
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Intimate Relationships ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Japanese Society ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Master Narratives ◽  
Emotional Geography ◽  
Migration Experiences ◽  
Perceived Relationships

This chapter explores how cultural backgrounds, migration experiences, socioeconomic circumstances, and social relationships as well as master narratives of nationhood and concepts of personhood affect immigrants' conception of home and belonging, perceived relationships with Japan, and future mobility intentions. While Japan has become home to some, others either attach their belonging to their homeland or gravitate toward a more localized and deplaced narrative of belonging. Intimate relationships, degrees of acculturation, metacultural narratives, and racial and ethnic characteristics affect immigrants' emotional geography, especially their ability to foster a sense of belonging in Japan. These mechanisms are obviously not mutually exclusive. Rather, they sometimes overlap, and other times are mutually causal. For example, the degree of acculturation has a lot to do with how much immigrants can begin to have meaningful social relationships with Japanese society. Race may also shape patterns of social inclusion. These conditions shape not only where one feels one belongs but also whether a sense of belonging can be fostered.

scholarly journals Creative Chinese Countryside? Township-Village Enterprises as Incubators

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 72-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengchuan Liu ◽  
Yi-Wen Wang ◽  
Christian Nolf
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Creative Industries ◽  
Cultural Meanings ◽  
Creative People ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Economic Entity ◽  
Industrial Complexes ◽  
Western Ireland

AbstractSince the turn of the century, creative industries have displayed considerable power in transforming the social and economic landscapes of most global metropolises, including such Chinese mega-cities as Beijing and Shanghai. However, the story of creative industries does not end there. Recent studies have focused on the role of creative sector in the countryside. It has been argued that the creative sector can effectively contribute to diversifying socio-economic development in rural areas by increasing employment, enhancing the quality of life, and promoting social inclusion and community development. With the aim to chart new paths for China’s rural revitalisation and address the country’s ‘three rural issues’ (i.e. agriculture, rural areas and farmers), this paper examines the potentials and challenges to developing the creative sector in rural China. It first reviews the academic debate about expanding the development of creative industries from urban to rural areas. Drawing on the research and classification of creative industries in rural Western Ireland, this study identifies industries characterised by ‘content creation and production’ and ‘creative design services’, which would have potential in rural China. The major impediments to and crucial factors for developing rural creative industries in China are investigated and appraised within the framework of ‘creative people, creative place, and creative support’. After analysing emerging practices in Jiangsu Province, this paper highlights the potential of abandoned industrial complexes in rural parts of China’s coastal regions, which can act as incubators for creative industries. Those former manufacturing plants are the remains of township-village enterprises (TVEs), which constituted part of China’s flagship policy for rural regeneration in the 1980s. Not only do they have special architectural attributes favourable for creative production, but also represent the socio-economic entity of the village collective and are the carriers of cultural meanings and memories. This paper concludes with a set of recommendations for both public and private sectors. It calls for a more proactive stance from governments to promote the creative sector in rural areas and revitalise rural economies and communities through the reuse or regeneration of former TVEs.

The Corner for Everybody

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna D. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Safe Space ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public

The “Corner for Everybody” is a section of letters from readers, which appeared in Ameryka-Echo between 1922 and 1969. This chapter focuses on the “Corner” as a section which bound the readers into a community. The “Corner” offered them a sense of belonging and provided them with a safe space to share ideas and engage in the public conversation about all they found significant in their lives. In the process, the boundaries between public and private became blurred and the readers often established among themselves relationships that were personal, emotional, and long-lasting, and sometimes even extended beyond the pages of the newspaper.

scholarly journals Negotiating across difference: Gendered exclusions and cooperation in the shea value chain

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlène Elias ◽  
Seema Arora-Jonsson
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Shea Butter ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Niche Market ◽  
Shea Tree ◽  
Private Actors

Shea butter, derived from the African shea tree, has acquired a pivotal position in global agro-food and cosmetics industries. In Burkina Faso, public and private actors as well as civil society are converging upon the product to boost the incomes of rural female producers. As a result of these trends, the shea value chain is increasingly segmented; shea nuts are sold in a low-return, conventional market and simultaneously enter an alternative, high-value niche market. In the latter strand of the value chain, some producers are improving their prospects by forming an association. Tracing relationships across the two strands, we demonstrate how ‘horizontal’ relations based on gender, ethnicity, age and geography contribute to shaping participation and benefit capture in the shea value chain. We argue that processes of social inclusion and exclusion operate in parallel, as differentiated actors both cooperate and compete to secure their place within the chain. While collective organizing brings positive social and economic benefits, we show that producers’ associations need not be empowering for all women. The significance of collective enterprises, but also their drawbacks must be considered when valorising pathways to women's empowerment. Our study reinforces calls for greater integration of horizontal elements in value chain analyses.

scholarly journals Two Linguas Francas? Social Inclusion through English and Esperanto

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Gobbo ◽  
László Marácz
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Technological Factor ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Digital Object ◽  
Animal Virus ◽  
Linguistic Justice ◽  
High Propensity ◽  
Transnational Communication ◽  
Linguistic Dimension

New forms of mobility presuppose a technological factor that frames it as ‘topological proximity,’ regardless of the nature of the mobile agent (human being, robot ware, animal, virus, digital object). The appeal of the so-called linguas francas is especially evident in human beings showing high propensity to move, i.e., motility. They are usually associated with transnational communication in multilingual settings, linguistic justice, and globalization. Paradoxically, such global languages foster mobility, but, at the same time, they may hinder social inclusion in the hosting society, especially for people in mobility. The article compares English as a lingua franca and Esperanto in the European context, putting together the linguistic hierarchy of transnational communication (Gobbo, 2015) and the notion of linguistic unease, used to assess sociolinguistic justice (Iannàccaro, Gobbo, & Dell’Aquila, 2018). The analysis shows that the sense of belonging of their respective speakers influences social inclusion in different ways. More in general, the article frames the linguistic dimension of social inclusion in terms of linguistic ease, proposing a scale suitable for the analysis of European contexts.

