‘The kid is not my son’: Rejecting the adult in Boy (2010)

With few exceptions, narrative theory does not ordinarily consider the self-reflexive capacity ofThe Thousand and One Nightsbeyond its canonical instance of framing, and Arabic literary scholarship does not ordinarily engage with its narratological aspects. This article proposes a narratological approach for a systematic breakdown of story cycles through abstraction, partly by making use of computer programming language, in order to demonstrate the narrative typology in theNights. It argues that repetitions, transpositions, substitutions, and reversals testify to tensions between the overt ideology of the text and the counter discourse that unsettles this logic, concealed in its poetics. The article thereby aims to bring some of the core concepts of narrative theory into dialogue with theNightsscholarship, and to contribute to a theoretical conversation about ideological critique in narrative analysis, particularly within the pre-modern storytelling tradition.

C. Mattingley and L. Garro (eds) Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000, 280 pp., $US 17.95 (paperback). This book is an edited collection of articles that explore the use of narrative analysis in Medical Anthropology. This collection arose from a symposium conducted by the American Anthropological Association. The contributors, however, come from a variety of disciplines including Anthropology, Sociology, Psychiatry and Psychology. The introductory chapter outlines the theoretical approach adopted by the editors. They note a growing interest within both medicine and anthropology in the analysis of narratives. In medicine, interest in narratives is seen as arising from an awareness of a need to incorporate patients' experiences within the diagnostic process, to foreground the human experiences surrounding illness. Medicine, for the authors, has become subjectless. A narrative approach allows for the restoration of the human subject permitting `a as well as a what, a real person, a patient in relation to a disease--in relation to the physical' (p. 8). The authors argue that, while this approach has long been evident within psychiatry, main-stream medicine has only recently begun to address these issues. The analysis of stories is not new to anthropology. The authors argue, however, for a recent trend towards viewing storytelling as a cultural performance, in structuralist accounts of the role of narrative. Narratives provide a means of making sense of individual experiences. They allow the narrator to recount what is of importance to them. They are also, however, enmeshed in, and reflect, culturally based constructive processes. They reveal the cultural norms and practices that surround the process of telling a particular story in a particular manner to a particular audience. The authors make a distinction, therefore, between the events and the social practices surrounding storytelling; between the story and the discursive presentation of events. This book, as a consequence, explores the tension between narrative as a reflection of the lived experiences of both patients and health professionals and narrative as a reflection of wider cultural norms, of the extent to which the stories patients and health professionals tell reflect other, often medical, discourses. The chapter by Hunt explores the use of narratives as a means of reconstructing identity after chronic illness in light of cultural norms surrounding gender. She explores the way in which those suffering from chronic illness use narratives as a means of reconstructing self and recreating identity in a manner that allows for self-empowerment. She interviewed a number of Mexican cancer patients who have had invasive surgery to reproductive organs. Each has suffered a disruption to their gender identity arising from loss of reproductive capacity. …

This study, entitled "Language, Power, and Patriarchy: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Gender Narratives in Popular Culture," explores how linguistic choices in media texts reproduce and reinforce patriarchal ideologies. Using Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional model of Critical Discourse Analysis as the analytical framework, the research examines selected examples from popular films, advertisements, and television dramas that shape gender perceptions in contemporary society. The study investigates how language constructs and normalizes male dominance while marginalizing female voices through lexical selection, metaphor, and representation strategies. It also highlights the subtle ways in which patriarchal discourse is disguised as entertainment or cultural norm, thus sustaining unequal power relations. Data for this research are collected from widely consumed media texts in English and Urdu, reflecting both global and local gender ideologies. The analysis reveals that despite apparent progress toward gender equality, popular culture continues to embed and circulate discourses that privilege masculine authority and objectify women. The study concludes that a critical awareness of media language is essential to challenge and deconstruct the normalized patterns of gender inequality. Ultimately, the research contributes to feminist discourse studies by linking everyday media communication to broader sociocultural power structures.

