International and Area Studies Commons^™

The Comparison Of Classical Tafsir And Contemporary Interpretation Regarding The Verses Of Astrophysics And Cosmology In The Qur’An, Azra Ansharullah, Basuni Imamuddin

International Review of Humanities Studies

As time progressed, various kinds of discoveries in the field of science emerged one by one, especially in the field of Astronomy and its "little brother" Astrophysics. This opens up opportunities for everyone to research things that have been researched from a new perspective, such as researching the Koran from a science and technology perspective. There are 310 instances in the Qur'an where the word "heaven" is mentioned, and within them, there are various statements regarding the nature, phenomena, and other things related to the sky. With the progress of technology, there is undoubtedly a gap in the interpretation and …

The British Colonial Land Policy And The Development Of Plantation Agriculture In Colonial Southwestern Nigeria, Adesola S. Adesote

International Review of Humanities Studies

The main thrust of this paper is to critically analyse the impact of the colonial land policy of the British on plantation agriculture in colonial Southwestern Nigeria. Although land legislation had been introduced as far back as the late 19^th century, such as the Public Lands Ordinance of 1876 later renamed the Public Lands Acquisition Ordinance of 1917, it was vigorously pursued with the imposition of colonial rule in the period between 1900 and 1960. It argued that the introduction of land policy by the British in order to achieve her economic objective in Nigeria led to the commercialisation …

Symbols And Power Discourses In Three Shadow Puppet Performances Of The Murwakala Play, Ayuk Latifah, Darmoko Darmoko

International Review of Humanities Studies

This study analyzes the symbols and discourses of power in three Purwa shadow puppet performances of the Murwakala play, styles of Surakarta, Yogyakarta, and Banyumas. The Murwakala play, centered on themes of purification and the transformation of power, contains a rich narrative for analyzing power dynamics through the interactions between characters such as Batara Kala (a form of destructive power), Batara Wisnu (a form of constructive power), and Batara Guru (a form of cosmic order). Using a qualitative approach, this research integrates Geertz's theory of cultural symbolism and Foucault's discourse of power to analyze how power is represented and negotiated …

Soft Power: Brics Cultural Diplomacy And The Rebalancing Of Global Narratives, Brice Tseen Fu Lee, Kotchaphop Kornphetcharat, Juan Pablo Sims

International Review of Humanities Studies

BRICS has broadened its agenda beyond finance to cultivate soft power through coordinated cultural diplomacy. Examining official statements, press releases, and scholarly commentary on the bloc’s flagship film, sports, and ministerial initiatives, this article shows that cooperation is advancing from one-off spectacles toward structured, recurring institutions. Findings indicate two simultaneous dynamics: outwardly, BRICS venues amplify Global-South perspectives that diversify international cultural flows; inwardly, member states use the same platforms to signal national prestige, revealing persistent status competition. The result is an early but uneven cultural architecture—one that counters Euro-Atlantic narrative dominance yet has not crystallized into a fully coherent BRICS …

Representing Vietnam’S Political Leadership In International Media: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Coverage From 2018 To 2024, Jackson Andre William Kumaat

International Review of Humanities Studies

International media play a powerful role in shaping global perceptions of political legitimacy, particularly in states where authoritarian governance coexists with economic success. Vietnam—often described as a one-party socialist state with rapid economic growth—has attracted increased attention in international news coverage, yet little research has examined how its leadership is discursively constructed through media narratives. This study addresses that gap by analyzing how Vietnam’s political leadership was represented in international media from 2018 to 2024. Using Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Stuart Hall’s theory of representation, the research investigates how ideology, power, and meaning are embedded in news …

The 15-Minute City And Social Behavior Changes In The Tod Area: Blok M-Sisingamangaraja Tod Case Study, Dede Julfikar, Lin Yola

International Review of Humanities Studies

The changing process of the city can be due to economic development that results in urbanization then enlarges the city. This situation affects the growth and evolution of other activities in urban areas such as the emergence of new residential areas, industrial zones, and trade and service (commercial) areas. The government of DKI Jakarta is targetting to develop many public transportation infrastructure due to its target of 2040 70% of Jakarta residents live near by transit points. So that the distance of residential residents to urban facilities can be reached within 15 minutes of walking, cycling or using public transportation. …

The Influence Of Colonialism On The Development Of Religious Life In Timor Leste, Abdul Kadirsyam Salampessy, Rahadjeng Pulungsari Hadi

International Review of Humanities Studies

Timor-Leste is the youngest country in the world with unique religious dynamics. The Catholic population increased rapidly after independence, while the Muslim population decreased drastically due to political dynamics. The presence of Mari Alkatiri, an Arab-descended Timorese Muslim who became Prime Minister (PM) twice, is a depiction of the presence of Islam in a Catholic-majority country. The long history of colonialism in Timor-Leste has greatly influenced the landscape of religious life there. In its development, the people of Timor-Leste live harmoniously and democratically.

