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This study explores how cultural dynamics shape public policy in Indonesia, focusing on the influence of cultural dimensions on policy-making processes and outcomes. The purpose is to understand the impacts of Indonesian cultural values on various policy sectors, including education, health, environment, and economic development. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study relies exclusively on secondary data from academic literature, government reports, and media sources to examine these cultural influences. Findings reveal that high power distance leads to centralized decision-making, while collectivism shapes policies toward community welfare. High uncertainty avoidance results in rigid regulatory frameworks, and traditional gender roles affect gender-related policies. Sector-specific analyses highlight the integration of traditional knowledge in environmental policies and the challenges of balancing modernization with cultural heritage in economic policies. The implications of these findings suggest that policymakers should incorporate cultural considerations into policy design to enhance effectiveness and inclusivity. This research contributes original insights into the intersection of culture and policy, emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive approaches in diverse governance contexts. By shedding light on how cultural factors impact policy formulation and implementation, the study offers valuable guidance for developing culturally relevant and effective policies addressing societal needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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From Folklore to Intangible Cultural Heritage This article is a review of the study entitled Ritualising Cultural Heritage and Re-enchanting Rituals in Europe, authored by Alessandro Testa (Durham: Carolina Academic Press, 2023, pp. 253). Od folkloru do niematerialnego dziedzictwa kulturowego Recenzja monografii naukowej Ritualising Cultural Heritage and Re-enchanting Rituals in Europe, autorstwa Alessandra Testy (Durham: Carolina Academic Press, 2023, 253 ss.).

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes to the life of most individuals, worldwide. This study explores the cultural factors influencing decision-making during the pandemic, and is part of the CORNER Project, funded by the Research Council of Norway, aimed at understanding institutional response in the early phases of the Covid-19 emergency in Norway, Sweden, and Italy. Semi-structured interviews with key political-administrative leaders in Italy (N = 35) were conducted and content-analyzed, allowing the identification of the underlying cultural dynamics that played a role in these decisions. Thematic analysis was used to assess the influence of cultural factors on the crisis management and early reaction of institutions and citizens to the spread of Covid. In line with previous studies, and as expected, the individualism vs. collectivism dimension can explain differential health outcomes during the outbreak. In this paper we argue that individualism-collectivism cultural values can also play a pivotal role in public compliance with Covid-19 restrictions, and psychological responses during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the study of emotions, demonstrating their importance in understanding diverse human and social dynamics. However, as this field of study develops and diversifies, a structural yet simple question remains virtually undiscussed: Is it really possible to say that societies possess emotions or a certain sensitivity akin to individual experiences? This exploratory study, based on documentary analysis, endeavours to identify and examine emotional patterns across six different periods, spanning from the Middle Ages to the present day. Among the eight secondary findings, three fundamental conclusions stand out: (1) throughout history, societies have experienced different emotional atmospheres, sometimes simultaneously; (2) although societies generally propose an emotional model to follow, the reality does not always conform to it; and (3) it is mainly through the culture that society creates a certain emotional harmony, allowing the social body to remain cohesive and develop, thus postponing or preventing its disintegration. This study aims to offer a modest contribution to the complex and under-explored discussion on the correlation between specific emotional climates and particular social contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes to the life of most individuals, worldwide. This study explores the cultural factors influencing decision-making during the pandemic, and is part of the CORNER Project, funded by the Research Council of Norway, aimed at understanding institutional response in the early phases of the Covid-19 emergency in Norway, Sweden, and Italy. Semi-structured interviews with key political-administrative leaders in Italy (N = 35) were conducted and content-analyzed, allowing the identification of the underlying cultural dynamics that played a role in these decisions. Thematic analysis was used to assess the influence of cultural factors on the crisis management and early reaction of institutions and citizens to the spread of Covid. In line with previous studies, and as expected, the individualism vs. collectivism dimension can explain differential health outcomes during the outbreak. In this paper we argue that individualism–collectivism cultural values can also play a pivotal role in public compliance with Covid-19 restrictions, and psychological responses during the pandemic.

