Narrow Conception Research Articles

The Virtual World of Pynchon’s Fabulation: Against the Day Lit World

Adapting Deleuze’s conceptualization of the virtual, this study shows that Against the Day intends to undermine our narrow conception of reality by surpassing the actualities of the known world. In the darkness of the novel, “the virtual” lurks; the novel is a travel against the day, against the actual world to an actual-virtual world, toward “the nights” which “will be dark enough for whatever visions must transpire across them, no longer to be broken into by light” (Pynchon, 2006, 1083). Indeed, the presence of mysterious, paranormal, and magical events (such as the uncanny tales of ghosts, séances, visions, hallucinations, and other-dimensional interventions) along with actual events functions as a defiant modus operandi against the actual-oriented, secular Western Philosophy. That is, through virtual occurrences, lines of flight are created (from the real/actual) offering alternative systems of looking at the world.

Expanding Research on Working Women More Globally: Identifying and Remediating Current Blindspots

AbstractDespite numerous calls for more culturally diverse research on women and work, research continues to predominantly study Western and developed countries. In this article, we summarize 10 critical blindspots in existing research. These 10 blind spots are (1) a narrow conceptualization of what work means, (2) limited access to educational and training opportunities, (3) underexamined barriers to employment, (4) pay inequities and unpaid work, (5) disparate views of sexual harassment and its acceptability in the workplace, (6) gender‐based discrimination in the work environment, (7) an absence in addressing menstrual‐related issues that impede women's success, (8) unaddressed issues with a work‐life interface, (9) a lack of support for working parents, and (10) a lack of legal protection for working women. We define what these issues are, what research exists, and why these blind spots are necessary to address in order to understand women at work across global contexts. We discuss how the research published in this issue of the Journal of Social Issues addresses some of these topics, and suggest how research can continue to advance our knowledge.

Multi-stakeholder collaboration for the governance of water supply in Wolkite, Ethiopia

To maximize the values of water, there is an increasing understanding that good management of the technical and non-technical aspects of water supply requires the active collaboration of stakeholders. However, little research exists that covers the social aspects of water supply governance. This qualitative exploratory study explored the collaboration of stakeholders in governing water supply in the urban context in Wolkite Town. Using interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis, the study thematically explored the reasons for weak collaboration among stakeholders in governing water supply and the ways of improving it. It shows that although there are some forms of cooperation between some stakeholders, the governance arrangement is monopolized by a few sectors. This has become the bureaucratic origin for the lack of smooth communication, emergence of conflict, narrow conception of water supply, and lack of mutual understanding. A framework that rearranges the existing governance pattern has to incorporate the principles of decentralization of responsibility, the formation of intermediary organizations, and the integration of water supply with broader urban sustainability programs.

Beyond the beach: Tradeoffs in tourism and recreation at the first offshore wind farm in the United States

Despite the growth of offshore wind energy and concerns that projects will harm tourism and recreation, there is a lack of empirical research on the effects of operating wind farms on tourism and recreation. The existing literature tends to treat tourists and recreationists as a monolithic group, focused almost entirely on beachgoers. Further, research regarding offshore wind energy and tourism puts forth a narrow conception of tourists, concerned primarily with a natural seascape. The 30-MW Block Island Wind Farm, the first offshore wind farm in the United States, is located offshore an iconic tourism destination and provides a laboratory for understanding interactions between offshore wind energy and the tourism and recreation sectors. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study through which tourism and recreation professionals and participants met in focus groups to discuss experiences with and observations of this project. Analysis revealed diverse viewpoints and largely positive encounters; though, some negative impacts were identified, and participants weighed project costs and benefits. Perspectives were shaped, in part, by experiences with the planning process. Visual impacts were a major concern; however, most participants described the project’s appearance in neutral or positive terms. Overall, the wind farm is functioning as an attractant, either as a novel sight or as a recreational fishing destination. Participants felt the wind farm should be promoted for tourism but cautioned that interest may be short-lived and there may be less support for larger offshore developments. Findings support tourism and recreation sector engagement throughout offshore wind project planning and operation.

