Bridging mechanisms in multiethnic communities: Place-based communication,neighborhood belonging,and intergroup relations

Using communication infrastructure theory (CIT), this study examines how place-based communication, including neighborhood interpersonal discussion, geo-ethnic media, and local organizations, may have the potential to promote multiethnic intergroup relations through forging a sense of neighborhood belonging. Based on survey data consisting of 405 diverse community members, this study employs structural equation modeling to test the relationships among residents’ connection to place-based communication, their level of neighborhood belonging, out-group contact frequency, and perceived interaction quality across six interethnic dyads. Findings suggest that place-based communication does impact multiethnic intergroup interaction, but the direction and magnitude of such effects diverge along ethnic lines.     

The role of confianza in ethnic social communication among Mexican immigrants making lives in the United States

This research investigates how the cultural construct of confianza shapes Mexican ethnic social communication, or coethnic interaction, during adaptation. Using the ethnography of communication, this paper illustrates how confianza makes available the communicative means of revealing oneself, speaking directively, and asking questions, but makes unavailable the means of violating confidences, judging, and expressing superiority. This research argues that the complexity of these coethnic interactions warrants additional research and suggests that scholars begin their studies by considering if and to what extent immigrants feel able to engage with one another prior to investigating adaptive outcomes of their interactions.     

Comparative persuasive styles in Arabic and English: A study of the United Nations General Assembly Debate speeches

This study analyzed persuasive styles and tactics used in the United Nations General Assembly Debate speeches by Arabic and English speaking leaders. Past work has identified three persuasive styles: analogical, presentational, and quasilogical. The literature suggests that Arabs use analogical and presentational styles, while the “West” prefers the quasilogical style. Our results indicate that Arabs used the quasilogical style more often than English speakers. All speakers drew upon most of the tactics identified to strengthen their arguments. Finally, there has been a shift in the usage of some tactics for both sets of speakers over 30 years.     

Containing the Atom: Sociotechnical Imaginaries and Nuclear Power in the United States and South Korea

STS research has devoted relatively little attention to the promotion and reception of science and technology by non-scientific actors and institutions. One consequence is that the relationship of science and technology to political power has tended to remain undertheorized. This article aims to fill that gap by introducing the concept of “sociotechnical imaginaries.” Through a comparative examination of the development and regulation of nuclear power in the US and South Korea, the article demonstrates the analytic potential of the imaginaries concept. Although nuclear power and nationhood have long been imagined together in both countries, the nature of those imaginations has remained strikingly different. In the US, the state’s central move was to present itself as a responsible regulator of a potentially runaway technology that demands effective “containment.” In South Korea, the dominant imaginary was of “atoms for development” which the state not only imported but incorporated into its scientific, technological and political practices. In turn, these disparate imaginaries have underwritten very different responses to a variety of nuclear shocks and challenges, such as Three Mile Island (TMI), Chernobyl, and the spread of the anti-nuclear movement.

Implanting a Discipline: The Academic Trajectory of Nuclear Engineering in the USA and UK

The nuclear engineer emerged as a new form of recognised technical professional between 1940 and the early 1960s as nuclear fission, the chain reaction and their applications were explored. The institutionalization of nuclear engineering—channelled into new national laboratories and corporate design offices during the decade after the war, and hurried into academic venues thereafter—proved unusually dependent on government definition and support. This paper contrasts the distinct histories of the new discipline in the USA and UK (and, more briefly, Canada). In the segregated and influential environments of institutional laboratories and factories, historical actors such as physicist Walter Zinn in the USA and industrial chemist Christopher Hinton in the UK proved influential in shaping the roles and perceptions of nuclear specialists. More broadly, I argue that the State-managed implantation of the new subject within further and higher education curricula was shaped strongly by distinct political and economic contexts in which secrecy, postwar prestige and differing industrial cultures were decisive factors.

A cross-cultural comparison of expectations in romantic relationships: India and the United States

ABSTRACT

This research investigated romantic expectations in a cross-cultural comparison of India and the United States (US). The study was grounded in expectancy violations theory (EVT), which argues that expectancies are a universal phenomenon whose content is influenced by communicator, relational, and contextual factors. The expectations of romantic partners in the two countries were assessed in conjunction with relational models, sex, and gender roles in a cross-sectional study (N?=?366). Results indicated that romantic partners from the two countries placed different importance on specific expectations. Furthermore, expectations were successfully predicted by one’s culture, relational models, sex, and gender roles.     

Growth,accessibility and the distribution of arts activity in the United States: 1980 to 1990

Using data on the location of artists by state as a proxy for the location of artistic activity, this paper shows that from 1980 to 1990 the arts grew rapidly and became more dispersed, reversing a trend toward greater concentration during the 1970s. Accessibility increased as the ratio of artists to population rose in most states. Nevertheless, enormous inter-state variation in that ratio remains. The second part of the paper examines the determinants of artist location at the state level. The equations estimated for both years prove to have a high degree of explanatory power.This paper was presented at the 9th international conference of the Association for Cultural Economics, held in Boston, May 8–11, 1996.     

