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The eight papers making up this special issue on promoting women in mathematics consider the underrepresentation of women in mathematics and the experiences and observations of authors who are immersed in this work. In this editorial, we identify common themes we see across many of these papers, framing our discussion with the "social identity framework of mathematical development" presented in the first paper. This framework consists of three beliefs conducive to the pursuit of mathematics, and we discuss how the authors address each of these beliefs in their work. We also present data to illustrate that the underrepresentation of women in mathematics continues to be an issue, and we hope the papers in this issue will be informative for others who want to lead gender-based initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many theories of motivation recognize a person's identity adds value to the prediction of behavior; albeit indirectly, through constructs such as social norms, self-efficacy, perceived behavioral control, and values. Recently, behavioral research has more directly assessed the influence of identity on behavior; however, it is unclear whether such research aligns with the theoretical establishments of identity. This review investigated the identity theory alignment of existing behavior research by systematically searching, screening, and reviewing identity-behavior relevant papers, across three behavioral psychology databases. Twenty-three papers meet the inclusion criteria for review (original research with a primary focus on identity and behavior, within healthy adult population), and data relating to identity-behavior theoretical viewpoints, research methods, and study findings were extracted and synthesized to provide a scoping overview of current research. Most reviewed papers presented identity as a loosely defined construct; commonly operationalized as social identity, omitting the theorized multiplicity of social and self-identities. Overall outcomes suggested that identity influences behavior indirectly through intention strength, rather than directly as a post-intention mechanism. While existing research has been crucial in illuminating potential influences of identity on behavior, there is a need to strengthen current understandings and theoretical alignments within future research relating to identity and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article begins with an overview of the historical treatment of maternal subjectivity within psychology, psychoanalysis, and feminism, discussing the inroads that have been made to support the subject status of mothers themselves, as well as where these improvements are incomplete. Also considered are the invited papers appearing in this special issue of Psychoanalytic Perspectives and the ways in which they unfold new iterations of theorizing maternal subjectivity. Particularly, this paper introduces the concept of matrescence—the developmental process of becoming a mother—into the psychoanalytic lexicon. Doing so allows further discussion of how the mother's subject status can elaborate the lineage of the feminine and co-created, relational, and social aspects of identity. Recognizing the mother is not an individualistic pursuit, a competition between mother and baby for whose experience gets to matter; rather, recognizing maternal subjectivity is inherently a recognition of linking. It is essential to the development of relational psychoanalysis and, this paper argues, an essential link in considering the oft-neglected socio-cultural aspects of the psyche. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores do-it-yourself (DIY) and maker practices within sound and electronics through a close reading of Electronics and music maker magazine, first published in the UK in 1981 by electronic component supplier Maplin electronics. Comparisons are made between these sonic cultures of making of the early 1980s and more contemporary activity and commentary within the field. Themes used to make these comparisons are community, activism, learning and teaching, and experimentalism. Differences and similarities between sonic DIY practices defined as orthodox and experimental are considered; questions relating to what constitutes sonic DIY practice in a changing sociotechnical landscape are raised; shifting community identities and tensions within sound technology interest groups are discussed; and motivations and methods for the support of learning sound electronics are compared. The paper makes a novel contribution to contextual histories and theories of DIY sound and technology practices, which typically cite radio hams of the early twentieth century and experimental music of the 1960s/70s as precursors to current activities. It brings a breadth of scholarship from the wider field of maker culture to bear on sound-specific DIY practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twice-migrant and descended from the colonial labour diaspora, the Dutch Hindustanis in the Netherlands are one of the most assimilated, socially integrated and upwardly mobile minority diaspora groups in the Netherlands. The group also remains the repository of the early vestiges of Hindi film music as well as traditional music from the Northern Indian plains, thereby making it a fascinating case study for cultural preservation. This paper undertakes to take a close look at the modes and methods employed by the Dutch Hindustanis to preserve their musical heritage and argues that it has emerged as one of the primary nodes of diasporic identity formation for the group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade saw the issue of polarisation garnering increased scholarly attention. While political polarisation has been almost unequivocally studied as synonymous with ideological polarisation, scholars have recently addressed polarisation along partisan lines manifesting through strong in-group favouritism and out-group unfavouritism, labelled as affective polarisation. This paper investigates patterns of affective polarisation in the Slovenian (digital) public sphere, through analysis of discourse of former Slovenian PM Janez Janša on Twitter. The affective-discursive analysis of Janša's Twitter resulted in the identification and exploration of four affective-discursive practices: Dangerous Outsider, Pride and Patriotism, Immoral and Incompetent Women and Defection. We find that through interplay of these practices and by employing strategies of discursive closure, Janša successfully fuels polarisation among partisans by solidifying divisions along the in-group-out-group axis. The paper contributes to affective polarisation literature by demonstrating how political actors condition competitive environments around different social identities thereby minimising opportunities for meaningful deliberation and debate beyond the differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper attempts to contextualize the significance of the work of unpaid female family helpers' (UPFFH) for women empowerment. Additionally, it brings into light the subjective feelings and perceptions of unpaid family helpers. The current research is based on primary data collected through a self-structured questionnaire from 200 females aged 15+ years who were helping in the household income generation without getting paid. