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The purpose of this conceptual article is to examine the role of villainification and heroification in social studies through critically analyzing the author’s place-based encounters with three civil war narratives.

The article describes the author’s critical reflections on three narratives involving confederate figures and examines theoretical and pedagogical implications.

The article introduces a spectrum of ethical judgments which plots villainification and heroification on opposing ends. The author advocates for more nuanced ethical judgments that contextualize decisions as understandable or defensible based on evidence. The term understandable reflects a concept of being able to explain (i.e. demonstrate understanding) why a curricular figure made certain choices without agreeing with or supporting those choices. The term defensible denotes the existence of evidence that provides a rationale for a choice such that the person making the ethical judgment would feel comfortable making (i.e. defending) the same choice.

The article introduces a theory of nuanced ethical judgments in social studies that maps onto existing literature on heroification, villainification and place-based education. Pedagogical implications for social studies education are also identified.

Factors that may influence risk and/or vulnerability to radicalisation or involvement in terrorism by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are currently undetermined. The purpose of this rapid evidence assessment (REA) was to identify and review studies which consider the association between ASD and terrorism to explore potential risk or vulnerability factors and the implications for intervention.

The REA method was used to review the literature, with 16 papers meeting inclusion criteria.

Ten factors were identified as relevant to ASD and terrorism which were combined into four overarching themes: cognitive, social, psychological and ASD traits.

This REA presents a novel review of literature relating to ASD and terrorism. The findings are valuable to practitioners working with individuals with ASD who may present with the identified risk and/or vulnerability factors. The implications of these factors for intervention are discussed, along with directions for future research.

This chapter considers the evolution of diet culture in the digital age, particularly focussing on the proliferation of anti-diet and holistic wellness sentiments, which paradoxically work to conceal the ongoing persistence of diet culture. A discourse analysis approach was conducted on ‘What I Eat In A Day’ (WIEIAD) YouTube videos to examine the ways in which diet choices are narrated and rationalised to achieve the illusion of the ‘disappearance’ of diet culture. The author explores how this has produced the pressure to have (or more accurately perform) a ‘healthy’ relationship with food. This is ambiguously defined and embodied online, but some recurring themes have been observed through my analysis. The author argues that these WIEIAD videos often risk obscuring the persistence of diet culture by positioning it in the past when, as this chapter will attempt to demonstrate, it is very much embedded in the current diet discourse. Weight loss and appearance are downplayed as motivations for engaging in health and wellness. However, they are very much still beneath the surface. While the conversation around dieting might be less overtly problematic than it was in the past, there continues to be a significant amount of vigilance and effort required for women to meet conventional beauty standards. In addition to the material practice of dieting, there is now the pressure to perform the emotional labour of ‘talking away’ accusations of disordered eating, upholding the premature ideal of a post-diet culture era.

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to inherent barriers to help-seeking, particularly those caused by increased globalization and diversification of our societies. It explores the underutilization of mental health resources by ethnic minority groups while highlighting some alternative treatment approaches with growing evidence bases.

Using a literature review and comparative analysis of relevant studies, the author makes a case for increased adoption of alternative therapies; citing the evidence base for the most promising treatments which include exercise therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, yoga for depression and spirituality-based therapies. It further compares the efficacy and advantages of these therapies with common mainstream therapies.

In comparison, some alternative treatment modules are just as effective, if not better than traditional, mainstream therapies for certain ailments. In conclusion, the paper calls for increased research on the efficacy of alternative therapies; and beckons service providers to explore the potential for these therapies to bridge the gap in treatment towards a more inclusive and client-centered mental health care.

The author provides a plethora of thought-provoking ideas in this article. For instance, he tendered a different outlook on barriers to treatment by differentiating between accessibility challenges versus underutilization. He also highlights the critical impact of Eurocentrism as a contributor to barriers to treatment utilization.

This article explores the overlooked experiences of Chinese students in Australia from the White Australia Policy era to the post-war period. It argues that the emerging post-war transitional generation faced racial discrimination and geopolitical challenges, leading to the establishment of student societies and collaborations with religious groups and NGOs. Through writing and publishing in the 1950s and 1960s, they challenged rigid ethnic identities, shaping their ethnic identities, national belonging, language practices, and community involvement amidst historical contexts. Their narratives vividly depict a generational awakening, highlighting complex processes of integration and acculturation into a new societal landscape.

This paper employs historical discourse analysis using Chinese student magazines and bilingual archives to explore language and identity evolution among Chinese students in 1950s’ and 1960s’ Australia. It contextualizes ethnic, cultural, and linguistic identity transformations and examines how language politics and diaspora writings shaped integration strategies. The study highlights education and language politics' transformative roles in redefining cultural belonging and fostering community cohesion within the diaspora amid shifting socio-political contexts.

The findings of this study reveal that the concept of the “transitional generation” highlights integration as a dynamic process involving ongoing dialogue, identity negotiation through language, and the redefinition of cultural boundaries. Through analysis of three student-centered magazines – Murhun, Asiana and East Wind – it becomes evident how Chinese students in Australia navigated ethnic, cultural and linguistic identities. Murhun used bilingual content to strengthen solidarity and political engagement among Chinese readers, while Asiana employed English to connect Asian students with Australian society and globally. East Wind facilitated a diverse expression of identity, challenging singular notions of “Chineseness” and promoting cultural integration. These insights reflect a transformative period where Chinese students reshaped their historical position, fostering autonomy and challenging stereotypes like “Yellow Perils”.

This paper examines the often-overlooked experiences of post-war Chinese students in Australia, emphasizing their profound influence on immigration history and shifting public perceptions of Asian immigrants. It introduces the concept of the “transitional generation” to address research gaps and highlight the nuanced complexities of integration, respecting the diverse experiences and identities within this dynamic student community. Emphasizing dynamic negotiation and shared experiences, the study underscores how Australia’s diverse Asian communities have transformative potential. Integration extends beyond adaptation, fostering inclusive spaces for identity negotiation, thriving NGOs and enriching Australia’s social fabric with resilience, diversity and cultural vibrancy.

Prior research examining cultural effects on customer service expectations has primarily used more generic Western cultural theory on an aggregate scale or with only a single variable to draw conclusions on a customer’s underlying reasoning for buying a service. This study aims to focus on culturally distinct clusters within non-Western nations, specifically exploring within-cluster differences in service expectations within the Confucian Asia cluster.

This study developed a measurement model of Chinese cultural values and service expectations, consisting of a three and five-factor structure, respectively. Data from a sample of 351 diners were analysed using SmartPLS software. The data was compared with similar studies within the Confucian Asia cluster to understand the culture effect on service expectations and within-cluster variations.

The findings underscore the varying importance of cultural values in shaping customer service expectations, emphasizing their relative, rather than equal, significance. The study provides insights into potential within-group differences in customer service expectations within the same cultural cluster – without losing sight of the fundamental cultural heterogeneity of the Confucian culture.

Managers should leverage the distinct cultural values of their operating country to gain insights into diverse customer groups, predict their behaviours and meet their needs and expectations.

This study offers valuable insights to both service management scholars and practitioners by focusing on culturally distinct clusters of non-Western nations and exploring their effects on variation in service expectations within these clusters.