Harmony and Tension in Integrating Indigenous Responses to COVID-19 in Uganda

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 425-443
Author(s):  
Jino Mwaka ◽  
Emmanuel Ochola
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Control Measure ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Multiple Stakeholder ◽  
The Social ◽  
Convergence And Divergence ◽  
Global Health Challenge

Coronavirus poses a global health challenge. Amidst uncertainties associated with the pandemic, effective response requires multiple stakeholder involvement. The performance of ryemo gemo, an indigenous epidemic control measure among the Acholi in Uganda as part of the response to COVID-19 evoked responses that highlighted both harmony and tension in integrating a traditional response in the national efforts. We review the directives, the cultural context of the practice of ryemo gemo and reactions it evoked on social and print media, and discuss points of convergence and divergence in integrating the traditional practice, and compounding factors of tension. The complexity of the social challenges, the lack of shared worldview in regards to the indigenous measure, cultural disconnect and lack of clear impact assessment underlie the tension. The power of indigenous measures for sensitization and mobilization can be harnessed in the COVID-19 fight by strengthening appropriate behavioral outputs consistent with the pandemic control.

Suicide Loss Survivors: Navigating Social Stigma and Threats to Social Bonds

2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282110265
Author(s):  
Dorothy M. Goulah-Pabst
Keyword(s):  
Social Stigma ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Healing Process ◽  
Personal Narratives ◽  
The Body ◽  
Social Solidarity ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

The complicated grief experienced by suicide loss survivors leads to feelings of abandonment, rejection, intense self-blame, and depression. Stigma surrounding suicide further burdens survivors who can experience rejection by their community and social networks. Research in the field of psychology has delved into the grieving process of suicide loss survivors, however the effects of suicide require more sociological study to fully understand and support the impact of the suicidal bereavement process on the social interactions and relationships of those left behind after death. This study aims to contribute to the body of research exploring the social challenges faced after the suicide of a loved one. Based on the analysis of powerful personal narratives through qualitative interviews shared by 14 suicide loss survivors this study explores the social construction of the grieving and healing process for suicide loss survivors. Recognizing that the most reliable relief is in commiseration with like experienced people, this research points to the support group as a builder of social solidarity. The alienation caused by the shame and stigma of suicide loss can be reversed by the feelings of attachment to the group that listens, understands and accepts. Groups created by and for suicide loss survivors should be considered a necessary tool to be used toward healing those who suffer from loss by suicide.

Professional judgements of risk and capacity in situations of self-neglect among older people

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1055-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHANNON MCDERMOTT
Keyword(s):  
Critical Theory ◽  
Older People ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Medical Illness ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Professional Intervention ◽  
Sydney Australia

ABSTRACTOver the past 50 years, self-neglect among older people has been conceptualised in both social policy and the academy as a social problem which is defined in relation to medical illness and requires professional intervention. Few authors, however, have analysed the concept of self-neglect in relation to critical sociological theory. This is problematic because professional judgements, which provide the impetus for intervention, are inherently influenced by the social and cultural context. The purpose of this article is to use critical theory as a framework for interpreting the findings from a qualitative study which explored judgements in relation to older people in situations of self-neglect made by professionals. Two types of data were collected. There were 125 hours of observations at meetings and home assessments conducted by professionals associated with the Community Options Programme in Sydney, Australia, and 18 professionals who worked with self-neglecting older people in the community gave in-depth qualitative interviews. The findings show that professional judgements of self-neglect focus on risk and capacity, and that these perceptions influence when and how interventions occur. The assumptions upon which professional judgements are based are then further analysed in relation to critical theory.

The Social Challenges of Involving the General Publics in Garbage Separation and Recycling in Chinese Cities

2014 ◽  
Vol 878 ◽  
pp. 831-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keng Hang Fan
Keyword(s):  
Collection System ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Social Surveys ◽  
The Public ◽  
Informal Recycling ◽  
Almost Everywhere ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social ◽  
Environmental Technologies ◽  
Waste Separation

Waste separation bins that are mainly categorized into recyclable and non-recyclable are being installed almost everywhere in China. It is notable that China is pushing hard to get the public involved in garbage separation and recycling. As an ethnographic research, this paper provides social and cultural explanations of why the roles of these newly designed bins are extremely limited. Explanation of such limitation is deeply concerned with, first, the beliefs and knowledge about recycling of the general publics, and more importantly, the history and hard-to-be-changed culture of informal recycling involving garbage pickers in China. As a foreign Chinese, the author has been running around Beijing and other cities in China to explore into the behind the scene Chinese informal garbage collection system. Using a series of informative social surveys, interviewing the public and personal observation, the paper illustrates and discusses the social challenges and current dilemmas China is facing in attempts to formalize its garbage separation and recycling. The aim of the paper is to address the importance of integrating the existing culture and knowledge of the people with the making of future environmental technologies and policies.

