Public Identity Research Articles

Publics in local media reporting on harm reduction: Rightfully worried local witnesses or uneducated obstacles to change

BackgroundIn 2018, the planned opening of a second Needle and Syringe Exchange Program (NSP) unit in Stockholm, Sweden, was stopped with reference to protests from the public. Local Stockholm media cited stakeholders who claimed that the initiative was led by politicians with “zero knowledge about what makes citizens upset” and referred to reported public concern over a preschool located near the planned NSP unit. This case highlights the significant role of the public – and the idea of public opinion – in relation to political and medial aspects of alcohol and other drug (AOD) issues. Our aim is to scrutinize how “the public” is produced in local print media reports on harm reduction measures such as the NSP, to illuminate how these representations operate and what reality/ies they co-produce. MethodsWe analyzed 171 articles reporting on harm reduction in local Stockholm print media from 2012 to 2023. The themes identified in the analysis emerged from a combination of data-driven empirical observations and a theory-driven approach grounded in the influential literature on publics and counterpublics by Michael Warner and Nancy Fraser. ResultsThe overarching articulation in the material is that of a singular and homogeneous public. Public opinion regarding local experiences of individual drug use and harm reduction is depicted as being driven by fear and worry over living alongside “messy others”, thereby producing a public of worried local community witnesses. This production of the public takes on two different meanings depending on the narrative of the articles: 1) as righteous and entitled, 2) as ignorant and irrational. As a result, the public comes to operate as either a consulted public deserving consideration in the implementation of harm reduction policies or as an uneducated political obstacle to change. Consequently, the public is assigned both a counterpublic and a dominant public identity. ConclusionsWhen the representation of the worried public is repeatedly echoed by the media, it becomes hard to ignore in policy-making processes. The implications of such media representations are significant, as they risk disguising the complex nature of publics as a diverse group of individuals while reproducing taken-for-granted ideas about local communities opposing harm reduction measures. In addition, the appropriation of a counterpublic identity narrows the discursive space for action. Taken together, the repetition of a singular worried public and the appropriation of the counterpublic position make it nearly impossible to imagine alternative public responses to harm reduction. As a consequence, this can limit well-needed policy responses to AOD issues.

LGBTQ+ themed public art: promoting an expanded view on genders and advancing gender education

This essay explores the transformative role of LGBTQ+ themed public art in promoting an expanded view of genders and advancing gender education. By engaging with Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, I want to stress how public art both serves as a medium for aesthetic expression and also acts as a crucial participant in the performative act of gender identity construction. From the vibrant defiance of rainbow crosswalks to the poignant narratives of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and the impactful murals by Keith Haring, LGBTQ+ themed public art challenges traditional gender roles and identities, offering alternative visions that resist binary classifications. These public artworks create inclusive spaces that foster community engagement, historical commemoration, and activism, effectively enhancing public pedagogy in gender education. By embedding diverse and non-normative expressions of gender and sexuality in public consciousness, such art prompts a reevaluation of societal norms, thereby contributing to a broader understanding and acceptance of gender diversity. This essay emphasizes the potential of LGBTQ+ -themed public art to serve as a dynamic medium for communicative pedagogy, manifesting its significance in shaping social consciousness and advancing the cause of gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights.

Migration narratives on social media: Digital racism and subversive migrant subjectivities

This special issue contributes to an emerging literature on the role of social media in shaping narratives on migrants and refugees. The issue is organised into two parts. The first part offers analytical and empirical reflections on the dynamics of digital racism, xenophobia and polarisation on discourses by non-migrants, on migrants and refugees. The second part turns to the narratives promoted by migrants themselves through digital platforms as ways of both counteracting dominant narratives but also performing their own migrant subjectivity and creating a public digital identity for themselves. This introductory paper starts by offering a set of analytical considerations on the role of narratives in the communicative sphere in general and on the role of social media in particular with a view to framing the six paper contributions that follow.

Does the Centre Hold? Public Sphere Configuration, Democracy, and the Quality of Political Talk in Sweden

In the present article, key conceptual and regulative requirements for quality public democratic talk to be maintained are identified and the linguistic economy of civic conversation about common affairs in the Swedish public sphere gauged; the relationship between public talk, power, and identity is charted; and exposure and response horizons for further quality slippage with Swedens's institutional frameworks visited. A distinction between width and amp difference is introduced to separate democratically acceptable from unviable modes of conversational engagement and provide a new platform for analysing this space. Democratic history and theory is also visited, showing how cognitive moral conversation is a precondition for democratic governance. It is ultimately shown that if democratic politics wishes to remain within its remit, key ideals need safeguarding. It is concluded that the well-known challenges brought out by Levitsky & Ziblatt have not yet affected Swedish politics as they have American politics, but that risks for graver deterioration of struggling conversational and normative formats are visible.

