Social Integration

Among the deficiencies demonstrated by the world financial crisis of 2008–9, one was the limited capacity of G-8 to provide for global economic governance. The developed economies quickly realised that they should seek joint solutions and coordinated policies in cooperation with the leading emerging-market economies. As a result, the G-20 turned into the main forum for managing the crisis. This in fact pointed to an early institutional acknowledgement that important changes were underway in the global distribution of power. These changes derive from the substantially higher growth rates of the emerging-market economies in comparison with those of the developed economies, a trend named ‘the rise of the rest’ (Zakaria, 2008, pp. 2–3).

Judaism is, through its scholarly traditions, both inclusive and isolationist. In the Bavli Talmud, the rabbis discuss whether or not the Torah, or any other sacred writing, can be translated into the language of the 'goyim' (Hebrew for the nations) and have that translation continue to retain sacred qualities. In this paper, I argue that the rabbis were considering the Jewish diaspora seeing the problem of Jews assimilating into the world in which they lived or remaining a separate people. For them, the question was similar to that raised by W. E. B. DuBois who wrote of a middle alternative, acculturation. To acculturate means to know the world of the other while hanging fast to the world of the self and community, to exist in two worlds with the potential to live well in both.

Mastery of academic writing skills remains one of the greatest challenges for university students, especially in the first year. Amongst the reasons offered for the challenges are lack of clarity about the university’s expectations and low levels of teacher feedback on work submitted, a failure to engage, and low levels of contact with teaching staff and other students. Academic staff are challenged by increased class numbers and increased student diversity in classes and university policies to adopt a wide range of information technologies into teaching modes. In this paper, we offer one attempt at addressing these three important contemporary academic challenges: use of information technology to provide timely feedback through formative assessment to help students with a range of abilities to acquire the academic writing skills necessary to succeed in higher education. Early indications show that students find this form of formative assessment very useful. They value the timely and focused feedback from the lecturer and are developing collegiality as they learn from each others’ writing and feedback. We believe that this strategy is sustainable and can be adapted to facilitate academic and social integration for students across many disciplines.

Millions of people play online games around the world, some for forty hours per week or more. Speculation abounds about both the positive and negative effects such a popular and time intensive activity might have on those who take part in it. In order to investigate how participation in these virtual worlds and the communities surrounding them might affect the player, three general research questions are posed. What factors contribute to players reporting that gaming has gone beyond being an engaging pass-time and begun to cause problems in their real life? Does play lead to social isolation or, instead, to an ex-pansion in the social connectedness a player feels? Does involvement in online gaming lead to depression or can participation reduce depressive affect? Following a pilot survey involving 1836 respondents, a revised online survey was used to gather information from avid gamers about their gaming habits, attitudes, and feelings. Employing a longitudinal design, three waves of...

Working-class students tend to be less socially integrated at university than middle-class students (Rubin, 2012a).  The present research investigated two potential reasons for this working-class social exclusion effect.  First, working-class students may have fewer finances available to participate in social activities.  Second, working-class students tend to be older than middle-class students and, consequently, they are likely to have more work and/or childcare commitments.  These additional commitments may prevent them from attending campus which, in turn, reduces their opportunity for social integration.  These predictions were confirmed among undergraduate students at an Australian university (N = 433) and a USA university (N = 416).  Strategies for increasing working-class students’ social integration at university are discussed.

In developing countries, the study of intellectual disability has enormous knowledge gaps, especially in the areas of interven- tion, utilization of services and legislation. This article provides information not only for aiding in the potential development of sexuality in individuals with intellectual disability, but also for fostering their social integration. In Mexico and the region, in order to develop educational

The political shocks of the 2014 Ukrainian crisis have been felt in many former Soviet countries, not least Latvia, where over 35% of the population are native Russian speakers. At a time when analysts and commentators are unsure about Russia’s future plans to intervene on behalf of their ‘compatriots’, this study provides a detailed political and cultural analysis of Russian-speaking identity in Latvia.
By using Russian-speakers in Latvia as a specific case study, this volume also offers a fresh methodological approach to the study of discourses and discursive strategies. It outlines a coherent methodology to study the evolution of discourses over time, rather than a single de-contextualized and static time period.
Drawing on media analysis, elite interviews, focus groups and survey data, Russian Speakers in Post-Soviet Latvia situates the identity strategies of Russian speakers within the political, cultural, and economic transformations of the post-Soviet era. By assessing political, cultural, and economic links with their home state (Latvia) and their potential kin-state (Russia), it offers important insights into the complex identity positions of Latvia’s Russian speakers, and how these positions have evolved in Latvia since the late Soviet period.

