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An Attempt To Arrive At The Meaning Of Civilization As The Third Millennium Dawns, Mojtaba Sadeghi Independent Scholar

Comparative Civilizations Review

Civilizations may be understood as phenomena subject to differing perspectives. This article views civilization from the perspective of Geography. A civilization is a “Geographical Space” that arises from complex interactions over time. The core of civilization from a geographical perspective is this: every civilization is a geographical space, but not every geographical space is necessarily a civilization. A civilization has a “cultured soul” and an “advanced body.” We may use this approach to understand, measure, critique, and emancipate civilization in the third millennium.

An Anatomy Of Nepal's Remarkable Export Decline, Rishi Sharma

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

This paper documents and breaks down a remarkable decline in Nepal's exports over the 2000-2019 period. This decline is due to a collapse in the country's top export products and is largely uniform across destinations and products. Furthermore, it is not on account of the poor global performance of the sectors Nepal was specialized in but is something more specific to Nepal. Industry-level statistics show that gross output increased in major exporting industries while value-added grew slower or declined. The increase in gross output together with the decline in exports implies a movement towards producing for domestic consumption using more …

Hegemonic Instability? India’S Himalayan Hegemony In Theoretical And Historical Perspective, Philip Hultquist Ph.D., Prakash Adhikari Ph.D.

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

Is India the regional hegemon of South Asia? If so, what kind of hegemon is it? India has long been considered the regional hegemon of South Asia, primarily based on relative power considerations alone. We critique this material basis for hegemony. Hegemons must act to establish their hegemony, and smaller states must acquiesce to some degree to establish the relationship. We follow the literature to identify three strands of behavioral definitions of regional hegemony—leadership, domination, and sphere of influence—each drawing on different theoretical foundations, liberalism, realism, and imperialism, respectively. India has demonstrated characteristics of each, depending on the period and …

A Research On The Innovative Performance Of Clustering Enterprises In Industrial Parks: Evidence From Shenzhen, China, Jiangong Bai

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

How about the innovation performance of enterprises clustered in the industrial parks? This is the core question of this study. Based on the thinking and evolution of the question, this study will focus on the impact of industrial agglomeration on enterprise innovation performance with enterprise relations and informal institution as intermediate variables.

In this study, Shenzhen, as a city of innovation, is selected as the research area where sample parks and enterprises can be investigated to obtain data. This study constructs and measures the strength of informal institution and enterprise innovation performance through grounded theory and fuzzy matter-element method, evaluates …

From A “Cheli” In Nepal To A “Khadama” In The Arabian Gulf Countries: The Local-Global Entanglements And Gendered Labour Migration Governance, Hari Kc

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation explores: In what ways does gender operate as a governing code in Nepal’s labour migration governance? This question is answered in three specific ways. First, it explores how the gender codes in the Nepali society conjoin global forces to create structural conditions for women’s transnational labour migration. Second, it examines how the Nepali state – within the regional/global geopolitics – embraces the gendered labour migration policy to produce, reproduce, and perpetuate the gender codes. Third, it explicates the ways in which women migrating for domestic work in the Arabian Gulf countries resist and subvert the gender codes while …

The (De)Territorialised Appeal Of International Schools In China: Forging Brands, Boundaries And Inter-Belonging In Segregated Urban Space, Lily Kong, Orlando Woods, Hong Zhu

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper considers how the (de)territorialised appeal of international schools in China can reflect, enforce and expand pre-existing patterns of urban segregation. Whilst exploration of the effects of educational marketplaces on urban environments has become a focus of scholarly research, the recent expansion in the supply of, and demand for, international education has caused these effects to become more nuanced. As (de)territorialised entities, international schools can cause multiple forms of spatial and psycho-social distinction and (dis)association to become intertwined, the effects of which start from the school and radiate out from there. International schools can therefore cause segregation to become …

Alexey Starostin (Ed.) Muslims In Russia’S Far East: History And Contemporary Situation. (Book Review), Elena Glavatskaya

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A review of Alexey Starostin (ed.) Мусульмане на Дальнем Востоке России: история и современность (Muslims in Russia’s Far East: History and Contemporary Situation). Kazan’ : Typografia “Algoritm+”, 2020, 656 pp, hardback. ISBN: 978-5-6042963-5-6.

Poll Booth Proximity, Tribal Id, And Bilingual Accessibility: Three Provisions To Increase Native American Turnout In The Native American Voting Rights Act Of 2019, Grant Baldwin

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

On March 12, 2019, Senator Udall (D-NM) and Representative Lujan (D-NM- 3) introduced the Native American Voting Rights Act of 2019 (S.739; HR 1694) to both chambers of the United States Congress as a proposed solution to problems concerning low voter turnout among Native Americans and Alaska Natives. (While I recognize there are notable differences between Native American groups and Alaska Native groups, for the remainder of this analysis I use the terms Native, Native American, American Indian, and Alaska Native interchangeably.) If enacted, the bill would provide voting assistance to Native communities by bringing poll booth and voter registration …

