Mixed Methods and Cross Disciplinary Research

Giddens stressed in The Consequences of Modernity that trust is contingent and that risks escalate when transfers are disembedded from local contexts. This paper concentrates on the need to develop policy and praxis to protect the commons through a critical and systemic approach drawing on history, sociology and anthropology. The paper explores Inglehart’s (Modernization and postmodernization: cultural, economic and political change in 43 societies, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1997) notion of culture shift, Norvey et al.’s (International Sociology 32(6): 683–706, 2017) reflections on Inglehart’s thesis and Gidden’s (The consequences of modernity, Stanford University Press, Palo Alto, 1990) essay on the The Consequences of Modernity. The paper discusses how the potential for transformation rests with people who can bring about transformation of taken for granted epistemic policy networks that use so-called root metaphors to shape ‘what is inevitable’. Instead, the case is made through critical reflection to reconstruct narratives about current challenges that are framed in terms of the capability approach (Nussbaum, Creating capabilities: the human development approach, The Belknap Press, London, 2011). The paper underlines the importance of research to reframe concepts from above and below to protect and restore the commons. The paper responds to the cascading risks and consequences of modernity and makes a case for a new nonanthropocentric narrative based on our interconnectedness and shared fate. The containerist approach is critiqued by tracing the archetypes that have shaped history. The epistemic policies shaped a culture of profit. The paper explores the dualism, racism and speciesism that has underpinned the way in which governance has been framed. It makes a case for a new narrative based on sharing and reciprocity based on our shared fate. There is no ‘Planet B’ as Macron summed up recently in an address on a state visit to the USA (Macron, There is no Planet B. Address to United States Congress on 25th April, 2018).

In histories of the Pacific War, and its impact on Papua and New Guinea, war histories reconstruct and analyze battles and troop movements in great details. In contrast this chapter focuses on the actions and plights of villagers, using rare documents written by senior New Guinean men during and shortly after the war.

During the Pacific War, the strategically important yet confined area, the Huon Peninsula in New Guinea, was a contested space. A former German protectorate, administered by Australia as a C Mandate of the League of Nations, it was occupied by the Japanese in early 1942 and regained by the Allies in late 1943, early 1944. Members of all three nations that had claimed formal colonial control were present throughout these eventful 2 years—occupying Japanese, Australian coastwatchers operating behind enemy lines, and German missionaries—imposing on New Guineans for assistance and cooperation.

By bringing New Guinean experiences to the fore, this chapter is narrating localized histories that are more than simply small, local micro-histories. They are a fundamental change in outlook. The influential late Tongan intellectual, historian, and theorist Epeli Hau’ofa reconceptualized the Pacific as a “sea of islands,” in which local identity is not dissolved but embedded in a shared Ocean. He argues a strategic and moral concept of Pacific-Oceanic identity and history as a process. Focusing on New Guinea villagers, this article intends to create grounded and localized histories as a first step in a bigger process of creating shared histories.

The repeated expulsions and flights of the Rohingya people from Myanmar, documented to occur periodically for over two centuries, are widely and correctly interpreted as egregious examples of human rights violations. It is here hypothesized that this violence has ecological causes in addition to the better recognized social factors, such as intolerance, inequality, and religious and cultural differences. Furthermore, this case study shares characteristics found in an increasing number of locations and countries, most or perhaps even all of which are relevant both to the emerging discipline of ‘planetary health’, in addition to the far older conceptualization of ‘limits to growth’. If these hypotheses are correct, it follows that far more effort is needed to improve the underlying ecological factors, in order to reduce repeated and perhaps even worse future abuses of human rights.

The vignette gives a brief insight into the historical background of the Rohingya Refugees and hints at the extent of their victimization at the hands of the state. It grounds the issues of conflict, displacement and loss as a current and unfolding issue. More people have experienced displacement currently than during the Second World War (UN Director). The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People has been ignored in the case of the Rohingyas.

