Socio-political Discourse Research Articles

About the need for a Swiss digital health ‘Sistine Chapel’ – lessons from 25 years of health policy

Abstract Background The Swiss government’s ‘DigiSanté’ program 2025-2034 aims to address Switzerland’s delay in digitising its healthcare system. Public and professionals’ trust is central for the implementation of digital health initiatives and partially based on past experiences with the digital health system. To inform DigiSanté, it is crucial to analyse the evolution of the socio-political discourse surrounding health data sharing in Switzerland in the past 25 years to identify the main obstacles encountered and lessons learned during this period. Methods We designed a multi-method study comprising a policy analysis of 65 Swiss policies on health data sharing from 1998 to 2023; scoping review of 250 editorials; sentiment analysis of 400 news articles from six major Swiss newspapers; and thematic analysis of transcripts from 11 online interviews with key stakeholders. Results We identified 32 key policy milestones in Swiss health data sharing, with the COVID-19 pandemic emerging as a trigger for present policymakers’ awareness of health data’s potential and the need for healthcare system digitization. The troubled implementation of the Electronic Patient Dossier (EPD) and its negative narrative are identified as more central in eroding long-term public trust than scandals. Primary obstacles to implementation of the EPD include misaligned stakeholders’ interests, slow policy processes, lack of professional support, low public awareness, and technical interoperability issues. Future strategies involve increasing actors’ involvement to establish a common vision and strategy and improving public communication. Conclusions The present socio-political discourse on health data sharing in Switzerland is shaped by past negative experiences with the EPD, compounded by additional scandals. To cultivate public trust, stakeholders should collaborate to align interests and ensure all parties work cooperatively toward common goals. Key messages • National and international scandals marginally affect public trust compared to the impact of the negative narrative surrounding the slow EPD implementation. • Misalignment of stakeholder interests is the main barrier to implementing health data sharing initiatives, causing delays and trust erosion.

Figures of Migration in the Classical Sociologies of Marx, Weber, and Du Bois

Migration is a topic of heated debate, yet it is relatively absent from sociological theory discussions. This article analyzes the extent to which structural de-thematization or specific framing of migration shapes sociological perspectives by focusing on approaches that have been canonized as “classics.” Through a rereading of Karl Marx, Max Weber, and W. E. B. Du Bois, I address absences and show how these authors have nevertheless constructed certain figures of migration: as a passive figure of forced mobility, a threatening figure of otherness, and an active figure of social transformation. How these authors depict migration is both symptomatic of their approach but also of a contemporary sociological and sociopolitical discourse that can be critically reflected in relation to these works. By showing how migration is treated in these different intellectual projects, the article contributes to a genealogy of sociological thought and its impact on contemporary perspectives regarding migration, diversity, and inequality.

Explanations for language choice in the social context of the L2 classroom

AbstractThe use of students’ first language (L1) in additional language (L2) instruction has been a recurring theme in language education research. While research has documented the amount of L1 use and its purposes in L2 instruction, little research has investigated the multifaceted motives that influence language choices at the micro level of social activity where language learning takes place. This study contributes new perspectives by exploring the beliefs of teachers and students from two cases of Norwegian use during English lessons, applying video‐stimulated recall in semistructured interviews to elicit reflections about observed language choices in concrete classroom interactions. The findings revealed the complexity of factors influencing language choice in the L2 classroom. First, although teachers agreed on a mainly English ideal, competing beliefs led to varying instructional practices. Second, monolingual ideals were stronger among the students in comparison with their teachers, but these ideals operated alongside an affective dimension of language choice in interactions with the teacher and group work with peers. The study demonstrates how teacher and student beliefs are influenced by macro‐level sociopolitical discourses about multilingualism and indicates that language choice is influenced by such beliefs in combination with more temporary stances and roles.

Крестьянские миграции в степные области: причинные факторы и способы их преодоления в оценках представителей консервативного направления второй половины XIX – начала XX вв.

