Concept Of Agency Research Articles

The construction of linguistic identities in talk about food among Tibetan heritage language learners

ABSTRACT This ethnographic article examines the interactional processes through which Tibetan-Canadian heritage language learners agentively construct their linguistic identities in everyday family interactions. Because food is centrally involved in family routines, as well as broader cultural practices and the articulation of individual tastes, talk about food provides a site for analyzing negotiations of individual agency amid expressions of shared identity. Drawing from previous language socialisation scholarship that approaches family meal times as a resource for constructing identity, this paper analyzes children’s conversations at meal-times, during food preparation, and about food preferences. Through interactional analysis of twelve months of longitudinal video ethnography in two Tibetan-Canadian families, I found that, in these activities centered on food, children used multilingual and multimodal resources to negotiate authority over their cultural and linguistic knowledge. Specifically, children agentively displayed their knowledge of Tibetan language forms, elaborated on their capacities to participate in cultural activities, and instructed parents about their individual preferences. By analyzing these interactional displays of knowledge through the concepts of agency and co-operative action, I argue that children construct their identities as speakers of Tibetan, despite the dominance of English in their language repertoires.

A Critical Examination of Lucrece’s Chastity: Analyzing the Interplay of Love and Moral Justification in The Rape of Lucrece

This research paper examines the complex motivations behind Lucrece’s tragic decision to commit suicide in Shakespeare’s The Rape of Lucrece, following her violation by Tarquin. Lucrece, a character defined by her beauty and chastity, confronts the devastating loss of her chastity after the assault, leading her to perceive suicide as the only means to reclaim her honor by destroying her beauty. The paper explores the intricate interplay between love, guilt, and identity in Lucrece’s experience. Love is portrayed as a multifaceted emotion, where some perceive it as their entire existence, while others see it merely as a facet of life or a precursor to sexual desire. Additionally, love can evoke strong emotional attachments, complicating the concept of agency in Lucrece’s tragic circumstances. This study argues that Lucrece’s actions stem not only from her emotional turmoil but also from societal expectations regarding female honor. Ultimately, it seeks to uncover the nuances behind her decision, questioning whether her guilt and desire for honor led her to invite Tarquin’s advances subconsciously, thereby examining the extremities of her commitment to preserving her chastity and the implications of her suicide within the broader context of gender and honor.

A new approach to pupil agency: A collaborative evaluation study

AbstractThis article explores the concept of student agency within the Thrive Co‐operative Learning Trust. It details the Trust's journey in developing student voice and influence, using the Lundy Model of Child Participation as a framework. This article highlights the importance of authentic pupil agency and showcases successful initiatives undertaken by the Trust.

José-Luis Munuera’s Anti-Capitalist Graphic Novel as a Creative Response to Herman Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener”

Melville’s Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street (1853) is a short story that offers a multiplicity of readings not only because of the complexity of its main characters but also because of Melville’s imaginary of Wall Street. This paper examines how José-Luis Munuera represents these narrative elements in his graphic novel adaptation Bartleby, der Schreiber (2022). I argue that Munuera’s adaptation has its own textual identity and can be read as a creative, graphic response to Melville’s criticism of nineteenth-century Wall Street. Even though set in a similar period to the 1850s original version, Munuera’s authorial choices invite the reader to reflect on contemporary conceptions of work, duty, and agency in a capitalist present.

Schools addressing health, wellbeing and sustainability challenges: a literature review of perspectives on social justice, equity and agency

