The following paper explores socio-cultural impacts of large-scale cruise liner tourism on the traditional bazaar (souq) in the district of Mutrah. The souq is located opposite the port in the Omani capital Muscat. Large-scale cruise tourism in Muscat started only in 2004 and has increased in scale and numbers in the past years. 24 cruise vessels with around 7600 passengers arrived in Muscat in 2005. Seven years later 135 cruise liners carrying 257,000 tourists docked in Muscat. Due to this dramatic rise of international cruise ships, the socio-cultural impacts have increased for local residents, shop vendors/owners and tourists alike. To capture those socio-cultural impacts on Souq Mutrah, a survey of cruise tourists was conducted by a questionnaire. In addition, the researcher used participatory observation, counting, and in-depth interviews with different stakeholders of the local community and different types of tourists during the cruise seasons 2012/13 and 2013/14. Moreover, content analysis of statistics and local media publications were used. Results indicate that the souq has become "the core of a tourist bubble", where crowding is a major problem and local residents avoid the place. The social carrying capacity of the souq has been reached. Omani vendors are leaving their businesses and renting their shops out to expatriates. Since contemporary cruise tourists are low spenders, expatriate shop sellers have become more aggressive.
DOCUMENT
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014. Creating agents that are capable of emulating similar socio-cultural dynamics to those found in human interaction remains as one of the hardest challenges of artificial intelligence. This problem becomes particularly important when considering embodied agents that are meant to interact with humans in a believable and empathic manner. In this article, we introduce a conceptual model for socio-cultural agents, and, based on this model, we present a set of requirements for these agents to be capable of showing appropriate socio-cultural behaviour. Our model differentiates between three levels of instantiation: the interaction level, consisting of elements that may change depending on the people involved, the group level, consisting of elements that may change depending on the group affiliation of the people involved, and the society level, consisting of elements that may change depending on the cultural background of those involved. As such, we are able to have culture alter agents’ social relationships rather than directly determining actions, allowing for virtual agents to act more appropriately in any social or cultural context.
DOCUMENT
A boundary is a metaphor for an experience of discontinuity wherein a socio-cultural difference is perceived as a challenge or obstacle in action or interaction. This case study explores eight student teachers’ perceptions of boundaries during an international teaching internship to identify where experiences of professional learning originate. We found four types of boundary experiences related to discontinuity: (1) existing pedagogical approaches, (2) personal aspects, (3) a specific school type or culture, and (4) the world outside the classroom. Results suggest that the learning potential of experiencing discontinuity resides in situations wherein student teachers’ beliefs are being questioned, thus making the student teacher aware of their implicit beliefs. Student teachers’ attempts to reposition themselves while experiencing discontinuity resulted in questioning their existing ways of thinking and acting. Everyday teaching approaches were no longer always taken for granted, thus opening alternate perspectives. In this study, student teacher experiences of discontinuity had various dimensions (cultural, professional, and personal), which also determined their learning potential.
LINK
BackgroundGiven the importance of the first 1000 days of a child’s life in terms of laying the foundations for healthy growth and development, parents are a logical target group for supporting health-related practices with regard to young children. However, little attention is paid to the influence of the wider social community on the health and development of young children during this crucial period. This includes grandmothers, who often have a significant influence on health-related practices of their grandchildren. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the influence of grandmothers on health related practices of their grandchildren during the first 1000 days, from the perspectives of both grandmothers and mothers with a Turkish background.MethodThis qualitative study in the Netherlands collected data during focus group discussions with grandmothers (N = 3), interviews with grandmothers (N = 18) and interviews with mothers (N = 16), all with a Turkish background. Data was collected in the period between June 2019 and April 2021 and analysed using a thematic content analysis.ResultsThe influence of grandmothers and the wider social community on health related practices during the first 1000 days of a child’s life is substantial and self-evident. The support of grandmothers is often rooted in various socio-cultural norms and practices. The mothers of young children can experience the guidance and pressure they receive from grandmothers and the wider social community as quite stressful. Conflicting views and practices tend to arise between grandmothers and mothers when a grandmother babysits. Both mothers and grandmothers often find it difficult to discuss these differences openly, for fear this might lead to a family conflict.ConclusionThis study shows that grandmothers and the wider social community play an influential role in supporting a healthy first 1000 days of a child’s life. The strong involvement of grandmothers may lead to tension between the mothers and grandmothers when their ideas about healthy practices are not in agreement and may lead to unhealthy practices. In targeting this wider social community, it is important to consider the various socio-cultural factors that underlie the advice, support, practices and beliefs of the individuals involved.
