National Narratives Research Articles

Unearthing Identity: the Role of Archaeology in Shaping English National Identity and Heritage Interpretation

ABSTRACT This study examines the significant impact of archaeology on English national identity and heritage interpretation, focusing on key sites like Stonehenge, Sutton Hoo, and Hadrian’s Wall. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we analyze how archaeological discoveries shape national narratives, emphasizing continuity, rootedness, and cultural uniqueness. Through qualitative methods, including interviews and focus groups, we find that public perceptions of these sites highlight themes of engagement, inclusivity, and the need for more comprehensive interpretations. Our results reveal that archaeological interpretations evolve with societal values and political agendas, often reinforcing or challenging notions of national identity. This study underscores the dynamic relationship between archaeology, nationalism, and cultural memory, advocating for a more inclusive and nuanced approach to heritage management and public engagement.

Becoming Austrian, Becoming European? Supranationalism in the Habsburg South in an Age of Emerging Nationalisms: The Comparative Relevance of Trieste

Between 1848 and 1867, at a time that is often considered to be central to Italian, German, and Slavic nation building, the Habsburg port city of Trieste witnessed a significant immigration from throughout Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. While the historiography of the city has focused on the Triestine entrepreneurial class, understandably described as cosmopolitan, little research has been conducted on the rest of the urban population, too often seen as polarized along distinct national affiliations. This article argues that such national allegiances are anachronistic and that ‘vulgar cosmopolitanism’, national indifference, dynastic patriotism, and urban and regional allegiances better define the lived experiences of the majority of the population. Archival material, the applications for Austrian naturalization that thousands of foreigners submitted in the period studied here, shows the intense inter-ethnic engagement of those people who did not belong to the cosmopolitan trading community, who often proved to be insensitive to nationalist agitation and unaware of the existence of ‘nations’. This study of Habsburg Trieste at the time of nation building in Central and Southern Europe provides further elements that refute standard national narratives and classic interpretations of the development of nationalism. It also offers comparative evidence for global cities that have been integrated into mono-national states or have managed to avoid such integrational efforts.

Figurative Narratives in Political Blogging: Linguocognitive Perspective

Introduction. Recent years have seen a significant shift towards the pervasive use of figurative narratives in mediated political communication. Narrative practices, previously analyzed exclusively within the framework of literary theory, have become a kind of «language games» of modern politicians in their communication with potential voters and opponents, debates and intricate negotiation processes. The article analyzes figurative narratives of the English- and German-speaking political blogs as a powerful linguistic-cognitive tool for mediated political communication. The purpose of the paper is deep semantic analysis of figurative narratives of political blogs, which, as the authors claim, is a promising direction of research due to the narrative nature of human reasoning. The paper argues that the skillful use of figurative narrative practices based on archetypical plots and cultural references makes it possible to manipulate the consciousness of the electorate to achieve political goals.Methodology and sources. Methodologically, the study is based on the cognitive-discursive approach to narrative analysis and the basic principles of the neural theory of language and metaphor.Results and discussion. Pointing to the manipulative effect of metaphorical framing in narrative, the authors attempt to present a holistic view of narrative as a tool for the formation of political views. The study is based on the premise that narrative employs the rich structure of human representations of events and actions, and the type of metaphor promoted in the narrative affects human understanding of events and the adoption of certain positions on an important public issue by readers of political blogs. The set of metaphors, politicians use, forms a special type of cultural narrative, which the authors interpret as an extended metaphorical narrative.Conclusion. Summarizing the effects of using metaphorically framed narratives in politics, the authors conclude that the narrative communication strategy in political blogging is a targeted impact on a communication partner by referring to various narrative plots; the modification or transformation of the potential and diversity of political narratives, as well as their effectiveness, speaks in favor of their use in domestic and foreign policy communication to contribute to a symmetrical communication space aimed at successful cooperation rather than confrontation.

Sports Narratives and Historical Nationalism: Re-Visiting the Context and Use of Field Hockey in Chak De! India

Indian cinema is known for its dramatic narratives that celebrate emotionally elevated visual spectacles through which people from different sociocultural backgrounds come across popular domains of cultural practices, social norms and historical realities that unify them. Field hockey belongs to the popular realm of sports in India which is part of the country’s national identity. India’s participation and success in field hockey at the Olympic Games make it one of the country’s most successful international sports. Indian film narratives about field hockey help to create public discourse about how the sport has historically played a role in shaping national pride and identity in India. Hockey evokes nationalism by symbolizing historical achievements, unity, and cultural identity, inspiring pride and patriotism through the portrayal of heroes, national symbols, and emotional narratives in media and public discourse. The film Chak De! India portrays Indian hockey as a patriotic unifying national narrative and as an empowering discourse that can upend traditional gender stereotypes. It delineates that hockey not only acts as a sports game for entertainment but is an indicator of nationalistic significance and cultural identity that elevates the emotional realm of Indians through the notion of patriotism.

