Search

This study offers a historical overview of U.S. paper money before and after its nationalization in 1861, drawing attention to its function as a medium of mass communication. Building upon recent scholarship concerning the social construction of money and national currencies, it is argued that U.S. currency is legitimated through visual strategies of rationalization and mystification, whereby the contractual obligations of the state are merged with the sacred bonds of national identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Once a popular buzzword for multinational corporations, 'professionalism' has now become a common catchphrase in India's emerging services economy. Today, youth aspiring to join entry-level services roles such as those in call centres, retail, and coffee shops undergo intense and regimented trainings to become 'professional', learning to regulate their bodies, behaviours, language, and overall identities, to fit into diverse and fast-paced 'servicescapes'. Whereas literature exploring notions of professionalism in India's growing services sectors has emphasised their corporate-western and disciplinary-ideological dimensions, more recent scholarship has begun to document how workers themselves perceive, experience and shape these notions. Drawing from this scholarship and ethnographic research conducted in a skills training centre in Pune city in western India, this paper explores how professionalism has increasingly become entwined with the discourse of 'soft skills' even at the margins of India's new services economy, and how it is being transmitted, questioned, and (re-)interpreted. The paper thus offers a grounded social constructivist view of professionalism, as not something that is simply imposed unimpeded upon passive neoliberal subjects by a powerful state and corporate actors, but rather as continually inflected by those who profess, teach and embody it, in line with local lived realities, experiences, values and belief systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I develop a perspective of nativized exoticism to describe how discourses around Peruvian Chineseness as both assimilated and exotic promote a multicultural mestizo national narrative that nevertheless overlooks questions of representation and the subject gaze. Using a qualitative approach, my argument connects micro-level analysis of spoken and mediated discourse to the broader contemporary and sociohistorical context. Findings extend existing work on processes of racialization in diaspora and the image of Asians as "perpetual foreigners" as well as imagined societies (Anderson, B. 2006. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso) and myths of equalizing mestizaje in Latin America. Findings further connect cotidian discourses to broader issues of appropriation and materiality within the national identity narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing ethnography and the theoretical paradigm of language ideology (Silverstein, M. 1979. "Language structure and linguistic ideology." In The Elements: A Parasession on Linguistic Units and Levels, edited by P. Clyne, W. Hanks, and H. Carol, 193–247. Chicago Linguistic Society), this article examines how ideologies of language inform language practices among migrant workers in a Vietnamese restaurant in South Texas. Data is drawn from participant observations, audio-recorded interactions, semi-structured interviews with participants, and collection of artifacts. Findings suggest that the participants hold certain ideologies, namely, (1) standardised English as an impediment or a resource, (2) polite language as access to community membership and career opportunities, and (3) multilingualism as a marketable commodity. Those beliefs, in turn, shape their trajectory of language practices and socialisation patterns. The participants' language ideologies, therefore, do not exist separately as a theoretical divide, nor a static social construct, but constantly evolve, mutually inform, and contest each other, dynamically transformed during their socialisation process. The paper concludes with the emphasis on exploring linguistic dynamics, such as language ideologies and multilingual turn in language socialisation, across similar transnational communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many music therapists propose that chaos, such as destructiveness and disintegration, could thwart music therapy group processes and should be minimised or resolved. From a paradoxical approach, however, chaos is understood as a transformative complement to ordered, formative music therapy experiences. The research in this paper explored how music therapists and adolescents could engage with chaos as a resource in music therapy groups. From a paradoxical approach, the music therapist--researcher facilitated two short-term group music therapy processes with nine young South Africans from under-resourced and often violent communities, referred for committing offences. The researcher utilised crystallisation, including constructivist grounded theory, participatory action research, and abduction, to analyse how group members could engage with chaotic group experiences. Findings, constructed through a cyclical process of data collection, analysis, and inclusion of group feedback, are presented in a matrix. The matrix shows how groups could utilise chaos to explore multiple possibilities for responding to challenges. They expressed themselves courageously and played unconventional group roles through their musicking and participation. They juggled paradoxical tensions between observational and active, integrative and disintegrative, engagement styles. This supported their transformation in the group, and potentially within the chaotic South African context. Music therapists can use the matrix to support adolescents in music therapy groups to engage with chaos as a transformative resource. They can accompany young people through offering holding, resources and collaborative support. When it is safe, music therapists may allow or encourage chaos that empowers adolescents to cope with challenges independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article ostensibly underscores the interpretation of gender, structural inequalities and violent identity-interplay in selected novels in Zimbabwe. It vigorously examines the effects of the state of disaster on Zimbabwean's post 2017 experience. A plethora of themes ranging from the entangled past, stunted memories of the present were exemplified in the article. The paper epitomises how trends in the novels emanate from African literature, with specific reference on the fictional writings in Zimbabwe delineating and it depicts social issues of both the past and present which have haunted Zimbabwean social constructs. After Zimbabwe's independence on 18 April 1980, Zimbabweans anticipated euphoria that independence would usher in the desired peace. The political ruling class from the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) promised a strong political framework and commitment to the course of women's liberation. The achieved independence did not bring about the anticipated freedom but promoted the dichotomy among women and men and also, that of Black and White that had earlier preoccupied the defunct Rhodesia. Relying mainly on female novel writers, the paper hinges on Tsitsi (1988) Nervous Conditions, Vera's (2002) The Stone Virgins and other works in passing to delineate trends in the constructions of characters' responses to identities created by masculine stereotypes. This article explores Butler's theory of performativity to argue that there is an ambiguous link between the past and present, the depiction of gender violence and structural inequalities in the postcolonial Zimbabwean literary space which were largely demonstrated in Zimbabwean