Hopes Woven in Smoke: Reimagining Virgil’s Aeneid in Irene Vallejo’s El silbido del arquero

This article investigates Irene Vallejo’s 2015 novel El silbido del arquero, a narrative in the Virgilian tradition mostly inspired by Book IV of the Aeneid. We show how Vallejo reinterprets Dido and Aeneas’s tragic love story by foregrounding minor characters, developing the setting, integrating popular subgenres and exploring communicative anxieties and gender issues. It is argued that patterns of dissatisfaction, self-delusion and disillusionment with human affairs ultimately collide with a message of hope voiced by the fictionalised Virgil.

Gender sensitivity and stereotypes in medical university students: An Italian cross-sectional study

Gender medicine is crucial to reduce health inequalities. Knowledge about students’ attitudes and beliefs regarding men, women and gender is important to improve gender medicine courses. The aim of this study is to evaluate gender stereotypes and its predictors in Italian medical students. We performed an online cross-sectional study among students from the University of Turin. We used the validated Nijmegen Gender Awareness Scale in Medicine scale to explore gender sensitivity and stereotypes. Multivariable logistic regression model was performed to explore potential predictors of gender awareness. We enrolled 430 students. Female sex, a better knowledge on gender medicine and having had a tutor aware of gender issues are associated with higher gender sensitivity. Older age, a better knowledge on gender medicine and having had a tutor sensitive to gender issues were predictors of more stereotyped opinions towards patients. Having had a tutor aware of gender medicine, male sex and older age were associated with more stereotypes towards doctors. Italian students have high gender sensitivity and low gender stereotypes. Age, higher knowledge of gender medicine and having had a tutor that considered gender were associated with higher gender stereotypes. Focusing on gender awareness in medical schools can contribute to a better care.

Geschlechtergerechter Konstitutionalismus in Tunesien

Tunisia is considered a success story of the so-called Arab Spring. In 2014, the country adopted a new constitution and enshrined women's rights in it. Has the constitutional process and the 2014 constitution created a ‘gender-equitable constitutional order’? This thesis critically analyses developments in Tunisia through the lens of gender equity. It traces historical constitutional developments in the Mediterranean region and addresses the role of Islam. Alma Laiadhi iden-tifies a form of ‘femopatriotism’ in gender issues and shows to what extent elements of gender-equitable constitutionalism have emerged in Tunisia—including in its constitutional reality.

CONTESTING BOUNDARIES AND PRODUCING THE NORM: GENDER-RELATED ISSUES IN ISLAMIC THEORY AND PRACTICE

Particularly in the last decades, due to the rapid development of theoretical perspectives across disciplines, the notion of gender has evolved into an umbrella term that today refers to a broad array of themes: from gender-defined social behaviour to sexual and reproductive rights and to matters related to control over one’s body. Following major trends in the humanities and social sciences, also the field of Islamic studies has been contributing to the ongoing scholarly discussion on gender. Two recent volumes that focus specifically on gender issues in Muslim societies (Duderija et al., 2020; Howe, 2020) have marked the expansion of the field, away from dealing primarily with topics related to Muslim women and femininity to a cautious but firm engagement with a broader spectrum of gender-related themes.

Gendering a Sacred Nature: Between Essentialism and Queer; Insights from a Study on Eco-Spiritual Activism in Switzerland

Among eco-spiritual activists in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, gendered notions such as “Mother Earth” or gendered “nature spirits” are ubiquitous. Drawing on an in-depth ethnographic study of this milieu (2015–2020), this article presents some of the ways in which these activists articulate gender issues with reference to nature. The authors discuss the centrality of the notion of the self and ask what outputs emerge from linking environmental with spiritual action. We demonstrate that activists in three milieus—the New Age and holistic milieu, the transition network, and neo-shamanism—handle this link differently and thereby give birth to a variety of emic perspectives upon the nature/culture divide, as well as upon gender—ranging from essentialist and organicist views to queer approaches. The authors also present more recent observations on the increasing visibility of women and feminists as key public speakers. They conclude with the importance of contextualizing imaginaries that circulate as universalistic and planetary and of relating them to individuals’ gendered selves and their social, political, and economic capital.

Comparison Between Chinese and American Elementary Education Through the Lens of Gender

In the era of knowledge economy, education determines the competition of a nation. The United States is famous for its quality education around the world. However, in modern times, new challenges have emerged, especially in K-12 education. Although China highly emphasizes on education, due to its limitation of history and development, there are still many problems that need to be solved. Through the comparison of Chinese and American elementary education, the educational strategy can be refined based on different cultural contexts. It is particularly important to stress on gender issues in elementary education in terms of sociological value. The intangible gender bias still exists in other forms. In other words, it is crucial to create a learning environment with gender equality as a response to current gender issues. This study is mainly carried out by reviewing literatures, and the paper is divided into five parts. With a brief introduction of elementary education and gender consideration, this study compares the Chinese and American elementary education system and gender impact. Then, two research results, as a quantitative data, are discussed in this paper, reflecting how gender stereotypes influence elementary education.

Women Worldwide: Interplay between Church and Society and the Gender Paradox

This article analyzes the findings of women and gender issues presented in the recently published World Christian Encyclopedia, 3rd edition (2019). In addition to a brief illustration and discussion, I address two complex issues regarding women inspired by WCE-3, namely, the interplay between church and society and the gender paradox in World Christianity.