This article explores the intricate relationship between globalization and local adaptations through a cultural anthropological lens. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the dynamic interplay between global influences and local cultures has emerged as a focal point of study. The abstract delves into the nuanced examination of how globalization, characterized by the flow of goods, information, and people across borders, intersects with the unique cultural landscapes of local communities. Cultural anthropologists navigate the tension between cultural homogenization and diversity, investigating the ways in which global consumer culture shapes local identities and consumption patterns. The impact of global media on local narratives and cultural representation is analyzed, along with the role of social movements in adapting and responding to global issues at the local level. The article discusses both the challenges and opportunities presented by globalization, offering a comprehensive exploration of the complex processes that shape cultural dynamics in our interconnected world. This cultural anthropological perspective not only contributes to a deeper understanding of global-local interactions but also encourages critical reflections on the role of culture in shaping the trajectory of our globalized society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cross-cultural anthropological analysis delves into the intricate web of gender constructs in societies worldwide. Recognizing the interplay between biology and culture, the study examines the multifaceted ways in which diverse cultures conceptualize and express gender roles, identities, and expectations. Through the lenses of rites of passage, language, economic structures, and instances of resistance and change, the research uncovers the nuanced dynamics that shape gender experiences globally. The exploration not only highlights the diversity of human societies but also provides crucial insights into the adaptive nature of gender constructs, challenging assumptions and fostering a deeper understanding of the potential for positive social change on a global scale. This abstract invites readers to embark on a journey through varied cultural landscapes, encouraging reflection on the complex and evolving nature of gender in societies around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of AI-generated videos centered on the face raises various concerns among professionals and audiences due to the difficulty of providing coherent descriptive tools of their cultural significance. At the same time, the focus of artists and their audiences shifts from the art as a text to the collaboration process between artificial intelligence (AI) and the involved social actors. This raises significant concerns between policymakers and other social actors looking for guidelines for the appropriate use of AI as a tool, collaborator or substitute for creative workers, which can have immediate and long-term impacts on society and culture. Semiotics of culture provides descriptive tools for understanding and evaluating artistic texts and their role in semiotic space, the semiosphere. This article addresses how Lotman's theory can contribute to the methodology for analyzing AI-generated texts as dynamic models. The theoretical framework developed by Lotman in his research on artistic text, dynamic systems and culture can be applied to the studies of current shifts related to AI-generated arts. This paper looks at the reception of AI-generated videos focused on face representations. In doing so, it analyses the dynamic processes in the creation process of AI-generated videos through their reception in related texts. The findings of this article highlight how Lotman's theoretical framework can contribute to the methodology to analyze the cultural dynamics evoked by AI-generated artistic texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the funeral rites and ritualistic practices associated with death among the Garo community of Northeast India, a community that has undergone linguistic divisions and witnessed fragmentation due to colonialism and subsequent conversion to Christianity. Employing an ethnographic approach, this research meticulously examines funeral rituals and practices through engaged participant observation, comprehensive interviews, and meticulous document analysis. Qualitative analysis reveals distinct patterns and themes, casting a revealing spotlight on the symbiotic relationship that exists between tradition and Christianity. The study finds that the Christian Garos have retained social customs such as matrilineality and the kinship system. However, a noticeable departure from their indigenous animistic belief system has taken place, with numerous deities being replaced by a single God, and fundamental beliefs like life after death seemingly abandoned. Nevertheless, upon closer examination of funeral rites, certain traditional elements are found to persist, reflecting the complex cultural assimilation within the emerging Christian identity among the Garo people. The primary contribution of this research lies in uncovering how these remnants of tradition persist, despite the transformative impact of Christianity on the religious and cultural landscape of the Garo community.

In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the study of emotions, demonstrating their importance in understanding diverse human and social dynamics. However, as this field of study develops and diversifies, a structural yet simple question remains virtually undiscussed: Is it really possible to say that societies possess emotions or a certain sensitivity akin to individual experiences? This exploratory study, based on documentary analysis, endeavours to identify and examine emotional patterns across six different periods, spanning from the Middle Ages to the present day. Among the eight secondary findings, three fundamental conclusions stand out: (1) throughout history, societies have experienced different emotional atmospheres, sometimes simultaneously; (2) although societies generally propose an emotional model to follow, the reality does not always conform to it; and (3) it is mainly through the culture that society creates a certain emotional harmony, allowing the social body to remain cohesive and develop, thus postponing or preventing its disintegration. This study aims to offer a modest contribution to the complex and under-explored discussion on the correlation between specific emotional climates and particular social contexts.

