Digital Commons Network^™

Rural America Grew During The Pandemic Era Because Of Migration Gains, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

In this brief, author Kenneth Johnson examines rural demographic trends finding that between 2020 and 2025, rural America gained population after widespread population losses between 2010 and 2020. This recent rural population gain was surprising given that the Covid pandemic produced a substantial excess of deaths over births in rural America. The entire recent rural population gain was due to migration with more people moving to rural areas and fewer leaving. Rural population gains were greatest in recreational and retirement areas, and in rural counties near metropolitan areas. Whether these population gains continue remains to be seen. The ongoing aging …

“It Feels Like Your Life Hinges On Me”: Lived Experience Of Being Next Of Kin To Someone Who Self-Harms, Kenneth Haugjord, John-Kåre Vederhus, Tore Dag Bøe, Kristine Dahl

The Qualitative Report

Through previous research, attention has been drawn to the burden experienced by next of kin to someone struggling with self-harm, yet less attention has been given to how they experience and make sense of the relational and existential complexity of this role in their everyday lives. We asked how next of kin experienced and made sense of caring for a loved one who self-harmed. We conducted in-depth interviews with fourteen next of kin, including parents, partners, and siblings, and analyzed the data through reflexive thematic analysis within an interpretive qualitative framework. Our analysis generated an overarching theme, "It Feels Like …

Review Of The Book Blinders: Annals Of Vandalism At The British Library: A Necrology, By John Clute, Janet Brennan Croft

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Review of The Book Blinders: Annals of Vandalism at the British Library: A Necrology, by John Clute. The book discusses the British Library's policy of discarding dust-jackets, with examples of the sort of information lost when these important paratexts are destroyed.

Untold Mourning: The Epistemology Of Naming And Grieving The Loss Of Identities, Bao Diep, Verna Wong

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

This paper explores the epistemology of mourning through the lens of two Asian American scholars pursuing doctoral degrees at a Midwestern university. We examine how racialization in Midwestern educational institutions reflects a broader historical and cultural distancing from Vietnamese immigrants and refugees, despite a shared geopolitical past. Employing critical collaborative autoethnography as both method and remedy, we engage in a dialogic process of uncovering and understanding our collective memories and lived experiences. This approach empowers us to confront hegemonic narratives and reclaim our identities as immigrant scholars navigating predominantly white academic spaces.

Emotional Rescue: Junior Women Academic’ Experiences On Emotional Labor And Academic Identity Work, M. Ikhwan Maulana Haeruddin, Sigal G. Barsade, Annisa Ciptagustia

The Qualitative Report

This study explores the emotional challenges and identity work processes experienced by junior women academics as they navigate the complexities of academia. Through semi-structured qualitative interviews, the research highlights how gender-based power imbalances, workplace culture, and pressure to meet high expectations shape their daily experiences. The rationale for this study is built on the growing body of research that has documented the unique challenges and barriers faced by women faculty, particularly at the early stages of their academic careers. Studies have consistently highlighted the emotional toll of managing professional identities, negotiating gendered expectations, and contending with systemic biases and exclusion …

Being A Padawan And Mastering The Force: A Dissertation Quest, Papia Bawa

The Qualitative Report

This study explores the experiences of one doctoral researcher and two doctoral peers navigating mentor-mentee relationships through a literary lens, employing autoethnographic methods to capture the nuanced dynamics of guidance, expectation, and emotional labor. Data were drawn from narratives found in reflective journals, personal memos, email exchanges, text messages and conversations with four faculty mentors and two doctoral peers accumulated through the doctoral journey.  The narratives were analyzed using thematic analysis. Using vignettes and incident reports, the research highlights key turning moments in the doctoral journey that shaped perceptions of mentorship, emphasizing both the cognitive and affective dimensions of academic …

Constructing An Inferior Identity: Special Educational Needs Students Under Inclusive Education In Hong Kong, Jesse W. C. Yip, Anna H. N. Ng

The Qualitative Report

Inclusive education has been in place for approximately three decades in Hong Kong, and previous research has predominantly focused on examining its effectiveness from the perspectives of teachers, policy makers, and healthcare professionals. However, there has been limited investigation into the personal experiences of students with special educational needs (SEN) who are integrated into mainstream schools. This study employing narrative inquiry explores the identity formation of eight SEN students throughout their 20-year learning journey within Hong Kong’s inclusive education system. The results revealed that the participants developed an identity of inferiority, which encompassed three key themes: experiencing school bullying, feeling …

Asking Questions Of The Data: Operationalizing The Disruptive Aims Of Poststructural Discourse Analysis, Maxxine Rattner

