Search Results (826)

Despite being a biodiversity hotspot, the Republic of Seychelles faces a critical challenge with an estimated 90% of its food imported. This dependency exposes the country to global supply disruptions and climate-related risks, while pressure on protected ecosystems continues to rise. In response, the Erasmus+ Capacity Building Higher Education GreenTraINT project (Green Training INTernational Program for agriculture, livestock farming, and conservation), co-funded by the European Union (2024–2026), aims to strengthen local expertise in sustainable agriculture, livestock farming, and biodiversity conservation. Through a transnational partnership involving European and Seychellois universities and institutions, GreenTraINT is co-designing innovative higher education modules tailored to the island’s priorities in agriculture, livestock, and biodiversity conservation. This paper focuses on a detailed needs analysis conducted in early 2025 across a diverse group of 84 stakeholders, including students, educators, NGOs, and professionals. The findings reveal a strong demand for applied training in sustainable food systems and biodiversity conservation, blended teaching methods, and programs that bridge theory with hands-on skills. Inspired by other Erasmus+ projects such as NETCHEM and SPARKLE, GreenTraINT adopts a multi-stakeholder, needs-driven approach that aligns international academic expertise with local development goals. As a key milestone, a Summer School in 2026 will pilot the newly developed modules. In the long term, GreenTraINT seeks to leave a lasting legacy by integrating its curriculum into national education pathways, thereby contributing to food security and environmental resilience. With less than four years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda targets, the project positions higher education reform as a strategic accelerator for SDG implementation in small island developing states (SIDS). By linking curriculum innovation to measurable sustainability priorities, GreenTraINT helps narrow the SDG implementation gap in vulnerable island contexts. The project offers a model for international collaboration in higher education for sustainability in SIDS. Full article

This article juxtaposes the Indigenous communitarian feminist concept cuerpo-territorio and the African proverb musha mukadzi drawing on ethnographic research with Zimbabwean women activists in the context of land reform, thereby expanding the scope of both concepts. Our entry point is Zimbabwean women’s struggles for land in the Third Chimurenga, or post-2000 Fast-Track Land Reform Programme. Despite egalitarian promises, land redistribution efforts have favored political elites and men, reinforcing colonial capitalist practices of extraction and accumulation. Our comparative exercise reveals musha mukadzi as a political discourse that enables Indigenous women to reclaim their body–land relationship through struggles for land reform and beyond. In the process, we identify four key resonances between musha mukadzi and cuerpo-territorio, namely, an ontological similarity expressed through Indigenous women’s commitments to and responsibilities for re/generating the network of life; a common appeal to ancestral (feminist) wisdom to enhance ongoing struggle; the political mobilization of the concepts by Indigenous women to seek liberation from patriarchal, neo/colonial oppression; and, their conceptual utility as feminist analytics. Finally, we lay the foundation for further work on the possibilities of transnational feminist solidarity between Indigenous women in Africa and Abya Yala. Full article

Since 1978, Chinese–foreign cooperation in running schools (CFCRS) has evolved from fragmented pilot initiatives into a policy-coordinated system of higher education internationalization. This study employs an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design to examine how national policy shifts reshaped the structure of CFCRS collaboration networks between 1978 and 2025. Integrating longitudinal policy analysis with Social Network Analysis (SNA), the research identifies five policy-driven stages: exploratory opening, legal institutionalization, regulated development, quality enhancement, and strategic repositioning. Network analysis shows that increasing density, expanding degree centrality of leading institutions, and greater diversification of international partners reflect growing integration into global transnational higher education networks. At the same time, persistent structural concentration in key institutional hubs and regulated entry into partnerships indicate strong path dependence shaped by state-steered governance. The network also exhibits a disciplinary shift toward engineering and STEM collaborations aligned with national innovation strategies, alongside gradual spatial diffusion from coastal regions toward central and western provinces. Conceptually, the findings demonstrate that state-coordinated internationalization can generate dense and diversified collaboration networks without fully liberalizing governance structures. The CFCRS case thus illustrates a model of hybrid governance, where centralized policy coordination coexists with expanding network-based international partnerships. Full article

Frailty is a multifactorial geriatric syndrome marked by reduced physiological reserves and increased vulnerability to adverse outcomes. This multicenter observational study adopted a One Health approach to examine the association between frailty and biological sex, denture use, and antidepressant medication, as well as their impact on bite force, in two transnational cohorts of physically active older adults. The sample included 499 individuals aged ≥60 years (295 from Brazil and 204 from Portugal), all with functional dentition and regular physical activity. Frailty was assessed using the adapted Fried phenotype and classified as non-frail (G0), pre-frail (G1), or frail (G2). Oral health, depressive symptoms (CES-D), bite force, and self-reported use of dentures and antidepressants were analyzed. Frailty was significantly associated with biological sex (p < 0.001), with higher prevalence among women, especially in G2. Antidepressant use was associated with frailty in the Portuguese cohort (p < 0.001) and in the total sample (p = 0.005), but not in Brazil. No significant association was observed between denture use and frailty. However, Brazilian participants without dentures showed significantly higher bite force (p < 0.001), indicating a functional oral health effect. Frailty was associated with female sex and antidepressant use, while bite force emerged as a complementary functional marker for geriatric assessment. Full article

