scholarly journals Collective Action “Going Digital”: Overcoming Institutional and Micro-Structural Constraints through Technology Use

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-213
Author(s):  
Carol Soon
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Structural Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
Internet Studies ◽  
Internet Technologies ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Depth Interviews

Traditionally, macro-level and micro-level approaches have been used in silos to explain and determine the threshold where one crosses from non-participation to participation in social movements. Technological advancements have enriched but also complicated the process of collective action. This qualitative study is based on the premise that a confluence between political economy approaches, micro-structural analysis and Internet studies is needed to dissect the dynamics behind technology use in collective action. Through in-depth interviews with 26 activist bloggers in Singapore, this study sheds light on how Internet technologies are used by activists to overcome issues of collective incentives, structural proximity and structural availability, and negotiate the institutional terrain.

“The totality of caring”

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 699-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Borbála Kovács
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Household Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Extensive Body ◽  
Temporal Dimensions ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to formulate a conceptually and empirically grounded new understanding of childcare arrangements for cross-national and longitudinal micro-level empirical research by drawing on theoretical discussions about the social, spatial and temporal dimensions of embodied childcare and empirical data in the form of parental narratives from a Romanian qualitative study. Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds on a critique of an extensive body of empirical literature on the micro-level organisation of childcare and the thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with Romanian parents. The paper combines a critical literature review with findings from a qualitative study on childcare. Findings – The paper formulates a new understanding of household-level childcare arrangements that is context-insensitive, yet reflects the social, spatial and temporal concerns that the organisation of embodied childcare often raises. The paper expands on six real-life care arrangements in Romanian households represented as different combinations of care encounters. Research limitations/implications – As the paper draws on parental narratives from a single country, Romania, the mapping of childcare arrangements in other jurisdictions and/or at different times would strengthen the case for the proposed understanding of care arrangements as a valuable tool to represent, compareand contrast household-level care routines. Originality/value – The idea that parents (especially mothers) make work-care decisions in the light of what is best for their child has been widely documented. However, taxonomies of care arrangements have failed to reflect this. The proposed conceptualisation of childcare arrangements addresses this issue by articulating a conceptually coherent approach to developing empirically grounded childcare typologies that “travel well” cross-nationally and over time.

scholarly journals Mobilizing Grievances in an Authoritarian Setting: Threat and Emotion in the 1953 Plzeň Uprising

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Bray ◽  
Thomas E. Shriver ◽  
Alison E. Adams
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Economic Reforms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Industrial City ◽  
Class Background ◽  
Physical Threat ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Depth Interviews

Material and physical threat can play a crucial role in the emergence of protest, yet few studies have explored the micro-level mechanisms that transform threat into collective action under repressive conditions. We address this gap by connecting the mobilizing power of grievances to the emotional dynamics of collective action in the context of a 1953 uprising in Communist Czechoslovakia. Following economic reforms that wiped out citizens’ savings, several thousand workers in the industrial city of Plzeň took to the streets in protest. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews, our analysis shows how structural and incidental grievances can become a mobilizing force for high-risk activism. We find that the class position of protesters influenced their preexisting affective state and reactive response to the reform. As a result, class background helped to shape protesters’ motivations, actions, and goals. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for future research.

An Exploration of Aftercare Services for Female Drug Users

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Talent Mhangwa ◽  
Madhu Kasiram ◽  
Sibonsile Zibane
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Rehabilitation Centre ◽  
Aftercare Services ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Female Drug Users ◽  
Depth Interviews

The number of female drug users has been on the rise in South Africa, with statistics reflecting a rise in the number of women who attend treatment centres annually. This article presents empirical data from a broader qualitative study which aimed to explore perceptions concerning the effectiveness of aftercare programmes for female recovering drug users. The main data source was transcripts of in-depth interviews and focus groups with both service users and service providers from a designated rehabilitation centre in Gauteng, South Africa. Framed within a biopsychosocial-spiritual model, this article explores the perceptions and meanings which the female recovering drug users and the service providers attach to aftercare programmes. The findings of the research outlined the range of factors promoting recovery, alongside noteworthy suggestions for improvement in aftercare services. While acknowledging multiple influences on behaviour, this article highlights the significance of these findings in planning and implementing holistic aftercare programmes.

scholarly journals Voices of Experience: What Do Low-Income Older Adults Tell Us About Mobility, Technology, and Social Participation?

2021 ◽  
pp. 073346482110125
Author(s):  
Haley B. Gallo ◽  
Lia W. Marshall ◽  
Lené Levy-Storms ◽  
Kathleen H. Wilber ◽  
Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
Senior Center ◽  
Perceived Safety

Mobility and technology can facilitate in-person and virtual social participation to help reduce social isolation, but issues exist regarding older adults’ access, feasibility, and motivation to use various forms of mobility and technology. This qualitative study explores how a diverse group of low-income, urban-living older adults use mobility and technology for social participation. We conducted six focus groups ( N = 48), two each in English, Spanish, and Korean at a Los Angeles senior center. Three major themes emerged from thematic analysis: using technology for mobility; links between mobility and social participation; and technology-mediated social participation. Cost, perceived safety, (dis)ability, and support from family and friends were related to mobility and technology use. This study demonstrates the range of mobility and technology uses among older adults and associated barriers. The findings can help establish a pre-COVID-19 baseline on how to make mobility and technology more accessible for older adults at risk of isolation.

