From object to subject: hybrid identities of indigenous women in science

The use of hybridity today suggests a less coherent, unified and directed process than that found in the Enlightenment science’s cultural imperialism, but regardless of this neither concept exists outside power and inequality. Hence, hybridity raises the question of the terms of the mixture and the conditions of mixing. Cultural hybridity produced by colonisation, under the watchful eye of science at the time, and the subsequent life in a modern world since does not obscure the power that was embedded in the moment of colonisation. Indigenous identities are constructed within and by cultural power. While we all live in a global society whose consequences no one can escape, we remain unequal participants and globalisation remains an uneven process. This article argues that power has become a constitutive element in our own hybrid identities in indigenous people’s attempts to participate in science and science education. Using the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand (called Māori) as a site of identity construction, I argue that the move from being the object of science to the subject of science, through science education in schools, brings with it traces of an earlier meaning of ‘hybridity’ that constantly erupts into the lives of Māori women scientists.

从“拒绝”表达方式看日本的文化意识

语言是文化的载体,它承载的不仅是语言文字的外部结构,更重要的是深层文化内涵。日本学者森山卓郎将日语中的拒绝表达分为四种类型,即直接了当型、谎言型、拖延型、搪塞型。本文借用森山卓郎的分类法,对拒绝表达进行分析,找出隐藏的日本文化意识。     

Othermotherwork: testimonio and the refusal of historical trauma

Abstract

This paper is an ofrenda (offering), a testimonio (testimony) of the healing power of reconstituting severed relationships and reconstructing agentic creation stories in the pathology of soul-wounds where pictures and cuentos serve to mend genealogical traumas. This paper is a refusal of neglecting traumas, it is othermotherwork as an invitation of kin towards the healing soul-wounds by engaging my ageing father (apá), who has been battling a debilitating disease for over 30 years. In choosing to erase his memory and refusing well-being, I engage my apá by remembering and restoring cuentos (stories) retrieved from pictures in my abuela’s archival orange box. I retell the cuentos as told by my apá of his mother, father, great-grandmother and great-grandfather, while he offers an unexpected remedy for both our soul-wounds. In this exchange of ancestral herstories, it is an important move towards an Indigenous Else, transits beyond borders and separation, towards the restorative act of forging unity, love and compassion amongst my father, my ancestors and myself.     

The achievement of indigenous students in Guatemalan primary schools

This paper analyses the difference in academic achievement between indigenous and nonindigenous children that attend rural primary schools in Guatemala. The gap ranges between 0.8 and 1 standard deviation in Spanish, and approximately half that in Mathematics. A decomposition procedure suggests that a relatively small portion of the achievement gap is explained by differences in the socioeconomic status of indigenous and nonindigenous families. Other results are consistent with the notion that school attributes play an important role in explaining the achievement gap. The paper discusses several explanations—such as the lack of bilingual education—that are consistent with the empirical findings.     

Unfolding possibilities through a decolonizing project: Indigenous knowledges and rural Japanese women

Rural Japanese women have been overlooked or misrepresented in the academic and nationalist discourses on Japanese women. Using an anti‐colonial feminist framework, I advocate that centring discussions on Indigenous knowledges will help fill this gap based on the belief that Indigenous‐knowledge framework is a tool to show the agency of the ‘colonized’. In this paper, I attempt to answer the following question: What is the role of Indigenous knowledges in the context of rural Japanese women? I first discuss my epistemological approach by exploring the notion of Indigenous knowledges and my location within it. This process led me to employ autoethnography as the central methodology of this paper. Second, in order to better situate rural Japanese women, I look at Japanese history, especially the Meiji period (1868–1912) when Westernization began to exert a major influence on the Japanese nationalist movement via its control over knowledges carried by rural Japanese women. Third, in order for me to reclaim these subjugated Indigenous knowledges, I introduce my lived experience through autoethnography as a starting point to explore the possibilities that lie in the Indigenous‐knowledge framework. Fourth, I further discuss the interlocking nature of the issues surrounding nationalism, representation, knowledge production and identity emerging from the discussion on rural Japanese women and my reflexive text. This leads us to an assessment of how an Indigenous‐knowledge framework may shift discussions/perceptions of rural Japanese women in particular. Lastly, I conclude by noting the potential implications and applications of further research on this topic in other parts of the world.     

