Conflictual Theme Research Articles

‘Discursive Interpretations of Cultural Symbols in Mega Sporting Events: The Case of Messi’s Bisht at the 2022 World Cup’

This study examines the dominant narratives and media frames surrounding the moment when football celebrity Lionel Messi wore a bisht during the World Cup 2022 crowning ceremony. Employing a frame analysis approach, the research seeks to uncover the discursive meanings tied to this moment, which is heightened by national identity and nationalism in the context of globalized sport across international media platforms. A corpus of 25, 208 words from 59 online news articles was analyzed. At a macro level, the articles were largely framed within themes of conflict, controversy, criticism, and public and media reactions. The findings, which include specific cultural, national, political, economic, and identity frames, offer valuable insights into the complexities of globalization, nationalism, and cosmopolitanism in mega sporting events. Through discursive interpretations, this study provides a nuanced understanding of cultural exchange and identity issues in the globalized world of sports. Global media portrayed Messi’s bisht moment both positively (as a symbol of honor and respect) and negatively (as an instance of identity exploitation for cultural publicity). The study also reveals that Qatar was perceived as leveraging the event for national branding. Notably, nationalism and ideologies emerge as critical factors in media framing of mega sporting events.

The Theme of Conflict in The Novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald

Conflict of various dimensions is a major theme operating at subtle scales in the deeper levels of the novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Through the ever-operative force of conflic,t the novelist has demonstrated the essential character and spirit of the time of his contemporary American society. The article at hand is an elaborate study to reveal the nature and dimensions of the conflicts.

Originalbeiträge (Originals). Veränderungen in der Konfliktpathologie während stationärer Psychotherapie und ihr Zusammenhang mit Symptomreduktion

113 patients provided information on their symptoms (BSI-18) and the significance of six OPD conflict themes in active and passive mode (12 conflict scales) by self-report on admission and discharge. Using Welch's t-tests and multiple regression models, both pre-post changes in symptoms and conflict significance and the influence of conflict changes on symptom reduction were analyzed. Four OPD conflict scales changed significantly during treatment. Patients who changed more strongly in terms of the manifestation of conflicts also showed a greater reduction in symptoms. The results indicate both a certain stability of conflict issues and their changeability and confirm the psychodynamic theory that change in conflict issues is associated with symptom reduction.

Violence and Gender Conflicts in Ian McEwan’s novel The Comfort of Strangers

This essay examines the themes of violence and gender conflicts in Ian McEwan's The Comfort of Strangers, emphasising how conventional gender roles and power dynamics add to the unnerving atmosphere of the novel. The novel, which takes place in an unfamiliar and enigmatic city, centres on two couples: Robert and Caroline and Colin and Mary, whose interactions highlight the damaging effects of patriarchal norms. Robert, a character in the novel who represents the dehumanising impacts of inflexible gender standards by his cruel actions towards Caroline, serves as a critique of toxic masculinity. The novel's depictions of psychological and physical violence highlight the risks associated with relationships in which power is unequally divided. How McEwan depicts victimisation and complicity in love relationships provides a disturbing critique of the social institutions that support and condone gender-based violence. In the end, the essay makes the case that the novel is a potent indictment of how patriarchal beliefs influence and frequently twist interpersonal relationships.

Dealing With a Stressful Extra Duty: The Intrapersonal Conflict Experiences of Nurses Caring for Survivors of Suicide Attempts on Medical-Surgical Wards.

