7627 research outputs found
Sort by
Visual self-presentation and the socio-cultural construction of attractiveness in image-based online dating : a cross-cultural analysis of gender, sexuality, and cultural context in online dating profiles
No full textThis thesis investigates mediated self-presentation in online dating and the sociocultural construction of attractiveness through visual practices. It examines how online dating users anticipate and perform attractiveness through visual themes, and how these constructions differ across geo-cultural regions, gender, and sexuality. Building on practice theory and poststructuralist theories, the study introduces a knowledge-based framework that conceptualizes self-presentation as the performative reproduction of socio-cultural orders of knowledge. The study employs a novel mixed-methods design, combining computational techniques such as image and data clustering and dimension reduction with reconstructivequalitative analysis. A distinctive methodological innovation lies in analyzing the entirety of each user’s profile rather than isolated images. The dataset comprises 13,000 Tinder profiles and 73,206 images collected from 13 locations across five continents. This large-scale empirical basis supports both cross-cultural comparison and the identification of recurrent socio-cultural logics of attractiveness. The analysis identifies ten distinct discursive constructions of attractiveness, conceptualized as self-presentation tactics. These tactics are empirically observed to cluster into fifteen dominant self-presentation strategies, empirical observable and recurrent configurations in which users combine tactics across their profile images to perform and anticipate attractiveness. The findings show that geo-cultural proximity positively influences similarity in self-presentation, with locations within the same cultural region, such as Western, East Asian, or Eastern European, exhibiting stronger internal resemblance than those across regions. Gender is found to exert a stronger influence on selfpresentation than sexuality, with gender differences in tactic and strategy use being moderated by location. For example, locations like South Korea, the USA, Denmark, and Hong Kong show greater convergence between self-presentations of men and women, whereas Poland, Brazil, and Serbia exhibit more pronounced gender-based distinctions. While sexuality also moderates self-presentation, these effects are less consistent across locations. This thesis makes an original theoretical contribution by advancing the understanding of the self as a socio-cultural construct embedded in and constituted through visual and digital practices. It conceptualizes self-presentation as a situated performance structured by culturally situated forms of embodied knowledge and shaped by power/knowledge relations. By focusing on images as visual artifacts rather than narrative rationalizations, the study foregrounds the performative and tacit dimensions of self-presentation, offering a framework for analyzing how broader cultural discourses are reproduced, negotiated, and embodied in everyday visual practices. Within this framework, self-presentation is further understood as a form of embodied cultural capital through which users cue and performatively claim various forms of capital to position themselves within the social field of courtship and desirability
Chinese prostitution policies from 1949 to 2024 : an analysis from the perspectives of Marxism, political economy, cultural citizenship, and feminism
No full textExisting scholarship on Chinese prostitution control largely focuses on limited historical periods, legal regulations, or single theoretical perspectives, leaving a gap in understanding how Chinese prostitution policies have evolved from a historical perspective across the entire post-1949 era. This study aims to fill this gap by addressing four research questions: (a) What were the main changes in Chinese prostitution policies from 1949 to 2024? (b) How far can the four approaches (Marxism, political economy, cultural citizenship, feminism) effectively explain the nature of Chinese prostitution policies in different periods? (c) What are the main factors shaping Chinese prostitution policies in different periods? and (d) What social policies and welfare practices need to be adopted to promote the well-being of Chinese prostitutes? The study employs four approaches to systematically explain the driving factors that have shaped China’s policies on prostitution at different times. Documentary analysis is employed to explore diverse social contexts and policy content using a broad range of primary and secondary sources, including prostitution laws and central government policies, government reports, official and institutional data, newspapers, research reports, biographies, academic literature, etc.
As a historically and systematically conducted policy analysis, the research findings reveal that despite the Chinese government’s longstanding opposition to prostitution, prostitution policies have been adjusted over time in response to changing social contexts. The study thus provides two major contributions. First, it comprehensively examines the transformation of the Chinese prostitution policy from 1949 to 2024. Second, it demonstrates that prostitution policy is shaped by a complex interplay of political, economic, cultural, and social factors, rather than by any single driving force. Accordingly, the study argues that no single theoretical approach among the four employed-Marxism, political economy, cultural citizenship, and feminism-can fully account for the evolution and nature of prostitution policies across all periods; each approach highlights only specific aspects of policy development at particular stages.