The Qualitative Report

I wrote this paper to support qualitative researchers in accessibly engaging with poststructural discourse analysis. In it, I detail how I flexibly adapted this methodology to meet my study’s aims. I begin by outlining poststructural understandings of discourse and explaining why a researcher may choose a poststructural discourse analysis for a study’s theoretical and methodological framework. While published poststructural discourse analyses commonly draw upon Foucauldian concepts to guide analysis, in this paper I share a more expansive approach. I demonstrate how developing and asking questions of the data can be one way to analyze diverse texts for the presence of …

Preserving Threatened Wisdom In Indigenous Houses As Living Archives: An Ethnographic Study Of Spatial, Gendered Knowledge, And Community-Based Preservation Strategies In The Philippines, Lalin Abbacan Tuguic

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative study explores how Indigenous houses function as living archives of identity, ecological wisdom, and gendered knowledge in Kalinga communities in the Cordillera region of the Philippines. Using an ethnographic design grounded in prolonged engagement and reflexive practice, the research documents how historical experience, social and cultural meanings, environmental adaptation, and community‑based preservation strategies are materially and symbolically embedded in Indigenous house construction and use. Data were generated through participant observation of everyday life and rituals in and around traditional square and octagonal houses; semi‑structured interviews with elders, women, builders, youth, and community leaders; focus group discussions in local …

Afinidad Biológica En Una Población Contemporánea De Izamal, Yucatán A Través De La Morfología Dental, Lucy Concepción Chan Miss, Rubén Darío Lezama Carvajal, Roger Mario Moo Yah

Journal of Maya Heritage

Resumen. Este estudio describe la variación de rasgos morfológicos dentales no métricos en una muestra de 173 estudiantes de 11 a 16 años de la escuela secundaria Tiburcio Mena, ubicada en Izamal, Yucatán. Mediante modelos dentales y el sistema de registro ASUDAS se estimaron las frecuencias de distintos rasgos y se realizaron comparaciones exploratorias de biodistancia con conjuntos de referencia regionales y extrarregionales. Entre los rasgos más frecuentes destacan la rotación de los incisivos (90.59 %; 154/170), la forma en pala (81.87 %; 140/171), la doble pala (78.95 %; 135/171) y la sexta cúspide (71.03 %; 103/145). La medida …

Citizenship At Sea: A Comparative Perspective On Blue Justice In The Andaman Sea And The Mediterranean In The Context Of Climate Change, Emilio Cocco

Pace Environmental Law Review

Discourses of the ocean in the sociological and socio-legal world have, until recently, been approached from majoritarian, terrestrial, profane and nation-centric perspectives. These perspectives are embedded in legal and regulatory regimes to the detriment of Indigenous and marginalized maritime communities. Drawing on the blue turn in sociology and socio-legal scholarship, this Article, in comparing the experiences of the Moken people of the Andaman Sea with those of migrants, fishers, and island communities in the Mediterranean, exposes the violence of such narratives. Through a comparative analysis of maritime borders, marine protected areas, tourism, and fisheries regulation, the Article explores how governance …

Climate Migration And Reparations: Reflections On The Icj Advisory Opinion On Climate Change, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Pace Environmental Law Review

Climate mobility governance is at an inflection point. Major developments, such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on climate change, are opening legal pathways to climate reparations and reshaping global policy debates on climate-induced migration. Climate-vulnerable states and peoples are calling for reparations for the intertwined injustices of slavery, colonialism and climate change and for legal frameworks that recognize the right to stay and the right to migrate based on the right to self-determination. This article examines the legal and ethical basis for reparative approaches to climate-induced migration. The article discusses the link between climate change and …

Solutions From Across The United States To Improve Language Access In Child Care Systems, Evan England, Carlos Pérez-Espitia, Rachel Filippone, Early Childhood Equity Movement

Carsey Publications

To understand what it takes to build statewide, language accessible child care systems, this brief examines approaches to language access across 49 states and the District of Columbia. These analyses revealed five fundamental, action-oriented strategy domains that may contribute to culturally effective child care systems and can be used by state leaders, administrators, and policymakers. Strategy domains include simplifying access to resources in diverse languages from first contact, instituting systemwide navigation resources, reinforcing a supply of language-diverse child care, redesigning state systems to track and promote language access, and establishing and sharing ownership of language access. Find specific examples of …

The Life Of A Showgirl As A Cultural Artifact: What's Hidden By The Lipstick And Lace?, Crystal F. Haryanto

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This paper develops a collage-based framework to holistically assess Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated first release after the Eras Tour concluded. The Life of a Showgirl, with sparkling promotional materials leading up to its October 2025 drop and polarizing critical reception following it, represents an entertainer’s lifestyle while still concealing what was alluded to behind the Eras Tour curtain. Rather than engage in a direct response to Showgirl, I critically evaluate positive and negative commentary from listeners regarding the album, and I thematically analyze lyrical concepts throughout Swift’s discography to contextualize Showgirl within the arc of her work. I …