novels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building upon two previously published research papers exploring Canadian media reporting of childhood in the first wave of the pandemic, this paper investigates how constructions of childhood evolved from the first wave to the fourth wave of the pandemic. This qualitative research is guided by the central research question: Over the span of 2 years, from 2020 to 2022, what changes are evident in discourses reported within media focused on the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on Canadians under the age of 18 years? Findings from this study suggest that in the fourth wave young people were constructed as innocent victims of pandemic restrictions framed through an adult-centric lens; noticeably absent were representations of young people under the age of 18 in their voices. A key recommendation emerged from this study: any future research investigating the impact of the pandemic on young people under aged 18 years must include their full participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptual engineering is the method for assessing and improving our concepts. Some have recently claimed that the implementation of such method in the form of ameliorative projects is truth-driven and should thus be epistemically constrained, ultimately at least (Simion, Mona. 2018b. "The 'Should' in Conceptual Engineering." Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 61 (8): 914–928; cf. Podosky, Paul-Mikhail Catapang. 2018. "Ideology and Normativity: Constraints on Conceptual Engineering." Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy, Online first, 1–15. doi:10.1080/0020174X.2018.1562374). This paper challenges that claim on the assumption of a social constructionist analysis of ideologies, and provides an alternative, pragmatic and cognitive framework for determining the legitimacy of ameliorative conceptual projects overall. The upshot is that one should not ameliorate for the sake of truth or knowledge, in the case of ideologies – at least, not primarily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualitative research provides an in-depth understanding of lived experiences. However, these experiences can be hard to apprehend by using just one method of data analysis. A good example is the experience of resilience. In this paper, the authors describe the chain of the decision-making process in the research of the construct of "resilience". s The authors justify the implications of a multi-method, pluralistic approach, and show how the triangulation of two or more qualitative methods and integration of several qualitative data analysis methods can improve a deeper understanding of the resilience among people with chronic pain. By combining the thematic analysis, narrative analysis, and critical incident technique, lived experiences can be seen from different perspectives.Therefore, the thematic analysis describes the content and answers to "what" regarding resilience, the narrative analysis describes the dynamics of resilience, and answers to "how", while the critical incident technique clarifies the most significant experience and the answers to "why" changes happen. This integrative approach could be used in the analysis of other psychological constructs and can serve as an example of how the rigour of qualitative research could be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illuminates a method of representation of research methodologies and philosophical positioning expressed through the use of poetics, allowing for a more playful space for critical reflection in qualitative research. Methodologies and ontological and epistemological positioning can take on many forms within the research process and can pose a conundrum for the novice researcher. During my exploration for a suitable methodology whilst I undertook a Professional Doctorate in Health and Wellbeing there emerged a selection of poems debating the merits, in addition to the limitations, of the potential options available; all dependent on the philosophical stance I chose to embrace. Within this process, I was encouraged to use this art-based method of poetic expression within the doctoral trajectory which continued throughout the journey to facilitate reflexivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivating children's creativity and imagination is fundamental to preparing them for an increasingly complex and uncertain future. Engaging in creative learning enables children to think independently and critically, work cooperatively, and take risks while actively engaged in meaningful projects. While current trends in education, such as maker movements and computer science education, are dramatically expanding children's opportunities for engagement in creative learning, comparatively few empirical studies explore how creative learning can be integrated into elementary school curricula. In this paper, we investigated five key design strategies for integrating creative learning in school curricula through computer programming activities. The five design strategies, drawn from design meetings with in-service teachers and two pilot studies, comprise (1) prepare an object-to-think-with for specific curricular ideas, (2) find a context that provokes a leap of ideas within a disciplinary framework, (3) facilitate tinkering through disciplinary inquiry, (4) pair students and establishing developer and researcher roles, and (5) provide feedback to connect computer programming projects to disciplinary ideas. Implementing these strategies with mixed-method analysis indicated positive support for the efficacy of these design strategies. We also provide insights into difficulties with integrating creative learning into school curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calls for school psychology researchers to produce scholarship explicitly centered on social justice have grown in recent years. There is a growing community of scholars dedicated to this research area but the knowledge base produced so far remains narrow and constrained in nature. We connect the constrained nature of this scholarship to the epistemological dominance of objectivism which has manifested in many ways, including calls to standardize the meaning of social justice. Social justice researchers must produce their research (whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed) within the confines of objectivist culture even though social injustice exceeds the constraints of any one epistemological framework. We argue that in order to foster social justice research in school psychology, a plurality of epistemologies is crucial. We present the epistemology of constructionism, and provide various examples of what an epistemologically diversified approach to school psychology research, practice and teaching in social justice may look like. Impact Statement The authors critique the restrictive role of objectivism in social justice-related research in school psychology. This paper can assist the field of school psychology to broaden its epistemological boundaries through constructionism which in turn can allow equity-oriented school psychologists to have a deeper engagement with issues of power, inequity, and injustice in research, practice, and teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of otherness in the social construction of ethnicities and rural multiculturalism has long attracted the attention of scholars. By following a postcolonial background, this paper investigates the social construction of Roma as 'other' in a multicultural landscape (the Romania-Serbia border) using interviews with participants of different ethnic groups. This paper addresses the following questions: (i) Is the Roma population in this area completely spatially segregated? (ii) How do different kinds of prejudice against Roma operate within this multicultural context? (iii) How