This study was carried out within the European research project ＂Biology, Health and Environmental Education for Better Citizenship＂. It is a comparative analysis of textbooks from eight Mediterranean countries whic...This study was carried out within the European research project ＂Biology, Health and Environmental Education for Better Citizenship＂. It is a comparative analysis of textbooks from eight Mediterranean countries which differ by their cultures, their socio-economical levels, and their religions. This work is focused on the sensitive educational topic ＂Human Reproduction and Sex Education＂. And 43 biology textbooks are analyzed among eight countries： four are in Europe and four in Africa and Middle East. Grids were built to identify implicit values in the texts and images. It is a more precisely explicit or implicit presence of cultural, socio-economical, and ethical dimensions. The investigation concerns whether the authors of textbooks present differently this theme depending on the socio-cultural, ethical, and religious contexts. The content of the textbooks was analyzed as reflecting the conceptions of their authors and publishers. The outcomes of the analyses show that several textbooks present images of human beings restricted to only one ethnic type, usually white-skinned and with fair hair. The social, cultural, economical, and ethical dimensions were generally absent, except for some interest for them in few European textbooks.展开更多
The goal of ecopsychology is to awaken the inherent sense of environmental reciprocity that lies within the ecological unconsciousness. Proclaiming the spirit of ecopsychology, Theodore Roszak argues that psychotherap...The goal of ecopsychology is to awaken the inherent sense of environmental reciprocity that lies within the ecological unconsciousness. Proclaiming the spirit of ecopsychology, Theodore Roszak argues that psychotherapy is an urban movement, but human beings can never heal themselves until they reconnect with nature. Other therapies aim at healing the alienation between person and person, person and family, person and society; ecopsychology intends to heal the more primary alienation between the person and the natural environment. Henri Lefebvre＇s work has revitalized urban studies, geography and planning via concepts like the social production of space. Lefebvre claims that space is not an inert, neutral, and pre-existing given, but rather, an on-going production of spatial relations. According to Lefebvre, space is produced by three types of practice： spatial practices of physical transformation of the environment, practices of representation of space, and everyday practices of representational space. Lefebvre further presents a ＂differential space,＂ named as such for its dialectical resistance to the forces of homogenization present in ＂abstract space.＂ The aim of this paper is to trace the ecological voice from Roszak＇s The Voice of the Earth in Henri Lefebvre＇s ＂differential space.＂ Roszak＇s ecopsychology has formed a differential space, acknowledging that the boundaries of dualism and separations such as mind and body, man and nature should be finally dissolved in terms of ecological sustainability. Within this space, a holistic approach and thinking are created and required to take into account perception of the inextricable relationship between all life and all phenomena.展开更多
Community spirit is the real essence of community. By involvement in community life, people identify with the communities where they live and work. Thanks to its own distinctive history and cultural environment, Chine...Community spirit is the real essence of community. By involvement in community life, people identify with the communities where they live and work. Thanks to its own distinctive history and cultural environment, Chinese society has a community development and social structure quite distinct from that of the West. Social organizations are not fully developed in China, and the government plays a dominant role in community development. Community building in China should cultivate residents＇ community consciousness, and be centered on specific social problems such as homelessness, unemployment, family care, poverty, etc.展开更多
This study aims to understand the life circumstances and social exclusion experienced by disabled older adults in urban Shanghai and Hong Kong. It also explores the relationship between social exclusion and quality of...This study aims to understand the life circumstances and social exclusion experienced by disabled older adults in urban Shanghai and Hong Kong. It also explores the relationship between social exclusion and quality of life. The researcher collected questionnaire data in one Shanghai and one comparable Hong Kong community. The survey included 460 older adults from a community in Shanghai and 250 older adults from a community in Hong Kong. The Shanghai sampling was stratified while the Hong Kong samphng was multi-step random sampling. Both processes are representative. Functional capacity and disability had a significant relationship with the quality of life of older adults. This implies that the social environment is not inclusive for disabled older adults in many ways. Neighborhood exclusion stood out as the most significant form of social exclusion. Although disability is more and more commonly understood as an element of human diversity, the disabled are still not fully functional in society. There are still many environmental barriers and social conditions that need to be improved to achieve community inclusion. Suggestions for how to achieve an inclusive society for all and especially for the disabled elderly are discussed.展开更多
