Frontiers in Sociology最新文献

{"title":"Examining gendered cassava trait preferences through commercial seed business: a case study of IITA GoSeed and Umudike Seeds in Nigeria.","authors":"Durodola Owoade, Olamide Olaosebikan, Abolore Bello, Peter Kulakow, Elizabeth Parkes, Razak Olajide, Tessy Ugo Madu, Elohor Mercy Diebiru-Ojo, Benjamin Okoye, Nnaemeka Success Esiobu, Joseph Onyeka, Chika Geraldine Anyim, Jeffery W Bentley, Millicent L Liani, Olajumoke Adeyeye, Steven Cole, Béla Teeken","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1258723","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1258723","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study focuses on how, apart from research, commercial seed initiatives and practices aimed at promoting and selling improved varieties also identified gendered trait preferences of cassava users along the value chain. Since 2015, the public cassava breeding program in Nigeria, led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in collaboration with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), has carried out various research studies to determine the gendered trait preferences by different cassava users along the whole value chain. These studies inform which crop users the cassava breeding programs target, the traits to select, and the definition of product profiles considering gender. The commercial enterprises IITA GoSeed and Umudike Seeds have engaged cassava seed users who validated the findings of the previous studies. The formal cassava seed system in Nigeria is in a nascent stage. Feedback from this system through seed demand and sales is valuable for breeders. Therefore, this study focused on documenting a case study of how IITA GoSeed and Umudike Seeds commercial initiatives, aimed at promoting and selling improved varieties, identified additional gendered user preferences. A total of six key informant interviews were conducted with IITA GoSeed and Umudike staff. Furthermore, reports and sales data shared by the two companies were assessed. We found that traits such as plant architecture that suppresses weed (branched stems with widespread canopy) and food processing suitability were confirmed as important gendered traits while ratooning ability (allowing to cut stems from an existing plant without the plant being affected much) and sweet taste of tubers which can be eaten boiled without elaborate processing are new gendered traits identified by the two companies. IITA GoSeeds and Umudike Seeds identified that the variety TME419 has the highest sales records among men and women, with more recently released varieties gradually becoming more popular, and their branched soil covering or umbrella shape seems to be an important value-added and gendered trait. Notably, women village seed entrepreneurs (VSEs) showed a distinct preference and demand for the varieties Gamechanger and Farmers' Pride, surpassing the demand recorded among men from both companies. Our findings illustrate that the upcoming commercial seed market demand for different varieties coupled with integrated action research can capture emerging trends among cassava seed and root producers to guide breeding efforts, which is particularly important as breeding is a future investment.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"9 ","pages":"1258723"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12122505/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144200324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Citizen science across borders: employing action design research to identify and address digital skills challenges in the EU through collaborative solutions.","authors":"Valtins Karlis, Sarma Zane Emilija, Chiaki Sekiguchi Bems, Emily Kouzaridi, Karine Lan Hing Ting","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1558618","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1558618","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The European University Alliance European University of Technology (EUt+) has endeavored to make a Citizen Lab, as part of the Horizon 2020 project \"EXTRAS,\" aimed to explore the use of Action Design Research (ADR) methodology for fostering citizen science across boarders and during one of the pilot activities focused on digital skills development. Interactions provided an international forum for educational practitioners from France, Cyprus, and Bulgaria, alongside researchers from the European University of Technology, to collaboratively address the challenges of digital upskilling and reskilling in the European context. Through a series of three workshops, participants engaged in meaningful discussions on the inclusion of diverse identities and intersectionality in digital skill development programs. The ADR framework guided the workshops, facilitating thematic clustering of ideas, generation of design principles, and the cocreation of potential solutions. The findings emphasized the importance of inclusive, identitysensitive approaches to digital skills education, with a focus on adult learners facing various barriers. The workshops were deemed successful in testing the applicability of ADR for citizen science in an international setting, serving as a proof of concept for future Citizen Lab endeavors in diverse contexts and subject areas. The study highlights the potential of Citizen Labs to generate practical and meaningful insights through participatory, cross-border collaboration.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1558618"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12116391/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144175184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The taming of sociodigital anticipations: AI in the digital welfare state.","authors":"Thomas Zenkl","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1556675","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1556675","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Advanced algorithmic technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are projected to profoundly impact public employment services (PES) and the delivery of labor market policies. Focusing on the perspectives of PES counselors in Austria, this study examines workers' anticipations of future AI technologies. Based on face-to-face interviews (<i>n</i> = 23), it identifies and explores the concept of \"taming\" as a primary tactic for managing and appropriating uncertain AI futures within the limits of current institutional and bureaucratic structures. \"Tamed\" anticipations of advanced algorithms are rooted within challenging working conditions (insufficient resources and time for clients), reconfigurations of roles and agencies (administration of systems instead of supporting clients) and nested within transformations of techno-bureaucratic regimes (from street- over screen- to system-level bureaucracies), which they envision to rectify and repair. Taming is thus applied as a lens to observe practices of anticipation that navigate and contest precarities of daily work life beyond dichotomies of compliance and resistance. Despite the differences in tamed AI futures identified, the analysis shows corresponding properties: Tamed anticipations consolidate dependencies between human and machinic actors, demarcate what is (un-)tamable, and are inherently dialectical. Synthesizing structural problems and an imperative for human elements into futures that rely on advanced technologies, a truly \"human\" counseling situation is thought to be obtained through \"machinic\" means. To \"tame\" futures with and by anticipating certain AI technologies here means affirming ideas of a supposedly better working conditions (more humanity and margin of discretion) and regaining (or even improving) them through the computational means that are considered responsible for their loss.