Remote and invisible: the voices of female Indigenous educational leaders in Northern Territory remote community schools in Australia

While the literature on women and educational leadership has been addressed in substantive ways in recent years, the experiences that reflect female Australian educational leaders are rare. This article reports findings from a study of five female Indigenous principals in the Northern Territory utilising biographic narratives and foregrounds their experiences as female educational leaders in Indigenous communities. I share the views of Ribbins, P. and Gronn, P. (2013. Researching principals: context and culture in the study of leadership in schools. Asia Pacific journal of education, 20 (2), 34–45) and Dimmock, C. and Walker, A. (2005. Educational leadership: culture and diversity. London: Sage) that research and theory into educational leadership must move towards the inclusion of localised unique cultural contexts since the practice of leadership is a socially bounded process. The study reveals the daily complex roles and challenges of being a female Indigenous principal in communities that are grounded in broader Indigenous epistemologies, beliefs, and value systems yet to be fully embraced by mainstream educational leadership perspectives.     

Discursive geographies in science: space, identity, and scientific discourse among indigenous women in higher education

Despite completing undergraduate degrees in the life sciences, few Indigenous women choose to pursue careers in scientific research. To help us understand how American Indian students engage with science, this ethnographic research describes (1) how four Navajo women identified with science, and (2) the narratives they offered when we discussed their experiences with scientific discourse. Using intensive case studies to describe the experiences of these women, my research focused on their final year of undergraduate study in the life sciences at a university in southwestern US. I point to the processes by which the participants align themselves with ideas, practices, groups, or people in science. As each participant recounted her experiences with scientific discourse, they recreated for me a discursive geography of their lives on the reservation, at home, at community colleges (in some cases), and on the university campus. In the construction and analysis of the narratives for this research, mapping this geography was critical to understanding each participant’s discursive relationship with science. In these discursive spaces, I observed productive “locations of possibility” in which students and their instructors: valued connected knowing; acknowledged each other’s history, culture, and knowledge; began to speak to each other subject-to-subject; and challenged normative views of schooling. I argue that this space, as a location of possibility, has the power to transform the crushing impersonalized schooling that often characterizes “rigorous” scientific programs in a research institution.

The W(h)ine Club: women finding joy in academic work

The W(h)ine Club is a multidisciplinary women's research team which has been working together for the past 10 years. The idea for this Viewpoint piece grew as we participated in a Women in Research programme. The aim of the programme was to improve academic publications among women. A group of us in the programme found ourselves repeatedly referring to a time when we had worked together in a research project and the absolute joy we had experienced working together. We decided to write this reflection as the story of the W(h)ine Club, a space in which we complained, drank lots of wine, laughed and researched. All at the same time! What we realised was that women academics working together was a wonderful way to do research. Sharing our joys and sadness was often the glue that kept the team together and we learnt about research without realising it. In this Viewpoint we show that learning to research can be fun and that the bonds built in this process are powerful and validating.     

Building an indigenous learning community through lesson study: challenges of secondary school science teachers

Universalists believe that indigenous knowledge should not be studied since it excludes non-indigenous people. A qualitative method was used to explore the impact of lesson study on a science teacher at a secondary school. The research indicated that lesson study has positive impacts on teachers professionally by improving their science content knowledge, developing their teaching strategy and skill, enhancing their interest in working collaboratively, and creating a sense of an indigenous paradigm. The four categories of impact are interrelated and mutually influential. Through a lesson study, a relationship of mutual trust is well established in an indigenous learning community.     

The identity of educated women in India: confluence or divergence?