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among UPFFHs residing in district Lahore, Pakistan. The participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique. The analysis of UPFFHs empowerment was performed by employing a percentage distribution approach based on four levels of participation in decision making. The research puts emphasis on the impact of excessive, unequal, and unpaid work on women and further argues for social rational of recognizing the work through empowering women in decision-making process at their personal, household, and community level. The findings of the study indicates that the young UPFFHs are less empowered as they face the greatest familial and community pressure when it comes to making their life decisions. However, the paper further documents their aspiration to attain economic independence which would then bring change in gender perceptions and their overall social standing. The paper concludes by highlighting the problems associated with "unpaid work" and why it must be addressed, especially if the country has to fully realize the valued goal of women empowerment and gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Historical marginalisation and ongoing trust deficits in health and government systems shape present-day vaccine perceptions among marginalised communities. This paper sought to understand the role of trust in decision-making about COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the transgender and disability communities in India. Methods: Using a participatory approach we interviewed 24 community representatives, identifying themselves as transgender individuals or as persons with disability, and 21 key informants such as vaccine programme managers, vaccine providers, and community advocates. We undertook an inductive thematic analysis of the data using a socio-ecological model. Results: Fear of side effects in relation to specific needs of the two communities and mistrust of systems involved in vaccination shaped four different pathways for vaccine decision-making. Mistrust of systems was influenced by past negative experiences with the health system, creating contexts in which information and misinformation are shared and interpreted. Participants negotiated their doubts about safety and mistrust of systems by interacting with different sources of influence showing patterns of decision-making that are dynamic, context-dependent, and intersectional. Conclusion: These findings will help in determining the content, strategies and approaches to equitable vaccine communication for these two communities. The two communities ought to be included in vaccine trials. Vaccine information must respond to the specific needs of these two communities which could be enabled by collaboration and engagement with community members and influencers. Finally, long-term investment towards the needs of marginalised communities is vital to dismantle cycles of marginalisation and distrust and in turn improve vaccine acceptance and uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much discrimination works through exclusion. Poor access to public goods disadvantages minority individuals before they reach the job market. Market impediments to competition cannot explain exclusionary discrimination, and the question is, what can? This paper draws on two different nonmarket theories of discrimination, 'discriminatory equilibrium' and 'stratification economics', to address the question. In one, group cognitive biases are (re)generated by the tenor of inter-group interaction, while in the other the majority finds exclusionary discrimination remunerative given its asymmetric power. This paper models these views as different types of bad equilibria. In a couple, Pareto-improving policy interventions are possible as the problem arises from bad intra-group coordination within, respectively, the minority and the majority. Yet, in a third, the majority is in a payoff-dominant strategy game when discrimination pays off irrespective of coordination dynamics. The mitigation of discrimination in this case is more political than a policy problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The media has been repeatedly demonstrated to have a large effect on voting behaviour and voter information worldwide, and to be crucial in the establishment of collective identities. Relatively unexplored in the field of regional politics are the effects of media on substate party system divergence and non-statewide party success. This article takes Europe as its focus and demonstrates how strongly regionalized media environments contribute to the development of distinctive party systems at the regional level. I argue that the effects of media works chiefly through the establishment of a 'banal regionalism' and by increasing voter information, thereby boosting issues traditionally associated with regionalist success such as socio-cultural distinctiveness and regional autonomy. The paper demonstrates this through a regression analysis of 69 European 'Small Worlds' and an illustrative case study of the United Kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review of art psychotherapy literature explored how art therapy or artmaking may support patient identity after a life-limiting diagnosis. Background: Previous research shows the value of art therapy and artmaking in reducing physical and psychological symptoms at the end-of-life. Recent reports indicated that disruption to identity is a key challenge to this group of individuals. Aims: This systematic review investigated art therapy and artmaking and examined and built upon previous research undertaken with patients facing identity concerns after a terminal diagnosis. Methods: A robust and rigorous framework of criteria (PRISMA), was followed to select and review suitable research papers in order to gain new insights. Results: The results indicate that many patients struggle to cope with a changing identity alongside the demands of a terminal illness. The key findings are threefold: art therapy and artmaking can help maintain or reconstruct a pre-illness identity and art therapy in particular can help enable a positive identity transformation. Conclusions: Art therapy and artmaking hold benefits for positive identity support such as the re-evaluation and reinstatement of pre-illness roles, psychosocial-interventions and adjustment to major life changes. Implications: It is recommended that art therapy and artmaking are offered to terminal patients at diagnosis, in order to support identity concerns promptly and allow patients to focus solely on their quality of life and limited time left. It is anticipated that the findings of this systematic review will be of benefit to patients, healthcare workers, art therapists and others within the palliative care community. Plain-language summary: This review of art therapy literature explored how art therapy or artmaking may support patient identity after a life-limiting diagnosis. Previous research has showed the value of art therapy and artmaking in reducing concerns at the end-of-life. Many reports indicated that changes to identity are one of the main challenges to this group of individuals. This review aimed to compare art therapy and artmaking. It examined and added to earlier research with patients struggling with identity concerns after a terminal diagnosis. A set of standards were followed to select and review appropriate research papers. Results showed that many patients struggled to cope with a changing identity alongside the difficulties of a terminal illness. Patients tried to keep an identity that was separate from their illness and also maintain their pre-illness roles. The main findings of this systematic review are that art therapy and artmaking can help keep or restore a pre-illness identity. Art therapy in particular can help bring about a positive identity change. The conclusions are that art therapy and artmaking are beneficial for supporting identity and help patients think about and recover their pre-illness roles. Art therapy and artmaking are also seen to help patients cope with major life changes. Recommendations are that further research is undertaken with larger, more varied groups of people, particularly males. It is recommended that art therapy and artmaking are offered to terminal patients when they are diagnosed. This would allow patients to focus on their wellbeing and their limited time left with loved ones. It is likely that the findings will be helpful to patients, healthcare workers, art therapists and others within palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the ways that publicly funded