Global Realities
A Study of the Lived Experiences of a Cuban Street Vendor as a Social Cultural Phenomenon View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session YiShan Lea
This is a phenomenological case study of a Cuban merolica (informal street vendor in Spanish). The research data was gathered from June 2022 to 2023 through participant observation in the initial stage and followed with electronic media chat in the next. The research period is critical as lives in Cuba have traversed through the aftermath of the pandemic COVID 19, have confronted acute scarcity, withstood extreme inflation, and sustained an energy crisis, etc. Grounded in the daily routines and activities, the research explicated the social economic conditions of the informant and the recent contexts of Cuba. The analysis teased out subjective perceptions and exigences in meeting the essential needs. The lived experiences of the informant as social cultural phenomena are interpreted to make sense of the informant’s world, and her worldviews are gleaned in this phenomenological case study.
Cultural Identity Changes in Ukraine
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Irina Ustinova, Viktoriia Kisil
This research investigates the shifts in the cultural identity of Ukrainians. The patterns of people’s behavior are aligned with four dimensions of cultural variability, presented by William Gudykunst and Hofstede, such as individualism-collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, and masculinity-femininity. In Western individualistic cultures, an independent self-construal predominates. In collectivistic cultures, group goals take precedence over individual goals. Traditionally, Ukraine has been influenced by collectivistic cultural values due to its historical ties with Russia but even then, there were differences between cultural identity of those two nations. In Ukraine, with its warmer climate and fertile soil, individual farms, not collective farms, were more typical, and individualistic features in Ukrainian identity are becoming even more prominent nowadays. Cultures differ in power distance or the degree to which prestige and wealth are distributed in a society. In the 21st century, Ukraine is transitioning from an authoritarian to a more democratic society. The masculinity in cultures is correlated with the segregation of women in education and absence of equal job opportunities and nowadays Ukrainian culture has a blend of gender orientation traits. These shifts indicate a dynamic evolution in the cultural identity of Ukrainians, influenced by historical and socio-economic changes.
A Divided Village – a Complete Professional Identity?: Professional Perspectives in Light of the Geo-political Configuration in the Identity of Teachers in the Village of Ghajar View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Yonit Nissim, Eitan Simon
This quantitative research presents a preliminary exploratory study examining perspectives of professional identity as reflected in self-reports of the teachers of Ghajar, a village on Israel’s northern border, given its unique geographical and geopolitical configuration. The current study is the first of its kind, clarifying how the teachers perceive their professional identity in the unique space in which they live and work. The findings show that the teachers’ perceptions of professional identity are holistic in all examined dimensions. Their perceptions are motivated by a strong sense of mission that influences their love of the profession and their sense of satisfaction. Ghajar, as a unique enclave, has created a geopolitical configuration that contributes to the construction of the professional identity of teachers in the village.
