Political comedy engagement: Identity and community construction

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Doona

This article uses the concept of cultural citizenship to understand engagement in political comedy. The concept stresses popular culture’s value for identity and community construction, as well as the importance of learning about and respecting others. Using empirical work on Swedish young adult political comedy audiences in the form of data from in-depth interviews and focus groups, the article argues for analysis of engagement in various discursive forms, in studies of media and citizenship. More specifically, the article answers the question: which citizenship values are defended by political comedy engagement? In order to identify such values, the study focuses on the ways in which audience members construct identity and community, in relation to their political comedy engagement. Four themes of community construction are found: lacking social contexts, ideology and strong emotions, knowledge and education, and irony as a discursive mode and disposition. From these, the values of playful and emotional modes of engagement are conceptualized. The final parts of the article argue for those modes’ legitimacy and significance – both in relation to engagement in, and through, political comedy.

Author(s):  
Julia Brillinger ◽  
Louise Marsh ◽  
Janet Hoek

Abstract Introduction Smoking among young adults is often associated with social contexts and alcohol use. Although many countries, including New Zealand, have prohibited smoking inside licensed premises, outdoor areas have enabled smoking and alcohol co-use to persist. We examined whether and how outdoor bar areas facilitate and normalize young adult smoking and explored potential policy implications. Methods We conducted in-depth interviews with 22 young adults who had recently smoked in a New Zealand bar or nightclub and investigated how physical design attributes (atmospherics) influenced experiences of smoking in outside bar settings. We used qualitative description to identify recurring accounts of the outdoor bar environment and thematic analysis to explore how participants experienced the bar in relation to smoking. Results Participants valued outdoor smoking areas that were comfortable and relaxing, and saw attributes such as seating, tables, heating, protection from inclement weather, and minimal crowding, as important. We identified four themes; these explained how participants used smoking to gain respite and make social connections, showed how bar settings enabled them to manage smoking’s stigma, and identified potential policy measures that would decouple smoking and alcohol co-use. Conclusions Evidence bar environments facilitate and normalize smoking among young adults questions whether smokefree policies should be expanded to include all bar areas. Introducing more comprehensive smokefree outdoor policies could reduce the influence of design attributes that foster smoking while also reframing smoking as outside normal social practice. Implications Bar environments contain many stimuli that cue and reinforce smoking and integrate smoking into social experiences. Expanding smokefree bar settings to include outdoor areas would reduce exposure to these stimuli, decrease opportunities for casual smoking, help maintain young people’s smokefree status, and support longer-term goals of sustained reductions in smoking prevalence.


10.2196/16384 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e16384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon J Hill ◽  
Darnell N Motley ◽  
Kris Rosentel ◽  
Alicia VandeVusse ◽  
Robert Garofalo ◽  
...  

Background HIV continues to have a disparate impact on young cisgender men who have sex with men (YMSM), young trans women (YTW), and gender-nonconforming (GNC) youth who are assigned male at birth. Outcomes are generally worse among youth of color. Experiences of discrimination and marginalization often limit educational attainment and may even more directly limit access to gainful employment. Though seemingly distal, these experiences influence young people’s proximity to HIV risk by limiting their access to health care and potentially moving them toward sex work as a means of income as well as increased substance use. Work2Prevent (W2P) aims to achieve economic stability through employment as a structural-level intervention for preventing adolescent and young adult HIV infection. The study will pilot-test an effective, theoretically driven employment program (increased individual income and independence [iFOUR]), for HIV-positive adults, and adapt it to the needs of black and Latinx YMSM, YTW, and GNC youth aged 16 to 24 years who are vulnerable to HIV exposure. Objective This paper aimed to describe the protocol for the exploratory phase of W2P. The purpose of this phase was to determine the essential components needed for a structural-level employment intervention aimed at increasing job-seeking self-efficacy and career readiness among black and Latinx YMSM, YTW, and GNC youth aged 16 to 24 years. Methods The exploratory phase of the W2P study consisted of in-depth interviews and focus groups with members of the target community as well as brief interviews with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)–inclusive employers. The study team will conduct in-depth interviews with up to 12 YMSM and 12 YTW and GNC youth, up to 10 focus groups with a maximum of 40 YMSM and 40 YTW and GNC youth, and up to 40 brief interviews with LGBTQ-inclusive employers. Participants will be recruited through a community-based recruiter, passive recruitment in community spaces and on social media, and active recruitment by research staff in community spaces serving LGBTQ youth. Results In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 participants, and 7 focus groups were conducted with 46 participants in total. In addition, 19 brief interviews with LGBTQ-inclusive employers were conducted. The analysis of the data is underway. Conclusions Preliminary findings from the formative phase of the study will be used to inform the tailoring and refinement of the iFOUR adult-based intervention into the youth-focused W2P intervention curriculum. Perspectives from YMSM, YTW, GNC youth, and LGBTQ-inclusive employers offer a multidimensional view of the barriers and facilitators to adolescent and young adult LGBTQ employment. This information is critical to the development of a culturally appropriate and relevant youth-focused intervention. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03313310; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03313310 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/16384


