Political Narratives Research Articles

NETANYAHU BEHIND ANGER AND VENGEANCE: A CHARACTER ANALYSIS

The continued bombing of Gaza by Israel has sparked outrage in the world community. The United Nations officials and medical groups have reiterated the harrowing conditions in the Gaza Strip due to Israel's war on Hamas. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the most significant U.S. Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, demanded international action to prevent starvation, disease, and genocide. Netanyahu's character traits are analyzed through his statements and comments published in the international news media during the seven months from October 7, 2023, the first day of Israel's military operation in Gaza, to April 7, 2024. Netanyahu has blamed Hamas for civilian deaths and claimed that civilians have been warned to leave Gaza and move to the South, which is called a safe zone. However, the military escalation in the South defied the reassurance people had received about moving south to be safe. Hospitals, mosques, churches, bakeries, and over 60 UNRWA buildings and schools have been hit across Gaza. Netanyahu's statements aimed to conceal his true motives. The contradiction between words and deeds is apparent. He says that they will never agree to a ceasefire and will continue their offensive to achieve their goals with minimal civilian casualties. However, Israeli attacks broadcast live on television always target civilian settlements. Netanyahu's goal is to confine the Palestinian people to a narrow area in the south, leaving them with no place to go. The international community has criticized Netanyahu's actions, and demonstrations against Israel are taking place worldwide. The perceived recklessness has marred his career, and Netanyahu's political narrative is scrutinized to analyze his character traits. Diplomatic sources say that Netanyahu's statements are far from convincing. The international community demands a solution to the conflict, and Netanyahu's actions are not helping to achieve peace. The situation in Gaza remains dire, and the world community is watching closely, hoping for a peaceful resolution.

Is an urban waste-to-energy plant a “green” megaproject? The power of narratives in shaping the city: a Danish case study

ABSTRACT The role of communication in shaping cities has increased mainly in the last decades due to its relevance to the policymaking process. Even if the scientific debate regarding the Narrative Policy Framework reveals the importance of policy narratives influencing policy outcomes, the relationship between policy and political narratives has often been overlooked. In this paper, we explore this relationship by analysing the policy process of a megaproject case study involving a waste-to-energy plant in Denmark and the intricate process leading to its realisation. The polysemic concept of Smart Cities initially divides the policy arena between proponents of a pro-growth rhetoric focused on market strategy (advocating for a larger plant to expand market scope) and proponents of a pro-green rhetoric embracing sustainability, questioning the adequacy of the plant’s size (and highlighting potential negative trade-offs of a big plant). We illustrate how implementing policy ideas relies heavily on constructing narratives that political decision-makers use to advocate for specific policies (policy narratives) presented within a broader institutional discourse in the political arena (political narratives). This study assesses how the polysemic nature of policy ideas influences contemporary social institutions’ governance, structure, and operation, posing a challenge for environmental public management in today’s cities.

Нарратив как смыслообразующий элемент политической символизации

The article deals with a theoretical analysis of the concept of political narrative as a political reality, which is not reducible to a set of positivistically established facts. In the context of political symbolization, narratives as elements of interpretation of politics implicate political meanings through verbal situations that develop as an interaction of judgments. Political narratives function as mediators in social activities and not only communicate information, but do it incrementing new meanings, as political narratives are conveyed through deliberation. The “narrative identity” is formed as a reference to metanarratives and their creators. The author shows that any symbolic political reality is a constellation of involvement narratives that create verbal situations of interactions between community members and the collective history as a narration. Therefore, a narrative introduces individuals into a political context. This enables to fix the narrative “footprint” of joint social practices that are named “culture”, “nation”, “country”, etc. At the same time, the author substantiates that the form and the content of political narratives have the meaning of retrospective inner causality, since the inherited array of political interpretations is constantly «retold» in the present reality. It is concluded that in the context of political symbolization, narrative can be an analytical solution of the problem of interaction between individual consciousness and a society.