Nurses are the frontline professionals caring for patients who have attempted suicide. When clinical nurses learn from medical records or nursing handover, or are proactively informed by patients or family members, that the patients they are caring for have suicidal tendencies, they often experience pressure and face challenges. However, little attention has been given to the experiences of the nurses caring for patients with suicidal intent on medical and surgical wards. We aimed to address this knowledge gap. The purpose of this study was to explore medical and surgical nurses' experiences, especially the internal conflicts they might experience while caring for patients who have a history of attempted suicide. A qualitative descriptive design and semi-structured interviews were used in this study. Twenty-three nurses were recruited and interviewed individually. Data were analysed by qualitative content analysis. The focus of this paper is to examine the emergent theme of intrapersonal conflict experienced by the participants. Nurses' experiences can be clustered into two themes: (1) Pity and annoyance and (2) Hard work does not necessarily pay off. Intrapersonal conflict was identified by participants as considerable fear and anxiety about the possibility of a patient's suicide, as well as a mixture of pity for and annoyance with the patients. Nurses feel sorry for such patients, but they are also annoyed by the extra work required to prevent suicide attempts in the ward. Additionally, having limited time and ability, they see that their hard work does not necessarily pay off and may sometimes lead to punishment. Our findings raise serious concerns about the adequacy of the knowledge of the nurses, their competence and their difficulties in caring for such patients. In addition, there is a need to provide them with appropriate on-the-job education and immediate emotional support relevant to caring for survivors of suicide attempts.

Unbecoming of a unified religion: A Foucauldian reading of Girish Karnad’s Tale-danda and the Lingayat plight

Based on the theme of caste conflict in Girish Karnad’s play Tale-danda, this article aims to delineate how a sub-sect of a majoritarian (Hindu) community endeavoured to establish itself as a distinct religious group (Lingayatism), failed miserably in its mission, and how it is forced to ultimately merge itself into the larger community. The article will explore the reasons for its failure from the events of Karnad’s play Tale-danda, written against the backdrop of the actual events of the Lingayat Movement led by the poet–saint Basavanna in the twelfth-century CE Karnataka. In the play, Karnad depicts many instances of caste consciousness and caste conflicts among the characters. The main objective of the study will be to analyse these sites of conflict as depicted by Karnad in his play Tale-danda, in light of the French philosopher Michel Foucault’s concepts of power/knowledge and discourse. This article will also highlight how sometimes intra-caste conflicts are more prominent than inter-caste conflicts.

Implementing Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems: Themes of Cultural Conflicts and Public Resistance—A Case Study

A six-year study investigates the challenges of balancing stakeholders’ interests when implementing climate adaptation regulations and makes a case for analytical tools that can improve the acceptance and adoption of local planning initiatives. In this study, the challenges of adopting European Union and Norwegian national climate adaptation regulations at a local level are examined through the analysis of the ‘Fredlybekken Water Management Proposal’ case study. This study includes an overview of the proposed climate adaptation project ‘Fredlybekken’, a site analysis, quantitative surveys, and qualitative interviews with the project’s stakeholders. Reflexive thematic analysis is employed to establish themes of the project and categorically describe the feedback and objections of residents. The findings of the study set forth recommendations to improve the implementation processes of stormwater management infrastructure and other urban climatic adaptation initiatives. These findings are aimed at public policy makers and municipal administrations. The general conclusions within this paper are also relevant for egalitarian countries with similar societal challenges attempting to implement climate policy at the local level.

Koroška in Slovenci v luči romanopisja ali o koroškem slovenskem in nemškem romanu

The article focuses on the writing of novels in the 20th and 21st centuries that relate to the Slovenian minority in Carinthia, and at the same time highlights the development, main thematic lines and linguistic characteristics of the minority‘s novelistic production itself. Already in the years following the 1920 plebiscite in Carinthia, the themes of war, borders, linguistic and other conflicts predominanted. After the Second World War, the focus shifted to assimilation politics, National Socialism, the oppression of the Slovene language and the Slovene minority, the Partisan movement and the consequences of this period. These themes were first written about mainly by authors from Slovenia, then by minority writers, and in recent years also by other authors writing in German. While the middle and older generation of Slovene authors in Carinthia continues to write about the war, minority and linguistic issues, most of the younger generation deals with other topics and often chooses to write in German.

