Determinants of environmental behavior : the effect of social context

Individual behavior plays a significant role in the use of natural resources and the promulgation of environmental degradation. Environmentally-responsible behavior constitutes practices that generally contribute to environmental well-being. Models that explain why individuals act in an environmentally-responsible way have seen success, but few of them incorporate the effect of the social context of the decision. The objective of this thesis is to investigate some causal pathways through which social capital affects environmentally-responsible behavior. By building on previous models, this thesis conceptualizes a path model that explores the impacts of community participation, social trust, and strong relationships on behaviors such as commuting, environmental boycotting, and behavior on Ozone Action Days. The model also includes environmental concern and internal locus of control as mediating variables between social capital and these environmental behaviors. Structural equation modeling is used to explore associations. Results show that there are valid relationships between social capital and some of the behaviors.Public AffairsEnergy and Earth Resource

Unsettling: On Palestinian Quaker Theology

In this essay, I will reflect on the remarks I shared in January 2022 on the “Decolonizing the Quaker Peace Testimony” panel of the Quaker Theological Discussion Group and in July 2022 on the “Invoking Unsettling” plenary of the Friends General Conference. Unsettling has many different meanings and layers, whether it is thinking about unsettling settler colonialism or in unsettling some of our assumptions that we may not be comfortable grappling with. Settler colonialism has unfolded all over the world and unfortunately it continues in the present, not just in the United States. For me, the context of Palestine/Israel hits very close to home given that I grew up in occupied Palestine and now live in the settler colony of the United States. Many scholars recognize the settler colonial realities that Palestinians have endured for over seven decades now. The heart of the issue is the Ashkenazi/European/white Zionist colonial policies that have been manifesting in Palestine ever since the establishment of Israel in 1948. Palestinians identify parallel struggles with indigenous communities all over the world. Settler colonialism has different dimensions, including the political, economic, social, cultural, religious, and psychological. Trauma from settler colonialism is inherited over generations and it is even imprinted in peoples’ DNA.1 But we also have to remember that in addition to the suffering caused by settler colonialism, indigenous communities around the globe are also tremendously resilient. How do Quakers respond to settler colonialism? Do we need to decolonize our peace testimony? Let me share a few disclaimers before I address these questions. Even though I approach these issues as a theist Friend, I recognize the presence and importance of nontheist Friends in our Quaker communities. I appreciate very deeply the fact that our tradition is so open and there are many different types of Friends, including nontheists. Their voices matter in Quaker world-making. There are also individuals who identify as Jewish Quakers, Muslim Quakers, Buddhist Quakers, and other variations, and so not all Quakers revolve around Christianity. I recognize that Christianity for many people was a tool, and continues to be an instrument, for colonialism, imperialism, erasure of identity, and even cultural genocide. If we want to decolonize our faith, practice, and traditions, and think about the global community of Quakers, we also need to recognize that the majority of Quakers are people of color around the world.2 For most Quakers, Christianity is an essential part of their Quakerism, and so having an open tent approach to Quaker theology and practice is warranted.3 For instance, in my case, as a former member of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, and now as a member of Atlanta Friends Meeting, I appreciate that I am in an unprogrammed meeting and that we do not have religious symbols in our worship spaces. That is important to me and helps me ground myself spiritually. At the same time, the cross for me, personally, is a source of comfort. I know that such symbols are triggering in many ways for a lot of people and I completely understand and respect their needs. Yet these symbols do have immense spiritual value for many others. My purpose in this essay is to make two major interventions. The first is for us to think about unsettling and decolonization as a praxis. And the second is to emphasize the value of deep listening to the voices of Quakers in Palestine—and the Palestinian Christian community more broadly–and how that can enrich our understanding of unsettling

Subclass of meromorphic functions with positive coefficients defined by Ruscheweyh derivative II

New class Σ<SUB>λ</SUB>(α, β, γ) of univalent meromorphic functions defined by Ruscheweyh derivative in the punctured unit disk U<SUP>*</SUP> is introduced. We study several Hadamard product properties. Some results connected to inclusion relations, neighborhoods of the elements of class Σ<SUB>λ</SUB>(α, β, γ) and integral operators are obtained