Incommensurability, Social Practices and Moral Dilemmas: A Rejoinder to Heidi Hurd’s Anti-Perspectivalism

El documento critica el rechazo de Hurd al perspectivalismo relacionado con los roles sobre los deberes morales. La noción de incomensurabilidad de valores de Raz se utiliza para desafiar la tesis de la correspondencia, según la cual la justificación de una acción determina la justificación de permitir o impedir esta acción. En contra de la reconstrucción hohfeldiana de Hurd de elecciones inconmensurables como “libertades” que “carecen de cualquier tipo de valor moral”, el argumento destaca el significado moral del hecho de que la elección entre opciones inconmensurables sigue siendo acción por una razón. La inconmensurabilidad se explica, pues, como consecuencia de la dependencia social de los valores con respecto a las prácticas sociales y del papel constitutivo de las convenciones en la configuración de las relaciones sociales, los proyectos personales, los objetivos y las responsabilidades que los definen. Se argumenta que la gravedad del problema del perspectivalismo para Hurd se debe a su estrecha concepción de la moral y que es superior una concepción más amplia que integre las obligaciones hacia los demás con los requisitos de la integridad personal. Los objetivos, relaciones y proyectos del agente participan en el razonamiento moral, ya que la inconmensurabilidad de valores que posibilitan es necesaria para el pluralismo de valores y la autonomía personal. El argumento concluye sugiriendo que una concepción no positivista e interpretativista de la práctica jurídica, aunque reconozca el combate moral residual, reduciría su ocurrencia y relevancia.

The DUP and the European Union: from contestation to conformance and back again …

ABSTRACT The UK’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) has revealed the ways in which the logic of European unity conflicts fundamentally with the very particular understandings of the UK Union at the heart of the political identity of Northern Ireland’s largest political party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). This article maps the changes in the relationship between the DUP and the EU over time, charting the party’s developing approach to European integration as one defined first by confrontation, then increasing (although incomplete) apparent accommodation, and latterly to renewed hostility as Brexit became an issue of increasing and immediate consequence. By locating this study within the broader theoretical and comparative literature on nationalist/regionalist parties’ strategies towards the EU, we note that the DUP stands as an outlier relative to other small ethno-nationalist parties. We conclude that despite recent, apparently ‘liberalising’ trends (in part driven by involvement with EU institutions) DUP unionism, unlike the ideologies of regionalist parties in other parts of Europe, has remained stubbornly more ‘ethnic’ and exclusionary than integrationist or ‘civic’ in nature, and continues to rest ultimately on a narrow and particular conception of sovereignty which is perceived to be threatened by ‘ever closer Union’ at a European level.

Rethinking Post-Rana Plaza Transnational Labour Governance

This Article critically analyzes a number of innovative initiatives that had been taken to ensure the safety of ready-made garment (RMG) factory workers in Bangladesh and proposes ideas about transnational labour governance. After the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, these transnational safety initiatives (TSIs) offered a promising way to address some of the adverse distributional effects of the globalized forms of production by engaging a myriad of forces, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), the national government, corporate brands/retailers, and international and national trade unions. Despite broad commitments to address an urgent regulatory issue like labour safety, this Article shows how these governance mechanisms, which attempted to link labour governance with trade/economic arrangements, uphold the existing narrow conceptualizations of labour right and labour issues. Utilizing insights from different disciplines, i.e. labour law, human rights and international development, this Article examines how context-based attention to labour’s capability enhancement objective would produce a much more compelling governance mechanism at a transnational level. The proposed governance model would accommodate a wider conceptualizations of labour and labour rights, require a stronger form of corporate responsibility, and emphasize labourers’ political empowerment. The Article does not discard the necessity of state-based actions and regulations. However, realizing the globalized nature of production and its influence on workers and work conditions, this Article calls for re-thinking the ways labour governance mechanisms are designed in transnational settings. Analyzing the interaction of diverse rules, governance processes and mechanisms with the demands of marginalized forces, i.e. the labourers, this Article attempts to outline a possible alternative to the global hegemony of capital.