CONFLICT CONCERNS EXPLORED IN THE FILM "THE BATMAN" 2022 DIRECTED BY MATT REEVES

This dissertation explores the theme of conflict depicted in the 2022 film "The Batman". The movie centers around a character known as The Riddler, who has murdered several officials in Gotham City and exposes their hidden, darker sides, leading to conflicts with various factions. Conflict, defined as disagreement stemming from differing viewpoints, is the focal point of this analysis. The objective of this study is to delineate the types of conflicts portrayed by the antagonists and to elucidate the resultant impacts. To achieve this, a sociological approach was adopted, supplemented by two theoretical frameworks: Nina Genneby and Ruben Markosyan's theory, and Kun Maryati and Juju Suryawati's theory. Additionally, a descriptive qualitative research methodology was employed to dissect the film. The findings reveal two primary types of conflict: interpersonal and inter-group conflict. Furthermore, seven positive consequences are identified, including enhanced internal solidarity, the fostering of intriguing inter-group dynamics, mobilization of previously passive citizens, the emergence of resilient individuals, stimulation of innovation, facilitation of evaluation, and the formulation of new compromises. Conversely, four negative repercussions are observed, such as the rupture of personal relationships and group cohesion, property damage and loss of life, alterations in individual behavior, and the potential for domination by the victorious faction.

Bridging the Distance: Effective Communication and Honesty Among College Students in Romantic Long-Distance Relationships

This study aimed to explore how college students in long-distance romantic relationships maintain honesty and effective communication. Stress is a prevalent aspect for students in such relationships, and this research aimed to provide a deeper understanding of their experiences. Data from 7 participants were collected through structured interviews, analyzed using thematic analysis, revealing key themes of visits, communication, honesty, and conflicts. Visitation depended on mutual convenience, while communication in long-distance relationships had both advantages and disadvantages. Honesty emerged as a trust-building factor, enhancing communication. Future research could delve into the impact of academic stress on long-distance relationships and include a larger sample for a comprehensive study.

Exploring the Themes of Conflict and Peace in Contemporary English and Iraqi Drama

This research paper explores the themes of conflict and peace in contemporary English and Iraqi drama. The paper analyzes several plays from both traditions to examine the portrayal of conflict and peace, as well as the cultural, political, and historical contexts that inform these portrayals. The paper argues that contemporary drama serves as a powerful means of artistic expression that reflects and responds to the complexities of the world around us. In English drama, conflict and peace are often portrayed as elusive and difficult to achieve. The plays examined in this paper depict a range of conflicts, including those arising from personal relationships, social injustice, and political upheaval. The paper analyzes the causes and effects of conflict in these plays, as well as the ways in which conflict is resolved or perpetuated. The examination of the challenges and benefits of achieving peace highlights the difficulties in achieving resolution and the toll that conflict takes on individuals and communities. In Iraqi drama, the potential for hope and reconciliation is emphasized, even in the most challenging circumstances. The paper examines the causes and effects of conflict in these plays, as well as the ways in which peace is achieved or lost. The examination of the cultural, political, and historical contexts that inform the portrayal of conflict and peace in Iraqi drama emphasizes the significance of Iraq's recent history of war and occupation and the ongoing struggle for social justice and human rights. The paper also identifies similarities and differences between the treatment of conflict and peace in the two traditions. While both English and Iraqi dramas address the complexities of conflict and the difficulties of achieving peace, they do so in different ways. The examination of the cultural, political, and historical contexts that inform the portrayal of conflict and peace in the two traditions highlights the diversity and richness of contemporary drama as a form of artistic expression.

Identifying Indicators of High-Conflict Divorce Among Parents

The burgeoning field of forensic social work supports clients engaged in the legal system. Forensic social work professionals working in family court will often be called upon to assess family dynamics, provide treatment to reduce maladaptation post-divorce, and advise divorcing parents as they navigate the complexities of court. Of particular interest to the forensic social work field are the various risks and protective factors that escalate or mitigate interparental conflict throughout the divorce process. Interparental conflict is a primary moderator accounting for psychological and physiological differences between children of divorced parents and children with intact parents. This systematic review examined the factors that contribute to conflict in divorcing parents and ways to identify high-conflict cases,. Peer-reviewed articles (n=11) were systematically selected using rigorous methods, including PRISMA-P protocols for systematic reviews and database searches using the search string “conflict AND divorce*.” Articles were extracted to identify themes of varying levels of conflict. There is no consistent definition of high conflict in pre-divorce parents, and recent articles offer new conceptualizations of this construct. All studies that met inclusion criteria for the review identified at least one of five themes of pre-divorce conflict: conflict resolution/communication, social network, parent characteristics, satisfaction with agreements, and pervasive mistrust.