Analysis of values reflected in "People's Daily Online" from 2020 to 2022

In this study, the object is the official website "People's Daily Online," and the subject is the values represented in the materials published on this site from 2020 to 2022. When examining the values in "People's Daily Online," we identify the following key values from contemporary Chinese values: "patriotism" and "collectivism," which prioritize the interests of the state and the collective; the spirit of "selfless service"; "friendliness" as a combination of "respect, tolerance, accommodation, care, and mutual assistance"; "diligence and frugality" as family values; professional values based on "devotion to work" and aligned with the demands of the times (in this study, we use the term "people pursuing their dreams," proposed by President Xi Jinping, to denote professional values). Ideas that contradict these core values include "selfishness," "malice," "laziness," "greed," etc. The study of values and value conflicts in "People's Daily Online" (2020-2022) involved collecting and classifying materials, identifying keywords using Anaconda, conducting a quantitative analysis of term frequency and co-occurrence, as well as a qualitative analysis of articles to determine their value orientations. The scientific novelty of this study lies in a comprehensive analysis of values reflected in leading Chinese media, using the example of "People's Daily Online" from 2020 to 2022. The research holds significant political and social importance as it contributes to a deeper understanding of the value orientations of the Chinese government and its information dissemination strategies. It reveals the mechanisms through which media shape public opinion and social identity. From an academic perspective, the study enriches media and communication theory, especially in the context of its application outside the North American environment. An international perspective can serve as a guide for other countries, helping them better understand and effectively address the challenges of information dissemination and value competition in the era of globalization. The findings of the study show that "People's Daily Online" actively fulfills the role of a leading media outlet in shaping a favorable ideological atmosphere within a socialist framework.

Menjadi Muslim Modern: Konstruksi Identitas Anak Muda Muslim di Kafe

This article discusses the construction of the Muslims youth identity in cafes. Cafes as a public habitus that is constructed modern and considered not 'Islamic' does not mean that it has no relationship with Islam. Therefore, this article seeks to answer the question of what is the relationship between Islam, cafes, and social media? So, to what extent do Muslims youth access cafes? Finally, how do Muslims youth construct their identity of piety and youth in a café? To answer these questions, the authors conducted fieldwork in the form of observations and interviews with café owners and several youths with a narrative approach. Then public space theory, identity theory and digital production theory were used to analyze research data. The results of this study found that the relationship between cafes, Islam and social media manifested in the activities of young Muslims themselves, especially in consuming café public spaces such as enjoying food and beverage products, wifi facilities, prayer facilities, and taking pictures. Muslim youth not only access the symbols of café modernity and post them on social media, but also access the café's worship facilities. These three practices, both in consuming symbols of café modernity such as café architectural design and painting art on coffee (latte art), then uploading it to social media and doing prayer practices in cafes are ways for young people to construct their pious and youthful identity while in the café. This finding deconstructs the long-held view by some scholars or the public that cafes are considered public spaces that have no connection with Islam.

‘Social Science Teacher? Anyone Can Become’: Examining Professional Subject Identity of Social Science Teachers in India

Teacher identity can serve as an important lens to examine the way teachers traverse the various demands made of them by policymakers and stakeholders in the school system, with their own perspectives of self and their work. Official narratives and curriculum documents lead to the construction of a public identity and what it means to be a ‘good teacher’ in a broad and generic sense. However, much less attention is paid to teachers’ biographical accounts of their professional identity, from a stance as practitioners of a specific subject, and their lived experiences, thereof. This article reports on a qualitative study undertaken as a pilot project for a doctoral dissertation, where six social science teachers from Mumbai and Bangalore, participated in three online focus group discussions. The framework used to analyse the data is Goffman’s dramaturgical theory of impression management. Findings reveal that social science teachers present their professional identity using reified expressions of competence, idealise social science as a subject, and seek validation of their status as teachers of a nonutility subject. These are discussed in the context of recently proposed educational reforms in India, with the recommendation that policymakers must take cognizance of this fragile sense of subject identity and an acute sense of disempowerment facing social science teachers, who are not averse to accountability measures per se, to enhance their standing.