Furthermore, while acknowledging that the living conditions of prostitutes in China are shaped by the intersection of political, economic, and cultural factors, this study highlights that the current restrictions on non-governmental organisations and feminist grassroots initiatives may further limit the scarce rights protection and social support available to them. It therefore emphasises the need for a mechanism to safeguard prostitutes’ rights, including collaboration between social organisations and official institutions. Inclusive policymaking is also crucial, involving both service users and providers (prostitutes and workers of nongovernmental organisations) in policy development, so that their lived experiences inform appropriate services to improve the well-being of Chinese prostitutes
Exploring the strategies in creating and sustaining commons : organization, mobilization, and tactics in the Hong Kong context
No full textAfter experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and the migration wave in the post-2019 era, Hong Kong has undergone a rapid change in its social context. Facing the multifaceted aspects and complexities in the new context, this thesis hopes to explore the possibility of commons and commoning - a pluralistic concept that encompasses a set of principles for social practices in making a more inclusive society - to be a potential alternative, or at least a kind of hope mechanism to enhance people’s well-being amid the current predicament.
Drawing on the seminal literature of Elinor Ostrom, J. K. Gibson-Graham, and Erik Olin Wright, through conducting participatory action research in i-COMMON HK - a social innovation platform that promotes the ideas of commons -, and having case studies on its extended cases, this research has (re)examined the internal mechanisms for operating a common, and explored the strategies for mobilizing people in making collective actions. The contribution of this research can unfold in three ways. Theoretically, this research has (re)organized the theoretical conceptions of commons systematically and constructed a framework for understanding the commons in the contemporary context. Contextually, this research has argued commons could be a potential solution for improving people\u27s well-being, or even transforming the problematic institution in a broader context. Operationally, this research has also attempted to bring academic theories into practice and identify the forces and tactics that could be utilized when initiating new common actions
馬華電影《五月雪》中大馬華人的想像共同體
No full text《五月雪》導演張吉安，作為馬來西亞新浪潮電影的代表導演之一，時常以其獨特的敘事基調，介入大馬華人在馬來西亞的生存情況，其對文化、宗教、語言的大膽描摹構成了馬來西亞地域華人獨特的美學風格。張吉安自09年投入電影行業以來，作品屢獲國際殊榮：首部短片《義山》入圍第22屆釜山國際影展，電影《南巫》入圍金馬創投，而《五月雪》更斬獲金馬獎九項提名及紐約亞洲電影節最佳影片等榮譽，奠定了其在馬華影壇的重要地位。
在多民族共生的馬來西亞社會語境中，語言文化生態的多元性構成了馬華電影的重要美學特徵。而對於華人導演而言，這種多語言文化的並置現象不單只是國家文化生態的直觀反映，更是大馬華人族群生存實態的隱喻性象徵不同語言的碰撞與融合，已經在當下重要的傳播媒體──銀幕空間中構建出了具有地域特質的文化景觀，形成區別於傳統華語電影的「在地化」模式，進而催生出獨屬於大馬華人的文化特色。
本文將應用「華語語系研究」中的語言考察視角，加以文本細讀，剖析《五月雪》中華人文化的表達策略，重點考察其「異質性」如何作為文化特點，揭示大馬華人如何在多重文化張力下形成其「想象共同體」的獨特形態。本研究將特別關注大馬華人的身份認同與文化內部的異質性特徵，探討這種「非純粹」性與大馬華人想像共同體之間的關係
《經律異相》中的動物寓言研究
No full text《經律異相》是中國史上首部佛教類書，由南朝僧人釋寶唱編著。相關研究成果已蔚然可觀，然目前學術界對其研究多以文獻學以及文字學領域為主，有關其文學價值以及敘事類型的探討相對薄弱。針對其中動物寓言的專門研究更是寥寥可數，故本文有意拓寬相關領域，研究新題目。
本文對《經律異相》中的動物寓言進行研究。《經律異相》共分50卷，有696則，本文共從其中找出124則動物寓言故事。本文共分為七章，第一章為緒論，說明研究動機及目的，界定「動物寓言」的定義和範疇，並回顧目前與《經律異相》相關的研究現況。第二章本文為對《經律異相》的研究概述，根據佛教的「十二分教」來將《經律異相》中的故事分類為本生故事和因緣故事。第三章討論動物寓言中本生故事的內容特色和結構，本章運用「三段敘事法」分析其結構。並以戒惡行和行布施兩個佛理角度探討其故事內容。第四章則分析動物寓言中因緣故事的內容故事特色和結構，結構分為直接說法、用過去世的故事說法、化身為動物說法三個方面，並深入分析關於「正言」及「正命」內容的故事。第五章以《經律異相》中的降魔主題分析，指出其對於後世佛經變文的重要影響。第六章討論動物擬人的故事的教化特質，探討這類故事的教化特質。第七章為結語，總結研究成果
羅漢住寺 : 道宣的中土聖寺建構與感應敘事
No full text阿羅漢觀念源於印度，傳入中土後，逐漸演化爲能够感應顯聖的宗教角色。本文從宗教與文學角度，分析道宣（596—667）《集神州三寳感通録》卷下羅漢與聖寺的感應敘事。他引據北涼道泰譯《入大乘論》等經律，將以天竺爲中心的三洲宇宙觀轉化爲中土空間敘事，將羅漢的顯聖行跡落實於神州的山林寺宇之中。這些敘事融合道教洞天福地與名山信仰的母題，經由“偶值”“誤入”和“尋訪”等情節，呈現聖人與凡俗間活生生的互動敘事，並展現佛教信仰的靈驗性與住持正法的作用。
道宣不僅是敘事的整理者，亦以親歷者身份出現於記載中，其“不識”的視角，反映凡夫對神聖的距離感與追慕心理，深化感應的信仰結構。值得注意的是，本文亦指出道宣並未採用同時期玄奘新譯《大阿羅漢難陀蜜多羅法住記》，顯示其有意回應新舊學義理競爭的局勢，並轉而靈活運用中國道教文化資源，在“交涉”與“融合”中化解中土佛教作爲“邊地”的文化焦慮，最終建構出具有地方特色的佛教聖地與羅漢形象，體現佛教在地化與跨文化轉譯的深度與多樣性。