MYTHS IN WOLE SOYINKA’S THE BACCHAE OF EURIPIDES AND TOM OMARA’S THE EXODUS

This paper explores the role of myths in both Yoruba and Acholi cultures, and their repercussions in contemporary Nigerian and Ugandan societies. Data drive from The Bacchae of Euripides and The Exodus, and fall in the Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism, New Historicism framework and Post-colonial approach. Soyinka reflects on the impact of the colonial process and on the role of modern day dictatorship in many Third-World countries. His play takes the effects of intertextuality to the extreme, not only by taking the Greek tragedy as hypotext, but by relating Euripides’ subversive criticism of Greek imperialism to his own denunciation of colonization and tyranny. Tom Omara portrays the struggles and conflicts of the Acholi people in their quest for unity and self-determination, as well as the challenges they face in dealing with the colonial powers that seek to control and exploit their land and resources. Specifically, myths in the plays feature themes of migration, conflict, leadership, identity, and resistance to imperialism. Myths are seen as important elements that explain the significance of human existence.

Life on the Move

What does the War on Terror have to teach us about the ongoing War on Invasive Species? Rooted in the author's personal experiences as an immigrant on a family farm in Virginia, this essay explores themes of language, mental frames, and violent conflict in novel ways that shed insight into the morality of the struggle to manage unwanted species.

Tensions in Pedagogical Competence Development Programs – Challenges and Possibilities Towards an Ecology of Solidarity

Abstract Pedagogical competence development programs are now the norm across Scandinavia, and the higher education sector more generally. These programs are being implemented in an increasingly complex higher education landscape of different influences and interests. Being entangled inside a web of commitments, the enactment of such programs brings with it different challenges and tensions. In this article, we explore how university pedagogues experience and approach different tensions within the university ecology. We argue that university pedagogues responsible for pedagogical competence development are in a unique position to describe and point towards challenges and tensions which emerge in-between the accountabilities and responsibilities of their programs. Based on a qualitative analysis of 16 interviews with university pedagogues across nine universities in Scandinavia, we have constructed the theme of conflicts between, and within, pedagogical competence development programs and university ecology for further exploration. Grounded in the analysis of the empirical material, we subsequently discuss the findings in the light of solidarity, web of commitments and ecology as central concepts. Finally, we outline how an ecology of solidarity can be a step forward for university pedagogy and the role it can play at the university.

Analisis Kebijakan Restorasi Ekosistem Gambut di Indonesia dengan Discourse Network Analysis

After the forest fires in 2014-2016, the Government of Indonesia (GoI) placed the restoration of the peatland ecosystem (RPE) as one of its priority policies in the environmental sector. This study seeks to analyze RPE in Indonesia using a discourse network analysis approach. Researchers utilize Twitter as primary research data. This data was processed with R, rDNA, and Gephi. Researchers found three network patterns that are connected to RPE efforts in Indonesia. First, affiliate networks connect actors and the concepts voiced by the actors. This network involves various actors such as government institutions, civil society organizations, private corporations, universities, research institutes, foreign governments, international organizations, and local citizens. The dominant concept in the affiliate network is peatland restoration and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Second, the actor congruence network assigns Mangrove and Peatland Restoration Agency (Badan Restorasi Gambut dan Mangrove or BRGM) as the dominant and central actors. However, some actors are not connected to the core network and create separate sub-groups. Third, a network of conflicts between actors involving four conflict themes: Government Regulation Number 57/2016 concerning Amendments to Government Regulation Number 71/2014 on Protection and Management of Peatland Ecosystems, peatland conversion, horizontal conflicts between the local community and plantation corporations, and prevention and law enforcement related to forest fires. The researcher recommends BRGM to: (a) strengthen collaborative practices with the various parties involved in RPE; (b) beware in converting peatland so it does not damage the peatland ecosystem landscape; (c) integrate community conflicts with plantation corporations as part of the RPE agenda in Indonesia. The researcher also recommends NGO activists in Indonesia who care about peatlands to continue monitoring and criticizing the RPE process in Indonesia, and fight for local community groups that have been marginalized by the RPE process. Researchers also encourage plantation corporations, both oil palm plantations and industrial timber plantations, to jointly guard RPE in Indonesia by not opening up new land as part of the actual contribution of the Indonesian people to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Entanglements of Improvisation, Conviviality, and Conflict in Everyday Encounters in Public Space

