Navigating interdisciplinary research:Historical progression and contemporary challenges

Interdisciplinary research plays a crucial role in addressing complex problems by integrating knowledge from multiple disciplines.This integration fosters innovative solutions and enhances understanding across various fields.This study explores the historical and sociological development of interdisciplinary research and maps its evolution through three distinct phases:pre-disciplinary,disciplinary,and post-disciplinary.It identifies key internal dynamics,such as disciplinary diversification,reorganization,and innovation,as primary drivers of this evolution.Additionally,this study highlights how external factors,particularly the urgency of World War II and the subsequent political and economic changes,have accelerated its advancement.The rise of interdisciplinary research has significantly reshaped traditional educational paradigms,promoting its integration across different educational levels.However,the inherent contradictions within interdisciplinary research present cognitive,emotional,and institutional challenges for researchers.Meanwhile,finding a balance between the breadth and depth of knowledge remains a critical challenge in interdisciplinary education.

The burden and psychosocial impact on immediate caregivers of patients with spinal cord injury in a tertiary health facility,Edo State,Nigeria

Objective:This study aimed to assess the burden and psychosocial impact of spinal cord injury on the immediate caregivers at a tertiary health facility in Benin City,Edo State.Materials and Methods:A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted among 73 family caregivers in the neurological ward of a tertiary health facility using a structured questionnaire as instrument of data collection.Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression.Results:Findings revealed that an overall mean of 2.73 indicates that the burden on the caregivers was moderate with a moderate psychological impact(m=2.88)and a high sociological impact(m=3.12).Factors affecting the caregiving provided by immediate caregivers include social and household responsibilities(94.5%),financial situation(89.0%),family support(83.6%),and health status of the caregiver(80.8%).Age(odds ratio[OR]=5.67,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.23-27.17,P=0.027),education(OR=3.75,95%CI:1.05-13.39,P=0.041),and“others”(spouses,siblings,friends,or extended family members)(OR=3.167,95%CI:1.583-6.337,P=0.001)were predictors for high psychological impact while education(OR=0.074;95%CI:0.015-0.370,P=0.001)and caregiving role(OR=3.167;95%CI:0.1.583-6.337,P=0.001)high sociological impact.Conclusion:Majority of the caregivers experience moderate burden,moderate psychological impact,and high sociological impact.Understanding these factors is essential for developing targeted interventions and support services to address the unique needs of caregivers and mitigate the burden of caregiving on their psychosocial health.

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Education from Social Disciplinary Theoretical Perspectives

Disaster is a social phenomenon. The occurrence and impacts of disasters including the education sector can be studied through a social problem lens. This paper draws meaning and understanding of DRR education using the sociological disciplinary framework in a detailed qualitative case study of three schools as they responded to the devastating Gorakha earthquake in 2015 and other disasters in Nepal. This paper considers the three sub-disciplines of sociology: the sociology of disaster, the sociology of education and the sociology of education governance in a development context. These sub-disciplines are nested together to analyse social, political and historical factors and their relationships which are helpful to identify risks and vulnerabilities in the education sector in Nepal. These are the major areas to explore the disaster context and needs of context-specific education acts (hereafter DRR education) to minimise the potential risks of disasters. The article concludes that the social disciplinary framework is significantly useful to analyse DRR education provisions and implications of education governance to mobilise school in disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

The Management of Mental Health, and Service Networks in Italy

Madness has attracted and frightened for centuries,and talking about this means discussing how this diversity was built and managed in different social contexts and historical periods.Not all societies have had,and still have,the same relationship with madness.It is only with the affirmation of the Modern State,and of Capitalism,that the idea of“normality”indispensable to be able to conceive diversity as something dangerously distant and different from the norm takes over.In our post-modern society,people with mental illness in Italy can resort to specialists and social-health services.But the heterogeneous answers given after the approval of law 180 appear to be increasingly diversified.In this research,much attention will be paid to how the social and health services,located in different areas of Italy(Messina,Rome,Trento)face the current growing risk of social,housing and economic isolation of these fragile subjects.The aim of the research is to explore the possibility of a new relationship between the social-health service and the local community.On the one hand,research investigates what the contribution of the services could be.On the other what the spaces of protagonism and participation of the community could be in inclusion process account.In order to better understand the differences between these two dimensions,a qualitative research approach was chosen through the conduct of in-depth interviews.In this way it was possible to investigate:(1)the partial representations characteristic of the single individual,family members,operators and stackholders in general;(2)the services around the topic dealt with is articulated.From the first results of the research it emerges that the territory can no longer be considered as an abstract entity,but becomes the social space within which the construction of a new community welfare can and must take place.

