This book attempts to understand the impact of context collapse on the process of interpersonal interaction by applying an interdisciplinary and interactive perspective. This book systematically explains the impact of context collapse on social behavior by cognitive communication mechanism. Social science and computer system research is the general scope. Social media technology mixes originally heterogeneous audiences into the same context. As a result, people cannot manage multiple identities for online interactions using traditional offline conversation methods. The lack of boundaries in social media platforms in terms of space, time, and social psychology makes it difficult for people to maintain different social environments simultaneously online. Scholars use the concept of "context collapse" to describe how people, information, and norms permeate from one context to another in social media. Context collapse has both advantages and disadvantages and may bring potential positive or negative consequences.

The story of a pioneering cardinal who was a key architect of the Roman Catholic Church's ecumenical and interreligious commitment

Catholicism during the twentieth century was characterized by changing Church attitudes toward other religions. At the center of these changes was Johannes Willebrands, the pioneering Dutch cardinal.

Johannes Willebrands uncovers the life of this man who led the world's largest religion to embrace dialogue and religious liberty. Drawing on newly discovered archival sources, Karim Schelkens tells the story of how Willebrands, who lived through two world wars, was moved to launch under-the-radar initiatives that helped move European Catholics beyond an attitude of condemning Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, Jews, and Muslims in the postwar years. His diplomatic role became central once these initiatives were adopted during the Second Vatican Council, leading to a surge in interreligious dialogue and worldwide changes in the relationship of the Catholic world with those outside it. Through these initiatives, Willebrands also influenced the relationship between communities on either side of the Iron Curtain.

Previously published in Dutch, this English translation of Johannes Willebrands sheds new light on what drove the pivotal changes to the Catholic Church in the Cold War era. Readers interested in political-diplomatic history, interreligious dialogue, ecumenism, Church history, the Vatican, and Catholicism will gain a new perspective on the diplomatic efforts behind this shift.

The literature has highlighted the tensions between democracy and anti-corruption efforts, considering their changing meanings over time. These debates have been traversed by understandings of how to ensure appropriate connections between the public and the private, bearing in mind some of their alternative meanings (e.g., for the public as the state, the commons, manifest or impersonal- reasonable interests). Colombia faced these debates at two critical junctures, which led Congress to pass party and anti-corruption laws in both time periods. To contribute to the understanding of these puzzling tensions, the research aimed to solve the following question: Why did Colombian legislators understand some public-private relations as adequate for Colombian democracy, while others as corrupt in the approval of the 1992-1995 and 2010-2011 party and anti-corruption laws, and why did these understandings change? Solving this question required consulting the literature that has addressed the discussion points on democratization, corruption and the public-private. This, in order to guide the diachronic comparison. The sampling material was composed by the transcription of the debates in Congress that ended in the approval of the mentioned laws, following a qualitative content analysis. It was observed that the congresspeople tended to modify their emphasis of the democratic and non-corrupt: from the protection of the common to the impersonal-reasonable interests.

This volume presents the first part of the proceedings of the Thirteenth International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (TEEM) 2025.

It brings together research and practical experiences that show how innovation is shaping the future of education, and explores new teaching methods, the responsible use of generative AI in educational settings, and smart learning tools that adapt to the needs of each student. The book also looks at how assessment can serve as a powerful tool to improve learning, guide educational decisions, and support students through personalized and holistic guidance strategies. Last but not least, it includes contributions from early-career researchers who bring fresh and committed perspectives to educational development. With all these contributions, this book offers a well-rounded view of how education can become more innovative, inclusive, and student-centered.

Readers who wish to learn more about this topic can refer to 'Proceedings of TEEM 2025: Volume Two' and 'Proceedings of TEEM 2025: Volume Three'.

This open access book develops a Marxist account of artificial labour. Using Marx’s definition of labour from Capital, Kelly proposes three possibilities for the future. The Standard Marxian Line denies that artificial labour is possible and instead predicts that AI will lead to overproduction, unemployment, and the need for capitalism to expand. Artificial Feudalism predicts that AI will generate artificial labour, but that it will remain enmeshed within existing platforms and property relations. Double Freedom for Robots proposes that capitalism will drive the development of bona fide artificial labourers: robots that are legally emancipated but practically dependent on capital.

Free Robot Labour uses Marxist theory to argue for a radical conclusion: AI won’t just increase the productivity of human labour, it will lead to the creation of machines capable of labouring.