One of the characteristic features of Russia’s post-reform development was the migration of part of the agricultural segment to its Asian possessions, which caused a lively socio-political discussion in the country. Supporters of the conservative trend play a significant role in discussing the causes of these migrations, identifying the crisis in peasant farming as the principal driver of mass movement toward the empire’s periphery. This article is based on administrative documentation from the Central State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan concerning the movement of agrarian migrants into the Kazakh steppe and the actions undertaken by regional and provincial administrations to accommodate them. It also draws from materials in periodical literature that shaped societal perceptions of typical phenomena leading to the causes, progress, and consequences of popular migrations for the national economy. Following the principles of historicism and systematic analysis, which facilitate the exploration of the viewpoints of conservative discourse regarding the identification of causal factors underlying migratory mobility, this article examines approaches to possible state support for settlers at the imperial level. The analysis centers on the positions of the most prominent representatives of conservative doctrine, who viewed agrarian migration as an integral component of governmental policy aimed at the economic development of the “Kirghiz” steppe, a region that geographically partially fell within the borders of Akmolinsk and Semipalatinsk provinces.

Krzysztof Wodiczko's Art and Its Connection to Contemporary Socio-Political Discourse : Focusing on Video Projections

Krzysztof Wodiczko's Art and Its Connection to Contemporary Socio-Political Discourse : Focusing on Video Projections

‘Saving the youth’: Children and young people as moral subjects in the Philippines’ punitive drug regime

Background The Philippines has one of the must punitive drug regimes in the world, as evidenced not just by Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war but previous anti-drug campaigns. This article examines the place of ‘the youth’ in the longstanding moral panic around drugs and drug policy in the Philippines. Methods This article uses critical discourse analysis to analyze figurations of young people across three distinct periods in the Philippines’ contemporary history: Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s early dictatorship (1972–1975), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s presidency (2001–2010), and Rodrigo Duterte’s administration (2016–2022). Results In all three periods, young people were simultaneously invoked as a group that needs saving) and as a group that needs surveillance and discipline. Further, across the three periods, both the youth and drug use were enfolded into larger socio-political discourses (e.g. Martial Law; corruption and poverty; anti-elite politics). Conclusion The ambivalence in the ways in which young people are treated in drug policy reflects and reinforces their societal construction as passive victims. Interrogating and challenging the ways in which young people figure in ‘morality politics’ can pave the way for meaningful youth engagement in drug policies and programs.

Sentiment Analysis of Nigerian Opinions Using Logistic Regression and Random Forest Algorithms: A Comparative Study

This study investigates the efficacy of Logistic Regression and Random Forest models in sentiment analysis using Nigerian-based datasets, namely "Gangs of Lagos" and "PeterObi Politics." Sentiment analysis, a vital component of Natural Language Processing (NLP), plays a crucial role in understanding public opinion and sentiment trends, particularly in the context of Nigerian socio-political discourse. Leveraging machine learning techniques, the study examines the performance of these models in predicting sentiment classes, including positive, negative, and neutral sentiments, within the datasets. The findings shed light on the strengths and limitations of Logistic Regression and Random Forest in discerning sentiment nuances prevalent in Nigerian language expressions with Logistic Regression outperforming Random Forest in both cases. This research contributes to the advancement of sentiment analysis methodologies tailored to Nigerian linguistic and cultural contexts, with implications for various applications, including social media monitoring, political analysis, and market research.

Transformation of the Model of State-Confessional Relations in Belarus at the End of the 19th Century – 1917

Introduction. The article describes the process of transformation of state-confessional relations in the Belarusian lands as part of the Russian Empire from the end of the 19th century to 1917. Methods and materials. To obtain verified results, the study is based on the analysis of administrative and regulatory materials, office documents of the Mogilev diocese, and domestic and foreign historiography. The study was conducted using an interdisciplinary methodology: historical-typological and historical-comparative methods, formal-legal, and the method of interpretation of legal norms were used. In addition, to identify the features of the socio-political discourse on the issue of changes in state-church relations, discourse analysis was used. Analysis. The historically established model of a religious state with the dominance of the Orthodox Church in the Russian Empire was established in the 19th century on Belarusian lands with a different confessional structure and traditions of state-church relations. The author noted a tendency to transition from the model of a religious state to the model of a secular state – in the period March – October 1917, the Provisional Government tried to establish an identification model of a secular state. This model corresponded to the religious system of Belarusian society with the dominance of the Orthodox Church and the expectations of socio-political actors and also ensured the implementation of religious rights and freedoms of adherents of other religions but was not fully implemented due to the transfer of power to the Bolshevik Party in October 1917. Results. Transformational processes in state-confessional relations in the Belarusian provinces took place in the direction from the model of a religious state to the model of a secular state as accompanying changes in the political system of the Russian Empire. Internal factors in the development of the state-confessional system of the Russian Empire, as well as the peculiarities of the confessional environment of the Belarusian provinces (diversification of the religious structure of Belarusian society, limitation of the rights of traditional actors rooted in the Belarusian religious environment, confessional dualism “Orthodoxy-Catholicism”), did not play a significant role in the transformation processes.

