Articles tagged with Cultural Studies
A new paper proposes that the Cerne Giant in Dorset was constructed between 700 and 1100 AD, potentially used as a mustering site for West Saxon armies. This dating breakthrough offers insight into various historical interpretations of the giant's identity, including its possible basis on the myth of Hercules or Christian Saint Eadwold.
A Rutgers study reveals that nonprofits with a stronger utilitarian identity tend to acknowledge the importance of listening but fail to implement changes. In contrast, those with a normative identity prioritize stakeholder inputs and interests. The study highlights the need for mutually reinforcing identities in NPOs.
Researchers found that bumblebees can learn multi-step tasks through social interaction, even when struggling individually. The study revealed that bees could acquire complex behaviors beyond their individual cognitive capabilities, challenging the traditional view of human exclusivity in social learning.
A team of NYGC researchers, led by Dr. Melissa Davis, has received a $25M grant to study cancer inequities in diverse populations. They aim to analyze genomic data from participants with African ancestry to identify factors contributing to disparities in cancer outcomes.
Researchers capture cultural differences in pottery forms without selective transmission, attributing them to cognitive biases and community-specific techniques. This finding has implications for interpreting archaeological artifacts, potentially leading to new insights into the dynamics of cultural assimilation and artistic innovation.
Researchers at University of California - San Francisco have developed a precise map of what is happening in the brain’s auditory cortex when someone hears a melody. The study found that some aspects of music are entwined with how we understand speech, while other important aspects stand alone. The brain uses two sets of neurons to ass...
A study by the University of Plymouth and Nottingham Trent University found that reading and writing poetry had a substantial positive impact on participants' wellbeing during the pandemic. Poetry helped reduce feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression, as well as supporting social and cultural recovery.
A research study by Binghamton University finds that Ukrainian ballet training centers have formed robust and inclusive communities, mirroring modern Ukrainian society. Dancers defend their national identity through classical art while exploring ideas of nation.
MagEIA, a new Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, will research magical text traditions of the ancient Near East, Egypt, and neighbouring regions. The project aims to develop new methods of textual analysis and models of cross-cultural comparison.
A recent study suggests that songs with high energy and positive emotions are more likely to match prevailing weather conditions, influencing listener preferences. The research found a strong association between energetic and positive music and warm and sunny weather, but only for popular songs.
Ancient Mayans used an 819-day calendar that covered a much larger timeframe than previously thought. By increasing the calendar length to 20 cycles of 819 days, researchers found a pattern emerges in which the synodic periods of all visible planets align with station points in the larger calendar.
A new article by David Sloan Wilson explores how cultural evolution happens and how it can be harnessed for the greater good. The article highlights the importance of prosociality, social control, and symbolic thought in shaping human societies.
Bilingual individuals from cultures where mental health is stigmatized may be more open to treatment when presented with information in their second language. Studies found participants recommended therapy more strongly in English compared to Chinese, suggesting a potential counteractive effect of cultural norms.
A recent study by England Hockey star Tess Howard found that 70% of teenage girls in the UK dropped out of sports due to body image concerns related to their clothing. The research led to the introduction of new, more inclusive uniform policies allowing athletes to choose between skirts and shorts.
A global study found that dogs' functions are a good predictor of how they are treated by their owners, with more functions leading to closer relationships. The research also found that not all dog jobs influence treatment equally, with herding increasing positive care and hunting increasing personhood.
The study found that oral transmission has profound effects on music evolution, shaping vocal music towards structures that are easier to learn and transmit. Human transmission biases also play a significant role in evolving musical systems.
Researchers found previously unknown interactions among people in southern Africa between the 5th and 20th centuries, revealing a complex network of cultural exchange. The study used geochemical analyses on copper objects to reconstruct connectivity across the region, providing new insights into the history of the area.
Researchers argue that polders are an important part of China's water heritage, reflecting the country's long history of water management. Over 2,500 years, polders have evolved in response to changing societal needs, adapting to agricultural modernisation and urban encroachment.
The Holocaust Centre North has been awarded a £105,000 grant from the Claims Conference to expand its collection of Holocaust-related materials. The project will digitize the centre's physical archive and increase its size by 50%, making it more accessible to researchers and the public.
