Reconceptualizing the generation in a digital(izing) modernity: digital media,social networking sites,and the flattening of generations

As digitalization binds society to an apparently perpetual acceleration, questions about the nature of time and speed have gained new urgency in the social sciences. Yet, theorizations of these issues have neglected their implications for social life and generations. Linking these lacunae, this article articulates how digital media and social networking sites (SNS) shape social life through cultural transformations in the generation. This article rationalizes predominant patterns of SNS user behaviors in the context of social theoretical and philosophical frameworks informed by Mannheim, Simmel, Adorno, Benjamin, Arendt, social presence, action, and acceleration theories to offer a relational reconceptualization of the generation as a set of social relations and processes for visualizing changing conceptions of time and speed in a digital (izing) modernity. This article introduces the concept of general and local generationing processes to articulate the processual nature of the generation and to assert that trends in SNS use and content production are underwritten by grammatical logics that collectively “flatten” separate traditional generations to form a cross-demographic and cross-temporal digital generation.     

Radical alternative conceptualizations of the classical welfare state? Contrasting the United Kingdom and the Netherlands with Norway

In many countries, new, broad, and normative “conceptions of society” gained prominence that represent fundamentally different discursive alternatives to the classical welfare state. We present two political projects that contain radical alternative conceptualizations of the classical welfare state, the “Big Society” in Britain and the “Participation Society” in the Netherlands, and contrast these with Norwegian developments, where no such a radical alternative conceptualization of the welfare state can be found. We show that the British and Dutch political projects were attempts to replace the welfare state, whereas there is no comparable big idea about a radical overhaul of the welfare state in Norway. Our analysis contributes to a better understanding of a fundamental shift in welfare state reform, namely a radical reconsidering of the ideational and normative foundation that defines and underpins what the welfare state is or should be.     

Impact of socio-economic infrastructure investments on income inequality in Iran

One of the main subjects, governments have been facing is fair distribution of income, and making effort to improve it. In this study, we evaluated the effects of economic (energy, water, ICT) and social (health, education) infrastructure expenses on income inequality in the Iranian provinces for the period of 2007–2016 by the panel corrected standard errors (PCSE) model. The results show that social and economic infrastructures improvements reduce income inequality. However, the magnitude of these effects varies. Investment on education, healthcare, communication technology, energy, and water infrastructures has the greatest impact on income inequality reduction, respectively. Therefore, in order to reduce inequality in deprived areas, combination and optimal allocation of economic and social infrastructures should be considered.     

Afghan families and health professionals’ access to health information during and after pregnancy

BackgroundHaving a baby in a new country can be challenging, especially if unable to communicate in a preferred language. The aim of this paper is to explore the provision of health information for Afghan women and men during pregnancy, childbirth and the first year after birth in Melbourne, Australia.MethodsCommunity engagement underpinned the study design. Qualitative study with bicultural researchers conducting semi-structured interviews. Interviews and focus groups were also conducted with health professionals.ResultsSixteen Afghan women and 14 Afghan men with a baby aged 4–12 months participated. Thirty four health professionals also participated. Verbal information provided by a health professional with an interpreter was the most common way in which information was exchanged, and was generally viewed favourably by Afghan women and men. Families had limited access to an interpreter during labour and some families reported difficulty accessing an interpreter fluent in their dialect. Availability of translated information was inconsistent and health professionals occasionally used pictures to support explanations. Women and men were unsure of the role of health professionals in providing information about issues other than pregnancy and infant wellbeing.ConclusionBoth individual and health system issues hinder and enable the availability and use of information. Consistent, understandable and ‘actionable’ information is required to meet the needs of diverse families. Health professionals need to be supported with adequate alternatives to written information and access to appropriate interpreters. Inconsistent provision of information is likely to contribute to low health literacy and poor maternal and child health outcomes.     

Religion,truth, national identity and social meaning: The example of Northern Ireland

This article argues that national identity is closely bound up with religion, which in turn is closely bound up with ideas of truth. Different religions will form and transmit different ideas of truth, both moral and cognitive, and transmit them and socialise their members in to holding them. From this a socially exclusive group is formed, which becomes one basis for a nation. This nation becomes morally and cognitively exclusive of non-religious members since they will hold different truths and so cannot be trusted, they cannot be ‘loyal and true’. Ireland and Northern Ireland provide a classic example of this, where Catholic and Protestant were the mediums for transmitting Romantic or Enlightenment versions of the truth and so provided a basis for opposed ideas of nation.     

新世纪新阶段民族政策宣传教育的指南——解读《党和国家民族政策宣传教育提纲》

本文解读了<党和国家民族政策宣传教育提纲>颁布的对象、目的、意义及基本内容,指出了<提纲>是我党在全国各族广大干部群众中进行马克思主义民族观教育的重要举措,是在民族工作中贯彻落实科学发展观的具体表现,新世纪新阶段民族政策宣传教育的指南.     

北方渔猎民族的滑雪狩猎文化

滑雪板既是北方渔猎民族冬季的主要雪上交通工具,也是狩猎工具之一,在北方渔猎民族冬季狩猎生产中发挥着重要的作用。利用滑雪板狩猎是北方渔猎民族冬季狩猎生产中所采用的一种主要的狩猎手段,广泛存在于各民族中,自古以来,绵延不绝,影响深远,形成了一种独特的滑雪狩猎文化和一条滑雪狩猎文化带。这条滑雪狩猎文化带从东北的长白山(白云峰以北)开始一直向北,包括大小兴安岭,最后沿着蒙古高原的北部延伸到阿尔泰山脉。     

《嘹歌》的特色及其在壮族传统文化中的地位与作用--壮族《嘹歌》文化研究之八

“嘹歌”是壮族歌谣的经典之作,它具有篇幅宏大、内容广博、以情为主、纪实史诗、风俗尽显、手法独特、音韵优美、魅力四射的特点,在壮族传统文化和社会生活中占有十分重要的地位。     

高校教学考试现状分析与改革思路

高校教学考试是高校教学工作的重要环节,是检测、鉴定、衡量师生教学质量的主要手段。教学考试在教学中具有教育、管理、导向、激励的积极作用,同时在制度、方法、监管、评价、时间安排等方面也存在一些负面问题。分析教学考试利弊,扬长避短,改革创新,营造科学适宜的教学考试机制,对撬动高校教学改革,提高教学质量,培养全面发展的合格大学生具有至关重要的意义。     

"阴阳合德":壮族传统文化的精华——《布洛陀经诗》的性别哲学研究之二

《布洛陀经诗》虽然已超越"孤雌繁殖"的认识阶段,但却没有完全陷入男性"惟我独尊"的窠臼。其中关于男女祖神并尊的唱颂,以及对妇女地位和作用的某种肯定,都在一定程度上体现了壮族性别哲学的精髓。这些思想是我们在寻求性别和谐发展之道时可以借鉴的。