Narrative Strategies Research Articles

Environmental conflicts in the mass media: insight from the media representation of ecological distributive conflicts (EDCs) in Italy

ABSTRACT Despite the increasing prominence of local ecological-distributive conflicts (EDCs) as subjects of social science research in recent decades, interaction between the media and territorial conflict has remained overlooked, still requiring further investigation. Indeed, there is currently a lack of systematic, up-to-date analysis of the relationship between the media and ecological-distributive protests that goes beyond the investigation of NIMBY narratives to provide a general overview of territorial protest representations and their implications for conflict. Based on the application of Political Claims Analysis to the national newspaper, la Repubblica, and its reporting of six Italian local EDCs, this article aims to discuss the ambivalent representations of territorial protest in the media, while also highlighting the implications of different narrative patterns for the values and perspectives embedded in public opinion. The twofold aim is to investigate the media’s narrative strategies with regard to local protests and their evolution throughout the mobilizations and to assess how the cultural context influences the likelihood that different messages will gain support. This investigation is crucial not only for filling the existing gap regarding the relationship between media and the ongoing spread of EDCs in Italy, but also for grasping broader dynamics concerning media management of environmental conflict, something that is becoming increasingly relevant to both the political and media spheres.

Future considerations for implementation and impact of community narrative initiatives.

In response to communities where individuals experience both disproportionate numbers of Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and other health inequities, narrative change has emerged as a powerful tool to change how ACEs are viewed and addressed by communities. The special issue presents a set of papers examining efforts to use narrative change to address ACEs. In this commentary, we offer reflections on the introduction and three articles of the special issue and point to future considerations for implementation and impact of community narrative initiatives. For example, we assert that to prevent and address the outcomes of ACEs such as substance use and mental health problems, communities need to include and amplify the voices of those with lived experience during decision-making about policy. We also espouse using research models of resilience in communities as a way to further uptake of narrative change strategies in the literature on ACEs and health disparities in communities. Using trauma-informed outcomes and measures are also critical to measure how narrative change can move the needle to promote health equity.

Revisiting a Children’s Classic: The Silent Third Reich in Sammy Drechsel’s Elf Freunde müßt ihr sein (1955)

This literary analysis of Sammy Drechsel’s 1955 children’s novel Elf Freunde müßt ihr sein focuses on the author’s construction of 1930s Germany as a Nazi-free realm. With a particular emphasis on Drechsel’s depiction of mass media, this article reveals the Third Reich hidden in this popular autobiographical story about football and friendship. It demonstrates how the novel utilizes football to depoliticize and disguise Hitler’s Germany and ultimately raises the question about the pedagogical opportunities that emerge from a work that is based on silence as a narrative strategy.

The Aesthetic and Narrative Strategies of Subcultures on TikTok: Analyzing the Presentation of Niche Identities

This paper explores the aesthetic and narrative strategies employed by subcultures on TikTok to present and cultivate niche identities in a digital age characterized by rapid content consumption and algorithm-driven engagement. TikTok’s unique format—short, looping videos coupled with a powerful recommendation algorithm—has facilitated the rise and proliferation of diverse subcultural communities, such as cottagecore, dark academia, and witchtok. These groups leverage distinct visual styles, soundscapes, and narrative techniques to construct cohesive subcultural identities that resonate with both creators and viewers. Aesthetics serve as visual markers that communicate values and philosophies, while soundscapes and music act as auditory signifiers that further define the emotional and cultural landscapes of these communities. The platform’s algorithmic curation significantly influences the visibility, evolution, and dynamics of subcultural communities by promoting content that aligns with user engagement patterns.