The article considers the balance of tradition and innovation as forms of cultural dynamics using the example of education. The review of scientific publications published in 2020-2021 has found that the research interest in the topic is characteristic both of Russianand Spanish-speaking authors, which allows us to refer to international experience, mainly Spanish, for comparison. In this research the authors focus on the project of bilingual classes in primary schools in Moscow and Moscow region. The idea of bilingual education is that educational material is presented in two languages, yet the language pairs can vary: official and minority, official and migrant, official and foreign languages. In the context of the case study, teachers of primary education constitute the most promising group due to the structural features of this level. The system in which one teacher is responsible for most of the subjects allows the project to be implemented gradually without involving a large number of pedagogical staff. At the same time, a teacher of a bilingual class has an opportunity to develop an independent teaching strategy, demonstrating a high level of methodological freedom. The survey among the teachers found that while there is a demand for counseling on their part, they are motivated and receptive to innovations.

Gold is a sought-after good across the globe, particularly among Asian countries. The demand for gold is influenced by symbolic, utilitarian, and hedonic values. One of the critical values among these is symbolic value, which refers to the meanings associated with a commodity. This study attempts to identify the impact of cultural dynamism on the perceptions of women towards the symbolic value of gold. Cultural dynamism is a definite outcome of globalization; it refers to the changes in cultural beliefs and practices as an outcome of exposure to the elements of other cultures. These cultural changes will have an impact on the consumption of all types of goods, particularly those goods that are demanded due to a region's culture. The present study attempts to identify the direction of cultural dynamics and its impact on gold in India as an outcome of the economy opening up in 1990. The perceptions of two sets of samples have been compared and contrasted in this study: one is a set of females born and married (this is because marriage has a vital role in determining perceptions towards gold) before the advent of globalization and its impacts in India, and the second set is the daughters (to ensure that other elements, such as socioeconomic aspects, are not affecting the perception) of the first set of customers. This study adopts a multidimensional scaling technique to analyze the data; this is due to the sound method that it is, and also due to the ability to provide a visual depiction of the outcomes. It could reveal evidence of polarization regarding perceptions towards the symbolic value of gold; it opened a research gap. A similar study with which to identify perceptions towards hedonic and symbolic values is suggested as an outcome of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept and connotation of critical thinking are formed based on human activities and social development in Europe and America, while relevant studies in East Asia are lacking. How to deconstruct the characteristics, formation and deep reasons of critical thinking in the East based on its continuous and dynamic human activities is still a challenge. Taking China as the research object, we reveal that the East also produces logic-based and intense critical thinking, and gradually integrates the characteristics of inclusiveness, euphemism, and result-oriented noun in the evolution, which can be attributed to the influence of war, religion, and nomadic and agricultural conflicts. This study is of great significance to the in-depth fundamental understanding of oriental critical thinking. It also holds promise to promote critical thinking education in East Asian countries and the cultural exchanges between the East and the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of social-emotional education on cultural dynamics from the perspective of Cultural Studies. An exhaustive theoretical review is carried out to analyze how socialemotional education can influence the construction and transformation of cultural identities. In addition, a mixed methodology is carried out that combines qualitative and quantitative analysis to evaluate the effects of social-emotional education programs in different cultural contexts. The results reveal that social-emotional education promotes empathy, intercultural respect and inclusion, thus contributing to a greater understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity. In conclusion, the importance of integrating social-emotional education into educational curricula as a key tool to foster peaceful coexistence and intercultural dialogue is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An ethnoarchaeological study document dynamics of pottery traditions in Senegal. • A fashioning technique is homogeneous in a heterogeneous cultural context. • Environmental, socio-economic and cultural factors explain technical changes. • Spatial distribution of two distinct firing procedures is related to precolonial kingdoms. • Recent transformations of potters' toolkits reveal changes in a globalized world. Ceramic traditions are constantly evolving, but the pace of change is variable and not all stages of the chaîne opératoire are affected in the