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A critical Analysis of the role of the Accredited Social Health Activists in Managing Health-Care Services During Pre-COVID and Post-COVOD Period in India
No full textThe paper investigates and critically analyses the contribution of Indian healthcare workers ‘ASHA’ that is (Accredited Social Health Activists) ASHA program was introduced by the Indian government and is a vital component of community process intervention. ASHA program is one of the largest community health worker programs; it is considered an important contributor to enabling people’s participation in healthcare. This paper examines the crucial role ASHA workers play in India\u27s community healthcare system and broader society. It also addresses the current working conditions, job security concerns, and wages associated with ASHA workers. We focus on the experiences – struggles, and hardships of ASHAs who have been at the forefront of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in India for the last two years. We try to provide a historical review of the specific category of women health workers called ASHA. Through a brief analysis of the working conditions of the ASHA workers in contemporary India, we reveal the increasing inequalities and exploitation in the context of privatization and corporatization of healthcare work at multiple levels, contributing to gradually eroding the rights of women’s healthcare workers. The paper aims to examine the changing responsibilities of ASHA workers, assess their contributions before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and delve into the experiences of ASHA workers during the COVID-19 crisis.
Stakeholder Relationships in the Child Protection Organisation (CPO) Sector: A Strategic Integrated Communication Approach
Get PDFThis article explores the applicability of a strategic integrated approach to communication to manage stakeholder relationships in the child protection organisation context. The Niemann (2005) implementation model for strategic integrated communication in the for-profit sector was taken as the point of departure. Taking the specific challenges and constraints of the child protection organisation sector into account, the Niemann model is adapted to a framework for strategic integrated communication in the child protection organisation sector. The study included focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with communication practitioners, managers and social workers from four registered national child protection organisations, along with external media and law experts.
The results indicate that while the basic guidelines of the strategic integrated communication model apply to child protection organisations, not all aspects are attainable in the context of the child protection organisation. The strategic integrated communication framework for the child protection organisation context argues for integrated collaboration across contextual, organisational, stakeholder and environmental integration areas. The strategic integrated communication framework emphasises the interrelatedness needed to achieve communication outcomes, build strong relationships, maintain a recognisable brand, and report responsibly on child protection issues. The study identifies five enablers – learning mindset, expertise sharing, networking, advocacy and technology adoption – to achieve the strategic goal of safeguarding vulnerable children.
It is recommended to move from a stakeholder integration area to a stakeholder responsive area, which emphasises building trusting relationships and a recognisable brand.
Trends in Research on Strategic Communication, Strategic Integrated Communication, Personal Branding and Brand Advocacy in the Context of Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review
No full textHigher education institutions in South Africa find themselves in situations of strategic complexity due to contextual changes in the higher education landscape. One of these challenges is the complexity of stakeholders within the higher education context, specifically students and alumni. In this regard, students function as internal stakeholders, and once they graduate, they become external stakeholders. Furthermore, due to their connection with a higher education institution, both students and alumni, through their personal brands, can contribute to or diminish strategic communication endeavours by higher education brands. Thus, an integrated communication approach is needed to strategically align student and alumni personal brands with higher education institution brands. Through a systematic literature review, this study explored the integration of relevant concepts to the problem at hand: strategic communication, strategic integrated communication, brand advocacy and personal branding. The conducted review found that these theoretical concepts had limited theoretical overlap with concepts covered in academic articles found on selected academic databases. The absence of interrelatedness between the theoretical foundations and empirical evidence of these concepts highlights the gap in research on the complexity of stakeholders in higher education from a strategic communication perspective. This article adds value to the perspectives on stakeholders in higher education institutions
Developing a Deliberative Researcher-Practitioner Relationship in Sociological Evaluation Research: A Practical Reflection on using Sociology in the Carer Café Evaluation Project in Hong Kong
