Rao Muhammad Faisal Suleman, Ren Min, Waqas Ahmad, Rabia Mahmood
{"title":"Structural stigma and educational barriers for transgender people: Access, identity disclosure, and discrimination in the context of policy and public attitudes","authors":"Rao Muhammad Faisal Suleman, Ren Min, Waqas Ahmad, Rabia Mahmood","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100236","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100236","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the role of the cultural, institutional, and legislative systems in determining access to education by transgender people in Pakistan. Despite state initiatives such as the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2018, huge gaps exist between policy commitments and educational practice. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, the study is based on in-depth interviews with 30 transgender people aged 18-29, recruited through snowball sampling. Findings reveal the presence of entrenched structural stigma embodied through family rejection, financial hardship, institutional discrimination, and administrative negligence, including the lack of physically sensitive educational spaces. These barriers severely limit educational opportunities. The study states that legislative reform alone is insufficient and that there is a need for inclusive curricula, teacher sensitization, responsible policies, and adequate funding. The findings fit within wider debates about structural stigma, the implementation of rights, and the roles of law, culture, and education in the Global South.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100236"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Qian Liu. (2025). Leftover women in China understanding legal consciousness through intergenerational relationships. University of California Press. 234 pages. ISBN: 9780520405745.","authors":"Bella Pei Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100232","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100232","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100232"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145885144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Weakened dutiful citizenship as movement’s aftermath? The mediating role of perceived fairness of judiciary","authors":"Gary Tang , Dennis K.K. Leung","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100242","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100242","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The recent wave of democratic backsliding is characterized by various forms of restrictive legal actions. While much literature focuses on how those actions were exercised, their impact on civic culture is less discussed. In Hong Kong, the enactment of the National Security Law in 2020 was a critical response to the radical protests in 2019. Subject to this background, this paper examines the relationship between perceived fairness of the judiciary and dutiful citizenship in the context of a postmovement environment. With data collected from a population survey (<em>N</em> = 1,066), this paper suggests that people supporting the 2019 protests tended to perceive Hong Kong’s judiciary to be unfair, which led them to have weaker dutiful citizenship. The results of this research can contribute to the discussion of the perceived judicial fairness by addressing its potential impact on civic culture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100242"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147384826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dressler, W.H. & Mostafanezhad, M. (eds.) (2025). Violent Atmospheres: Livelihoods and Landscapes in Crisis in Southeast Asia. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaiʻi Press. 274 pages. ISBN 978-0-8248-9846-5","authors":"Felicia H.M. Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100234","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100234","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100234"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Remaking the self: Cultural toolkits, narrative repair, and the homecoming of China’s University graduates","authors":"Dongjie Xi","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100243","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100243","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Analyzing narratives from 36 young Chinese returnees, this study moves beyond economic push-pull models to examine internal return migration via cultural toolkit theory. I construct a four-fold typology based on family capital and urban exploration: “Dutiful Inheritors” (status reproduction), “Strategic Drifters” (planned exploration), “Disoriented Returnees” (passive retreat), and “Posttraumatic Returnees” (meritocratic collapse). Findings reveal that while high-capital groups exercise strategic choice, low-capital groups engage in narrative repair to reconcile fractured identities. Despite divergent trajectories, all returnees negotiate between metropolitan alienation and local belonging to craft a hybrid “new local” identity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100243"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147384825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rudge, Alice. (2023). Sensing Others: Voicing Batek Ethical Lives at the Edge of a Malaysian Rainforest. University of Nebraska Press. 295 pages. ISBN: 9781496235466","authors":"Catherine Allerton","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100228","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100228","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100228"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145698128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Camargo, Alejandro., Cortesi, Luisa., and Krause, Franz. (Eds.). (2025). Amphibious anthropologies: Living in wet environments. University of Washington Press. 286 pages. ISBN: 978-0-295-75389-8","authors":"Ranjita Dilraj","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100230","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100230","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100230"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145738707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Traditional hierarchies and modern identity anxieties: Explaining bridewealth inflation among Nuosu in Liangshan, China","authors":"Yixian Wang, Zhe Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100235","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100235","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the mechanisms driving persistent bridewealth inflation among the Nuosu in Liangshan, China, despite strong state efforts to curb excessive marriage payments. Drawing on over 30 in-depth interviews and multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork, it shows that rising bridewealth cannot be explained by economic inflation or status competition alone. Instead, bridewealth functions as a negotiated institution at the intersection of ethnic hierarchy, social mobility, and intergenerational conflict. Three mechanisms fuel its escalation: heightened uncertainty over cyvi lineage purity under large-scale migration; strategic deployment of bridewealth by newly affluent families to negotiate caste-like status; and tensions between Nuosu youth pursuing marital autonomy and elders seeking to reaffirm ethnic authority. Bridewealth thus operates as an adaptive device through which families manage identity anxieties and reconcile competing moral orders during rapid social change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100235"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tristan G. B. (2023). Laws of the land: Fengshui and the state in Qing dynasty China. Princeton University Press. 356 pages. ISBN: 9780691246727","authors":"Ying Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100229","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100229","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100229"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145738706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andri Estining Sejati , Sumarmi , I Komang Astina , Singgih Susilo , Putri Tipa Anasi , Fahrudi Ahwan Ikhsan
{"title":"The Madurese tribe’s indigenous knowledge in environmental preservation on Gili Ketapang Island, Indonesia","authors":"Andri Estining Sejati , Sumarmi , I Komang Astina , Singgih Susilo , Putri Tipa Anasi , Fahrudi Ahwan Ikhsan","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100239","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100239","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores the indigenous knowledge of the Madurese tribe in conserving marine and coastal ecosystems on Gili Ketapang Island, Indonesia. Amid global environmental challenges like overexploitation and climate change, community-driven conservation that integrates indigenous knowledge with modern strategies is crucial. This research uses an ethnographic approach to examine the tribe's cultural and ecological practices, particularly their conservation methods. Data were collected through participant observation, interviews with key informants, and documentation, then analyzed with a developmental research sequence methodology. Findings reveal that <em>Petik Laut</em>, a sea offering ritual, symbolizes the harmonious relationship between humans and nature, viewing the sea as a living entity deserving respect. Practices include using eco-friendly fishing gear (<em>onjem</em>), observing Fridays as a no-fishing day for marine regeneration, and protecting sacred coastal sites. Sustainable adaptations, such as free-range goat farming, further support ecosystem preservation. These culturally rooted practices underscore the relevance of indigenous knowledge in addressing modern environmental issues. By blending indigenous knowledge with ecological principles, the Madurese tribe demonstrates how local communities can significantly contribute to global marine and coastal conservation efforts, emphasizing the importance of preserving cultural heritage and ecological integrity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100239"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147384824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}