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1556675"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12116497/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144175185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From distance to embodiment-objectivity and empathy in Swedish rape trials.","authors":"Moa Bladini","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1461018","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1461018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article investigates how objectivity is performed and embodied in Swedish rape trials, where legal decisions often hinge on oral testimonies rather than technical evidence. Drawing on the sociology of emotions and feminist legal theory, the article challenges the positivist notion of objectivity as dispassionate detachment. Instead, it conceptualizes objectivity as a situated and emotionally regulated practice, co-produced through empathic translation and imagination. Based on ethnographic fieldwork-including observations, interviews with legal professionals, and analysis of 18 rape cases-the study shows how empathy serves as a critical epistemic tool in the courtroom. Judges and other legal actors must translate everyday experiences into legal logics while maintaining impartiality. Concepts such as himpathy and herasure (Manne), female fear, and male fear are used to explore how gendered norms shape credibility assessments and emotional orientations in rape trials. The article argues that empathy does not undermine objectivity, but rather constitutes its condition in cases where normative assumptions and lived experiences diverge. Harding's standpoint epistemology and concept of strong objectivity inform a model of legal reasoning that is reflexive, perspectival, and emotionally attuned. The study identifies how empathic trials-where legal actors actively engage with gendered perspectives-can counteract testimonial and hermeneutical injustice, thus fostering more equitable adjudication. Ultimately, the article advocates for a reconceptualisation of objectivity as embodied and relational, particularly crucial in the legal treatment of sexual violence.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1461018"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12106301/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144162770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fair allocation of resources in the moral dilemma of triage.","authors":"Peer Keßler, Ivar Krumpal","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1570940","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1570940","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic that has shaken societies around the world, the debate about fairness of medical allocation decisions is gaining momentum. Studying a sample of a broad international public (<i>N</i> = 1,998), we investigate citizens' ethical preferences in the moral dilemma of triage decisions. First, we address the key problem of which of several contradictory ethical criteria and normative principles should be used to determine the fairness of outcomes in triage situations. Preferences about fair outcomes are inferred from observed allocation decisions in a conjoint experiment. Second, preferences in regard to fair procedures are measured via fairness ratings of a series of triage procedures. Third, we analyze the relationship between the observed allocation outcomes and the fairness ratings of procedures. Finally, we review the current expert discourse and reflect it with the citizens ethical preferences observed in our study.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1570940"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12106452/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144162747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cooperative behavior and affect heuristic. When the rationality of love matters.","authors":"Albertina Oliverio","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1508740","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1508740","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A central problem of social theory consists in explaining individual cooperative behavior. One of the main interpretations is rooted in the rational choice theory, born from the <i>homo oeconomicus model</i>, which proposes instrumental rationality, maximization of expected utility and self-interest as unique presuppositions of individual behavior. These assumptions have been widely criticized, especially concerning their descriptive adequacy in cases of cooperative behavior. Numerous empirical evidence shows how individual behavior can be disinterested in these cases, not based on instrumental calculation and, therefore, explainable on the basis of other dimensions in cognitive human system and individual action. Based on the literature developed in the field of cognitive psychology and experimental economics, the article proposes to analyze cooperative behaviors (conceived in a broad sense since not necessarily implying shared goals), considering components of the rationality of a cognitive and emotional nature, using the concept of <i>affect heuristic</i>. It shows how some emotional behavioral responses (e.g., love, fairness moods, etc.) can be crucial in explaining individual selfless behaviors and their role in developing cooperation. Our analysis is developed in the light of a broader cognitive system and a more extended notion of rationality than the strictly economic one.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1508740"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12107593/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144162624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changing self-identification among immigrants in the United States.","authors":"Ina Chen, Jui-Chung Allen Li","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1445287","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1445287","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Race and ethnicity are fluid self-identities in the United States, particularly among immigrants, who often redefine their racial and ethnic self-identification as they navigate assimilation and cultural integration. This study uses repeated cross-sectional data from the 2000-2021 American Community Surveys to examine the specific racial and ethnic groups among U.S. immigrants that experienced substantial increases in self-identification. Given that fixed immigration cohorts typically decline in size over time due to emigration and mortality, any observed increase within a cohort indicates individuals reclassifying their reported identity. By controlling for the year of entry into the United States, this analysis employs ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions to estimate annual changes in size and percentage across 46 racial and ethnic categories. The analysis reveals significant increases in identification with multiracial whites and single-race or multiracial \"Write-In\" groups-categories not printed in the survey questionnaire. These findings underscore the fluidity and complexity of ethnic identities and highlight a shift from broad racial classifications to more specific identities that reflect heritage more accurately. These insights contribute to a broader understanding of identity dynamics and a growing diversity and inclusivity within the U.S. racial and ethnic landscape.