Violence and Abuse Towards Grandparent Kinship Carers in Informal Kinship Care Context

Violence and abuse by grandchildren towards their grandparent kinship carers is an important but under-researched issue. Research evidence on the perceived legitimacy of aged-related myths, beliefs, and witchcraft accusations against older people, especially grandparents, in Ghana and Africa suggest that violence and abuse against grandparent kinship carers could be common. This study explored the types of violence or abuse experienced by grandparent kinship carers, and the meanings grandparents associate with the abuse. Thirty-one grandparents were recruited from four communities in Ghana following a horizontal network sampling approach and interviewed using a qualitative in-depth narrative storytelling strategy. Analysis of the narratives revealed three common types of abuse experienced by the grandparent kinship carers which were perpetrated by children living under their care: (1) insults and verbal abuse, (2) stealing and financial exploitation, and (3) physical threats. However, the grandparents rationalised and justified the abusive behaviours by attributing them to factors within the children’s eco-system, such as friends and household members. The findings highlighted three crucial interrelated factors that underlie these incidents of violence including cultural beliefs around witchcraft, family structural dynamics, and grandparents’ attitudes towards violence. Practical recommendations, including the development of a community normative change program, have been proposed to address violence by grandchildren towards grandparent kinship carers in Ghana.

Narrative strategies of Media discourse: motivating content of TikTok and YouTube visual platforms

Narrative strategies of Media discourse: motivating content of TikTok and YouTube visual platforms

The theoretical path of constructive journalism and practical experience in China

The purpose of this study was to examine the stages of the formation of constructive journalism in the world and the practical implementation of this concept using evidence from modern Chinese media discourse. The study examined two theoretical approaches to constructive news: one based on positive psychology and the other on Buddhist philosophy. The Chinese journalism community was the first to pay attention to constructive news in terms of the supervision of public opinion. Based on the study of the official WeChat account of Xinhua News Agency, particularly the topics, genre specificity, emotional colouring, and formal indicators of news, the patterns of Chinese constructive journalism were identified. The rule of law, cultural life and education, health, and travelling were identified as the main themes. The emotional colouring of news reports is most often positive and neutral. It is worth noting the genre diversity: news, news bulletins, news essays, newsletters, investigative reports, and diversity in terms of formal indicators: “text only”, “text + image”, “image only”, “text + video + image”. It was found that the purpose of constructive journalism reporting in China coincides with the government’s public order goals. The concept of Chinese constructive journalism was reflected in the following aspects: using positive psychology to stimulate the vitality of news reports for social development, creating positive narrative strategy, improving news management, and promoting moral values. In the future, this study can be used to analyse patterns of social behaviour, illuminate media literacy, and study national media practices

NARRATIVES, VIOLENCE, AND SOCIAL CONFLICTS: THE CASE OF THE 1980S AUTONOMIST SQUATTER MOVEMENT

The relationship between activism, repression, and violent escalation is central to social movement scholarship. The strategic reasons for movements to place “internal brakes” on violence have been mapped, but less is known about how movements create and enforce these brakes. This article argues that narratives play a central role in this process and demonstrates how narratives both enabled and limited violent activism in the 1980s autonomist squatter movement. Although activists acknowledged that the movement's strength relied on its ability to resist the authorities forcefully, there was also an acute awareness among many that violence could easily escalate into a lethal spiral. In response, activists developed narratives that defined the norms for the legitimate use of force and limited violent escalation. They devised narrative strategies to rein in more extremist fellow activists. Narratives often worked to set boundaries on violent activism effectively, but the decline of the movement in the late 1980s was characterized by transgressions into lethal violence and an inability to process or limit these transgressions narratively.

Network Practice of Rare Disease Bloggers and Life Narrative: Take ALS as an Example

As a healing method, narrative is widely concerned by the medical community. The characteristics of "Hyper-temporal", "sharing" and "personalized" of new media provide convenient conditions for the self-performance of rare disease groups and also encourage them to re-choose narrative content and strategies. This paper adopts in-depth interview and text analysis to analyze the network practice and narrative behavior of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) web celebrities. The study found that the online narrative of ALS is not only the life practice of bloggers' self-healing, self-persuasion and self-empowerment, but also their positive response to real family and social responsibilities. At the same time, the online celebrity career of rare disease bloggers reflects their life courses in a certain sense. The social media accounts of rare disease bloggers are an important carrier for them to enrich themselves and place their feelings and expectations, and the continuation of their digital life has brought new philosophical and ethical thinking.