same way, depending on the causes of borrowing, abandonment, or innovation. Few ethnoarchaeological studies in Africa have focused on a detailed understanding of these dynamics, which are important for the interpretation of past societies. Our study was conducted from 2012 to 2015 along the Falémé Valley in eastern Senegal, characterized by diverse cultures and environments. It aims to understand the historical dynamics of ceramic traditions by documenting the variability and spatial distribution of the different stages of the chaîne opératoire , and analyzing the factors that explain the transformations of techniques, potters' tools and finished objects over different temporalities, both long- and short-term. The results show that the same fashioning technique, molding on a convex shape, is used by all potters, whatever their cultural identity. On the contrary, firing procedures indicate two different traditions. The reconstruction of potters' genealogies and apprenticeship networks anchor both traditions in distinct social trajectories, and their spatial distribution corresponds with the ones of precolonial kingdoms expanding after the Mâli empire's collapse, between the 17th and the 19th century CE: the Fulbe kingdom of Boundou in the north, and three Mande kingdoms in the south. Beside this long-term dynamic, elements of paste recipes' or potter toolkits' transformation, and the abandonment of certain types of pots refer to recent dynamics dating back to a few decades, in a context of climate change and growing globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nekrasov Cossacks belong to an ethno-confessional group that had to cope with adaptation to new environments several times. This happened due to multiple rounds of migration. Originating mainly from the southern Russian provinces with agriculture as a predominant type of economy, we would expect them to follow the agricultural calendar well, but ethnolinguistic expeditions to the Nekrasovites in 2010–2013 showed only some remnants of these motifs in the descriptions of the ritual year. Analyzing the causes of this, the article traces the Nekrasovites’ adaptation to the changing natural, economic, religious, and cultural context. The author pays attention to the different dominant in their economy in Turkey, where fishing acquired a higher status than agriculture. In addition to this, climatic differences between Turkey and southern Russia are noted, because they may underline the fact that some of the calendar omens and agricultural prescriptions may have lost their relevance. The necessity of religious consolidation of the Christians in the Turkish Muslim community led to the elaboration of the confessional dominant in the Nekrasovites’ ritual year, which maintained its stability even later, in the atheistic Soviet state. After their re-emigration to Russia, the Nekrasovites adapted to the rules of the new Soviet atheistic society and another round of changes in the predominant activities, since part of them settled in the region specializing in viticulture and winemaking. The changes in the ritual system, which followed their migrations, are analyzed in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploration of diverse theoretical frameworks within anthropology presents a comprehensive analysis of influential perspectives that illuminate the complexities of human societies, cultural dynamics, and behaviors. Examining foundational theories such as Cultural Materialism, Structural Functionalism, Symbolic Anthropology, Cultural Ecology, Post-structuralism, Evolutionary Anthropology, Feminist Anthropology, and Actor-Network Theory (ANT), this research paper delves into the multifaceted lenses through which social life is understood. Each theoretical framework contributes distinct insights and challenges conventional paradigms. Cultural Materialism, rooted in the material conditions of societies, offers a lens to understand the influence of ecological and economic factors on cultural practices. Symbolic Anthropology, focusing on the interpretation of symbols, underscores the role of symbols in shaping human behavior. Structural Functionalism emphasizes societal functions and interrelated parts that sustain equilibrium. Cultural Ecology examines the relationship between culture and environment, illuminating how societies adapt to their surroundings. Post-structuralism questions fixed meanings and the influence of power structures on knowledge. Evolutionary Anthropology studies human biological adaptations and societal development, while Feminist Anthropology critically examines gender roles and power dynamics. ANT, a unique perspective, focuses on human and non-human actors within networks and their influence on social structures. The critical analysis and synthesis of these frameworks offer a nuanced understanding of societal complexities and behaviors. The implications of these frameworks extend beyond academia, influencing societal discourses, interdisciplinary studies, and policy-making. The inclusivity and diverse methodologies presented foster a more comprehensive understanding of societal dynamics, encouraging cultural sensitivity and informed interventions. This exploration also signifies the continual evolution of anthropological thought and contributes to a more inclusive and diverse academic environment. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of human societies, cultural practices, and societal structures, offering valuable insights for diverse fields and broader societal discourses.