The everyday life of public space is characterised by many kinds of convivial, conflictual, and improvisational encounters between people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Because public spaces are, in principle at least, freely accessible to all, they are of central importance to everyday life and intrinsically interesting to social scientists. This thematic issue brings together a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives on everyday encounters in public space. In the introduction to this thematic issue, we appeal to urban scholars of all backgrounds to take the social life of public space seriously; as essential social infrastructure, public space is key to the collective well-being of city-dwellers, and it provides a crucial bridge between urban planning and the social sciences. Here, we briefly survey research on everyday encounters and introduce each of the contributions to the issue. While the articles in this issue are organised around the three core themes of conviviality, conflict, and improvisation, we argue for the entanglements of each within the everyday life of public spaces.

“We agree more than disagree”: Exploring conflict in Alevi-Sunni intermarriages in Turkey

The present study aimed to understand how cultural differences affect conflict experiences in intermarriages, uncover any conflict resolution patterns used by couples in these marriages, and explore any protective dynamics that prevent cultural differences-related conflicts in Turkey. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 43 Alevi-Sunni intermarried individuals (18 couples and 7 individuals). Data were analyzed using content analysis. Most couples did not identify cultural differences as causing crucial marital problems, whereas only a minority of them faced some further challenges and conflicts due to differences in cultural orientations. Disapproval of the other’s traditions/values, prejudices and discrimination, and intergroup competition were emerged themes of cultural differences-related conflicts. Four conflict resolution strategies were identified: sensitivity to one another’s cultural differences, avoidance, building a “we” as a couple, and pressure to assimilate. In terms of the protective dynamics preventing cultural differences-related conflicts, secularization, universal/humanistic values, integration, and common political view emerged as themes. This study provides a step toward understanding conflict experiences in intermarriages in Turkey. Furthermore, our findings add to a growing body of literature on positive couple functioning in intermarriages.

Relationship Between Leadership Style and Conflicts in Family Businesses

The themes of managerial style and interpersonal conflicts in a business context have been discussed, but their relationship, especially in family organizations, has seen little or no attention. A quantitative, descriptive, inferential, and cross-sectional study was undertaken to address this gap. Data were gathered from 410 employees of small and medium sized Brazilian family businesses operating in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Participants answered a questionnaire consisting of two scales: (i) the Management Style Assessment Scale and (ii) the Supervisor-Subordinate Conflict Scale. In the family businesses in question, three managerial styles (situational, task, and relationship) were identified along with their contribution to conflicts. The ‘relationship’ style stood out as mitigating such events. These findings may provide insights regarding the theory of management styles and conflicts in family businesses and could offer practical management strategies for such contexts.

ANALYZING ANURADHA ROY’S THE EARTHSPINNER: A STUDY OF ETHNO-CULTURAL CONFLICT

The present study discussed the theme of conflict in Anuradha Roy’s The Earthspinner. The novel exhibits multiple themes but the most powerful theme is ethno-cultural conflict which is depicted through various characters and their relation to each other. The study aimed at exploring the notion of ethno-cultural conflict, its causes and impact in the selected novel. Ethno- has been analyzed with the assistance of theory of conflict proposed by Max Weber. This qualitative study implied Max Weber theory of conflict. The study concludes that diverse ethno-cultural community becomes victim of conflict due to non-tolerance among people and lead to sectarian violence in the selected novel. Keywords: The Earthspinner, Anuradha Roy, Ethno-Cultural Conflict