1,745,031 research outputs found
"Shifting Ground: Art and Design Action for the Engagement and Empowerment of Migrant Citizens."
Get PDFThis paper stems from a community-based art and design project entitled ‘Shifting Ground,’ which was developed in 2019 and involved newly arrived and second-generation migrants, now living in the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Based on participants’ cultural heritage, the project addressed the creative process as a vehicle for dialogue and as a means of finding a sense of place in the new culture. The initiative started with a ludic interaction with the migrant citizens, followed by two ceramic sculpture workshops, and ending with an exhibition that brought together the participants and their families as well as some local artists and representatives of public authorities. The research is focused mainly on the methodology used for the development of the co-creation work with the participants, particularly in the notion of action as a way to interact and develop the ceramic sculptures and to promote the participants´ social and cultural integration. In this context, the concept of action is analyzed as a central characteristic of the artistic practice and as a political tool for the empowerment of a displaced community. Some theories are taken into account, such as Hannah Arendt’s concept of action and Bruno Latour’s concept of thing, to deepen the notion of action. The paper begins by providing a brief summary of the immigration process that has occurred in the United States, followed by the presentation of a case study by the refugee Vietnamese American artist Tiffany Chung to contextualize the theme addressed in this research
"Memory - Object - Talent: Art and Design for Social and Cultural Inclusion of Immigrants and Refugees".
Get PDF: What kind of art and design practice can be developed to boost the social and cultural inclusion of newly arrived immigrants and refugees to their new places of residence? Is there something the host society can do to involve artists, designers, stakeholders, and citizens to support these vulnerable new fellow citizens, to help them feel more confident with their new lives and promote their emancipation? With this and other questions in mind, we decided to develop a hybrid art and design participatory project with immigrant and refugee communities, which took place in the summer of 2019, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (US). The political situation of the US, which was at the moment somehow hostile to new immigrants, was the perfect context for our project to make a strong statement. The article starts by contextualizing the project in sociological terms, as well as arguing about this hybrid practice field of participatory art and design, specifically through some paradigmatic case studies. We also focus on other topics that are central to our practice, such as the domain of participation and creative thinking, as well as the importance of strategically considering each part of the project as a specific mechanism. In a more conceptual approach, we also focus on the migrants’ overwhelming situation, inspired by Paulo Freire´s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” where he advocates the development of a “praxis” to liberate both the oppressed and the oppressors and promote a righteous society. Following is a description of the methodology used for the interaction with the participants, namely the creation of a specific game, which is a form of self-representation and enhancement of the engaged immigrant and refugee communities. The core of the article is concerned with the project’s playful nature, which is explained according to the concept of game by Hans-Georg Gadamer. The article ends with some extra data collected through interviews, as well as a reflection concerning the experimented practice
Being a high-growth startup founder as a new social risk in Finland
Get PDFFinland is experiencing a startup boom. Startups are innovative young companies aimed at rapid revenue growth. Unfortunately, most of them fail within the first years, leaving their founders without a job and possibly in debt. Previous research did not yet establish how the founders fare after founding their company. This study explores whether founding a high-growth startup constitutes a new social risk, that is, a work situation in a postindustrial society that lowers the founder’s welfare. This study analyzes data collected in interviews with founders and experts and in participant observations. In an innovative approach, this study explores the difficulties of high-growth startup founders from the time of founding their companies on. Findings show that founders experience social isolation and financial and health problems from the moment of founding their startups. This decline in welfare is limited to founders who were not in precarious situations when founding their companies. Findings enhance our understanding of high-growth startups and of new social risks. Discussions on positive economic effects of the startup boom should also consider the negative effects on the founders’ welfare.Publishers versio
Establishing a university curriculum of education for sustainability in the context(s) of life-long learning and interdisciplinarity
No full text'Education for Sustainability' (EfS) has as wide a range of contested meanings as the word 'sustainability' itself but an urgent need for EfS is evidenced by a growing body of literature on the topic in the past decade. A principal challenge for proponents of EfS is the matter of where to begin. For example, if sustainability is described as comprising three or four key dimensions (environmental, social, economic and, increasingly, cultural) then this commonly provides the mandate for multidisciplinary university teaching programmes that begin with streams or cores around the environmental sciences, economics and other social sciences. This is usually based on the belief that as students progress, they will be able to integrate these different elements into a meaningful whole, or that one or two anchor courses will provide the missing links to understand sustainability in a holistic fashion. However, there has been considerable debate, particularly since the publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, about the harm that is caused, however inadvertently, by maintaining dualisms or sub-classified distinctions between nature and society. This presents problems for the conventional learning models used by most universities where the compartmentalisation of knowledge, particularly at entry level, is a given. It also begs the question as to whether much can be done for the EfS agenda at a tertiary entry point when almost twenty years will already have passed in the learning trajectory of any given individual. In this paper, therefore, we acknowledge the larger problem of framing EfS in the context of the life path of individuals where prior contact with nature in experiential terms and familiarity with interdisciplinary thinking and practices will vary. We posit a framework for course content at the tertiary level within a post- secondary school pathway for EfS. The pathway has an interdisciplinary approach, enabling a broad introduction and an integrating conclusion at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, while providing for a more detailed exploration of aspects of sustainability within individual discipline areas. It also provides for the sequential translation of theory into practice throughout a lifetime of learning. As a key part of that translation, the significance of continuing professional development (CPD) within the professions is noted. We conclude with a research agenda for pre- and post-tertiary EfS
