Sociopolitical Action Research Articles

To Trust or Not to Trust: Consumer Perceptions of Corporate Sociopolitical Activism

When companies take a stance on sociopolitical issues, it is considered corporate social advocacy (CSA). This article examines to what extent perceived corporate motives of engaging in CSA affect consumer skepticism and brand equity. It is one of the few published studies of consumer attitudes toward companies’ CSA involvement. An online survey was conducted ( N = 375). It provides evidence that consumer assessments of the motives that inspire CSA are similar to the better-researched motives that inspire CSR. The findings imply that companies need to develop a good understanding of the consumers’ attributions when engaging in CSA.

Special issue “reflecting on Freire: a praxis of radical love and critical hope for science education”—theme: transnational collaborations and solidarities

In this article I will examine some of the issues raised by the following three articles in this special issue about Paulo Freire and science education: Jenny Tilsen’s “The freshness of irreverence”: learning from ACT UP towards socio-political action in science education”; Suzani Cassiani and Irlan von Linsingen’s “Freirean inspirations in solidary internationalism between East Timor and Brazil in science education”; and Gonzalo Peñalosa, Jairo Robles-Piñeros and Geilsa Costa Santos Baptista’s “Science Education and Cultural Diversity: Freire’s Concept of Dialogue as Theoretical Lens to Study the Classroom Discourse of Science Teachers”. Brought together within this special issue under the theme of Transnational collaborations and solidarities, these articles explore the possibilities and tensions that emerge from thinking and practicing a Freirean-inspired science education that enables socio-political action and transformation by marginalised communities across the world. In this review, I will focus on ideas raised (to different extents) across these articles around three interrelated areas—interculturality and decoloniality, socio-political transformation, and teacher education and work—with the aim of expanding on what transnational inspirations and collaborations such as the ones promoted by this special issue can mean to those of us across the world working against the grain of marginalisation and dehumanisation (of students and teachers) from within science education.

How Corporate Sociopolitical Activism (CSA) impacts portfolio allocations: an experiment

If a firm signals that they identify on one end of the conservative-liberal spectrum, will political affiliation help predict how an investor will allocate their investment dollars to that firm? Using an experimental survey design with 1,494 participants, evidence was found that political affiliation does materially predict the allocation decisions of investors to firms engaged in corporate sociopolitical activism (CSA). More specifically, Democrats were more likely than Republicans to allocate investment dollars towards firms signaling a liberal political identity through their support of LGBT social issues and Planned Parenthood. By comparison, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to allocate investment dollars towards firms signaling a conservative political identity through their support of the Religious Freedom Institute. In addition, evidence was found that both Democrats and Republicans will under-allocate (relative to a control group) to firms that engage in CSA. Corporations should consider the potential costs from investor under-allocation for taking public stands on controversial partisan issues that favor some constituents at the expense of others.

"The freshness of irreverence": learning from ACT UP toward sociopolitical action in science education.

This article explores ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) through a Freirean lens of critical consciousness, dialogue, and transformation. The purpose is to draw from where there have been processes of engagement of sociopolitical action in science and how these spaces can become meaningful entry points to take toward making a "sociopolitical turn" in science education, as well as in science more broadly. Current practices in science education do not adequately prepare educators and students to challenge and interrupt injustices that we are emersed in. ACT UP is a well-studied example of when non-specialists engaged with science and scientific knowledge making to shift power and policy. Paulo Freire's pedagogy was developed alongside social movements. By examining ACT UP through a Freirean lens, I explore themes of relationality, social epistemology, consensus, and dissensus that emerged when a social movement engaged with science to achieve its goal. My intent is to add to the ongoing dialogues of approaching science education as a practice of critical consciousness and liberatory world making.