DOCUMENT
Climate change and biodiversity loss are interconnected global challenges that require urgent and transformative changes in land use and management. Equine yards have a unique potential to contribute positively to biodiversity while supporting equine welfare and providing economic and social value. This study explores the perspectives of equine yard owners in Germany and the Netherlands regarding the socio-spatial aspects they consider important when designing and managing equine yards that balance biodiversity, equine welfare, and operational needs. The research employed a qualitative socio-spatial analysis framework, drawing on semi-structured interviews with 17 equine yard owners. The findings reveal that a wide range of socio-spatial aspects—including land use, social infrastructure, accessibility, and the integration of biodiversity—play significant roles in yard design and management. Cultural differences were also observed, with German yards generally emphasizing safety and seclusion, while Dutch yards focused on controlled access and integration into the local community. The study highlights the challenges of balancing equine welfare, biodiversity, and community needs, particularly in relation to land availability, accessibility, and cultural contexts. Despite the focus on a limited number of yards in Germany and the Netherlands, the findings provide valuable insights into the socio-spatial factors that shape equine yard management. A set of preliminary guidelines for yard design is proposed, emphasizing the integration of equine welfare, biodiversity, community engagement, and sustainable business practices to enhance the contribution of equine yards to the agroecological transition.
LINK
Background: Although maternity care is linked to improved health outcomes, it is often insufficiently tailored to the needs of low socioeconomic position (SEP) majority population women in high-income countries, leading to obstacles in achieving good health. Cultural competence can contribute to access to adequate care, but no systematic assessment has been conducted. This study aims to examine current evidence about the aspects of cultural competence of maternity care professionals caring for low socioeconomic position (SEP) majority population women. Methods: A scoping review was conducted. Search terms were based on the PCC elements (Participants, Concepts, and Context). Data-extraction and analysis were performed by two researchers according to a predetermined procedure. Data were grouped in the main themes of the Seeleman-framework (2009) and subsequently inductively analyzed. Results: Out of 6954 articles, 35 were eligible for data analysis. To create an overview of available evidence quality assessment of the included studies was not performed. Health professionals express a lack of knowledge and skills to assess socio-economic vulnerabilities in women and to refer to other care options regarding socio-economic vulnerabilities. Although positive experiences with professionals were mentioned, many women experience negative attitudes in terms of a lack of respect and stigmatization issues. Professionals lack the skills to build good relationships with women. Both women and health professionals reported poor communication and collaboration with health care colleagues and with social services. Conclusions: The cultural competence of health professionals in maternity care needs improvement. Professionals should be equipped with sufficient knowledge to identify deprived women and their needs and be trained in skills to effectively communicate and build care relationships. Future research should focus on the reflections of health professionals on their professional role regarding low SEP majority population women. The conditions and maternity care systems health professionals work in to serve low SEP majority women should be studied more closely. Results call for a debate about the scope of professional practice and logistical care structures regarding maternity care for low SEP majority population women. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.
DOCUMENT
Learning theories broadly characterised as constructivist, agree on the importance to learning of the environment, but differ on what exactly it is that constitutes this importance. Accordingly, they also differ on the educational consequences to be drawn from the theoretical perspective. Cognitive constructivism focuses on the active role of the learner, and on real-life learning. Social-learning theories, comprising the socio-historical, socio-cultural theories as well as the situated-learning and community-of-practice approaches, emphasise learning as being a process within and a product of the social context. Critical-learning theory stresses that this social context is a man-made construction, which should be approached critically and transformed in order to create a better world. We propose to view these different approaches as contributions to our understanding of the learning-environment relationship, and their educational impact as questions to be addressed to educational contexts.
DOCUMENT
DOCUMENT
This article discusses the possibility of integrating deep ecology (DE) and animal rights (AR) perspectives within environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD). The focus of this article is on three questions: why are DE and AR not currently central to EE/ESD debates? What is the probability that DE and AR will be central within EE/ESD? What can be gained if they were? Different ethical frameworks in relation to non-humans are examined. Both non-consequentialist and utilitarian approaches suggest that DE and AR could be linked to the conception of underlying duty as well as consideration of utilitarian value. From cultural relativism and subjectivism perspectives, DE and AR could be central to EE, but this possibility is contingent on socio-political and cultural context within which educational practices are embedded. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2014.09.001 https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
MULTIFILE
Recently several attempts were undertaken to unite the field of metaphor studies, trying to reconcile the conceptual/cognition and linguistic/discourse approaches to metaphor (Hampe, 2017b). The dynamic view of metaphor espoused by amongst others Gibbs (2017a) as a way to unify the field of metaphor studies is said to converge on findings and theoretical predictions found in cognition and discourse approaches. The author argues this focus on dynamical models to explain the multi-scale socio-cognitive aspects of metaphor as an emergent phenomenon is not robust enough. Complexity and dynamical systems are merely a modelling technique to deploy theory for empirical testing of hypotheses; a dynamic view of metaphor needs a coherent background theory to base its dynamic modelling of metaphor in action on (Chemero, 2009). I argue that it can be successfully based on the ecological-enactive framework available within the modern paradigm of 4E cognitive science. This framework makes possible explanation of both 'lower' cognition and 'higher' cognition emerging in the interaction of an organism with its environment. In addition, I sketch how recent theoretical insights from ecological-enactivism (Baggs and Chemero, 2018) concerning Gibson's notion of environment apply to the attempted unification of the field of metaphor studies. I close by suggesting how an understanding of metaphor as an ecological affordance of the socio-cultural environment can provide a rich basis for empirical hypotheses within a dynamical science of metaphor.
LINK