Under the combined effects of commercialisation, urbanisation, migration and employment, significant changes are taking place in India’s process of modernisation. One change is the emergence of a population of women with degrees in higher education. These degrees, and the individuals’ desire to pursue professional positions that relate to their education, may influence the ways in which women perceive their identity. This study explores the situations and circumstances of college‐educated Indian females’ identity and illuminates the complexities and consequences of the university‐educated Indian woman’s life. Twenty‐five women from different parts of India were interviewed. The findings, which emerged by marital status, showed identities of single women appeared to be influenced by their interest to maintain a positive attitude about life, develop cognitive intelligence that relates to an interest, and explore the meanings of and learn independence. The identity of married, divorced and widowed women appeared to be affected by their goal to pursue an interest; need to balance personal interests and family responsibilities; and obligation to live in an extended family. The results are discussed in the context of shifting roles of women and the adoption of multifaceted identities.     

The impact of body image and Afrocentric appearance on sexual refusal self-efficacy in early adolescent African American girls

Research examining the association between body image and sexual risk-taking has been mostly limited to clinical and/or White female samples. It is unclear whether body image plays a role in sexual risk-taking among African American early adolescent females. Moreover, research has neglected to consider body image within a cultural and ethnic framework. A positive sense of Afrocentric appearance may influence, either positively or negatively, sexual attitudes and behaviors among African American early adolescent girls. The purpose of this study, conducted with 156 urban African American early adolescent females, was to examine the relationships among body image, Afrocentric appearance, and sexual refusal self-efficacy. Results found no significant association between body image and sexual refusal self-efficacy. However, structural equation modeling found that a positive sense of Afrocentric appearance significantly predicted increased sexual refusal self-efficacy. Implications of this study in regard to culturally-based teenage pregnancy prevention and education initiatives are discussed.     

The irony of globalization: The experience of Japanese women in British higher education

Informal interviews and ethnographic research are usedto identify the motivations of Japanese women to studyin Britain, and to examine their experience asstudents as well as peripheral members of the laborforce. It is found that Japanese women's motivationsto come to Britain to study are encouraged by theforces of globalization, including economic, culturaland intellectual factors. Women are also pushed tostudy abroad by domestic factors, as although Japanhas developed an egalitarian education system for bothsexes, women still encounter conservative social normswhich constrain their lives and limit their jobprospects. Japanese women's experiences of highereducation in Britain are mixed. Some women feel thattheir presence is merely tolerated and that they arenot encouraged in their academic endeavours. Othersfind British higher education gives them theopportunity to develop their critical faculties and tobecome integrated into the life of the institution. These mixed responses are indicative of thecontradictory consequences of globalization ineducation. Globalization has helped to give neweducational opportunities to Japanese women. However,it has also created an international recruitmentmarket in which some higher education institutionsview students in financial terms and not as members ofa scholarly community. One of the ironies ofglobalization, therefore, is that the mutualeducational advantages of cross cultural contact areundermined by a reductive, narrowly economic view offoreign students as a source of revenue.     

Groundwater scarcity impact on inclusiveness and women empowerment: Insights from school absenteeism of female students in two watersheds in India

A survey was conducted in eight secondary schools located in two watersheds in Gujarat and Rajasthan (semi-arid region of India) to assess students’ perceptions about groundwater scarcity issues and the impact of the scarcity on their educational opportunities. Survey responses to a detailed questionnaire by a cohort of students in both watersheds; school attendance records of year 8 class students (13–14 years old) and responses gathered via a socio-economic survey involving 500 families in the study area were used in the study. In both watersheds, >90% students identified groundwater scarcity as a major issue. Required to work at home or farm, about 65% students in Gujarat and 60% in Rajasthan missed school for up to 2 days/month; and a smaller proportion (～ 30%) missed schools for 4 or more days/month. School absenteeism was found to be linked with gender; female students missed schools more frequently than their male counterpart. The school attendance records in Rajasthan showed that the frequency of female students missing schools for 5 or more days/month was on an average 2–10 times greater than that for males. The gender difference in absenteeism in all schools was statistically significant (P?<?.018**). The study highlighted that groundwater scarcity in the study area, and consequent demand on their time for household work including fetching drinking water are contributing factors towards limiting their educational and economic opportunities. Groundwater scarcity can be one of the key factors that can limit inclusiveness and empowerment of women and need to be considered in policy-making.     

