scholarly journals An Inquiry into Self-Immolation as Social Protest

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-68
Author(s):  
Sandra Elaine Filippelli
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Protest ◽  
The Self ◽  
Poetic Inquiry ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Lay People ◽  
The World ◽  
Greater Good ◽  
Self Immolation

This poetic inquiry paper is a reflection on the phenomenon of self-immolation committed as compassionate protest. Whether the self-directed social protest of Vietnamese monk, Thích Quảng Đức, and Tibetan monastics and lay people, expresses selfless, altruistic action, dedicated to the greater good, merits reflection. Individuals seeking social justice in today’s troubled times may be interested in cultivating ahimsa, or non-violence, within themselves before attempting to implement it within their communities. In brief, they should change themselves before they change the world. With self-compassion that broadens to loving kindness and compassion for all, they may try to understand those from whom they seek justice before they commit to action. This inquiry concludes with ekphrastic poetry, “interpreting, troubling and addressing” (poets.org) the Tibetan painting, “Wheel of Life,” a depiction of the Buddhist concept of the “three poisons,” ignorance, desire, and anger, and contemplates their antidotes.

Basic Ethnography at the Barricades

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nefissa Naguib
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Middle Class ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
The World ◽  
Self Immolation

We did not see them growing up. We did not think these jaded middle-class boys and girls would one day be resilient and hold their ground. We did not realize that they would be brave, supremely articulate, and driven by aspirations beyond our dreams. The whole thing started with the desperate act of self-immolation by a young Tunisian man. His death sparked a wave of rage against poverty, social exclusion, and corruption. Almost overnight, young men and women created spaces in squares, streets, and alleys where we could imagine new Arab countries. Enraged yet nonviolent, they used technology and the vocabulary of democracy to connect and mobilize ordinary Arab citizens of all walks of life and capture the attention of the world. In Egypt, Tahrir Square became the epicenter of the people's demands for bread, dignity, and social justice. Without leaders or a timetable, but with unconditional demands for immediate change, online activists provided us with physical and social grounds to imagine a new country. We all brought something to the square: blood, medicines, bandages, food, water, blankets, generators, diapers, mobile-phone chargers, garbage bags, wipes, and our own personal notes to the regime (and the world) written in bold letters. Mine just said: “Leave.”

Starvation and Self-Mutilation in Religious Traditions

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Wilson
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
The Self ◽  
Hunger Strike ◽  
The West ◽  
Buddhist Studies ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Self Mutilation ◽  
The World ◽  
Bodily Practice ◽  
Self Immolation

This chapter investigates the place of destructive acts against oneself—such as starvation and self-mutilation—in the spectrum of violent actions performed in the name of religion. Self-starvation and self-mutilation share some of the ideological and performative features of violence in the name of religion. The self-sacrifice of Quang Duc was demonstrative of a time-tested Buddhist form of bodily practice known in Buddhist studies in the West as self-immolation. It is revealed that self-directed violence can be both an act of devotion and an act of protest. Self-immolation and hunger-striking employ the body as a means of resistance. Like self-conflagration, the hunger strike has become a global phenomenon used on every continent of the world.

scholarly journals Review of the Sixth International Symposium on Poetic Inquiry: Breaking Through the Abstract: Poetry as/in/for Social Justice

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 270-276
Author(s):  
Alecia Beymer
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
International Symposium ◽  
State University ◽  
Sixth International Symposium ◽  
Poetic Inquiry ◽  
Bowling Green State University ◽  
The World ◽  
Sixth International

This is a review of the 6th International Symposium on Poetic Inquiry held at Bowling Green State University, and graciously hosted by Sandra Faulkner. This symposium meets biennially with presenters from many different areas of the world such as Nova Scotia, Canada, and New Zealand. The theme this year was poetry in/as/for social justice. In this review, I seek to think through some of the questions and uncertainties that arose over the course of the few days we met in November. We complicated meanings of social justice at this contemporary time and revisited formulations of social justice through past events. Within this review, I write a personal/theoretical piece embedded with citations from poets, and in the end compose a poem that is an amalgamation of language from presenters’ abstracts and my own ideas.

Session Fifteen: Meaning and Purpose

2018 ◽  
pp. 104-110
Author(s):  
Tayyab Rashid ◽  
Martin Seligman
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
Positive Psychotherapy ◽  
Final Session ◽  
Sense Of Purpose ◽  
The World ◽  
Greater Good ◽  
Meaning And Purpose

This final session integrates the three phases of positive psychotherapy (PPT): the narrative of resilience (positive introduction), the hope of cultivating a better version of the self, and the aspiration of leaving a positive legacy. Meaning refers to a coherent understanding of the world that promotes the pursuit of long-term goals that provide a sense of purpose and fulfilment. Session Fifteen focuses on the search and pursuit of meaningful endeavors for the greater good, and the central PPT practice in this session is Positive Legacy. The chapter provides a list of readings, videos, and websites that relate to the Positive Legacy idea and offers two worksheets to practice the concepts learned in the chapter. The chapter also includes a real-life case study that illustrates Positive Legacy.

