Social Sciences

Abstract: Introduction: Concurrent parliamentary and judicial inquiries are intended to strengthen accountability, yet overlapping investigative arrangements may also fragment responsibility, divert resources and weaken implementation. The supplied literature provides relevant evidence on South African commissions of inquiry, public-sector governance and municipal accountability, but offers limited direct evidence on simultaneous parliamentary and judicial investigations. Methods: The researcher-selected databases and information sources were Google Scholar, ERIC, OpenAlex and Crossref. The eligibility protocol restricted publication years to 2015–2026. COSTAQDA recorded source-level retrieval through OpenAlex (150 retrieved; 319 available), Crossref (150 retrieved; 691 available). Where researcher-selected sources did not expose a suitable direct bulk-search connector, COSTAQDA used its OpenAlex/Crossref discovery bridge while preserving the researcher-selected source names in the PRISMA record. The identification run recorded 300 records before cross-source deduplication and 298 unique records after deduplication. Results: Six codes, three categories and three analytical themes were developed. Institutional overlap expanded investigative capacity and public documentation but could reproduce fragmentation when existing enforcement systems remained unreformed. Repeated inquiries could displace prosecution and divert resources. Effective democratic oversight depended on institutional independence, professional capacity and implementation pathways. Direct South African evidence was sparse, and systematic comparative evidence on resource efficiency was absent. Discussion/Conclusion: Institutional overlap is neither intrinsically beneficial nor harmful. Its effects depend on whether overlapping mandates are coordinated with independent enforcement, clear responsibility and mechanisms that convert findings into sanctions or administrative change.

Abstract: Recent global political events have contributed to increased protest activity, visual messaging, and political expression on many university campuses. While much contemporary activism and advertising occur through algorithmically driven digital platforms, less is known about the continued role of physical visual communication in public spaces during the AI era. This study examines the presence and themes of posters, graffiti, stickers, placards, and related visual artifacts surrounding the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus and its associated transit hubs. Using qualitative visual content analysis, we documented 782 visual items (x̄ = 78.2, σ = 107.9) across the UBC bus exchange and nine connecting transit hubs over a one-month period. Autoethnographic observations collected between 2023 and 2025 complemented the analysis. NVivo 14 was used to code the artifacts, resulting in three primary themes: (1) political activism, (2) commercial and community advertising, and (3) event and concert promotion. The findings indicate that posters, graffiti, and stickers remain important components of urban visual communication, serving multiple functions including ideological messaging, economic advertising, and community engagement. Despite the expansion of AI-driven digital media and targeted online advertising, traditional visual communication continues to shape urban semiotic landscapes and facilitate the circulation of political, commercial, and cultural messages in public spaces.

Abstract: Introduction: Widowhood in South African and related African contexts is shaped by mourning obligations, gendered authority, inheritance insecurity, economic responsibility and culturally specific expectations. However, the relationship between these conditions and widows’ navigation of work and family life remains insufficiently understood. This systematic review examined how South African widows experience and navigate the intersection of work and family within sociocultural and traditional contexts, including challenges, opportunities, coping strategies, enabling conditions and.Methods: The researcher-selected databases and information sources were ERIC, PubMed (MEDLINE) and Google Scholar. The eligibility protocol restricted publication years to 2015–2026. The exact calendar date of search execution was not recorded in the verified identification provenance; this is distinct from the publication-year eligibility range. ERIC, PubMed (MEDLINE) and Google Scholar were searched using a specified Boolean strategy for English-language peer-reviewed studies published from 2015 to 2026.Results: The synthesis identified four themes: widowhood is socially regulated through gendered cultural expectations; economic survival links work, family responsibility and wellbeing; agency is exercised through rights negotiation and collective resistance; and support needs to be culturally responsive and practically accessible. Rituals could restrict autonomy and participation, but culturally grounded ritual could also be experienced as empowering. Direct evidence on how South African widows combine paid work, unpaid care, household duties and cultural obligations was sparse. Work-family evidence from general South African employee populations was contextual rather than widow-specific.Discussion/Conclusion: South African widows navigate work and family through an interaction of cultural regulation, economic pressure, institutional constraint and individual or collective agency. Effective responses should protect rights, strengthen economic and psychosocial support, and remain culturally responsive.