The responsibility of transnational corporations has become a popular issue nowadays, especially in relation to the rights of indigenous people, who inhabit areas in which natural resources are being exploited. The conflict between stewardship of the land and capitalist industry, thus, became catalyst for the emergence of indigenous activism. This was the case of US-owned Freeport mine operating on the land of indigenous people in West Papua. The corporation has a record of being suspected of human rights and environmental abuse allegations. Despite the negative implications of the mining on the health of population, Freeport was quite immune to the continuous criticisms it earned. This essay examines two key questions about the operation of this mine: how did it affect the socio-economic well-being of Indigenous people, and has Freeport taken any measures to resolve those issues in an appropriate manner? This essay will first discuss the troubled history of the mine and examine its adverse impacts on environment and socio-economic aspects of indigenous West Papuans. It will then evaluate the struggle of those people to gain redress from the system, followed by the steps taken by Freeport to accommodate that demand, viewed from the lens of international laws.

The province of West Papua (also commonly known as Papua, Western New Guinea, Irian Jaya or West Irian) on the western mainland and surrounding islands of New Guinea is native land to 17 indigenous ethnicities. These ethnic groups are referred to as Papuan people, along with an additional 38 ethnicities in neighbouring Papa New Guinea (Elmslie, The Asia-Pacific Journal 15(2):6, 2017). The region of West Papua was officially recognised as Indonesian territory after the controversial ‘Act of Free Choice’ vote in 1969 (National Security Archive, Indonesia’s 1969 takeover of West Papua not by ‘free choice’, Washington, D.C., 1–2, 2004). As the 50-year anniversary of the 1969 referendum approaches, the Papuan people’s fight for independence is once again hot on the agenda. This essay will examine the fight for self-determination in West Papua up to its most recent developments. A comparison will also be drawn between East-Timor’s 1999 independence from Indonesia. The main aim of this essay is to show that Papuan people have a right to sovereignty in West Papua and to highlight why their desire for self-determination should be supported by the international community. As West Papua edges closer to independence from Indonesia, necessary actions will be discussed in hope of avoiding another East-Timor-esque atrocity. This assignment is restricted to only utilising secondary research data; however, it is not limited to analysing transformative mixed methods research for the benefit of furthering social justice (Mertens, Qualitative Inquiry 16(6):469, 2010). Both qualitative and quantitative research data will be assessed to formulate the analysis.

In this chapter we discuss the concept of Ubuntu as a way of living, and we consider what it means to revitalise the principles of Ubuntu in relation to our human connectedness and sense of connectivity to all that exists. We discuss this in relation to some of our life experiences intermingled with the literature which we share with one another and with readers, in order to expand our (and our readers’) understanding of the meaning of Ubuntu and its current relevance not only for Africa but worldwide. We consider implications for human relatedness across (created) borders and for environmental protection as part of caring for Mother Earth. We also discuss what this may mean, in terms of educational and vocational initiatives that we suggest (as part of our dialogue).

The nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries have seen increasing movements towards neoliberalism and globalisation across the world. A lot of countries and regions across the world have taken advantage of neoliberal policies and globalisation to access markets as well as use innovative technologies to produce goods and services. In spite of the advantages brought about by neoliberalism and globalisation to most parts of the world, some regions in the developing world have been forced to abandon some of the good aspects of their traditions and culture that have sustained and maintained them over the years. Although Africans cannot be said to be a homogenous group, certain aspects of their cultures are similar. This chapter argues that cultural hegemony has led to a situation where the people of Africa have to a large extent abandoned certain aspects of their culture and traditions that have kept their communities over centuries while they at the same time have not been able to fully adopt and adapt to other cultural traditions and systems from elsewhere. Communal ownership of land and other natural resources has been the practice of most African communities, but the advent of colonialism, imperialism and capitalism has contributed to land ownership and use falling into private ownership which most African communities find difficult to adapt to.