Session Fifteen: Meaning and Purpose

2018 ◽  
pp. 238-250
Author(s):  
Tayyab Rashid ◽  
Martin Seligman
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Positive Psychotherapy ◽  
Final Session ◽  
Sense Of Purpose ◽  
The World ◽  
Greater Good ◽  
Meaning And Purpose ◽  
Three Phases

This final session integrates the three phases of positive psychotherapy (PPT): the narrative of resilience (positive introduction), the hope of cultivating a better version of the self, and the aspiration of leaving a positive legacy. “Meaning” refers to a coherent understanding of the world that promotes the pursuit of long-term goals that provide a sense of purpose and fulfilment. Session Fifteen focuses on the search and pursuit of meaningful endeavors for the greater good, and the central PPT practice in this session is Positive Legacy.

scholarly journals T100. BELIEFS ABOUT THE SELF AND OTHERS IN PARANOIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S269-S269
Author(s):  
Poppy Brown ◽  
Felicity Waite ◽  
Aitor Rovira ◽  
Alecia Nickless ◽  
Daniel Freeman
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Paranoid Ideation ◽  
Image Study ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Negative Beliefs ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Embedded Tests

Abstract Background Compassionate imagery may be one method of targeting the negative beliefs about the self and others that paranoid thoughts build upon. This talk presents two interventionist-causal studies testing this hypothesis, one targeting compassion for the self and one targeting compassion for others. These studies form part of the programme of work testing the manipulation of putative causal factors in paranoia, in individuals from the general population scoring highly for current paranoid ideation. Methods Two hundred such individuals were recruited. The studies used a randomised controlled experimental design, with embedded tests for mediation. Study one targeted self-compassion via creation of a compassionate coach image. Study two targeted compassion for others via loving kindness meditation. Individuals repeatedly entered neutral virtual reality social environments and changes in compassion and paranoia were assessed. Results Study one showed that, in comparison to the control group, those who practised compassionate coach imagery significantly increased in self-compassion (group difference=2.12, C.I.=1.57;2.67, p=<0.0001, d=1.4) and decreased in paranoia (group difference=-1.73, C.I.=-2.48;-0.98, p=<0.0001, d=0.8). Mediation analysis indicated that change in self-compassion explained 57% of the change in paranoia. Study two showed that in comparison to the control group, those who practised loving kindness meditation significantly increased their compassion for others (group difference=3.26, 95% C.I.: 2.72;3.80, p=<0.0001, d=1.7), and decreased their paranoia (group difference=-1.70, C.I.=-2.51;-0.89, p=<0.0001, d=0.8). Change in compassion for others explained 63% of the change in paranoia. Discussion Together, the studies suggest that targeting negative beliefs about the self and others using compassionate imagery causes reductions in paranoia, which may have benefits in clinical populations.

Self-Compassion and Quality of Life in Adults Who Stutter

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2097-2108
Author(s):  
Robyn L. Croft ◽  
Courtney T. Byrd
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
The Self ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Adults Who Stutter ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify levels of self-compassion in adults who do and do not stutter and to determine whether self-compassion predicts the impact of stuttering on quality of life in adults who stutter. Method Participants included 140 adults who do and do not stutter matched for age and gender. All participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale. Adults who stutter also completed the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Data were analyzed for self-compassion differences between and within adults who do and do not stutter and to predict self-compassion on quality of life in adults who stutter. Results Adults who do and do not stutter exhibited no significant differences in total self-compassion, regardless of participant gender. A simple linear regression of the total self-compassion score and total Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering score showed a significant, negative linear relationship of self-compassion predicting the impact of stuttering on quality of life. Conclusions Data suggest that higher levels of self-kindness, mindfulness, and social connectedness (i.e., self-compassion) are related to reduced negative reactions to stuttering, an increased participation in daily communication situations, and an improved overall quality of life. Future research should replicate current findings and identify moderators of the self-compassion–quality of life relationship.

Power of Darkness: Narrative and Biographical Reflexivity in A Series of Unfortunate Events

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-212
Author(s):  
ELIZABETH BULLEN
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Risk Society ◽  
Project Risk ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
High Earning ◽  
Textual Culture ◽  
Children’S Exposure ◽  
Central Claim

This paper investigates the high-earning children's series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, in relation to the skills young people require to survive and thrive in what Ulrich Beck calls risk society. Children's textual culture has been traditionally informed by assumptions about childhood happiness and the need to reassure young readers that the world is safe. The genre is consequently vexed by adult anxiety about children's exposure to certain kinds of knowledge. This paper discusses the implications of the representation of adversity in the Lemony Snicket series via its subversions of the conventions of children's fiction and metafictional strategies. Its central claim is that the self-consciousness or self-reflexivity of A Series of Unfortunate Events} models one of the forms of reflexivity children need to be resilient in the face of adversity and to empower them to undertake the biographical project risk society requires of them.

‘A pinch of unseen, unguarded dust’: The World and Self in Thomas Hardy's Poems

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-66
Author(s):  
Monika Szuba
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
The Self ◽  
Phenomenological Philosophy ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The World ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Recurrent Theme ◽  
Body Subject

The essay discusses selected poems from Thomas Hardy's vast body of poetry, focusing on representations of the self and the world. Employing Maurice Merleau-Ponty's concepts such as the body-subject, wild being, flesh, and reversibility, the essay offers an analysis of Hardy's poems in the light of phenomenological philosophy. It argues that far from demonstrating ‘cosmic indifference’, Hardy's poetry offers a sympathetic vision of interrelations governing the universe. The attunement with voices of the Earth foregrounded in the poems enables the self's entanglement in the flesh of the world, a chiasmatic intertwining of beings inserted between the leaves of the world. The relation of the self with the world is established through the act of perception, mainly visual and aural, when the body becomes intertwined with the world, thus resulting in a powerful welding. Such moments of vision are brief and elusive, which enhances a sense of transitoriness, and, yet, they are also timeless as the self becomes immersed in the experience. As time is a recurrent theme in Hardy's poetry, this essay discusses it in the context of dwelling, the provisionality of which is demonstrated in the prevalent sense of temporality, marked by seasons and birdsong, which underline the rhythms of the world.

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