Digital Commons Network^™

The Politics Of Fertility: Population And Pronatalism In Ladakh, Jennifer Aengst

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

In India’s northwestern region of Ladakh, the linkage between reproduction, politics, and fertility is both complicated and contested, evident in increasing population discourses and the re-emergence of a Buddhist pronatalist movement. This paper examines the impacts of population discourses and pronatalism on women’s reproductive decision-making, as well as on the delivery of healthcare throughout Ladakh. Population discourses currently circulating produce two reproductive subjects—the “hyper-fertile Muslim woman” and the “vulnerable Buddhist”—both of which have been central in revitalizing Buddhist pronatalism. Data collected through a hospital-based survey and interviews shows that fertility behavior is shaped by religious interpretations, political mobilization, and pressure …

Sanctuary: Counter-Oppressive Relationships With Farmed Animals As An Ecopsychological Imperative, Kelsey Bomboy

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

Consumers are intentionally shielded from and often misled about the process of breeding, raising, and slaughtering animals for consumption. By confining most farmed animals to warehouses in rural areas while the majority of humans are sequestered in urban areas, we have effectively created a world where humans do not have to contend with the sense of interconnectedness that arises when witnessing and being witnessed by a farmed animal. Within industrial slaughterhouses, the physical act of killing is minimized to just a fraction of the workers, so that even those who are responsible for rendering a once living being will never …

Affectivity As A Form Of Communication During Interactions Between Parent, Child, And Touchcounts, Qiang Lin

The Mathematics Enthusiast

This qualitative study examines communication in family mathematics settings, focusing on how embodied communication is constituted during parent–child interaction with a multitouch technology application, TouchCounts. Moving beyond information–transmission perspectives, the study adopts an embodied and relational approach centered on affectivity—conceptualized as the circulation of attunement, resonance, and intensity of movement and feeling across human and non-human components of the parent–child–TouchCounts assemblage. Drawing on close qualitative analysis of two selected video-recorded excerpts, the study traces how mathematical events unfold moment by moment through bodily action and material engagement, and how affective flow shapes how participants respond to one …

Laudato Si’ And The Vincentian Charism, Sharon Horace D.C., Mary Jo Stein D.C.

Vincentian Studies

Members of the Vincentian family see the presence of Christ in our brothers and sisters who experience poverty. The encyclical Laudato Si’ by Pope Francis (2015) reveals ways that the poverty of earth and the poverty of people are interconnected. He invites all to adapt an integral ecology to respond to the cries of our earth and the cries of the poor. This article presents a concise overview of Vincentian history through the lens of our founders’ connections to the natural world in their timeframe to demonstrate that integral ecology is a Vincentian value. It invites readers to consider how …

Between Interpretation And Imagination: C.S. Lewis And The Bible By Leslie Baynes, Katherine Cooper Wyma

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

Book Review: "Burning Matters: Life, Labor, And E-Waste Pyropolitics In Ghana" By Peter C. Little, Natalie Gabriela Tobing

Antropologi Indonesia

“Burning Matters: Life, Labor, and E-waste Pyropolitics in Ghana” is written by Peter C. Little, published in 2021 through Oxford University Press. This book is an experiment in electronic waste (e-waste) anthropology. It focuses on e-waste embodiment—an understanding of urban waste as it is imagined and experienced by the situated, laboring, and contaminated bodies enduring toxic struggles and how the e-waste workers navigate various urban environmental health science and waste management interventions (2021). E-waste, in simplest terms, is defined as discarded devices with electronic circuits and devices, using electricity in some capacity and having integrated circuits or microchips in order …

2026 Outstanding Trainee Presentations In Anthropological Genetics Awards Announced

Human Biology

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An Exploration Of Psychosocial Determinants Of Cybercrime Intention Among Youths In Oyo State, Nigeria, Moromoke Nimota Raji, Musa Adeyemi Ogunsola, Jamiu Agbolade Ogunsola

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

Cybercrime has become a pressing issue among adolescents and youths, particularly in Nigeria, where a growing number of young individuals engage in cyber-related offences. This study explores the relationship between key risk factors and the intention to commit cybercrime. Utilizing a descriptive correlational survey design, 300 students from six secondary schools in Ibarapa East were randomly selected as participants. Data collection was conducted using validated instruments, including the Cybercrime Intention Scale (α = 0.88), Levenson’s IPC scale  (α = 0.78), Materialistic Value Scale (α = 0.74), Parenting Style Scale (α = 0.77) and Peer Influence Scale …

Moderating The Meta-Historical Fall: Recent Eastern Orthodox Theodicies Of Evolution, Travis Dumsday

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Une Analyse Intersectionnelle De L'Albinisme Dans L'Instinct De Survie D'Éveline Mankou Et Ses Implications Contemporaines, Gracious Ojiebun, Eiloghosa Enogiomwan

Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies

Grâce à l'inclusion numérique, l'éducation devient plus interactive, accessible et inclusive, néanmoins, les enfants atteints d'albinisme en sont souvent exclus en raison de préjugés socio-culturels, de l'écart numérique et des barrières sociales systémiques. L'article explore comment les liens entre la culture, la géographie, la religion, le genre et le statut socio-économique peuvent conduire à une marginalisation violente en se servant d'une évaluation critique de L'instinct de survivre d'Evline Mankou, et en utilisant la théorie de l'intersectionnalité de Crenshaw, 1989.