Integration Of Cape Verde In The Ecowas Subregion: Challenges And Viability, Silvestre De Pina Rosa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was created on May 28th, 1975, with the intent of fostering the economic growth of its 15 member-states. In the process of implementing its policies and institutions, the ECOWAS faced decisive challenges, including internal conflicts, asymmetries, migrations and mobility. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact these factors have on the integration of the Republic of Cape Verde, which is the smallest member-state, and formulate conclusions and recommendations that would help the organization to find a path to success. Through the lenses of the dependency theory, this research involved …

Reconsidering Social Protection For Motorcycle Taxi Drivers: Understanding Precarity In Formalized Informality, Kritsada Theerakosonphong

Asian Review

This article's central argument is that as a consequence of ride-hailing applications (apps), formalized informality has emerged among motorcycle taxi drivers (MTDs). The aim is to provide preliminary recommendations for reconsidering social protection (SP) for MTDs. Platformization and practices of precarising formality through formal-informal interaction are reviewed, as well as employment status and other different forms of employment. MTDs are unevenly matched in power relations dominated by the government and non-government officials, insecurity and uncertainty related to job precarity results. Several critical SP issues are discussed including: the distinction between formality and informality and the related inability to divide the …

Chinese Cultural Symbols In Thailand : A Study Of Mazu Belief In The Chinese Community In Bangkok Chinatown, Tongtong Xu

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The overseas Chinese living around the world constitute a unique and far-reaching social group in the development of modern human history. While seeking survival and development in foreign lands, they also spread Chinese culture to the world, creatively integrating Chinese culture, territorial culture, and other cultures, forming a distinctive culture of overseas Chinese. Due to the historical environment, geographical conditions, and background factors of transportation, Southeast Asia now has the largest number of overseas Chinese in the world. Among them, overseas Chinese living in Thailand have long been integrated into the mainstream of their economy, politics, and culture. Many Chinese …

Study On China-Myanmar Relations After The Myanmar’S Democratic Transformation, Yingting Guo

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Myanmar has a special geographical location, connecting East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. It is located at the intersection of China, India and ASEAN,facing the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) in the west and the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean) in the east, which has significant geostrategic significance. For China,Myanmar is an vital part of its neighborhood diplomacy and an essential country along the Belt and Road Initiative. Therefore, in the context of Myanmar's"democratic" reform, it is of great significance to analyze Myanmar's policy towards China and the test of changes and unchanging relations between China and Myanmar. Since the …

The Emergence Of The Non-Aligned Foreign Policy Of Burma From The End Of The Second World War To Bandung Conference, Aung Kyaw Min

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Burma has been practicing non-aligned foreign policy since its independence. Most of the literature studied on Burma's foreign policy argued that Burma's non-aligned foreign policy was initiated around 1950. As Burma became a colony under the British Empire from 1886 to 1948, the experience of colonialism might also play an essential role in foreign relations in Burma. After independence, Burma also faced numerous challenges, such as insurgency problems. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to examine the emergence of the ideological foundation of the non-aligned foreign policy of Burma after the Second World War. Moreover, this study will …

Folk Beliefs, Religions And Cultural Tourism In Modern Vietnamese Society: A Case Study Of Perfume Temple Festival, Xuan Wang

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis presents an analysis of the folk beliefs and cultural tourism in modern Vietnam through a case study of the Perfume Temple Festival. It is presumed that folk beliefs and traditional folklore have always constituted the spiritual foundation of Vietnamese people in present day society. It is found that the introduction of religions from outside Vietnam does not affect traditional folk beliefs. These religious beliefs have been integrated into Vietnamese beliefs and traditional culture. This integration contributes to the stability and harmony of modern Vietnamese society. The Perfume Temple Festival, as one of the biggest national temple festivals, embodies …

Food Security Through Disaster Planning In Tanzania: How Agriculture-Based Disaster Preparedness Can Improve Food Security In Tanzania, Savannah A. Emerich

Masters Theses

In Tanzania, half the population lives below the poverty line and suffers from food insecurity. Of the population, women and children primarily suffer from malnutrition due to food insecurity. For Tanzania, the problem is so severe that some women do not name their newborns for weeks or months due to their unlikely survival. This problem worsens for those who have a significant reliance on agriculture and live in the nation’s rural areas. These rural communities face more traumatic burdens when floods and droughts destroy crops, fields, and tools and ruin livelihoods. A solution has not been implemented thus far due …

Cargoes In Motion: Materiality And Connectivity Across The Indian Ocean, Burkhard Schnepel, Julia Verne

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

An innovative collection of essays that foregrounds specific cargoes as a means to understand connectivity and mobility across the Indian Ocean world.