PurposeThis paper explores perspectives on social justice, equity and agency when schools address health, wellbeing and sustainability challenges.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on a literature review of educational research. The analysis is narrative, highlighting how binary conceptions of equity, social justice and agency are explicitly or implicitly evident in the studies included in the review, distinguishing between as well as noting the interplay between the different conceptions.FindingsPerspectives on social justice and equity are emphasizing the need to address (1) a more equal sharing of resources in education, (2) dominance in education, and (3) community/ies and education as a common good. Perspectives on agency are framed as situated (1) between people (2) between people and structures or social contexts, and (3) between people and nature or the more-than-human. The paper furthermore highlights tendencies and experiences regarding the possibility of addressing these perspectives in different forms of educational practices.Research limitations/implicationsA potential limitation in this review is that 17 out of the 23 included studies are by authors with an Anglo-Saxon background, while a further 3 have a European background. As such, the review mainly represents “Western” perspectives on social justice, equity and agency.Originality/valueThe findings in the paper indicate that despite the fact that social justice, equity and agency are concepts that have been discussed in educational research for a very long time, they cannot be seen as taken-for-granted concepts, and that the research contains a diverse range of perspectives on these concepts — also within research authored by researchers with an Anglo-Saxon or European background.

The Ludo-Learning Matrix: A Framework for Understanding Learning in Games

Games have been widely recognized as methods of making learning more engaging. This has proven to be very attractive to those attempting to get complex fields such as cybersecurity training to a wider audience. Unfortunately, there is a failure to understand that each type of game serves a different educational purpose, leading to the situation where the games are being selected incorrectly and are failing to fulfill their promise. To address this issue, key concepts in learning and games were identified from the literature and then operationalized into an analytical framework. The concepts of player agency, message broadcasting, the transfer of learning and the type of challenges present in the game were selected. This generated a framework that is player-focused rather than content-focused and could be applied to any potential learning game. To validate the framework, three cybersecurity games were selected and analyzed using a ludo-textual approach. Cyberciege, a single player game aimed at university students, Spoofy, a kids’ web browser game and Tallinn Soldier, a seminar wargame, were selected to give as wide a sample as possible. The paper goes on to report on the results of the analysis and discuss how this may be used to examine and design learning games for cybersecurity in the future. Each of the selected games focus on different mechanisms for learning and engagement, highlighting the design tradeoffs that were made in the creation of the game. The proposed analytical framework can be applied not just to cybersecurity training games but theoretically to understanding any game that has learning as its objective.

The Concept of Agency, Animal Wellbeing, and the Practical Realities of Ex Situ Breeding Programs in Zoos and Aquariums

Conservation and animal wellbeing are two key goals of the modern zoo and aquarium. In the case of ex situ conservation breeding programs, there is a unique paradox between these concepts; on some occasions, facilities must balance and mitigate arising conflicts between the wellbeing of animals with the goals of the conservation project. Exerting control over the reproductive lives of animals—choosing when and where they breed, whom they breed with, whether breeding is prohibited altogether, and so on—results in an inherent reduction in the animal’s agency. Considering the growing recognition that providing choice and control to animals enhances wellbeing, it is essential to examine how populations and their breeding are managed. The present review presents challenges in supporting agency for animals bred ex situ by thoroughly exploring the practical realities of working with these animals. Various challenges and areas of consideration, including current research directions, suggestions for future practices, and opportunities moving forward, are highlighted. The importance of careful population management in maximising wellbeing, including the inherent dichotomy of the necessity to limit some reproductive autonomy to preserve animal wellbeing while meeting the needs of breeding programs.

Prison Personnel Views of the Effects of Solitary Confinement on the Mental Health of Incarcerated Persons

The use of extended solitary confinement (ESC) has received domestic and international condemnation for its potential effects on the mental health of incarcerated persons. Despite the criticism, prison systems continue to rely on the practice. To advance understanding of why the housing is used and how correctional personnel view it, this study develops a theoretical model, based on concepts of human agency, empathy, and punitiveness, to examine perceptions of ESC and its effects on the mental health of incarcerated persons. The study examines survey responses from prison personnel who have worked in ESC and finds that personnel hold mixed views about ESC’s harms. Structural equation modeling indicates that perceptions about agency and empathy influence views about ESC and whether it harms the mental health of incarcerated persons in the housing. These relationships are mediated by punitiveness and point to nuanced views that personnel hold about ESC’s impacts.