Exploring the Dynamics of Social Networks in Urban Informal Settlements: the Case of Mathare Valley, Kenya

This paper pilots a different approach to the study of informal settlements, typically conceived as chaotic, disorganised and lacking social cohesion. We provide a different reading of social life in an informal settlement. While its social life may be different from other parts of the urban metropolis, its social relations are not absent. Through the use of network theory, we will demonstrate that social relations in settlements have developed a considerable level of complexity. Using the case study of Mathare Valley, an informal settlement in Nairobi, we explore the dynamics of social networks with the aim of providing a more integrated understanding of life in slums. Based on survey data, focus groups/workshops and interviews, we established that residents depend on a network of strong, highly familial ties. Life is typically defined by neighbourhood bonds and friendship. This structure underpins the development of referral systems to access services and find work. The settlement has a syncretic governance structure made up of governmental and self-styled leaders who act as gatekeepers to varying degrees. We geo-coded data to conduct a more detailed social network analysis, which revealed the positive attributes of networking as opportunities for innovation and forming weaker ties within and beyond the settlement. The negative aspects of strong ties lead to the exclusion of more vulnerable residents. In conclusion, we propose the social networks approach as essential in understanding informal settlements. A holistic understanding of informal settlements will not only overcome narrow conceptions but may also encourage networked thinking for urban planning and design.

Human dimensions of marine protected areas and small-scale fisheries management: A review of the interpretations

Scientists and managers increasingly recognize the need to address the human dimensions (HD) of planning and managing marine systems, but it remains unclear what these dimensions entail. This paper presents an analysis of the state of the art of interpretations and uses of the term HD in the context of marine protected areas (MPA) and small-scale fisheries (SSF). Based on previously established descriptors, including the coexistence of MPAs and SSFs, we conduct a literature review of 92 peer-reviewed papers. Thirty-five components of HD are categorized into five categories: governance, economic, cultural, political and social. Despite multiple interpretations, the notion of HD has a specific meaning that involves attitudes, perceptions, beliefs and preferences and indicates different human uses and compliance (or lack of compliance) with conservation rules. We find that the number of papers published per year has generally been increasing, and most papers are found in journals related to natural sciences. The low incidence of these studies in human and social science journals may generate an imbalance since themes such as gender or poverty, are scarce. Overly narrow conceptions can create blind spots that reinforce command and control approaches despite the emergence of holistic approaches. Despite the inevitable overlap among some themes, these 35 components of HD can be used as variables and as a starting point to guide managers and researchers. A precise definition of HD and its components can also support the embodiment of international guidelines, policies and management regulations into decision-making arenas and management tools.

Testing the factor validity of the Referee Self-Efficacy Scale (REFS) in non-invasion sports officials

Officials occupy an essential role in sport, and one that is beginning to be recognized in the research literature. One growing area of research on officials is officiating efficacy, or refficacy. Previous research includes a conceptualization of the construct and an operational definition that has been supported with respect to factor structure and other psychometric properties. However, the samples that have supported the validity and reliability of the scale have reflected a narrow conceptualization of officiating; samples have been dominated by interactor officials in invasion sports, such as football and basketball. The current study was designed to assess the psychometric properties of the REFS with a sample of monitor and reactor officials. A sample of 174 officials from monitor sports such as wrestling, tennis and figure skating completed the REFS. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported Myers et al [1] four-factor model. The data also showed strong internal consistency and gender differences that are consistent with other research on efficacy in sport. These results show that the REFS is a valid and reliable measure for a heterogeneous and widely representative sample of sport officials. Research utilizing this measurement is encouraged in a variety of contexts and on a variety outcomes

From Gegenstand to Gegenstehenlassen: On the Meanings of Objectivity in Heidegger and Hegel

ABSTRACT One of Heidegger’s enduring concerns was to develop an original meditation on the meaning of (the presence of) the present. Integral to this attempt is his critique of the understanding of the being of beings in terms of the objectivity of the object. In this paper, I trace Heidegger’s analyses of objectivity, through which Heidegger consistently establishes objectivity as non-primordial and derivative. In order to do this, however, Heidegger had to identify a specific, narrow (spatio-temporalized) conception of objectivity (in terms of Gegenstehenlassen and Vorstellen) as the hallmark of modern philosophy. I show that it is unclear whether that conception is a justified result or rather an unjustified presupposition of his approach. I then suggest what meanings of objectivity might be lost after Heidegger, by pointing to several aspects of Hegel’s notion of objectivity that are incompatible with Heidegger’s account, to wit: the lack of ‘subject-object’-terminology in his definitions of objectivity; the special language of ‘forms of’ objectivity; Hegel’s critique of representation; his notion of Gegenstand as a content with a categorical form, and, finally, that Aristotle’s notion of hypokeimenon might provide a clue as to how Hegel’s notion of object can be understood.