A Mediterranean Puzzle: Paternity Leave Divergence In Italy And Spain, Ricardo Camacho

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

In 2019, the European Union (EU) adopted legislation establishing the right to paternity leave for fathers and second parents, advancing the equitable distribution of caregiving responsibilities and gender equality in labor markets. This paper examines why Italy and Spain—two Southern European Member States with shared historical, cultural, and religious legacies—have diverged significantly in their paternity leave entitlements: Spain offers nineteen weeks of full-paid paternity leave, while Italy provides just two. This paper finds that Spain’s more expansive paternity leave policy reflects higher levels of descriptive representation, effective interest group dynamics, and positive policy framing, with institutional design and cultural norms …

The Rise Of Right-Wing Extremism Among Eastern Germany’S Youth: A Study Of Political Socialization In Germany’S Neue Bundesländer, Tim Luebbert

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Eastern Germany has seen a pronounced rise in support for right-wing extremist actors among young people aged 15 to 25, raising concerns about long-term democratic resilience. This study examines why youth in eastern Germany are disproportionately receptive to far-right ideology and how attitudes are shaped by political socialization, regional identity, and gendered demographic dynamics. It combines a literature review with original survey data from a questionnaire administered in January 2026 to high school students in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The findings suggest that far-right youth radicalization in eastern Germany cannot be explained solely by cultural backlash trends observed in other western democracies. Instead, …

Educational Attainment Among Latinos In The New York Metropolitan Area 2000 - 2024., Laird W. Bergad

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

This report shows that between 2000 and 2024 Latinos have experienced a substantial rise in the percentage of college graduates 25 years of age and older. In 2000, 12% of all adult Latinos in the entire New York metro area had achieved a B.A. degree or greater. This more than doubled to 26% in 2024.

These higher levels of educational attainment led to higher household incomes. In 2024, Latino household heads in the New York metro region who had achieved a B.A. or higher degree earned median household incomes ($125,000) which were twice the incomes of those who had only …

Healing Trauma Through Art Therapy: From The Perspectives Of Human Trafficking Survivors And Licensed Art Therapists, Adalyn Ober, Alycha Boehm, Heather Evans

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

Linguistic Intervention Unlocks The Economic Gains Of Diversity, Sheen S. Levine, Simon Siegenthaler, Bart J. Wilson

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

Significance

Propuesta Metodológica Para La Evaluación De La Pobreza Energética En Chiapas, México, Mario Alejandro Sánchez Trujillo, Pascual López De Paz, Marcelino García Benítez, Amina El Mekaoui, Bassam Alí, Jesús Francisco Escalante Euán

Journal of Maya Heritage

Resumen. El acceso inequitativo e insuficiente a servicios energéticos de calidad constituye uno de los principales obstáculos para el desarrollo socioeconómico y el bienestar humano en México, siendo el estado de Chiapas una de las entidades con mayor vulnerabilidad socioambiental. Este trabajo presenta una propuesta metodológica cuantitativa y geoespacial para evaluar la pobreza energética de las siete subprovincias fisiográficas de Chiapas. La metodología combina datos de censos de población y vivienda 2020 (INEGI), la estandarización Min-Max, el análisis de correlación de Pearson y el análisis de componentes principales (PCA) para la construcción de un índice de pobreza energética (IPE) multidimensional. …

“I’M A Biracial Person Who Looks White In A Black Man’S Rap Game”: Exploring Expressions Of Multiracialized Masculine Vulnerability In Logic’S “Everybody”, Matthew Oware

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The field of Black vulnerability studies includes analyses of Black men rap artists’ sexual debut, romantic relationships, mental stress, self-medication, and suicidal thoughts. I expand this analysis to Black-white mixed-race men who express emotional vulnerability regarding their racial identities. Using a case study of the song “Everybody” by Logic—a Black and white, mixed-race man—I find that Logic expresses joy and pride in his Black and biracial identity. Similarly, I observe that he expresses anger and frustration toward those who question, dismiss, or degrade his Black and biracial identities, a pattern paralleled in research on multiracial individuals. By analyzing his radio …

Enterprise-Led Tackling Model For Core Technology In Key Fields Based On Think Tank Double Helix Method, Fan Wu, Chidong Zhang, Yining Li, Tongtong Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As efforts to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields become increasingly systematic, optimizing the organizational models for such efforts has emerged as an important issue in national innovation governance. Existing studies have largely examined the identification of core technologies in key fields and their breakthrough mechanisms from individual perspectives, with insufficient attention to the structural relationship between technological characteristics and organizational models. To address this gap, this study applies the Think Tank Double Helix Methodology and conducts analyses at the levels of mechanism, impact, and policy. It develops a three-dimensional classification framework comprising strategic value (S), market value …

Lost On The Moon: A Classroom Activity For Bringing Group Processes To Life, Christin L. Munsch, Allison Lena, Kay Sassan

