Conflict Narratives Research Articles

Narasi Populer Indonesia Pasca Reformasi: Sebuah Kajian Psikokultural

Studies on Indonesian politics of identity after the reform present discussions on conflict-prone identities. Among them are conflicts based on multiculturalism; such as ethnicity, religion, and the relationship between minorities and majorities. Drawing at the current popular narratives in the written material and movies, this article aims at explaining identity-based conflicts in Indonesia, in particular a group trauma related to identity conflicts in Indonesia. Using psychocultural narrative theory, this article examining various cultural elements of the narratives, such as language, religion, social practice, and music and how it reflects the identity and conflict narrative in Indonesia after the reform. This article suggests that the current popular narratives offers the nuances of 1) bringing the Chinese-Indonesian identity back to the Indonesian political space, 2) presenting a new narratives of the 1965 tragedy using the perspective of the victims, and 3) presenting a narratives on religion based-conflicts.

Narratives of Conflict, Belonging, and the State: Discourse and Social Life in Post-War Ireland. Brigittine French. New York: Routledge, Taylor and Francis, 2018, 124 pp. $150.00, cloth. ISBN 9781138744325.

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsNarratives of Conflict, Belonging, and the State: Discourse and Social Life in Post-War Ireland. Brigittine French. New York: Routledge, Taylor and Francis, 2018, 124 pp. $150.00, cloth. ISBN 9781138744325.Thomas M. WilsonThomas M. WilsonBinghamton University, State University of New York Search for more articles by this author Binghamton University, State University of New YorkPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of Anthropological Research Volume 75, Number 4Winter 2019 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/706031 Views: 29Total views on this site © 2019 by The University of New Mexico. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Conflict narratives and conflict handling strategies in intercultural contexts

Conflict narratives and conflict handling strategies in intercultural contexts

Narratives of Peace and Conflict: A Ghanaian Example of NGO Peacebuilding

Abstract In the Northern region of Ghana in the mid-1990s a coalition of NGOs came together to mediate an end to a large-scale inter-ethnic conflict. This essay develops the theoretical concepts of conflict and peace narratives to show how this process was able to transcend the violence. It also examines how the NGO-mediated negotiations compared and related with concurrent state initiatives. NGO advantage derived from the social capital that these organisations had accumulated through local service provision, and the perceived neutrality of the talks they arranged, highlighting the complex relationships between the provision of services, state resources and conflict resolution effectiveness.

Global streaming platforms and national pay-television markets: a case study of Netflix and multi-channel providers in Israel

ABSTRACTThis research offers a “helicopter view” of the Israeli pay-television market eighteen months after Netflix’s global expansion to complicate the narrative of intractable conflict between subscription video on-demand (SVOD) platforms like Netflix and national television industries. Using data from qualitative interviews with ten industry executives, this article argues that relationships between global SVODs and local television providers are more varied than is widely believed. Israeli multi-channel executives consider Netflix to be an indirect competitor, view Netflix the content distributor as distinct from Netflix the content buyer, and expect Netflix to have little impact on the national market. Ultimately, these industry responses reaffirm the fundamental local-ness of television even as digital technology reshapes the relations between national and global industries.

Rural Waterscape and Emotional Sectarianism in Accounts of Lough Derg, County Donegal

The story of Lough Derg in Ireland’s County Donegal is arranged around clusters of sectarian narratives in juxtaposition, synthesis and conflict. The Sanctuary of Saint Patrick sits on Station Island, a small rocky islet set within the waters of the lake. The site became well known in the early Middle Ages as the place of Saint Patrick’s delving of a cave that led to purgatory, allowing the sinner to experience a glimpse of the torments of hell while still in this life. The island then attracted pilgrims from all over Europe and became embedded into the Catholic literary and spiritual imagination. After the Protestant Ascendency and the Plantation of Ulster began in the seventeenth century, the place became a site of tension and narrative clashes between differing visions of rural place, each with its own spectrum of affect, emotions and ideals. This essay unpacks the resonances of Lough Derg as a site of sectarian narrative by 1) situating the discussion within a distinctly rural context; 2) adding the unique properties of spiritual waterscape to the discussion; and 3) discussing the Irish sectarian narratives and identities arising from the lake and its purgatorial isle. It focuses on a case study of Protestant and establishment accounts of the lake during the nineteenth century, depicting them as internally diverse as well as part of a larger ecology of sectarian contestations. It explores waterscape and its role in influencing community responses to and shaping of place, the manner in which sectarian responses to space are internally diverse, and the manner in which Catholic and Protestant narratives of place have intertwined to shape the lake in the twenty-first century.