Status of Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in Nepal

Background: Although there has been a significant interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in recent years, there is lack of adequate studies regarding the status of CSR practices in Nepal. The existing studies generally suffer from the narrow conceptualization of CSR, focus on selected companies or industry sector only and from the relatively small sample size.
 Objectives: This paper aims to identify the status of CSR practices in the Nepalese context.
 Methods: This study uses questionnaire survey method by taking a sample of 168 listed companies of Nepal representing diverse industry sectors. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANNOVA and t-test have been used to analyze the collected data.
 Results: The overall status of CSR practices in Nepal is above the moderate level. The most common CSR practices in Nepal relate to corporate governance as well as customers whereas the least common CSR practices include environment and community related activities. Likewise, level of CSR practices is significantly higher among large firms compared to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). However, there is no significant difference on the status of CSR practices between banking sector and non-banking sector firms.
 Conclusions: While the overall status of CSR practices in Nepal is above the moderate level, Nepalese companies are not paying adequate attention on community and environment related issues. The results also indicate that size of the firm tend to affect the level of CSR practices in the Nepalese context though the difference on CSR practices between small and medium sized firms is not statistically significant.
 Implications: The government and policy makers may consider giving tax exemption or any other clearly spelled out incentives particularly to the environment and community related CSR activities. Likewise, managers and other stakeholders including the government may focus on identifying and overcoming the barriers for CSR practices among SMEs in Nepal.

Using Sense-Making Moments to Understand How Elementary Teachers’ Interactions Expand, Maintain, or Shut Down Sense-making in Science

Eliciting, noticing, and responding to students’ sense-making is important for advancing students’ understanding and fostering meaningful participation in science. By sense-making, we mean wrestling with ideas, language, experiences, and perspectives in a community to figure out how and why the world works. In the bustle of an elementary classroom, noticing and productively responding to the seemingly disorderly processes of sense-making presents challenges for teachers. Further, sense-making interactions are especially consequential for racially, linguistically and culturally minoritized youth whose ways of knowing are more expansive than the narrow conceptions of science present in schools. One core challenge for supporting sense-making in classrooms has been understanding the nature of these complex, dynamic, and multi-faceted interactions. To address this challenge, we analyzed videos of classroom sense-making interactions along with teachers’ reflections about those interactions to focus on sense-making moments or the composite set of moments called episodes. Doing so enabled us to understand pedagogical moves, responses and resources that were leveraged in sense-making interactions as well as how teachers interpreted those moments. It also enabled us to determine characteristics of those interactions that expanded, maintained, or shut down opportunities for sense-making. We illustrate these findings using three cases chosen from a larger multiple studies research project with early career and experienced elementary teachers. These three nuanced cases deepen our collective understanding of complex sense-making interactions in elementary classrooms by offering alternative analysis of sense-making interactions and their consequences on future sense-making. For example, while one sense-making episode initially appeared chaotic, pedagogical moves to incorporate emergent ideas into the science narrative and challenging and connecting ideas moved toward expanding opportunities for sense-making. Unpacking sense-making moments is critical for understanding the nature and consequences of sense-making moments as well as how to better support teachers in providing sense-making opportunities for all students in science.