Abstract: The municipality of Yaonáhuac, situated in the Northern Highlands of the state of Puebla, Mexico, has a population that is predominantly comprised of individuals belonging to various Indigenous communities. This region is distinguished by its strong adherence to Indigenous traditions and customs, which have been handed down through generations and continue to play a significant role in the cultural identity and practices of the community. A significant proportion of the population is reliant on ethno-agricultural practices, with smallholdings constituting a primary source of income for local communities. However, in recent years, the extractive cultivation of potatoes for the snack food industry has been expanding in Yaonáhuac, resulting in environmental impacts that have altered water and soil conditions, thereby diminishing the possibilities of successfully practicing ecologically more sustainable agroforestry. The potato variety cultivated in the Northern Highlands is predominantly Atlantic, FL 2027. The cultivation of these crops necessitates a substantial water supply, thereby reducing the availability of this vital liquid from both surface and groundwater sources. This has a detrimental effect on traditional ‘milpa’ crops and results in the depletion of the soil due to the excessive use of agrochemicals. In this context, the present article will discuss the benefits and feasibility of developing traditional agroforestry techniques in Yaonáhuac to promote the application of ethno-agricultural knowledge for the benefit of the local economy, ecology and the conservation and maintenance of water resources, all of which are threatened by the arrival of industrial agriculture and ecological imperialism for potato chip production. This study is based on data on the strategies implemented for legislation and the proper use of resources in the communities surrounding the Northern Puebla Highlands, carried out by different territorial cooperatives that have demonstrated within their own communities and that can be replicated in the community of Yaonáhuac.

Abstract: Accurate ethnicity data is essential for understanding the size and needs of communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. Potential misclassification of Fijian and Fijian Indian ethnicity has been identified in census and administrative collections, affecting the visibility of these groups in population statistics. Using 2023 Census data available in the Integrated Data Infrastructure, this study applies census variables relating to birthplace, parental ethnicity, and language to identify people who may belong to the Fijian Indian population in addition to those recorded with the Fijian Indian ethnicity code. The 2023 Census recorded 23,808 people with Fijian Indian ethnicity, while the combined-variable approach identified an estimated 75,024 people. This result is consistent with analysis of the 2018 Census, which identified an estimated 73,056 people. Findings suggest that the recorded ethnicity code captures only part of the wider population and that visibility depends on how the ethnicity standard is implemented across census and administrative collections. Because administrative data lacks the level of detail needed to identify small groups, it is likely to provide a less complete view than census-based approaches. Using multiple census variables provides a more complete view of the Fijian Indian population and highlights the importance of consistently implementing the ethnicity standard.

Abstract: The limited real-world adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare is often attributed not to technical performance, but to a poor fit with the cultural, social, and ethical contexts of diverse populations. This study investigates this gap by exploring how cultural determinants shape the acceptance and implementation of AI-driven technologies in healthcare. Using multi-source qualitative design approach that combines a global narrative review with an in-depth case study of the AIMIX project in Kenya, we identify key socio-cultural factors—such as religious beliefs, family structures, and community governance—that are critical for designing trustworthy AI. The findings from extensive stakeholder engagement, including 84 participants through interviews and workshops, demonstrate that local legitimacy, secured through community co-design and ethical partnership, is as crucial as technical accuracy for successful implementation. This research suggests that moving beyond Western-centric models—that prioritize individual autonomy and technocratic ethics—to develop context-aware, culturally grounded frameworks is essential for achieving equitable and effective AI in global healthcare.

Abstract: This article asks how religious transformation affects the capacity of Tahtacı Alevi communities in Western Anatolia to reproduce ritual knowledge across generations. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2021 and 2026 in thirteen settlements in İzmir, Aydın, Muğla, and Denizli, including participant observation and interviews with twenty-five participants, it compares five ritual and moral domains: the three-knotted belt, Hak Üleştirme, Yas Nefesi and funerary practice, Öznek, and Hearth Digging. Rather than treating transformation as either rupture or preservation, the article develops “Keeping the Path” as an ethnographically grounded framework of religious transmission. It identifies five interacting mechanisms: boundary work and communal recognition, relational authority, intergenerational participation, embodied and oral-musical learning, and selective adaptation. The findings reveal uneven reproductive capacity. Practices embedded in multiple settings of family life, communal obligation, ritual authority, and everyday moral evaluation remain comparatively resilient, whereas practices dependent on infrequent occasions or narrowly distributed musical and procedural competence are more vulnerable. By distinguishing cultural recognition from performative competence, the study argues that transformation is best understood as a reorganization of transmission ecologies. The Tahtacı case contributes to contemporary Alevi Studies and broader debates on lived religion, authority, memory, and religious change.