A cross-cultural study found that Ugandan mothers have more relational attitudes toward parenting, while UK mothers focus on autonomy. Despite these differences, infant experiences vary across cultures.
A Concordia PhD student argues that Disney is using its brand futurity strategy to create a sense of inevitable cultural dominance. The company's use of digital positioning and popular content reinforces its legacy, but Pitre criticizes the way it uses this goodwill to define the future of media.
The special issue explores key characteristics of ethical codes, their underlying values, and challenges in implementing them. Studies highlight common ethical values across cultures, emphasizing the importance of autonomy and care in early childhood education.
A global dataset reveals widespread witchcraft beliefs varying substantially between countries and world regions. Higher education and economic security are associated with lower belief in witchcraft. Weak institutions, low social trust, and conformist culture also correlate with higher witchcraft prevalence.
A new study challenges long-held ideas about what drove major changes in ancient Greek society on the island of Crete. Researchers found that the population remained local, with significant continuity in daily practices despite Mycenaean influence.
A recent study reveals racial and sex disparities in gout prevalence, with Black adults more commonly affected. Culturally informed efforts targeting diet and social determinants may help reduce these disparities.
A systematic review of 301 academic articles identified 227 unique linkages between cultural ecosystem services and human well-being, including 16 distinct underlying mechanisms. The study found that positive interactions through nature, such as recreation and aesthetic value, contribute to improved mental and physical health.
A study analyzing FIFA voting data from 2010-2016 suggests cultural similarity biases results. Captains were found to be more biased than coaches, while media people were the least biased.
A new study suggests that developing culturally-sensitive interventions for Latino college students can help prevent problem drinking. The research found that ethnic pride was associated with significantly less drinking and alcohol-related consequences, while ethnic shame was linked to a higher likelihood of problem drinking. Familismo...
The University of Huddersfield is leading a €1.5 million global research project to understand the impact of platform-driven change on public service media. The project will analyze data from 130 interviews, programs, and policy documents across six countries to deliver recommendations for securing public value.
This special issue examines how culture influences curriculum, highlighting research on China, Singapore, and the UAE. It discusses topics such as morality development, parental involvement, policy reform, and cultural values in early childhood education.
Researchers found that transparent face masks facilitate communication by not occluding facial expressions, unlike surgical masks. The study used digital images and showed that transparent masks did not disrupt the perception of facial emotions in both male and female faces.
A study published in PLOS ONE reveals Cueva de Ardales was a canvas for artwork and burial place for Neanderthals and modern humans from 65,000 to 35,000 years ago. The site provides a unique history of human activity in Spain and sheds light on the development of European culture.
Research from UMass Amherst found that disbelief in human evolution is associated with higher levels of prejudice and racist attitudes. The study, conducted across 19 Eastern European countries, 25 Muslim countries, and Israel, linked low belief in evolution to biased attitudes towards outgroups and support for discriminatory behavior.
The Academic Freedom Index 2022 reveals that academic freedom has decreased substantially in nineteen countries and territories, affecting nearly two in five people worldwide. This decline affects some of the world's most academically advanced nations, including Mexico, Poland, and the USA.
The study reveals that seven indicators affect people's decisions, including ornament, material, and line, which influence heritage perception. A model can predict the heritage potential of a building by ordinary people.
A new genetic study found evidence of South Asian genetic admixture in several mainland Southeast Asian populations influenced by Indian culture. The researchers also discovered close genetic links between languages from different families, supporting an earlier hypothesis about their common origin.
Researchers found that wild chimpanzees do not independently invent complex tool use behaviors like nut cracking. Instead, they learn from observing and imitating others, similar to humans. This challenges the long-held assumption that chimpanzee culture is non-cumulative.
Researchers at the University of Zurich have found a unique 2,700-year-old leather scale armor in Northwest China that originated in the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The armor's design and construction indicate a technology transfer between West and East during the first millennium BCE.
Researchers analyzed historical data on games played by 25 cultures and found that cooperative games are more common in socially hierarchical cultures, while competitive games are prevalent in cultures with internal conflicts. The study suggests that games may mimic real-world behavior and help learn group norms.
Researchers propose a new model linking cultural trauma to health disparities in US cultural groups, identifying cultural trauma as a fundamental cause of health disparities. The model suggests that damaging or destroying a group's culture can rob people of important resources for protecting their health.