No full textReflecting on the experience of a sociological evaluation about a community Carer Café project by Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Centre between 2022 and 2023, this paper illustrates why and how developing a deliberative researcher-practitioner relationship in the evaluation research is of importance to making a more profound impact on service development and knowledge transfer. The collaboration includes engagement, mutual learning, dialogue in the evaluation, and the deliberation of knowledge for service development, and re-positioning the roles between researchers and practitioners in further collaboration. The reflection provides a practical account of how to address the power imbalance in the evaluation process and facilitates the deliberation in the sociological evaluation research. From the reflection, this article also highlights recommendations on how to work out deliberative clinical sociological evaluation research
Studying Religions in Africa: Single or Multiple Traditions
Get PDFThe examination of a single religious tradition and the exploration of the plurality of lived practice provide two broad approaches to the study of religion in Africa. The article discusses each of these units of analysis by introducing two scholarly trends emerging in twenty-first century scholarship: the Anthropology of Christianity and the Plurality of Religion. It discusses the historical background to these trends in the contested definitions of ‘religion’ emerging in the twentieth century. It shows how the trends have been developed and discusses their usefulness in the author’s own work. The article demonstrates that the definition of ‘religion’ matters and the unit of analysis influences the research trajectory and the findings. Researchers are encouraged to consider whether their subjects conform to or challenge their working definitions. The article concludes by asking for reflections on these trends by African scholars and looking forward to further discussions on approaches to the study of religion from insider perspectives
Mother Earth, Pandemics, and Women’s Reproductive Health in African Apostolic Indigenous Churches in Nyanga, Zimbabwe
No full textUsing the context of HIV and AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics, this article explores how the African Apostolic Indigenous churches (AAICs) of Nyanga in Zimbabwe responded to pandemics, particularly regarding women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). It is informed by findings from a qualitative research design in which in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were employed to gain insights from purposively sampled participants in the three AAICs of Nyanga. The article shows that the AAICs’ stances on women’s SRHR during pandemics were characterized by forbidding women from accessing modern biomedicines and healthcare services, which has significantly endangered women’s health, especially during pregnancy and childbirth. The churches encouraged reliance on spiritual healing, preventing women from accessing necessary medical treatments such as Anti-Retroviral Drugs (ARVs) for HIV and vaccinations for COVID-19. The article argues that addressing the challenges faced by women in AAICs concerning their SRHR during pandemics requires a multifaceted approach for empowering women, promoting stakeholder dialogue, and integrating respectful, culturally sensitive healthcare services that acknowledge women\u27s critical role as \u27Mother Earth.\u27 The article also calls for a shift in decision-making power within the churches to better protect women’s health during pandemics. Beyond the scholarly contribution, the article contributes to improving health outcomes for women in AAICs during the global health crisis and equips religious leaders with the benefits of integrating modern medicines with spiritual care for the betterment of women’s sexual and reproductive health rights
Issuing Justice: Women Ulama, Fatwas, and the Ratification of Indonesia’s Sexual Violence Crime Bill
No full textThe ratification of the Sexual Violence Crime Bill in May 2022 reflects the collective efforts of diverse actors advocating for gender justice in Indonesia, including women ulama from the Congress of Indonesian Women Ulama (Kongres Ulama Perempuan Indonesia/KUPI). Central to this achievement is the KUPI’s pioneering 2017 fatwa condemning sexual violence, which empowered women ulama to mobilize support for the bill. This article explores how KUPI’s fatwa galvanized support for the Bill, helped to overcome resistance, and built lasting coalitions, thereby drawing attention to the overlooked role of women in issuing fatwas and in navigating and reshaping traditional religious frameworks to address gender-based violence. Using qualitative methods—including online observation, textual analysis, and interviews—I examine how women ulama challenge patriarchal interpretations of Islamic law and assert their authority in public religious discourse. I argue that, in social movements, fatwas can serve as internal innovations that offer shared moral guidance, unite actors, and act as mobilizing tools to drive policy change. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of female religious authority in Islamic jurisprudence and highlights shifting gender dynamics in contemporary Muslim societies, with a specific focus on Indonesia
Integrating Arts Therapies in Zambia: A Reflection on Psycho-Spiritual Cultural Dispositions and their Potential for Healing
No full textThe arts therapies, including music, art, dance/movement, and drama therapy, offer a promising pathway to integrating Zambia’s rich cultural and psycho-spiritual traditions into its healthcare system. Rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems, Zambia’s artistic and spiritual heritage aligns seamlessly with the principles of arts therapies, which emphasise self-expression, emotional regulation, and communal healing. Historically, Zambian healing practices have utilised music, dance, and visual arts as tools for spiritual connection and social cohesion, highlighting their potential for addressing contemporary mental health challenges.