does discrimination against the Roma interface with power relations, in particular political power in the area? The findings indicate that, alongside ethno-nationalist racism, Roma face prejudice from apparently more 'progressive' groups, who accept multiculturalism, yet blame the Roma for their own disadvantaged social and economic position on the grounds of a failure to integrate that is pictured as 'backward'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary feedback research, effective feedback does not depend on merely the characteristics of feedback but also on learners' ability to understand, manage and use the information. Known as feedback literacy, it refers to learners' social cognitive capacity, affective capacity and disposition prior to substantial engagement with feedback. In addition, feedback literacy is said to be developed in social learning settings. Despite the importance of the learner feedback literacy construct, little is known about its quantitative conceptualization or the specific psychological variables underpinning it. The purpose of this paper is to propose and validate a bifactor model of learner feedback literacy consisting of (1) conceptions of feedback, (2) feedback trust and (3) self-efficacy. Drawing from data on 923 learners from a polytechnic in Singapore that practices the social constructivist learning approach, results from Rasch and bifactor modelling analyses revealed that the learner feedback literacy model is psychometrically sound and robust with the potential to be developed further. Limitations and future research directions in the use of this model are discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Chinese pre-arrival training programs are focused on English language training without preparing students with psychological readiness to overcome potential adversities. This paper explores the effectiveness of an innovative six-week pre-arrival training program that integrated English training with resilience training through the lens of social constructionism. The program involved a mix of English proficiency training using stories with an underlying resilience theme coupled with further reinforcement of resilience skills through interactive narratives, bibliotherapy and art therapy. Thirty Chinese students who were enrolled in a joint venture training program between China and the U.K. were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. The result of the pretest and posttest comparison after students participated in the training program showed a significant improvement in the experimental group's overall English skills and resilience, and a decrease in their anxiety, stress, and depression compared to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the engagement of non-state actors (NSAs) in regional migration policy processes in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It identifies four categories of NSAs – non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations (CSOs), academia and the media – as the key actors engaged in regional migration governance processes in West Africa. The paper adopts a social constructivist approach and a multilevel perspective, drawing on interviews, surveys and an extensive analysis of ECOWAS policy documents. The paper argues that invented, invited and instrumentalised spaces for engagement between state and non-state actors in ECOWAS manifest in a complex web of regional and national interests contributing to regional migration governance from 'below'. Regional migration governance from below consists of transnational societal networks characterised by the interactions of NSAs across borders to influence policies and practices at the regional level. The analysis reveals that NSA engagement results in reinforcing regional policies, policy diffusion through regional processes and circumventing restrictive national agendas through adopting innovative regional approaches. These results contribute to strengthening the institutional framework for regional migration governance in West Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper appraises the way Facebook and WhatsApp social media users construct or obfuscate their identities and that of their followers and/or audience. Social media users post their statuses and what is on their mind on the public domain. These posts are presumed to 'project' the sender's identity dis/aligning themselves with readers or potential readers. The discursive processes involved are crucial for the appraisal of how identities are constructed or obfuscated. Language is at the centre of identity co-construction or obfuscation. Engaging the Appraisal and Social Constructionism theoretical frameworks, the paper examines identity construction or obfuscation from the three levels of analysis: lexical, textual pragmatic and interactional levels. Data for analysis is purposively sampled. Observation and group discussions are utilised to appraise the discursive socio-semantic meanings of the status and posts on social media. The paper argues that identities are largely obfuscated than constructed on social media. Identities are never unified, fragmentation of identities in differing situations and contexts compound obfuscation of identities in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global environment has been hit with a pandemic of cataclysmic proportion. The COVID19 has created havoc on all countries and has claimed the lives of over 3 million individuals and affected over 100 million persons at the time of writing this paper. Countries have been forced to implement measures to safeguard their population. Included in these measures is work from home strategies. The crisis, whilst catastrophic in nature; has created some opportunities for groups such as persons with disabilities through remote employment. The author examines through a case study, the prospects for employment of persons with disabilities using the concept of remote employment. The Business Process Outsourcing sector is the focus of study. The fundamental question to answer in the study is to what extent can the Business Process Outsourcing sector employ more persons with disabilities in the Post-COVID19 era? The article is completed with some recommendations. The COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges and opportunities for persons with disabilities. This article is about the possibilities of working from home by persons with disabilities in the after COVID-19 environment through the use of new technologies. The article is prepared by looking at a fast growing employment sector which showed that there is a big growth in working from home and that the chances are great for the employment of persons with disabilities through this means, with the aid of new technologies. Most of the public facilities across poor and middle-income countries are unfriendly to persons with disabilities and making some of these individuals work from their homes is a very good means of employing some of them in the labour market. This research is therefore important in showing how poor and middle-income countries can add to the employment of persons with disabilities by working from home with the use of new technologies and some recommendations are made on how to achieve this objective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do African migrants become stuck-in-place and experience stuckedness in China? This article interrogates the concepts of stuckedness and social navigation to examine what it means to be 'stuck-in-place' using the stories of four Nigerians—a woman and three men—in Guangzhou City. Two modes of stuckedness were observed: 'truncational stuckedness' and 'identity stuckedness'. While the former resulted from being spatially stuck in Guangzhou on their way to South Korea and Hong Kong, the latter was a product of identity appropriation, where a migrant