Friendship and intimacy:exploring Malaysian students' experiences of living temporarily abroad

Living abroad, albeit temporarily for the purposes of study, poses challenges for international students who must survive alone in unfamiliar surroundings at a relatively young age. The purpose of this study is to explore close friendships and intimacy practices of Malaysian students in the context of living abroad and how they form and maintain intimacy in their close friendships with both established friends in Malaysia and new friends in the UK. This study develops theories of ‘distance’ by exploring the meaning behind physical and emotional distance, as well as the situation of ‘being temporarily abroad’ and its relations to intimacy practices in close friendships. Distance is not only measured by geography or space but also by emotional closeness. Thus, the key question of this study is: does physical distance lead to emotional distance particularly in close friendships or does it enable new forms of intimacy? Focusing on the Malaysian perspective, this study highlights the intimacy practices in close friendships in the context of gender practices and religious beliefs, family practices as well as emotional connectedness in online interaction. It highlights how Malaysian cultural norms and beliefs shape the ways in which students practice intimacy in close friendships. To understand the concept of distance, intimacy and friendship practices, an in-depth qualitative study has been conducted with 18 Malaysian undergraduate and postgraduate taught students living in the UK. By using friendship maps, digital diaries and in-depth interview techniques, this study provides an in-depth understanding of close friendship and intimacy practices in the context of overseas study. It concludes that the ways in which Malaysian students practice close friendships when they are living temporarily abroad suggests that we require a rethinking of established notions of intimacy in order to go beyond an ethnocentric and universalist application of the concept

Egypt Towards an Islamic State

Albeit the ridiculous claim on the implementation of the Hudud in Egyptian society the history of this demand failed due to several reasons Crucially the unqualified community Besides that the Islamist movements translated the understanding of the Islamic State prejudicially In the meantime the demand for implementations of the Islamic State in Egypt has been a demand for a very long time yet it never occurred The failure of establishing the Islamic State instigated an unstable political spectrum However the uprising of the Muslim Brotherhood after the Arab Spring in 2011 was an ample sign for establishing the Islamic State In a paradox the Muslim Brotherhood failed in several political and economic fields which hastened the topple of the movement in 2013 This study analyses the incidents that occurred in Egypt towards the Islamic State implementation By looking profoundly into the history of the Muslim Brotherhood this paper ascertained that the failure of democracy in Egypt instigated the emergence of ISIS in Sinai and besmirched the January Revolution reputation in Egypt and worldwide This paper answers an arguable question why Egypt fail to establish an Islamic State albeit it is recognised as one of the leaders of Islamic countries and Arab

Comparison and Contrast between Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice and Shamsul’s Two Social Reality Approach in the Portrayal of Identity

This paper analyses Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice, the concept field and habitus and Shamsul Amri’s Two Social Reality, the concept everyday- defined and authority-defined as both theories that function as analytical tools and have similar narratives based on the macro/micro and structure/agency linkage. A comparison and contrast of both theories were analysed to further understand the use of each theory. Findings within the article show both theories have a structural or authoritative emphasis however the theories differ in functionality with Bourdieu’s “Theory of Practice” focusing on power dynamics and social class through direct link between the habitus, field and capital whereas Shamsul’s Two Social Reality focuses on the formation of identity and ethnic dynamics in Malaysia based on the effect of colonialism in the authority-defined and everyday-defined sphere. The main goal of this paper serves to highlight both theories and its application when analysing and tackling different social phenomena and narratives in future research

Escapism and motivation: understanding K-pop fans well-being and identity

K-pop is a relatively new genre but its fanbase has grown massively in Malaysia for the past few decades. It is also evident that the daily lives of Malaysians have incorporated Korean culture in various social aspects. Thus, this study seeks to explore the well-being of local K-pop fans by underlining the objective to understand the meaning of being a K-pop fan. In order to describe and analyse the social nuances of the well-being being a K-pop fan, several concepts from sociology as well as fan studies were plotted to assist this research such as para-social relationship, identity and social identity, the concept of meaning as well as participatory culture. A qualitative approach was employed by using participant observation and semi-structured in-depth interviews to get into the experiences, views, values, and lifestyles of K-pop fans. Participant observation was conducted in K-pop concerts and fan events to observe fan practices. As for the semi-structured in-depth interview, a total number of eight participants were selected to provide an understanding of K-pop fan's well-being through their experiences and feelings. This study concludes that being a K-pop fan carries its special meaning that transcends a fan of a music genre. It varies from providing a platform for escapism as well as emotional and motivational support through a para-social relationship. Although fan and idol is usually seen as one-sided relationship, it has benefitted the fan’s well-being in some way. This study also proves that the fans can also be seen as active producers and content creators which contradict to the notion of fan as a passive entity