Spatial Complexity of Istanbul International Financial Center Skyline: A Mixed-Method Approach
No full textAppointed as a new International Financial Center in 2010, city silhouettes changed drastically due to high-rise banking and finance towers and thirty- to fifty-story residences. This article aims to analyze the spatial complexity of Istanbul International Financial Center (IIFC) silhouette in a two-step analysis. In the first step, visual and verbal evaluations are considered. For this purpose, a workshop was held with Architecture and Interior Architecture students at Do?uş University, where students in groups of two evaluated the city silhouette in three different photos taken by the author. In the second step, an attempt was made to quantify the spatial complexity. Numerical scores were produced for the same three photos used in the workshop. Urban environments are inherently multi-layered, and, therefore, not only verbal but also visual and quantitative assessments could be needed. The mixed approach employed in this article has enhanced our abilities to comprehend spatial analysis. While Step 1 provided information of a qualitative nature, Step 2 enabled us to make a comparison between the silhouettes, which was not possible in Step 1. © 2024 Common Ground Research Networks. All rights reserved
A study on Mexican university students: Political efficacy and social capital in online political participation
No full textToday, the study of the influence that social media has over users’ attitudes is a line of research that is steadily growing. There are a variety of studies that have confirmed that social media makes it easier for people to express themselves both online and offline. In this article we study how the consumption of political information on social media is related to political efficacy and social capital. In order to do this, we examined the tendencies in political information consumption on social media of students from the states of Nuevo León, Sonora, Durango, and Coahuila in México. Among the main discoveries was that political efficacy is related to political participation on and off social media. © Common Ground Research Networks, Daniel Javier de la Garza Montemayor, Daniel Barredo Ibáñez, Abraham A. Hernández Paz, Some Rights Reserve
Going to town with privacy: Exploring voyeurism and the motivations behind exposure of online secrets
Get PDFThe study explores what influences as well as motivates the recording and publication of sex acts online for public consumption. Despite the increasing bombardment of the online space in Ghana with nude images and videos, research on the phenomenon is scanty. We examined the phenomenon and motivations behind such publications by the youth in Ghana, analyzing two young Ghanaian ladies. Three in-depth interviews of two young Ghanaian women were analyzed using the qualitative method of inquiry. Analysis of interviews revealed that one of the women publishes her own nude images and videos from a sense of frustration, with a view to seeking attention, gaining financial rewards, achieving social recognition, and having fun. The analysis further revealed that monetary gains, awards, and media attention motivate the publication of nude images online. Sexual exploitation was also identified as a factor that influenced the teenager to record her nude video. © Common Ground Research Networks, Daniel Edem Adzovie, Rita Holm Adzovie, Some Rights Reserved
Preparation for a university exam: Students' points of view
No full textThis study examined students' reports about the content of exam preparation, factors influencing exam preparation, and behavior and mental strategies applied during exam preparation. The study was based on an analysis of data gained by way of interviews and group discussions with students, a questionnaire survey among students, and student seminar works. The findings indicate that student's study effort is influenced by context. Students think that effective exam preparation involves a coordination of study efforts and rest, but their study strategies differed according to their motivation for the studies, complexity of the topic, its perceived benefit for their future career, their lecturer, and the amount of unsuccessful trials. Generally, participants reported mainly problem-focused strategies for dealing with the exam preparation and a preference for a deep approach to learning. © Common Ground Research Networks, Jana Matošková, Gabriela Potočková, All Rights Reserved
A review of solutions and challenges to addressing human population growth and global climate change
No full textThe world\u27s population recently surpassed 7 billion and is predicted to reach 9.2 billion by 2050. Continued population growth will result in increased resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing the effects of climate change. Synergisms between population growth and climate change will therefore have substantial negative impacts on the environment. However, solutions to population growth are often absent within the context of climate change. To address this absence, we conducted a review of the primary scientific literature published between 1980 and 2011 using ISI Web of Knowledge to determine the major topics that have been discussed, the geographic scale at which these topics were addressed, what types of solutions were proposed, and whether or not these solutions were tractable. In particular, we quantified the portion of the literature that addressed population growth and climate change as synergistic issues. Of 1,438 papers addressing population growth and climate change, only 139 (∼10%) included solutions. Among these 139 papers, the most frequent topics and solutions addressed the societal aspects of population growth and climate change. Land use/land cover change and greenhouse gas emissions were also frequently discussed, while changes in policy, economics, and science and technology were the most frequently offered solutions to population growth and climate change. Education, energy, and health, were the least discussed topics and the least mentioned as solutions. In addition, while topics were discussed on a global scale, actionable solutions were often regionally dependent and tailored to address either population growth or climate change as separate, unrelated topics. Importantly, the number of papers offering solutions increased significantly over time, with 46% published since 2008. These results suggest that while solutions to human population growth have seldom been discussed in the context of climate change, they are beginning to be considered in the literature, perhaps indicating an increased awareness of the interrelatedness of these issues
Fans’ Perception of Rivalries in the Indian Premier League : stars, stumps, and strife
No full textThe Indian Premier League (IPL), introduced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2008, has established itself as the world’s most popular cricket league and plays a significant role in advancing India’s dominance in world cricket. As with other global sport leagues, rivalry between teams has been a driver of fan attention, yet there has been scant academic inquiry toward understanding IPL rivalries. This study explores the characteristics of IPL rivalries through a survey of 844 fans. The study notes intense rivalries between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and CSK. The primary drivers of these rivalries are the notable players, followed by the frequency of play, defining moments, and relative dominance. The study’s findings provide policy implications for league administrators and commercial implications for franchises, media partners, and sponsors. © 2025 Common Ground Research Networks. All rights reserved
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