The Persistence of Racial Constructs in Spain: Bringing Race and Colorblindness into the Debate on Interculturalism

In this article, I argue that persisting racial constructs in Spain affect conceptions of national belonging and continue to shape and permeate contemporary discriminations. I begin by describing several recent political events that demonstrate the urgent need for a discussion about “race” and racialization in the country. Second, some conceptual foundations are provided concerning constructs of race and the corollary processes of racism and racialization. Third, I present data from various public surveys and also from ethnographic research conducted in Spain on mixedness and multiraciality to demonstrate that social constructs of race remain a significant boundary driving stigmatization and discrimination in Spain, where skin color and other perceived physical traits continue to be important markers for social interaction, perceived social belonging, and differential social treatment. Finally, I bring race into the debate on managing diversity, arguing that a post-racial approach—that is, race-neutral discourse and the adoption of colorblind public policies, both of which are characteristic of the interculturalist perspectives currently preferred by Spain as well as elsewhere in Europe—fails to confront the enduring effects of colonialism and the ongoing realities of structural racism. I conclude by emphasizing the importance of bringing race into national and regional policy discussions on how best to approach issues of diversity, equality, anti-discrimination, and social cohesion.

Getting the Full Picture in English and Spanish?

Drawing on the mental model theory of fictional characters (Schneider, 2001) applied to audio description (Fresno, 2016), this paper examines the audio description (AD) of characters in English and Spanish for the Netflix series Élite. The study is based on the premise that semantic descriptions of characters, rather than merely visual descriptions of physical traits, contribute to a better understanding of the narrative complexities of a film, favour AD users’ memory, and reduce cognitive effort (Fresno et al., 2016). This contrastive analysis shows how pertinent description of action movements and appearances together with lexical accuracy can trigger helpful semantic meanings that reveal characters’ psychological features. Because Élite is a thriller in which the majority of the characters are murder suspects, accessing all types of information about them is essential to fully understand the plot. In addition, this analysis indicates that the English AD emphasizes certain character attributes which are absent from the Spanish AD, a distinction that influences the semantic domains, filmic cohesion and coherence of the narrative. This finding underscores the fact that cross-linguistic and cultural differences actually affect the reception of a fictional character by AD users (Orero, 2008; Mazur & Chmiel, 2012) and consequently, their appreciation and enjoyment of the program in question. Lay summary This paper examines the audio description (AD) of characters in English and Spanish for the Netflix series Élite. Based on previous studies (Fresno, 2014; Fresno, 2016), this analysis shows that not only physical traits, but also the description of action movements and looks can trigger helpful semantic inferences that reveal crucial characters’ psychological features. Because Élite is a thriller in which most of the characters are murder suspects, grasping all types of information about them is essential to fully understand the plot. In addition, this paper indicates that the English AD emphasizes certain character attributes which are absent in the Spanish AD. This finding underscores the fact that cross-linguistic and cultural differences actually affect the reception of a fictional character by AD users (Orero, 2008; Mazur & Chmiel, 2012) and consequently, their appreciation and enjoyment of the show in question.

The Effect of Training Program Using Electronic Style and In Field During Covid-19 on The Development of Some Physical Traits in Karate Athlete

The research aimed at designing a training program using electronic and in-field training to identify the differences between tests for both groups. In addition to that, it aimed at identifying the differences between posttests for both groups under study. Karate athletes from Karate Improvement Organization in Sulyamania governorate. The researchers used the experimental method on (12) athletes to conclude that electronic learning group has developed in some physical abilities understudy compared to pretest in favor of the posttests. The electronic style used by the experimental group highly affected the psychological, functional, and emotional aspects of athletes during COVID 19. In addition to that, the results showed that using both electronic and in-field training has a positive effect on developing special physical abilities.