Political Extremism and Its Implications: An Inquiry into Violence, Struggle, and Self-Sacrifice

This research paper draws upon English novelist George Orwell’s observations on human proclivities toward struggle and self-sacrifice, as seen in his criticism of “Mein Kampf”, and uses them to explore the complex nature of political extremism. By analyzing the evolution of the political narrative since the 1970s, from economic to cultural issues, it investigates the foundations of extreme nationalism within contemporary liberal democracies. In order to show the features and motives of this phenomenon, the study observes several European far-right groups through the lens of extreme nationalism, uncovering similar themes of anti-globalization, immigration, and European Union views. It delves further into the examination of human beings by taking a closer look at the way culture shaped our development as a species and the fundamental urge for identification and belonging, providing insights into the psychological underpinnings of extreme beliefs and behavior. It also looks at the foundations of group violence, discussing it as a morally motivated behavior meant to maintain and preserve social ties and the concept of struggle as behavioral mechanisms exploited by extreme nationalists. To thoroughly assess the validity of Orwell’s ideas, the research combines the theoretical framework with a case study of the contemporary tendencies towards extremism in the U.S. political system. The analysis leads to the conclusion that George Orwell’s findings that the attractiveness of political extremism has its roots in basic features of human nature are still applicable in modern democratic societies.

The Role of Republican and AKP Elites in the Construction and Reconstruction of Turkiye’s Foreign Policy Identity: A Critical Narrative Analysis

ABSTRACT Building on the argument that foreign policy identities are discursively constructed by the dominant elite, this study analyzes the construction and reconstruction of Turkiye’s foreign policy identity during the Early Republican and AKP periods in a comparative way, focusing on political narratives as discursive practices. Adopting a critical narrative analysis method, the study first distinguishes the linguistic construction of a common past, a common geopolitical imagination and a common perception of the international environment as substantive contents of foreign policy identity. It then addresses different strategies used within these three thematic areas. Finally, narrative analysis is adopted to extract the repeated themes and storylines used in the narratives of the Republican and AKP elites about history, geopolitical location, and the international environment as means of linguistic realizations.

Formative personal experiences: How benefit recipiency and income changes shape perceptions of system abuse

AbstractPerceptions that others will contribute their fair share are fundamental to the legitimacy of the political system. To better understand how these perceptions take shape beyond the influence of political narratives and socializations, this paper investigates the role of the formative personal experiences of benefit recipiency and income changes in explaining views on welfare abuse as well as tax evasion. Theoretically, both increasing identification or ‘othering’ could occur when these experiences lead to new group adherence. To test this empirically, three‐wave Norwegian panel data (2014–2017) are analysed. Within‐ as well as between‐group analyses show that becoming dependent on benefits leads to lower perceptions of welfare abuse, while positive income changes prompt higher perceptions of tax evasion, albeit mostly among those with lower income levels. Overall, this article shows that formative personal experiences affect views that are fundamental to the perceived fairness, legitimacy and sustainability of the social and political system.

Remembering according to national identity and ideology: influences of ideological positioning and national identities on the collective memory of the Civil War and dictatorship in Spain among youths / La memoria en función de la identidad nacional y la ideología: influencias del posicionamiento ideológico y de la identidad nacional en la memoria colectiva de la Guerra Civil y la dictadura

This research aimed to analyse the social representations of the Spanish Civil War and the dictatorship among young people from different autonomous communities in Spain. A free-association exercise elicited by the words ‘Civil War’ and ‘Francoism’ was completed by 477 university students of the Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia and Madrid. Participants were also asked about their national identity and ideological orientation. Lexical analysis was used to analyse their responses, and the results revealed that there is no shared narrative among participants. The results show that most of the discourses constructed for these times go hand in hand with the discourses of the current political parties in Spain, which seek to satisfy the basic needs of the groups and justify their decisions and goals. However, the intergenerational voice also appears in the results showing alternatives to the political and hegemonic narratives of the state. This has significant implications for future research and memory policies.