文摘This study was carried out within the European research project ＂Biology, Health and Environmental Education for Better Citizenship＂. It is a comparative analysis of textbooks from eight Mediterranean countries which differ by their cultures, their socio-economical levels, and their religions. This work is focused on the sensitive educational topic ＂Human Reproduction and Sex Education＂. And 43 biology textbooks are analyzed among eight countries： four are in Europe and four in Africa and Middle East. Grids were built to identify implicit values in the texts and images. It is a more precisely explicit or implicit presence of cultural, socio-economical, and ethical dimensions. The investigation concerns whether the authors of textbooks present differently this theme depending on the socio-cultural, ethical, and religious contexts. The content of the textbooks was analyzed as reflecting the conceptions of their authors and publishers. The outcomes of the analyses show that several textbooks present images of human beings restricted to only one ethnic type, usually white-skinned and with fair hair. The social, cultural, economical, and ethical dimensions were generally absent, except for some interest for them in few European textbooks.
文摘The goal of ecopsychology is to awaken the inherent sense of environmental reciprocity that lies within the ecological unconsciousness. Proclaiming the spirit of ecopsychology, Theodore Roszak argues that psychotherapy is an urban movement, but human beings can never heal themselves until they reconnect with nature. Other therapies aim at healing the alienation between person and person, person and family, person and society; ecopsychology intends to heal the more primary alienation between the person and the natural environment. Henri Lefebvre＇s work has revitalized urban studies, geography and planning via concepts like the social production of space. Lefebvre claims that space is not an inert, neutral, and pre-existing given, but rather, an on-going production of spatial relations. According to Lefebvre, space is produced by three types of practice： spatial practices of physical transformation of the environment, practices of representation of space, and everyday practices of representational space. Lefebvre further presents a ＂differential space,＂ named as such for its dialectical resistance to the forces of homogenization present in ＂abstract space.＂ The aim of this paper is to trace the ecological voice from Roszak＇s The Voice of the Earth in Henri Lefebvre＇s ＂differential space.＂ Roszak＇s ecopsychology has formed a differential space, acknowledging that the boundaries of dualism and separations such as mind and body, man and nature should be finally dissolved in terms of ecological sustainability. Within this space, a holistic approach and thinking are created and required to take into account perception of the inextricable relationship between all life and all phenomena.
文摘Community spirit is the real essence of community. By involvement in community life, people identify with the communities where they live and work. Thanks to its own distinctive history and cultural environment, Chinese society has a community development and social structure quite distinct from that of the West. Social organizations are not fully developed in China, and the government plays a dominant role in community development. Community building in China should cultivate residents＇ community consciousness, and be centered on specific social problems such as homelessness, unemployment, family care, poverty, etc.
文摘This study aims to understand the life circumstances and social exclusion experienced by disabled older adults in urban Shanghai and Hong Kong. It also explores the relationship between social exclusion and quality of life. The researcher collected questionnaire data in one Shanghai and one comparable Hong Kong community. The survey included 460 older adults from a community in Shanghai and 250 older adults from a community in Hong Kong. The Shanghai sampling was stratified while the Hong Kong samphng was multi-step random sampling. Both processes are representative. Functional capacity and disability had a significant relationship with the quality of life of older adults. This implies that the social environment is not inclusive for disabled older adults in many ways. Neighborhood exclusion stood out as the most significant form of social exclusion. Although disability is more and more commonly understood as an element of human diversity, the disabled are still not fully functional in society. There are still many environmental barriers and social conditions that need to be improved to achieve community inclusion. Suggestions for how to achieve an inclusive society for all and especially for the disabled elderly are discussed.