developmental services for adults with developmental disabilities in southern Ontario are limited in how they support clients. This paper is informed by field research conducted in the summer of 2019, which was composed of semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a policy review. Informed by parent advocates who are the main caregivers of their adult children labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities, this paper claims that the administrative processes of the Ontario ministry that manages and funds adult disability services relate to broader exclusionary patterns among adults with developmental disabilities. I explore this claim by reviewing how common ableist assumptions of people with developmental disabilities are ingrained in the policies and administrative processes of these services. I contribute to ongoing discussions among Critical Disability Scholars of the ways that disability as a social category can be articulated outside of ableist assumptions. Informed by parent caregiver perspectives, this article outlines how the limitations of provincially funded disability services in Ontario, Canada cause significant challenge in the lives of those labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One possible explanation for these limitations is that there is a disconnect between how the provincial government classifies who should receive immediate services and how many services, versus the actual need of those labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The criteria for high supports, such as monthly funding, placement into a living facility, and the provincial assessment for determining a person's 'adaptive functioning' are rooted in problematic assumptions made of people labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developing structure of Omani higher education sector depends upon a culturally diverse group of international academics who outnumber their Omani colleagues. This creates a unique group composition that is inconsistent with the largely Omanising workplace context. Drawing on data gathered from a case study, this paper explores the reasons and the effects of group instability resulting from faculty's national diversity on establishing a group's social identity, the latter being an antecedent for establishing an intellectual capital. The findings of the study suggest that national diversity is associated with a number of factors that impede longevity within work groups thus affecting identification with a common group prototype. These include human resources management practices, such as outsourcing recruitment, inconsistent recruitment standards, low faculty agility and a number of personal factors that emphasise individual identity. The paper concludes by arguing that the absence of social identity in higher education hinders establishing an intellectual capital that represents a cornerstone for establishing a knowledge-based economy that fuels the realisation of Oman 2040. The findings have implications to the GCC1 contexts that are characterised by depending on largely nationally diverse workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines the discursive practices used by secular social work educators when teaching ultra-Orthodox students, whose strict interpretations of Jewish religious law often clash with professional values. Utilizing data from a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with 16 social work faculty members, the paper elaborates van Leeuwen’s framework for analyzing legitimation in discourse. The findings indicate that the lecturers often encounter controversial situations that require them to abandon their professional ethics in order to accommodate the differential needs of their ultra-Orthodox students. I contend that in order to legitimize and camouflage conflictual pedagogic actions, such as the exclusion of women, self-censorship or the acceptance of discriminatory attitudes, the interviewees use social work concepts and terminology, such as cultural sensitivity, discretion or rapport. That is, the lecturers paradoxically use their professional identity to suspend social work principles in an attempt to implement multicultural politics in the classroom. The study uses identity construction as a complementary analytical lens to van Leeuwen’s approach and illuminates the use of discursive legitimation in educational and professional settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Energy security is among the top security concerns of the 21st century requiring technological answers. However, the technological innovations adopted often not only serve to ensure adequate energy access and stable flow of energy, but also foster specific visions of socio-economic and techno-political orders and security. This paper tweaks the analytical lens of sociotechnical imaginaries, in which desired futures are connected to social and technical elements in concrete cases by adding a focus on identity formation and ontological security to the analytical model. Zooming in on the Baltic Sea Region, the paper traces sociotechnical imaginaries tied to the desired future of energy sovereignty through coal and nuclear energy in Poland and the bright future of energy independence through a liquified natural gas terminal in Lithuania. Nationally embedded understandings of how (in)security can be managed through technological innovation and how the desired national energy visions can be attained in the process highlight the importance of ontological security concerns. In tracing those themes, the paper combines a historical view with developments since the mid-2010s in Polish and Lithuanian energy discourse and analyzes the mainstream energy security imaginaries as envisioned by political elites. The study draws on speeches of key political figures, official documents concerning energy planning as well as semi-structured interviews. The analysis highlights how the study of energy innovation in the Baltic Sea Region can contribute to the conversation between critical security studies and science and technology studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many elements associated with aphasia, its assessment and treatment, and its effects on individuals living with this disorder have been examined. However, the implications for people with aphasia of living alone has not been a focus. Factors such as living alone, ageing, aphasia, gender, depression (and suicide), comorbid physical impairments and mortality converge and intersect with each other to have a profound effect on those individuals with aphasia who live alone. This study aimed to explore the research relating to people with aphasia living alone (PWALA), as well as to identify knowledge gaps and the key characteristics related to this topic. The PRISMA scoping review methodology was selected to search the current literature. Online databases (Google Scholar and five electronic journal databases) were used to identify relevant papers, predominantly published since the year 2000. From 1201 papers initially identified, 115 relating to the topic were imported into NVivo Qualitative Research Software and analysed into themes. From the 74 papers directly relating to the topic, seven themes emerged: emotional status, communication, identity, independence, family relationships, friends/visitors and daily activities. It was unclear how the experiences of PWALA compared to those not living alone from these papers as the information provided mainly reflected the studies' research questions, not specifically the fact that the person concerned was living alone. There is an obvious and urgent need to investigate the lived experience of PWALA. However, two key areas require immediate attention. PWALA require early and ongoing assessment, monitoring and intervention for depression, and also the implementation of strategies and programs to decrease loneliness and social isolation. This scoping review relating to PWALA revealed that insufficient attention has been paid to the specific