A Literature Review on Karabakh Women Poets of the 19th Century

The 19th century was the beginning of a period in the history of Azerbaijan in which new views, different approaches, and judgments emerged. The upheavals in social life as a matter, of course, led to the awakening of literary and artistic thoughts, and enlightenment, and elucidated the development of public, ethnic, and national identity. In the 19th century, the poetic assemblies functioning in Karabakh contributed to the development of literature, especially poetry, and the inclusion of poetry in social life and its impact on it. Thanks to the "Meclis-i Uns" and "Meclis-i Feramushan" literary assemblies, poets living in Karabakh came together and depicted the problems of the period, social life, and nature in their poems. Referring to these literary samples, it is feasible to see the view of 19th-century Karabakh. Aghabeyim Agha, Khurshidbanu Natavan, Fatma Khanim Kamina, and Ashuq Peri were female poets grown up in the Karabakh literary environment in the 19th century. Research related to the life, art, and literary personality of women poets who grew up in Karabakh was thoroughly scrutinized and investigated based on the qualitative method in the article. As a result of our research, we have come to the following conclusions; There is a need to prepare coherent comparative texts from the work of female poets. The works of these poets were published due to the permission of Soviet censorship. Poems with religious content were not included in these books, and Sufi works were presented as secular and divine poems. Keywords: Karabakh, Enlightenment, Poet, Literary Heritage, Azerbaijan.

The Literary Works of the Gentlemen of the Elizabethan Chapel Royal: Politics, Religion and Print

The Gentlemen of the Elizabethan Chapel Royal worked at the ecclesiastical heart of the English court. Their religious beliefs, when discussed by historians and musicologists, are usually characterised as ranging from crypto-Catholic conformity to the a-confessionalism of individuals keen to survive seismic religious change. This article revises orthodox images of the Gentlemen of the Elizabethan Chapel Royal as religious ‘conservatives’ drawn to royal employment by the ceremonialism of services, and instead emphasises their energetic theological interests and the strength of Protestant doctrinal opinion among their ranks. Their striking construction of public identities in printed religious works also illustrates the ways in which a group of ‘middling’ courtly churchmen and singing-men negotiated their own identities alongside and against that of their place of employment. 1 1 This article was awarded proxime accessit in the Court Historian Essay competition, 2023. The author also thanks Dr Alexandra Gajda, Dr Ellen Patterson, Professor Peter McCullough, Ms Helena Rutkowska, the attendees of the IHR Tudor-Stuart seminar and the reviewers at The Court Historian for their helpful comments and suggestions at various stages of this research. This work was funded by the AHRC and Merton College, Oxford.

A Domain Isolated Tripartite Authenticated Key Agreement Protocol With Dynamic Revocation and Online Public Identity Updating for IIoT

A Domain Isolated Tripartite Authenticated Key Agreement Protocol With Dynamic Revocation and Online Public Identity Updating for IIoT

Etika Public Speaking Antarbudaya

This research discusses intercultural public speaking ethics, which is a combination of public speaking ethics and intercultural communication ethics. The method used in this research is the library research method, in which researchers conduct research only on library collection materials related to intercultural public speaking ethics. The research results show that a public speaker is not only required to understand public speaking ethics but is also required to understand intercultural communication ethics so that public speakers can apply intercultural public speaking ethics. By applying intercultural public speaking ethics, public speaking with audiences of people from different cultural backgrounds can be effective. To apply intercultural public speaking ethics, public speakers must first learn the culture of their audience by first seeking information regarding what ethics are deemed permissible and not permissible. After studying the cultural ethics of the audience, the public speaker must enter that culture as if the public speaker is part of the members of that culture without leaving the public speaker's own cultural identity.

Ukrainian book influencers of thematic telegram channels from the perspective of influencer marketing