Abstract: This study examines how giftedness is experienced by adults with a migration background, addressing a gap in the literature, in which giftedness and migration are typically studied as separate domains. Drawing on talent development perspectives and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, giftedness is conceptualized as a context-dependent developmental process shaped by sociocultural environments. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analysed using an inductive thematic approach. The findings indicate that giftedness is not consistently recognized across contexts but is mediated by educational practices, cultural expectations, and social positioning. Participants described recurring experiences of underrecognition and the need to validate their abilities, reflecting how dominant norms influence the identification of giftedness. In addition, the results highlight the central role of belonging and identity, with participants navigating multiple contexts and experiencing persistent misalignment. For some participants, additional identity-related dimensions, such as adoption and religion, intensified processes of meaning-making. The study contributes to the literature by conceptualizing giftedness and migration background as mutually constitutive and by demonstrating how early recognition processes and structural inequalities shape developmental trajectories across the lifespan. These findings underline the need for more context-sensitive and inclusive models of giftedness.

Abstract: Marriage rituals constitute a central cultural domain through which communities articu-late social values, regulate social relations, and construct collective identity. This study investigates the semiotic functions of marriage ritual objects in Kangean society, Indone-sia, focusing on their symbolic structure, social roles, and implications for cultural conti-nuity. A qualitative interpretive design was employed, drawing on ethnolinguistic and social semiotic approaches, with data collected through observation and in-depth inter-views with cultural practitioners and community members. The findings show that ritual objects such as sere penang, kettan, beras koneng, koade raje, and sawer money operate within a structured ritual cycle comprising four stages: pepentaan, akad, resepsi, and ko-kocoran. These objects function as dynamic semiotic agents within layered systems of meaning, including denotation, connotation, and myth, and are continuously re-signified across ritual stages. They mediate social interaction, encode moral obligations, and rein-force cultural ideologies that position marriage as a socially regulated and publicly vali-dated institution. This study concludes that Kangean marriage rituals represent an inte-grated semiotic system in which material culture, symbolic practice, and social structure converge, contributing to the reproduction of cultural identity and the resilience of local traditions in contemporary society.

Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between information practices, creativity, and sustainable cultural development within localized cultural ecosystems. Drawing on perspectives from cultural studies, information behavior research, and heritage studies, the study examines how culturally embedded forms of information seeking, sharing, interpretation, and reuse contribute to creative expression and the continuity of local cultural identity. Using the island of Corfu as an indicative case study, the paper investigates how informal knowledge networks, community-based cultural interactions, and heritage-centered meaning-making shape creative cultural practices. Particular attention is given to the role of everyday information interactions in sustaining local cultural memory and enabling cultural adaptation in the context of globalization and digital transformation. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative and interpretive approach based on contextual analysis and theoretically informed synthesis of existing literature on cultural ecosystems, creativity, and information practices. Rather than focusing on quantitative measurement, the paper seeks to illuminate the socially situated and culturally embedded dimensions of creativity within local communities. The analysis suggests that creativity in cultural ecosystems emerges not merely through access to information, but through participatory processes of interpretation, collaboration, and cultural reinterpretation. These practices support both the preservation and the renewal of cultural heritage, contributing to forms of sustainable cultural development that reinforce community identity and cultural resilience. By connecting information practices with cultural sustainability and local heritage dynamics, the paper contributes to interdisciplinary discussions on cultural ecosystems and offers insights for culturally responsive cultural policy, heritage management, and community-centered cultural development strategies.