Starting from some ideas of H. Wolflin, O. Spengler pointed out an interesting problem of correlation between the evolution of art and social evolution. Regardless of the realness of their observations and conclusions, the idea of searching and analyzing such correlations seems to be very fruitful, and especially in the context of preliterate culture surviving due to archeology. This paper, drawing on the empirical archaeological data related to so called Incised and Stamped Pottery Cultures (ISPC) of Early Hallstatt period (XII-IX centuries BC) of Carpathian-Dniester region, aims to consider and verify the ideas of H. Wolflin and O. Spengler. For this purpose, and basing on the previously established by the author fivephase evolution scheme of ISPC of Carpathian-Dniester region (including such a key component of ISPC as Sakharna-Soloncheni culture), the dynamic of fine pottery ornamentation of these societies is analyzed. The analysis demonstrates that the evolution of pottery ornamentation of ISPC started from a minimal number of ornamental patterns and moved towards increasing their number. The parallel tendency was the increasing of the ornamented square of pots. These processes, as well as the innovativeness and openness to external influences, peaked in the fourth phase of Sakharna-Soloncheni culture; this phase was also the time of its greatest prosperity.

Along the Gabonese coast, native populations and migrant fisher communities live side by side and, together, build constantly changing life spaces. In the Nyanga region, past and current interactions between fishers from Benin, Senegal, Congo and Gabon (characterized by diverse rights regarding land, sea and lagoons, specific knowledge and know-how) conduct to particular cultural dynamics: loan dynamics, innovations and knowledge transfers between communities. Based on deep ethnographical fieldwork, this paper aims to: 1) describe how migrant and native fishers in Gabon share coastal places and adapt their ecological knowledge, environmental know-how and know-being in order to enhance their livelihoods; 2) and analyse how fishers' migration in Africa is a key factor for societal changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ideologically committed minds form the basis of political polarization, but ideologically guided communication can further entrench and exacerbate polarization depending on the structures of ideologies and social network dynamics on which cognition and communication operate. Combining a well-established connectionist model of cognition and a well-validated computational model of social influence dynamics on social networks, we develop a new model of ideological cognition and communication on dynamic social networks and explore its implications for ideological political discourse. In particular, we explicitly model ideologically filtered interpretation of social information, ideological commitment to initial opinion, and communication on dynamically evolving social networks, and examine how these factors combine to generate ideologically divergent and polarized political discourse. The results show that ideological interpretation and commitment tend towards polarized discourse.Nonetheless, communication and social network dynamics accelerate and amplify polarization. Furthermore, when agents sever social ties with those that disagreewith them(i.e. structure their social networks by homophily), even non-ideological agents may form an echo chamber and form a cluster of opinions that resemble an ideological group. This article is part of the theme issue 'The political brain: neurocognitive and computational mechanisms'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Challenge disciplinary approaches", as well as « ocean learning », is only done in a context of trust. Serge Bahuchet, who supervised my PhD thesis in ethnoecology, supported scientific challenge which consists in going beyond ethnography and anthropology to produce a deep understanding of societal transformations. This paper describes the methodological choices made to describe the changes that have been observed on Gabonese coast in terms of fishing and interactions with the sea and to provide an analysis the dynamics of the knowledges and know-how of Gabon's fishers.

The COVID-19 global pandemic has brought into sharp focus the urgency of tackling the question of how globalized humanity responds to a global societal threat, which can adversely affect a large portion of the human population. Changing geospatial distribution of COVID-19 morbidity paints a gloomy picture of cross-national differences in human vulnerabilities across the globe. We describe the dynamic nexus among societal – particularly pathogen – threat, social institutions, and culture, and discuss collectivism (ingroup favouritism and outgroup avoidance) and tightness (narrow prescription of behaviours and severe punishment of norm violations) as potential cultural adaptations to prevalent pathogen threats. We then sketch out a theoretical framework for cultural dynamics of collective adaptation to pathogen threats, outline a large number of theory- and policy-relevant research questions and what answers we have at present, and end with a call for renewed efforts to investigate collective human responses to societal threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanity faces twin problems of adaptation—natural environmental challenges of climate change and global humanitarian challenges of ensuring well-being for all—that pose a dilemma for sustainable development. One way forward is to develop cultures of sustainability that highlight and reward the ideas and practices that will help us transition to a sustainable lifestyle. Although institutional responses are necessary and multidisciplinary approaches are required, individual citizens can also participate in cultural dynamics—the process of cultural formation, maintenance, and transformation—to craft cultures of sustainability, and psychological science can point to potential mechanisms for