How inter-ethnic relations are reproduced through everyday social practices: A perspective from the Javanese nasi pecel vendors in Mataraman cities.

There is growing scholarship on how ethnic groups with historical tensions recover and manage to build harmonious relationships. However, detailed accounts of the lived experiences of such relations are limited. We seek to address this gap by exploring everyday inter-ethnic relations between Javanese and Chinese Indonesians in Indonesia as exemplified in the practice of selling nasi pecel, the traditional food of Mataraman cities in East Java. Our eight-week fieldwork involved 30 nasi pecel sellers in the four cities of Madiun, Nganjuk, Kediri, and Jombang through go-alongs and subsequent photo-elicitation interviews. Our engagements with the sellers have enabled us to generate a large body of empirical materials comprising 35 interviews and over 200 photographs. In the roles of bricoleurs, we then worked abductively to make sense of the empirical materials generated to build case studies of six sellers which resonated with the stories of the other 24 nasi pecel sellers in the study. We focused on the centrality of the seemingly mundane everyday practices of selling nasi pecel in (re)producing inter-ethnic interactions between the Javanese nasi pecel sellers and the Chinese Indonesian landowners. The everyday interactions for purposes such as accessing electricity and water and serving the customers which have been enacted every day for decades build spaces for inter-ethnic friendship and solidarity. We discuss how such inter-ethnic relations are vital in Indonesian society by emplacing such phenomenon within the broader socio-historical context of Chinese Indonesian and Javanese inter-ethnic relations, which are often framed as adversarial.

Death, Funeral Rituals, and Stigma: Perspectives from Mortuary Workers and Bereaved Families.

Deaths caused by COVID-19 have affected bereaved family members in several ways, including the inability to perform funeral rites and rituals. Understanding the dynamics and experiences of death and funerals of bereaved families and mortuary workers can lead to improvements in funeral services and the provision of social support for the affected families and mortuary workers. This study aimed to capture the experiences of mourning family members in Indonesia who lost a loved one due to COVID-19 and of mortuary workers who performed funerals according to COVID-19 protocols. Ten family members and 12 mortuary workers living in West Timor, Indonesia, were interviewed using a semistructured interview approach. Findings of the study show that mortuary workers were able to strictly implement the new funeral protocols. However, the rushed nature of these funerals led to resistance from families and prevented bereaved families from performing the usual cultural and religious funeral rituals. This, combined with stigma from their neighbors, led these families to have poor psychological wellbeing.

A photovoice study on the meaning of life in widows.

This study aimed to picture the experience of the meaning of life in widows by using a photovoice approach with thematic analysis. The participants involved were 10 widows living in West Timor, Indonesia. The results of the thematic analysis show that the meaning of life in widows relates to the following three themes: the spiritual meaning of life, risks of abuses and harassment, and supporting systems for widows. The photovoice approach managed to spark social change and improve community awareness on issues threatening widows' well-being.

Intervention research addressing environmental risk threatening young children with disabilities in developing countries: a systematic review.

Purpose: Young children living with disabilities in developing countries face a range of environmental risks that may impact upon their development. However, very little research has explored how to provide interventions for, or support to, this group of children and their families. In this systematic review, we examined studies which evaluated interventions aimed at addressing environmental risk factors in developing countries. Method: Ten databases were searched. Websites of organizations active in disability and children issues were also searched. Results: Forty-eight studies met our inclusion criteria (11 qualitative, 29 quantitative, and 8 mixed-methods). The findings indicate that the impact of environmental risk factors on development might be ameliorated by providing disability-screening services, community-based interventions, targeted, and inclusive basic services. The review also identifies key barriers to supporting these children as stigma and discrimination. Key enablers include religious support and community education. Conclusions: Comprehensive interventions from screening services to inclusive basic services are needed and collaboration from related stakeholders, also utilization of local resources is vital. Implications for Rehabilitation Environmental risk factors threaten development of young children with disabilities in developing countries. Screening services, community-based interventions, targeted and inclusive basic services are needed to address environmental risk factors. Religious support and community education are key in addressing stigma and discrimination in developing countries.