Current studies in disaster sociology, which were initiated and developed mostly in the USA upon the request of the army, are far from meeting the needs today. Today, more than ever, new theoretical and methodological approaches that are not human-centered are needed. The research, a part of which is presented here, aims to render invisible the damages and losses suffered by those who are marginalized by the powerful, in disasters in general and earthquakes in particular. The main question of this research is how to address the damages suffered by soil plants and animals, including immigrants in Turkey, due to the disaster on 6February 2023.(Based on this, the main question of the study is how to address the damages of the natural environment, including plants, animals and soils, as well as Syrian immigrants in Turkey, who were affected by the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on 6February 2023, which we experienced most recently, will be addressed with an antipositivist approach.) For this purpose, unlike classical sociological approaches, based on relational sociology, how immigrants, plants, animals and soil are affected together during the uncertainty and complexity in daily life has been analyzed based on available written and visual documents. The findings were discussed with a holistic view, based on the ‘One World’ terminology suggested by relational sociologist Bruno Latour. It has been revealed that due to the earthquake turning into a major disaster, the resident population has become openly or secretly immigrants, and they have been marginalized like other creatures, especially international immigrants, most of whom are Syrians, have been blamed, excluded and rendered invisible. While the research results reveal the inadequacy of classical essentialist sociological approaches based on the basic duality of nature and society, they also show that ‘differences’ and ‘uncertainties’ come to the fore in daily life instead of linear determinations. In addition, while the importance and contributions of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary studies with concepts such as ‘liminality’ and ‘turning point’ are exhibited, on the other hand, some suggestions are made based on Bruno Latour’s ‘One World’ approach.

The rise of digital communication technologies has significantly changed how people participate in social protests. Digital platforms—such as social media—have enabled individuals to organize and mobilize protests on a global scale. As a result, there has been a growing interest in understanding the role of digital communication in social protests. This manuscript provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the evolution of research on digital communication and social protests from 2008 to 2022. The study employs bibliometric methodology to analyze a sample of 260 research articles extracted from the SCOPUS core collection. The findings indicate a significant increase in scholarly investigations about digital communication and its role in social protest movements during the past decade. The number of publications on this topic has increased significantly since 2012—peaking in 2022—indicating a heightened interest following COVID-19. The United States, United Kingdom, and Spain are the leading countries in publication output on this topic. The analysis underlines scholars employing a range of theoretical perspectives—including social movement theory, network theory, and media studies—to identify the relationship between digital communication and social protests. Social media platforms—X (Twitter), Facebook, and YouTube—are the most frequently studied and utilized digital communication tools engaged in social protests. The study concludes by identifying emerging topics relating to social movements, political communication, and protest, thereby suggesting gaps and opportunities for future research.

This study examined the labor regulations regarding the hours of work and rest for representative fishing countries (Norway) by the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention C188—Work in Fishing, 2007. A dual comparative analysis with Norway is used to explore policy implications for the representation and protection of fishers’ labor standards in Korea. This study examined the possibility of synchronisation between national and international legislation on the hours of work and rest for fishers, with a particular focus on the Norwegian case. The objective is to identify policy enhancements related to the Korean Seafarers Act. This study looked in depth at the fatigue and well-being problems faced by Korean fishers working long times on various vessels. It is based on the results of a qualitative comparative study. To achieve the objectives, We proposed to ‘the name of the fishing vessel’, which are excluded from the protections afforded by the Seafarers Act and to clarify the regulations regarding the labor standards for them. This proposal will provide compensation and protection for Korean fishers’ labor rights. It aims to enhance labor conditions in line with ILO standards, harmonize national and international agreements to protect small-scale fisheries and contribute to the development of environmentally friendly propulsion technologies, such as hydrogen-fueled electric hybrids and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas).

The rare earth mining area in South China is the main production base of ionic rare earth in the world, which has brought inestimable economic value to the local area and even the whole nation. However, due to the lack of mining technology and excessive pursuit for economic profits, a series of environmental problems have arisen, which is a great threat to the ecosystem of the mining area. Taking Lingbei rare earth mining area in Ganzhou as an example, this paper discriminated and analyzed such aspects as the ecological source, ecological corridor and ecological nodes of the mining area based on the landscape ecological security pattern theory and the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR) method, and constructed a landscape ecological security pattern of the mining area during the 2009, 2013 and 2018. The results show that: i) The patch area of the ecological source of rare earth mining area is small, mainly concentrated in the east and west sides of the mining area. ii) During the selected year, the ecological source area, ecological corridors, radiation channels and the number of ecological nodes in the rare earth mining area are increasing, indicating that the landscape ecological security of the rare earth mining area has been improved to some extent, but it remains necessary for relevant departments to make a optimized planning to further reconstruct the ecological security pattern of the rare earth mining area.

Introduction: Food well-being of the population is one of the priorities of the Togolese government, which relies on the agricultural investment and food security Programme to increase national food production. In addition, the country relies on food imports to make up the shortfall. At the same time undernourishment and malnutrition remain high among the country’s population. This research analyzes food supply and its implications for household consumption in Grand Lomé, Togo. [Methods] The methodology used documents, a survey of 963 heads of household randomly sampled households and semi-structured interviews with 10 households and with Togolese food safety agency (ANSAT). Quantitative data were processed and analyzed using Excel spreadsheets R and R-Studio, while content analysis was applied to the verbal applied to the verbal statements collected. Results: Firstly, the results show that domestic agricultural production contributed an average of 91% of food supply between 2014–2017. The deficit is made up by food imports, which rose from 13.5% in 2014 to 15.4% in 2017. This translated into an acceptable food energy consumption of 2337 Kcal/head/day in 2017. Secondly, 81% of respondents recognize a strong food presence at consumer markets, except that the chi-square test applied to the data at the 5% threshold shows (p-value < 2.2 × 10⁻¹⁶), indicates that this satisfaction is a function of place of residence. Despite this, persistent shortages affect more staple crops, livestock and dairy products, leading households to deprive themselves and buy food at affordable prices. Finally, we observe non-diversified diets marked by regular consumption of “cereals/legumes”, vegetables and beverages to the detriment of “tubers/roots”, “meat/fish”, “fruit” and “dairy products”. Conclusion: This research shows that food supply, although adequate, is not sufficient to ensure balanced, nutritious and culturally appropriate food consumption by urban households. Recommendations: To meet these challenges, the central government, in collaboration with urban communes and consumer advocates, must mobilize resources to create urban agricultural farms, strengthen food protection systems, distribute staple products directly to households and limit the importation of food that is hazardous to health.

Border areas can play a crucial role in market integration and infrastructure development between Central Asian countries, thus creating favorable economic growth and regional cooperation conditions. This study aims to assess the economic impact of border areas between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, focusing on their role in enhancing market integration and infrastructure development to foster regional growth and cooperation.  Focusing on labor and capital as essential production drivers, this study employs a sophisticated panel data regression model to explore the Cobb-Douglas production function’s application in these border territories. The research findings indicate that regions’ elasticity towards capital and labor inputs vary, necessitating differentiated economic strategies. For capital-intensive areas, we recommend prioritizing investments in infrastructure and technology to boost production outputs. Conversely, in regions where labor significantly influences production, the emphasis should be on human capital development through education, training, and improved labor market conditions. The study’s insights into the evolving trade relations between the two countries underscore the need for flexible economic policies to enhance regional integration and cooperation. This research not only fills a crucial knowledge gap but also offers a blueprint for leveraging the diverse economic landscapes of Central Asia’s border areas in future policy-making and regional economic strategy.