This book traces the modern history of ineffability, the idea that mystical experience lies beyond the reach of language, across twentieth-century scholarship on mysticism. Moving from William James to W.T. Stace and beyond, it examines how theories of ineffability were shaped not only by philosophical commitments but also by rhetorical strategies and disciplinary politics within the academic study of religion. Through close readings of major figures including James, Underhill, Otto, Zaehner, Stace, Smith, Hick, Forman, d'Aquili, and Sells, the book uncovers a crucial historical shift: from early understandings of ineffability as relative, what cannot be fully but can still be partially expressed, to later claims that mystical experience or its source is absolutely ineffable, wholly beyond conceptual mediation. This "absolutization" of ineffability, the book argues, served to defend a perennialist vision of religion's universal core and to shield it from contextual critique. Concluding with a semiotic "meta-argument" against absolute ineffability, the study proposes that a theory of relative ineffability better accounts for both mystical discourse and ordinary experiences of the unsayable. In doing so, it reorients the study of mysticism toward a more nuanced understanding of how language, experience, and meaning continually shape one another. It is an important read in the study of mysticism.

This open access celebratory volume marks the twentieth anniversary of the Asian Theological Institute (ATI), which is committed to mentoring and building community as resources for sustaining future theological work. ?It gathers contributions from a number of ATI’s alumni and alumnae across diverse disciplines, ethnicities, career stages, and geographical locations to reflect on their experiences with ATI, their own scholarship, and the culture of the academy. More than retrospective, this anthology demonstrates how Asian and Asian American theologians are advancing innovative scholarship while building intergenerational networks of support. By weaving together critical reflection, constructive theology, and personal witness, this collection not only honors ATI’s legacy but also points toward the dynamic future of Asian and Asian American theological studies.

In a world where information moves faster than ever, how do we keep fact from fiction? This book explores today's urgent challenges with misinformation and the tools we need to stay informed and aware. From AI-generated deepfakes to viral fake news, the author unpacks the hidden forces behind digital deception, why false information spreads, why people believe it, and the serious impact it can have on society. But this isn't just a look at the problem; it's a guide to action. Through clear, practical strategies like expert-guided debunking, insights into deepfakes, and interviews with media specialists, readers will learn how to sharpen their critical thinking skills and build resilience against disinformation. Featuring Romania as a unique case study, key focus of the book is understanding how audiences position themselves against false information, why some fall for it while others don't, and what shapes these responses. Ideal for educators, students, policymakers, and concerned citizens, Disinformation Countermeasures provides the knowledge and practical skills needed to safeguard yourself and others in the digital age. With this book, gain the awareness and tools to navigate today's information landscape with confidence and clarity.

Out for Glamour in Africa critically reflects on how Black women utilized Drum magazine, a leading publication in Africa during the era of independence, for political empowerment and constructing notions of Black femininity. Wanjiru G. Mbure terms the concept of femme urbAfricana, a model of Black femininity depicted as urban, political, fashionable, paradoxically Afrocentric, heteronormative, and transnational. Foregrounding stories of the women who embodied these traits and the social, political, and economic forces that shaped their presence in Drum, Mbure argues that these representations of Black women from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and the United States produced a novel form of Black urban femininity. Utilizing a breadth of archival materials from cover girl photographs, advertisements, and columns, to readers' comments, Mbure reveals the complex relationship between the Black urban woman and the era's contested ideals within a transnational matrix.

A pathbreaking study of the role space and place play in theological thought

What does Christian theology have to do with place? How does theology influence the spaces and places in which we live? How does theology do geography?

In Theology in Place, L. Patrick Burrows develops a framework for the interpretation of the Christian theologies that form and are formed by human practices of place, drawing on theology, geography, and feminist, queer, and critical race studies for the analysis of places, from the perspectives of experience, moral geography, and "weak" theology. He then uses this method to take up a series case studies of lived spaces of Southern religion to show the importance of thinking place in theology: the centrality of bodily communion between living and dead in Decoration Day in the Southern Appalachians; postcolonial "demonic" theology as the basis of spatial-spiritual ability surrounding the urban "renewed" Black neighborhood of Hayti in Durham, North Carolina; the role of heresiology in the construction of the historical and contemporary "imagined South" as the moral ubi of American social reflection; and the relationship between artifice, camp, and mysticism in the complex religious attachments - queer and evangelical - at Dollywood.