This journal uses a qualitative research method that focuses on the social and cultural phenomena of the …

The Establishment Of Jakarta International Schoolin Indonesia As A Reflection Of Globalisation Through Education, Brandon Cahyadhuha Rusdy, Linda Sunarti

International Review of Humanities Studies

"This article examines the establishment of Jakarta International School (JIS) within the context of the globalisation of Indonesia. Established in 1951 under the name International School of Djakarta by Antoinette Stepanek, an educator from the United States, it was the first school to provide an English-language education for the children of expatriates in Jakarta, Indonesia. The school underwent several name changes throughout its history. In 1965, the school was renamed to Joint Embassy School to reflect the support from a coalition of embassies, consisting of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Yugoslavia. In 1978, the school was renamed again …

The Middle Class, The Youth, The Highways: Production Of Space And Urban Memory In Blok M, Jakarta, Bimana Novantara, Yudi Bachrioktora, Lilawati Kurnia

International Review of Humanities Studies

This paper examines the historical and contemporary dynamics of the Blok M area in Jakarta as a public space undergoing a process of spatial, cultural, and symbolic transformation. Using Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space and then relating it to the discourse of urban memory according to Abidin Kusno, this study traces how Blok M developed from the modernist urban planning of Kebayoran Baru after independence to be the epicenter of youth festivity, then declined until it rose again through a place that utilized the memory of this area in the past. This study highlights how the politics …

Advertising Appeals Through Instagram Caption Code Switching, Irma Aulia Irawan, Myrna Laksman-Huntley

International Review of Humanities Studies

The COVID-19 disease required everyone to go into lockdown. All activities and communications were carried out through mobile devices, driving online content consumption to double. The Instagram app, which is part of social media, increased its visits by 43 percent during the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. As users turn to social media, influencers are emerging as figures in shaping online interactions and trends. One of the popular French influencers is Léna Mahfouf (@lenamahfouf). As a global fashion influencer, Mahfouf often uses English transitions in her captions. This qualitative research will identify the types of code-switching found with Poplack's theory …

Language Of Love: Kafka’S Affective Meaning In Briefe An Milena, Kafka Aisyah Triny, Julia Wulandari

International Review of Humanities Studies

Franz Kafka is known for his twisted literature filled with dark atmosphere and word choices, however when it comes to writing letters to his muse, Milena, he uses words unknown to him. He expresses his barest soul to her using word choices that indicate someone who is amazed. For a person like Kafka, love is not all about complementing word choices and emotions, seen by his internal battles with himself and uncertainty regarding the topic of love. This research will use Geoffrey Leech’s semantic framework along with Monica Schwarz and Jeannette Chur’s Wortfeld theory. The study aims to examine Kafka’s …

Guest Editorial: Making Gender Equality Visible In Judicial Selections At The European Court Of Justice, Laure Clément-Wilz, Fernanda G. Nicola

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

We begin this issue with a Guest Editorial by Laure Clement-Wilz and Fernanda Nicola, who invite reflection on the criteria for judicial selection at the European Court of Justice. They propose integrating gender parity as a soft criterion in the judicial selection process, thereby contributing to broader discussions on diversity in judicial appointments

Graduate Student Paper: Aging In A Changing Japan: Gendered Adaptation To Changing Family Structure, Miki Izu, Clayton Chalmers

Asia Pacific Perspectives

Although Japanese seniors are very healthy, research shows that they are not very happy. Compared to seniors in other developed countries, Japanese elders have lower ratings of subjective well-being and are increasingly alone. This paper argues that changes to Japanese family life help explain why Japanese elders are struggling with low subjective well-being. Specifically, declining marriage rates and declining rates of elders living with their children (co-residency) have made it harder for elders to get the support they need. Moreover, the effect and the adaptations to these changes are not equal between men and women. While elderly Japanese men are …

Emergent Strategies For Internationalization Amidst Disruptions And Uncertainty, Milad Mohebali, Angela Bryan, Jacob Jones, Yoko Iwasaki-Zink