When “Best I Can” is Not Enough: Welfare Managers’ Appraisal of Clients’ Mothering Practices

The “mommy wars” are a cultural narrative of conflict between mothers that amplifies the scrutiny placed on mothering practices. While mothers at all social locations face criticisms for their choices surrounding parenting, mothers in poverty lack the resources to enact many socially mandated parenting practices and contend with additional scrutiny through participation in programs like welfare‐to‐work. In this project, I examine the parenting expectations mothers on welfare must navigate. I use 69 semi‐structured interviews with welfare‐to‐work program managers in Ohio from 2010‐2011 to examine which mothering ideologies they encourage and discourage clients to adopt. I find that managers are highly critical of clients’ (perceived) parenting practices and instead promote a combination of intensive mothering and economic nurturing. Managers promote intensive mothering and meeting children's needs—so long as it does not interfere with the work requirements of the program. Economic nurturing simultaneously allows managers to express concern for children and promote clients participating in the work requirements of OWF, implying that work and family needs are aligned and can be met via work.

To Belong or Not to Belong. Affective Self‐Nationalization in Thailand

Through analyzing conflict narratives regarding Khao Phra Wihan, a territorial conflict important for nationalists in Thailand, this article aims to detangle how nationalization is experienced and performed on an individual level. In this article, the concept “affective self‐nationalization” is proposed to analyze the emotional and embodied practices through which individuals fashion themselves into nationalized subjects. In Thailand, self‐nationalization is instigated by the governing agency through repeated, regular, mandatory, public performances of loyalty through which individuals create the nation collectively. These performances create automatic feelings to the nation, establishes national others as fearsome, and rule through the basic human need of belonging. At the same time, individuals’ emotions shape the society through how they decide to perform nationalization. The concept of “affective self‐nationalization” captures the connections between the official nationalizing program of “outside” society in a form of nationalist emotional socialization with individual experience of nationalizing.

A model for assessing the non-linguistic framing of conflict narratives: the case of interpreters in the Libyan warzone 2011

ABSTRACTThe performance of interpreters in wartimes is not always related to language mediation as it, in most cases, exceeds interpreting the performance of extra tasks. This excess increases the significance range of the roles of interpreters in framing the narratives of war zones. In order to examine this work, I have developed a new model (non-linguistic framing), which is developed to fulfil the gap regarding the issue of the framing of narratives in the work of war-zone interpreters. The model discusses the impact of the extra tasks that war-zone interpreters perform, as well as the range of selection they are allowed on framing conflicts on two main non-textual roles, which are (a) interpreters and gatekeeping, and (b) interpreters and suppression. The framework in this paper is based mainly on Mona Baker’s understanding of narrative theory and framing theory and other studies submitted in the field. This article starts by elucidating languages at wars and the need for such a model, briefly explaining the data and the methodology used to collect the data, presenting my developed model, and ending with concluding remarks.

NARASI ZIONISME DALAM KLAIM ATAS YERUSALEM PADA MASA PEMERINTAHAN BENJAMIN NETANYAHU

Zionist narrative constitutes Netanyahu�s policy in Jerusalem. The use of narrative in conflict is important to build worldview either internally or externally to justify their ideological goal. This paper uses Constructivism framework to understand how Netanyahu�s worldview created by that narrative and replicates his worldview by using speech act. This paper uses qualitative interpretive method which focused on how to understand narrative. The objective of this research is to undertand Netanyahu�s position about Jerusalem according to Zionist ideology. I conclude that this conflict will remain as long as Netanyahu in power. It is hard to imagine about the possibility to reach the final agreement about two state solution especially in the most important issue like Jerusalem because the ideology that Netanyahu holds will not allow compromise.

Moral Content in Workplace Conflict

Using moral foundations theory and text analysis tools, two studies were conducted to explore the moral content in workplace conflict accounts. In Study 1, conflict narratives provided by MTurk participants were text-analyzed to uncover moral content differences across the two main types of conflicts–relationship conflict and task conflict. This analysis revealed that relationship conflicts had greater purity language than task conflicts and task conflicts had greater authority language than relationship conflicts. In Study 2, the high purity language in relationship conflict was replicated in a text-analysis of moral foundations words in a sample of 100 passive aggressive notes from the website PassiveAggressiveNotes.com. These studies advance moral content as a key differentiator between task and relationship conflict.