Sleep inequities and associations between poor sleep and mental health for school-aged children: findings from the New Zealand Health Survey

Abstract In Aotearoa/New Zealand, ethnic inequities in sleep health exist for young children and adults and are largely explained by inequities in socioeconomic deprivation. Poor sleep is related to poor mental health for these age groups but whether sleep inequities and associations with mental health exist for school-aged children is unclear. We aimed to (1) determine the prevalence of poor sleep health including sleep problems by ethnicity, (2) examine social determinants of health associated with poor sleep, and (3) investigate relationships between poor sleep and mental health for 5–14-year-olds using cross-sectional New Zealand Health Survey data (n = 8895). Analyses included weighted prevalence estimates and multivariable logistic regression. Short sleep was more prevalent for Indigenous Māori (17.6%), Pacific (24.5%), and Asian (18.4%) children, and snoring/noisy breathing during sleep was more prevalent for Māori (29.4%) and Pacific (28.0%) children, compared to European/Other (short sleep 10.2%, snoring/noisy breathing 17.6%). Ethnicity and neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation were independently associated with short sleep and snoring/noisy breathing during sleep. Short sleep was associated with increased odds of anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and activity-limiting emotional and psychological conditions after adjusting for ethnicity, deprivation, age, and gender. In addition, long sleep was independently associated with increased odds of depression. These findings demonstrate that for school-aged children ethnic inequities in sleep exist, socioeconomic deprivation is associated with poor sleep, and poor sleep is associated with poor mental health. Sociopolitical action is imperative to tackle social inequities to support sleep equity and mental health across the lifecourse.

The role of socio-political action in the formation of humanitarian security: theoretical analysis

The role of socio-political action in the formation of humanitarian security: theoretical analysis

Green practices of citizens: Sources, stabilization and dissemination (case of Tyumen)

Changing planetary conditions force all actors of social processes to transform social practices. A significant role of society greening belongs to socio-political activism, which becomes a mechanism for launching innovations and changes practices. This article studies the sources of green practices of citizens, the mechanisms of stabilization and dissemination of new practices by questioning the population in Tyumen. To achieve this goal, we formulated five hypotheses. The study did not confirm the hypothesis that green practices arise due to school education, that the authorities are the initiators of greening society, that young people are the driving force of green practices. The obtained data partially confirmed the hypotheses that the green practices of the population are not regular and involvement in green practices occurs through ecological communities. It was found that from 30 to 71% of Tyumen residents know about green practices and are engaged in them. The most common are both practices that have a long history — cleaning the territory, planting trees, and modern practices — taking care of pets, separate waste collection. Respondents consider environmental organizations, activists, and environmental foundations to be initiators and key drivers of green practices. The research contributes to understanding how green practices appear, how they gain their supporters, how they spread in society. Our research can be useful for authorities for improving of the greening process.

Politics of Constructing Islam in the Everyday Lives of Young Bangladeshis: Asserting Majoritarian Islam, and the “Good / Bad Muslim” Narrative

This research paper examines how Bangladeshi youth perceive the role of Islam in their everyday lives and how this, in turn, informs broader political participation and radicalism. The emphasis is on unpacking the politics of meaning-making of Islam at the informal and individual levels eschewing a “high politics” approach that constitutes formal institutions and structures. Drawing on field-data collected in 2017 and 2018, this paper offers insights on the politics of faith in the everyday lives of ordinary Bangladeshi youths whose individual socio-political actions are inspired by their perception of what Islam is but not devoid from the influence of structures of high politics that constantly shapes and reshapes these individuals’ perception of Islam. The findings indicate that divisions exist among young Bangladeshis about what Islam constitutes and means. Specifically, it was observed that an emerging trend is to advance the idea of Islam as a majoritarian religion through signs, symbols, and the politics of space. Within this context, narratives of “good Muslim” and “bad Muslim” manifest and contribute into justifications for radicalisation and even terror activities.

Abortion Ban в англоязычных социальных медиа в 2022 г.: лингвопрагматические аспекты онлайн-коммуникации

The present research featured the conflict discourse of online communication in social networks on the topic of abortion ban. The empirical base included 3,000,000 Twitter messages in English. The sampling by keywords women and abortion covered the period from May 1 to July 31, 2022, which saw an outburst of online and offline civic activities regarding some national anti-abortion policies. The resulting web corpus of network linguistic data (datasets) was subjected to multidimensional analysis using such methods as Data Science, mathematical modeling, relational sociology, corpus analysis, discourse analysis, etc. All these procedures combined resulted in a multidimensional comprehensive analysis of the simulated English asynchronous multimodal discursive field in Twitter. The models made it possible to visualize online communications in social networks, as well as to describe the discourse of online communication between pro-choice and pro-life. The authors analyzed the pragmatic potential of network communities on the current political agenda. The method might help to identify the conflict potential that can evolve from online communication into offline socio-political actions.