Le roman dépeint un monde où la superstition et les traditions patriarcales condamnent un enfant atteint d'albinisme, tout en offrant un …

Blending Oral Tradition And New Media In Digital Storytelling In Francophone Africa, Moses Chibueze Opara Odogwu

Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies

This paper investigates the dynamic convergence of oral tradition and new media within the context of digital storytelling in Francophone Africa. Grounded in age-old practices of communal narratives and cultural transmission, oral storytelling has experienced a resurgence through digital platforms, including social media, Tiktok, podcasts, and multimedia productions. This integration facilitates the preservation, revitalisation, and worldwide dissemination of indigenous narratives while promoting vibrant cultural dialogues across different generations. The study analyses how digital storytelling incorporates traditional African oral forms with modern technologies to develop hybrid narratives that transcend local limitations. It also tackles important issues that influence the changing landscape, …

Looking At You, Alexander E. Hanley

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

A Devotional (Courtesy Of A Lovestruck Congregant), Alexander E. Hanley

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Caged, Alexander E. Hanley

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Piercing The Veil In Sinners: Theological Insights From The Juke Joint, Antonio D. Sison Cpps

Journal of Religion & Film

Celebrated as a critical and commercial success, Ryan Coogler’s genre-defying opus Sinners has also been considered as one of the most culturally significant films of 2025. It also promises to be one of the most theologically resonant films of the year. This is evinced not only in its thematic and literary bases but, importantly, in its very audiovisual language and grammar, its stylistic strategies qua film. As reasoned in this essay, Coogler’s film is a rich locus theologicus, a nexus for theological discovery and insight.Sinners kindles the hermeneutical impulse to dialogue with African American/Pan-Africa theologies exemplified by the …

On The Violence Of The Letter: Toward A Theory Of Writing, Piers Kelly

Criticism

The Violence of the Letter: Toward a Theory of Writing by Melanie McMahon. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2023.

Church-Based Qualitative Research, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

Qualitative research is collecting, analyzing, and interpreting subjective data to answer an important research question. It can be contrasted with quantitative research, which focuses on collecting numerical (relatively objective) data to test specific hypotheses. It is an attractive form of research in church contexts because it does not require training in statistics and can be conducted in almost all ministry settings. It is especially appropriate for topics that are under-researched, poorly understood, or involve concepts that are difficult to measure. Common problems associated with church-based qualitative research include overly broad research questions, weak descriptions of what has been observed, shallow …

My Pilgrimage In The Growth Of The Church, Charles Van Engen

Great Commission Research Journal

I have lived a life invested in the growth of the church and forming leaders who would mobilize the church toward growth. I have sought to pay forward what others did for me. Born of missionary parents, I was raised in the state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. From 1973 to 1985, my wife, Jean, and I served the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico in Chiapas, Mexico, in leadership formation, training evangelists, pastors, and teachers of rapidly growing churches. In 1981, I received a Ph.D. in missiology under Johannes Verkuyl at the Free University of Amsterdam. I taught Mission Theology …

Outside The Church Walls: An Empirical Exploration Of Organizational Culture And Pastoral Leadership In Two Urban Churches, Althea P. Gordon-Scott, Joshua D. Henson, Bethany D. Peters, Katrina Hutchins

Great Commission Research Journal

A mini-ethnographic case study explored the interconnections of organizational culture and pastoral leadership with sustainable outreach in two very different churches that focus on ministry to people with life-controlling issues and economic need: a small, primarily Black church in the Great Lakes region and a large, primarily White and Hispanic church in the western United States. Despite their differences, the churches shared similar espoused values and leadership characteristics that facilitated their outreach initiatives. Themes derived from the data include altruistic foundations, the value of relationships, exemplary pastoral leadership, organizational challenges, agile organizational systems, and the centrality of God.

Mission And Editorial Policy

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Editorial History

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Eating Disorders & Meat Consumption: A Meta-Analytic Review, Urska Dobersek, Laurel Standiford-Reyes, Tyler Robinson, Alex Antony Edwin, Sarah Siebers

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In this meta-analytic review, we examined the current evidence on eating disorders in relation to meat consumption and meat abstention. We systematically searched six online databases in December 2025 for primary research on eating disorder-related variables in meat consumers and meat abstainers. Fifty-one studies with 55,984 participants (n_{meat consumers} = 44,282, n_{meat abstainers} = 9,751) met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The outcomes were eating disorders and orthorexia nervosa. Meat consumption was associated with lower eating disorder (g = 0.20, 95% CI [0.08, 0.32], p = .001) and orthorexia nervosa symptomology (g = 0.47, 95% CI [0.33, …

Complete Issue, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Statement From The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences And Board Of Directors

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Editor-In-Chief's Note, Surekha K. Rao

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Volume 29, Issue 1 Full Contents

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Learning By Doing To Teach Research Skills In Econometrics, Christie Byun

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This paper examines a revision in an introductory econometrics course at an undergraduate liberal arts college. The instructors have incorporated extensive use of data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series from the Current Population Survey (IPUMS-CPS), with applied examples that demonstrate econometric theory. The key element is a short empirical paper assignment in which all students work on a common research question, but with different data sets. The paper assignment includes a series of scaffolding assignments using IPUMS-CPS data. This approach has several benefits, including ease of implementation into any course that has an empirical paper component, significantly streamlined …

Time And Money: Patterns Of Nonstandard Work Across The First Year Of Covid-19, Ellen M. Whitehead, Alison Winiarski, Emily Wornell, Justin Schupp

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

The COVID-19 pandemic had a well-documented impact on the formal economy, with the extent of these consequences varying across industries and sociodemographic groups. Less attention has been paid to whether the nonstandard economy, including informal and gig work, mirrored this broader economic fallout. We draw on 2019 and 2020 data from the Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking to assess participation in, time spent on, and money earned from nonstandard work across the first year of the pandemic. We find evidence of an overall decline in participation in nonstandard work during this time. However, our results indicate heterogeneous experiences across …

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Call For Papers

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.