Beyond the core: Do ethnic parties ‘reach out’ in power-sharing systems?

2021 ◽  
pp. 136914812097313
Author(s):  
Cera Murtagh ◽  
Allison McCulloch
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Power Sharing ◽  
Party Competition ◽  
Marriage Equality ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Core ◽  
Ethnic Parties ◽  
Dominant Parties ◽  
Complex Forms

While power-sharing arrangements are often commended for establishing peaceful relations between major ethnic groups, they are also criticised for excluding ‘Others’. Nevertheless, more complex forms of party competition can emerge in power-sharing systems, including parties representing the dominant communities (‘ethnic parties’) seeking to engage Others (‘non-dominant’ groups). Drawing on semi-structured interviews with parties from Northern Ireland, we examine the extent to which dominant parties reach beyond their core ethnic constituencies, how and why. We consider increasingly salient non-sectarian issues, such as marriage equality and abortion, and explore how ethnic parties have sought to respond to these debates. We consider whether liberal forms of power-sharing influence the willingness of dominant parties to advance inclusion of non-dominant groups. Our findings suggest that under favourable conditions, flexible power-sharing can create space for incremental moves by ethnic parties to reach out to constituencies beyond their core, gradually moving the system towards more inclusive representation.

scholarly journals Ethnic party competition beyond the segmented market

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 927-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Isabel Zuber
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Design ◽  
Ethnic Politics ◽  
Power Sharing ◽  
Party Competition ◽  
Ethnic Parties ◽  
Party Strategies ◽  
Segmented Market ◽  
Ethnic Competition ◽  
Ethnic Divide

The outbidding model of ethnic politics focuses on party competition in an ethnically perfectly segmented electoral market where no party appeals to voters across the ethnic divide. The power sharing model retains this assumption, yet tries to prevent outbidding through moderation-inducing institutional design. Empirically, imperfectly segmented electoral markets and variance of ethnic party strategies beyond radical outbidding have been observed. To provide a stepping stone towards a more complete theory of ethnic party competition, this article introduces the notion of nested competition, defined as party competition in an imperfectly segmented market where some — but not all — parties make offers across ethnic divides and where competition in intra-ethnic arenas is nested within an inter-ethnic arena of party competition. The notion of nested competition helps explain why ethnic outbidding is not omnipresent in contemporary multi-ethnic democracies. A moderate position on the ethnic dimension that appears inauspicious from the perspective of intra-ethnic competition can turn into the strategically superior choice once ethnic parties take the whole system of competitive interactions within intra- and inter-ethnic arenas into account. A case study of nested competition for Hungarian votes in the Vojvodina region of Northern Serbia illustrates the conceptual innovations.

scholarly journals The Use and Abuse of Veto Rights in Power-Sharing Systems: Northern Ireland’s Petition of Concern in Comparative Perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 735-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison McCulloch
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Power Sharing ◽  
Comparative Perspective ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Divided Societies ◽  
Political Incentives ◽  
Institutional Instability ◽  
Primary Means

This article assesses the articulation of vital ethno-national interests and the use and abuse of veto rights in deeply divided societies. In consociational theory, veto rights represent the primary means by which ethnic groups defend their ‘vital interests’, though they are often criticized for rewarding extremism and producing institutional instability. Situating a case study of Northern Ireland in a comparative perspective, I consider two lines of veto practice: liberal vs corporate (i.e. who has veto rights?) and permissive vs restrictive (i.e. to what issue areas do vetoes apply?), to assess what political incentives, if any, they offer for moderation and stability. Drawing from a review of the legislative debates when a veto was enacted and on semi-structured interviews with members of the Northern Ireland Assembly, I argue that a permissive approach, in which groups can determine their own vital interests, can contribute to moderation, peace and stability in divided societies.