Sociology in the 21st century: between fragmentation and integration

The article is analyzing current sociology in the context of fragmentation and integration periods in the discipline history. The first integrative wave in the history of sociology was in the 1920s– 1950s. It appeared in grand theories by P.Sorokin, T.Parsons, the Frankfurt school which united heterogeneous ideas from classics in models of society as system. After the paradigm crisis of the 1960s– 1970s and following spread of postmodernist discourse, the second integrative wave arose in form of theories overcoming gaps between concepts of determinist structures and constructivist agency (J.Habermas, A.Giddens, P.Bourdieu) as well as in form of metatheorizing (G.Ritzer, P.Sztompka, J.Alexander). Today’s fragmentation of sociology under conditions of metaparadigm crisis and post-globalization is provoked by the rising postcolonial discourse, by attempts to stigmatize western classics and to create theoretical alternatives to the ‘global North’ domination in knowledge production as well as by spread of conceptions opposing social reality of networks and flows to classical sociality of structures and agency (M.Castells, B.Latour, J.Urry, K.Knorr Cetina). The third integrative wave is expected to come in the 2020s displacing tendencies of disintegration, discrimination, growing gaps and rising barriers. Now theories are relevant as they create a coherent configuration of four types of structures: institutions, interactions, networks, and flows. The new subject matter for theorizing is constituted by their interconnections in forms of fields of structurations, scapes of assemblages, communications, platforms, projects, and events. A metaphor of augmented reality is integrating different concepts of social reality and it is overcoming constitutive distinctions in the last century sociology: between system and lifeworld, locality and globality, the private and public, the material and symbolic, the real and virtual, the physical and digital, etc.

Normativity and AI moral agency

AbstractThe meanings of the concepts of moral agency in application to AI technologies differ vastly from the ones we use for human agents. Minimal definitions of AI moral agency are often connected with other normative agency-related concepts, such as rationality or intelligence, autonomy, or responsibility. This paper discusses the problematic application of minimal concepts of moral agency to AI. I explore why any comprehensive account of AI moral agency has to consider the interconnections to other normative agency-related concepts and beware of four basic detrimental mistakes in the current debate. The results of the analysis are: (1) speaking about AI agency may lead to serious demarcation problems and confusing assumptions about the abilities and prospects of AI technologies; (2) the talk of AI moral agency is based on confusing assumptions and turns out to be senseless in the current prevalent versions. As one possible solution, I propose to replace the concept of AI agency with the concept of AI automated performance (AIAP).

Putting Appadurai's “Capacity to Aspire” and Sen's Capability Approach into Dialogue

ABSTRACT In his seminal paper, Appadurai (2004) introduced the concept of “capacity to aspire” as a cultural capacity that may open routes out of poverty for the poor. He envisions entering a robust dialogue between his conception and the capability approach. The notion of aspirations is attractive for capability scholars since it seems to answer some shortcomings of the capability approach, namely the lack of any theory of preference or value formation, the missing dynamics, the question of countering adaptive preferences and eliciting information on people’s values. I analyse capability literature on aspirations and argue that although they relate to these shortcomings, they fail to eliminate them and to enter the dialogue Appadurai invited. For doing this, the collective nature of the capacity to aspire has to be recognised. I suggest that the capacity to aspire rather than remedying one of the above-mentioned shortcomings is best understood as an example of Sen’s concept of agency and how poor people can build up, exercise and sustain agency.

Between acceptance and resistance: Conceptualising migrant platform labour agency in Chile

AbstractDigital labour platforms are transforming labour markets worldwide, and migrant workers are pivotal in this transformation. Drawing on a qualitative study in Chile, we uncover how Latin American and Caribbean migrants navigate and resist platform labour conditions, considering the algorithmically controlled and surveilled aspects of food delivery platforms, as well as the impact of migration status on their work. We contend that understanding migrant labour agency requires examining both the platforms' socio‐technical structures and the host country's migration policies. These policies determine workers' migration status, shape their work experiences, and consequently impact their resistance to precarious labour conditions. We introduce the concept of migrant platform labour agency to illustrate the various forms of resistance migrants employ in navigating the platform labour market. This concept contributes to understanding the nuances in migrants' labour agencies, which range from acceptance to resistance, considering the interplay between the migration policy environment and platforms' socio‐technical assemblage.