Theology in Place shows the necessity and promise of taking place seriously in the study of Christian theology, ethics, and practice. This research contributes to a growing literature on theology, space, place, and the built environment through its focus on race and the American South, especially by drawing on sources that have not previously been a part of these discussions, particularly from feminist, queer, and Black studies.

This open access handbook redefines science diplomacy in an era of geopolitical rivalry, rapid technological change, and fragmented global governance. Moving beyond state-centric models, it advances a polycentric framework where authority and expertise are distributed across diverse actors. Combining conceptual insights with empirical case studies, it examines securitization, emerging diplomatic players, and technology as a site of power?offering a rigorous guide for navigating cooperation under conditions of uncertainty, asymmetry, and disruption.

This book presents a systematic analysis on English-medium scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences (HSS) in mainland China. It examines how these journals seek to improve the international visibility of Chinese scholarship and counterbalance Anglo-American hegemony in global knowledge creation and circulation. This book consists of two parts: 1) a national landscape of the journals, and 2) three case studies of journals in different subject areas. The three case studies involve the journals Frontiers of Education in China (FEDC), Frontiers of History in China (FHC), and Chinese Journal of International Politics (CJIP). Data were also collected from documents and semi-structured interviews with 32 journal editors from 27 journals. Additionally, content analysis and citation analysis of the three case-study journals were conducted to explore the specific strategies and struggles of each journal.

The intended readership of this book mainly includes three groups. The first are scholars in the research fields of international scholarly relations, internationalization of humanities and social sciences (HSS), and Chinese higher education. Researchers who conduct studies on geopolitics of knowledge production and HSS development in China would also find this book relevant and helpful. The second group are scholars in the research fields of information science and library science, as well as practitioners in academic publishing: authors, editors, and publishers of academic journals, particularly those interested in academic publishing in China. The third group are students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels exploring geopolitics in HSS research, higher education, and HSS development in China. Students who are interested in research methods such as content analysis and citation analysis would also find this book helpful.

This book explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is empowering China's educational reform and development from a policy perspective. It examines policies and practices shaping digital transformation across all levels and types of education in China in the AI era. By drawing on practical experiences, representative case studies, implementation pathways, and emerging trends, this book provides a systematic examination of how AI is advancing educational development in China. It serves as a valuable reference for policymakers, educational administrators, researchers, and practitioners seeking guidance on planning, implementing, and governing AI-driven educational transformation.

This book explores feedback analytics in assessment, which plays a vital role in learning, provides insight into learning processes, and informs educational decisions. A key component of assessment is feedback, which has been shown to have a significant impact on learning success. Feedback aims to reduce the gap between a learner's current understanding and the desired learning outcomes. Researchers have categorised feedback in different ways, taking into account factors such as the type of information provided and the timing of delivery.

Pervasive digital learning environments generate valuable data through learner interactions and beyond. While learning analytics encompasses various subfields, including assessment analytics, which focuses on assessment data, a more specific area of inquiry is needed to fully understand the role of feedback.

This area, which is defined as 'feedback analytics', focuses specifically on the analysis of feedback processes within assessments. Whereas assessment analytics examines the broader assessment data, feedback analytics delves into the nuances of feedback itself, aiming to uncover patterns in how feedback is given, received and used by learners. To realise the full potential of feedback analytics, further research is needed to thoroughly understand the data generated by feedback processes, to identify key metrics for measuring feedback effectiveness, to bridge the gap between theoretical frameworks and practical applications, to design learning environments and processes to maximise the impact of feedback, and to provide empirical evidence on the effectiveness and efficiency of different feedback strategies. This focused research agenda is addressed in this edited volume and will be crucial for optimising learning and assessment through more effective and targeted feedback interventions.

This book compiles the proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Smart Learning Environments (ICSLE 2025), hosted by the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu (October 16-17, 2025). The conference brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to examine how rapid technological evolution reshapes learning and teaching, the transformative role of AI in education, and strategies for safe and ethical human-machine collaboration. The topics cover: Next generation learning environments; Collaboration among humans, human-machine collaboration, interactions or dynamics; Pedagogy, learning approaches and instructional design; Digital transformation for catalyzing online, immersive and open learning spaces; and Digital, machine and AI ethics in education.