Feminist Pedagogy

This teaching activity reviews key concepts in group processes and introduces students to Expectation States Theory (EST) and Status Characteristics Theory (SCT), two micro-sociological frameworks that explain how inequality of opportunity emerges in task-oriented small groups with consequences for unequal outcomes. The activity is built around a team-building exercise “Lost on the Moon” in which participants rank 15 survival items individually and then in small groups. We adapt this exercise by taking field notes on group interactions and drawing on these notes to facilitate a discussion in which students critically reflect on their interactions with one another. We close the …

"Two Different Histories": Lgbtq Educator Identity In An Era Of Policy Precarity In Further Education, Liberty Heath-Tavener

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

In Zadie Smith’s debut novel White Teeth (2000) she writes: ‘every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.’ (p. 532) Although this notion related to the struggles of global majority people in Britain after decolonisation, I liken it to the concept of identity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (LGBTQ) educators within further education, where their internal thoughts, feelings and reality are often in conflict with external norms, ideals and policies, all of which are geared towards heteronormativity and cisnormativity. Lakoff and Johnson (1980) argue that metaphors transcend rhetorical devices and are an essential …

Urasawa’S Monster And The Aesthetics Of Uncertainty, Simon Lindblom

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This essay examines the anime Monster (Urasawa, 2001) through the lens of Aesthetic action (Klinger, 2024) and ethical praxis. Set in a nostalgically rendered pre-accelerationist Europe, the anime cultivates an atmosphere of uncertainty that prompts viewers to engage in complex moral issues. By exploring the anime's aesthetic strategies, this analysis reveals how Monster functions as a political device, exposing the dark undercurrents of historical trauma and the systemic exclusion of marginalised groups. The essay argues that Monster's deliberate cultivation of indeterminacy, particularly through its morally ambiguous characters and unresolved dilemmas, embodies a Determinate Performance of Indeterminacy (Klinger, 2024). This …

Challenges And Coping Strategies Of Agritourism Operators In South Dakota, Xu Li, Peggy Schlechter

Journal of Extension

This study explored the challenges faced by agritourism operators in South Dakota and examined their coping strategies. Through in-depth interviews with 17 agritourism operators, four major challenges were identified: lack of business knowledge and skills, government regulations, time constraints, and financial concerns. The coping strategies adopted by operators demonstrated their adaptability and resilience. The findings suggest that Extension can play a vital role as an educator, facilitator, and advocate in supporting agritourism development. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of agritourism growth in South Dakota and provides valuable insights for Extension and other organizations involved in supporting agritourism.

Safeguarding Childhood: A Comprehensive Review Of Child Abuse In Pakistan, Zohra Asad, Khadija Khaja

Journal for Social Work Scholar-Practitioners

Child abuse is a phenomenon that has affected children from every country, culture, or socio-economic class. Children who are abused or neglected may be more likely to repeat the cycle of violence by entering violent relationships as teens and adults, or with some abusing their children. This paper aims to explore child abuse in Pakistan, the incidence of child abuse, and ways to address it. This academic article seeks to investigate and examine the patterns of child abuse in Pakistan. This report offers insights into the prevalence, types, risk factors, and effects of child abuse in Pakistan by reviewing the …

Internship Factors That Affect Job Pursuit Intention In Nonmetropolitan Areas, Alex R. Henkel

Annual DBA Scholars Conference

Demographic trends show an outmigration of young adults from areas outside metropolitan areas, leaving employers and colleges looking for ways to reduce or reverse the trends. This mixed methods explanatory sequential study seeks to explain how internships relate to college graduates’ post-graduation plans via a study population of approximately 630 college seniors in a nonmetropolitan regional college. The study will survey students via two waves followed by in-person interviews using an integrated model combining Job Embeddedness Theory and Job Characteristics Model in a novel application that may suggest new approaches for internship programs to retain young people in nonmetropolitan areas.

In Memory Of Jane Widtfeldt Meged, Luis Miguel Brito, Cristina Carvalho

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Short piece in Memory of Jane Widtfeldt Meged, founder member of Editorial Board of the International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Connecting Tourism And Mobility: The Emerging Role Of Interpreter-Driver Guides After Deregulation In Japan, Naoko Tanaka

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Recent regulatory changes in Japan have enabled licensed interpreter-guides to engage in driver-guiding, combining guiding and driving within a single professional role. While driver-guiding has attracted attention as a means of improving tourist mobility and diversifying tourism services, limited research has examined how interpreter-guides themselves experience and negotiate this emerging form of work under conditions of deregulation. This study explores interpreter-guides’ engagement in driver-guiding through qualitative interviews with 14 licensed interpreter-guides operating in rural and urban contexts in Japan. Drawing on thematic analysis, the study examines how driver-guiding is practiced, understood, and experienced in relation to mobility, working conditions, and …