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon J Hill ◽  
Darnell N Motley ◽  
Kris Rosentel ◽  
Alicia VandeVusse ◽  
Robert Garofalo ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND HIV continues to have a disparate impact on young cisgender men who have sex with men (YMSM), young trans women (YTW), and gender-nonconforming (GNC) youth who are assigned male at birth. Outcomes are generally worse among youth of color. Experiences of discrimination and marginalization often limit educational attainment and may even more directly limit access to gainful employment. Though seemingly distal, these experiences influence young people’s proximity to HIV risk by limiting their access to health care and potentially moving them toward sex work as a means of income as well as increased substance use. Work2Prevent (W2P) aims to achieve economic stability through employment as a structural-level intervention for preventing adolescent and young adult HIV infection. The study will pilot-test an effective, theoretically driven employment program (increased individual income and independence [iFOUR]), for HIV-positive adults, and adapt it to the needs of black and Latinx YMSM, YTW, and GNC youth aged 16 to 24 years who are vulnerable to HIV exposure. OBJECTIVE This paper aimed to describe the protocol for the exploratory phase of W2P. The purpose of this phase was to determine the essential components needed for a structural-level employment intervention aimed at increasing job-seeking self-efficacy and career readiness among black and Latinx YMSM, YTW, and GNC youth aged 16 to 24 years. METHODS The exploratory phase of the W2P study consisted of in-depth interviews and focus groups with members of the target community as well as brief interviews with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)–inclusive employers. The study team will conduct in-depth interviews with up to 12 YMSM and 12 YTW and GNC youth, up to 10 focus groups with a maximum of 40 YMSM and 40 YTW and GNC youth, and up to 40 brief interviews with LGBTQ-inclusive employers. Participants will be recruited through a community-based recruiter, passive recruitment in community spaces and on social media, and active recruitment by research staff in community spaces serving LGBTQ youth. RESULTS In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 participants, and 7 focus groups were conducted with 46 participants in total. In addition, 19 brief interviews with LGBTQ-inclusive employers were conducted. The analysis of the data is underway. CONCLUSIONS Preliminary findings from the formative phase of the study will be used to inform the tailoring and refinement of the iFOUR adult-based intervention into the youth-focused W2P intervention curriculum. Perspectives from YMSM, YTW, GNC youth, and LGBTQ-inclusive employers offer a multidimensional view of the barriers and facilitators to adolescent and young adult LGBTQ employment. This information is critical to the development of a culturally appropriate and relevant youth-focused intervention. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03313310; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03313310 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/16384


Author(s):  
Kathleen Gerson ◽  
Sarah Damaske

Qualitative interviewing is one of the most widely used methods in social research, but it is arguably the least well understood. To address that gap, this book offers a theoretically rigorous, empirically rich, and user-friendly set of strategies for conceiving and conducting interview-based research. Much more than a how-to manual, the book shows why depth interviewing is an indispensable method for discovering and explaining the social world—shedding light on the hidden patterns and dynamics that take place within institutions, social contexts, relationships, and individual experiences. It offers a step-by-step guide through every stage in the research process, from initially formulating a question to developing arguments and presenting the results. To do this, the book shows how to develop a research question, decide on and find an appropriate sample, construct an interview guide, conduct probing and theoretically focused interviews, and systematically analyze the complex material that depth interviews provide—all in the service of finding and presenting important new empirical discoveries and theoretical insights. The book also lays out the ever-present but rarely discussed challenges that interviewers routinely encounter and then presents grounded, thoughtful ways to respond to them. By addressing the most heated debates about the scientific status of qualitative methods, the book demonstrates how depth interviewing makes unique and essential contributions to the research enterprise. With an emphasis on the integral relationship between carefully crafted research and theory building, the book offers a compelling vision for what the “interviewing imagination” can and should be.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 418-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Paul Goode

In recent years, the Russian government has promoted patriotism as a means to unify society and secure the legitimacy of Putin’s regime. This paper considers the effectiveness of this campaign by examining everyday understandings of patriotism among Russian citizens. Drawing on in-depth interviews and focus groups conducted in two regions in 2014–2015, patriotism is lived and experienced among ordinary Russians as a personal, normative, and apolitical ideal that diverges significantly from official patriotic narratives. At the same time, Russians are convinced that the majority of fellow citizens are patriotic in the ways envisioned by the government. As a result, the government’s use of patriotism is more effective in raising barriers to collective action than cultivating legitimacy. At the same time, everyday forms of patriotism encourage citizens to sacrifice public choice and to tolerate authoritarian rule.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul L. Reiter ◽  
Benjamin R. Oldach ◽  
Katherine E. Randle ◽  
Mira L. Katz