Abstract: Pakistan’s approximately 36,000 to 43,000 registered religious seminaries enroll an estimated 3.5 to 4.6 million students annually, yet their internal economic architecture remains a critically understudied dimension of the country’s developmental crisis. This paper argues that a significant segment of Pakistan’s madrasa network has undergone a structural transformation evolving from an institution of religious formation into a self-sustaining economic enterprise that systematically instrumentalizes impoverished children as primary agents of revenue generation, while simultaneously violating the foundational Islamic legal principles it claims to embody. Drawing on Islamic jurisprudence, institutional economics, and ethnographic observation conducted across madrasa institutions in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2020–2025), the study identifies four interlocking mechanisms of institutional dysfunction. First, Cultivated Mendicancy wherein children are systematically conditioned through sermons, organized campaigns, and coercive incentive structures to solicit seasonal charitable contributions including grain harvests, animal hides, and monetary donations normalizing solicitation as spiritual practice in direct contravention of established Prophetic prohibitions. Second, the Tamleek Juridical Mechanism through which communally-donated assets are converted into privately-controlled institutional property, circumventing Islamic Waqf law and Zakat distribution ethics. Third, Dynastic Institutional Capture whereby hereditary succession supplants scholarly merit, and teacher appointments reflect student revenue-generation capacity rather than pedagogical qualification. Fourth, Epistemic Closure through Religious Sanction wherein alternative educational pathways are delegitimized as irreligious, and institutional accountability is systematically suppressed through the weaponization of sacred authority. The cumulative consequence is the large-scale, intergenerational production of a chronically dependent population structurally excluded from productive economic participation and conditioned toward institutionalized solicitation from childhood. Against Pakistan’s declining education expenditure of 0.8 percent of GDP and its ranking of 164th out of 193 countries on the Human Development Index, this paper contends that madrasa-mediated dependency cultivation constitutes a measurable and systematically overlooked impediment to national human capital formation. Evidence-based policy recommendations are advanced for regulatory bodies, civil society organizations, and international development institutions.

Abstract: The current article explores how people in contemporary America understand George Washington’s national authority through their daily cultural activities. It examines how individuals understand national symbol through ethical beliefs. Using thirty-three semi-structured online interviews and qualitative narrative analysis, the findings reveal that participants see Washington as a national symbol through personal understanding, emotional ties and their judgment of his moral character. Washington serves as a national figure whom people learn about in schools and see in popular culture yet his historical connection to slavery creates discomfort and mixed feelings for many individuals. Participants resolve this conflict through selective reverence, distancing, qualification, and informal critique. These practices illustrate a process of symbolic governance in which national authority persists because individuals continuously negotiate their understanding of national symbols through emotional and moral evaluation. Consequently, Washington is revealed as a figure whose authority is culturally constructed, maintained through varied cultural readings of his persona. This research shows how national symbols persist in modern culture, a process shaped by the continuous interplay between individual interpretation and historical awareness.

Abstract: This study investigates how Gen Z’s digital engagement with the Diyandi Festival in Iligan City reconfigures cultural participation into a hybrid experience—where faith, identity, and storytelling unfold across both physical and digital spaces. Employing a qualitative case study design, enriched by digital ethnographic and content analytic methods, the research draws from semi-structured interviews, written and online artifacts, and a robust theoretical framework that includes Hall’s encoding/decoding model, Bakhtin’s carnivalesque theory, and Adorno’s critique of mass culture. Twenty salient themes emerged, mirroring the voices, views, sentiments, and lived experiences of young Iliganons as they navigate tradition through memes, livestreams, and remix aesthetics. Overall, the paper encapsulates the symbolic tension between sacred ritual and digital disruption, highlighting the fragility of mediated spirituality. The study’s innovation lies in its fusion of ethnographic depth with digital cultural analysis, offering a localized yet globally resonant portrait of participatory heritage. It positions Iligan’s festival as a living archive that stands resilient against the tide of global cultural information. Limitations in scope and generational range prompt recommendations for comparative and longitudinal research, and suggest the viability of a “phygital” festival model—one that blends physical celebration with digital engagement to ensure cultural continuity in the age of information.