The film Wadjda by Haifaa al-Mansour is a cinematic work that portrays the struggles of a young girl in Saudi Arabia as she navigates rigid social norms. In recent decades, Saudi Arabian society has undergone various social reforms aimed at redefining the role of women, including easing restrictions on education and social participation. This context is significant to analyze, as films often serve as a medium that reflects and critiques ongoing social dynamics. This study aims to explore how the film reflects the ongoing social reforms within Saudi society. Tzvetan Todorov's narrative theory outlines five stages: equilibrium, disruption, recognition, resolution, and new equilibrium. The method used is narrative analysis with a qualitative approach. Data were collected through observation of narrative elements in the film and analyzed based on Todorov's five stages. The analysis process includes identifying the initial equilibrium, the disruption faced by the main character, the recognition of the arising situation, efforts to remedy it, and the achievement of a new equilibrium. The results show that Wadjda begins with an equilibrium, where Wadjda lives a typical everyday life. Disruption occurs when Wadjda expresses a desire to buy a bicycle, which conflicts with gender norms in her society. Recognition of this challenge drives Wadjda to pursue her dream, ultimately leading to a positive shift in societal views on women. Through Todorov's narrative analysis, it becomes evident that the film effectively illustrates how small changes can spark discussions on women's rights and individual freedom within a conservative cultural context. This study contributes to the academic discourse on the intersection between narrative structures and social reform by providing a case study that applies Todorov's theory to Arabic cinema. It also highlights the significance of Wadjda as a cultural artifact that reflects evolving gender norms in Saudi Arabia, thereby enriching the understanding of how media serves as a lens for societal transformation. Despite its insights, this study is limited in scope as it focuses solely on Wadjda without comparative analysis with other films addressing similar themes. Additionally, the study does not consider audience reception, which could provide a deeper understanding of the film's societal impact. Future research could address these gaps by incorporating comparative studies or exploring the film's reception in both local and global contexts.

Child Marriage (CM) is one of the major developmental concerns in Bangladesh, reporting one of the highest rates of CM (59%) globally. To date, interventions to address CM in Bangladesh have failed to seriously engage with social norms that are important contributors to CM. This paper describes the evaluation design of the Tipping Point Initiative that aims to reduce CM through social norm change and increasing adolescent girls’ agency to voice their rights. The Tipping Point Initiative evaluation trial employs a mixed method design. The quantitative component includes a three-arm Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial design, where Arm 1 receives Tipping Point Program (TPP); Arm 2 receives Tipping Point Program Plus (TPP+), a social norms-enhanced version of TPP; and Arm 3 is the Control. The trial covers 51 clusters (villages) in Pirgacha, in Rangpur district, randomized into three study arms (17 per arms). From each cluster, a cohort of 25 adolescent girls aged 12–<16 years were selected randomly for participation in the survey and intervention. Further, a cross-section of adults (six males and six females) were randomly selected from each cluster for survey. Qualitative baseline data were collected from two purposively selected intervention villages in each intervention arm. Thirty In-Depth Interviews, eight Key Informant Interviews and 16 Focus Group Discussion were conducted with adolescent girls, boys, adult women and men. Same strategies have been followed at endline. The intervention was implemented from April 2019 to December 2020. The endline was conducted 10 months after the end of intervention. Intention-to-treat analysis approach will be used for impact assessment. Both narrative analysis and Grounded Theory approach will be employed in analysing qualitative data. The learnings are expected to inform programs and policies regarding what works and does not work to address CM in such social norms intervention in Bangladesh.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are vital for both individual well-being and development. Bangladesh has made long strides in improving SRHR over the last few decades. However, the progress has been uneven across various groups of reproductive-aged females, with the married adolescent girls (MAGs) often being more vulnerable to denial of SRHR than other women. This study intends to develop Balika Bodhu, a combined empowerment and social norm intervention for promoting SRHR among the MAGs and assess its impact. The evaluation will employ a mixed-method two-arm Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (CRCT) design, where Arm 1 receives the intervention, and Arm 2 serves as the control. The trial will cover 32 clusters (villages) in Rajbari Sadar sub-district, randomized into two equally distributed study arms. A total of 1,120 MAGs aged 15-19 years will be randomly selected from the clusters (35 per cluster) to form a cohort. The MAGs, their husbands, selected elderly women (26 per village) and influential community members (26 per village) will receive group sessions in the intervention clusters. The MAGs and their husbands will be interviewed at baseline and endline. A randomly selected cross-sectional sample of community members aged 35-59 years at baseline and endline will also be surveyed to measure attitudes and social norm regarding SRHR of MAGs. Qualitative data will be collected using 32 In-depth Interviews, six Key Informant Interviews, and eight Focus Group Discussions from two intervention villages. Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis will be performed to assess the impact of the intervention. Narrative analysis and the Grounded Theory approach will be used to analyze the qualitative data. Rigorous evaluation of Balika Bodhu should contribute to the literature on what works and what does not in addressing denial of SRHR to MAGs using empowerment and social norm intervention and inform policies and programs. Clinicaltrials.gov: identifier: NCT06126770; Date: Oct 7, 2023. Version 1.