The politics of integration in retrospect and the supranational mega‐politics of governance and design in prospect: A roadmap

AbstractThe article argues that the ever‐closer Union among peoples of Europe finds itself at a critical juncture: the unstated and implicit assumption of a community made up of liberal democracies is being challenged and pitted against the rival rebirth of the nationalistic narrative of uniqueness and self‐sufficiency. The readiness to live, or paddle together, is on the line as the once sacrosanct ‘ever closer union among the peoples of Europe’ seems to be the focal point of the principled disagreement that calls into question the very belonging to the community and its continued existence. Faced with these challenges, this article charts an interdisciplinary and holistic road map to grapple with the big supranational questions of the day. It argues that the traditional European discourse moves beyond the technical dichotomy of ‘market regulation versus deregulation’ and ‘Union competence versus Member State competence’ and instead zeroes in on the more fundamental questions pertaining to mega‐politics centred on the identity of the common legal order. While the analysis appreciates the critical interaction between the legal dimension of European supranational integration—the search for optimal tools to safeguard the integrity of the supranational order—it stresses the importance of the ethical face—the narrative and justification that would explain in the name of whom the supranational governance and design acts when it defines and then defends its narrative and First Principles of the common legal order today in flux more than ever.

Contested Statehood and EU Integration: The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract This article delves into the intricate relationship between contested state- hood and European Union (EU) integration, explicitly focusing on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Since the early 1990s, amidst the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the EU’s enlargement efforts, BiH has grappled with challenges to its statehood, which have impeded its alignment with EU requirements. Despite being universally recognised as an independent state, BiH faces internal contestation, evident in its consociational constitutional framework and the divergent nationalist narratives among constituent groups. Moreover, while BiH maintains external sovereignty, it coexists with significant international oversight, complicating its path toward EU integration. The EU’s expansion into internally contested states like BiH necessitates a nuanced approach considering the entanglement of Europeanisation and de-Daytonisation processes. This article emphasises the complexity of BiH’s governance landscape, where internal dynamics and external influences converge, creating formidable obstacles to sovereignty assertion and governance efficacy. To surmount these challenges, BiH must address internal divisions, foster inclusive governance mechanisms and balance external supervision and internal autonomy. In shedding light on how contested statehood influences the EU’s role and policies, the article discusses the concept of ‘complex sovereignty’, particularly relevant to BiH’s context.

Iran’s axis of resistance through the lens of ontological security

Unlike traditional approaches that analyse an actor’s foreign policy by focusing on the search for physical security and material interests, ontological security advocates a more nuanced approach that considers identity politics, regime security, issues of legitimacy, and emotional motives. This article aims to examine Iran’s Axis of Resistance from the perspective of ontological security, without rescinding the possibility of power struggles or ideological motivations in influencing Iran’s foreign policymaking process. This study posits that the Axis of Resistance embodies a profound meaning and overarching significance for Iran that transcends mere considerations of physical security or sectarian-­ideological inclinations. The pursuit of the Axis of Resistance by Iran serves to provide the regime with ontological security, achieved through the utilisation of national narratives, the establishment of routines, concerns pertaining to domestic order, and the incorporation of emotional underpinnings of the Islamic regime. The existential significance that Iran ascribes to the Axis of Resistance is of crucial importance in maintaining this paradigm, despite all its costs.

High concordance between urine toxicology results and self-reported fentanyl use in Nevada and New Mexico