issues and implications of aphasia for this sub-population. An urgent investigation of a diverse sample of PWALA using in-depth supportive interviewing techniques is needed to explore the personal experiences and perceptions of living alone. Based on this, strategies and programs can be developed or adapted to address and ameliorate the specific exigencies of PWALA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a cultural analysis of the popular Kuwaiti TV series Men Sharea El Haram (translated as From Haram Street). Combining religion, class, race, nationality, and patriarchy, Haram Street showcases pertinent issues that today's Kuwaiti society has to face. Attending to the scarcity of previous research on vernacular communities and their salient concerns, this paper explores the following research questions: How does Men Sharea El Haram capture the intersecting nature of women's resistance? What does a feminist Kuwaiti vernacular look like, and how does it intersect with privilege? The analysis outlines how Men Sharea El Haram touches upon several silenced themes in the conservative Kuwaiti society of Kuwait, showing the many and varied ways in which Kuwaiti women are oppressed and showcasing the ways in which women can—and do—resist. Together, the findings provide a deeper understanding of several central issues in Kuwaiti society, especially around masculinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes as its premise the idea that transferential phenomena emerge out of the endless interactions between the wider social context, including myriad social injustices, and the inter and intra psychic events psychoanalytic therapists are more familiar with thinking about. Freud's was a neuro-psycho-social model of development, with the interrelationship between internal life and social practices carefully mapped in 'Totem and Taboo' (1913) and 'Civilisation and Its Discontents' (S. Freud, 1930). However, what Freud left undone, and is still only nascent in its development, is the work of mapping how this interaction between internal and external, between psycho and social, manifests in the consulting room. Focusing on race, as one aspect of identity that powerfully impacts transferential phenomena, the paper presents accounts of clinical events, one disguised, one fictionalised, to explore the meaning of the author's own Whiteness in this context. Using a Kleinian and post-Kleinian understanding of very early Oedipal struggles, 'Whiteness' is formulated as an anti-developmental merger with the ideal breast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People on the move are increasingly immobilised between and within state borders, having left 'there' but not allowed to be fully 'here'. This paper presents a nuanced examination of this state of enforced in--betweenness, exploring how refugees and other migrants negotiate collective existence through, despite, and alongside liminality. Drawing on ethnographic data collected at a Swiss Red Cross psychotraumatology centre, the study identifies factors that impede and facilitate the formation of collective identities, with temporal and spatial liminality emerging as the most central collective experience for refugees and other migrants. The findings illustrate how therapists reinforce these bonds by fostering an idealised sense of therapeutic communitas that promotes unity in adversity. However, the paper refrains from reducing the collective significance of liminality to a mere act of defiance. Instead, it critically reflects on how refugees and other migrants forge collective connections within politically and legally imposed disconnection. It accounts for the paradox of refugees and other migrants making collective lives in liminality while confronting the always-imminent possibility of this very liminality dismantling their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since Reform and Opening Up, the Chinese government has been under pressure regarding policy on the residence of foreign migrants to the country. In response, the Chinese government released a document entitled the Regulations of the PRC on the Administration of Permanent Residence of Foreigners in February 2020, which has roused fierce social opposition, as reflected in Chinese netizens' attitudes towards foreign immigrants and citizenship identity. Based on online discussions in the Zhihu community, in this paper, we investigated the exclusive and inclusive boundaries of Chinese netizens' citizenship identity through quantitative and thematic textual analyses. The exclusive boundary includes racial and historical discourses that raise insurmountable walls between Chinese people and foreign immigrants, while the inclusive boundary is reflected in citizenship rights and access criteria. The issues of 'super-national treatment' (privileges enjoyed by foreign nationals with permanent Chinese residency) and 'low access criteria' (the relative ease with which foreign immigrants can obtain permanent residence in China) for foreign immigrants have weakened the openness of the inclusive boundary, causing netizens who were once willing to accept foreign immigrants to oppose the presence of non-native groups in the country. This study deepens our understanding of Chinese netizens' citizenship identity and contributes to citizenship identity theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines public leadership for peacebuilding in divided societies emerging from severe violence. It deploys two theories of leadership: social identity and political astuteness, to investigate peacebuilding leadership processes. The paper investigates contradictions in social identity leadership, since peacebuilding leaders reach out beyond their own group to outgroups in hostile contexts. Semi-structured interviews with 32 leaders in Northern Ireland and in Bosnia Herzegovina, reveal that leading for peacebuilding exhibits inverse processes of social identity leadership and that political astuteness is also critical to navigate integration and differentiation within/across groups. Wider implications for public leadership in societies containing division are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe paper aims to understand anthropomorphism concerning people’s perceptions, opinions, and emotions toward AI-based virtual influencers. PRAW (Python Reddit API Wrapper), a Python package was used to facilitate access to Reddit’s API to retrieve the comments and posts from Reddit servers. The comments from November 2018 to March 2024 were collected. A search feature was employed to search for the keywords ‘virtual influencers’, and ‘AI influencers.’ Based on 50,939 comments that were extracted were used for analysis. The findings show that audiences anthropomorphize AI Influencers’ marketing activities and share a common passion for online games. The findings also show that the audience perception of AI-based virtual influencers has seven key categories: uncanniness, promotional activities, esthetics, entertainment, gaming and recreation, identity and social life, and shared passion. The findings also show that the audience has a high level of trust and anticipation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of partisan media presents new challenges for political consultants. Informed by social identity theory and truth-default theory, this paper examines how U.S. voters react to politicians in combative news interviews. Experiment 1 (N = 320) establishes that an ingroup politician gains more trust among ingroup voters when interviewed by cross-partisan media accusing the politician of deception than when interviewed more congenially by co-partisan media. Experiment 2 (N = 131) finds that perceived media hostility increases Democrats’ and Republicans’ trust in a politician regardless of whether the interviewer accuses the politician of deception or is congenial. Experiment 3 (N = 126) replicates the findings when a Democrat is accused of deception on Fox News. The study tested a moderated mediation model, finding