This volume is a build up to the success of Volume 1 (Redefining Education and Development Innovative Approaches in the Era of the Sustainable Development Goals) which was published in 2024. The book aims to demonstrate how higher education institutions are integrating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into various aspects of education such as teaching, research and institutional practices. Through a series of chapters, the book highlights theoretical frameworks and real-world applications providing evidence-based discussions on how efforts on SDGs impact student engagement, curriculum design, community engagement and future employability. The book is distinct in the sense that it moves beyond general discussions and focusses on practical implementation. The contributors to the book examine case studies, pilot initiatives, culturally rooted methods and technologically driven innovations which offer pathways for rethinking pedagogy and student support. This second volume caters for academics, policy makers, who might be looking for scalable strategies for achieving SDGs in higher education.

Divided into six main sections which opens up with an introductory section. Following the introductory section is a segment that takes a holistic view of SDGs in Higher Education. This section details how sustainability principles shape everything in class pedagogies to broader student support systems, ensuring an integrated approach rather than fragmented once off interventions. The third section delves on cultural context and inclusivity where an exploration of cultural values such as Ubuntu and Hip-Hop Pedagogy. Such approaches examine how responsive teaching and learning methods can break down barriers and enhance inclusivity for diverse student populations. The fourth section of the book looks at Innovative, Practice - Oriented pedagogies which covers the incorporation of digital platforms, camera obscura photography, or entrepreneurship curricula and other creative approaches can result in increased student engagement and better learning outcomes. The fifth section deals with long term impacts and alumni perspectives focussing on employability and entrepreneurial mindsets all which speaks to quality education SDG 4 a critical component of SDG 4. The last section touches on evidence-based Recommendations and Models which touches on delivering quality education.

This book offers a pioneering investigation into how multimodal speech acts, particularly compliments, are perceived, interpreted, and evaluated across cultural and technological contexts. Introducing the Multimodal Compliment Perception Model, it offers a fresh framework for understanding evaluative practices in everyday interaction.

Drawing on pragmatics and (im)politeness research, it examines how factors like culture, age, gender, and personality shape compliment perception, and how different modalities-text, emoji, audio, video, gesture-impact evaluations in digital and face-to-face settings. Using mixed methods and data from over 400 participants across Chinese, Swiss German, and English-speaking backgrounds, the study develops three innovative tools to measure perceptions of sincerity, politeness, and emotional authenticity. The book contributes to multimodal pragmatics by extending facework and relational work into dynamic, culturally sensitive environments. It offers practical tools for researchers in speech act theory, intercultural pragmatics, and digital sociolinguistics.

Aimed at scholars in pragmatics, especially (im)politeness, speech act theory, and multimodal interaction, this book offers both theoretical insights and practical tools for analyzing digital and embodied communication. It's also a valuable resource for researchers in intercultural pragmatics, discourse analysis, gesture studies, multimodal analysis, and digital sociolinguistics.

Medieval saints were thought to be able to provide miraculous cures for a wide variety of illnesses, and about one-tenth of their miracles involved the restoration of sanity to those who had lost their minds. Deprived of Sense and Intellect explores 460 of these stories written across Latin Christendom between 1240 and 1500. The study uses the lens of critical disability studies to bridge the gap between discussions of demonic possession and naturally arising somatic conditions, treating all these narratives about disability and miraculous healing not as documentation of changes to the function of an individual person, but instead as evidence of substantial and intrusive interpersonal tensions in medieval communities.

While medieval communities assigned these tensions to a malfunction of consciousness in a single person, medieval miracle texts also reveal how the function and malfunction of consciousness was named and classified. In studying these texts, Leigh Ann Craig explores the terminology and rhetoric used to diagnose a loss of mind as either from natural causes or as an effect of demonic predation, tracing the use of Latin vocabulary in medical compendia, law, and theology. Deprived of Sense and Intellect finds that since diagnoses were difficult and frequently subject to doubt, they varied based on regional cultures of disability in northern and southern Europe, the influences on the development of community consensus in Latin Europe in the Middle Ages, and assumptions based on gender, material evidence, and self-diagnosis.

This book approaches non-monogamy and mononormativity with a cultural studies sensibility. Drawing on interviews with people in non-monogamous relationships as well as media and political discourse, legal case studies, blogs and self-help texts, it explores how intimate cultures emerge within specific contexts. The way mononormativity appears in contemporary Australian intimate culture is used as an occasion to explore how intimate practices are situated: local institutions, discourses and cultural dynamics shape the way people think about, experience and practice intimate relationships.