effecting this cultural change. Informed by the niche-construction perspective, I suggest that the critical ingredients of cultures of sustainability include (a) conceptions of human–nature connectedness, (b) conceptions of human–artifact relation, (c) interpersonal conversations about sustainability norms within social networks, and (d) visions of an achievable utopia for a sustainable future. Further research and action are called for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of cultural diversity in some social systems can be observed as the oppositional patterns in different levels, namely, the directions of the trends of diversity in different levels are opposite. In this paper, we propose a payoff-driven metapopulation modeling framework to investigate the origin of the oppositional patterns in the trends of cultural diversity. This model considers the mobile agents in multiple communities, and the cultural characteristics of an agent are represented by a vector. The diffusion of cultural characteristics is driven by two opposite effects: the communication cost positively depending on cultural difference between agents, and the cultural attractiveness single-peak-functional correlating on cultural difference. In the numerical simulations of the model, the polarization is observed in the case with the homophily principle, and two types of the oppositional patterns can emerge in the case with time-varying mobility of agents. These findings efficiently explain the emergence of the oppositional patterns and help to understand the evolution of diversity under the dynamics of both synchronization and variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of civic culture in expanding fiscal capacity by developing a model based on reciprocal obligations: citizens pay their taxes and the state provides public goods. Civic culture evolves over time according to the relative payoff of civic‐minded and materialist citizens. A strong civic culture manifests itself as high tax revenues sustained by high levels of voluntary tax compliance and provision of public goods. This captures the idea of government as a reciprocal social contract between the state and its citizens. The paper highlights the role of political institutions and common interests in the emergence of civic culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culture is a critical concept for social psychology in Asia. The sociocultural models approach, as exemplified in this special issue, is a significant synthesis of the past work and a generative platform for future research. From the perspective of cultural dynamics, this commentary provides what I hope to be constructively critical reflections on this approach and attempts to point to potential directions for future investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern in one of the five camps for Congolese refugees in Rwanda about suicide attempts and death in 2017 as well as research data pointing to a relatively high incidence of suicidal ideation in this and a second camp in the same period provided the impetus for this exploratory qualitative study. The study explored factors contributing to suicidal ideation, attempts and death; existing support and referral mechanisms; and recommendations regarding prevention and care strategies. Between July and September 2018, 10 focus group discussions were conducted with refugees and representatives of stakeholders working in the camp, and 21 in-depth interviews with refugees who reported suicidal ideations in a previous quantitative survey, two refugees who attempted suicide, and family members of those who reported suicidal ideas, attempted suicide or committed suicide. Findings suggest that while all refugees have suffered from war and violence in Congo and experienced traumatic events before arriving in Rwanda, the pathway to suicidal ideations was often triggered by the circumstances related to their current situation in the context of refugeehood. Almost all respondents who experienced suicide ideations and/or attempted to commit suicide reported poor mental health, a low sense of connectedness/belonging and a high level of perceived burden, which were greater than their desire to live. Family conflicts were found to be an important starting point leading to suicidal ideations and in some cases to suicide attempts and deaths. For the adult population, family conflicts often resulted from the cultural and legal changes experienced after fleeing their home country, misunderstandings of Rwandan gender equality policies, and disagreements about family income management. For youth, a lack of hope for the future was found among boys and girls, and for some girls, suicidal ideations were triggered by poor interpersonal/family relationships due to unwanted pregnancies. Family, community and faith-based support mechanisms were reported as being available but not always culturally sensitive. Psychosocial support services should be improved and expanded to ensure effective psychosocial recovery. Family conflicts related to a lack of family communication and a misconception of gender equality policies should be tackled with attention to the cultural factors involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotion is critical for cultural dynamics, that is, for the formation, maintenance, and transformation of culture over time. We outline the component micro- and macro-level processes of cultural dynamics, and argue that emotion not only facilitates the transmission and retention of cultural information, but also is shaped and crafted by cultural dynamics. Central to this argument is our understanding of emotion as a complete information package that signals the adaptive significance of the information that the agent is processing. It captures an agent's appraisal about the relationship between themself and the object of emotional focus, as well as action orientation and allostasis in context. We discuss implications of this perspective in the context of the changing natural and geopolitical