To investigate the factor structure and concurrent validity of the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ), using a large sample of persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Principal components analysis with varimax rotation was performed on CIQ items completed through interview with patients at 1 year after injury. Correlational analyses compared CIQ scores to scores on other widely used outcome measures. Outpatient clinics affiliated with four TBI Model System rehabilitation centers funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Three hundred twelve patients with medically documented TBI who were enrolled in the TBI Model Systems Project. The majority of patients were Caucasian males with severe TBI. CIQ; Functional Independence Measure (FIM); Functional Assessment Measure (FAM); Disability Rating Scale (DRS). Three factors emerged: Home Competency, Social Integration, and Productive Activity. The financial management item was moved from Social Integration to Home Competency, and the travel item was moved from Productive Activity to Social Integration. Each CIQ scale score showed significant correlations in the expected direction with the FIM+FAM and DRS items. The results provide further evidence for the validity of the CIQ and improve the scoring system. The factor structure is clinically and theoretically meaningful. The subscale and total scores show significant relationships with other widely used measures of outcome. Future research should focus on increasing the range of questions, accounting for changes from preinjury functioning, and obtaining normative data on the new factors.

While the root causes of extremism and interreligious conflict in Northern Nigeria have eluded manystudies,historical accounts have shown that the current pattern of ethno-religious intolerance was not always the case. There is ample evidence that the region's post-independence government provided opportunities for various ethnic, cultural and religious groups to partake and be represented in the region's socio-political and economic space. There is now an emerging consensus that the root of the current pattern of intolerant and destructive conflict in Northern Nigeria in particular, and the country in general lies with the collapse of Nigeria's post-independence structures and degeneration of the national political and economic space beginning from 1966. Invariably, an effective response to extremism and interreligious conflict requires proper diagnosis of the root causes and honest implementation of appropriate security and conflict management strategies and remedies. However, given that interreligious disconnect and disharmony is a major root cause of these conflicts, interfaith dialogue should be engaged to promote understanding and cooperation among stakeholders and to prevent the spread of extremism and interreligious conflict.

In a university setting, there is a great diversity in terms of socio-cultural, political, religious and racial backgrounds among students and lecturers. This diversity, with the presence of an appropriate lecturer-student relationship creates a campus environment that prepares students and lecturers to live and work amicably in a socio-culturally diverse society. It also equips them to respond to an increasing

A meta-analysis of 35 studies found that social class (socioeconomic status) is related to social integration among students in higher education: Working-class students are less integrated than middle-class students. This relation generalized across students’ gender and year of study, as well as type of social class measure (parental education and parental income). However, type of social integration measure was a significant moderator. In particular, the social subscale of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire obtained the largest effect (r = .18, p < .001). Significant effects were also found using measures of the sense of belonging and participation in formal and informal social activities. Future research in this area should use multidimensional measures of social integration and investigate potential mediators of the social class-social integration relation.

El propósito de este escrito es profundizar en las posibles actitudes y dinámicas que existen a propósito del fenómeno migratorio, intentando reconocer aquellas que favorecen la integración de las personas migrantes tanto por parte de quienes llegan como de quienes reciben.
En primer lugar se hará referencia a algunos documentos del magisterio de la Iglesia Católica.
Enseguida se presentarán algunos elementos de la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos. Luego se presentarán como polos en tensión los de la Hostilidad y la Hospitalidad, junto a la caracterización del proceso de Aculturación que supone llegar a un lugar distinto e
integrarse (o no) en él. A continuación se intentará poner la mirada a la situación particular de Chile en lo que se refiere a la integración de personas migrantes. Finalmente se ofrecerán algunas conclusiones.

El presente artículo aborda la integración social de los inmigrantes en España desde el punto de vista de las condiciones de vivienda a las que dicha población tiene acceso. Se discuten tres puntos primordiales que nos conducirán a un análisis general de las condiciones domiciliarias de los inmigrantes en España. En primer lugar, expongo algunos conceptos fundamentales para comprender por qué la vivienda se constituye como un mercado, y en qué medida la especulación inmobiliaria condiciona los usos y accesos a un derecho que en principio debería contemplarse como social (el derecho a vivienda). En un segundo apartado, analizo en base a los trabajos de Martínez Veiga las condiciones de residencia de los colectivos inmigrantes de acuerdo con tres patrones espaciales: las grandes ciudades, las ciudades medianas, las zonas agrícolas. Basándome en el trabajo del Colectivo IOÉ, estudio algunas características de la vivienda inmigrante en tres de los principales centros urbanos españoles: Madrid, Barcelona y Valencia. Finalmente, en el tercer y último apartado, propongo algunas cuestiones a ser tratadas en el sentido de vislumbrar cuáles son las perspectivas de futuro en relación a la situación de la vivienda de los extranjeros en territorio español.