that Republican and Democratic voters do not react differently in the process. The discussion highlights the practical and theoretical implications of hostile media perceptions and ingroup–outgroup partisan bias in a polarized media environment with conflicting exposure to live fact-checking and deception detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Therapeutic group interventions are commonly provided in acquired brain injury (ABI) inpatient rehabilitation settings, but little is known about the extent of therapeutic groups run for community-dwellers with ABI. This paper seeks to review current literature concerning the nature of therapeutic groups run for community-dwellers with ABI and the involvement of occupational therapists. Materials & Methods: A scoping review was conducted with systematic searching of relevant databases guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework. Studies were included if they reported on therapeutic groups for community-dwellers with ABI. Articles were collated and summarised with key findings presented in narrative form with accompanying tables. Results: Seventy articles met inclusion. Groups are used as therapeutic change agents for community-dwellers with ABI and target a diverse range of participation barriers. Participants valued group programs that established safe environments, a sense of belonging, growth opportunities and social connections. Group accessibility needs to be improved, with better funding avenues available for service providers, as well as greater consumer involvement in group design and facilitation. Conclusions: Groups are a valuable therapeutic modality supporting community-dwellers with ABI. Further research is warranted into the use of groups by occupational therapists working with community-dwellers with ABI. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Therapeutic groups can support the development of social connections, community participation and help community-dwellers with ABI re-establish a positive self-identity. Conducting groups in community settings and involving consumers in group design and facilitation may enhance the group experience for participants. Occupational Therapists should be involved in the design and delivery of occupation-based and participation focused group-based programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collective identity (CI) is one of the levels of the social construction of citizenship. It was assumed that since citizenship as a state-centred notion is difficult to maintain today, an analysis of CI should exceed national, ethnic, language and cultural identifications. What does it look like in the case of CI constructed discursively by youth organisations? The aim of the research presented in the paper is to reconstruct collective identities (CIs) based on a discourse analysis of selected youth organisations operating in Poland and an assessment of their community-individual orientation. The research material constituted 696 documents produced in 2018 by six youth organisations on their official websites and Facebook profiles. The approach by Ruth Wodak and Martin Reisigl was adopted. We analysed the application of discursive strategies in the texts referring to the ‘we’ and ‘they’ categories. The conclusions indicate, among others, that in the analysed discourses the CI is differentiated by the manner of distinguishing from ‘others’ and the constellation of predicates relating to the category ‘we’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the Brexit referendum vote by focusing on how national self-esteem connects with citizen desires to maintain membership in the European Union. Specifically, the analysis focuses on how the perception of the UK and Germany’s roles in the EU led to the leave vote. Given the high level of national pride among the British, Brexiters consider membership in a highly integrated organization as a blow to national self-esteem if they believe the UK has low levels of influence. Evidence demonstrates that a low perceived influence of the UK in the EU and the mistrust of the EU’s regional leader (Germany) can strongly predict the leave vote. However, even among strong nationalists, perceived high UK influence reduces the likelihood of a Brexit vote. Survey data of British voters collected two months prior to the referendum support the hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe present study explored how identity authenticity and LGBT+ community connectedness may mediate the effects of interpersonal discrimination on life satisfaction in a sample of LGBT+ participants across three counties. We used a cross-sectional online survey to collect data and paper questionnaires. Participants were 723 LGBT+ people (56.6% females): 308 (42%) of participants were from the UK, 245 (34%) from Italy, and 170 (24%) from Turkey. Participants’ age ranged from 18–60 years (M = 33.83, SD = 11.55). Analysis of variance and multigroup mediation models implemented through path analysis were performed. The associations of interpersonal discrimination with identity authenticity and connectedness to the LGBT+ community showed cross-country variations. The association between interpersonal discrimination and identity authenticity was stronger in Italy than in the UK but non-significant in Turkey. Interpersonal discrimination showed a negative association with connectedness to the LGBT+ community in Italy and the UK, with Italy exhibiting the strongest effect. Conversely, this association was positive in Turkey. Irrespective of the country, life satisfaction showed a negative association with interpersonal discrimination and positive associations with identity authenticity and connectedness to the LGBT+ community. This study provides valuable insights into the differences and similarities between the experiences of LGBT+ people in the UK, Italy, and Turkey. The social and policy implications that emerge from the study highlight the relevance of addressing structural stigma in different cultures and emphasize the need for targeted interventions and supportive policies at the supranational level to improve the quality of life of LGBT+ individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single motherhood has been a contentious subject in Britain. Yet there remains a lack of research which focuses on the complex experiences of global majority single mothers based in England. Drawing on interview data from two studies, this article addresses this gap in analysing the experiences of three often stigmatised and misunderstood groups – African Caribbean, Bangladeshi and Pakistani women experiencing single motherhood. In this paper, we examine how their lived realities are varyingly shaped by gender, class, ethnicity, religion and culture and the challenges and opportunities this presents. We identify similarities and differences within their experiences and understand these in relation to their intersectional identities and social positioning. We highlight the constraints and distinctive pressures these mothers face, as well as their agency and resourcefulness. We argue for greater inclusion of and attention to these populations in research on single motherhood and a collective valuing of mothers’ care work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to understand how citizens' more intrinsic cultural orientations shape their attitudes toward the importance of ethics. Drawing upon the Grid-Group Cultural Theory, we investigate how four different cultural orientations influence citizens' attitudes toward ethics in distinctive ways. Our multivariate analysis of the survey responses of 1,260 Seoul citizens revealed that strong hierarchs, egalitarians, and individualists are more likely to recognize the importance and necessity of public ethics. Fatalist orientation, however, did not show a statistically significant relationship with the importance and necessity of public ethics. It was individualism that exerted the most significant influence over the importance of ethics in personal