“What am I going to be like when I'm that age?”: How older volunteers anticipate ageing through home visiting

Volunteering is promoted as a way to improve wellbeing for older people as well as providing needed community services. Although there is evidence that volunteering is beneficial, there is less recognition of the ways that volunteering reflects and reinforces what it means to be an older person. Many older people volunteer for organisations that serve older people, which makes ageing particularly salient in these roles. Expectations that older people volunteer in later life can promote narrow conceptualisations of a valued identity which play out in these volunteer interactions. Using in-depth qualitative interviews with volunteer visitors, we identified five rhetorical strategies used to negotiate the unknown territory of ageing and anticipate future ageing identities: refusing certain ageing futures, asserting that a positive attitude is available to all regardless of health, suggesting that there has never been a better time to be old, viewing themselves as uniquely knowledgeable about the experience of ageing, and anticipating being a good recipient of later life services. Using these strategies, volunteer visitors positioned themselves as prepared for their ageing futures by their volunteering experiences. These strategies are likely to influence the experience of receiving visiting services as well as the volunteers' ability to accommodate future vulnerability. Understanding the impact of these rhetorical strategies will support the development of volunteering opportunities that are beneficial for the volunteers and considerate towards service recipients.

Conflict in abundance and peacebuilding in scarcity: Challenges and opportunities in addressing climate change and conflict

Over the past decade, academic and policy communities have given significant attention to the potential connections between climate change and conflict (climate-conflict). While the degree to which climate change alters conflict outcomes remains a topic of considerable debate in academic communities, policy organizations are already being tasked with incorporating climate-conflict into policy and programming. This article investigates how climate-conflict discourses inform development policy and, in turn, how the structures of development enable or constrain institutions’ ability to address climate-conflict priorities. Drawing upon mixed-methods and multi-sited data collection, including nine months of participant observation, interviews, a survey of local government officials, and a document review, I investigated the ways in which development practitioners seek to address climate-conflict. Data collection focused on two particular programs being implemented by Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian and development NGO, in Karamoja, Uganda, a region emerging from a period of violent conflict manifesting largely between ethnically defined pastoralist groups. In examining how the wider discourses of climate-conflict inform these programs, I demonstrate why there exists such a wide disparity between the demand for development programming that addresses the conflict risks of climate change and the distinct lack of clarity regarding what such programming might entail. More specifically, I identify the following overlapping challenges facing development agencies seeking to address climate-conflict: complex spatial scales across disconnected geographies, imprecise and limiting discursive framings, and challenges related to program governance. In addition to identifying these barriers, I also demonstrate that clearer paths for development intervention emerge when the narrow conceptualizations of climate-conflict are widened beyond climate change’s role as a driver of conflict or ‘threat multiplier’.

The Temptation of Data-Enabled Surveillance: Are Universities the Next Cautionary Tale?

There is increasing concern about “surveillance capitalism,” whereby for-profit companies generate value from data, while individuals are unable to resist (Zuboff 2019). Non-profits using data-enabled surveillance receive less attention. Higher education institutions (HEIs) have embraced data analytics, but the wide latitude that private, profit-oriented enterprises have to collect data is inappropriate. HEIs have a fiduciary relationship to students, not a narrowly transactional one (see Jones et al, forthcoming). They are responsible for facets of student life beyond education. In addition to classrooms, learning management systems, and libraries, HEIs manage dormitories, gyms, dining halls, health facilities, career advising, police departments, and student employment. HEIs collect and use student data in all of these domains, ostensibly to understand learner behaviors and contexts, improve learning outcomes, and increase institutional efficiency through “learning analytics” (LA). ID card swipes and Wi-Fi log-ins can track student location, class attendance, use of campus facilities, eating habits, and friend groups. Course management systems capture how students interact with readings, video lectures, and discussion boards. Application materials provide demographic information. These data are used to identify students needing support, predict enrollment demands, and target recruiting efforts. These are laudable aims. However, current LA practices may be inconsistent with HEIs’ fiduciary responsibilities. HEIs often justify LA as advancing student interests, but some projects advance primarily organizational welfare and institutional interests. Moreover, LA advances a narrow conception of student interests while discounting privacy and autonomy. Students are generally unaware of the information collected, do not provide meaningful consent, and express discomfort and resigned acceptance about HEI data practices, especially for non-academic data (see Jones et al. forthcoming). The breadth and depth of student information available, combined with their fiduciary responsibility, create a duty that HEIs exercise substantial restraint and rigorous evaluation in data collection and use.