This paper explores the cultural and historical relevance of arts therapies in Zambia, identifying opportunities for their integration into the healthcare system. It reviews existing literature, establishes theoretical frameworks, and examines case studies that highlight the feasibility and impact of arts-based interventions. The paper also addresses barriers such as resource constraints and societal perceptions of mental health, proposing actionable policy recommendations and pathways for implementation. By fostering collaboration between local practitioners and the international arts therapy community, Zambia can establish culturally responsive, sustainable interventions that preserve its cultural legacy while contributing to global discourses on mental health
Through the Reflective Eye of a Pragmatist:Authenticity in Workshops for Co-Constructivism
No full textBackgroundThe scholarship of teaching and learning illustrates the dynamic interplay between teaching and research, emphasising the creation, dissemination, and application of knowledge to enhance learning. Within this framework, this methodology-focused practice-based paper examines the conceptualisation of an interactive workshop as both a research methodology and a tool for data generation. Grounded in the pragmatic paradigm, the approach prioritises authenticity, offering a means to navigate the ethical complexities that arise in researcher-participant collaboration.ObjectivesThis theoretical practice-based reflective methodological paper focuses on the workshop as a collaborative platform for generating actionable knowledge, considering both its usability and authenticity. By deconstructing the workshop as a research methodology, the discussion explores its potential to yield rich qualitative insights and data while maintaining authenticity. In doing so, we reflect on how workshops can navigate the delicate balance between ethical responsibilities and data integrity within researcher-participant collaboration.MethodsAdopting a pragmatic perspective, the authors facilitated a three-step, semi-structured, interactive workshop with 19 purposefully selected subject matter experts (critical care nursing specialists) in South Africa. The workshop was designed to foster collaboration, co-creation, and dialogic consensus-building in response to a practical challenge – optimising the use of airway pressure release ventilation for mechanically ventilating adult patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. To support meaningful engagement, strategies such as silent ideation and argumentative dialectics were incorporated, enabling participants to collectively generate insights and refine their understanding.Reflections on OutcomesThe workshops illustrated the value of collaborative engagement in producing actionable solutions while maintaining a strong emphasis on authenticity to navigate ethical tensions. A draft clinical pathway emerged from this process, exemplifying the workshop’s potential as a structured platform for co-creation and qualitative inquiry.ConclusionIntegrating pragmatic assumptions with a commitment to authenticity helped to mediate ethical complexities and uphold the integrity of the reflective inquiry. Positioned as a dynamic and participatory methodology, workshops provide an avenue for addressing complex, practice-based challenges while fostering collaboration and the development of meaningful, actionable outcomes.The workshop, which involved 19 experienced critical care nurses, resulted in the co-construction of a clinical pathway for airway pressure release ventilation therapy. This outcome not only addressed a local clinical challenge but also validated the workshop’s effectiveness in generating structured, practice-ready solutions through authentic, collaborative engagement
Insurgent Decolonial Theory and the Role of the Intellectual
Get PDFThis article explores the various ways the intellectual committed to liberation and decolonization has been represented and how combative and insurgent decolonial modes of theorizing contribute to this radical tradition. First, I provide an overview of decolonial thought to challenge the notion that decolonial theory is a coherent whole without contradictions and tensions. I then offer varying ways anticolonial and decolonial intellectuals have contributed to combative scholarship. I propose an insurgent decolonial theory that makes connections between texts and contexts, between theory and praxis, and between the symbolic and material dimensions of coloniality and decoloniality. Insurgent decoloniality resists modernity/coloniality’s project of death while planting and cultivating life