In this article I interrogate how the film The Reluctant Fundamentalist aligns with as well as problematizes racial capitalism. The optic of racial capitalism enables me to trace the film’s articulation of race relations within the US and the power of white supremacy internationally, particularly as they manifest in the geopolitics of the US empire. The optic of racial capitalism foregrounds the inextricability of what Cedric Robinson termed racialism and the historical development of capitalism(s). The film demonstrates how racial capitalism is naturalized through the creation of aspirations for the symbolic markers of upward mobility and the acquisition of wealth, which is to say, cultural as much as financial capital. The film also illustrates that racial capitalism is a work in progress; it is neither singular nor homogeneous in its effect as it mutates across the world; it derives its power from the construction of racial infrastructures, political–economic institutions, states and, as I will argue in this essay, through regimes of racial affect. Full article

This study examines how transnational online continuing professional development (CPD) supports language instructors’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) in transnational higher education (TNHE). To assess this development, an existing TPACK self-report instrument was adapted to reflect cross-border online delivery, platform-mediated assessment and feedback, and collaborative course preparation. Survey data were collected from instructors at University of Southampton partner institutions in China (n = 431). Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM), and paired-samples t-tests, the study examined the instrument’s measurement properties, the structural relations among knowledge domains, and changes over time. Results supported a stable four-factor structure—technological knowledge, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and TPACK—with good model fit and acceptable reliability and validity. SEM showed that pedagogical knowledge and technological knowledge significantly predicted TPACK, whereas content knowledge did not directly predict it. Longitudinal analyses of matched pre–post responses (n = 172) indicated significant increases in technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and TPACK after CPD participation, while content knowledge remained statistically stable. These findings suggest that routine online CPD is most responsive in strengthening instructors’ technology-related and pedagogical capacities, which in turn support integrative teaching competence in TNHE language teaching. Full article

This study focuses on the commonalities and differences in the public housing systems of three East Asian countries, using Japan’s UR Rental Housing as a case study. It employs a composite methodology that integrates architectural typology and cross-cultural comparison, constructing theoretical linkages within a three-dimensional framework of “social institutions–cultural context–spatial structure”. The research emphasizes three key dimensions: (1) The evolution of policy frameworks and their underlying socio-cultural drivers; (2) The spatial layout logic and functional concepts embedded in residential unit planning; (3) The transformation and inheritance of traditional residential values in contemporary housing design. The study strictly adheres to a progressive logic of “sample construction–type decoding–paradigm extraction–cross-domain comparison–theoretical feedback”. It begins by analyzing the core issues in the supply structure and spatial adaptability of affordable housing in China and South Korea. Next, it systematically examines the policy evolution and spatial design paradigms of Japan’s UR Rental Housing. Subsequently, it constructs a comparative analytical matrix for public housing in China, Japan, and South Korea, identifying transferable common experiences and pathways requiring localized adaptation. Finally, it proposes targeted recommendations across three dimensions, namely policy framework, spatial design, and community building: (1) At the policy level, a full lifecycle governance framework is advocated; (2) In spatial design, the principles of “compactness and efficiency” are emphasized, alongside enhanced flexibility and cultural relevance; (3) In community building, efforts are directed toward activating interpersonal connections and strengthening the social functional attributes of housing. This study emphasizes transnational comparability and knowledge transferability, aiming to provide practical insights for China’s affordable housing reforms and South Korea’s public housing modernization. It seeks to promote cross-national learning and collaborative innovation in the regional housing sector, offering both theoretical reference and practical pathways to realize the shared vision of “restoring housing to a human scale”. Full article