Transnational logic of gratitude: Marriage migrants’ narratives on marital satisfaction in South Korea

2021 ◽  
pp. 026858092199469
Author(s):  
Gowoon Jung
Keyword(s):  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Gender Ideology ◽  
Marriage Migrants ◽  
Sociology Of Emotion ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Depth Interviews

Scholarship on marriage migrants has examined the impact of class and gender ideology of receiving countries on their marital satisfaction. However, little is known about the role of transnational background in explaining women’s feelings of gratitude for husbands. Drawing on qualitative in-depth interviews with marriage migrant women residing in the eastern side of Seoul, Korea, this article explores the micro-level cognitive processes in understanding women’s gratitude for their husbands. Categorizing marriage migrants into two groups, ‘gratified’ and ‘ungratified’ wives, the author demonstrates how the gratified wives’ feelings of contentment is mediated by their active comparison of Korean husbands with local men in their homelands, and how these viewpoints conversely affect their aspirations for return. Bringing the sociology of emotion into an explanation of marriage migrants’ marital satisfaction, this study aims to develop a transnational frame of reference as an underlying dynamic for comprehending marriage migrants’ (in)gratitude.

scholarly journals Understanding the Occupational Adaptation Process and Well-Being of Older Adults in Magallanes (Chile): A Qualitative Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (19) ◽  
pp. 3640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Palma ­Candia ◽  
Hueso­Montoro ◽  
Martí-García ◽  
Fernández-Alcántara ◽  
Campos-Calderón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Adaptation Process ◽  
Occupational Adaptation ◽  
Use Of Time ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Interpretative Approach ◽  
Depth Interviews

Background: Aging and longevity are important topics nowadays. Purpose: To describe how older adults perform the occupational adaptation process in the extreme region of Magallanes (Chile), and to identify the factors that might contribute to successful occupational adaptation and well-being. Method: Qualitative study, with a phenomenological interpretative approach. In-depth interviews were carried out with 16 older adults, with high or low levels of well-being, assessed with the Ryff Scale. An inductive content analysis according to Elo and Kyngäs was performed. Findings: Resilience, self-esteem and interdependence with significant others are key elements that promote well-being. Participants develop strategies to minimize the effects of environmental factors. The occupation’s function in terms of socialization, use of time, and social participation is revealed as a conditioning factor of occupational adaptation. Implications: Interventions with older people to achieve a successful occupational adaptation process must take into consideration the commitment to meaningful activities.

scholarly journals The challenges of donor engagement with faith-based organizations in Cameroon’s health sector: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibylle Herzig van Wees ◽  
Michael Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
International Development ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
The Past ◽  
Faith Based Organizations ◽  
The Government ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Substantial global advocacy efforts have been made over the past decade to encourage partnerships and funding of faith-based organizations in international development programmes in efforts to improve social and health outcomes. Whilst there is a wealth of knowledge on religion and development, including its controversies, less attention has been payed to the role that donors might play. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse the engagement between donors and faith-based organizations in Cameroon’s health sector, following the implementation of the Cameroon Health Sector Partnership Strategy (2012). Forty-six in-depth interviews were conducted in selected regions in Cameroon. The findings show that global advocacy efforts to increase partnerships with faith-based organizations have created a space for increasing donor engagement of faith-based organizations following the implementation of the strategy. However, the policy was perceived as top down as it did not take into account some of the existing challenges. The policy arguably accentuated some of the existing tensions between the government and faith-based organizations, fed faith-controversies and complicated the health system landscape. Moreover, it provided donors with a framework for haphazard engagement with faith-based organizations. As such, putting the implications of donor engagement with FBOs on the research map acknowledges the limitations of efforts to collaborate with faith-based organizations and brings to the surface still-remaining blinkers and limited assumptions in donor definitions of faith-based organizations and in ways of collaborating with them.

scholarly journals Love for the Motherland

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 418-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Paul Goode
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Public Choice ◽  
Russian Government ◽  
Authoritarian Rule ◽  
The Government ◽  
Depth Interviews

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.

Exploring Interpersonal Relationship of Female Patients with Persistent Depressive Disorder: A Qualitative Study with a Phenomenological Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Asadollahi ◽  
Hamid Taher Neshat Doost ◽  
Mohammad Reza Abedi ◽  
Hamid Afshar Zanjani
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Interpersonal Relationship ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Chronic Problem ◽  
Persistent Depressive Disorder

Background: Persistent depressive disorder (PDD) is a chronic problem that is more prevalent among women than men. Various studies have revealed that these people experience many problems in their interpersonal relationships, which increase their suffering. Objectives: The present study was done to identify how people suffering from PDD experience interpersonal relationships that often seem troubled and broken. Methods: A phenomenological approach was adopted for this qualitative study. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 individuals with PDD, focusing on exploring their experience and suffering in interpersonal relationships. All interviews were recorded and transcribed, and the transcripts were analyzed using Giorgi’s phenomenological descriptive method. Results: In general, five main themes and 16 sub-themes emerged. The main themes were: (1) Feeling empty of love and compassion; (2) feeling ignored; (3) ignoring others’ needs, conditions, and suffering; (4) feeling of being annoying to others; and (5) feeling confused and helpless in relationships. Conclusions: It seems that all five themes convey the message that these individuals demonstrate less skill in feeling compassion and receiving it from others. Therefore, it appears that long-term compassion-based interventions can effectively reduce the interpersonal suffering of these individuals. It should be noted that although these themes have commonalities in different cultural contexts, the culture can influence the content and intensity of these feelings.

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