Cultural Practices as Forms of Resilience and Agency in Tracy Chevalier’s "A Single Thread"

Oceánide ◽

10.37668/oceanide.v14i.63 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 33-40

Author(s):

Carmen García Navarro

Keyword(s):

Interwar Period ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Community Agency ◽

Social Perspective ◽

Scholarly Research ◽

Single Thread ◽

Women's Lives

This article discusses Tracy Chevalier’s A Single Thread (2019), with an emphasis on the parallels between the writer’s interest in women’s resilient experiences, which lead to individual and community agency, and the role played in these by cultural practices such as embroidery and bell-ringing. Chevalier’s focus is on the interwar period and its closeness to totalitarianism. Based on aspects from the theory of resilience (Cyrulnik 2006; Herman 1992; Vanistendael 2003), this article explores how the uses and meanings associated with cultural practices can turn them into resources for modulating grief and mobilising such resilience and agency in women’s lives, both from an individual and a social perspective. This article also considers that an understanding of Chevalier’s oeuvre can be of help in shaping future scholarly research on this writer.

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Hidden in the Light: Occupational Norms among Crack-Using Street-Level Sex Workers

Journal of Drug Issues ◽

10.1177/002204269602600109 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 143-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Lisa Maher

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

Sex Work ◽

York City ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Ethnographic Research ◽

Street Level ◽

Women's Lives ◽

Crack Users

This article explores the “hypersexuality” hypothesis and, in particular, the phenomenon of sex-for-crack exchanges, by drawing on recent ethnographic research with women crack users engaged in street-level sex work in New York City. Viewing sex work as work, the study identifies the existence of a hitherto hidden set of occupational norms which cohere around the concept of discrimination as a central organizing principle in street-level prostitution. The article describes the ways in which established norms in relation to price, sex acts, clients, and bartering practices govern commercial sex transactions at the street level and examines their effects in regulating both individual and collective conduct. The analysis draws attention to the deficits of previous research and, specifically, the absence of context and the lack of attention to shared cultural practices and occupational norms which have made possible the erasure of agency from representations of these women's lives.

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The Challenges of Monitoring and Analyzing WPS for Scholars

The Oxford Handbook of Women, Peace, and Security ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190638276.013.63 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 849-862

Author(s):

Natalie Hudson

Keyword(s):

Survey Data ◽

Ethical Challenges ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Scholarly Research ◽

Peace And Security ◽

Women's Lives ◽

Conducting Research ◽

The Impact

This chapter explores scholarly contributions to the dialogue on women, peace, and security (WPS) and reveals the challenges faced by those conducting research on WPS. Some in this space identify as feminists, some as activists, and some even step into the policy world for brief moments. Scholarly research goals vary, from a focus on the development of the WPS architecture and the implementation of WPS policy, to explorations of the impact of the overall agenda on women’s lives. As the scholarship aims diverge, so too does the motivation behind the research and the ways in which the research intersects with advocacy, policy, and practice. Using survey data from those who claim to work in the WPS space, this chapter examines the positionality of this group of scholars (as individuals), the practical and ethical challenges that this group faces in conducting research on (and at times engaging in advocacy for) WPS, and the ways in which these scholars and their research intersect with WPS policy and politics.

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Rethinking gender and conduits of control: A feminist review

Image & Text ◽

10.17159/2617-3255/2021/n35a10 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gabi Mkhize ◽

Fikile Vilakazi

Keyword(s):

Sex Workers ◽

Hate Speech ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Social Institutions ◽

Lesbian Women ◽

Gendered Violence ◽

Hiv Positive Women ◽

Women's Lives ◽

Research Findings ◽

South African Constitution

ABSTRACT The South African Constitution has been hailed as one of the most progressive in the world and has received high acclaim internationally (Mkhwanazi 2016:6). However, the war on women, their bodies and their right to self-determination persists, irrespective of the Constitution. Literature reveals experiences of brutal rapes and killings of black lesbian women, as well as mistreatment and hate speech in the name of morality against sex workers, women seeking abortions and HIV-positive women (Strode et al. 2012:64). Based on a desktop review of images and audio-visuals of women's narratives in South Africa, this paper finds that many of the country's contemporary social institutions, such as the state, family, church and culture, amongst others, normalise forms of gendered violence, such as the policing, control and exploitation of women's lives and bodies through cultural practices like ukuthwala and ukuhlolwa kwobuntombi. Research findings also include narratives of women, who - in spite of prevailing social and institutionalised violence - have leveraged personal agency to declare autonomy and make personal choices regarding their bodies and lives. Keywords: gendered violence, LGBTI people, patriarchal societies, rape, ukuhlolwa kwobuntombi.