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1445287"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12098439/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144143841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Body, gender, race and fatness in social studies. Gap and future.","authors":"Ahmed Nasser Alwulaii","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1525944","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1525944","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sociologists have increasingly turned to the body as a critical aspect of both individual identity and social organization. Some scholars, such as, examine the body's actions within social relations, while others, such as, have demonstrated the power of discourse in controlling and shaping bodies. Additionally, other scholars, like, view the body as a form of physical capital and argue that bodies reflect social class through three major interrelated factors: social location, taste, and habitus. However, sociological studies on the body lack certain dimensions that need to be addressed. In the next section, I will briefly illustrate some of the key gaps in sociological studies of the body concerning gender, race, and fatness. These gaps include an overemphasis on women's bodies, a predominant focus on the white race, a concentration on Western societies while neglecting other parts of the world, and a failure to consider fatness as a social issue. Furthermore, I will briefly discuss future perspectives on sociological studies regarding the intersections of body, gender, and fatness.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1525944"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12098640/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144143832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transformative capacity to build an adaptive society resilience during crisis: evidence from conditional cash transfer/PKH Indonesia.","authors":"Keukeu Komarawati, Muhammad Fadhil Nurdin, Wahju Gunawan, R Nunung Nurwati","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1507177","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1507177","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This research study the role of transformative capacity in building an adaptive society's resilience to crises. This research focus on Indonesia's Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program, <i>Program Keluarga Harapan</i> (PKH)/Family Hope Program in the COVID-19 pandemic, Cianjur. Social resilience emphasizes a return to pre-crisis conditions in the traditional view, but this research redefines resilience as the capacity to transform and adapt to new social condition. By analyzing PKH's impact, this research show that this not only helped beneficiaries cope with crisis but also contributed to longterm changes that enhanced community resilience. This research using a qualitative approach, using interviews and direct observations of PKH beneficiaries in Cianjur. Data collection focuses on understanding the mechanisms through which PKH influenced individuals and families in their response to the crisis. The research examines how financial aid, together with program conditions related to health, education, and social welfare, contributed to behavioral and institutional transformations that strengthened resilience at the household and community levels. Research findings show that PKH played a significant role beside providing financial assistance. PKH also promotes long-term impact by improving access to healthcare, education, and social welfare services. PKH also contributed to changing beneficiaries' perceptions on poverty and vulnerability, it increased community resilience in every opportunity. The research focus on how PKH facilitated institutional and behavioural transformations that strengthened community resilience during and beyond the pandemic. The study reinforce the importance of policies that support transformative resilience, and go beyond short-term relief to sustainable socioeconomic improvements. PKH's role suggests that social protection programs should integrate elements that promote long-term resilience, ensuring that vulnerable communities are better equipped to face future crises. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers in redefining adaptive social protection program and strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1507177"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12092419/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144121043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crossroads of consciousness: whose decolonization is it in Nigeria?","authors":"Yusuf D Olaniyan, Mercy O Martins","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1535330","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1535330","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The call for decolonial discourse has increasingly gained global purchase, yet its growing visibility often masks an unresolved question: who possesses the voice and agency to participate in these conversations? This paper tries to answer this question within the context of Nigeria, where the impacts of colonial history persist in education and societal norms. Through an autoethnographic approach, we reflect on our experiences growing up and schooling in Nigeria and, subsequently, the UK for postgraduate education to interrogate how these encounters have shaped our understanding of colonialism and de/coloniality. We propose a novel framework to structure our narratives that maps key decolonial erasure and rediscovery stages. These stages illustrate how systemic barriers within Nigeria's educational systems obscure colonial histories and hinder decolonial engagement. We appropriate Habermas's public sphere and Fricker's concept of hermeneutical injustice as theoretical incisions to illuminate how power dynamics influence the availability of critical spaces for decolonial discussions and how knowledge disparities create interpretive limitations. This study offers insight into the lived dimensions of decolonial engagement, questioning its accessibility and resonance beyond intellectual circles. It also contributes to ongoing efforts to bridge decolonial theory and practice by offering insights for more inclusive educational reforms and public engagement in Nigeria.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1535330"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12092341/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144121039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}