Narrative Instrument Research Articles

Sacred Water: Neo-Spiritual Consumerism in Catherine Chanter’s The Well

ABSTRACT Catherine Chanter’s The Well depicts a water-scarce Britain where the fertile farm of the Ardingly couple becomes a site of exploitation by a spiritual community called the Sisters of the Rose. By setting her novel on a farm named The Well, Chanter constructs a spatial map that not only exposes the cult’s manipulative power but also serves as a symbolic microcosm of their capitalist exploitation, highlighting the rise of a phenomenon I term “neo-spiritual consumerism.” Drawing on Fredric Jameson’s concept of “late capitalism” (1991) and his theory of “cognitive mapping” (1992), this study examines how Chanter uses The Well as a spatial narrative instrument to re-mythologize religious narratives as a form of cultural consumption. Through a literary analysis of Chanter’s novel, the study examines her ironic use of religious symbols to delve into the social, psychological, and political implications of associating environmental crises with divine retribution, deflecting attention from the socio-economic systems perpetuating environmental degradation. Chanter’s subversive use of religious symbolism highlights how capitalist frameworks exacerbate ecological vulnerabilities. This research prompts critical assessment of modern spiritual movements and emphasizes capitalism’s pervasive influence in sacred domains, compelling readers to consider alternative worldviews and ethical frameworks for navigating a changing world.

Until Love Do Us Part: Counter-Narrative as a Narrative Instrument. A Theoretical Approach

Until Love Do Us Part: Counter-Narrative as a Narrative Instrument. A Theoretical Approach

CHROMATIC CHRONICLES: EXPLORING THE SYMBOLISM AND SIGNIFICANCE OF COLOR IN ANURAG KASHYAP'S FILMS

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is known for his unique and gritty approach to storytelling, which often explores the inner lives of individuals while also presenting the harsh realities of the world outside. Most notable aspects of Kashyap's cinematic approach are his dexterous use of color as a narrative instrument, visually assisting storytelling and conveying deeper meanings. This research paper investigates the significance of color in the films of Anurag Kashyap, concentrating on the analysis of five selected films: "Black Friday" (2004), "Dev. D" (2009), "Gulaal" (2009), "That Girl in Yellow Boots" (2010), and "Bombay Velvet" (2015). The purpose of this research is to investigate the color signature and symbolisms used in Kashyap's films, as well as analyze the significant use of primary colors in various scenes. By analyzing the specific color palettes and combinations utilized, the researcher will try to understand how Kashyap effectively employs colors to emphasize key moments and themes of his films. To justify the study’s objectives, qualitative content analysis methodology is employed, involving a systematic viewing and analysis of each film. Color occurrences will be recognized, coded, and categorized to reveal their symbolic meanings. A comparative analysis will be conducted to identify similarities and differences in the films' use of color. The results of this study will illuminate the aesthetic and narrative significance of color in Kashyap's filmmaking, explaining how color choices enrich the depiction of emotions, themes, and character dynamics. This research is significant because it reveals Kashyap's distinctive aesthetic philosophy via an examination of the symbolism embedded in his use of color. This study enriches our appreciation and interpretation of Anurag Kashyap's films by clarifying the symbolic representations and visual storytelling strategies he employs in them.

LA TRADUCCIÓN DE LA NOVELA GRÁFICA: PERSPECTIVA SEMIOLÓGICA Y MULTIMODAL

LA TRADUCCIÓN DE LA NOVELA GRÁFICA: PERSPECTIVA SEMIOLÓGICA Y MULTIMODAL

Identifying structural VARs from sparse narrative instruments: Dynamic effects of US macroprudential policies

SummaryWe study identification in Bayesian proxy VARs for instruments that consist of sparse qualitative observations indicating the signs of shocks in specific periods. We propose the Fisher discriminant regression and a non‐parametric sign concordance criterion as two alternative methods for achieving correct inference in this case. The former represents a minor deviation from a standard proxy VAR, whereas the non‐parametric approach builds on set identification. Our application to US macroprudential policies finds persistent declines in credit volumes and house prices together with moderate declines in GDP and inflation and a widening of corporate bond spreads after a tightening of capital requirements or mortgage underwriting standards.

Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparative Case Study of Coping and Resilience in Children From Different Educational Contexts in Colombia.

In 2020, humanity experienced one of the most complex situations in history: The COVID-19 pandemic, which caused significant social, economic, and educational consequences. Nevertheless, countries and people generally survived. Why? Resilience and the ability to cope are fundamental elements in human, community, and national survival. This study compared the situations experienced by six children from different social and educational backgrounds in Colombia during the COVID 19 pandemic using a collective analysis of cases. Interviews with children's families, as well as observations of the participants and a narrative instrument from the BASIC Ph resiliency model (Lahad, 2016) are used to describe the context, the promoting factors of resilience, and the so-called coping "channels" of each case. Results showed that (a) the difficulties perceived by families during the pandemic were different from those perceived by the children, and (b) the predominant coping channels had an important relationship with factors that promote resilience. Finally, although it is not clear from the present study whether the children developed resilience, they exhibited factors that determine their future development.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Narratives: Why Did I Decide to Become an English Language Teacher?

Choosing a major is one of the most important decisions in one’s life. Understanding the aspects that intervene in this decision contribute to a better understanding of main motivational forces of English as a Foreign Language pre-service teachers. This qualitative descriptive study examined the personal, professional, and social motivations and experiences of 40 English as a Foreign Language pre-service teachers in the Mexican context that affected their decision to become English language teachers. Using an open written narrative (Language Learning History) instrument, participants wrote stories that showed the main reasons for choosing English teaching as a major. The results showed that personal and professional aspects including biographical experiences, a perceived ability to learn and teach English as well as teacher preparation program experiences are the most influential in this decision along with altruistic and intrinsic motives.

Mobilizing Megaproject Narratives for External Stakeholders: A Study of Narrative Instruments and Processes

Megaprojects combine multiple external stakeholders, and a common narrative is essential to drive the project among often conflicting objectives. Narratives help organize people toward an agenda and therefore have performative and strategic implications. In this research, we explore how narratives are mobilized through narrative instruments and processes using the case study of the High Speed Two (HS2) megaproject in the United Kingdom. We record the use of three instruments—stories, labels, and comparisons—that undergo four processes: repeating, endorsing, humorizing, and actioning. These instruments and processes enable megaprojects to mobilize a narrative that helps in managing external stakeholders.

Towards a representation model of Arabs and Muslims: USA TV series as an amplifier of the cultural hegemonic speech (case study: Homeland)

During the last few decades, the production of TV series has experienced a boom, reaching a wider audience and achieving international success. At the same time, these shows absorb social realities and project them, feeding back to the society that creates them. In western society, especially in the United States, Arabs’ and Muslims’ characters are based on social stereotypes, contributing to their expansion of stereotypes and reflecting a totally distorted reality. Hollywood has relied on this almost from its beginning, portraying Arabs and Muslims as others, strange and dangerous beings. This representation has evolved depending on the social, political and economic conflicts of each decade. This article focuses on the significance of post-9/11 TV series as a propaganda tool, particularly in relation to cultural domination and identity conflict, using textual and content and narrative analysis to study the representation of Arabs’ and Muslims’ characters in Homeland. For this purpose, exhaustive analysis templates have been designed to assist the in-depth analysis of the characters at different levels. Since the on-screen image of these characters has been changing in recent years, the research aims to highlight a new way of configuration of Arab and Muslim characters, which transcends old representations and consolidates a new model, involving a new perspective of cultural and ideological production against Arab and Muslim identities. In this sense, the exhaustive analysis of Homeland points out that by using narrative instruments to camouflage classic discriminatory stereotypes, the show has become an epitome of ideological and propagandistic projection. Accordingly, Homeland does not propose a resignification of the stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims, despite the time that has elapsed, manifesting in a lack of cultural reconciliation which continues today.