Abstract: First described in the 1980s, mentorship has evolved from an emerging idea to a well-established culture. As such, a concomitant understanding of "mentor", "mentee", and "mentorship" is indicated—something currently lacking. In response, this work examines the author's fourteen types of mentoring relationships, over 39 years, regarding outcomes of peer-reviewed publications. The results demonstrate that mentors are most effective when they possess applicable experience compared to their mentees, experience considered by the mentees as having the potential to aid in their ability to solve a problem. In this respect, mentees require a particular self-awareness to identify that they have a solvable problem, anticipate a solution, and can effectively utilize the mentor's experience. Therefore, mentees are not equivalent to protégés, who, with their mentor, develop their careers and psychosocial competencies. The basis of mentorship is problem-solving for mentees, in contrast. Consequently, most productively, mentees choose their mentors, rather than having them assigned. Therefore, much of the effort in organizing matches for advancing the mentorship culture can be misguided and unproductive. In contrast, effective mentorship matching aids a relevant self-awareness in mentees and provides them with options for selecting mentors who are willing and able to share their pertinent problem-solving knowledge.

Abstract: Inequalities persist throughout the globalized world. The overall economies of the Global South pales in comparison to the Global North. The difference between the haves and have nots are becoming more and more pronounced as the free economy continues to operate. In this study, we try to determine the factors that affect the differing degree of prosperity gained from globalization. Although we understand that there are numerous factors that contribute to a country’s prosperity that do not relate to the psychology of its constituents, we theorize that human behavior and psychology defined by cultural differences play a major role in how countries take advantage of globalization. Identifying the cause for inequalities in globalization will allow governments to tackle the root causes of their challenges, creating a more productive global community.

Abstract: Taking the recent widespread controversy surrounding Yan Xuejing's live-streamed remarks as a case study, this paper analyses how public figures' discourse within commercial communication spheres is amplified by algorithms through digital expression and metaphorical labelling, thereby triggering class perception fractures and group emotional polarisation. Employing Xi Jinping's key directives on literary and artistic endeavours (‘centring on the people’ and ‘seriously considering social impact’) alongside the ‘integrity and artistic excellence’ standard as normative benchmarks, the article distinguishes between legal liability and ethical responsibility in the arts. It contends that the issue lies not in ‘discussing money’ per se, but in the absence of empathy within the mode of expression and the imbalance in public exemplification. This paper contends that such discourse has already produced foreseeable social consequences of value misalignment at the communication level. While not necessarily equivalent to ‘incitement of group hostility’ in legal terms, it warrants serious reflection and correction in terms of artistic ethics and social responsibility.

Abstract: This review examines how cultural orientations, as defined by Hofstede’s six dimensions, shape family structures, parenting practices, and child protection systems in Ghana and Latvia. Using a systematic review guided by the PRISMA framework, 441 records were screened, and twenty-five sources were synthesized to ensure methodological rigor and transparency. Findings reveal stark contrasts between Ghana’s collectivist kinship systems and Latvia’s individualist nuclear structures. In Ghana, extended family networks and hierarchical authority dominate, reinforcing Authoritarian parenting and widespread acceptance of physical discipline. Conversely, Latvia’s emphasis on autonomy and egalitarianism aligns with Authoritative parenting, prioritizing reasoning and emotional warmth, though high rates of single-parent households introduce economic and psychosocial vulnerabilities. These cultural orientations influence not only caregiving arrangements but also the resilience of child protection systems: collectivist contexts buffer children through shared responsibilities, while individualist settings heighten risks in cases of family dissolution. The review underscores the need for culturally responsive interventions by mobilizing kinship networks in Ghana and strengthening community supports for single-parent families in Latvia. Overall, this study contributes to global social work discourse by highlighting how macro-level cultural values translate into micro-level family practices and child welfare outcomes.