Revisiting the notions of translation ethics in Saudi Arabia: a survey of translators' perceptions

PurposeThis paper investigates professional translation practice in Saudi Arabia with a particular focus on translation ethics. Following an examination of varying opinions and contentious concepts relating to translation, this paper suggests that Saudi Arabia should establish a code of ethics for translation services. It investigates the ethical challenges that translators encounter during their professional work and considers their responses to these challenges.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative methodology was adopted to collect data from forty participants. This self-completed survey uncovered 11 ethical dimensions that translators encounter during the translation process and the researchers used descriptive analysis to calculate the mean and standard deviation of their frequency and importance. Participants' responses to the multiple-choice questions were categorised as personal, professional ethics or sociopolitical activism, and their overall percentages calculated.FindingsFor all 11 dimensions, the mean scores fell in the mid-frequency range between 2.74 and 3.88, inferring that the respondents faced these ethical challenges neither particularly frequently nor infrequently. Regarding the importance rankings, the mean scores varied between 1.58 and 2.04, consistently lower than the experience frequency rankings, which indicates that these challenges were considered important regardless of their frequency. The majority (40.27%) related to professional notions of ethics, followed by personal ethics (35.22%) and sociopolitical and activist conceptions of ethics (24.14%), while less than 1% (0.37%) reflected mixed motivations.Originality/valueThe study's concept and methodology are both novel. The researchers believe that this is the first study to examine professional translation ethics in the Saudi context. Unlike most studies in this field, this study adopted a quantitative approach, thus calling for the development of an effective professional code of ethics for translators.

Discursive Fields and Linguistic Patterns in the Online Space

Abstract: The digital context of the “post-truth” era conditioned by the networkization and digitalization of all spheres of life transforms network content which forms the basis of discursive fields in the online space. Applied research of D. Trump's election campaign in March–June 2020 on Twitter to analyze discursive fields and linguistic patterns allowed the authors to find answers to the following questions: How do discursive fields arise in the online space? How are discursive fields and linguistic patterns formed in the online space during the election campaigns? What methods can be used to study the development of discursive fields and predict their impact on offline practices of citizens and groups of citizens? How do discursive fields affect citizens' electoral behavior? How are vectors of destructive influence formed in discursive fields in the online space? The investigated case of D. Trump's election campaign visualizes how dis¬cursive fields and the linguistic patterns they produce initiate socio-political actions / practices aimed at supporting or protesting the current president and candidate for the presidency of the United States in the context of the latent deployment of immigration issues and under pressure the spreading pandemic “COVID-19”. In conclusion, it is stated that the strategy of using recurrent messages to form discursive fields in the online space in the face of urgent internal state problems and a global external threat leads to the emergence of “gaps” at the border of the core of the discursive field. Keywords: online space, election campaign, Donald Trump, network vi¬sual analysis, linguistic discursive analysis, recurrent messages.

Mengukur kesadaran kritis: Konstruksi skala socio-political awareness for indonesian

Critical awareness has recently become a widely studied topic in the intellectual, social and educational scientific community. The concept that was coined by the Brazilian critical educator is considered important because it covers a crucial aspect of consciousness that is often forgotten. Researches that seek to increase critical awareness have begun to be carried out, but they are not supported by a standardized measurement instrument. This causes the validity of the research results to be questioned. It is only in the last five years that efforts to construct critical awareness instruments have received attention. This study will construct a critical awareness scale for the Indonesian population called the Socio-Political Awareness Scale for Indonesian (SPASI). The scale refers to the concept of critical consciousness proposed by Paulo Freire and refined by modern researchers such as Watts, Diemer, and Christensen. Three aspects of critical awareness used in this scale include Social-Dominance, Critical Reflection and Socio-Political Action. The results of the analysis show that the eleven items on the SPASI scale have reliability and validity scores that meet the requirements. Keywords: critical consciousness, Paulo Freire, scale construction