Identity Mobilization Practices of Refugees: The Case of Iraqis in the United States and the War in Iraq

Abstract

This study illustrates the narrative construction of diasporic refugee identities in times of sociopolitical tensions. Specifically, this paper is concerned with how Iraqi refugees living in the United States constituted their identities through narrating in times of the War in Iraq. Gergen's social constructionist approach towards narrating and current theorizing in diaspora studies build the theoretical bases for the analysis. Narratives were collected through participant observations, interviews, and group discussion in the Pacific Northwest of the United States before, during, and after combat operations in Iraq were declared to be over by President Bush. The paper answers three questions. First, which events triggered the construction of Iraqi refugee identities in the United States? Second, what is the role of narrating in constituting Iraqi identities? Third, do the Iraqi narrators construct diasporic imaginations and if so, how? The findings show that the narrative construction of being Iraqi and a refugee was a relational achievement and situated response. The respondents constructed imaginations of transnational communities that included Iraqis in Iraq, Iraqis in refugee camps, and Iraqis in the United States. By integrating their emerging political voices in the United States with their political resistor identities in Iraq, the narrators made salient transnational links between being Iraqi, a displaced person, and a member of U.S. society, disrupted political discourses about Iraqis in the United States, and affirmed moral values.     

Moving beyond the anthropos and reclaiming the geo in intercultural communication: The transculturation of the martial art practice of Aikido

This ethnographic study examines the practice of Aikido, a martial art style originating from Japan, by a community of non-Japanese practitioners in the southwestern region of the United States. This paper recounts the second nature-making of the art's skillful responsiveness as a thing to be explained from the ground, rather than leaving its cultural dynamics and their appropriative relations unchallenged as a relatively homogenous process of globalization and increased contact. In the case of Shining Energy (a pseudonym), the “taking” of another's cultural elements and “making” it a fully habituated and naturalized way of moving and being (second nature) are predicated on geo-making, the production of ontologizing resources (first nature) that enable culturally sanctioned modes of somatic engagements with the world. The process of appropriating Aikido entails an inversion between the figure and ground that foregrounds the geo-making of the ground/field for activity itself.     

The Impact of the National Endowment for the Arts in the United States: Institutional and Sectoral Effects on Private Funding

This paper examines the impact of the National Endowment for the Arts on private donations to the arts. The aim of the analysis is to assess whether public funding generates a crowding effect on private giving. We distinguish between institutional and sectoral crowding phenomena and discuss their possible implications.We used both a qualitative approach and an econometric model to estimate the effect of NEA introduction and appropriations on donations. Our results suggest that at the institutional level NEA grants do not generally induce donations to recipients while at the sectoral level appropriations and private giving are independent. The introduction of the agency appears to have caused a decrease in donations.     

Identifying Communities in Need: Examining the Impact of Acculturation on Perceived Discrimination,Social Support,and Coping amongst Racial Minority Members in the United States

Utilizing a cognitive appraisal approach, this study examines how acculturation affects racial minority members' appraisals of and responses to racial discrimination. Racial minority members (N = 345) completed questionnaires about their prior experiences with racial discrimination and coping responses. Controlling for participants' prior experiences with racial discrimination and primary appraisals, the results revealed that acculturation helped explain individuals' need for social support, support message evaluations, and the pursuit of disengagement coping strategies. Findings from this study provide helpful information for the development of intervention and outreach programs for individuals in our communities who are coping with racial discrimination.     

‘Stars’ and places: exploring the spatial organization of media and entertainment industries in China

ABSTRACT

Drawing on an innovative ‘big data’ method, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the geography of media and entertainment industries (MEIs) in China, by examining the specific activities that are performed by celebrities, the key actors in these industries. Compared to previous research on cultural and creative industries, which primarily rely on more traditional statistical data, our study demonstrates a new approach to systemically investigate the spatial organization of the dynamic production process in MEIs. The outcomes reveal that activities focusing on the different value segments of MEIs display rather diverse geographical patterns. Depending on the availability and combination of specific local assets, different locations perform varying functions in the production networks of MEIs. Therefore, the agglomeration of MEIs only partially overlaps with the existing urban hierarchy. In addition, celebrities catering to different media and entertainment markets also exhibit distinct activity patterns, indicating a close and reciprocal relationship between the popularity of celebrities, the activities they perform, the platforms that are chosen, and the commercial value that can be generated as a result. This study contributes to our understanding of the complex development patterns and consequences of MEIs in emerging economies.     