Social competence, theory of mind, and executive function in institution-reared Turkish children

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 519-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evren Etel ◽  
Bilge Yagmurlu
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Social Competence ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Scaling Analysis ◽  
Turkish Children ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavioral Assessments

This study had two aims. The first aim was to measure mental state understanding in institution-reared children by using a theory of mind (ToM) scale, and to examine the role of cultural context in sequencing of ToM acquisition. The other aim was to investigate ToM in relation to social competence and executive function (EF). Due to its pronounced role in mental state understanding and social interactions, we assessed receptive language as well. The participants were 107 institution-reared children aged 3 to 5 years in Turkey. Two visits were held within 2 days for behavioral assessments. In the first visit, the ToM scale was administered; in the second visit, the child was given the language test and the EF tasks. The social competence scales were completed by the child’s primary care provider in the institution. Guttman scaling analysis revealed that an understanding of diverse beliefs developed earlier than knowledge access, favoring the “individualistic pattern.” The regression analysis showed that EF was a significant predictor of ToM, but neither of them was associated with social competence when age was controlled. Receptive language predicted social competence and EF directly, and ToM indirectly through EF, pointing to the importance of this ability for early development.

Indigenous standpoint theory as a theoretical framework for decolonizing social science health research with American Indian communities

2021 ◽  
pp. 117718012110420
Author(s):  
Genevieve R Cox ◽  
Paula FireMoon ◽  
Michael P Anastario ◽  
Adriann Ricker ◽  
Ramey Escarcega-Growing Thunder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
American Indian ◽  
American Indians ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Ways Of Knowing ◽  
Standpoint Theory ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
The Social

Theoretical frameworks rooted in Western knowledge claims utilized for public health research in the social sciences are not inclusive of American Indian communities. Developed by Indigenous researchers, Indigenous standpoint theory builds from and moves beyond Western theoretical frameworks. We argue that using Indigenous standpoint theory in partnership with American Indian communities works to decolonize research related to American Indian health in the social sciences and combats the effects of colonization in three ways. First, Indigenous standpoint theory aids in interpreting how the intersections unique to American Indians including the effects of colonization, tribal and other identities, and cultural context are linked to structural inequalities for American Indian communities. Second, Indigenous standpoint theory integrates Indigenous ways of knowing with Western research orientations and methodologies in a collaborative process that works to decolonize social science research for American Indians. Third, Indigenous standpoint theory promotes direct application of research benefits to American Indian communities.

Creative Confinement and Narratives of Violence: Charles Baudelaire, Shumona Sinha and Assommons les pauvres!

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-75
Author(s):  
SONYA STEPHENS
Keyword(s):  
Political Power ◽  
Charles Baudelaire ◽  
Literary Form ◽  
Prose Poem ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
The Social ◽  
Spleen De Paris ◽  
The Relationship

This article examines the relationship between Baudelaire’s prose poem, “Assommons les pauvres!” (Le Spleen de Paris, 1869) and Shumona Sinha’s 2011 novel of the same title. Focusing on questions of reading and intertextuality, from Baudelaire’s reference to Proudhon to Sinha’s engagement with the prose poem and Le Spleen de Paris more broadly, it explores forms of confinement and creativity, the connections between narrative and freedom and the ways in which lyrical subjectivity and literary form reflect the social challenges of each period. In expressing socio-cultural and linguistic alienation, these texts centre the textual in an exploration of the marginal, thereby demonstrating that the connection between them goes beyond a critical act of violence and the presumed equality or dignity it confers, to represent a shared interrogation of universalism, multiculturalism, and authorial and political power.

Service Animals and Pet Therapy in Schools: Synthesizing a Review of the Literature

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Virginie Abat-Roy
Keyword(s):  
Program Implementation ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Pet Therapy ◽  
Emotional Needs ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Social ◽  
State Of Research

As the academic and social-emotional needs of students in schools continue to increase, so too does the presence of dogs in educational spaces. This article aims to present an overview of past and present animal-assisted intervention practices in school settings. This comprehensive literature review examines the current state of research within this field of study. Data from 29 publications were selected according to strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results highlight three categories in which the presence of dogs in schools have an impact: social-emotional, cognitive, and physiological. Challenges to program implementation include health risks, cultural context, and negative effects on the animal. Due to the lack of school-based research, more study is needed, especially in order to understand the effect of dogs on the social-emotional learning of students. Finally, the welfare and training of the animals involved should be taken into consideration, and regulations regarding handler and animal training should be enforced.

Assessing universities’ social sustainability: accounting for stakeholder value

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Ayuso ◽  
Xavier Carbonell ◽  
Laia Serradell
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sustainability Principles

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess higher education institutions’ (HEIs) social sustainability by applying Integrated Social Value (ISV) analysis to eight universities belonging to the Catalan Association of Public Universities in Spain. Design/methodology/approach ISV analysis is a social accounting methodology that considers both the economic value and the social value created for all the organisation’s stakeholders through a participatory and systematic process. Findings The authors have shown that ISV analysis can be effective to assess the impacts on social sustainability of HEIs. The monetised results facilitate understanding about the valued impacts and allow integration with the universities’ financial data. Research limitations/implications The research advances the under-researched topic of social sustainability assessment in higher education. Practical implications Quantifying universities’ social impacts in monetary terms may help to transform conventional financial accounting and improve HEIs’ internal strategy and management according to sustainability principles. Social implications The process of measuring the social value created by universities provides a way to meet the rising demands for greater accountability and transparency and facilitates engagement with stakeholders on how these institutions are contributing to sustainable development. Originality/value ISV analysis represents an innovative approach to assess how HEIs create benefits for its internal and external stakeholders and contribute to solutions to social challenges.

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