Questioning the puzzle: Fiscal policy, real exchange rate and inflation

The paper re-investigates the effects of government spending shocks on the real exchange rate and inflation, using US data. In opposition to some previous puzzling results, we find that an increase in government spending appreciates the real exchange rate and generates inflationary pressures. Positive spending shocks also induce a trade balance deficit and an increase in the nominal interest rate. The discrepancy with the existing literature lies in the identification of fiscal shocks: embedding a narrative instrument within a proxy-SVAR model is what makes the difference. Findings are robust and coherent with a standard open economy business cycle model. Our analysis suggests that proxy-SVAR models are more immune to structural changes in US fiscal policy.

Screening for Mental Health Problems in Epidemics: Is It Justifiable?

Given the overwhelming mental health consequences of infectious epidemics, timely identification and treatment of people with mental health problems is essential. In this narrative review, screening instruments and procedures for identification of mental health problems at the time of epidemic crises are reviewed and the results are discussed in the context of our experience in the recent COVID-19 epidemic in Iran. Forty studies were retrieved from searches in several databases which used screening procedures for identification of mental health conditions during infectious epidemics. Studies were performed on three groups of health care workers, at-risk general population, and patients with confirmed/ suspected infection, using a wide range of instruments. Most have used screening instruments for the purpose of prevalence estimation and only 5 have included it as a health intervention while none has investigated its effectiveness. The evidence base for screening at the time of epidemics is weak. If it is used to identify the needs and enhance help seeking, the screening instruments should have adequate psychometric properties; moreover, their integration in the available services is strongly recommended. Original studies are needed to investigate the usefulness of mental health screening programs in crises such as the COVID-19 epidemic.

Questioning the Puzzle: Fiscal Policy, Real Exchange Rate and Inflation

The paper re-investigates the effects of government spending shocks on the real exchange rate and inflation, using US data. In opposition to some previous puzzling results, we find that an increase in government spending appreciates the real exchange rate and generates inflationary pressures. Positive spending shocks also induce a trade balance deficit and an increase in the nominal interest rate. The discrepancy with the existing literature lies in the identification of fiscal shocks: embedding a narrative instrument within a proxy-SVAR model is what makes the difference. Findings are robust and coherent with a standard open economy business cycle model. Our analysis suggests that proxy-SVAR models are more immune to structural changes in US fiscal policy.

Show and/or tell: what is the role of historical dance in period cinema? And what memory of the history of dance are we left with?

To the often-studied relationship between dance and cinema, kindred arts of the moving body-moving image, I propose to add an original analysis of the relationship between the sub-genres of historical dance (in particular the social and theatrical dances of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries) and period cinema. To that end, it is not only important to question the extent to which dance is merely illustrative, or serves as a narrative instrument in this type of films, but also how period cinema contributes to the construction of a historical memory of dance.There are several contexts that justify the introduction of a staged dance on film and they depend on a number of choices on the part of the artistic team. In period cinema these choices are particularly delicate, especially when the “world of the play” is relatively unconcerned with historical accuracy. Based on a selection of films including Valmont (1989), by Milos Forman, Jefferson in Paris (1995), by James Ivory, Le Roi danse (1999), by Gérard Corbiau, Marie Antoinette (2006), by Sofia Coppola, and Alan Rickman’s A Little Chaos (2014), I analyse the criteria for the introduction of dance scenes, and reflect not only on their aesthetic and metaphorical effects, but also on their power of transmission, as well as of (de)construction, of a stereotype of historical dance.