Generative AI chatbots are becoming routine study companions in STEM, which raises a pedagogical question: what do students expect human lecturers to do differently when AI support is ubiquitous? This study examines STEM undergraduates’ expectations for a transformation of the lecturer role and their social ambivalence toward AI chatbots in Sino-foreign transnational education (TNE) programmes in China. We administered an online survey to 467 consenting undergraduates across four partnership institutions (three with sufficient subgroup sizes for institutional comparison). The survey instrument captured adoption readiness, perceived AI-enabled learning enhancement, expected changes to the lecturer role (multi-select), perceived social enhancement and social reduction mechanisms, and perceived support needs; it also asked an open-ended question, collecting 454 usable comments. We report descriptive statistics, χ² tests, Spearman correlations, and exploratory content analysis results. Students expected lecturers to shift from content delivery to facilitation: 52.7% anticipated that chatbots would handle routine questions, enabling more discussion and practical activities, and 49.7% expected greater emphasis on guiding deep thinking and problem solving. Perceived social impacts were strongly ambivalent: 92.2% endorsed at least one social enhancement and at least one social reduction mechanism, and enhancement and reduction indices were positively associated (ρ = 0.547, p < 0.001), a pattern that remained stable under alternative scoring and response-style trimming (ρ range = 0.526–0.590). Importantly, higher social ambivalence was linked to stronger expectations of lecturer governance and orchestration, including the curation of chatbot resources (42.5% vs. 9.7% in high vs. low ambivalence; χ²(1) = 44.12, p < 0.001) and accuracy checking (27.6% vs. 13.4%; χ²(1) = 8.82, p = 0.003). We therefore propose ambivalence literacy as a conceptual framework for responsible AI integration: a teachable capability to recognise and navigate simultaneous social benefits and risks of AI use, and to translate that recognition into concrete expectations for lecturer governance, orchestration, and facilitative teaching design in AI-integrated transnational STEM programmes. Full article

This study explores how gender roles shape transnational caregiving among Nigerian immigrants between northern BC and Nigeria. It examines the persistence or renegotiation of traditional caregiving expectations and how carers navigate societal norms, professional roles, and personal motivations. It also investigates how the elder care recipient’s gender influences caregiving dynamics, including cultural taboos, communication, and family interactions. This qualitative study employed a narrative inquiry approach, guided by a care and gender (Gender+) lens, to explore the caregiving experiences of 10 Nigerian immigrant carers (five women, five men) residing in northern BC and supporting elderly relatives in Nigeria. Participants were recruited through snowball and purposive sampling. A pre-interview survey captured demographic and caregiving background data. In-depth semi-structured interviews elicited personal caregiving narratives, and thematic analysis was used to identify key patterns related to gender, culture, and transnational caregiving dynamics. The study revealed four key themes regarding caregiving practices among Nigerian immigrant families: gendered cultural caregiving expectations, perceptions of caregiving abilities based on gender, resistance to traditional norms, and cultural taboos and gendered caregiving assignments. Caregiving experiences of Nigerian immigrants are influenced primarily by gender, with migration stage, class, and birth order acting as contextual modifiers. Centering a Gender+ lens, this research underscores the need for culturally responsive policies that address the challenges of immigrant carers and support their efforts to fulfil caregiving responsibilities within transnational settings. Full article

In a globalised and interconnected world, transnational families must navigate heritage language (HL) practices within dominant majority languages (ML), often with limited institutional support. Focusing on a small and understudied community of Hungarian-speaking transnational families in Israel, this study explores how HL development is maintained and negotiated within the framework of family language policy in a dynamic multilingual environment. Fifteen Hungarian-speaking parents from bilingual Hungarian-Hebrew families participated in semi-structured sociolinguistic interviews conducted in Hungarian. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze the interview data. Quantitative analysis was used to identify the distribution and relative frequency of language use across families. At the same time, qualitative analyses show how parental ideologies and strategies relate to HL development. The findings show that while HL input remains central in parental speech, children frequently respond using both HL and ML, indicating a dynamic bilingual repertoire and a translanguaging orientation. Overall, HL development is negotiated, maintained through cultural and emotional ties, flexible bilingual practices and dynamic family language policies. Full article

Unpolluted water, both freshwater and saltwater, is essential for achieving several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDGs 6, 3, 2, 14, and 15. This study maps emerging water-quality monitoring technologies at intermediate technological readiness levels (TRLs 4–5) and their potential patent markets (TRL 9). A total of 40,469 patent families were retrieved from the Espacenet worldwide database using IPC G01N33/18 and used to analyze sensing parameters. A subset of 2146 water-pollution-related patents was analyzed in detail. The analysis covered sensing parameters, temporal trends, compound annual growth rates (CAGR), legal status, geographic distribution of patent origins and markets, and the technological landscape, including application domains and niche clusters. The results show pronounced exponential growth in patent filings since 2014 and a high share of active documents, indicating sustained global investment. Innovation leadership is concentrated in China, South Korea, India, the United States, and Japan, with export-oriented patents largely held by transnational corporations, while African participation remains limited. Technological trends prioritize multiparameter environmental and biological sensing, addressing pH, temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and oxidation–reduction potential. Emerging solutions integrate autonomous platforms, remote sensing, Internet-of-Things architectures, and machine-learning-based analytics. Persistent bottlenecks include sensor robustness in harsh aquatic environments and the reliable discrimination between background variability and early pollution signals. Strengthening low-cost and scalable deployment remains essential to ensure water quality, support environmental sustainability, and minimize risks. Full article