Guest Editorial: Ecological knowledge co‐production and the contested imaginaries of development in Southeast Asia

People navigate an array of emotive and competing narratives which construct the landscape of dementia in the UK. Dominant narratives include biomedical explanations of behaviour and the economic burden of old age. Narratives of person-centred care are equally inflated with emphasis on staff ability and ambivalent definitions of good care. These dynamics risk undermining the heterogeneity of alternative stories from people associated with the label as well as for the people around them. In the current study, the narrative approach of outsider witnessing practice (OWP) was utilised to explore the social location it offered in hearing subjugate narratives of identity from people with a diagnosis of dementia (PDwD) and the narratives of the impact of hearing these from staff. Two PDwD and two staff members were recruited from a dementia day centre, seven stories were produced and analysed. The methodology of narrative analysis was employed to specifically focus on the presence of the wider dominant narratives, experiential stories and interactions in the storytelling constructions of identity. Analysis revealed the significance of social interaction in the constructions of identities for PDwD within OWP, verbal biographical stories weighed significantly in producing shared values and cultural norms, however the interactional elements co-constructed and validated identities of humour, privacy, empathy, determination and many more. Individual staff interviews revealed the pressures faced in providing good support, however OWP offered validation in staff’s more relationship focused approaches in working with PDwD. Implications of the current study include the role of OWP in clinical practice as a space to elicit counter narratives in dementia and health settings as well as raising awareness of professional’s contributions to identity constructions of the people who use services. Moving pressures off of individual staff to provide person centred care and hear staff’s personal and relational narratives of care which can help expand understanding of how best to support each person most meaningfully. Finally, targeting the wider political and societal assumptions by bringing spaces for alternative narratives to be heard more readily in the public realm can diversify the narratives of dementia.

According to the Indigenist ecological systems model (Fish et al., 2022; Fish & Syed, 2018), Indigenous Peoples' histories and cultures are critical to their development. However, the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples' histories and cultures in their environments is complicated by settler colonialism-a societal structure that seeks to eliminate such important contexts. The exclusion of Indigenous Peoples' histories and cultures in their environments can have adverse effects on psychological functioning (Fryberg & Townsend, 2008; Wexler, 2009). Despite this, Indigenous Peoples continue to access their histories and cultures throughout their development to survive and thrive (Vizenor, 2008). Though the Indigenist ecological systems model offers theoretical insight into the histories and cultures that contour Indigenous Peoples' environments, there are no empirical studies that examine its most basic claims. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by exploring how historical and cultural contexts intersect with the environments that affect Indigenous Peoples' development. Through a QUANT-qual embedded mixed-methods design, our analyses of Indigenous Peoples' digital story narratives (n = 73) suggest that immediate (e.g., parents, peers, school) and distant (e.g., media, government, policies) environments are the most salient to Indigenous Peoples' development. Culture figured into Indigenous Peoples' immediate environments to a moderate extent and distant environments to a prominent extent. History did too, but to a lesser extent. We discuss the implications of these findings for Indigenous well-being and recommendations for creating a more equitable developmental landscape via partnerships with Indigenous Peoples. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

We examine the historical toponymic system of the Russian Far North in the context of folklore traditions of Indigenous peoples of the North. Our methodology is narrative analysis, aimed at identifying the semantic features of toponyms, whose origins lie in traditional legends and tales. We treat toponyms as geocultural codes, which provide not only ethnocultural data but also geographic and spatial information. We present shared patterns in the naming practices of geo-objects among the Yukaghirs, Evens, and Yakuts (Sakha), and the ways that these practices are rooted in folklore. We also examine ethno-cultural differences in toponym naming among these three groups. We identify four broad strategies in the naming of geo-objects in northern regions: anthroponymic, commemoration of events, after sacred concepts, and after common household objects and concepts. In addition to linguistic information encoded by toponyms, it is also possible to establish extralinguistic information about the historical settlement of different peoples, contact among them, and their societal values. Such anthropological studies are relevant for onomastics and linguistic typology. Through the present study, we are able to gain a better understanding of Indigenous cultural development in the Russian Far North and the nature of inter-ethnic relations before written history.

This paper explores the entanglements between housing agents, their social networks and the current rental housing regulatory framework in Ghana. Using purely qualitative methods, the paper sought primary data from 42 housing agents, one Rent Control Department officer, 10 landlords and 15 tenants, and secondary data from government related policies and reports to uncover the nuances of housing agency in Ghana and their relevance to the housing regulatory and policy frameworks. Using narrative analysis, we draw on the social capital theory to uncover how social networks, trust and norms of reciprocity shape activities and strategies of housing agents towards both productive and conflict ridden outcomes. The paper argues that the organisation of activities of housing agents is an exercise of power mobilised through an elaborately informal but orderly social networks underlined by social trust and norms. We contend that such patterns of activities of housing agents founded on the elements of social capital produce both economic and administrative values to the state which could be adapted, refined and incorporated into the current housing regulations and policy.