environment, and future cultural dynamics into the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principal purpose of this article is speculative in that it experiments with an approach to "teasing out" what cultural heritage landscapes and historic sites have "to say" and to overcome what has been described as a circumstance in which landscapes and sites do not tell their stories clearly. An approach to "teasing out" has been fashioned to examine how the cultural dynamic of a previous historical period has come to be "a" cultural dynamic of the present as it is presented through historylinked and heritage-based tourism and as it becomes a constituent of "consuming history" through popular culture. Fashioning the "teasing out" process has drawn on the opportunities and skill sets from geography and semiotics as they have been reconfigured as a combined investigative and interpretive entity and as a form of epistemological pluralism. The special aptitudes of these disciplinary areas have been twinned to expose many of the important symbols of the story of the Australian bushranger-cum-outlaw Ned Kelly, matching the original disposition of them to the modern telling of the story through tourism, and in so doing achieving enhanced levels of perception, comprehension, depth, richness, and utility, and inclusive of both principal issues and subtle nuances. A concluding assessment of the opportunities that can be attributed to epistemological pluralism is accompanied by caveats; the purpose of these is to promote awareness about the need for due diligence in forging suitable disciplinary combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper outlines a cultural–psychological interpretation of the current European societies' socio-institutional crisis. To this end, preliminarily, the cultural psychological view of social behaviour is outlined, focusing on the idea that socio-political choices depend on how people make sense of their world. Second, the paper provides an interpretation of the current socio-political European scenario of crisis, based on the main results of a recent study that has mapped the cultural dynamics underpinning some European countries. The interpretation focuses on two complementary facets: on the one hand, the lack of symbolic resources (defined: semiotic capital) enabling people to perceive the collective dimension of life as a lived, subjectively relevant fact of experience; on the other hand, the relevance of a cultural form (defined: paranoid belongingness) that channels a trajectory of sensemaking consisting of the affective connotation of otherness in terms of threat and enemy. Third, the paper deepens the interplay between these cultural dynamics and the social, political and economic conditions that may have been triggered by them. In that perspective, the function of semiotic regulation played by the enemization of the other is highlighted. The conclusive part of the work is devoted to discuss implications the analysis suggests for policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Norm talk is verbal communication that explicitly states or implicitly implies a social norm. To investigate its ability to shape cultural dynamics, 2 types of norm talk were examined: injunction, which explicitly states what should be done, and gossip, which implies a norm by stating an action approved or disapproved of by the communicator. In 2 experiments, participants engaged in norm talk in repeated public goods games. Norm talk was found to help sustain cooperation relative to the control condition; immediately after every norm talk opportunity, cooperation spiked, followed by a gradual decline. Despite the macrolevel uniformity in their effects on cooperation, evidence suggests different microlevel mechanisms for the cooperation-enhancing effects of injunction and gossip. A 3rd study confirmed that both injunction and gossip sustain cooperation by making salient the norm of cooperation, but injunction also effects mutual verification of the communicated norm, whereas gossip emphasizes its reputational implications by linking cooperation to status conferral and noncooperation to reputational damage. A 4th experiment provided additional evidence that norm talk was superior to the promise of conditional cooperation in sustaining cooperation. Implications of the findings for cultural dynamics are discussed in terms of how feelings of shared morality, language-based interpersonal communication, and ritualization of norm communication contribute to social regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most cases of multifunctional peri-urban agriculture offer diverse economic and ecological benefits, while a few involve cultural dimensions. In China, a “cultural turn” in the construction plan of beautiful villages has occurred. Through the analysis of policy and focus-group interviews, this research analyzes a case study of rural planning in the Pu’an village, a peri-urban village near Changzhou city in the Yangtze River Delta, China. Particular attention is given to investigating the process of identifying the local cultural symbol of a multifunctional plant, the bulrush. Combining natural landscape and cultural resources, rural planning explores the multifunctional agricultural services based on the bulrush-central creative industry in Pu’an village. The research introduces the framework of “bulrush + creative industry,” which includes one core industry and two extended industries. The core industry is a creative processing industry, and the two extended ones are the creative planting industry and the creative tourist industry. Highlighting the participation of local villagers and outsiders or urban tourist, as well as the creative class and entrepreneurs, the research emphasizes the revival of local rural culture, especially in peri-urban villages. Finally, this paper contributes to exploring a new area of cultural dynamics for the sustainable development of peri-urban agriculture, combined with creative rural experience and ruralism.