Open conflict as differentiation strategy in geographical indications: the Bitto Rebels case

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how open, mediatised conflict in geographical indications (GIs) can provide the basis for differentiation strategies for heritage producers based on both functional and symbolic benefits.Design/methodology/approachLongitudinal case study based on multiple data sources, which reconstructs the history of the Bitto GIs and the conflict between the Protected Designation of Origin Bitto Consortium and a small number of heritage Bitto producers.FindingsThe paper highlights how the mediatised narration of conflict can contribute to raise consumer awareness, differentiate products and result in symbolic value creation.Research limitations/implicationsExtreme case study design purposively chosen as characterised by conditions likely to accentuate conflict.Practical implicationsThe paper develops a conceptual framework that permits to identify the potential for conflict inside GIs. It also contributes to a better understanding of the image of products protected by GIs and the role played by heritage producers. It also offers practical advice on two promotional tools, namely, trade fair participations and experiential showcases.Social implicationsThe paper offers practical advice on the safeguarding of small producers localised in cultural epicentres inside GIs.Originality/valueThe authors introduce the notions, such as competitive wars and secession, that contribute to a better understanding of centripetal/centrifugal forces inside GIs. The authors also propose a better understanding of image creation of GIs, grounded in cultural work in marketing and consumer research.

Muslim Women in Contemporary Indonesia: Online Conflicting Narratives behind the Women Ulama Congress

ABSTRACTRecently, Indonesian Muslim women successfully convened the world’s first congress of women Muslim scholars (KUPI). This is only one segment of the story of Indonesian Muslim women. There are many narratives regarding Indonesian Muslim women and their diverse agenda. This article focuses on what has been brought by KUPI into a broader discussion of Islam in Indonesia. Drawing on intermittent offline research predominantly conducted in Jakarta and online research from 2017 to 2018, this article argues that KUPI, with its symbolic preferences, has strengthened the voices of civil Islam in Indonesia. KUPI has productively generated global attention due to its progressive emphasis that women can be ulama. However, there are other women’s voices of Islam and gender that are robust, particularly due to their rigorous use of information and communication technology. At the same time, this might be seen as promoting conservatism. Within the local context, this ideological position that is contrary to KUPI has gained more traction. Additionally, this article argues that progressive and conservative Indonesian Muslim women feature not only in the democratic pluralism of religious expression in the Indonesian offline and online spheres but also in the ongoing intricate interplay between Islam, civil society and gender equality.

Controversies of Historical Narratives of Conflicts: The Israeli Case Regaridng the Palestinian Refugee Problem

Collective memory of intractable conflicts significantly influences these conflicts. It is composed of the historical narratives of the conflicts, narratives which are often addressed in controversies regarding their accuracy and use. These controversies significantly affect the extent to which these narratives are adopted in the given society/country. To date, however, many theoretical aspects of such controversies have not been addressed in the literature and this also holds true for empirical features of historical controversies in Israel with regard to the Israeli-Arab/Palestinian (“conflict”). This article addresses these shortcomings. Methodologically, the article uses content analysis of publications and interviews with key people in the institutions that produced these publications. Empirically, the article for the first time assembles all the main historical controversies taking place in Israel from 1949 to 2004 with regard to the major historical event in the conflict: the Nakba/1948 Palestinian exodus (“exodus”). Additionally, empirically, and theoretically, the article offers these contributions: a typology of controversies (inter- vs. intra-group, societal vs. state, public vs. private, and public – concrete vs. general), a description of their four aspects (historical, instrumental, interpretational and methodological), a discussion of controversy consequences, and a description of the factors that determine their importance in the memory realm.

On the shock of civil war: cultural trauma and national identity in Finland and Ireland

AbstractWhat role does national identity play after civil war? Is reconstruction possible on the basis of an existing identity, or does a new identity have to be found? Much depends on whether narratives of conflict are unifying. I use the tools of cultural sociology to explain why the Finnish Civil War of 1918 has become a unifying ‘cultural trauma’ for the Finns, whereas the Irish Civil War of 1922–23 never became the dominant referent in Irish national identity. The difference is explained by the greater shock civil war posed to Finnish national identity.

What keeps diaspora from contributing to peace processes? Exploring diaspora online narratives of homeland conflict

ABSTRACTPolitically active diaspora are increasingly recognized as key stakeholders in homeland peace processes, driven in large part by the globalization of communication technologies. Previous research has identified ways that diaspora contribute to peace processes in their countries of origin, or foment conflict. This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature regarding factors that influence diaspora contributions using Rwanda as a case study. Status posts from public and anonymous Facebook and Twitter accounts of self-identified Rwandan diaspora living in the Global North. Thematic analysis and methods drawn from virtual ethnography revealed several themes that were consistent with the literature on conflict-generated diaspora typology related to ethnic identity, ethnic reconciliation, victim status and motivations framed in human rights terms. The results highlight several dynamics that can potentially serve as barriers to diaspora positive engagement, as well as the enduring nature of ethnic conflict.