世界高水平女子足球比赛中横、回传球的特征分析

通过对第四届女足世界杯、第二十八届奥运会女足比赛、2003–2005年阿尔加夫杯、2005年东亚四强赛等部分世界高水平女足比赛中在不同对抗状态下、不同场区,横、回传球的统计分析,可以发现中外女足在比赛中横、回传球具有不同的特征.并通过中外对比,发现中国女足与国外女足在这一传球环节上存在较大差距.     

The perception of women engineers in the construction industry in Palestine

The industrial and occupational distribution of women is such that women are concentrated predominately in a few occupations, mostly in the service sector, such as banking, finance, insurance, public administration, hotel, and catering. Men and women are equal in their capabilities in almost every respect, provided that women are given the same opportunities as men for training, employment, and promotion. There is a lack of research studies on women in the construction industry; therefore this field needs special consideration. The purpose of the current study is to find out working conditions of the Palestinian women civil and architect engineers in the construction industry in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. In addition, it attempts to examine their career prospects and to understand problems experienced by these women throughout their academic years as well as in their careers. Discrimination against women is still present in today's construction industry as well as in other traditional engineering cultures. In order to minimise or cope with this problem, attitudinal change by both men and women is strongly suggested.     

Culture,indigenous knowledge systems and sustainable development: A critical view of education in an African context

The article’s focus is the relationship between culture, indigenous knowledge systems (IKS), sustainable development and education in Africa. It analyzes the concept of sustainability with particular reference to education and indigenous knowledge systems. In particular the article analyzes the documents from the World Summit in Johannesburg in 2002 as well as from the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Moreover, the article discusses South Africa’s Curriculum 2005 (C 2005) launched by the African National Congress (ANC) by focusing on the dilemmas of exclusively introducing Western-based scientific knowledge in a cultural context based on indigenous epistemology. The article concludes by calling for more research into the viability of indigenous knowledge systems as a potential tool in sustainable development.     

身份建构中的双重话语——谈美国黑人女作家的创作思想和作品主题

美国黑人女作家的创作思想和作品主题突出反映了黑人女性积极建构种族文化身份以及女性身份的愿望,揭示了黑人女性所受的双重苦难———种族压迫和性别歧视。黑人女小说家的创作思想集中表现在她们的作品之中,反映了黑人女性在白人为主导和男权统治的社会环境中积极建构种族身份、寻找自我的经历。这些小说家们的努力不仅促进了黑人女性意识的发展,也推动了美国文学的进步。     

《诗经》所见男女之“信”念

“信”是儒家礼教的“五常”之一,在春秋以后的社会中占有重要的地位和作用。《诗经》中对男女间信念有了很好的反映。诗歌中透露出了男女信念的种种表现,以及对信守信念的赞扬,对后世有着很深的影响。     

Empowerment of women students through educational achievement: A narrative enquiry

Abstract

Education is the basic tool for empowering women, and this is particularly striking among women from deprived economic and social backgrounds. Narratives of women's lives indicate different statuses of self-development, which are further complicated by issues of race, class and socioeconomic position. This paper presents the stories of four black midlife women with a view to examining how women from a background of extreme deprivation construct and give meaning to the story of their educational history and its contribution to their self-identity. Data was collected through written life histories and interviews and analysed according to two narrative models. The findings illustrate how the women made sense of trauma and difficult life transitions, describe their ultimate empowerment through educational and professional achievement, and illustrate the use and value of narrative enquiry in research in education.