The article examines the peculiarities of the functioning of author's book blogs in the Ukrainian segment of Telegram. The author argues that writing reviews by readers on a social network has long been a much larger phenomenon than reader promotion of books, but is an expression of the global phenomenon of online influencer marketing. It is proposed to adopt the term "book influencer" as a generally accepted international term for book influencers. The study analyses Ukrainian author's book blogs on Telegram and identifies 17 most popular ones by the number of subscribers. The article focuses on the peculiarities of bloggers' public identity, in particular, in the selection of content and the use of labelling for posts. It is proved that the main characteristic of the public identity of book influencers is reading as a lifestyle. Some of the latest strategies for engaging the audience are described, in particular, the activation of subscribers using the military-patriotic theme. It is found that book bloggers do not act on the basis of anonymity, but are interested in developing their own brand and creating social capital. posting posts on a commercial basis, and cooperation with publishers is not always on a barter basis. It has been found that most of the blogs we analysed have labelled advertising (11 out of 17), however, only a few bloggers openly state the terms of advertising. It is noted that in addition to the marketing function, book telegram channels have a value-oriented function for their audience. It is determined that book influencers are now defending the Ukrainian book and Ukrainian book publishing, and condemning Russian literature as part of the identity of the aggressor country in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Proxy Re-Encryption for Secure Data Sharing with Blockchain in Internet of Medical Things

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is crucial in our daily health monitoring and assisting doctors in treatment. However, the existing schemes mainly use cloud servers to solve the storage of large amounts of data generated by smart devices, ignoring the guarantee mechanism of ciphertext integrity, which may result in data being tampered with or replaced in data sharing. To address this issue, we propose a secure data sharing scheme named Proxy Re-Encryption for Secure Data Sharing with Blockchain in Internet of Medical Things (PRE-IoMT). Specifically, we propose a new proxy re-encryption data sharing approach by introducing identity hash during the key generation phase to realize the binding of public key and user identity, thus enhancing the security of data sharing in PRE-IoMT. Moreover, we adopt BlockChain transactions to design a pairing function ciphertext check mechanism, which can effectively prevent the ciphertext stored in the cloud server from being tampered with. We add the user to the accumulator by invoking the BlockChain smart contract to realize the management and fast query of users. Finally, we conduct the performance analysis experiments on the four-stage computation of proxy re-encryption, communication overhead, storage overhead, transmission delay, and the delay of BlockChain transactions, compared with existing schemes, our scheme improves the computation efficiency of encryption, re-encryption, decryption, and re-decryption by about 23.8%, 71.4%, 48%, and 15.3% respectively. The security proof also exhibits that PRE-IoMT can resist IND-ID-CPA.

Beyond ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fans: exploring the mechanisms enabling football fans’ position as a stakeholder in the management of circulations

ABSTRACT This article explores mechanisms enabling football fans’ position as a (safety) stakeholder in the context of European football. It is clear that fans, in the eyes of some football and political authorities, are considered to be ‘potential troublemakers’ or ‘risks’ that must be governed or controlled. However, at the same time, fans are also increasingly considered as contributors towards ‘safe’, ‘secure’, and ‘enjoyable’ football events. Borrowing theoretical insights from Foucault’s writings on security and circulations, this article locates the football fan within what he calls a ‘security dispositif’. By examining processes through which ‘bad’ and ‘good’ fan circulations and populations are enabled, this article looks at the conflicting and (sometimes) contradictory public fan identities that football and political authorities attribute to football fans. It is argued that fans’ stakeholder role represents a counter to ‘security’ becoming defined solely on the terms of football’s governing bodies and political authorities.

Etika Public Speaking Antarbudaya

This research discusses intercultural public speaking ethics, which is a combination of public speaking ethics and intercultural communication ethics. The method used in this research is the library research method, in which researchers conduct research only on library collection materials related to intercultural public speaking ethics. The research results show that a public speaker is not only required to understand public speaking ethics but is also required to understand intercultural communication ethics so that public speakers can apply intercultural public speaking ethics. By applying intercultural public speaking ethics, public speaking with audiences of people from different cultural backgrounds can be effective. To apply intercultural public speaking ethics, public speakers must first learn the culture of their audience by first seeking information regarding what ethics are deemed permissible and not permissible. After studying the cultural ethics of the audience, the public speaker must enter that culture as if the public speaker is part of the members of that culture without leaving the public speaker's own cultural identity.