uses the passport of another country. Despite the constraint of stuckedness and the precarity that those without valid immigration papers faced, migrants managed to reinterpret their situations and stayed put while being opened to emplacement in Guangzhou—albeit a transitory kind. In calibrating their practice of 'moving on' in Guangzhou, however, economic integration, the local and transnational networks of migrants, hope, prolonging one's stay and management of micro-mobilities of the everyday were deployed singly or in combination with one another. The article advances debates in China-African relations and Afro-mobilities in East Asia while also contributing to discourses on migrant trajectories, stuckedness, and mobilities studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to analyse the issues surrounding recent declarations of opening of some documentary collections related to human rights violations and crimes against humanity in Mexico (M68 and CISEN), sheltered by Mexico's General Archive of the Nation (AGN, by its Spanish acronym). The paper focuses on two modalities of epistemic injustices: testimonial injustices and hermeneutical injustices. These terms are contextualized within the nature and the construction of social reality through archival collections, and are identified by the types of injustice involved with the historical processing of these collections. One dimension of the right to information (according to the Mexican rule of law), refers to the prerogative to have access to public records and documents, which is supported by the constitutional right to access plural and timely information. This work presents a social engagement with a group of human rights documents that are a relatively new, potentially unfamiliar, and understudied phenomenon to an archival audience. These documentary collections are important, since they contain information gathered by the authorities of the period known as 'Dirty War', but also testimonies of victims, families, and national and international journalists who lived the facts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to give the reader an overview of several theoretical, empirical, and clinical features of survivor guilt, and to integrate recent contributions of psychodynamic theory and, in particular, of control-mastery theory into the understanding of the concept alongside the latest findings in social psychology about it. After introducing the concept of survivor guilt and its origins in clinical observations on the consequences of having survived severe traumas (e.g., internment in concentration camps), we will discuss the findings in social psychology on the concept of survivor guilt in everyday social interactions, which is based on a conception that does not connect it strictly to severe traumas. We will then focus our attention on clinical observations and empirical research studies about survivor guilt, discussing the hypotheses developed by several control-mastery theorists about its role in psychopathology. Finally, we will illustrate some manifestations of survivor guilt with a brief clinical vignette. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a plethora of texts on the 'wounded healer', little systematic research has been conducted on unpacking the implications and embedded assumptions of this concept. This paper takes the 'wounded healer' into the research arena by approaching it reflexively as an analytic tool to explore therapists' personal and professional development. Six therapeutic practitioners who identified with the concept were selected by means of theoretical sampling and were interviewed with a view to provide a narrative of their development as 'wounded healers'. Interviews were analysed using a tailored, multi-lens approach within a narrative epistemology. Besides attending to the narrative features of the accounts, the paper discusses findings in relation to three key themes: 'entering a community of wounded healers'; 'formulating the wounded healer'; and 'deconstructing the wounded healer'. Unpacking this modality flexible yet historically loaded construct necessitates challenging the 'wounded healer' as fixed identity and replacing it with an ethos that can lead to training, supervisory, and clinical recommendations facilitating psychotherapists' reflection on their woundedness. This complex process could allow them to engage in all aspects of professional practice, including research, from a position of an expert by both experience and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how considerations of otherness and intersectionality could advance the theory of Social Construction and Policy Design. The paper utilizes housing policy and discrimination as its context to demonstrate how pluralistic sources of power and intersectional identities shape patterns of neighborhood segregation and lived experiences. While passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968 marked a watershed moment, the administrative struggle to implement that law reflects the pervasive challenges of otherness particularly when current frames and constructions do not allow policymakers to consider certain populations that may be impacted or marginalized. The author investigates how government, private, and individual actions have normalized otherness, both responding to and reinforcing intersectional and complex conceptions of group identities over time. A more thorough examination of intersectionality and normalizing power can enhance the Social Construction lens to more authentically and truthfully empower action and present a path forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper continues a debate on the normative limits of conceptual engineering. In particular, it responds to [Isaac, Manuel Gustavo. 2021. “Post-truth conceptual engineering.” Inquiry. doi:10.1080/0020174X.2021.1887758] claim, in response to [Simion, Mona. 2018a. “The ‘Should’ in Conceptual Engineering.” Inquiry 61(8): 914–928 and Podosky, Paul-Mikhail Catapang. 2018. “Ideology and Normativity: Constraints on Conceptual Engineering.” Inquiry. doi:10.1080/0020174X.2018.1562374], but in particular Podosky, that cognitive efficacy, rather than truth and knowledge, should be the normative standard by which we assess the legitimacy of a conceptual engineering project – at least for ideological concepts. I argue that Isaac has not done enough to show us that truth and knowledge are insignificant for the conceptual engineering of ideological concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual language immersion (DLI) programs have emerged in the U.S. as effective ways to bring together language minority and language majority speakers in school settings with the goal of bilingualism and bi-literacy for all. However, the proliferation of these programs has raised concerns regarding issues of inequity and dissimilar power dynamics in these spaces (Cervantes-Soon, 2014, "A Critical Look at Dual Language Immersion in the New Latin@ Diaspora." Bilingual Research Journal 37 (1): 64–82; Flores, 2016, Do Black Lives matter in Bilingual Education [Web log post]. Accessed May 1, 2017. https://educationallinguist.wordpress.com/2016/09/11/do-black-lives-matter-in-bilingual-education/; Valdes, 1997, "Dual language immersion programs: A cautionary note concerning the education of language-minority students." Harvard Educational Review 67: 391–430, 2018, "Analyzing the curricularization of language in two-way immersion education: Restating two cautionary notes." Bilingual Research Journal). With this in mind, this study aims to shed light on the intricate social processes at work in DLI contexts. In particular, this paper examines first, how notions of language use, race, and ethnicity are socially constructed and intersect in DLI settings; and second, it explores how these ideas are discerned and re-shaped by young children into their own social and linguistic norms. Employing qualitative research methods, this year-long ethnographic case study uses the intersectional lens of raciolinguistics (Alim, Rickford & Ball, 2016, Raciolinguistics: how language shapes our ideas about race. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; Rosa & Flores, 2017, "Unsettling race and language: Toward a raciolinguistic perspective." Language in Society 46 (5): 621–647), to examine the intricate cross-cutting dynamics at play in bilingual spaces. The exploration of these ideas helps to illuminate the ways in which language practices and interactions are shaped by social constructions from a very early age. Furthermore, it contributes to understandings of social perceptions and relations in multilingual/multicultural/multiethnic contemporary school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues for a consideration of theoretical pluralism when conducting social science research in globalized and transcultural contexts via reflecting on a qualitative study which was designed to explore the ways in which second-generation Chinese young individuals were constructing selves in UK contexts. Narrative case studies were compiled and analyses conducted with a pluralist orientation integrating (Western) social constructionism and elements of (Chinese) Confucian philosophy and ultimately Taoist orientations. The multiple and dynamic positionalities demonstrated by the research participants prompted us to review many aspects of our research, which demanded sensitivity in respect of the following key areas –cultural complexity of research context, methodology and methods, epistemology and ontology, reflection and reflexivity, the criteria appropriate for conducting transcultural research, and the pluralist theoretical framework which enabled the development of potentially transformative representations of individuals in shifting contemporary global contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although health services in Australia have an aim to provide inclusive care for their patients/clients, this study highlights how barriers to care can lie at the centre of patient-provider interactions. Racial microaggression is a subtle form of racism that can occur in health settings, leading to further exclusion for First Nations Australians, immigrants and refugees. This paper is guided by Derrida's approach to deconstructionism by unpacking how language is used by health professionals – as holders of organisational power – and how they construct 'truths' or discourses about clients that historically have been marginalised by health services and system. Data comprise 21 interviews with staff from two rural health services. It identified three racial microaggressions were used to justify the challenges of providing care to people from First Nations, immigrant and refugee backgrounds: (1) Participants problematised culture(s) of service users; (2) participants implied cultural superiority in their conceptualisation of 'other' cultures; and (3) participants shared stories of inactions, discomfort and relegating of responsibility. The findings identified these discourses as forms of racial microaggression that can potentially lead to further exclusion of people seeking services and support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the evolution of A. S. Byatt's writing in her later works, from the 2000s to the present, in particular the increasing enmeshment of the human and the non-human in her apprehension of embodiment and embeddedness. Her short fiction helped her develop transcorporeal ontologies. It sheds light on the parallel endeavour in her novels to increasingly connect, on an epistemological level, the cross-breeding of scientific disciplines. The premise of this integrated approach is to be found in the highly conceptual novel from 2000, The Biographer's Tale, in which the first-person narrator's dissatisfaction with social constructionism initiates his quest: 'I must have things'. The writing project outlined at the end of the novel heralds Byatt's own later practice: 'I could mix warnings with hints, descriptions with explanations, science with little floating flashes of literature'. In her latest novel, Ragnarok (2011), her collection of short stories, Little Black Book of Stories (2003), and her latest short story 'Sea Story', she shapes posthuman subjects by delivering the enmeshed 'onto-stories' of humans, things, and gods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central issue in the academic discussion related to immigrant groups and their integration in 'their new home' is national identity. This paper focuses on the methodological choices during a case study of the students' subjectivity in an Intercultural School in Thessaloniki in Greece and on how immigrant students form their identities. Most students as second-generation immigrants constantly negotiate multiple identities. This negotiation leads to the construction of ambivalence and conflicting identities that are represented with uncertainty and equivocation in their discourse. In this paper, I will present briefly a conceptual placement in social constructionism and the distinction between primitive and modern nationalism and will continue focusing on how the ambiguous and conflicting identities of immigrant students are shaped based on conception of national identity, the role of nostalgia and memory and finally on the polycemy of the construction of national identity of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After surveying Black theological treatments of postmodernity. This paper offers a reading of certain Derridean texts in a way that might be conducive to addressing the problem of racial aporetic logic in Black theology. Contextualized by this survey, my reading of Derrida will be governed by concerns pertinent to Black theology; mainly the concerns for the liberation of Black people. I do not want to offer Derrida as a corrective to Black theology. In this vein, the paper will conclude with a (re)turn to a Black theologian at home with postmodernism: Victor Anderson. Anderson's critique of ontological Blackness offers a postmodern Black theology that is both aligned with Derrida's philosophic concerns and enriches Derrida's project insofar as it specifies racially Derrida's critique of aporia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 'Fuzzy gender: between female embodiment and intersex', Ashley Tauchert offers a 'fuzzy' model for gender. Her proposed model aims to account for the normative boundaries of sex and gender, especially between females, transwomen, and intersexuals, in terms of a 'gender line' on which different gender categories are located. This reply paper aims to clear the fuzziness in Tauchert's model by pointing out two critical problems. First, her model appears to be self-defeating, since the marginalized gender categories it attempts to empower are defined in terms of the hegemonic binarism of the 'pure' heterosexual male and the 'pure' heterosexual female, which it tries to dislodge. Second, her model implies an infinite number of possible gender categories along the gender line; being so, it becomes theoretically inert and practically inadequate. In lieu of the fuzzy model, this paper suggests an alternative model of thinking through the black/white and grey gender categories. This model utilizes the metaphor of gender galaxies, where each gender category is treated as an independent, socially-conferred galaxy; each having specific societal concerns and political agenda. This model, as will be argued, provides firmer grounding for the political aspirations of these various gender categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of social innovations for successfully meeting social, economic, political and environmental challenges of the twenty-first century is