Women-owned businesses and access to finance in Pakistan: a study of perceptions, experiences and behaviors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions, experiences and behaviors of women entrepreneurs and industry professionals in raising finance for women-led businesses and associated problems faced by the women entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative research adopts a narrative inquiry strategy. In-depth interviews are used to collect data from women entrepreneurs and women industry professionals in Pakistan. NVivo qualitative data analysis software is used to organize, analyze and find insights in the qualitative data. Findings This research finds that women entrepreneurs struggle to secure financing for their businesses, and most of them have not been successful in obtaining loans from banks. Women entrepreneurs have relied on various sources of funding, including microfinance banks, grants, personal finance and family members. Some of the barriers to finance attainment for women entrepreneurs include sociocultural inhibitions, lack of awareness and limited information dissemination by financial institutions. Women professionals suggest that entrepreneurs should maintain a bank account, have proper documentation and show dedication to their business to improve their chances of obtaining financing. Research limitations/implications This research provides theoretical contributions and methodological advancements in the study of financial inclusion for women-owned businesses in Pakistan. This research raises awareness about the difficulties women entrepreneurs face when trying to obtain credit from banks and other financial institutions and provides policy recommendations to inform the government about financial inclusion policies and financing policies for women entrepreneurs. Overall, this research contributes to the literature on financial access and access to finance for women-owned businesses in developing countries. Originality/value Based on the vulnerable group theory and theory of discouraged borrower, this paper has two important theoretical and practical implications. First, the findings of this study reveal that the financial services are indifferent to women, and there is a denial of women being vulnerable in the financial system, hence requiring a major policy shift to not portray women as vulnerable, as they will rationally feel risky and prefer to opt out of the financial system. Second, the findings suggest that the issue of access to finance for women is not in the financial services but in the women's capabilities and awareness. Therefore, a policy shift is suggested from “financial services for women” to “capability and awareness of women” to avail and access the current services.

“Un país para volver”: análisis narrativo del Plan de retorno a España

A growing number of governments are introducing initiatives explicitly aimed at stimulating the returnof their emigrants. In Spain, the state launched its first policy for return, the “Plan of Return to Spain”, in 2019. Taking this plan as a case study, the article examines the Spanish policy for return and places it in a broader context, both political and historical, in order to understand the limits and biases of this measure in the face of the diverse profiles of Spanish emigrants. Adopting the narrative policy framework as a theoretical-analytical perspective and content analysis as a methodological tool, the authors of this paper identify that, through the new narrative strategy, a paradigmatic change has been produced in Spain in the way of understanding, from the public sphere, the return of Spanish citizens living abroad.Instead of an assistance-based approach, a neoliberal (instrumental and utilitarian) perspective has been adopted, maintaining, however, a conception of “the return to the country of origin” that is closerto the predominant migratory theories of the 20th century rather than to contemporary social-scientific notions. A tension between the policy narratives of Spain and the European Union in relation to Intra-European mobility, and a gap between the state view and the current migratory realities concerning return in contexts of great economic and labor uncertainty, have also been recognized.

Small business stories in the formation of enterprise policy: a narrative policy analysis of the UK Bolton Committee

AbstractEnterprise policy, which seeks to stimulate start-ups and support small businesses, attracts significant investment from government and shapes the context for entrepreneurs. Researchers have begun to study the processes underlying the formulation of enterprise policy. However, accounts of how competing interests seek to influence enterprise policymaking processes remain rare. Utilising a distinctive approach to narrative entrepreneurship, developed through a narrative policy analysis, we examine archival records of submissions from a range of stakeholders to a UK government inquiry. We develop a narrative entrepreneurship approach that allows us to analyse the stories and broader narratives told by entrepreneurs and others. Our analysis identifies different types of narrative strategy used to develop stories by two competing interest groups: a narrative from small businesses and their representatives and, contesting this, a counternarrative from other stakeholders, including the finance industry, consumer groups and large firms. We analyse how the inquiry engaged with these competing narratives and sought to make them amenable to policymaking through the creation of a simplifying, overarching metanarrative. We demonstrate that, while this metanarrative simplified the uncertain, complex and polarised issue of enterprise policy, it masked and did not resolve the underlying tensions between competing interests.