Unearthing Stigma About Prostitution Among Indonesian State Actors: A Critical Narrative Analysis

ABSTRACT Prostitution has long been stigmatized in socio-political discourse. The mounting empirical evidence shows that stigmatization is discursively attached to sex workers’ occupations. Although much prior research has addressed this phenomenon, little evidence reports to which extent prostitution practice is institutionally stigmatized from a developing state-and-social-sanctioned perspective in which this prostitution stigmatization is viewed as a fundamental cause of social inequality. This study examines to which extent the narratives embedded in policy documents, news articles, and ethnographic interview reports frame ideologies, assumptions, and biases that shape governmental responses to prostitution. Data from policy documents, news articles, and ethnographic interviews were analyzed with a critical narrative approach. Three emergent finding themes presented in this article include knowledge of religious norms shaping government policy and public opinions, the discourse of governmental power, and female sex workers as the main target of government policy. The implication of the present study is how governments and state and social actors mitigate the adverse effects of stigma and promote social justice and equality for sex workers in Indonesia and other developing countries.

Care and Support for same-sex Couples during Pregnancy and Childbirth

Since 2015, same-sex couples in Austria have been able to fulfil their desire to have children with the help of reproductive medicine services. The aim of this study was to determine the needs of women and the special features of care for women in couple relationships during pregnancy and childbirth. Eight interviews were conducted with Austrian women in same-sex relationships using a semi-structured guideline. The women were recruited by means of a convenience sample via an association and word of mouth. The content of the collected data was analysed using the recommended Mayring method. In the obstetric accompaniment of same-sex female couples, it became obvious that the usual use of language was inappropriate and alternatives to the term father, such as the term co-mother, were insufficiently established. Openness, acceptance and understanding as well as being seen as a holistic family were considered important prerequisites for improving the quality of care. In addition, the inclusion of the non-pregnant mother was considered essential. Despite their non-traditional couple relationship, female couples wanted care without special status and prejudice. A comprehensive socio-political discourse is still needed to promote the normality of family models beyond heteronormativity. Unbiased, supportive obstetric care can offer rainbow families a framework in which children can develop healthily from the outset.

Sobornost as a non-sociological category

The article is devoted to the reconstruction of the concept “conciliarity” (“sobornost”) and is motivated by its incorrect, in the author’s opinion, use in modern sociological literature. Having put forward the understanding of sobornost as a transcendent / socially loaded category as the main dilemma, the author gives an ambiguous solution to it. It is shown that the concept of sobornost, the appearance of which in Russian religious philosophy and, more broadly, Russian culture, is traditionally associated with the name of A. S. Khomyakov, is deeply rooted in the religious-mystical experience of the latter and requires careful handling. Sobornost, in its authentic understanding, is the divine grace that descended upon the meeting of believers and mystically transformed it. This concept belongs to the theological picture of the world; bringing it into sociological analysis is incorrect, and its use in socio-political discourse is unwholesome, since it sets false guidelines and values. At the same time, the vulgarization of the notion of “sobornost” present in many works can be explained not only by a superficial and / or tendentious reading, but also by the inherent deep ambivalence of this concept, the obvious gaps between its authentic content and latent mental constructs embedded in it and analytically revealed by a certain research perspective. “Sobornost” was born as a social, in its basic intuitions, category, and in its historical development it returns to these intuitions. The presence of a certain connection between the deeply mystical authentic content of “conciliarity” and its social projections, as well as its subsequent sociologically inevitable secularization, turns the concept under consideration into an extremely curious object of terminological analysis.

Faith, Networks, and the Ballot: Unveiling the Hidden Drivers of Voting Intentions in Indonesia's 2024 Election

This study investigates the extent to which social network characteristics, religious identity, and past political participation influence voting intentions in Indonesia's 2024 general election, with a particular focus on the implications of religiosity in a predominantly Muslim society. A quantitative survey method was employed, gathering primary data through both online and offline surveys from 314 participants across selected locations in Indonesia. Multilevel modelling techniques were used to analyse the relationship between social network characteristics, religious identity, and voting intentions. The results revealed that social network characteristics, such as the frequency of interaction and socio-political discussions, do not significantly influence voting intentions. In contrast, religiocentrism negatively impacts voting intentions, suggesting that individuals with more conservative religious beliefs are less likely to vote. However, past offline political participation was found to be a strong positive predictor of voting intentions. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions that address the concerns of conservative religious groups and reinforce the civic duty associated with voting. Understanding the limited role of social networks in this context can inform strategies to increase voter turnout in future elections. This study provides new insights into the complex interplay between religious identity, social networks, and political behaviour in Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim and culturally diverse nation, particularly in the post-pandemic socio-political landscape.