What did they say? A typology of CEO activism

PurposeThe practice of corporate chief executive officer (CEOs) engaging in sociopolitical activism on issues both related and unrelated to their companies is gaining attention in the popular press and among management scholars. The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents and motivations of CEO sociopolitical activism in a typology of influences internal and external to the CEO and to the organization. This study’s typology highlights the need for greater understanding of CEOs’ sociopolitical activism for the CEO as an individual actor and for the company they represent.Design/methodology/approachThis study’s approach is to conceptually review the literature on CEO activism and to create a theoretic framework for future analysis of the antecedents and motivations and ramifications of CEOs’ sociopolitical activism for the CEO as an individual actor and for the company they represent. The author highlights four theories and seeks future application of these theories to the phenomena in a typology.FindingsThe typology highlights the application of management theories to various ramifications of CEO activism to four influences on CEO activities. Upper echelons theory helps explain the motivation of a CEO internally, whereas agency theory applies to CEO activism internal to the CEO and external to the organizational operations. External to the CEO, organizational culture theory supports responses internal to the organization, and stakeholder theory provides insight into responses external to the CEO and the organization.Originality/valueThis study provides conceptual support for the study of CEO activism and encourages future research on the topic.

Considering the Symbiotic Relationship Between Religion, Digital Media, and Social Movement Leadership – A Systematic Review Using PRISMA

The study of leadership has been long explicitly debated, specifically in social movements. While the discussion of social movement leadership has increasingly made its presence in digital media studies, it falls short of understanding religious socio-political action and in the nexus of religion. Moreover, the role of religion has continually been confined in the contexts of conflict, terrorism, and extremism. Based on the said argument, this article develops a systematic review of religion, digital media, and social movement leadership. The present paper follows the PRISMA systematic review protocol as a guideline for data collection and reporting. Data of articles were obtained from the Scopus database between 2010 and 2021. Findings indicate that religion is used both as an explanatory component to either rationalise conflict or to empower social movements. Religion plays a significant role in social movements that are mediated through digital media. Relevant studies have increasingly examined religion concerning online practices and in the context of social movements. The paper highlights that religiously embedded social movements can be examined using social movement and digital media perspectives. Nonetheless, it must extend the religious analytical lens to thoroughly comprehend the religious components, particularly when it involves religious social movement actors. Keywords: Religion, digital media, social movement leadership, socio-political, PRISMA.

Fernanda Seixas, a Woman’s Take on Architecture as Social Intervention

This paper sheds light upon architect Fernanda Seixas (1942-2017) as a trailblazing woman in her disciplinary field in Portugal. Her archives, a set of interviews, and bibliographical research allow us to pinpoint certain characteristics that make her stand out amongst her peers, and consider her as a woman succeeding in a ‘male profession’. Trained during an era of political dissent in which she actively participated against the dictatorship of Estado Novo in the 1960s, Seixas created her own practice right after the 1974 revolution and envisaged her work as a space of socio-political activism. In the 1980s her social consciousness broadened to include environmental concerns and she became a pioneering architect on the issues of energy efficiency and bioclimatic architecture. This technical approach combined with her social ethos stand out in her planning projects and built work.

Socio-Political Activism: Content Analysis of Selected Hash Tags

Social media is the means to register people’s participation in the virtual world and to organise, coordinate and/or drive social change, mass protest or any social movement which brings commendable changes in and around the world. The concept and practice of hashtag activism are relatively new. They are very user friendly, by just liking or retweeting the post on Twitter many social drives and socio-political movements have gone popular and successful in recent times. It has gained significance quick as a wink, due to the participation of a large number of people pan the world, for divergent issues like justice for victims, human rights abuse, political drama, fundraising, campaigns etc. This research study which has never been conducted in its current form clearly showed the use of the hashtag and socio-political activism on tweeter. The primary focus of this research was a detailed study of the selected popular hashtag in recent times.