scholarly journals "You Have to Have Tough Skin": The Impact of Social Exclusion on Immigrant Mothers of Children with Disabilities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Majella Skrinda
Keyword(s):  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Extended Family ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Aging Parents ◽  
Immigrant Mothers ◽  
Greater Toronto Area ◽  
Service Information ◽  
The Impact

This exploratory research considers the way gender, racialized ethnicity, and disability, as markers of difference, contribute to the social exclusion experienced by immigrant mothers as primary caregivers of child(ren) with a disability. Interviews were held with eight immigrant mothers in the Greater Toronto Area exploring barriers to accessing informal, formal networks of support, and the resulting impact on their lives. The findings include a lack of ethno-specific and extended family support as well as a lack of accessible, transparent government, social service information, and service provision. Other issues concern language, equity and access to services, impact on personal health, caregiving for aging parents, and future concerns for their children’s short and long-term welfare. Recommendations are based on a social inclusion framework of principles, which are relevant to policy makers, service providers, educators, and members of society.

scholarly journals Uneven Experiences: The Impact of Student-Faculty Interactions on International Students’ Sense of Belonging

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-367
Author(s):  
Chris R. Glass ◽  
Elizabeth Kociolek ◽  
Rachawan Wongtrirat ◽  
R. Jason Lynch ◽  
Summer Cong
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Academic Preparedness ◽  
Faculty Interactions ◽  
Sources Of Variation ◽  
Goal Pursuits ◽  
The Impact

This study examines student-faculty interactions in which U.S. professors signal social inclusion or exclusion, facilitating–or inhibiting–international students’ academic goal pursuits. It compares narratives of 40 international students from four purposefully sampled subgroups – academic preparedness (low, high) and financial resources (low, high). Overall, international students’ interactions with professors were marked by joy, trust, anticipation, and surprise. Nonetheless, the narratives exhibit two significant sources of variation: narratives from the low financial resources, high academic preparedness subgroup reflected widely-varied experiences interacting with professors, and narratives from the low financial, low academic preparedness subgroup lacked any descriptions of positive student-faculty interactions.

Exploring Her Roots: Black Caribbean Hair Identity and Going Natural Using Social Media Networks

2020 ◽  
pp. 009579842097189
Author(s):  
Donna-Maria B. Maynard ◽  
Mia A. Jules
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Black Hair ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Natural Hair ◽  
Social Media Networks ◽  
Caribbean Women ◽  
Black Caribbean ◽  
Women Of African Descent

In spite of the recent popularity of “going natural” among Black Caribbean women of African descent, the wearing of natural hair by these women continues to be a contentious issue in the English-speaking Caribbean. As such, social networking sites (SNS) may provide supportive environments within which some Black Caribbean female emerging adults can explore their hair identity narratives as they embark on their “natural hair journey.” By employing a qualitative case study research design, we found that among the 12 participants of the study, SNS provide an informative and supportive environment for exploration of Black-hair identity for these women. Findings revealed a number of themes that emerged from the narratives of the participants. Most important, that hair provided a means for hair identity self-expression and individual self-classification for Black Caribbean women. SNS also facilitated an online sisterhood, opportunities for personal exploration, and exposure to online models who embraced their natural hair. Study implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Sociale inclusie en ASS in het voortgezet onderwijs: wat is er nodig?

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolien Rieffe ◽  
Salima Kamp ◽  
Justine Pentinga ◽  
Mia Becker ◽  
Lisa van Klaveren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Central Question ◽  
Literature Research ◽  
Education Experience ◽  
Students With Autism ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Appropriate Education ◽  
Crowded Environments

Since the introduction of the Appropriate Education Act, attempts have been made to include pupils with special needs in mainstream secondary education, including pupils with autism. Statistics show that this was only partially successful. This may be partly explained by the fact that the main focus of the involved professionals (school principals, teachers) to date seems to have been mainly on the educational needs of these pupils and less on students’ sense of belonging, i.e. going to school with the feeling to be part of something, a group or community. The central question in this qualitative research is to what extent young people with autism within mainstream education experience this sense of belonging and what is needed for this. This has been investigated by means of literature research and focus groups with (former) students with autism. The first preliminary results show that students with autism indicate that they have little contact with their fellow students, which is complicated by a too busy environment (too many students, too few seats, too many stimuli). All this leads to overstimulation, fatigue, and can cause so much stress that it takes very little to completely skip school that day. In short, the most important recommendation is to create more calm and less crowded environments in schools. We conclude that social inclusion of pupils with autism in mainstream schools is essential for the success of the Appropriate Education Act but it does not come naturally: it requires active policies from schools. The project described in this article is part of a larger project in which we try to develop concrete recommendations for this purpose.

Not Just Laborers

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta María Maldonado
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Radio Station ◽  
The Social ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
Meatpacking Industry

This essay focuses on Latina/o claims to belonging in the community and the nation while working and living in Perry, Iowa. Attracted to jobs in the meatpacking industry, Latinas/os made connections to Perry and developed a sense of belonging despite feeling initially unwelcomed by the town’s residents. Among the challenges confronted by Latina/o residents were the policing of their use of Spanish, negative perceptions of a local Spanish-language radio station, and the racialization of Latinas/os as criminals and foreigners. By confronting these challenges and claiming a place in the community, Latinas/os demonstrated the changing nature of the rural heartland. The town’s Latinas/os characterized themselves as integral to the social, economic, and political fabric of their community and the nation.

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