Safeguarding? Critiquing Gender-Critical Discourse around Gender Diversity at School

More and more young people are identifying their gender in different ways, and gender diversity at school has become an increasingly debated topic. Within the United Kingdom (UK), sociopolitical discourse has become progressively fractured, with the UK Government recently releasing controversial draft non-statutory guidance prohibiting social transitioning, or the changing of names, pronouns and/or appearance amongst gender-diverse individuals at school. One term which has been increasingly utilized in this discourse is “safeguarding”, a term which refers to the practice of promoting child welfare and protecting children from harm. Safeguarding is a key consideration when discussing gender inclusion at school. However, harmful and discriminatory policies, such as “outing” gender-questioning children to their parents, are now being mislabelled as safeguarding practices. This article will argue that the concept of safeguarding, and wider discourses around child vulnerability, are being misappropriated in order to justify anti-trans policies. This article will explore the current UK discourse around gender-diverse children at school, demonstrating that gender-diverse youth are perceived as both vulnerable to “gender ideology” and a threat to others at school, a social positioning that serves to restrict their rights and agency. This article will discuss the ways in which the term safeguarding is being weaponized against gender-diverse children, before reviewing the social scientific research on risk and protective factors for gender-diverse youth, to understand what safeguarding gender-diverse children actually means. Keywords: gender diversity; trans; school; cisgenderism; safeguarding; childhood.

‘This space inside’: An art-based autoethnographic exploration of the hysterectomy experience

This article presents an art-based autoethnographic account of the hysterectomy experience, from the perspective of a perinatal therapist based in a large maternity hospital. The key questions explored include the ways in which a sense of bodily and psychic integrity can be reclaimed post-operatively, alongside the integration of losses associated with a hysterectomy. The article is structured as an autoethnographic exploration, derived from a visual diary incorporating image-making, hand-stitching and writing. Four key themes are discussed with reference to specific images: ‘Navigating disruption’, ‘Adjusting to a changed body’, ‘Accommodating losses: Emerging into Otherhood’ and ‘Renewal: Recovering an inner space’. This personal account is considered against wider cultural and sociopolitical discourses which inform our constructions of femininity. The article offers a counterpoint to medical narratives which may assume recovery from a hysterectomy to be synonymous only with physical recuperation.

Collective Identity During Societal Regression: Transformation from Self-Identification to Sub-Human Trait Associations

In this study, collective identity is explored in relation to socio-political discourses within a historical context through the 13th regression element, which is an association of others with subhuman traits. Arguments are supported through longitudinal documentary analysis and secondary data from unstructured interviews. Discourse analysis was used to analyse data. This article presents several symbolisms relevant to emerging collective identity discourses and provides evidence of how socio-political changes throughout history can cause a change or confusion in collective identity. It also argues that societies with prolonged ethnic conflict, which are under the profound influence of a mainland, are very likely to have dual identities and dissimilar identifications among their group members. Through its analysis, this article develops Volkan’s Tree Model and suggests a phase IV in light of the existing dynamics in Cyprus. This study suggests the inclusion of all possible stages in co-existence, from dissociation to unification, in proposed phase IV.

“Are Journalists Traitors of the State, Really?”—Self-Censorship Development during the Russian–Ukrainian War: The Case of Latvian PSM

Media self-censorship related to war and military conflict is usually analysed by evaluating the journalistic practices of the countries involved in the war. The objective of this study is to explore how the self-censorship of Latvian public service media (Latvian Radio and Latvian Television) employees developed in response to changes in the internal socio-political discourse after Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine, because of which the Latvian PSM found themselves in the crossfire of long-term criticism and attacks by politicians and audience representatives. Employing semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis, this study analyses the perception of self-censorship at all levels (journalists, producers, programme hosts, editors) (15 informants), factors that influence the development of self-censorship, informants’ coping strategies, and the impact of self-censorship on PSM content (78 items of content on various channels and platforms). The conceptual framework of this study is based on Bourdieu’s field theory and Spiral of Silence Theory, exploring how self-censorship affects journalists’ professional habitus, social capital, and agency. The results of this study show that, although Latvia is not involved in the nearby war, politician- and audience member-driven self-censorship affects PSM platforms’ daily agenda, source selection, and editorial line, reducing the diversity and pluralism of PSM content.