This study explores women's empowerment in literature, focusing on the interplay between tradition and modernity across different cultural contexts. Employing comparative literary analysis, this research examines Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid and Mangalua by Idris Pasaribu. The methodology involves thematic and narrative analysis, where thematic analysis identifies key motifs related to empowerment, resistance, and gender roles, while narrative analysis examines how each character's story arc reflects broader societal norms. Through these analyses, the study highlights how each protagonist navigates societal expectations and challenges gender norms within traditional and modern frameworks. Findings indicate that both novels use women’s empowerment as a lens to critique and reshape cultural expectations, offering insights into gender roles across varied societies. The study concludes with recommendations for further research on cross-cultural gender narratives, acknowledges the limitations of focusing on only two novels, and suggests broader literary comparisons for future studies.

This study aims to determine the crisis management of disaster communication in mitigating coronavirus outbreak. Situational Crisis Communication Theory serves as the basis for reviewing prevention through the situation and conditions of Covid-19 transmission, with descriptive qualitative method and narrative analysis, to help provide an explanation of the pandemic crisis. The reality of mitigation using the constructiveness paradigm must provide dialectics of the management and availability of vitamins, drugs, oxygen, hospitals, and health workers as part of public information security. Results show the lack of public awareness and disinformation, as well as suboptimal coordination on issues of policies regarding large-scale social restrictions, New Normal, restrictions on community activities. These issues were used on social media by the skeptical public and opposition groups under in the guise of democracy. As recommendations, crisis handling should be integrated, through the construction of reality with management of crisis and communication. Using an approach to cultural values, and societal norms, maximizing the use of socialization by government officials, through mass media, social media, and direct action, as well as providing the needs of the community to counter the political issues.

This study examines the sociological implications of marriage and divorce in Islamic law in modern Muslim societies. It aims to explore how Islamic legal principles related to marriage and divorce are interpreted and applied in contemporary contexts and their impact on family dynamics, gender roles, and societal norms. The research employs a qualitative approach, with the data collected through interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic observation analyzed using thematic coding and narrative analysis. This approach allowed for identifying recurring themes and patterns and exploring participants' perceptions, attitudes, and personal stories. A combination of a literature review with a comprehensive review of existing scholarly works, legal texts, and sociological studies on Islamic marriage and divorce laws was conducted. This review helped to identify key themes, gaps in research, and the evolving nature of Islamic family law across different cultural and regional contexts. Sources include classical and contemporary Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), academic articles, books, and NGO reports on women's rights and legal reforms in Muslim-majority countries. For the literature review, the study focused on sources published between 2000 and 2020. The following criteria guided the selection of literature to ensure that the materials were relevant, credible, and up-to-date with contemporary debates and issues: Relevance to Topic, Academic and Peer-Reviewed Sources, Publication Date, Geographical Scope, Legal and Sociological Focus. Literature that addresses the intersection of Islamic law, gender dynamics, and the sociological implications of marriage and divorce. Respondents from members of Muslim communities across diverse socio-cultural settings. This analysis is applied to identify variations in the application of Islamic family law in different regions. The findings reveal that local cultural norms and legal systems often influence Islamic principles governing marriage and divorce. While Islamic law emphasizes justice, mutual respect, and the protection of family welfare, its implementation varies significantly, creating diverse sociological outcomes. For example, in some regions, divorce laws have been adapted to address gender equality concerns, while in others, traditional practices continue to dominate, often to the detriment of women's rights. The study concludes that while Islamic family law provides a robust framework for regulating marriage and divorce, its sociological implications are shaped by the interplay between religion, culture, and modern legal reforms. To address the challenges faced by Muslim families, there is a need for a balanced approach that respects religious principles while promoting social justice and gender equality. This highlights the importance of ongoing dialogue and reform to ensure that Islamic family law remains relevant and supportive in modern societal contexts

What would it mean to invite disability into dialogue? Disability in Dialogue attunes us to the dialogues of and about disability. In the pages of this book, we ask readers to consider the dialogic constitution of disability and to imagine its reformulation. We find the voices, bodies, social norms, visceral experiences, discourses, and acts of resistance that materialize disability in all its dialogic and enfleshed complexity: tensions, contradictions, provocations, frustrations and desires. This volume makes a unique contribution, bringing together authors from disciplines as diverse as communication, dialogue studies, psychology, sociology, design, rhetoric and activism. Because we take dialogue seriously, this book is designed to be brave as we examine the ways of being in the world that dialogic practices engender and allow, as well as beckon to continue. By way of a variety of frameworks, such as discourse analysis, dialogue studies, narrative analysis, and critical approaches to discourse, the chapters of this book take us through a polylogue of and about disability, demanding that we consider our own roles in bringing forth disabled ways of being and how we might, instead, choose ways that enable our common existence.