life, while the perception of the importance of ethics in the public sector and the necessity for ethics training for public officials were found to be mostly supported by strong hierarchs. We conclude this paper by discussing the theoretical and practical ramifications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the impact of disability on the social identities of siblings of young people and adults with cognitive disabilities. The main aim is to empirically support the concept of 'disability by association', which refers to the attribution of an associative identity due to the presence of a disabled member in the family. Evidence is drawn from a qualitative study, made up of 32 in-depth interviews and two focus groups with siblings without disabilities. The results confirmed the impact of interactive effects on the lives and behaviours of the interviewees. The internalisation of the oppression experienced by siblings, even in the absence of actual negative incidents, limits their social life experience and identity construction. Although the siblings develop non-medical representations of disability and impairment, this conceptual repertoire is not strong enough to challenge devalued images of cognitive disability. Points of interest: Siblings' points of view are underdeveloped, while most studies focused on parents' perspectives. The research found that siblings have different views on disability and impairment than parents. Siblings may experience stigma and exclusion due to their brothers and sisters' disability. The research recommended that siblings' difficulties and needs be taken into account when talking about the experience of disability within families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, as Black scholars, we address ways that interventions designed to promote equity in health can create pathways for coupling decolonization with antiracism by drawing on the intersection of the health of Africans and African Americans. To frame this intersection, we offer the Public Health Critical Race Praxis (PHCRP) and the PEN-3 Cultural Model as antiracism and decolonization tools that can jointly advance research on colonization and racism globally. We argue that racism is a global reality; PHCRP, an antiracism framework, and PEN-3, a decolonizing framework, can guide interventions to promote equity for Africans and African Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Watermelon production has rapidly increased in Morocco over the last 15 years. Since its independence in 1956, Morocco has promoted the production of early-season fruits and vegetables for European supermarkets to boost the national economy and improve rural livelihoods. Today, the expansion of watermelon production in arid regions of the country has had profound impacts on local land and water resources. In Zagora, a pre-Sahara oasis region in the southeast of the country, watermelons have contributed to the overuse of aquifers, trapping farmers in cycles of accumulating debt, and increasing conflict over land. Drawing on interviews and participant observation with residents and officials from 2021-2023, this paper demonstrates how a pastoral community embraced watermelon production in an effort to engage with the agro-export sector that drives the country's agricultural growth. Yet rather than contributing to the overall development of the region, watermelon production has deepened gender and economic disparities within the community and privileged a small group of farmers with access to capital. Although authorities restricted watermelon production in 2023, larger investors simply moved production, leaving small farmers to confront the volatile market while trying to sustain land, water, and collective identity in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper utilizes data from the China Land Economic Survey (CLES) to investigate the impact of rural cadre households on formal credit in Jiangsu Province, China. The findings demonstrate that rural cadre households are more likely to obtain formal credit compared to non-cadre households. This result is robust and supported by various mechanisms, including rural cadre households' superior financial knowledge, family assets, and social capital. The study highlights the significance of political status as a crucial factor influencing households' access to credit, thereby adding to the existing literature on household finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concept class analysis (CoCA) is a method for recovering cultural schemas in texts using a combination of word embedding and community detection models. Like survey-based forms of schematic class analysis (SCA), however, interpreting results can be difficult. Some of these interpretive difficulties are applicable across types of SCA, while others are unique to CoCA. In this paper, we propose a complete workflow for interpreting and analyzing CoCA output. We use the case of social identity schemas in a collection of over 13,000 U.S. political blog posts to outline a number of interpretive and analytical strategies and a robustness check to make sense of the cultural schemas recovered from texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Writings on epistemic injustice have assessed how people can be harmed in their capacity as knowers when they are a racial minority, a woman, disabled and so on. But what about when they belong to the working class? This paper is an initial attempt to understand why class has so far received limited attention within writings on epistemic injustice and to respond to these reasons. It focuses on how testimonial and hermeneutic injustices specifically harm workers in ways distinctive from the harm one might suffer due to other social identities. It does this by drawing attention to the special case of industrial strike action and the play of conceptual resources and credibility assessments that influence the action's success. Additionally, it provides a first-time exposition for social epistemologists on what I term the 'class compositional approach', derived from 1960-70s Italian labour struggles. This approach, I argue, succeeds in evading the criticism of class reductionism while developing recent philosophical work on class-based injustice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public mobilization of religious communities to acquire political space has been a heated discussion among scholars worldwide. Research reveals a long history of religious communities participating in political movements. However, in India, the debate on the recognition and protection of religious identity has been reduced to a discourse of minority versus majority religion. This paper examines the ongoing political mobilization by tribal communities in the state of Jharkhand and its demand for a separate religious column in the census of India. The underlying motive of this mobilization is to establish their religious identity, which is separate from both Hinduism and Christianity, and to resist the encroachment of tribal land by campaigning for tribal control over state resources through strengthening the constitutional provisions. The study focuses on tribal protests on social media platforms, in addition to the 2019 protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, initiated by tribal groups demanding the Sarna-tribal religion as a legitimate religious choice in the census of India. The study used qualitative inductive analysis on data sourced through participant observation and 50 semi-structured interviews. The results prove that the ongoing protest for the recognition of the Sarna-tribal religion is stimulated by the threat to their religious identity and land rights. Additionally, social media played a crucial role in informing, mobilizing, and stimulating feelings of collective group identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much academic literature on intersectional stigma is limited by a focus on relatively static and “universal” identity traits, such as ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. This paper addresses local dynamics of intersectional stigma for Black LGBTQ people in Montreal, QC, Canada. Findings draw from fourteen semi-structured, virtual interviews with key informants providing critical services to Black LGBTQ people living in Montreal. Findings suggest intersectional stigmatization via social identity and local power dynamics converge. Specifically, language and immigration are two domains determining intersectional stigma challenges and ameliorative opportunities for Black LGBTQ people in the city. Specific immigration-related challenges included (1) insecurity (e.g. concerning Canadian residency), (2) barriers to resource access (e.g. social and legal services), and (3) stressful identity challenges. Specific language issues included (1) Francophone limitations for expressing gender and sexual diversity and (2) exclusionary linguistic divisions (i.e. Franco/Anglo, Franco/non-Franco, and Western/non-Western). Local, place-based power inequities may determine black LGBTQ experiences of intersectional stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractCare experienced students are one of the most under-represented groups in higher education (HE) in the UK. Research in this field has sought to understand why some care experienced young people successfully transition to higher education and achieve good outcomes in it, despite experiencing considerable adversities and inequalities. To date, there has been scant detailed attention to the role of students’ wider social contexts in their transitions to university. Drawing on the voices of 14 care experienced students and graduates from UK universities, the paper highlights the role of their learning identities and social and cultural capitals and resources in their transitions to HE. The data provides an opportunity to critique individualising accounts of successful transitions to HE which have foregrounded notions of resilience or self-determination, by highlighting the role of wider social circumstances in care experienced students’ higher education decisions and transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discourse of Iranian nationalism exhibits distinct attributes, including Aryanism, anti-Arabism, and a yearning to restore ancient Iran. Originating during the Qajar period and prevailing throughout the Pahlavi era, this discourse faced marginalization following the Islamic Revolution, remaining dormant for three decades. However, in the past decade, it has experienced a gradual resurgence and gained media representation, termed ‘Iranian neo-nationalism’ for reasons elucidated in the introduction. This study aims to investigate the factors underlying this resurgence. Utilizing the qualitative content analysis method and the theory of politicized group identity from a social psychology perspective, the paper contends that this re-emergence is grounded in enduring political, cultural, and global processes, as well as immediate cognitive and psychological processes. These intertwined processes reveal an ‘identity security dilemma’ in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe paper explores the use of country-related stereotypes associated with Italian identity in the social media communication of 21 Italian fashion brands on Instagram. Focusing on the concept of “made in Italy”, the research employs image content analysis to identify how the selected sample of brands communicates Italian identity globally. The theoretical framework emphasizes the importance of the Country of Origin (COO) concept, indicating that “made in Italy” extends beyond a manufacturing label to encompass cultural, historical, and esthetic dimensions. The analysis reveals Italian fashion brands’ deliberate use of stereotypes, iconic objects, and cultural references to shape and reinforce Italian identity in their digital communication. It highlights the intertwining of these elements, contributing to a multifaceted narrative that extends beyond product promotion. Moreover, it underscores the role of social media, particularly Instagram, in enabling brands to project their Italian identity globally, perpetuating esthetics associated with the concept of “dolce vita”. The study emphasizes the importance of holistic brand communication and the powerful role of Instagram in shaping and reinforcing the global image of “made in Italy”. It also offers insights on utilizing stereotypes and cultural symbols to enhance brand identity, aligning with perceptions associated with Italian culture1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the cultural conceptualisation of children's social identity and status through memorialisation, based on the study of children's grave markers and plots in five South Australian cemeteries (from colonisation to the present), with an age range from infant (including stillborn) to 20 years. The idea of childness, the differing conception of being or being labelled a child, was used as a measure to identify the degree of variation in child identity realised by child-only and family grave markers, showing both change and continuity in the representation of children through family choices of form, style, wording, motif, spatial arrangement and grave furniture. Archaeological evidence of childness was observed through representations of smallness, innocence, domesticity, play, temporality and the distinct emotional nature of the parent-child relationship. Notably in the latter period of study, within the context of lower child mortality, revised understandings of child identity and status were observed representing the social re-evaluation of prenatally deceased and stillborn children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ritual practices as behavior, and the cognitive acknowledgment of life and death, foster a depth in social identity, collective social memory, and a societal worldview. This paper outlines the evidence of Early Bronze Age burial practices in northwestern Iran to discuss the newly discovered chamber tombs at Kohne Tepesi within the broader context of mortuary practices during the middle and last part of the 3rd millennium b.c. The findings from Kohne Tepesi support the idea that, at least for parts of Kura-Araxes society, burial rites and commemoration of the dead played a crucial role in their worldview. Furthermore, this site demonstrates that the changes in symbolic practices and social behavior during the Early Kurgan period were not spontaneous but rooted in the last phases of the Kura-Araxes period and that the perceptions of earlier traditions had been conserved in long-term social memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experience of adopted college/university students and young adults, and their unique challenges in understanding the development of their personal identities, is an important topic for research and clinical practice with adopted people. This paper examines college and university students' understanding of how their life experiences of being born Asian but being raised in a non-Asian adoptive family have influenced their personal racial identity formation and how this may have affected their choices of study and career. In addition to subjects' responses to a questionnaire, participants completed five peer-reviewed scales that revealed information about how they perceive their racial identities and their efforts to distinguish genetics from environmental influences on their personal identities. This article reports on the key findings that have significance for psychotherapists treating these students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I argue that considerations of epistemic bubbles can give us reason to defend censorship of hate speech. Although censoring hate speech leads to epistemic bubbles ('censorship bubbles'), they tend to be less epistemically problematic than epistemic bubbles generated by the circulation of hate speech ('hate bubbles'). Because hate speech silences its target groups and creates