Journal of Social Issues最新文献

This conceptual paper advocates for the recognition of neurodiversity within South African education policy as integral to the realization of inclusive education. Current policy discourses marginalize neurodivergent communities by conflating neurodiversity with disability, reproducing deficit-based framings that neglect intersectional realities. This underrepresentation has negative consequences for the participation and recognition of neurodivergent learners, particularly those with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. We argue that policy reform is essential to reframe neurodiversity as difference, rather than disability. Drawing on the cultural model and intersectionality theory, this study undertakes a qualitative analysis of post-apartheid education policy documents and relevant scholarly literature. The analysis critically interrogates how neurodiversity is framed, the extent of its representation, and the implications of prevailing deficit-oriented conceptualizations for inclusive education in South Africa. Findings reveal that neurodiversity is largely absent from existing policies, and when referenced, it is mischaracterized through medicalized discourses that reinforce stigma. Such framings erase strengths-based perspectives, perpetuate negative perceptions of autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and constrain institutional capacity to develop inclusive practices responsive to South Africa's sociocultural context. We call for Afrocentric, intersectional, and community-driven policy reform. Reframing neurodiversity as human diversity would align with UNESCO's Salamanca Statement, enhance institutional inclusivity, and improve the educational experiences of neurodivergent learners across schools and universities in South Africa.

This paper investigates how the historical and geopolitical relationship between China and Japan has shaped collective psychology. Using language-based methods across three domains—public sentiment, political discourse, and academic literature—we conducted three complementary analyses. First, word embedding techniques applied to two large-scale Chinese text corpora show that sentiment toward Japan improved from the 1950s to 1980s before declining, a pattern that parallels Japanese sentiment toward China. Second, topic modelling of Japanese parliamentary records reveals that discussions of China over the past eight decades have been embedded in shifting global and regional geopolitical concerns, with recurring attention to war memory and maritime disputes. Third, a review of English-language psychology literature indicates that early studies (1940s–1980s) focused on war and stereotypes; after the 1990s, research emphasized historical memory and reconciliation, and more recently, topics such as Chinese students in Japan, cross-border mobility, and business relations—mirroring growing socioeconomic interdependence. Together, these analyses provide a multilayered view of how sentiment, identity, and historical memory co-evolve with the geopolitical landscape in Sino-Japanese relations.

The Japanese mental health system, marked by isolation and restraint, has been challenged by Tōjisha-Kenkyū, a peer-led research practice initiated in 2001 by Urakawa Bethel House members. Drawing from disability rights and addiction self-help movements, it addresses hermeneutical injustice by creating shared language for minority experiences. Autistics in Japan also face epistemic injustices due to biases that misinterpret autism as individual deficits. The author, diagnosed with autism in adulthood, used Tōjisha-Kenkyū to redefine autism based on the social model of disability, fostering accessibility and understanding. In 2011, the author founded a Tōjisha-Kenkyū group for neurodivergents, promoting diverse narratives and driving collaborations with medicine and technology. Despite contributions, testimonial injustices and tokenism persist in Japanese academia. To counter this, the Inclusive Academia Project fosters equity through mutual learning and solidarity. Ultimately, Tōjisha-Kenkyū serves as a bridge between minority communities and academia, contributing to a more inclusive and justice-oriented society.

Civic honesty—the moral standards that define citizens’ commitment to the public good—serves a fundamental role in societal functioning. Prior research has emphasized the role of vertical trust (trust in institutions) and horizontal trust (trust in fellow citizens) in predicting the endorsement of such standards among citizens. However, this research has mainly focused on the political conditions typical of the Global North while neglecting environments where criminal organizations, such as mafias, challenge state sovereignty and its monopoly over governance functions. Using a mixed-effects multilevel model and an extended Johnson–Neyman method for multiple moderators, we analyzed the role of two crucial contextual factors (i.e., criminal groups’ influence and state resilience) on the relationships between trust and civic honesty across 84 countries (N = 132,602). Results revealed that vertical trust is positively associated with civic honesty in contexts where the influence of criminal groups is lower and state resilience is higher. However, this relationship reverses when the influence of criminal groups is stronger and state resilience is weaker, suggesting that, in these circumstances, trust in institutions may reflect trust in (and adherence to) a system that is corrupt. In contrast, horizontal trust was negatively associated with civic honesty only in states characterized by lower resilience. Policy implications and future research directions are discussed.

We aimed to address a gap in the literature surrounding the experiences of Black autistic individuals and their families, specific to their engagement in the diagnostic process and service provision broadly. Our study was theoretically oriented in critical theories, as we aimed to push back against the dominant narrative about autism. We used qualitative methods and conducted interviews with Black autistic people (n = 2) and parents of Black autistic people (n = 9) to learn about their experiences. We employed an inductive approach to interpretation of data and used MAXQDA to engage in analysis. Results demonstrated that participants experienced several barriers to receiving care that are not only driven by the intersection of race and disability, as marginalization given gender, income, and location also surfaced as factors that have made access to services difficult. In the midst of these difficulties, participants also reflected on ways they found support and community and how they learned to be resilient. Implications for future research and practice are discussed, with specific attention paid to policy implications that may inform future practice.

Traffic stops are common and consequential for citizens’ legal socialization and for racial gaps in police-community trust. Efforts to change the tenor of police interactions, however, may discount the discretionary context of stops—the degree of choice in the decision to stop a driver—and how organizations influence those circumstances. Discretionary stops entail more choice and thus create more ambiguity for the driver regarding the officer's intent. We examine racial disparities in the discretionary context of traffic stops, their disparate influence on community members’ impressions, and the power of departmental guidance to close them. We find that stops of Black (vs. White) drivers are more likely to be for high-discretion equipment violations, and Black community members evaluate recordings of high-discretion, but not low-discretion, stops more negatively than White participants. At the same time, we find promising evidence that organizational directives to curtail equipment stops can reduce this disparity.