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

“Plus Ça Change, Plus C’Est La Même Chose”: The Ongoing Decolonisation’S Mechanic Inside The Franc Zone, Gerard Emmanuel Kamdem Kamga

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines the persistent neocolonial dynamics within the Franc Zone, encapsulated by the adage “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same). Despite nominal independence in the 1960s achieved by countries colonized by France, the analysis reveals how France maintains significant control through the Franc Zone and the “Françafrique” system. The Franc Zone, encompassing fifteen African states using the CFA Franc and Comoros Franc, functions under principles ensuring French dominance and the enslavement of these countries: fixed exchange rates pegged to the Euro, mandatory centralization of a large portion …

Unfinished Business: An Analysis Of The Permanent Forum On People Of African Descent, Satang Nabaneh

Journal of African Policy Studies

Communities of African descent worldwide experience persistent structural discrimination, manifested in poverty, underdevelopment, marginalization, social exclusion, and economic disparities. The historical crimes of enslavement, the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans, apartheid, and colonialism, recognized as crimes against humanity and potentially constituting genocide, have left enduring trauma and systemic repercussions. These atrocities are demonstrably linked to current disparities in health, welfare, and the fulfillment of human rights for people of African descent. The International Decade for People of African Descent (2015 to 2024), proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 under the theme “People of African Descent: Recognition, Justice …

Earthjustice: The Role Of The African Regional Human Rights System In Containing Climate Change, Bright Nkrumah, Ebenezer Durojaye, Maria Usang Assim

Journal of African Policy Studies

At the turn of the millennium, the landscape of Africa has been punctuated by intense weather conditions. With a disproportionate percentage of the continent’s population bearing the brunt of climate-induced heatwaves, deluges, and drought, it is expected that this phenomenon will spur regional climate litigation. The essay argues that although there is an evolution of climate cases submitted at the national level, this development has not evolved to the African regional human rights system. The lack of cases at the regional level beckons one to explore why (potential)victims are unable or unwilling to explore these mechanisms given their role in …

The Intersection Between Child Marriage And Climate Change: An Example Of Malawi, Musu Bakoto Sawo

Journal of African Policy Studies

Child marriage affects 39,000 girls daily, totaling 650 million women married before age eighteen globally. While driven by poverty, tradition, and limited education, climate change is emerging as a significant new factor, particularly in developing nations such as Malawi, where 42% of girls marry before age eighteen. An estimated 1.5 million girls in Malawi are at risk due to climate-exacerbated food insecurity and displacement. This paper, using feminist theories of intersectionality, postcolonial feminism, and feminist political ecology, examines the complex link between climate change and child marriage in Malawi. It critiques existing international, regional, and domestic policies, highlighting their inadequacy …

African Feminist Theories And The Gendered Dimensions Of Climate Change In Africa, Manase Kudzai Chiweshe

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper analyzes how African feminist theories can provide nuanced insights into the gendered dimensions of climate change across the continent. African feminist theories provide essential insights into the everyday lived experiences of women within African spaces, allowing for a contextual analysis of the impacts of climate change. There has also been a growing recognition of the need to identify the gender-differentiated impacts of climate change. The main argument is not only that climate change will be experienced by men and women differently but also that the impacts will hurt women more severely. Yet this theorization must employ theoretical lenses …

Technology And The Sustainable Implementation Of The African Continental Free Trade Area (Afcfta) Through Women’S Integration, Philip Ademola Olayoku

Journal of African Policy Studies

The desire for economic prosperity on the African continent led to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in line with the vision of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), when it proposed the creation of an African Economic Community (AEC) by 2028. However, sustainable economic development will remain a mirage without inclusivity where no one is left behind, in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. This study explores the challenge of restricting women to economic margins in trade agreements under the AfCFTA and how this would undermine its implementation. It subsequently contends that women are integral to Africa’s …

Broadening The Scope Of The "Justiciability" Debate To Include The Right To Development: An Analysis Of The African Human Rights Monitoring Bodies, Serges Djoyou Kamga

Journal of African Policy Studies

The right to development (RTD) is the most controversial human right of our time. Opponents argue that it is not justiciable. Besides the adoption of the Draft Covenant on the RTD, the right is binding in the African human rights system. It is on this backdrop that the article shows the justiciability of this right through its juridification and application in domestic courts. It also examines the role of African human rights monitoring bodies in broadening the scope of the “justiciability” debate to include the RTD. This article examines the African Commission and Court’s pronouncements on the RTD and unveils …

Editor's Remarks, Julius A. Amin

Journal of African Policy Studies

Roughly two years ago, the University of Dayton Human Rights Center hosted a very important conference titled “Decolonization and Development for Africa and People of African Descent.” I attended this event and participated in several sessions of the conference. The topics and discussions were enlightening, and they stimulated much conversation about decolonization and development in relation to the social practice of human rights.