School Choice and Conflict Narratives: Representative Bureaucracy at the Street Level in East Jerusalem

In representative bureaucracy research, the dominant view holds that passive representation leads to active representation. Much of the research to date has focused on the conditions that influence this process. In this research, we argue that more attention needs to be paid to the manifestation of active representation, rather than simply its presence. We find that although passive representation may indeed lead to active representation, the nature of this active representation is interpreted differently by those sharing a primary identity. We use the lens of representative bureaucracy theory, and Q Methodology, to understand how street-level bureaucrats in East Jerusalem use their discretion within the education system of a contested society.

Itineraries of Conflict in Arundhati Roy’sWalking with the Comrades

AbstractThis article studies the depiction of indigenous struggles against the grab of minerals, crude oil, and other natural resources by private and government corporations in works such as Arundhati Roy’s travel essay “Walking with the Comrades” (2010). Roy’s narrative of her journey across the dense forests of Bastar in east-central India re-articulates the significance of this contested environmental space from the perspective of the region’s indigenous minorities. Traveling with a troop of indigenous rebels hailing from the Gond, Halba, and Muria communities for more than two weeks, Roy describes their armed struggle to a global English audience. Exploring Roy’s role both as an itinerant narrator and a global cultural mediator, the author argues that descriptive accounts of travel through contested zones of extraction can foster a vocabulary of resistance that the author calls an itinerary of conflict. Drawing from Michel de Certeau’s conception of the tour as a descriptive approach to space, the author posits the itinerary of conflict as a spatial trope produced in Roy’s essay when the writer’s embodied travel narrative is inflected by indigenous journeys and spatial practices, such as marches across contested zones and ritual processions to sacred sites. Itineraries of conflict enact a semiotic and political resistance to resource grabs conducted by state agencies and powerful corporations, exemplified by the usurpation of tribal lands rich in iron ore, coal, and other minerals in Chhattisgarh state. Further, itineraries of conflict emphasize the embodied presence of indigenous communities and their activists in areas demarcated for the extraction of minerals, timber, and other resources in the face of continued armed conflict or toxic pollution. More broadly, the author suggests that narratives of conflict over the extraction of natural resources can be studied as the corpus of “resource conflict literature,” thus generating a global comparative framework for the study of contemporary indigenous struggles.

Challenges to Traditional Narratives of Intractable Conflict Decrease Ingroup Glorification.

Conflict narratives are cornerstones of group identity, but often facilitate violence by framing the group's actions in ways that foster defensive forms of group identification (i.e., glorification). Three experiments tested whether alternative narratives inclusive of the ingroup's and the adversarial group's suffering can reduce glorification. Israeli Jews (Study 1) and Americans (Study 2) reported less glorification after reading inclusive narratives rather than narratives that dismiss the outgroup's suffering. Study 3 found that through reducing glorification, inclusive narratives indirectly weakened support for retributive justice and militaristic policies and strengthened support for reconciliation. These effects were specific to people high in both (preexisting) glorification and attachment-people identified by prior research as the strongest supporters of violent approaches to conflict. These findings suggest that alternative narratives can reduce glorification by challenging the myopic focus of traditional conflict narratives on ingroup victimization, helping societies move beyond intractable conflict toward lasting peace.

Civic Space and Sectarianism in the Gulf States: The Dynamics of Informal Civil Society in Kuwait and Bahrain beyond State Institutions

AbstractThe two small, multi‐sectarian Arab Gulf countries of Kuwait and Bahrain present two cases of the relationship between regimes and the everyday dynamics of sectarianism, offering both significant similarities and differences. In this article we focus on the role of informal spaces in amplifying or negating regime narratives of sectarianism. Both countries have a tradition of parliaments, which in both cases, however, have lost credibility among their citizens. Instead, informal spaces have become important, but they have come to be so in different ways in relation to the specific regime rhetoric of sectarianism: in Bahrain the regime promotes a sectarian narrative of political conflict, which is countered at the societal level, whereas in Kuwait, while the regime sees itself as cross‐sectarian, Kuwaiti society has become increasingly sectarianized. Relating this focus on informal spaces to a discussion of the ideological state apparatus (ISA), we provide a theoretical model for how this can be analyzed on a more general level, contributing to recent discussions of grassroots and non‐formal activism.