Digital libraries for minor languages in India: frameworks for addressing absences in policy and governance

PurposeGiven that Indian languages in general are under-represented on the internet and that languages of minority linguistic groups find very little space on digital platforms, it is imperative for institutions such as libraries to cater to smaller communities and their educational needs while also reaching out to them in their own languages. This study aims to deliberate on strategies for enlisting community support for gathering diverse learning resources in different languages and for enlisting participation in activities such as crowdsourcing in initiatives such as annotations and transliteration.Design/methodology/approachThis paper calls for interventions that imagine and create infrastructure for the flourishing of smaller libraries that can draw from and feed into large-scale national and international libraries. Offering a conceptual framework to rethink the country’s approach toward minor languages, it first offers an overview of policies and initiatives relevant to the concerns of minor languages in digital libraries in India. Based on the policy analysis, it then goes on to suggest starting points for policy designers and custodians of libraries to help them work toward better representation of languages in their resources.FindingsThe existing frameworks analyzed here for the greater or representation of minor Indian languages reveal a culture of silence toward the issue of language. With some advocacy, these frameworks can be mined to craft different ways that are critical not just for enriching libraries but also for preservation of cultural heritage of the communities concerned, thus adding a larger social dimension to the question of access.Originality/valueWhile a lot of socio-political discourse on minority languages in India exists, this study pushes for their bearing on digital libraries, educational frameworks and cultural heritage.

Media frames and images of Chinese immigrants: analyzing European newspaper narratives from 2015 to 2022

The influx of Chinese immigrants into Europe has spawned varied media frames, shaping public perceptions and attitudes towards this demographic. The portrayal of Chinese immigrants in European newspapers has become a subject of socio-political discourse, necessitating exploring the predominant narratives within the media space. This study aims to unearth and analyze the prevailing frames used in European newspapers when reporting on Chinese immigrants from 2015 to 2022, elucidating the impact of these frames on the constructed images of Chinese immigrants in societal consciousness. Employing an inductive mixed-method computational approach (ANTMN) and leveraging the Lexis database, 360 news reports from European newspapers were analyzed using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Gibbs Sampling for topic modeling, semantic network procedures for network structure, and Louvain community detection algorithm for clustering consistent framework packages. The study identifies four primary frames—Integration, Social, Political, and Crime—each revealing a distinct narrative about Chinese immigrants. Furthermore, three predominant images of Chinese immigrants emerged: Failed Integrators, Targets of Political Attack, and Disruptors of Social Safety. Despite the decrease in the utilization of the Crime frame amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, an intensified prejudice against Chinese immigrants was noted. The identified frames and images have crucial implications on socio-political attitudes and policies concerning immigrants, emphasizing the necessity to address the media’s role in potentially perpetuating stereotypes and biases, thereby influencing societal coherence and policy approaches toward immigration.

The role of state policy in the safeguarding and reproduction of the intangible cultural heritage of Russia

The subject of the study is the value-semantic roles and instrumental functions that were assigned to the intangible cultural heritage in Russia's conceptual and strategic documents affecting its preservation and use. The purpose of the work is to determine the current value-semantic and functional position of the intangible heritage in the structure of public administration in Russia, as well as to assess possible prospects for further development of this institution. The implementation of the Russian state approach to the preservation, actualization, popularization and use of intangible cultural heritage is interdisciplinary and interdepartmental. Therefore, in order to assess it more systematically and identify promising areas of development, it is necessary to expand the range of practical research to analyze the entire range of provisions of Russian state policy affecting these issues. The cultural approach seems to be the most heuristic way to achieve this goal. The research uses the method of content analysis, comparative and cultural-historical methods. The author identifies the importance and scope of the intangible cultural heritage at each stage of its institutionalization in Russia, proposes a periodization of the historical dynamics of this process, and substantiates the need to form a Russian national approach to the preservation and use of intangible heritage in comparison with the UNESCO discourse. The author concludes that the progressive institutionalization of the intangible heritage of Russian culture in domestic state policy has allowed us to take into account the creative aspects of scientific, professional and socio-political discourse, as well as harmoniously integrate this institution into a multi-level model of socio-cultural policy. Special attention is paid to the promising tasks of the Russian state policy in the field of intangible heritage in the context of the development of the existing system of its protection.

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.