Participants at the conference came from both sides of the Atlantic, and those I spoke with agreed that the conference encouraged them to consider the topic of human rights with a new perspective. Within African studies, human …

Reclaiming Power: Decolonization And Development For Africa And People Of African Descent, Satang Nabaneh

Journal of African Policy Studies

The journey to this special issue has been a long and significant one for me, as an African deeply invested in the multifaceted realities of global Africa. Africa embodies the global. Its people, culture, and histories transcend borders, reflecting a deeply interconnected world. To speak of global Africa is to reject essentialist notions of African identity, recognizing that to be African is to be unbounded by space, place, or fixed definitions. This special issue, “Reclaiming Power: Decolonization and Development for Africa and People of African Descent,” was born out of the convergence of the 2023 Social Practice of Human Rights …

Cover And Front Matter, Journal Of African Policy Studies

Journal of African Policy Studies

Cover, journal information, and table of contents

Bihar Sir Threatens The Credibility Of Elections, Swati Narayan

Popular Media

Any arbitrary disenfranchisement of voters in the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections will cast a shadow over the sanctity of elections in India.

Towards An Indigenous Climate Epistemology: Bringing The Newa Literary Tradition Of The Swasthani Vrata Katha In Conversation With The Festival Tradition Of The Macchindra Nath Jatra, Shangrila Joshi Dr.

Critical Humanities

This paper brings into conversation two Newa cultural traditions to articulate notions of climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation, to illustrate how ways of knowing, ways of being, and ways of governing are inherently linked. These articulations offer a framework for developing what the author calls an Indigenous Climate Epistemology. The two cultural traditions reviewed include: a 17^th century Newa literary tradition that advocates for keeping oil in the ground, and that instructs ordinary people to engage in ritual acts seemingly designed to develop personal and community resilience; and a 1700 year old annual community festival designed to avert catastrophes …

Supporting On Their Own Terms: Eu Institutions’ Discourses On Mindanao, Vincent Carlo A. Legara

European Studies Department Faculty Publications

This paper critically examines the nature and dynamics of European Union (EU) engagement in Mindanao. The southern Philippines is historically home to Muslims, with a special region that is the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), formerly known as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where Muslims compose the majority of the population. Muslim Mindanao gained greater autonomy in 2019 after decades of violent conflict and the persistence of weak democratic institutions. Since the 1970s, Muslim secessionist movements have clashed against government troops for independence. These have contributed to poor human development indicators in Mindanao. The EU, previously the …

An Exhibition And Protest Of Executions In Iran, Donna M. Hughes

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

An exhibition and protest of executions in Iran was held in Washington, D.C. in June 2025. Portraits of 2000 men and women who were killed or executed in Iran since the 1980s were displayed on the National Mall in front of the Capitol. The Iranian Resistance estimates that 30,000 activists were massacred in one period in 1988. Executions of prisoners have continued steadily, making Iran the world’s leading executioner of men and women. In recent years, there has been a sharp escalation in the number of executions of prisoners. A United Nations Special Rapporteur reported that over 800 persons were …

The Role Of Private Law In Promoting Building Safety: The Case Of Singapore, Edward S. W. Ti

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Singapore is a tiny granite rock situated just north of the equator. Lacking land, and indeed any kind of natural resource, means that the trend for urban development in the city-state will always be densifi cation; 96 per cent of residents in Singapore already live in multi-owned housing, ie high-rise apartments. 1 Singapore is also a rapidly greying nation. 2 It has been observed that persons over 70 years old are four times more vulnerable in the event of a fi re, 3 and fi re safety is a critical aspect of building safety. Safety features and measures in the …

Governing Migration, Producing Skills: Emigration And Education In The Philippines, Yasmin Y. Ortiga, Roderick. Galam

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article examines skill as an integral yet understudied aspect of emigration governance. To date, migration studies have mainly focused on how the demand for migrant skills drive people's movements across borders, shaping the conditions for entry into popular destinations in the West. In contrast, less is known as to how skills also shape the way governments manage emigration, pushing would-be migrants to acquire certain capacities well before they leave their countries of origin. Drawing from the case of the Philippines, this article discusses how state agencies have used skills training to dominate specific markets for migrant professionals and demand …