Exploring Green Development From the Perspective of Sociology:Logical Basis,Constraints,and Optimization Paths

With the advancement of ecological conservation in China,the concept of green development has gained extensive acceptance and recognition.Exploring green development from the perspectives of environmental protection and sociology holds great theoretical value and practical significance in studying the issues related to green development.Firstly,this paper examines green development in light of the objective needs of the economic and social transformation in the international community and China,and deconstructed its underlying social logic.Secondly,it further investigates the social factors that restrict green development,encompassing social structures,social concepts,social systems,and social behaviors.Finally,within the framework of the“green”discipline system in environmental sociology,this paper proposes specific measures such as restructuring social systems and transforming production modes,lifestyles,and consumption patterns to promote green development.

Towards Inclusive Development: Situating the Socio-Economic Wellbeing and Environmental Issues of an Indigenous Cultural Community in the Philippines

The Municipality of Carranglan is a rural community where agriculture is the main source of livelihood. The Kalanguya Ancestral Domain (KAD) is also located in the area, and it provides a home for the Kalanguya indigenous cultural community. They have fled to the area for a variety of reasons. Despite its rural setting, Carranglan is regarded as a first-class municipality and the largest municipality in Nueva Ecija. This study described and documented the socio-economic profile, and existing issues and problems the Kalanguya Indigenous Peoples (IPs) experienced in their milieu, especially in terms of environmental protection. Recognizing and valuing their perspectives is vital for inclusive development. This study also situated the current status and conditions of the IPs, who generally live below the poverty line and face a range of plights and challenges. As part of safeguarding indigenous rights and interests, this study was undertaken after series of consultations with community elders and leaders. Key informant interviews, household surveys, semi-structured interviews, focused-group discussion (FGD), and direct observations were used to elicit information. Many of the respondents are elementary undergraduates which show that the community had lacked access to education. The following are the primary socioeconomic issues confronting IPs: insufficient access to potable water, suboptimal agricultural productivity, meager monthly income, and a dearth of supplementary and alternative livelihood opportunities. Forest fires, landslides, encroachment of illegal loggers, and concerns about wildlife resources are some of the current environmental issues they have encountered. The local population was supportive of plans and actions targeted at improving the environment. This reveals that the IPs possess unique indigenous forest expertise that enables them to properly manage natural resources.

Sociological Complexity Theory:From Epistemology to Empirical Methodology

This study,through a re-conceptualization of sociological complexity theory’s epistemological sources,specifically in Edgar Morin’s formulation,sheds light on the theoretical models as well as empirical methodologies of sociological analysis of today’s complex,interconnected,diverse and globalized society and global disorder.Complexity theory leads to a shift in perspective and a transformation of the epistemological status of social sciences with an in-depth intervention of disorder,contingency,case,singular,and non-repeatable in the sociological analysis.The notion of dialogic interplay is placed at the paradigm level and stands out at the heart of the concepts,analyzing the social system as auto-eco-organizer.Similarly,the notion of‘emergence’at macro-micro levels imposes itself as complex,logically requiring overcoming simple,linear thinking and model of explanation to adopt the perspective of organizational rotativity in which the product retroacts by transforming the one producing it,by conceiving a circularity of co-production between individuals and society through interactions.Declining epistemology and sociological complexity theory in the empirical methodology setting,the complex sociological approach is phenomenon-,event/information-and crisis-centered,privileging observation,participation-intervention,and‘live inquiry’.The open,in-depth and possibly non-directive interview is part of clinical sociological methodology,raising the question of the observer-phenomenon-observed relation.

提高英语四、六级阅读能力的前提和解题技巧

《大学英语教学大纲》明确规定要“培养学生具有较强的阅读能力”;《大学英语考试大纲》指出“阅读理解部分的目的是测试学生通过阅读获取信息的能力,既要准确,也要有一定的速度。”在各种英语测试中,阅读理解部分都占有不可替代的重要比例。

A Brief Reading of Max Weber's Great Works

As a sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory,social research,and the discipline of sociology itself,Max Weber is typically cited as one of the three principal architects of modern social science.His masterpiece,The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is considered as a founding text in economic sociology and sociology.The Protestant work ethic was a force behind an unplanned and uncoordinated mass action that influenced the development of capitalism,and the shaping of the spirit of capitalism in western world is an unexpected outcome of the Protestant ethic.