虚拟更新:数字媒介艺术在历史文化空间改造中的应用研究

数字媒介艺术嵌入历史文化实体空间,成为历史文化空间的一部分,能够延伸人们对历史文化空间的场所体验.不同于真实的物质建造,数字媒介艺术可以在不改变已有物理空间的前提下,为参与者提供易于理解的文化信息和复合的感官体验.这一特定类型的数字介入不仅为历史文化空间的更新提供新的设计策略,而且进一步将原有的历史文化空间转变成为一种...     

Silicatescape – preserving building materials in the old urban center landscape: The case of the silicate brick and urban planning in Tel Aviv-Jaffa

In November 20th 2007 Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality confirmed its list of buildings earmarked for conservation. The confirmation was related only to Tel Aviv cultural heritage, the city that was founded in 1909, along the Mediterranean seashore, next to old Jaffa. The list was published 4 years after part of the old urban center of Tel Aviv was nominated as World Heritage Site for its architectural uniqueness (Tel Aviv the White City). The list and the nomination were focused on architectural styles, which are based on building material, the silicate brick, used in Israel throughout the years 1918–1948. This building material and technology left its imprint on Tel Aviv's landscape and is also a part of Tel Aviv's history and development. In spite of its importance, all concerned in Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality and urban planning, have totally ignored this phenomenon.The thrust of this discussion is that the silicate bricks phenomenon, a building material and technology, due to its importance to Tel Aviv heritage and its vast distribution in Tel Aviv landscape, should be integrated into the current urban renewal development process in the old city of Tel Aviv. The discovery of its history and its role in Tel Aviv cultural heritage will change the attitudes of Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality to this building material; instead of a vernacular phenomena, a common brick or a frequent building technology, it will get a better appreciation. Urban landscapes of many cities around the world are based on vernacular phenomena, which are ignored by the urban municipalities. The silicate case should serve as an example of the role of a vernacular heritage, and in this case a common building material, in the urban renewal and conservation process.     

基于城市形态类型学的历史文化街区保护与更新 ——以赣州南市街为例

中国城市发展已步入存量提升阶段,城市保护与更新工作愈发重要.城市形态类型学是一门分析城市物质要素形态特征、总结城市形态发展内在规律的学科,对指导城市保护与更新具有理论与现实意义.通过对城市形态类型学理论的剖析,构建可用于传统城市形态类型分析的8个研究要素:区域、城镇、三维空间、街道网络和街道、街区、地块、公共空间、建筑...     

Contingent Valuation and Semiparametric Methods: A Case Study of the National Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid, Spain

Research on cultural economics is very interested in the economic valuation of non-market goods, particularly in the field ofcultural heritage where contingent valuation techniques are currently being used with both parametric and non-parametric statistical methods to estimate the willingness to pay for cultural goods. In the literature analysed, the number of studies using semiparametric methods, however, is very limited. Our analysis is intended to help fill this gap by offering a parametric, non-parametric and semiparametric economic valuation of the National Museum of Sculpture (Museo Nacional de Escultura), located in Valladolid,Spain. In addition, we also gain insight on a controversial issue affecting most European museums, particularly those located in Latin countries: the role voluntary donations might play in the funding of public museums.     

超大城市中的公共空间生活意象 ——夜市从纯商业向文创活力方向发展研究

中国城市的公共空间中一直存在群众自发形成商业活动的传统.在超大城市拥挤且有限的公共空间里,如何创造群众自发参与的公共空间,形成积极的城市生活意象,是值得深入思考的问题.中国有很多"草根夜市",是大城市作为"不夜城"的重要组成部分.但随着城市的发展,传统的夜市形式逐渐被取缔.以上海、武汉等超大城市为研究对象,调研夜市发展...     

中国历史文化名城保护公益诉讼研究 ——以北京市为例

保护以北京为代表的国家历史文化名城需要与时俱进,如何以法治思维和法治方式对历史文化名城的保护工作固本强基,是当下面临的一项重要使命与重大课题.近年来全国多地的实践结果显示,公益诉讼为将历史文化名城保护纳入法治轨道提供了有效抓手,其不仅有利于激发社会公众的参与热情,而且也有助于发挥司法机关的监督力量.然而,将公益诉讼机制...     

基于数字技术的历史街区空间更新与文化价值活化设计 ——以南京南捕厅历史街区为例

以南京市南捕厅历史街区为例,通过综合运用三维地理信息系统、多元异构时空数据分析、历史信息比对等技术手段,展示了复合历史空间导向的数字化保护与更新实践.通过无人机倾斜摄影测量技术,对历史街区的大场景进行纹理数据采集,构建整个历史街区的三维数据模型.在历史研究的基础上,为历史街区更新构建合理的历史空间形态框架,并对历史街巷...