Complicity, Dissent, and the Palestinian Intellectual

In this article, I draw on the major works of two Palestinian intellectuals—Edward Said and Hanan Ashrawi—and I compare the experiences of Palestinian intellectuals living in the United States with those living under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank. The writings of these two exemplary figures shape the conceptual underpinnings of my exploration of the way Palestinian academics navigate questions of complicity with the different hegemonic political systems that govern their lives. I argue that Said and Ashrawi model a steadfast refusal to be complicit in the state-led repression around them at the same time as they engage in principled dissent from their own national institutions in the name of a broader vision of universal emancipation. Yet, Said and Ashrawi embody two distinct modes of intellectual and political activity, shaped by their relative proximity to Palestine. The critical difference between their forms of dissent reveals how, for Palestinian-Americans, engagement with the question of Palestine is discursive and intellectual labor, while for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, it can require interfacing one’s body directly with the coercive apparatus of the state. In both cases, however, the Palestinian intellectual faces systematic assaults on his or her academic freedom

On a Subclass of Meromorphic Multivalent Functions

In this paper, we introduce a new class of meromorphic multivalent functions in the&nbsp; puncturedunit discU*{z∈c:0 &lt;|z|&lt;1} . We obtain various resultsincluding coefficients inequality, convex set, radius of starlikeness and convexity, δ-neighborhoods , arithmetic mean and extreme points

Some Properties of a Subclass of Univalent Functions

In this paper, we introduce a certain subclass of univalent functions Ἧ(f,g,V.M,α,β,ϒ)&nbsp;. We obtain some results, like, coefficient inequality, distortion theorem, extreme points, radii of close to convex and convexity for this class and convolution operator, integral representation, inclusive properties and weighted mean

Some applications of generalized Ruscheweyh derivatives involving a general fractional derivative operator to a class of analytic functions with negative coefficients I

For certain univalent function f, we study a class of functions f as defined by making use of the generalized Ruscheweyh derivatives involving a general fractional derivative operator, satisfying <CENTER>Re { (zJ<SUB>1</SUB><SUP>λ, μ</SUP> f(z))<SUP>'</SUP>)/((1 -γ) J<SUB>1</SUB><SUP>λ, μ</SUP> f(z) + γ z<SUP>2</SUP>(J<SUB>1</SUB><SUP>λ, μ</SUP> f(z))<SUP>"</SUP> )} > β.</CENTER> A necessary and sufficient condition for a function to be in the class A<SUB>γ</SUB><SUP>λ, μ, ν</SUP>(n, β) is obtained. In addition, our paper includes distortion theorem, radii of starlikeness, convexity and close-to-convexity, extreme points. Also, we get some results in this paper

Narrative Deconstruction and Dystopian Possibilities: Identity, Time, and Space in Paul Auster's ‘Man in the Dark’

Auster uses a complicated network of tales in which the presence of a conventional narrator stays elusive and the unique identity of the protagonist becomes mysterious to expertly immerse the reader into his literary works. Paul Auster uses a dual narrative framework in his work "Man in the Dark," with characters whose identities are not entirely clear, to question the veracity of grand stories. Because it tends to ignore the variety of voices present in literary works, Lyotard's theoretical framework on postmodernism scrutinizes the idea of embracing great narratives.  Brill and Brick are essentially the same person in the story, although they have different goals and responsibilities. Brill crafts a story well and on purpose, trying to create an imaginary storyline revolving around the persona of Brick. Throughout his investigation into an America that differs from the current political status quo, Brill uses Brick as a surrogate character, a kind of created embodiment of his own identity. The novel's examination of dystopian themes, identity issues, and spatial and temporal confusion serves to highlight the possibilities of storytelling in its many forms. This literary work successfully challenges the truth of tales offered by interrogating the chronological link between the past and the present via the prism of reinterpretations and imaginations. Auster expertly constructs and deconstructs identities and narratives within an American setting in his writing. His skillful writing implies that the hidden or ignored details of these stories weaken the overall story and cast doubt on its veracity