“反思社会学”,还是“反身社会学”--Reflexive Sociology汉译探析

对布迪厄思想关键词reflexive sociology,现至少有"反思社会学""反思性社会学""反观社会学""反身社会学""反身性社会学"等五种译法。鉴于"反思社会学"之"反思"混淆了reflexive和reflective,前者尚可译为"反身",后者除了"反思"再无词可译。使用"反思社会学"无异于让reflexive抢了reflective的地盘,而reflective在布迪厄著作中同样常见。reflexive本义即为"反身",且布迪厄赋予实践突出的意义,而实践仰仗行动者的身体。在汉语中,"身"有"我自己""你自己""他自己"之意,如"反求诸身";又有实践的意蕴,如"身体力行"。故建议使用"反身社会学"翻译reflexive sociology。

Empirical Analysis on Sociological Factors for Underdevelopment of Rural Sports

Rural sports are weak parts in sports development of China.In the social environment of new socialist countryside construction and new urbanization advancing side by side,rural sports have great opportunities and serious challenges.Taking sports of Gannan old revolutionary base area as an example,this paper analyzed factors influencing rural sports from the sociological perspective,to provide measures and recommendations for sustainable development of rural sports.

Complex Systems Theory: Some Considerations for Sociology

This essay presents a reflection on the main implications of Complexity Theory for science in general, redefining and dispelling myths of traditional science, and Sociology in particular, suggesting a redefinition of Parsons’ classic concept of Social System, articulated around the property of self-maintenance of order rather than on its possible discontinuity and instability. It argues that Complexity Theory has established the limits of Classic Science, leading to a more realistic awareness of working and evolution mechanisms of Natural and Social Systems and showing the limits of our capacity to predict and control events. Dissipative structures have shown the creative role of time. Instability, emergence, surprise, unpredictability are the rule rather than the exception when systems move away from equilibrium (entropy), even if these processes are generated from a system’s deterministic working mechanisms. Therefore, we have come to realize how constructive the contribution of Complexity is, in regards to the long lasting problem of the relationship between order and disorder. Today, the terms of this relationship have been re-specified in its new configuration of inter-relationship link, according to a unicum which finds its synthesis in self-organization and deterministic chaos concepts. From this perspective, as Prigogine suggested, studies on Complex Systems are heading toward a historical, biological conception of Physics, and a new alliance between natural systems and living, social systems. Non-linearity, far from equilibrium self-organization, emergence and surprise meet at all levels, as this paper attempts to highlight. In Sociology, insights of Complexity Theory have contributed to a new way of thinking about social systems, by re-addressing some fundamental issues starting to social system, emergence and change concepts. The current social system conception as complex dynamical systems is supported by a profitable use of non-liner models (in particular, the Logistic map) in the study of social processes.

Trials and tribulations of playing the devil's advocate

Beginning with his student days at school and college, the author describes his training at Cambridge with special emphasis on his mentor Fred Hoyle. His early experience of participating in a controversy at Cambridge played a major role in giving him the confidence to defend his scientific ideas. All through his later life he chose areas that were not part of mainstream research. These included the steady state theory and later the quasi steady state cosmology, action at a distance, noncosmological redshifts, quantum conformal cosmology, etc. After being a founding member of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy（IOTA） at Cambridge, the author joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research（TIFR） in Mumbai and later moved to Pune to set up the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics（IUCAA）. He briefly reviews his own work and ends by pointing out the difficulties a non-conformist scientist faces in his professional life. In the conclusion, he mentions his interests in science popularization and science fiction for which he has won awards and appreciation, including UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize.

Transmission of Knowledge and Practice between Cultures:A Case Study of Chinese Medicine Integration in the United States

Medicine operates within the world views of the culture that it serves,and the widespread Chinese diaspora has carried medical practices with it.The resulting creolization takes shape at the borders of intersecting cultures in a distinct form of integration.This article explores the intersections of integration relative to the spread of Chinese medicine in the United States in practical,cognitive,and theoretical terms.This article could be a reference to practitioners,academics,and policymakers in the areas of integrative and Chinese medicine.

An Example of an Investment Model That Makes Something Out of Nothing (Sort of): Implications for Building Applied Mathematical Models

Two related and under-studied components of modeling are: a) the process by which simplifying assumptions are derived;and b) the process by which tests of model validity are designed. This case study illustrates these processes for two simple investment models: a) a version of the model supporting classical portfolio theory;and b) a version of a mean-reverting model consistent with some of the tenets of behavioral finance. We perform a simulation that demonstrates that the traditional method of empirically assessing the performance of value investment strategies is underpowered. Indeed, the simulation illustrates in a narrow technical sense how to make something out of nothing;namely, how to generate increased returns while reducing risk. Analyzing the mechanism underpinning this counter-intuitive result helps to illustrate the close and sometimes unexpected relationship between the substantial assumptions made about the systems being modeled, the mathematical assumptions used to build models of those systems, and the structure of the experiments used to assess the performance of those models.