The concept of the Arhat originated in India and, upon its transmission to China, gradually evolved into a religious figure capable of miraculous response and divine manifestation. This paper examines the narratives of Arhats and sacred temples in Scroll third of Ji Shenzhou Sanbao Gantong Lu (Records of Miraculous Responses to the Three Treasures in China) , compiled by Daoxuan (596—667), through both religious and literary perspectives. By citing scriptures such as the Entry into the Mahāyāna Sūtra (Ru Dasheng Lun), translated by Dharmakṣema in the Northern Liang, Daoxuan reinterprets the tripartite cosmological framework centered on India into a spatial narrative localized in the Chinese cultural and geographical landscape. In this transformation, the miraculous presence of Arhats is relocated into the sacred temples scattered across the mountains and remote regions of Han China (Shenzhou). These narratives are interwoven with themes from Daoist sacred geography — namely, dongtian (cavern-heavens) and fudi (blessed lands) — and employ tropes such as “chance encounters,” “accidental entries,” and “search-and-discovery” to depict dynamic interactions between saints and laypeople. Through such depictions, the efficacy of Buddhist faith is affirmed, and the sustaining of the Dharma is reinforced.
Daoxuan appears not only as a compiler of these accounts but also as a participant. His narrative voice often adopts a perspective of “not recognizing” the sacred, reflecting the layperson’s distance from the divine and evoking a yearning for the Dharma. Notably, this paper argues that Daoxuan intentionally avoids referencing the Dharmadhātu-Stava of the Great Arhat Nandimitra, newly translated by Xuanzang, thereby revealing the tensions between old and new doctrinal schools. Instead, he skillfully engages Daoist cultural resources, negotiating and integrating them to address the cultural anxieties of Chinese Buddhism as a perceived periphery. In doing so, he constructs localized sacred sites and Arhat figures, highlighting the depth and diversity of Buddhist localization and cross-cultural adaptation in medieval China
《弘明集》《廣弘明集》之單刻及其影響
No full text徽商、居士吳惟明奉其師紫柏真可之命，於萬曆十四年將《弘明集》《廣弘明集》單獨刊刻，刻成後即得到五臺山刻方册大藏負責人密藏道開的高度讚賞，初期刊刻的大藏也以此書爲“家法”，吳刻兩集影響到大藏之刊刻。實際上，吳惟明本人深度參與大藏的籌備與刊刻，不僅捐資刊刻，還派送、推薦刻工至五臺山。吳刻將《弘明》兩集合刻，删去兩書原序、爲兩書各自重編了目録、集中編排音釋;雖以永樂北藏本爲底本，但大量增删改動：詩歌部分據馮惟訥《古詩紀》直接校改底本文字，並“改每篇標目，上目下名”，改變原書編排體例，甚至還會調整詩文編次，已非藏經本原貌。然而，此本問世不久就成爲流通本，嘉興藏本《弘明》二集即採作底本，四庫本、金陵刻書處本、天寧寺本多據以刊刻，《四部叢刊》《四部備要》也據以影印。日本承應三年刻《廣弘明集》、黃檗藏本《弘明》兩集均據以刊刻。明清以來學者據《弘明》二集辑佚先唐佛教詩文，所據之本多爲吳刻系统，不可避免要受此本增删臆改之誤導。
Wu Weiming, a Huizhou merchant and lay Buddhist, followed the order of his teacher Zibai Zhenke to publish Hongmingji and Guanghongmingji separately in the 14th year of Wanli. After they were completed, they were highly praised by Mizang Daokai, the person in charge of the printing of the square volume of the Tibetan Buddhist canon in Mount Wutai. The initial printing of the Tibetan Buddhist canon also used this book as the canon. Wu’s printing of the two collections actually influenced the printing of the Tibetan Buddhist canon. In fact, Wu Weiming himself was deeply involved in the preparation and publication of the Tripitaka. He not only donated money for publication, but also sent and recommended engravers to Mount Wutai. Wu Weiming engraved Hongmingji and Guanghongmingji, deleted the original prefaces of the two books, re-edited the catalog for each book, and compiled the phonetic annotations in a centralized manner; although the Yongle Beizang version was used as the base text, a large number of additions, deletions and modifications were made: the poetry part was directly revised according to Feng Weine’s Ancient Poetry Records, and “the title of each article was changed, with the title above and the name below”, changing the original book’s arrangement style, and even adjusting the order of poems and essays, which was no longer the original appearance of the Tibetan Buddhist canon. However, this edition became the circulating edition soon after it was published. The Jiaxing collection of the Hongmingji and Guanghongmingji was used as the base edition. The Siku edition, the Jinling Printing House edition, and the Tianning Temple edition were mostly printed based on it. The Sibucongkan and Sibu beiyao were also copied based on it. The Guanghongmingji engraved in Japan in the third year of Shoyo and the Hongmingji collected by Obaku were both published based on it. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, scholars have compiled lost Buddhist poems and essays from the pre-Tang Dynasty based on Hongmingji and Guanghongmingji. The version they relied on was mostly the Wu-engraved system, and they were inevitably misled by the additions, deletions and arbitrary modifications of this version
