Tribes, Borders, Landscapes and Reciprocal Relations: The Wadi Arabah and its Meaning

The Wadi Arabah forms part of the modern political border between Jordan and Israel. The paper explores the polarized ways in which the wadi has been constructed and interpreted within the archaeological and geopolitical discourse. Through a phenomenological analysis of landscape, power and identity, using insights from bedouin poetry, the landscape of the wadi is revealed as emotionally meaningful in its materiality, as a sacred/symbolic, conceptual/socio-political, sensual landscape, a landscape of movement and of memory, absence, loss and abandonment. In this landscape, populated and crossed by many different groups who were not necessarily subject to shared social, institutionalized norms, different groups had different resources, abilities and knowledge which they brought to any encounter with another group, and which were integral to their identity. These encounters developed as reciprocal relationships and negotiations rather than as traditional ‘power relationships’. This helps to explain the longevity of the key aspects of the tribal kingdom model, previously proposed by the author and others; these aspects are rooted in reciprocal relationships based on different resources, ‘power’, and knowledge of the landscape.

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Perspectives of Students Labeled Intellectually Disabled at College: Using Disability Studies in Education as a Lens to Contemplate Inclusive Postsecondary Education

Journal of Disability Studies in Education ◽

10.1163/25888803-bja10007 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-23

Author(s):

Jessica Bacon ◽

Susan Baglieri

Keyword(s):

Postsecondary Education ◽

Disability Studies ◽

Student Voice ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Public University ◽

Observation Data ◽

Intellectually Disabled ◽

Reciprocal Relationships ◽

Disability Studies In Education ◽

Key Aspects

Abstract This study reports on the experiences of students with intellectual disability labels who participated in inclusive postsecondary education (ipse) at a public university. A disability studies framework is employed to discern and critique the aims of ipse programs and forefront the perspectives of persons who are identified as intellectually disabled. Qualitative participant-observation data was gathered and analyzed to describe how participants narrate ways they understand and value reciprocal relationships and working towards in(ter)dependence as productive and key aspects of their experience at a college. Implications of attending to student voice to guide our program development is discussed along with broader implications for the field.

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Subjective experience of meningitis survivors: a transversal qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037168 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. e037168

Author(s):

Elisabetta Scanferla ◽

Léonor Fasse ◽

Philip Gorwood

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽

Subjective Experience ◽

Meaning Making ◽

Critical Role ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Phenomenological Analysis ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Post Traumatic Growth ◽

Key Aspects

Objectives(1) To capture the subjective experience of meningitis survivors during adolescence and adulthood and (2) To explore how they give meaning to this specific experience.DesignA qualitative study of in-depth interviews using interpretative phenomenological analysis.SettingsParticipants recruited through an association of persons affected by meningitis and their relatives.ParticipantsConvenience sample of nine participants (seven women and two men) between the ages of 18 to 48 years (mean=28.3, SD=11.4), who personally experienced meningitis.ResultsEight major themes and three main meaning-making processes in relation to the participants’ experiences of meningitis were identified: (1) the ability to rely on the testimony of others, (2) the impossibility of meaning-making and (3) the possibility of post-traumatic growth. We detailed here five major themes, which appear critical to answering the objective of the study.ConclusionsThis study provides a unique insight into the first-hand experience of surviving meningitis. Findings highlighted factors characterising the disease experience, the psychological adjustment of meningitis survivors and their meaning-making processes. These findings are important for both research and clinical practice, demonstrating the importance of direct involvement of meningitis survivors in identifying key aspects of care, which include the critical role of relatives, and the importance of investigating the need for training among healthcare providers on how to diagnose meningitis.

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