This chapter reports on how members of a rural community in South Africa are effectively addressing the challenges of poverty, unemployment, lack of access to private land and food security through the use of communal land in a rural community in the North West Province of South Africa. There are ongoing debates on land ownership, inequality regarding access to land for the majority black population in South Africa. Some commentators argue that communal land that is in the custody of traditional authorities, most especially in the former Bantustans, is not put to productive use to address the challenges of poverty, food security and unemployment in rural areas. I argue that the question on using communal land for rural development is crucial for socioeconomic empowerment of rural communities in particular and social science research in general. I illustrate how communal land is made available by one traditional authority to the members of the community which in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation, an institution of higher learning, a provincial administration and the private sector is putting communal land to productive use through what I refer to as putting “communalism” or “communitarianism” into practice. The lessons from this initiative can serve as a model for using communal land for sustainable livelihoods in rural South Africa and elsewhere on the African continent where communal ownership of land continues to be a major challenge to socioeconomic development of communities.

Indigenous people seek a transformational approach to change. They seek reconciliation and a new beginning. This is seen in their relationships with their immediate environment and the consequent attempts to engender sustainability. In Taiwan, colonialism meant that Indigenous communities were displaced and lost many of their languages and defining aspects of their culture. In the Northern Territory, Australian Aboriginal people lived in tight-knit communities, many of which were decimated by the ongoing influence of loss of connection to land and the introduced issues of gambling, illicit drugs, alcohol, unemployment and the consequent family violence. Each of these negative issues came about as a result of the non-Indigenous invasion and colonisation. In Northern Luzon, Philippines, Indigenous communities were similarly decimated by the disempowerment imposed by waves of immigration and colonisation. These Indigenous communities have been stripped of power and identity and often pushed into more remote regions. More recently, Indigenous communities in Taiwan, the Northern Territory and in Northern Luzon have begun to reclaim some control over their lives and destinies. There is a recognition of the need to adapt to life within a largely individualistic and imposed culture. But Indigenous communities are seeking to retain power and control by undergoing these adaptations yet retaining meaningful and trusting relationships within the environment in which they live. Rather than seeking to exploit resources, they choose to live sustainably in an eco-friendly manner. This means retaining a sustainable lifestyle and engaging in eco-tourism. Using examples from Indigenous communities in eastern Taiwan, northern Australia and Northern Luzon, this transformative approach provides a changed perspective with the opportunity for new life chances.

This paper is based on the empirical experiences of self-employed women in rural areas of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Despite limited options, working in low-paid jobs in formal industries or as seasonal paddy field workers is no longer a priority because these women can configure their own “fieldwork” in which they can achieve a stronger self-independence and a higher level of satisfaction. This paper will show that women’s involvement in entrepreneurial activities provides benefits beyond a mere economic survival strategy. Their involvement in self-employment can lead rural women to initiate changes in the way people configure their existence as they shift their consciousness and capabilities as individuals, take the initiative, and make the commitment to improve the welfare of their families and others. Instead of perceiving their traditional roles as barriers to their advancement, rural women’s entrance into self-employment endeavours has progressively led to personal and social revelatory change.

The terminal ending of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) with a claim to a ‘revolutionary but realistic agenda’ failed to deliver in any substantive way. We now embark on appraising and negotiating to implement a new agenda with the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in 2015. While there were 8 MDGs, SDGs consist of more ambitious 17 goals, and while the former focused on developing non-western nations, the latter now requires all nations to work towards a global development agenda. The UN claims that the SDG fund underwriting this global agenda is a game changer; so how does that work in practical terms especially when it comes to SDG5—the commitment to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls?

In this chapter Louise details her engagement in NZ prisons, and in a linked vignette, Aroha details her own journey to enhance the capabilities of those suffering hearing loss. Aroha gives her story of enhancing agency by listening and hearing (https://​archive.​org/​details/​IFHOHPaperToLink​_​20181003).