Metaphors and cultural narratives on adaptive responses to severe adversity: A field study among the Indigenous Pitaguary community in Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iara Meili ◽  
Eva Heim ◽  
Ana C Pelosi ◽  
Andreas Maercker
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Cultural Narratives ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Core ◽  
Recovery Processes ◽  
Context Specific

The expressions resilience and posttraumatic growth represent metaphorical concepts that are typically found in Euro-American contexts. Metaphors of severe adversity or trauma and the expressions of overcoming it vary across cultures—a lacuna, which has not been given much attention in the literature so far. This study aimed to explore the metaphorical concepts that the Indigenous Pitaguary community in Brazil uses to talk about adaptive and positive responses to severe adversity and to relate them to their socio-cultural context. We carried out 14 semi-structured interviews during field research over a one-month period of fieldwork. The data were explored with systematic metaphor analysis. The core metaphors included images of battle, unity, spirituality, journeys, balance, time, sight, transformation, and development. These metaphors were related to context-specific cultural narratives that underlie the Pitaguary ontological perspective on collectivity, nature, and cosmology. The results suggest that metaphors and cultural narratives can reveal important aspects of a culture’s collective mindset. To have a contextualized understanding of expressive nuances is an essential asset to adapt interventions to specific cultures and promote culture-specific healing and recovery processes.

Models for Integrating Medical Acupuncture into Practice: An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Physicians— Experiences

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 280-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen T Crumley
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Core Concept ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Core ◽  
Individual Physician ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Medical Acupuncture

Background Internationally, physicians are integrating medical acupuncture into their practice. Although there are some informative surveys and reviews, there are few international, exploratory studies detailing how physicians have accommodated medical acupuncture (eg, by modifying schedules, space and processes). Objective To examine how physicians integrate medical acupuncture into their practice. Methods Semi-structured interviews and participant observations of physicians practising medical acupuncture were conducted using convenience and snowball sampling. Data were analysed in NVivo and themes were developed. Despite variation, three principal models were developed to summarise the different ways that physicians integrated medical acupuncture into their practice, using the core concept of ‘helping’. Quotes were used to illustrate each model and its corresponding themes. Results There were 25 participants from 11 countries: 21 agreed to be interviewed and four engaged in participant observations. Seventy-two per cent were general practitioners. The three models were: (1) appointments (44%); (2) clinics (44%); and (3) full-time practice (24%). Some physicians held both appointments and regular clinics (models 1 and 2). Most full-time physicians initially tried appointments and/or clinics. Some physicians charged to offset administration costs or compensate for their time. Discussion Despite variation within each category, the three models encapsulated how physicians described their integration of medical acupuncture. Physicians varied in how often they administered medical acupuncture and the amount of time they spent with patients. Although 24% of physicians surveyed administered medical acupuncture full-time, most practised it part-time. Each individual physician incorporated medical acupuncture in the way that worked best for their practice.

A GRASP ON THE NATURE OF LUNDAYEH THROUGH THEIR TRADITIONAL DANCE CULTURE

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
LEE SUAN CHONG
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Dance Music ◽  
Human Knowledge ◽  
The West ◽  
Dance Culture ◽  
The Core ◽  
The World ◽  
Religious Aspects ◽  
Life Philosophies

AbstrakPenduduk Lundayeh terdapat di Tenom, Sipitang dan Long Pa Sia, di sepanjang pantai barat Sabah, Malaysia. Bentuk dan sistem tarian Lundayeh telah melalui perubahan dan variasi sejak kewujudan mereka di Borneo. Artikel ini mengkaji dalam pelbagai aspek, termasuk muzik, pakaian, pergerakan, fungsi dancerita-cerita daripada tarian tradisional yang diamalkan dalam masyarakat Lundayeh hari ini di Kemabong, Sabah. Tarian tradisional Lundayeh yang masih diamalkan berdasar terutamanya kepada aspek budaya, sosial dan agama hidup Lundayeh. Kajian ini membawa kepada penemuan corak pemikiran, falsafahhidup dan perspektif dunia Lundayeh yang dipengaruhi oleh agama dan budaya purba mereka. Tarian tradisional Lundayeh berfungsi sebagai satu saluran untuk memahami sifat orang Lundayeh sebagai salah satu kumpulan etnik kecil di dunia. Pemahaman tentang sifat orang Lundayeh akan terus menyumbang ke arah perkongsian dan penemuan dalam dimensi ilmu kemanusiaan yang baru.   AbstractLundayeh populations are found in the areas of Tenom, Sipitang and Long Pa Sia, along the west coast of Sabah, Malaysia. Lundayeh dance forms and systems have gone through changes and variations since their existence in Borneo. This paper looks into a variety of aspects, including music, costumes, movements, functions and stories of the traditional dances practiced in today’s Lundayeh communities in Kemabong, Sabah. The surviving traditional dances found to have stemmed from the core of Lundayeh cultural, social and religious aspects of life. The study leads to the discovery of the thinking patterns, life philosophies and world perspectives of Lundayeh that are strongly influenced by their religion and ancient culture. Dance music ultimately serves as a tool to understand the nature of Lundayeh people as one of the minor ethnic groups in the world. The understanding of the nature of Lundayeh would further contribute toward sharing and discovering another dimension of human knowledge and wisdom.