Socinianism and Tacitism: tracing the path to secular thought in early modern religious and political discourse

ABSTRACT This study delves into the unexplored intersection of Socinianism, a religious movement challenging Christian orthodoxy in the Early Modern period, and Tacitism, a political discourse inspired by Tacitus. Both fostered critical thinking, intertwining in nuanced ways. Socinianism’s theological skepticism questioned established beliefs, while Tacitism scrutinized historical and political accounts. Their controversial nature resulted in covert existence among elite intellectuals, shaping socio-political discourse. Socinianism’s theological nonconformity, akin to Tacitism’s critique of traditional political narratives, often sparked conflicts with authorities, revealing the intricate relationship between religion and politics in the Early Modern Era and influencing the development of secular thought.

Reperkusije petooktobarskih promena 2000. godine u svetlu dokumenata, memoara i svedočenja

Drawing upon documents, memoirs, testimonies, and scholarly literature, this study elucidates the dynamics underlying the October 5th alterations in 2000 within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia. „The Fifth October“ refers to a sudden shift in political authority driven by compounded socio-political, economic, and societal tensions, alongside external influences. These multifaceted political and security upheavals, culminating on October 5, 2000, exhibited characteristics akin to a „colored revolution“, signifying a change in power dynamics without altering the prevailing political structure or formal power mechanisms. While temporal detachment affords a more impartial inquiry, the analysis contends with entrenched political narratives, oscillating between glorification and complete denial of the significance of October 5th.

Ill Fares the Land: Confronting Unsustainability in the U.K. Food System through Political Agroecology and Degrowth

The U.K. food system exhibits strong unsustainability indicators across multiple dimensions, both in terms of food and nutritional insecurity and in terms of adverse climate change, biodiversity, and physical resource impacts. These indices of an unsustainable and inequitable social metabolism are the result of capitalist agriculture and society in general and, more specifically, of neoliberal and austerity policies adopted with vigour since the global financial crisis. The causal, capitalistic, and, latterly, more neoliberal bases of the U.K. food system are delineated in the first section of the paper. These bases are then detailed in terms of their impacts in exacerbating climate change, biodiversity (and resource) decline and loss, and food and nutritional insecurity. The political narratives and policy frameworks available to dissemble, mitigate, or, more rarely, to address (resolve) these impacts are then delineated. It is argued that the only policy framework available that strongly integrates food security (social equity) with ecological sustainability is political agroecology and an accompanying degrowth strategy. The final section of the paper details what political agroecology and degrowth might entail for the U.K. food system.

Fiona Volpe: A New Perspective on James Bond's Iconic <em>Femme Fatale</em>

While narratives of gender politics and female identity in Western visual culture have become more dynamic with the passage of time, one of the most contentious spheres of discussion in mass media surrounds that of Ian Fleming’s ultimate fictional creation, James Bond. Female sexuality and gender politics in the Bond universe has been robustly, and rightfully, scrutinised by academic and casual spectators for at least 50 of the 70 years since his inception. Yet, one of the most enduring characters in the cinematic canon has not yet been given this discerning treatment, in earnest. Originally called "Fiona Kelly" by screenwriters Richard Maibaum and John Hopkins, Fiona Volpe was portrayed by Italian actress Luciana Paluzzi-Solomon in Terence Young’s 1965 film adaptation of Thunderball. In November 2017, I had the opportunity to interview Mrs. Paluzzi-Solomon for a now-abandoned book concept. As one of the few actresses from the Sean Connery-era who are still living, she was remarkably forthcoming regarding her professional and personal experiences on set. Without pride or prejudice, Mrs. Paluzzi-Solomon’s account proved to be not only to be illuminating in and of itself as an interview, but also served as a foundation to better understand the origins, development, and public reception of the gold standard femme fatale of the Bond films. This article will explore the character of Fiona Volpe, her origins, plot function, and legacy, from the unique perspective of the woman who brought her to life.