the illusion that the dominant group identities are threatened, hate bubbles are likely more restrictive in structure than censorship bubbles and have a stronger tendency to turn into echo chambers where opposing views are actively discredited. Therefore, I argue that censorship bubbles might be a minor price we ought to pay to avoid hate bubbles. Additionally, my analysis shows that we cannot focus exclusively on the content or the structure of epistemic bubbles, since their content can partly determine their structure, as is in the case of hate bubbles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Counterspaces are fields of social action and activism in which people organize themselves to change oppressive social structures. Ableism, or discrimination based on disability, is expressed in everyday life. Its expressions may take the form of ableist microaggressions. This paper analyses a Twitter campaign, through a sample of 335 tweets published from August to December 2018 under the hashtag MeCripple, that exposed ableism and the daily microaggressions people with disabilities endure in Spain. It examines exposed ableist microaggressions, tests if the domains of microaggressions proposed by other scholars apply to Spain, and explores whether the campaign generated a space for coping and responding to ableist discrimination. It also shows that practices of online visibility generate heterotopic online counterspaces leading to cooperation and mutual support to counter ableist microaggressions. This article analyzes a 2018 Twitter campaign in Spain under the hashtag MeCripple as an offshoot of the MeToo movement. Most of the tweets under this hashtag report experiences of discrimination, insults, or contempt towards a person just for having a disability: we call these situations ableist microaggressions. The classification of ableist microaggressions used in this study serves to analyze experiences in both the U.S. and Spain. Tweets in this campaign expressed the importance of meeting each other on social media websites, such as Twitter, and bringing visibility to the discrimination faced by people with disabilities. This article suggests that public exchanges can help people unaware of ableist microaggressions better understand these forms of discrimination and mobilize them to form alliances to counter these aggressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the challenges faced by Chinese queer feminist activists as they navigate the rise of cyber-nationalist attacks. Drawing from the author's involvement in China's lala and feminist movements, activists writings, and three interviews, the article discusses how lala activists cope with the rising Chinese cyber-nationalism through various strategies and reconceptualize activism beyond identity groups. The first part of the paper situates the rise of nationalism in Chinese cyberspace in relation to global neo-fascism, identifying the overlapping cyber-trolling infrastructures, the basic form of "palingenetic ultra-nationalism", and the anti-gender/queer sentiments in neo-fascist movements transcending ideological and political divisions in different regions. The second part discusses the difficulties faced by lala activists when dealing with imbalanced accountability and censorship, as well as the "hegemonic masculinity" in cyber-nationalist attacks, revealing that hegemonic masculinity seeks not only to reinforce traditional gender norms but also to control everyone's personal lives. The last part argues that Chinese lala activists' friendship-based alliances provide a valuable strategy under intensifying cyber-nationalism and state censorship. By engaging in diverse social issues and collaborating with various groups, this friendship-based solidarity prioritizes a caring life and fosters a situation where activists explore different social issues, initiate actions, and seek supporters based on specific issues instead of identities. This strategy may offer valuable insights into feminist/queer resistance during dark times, when the rise of global neo-fascism and its appropriation of identity discourse increasingly creates incommensuration between national identities and gender/sexuality identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPoints of InterestThis paper examines autistic adults’ narratives and accounts of their experiences. It focuses on exploring how autistic individuals interpret and respond to stigma and negative attitudes surrounding autism. Thematic analysis of qualitative data obtained from interviews and focus groups reveals how autistic persons reconstruct their self-perception and definition of autism in response to stigma and societal attitudes. Further, the analysis reveals the prevalent use of social camouflaging among autistic adults to manage and cope with their stigmatized identities. This research contends that the dual approach that appeared among participants of advocating for autism acceptance while masking and concealing autism, reflects a continuous balancing act between avoiding stigma and its harmful consequences and striving to fit in, gain acceptance, engage in social interaction and relationships. Reframing autism as positive and reporting decreased motivation for camouflaging and increased self-acceptance, demonstrate stigma resistance and the agency and power possessed by autistic people.This article looks into how autistic adults describe their daily and social experiences.Specifically, it examines the impact of stigma on autistic individuals’ understanding of autism as well as explains how autistic people deal with stigmatic views and negative reactions to autism.The data collected for this study is based on interviews and focus groups conducted with autistic adults.The study highlights the use of masking, where autistic individuals hide their autism to avoid stigma and its negative consequences while seeking social acceptance and engaging socially.By exploring how autism intersects with various social identities, the study reveals how autistic individuals navigate societal challenges, highlighting the diverse experiences and perspectives within the autistic community and the complexity of the autism experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the course of the nineteenth century the island of Kythera, Southwest Greece, was part of the United States of Ionian Islands, under the control of the British empire. This paper explores the materiality of colonialism in local contexts, through the object itineraries of a group of stoneware bottles—a class of artefacts that continues to be represented in domestic assemblages locally today. We examine the diverse ways the vessels became entangled with the lives of individuals, colonialist agendas, and collective perceptions of identity, seeking to identify how the meanings associated with the objects and their relational connections shifted across time and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public Administration's attempts to understand race and racism insufficiently engage with the historical processes and legacies of White Supremacy. This paper problematizes whiteness and proposes an approach to expand social equity and deepen the field's racial analysis. Drawing on institutional logics perspective, we identify and describe logics of whiteness, an analytic approach that reveals whiteness through the logics of racial capitalism and whiteness as property and provides entry for historical, systems-connected, multi-level analyses of race, racism, racial categorization, and racialized power. We locate whiteness in the institution of citizenship to engage these logics and interrogate how citizens and citizenship are defined by and served in the bureaucracy. Neoliberalism has allowed the administrative state to assign differential citizenship identities across groups according to the logics of whiteness, with both symbolic and material implications for individual lives and for Public Administration theory and praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]