The 1923 Greek–Turkish Population Exchange (Mubadele in Turkish), formalized through the Lausanne Convention, remains one of the most consequential cases of compulsory migration in modern history. This systematic review synthesizes a century of scholarship across political, legal, social, cultural, and historiographical dimensions. Findings indicate that the exchange not only legitimized forced displacement under international law but also reinforced authoritarian state-building in Turkey and exacerbated political instability in Greece. The social consequences included trauma, marginalization, and the emergence of heterogeneous refugee identities, while cultural memory oscillated between nationalist silencing and transnational remembrance. Urban landscapes and demographic structures were profoundly reshaped, producing visible legacies in contemporary cities. Furthermore, assimilation policies formalized the integration of populations, influencing the development of national identities in both Turkey and Greece. Historiographical trajectories diverged, with Greek scholarship emphasizing refugee struggles and Turkish scholarship foregrounding nation-building. Recent studies highlight hybrid identities and transgenerational redefinitions of belonging. This review underscores the necessity of integrating political, social, and memory studies to capture the multi-layered impacts of the exchange, offering a comprehensive account of its enduring relevance for migration, nationalism, and memory studies in Southeast Europe. Full article

The recognition of a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a human right has reshaped global human rights discourse, yet its operationalisation remains uneven. This article examines how the African human rights system which is uniquely grounded in collective rights, has reframed environmental protection as a constitutive element of development, sovereignty, and justice. Through doctrinal and case-law analysis, it traces the evolution from the African Commission’s foundational jurisprudence in SERAC, which extended state duties to the regulation of private and transnational corporate actors, to the African Court’s landmark judgment in LIDHO v. Côte d’Ivoire. The study demonstrates how the Court transforms the aspirational ‘greening’ of human rights into binding obligations by articulating a robust duty of vigilance and linking environmental harm to violations of the rights to life, health, and development. It further shows that LIDHO inaugurates a post-sovereign model of shared and polycentric responsibility, in which state accountability encompasses corporate conduct within their jurisdiction and, potentially, beyond it. The article concludes that the African Charter’s collective framework offers an implicit regional model of ecological justice, one capable of addressing extractive asymmetries and informing emerging climate-related obligations across the continent. Full article

Unpaid caregivers in Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong) are known to be under tremendous stress. The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) has been funnelling resources to non-profit organisations to support these caregivers in recent years. Since 2020, the British government has provided British National (Overseas) passport holders with a pathway to gain citizenship in Britain, and many Hong Kongers, especially young families, have migrated to Britain. This migration includes many former caregivers of older adults who remain in Hong Kong. How do these left-behind elderly parents comprehend the loss of their main caregivers, an extreme case of empty nest? And how do faith-based, especially Evangelical Christian, organisations and churches, support these older adults and their adult children in transnational caregiving? This study employs an ethnographic approach through on-site fieldwork and semi-structured interviews with older adults whose children migrated abroad, social workers at faith-based organisations, and church pastors. These field observations and interviews are supplemented by case studies and interviews published in news outlets. Through this group study, though limited in sample size, this article argues for the importance of faith identity and religious community in supporting both older adults and their caregivers, whether situated locally or remotely, and how faith-based organisations support transnational caregiving through connecting both parties. Full article

Transnational youth frequently navigate multiple languages and continually negotiate not only affiliation, but also the legitimacy of the languages they use within changing linguistic hierarchies. However, their educational experiences are often framed through fragmented classroom practices, deficit-based assessments, and nationally bounded curricular frameworks. In this paper, I respond by theorizing Fictional Linguistic Landscapes (FLL) as a transdisciplinary pedagogical approach that utilizes fiction and participatory cultural practices to position language learning as a form of semiotic design, critical inquiry, and identity (re)work. Grounded in linguistic landscape studies, multiliteracies pedagogy, and fan-based meaning-making, FLL positions learners as world-builders and allows them to experiment with visibility, hierarchy, and language(s) in safe fictional environments. This study outlines the four-phase FLL in Second Language Teaching and Learning (L2TL) cycle and provides five pedagogical design spaces to address issues of raciolinguistic valuation, deficit institutional representations, affective harm, peer-level marginalization, and translocal or return migrant identity negotiation. Rather than viewing imagination as an outcome of teaching, FLLinL2TL structures it as a necessary process for learning, linking creative production to explicit linguistic objectives and reflective justification. I conclude by discussing implications for classroom practice, teacher education, and future research on the potential of the FLLinL2TL approach in transnational education research. Full article