Immigrants are crucial to U.S. Health System Resilience

A polycrisis of climate and non-climate related shocks and stresses are straining U.S. health systems and affecting mental health. In contrast to negative rhetoric surrounding immigrants and immigration, immigrants make contributions that are fundamental to ensuring health system resilience. As in many other countries, in the United States foreign born compensate for health care worker shortages; help subsidize health programs with their labor; and support response, recovery, and rebuilding following disaster. However, immigrants are often trapped in political inflammatory narratives and public’s clashing sentiments. To harness the power of immigrants’ contributions in facilitating health system resilience, policies that help pair the pool of global talent with the needs of America’s public health systems are needed. This may require redressing harmful policies that reduce participation on the labor pool and crafting more humane policies that encourage migration. Doing so may result in a stronger health system better able to weather converging crises.

Moving forward while staying in the middle : Betty Friedan’s feminist narrative of women’s progress

ABSTRACT This article examines Betty Friedan’s political narrative of women’s progress, which I argue to be essential to her liberal feminist politics of gender equality and mainstreaming of women. Through a close reading of The Feminine Mystique, a cultural exposé and work of social movement literature, I draw critical attention to the narrative construction of women’s progress, which Friedan equated with women’s full integration into mainstream American society through productivity, individuality, and growth. At the same time, I note that such a narrative of women’s progress, though enthusiastically embraced by white middle-class suburban housewives in the 1960s, simultaneously marginalized women of colour, working-class women, and lesbians. Furthermore, Friedan’s narrative of women’s progress and mainstreaming, threatened by the rise of the conservative antifeminist backlash and the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1980s, was reconfigured into a conservative narrative of pro-family and postfeminism while celebrating white middle-class women’s ascendance to neoliberal capitalism. In lieu of a conclusion, I propose a cautionary tale of the rise of the neoliberal discourse of postfeminism to which Friedan’s narrative of women’s progress and mainstreaming has been conducive, if not integral.

Exploring Conspiracist Populism in Power: The Case of Kais Saied in Tunisia

The aim of this paper is to conduct a literature review of the existing nexus between conspiracy theories and populist politics. Most of the literature considering the political nature of conspiracy theories has focused mainly on individual action and electoral choices, hence setting aside the agency of political leaders that deliberately resort to these tales to mobilise supporters. On the contrary, conspiracy theories are increasingly moving away from extremist politics to enter the institutional political arena and become part and parcel of the political narratives and strategies of institutional figures. Against this backdrop, the present work offers a new approach to investigate the connection between populist conspiracy theories and conspiracist populism and attempts to explain how conspiracist populism works and what its potential impact on contemporary democracies is. The analysis of the literature offers some theoretical insights to explore the specific case of the presidency of Kais Saied in Tunisia, which has been labelled as a form of constitutional populism integrating conspiracy theories. The inquiry on the Tunisian case demonstrates that conspiracy theories can represent both tactics and framings for populists in power, and, if democratic checks and balances are weak enough, they can lead to the erosion of democracy itself.

Us and Ours

Abstract: In this work, we investigate how parochial concerns for common resources, such as tax-funded goods, relate to prejudice against immigrants. Previous experimental work showed majority groups assume minorities will exploit common resources without contributing toward their maintenance. We relate predictions about, and support for, various types of common resources to prejudice against immigrants in two correlational studies. Prejudice against immigrants was negatively associated with support for universal, but positively with security-related resources. Participants' prediction that minority groups would contribute less to the management of communally shared resources was reflected in the degree of negative attitudes they expressed against immigrants in particular. We discuss these results in view of political narratives about immigrants and common resource management policies.

Anomalous Political Discursive Narratives on Indigeneity: In Ethiopia's Regional States

AbstractThe major purpose of this article is to critically probe the competing political narratives on indigeneity‐ in the form of autochthony‐ the sons of the soil, and its instrumentalization for discrimination against non‐indigenous groups in Ethiopia's regional states. To this end, the article argues that the political discourses (narratives) determine Ethiopia's ethnic‐based state structure and politics that dichotomize citizens as indigenes and non‐indigenes, which, in reality, is not viable. Each ethnic group, which forms the region, has a warranty of sovereign political power and territorial autonomy. Inside the regions, except for the Amhara and the South Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Regions, the privileged ethnic group (the indigenous) has been empowered to hold prominent political positions. Non‐indigenous ethnic groups, on the other hand, are discriminated against in politics, economy, and social affairs. Thus, these political narratives have created a system of inequality and discrimination that has persisted even after the end of EPRDF era. To address these intractable problems, Ethiopians seek to balance diversity and unity in order to create an inclusive and all‐empowering environment in society through multiculturalism.