The paper examines the problem of textual/cultural dynamics linked to the issue of semiotic literariness, to be further investigated by the authors in later papers on literary semiotics. This scientific project aims to get closer to reaching an adequate disciplinary identification for semiotics of literature and a relatively precise definition of the status of this field in relation to semiotics of culture. The first step for the project is to reveal the interrelationhip between text and culture using the notion of dynamics that can be reconstructed from a historical perspective through some essential components of Formalist and Structuralist theory (Tynyanov’s ‘function’, Jakobson’s ‘dominant’) and also works by Lotman (the ‘text–culture’ relationship) and Bakhtin (‘dialogue’). The notions of inclusiveness/integration, distancing and hierarchization, leading to transformation, are interpreted in some detail in the context of these theories. On these grounds, three basic categories of the analysability of textual/cultural dynamics are set up with the indication of further aspects of the dynamic function: (1) mediation; (2) transposition; (3) temporality–spatiality. The suggested classification and the implied conceptual segmentation are expected to contribute to a synthesis between “Structuralist” and Peircean theoretical and methodological orientations in semiotic literary studies. This also reveals the need for a coexistence of approaches (a) moving from particular cultural fields (literary culture tradition) towards general semiotics of culture, and (b) returning from universal transfield concepts to literary culture, including the historical traditions both in art (object-level) and its scientific interpretation (meta-level).

This article aims to present a critical reading of the Hierarchical Model of Culture (HMC) which, based on non-historical notions of culture and rooted in an essentialist and elitist distinction of the judgment of taste, subdivides culture in a hierarchical ranking of classical culture, mass culture and popular culture. By highlighting cultural diversity and the processes of cultural interaction inherent in contemporary societies, it seeks theoretical reflections that suggest public cultural policies from the standpoint of a project of Cultural Democracy for the purpose of democratic radicalization. We have therefore concluded that a Cultural Democracy project for public cultural policies should consider the context of cultural interaction, the different actors involved, the power relations present in the very idea of public cultural policies, and also seek to maximize public participation in political decision-making spaces.

This article examines the specific features of the "Russian dream" and some of its key elements using materials from a number of national studies conducted by the Institute of Sociology over the past several years. It highlights the cultural-civilizational features of the Russian dream and its connection with the values and identities of Russians. It will show that the presence of a dream is the norm for Russian culture in general, but that in recent years this norm has eroded. Although the Russian civilizational project with its characteristic "high dream" still exists, it is gradually losing its significance; instead, the dreams of a consumer society are transforming into dreams about ordinary survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article revisits Anthony Smith's landmark collection Myths and Memories of the Nation (1999) from the perspective of recent developments in cultural memory studies. It argues for a more clearly demarcated distinction between myths and memories which acknowledges cultural memory as a site of new experiential perspectives that often work against the authority of myths, seen as the unquestioned truths about the collective past. Drawing on studies of modern memory cultures, it presents a dynamic and generative model that construes memory in terms of cultural practices of remembrance. It shows that memory is not an unchanging legacy but rather a malleable resource for making shared stories about the past. Where Halbwachs (1925) presumed that social frameworks precede and shape memory, remembrance is presented here as a cultural force that helps to redefine social frameworks and to create links between hitherto unconnected imagined communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In France at the high school the subject matter "Sciences Économiques et Sociales" (economic and social sciences) deals with the present economic crisis. We study the ways it is taught about: words, and explanatory patterns. Design/methodology/approach: We use a specific approach, that we call "semantic holism", conceiving subject contents as the product of a dual process of didactization and of axiologization of reference knowledge. That implies relating these contents to the social value system and, especially, to the lexicon, set of keywords through which people must think and talk at some point. The analysis starts from the examination of economic and social sciences syllabuses and teaching resources, and leads us to highlight the predominance of the references to standard economics, but this predominance cannot be justified by the state of scientific knowledge. Findings: We show on the contrary a lexicon effect: the subject key notions have been selected in accordance to the lexicon keywords. Therefore the proposed contents seem far from the objective to understanding the major issues at stake today. Research limitations/implications: Then further researches must focus on the ways of teaching about the crisis in spite of the present lexicon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]