Serbian version of the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN)


 
 
 This paper provides the background to the process of translation and piloting of the Serbian version of the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (LITMUS- MAIN), Multilingvalni Test za Procenu Narativa (MTPN). Our review of the sparse research literature on Serbian children’s narrative abilities reveals a need for a well- designed narrative instrument, which will enable researchers and practitioners to assess the production and comprehension of narratives in children of a wide age range, typically and atypically developing, monolingual and bilingual, crucially allowing for cross- linguistic comparisons. We encountered two kinds of challenges during the process of translation and adaptation of the instrument from English into Serbian. The first concerned the lack of established Serbian technical terminology needed to describe test administration to the future users of the test: researchers and practitioners working in different disciplines such as linguistics, psychology, Speech and Language Therapy. The second challenge concerned the translation of linguistic structures required to produce a successful rendition of the narrative: in contrast to English, but in line with other Slavic languages, Serbian relies heavily on verbs marked for perfective aspect in story-telling. Our discussion of preliminary data from four Serbian monolingual children, aged 5;5-10, demonstrates that MTPN is a successful tool in assessing narrative abilities in children acquiring Serbian.
 
 

Application of narrative medicine in oncological clinical practice: impact on health care professional.

Narrative medicine makes explicit the experience of disease and enhances the subjective view in the cure. In addition, the narrative approach involves personal experience and emotional resonances of the health care professional leading him to redefine the values in terms of health and disease. The IMPERO study aims to explore the personal "life experience" of health care professionals involved in studies exploring a new methodological clinical approach: the use of a digital narrative diary in collecting and integrating theme-oriented narration in clinical practice. Qualitative study based on the interviews of three health care professionals (two oncologists and one nurse) involved in the AMENO study. The main topic of the interviews was the "perceived" and the intimate experience of each health care professional, particularly on the meaning and the role regarding their personal and professional experience while coping with patients narration. The analysis of data focuses on three aspects: a) the health care professionals' point of view using the diary as a tool for narrative-based medicine; b) the work environment as a framework for the use of the digital diary; c) the mental construction concerning the meaning of the tool and its preliminary use in clinical practice. The diary is appreciate as a tool for the application of narrative-based medicine; the reading/writing format is considered of high quality and suitable for clinical practice processes. The narration drives a change in the patient-health care professional relationship: the patient is valued as an "individual". An atmosphere of empathy and greater intimacy is created. The perceptions developed over the years of clinical practice, which reflect personal and professional concepts (knowledge and individual believes in illness, health, healing, etc.), influence the perception of the narrative instrument and its clinical use. The work context influences the use of the diary, limiting its potential. Narrative medicine is a way of reorganizing the criteria that contribute in defining the quality of patient care by focusing on the patient-health care professional relationship. The approach of narrative medicine must be reviewed in the light of the relational systemic theory which allows us to understand several aspects: the training in narrative medicine itself, the acquisition of professional skills by practitioners, and the organizational development of the institutions (the organizational structures but also the values and professional culture of work).

Rječnička raznolikost pisanih tekstova osoba s razvojnim jezičnim poremećajem

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is one of the most common language disorders in preschool and school age, and it also persists later in life. Children with DLD show a range of expressive and/or receptive difficulties in language, including vocabulary acquisition. The goal of this research was to explore the differences between persons with developmental language disorder and persons with typical language development (TLD) in lexical diversity. Earlier research focused on spoken discourse of younger speakers. In the present research, written discourse of speakers covering a broad age range was explored. Twenty participants with DLD and 19 with TLD were selected from the Croatian Corpus of Non-professional Written Language (Kuvač Kraljević, Hržica and Kologranić Belić, in press). They produced narrative language samples based on the Expression, Reception and Recall of Narrative Instrument (ERRNI; Bishop, 2004). To measure lexical diversity, four measures were calculated: the number of different words (NDW) and type-token ratio (TTR) on a restricted number of words, the moving average type-token ration (MATTR) and lexical diversity D on full-length samples. The independent samples t-test was used to compare the two groups. Participants with DLD had significantly lower results on all four measures. This leads to the conclusion that all four measures can differentiate groups of participants with different language status. Persons with DLD showed difficulties in using vocabulary when producing written narratives, which is a demanding language production task.