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A Case Study on Information and Communication Technology in Empowering the Visually Challenged Women in Inclusive Eduction

Shanlax International Journal of Education ◽

10.34293/education.v9i4.4208 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 374-381

Author(s):

R Naneetha ◽

M Srihari

Keyword(s):

Inclusive Education ◽

Visually Impaired ◽

Social Acceptance ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

New Order ◽

Academic Goals ◽

Development Education ◽

Women's Lives ◽

Values And Beliefs ◽

Visually Challenged

Brigham Young posits that ‘If you educate a man, you educate an individual, but you educate a woman, you educate a nation. Even now, educating a woman is challenging in cultural practices dominated by values and beliefs in the social system. Women in developing countries face significant barriers in accessing education, whereas gender inequality in communities, society, and the workplace hinders economic and social development. Education as a means of empowerment of women can bring changes socially, economically, and politically. An American author, Helen Keller, says that ‘Education cannot be created with ease, only through the experience of trial and sufferings it can be strengthened, inspired and achieved. Women with visual impairment are still receiving less schooling, denied social acceptance, and lack of access to information also became an impediment added to their woes. Perhaps, ICT has changed visually impaired women’s lives by giving them access to mainstream and trying to be independent financially and socially. Furthermore, ICT has allowed visually impaired women in accessing braille materials, operating assistive devices and applications that build confidence, recognition, self-expression, and acquire knowledge. This study explores how inclusive education creates an opportunity for visually impaired women in overcoming societal stigma by achieving personal, social, emotional, and academic goals. ICT in education plays an essential role in developing women and facilitates empowerment, calibrated to a new order of society’s structure and functions.

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Healthcare Access Experiences Among Indigenous Women in Northern Rural Thailand: A Focused Ethnographic Study

Central Asian Journal of Global Health ◽

10.5195/cajgh.2018.328 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Onouma Thummapol ◽

Sylvia Barton ◽

Tanya Park

Keyword(s):

Cultural Practices ◽

Healthcare Access ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Access To Healthcare ◽

Ethnographic Study ◽

Indigenous Women ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Women's Lives ◽

Rural Thailand

Introduction: Persistent inequities in health and access to healthcare services for indigenous women living in Thailand remain a significant challenge. This study provides narrative accounts of Indigenous women’s experiences accessing healthcare in northern and rural Thailand and explores the complexity of culture and its interaction with multiple intersecting influences on health behaviours.Methods: A focused ethnographic study was conducted to understand and describe the culture of health behaviors and other cultural phenomena. We recruited 21 female participants aged 20-41 years between March and April of 2017. In-depth semi-structured interviews conducted in Thai were used to explore the experiences of the participants living in a northern rural village. Data analysis was informed and guided by Roper and Shapira’s framework for ethnographic analysis.Results: Seven themes presented across three phases of experience (pre-access, making choices, and encountering difficulties) revealed an in-depth understanding of the Indigenous women’s lives, the broader sociocultural context in which they lived, and the challenges they faced when accessing healthcare. Analysis of data showed that the participants did not have equal access to healthcare and often disproportionately experienced discriminatory practices and negative attitudes of mainstream healthcare providers.Conclusions: This is the only study to date that discusses healthcare access challenges experienced by Indigenous women living in a northern rural Thai village. There is an urgent need to focus on citizenship, employment, and general health conditions; gender, familial, and labor roles; specific health conditions, wellness, and cultural practices; the seeking of healthcare services; healthcare provider relationships; the ability to access needed care; and optimization of self-care. Future efforts to improve healthcare access and reduce disease burden might benefit from these findings and allow for the development of more effective strategies, programs, and policies.

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A case study of Ao Nagas of Nagaland on the issues toward gender justice

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy ◽

10.1108/ijssp-10-2020-0478 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Purlemla Longkumer ◽

Humayun Bokth

Keyword(s):

Social Relations ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Power Sharing ◽

Primary Data ◽

High Status ◽

Content Type ◽

Women's Lives ◽

Customary Laws ◽

Barriers And Challenges

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the various cultural practices and social relations, which mediates and position men and women among the Ao Nagas of Nagaland and highlight the various barriers and challenges faced by the Ao Naga women by examining the traditional practices.Design/methodology/approachThe various data used in this paper incorporate both primary and secondary data. The information gathered through secondary data includes books and journals and reports. On the other hand, the primary data include unstructured interview, case studies and oral history on the basis of field experiences.FindingsFindings suggest that, Ao Naga women's subordinate position to men can be traced back not only to the prevailing customary laws and tradition but also include a number of factors in their societal affairs which include village formation, where men played a prominent role and thereby, the traditional political seat in the village is denied to women till today. Further, women were kept out of the institution of morung known as Ariju in Ao dialect, where men acquired leadership skills. The strong prevalence of inheritance rules, clanship, succession is held very much intact which seems to affect women's lives to a great extent, along with strong ideologies whereby Naga men are given more honor due to the contributions in safeguarding of village during head hunting days. This high status is enjoyed till today and widely accepted among the people. A deep unequal power sharing among man and woman thus seems to exist in the Ao Naga society.Originality/valueThis research article gives a detailed insight of the Ao Naga women bounded in the domains of customary laws and traditional beliefs.

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Social epistemic actions

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x19002802 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

Author(s):

Giovanni Pezzulo ◽

Laura Barca ◽

Domenico Maisto ◽

Francesco Donnarumma

Keyword(s):

Social Interaction ◽

Joint Action ◽

Niche Construction ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Learning Processes ◽

Epistemic Actions ◽

Target Article ◽

Online Social Interaction

Abstract We consider the ways humans engage in social epistemic actions, to guide each other's attention, prediction, and learning processes towards salient information, at the timescale of online social interaction and joint action. This parallels the active guidance of other's attention, prediction, and learning processes at the longer timescale of niche construction and cultural practices, as discussed in the target article.

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