Abstract: The study aimed to adapt and psychometrically validate the Socio-Educational and Cultural Ambivalence Scale (EASC) in the context of Chilean intercultural education, considering teachers, students, and parents/caregivers. Socio-educational ambivalence is defined as the coexistence of contradictory beliefs, emotions, and practices in the relationship between dominant school knowledge and Mapuche educational knowledge. Using a sequential mixed qualitative–quantitative design, we conceptually reviewed the original instrument (Quilaqueo et al., 2016) and administered the adapted version to a sample of 739 participants (266 teachers, 286 students, and 183 parents/caregivers) from the regions of Biobío, La Araucanía, and Los Lagos. We proposed two six-factor scales: one shared by adults (teachers and parents/caregivers) and another with the same structure but fewer indicators for students. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) showed good model fit both for teachers and parents/caregivers (χ² = 1,100.85, df = 311, p < .001; RMSEA = .075; SRMR = .058; CFI = .934; TLI = .926) and for students (χ² = 378.546, df = 146, p < .001; RMSEA = .074; SRMR = .033; CFI = .978; TLI = .974). Composite reliability coefficients ranged from ω = .702–.974 for adults and ω = .749–.948 for students. The results support factorial validity, internal consistency, and scalar invariance for the adult category of the instrument (teachers and parents/caregivers), confirming its usefulness for assessing epistemic and cultural tensions in intercultural educational contexts. The EASC contributes to the development of tools that foster a more plural, reflective, and context-sensitive understanding of education in Indigenous territories.

Abstract: Palm oil (Elaeis guineensis), one of the most widely used vegetable oils globally, originates from West Africa and has played a significant role in food, health care, and historical trade networks. While commonly viewed as an industrial commodity, in Bahia, Brazil, palm oil, locally known as azeite de dendê, holds cultural, historical, and symbolic significance. Introduced during the colonial period as a non-native species in the Atlantic Forest ecosystem, Elaeis guineensis has since adapted to local biodiversity, becoming embedded in regional agroecological systems and Afro-Brazilian cuisine, religious practices, and identity formation, particularly within the culinary and religious traditions of the region. Bahia’s dendê economy contrasts sharply with the monoculture palm oil plantations of the Brazilian Amazon and other regions of the world such as Indonesia and Malaysia. In Bahia, palm oil production is still rooted in biodiverse landscapes, maintained through artisanal methods and generational knowledge. Yet, this traditional system faces mounting pressures from deforestation, declining artisanal production, and the industrialization of palm oil supply chains. Parallel to these ecological and economic threats is the abandonment of Bahia’s historical processing infrastructure: many traditional mills and industrial heritage sites have been lost, eroding both tangible and intangible cultural landscapes. These shifts have profound implications for the baianas do acarajé, the iconic street vendors and cultural guardians of Afro-Brazilian cuisine. Representing a matriarchal cultural lineage, these women rely on high-quality, manually produced dendê to prepare dishes such as acarajé, vatapá, and moqueca baiana. The increasing cost and reduced availability of artisanal oil compromise not only their livelihoods but also the authenticity of comidas de azeite, diminishing a sensory and symbolic culinary tradition. This article argues that Bahia’s palm oil heritage embodies a multifaceted heritage, spanning religious, economic, ecological, and cultural dimensions, that remains under-recognized and vulnerable. Drawing from UNESCO’s framework of intangible cultural heritage, the study offers evidence of how these practices are transmitted across generations and the consequences of their neglect. It calls for informed recognition and support of the communities that sustain this knowledge. Failing to act risks further marginalizing these groups, many of whom are already socially and economically vulnerable, and losing a vital component of Brazil’s Afro-descendant cultural identity. Moreover, this study shows that local communities have much to teach a globalized society, offering practical tools to address contemporary challenges through traditions that foster sustainability and environmentally friendly practices.

Abstract: This study develops a conceptual and empirical framework for designing an Open Innovation Ecosystem (OIE) to support the digital preservation of Balinese cultural heritage, particularly the lontar manuscripts. The research addresses how modernization, language barriers, and limited access have led to the declining interest of younger generations in the lontar tradition. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews with cultural researchers, activists, and artists, combined with field observation and document analysis. Thematic interpretation based on Open Innovation Theory, Cultural Evolution Theory, and Community Participation Theory revealed that modernization diminishes traditional engagement, while technological innovations such as digitization and augmented reality can revitalize cultural participation. The results highlight that collaboration among communities, universities, government, and private sectors fosters co-creation, technological adaptation, and policy synergy. The proposed OIE model enables knowledge inflow from research and technology to communities, and knowledge outflow through creative products and cultural entrepreneurship. This research contributes to the discourse on digital cultural sustainability by demonstrating how open innovation and community empowerment can transform cultural preservation into an inclusive and economically viable ecosystem.