Scotland in the multi-national UK state: interpreting legislatures, decentred state, territorial governance

ABSTRACT The article offers a critique of the ‘decentred state’ and the working of the devolved Scottish Parliament in its legislative and political relations with the UK Parliament. It argues that analysis of relations between the devolved Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament, requires examination of both the political culture and political narratives surrounding constitutional governance and the future of the domestic UK union. Both play a pivotal role in shaping interparliamentary relations in the devolved UK. The paper draws on empirical research from two projects that used both documentary analysis of parliamentary sources and interviews with 35 parliamentarians and officials as a Commons Academic Fellow 2016–2021 and Scottish Parliament Academic Fellow 2022–2023. Both the political narrative and culture of interparliamentary relations between the UK Parliament and Scottish Parliament have been impacted arguably even more by the outcome of the 2016 UK EU Referendum than by the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum.

Stakeholder engagement and chaotic narrative spaces: Singapore’s COVID-19 outbreak in foreign-worker dormitories

ABSTRACT In the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, Singapore grappled with an escalation of COVID-19 cases among the low-waged foreign workers living in dormitories. Singapore responded to the outbreak by implementing increasingly strict public health measures, which included a partial lockdown and movement restrictions of over 300,000 foreign workers. Our qualitative analysis of the texts created by three key stakeholders (the Singaporean government, local news media, and local non-profit organisations) at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in foreign-worker dormitories revealed the construction of contrasting, confusing, and collaborative narratives. These narratives manifested what our paper describes as ‘chaotic communication’, wherein conflicting and competing messages are crafted or used to build organisation-public or public-public relationships. We also propose ‘chaotic narrative spaces’ as a conceptual framework to illustrate how social, political, and organisational actors shape narratives about issues and influence the decisions made during a public health crisis.

Development and Dilemmas of Mass Democratic Identity Construction in the Context of the Myanmar Coup: An Analysis of Political Narratives

This study examines the process of mass democratic identity construction in Myanmar and delineates the distinct characteristics of the government's political narratives during the period of Myanmar's democratic reform. The research finds that Myanmar managed to establish a democratic identity that continues to exhibit resilience in the aftermath of the coup. This resilience, observed at the level of political narratives, can be attributed to the transcultural features of ideological construction and the prominent influence of Buddhism, both well-suited to Myanmar's deep-seated social and religious foundations. However, following the coup, the loss of agency by the original narrative source, combined with the long-standing issues within Burmese society, has resulted in several political dilemmas hampering the development of democratic consciousness. These dilemmas are characterized by an immature democratic political culture, underdeveloped civil society, and frequent ethnic conflicts. The underlying reasons for these challenges can be traced back to the limitations of democratic political culture during Myanmar's democratic reform period and the absence of historical and cultural foundations in the country's democratic political system, which may constrain the long-term development of democratic consciousness following changes in the power structure.

The convergence of national constitutional and international humanitarian law – challenges and opportunities for Ukraine

Today, there is a clear need for ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and its implementation into Ukraine's national (domestic) legislation. Regardless of when the ongoing full-scaled Russian aggression against Ukraine finishes, we should have a real possibility (that should be foreseen on the national constitutional level) to apply an effective internationally recognized mechanism and instruments to investigate mass atrocity crimes and ensure respect for humanitarian law, fundamental rights, and human freedoms and punish everyone, who committed them following the rule of law. This article aims to examine the legal (constitutional) background and political narratives regarding the accession of Ukraine to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (signed on January 20, 2000, not ratified till now due to some political tensions and overcome legal (legislative) disparities). We search for strong and weak sides, challenges (threats), and opportunities created by its forthcome ratification.