Fragility and Eccentricity: the Mortal and Glorified Body in Philippians 3:21

Abstract Recent Pauline scholarship has shown increasing interest in the concepts of agency, body, personhood, and self. Situating itself within an emerging current of Pauline interpretation of the σῶμα, this article provides an analysis of Paul’s language concerning the σῶμα in Philippians 3:21. In the first part, we focus on Paul’s description of the body as τῆς ταπεινώσεως, “of humiliation.” It is argued that Paul conceives of the body in terms of its mortality, owing to its tendency towards death, as well as its monstrosity, a characteristic that illuminates how Paul reframes the perception of the body. In the second part, we analyze Paul’s description of Christ’s body as τῆς δόξης, “of glory.” It is argued that the glorification of Christ’s body emerges as a function of heavenly existence in God’s presence. In our third part, we use the results from our preceding analyses of the language in Philippians 3:21 in order to construct a conceptual framework for interpreting the σῶμα in Paul from new interpretive angles. It is proposed that the concepts of fragility and eccentricity will shine more light on Paul’s conception of the body, which has a twofold character as both fragile and eccentric.

"Pensar a pura vida"

I argue that Hegel’s concept of freedom requires the dissolution of dichotomies between history and nature. Ultimately, dissolving them would lead to an embodied concept of agency, whereby the singularity of each concrete organism finds normative expression within a free form of life. For that, I suggest that the dialectical thesis of speculative identity intertwines social critique with the critique of philosophical language. I shall call this procedure a “grammatical critique”, revealing Hegel’s shift to a vital normativity as its therapeutic moment. That will allow me to present the social pathologies of dualistic forms of life as a withholding of the fluidity of organic nature, instantiated in the body-mind split. I then turn to Adorno’s notion of “recording nature”, arguing that it fulfills the dialectical criteria for free a form of life, that is: where its agents are able to reflexively enact their vital normativity

A psychosocial reading of teacher agency

ABSTRACT The concept of teacher agency has become increasingly prominent in academic, policy and media debates. In rethinking the concept, we are particularly interested in the tension between discourses presenting teachers as heroic agents of individual emancipation and social transformation, such as those found in recruitment campaigns and Hollywood films, and the erosion of spaces for agency brought about by the dominance of discourses and practices of standards and accountability. In this conceptual paper we explore these tensions, building on previous work advocating ecological perspectives on teacher agency. We draw on the conceptual resources of psychosocial theory, including Lacanian discourse theory and recent work in this field articulating agency as manifesting in multiple modalities. Our psychosocial reading of teacher agency makes a number of contributions. First, it provides a more expansive conceptual vocabulary, allowing us to talk about agency in broader, more nuanced ways. Second, it recognises that teacher agency is not always necessarily in pursuit of social good. Third, and perhaps most importantly, it enables us to see the ways in which some modes of teacher agency, rather than manifesting as scenes of heroic possibility, are in fact subordinated forms of agency illustrating the cruel optimism of contemporary neoliberalised education.

From teacher-intended to learner-actualised affordances in a WeChat-Supported mobile Chinese language learning environment

This paper draws on the ecological concept of affordance and learner agency to investigate Chinese language learners' actualised (perceived, used or shaped) affordances in a mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) environment. This study took place in a beginner-level Chinese course at a university in Australia. Potential learning affordances were designed and made available through WeChat-supported tasks to extend in-class learning. Qualitative student interviews, WeChat history, student survey and teacher reflective journals were the primary sources of data and thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The findings identified different levels of learner-actualised affordances (including perceived, used, and shaped affordances) and missed affordances (including those not perceived and those perceived but not used). Additionally, we investigated the distribution of these affordances within two functional types: cognitive and socio-affective affordances. Potential reasons for the missed affordances were explored. This study suggests that beginner-level learners of Chinese can leverage learner agency to understand the teachers' intended educational affordances. To facilitate this understanding, teachers are advised to offer scaffoldings to enhance the visibility of MALL affordances, particularly those related to interactions, multi-modal expressions, and authenticity. This affordance-oriented guidance has the potential to amplify learning opportunities for learners of the Chinese language engaged in MALL.