引言
No full text佛教自兩漢之際傳人中土，逐漸深人中國文化之生命脈動，與儒、道諸固有精神傳統并存而匯流，蔚爲壯觀。中國古典文學堪稱中國文化最爲精粹之一脈，佛教文化與之交融，自兩晉以下，既爲客觀之事實，亦因而構成令人目不暇接之無數景觀，鄭振鐸先生通觀其所謂中世紀之六朝至明代的文學歷程，曾言 : “中世紀文學史裏的一件大事，便是佛教文學的輸人。從佛教文學輸人以後，我們的中世紀文學所經歷的路線，便和前大不相同了。我們於是有了許多偉大的翻譯的作品以外，在音韻上，在故事的題材上，在典故成語上，多多少少的都受有佛教文學的影響。最後，且更擬仿著印度文學的‘文體’而産生出好幾種弘偉無比的新的文體出來。”
20世紀以來，以現代的學術立場，專注、研討佛教文化因素在文人之精神世界、文學之形式内涵諸多方面之影響與作用，既多大師巨子，成果亦斐然可觀，在相當的程度上刷新了對若干文學演進關鍵環節乃至各時段文學 史面貌的認知與理解。迄今百餘年，“佛教與中國文學”之學術探究，依然呈現廣而深之前景
Teacher\u27s mental health risk assessment based on multi-modal data
No full textIn recent years, mental health among primary and secondary school teachers has gained significant attention. Teachers\u27 mental well-being is crucial for their professional growth, personal development, and impacts students\u27 progress and societal development. Depression, a prevalent psychological disorder, poses a serious threat to teachers\u27 careers and teaching quality. Therefore, developing effective depression risk assessment methods is urgent. This study focuses on constructing a depression risk assessment model for primary and secondary school teachers using multimodal data to provide a scientific basis for early interventions. The research is divided into three parts: constructing a depression risk dataset, extracting and fusing features from different modal data, and building and validating the model. The study recruited 75 teachers through an experimental platform and the snowball sampling method, collecting text, audio, and facial expression data over 15 consecutive working days using video diaries designed based on Beck\u27s cognitive theory of depression. The model labels were based on scores from the CES-D and SWLS scales. After cleaning and excluding irregular recordings, 1,140 diary data were obtained and divided into training and validation sets. Model construction involved using RoBERTa for text, Mel-ResNet for audio, and 3D-ResNet for facial expressions. The Transformer architecture was used for multimodal fusion, and a classification network was utilized for the final depression risk assessment. Expected results show that multimodal fusion models outperform unimodal models in assessment accuracy and robustness. This study theoretically expands the research perspective on depression risk assessment and validates the effectiveness of multimodal technology. Practically, it provides an innovative tool for precise identification of depression risk among teachers, facilitating early psychological interventions. The method holds promise for broader application to diverse populations and scenarios, bringing new opportunities to mental health assessment
Unpacking low fertility in East Asia through social media insights
No full textWe will explore the intriguing phenomenon of low fertility rates in East Asia, focusing specifically on China, Japan, and South Korea. We will present a novel approach that leverages social media data to analyze online discussions surrounding childbirth and parenting in these countries. Using advanced natural language processing and machine learning techniques, we will conduct thematic and sentiment analyses to uncover the key topics and emotional tones present in these online conversations. Our findings reveal that discussions primarily revolve around the financial burden of raising children, the perceived benefits of having children, and the tension between modem individualistic values and traditional collective values, including gender roles. Notable differences among the three countries exist and regional socioeconomic indicators are connected to those different sentiments towards childbirth and parenthood