Background Co-use of stimulants and opioids is often deliberate. However, the possibility remains that some people are unintentionally consuming fentanyl. To advance understanding of overdose risk, we examined the rate of concordance between self-reported fentanyl use and corresponding urine toxicology screen results. Methods Between August 2022–August 2023, 411 participants (adults who reported any non-medical drug use in the past three months) in Nevada and New Mexico completed a cross-sectional survey, of whom 64% (n = 270; the analytical sample) also completed a urine toxicology screen, which detects fentanyl use in the past three days. Positive predictive value, negative predictive value, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated using self-reported past three-day fentanyl use (yes/no) and urine toxicology screen results for the presence of fentanyl (positive/negative). Results Of the 270 participants who provided a urine sample, 268 are included in the descriptive statistics (two with inconclusive urine toxicology screen results were excluded). Of the 268 participants, 146 (54.5%) had a fentanyl-positive urine toxicology screen result, 122 (45.5%) had a fentanyl-negative urine toxicology screen result, 137 (51.1%) reported past three-day fentanyl use, and 130 (48.5%) reported no past three-day fentanyl use. Only 6.9% of those with a fentanyl-positive urine toxicology screen did not report recent fentanyl use. The sensitivity of self-reported fentanyl use was 93%, specificity was 97%, positive predictive value was 97%, and negative predictive value was 92%. Discussion The rate of unanticipated exposure to fentanyl (that is, positive urine screen and negative self-report) in this sample was low, at 6.9%. This runs counter to the national narrative that there is widespread unknown contamination of fentanyl in the drug supply. Conclusion Future research is needed to further explore how people who use multiple substances interpret their overdose risk and what harm reduction methods they employ.

Talking back to the failing-schools narrative

PDK polls consistently show that parents give their children’s schools high marks but are dissatisfied with the performance of public schools nationally. This paradox may be explained by the persistent narrative of failing public schools that has dominated media coverage in the past 50 years. Authors Mark Hlavacik and Jack Schneider tracked the prevalence of the failing-schools narrative in print publications, books, and other media. They found connections between national coverage of education and local education reporting. This national narrative of failing schools uses public schools as a scapegoat, which absolves us of our collective responsibility to each other. A more nuanced and multifaceted narrative of public schools is needed.

경계 사이에서 : 한국 입양인의 민족주의와 초국적 정체성의 교차

This article explores the complex interplay between nationalism and transnational adoption, using the case of Korean adoptees in the United States to highlight how nationalist ideologies and transnational realities intersect and affect individual identities. The argument posits that while nationalism traditionally seeks to create a homogeneous national identity, transnational adoption introduces nuances that challenge these homogenizing forces by presenting a form of hybridity and transnational identity that cannot be easily reconciled with conventional nationalist narratives. It delves into how Korean adoptees navigate their identities between ethnic nationalism in Korea and civic nationalism in the US, suggesting that transnational adoptees live within a tension of being neither fully one nor the other. The purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of how transnational adoptees form their identities amidst contrasting nationalisms and to examine the implications of these identities for broader debates on nationalism and globalization. By focusing on Korean adoptees, the paper seeks to illuminate the broader social and political mechanisms at play in shaping transnational identities, thereby contributing to academic discussions in the fields of sociology, cultural studies, and international relations.

Narrative aesthetics in Giorgione's paintings

The research dealt with the study of (narrative aesthetics in Giorgione’s paintings), the nature of narration, its aesthetics, and the diversity of its concepts during the Renaissance period in general and the works of the artist Giorgione in particular. Through the research, questions were raised, such as: What is the aesthetics of narration in Giorgione’s paintings, and is narration an important part of Giorgione’s works because of its importance in identifying one of the figures of the Renaissance period, since few researchers paid attention to narration in painting, but they did not expand the analysis of Giorgione’s works, which A void form in the Arabic library. The study focused on the time period from (1500 - 1510) for Giorgione’s works executed on canvas, wood, or panel. The research dealt with the concepts of beauty and narrative in a philosophical manner through the concept of (beauty philosophically and artistically, and beauty in the Renaissance between religion and realism). A sample was collected. Research from a group of international sources and websites with the aim of analyzing them and obtaining answers to the research questions. The research concluded with a set of results and recommendations about narrative in the works of the artist Giorgione.

Enhancing Clinical Data Extraction from Pathology Reports: A Comparative Analysis of Large Language Models.

This study evaluates the efficacy of a small large language model (sLLM) in extracting critical information from free-text pathology reports across multiple centers, addressing the challenges posed by the narrative and complex nature of these documents. Employing three variants of the Llama 2 model, with 7 billion, 13 billion, and 70 billion parameters, the research assesses model performance in both zero-shot and five-shot settings, offering insights into the impact of example-based learning. A specialized information extraction tool utilizing regular expressions for pattern identification serves as the benchmark for evaluating the models' accuracy. Conducted within a hospital's internal environment, the study emphasizes the clinical applicability of these findings. The results reveal significant variations in model performance, with the 70 billion parameter model achieving remarkable accuracy in the five-shot scenario, demonstrating the potential of sLLMs in enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of data extraction from pathology reports. The study highlights the importance of example-driven learning and the trade-offs between model size, accuracy, hallucination rates, and processing time. These findings contribute to the ongoing efforts to integrate advanced language models into clinical settings, potentially transforming patient care and biomedical research by mitigating the limitations of manual data extraction processes.