A 500-year-old English illuminated manuscript provides fresh insights into Catholic beliefs in England before the Reformation. The metre-long prayer roll contains religious verse and illustrations, including symbols of Christ's crucifixion, which were connected to a famous pilgrimage site.
Ancient Italian writings suggest that Genoese sailors were aware of North America 150 years before Columbus' famous voyage. The discovery, made by Professor Paolo Chiesa, refers to an area known as 'Markland'/ 'Marckalada', mentioned in Icelandic sources and identified as part of the Atlantic coast of North America.
Researchers found that Maya rulers altered their cities' structures and alignments to reflect their own desires and authority. Many temples were built on top of existing ones or abandoned altogether, shifting the focus from community ritual to ruler-centric politics.
Researchers study social support networks and health outcomes of over 670 Hispanic and non-Hispanic lung cancer patients to understand the Hispanic Health Paradox. The study aims to identify cultural differences in social interactions that influence health outcomes.
A recent study reveals that colleges struggle to provide adequate mental health support to Asian and Latino students due to interdependent cultural values and shame. The study suggests that culturally tailored treatment services addressing these issues can improve help-seeking behaviors.
International experts will debate five key concepts in global literary studies: space, scale, time, connectivity, and agency. The symposium aims to decentralize literary history and increase the visibility of minorities, such as women who played a key role in cultural mediation.
Research on US national parks has seen a decline in publications since 2013, with popular parks like Yellowstone receiving most attention. The study found that more than half of all studies focused on five national parks, highlighting the need for future research to address gaps and improve management.
Researchers found COVID-19 cases and deaths significantly affected by local culture and demographics in global scale studies. The model identified population size, density, public transportation use, African American percentage, and Democrat election vote share as predictive factors for US counties.
A new study found that biophysical and species-linked ecosystem services often occur simultaneously, especially on larger spatial scales. The researchers discovered that regions where species conservation and ecosystem services play a role coincide more frequently than previously assumed.
The study analyzed subtitles of 2,000 films from the past seven decades to find consistent biases in Bollywood and Hollywood movies. Bollywood films consistently depicted fair skin as a beauty standard, while male characters made up about 60-65% of all pronouns used.
A study of 2,356 people reveals that sensory absorption and a porous mental model explain divine experiences. The research, conducted across multiple cultures and religions, highlights the complex factors influencing spiritual encounters.
A recent study published in Scientific Reports has uncovered evidence of the youngest known occurrence of Middle Stone Age tools, dated to around 11 thousand years ago. This discovery challenges the long-held view that these tool types were replaced by a miniaturized toolkit after 30 thousand years ago.
A joint Anglo-German research project will analyze the practice of translation in cultural magazines from 1945-1965. The project aims to understand how these magazines used translated texts to forge new European identities, and explore the significance of translation in reconfiguring a vision of Europe after WWII.
The Material Minds Project investigates how cultural artefacts shape our minds and processing information. Using a unique blend of archaeology, vision science, and cognitive philosophy, the project tests the hypothesis that materiality drives cognitive change.
Chimpanzees exhibit diverse behaviours across various contexts, including tool use, foraging on insects and honey, and thermoregulatory habits. Environmental variability is positively associated with behavioural and cultural diversity, suggesting that species adapt to uncertainty through mechanisms like innovation and cognitive capacity.
A new study analyzing human portraits from 15th to 20th century European paintings found a widespread 'forward bias' in spatial composition, with more open space in front of depicted subjects than behind them. This bias increased over time, particularly after cultural norms favoring centering loosened.
China's wine culture dates back over 9,000 years, with archaeological evidence showing the oldest known alcoholic drink. Viticulture emerged around 8,000 years ago in Georgia, but China played a significant role in Eurasian wine history.
Griselda Pollock, a world-leading figure in feminist and queer interventions in art history, has been awarded the Holberg Prize for her profound influence on the field. She will receive the award of NOK 6,000,000 at the University of Bergen, Norway.
The journal special issue examines how contemporary trends in immigration affect aging populations, with a focus on social ties, filial obligation, and culturally accessible services. Strongest common themes include the importance of social connections for promoting health and well-being.
Researchers mapped emotion words across 2,474 languages to find significant variation in emotional expression across cultures. The human experience of emotions is shaped by both biological evolution and the words used to describe those feelings.