recognized not only by stakeholders on the local, regional and even national level but also within the Europe 2020 strategy and on a global scale. However, despite this growing awareness, for a long time a sustained and systematic analysis of social innovation, its theories, characteristics and impacts was missing. In this setup, the paper seeks to contribute to a common theoretical ground in social innovation theory by elaborating on a comprehensive concept of social innovation grounded in social theory and discusses consequences for social innovations in the urban context. The paper starts with an outline of theoretical foundations of social innovation and investigates the relationship between social innovation and social change. It then discusses the consequences of a comprehensive concept of social innovation for the local level, highlighting its multi-sectoral perspective. Social innovation ecosystems are introduced as an emerging theoretical approach and heuristic model especially for urban social innovation. Here, results of a global mapping conducted by the international research project SI-DRIVE provide empirical insights into the diversity and current state of social innovation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual difficulties are common, but there is limited access to specialist services. People concerned about their sexual functioning may not seek help, and patients and health professionals can find it difficult to raise the topic. This intervention description paper details the aims, design and therapeutic rationale underpinning an interactive website which provides stand-alone, tailored advice and self-help for sexual difficulties. Sextherapylondon (STL) is an interactive digital intervention (IDI) offering evidence-based sex therapy including psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioural and systemic therapy techniques within a social constructionist framework. An online triage module identifies those who need clinical assessment before proceeding with online sex therapy, generating a referral letter. STL offers online self-help for getting or keeping erections, early ejaculation, sexual pain, difficulties with orgasm, and lack or loss of sexual desire. In this paper we describe the content and design of the STL web-based sex therapy programs, including the theoretical and therapeutic rationale which underpins the website structure and content. Sextherapylondon replicates key aspects of therapist-delivered sex therapy from a range of theoretical approaches, to provide tailored, personalised feedback. By offering private, convenient online access, interactive digital interventions can address the needs of people with sexual difficulties who may not otherwise receive help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through its portrayals of the intersectional identities of race and gender divergence, the FX series Pose illustrates how social structures fail marginalized communities as a disciplinary function of hegemony and perpetuate a biomedical model of health that serves to reinforce health disparities. For this study, researchers took a critical cultural rhetorical approach to the series through the lens of the social ecological model and biomedical model, to deconstruct hegemonic discourses of power present within medical practices. This paper situates Pose as an artifact that condemns the cultural practices of the marginalization and erasure of transgender communities, demonstrating how the show confronts the mechanisms of hegemonic power by exposing the cissexist stigmatization within the healthcare establishment. Through the exposure of the failings of the social ecological model with the biomedical model, Pose exposes the discrimination and stigma inherent within dominant forms of healthcare as they persist today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Located at the edge of downtown San Diego, Barrio Logan is a neighborhood undergoing rapid gentrification. With a host of new breweries, galleries and cafés, this traditionally working-class, Mexican American community is being rebranded as the latest hotspot for cutting-edge arts and "authentic" local culture. Some support this change as gentefication. The word gentefication is a play on la gente ("the people" in Spanish) and suggests grassroots, Latino-led redevelopment of the community. In this paper, we draw from interviews with local residents, artists, business owners, and developers to explore the contradictions inherent in the gentrification of Barrio Logan. We argue that while gentefication signifies an attempt to rewrite urban space in a more culturally inclusive manner, it remains a discursive tool that leads to ongoing displacement of the racialized poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marked and persistent gender segregation in apprenticeship has been well documented. The social construction of 'male' and 'female' jobs is a key factor in the gendered patterns evident in career choice. Research on young women who have chosen careers in male-dominated occupations risks constructing them as 'Other', typically concluding that rather than challenging the gender binary, the women would reinforce it, echoing 'tomboy' identities according to which girls are aligning themselves with boys whilst devaluing femininity. Based on biographical interviews, this paper explores the role of gender in the career decision-making of one German and one English woman motor mechanic apprentice. It illustrates the strongly normative but highly contextual nature of gender as the two women negotiate identities in their quests to live 'liveable lives'. It will be argued that the rich and multi-faceted experiences of these two young women belie stereotypical accounts of gender, suggesting acceptable ways of being in male workspaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compartmentalization of (dis)ability from race and ethnicity, and other identity markers serves to maintain these constructs at a safe distance from one another. Beyond these broader socially constructed categories, there are also the subtler messages about normativity that manifest in gradients of ability, color, behavior, capital, expression and power. Even more restrictive is the creation of a narrow space for parent advocacy that is culturally-subtractive and bureaucratic, serving to privilege the already privileged while silencing the marginalized. In this paper, I use autoethnography with DisCrit as a framework in order to to trace my journey to becoming Minority-Mother-Advocate, un/belonging within community and academic forums. The centerpiece of my counternarrative is the transition of my own advocacy from valuing my son to addressing others' fears of him as a Black male whose visible (dis)ability doesn't fit neatly into prescribed norms. A reframing of parent advocacy is imperative, moving beyond the individualistic, unintentionally exclusive aims toward one of collective justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the ways in which gender, conceived as the product of an ongoing social and cultural construction in and through communication processes, is accomplished during medical encounters and through the narratives produced within these interactions. The main objective is to examine: (1) when and by what devices gender becomes interactionally relevant; (2) the participants' narratives on 'gender issues'; (3) the interplay between the narratives produced and the forms of communication created, also considering which form may be more effective in challenging gender stereotypes and bias. Data are drawn from a corpus of self-administered audio-recorded interactions between a female gynecologist/midwife and pregnant patients. The consultations (half of them mediated, half not) took place in a city of North Italy; the patients (sometimes accompanied by the husband) are migrant