Questioning the Puzzle: Fiscal Policy, Exchange Rate and Inflation

The paper re-investigates the effects of government spending shocks on the real exchange rate and inflation, using US data. In opposition to some previous puzzling results, we find that an increase in government spending appreciates the real exchange rate and generates inflationary pressures. Positive spending shocks also induce a trade balance deficit and an increase in the nominal interest rate. The discrepancy with the existing literature lies in the identification of fiscal shocks: embedding a narrative instrument within a proxy-SVAR model is what makes the difference. Findings are robust and coherent with a standard open economy business cycle model. Our analysis suggests that proxy-SVAR models are more immune to structural changes in US fiscal policy.

Identifying SVARS from Sparse Narrative Instruments: Dynamic Effects of U.S. Macroprudential Policies

We study the identification of policy shocks in Bayesian proxy VARs for the case that the instrument consists of sparse qualitative observations indicating the signs of certain shocks. We propose two identification schemes, i.e. linear discriminant analysis and a non-parametric sign concordance criterion. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that these provide more accurate confidence bounds than standard proxy VARs and are more efficient than local projections. Our application to U.S. macroprudential policies finds persistent effects of capital requirements and mortgage underwriting standards on credit volumes and house prices together with moderate effects on GDP and inflation.

“I Hope I Will Be Able to Go Back to My Home City”: Narratives of Suffering and Survival of Children in Palestine

In light of critical psychology and socio-constructionist theories, the present work aims at analyzing attitudes of political agency, psychological adjustment to trauma, and resistance, as protective factors against political violence in 122 children living in refugee camps in Palestine: Aida and Dheisheh camps in the West Bank and Jabalia camp on the Gaza Strip. Data were collected over 3 months, during summer camps that lasted at least 6 days. We conducted a comparative analysis of the use of drawing as a diagnostic tool for children who have experienced severe trauma and its use as a narrative instrument. Two strikingly different portraits emerge from a diagnostic perspective on the inner states of trauma-impacted children versus a narrative child-centered perspective that values children’s own efforts to construct meaning. The former type of analysis is underpinned by an image of vulnerable children, afflicted by symptoms and at risk of losing emotional and behavioral control. In contrast, the analysis of children’s narratives reveals abundant sources of functioning, coping abilities and agency in facing adversity. We discuss the fact that the first of these approaches fails to capture the protective and functioning factors underlying aspects of dysfunction and maladaptation. Diagnosis-oriented approaches risk to victimize and pathologize children living in contexts of ongoing trauma. The results of this preliminary survey on children’s activism and agency show and confirm the crucial role of context in shaping children’s suffering and reactions to war and ongoing violence.

A Narrative Approach to Describe QoL in Children With Chronic ITP.

Objective: Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a hemorrhagic disorder. Spontaneous recovery within 12 months occurs in the majority of pediatric patients. Nevertheless, in 20–30% of children the disease is chronic. The impact extends to the patients' families, whose everyday life, in terms of interpersonal relationships and financial status, is adversely affected. This study investigated the ability of a narrative instrument to improve the quality of life of pediatric chronic ITP patients and their families and quantified the familial burden imposed by the illness.Method: A quantitative survey and a narrative plot delivered through an online platform were adopted for the analysis.Results: Pediatricians of ten Italian Hematologic Centers explained the projects to patients and their family in the outpatient clinic. 70 caregivers of children with ITP filled the ad-hoc questionnaire. Data from 53 caregivers revealed the emotional impact of pediatric chronic ITP. The narrative approach highlighted the specific resources used by patients and their families to cope with the disease and its chronicity.Discussion: Caregivers underlined the need for “humaneness” in their interactions with clinical personnel. The majority of respondents provided positive feedback regarding the narrative project, defining the experience as “liberating” and improving their quality of life.