Social Network and Inter-Organizational Learning: The Case of a Brazilian Cooperative of Fish-Farmers

The inter-organizational learning approach has shown considerable growth in recent years. The concepts of trust and cooperation between individuals present in the New Economic Sociology (NES) approach of social relations emerge with great emphasis and are gaining prominence as a facilitator and propellant mechanism in transferring knowledge inside networks. This study aims to analyze the learning networks formed by fish-farmers organized into a cooperative to identify the characteristics of the network through structural analysis and identification of its critical actors. The study was performed with thirteen fish-farmers of a cooperative headquartered inMundo Novocounty, which is located inMato Grosso do Sulstate in the Midwest region of Brazil. Questionnaires and interviews with closed and open questions were used to collect the data. Measures of centrality (for individuals), density and reciprocity (in relations between individuals) were obtained from ORA software. The findings revealed that experience exchanges between fish-farmers, events participation, meetings attendance, speech audience and technical advice are the main forms of inter-organizational learning. Results suggest that the network has low levels of cohesion and that it is not taking advantage of its full potential. It was also found that there is a subgroup within the network that presents a high level of cohesion and shared learning based on cooperative informal relationships. Grounded in findings, suggestions for future research are presented.

Reflection of Social Ills in Amma Darko’s Beyond the Horizon

This paper examines the various social ills in Amma Darko’s Beyond the Horizon.It argues against the frame that some African youths migrate to European countries as a result of poor leadership and lack of conducive environment to realize their potentials.The work contends that whether in Africa or Europe,the female child is dominated,exploited,and abused by man.It also asserts that Africa migrants encounter a lot of problems in Europe.It identifies some of the challenges that militate against the aspirations of women and African youths in Europe to include:domestic violence,sex exploitation,prostitution,drug abuse,pornography,and racism.It adopts the sociological literary theory to examine the social,cultural,economic,and political problems in Africa that occasion the migration of youths to Europe and the consequences of their movement.The conclusion reached is that the migration of African youths to Europe as a result of the social,economic,and political challenges in Africa has not yielded any palliative to their socio-economic status quo.Rather,it further aggravates their dehumanization and subjugation.

A Relational Sociological Study on the Effects of Uncertainties in the Case of Influenza in Turkey

Health issues, especially global health issues, are important subjects of study for many sociologists. For example, the spread of influenza as a pandemic affects a large number of people and their emotions in terms of fear, becoming a social problem instead of a psychological issue. Because of uncertainties, what is happening and what people should do during global threats is not clear for many people generally and during pandemics specifically. The primary aim of this paper is to show the construction process of fear and risk by conducting a systematic review of former studies about the influenza that occurred in Turkey during the last 10 years. It is assumed that a combination of relational sociology and the sociology of disaster and development will provide an appropriate theoretical framework. In other words, H. White and his uncertainty typology along with A.E. Collins’ classification are both used to define the construction process of fear as a culture, starting with uncertainty and moving to alienation and finally normalization. Findings from this study, which are supported by N. Elias’ and U. Beck’s methodological considerations, revealed that uncertainties may lead to negative consequences, such as alienation. Due to conflicting information, people find themselves in a dilemma and they stop following norms and rules in terms of normlessness. Normlessness, as a sub-division of alienation along with meaningless, might result in negative actions, such as not getting vaccinated. Liminality, turning points and footing are also used to describe the construction process of fear and risk. Results also showed that over a 10-year period many things are normalized and people no longer panic as easily.

The Place of Sociolinguistics in the Society:Evidence From Nigeria

This paper which investigates the place of sociolinguistics in the society with particular reference to Nigeria draws its data from primary sources like personal and public speeches as well as secondary sources like textbooks,journals,internet materials,etc.The researcher uses a combination of descriptive approach and the theoretical framework of linguistic and communicative competence to analyze the data.The study reveals that sociolinguistics as an area of language study has been a tool without which it will be too difficult if not impossible for human beings to inhabit in the society.From the study,it is observed that in a society with particular reference to Nigeria,sociolinguistics is relevant in all aspects of human life such as communication,education,politics,administration/government,theatre arts,mass communication(advertisements),creation of new words to accommodate the new concepts in the society,criminology/forensic,oratory,etc.

Beijing University,a Blend of Chinese and Foreign Cultures

BEIJING Universityls one ofthe better-known Institutesof higher learning in China,an educational and research centerdealingwith a variety of subjects,Including science and technology,the humanities,sociology,adminis-tration and pedagogy.Founded 95years ago,it is alma mater to severalgenerations of fine scholars.The Birth of BeijingUniversityImperial College,the predecessor of Beliing University,founded inthe Reform Movement of 1898,wasa combination of Chinese and West-