The edifying body: the role of embodied practices in the social production of servicescapes

PurposeThis research aims to explore and theorize the role of embodied practices – orchestrated by service providers – in the social production of servicescapes. It is claimed that the social character of the servicescape is shaped not only by narratives and materialities but also through the body. Bodily physical behaviors like physical movements in space, gestures, facial expressions, postures and tactile engagements with the surrounding materiality constitute a body language that conveys information and expresses meanings. In this kinetic capacity, the body becomes a building agent in the social constitution of the servicescape. As the author empirically demonstrates in the context of city tourism with diverse experiential opportunities, it is due to the body’s discriminatory orientation, walking, looking, pointing and acting in selective ways that the city emerges as a servicescape of particular kind.Design/methodology/approachMarket-oriented ethnography was conducted in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where the author observed the guiding practices of tour guides leading international tourists during two-day city excursions.FindingsThis research identifies and unpacks three clusters of embodied practices deployed by service providers as they guide customers at the servicescape: spatializing, emplacing and regulating. The role of the body and its association with narratives and materialities is identified in each cluster.Practical implicationsA number of embodied practices are provided for use by contact employees as they guide customers in the servicescape. Specific guidelines are also offered to service providers for the strategic employment of body language, their training is navigational skills and the coordination of body, narratives and materialities.Originality/valueThis study extends current materialistic and communicative approaches on the construction of servicescapes by claiming that the servicescape in not only a physical and narrative construction but something that is also configured through the body; provides three clusters of embodied practices deployed by service providers; theorizes the intertwined nature of narratives, materiality and the body; defines servicescapes as dynamic socio-spatial entities emerging from the constant {narrative-material-body} arrangements orchestrated by service providers; and sheds light on the mediating role of the body in the social production of servicescapes.

Un-layering Greece: imagined classical heritages in French nationalist travel writing

ABSTRACT This article looks at the ways Ancient Greece was received by Charles Maurras and Maurice Barrès, two important French nationalist figures of the turn of the twentieth century. It argues that, whilst often taken for granted, the valorisation of classicism by French nationalist movements (as a political heritage to reclaim or as an aesthetic reaction against turn-of-the-century avant-gardes) also represents a challenge to nationalist narratives. Both authors’ reception of Antiquity was shaped by their travels to Greece. This article thus focuses on the texts they brought back from their respective journeys, Anthinéa (1901) by Maurras and Le Voyage de Sparte (1906) by Barrès, to understand how their ideological development was informed by their perception of Ancient Greece, as well as, reciprocally, how Greece was constructed through their particular political lens. Travel writing offers a particularly relevant corpus to study the role of material experience in the perception of Classical Antiquity, as a genre that overwhelmingly purports to offer its readers a testimonial of things seen and experienced by its authors. Drawing from Shane Butler’s ‘Deep Classics’ theory of reception, this article shows how visions of intellectual and cultural heritage(s) as well as shared identities are complicated by material experiences of historical alterity.

Secular Framings

Abstract The secular Ghanaian state frames and governs ‘African Traditional Religion’ (‘ATR’) in three main ways. As culture and heritage, aspects of ‘ATR’ are integrated into public performances and national narratives, displaying the African identity of the Ghanaian nation. As providers of traditional forms of therapy, traditional shrines are administered as health facilities and supervised by the Ministry of Health. As religion, ‘ATR’ is counted as one of the country’s religions. This article discusses these framings and their social dynamics drawing on framing theories and secularity studies. Devising secular framings and eclectically appropriating traditional religious presences, the Ghanaian state seeks to govern ‘ATR’ and integrate it into its nation-building politics. Traditional religious actors have reappropriated these framings, carving out spaces of their own. The relations between ‘ATR’ and the Ghanaian state are subject to constant negotiations that impact both.

Unveiling evolving nationalistic discourses on social media: a cross-year analysis in pandemic

The global pandemic has dramatically reshaped public discourse, with social media emerging as a pivotal platform for these discussions. This study delves into evolving sentiments, emotions, and prevalent topics in online discussions spanning the years 2020, 2021, and 2022, drawing from a dataset of 2.65 million tweets from the Twitter Platform. A multifaceted approach that combines quantitative and qualitative methods are developed for dissecting evolving discourses, with a particular focus on the lens of nationalism. The quantitative part disassembling sentiment & emotion, topics, and Co-Occurrence Network yields a nuanced understanding of the textual content. A qualitative theoretical analysis named Evolving Discourse Framework Analysis are designed to unravel the textual discourse. Study results in the development of an adaptable framework. Findings expose nationalist orientations and the framing elements present within online public discourse, which are categorized into three distinct frames: ‘feeling,’ ‘identity,’ and ‘action.’ Importantly, the ‘feeling’ frame interconnects with the ‘identity’ frame, ultimately shaping responses within the ‘action’ frame. The frames shine a light on a complex and interconnected web of nationalist narratives that exist within the online sphere, subtly influencing public opinion and behavior. This study serves as a reminder that beneath the surface of seemingly unified global discourse, there exists a segmented world, ripe for further exploration and understanding.