Nation-state influence on tourism path creation in Southern Africa

ABSTRACT This paper explores the role of agency in the emergence and evolution of tourism paths in the post-colonial states of Southern Africa. Building on the Trinity of Change Agency concept, we emphasise the critical role of the nation-state by spotlighting the multi-scalarity of institutional entrepreneurship and the impact of triggering events. These elements are essential for understanding the decisive forms of agency that can redirect tourism economic paths at pivotal moments. This approach is adapted to explain the uneven evolution of tourism paths across the border regions of Chobe, Victoria Falls and Zambezi. Our findings suggest that the interplay between regional actors and a responsive nation-state during periods of change plays a crucial role in shaping the development of tourism paths.

The Complexities of Transnational Identity and Nazneen’s Concept of Agency in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane

The Complexities of Transnational Identity and Nazneen’s Concept of Agency in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane

Social practices, gender, and materiality: Women's agency in bioenergy-dependent households and communities in the central Ethiopian Rift Valley

Current energy-related practices in bioenergy-dependent households and communities regularly reinforce social inequality and exacerbate environmental challenges. By investigating women's influence on rural energy service provision, this study sheds light on gendered practices and women's agency in a case study of three villages in central Ethiopia.Women's lives in these communities revolve around practices such as collecting wood and using fire for cooking, hygiene, or space heating. Energy-efficient technologies like cookstoves are peddled as solutions to the day-to-day challenges women face. While these can enhance health and well-being, a one-sided focus on technology overlooks the deep-seated social meanings that limit the agency of women. Energy research urgently needs to improve its understanding of how women may alter energy-related social practices, to avoid that technocratic approaches entrench the provision of energy services as a gendered female chore.This interdisciplinary research employs a Stock-Flow-Practice nexus perspective to analyse interlinkages between agency, practices, meanings, and the use of materials. Study results reveal that the agency of women to change their engagement in energy-related practices is curtailed by social prescriptions within the investigated households and communities. However, in households where women can garner higher levels of agency, they are able to shift how their households engage in practices.Our findings highlight the importance of understanding women's agency as unfolding through their engagement in social practices and reflecting negotiated social prescriptions. Policies and programmatic interventions towards sustainable and equitable energy transitions in bioenergy-dependent communities need to incorporate a practice-centred concept of agency to reach their goals.

Blame as participant anger: extending moral claimant competence to young children and nonhuman animals

ABSTRACT Following the social conception of moral agency, this paper claims that many agents commonly exempted from moral responsibility, like young children, adults with late-stage dementia, and nonhuman animals, may nevertheless qualify as participants in moral responsibility practices. Blame and other moral responsibility responses are understood according to the communicative emotion account of the reactive attitudes. To blame someone means having an emotion episode that acts as a vehicle for conveying a particular moral content. Therefore, moral agency is argued to be manifested in communicative exchanges between a claimant and a defendant. While many human and nonhuman agents are justifiably exempted from ascriptions of moral responsibility, this does not necessarily exclude such agents from the community of moral agents altogether. Toddlers and dogs, for instance, seem capable of other-directed reactive attitudes, like resentment, and could, therefore, qualify as participants in moral responsibility practices with respect to the claimant position. Therefore, we may have reason to adopt a distinct claimant-directed participant stance to some beings, even if they fail to qualify as apt targets of blame. This expanded theoretical room for moral agency is argued to make explicit further normative considerations.