Scholars have long appreciated the centrality of trade and commerce in understanding the connectivity and mobility that underpin human experience in the Indian Ocean region. But studies of merchant and commercial activities have paid little attention to the role that cargoes have played in connecting the disparate parts of this vast oceanic world. Drawing from the work of anthropologists, geographers, and historians, Cargoes in Motion tells the story of how material objects have informed and continue to shape …

A Harbour In The Country, A City In The Sea: Infrastructural Conduits, Territorial Inversions And The Slippages Of Sovereignty In Sino-Sri Lankan Development Narratives, Orlando Woods

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper adopts infrastructure as a lens through which new understandings of the inter-relationships between territory and sovereignty can be advanced. It argues that inverting the terrestrial assumption of territory can lead to “slippages” of sovereignty in which territorial sovereignty is indirectly claimed through the assertion of governance rights. For the purposes of this paper, I explore these inversions through the reclaiming of land from the ocean, and the removal of land by the ocean. Drawing on ethnographic research exploring the effects of China-backed infrastructure megaprojects in Sri Lanka, these territorial inversions are explored, respectively, through the Port City Colombo …

Sustainable Strategies For Mass Rapid Transit Ppps, Sock Yong Phang, Bin Chye Tan

Research Collection School Of Economics

Mass rapid transit (MRT) PPPs have proliferated in the past two decades. This chapter provides a framework to categorise and understand alternative PPP designs. As MRT systems are inherently large, unprofitable and risky projects, PPP design is critical to project success and sustainability. We study the experiences of MRT PPPs in London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Beijing to understand factors underlying success and failure and to arrive at policy recommendations for PPPs. Policymakers need to have additional governance improvement and risk mitigation measures in place when tied supply chains are utilised. Hong Kong’s experience illustrates that ‘Rail plus Property’ strategy …

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Submission Guidelines

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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Statement From The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences And Board Of Directors, Mssj Staff

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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Volume 24, Full Contents, Mssj Staff

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Mission And Editorial Policy, Mssj Staff

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Editors' Note, Nirupama Devaraj, Bharath Ganesh Babu

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Catholicism In Context: Religious Practice In Latin America, Gustavo Morello Sj

Journal of Global Catholicism

A critical problem to study Catholicism in the context of Latin American modernity, is that the conceptual tools we use to study religion were designed to understand the transformations that modernity provoked in European religiosity. Studies on the religion of Latin Americans have largely explored the religiosity of the population through surveys that measure attendance, adherence and affiliation. While some anthropologists have explored religious practices among particular groups, we do not know how ordinary, urban Latin Americans practice religion. To fill this gap, a group of researchers from Boston College, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Catholic University of Córdoba, and …

Fraternity, Martyrdom And Peace In Burundi: The Forty Servants Of God Of Buta, Jodi Mikalachki

Journal of Global Catholicism

During Burundi's 1993-2005 civil war, students at Buta Minor Seminary were ordered at gunpoint to separate by ethnicity—Hutus over here, Tutsis over there! They chose instead to join hands and affirm their common identity as children of God. The forty students killed were quickly proclaimed martyrs of fraternity. Their costly solidarity defused the cry for reprisals and continues to inspire Burundians and others on the path of reconciliation. Drawing on fifty interviews with survivors, parents of martyrs, neighbors, religious leaders and other Burundian intellectuals, this essay examines how Burundian Catholics understand the significance of the Buta martyrdom to their …

Undersea Cables: The Ultimate Geopolitical Chokepoint, Bert Chapman

FORCES Initiative: Strategy, Security, and Social Systems

This work provides historical and contemporary overviews of this critical geopolitical problem, describes the policy actors addressing this in the U.S. and selected other countries, and provides maps and information on many undersea cable work routes. These cables are chokepoints with one dictionary defining chokepoints as “a strategic narrow route providing passage through or to another region."

Developing A Practice In Remote Sensing For Next-Generation Human Rights Researchers, Theresa Harris, Jonathan Drake, Umesh K. Haritashya, Wumi Asubiaro Dada, Fredy Cumes

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

Remote sensing is increasingly recognized as an important tool for documenting human rights abuses. When used alongside interviews, case studies, surveys, forensic science, and other well-established research methods in human rights and humanitarian practice, remotely sensed data can effectively geolocate and establish chronologies for mass graves, forced displacement, destruction of cultural heritage sites, and other violations. But as a highly technical field of science that relies on ever-changing technologies, remote sensing and geospatial analysis are not readily accessible for human rights and humanitarian practitioners. The community of practice grew out of innovative work by practitioners at NGOs and specialized inter-governmental …

Migration And Mortality: Social Death, Dispossession, And Survival In The Americas, Miranda Cady Hallett, Joseph Nevins, Jamie Longazel, Amelia Frank-Vitale, Alicia Yvonne Estrada, Abby C. Wheatley

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

This panel presents research from the new edited volume Migration and Mortality (edited by Longazel and Hallett, Temple University Press, 2021). Death threatens migrants physically during perilous border crossings between Central and North America, but many also experience legal, social, and economic mortality. Rooted in histories of colonialism and conquest, exclusionary policies and practices deliberately take aim at racialized, dispossessed people in transit. Once in the new land, migrants endure a web of systems across every facet of their world—work, home, healthcare, culture, justice—that strips them of their personhood, denies them resources, and creates additional obstacles that deprive them of …