Hernan Díaz on “Trust” in Literature

ABSTRACT Hernan Díaz, an Argentine-American writer, is the Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author of two novels published in thirty-seven languages. He was born in Buenos Aires in 1973 and moved to Sweden with his family when he was two. He earned a BA in literature in the University of Buenos Aires, a MA degree at King’s College London, and received his PhD in comparative literature from New York University. His first novel, In the Distance (2017), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction. His second novel, Trust (2022), received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was a New York Times Bestseller, the winner of the Kirkus Prize, and longlisted for the Booker Prize, among other nominations. He is the recipient of the John Updike award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, given to “a writer whose contributions to American literature have demonstrated consistent excellence.” Díaz is also the author of Borges, between History and Eternity, whose essays and stories have appeared in The Paris Review, Harper’s, The Atlantic, Granta, The Yale Review, Playboy, McSweeney’s, and elsewhere. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Award, and fellowships from the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, and The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center. This conversation took place in Shanghai, China, on May 12, 2024. It delves into the complexities of trust in literature, exploring the relationship between author and reader, translation and global readership, and the notion of American Dream. It also discusses the nature of narrative, the relationship between fiction and truth, the ethical considerations in fiction writing, as well as Díaz’s transnational experience and academic work.

Leveraging history to invoke nationalism: from the annals of history to social engineering of present and future in Hindi cinema

ABSTRACT Nationalism calls for one’s loyalty and affiliation towards their chosen nation. Various versions of nationalism emphasise that one must prioritise said nation above themselves and their personal ethics, hence, allowing the nation to overpower the nationalist’s individuality. In this article, we use Critical Discourse Analysis to deconstruct the narratives of nationalism as portrayed in two popular films, viz. The Kashmir Files and Uri: The Surgical Strike, which are based on real historical events – the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus and the surgical strike by the Indian Army in retaliation to the Uri attack. Both films use narrative strategies to frame key historical events into certain ideological contexts, and hence they serve the populist purpose of swaying viewers’ opinion in favour of the dominant socio-political class.

Towards an exclusionary social contract: Narratives of a revanchist city in (post)war Syria

ABSTRACT This article asks to what extent national narratives drive changes in social contracts on both national and local level. Societal and especially state actors can use narratives to underline or omit specific rights and duties in social contracts, or to privilege particular contracting parties. In the Syrian case, repression and foreign intervention triggered changes in the national social contract, yet the exclusionary narrative functioned as a catalyst for these changes and entrenched them on both, the national and the city level. We show that housing, land and property (HLP) policies in (post-)war Damascus have an urban scope but a national impact. Not only wartime destruction but also post-war demolition have been particularly high in selected neighbourhoods and (re-)construction favoured upscale urban mega projects. This approach to urban planning reflects an exclusionary national narrative, which stigmatizes parts of the population as ‘terrorists’ and suspects them of stirring up public disorder. In consequence, these groups are marginalized or even ‘evicted’ from the social contract. For those Syrians still covered by the social contract, the narrative seeks to offer a justification for the large-scale exclusion of fellow citizens. Our analysis is based on an extensive review of literature from human geography, with a focus on the physical and social urban fabric, and political science, on intra-societal power relations.

“Is it a civics lesson?”: centering the local to encourage political engagement

PurposeCivic education in the US has historically centered the nation-state. This is often disempowering for marginalized students who exist outside the national narrative and political sphere.Design/methodology/approachThis year-long ethnographic study considers what counts as civic education in the US Virgin Islands, a territory of the US. This paper draws on critical theory and critical pedagogy to understand ways teachers in a politically and culturally marginalized space can reimagine civic education. Classroom observations, interviews and curriculum content analysis are used as data.FindingsThe findings suggest that teachers centered the local by surfacing the unjust political relationship between the US and its territories and incorporating local history, civic engagement, resistance and culture to politically empower their students.Originality/valueThis research will contribute a deeper understanding of the possibilities for civic education to be empowering for those who are marginalized and often excluded from the national political arena.