Together the authors offer data combined with reflection that shows the underlying social dynamics that enable marginalisation to flourish. They identify: multiple levels of marginalisation experienced by a New Zealand woman of Maori descent and of a New Zealand woman of European descent.

Both the authors are living with the impact of sensory hearing loss, e.g. gender, cultural and disability and health-care access. We discuss how in-depth marginalisation caused by barriers to health-care access enabling hearing loss identification narrows the applicability of the Martha Nussbaum’s human capabilities approach. We also discuss how the application of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) upholds the implementation of rehabilitation through technology thereby overcoming gender, cultural and disability caused marginalisation of Maori and European women living in New Zealand. By applying both CEDAW and the CRPD, the wider application of the Martha Nussbaum human capabilities approach then becomes possible.

The government of Bangladesh introduced direct election in the quota seats for women through the Local Government (Second Amendment) Act 1997. The empirical studies on the performances of the elected women representatives, however, show mix evidences of women representatives’ success and empowerment. Intuitively, the literature commonly scrutinised the role performances of the elected women representatives in the LGIs, but there is no study so far to investigate whether there were situations that beget self-selection in contesting (and more importantly, in self-exclusion from contesting) election. This paper discusses the issues women representatives faced in contesting election in the local government institutions in Bangladesh. Empirical evidence shows women members were to struggle in exercising agency and mobilising resources while making a decision to contest election, during election campaign as well as functioning in the LGIs once elected.

The paper discusses the water management problem in Nauli City, Indonesia as a wicked problem that needs to be addressed by applying a critical systemic approach to the area of concern. Mixed methods will be applied to examine the wicked problem by using sequential stages of qualitative method followed by a quantitative method. Interviews with water providers and water users showed that water management conflicts have occurred and water has been used as a commodity while neglecting the quality of service. The hypothesis test through a quantitative method revealed that current condition is significantly worse than the previous (10 years ago) condition. This paper recommends that the wicked problem should be addressed by considering at least three aspects: governance, demand management, and preserving the environment.

Protecting human beings (including sentient beings) requires protecting our shared environment. The paper makes a case for non-anthropocentrism and for extending rights to human and other animals based on their individual sentience. Simultaneously, it makes the case for protecting their diverse habitats in order to provide the means for sustaining and regenerating multiple species. Sentience linked with compassion is a hallmark of humanity and higher-order animals. Empathy, fairness and reciprocity are pillars of morality and co-operation, according to De Waal and linked with our evolution. They are the basis for fostering an emotional connection with other species and the basis for developing Bateson’s notion of ‘Steps to an ecology of mind’. The case hinges on ethical appreciation of diversity, hybridity and interconnectedness supported by a new form of monitoring to protect diversity, based on extending protection to those who are currently unprotected by the social contract, who happen (by a role of the dice) to be born to a category that remains outside the mantle of protection. Firstly, it extends the argument based on the notion of intrinsic rights and extends De Waal’s so-called the tower of morality to other sentient beings. Secondly, it develops an argument for ecological citizenship rights and stewardship responsibilities to protect other species and biologically diverse habitats on which we depend as co-dependent living systems.

In this book we have striven to create a compilation of interrelated material around the common theme of nurturing eco-systemic living and what this might entail in our everyday lives. Most of the contributions focus on how we can recognise what we call eco-systemic responses to food and water security. The contributions taken together offer a variety of suggestions for ways of human knowing and being which nurture cycles of life and regeneration, through revitalising our sense of connectivity to all that exists. The chapters express our efforts to consider collectively the value of many ways of people’s knowing together, spanning, inter alia, creativity, imagination, spirituality, learning from nature and other organic and inorganic life forms. The book provides a variety of ways of interacting to protect living systems and to enhance social and ecological wellbeing.

In this vignette I introduce my understanding of the term systemic and the act of being systemic, which has caring at its heart. Before that I offer a few from many poignant stories from my life, happenings that raised questions in my mind, impacted on my relationship with the world, and shaped my way of living into ‘being systemic and caring’.