“Sounding Black”: Speech Stereotypicality Activates Racial Stereotypes and Expectations About Appearance

Black Americans who are perceived as more racially phenotypical—that is, who possess more physical traits that are closely associated with their race—are more often associated with racial stereotypes. These stereotypes, including assumptions about criminality, can influence how Black Americans are treated by the legal system. However, it is unclear whether other forms of racial stereotypicality, such as a person’s way of speaking, also activate stereotypes about Black Americans. We investigated the links between speech stereotypicality and racial stereotypes (Experiment 1) and racial phenotype bias (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, participants listened to audio recordings of Black speakers and rated how stereotypical they found the speaker, the likely race and nationality of the speaker, and indicated which adjectives the average person would likely associate with this speaker. In Experiment 2, participants listened to recordings of weakly or strongly stereotypical Black American speakers and indicated which of two faces (either weakly or strongly phenotypical) was more likely to be the speaker’s. We found that speakers whose voices were rated as more highly stereotypical for Black Americans were more likely to be associated with stereotypes about Black Americans (Experiment 1) and with more stereotypically Black faces (Experiment 2). These findings indicate that speech stereotypicality activates racial stereotypes as well as expectations about the stereotypicality of an individual’s appearance. As a result, the activation of stereotypes based on speech may lead to bias in suspect descriptions or eyewitness identifications.

Beyond the artefact : promoting technology | Hơn cả cổ vật : quảng bá sự kỷ thuật học

Archaeological analyses usually rely on the physical traits of objects to draw conclusions about the societies that used them. Without questioning the importance of these studies, I would like to draw attention to the fact that the analyses of artefacts in archaeology often only questions the artefact in and for itself. What if we look beyond the artefact and get direct information on the human behaviours used to make them? This paper promotes the study of technical processes as means to address groups’ identities, contacts and history. Các phân tích khảo cổ học thường dựa vào các đặc điểm vật chất của cổ vật để đưa ra kết luận về xã hội mà nó thuộc về. Bài báo này không chất vấn tầm quan trọng của những nghiên cứu khảo cổ học như trên mà lưu ý đến thực tế là các phân tích về cổ vật trong khảo cổ học thường chỉ nghiên cứu về bản thân cổ vật đó. Sẽ thế nào nếu như chúng ta nghiên cứu hơn cả hình dáng của cổ vật mà trực tiếp thu thập thông tin nghiên cứu về hành vi của nhóm người đã tạo ra nó? Bài báo này chú trọng tới việc nghiên cứu các quy trình kỹ thuật,coi đó như một phương tiện nhằm tìm ra danh tính, cách thức trao đổi và lịch sử của các nhóm cộng đồng này.

Images and Interpretation of Africans in Roman Art and Social Practice

The representation of foreign cultures with manifest ethnic or “racial” differences, such as unfamiliar physical traits or exotic dress, has been a long-standing and often visceral site for human artistic expression. The visual and material culture of the Roman Empire provides an abundant record of such encounters which render visible complex formulations of ethnicity, social hierarchies, and power. The present chapter focuses on how artists represented the peoples whom Romans referred to as Aethiopians or Nubians (i.e., sub-Saharan or “Black” Africans) in different visual media, and it explores issues related to the social functions, patronage, and viewership of these works. In particular, the chapter discusses the formalized conventions, object types, and display contexts of their representations; examines the two critical axioms of their study (the philological and social historical); and maps out recent approaches to and future directions in their interpretation.

Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact

Research on within-individual modulation of vocal cues is surprisingly scarce outside of human speech. Yet, voice modulation serves diverse functions in human and nonhuman nonverbal communication, from dynamically signalling motivation and emotion, to exaggerating physical traits such as body size and masculinity, to enabling song and musicality. The diversity of anatomical, neural, cognitive and behavioural adaptations necessary for the production and perception of voice modulation make it a critical target for research on the origins and functions of acoustic communication. This diversity also implicates voice modulation in numerous disciplines and technological applications. In this two-part theme issue comprising 21 articles from leading and emerging international researchers, we highlight the multidisciplinary nature of the voice sciences. Every article addresses at least two, if not several, critical topics: (i) development and mechanisms driving vocal control and modulation; (ii) cultural and other environmental factors affecting voice modulation; (iii) evolutionary origins and adaptive functions of vocal control including cross-species comparisons; (iv) social functions and real-world consequences of voice modulation; and (v) state-of-the-art in multidisciplinary methodologies and technologies in voice modulation research. With this collection of works, we aim to facilitate cross-talk across disciplines to further stimulate the burgeoning field of voice modulation. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part I)’.