Gendered Perspectives in Film Narrative Strategies: An Analysis of Storytelling Techniques Centered on Women

This paper explores the narrative strategies employed in film storytelling that are centered on women, examining how these techniques contribute to the portrayal and understanding of gendered perspectives. By analyzing a selection of films, this study seeks to uncover how filmmakers utilize narrative tools to challenge or reinforce traditional gender roles and expectations. The paper also considers the impact of these narrative choices on audience reception and interpretation, highlighting the importance of gender-sensitive storytelling in contemporary cinema.

Peripheral Modernisms and Parody of the Bildungsroman: A Comparative Case Study on Italo Svevo and A. H. Tanpınar

ABSTRACT This article offers a comparative reading of Italo Svevo and Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’s mock-development novels in light of the history of economic development in Italy and Turkey and their trajectories of integration into global capitalism. These authors from the semi-peripheries of Euromodernity employ strikingly similar modernist techniques in order to unsettle the bildungsroman and its humanist ideals. This article argues that the farcical use of psychoanalysis as a thematic attack on the unity of the subject, chronopathology in both form and content, and parody in style, situation, and plot represent peripheral narrative strategies developed as a response to being always already late vis-a-vis the hegemonic core culture. The classical bildungsroman is comically distorted and creatively adapted to the peripheral condition, becoming a key vehicle for reflecting on disintegrated subject positions, temporal shifts, untimely interruptions, and discordances. The form is simultaneously subverted and creatively adapted to the peripheral condition, reflecting the inevitable encounter with the hegemonic culture and the nation-state.

Critiquing Indian Middle‐Class Principles of Mobility: Examining Transgender Representation in Post‐Millennial OTT Media in India

ABSTRACTThis literature review critically examines the need to incorporate critiques of urban, middle‐class, Hindu, upper‐caste mediated regulation of transgender mobility within media analyses of transgender representation in contemporary films and other streaming (OTT) media in India. The essay explores how the real and imagined/narrative mobility of marginalized groups, such as Dalit women, Muslim women, sex workers, and transgender communities, has been historically disciplined by the cultural and political practices of the upper‐caste Hindu middle class family. Material‐discursive practices of this class upper‐caste, middle‐class Hindu family shape and get shaped by gendered and caste‐coded interests of neoliberal productivity and heteropatriarchal respectability, determining the ideal geographies of the city and the relational cartographies of the nation. Films and media also get influenced by and shape these discursive practices by prioritizing a middle‐class sense of place in their worldmaking efforts. The narrative schema of such cultural production designs the movement of characters in such a way that they move in directions considered recognizable, legible and acceptable for the Indian middle class family. The primary aim of this review is to delineate the literature on spatial imaginaries of the middle class family and how the cultural practices of this class imagine and render legible the marginalized, allowing for a critical analysis of the co‐production of middle‐class spatial control and transgender visibility in cultural texts like that of contemporary streaming media. Furthermore, this study explores the emplacement of the marginalized as evident in critiques of representations of Dalit, Muslim, and sex worker communities in Indian cinema, emphasizing the necessity of applying similar analyses to trans representation. This spatially sensitive critique is crucial for understanding transgender struggles in India, highlighting the importance of examining middle‐class spatial imaginaries that shape trans representation and the politics of regulated transgender (im)mobilities.

Women Building the Colonial Archive. Legal Authority, Female Knowledge and Affective Mobility in the Sixteenth-Century Iberian Atlantic World

In the sixteenth century, the transition from medieval unity to an expansionist state brought broader legal access and the bureaucratization of the Spanish Empire, leading to a diversified legal engagement among social groups. This backdrop is crucial in understanding how women from various backgrounds utilized the legal system. The article examines a set of letters (1560-1562) written by a Spanish widow to her son in Mexico and three judicial cases (1552, 1561, 1569) filed by transatlantic white women of different socioeconomic statuses, all seeking economic improvement. Through these examples, the article explores how these women navigated the legal system using what I have called affective mobility in early modernity, employing emotional, rhetorical, and narrative strategies. Their stories, mirroring popular chronicles, challenged the male-dominated legal sphere. The article highlights the prominent role of women in the colonial archive, intertwining their experiences with men’s, demonstrating their use of personal details and honorable depictions for legal and economic benefits.