COVID-19 and its effects on social connectedness among Malaysian Malay living abroad

Ever since the global pandemic COVID-19 emerged, governments all around the world have attempted to slow the spread of this disease by promoting social isolation and social distancing. Although physical separation does curtail the spread of the virus, the practice of social distancing has limited people’s in-person social interactions and has narrowed their sense of social connectedness. To Malaysian Malay expatriates, social connectedness is more than just a means of social relationship or social networking. Social connectedness is a motivating factor for survival and a way to reduce feelings of social anxiety and frustrations when living in a foreign host country. To highlight the significance of social connectedness while working abroad, this study was conducted with 11 single Malaysian Malays residing in the United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. A qualitative approach was employed in this study by using in-depth interviews to examine the socio-cultural challenges they experienced while working and living in a country different from their own. This paper discusses how COVID-19 affects Malaysian Malay expatriates’ social connectedness while living abroad in host countries and the need for more research exploration in the subject area. As a result, although social media can be a platform for everyone to be connected, face-to-face interactions are more desirable. Furthermore, the researchers also found that practising a level of intimacy with close friends can help Malaysian Malay expatriates to gain social connectedness with others which also leads to the feeling of belongingness in their community

Vaccine knowledge among generation Y Malays in Pulau Pinang : a pilot study

The increasing spread of infectious diseases in Malaysia has resulted the topic of vaccine acceptance and rejection is gaining traction in academia. the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly has manifested the never-ending debate of the topic of immunisation both academically and in public discourse. Thus, it is appropriate and timely to delve deeper into the ideas, norms, and values that influence people's health preferences and behaviour, particularly in vaccination. This study concerns on the perceived and actual vaccine knowledge of Generation Y Malays aged 25 to 40 years old in Pulau Pinang. It is critical to understand the public discussion vaccines within the framework of social interaction – how vaccines are portrayed and publicly understood. A pilot study was conducted prior to this to evaluate the procedure for participant recruitment, the data collection processes and the usability of the survey questionnaire. The improvements made to the instrument and methodology before beginning the main research study on vaccine knowledge among Malaysians in Pulau Pinang were made in an attempt to contribute to the body of research in this area

Keakraban dalam persahabatan dan corak interaksi di media sosial

Menerusi peluang penajaan daripada kerajaan, syarikat swasta atau agensi tertentu, pelajar-pelajar cemerlang di Malaysia berpeluang untuk belajar di universiti ternama dan tinggal di luar negara dalam tempoh tiga hingga lima tahun untuk melengkapkan pengajian mereka. Mobiliti sementara untuk meneruskan pengajian ke peringkat tinggi di luar negara telah menimbulkan pelbagai cabaran kepada pelajar-pelajar Malaysia yang perlu hidup bersendirian dalam persekitaran yang asing pada usia yang agak muda. Selain cabaran untuk beradaptasi di negara yang berbeza latar belakang budaya, pelajar-pelajar ini juga berhadapan dengan cabaran untuk mengekalkan hubungan akrab dengan sahabat dan keluarga yang berada jauh secara fizikal dari mereka. Persoalannya di sini adakah mobiliti geografi ini mempengaruhi amalan intimasi dalam persahabatan akrab dan adakah media sosial membantu untuk mendekatkan jarak fizikal antara pelajar dan sahabat akrab mereka di Malaysia? Menerusi penulisan diari persahabatan selama tiga minggu, peta persahabatan dan temu bual mendalam, interaksi lapan orang pelajar Malaysia dengan sahabat akrab mereka telah direkodkan dan dianalisa. Artikel ini membincangkan sejauh mana media sosial membantu untuk mengukuhkan atau melemahkan amalan intimasi dalam persahabatan akrab bagi pelajar Malaysia yang berhijrah ke United Kingdom dengan meneliti corak interaksi mereka. Empat corak interaksi yang telah dikenal pasti adalah: 1) penambahan atau penyingkiran nama sahabat akrab, 2) kekerapan hubungan, 3) tempoh dan medium interaksi, dan 4) kandungan interaksi

Socialisation and recruitment in Islamist movements: a comparison between the Muslim brotherhood and Al-Qaeda

To date, a little work has been undertaken to compare the socialisation process between the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda. According to critics, both are considered intermediate and extremist movements. While the Muslim Brotherhood utilises various methods of socialisation, Al-Qaeda utilises internet networks to recruit new members without looking at their prior history, leaving the Al-Qaeda movement extremely vulnerable. This article explores the main differences in the roles and impacts of the political movements the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda. It focuses on the most significant aspect of the socialisation process on shaping al�fard al-muslim the individual Muslim