“It’s not that I don’t like it here, it’s just that I eventually want to live somewhere else”: young refugees’ contested arrival experiences, local racialized discourses and emergent future selves in Amsterdam

ABSTRACT Although the urban fabric is often associated with relevant infrastructures that foster young refugees’ experiences of settlement and future imagining, a critical notion of place remains largely absent from the literature. This paper investigates refugee youths’ urban arrival and settlement processes by examining the role of public space, place and identity in their imagination of possible future selves. We use place identity as a dynamic, translocal and contested concept to explore how future selves are emplaced in multiple and contradictory ways. The paper reports on an eight-month ethnographic study in an underprivileged neighborhood in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, that is characterized by functionalism, social housing and a high concentration of refugee arrivals. We find that personal referents of public neighborhood places are important for nurturing young refugees’ specific hardships and traumas that threaten future self-imagination. We further demonstrate how momentary belongings due to diverse yet intertwined neighborhood identities foster the emergence of multiple possible future selves. Lastly, we show how local racialized discourses of place endanger and “trap” possible future self-concepts. We conclude that urban refugee youths’ future self-imaginations develop alongside multiple contested places and temporalities, and contribute to a relational understanding of urban processes and experiences of forced mobility and displacement.

Japan’s Border Measures during Covid-19: How the Crisis Shaped ‘Others’ to Protect the ‘Stability of Self’

The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted countries to implement a wide range of specific cross-border security measures. The fear and anxiety induced by this crisis have rapidly expanded and contracted countries’ understanding of ‘self’ and ‘other’. This study examines Japan’s shift from liberal pre- Covid-19 border policies to the most stringent border closure measures among the G7 countries during the pandemic. In this study, we argue that the pandemic-induced fear increased anxiety in Japan’s public health safety identity, rapidly reshaping the conceptualization of the ‘self’ and ‘other’ in crisis scenarios. This shift aligns with Japan’s historical narrative of combating unprecedented threats to public health.

Chinese Space, Identity, and Presence in Malaysia: Exploring the Yingxiong Haohan Ideal of Wu Masculinity in the Wangkang Festival of Melaka

Abstract The Wangkang Festival has been celebrated for nearly two centuries in Melaka, Malaysia. In 2005, it was recognized as part of the national heritage of Malaysia; and in 2020 garnered global recognition with unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage designation. The festival centers on apprehending evil spirits believed to cause epidemics and chaos, while invoking peace and prosperity. The tradition revolves around the worship of Ong Yah, also known as the “Five Sworn Brothers,” making it a vibrant cultural site to study Melaka’s local Chinese identity through Taoist folk religious practices. This article documents the 2020 festival in the midst of the covid pandemic, observes the notable absence and marginalization of women, explores gender constructions through the notion of wu (武) in Chinese masculinity, particularly through the ideal of yingxiong haohan (英雄好漢), and argues that the Chinese community carves out a Chinese public space, identity and presence in Malaysia within the Wangkang Festival context.

KONSTRUKSI IDENTITAS PADA INDIVIDU YANG MEMILIKI LEBIH DARI SATU INSTAGRAM

This research aims to understand how identity is constructed in individuals who have more than one Instagram account. The study employs a qualitative approach, and data collection is carried out by involving 10 informants through online semi-structured interviews. The collected data is analyzed using narrative analysis methods. Based on the analysis results, five themes are identified that demonstrate the identity construction of individuals on their Instagram accounts: 1) Feelings of insecurity; 2) Anticipatory anxiety; 3) Self-image as public identity; 4) Limitations of private identity; and 5) Existential anxiety in community space. Informants position themselves as individuals who feel insecure and strive to overcome anticipatory anxiety. These two themes are further related to the informants' public identity that portrays their self-image and their attempts to limit their private identity. The formation of public and private identities by informants also serves as an effort to address informants' existential anxiety within the community space.

Celebrity-fan relationship: studying Taylor Swift and Indonesian Swifties’ parasocial relationships on social media

The emergence of social media platforms has shifted the ways celebrities and fans communicate and build connections. Having been in the entertainment industry for more than 15 years, Taylor Swift has continuously grown her online fanbase. Due to her constant effort to connect with her fans through social media, a parasocial relationship is formed between Swift and her fans, also known as “Swifties”. Despite a lack of reciprocity, Swifties are continuously motivated to perform online interactions with their idol. Therefore, this study examines how fans’ motivation and celebrity’s social media persona play a role in developing parasocial relationships between them. Using a qualitative approach, the study employs in-depth interviews with 10 Indonesian Swifties who have supported her online for more than seven years. The study employs theoretical concepts of Public Identity, Uses and Gratification, and Parasocial Interactions and Relationships to analyse the emotional connection between fans and Swift. The research concludes that the parasocial relationship between Swift and her fans developed due to Swift’s constant self-disclosure and authentic persona on social media. Also, the emotional connection strengthened as the parasocial interaction with Swift and the interactions between Swifties fulfilled their social media gratifications for entertainment, social interactions, and information-seeking.