Implementation of Narrative Essay Learning Strategies for Elementary School Writing Level

Writing narrative essays is one of the language skills that elementary school students must have. The use of interesting methods and media is used to stimulate students to develop narrative essay storylines. Several variations of learning strategies are offered so that students can develop their writing skills. This research aims to analyze learning strategies for writing narrative essays that are suitable for use in elementary schools. This research uses a qualitative method with a case study approach. The population of this research was carried out on class IV students as a data source. Data collection techniques include document analysis, questionnaires, observations and interviews. Based on the research results, the strategies used in learning to write narrative essays are not appropriate. Students have not been able to develop sentences in narrative essays based on the series of pictures presented. Lack of practice and lack of interest in reading are the dominant reasons why students are weak in writing. The implications of this research are can provide new insights for teachers in designing and implementing writing lessons that are more effective and interesting for students. With narrative essay strategies, students can more easily develop their critical thinking skills and creativity through telling personal or imaginative experiences.

Framing Analysis of Iran-Israel’s 2024 Conflict in Kompas.id, Aljazeera.com, and NYTimes.com

This research seeks to explore how the Israel-Iran conflict in April 2024 is framed by the online media Kompas.id, Aljazeera.com, and NYTimes.com. This research aims to investigate how different narratives about the long-standing conflict pertaining to Iran-Israel complex tensions are carried by these media that present distinct geopolitical perspectives. This study uses a qualitative approach employing Robert M. Entman's framing model analysis consisting of four elements: defining the problem, diagnosing causes, making moral judgments, and suggesting solutions. Data was captured from articles written during a specific period in April 2024. Examination may include determining bias, thematic emphases and narrative strategies for each story. It was found that each media outlet had different frames for conflict. Kompas.id tends to take a more neutral approach. Aljazeera.com emphasizes the implications of Middle Eastern geopolitics of the conflict, while NYTmes.com concentrates on the broader international impact as well as the foreign policy interests of America. Such variations are politically and culturally biased according to the diverse media outlets used. This research highlights the biases and priorities reflected in the media report of the geopolitics conflict presented by various media outlets and provides insight into how the conflict is portrayed by the large media.

On a Unique Christian Appropriation of Plato in the Dialogue Ammonius by Zacharias Scholasticus

Abstract This essay investigates the little-known dialogue by Zacharias Scholasticus entitled Ammonius, a philosophical dispute over the creation of the world. It examines in particular Zacharias’ skill in portraying the character of Ammonius, a pagan teacher of philosophy in Alexandria. Even before illustrating his own eternalist theses, which are later refuted by Zacharias, Ammonius is introduced through subtle yet unequivocal allusions as a malus Socrates, i.e. a bad teacher who corrupts young people and alienates them from philosophy, while being well received by the city in which he teaches. This reversal forms the broader plot that runs through the narrative framework of the dialogue, which is based on the borrowing – and inversion – of narrative schemes, mainly from Plato’s Phaedrus. The Ammonius will ultimately be presented as a paradigm of the appropriation of Plato not only on a superficial level (linguistic borrowings, the dialogue form itself), but also on a deeper and more structural level, i.e. as a remarkable case of borrowing Plato’s dramaturgy and irony.

Ecocritical Study: Dwelling Aspect Portrayed in Richard Powers the Overstory

This study aims to explore the human-nature relationship and its environmental impact in Richard Powers’s The Overstory through Greg Garrad’s ecocritical framework, with a particular focus on the concept of Dwelling. Garrad’s theory distinguishes between Georgic, which represents a damaging interaction with nature, and Ecological Indian, which embodies a nurturing approach. This research examines how the novel portrays these contrasting relationships, illustrating how the characters’ connections with nature either contribute to environmental harm or foster preservation. By analyzing the novel through Garrad’s theoretical lens, the study reveals how Powers’s characters confront and mitigate the adverse effects of individuals and corporations on the environment, showcasing the intricate dynamics of human-nature interactions in the context of environmental stewardship. The analysis highlights how the novel’s narrative strategies and character arcs emphasize the critical role of empathy and ecological consciousness in addressing environmental challenges. Furthermore, it underscores the potential for literature to inspire real-world environmental action by reflecting on the complexities of human engagement with the natural world. Through this exploration, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how literary works can shape and influence environmental attitudes and behaviors.