women from North and West Africa. The main results show that: (1) at each stage of the examinations, an orientation to gender emerges, mainly through questions that display categorizations, category-bound activities, and cultural assumptions about gender: when referred to the patient, these devices often reproduce the traditional cultural model of femininity and, connected to this, the 'normal' (heterosexual and stable) intimate relationship as socially expected; (2) medical dialogue as patient-centered approach is the most recurrent form of interaction and often leads to a co-construction of narratives in which personal uniqueness is more relevant than gender roles, expectations, and stereotyped representations; when husbands are involved, however, the interactions seem to shift toward doctor-centered forms of communication, and this usually leads to asymmetrical and directive constructions of narratives about differentiated and traditional gender roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the result of a research done from the Socioepistemological Theory of Mathematics Education, perspective in which we enquire about the reasons to study trigonometric Fourier series in electrical engineering, and what historical and epistemological conditions can be considered to develop more profound meanings when this topic is addressed in class. The findings in this research are four notions for the social construction of mathematics knowledge found in a qualitative historical-epistemological analysis of the original works of nineteenth century scientists. These notions consider transversal aspects from the scientists' works: the use of analogies from heat to electricity give mathematical support to their findings; the shift from a static to a dynamic paradigm about electricity; the concern of a steady state as the situational context in which the knowledge was built; and the presence/confrontation of an epistemological obstacle. We propose that these conditions can be used to broaden the meanings overshadowed by mathematics courses in schools that primarily promote the operational aspect of mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We adopted caritas as a way to support students' inherent inclination to care about others and to support their genuine care and concern for the clients they will see. Our aim was to explore how students are using learning resources to socially construct a concept of caritas. Students were asked to explain in a family case study how social work services motivated by caritas might be distinguished from the services of a social worker who did not adopt this philosophy. We conducted a content analysis of 20 student papers. After reviewing the completed assignments, we identified categories and themes as part of the content analysis. Five categories were examined: caritas as love; caritas as motivation; caritas as an ethical act; caritas as a relationship; and caritas as an attitude. Student responses tended to fit into more than one category. This suggests they view caritas as a multidimensional construct. Future research will explore how students move beyond a conceptualization of caritas to its application in everyday interactions. The program can then use this knowledge to further develop its philosophy of caritas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scotland is faced with pernicious health inequalities, which stem from inequalities in living conditions and the societal structures that create them. While action is needed to address the wider structural causes of health inequalities, the role of general practitioners (GPs) merits attention due to health care's potential to mitigate or exacerbate health inequalities. Minimal research, however, has explored how GPs understand the fundamental causes of health inequalities nor how they conceptualise their role in mitigating these. This paper aims to fill this gap using in-depth qualitative interviews with 24 GPs working in some of Scotland's most socio-economically disadvantaged, urban areas. Using Raphael's SDH discourse framework, this paper found clear linkages between GPs' perceptions of their patients, how they defined the 'problem' of health inequalities, and what they thought could be done to tackle them in disadvantaged areas. In general, there was convergence on how interviewees viewed their role in mitigating health inequalities through their work with individual patients. However, greater variation was found when describing the boundaries of their role and how far these extended beyond individual encounters. Specifically, only those GPs fluent in discussing structural causes of health inequalities discussed obligations to change local systems via strengthening community linkages and to influence higher level policies related to the SDH. This suggests that while there is a degree of what Metzl and Hansen deem 'structural competency' amongst some GPs working in disadvantaged areas, the scope remains to deepen this competency more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using longitudinal survey data, this paper explores stability and change in values, beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge among rural landholders. Existing theories predict varying degrees of stability in these constructs. This paper tests these assumptions through data collected by four cross-sectional surveys of rural landowners (>10 ha), completed in one region between 2002 and 2016. The study area includes a mix of social landscapes but agriculture is the dominant land use. Results reveal significant change in measured constructs over time. Nearly all of the items assessing values changed significantly across the study period (seven of eight held values, ten of eleven assigned values). Most belief items (three of five), half of the attitude items (two of four), and all eleven knowledge items also experienced change. While statistically significant, most of the identified changes were relatively modest in scope. Findings suggest the value of longitudinal research to better understand dynamic psychological and social constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science is concerned with understanding the world. As such, engaging with the materiality of that world is integral to both empirical experimentation and theorising within science. However, it has been recognised for some time that the way scientists learn about the world and the way that young people learn about science cannot be simply equated. This difference has been pronounced in recent decades by the dominance of constructivist and social-constructivist theories of learning, which focus on the development of concepts in the minds of people. Whilst these theories have yielded insight into the complexity of learning, the role of the material remains undertheorised, not only within practical science inquiry, but also in relation to the broader materiality of classrooms. Through a detailed critical literature review, this paper demonstrates the need for a stronger theoretical frame through which to understand the role of the material in the learning and pedagogy of science. Building upon the gaps and possibilities that this review reveals, we outline a new material-dialogic theory via a synthesis of Barad's Agential Realism and Bakhtinian dialogic theory. The significance of this paper lies in offering a theoretical basis for more effective practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exemplars are samples which illustrate dimensions of quality and enable students to understand assessment expectations. The theoretical basis for using exemplars lies principally in social constructivist approaches to assessment and the notion of tacit knowledge. Through a constructivist grounded theory methodology, this paper theorises how twelve teachers of English for Academic Purposes managed the process of using