Distinctly Neoliberal: A Latent Profile Analysis of Neoliberal Ideology and Its Associations with Sociopolitical Actions and Sexual Attitudes

Distinctly Neoliberal: A Latent Profile Analysis of Neoliberal Ideology and Its Associations with Sociopolitical Actions and Sexual Attitudes

The coffee shop dilemma: a case of entrepreneur activism or ethical dissent?

Theoretical basis This case offers the students to see the impact business ethics concepts, including corporate social responsibility, ethical obligation, ethical strategy, alienation, corporate activism, sociopolitical activism, symbolism, transparency, integrity, decoupled organization, opportunism, moral muteness or moral exclusion, etc. Through the student’s own ethical sensitivity, they can then make an informed decision grounded in fundamental ethical theories such as Utilitarianism, Kantianism, Ethics of Care, Virtue Theory, Confucianism, etc. Research methodology Data for this case has been gathered entirely from publicly available secondary sources, including online resources, mainstream media reports, biased (opinion-based) media outlets, social media statements from all stakeholder groups (students, business, university) and meeting minutes from campus organizations. None of the named individuals nor entities, in this case, have ever been contacted by the authors. Case overview/synopsis In Fall 2020, Boise State University contracted a locally owned and operated coffee shop to open a location on-campus. The shop owner was engaged to a police officer who had been permanently injured in an altercation with a dangerous fugitive. For his sacrifice, this police officer was awarded the Medal of Honor from the City of Boise. To support her fiancé, the coffee shop owner displayed a Thin Blue Line flag on the front door of her off-campus location. Students heard of this display and began to voice their objections through administrative and social media channels. The business countered back at claims that they supported racism and ultimately asked to be released from their contract with the university. They closed their on-campus business, having operated the location for less than two months. Media representation of this case created a vocal response both from those who support the business’ use of this imagery and those who support the student’s decision to boycott this business on ethical grounds. Complexity academic level Business ethics: 300–400 level; Business strategy: 300–400 level.

CEO Sociopolitical Activism as a Signal of Authentic Leadership to Prospective Employees

Despite evidence on the increasing centrality of moral approaches to leadership for extant employees, management research provides little guidance on whether and how prospective employees come to draw conclusions about such leadership in their employer choice. Therefore, this paper integrates authentic leadership into signaling theory to identify CEO sociopolitical activism—a public and costly expression of personal political values by a company's highest and most visible leader—as an effective signal that is interpreted by job seekers to evaluate the CEOs’ degree of authentic leadership. Three experiments, including a parallel design for causal mediation inferences, and a field survey support that authentic leadership attributions mediate the positive impact of CEOs’ activism on job seekers’ employer attractiveness evaluations and employer choice. This mediation is attenuated when the activist CEO's espoused political values are incongruent with those of the job seeker and when the CEO engages in activism due to customer pressure rather than personal convictions. These findings primarily contribute to signaling theory and the literature on authentic leadership. For practitioners, the paper identifies a unique leadership signal that can contribute to an employer brand while cautioning about the costs this signal might impose on companies’ diversity.

The impact of Corporate Sociopolitical Activism (CSA) on brand attitude

Corporate sociopolitical activism (CSA), as an emerging marketing strategy, can lead to divergent consumer responses. However, there is limited empirical research investigating how the various elements of CSA can be incorporated to create compelling campaigns. To fill this void, this research examines two important, yet unexplored CSA dimensions, perceived issue novelty and perceived issue controversy, that affect consumer responses. Our findings indicate that novelty cues have a negative impact on brand attitude when consumers disagree with the company’s stance on the issue. Also, high controversy issues lead to less favorable brand attitudes. Perceived sincerity of the company’s motive to engage in CSA mediates the relationship between perceived issue controversy and brand attitude. This study adds to the growing literature on CSA by shedding light on the interplay between various CSA elements, thus guiding hospitality practitioners in executing effective CSA campaigns. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.