Interrogating the tribal: the aporia of ‘tribalism’ in the sociological study of the Middle East

In this paper, we intend to deconstruct the term ‘tribalism’ as a colonial category, which figures as a prominent concept in social studies on Kurds as well as the Middle East at large. Blithely used, tribalism has occupied a central place, especially in the existing scholarship on Kurdistan. Some earlier anthropological works have gone so far as to regard tribalism as the ‘DNA’ of Middle Eastern people. Drawing on recent studies on Latin America, Africa and Central Asia, we argue that the use of tribalism as if it is the natural constitution of Kurdish society has caused a significant misrepresentation and oversimplification of socio‐political life in Kurdistan as well as the broader Middle East. In a way, the existing body of scholarship on this region has reproduced statist‐nationalist discourses at the expense of dominated communities (e.g., Kurds). The historical context of both colonial powers and nation‐states ‘combating tribes and tribalism’ coincided with the emergence of the discourse of racial biopolitics. Thus, the use of the term tribalism to define certain nations or ethnic groups should not be viewed as merely an application of socio‐anthropological categories. Hence, we argue that the ethical aspects and implications of the use of tribalism by both colonial powers and later by nation‐states to define certain ethnic groups must not be overlooked.     

‘Don’t underestimate the things that I will do’

Based on a true story. It is about an awakening in which a single mother realizes that she has been manipulated by her society — rather, what the society instilled into her mind.     

Evaluating Potential Environmental Variables and Active Aging in Older Adults for Age-Friendly Neighborhoods in Malaysia

As Malaysia's population is aging rapidly, and since there is no specific housing policy for the elderly, it is vital that neighborhoods meet the different needs of elderly for active aging to maintain their quality of life. This study aims to investigate the neighborhood environmental variables, the outcome active aging, and potential variables that inhibit active aging in the elderly that lead to their quality of life. It examined quality-of-life determinants that are influenced by the existence of certain neighborhood characteristics. In the study, 385 older adults aged 60+ years residing in two different cities in Malaysia were surveyed. Multiple regression was used to explore how much variance in active aging variables the neighborhood environmental factors explained as a group. The results showed that permeability, accessibility, and facilitators to walking are key determinants of active aging. There is a need to improve the physical design of the neighborhoods with regard to these three factors.     

Spatial estimation and rescaled spatial bootstrap approach for finite population

In this study, an attempt has been made to improve the sampling strategy incorporating spatial dependency at estimation stage considering usual aerial sampling scheme, such as simple random sampling, when the underlying population is finite and spatial in nature. Using the distances between spatial units, an improved method of estimation, viz. spatial estimation procedure, has been proposed for the estimation of finite population mean. Further, rescaled spatial bootstrap (RSB) methods have been proposed for approximately unbiased estimation of variance of the proposed spatial estimator (SE). The properties of the proposed SE and its corresponding RSB methods were studied empirically through simulation.     

An optimization model for economic design of sampling plans based on conforming run length considering outgoing quality

In this article, a new economical acceptance sampling model is proposed based on Taguchi loss function. The objective function of the model consists of inspection cost, scrap cost, and Taguchi loss function including producer loss and consumer loss. The expected total cost includes the loss for an inspected item plus the loss for an accepted item which has not been inspected. Decision-making is based on conforming run length. It is assumed that the quality characteristics follow normal distribution. A numerical example is solved for illustrating application of this model. Sensitivity analysis is proposed for illustrating the effect of some important parameters on the objective function. Finally, we compared the results of the proposed method with classical Dodge–Romig sampling plans tables based on average outgoing quality limit. The results confirmed the superiority of proposed model.     

Demand shocks and employment adjustments: Does employment protection legislation create rigidity?

With state‐level panel data from the Indian manufacturing sector for 2000–12, and labour turnover as a proxy for employment adjustments, the authors estimate differential effects of demand shocks on employment adjustment across states with high and low levels of EPL. They find that EPL does not hinder employment adjustment; the response of labour separation rates to negative demand shocks is relatively higher in states with high levels of EPL, and labour turnover is inversely associated with EPL, which may be viewed as indicative of the beneficial effects of EPL for both enterprises and workers.     

Evaluating the potential contribution of urban ecosystem service to climate change mitigation

Urban Ecosystems - Promoting urban greenery through tree planting strategies has been considered as a measure to mitigate climate change. While it is essential to understand the temporal dynamics...     

Framing inter-religious dispute: a comparative analysis of Chinese-, English-, and Malay-language newspapers in Peninsular Malaysia

Religious and ethnicity issues in multicultural societies have always been difficult to report. This study aims to conduct a framing analysis of the coverage of the biggest inter-religious dispute in Malaysia to date – the “Allah” dispute. Specifically, the study compares the coverage of Chinese-, English-, and Malay-language newspapers and assesses the factors that lead to differences in frame building. The findings showed that these newspapers reported the dispute with different degrees of intensity and prominence, and they employed different news sources. Although conflict appeared to be the salient frame used by the dailies, the aspects highlighted by them varied. Sin Chew (Chinese-language daily) was the most vocal in its coverage, which reflected a counter-hegemonic discourse. The Star (English-language daily) used a moderate approach, while Utusan (Malay-language daily) strongly supported the status quo. The frames built by The Star and Utusan could be attributed to the fact that these two newspapers were inclined to serve the politically vested interests of their owners.