Morphological variability within the indigenous sheep population of Benin

Knowledge of both the genetic diversity and geographical distribution of animal genetic resources is a prerequisite for their sustainable utilization, improvement and conservation. The present study was undertaken to explore the current morphological variability within the sheep population in Benin as a prelude for their molecular characterization. From November 2018 to February 2020, 25 quantitative linear body measurements and 5 qualitative physical traits were recorded on 1240 adult ewes from the 10 phytogeographic zones that comprise the three vegetation zones of Benin. Fourteen morphological indices were calculated based on the linear body measurements. The collected data were first analyzed using multiple comparisons of least-square means (LSmeans), followed by generalized linear model (GLM) procedures, to explore the relationships among the measured morphometric traits and the 10 phytogeographic zones. Next, the presence of any genetic sub-populations was examined using multivariate analytical methods, including canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) and ascending hierarchical clustering (AHC). Univariate analyses indicated that all quantitative linear body measurements varied significantly (P<0.05) across the phytogeographic zones. The highest values (LSmean± standard error) of withers height (68.3±0.47 cm), sternum height (46.0±0.35 cm), and rump height (68.8±0.47 cm) were recorded in the Mekrou-Pendjari zone, the drier phytogeographic zone in the North, whereas the lowest values, 49.2±0.34, 25.9±0.26, and 52.0±0.35 cm, respectively, were recorded in the Pobe zone in the South. Multivariate analyses revealed the prevalence of four distinct sheep sub-populations in Benin. The sub-population from the South could be assimilated to the short-legged and that from the North to the West African long-legged sheep. The two other sub-populations were intermediate and closer to the crossbreeds or another short-legged sub-breed. The proportion of individuals correctly classified in their group of origin was approximately 74%. These results uncovered a spatial morphological variation in the Beninese sheep population along a South-North phytogeographic gradient.

Fluctuating Asymmetry Increases with Heat Stress Disruptions on Bali Cattle (Bos javanicus) at Different Altitude

<p>Bali cattle (<em>Bos javanicus</em>) are common species distributed throughout Indonesia to survive in tropical hot, and humid climates. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is a random deviation from perfect bilateral symmetry. FA is often used to measure developmental stability in individuals and can be used as a marker for the impact of environmental and genetic stress. This study aims to investigate the pattern of developmental instability in Bali cattle as caused by environmental stress at various altitudes using the FA index. FA indexes in this study were used to compare asymmetrical physical traits of Bali cattle in Sembalun high altitude and Serading low altitude. Sixty-five Bali cattle were used in this study reared at different altitudes, namely Serading, Sumbawa Island (50 m above sea level), and Sembalun, Lombok Island (1,186 m above sea level). The physical traits of Bali cattle measured were horn circumference (horn), a distance of hip to spine bone (pelvic), metatarsal circumference (metatarsal), and metacarpal circumference (metacarpal). The FA1 and FA5 indexes showed significant metacarpal differences between Bali cattle reared at Sembalun and Serading population (P&lt;0.05). FA11 multiple trait index as a composite of all traits revealed a significant difference as well. (P&lt;001). It can be concluded that various heat stress by altitude impacts the asymmetry of Bali cattle.</p>

Genetic epidemiology of blood type, disease and trait variants, and genome-wide genetic diversity in over 11,000 domestic cats

In the largest DNA-based study of domestic cat to date, 11,036 individuals (10,419 pedigreed cats from 91 breeds and breed types and 617 non-pedigreed cats) were genotyped via commercial panel testing, elucidating the distribution and frequency of known genetic variants associated with blood type, disease and physical traits across cat breeds. Blood group determining variants, which are relevant clinically and in cat breeding, were genotyped to assess the across breed distribution of blood types A, B and AB. Extensive panel testing identified 13 disease-associated variants in 48 breeds or breed types for which the variant had not previously been observed, strengthening the argument for panel testing across populations. The study also indicates that multiple breed clubs have effectively used DNA testing to reduce disease-associated genetic variants within certain pedigreed cat populations. Appearance-associated genetic variation in all cats is also discussed. Additionally, we combined genotypic data with phenotype information and clinical documentation, actively conducted owner and veterinarian interviews, and recruited cats for clinical examination to investigate the causality of a number of tested variants across different breed backgrounds. Lastly, genome-wide informative SNP heterozygosity levels were calculated to obtain a comparable measure of the genetic diversity in different cat breeds. This study represents the first comprehensive exploration of informative Mendelian variants in felines by screening over 10,000 domestic cats. The results qualitatively contribute to the understanding of feline variant heritage and genetic diversity and demonstrate the clinical utility and importance of such information in supporting breeding programs and the research community. The work also highlights the crucial commitment of pedigreed cat breeders and registries in supporting the establishment of large genomic databases that when combined with phenotype information can advance scientific understanding and provide insights that can be applied to improve the health and welfare of cats.