How do Players and Developers of Citizen Science Games Conceptualize Skill Chains?

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (CHI PLAY) ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Josh Aaron Miller ◽  
Britton Horn ◽  
Matthew Guthrie ◽  
Jonathan Romano ◽  
Guy Geva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
The Core ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
Structure Of Knowledge

For citizen science games (CSGs) to be successful in advancing scientific research, they must effectively train players. Designing tutorials for training can be aided through developing a skill chain of required skills and their dependencies, but skill chain development is an intensive process. In this work, we hypothesized that free recall may be a simpler yet effective method of directly eliciting skill chains. We elicited 23 skill chains from players and developers and augmented our reflexive thematic analysis with 11 semi-structured interviews in order to determine how players and developers conceptualize skill trees and whether free recall can be used as an alternative to more resource-intensive cognitive task analyses. We provide three main contributions: (1) a comparison of skill chain conceptualizations between players and developers and across prior literature; (2) insights to the process of free recall in eliciting CSG skill chains; and (3) a preliminary toolkit of CSG skill-based design recommendations based on our findings. We conclude CSG developers should: give the big picture up front; embrace social learning and paratext use; reinforce the intended structure of knowledge; situate learning within applicable, meaningful contexts; design for discovery and self-reflection; and encourage practice and learning beyond the tutorial. Free recall was ineffective for determining a traditional skill chain but was able to elicit the core gameplay loops, tutorial overviews, and some expert insights.

scholarly journals Sustainable Use of Fig Species Provides Nutrition and Medicine for Ethnic Minority Communities in the Southern Shan State of Myanmar

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aye Mya Mon ◽  
Yinxian Shi ◽  
Pyae Phyo Hein ◽  
Thaung Naing Oo ◽  
Cory W. Whitney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Conservation Practices ◽  
Use Value ◽  
Ethnobotanical Knowledge ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Tropical Regions

Abstract Background: Fig trees are ecological keystone species in many tropical regions and play important roles in the spirituality, nutrition and health for many rural communities. Although the tropical forests in Myanmar contain many fig species, little ethnobotanical knowledge on their uses has been recorded.Information about the uses and conservation related actions of figswould be helpful in development ofstrategic policy for sustainable use and biodiversity conservation of the country. We showcase the rich ethnobotanical knowledge as well as the variety of collection and conservation practices related to figs among five ethnic groups in Southern Shan State. Methods: We performed both key informant and semi-structured interviews with 114 informants from five ethnic groups. Their uses for figs were categorized according to local practices and recipes. Informants were asked about trends in conservation status over the past 10 years and any conservation related customs and practices. Data were analyzed quantitatively by use report (UR) and use value (UV). Results: Informants reported the uses of eight fig species (Ficusauricularta，F.concinna, F. geniculata，F. hispida, F. racemosa, F. religiosa，F. semicordata, and F. virens).F. geniculata and F. virens were most useful (UR = 228) and were used by all five ethnic groups, corresponding to a high use value (UV = 2). Treatments for 16 diseases were reported from seven species. Household consumption, economic, and sacred uses were accompanied by sustainable practices of harvest and protection. Traditional taboos, in situ and ex situ conservation were practiced especially for highly demanded species (F. geniculata and F. virens), and the sacred fig F. religiosa.Conclusion: Findings suggest that figs are useful for nutrition (all informants) and medicine (13.16% of the informants) in the study area. Traditional taboos, in situ and ex situ conservation practices help to maintain sustainable utilization of locally important figs. This is an early contribution to the traditional knowledge of edible figs. Although similar uses have been reported in neighboring countries for seven of the fig species, the ethnobotanical use of F. concinna is novel.

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