Appalachia is a geographic region with several disparities related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, yet little is known about acceptability of HPV vaccine for males among Appalachian residents. HPV vaccine acceptability and preferences for future HPV vaccine education programs were examined among residents of Appalachian Ohio. Focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with Appalachian Ohio residents between July and October 2011. Participants ( n = 102 from 24 focus groups and 5 in-depth interviews) included four key stakeholder groups: health care providers, community leaders, parents with adolescent sons, and young adult men ages 18 to 26 years. Support for vaccinating males against HPV was high among participants, despite low awareness and knowledge about HPV vaccine for males. Participants reported three categories of potential barriers to vaccinating males against HPV: concerns about vaccine safety and side effects, access to care and vaccination logistics, and gender and cultural issues. Participants reported that HPV vaccine was viewed as being only for females in their communities and that receiving the vaccine may be emasculating or embarrassing to males. Participants suggested that future HPV vaccine education programs mainly target parents, include basic information about HPV-related diseases and HPV vaccine (e.g., number of doses, cost), and present the vaccine as having the potential to prevent cancer (as opposed to preventing genital warts). Acceptability of HPV vaccine for males was high among residents of Appalachian Ohio. Future HPV vaccine education programs in Appalachia should address common potential barriers to vaccination and help destigmatize vaccination among males.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolanda López-Benavente ◽  
José Arnau-Sánchez ◽  
Tania Ros-Sánchez ◽  
Mª Beatriz Lidón-Cerezuela ◽  
Araceli Serrano-Noguera ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify difficulties and motivations for the practice of physical exercise in women older than 65 years. Method: qualitative study based on the phenomenological theory, with focus groups and in-depth interviews. The nursing staff selected 15 women by intentional sampling using the following criteria: age, time dedicated to physical exercise, independence, and absence of cognitive impairment and contraindication for this activity. Two focus groups were formed (one of them did physical exercise for less than 150 minutes per week and the other at least 150 minutes per week) in addition to conducting five in-depth interviews. Qualitative analysis of the data was performed through transcription, coding, categorization, and verification of results. Results: the difficulties to start and develop physical exercise were circumscribed to the perception of poor health and lack of free time; both circumstances result from care obligation, being represented as a gender imposition. However, the motivations are related to perception of strength, need for socialization, and perception of autonomy and freedom. Conclusions: the ideological representation of gender determines the women’s decision to exercise. Knowing the meaning and significance that women give to health and their role in the socio-family environment allows nurses to develop relationships and interventions to encourage the practice of physical exercise.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-101
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Patterson ◽  
Koen Leurs

Upon arrival to Europe, young migrants are found grappling with new language demands, cultural expectations, values, and beliefs that may differ from global youth culture and their country of origin. This process of coming-of-age while on-the-move is increasingly digitally mediated. Young migrants are “connected migrants”, using smart phones and social media to maintain bonding ties with their home country while establishing new bridging relationships with peers in their country of arrival (Diminescu, 2008). Drawing on the feminist perspective of intersectionality which alerts us socio-cultural categories like age, race, nationality, migration status, gender and sexuality impact upon identification and subordination, we contend it is problematic to homogenize these experiences to all gay young adult migrants. The realities of settlement and integration starkly differ between desired migrants – such as elite expatriates and heterosexuals – and those living on the margins of Europe – forced migrants and lesbian, gay, trans, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) migrants. Drawing on 11 in-depth interviews conducted in Amsterdam, the Netherlands with gay young adult forced and voluntary migrants, this paper aims to understand how sexual identification in tandem with bonding and bridging social capital diverge and converge between the two groups all while considering the interplay between their online and offline entanglements of their worlds.


2015 ◽  
pp. 1244-1272
Author(s):  
Ta Van Canh ◽  
Suzanne Zyngier

This chapter provides a direct view of the higher education environment in a transition economy. It reports research findings on barriers to sharing knowledge among Vietnamese academic and managerial colleagues, focusing on three factors: time, capital, and management capacity. It draws on data from focus groups and from in-depth interviews of Vietnamese members of faculty from six major universities. A key finding of this study is that work-overload leaves little time for collaborative research. Together with insufficient English skills and bureaucratic management, it contributes to measurable levels of cheating and corruption in education that in turn lead to low quality and quantity of international academic publications and of patents. This finding indicates that there is a strong link with both Existence, Relatedness, and Growth (ERG) theory and Maslow's theory of need with both the quality and quantity of international publications produced by Vietnamese academics.


Author(s):  
Jose Manuel Saiz-Alvarez ◽  
Uriel Hitamar Castillo-Nazareno ◽  
Jessica Silvana Matute de León ◽  
María Teresa Alcívar-Avilés

Despite its great importance within the indigenous communities of Ecuador, the number of studies carried out on the Kichwa (Quichua)-Puruha indigenous population is minimal: the majority of those that have been undertaken are related to archaeological issues. The purpose of this chapter is to shed light on the socioeconomic and cultural traits of female entrepreneurship in the Kichwa (Quichua)-Puruha indigenous group and how this relates to the Sumak Kawsay (Harmonious Life) in the region of Chimborazo, one of the most impoverished provinces of Ecuador. In order to achieve this goal, a mixed methodology has been applied made up of focus groups, in-depth interviews, questionnaires, and hours of direct observation. The results show that indigenous female entrepreneurs belonging to the Kichwa (Quichua)-Puruha ethnic group living in the Chimborazo region are guided by four concepts—relationship, correspondence, reciprocity, and complementarity—and on five principles related to national culture and which are related to sustainable development.


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