exemplars. Data collection involved triangulation between semi-structured interviews and classroom observations of the twelve teachers. Data analysis utilised constructivist grounded theory strategies: initial and focused coding, memoing and abductive reasoning. The findings analyse teacher decision-making in relation to exemplar use; the different ways in which criteria are deployed in conjunction with exemplars; and controlled or more open dialogues about exemplars. The theoretical contribution arises principally from a threefold typology comprising structured, guided discovery and dialogic approaches to managing the use of exemplars. It is suggested that a mediated dialogic approach has most potential to maximise learning benefits of exemplar use. Implications for practice explore tensions between what is recommended in the exemplars literature and the complexities of classroom implementation. Methodological implications arise from the triangulation between observations and interviews, and the discursive gap between social constructivist approaches and theories of mediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Objectives: The incidence of hepatitis C (HCV) infection is rising among people who inject drugs (PWID). Even in the context of known HCV prevention and treatment strategies, some PWID remain unengaged in HCV care. This study aimed to identify and characterize experiences and perceptions of PWID regarding the acceptability and effectiveness of HCV testing and treatment at a local syringe service program (SSP). Methods: A total of 36 PWID participated in semi-structured interviews at an SSP in New York City. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded by three coders, following a constructivist grounded theory approach. Relevant themes were identified as they emerged from the data. Results: Interviews with PWID revealed three themes related to the impact of SSPs on HCV care: (1) non-stigmatizing SSP environments, (2) the role of SSPs in improving HCV knowledge, and (3) acceptability of SSPs as sites for HCV care among PWID. Discussion: This paper contributes to the ongoing understanding that SSPs provide a well-accepted source of HCV services for PWID. Participants believed that SSPs are accessible and effective sites for HCV care, and suggested that stigma among PWID continues to affect receipt of HCV care in traditional settings. Conclusions: Understanding attitudes and beliefs of PWID regarding the effectiveness of SSPs as sites for HCV care is crucial for the development of focused strategies to reduce HCV transmission, and to ultimately achieve HCV elimination. Given this, further research is warranted investigating how best to improve HCV care at harm reduction sites such as SSPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social construction of gender dictates the masculine and feminine roles deemed appropriate within a society. Society has traditionally socially constructed women to be mothers and the primary parent, leaving fathers much too often on the sidelines of parenthood. For example, if a parent is a man, they have fewer rights than a parent who is a woman. Gender biases in society are insidious problems. Such biases can lead to the development of adverse attitudes, beliefs and unfair treatment of members of these groups by both individuals and social institutions. This paper will demonstrate the need to investigate the possibility of a systemic male gender bias in CWS. The paper will include the statement of the problem, the rationale and the framework of how gender is socially constructed to help in the understanding of how it negatively impacts fathers. Next will be a discussion of avoiding fathers at all six principle phases of CWS, the lack of parent programs specific to fathers, direction for future research and potential research implications for fathers, children and child welfare workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines obituaries appearing in the Hungarian daily Népszabadság during the second half of the twentieth century. It argues from a social constructivist stance that the reading of these texts gives us insights about the prevailing norms and values related to death. It posits that the issue of death brings to the surface general cultural values as well. Its aim is to see how these norms and values have changed as the political and social structure changed in Hungary. First, the paper looks at general statistical data regarding obituaries which show a decline in their numbers. Using a topic framework, the elements and the structure of the texts are identified. In a detailed analysis of these elements, the paper examines the questions of authorship, informing, traits, identity, the announcement of death, achievements and the funeral, respectively. The findings put existing theories on the 'death taboo' in an empirical context in a number of ways. Instead of signifying a death taboo, metaphorical expressions of death show a secular, demystified but not tabooed relationship towards death in Hungary in the second half of the twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: This paper presents the results of recent archaeological research into the building known as Gladstone’s Land on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. The aim of the research was to examine to what extent historical fabric had survived in light of extensive historical intervention. The building is a surviving example of Edinburgh’s Old Town urban architecture, which is characterized by tall structures with a shop front and densely occupied residential spaces. The paper presents evidence of the development of the building from the 16th century to its conservation in the 20th century. This development involved the replacement of formerly timber elements in stone and the creation of ornate painted interiors. The history of the building and the archaeological evidence embedded within it offer evidence of the life and changing architectural trends of Scotland’s capital. It also adds to our current understanding of heritage practice in the 20th century, raising issues of authenticity and the social construction of visitor-oriented heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

While the end of the Cold War challenged the classical understanding of national security in Europe, Turkey continued to follow a national securitycentered and confrontational foreign policy during the 1990s due to its internal and external security problems. Although this created important differences in security understandings and policies between Turkey and the European Union (EU), Turkey continued to seek EU membership during the 1990s. The goal of this paper is to answer why Turkey was willing to join the EU in the 1990s despite its difficulty in balancing its relations with the EU with its security problems. The main conclusion of the paper is that Turkey's eagerness to join the EU during the 1990s can be explained by both the perception of EU membership as the most appropriate and desired policy for Turkey and Turkey's eagerness to ensure its political and security objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we argue that if social constructivism theory is to be taken seriously, the distinction between reportive journalism and advocacy journalism cannot hold anymore. We propose to use another working distinction between progressive (and also regressive) advocacy journalism, postulating forms of social change, and status quo advocacy journalism, which, directly or indirectly, postulates lack of change. To illustrate this distinction, we use two different examples that may seem unrelated. However, as we try to show, they are overlapping and intermingled. These examples are the different notions of sustainability and the coverage of the Sanders campaign during US primaries in 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]