Value-talk after terrorism: articulating a united ‘we' and a divided ‘us'

ABSTRACT Whether Muslim immigrants can adapt to Western values is a recurring theme in European contestation over diversity. Yet, a review of literature that engages with ‘values’ in studies of race, ethnicity, and nationalism reveals a dominant and narrow conceptualisation: values as core trait of groups. This conceptualisation reinforces an idea that values mark strict boundaries between homogenous and dichotomous ‘us’ and ‘them’. ‘Values’ figure particularly prominently in post-terror public debates. An analysis of value-talk after the 2011 terror attacks in Norway shows a prevailing narrative of value-based unity: an enlarged ‘we’ that supersedes ethnic and religious divisions. Simultaneously, the post-terror setting shows an ‘us’ articulated in contrast to the extremist Other who attacks ‘our values’, the immigrant Other that threatens those ‘values’, and the multiculturalist Other who fails to protect them. Drawing on well-known insights on the complex dynamics of racial, ethnic, and national relations, this article untangles the variability in ‘us’ and ‘them’ articulated through value-talk. It thus challenges widely accepted approaches to values as core traits that divide cultural or political groups. Instead, it brings attention to how value-talk works as expressions of multiple and changing constellations of ‘we’, ‘us’, and ‘them’ in contestation over diversity.

Knowledge That Changes Social Work Practice

There is continuing interest in the relationship between knowledge and practice in social work. Overly narrow conceptualizations of the EBP model deepened the gap between practice knowledge and formal research evidence in the profession. While much has been written about the dissemination and adaptation of research findings to practice, much less is known about the actual sources of knowledge social workers draw on in their practice. This paper reports findings from an exploratory survey about the sources and content of knowledge that changed professional practice among social work field instructors (n=250) in St. Louis. An analysis of open-ended responses revealed that co-workers and continuing education programs are the most important sources for knowledge and information that influence practice. While academic journals are perceived by practitioners to be relatively unimportant sources for such knowledge, research findings on the background and effectiveness of interventions, make up the primary content that appears to affect social work practice. The findings suggest that formal research knowledge is important but that it is primarily accessed through professional networks and training programs instead of directly from peer-reviewed journals. Social media platforms seemed to be insignificant sources for professional knowledge. These insights raise important questions about how social workers use social media and the role of occupational networks and associations for the dissemination of research findings. Finally, our findings suggest that agencies and researchers think more purposefully about the infusion of knowledge into practice through opportunities for professional socialization, the use of research briefs, and open-access, peer-reviewed journals.

Distributing Responsibility

Distributing Responsibility

Ǧviḷ̕ás and Snəwayəɬ: Indigenous Laws, Economies, and Relationships with Place Speaking to State Extractions

A discussion about Indigenous economies, governance, and laws begins with relationships. These relationships are centered in a place, a traditional territory, and include responsibilities towards that place. Such a relational approach to Indigenous economies is in conflict with capitalist modes of extraction and the settler Canadian court’s narrow conception of the duties of “consultation and accommodation” as the state’s primary responsibility when an activity or project will infringe Aboriginal rights in a traditional territory. The purpose of this article is to explore the conflict between Indigenous economies and state-sponsored extraction drawing on the experience of two Indigenous nations in British Columbia, Canada—the Heiltsuk and Tsleil-Waututh Nations—who are upholding their relationship with their traditional territories through the assertion of jurisdiction. The Heiltsuk continue to challenge the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ permitting commercial herring fisheries, and have dealt with a marine diesel spill using their own legal processes. The Tsleil-Waututh are opposing the construction of another fossil fuel pipeline in their territory that would increase tanker traffic in the habitat of endangered orcas by seven hundred percent by conducting their own assessment of the project based on Coast Salish law. These exercises of jurisdiction demonstrate relations with and responsibilities towards these Nations’ traditional territories that underscore ecosystem health and wellbeing as the foundation of Indigenous economies. While these examples effectively demonstrate the Nations’ responsibility towards their territories, the regimes of state-sponsored extractions require radical reformulation to be able to engage relational processes of consent.