As the debate over North Korea’s collapse re-emerges, the mass exodus of North Koreans to China and South Korea poses a serious challenge. Already, many North Koreans have left North Korea for China and South Korea. In South Korea, over 20,000 defectors had arrived by 2010, most via China. They had gone to South Korea with high hopes, but soon were disillusioned by the realities of living there. By examining specific issues that the defectors face in adjusting to life in Korea, one can project the problems a unified Korea might encounter in integrating those who have lived under two completely different systems. The problem should be addressed as soon as possible, since it will take at least a generation to change people’s mindset. Lack of preparation to integrate Koreans from north into south could lead to enduring social problems that could impact the stability of Northeast Asia. Worse, a disaffected population could be a source of support for potential factions of North Korea that may conduct insurgency operations. Social integration is one area in which affected parties can start taking action now to prepare for the future, and doing so, will help ameliorate what could become a complex and expensive endeavor.

The novel of Jasper Jones is enriched with main and secondary themes, among which emerge the coming of age, the escapism and the suicide. Reporter Chiara Pucci explains how each one is the cause of the other.
“Many of us have learnt to be adult rather than grown up.” These are the words pronounced by writer Craig Silvey when it came to describe the aim of his book. Coming of age is not for everyone, since being in their own bubble is much more comfortable than putting into doubt all their myths.
As long as our bubble bursts, we will have just begun to grow up. Growing up means leaving our own innocence, it means opening our eyes to what the world really is and to what is really happening out there. Growing up means standing out from the comfort-zone of safe ignorance and acting bravely through exposing our mind to knowledge and learning as well as letting our beliefs and traditions flourish.
In Jasper Jones, the reader is immediately inserted in the exact moment in which Charles Bucktin’s innocence fades away for the first time.
Since the Jasper-Jones-came-at-my-window night, the reading continues leading the spectator in a progressive maturity of the protagonist, together with Elizabeth Wishart, Jeffrey Lu and Jasper Jones. At the same time, the writer opposes these growths to the never-lasting infancy of these characters’ parents, in addition to roughly all the inhabitants of Corrigan.

Civil War in Syria created a large scale humanitarian crisis causing a mass human migration up to seven million in total. The largest neighboring country-Turkey has the greatest number of Syrian refugees exceeding 2.7 million. In the expectation of a quick resolution for the conflict and sending the immigrants back, the host country has taken only palliative temporary actions. This study investigates the options that Turkey has for the immigration problem. Elaborating on integration techniques for immigrants, the paper suggests possible policies for implementation of social integration in the future decades. Based on strategic management principles, the author presents advantages and disadvantages of integration, maintenance of status quo, and prevention of immigration.

Nowadays, online social networks receive a lot of attention all around the world. Social networks include a variety of platforms to facilitate easy ways of communication. It is generally believed that having friends within social circles and frequent contact with them gives a sense of social integration also helps to decrease feelings of loneliness and improve one's perception of social support. However, little research has been done on this subject and needs to be further investigated. In this paper we report on a study in which the relation between the usage of online social networks and the perception of social support, loneliness and social integration is investigated. In total 61 individuals responded to the questionnaires, with age ranging from 18 to 43 and a mean of 22. After obtaining scores from the respondents, we have used various statistical measures to investigate the possible relationships between social network sites usage and their effects on the social aspects of users. Although no significant correlations were found, an analysis of the distribution of the data suggested that there are some common trends that hold for most users. The most prominent trend shown was that users with more than average chat activities are likely to have a more positive perception of their social life. We recommend to perform further research on this subject with a more automated approach and with a larger set of participants.

One of the consequences of international migration and the permanent settlement of immigrants in southern EU countries is the growing number of inter-country marriages and the formation of transnational families. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, this article examines patterns of endogamy and exogamy (i.e., marriage within/outside a particular group or category) among African immigrants in Catalonia, focusing on bi-national Senegalese– and Gambian–Spanish couples. Socio-demographic profiles, transnationality, the dynamics of cultural change or retention, and the formation of transcultural identities are explored. The evidence presented suggests that social-class factors are more important than cultural origins in patterns of endogamy and exogamy, in the dynamics of living together and in the bringing-up of children of mixed unions. Such a conclusion negates culturalists’ explanations of endogamy and exogamy while, at the same time, emphasising the role of social actors as active subjects in these processes. I further argue that mixed couples and their offspring deal—to a greater or lesser extent—with multiple localisations and cultural backgrounds (i.e. here and there), rather than experiencing a ‘clash between two cultures’. Therefore, it would be a mistake to pretend that multicultural links do not exist and that they cannot be revitalised and functional. The paper starts and ends by addressing the complexities of processes of interculturalism, resisting an interpretation of hybridity and segregation as contradictory or exclusive realities.