scholarly journals Conflicting Paradigms of Religious and Bureaucratic Authority in a British Mosque

Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin El-Yousfi
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Religious Authority ◽  
Organisational Structure ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Material Condition ◽  
Traditional Institutions

This article analyses an on-going conflict between two groups (Bargil and Kardal) over the management of a mosque located in an area near London. Based on fourteen months of intensive fieldwork, including participant observation, informal chats and semi-structured interviews, this article offers an in-depth and original account of the transformations taking place in mosques concerning the role of imams and mosque committee members. By analysing the object of conflict, the organisational structure, the dynamic of the groups and its leaders, as well as the process of bureaucratisation of mosques as a material condition, I intend to scrutinise the role and status of the imam and mosque committee members. The primary aim of this article is to re-examine and challenge the narrative of decline in religious authority (in Western mosques) propounded by some scholars as being the result of individualisation and the rise of new religious figures outside traditional institutions. I suggest that rather than experiencing a decline in imams’ religious authority, mosques have become controlled by the bureaucratic authority of the committee members. In other words, imams’ religious authority is still exercised, yet only within the bureaucratic framework set by the committee members.

Shaping accountability at an NGO: a Bourdieusian perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 178-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjaya Chinthana Kuruppu ◽  
Sumit Lodhia
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Considerable Change ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fresh Perspective ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
External Forces

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of accountability as it relates to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) evolving through a period of considerable change in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth single case study of a large NGO working in Sri Lanka is presented. Data collection involved conducting semi-structured interviews with a range of NGO employees and stakeholders, undertaking participant and non-participant observation and document analysis. Findings This paper shows how accountability is a contested notion that is shaped by struggles among stakeholders within a field. The authors explore how the “widespread field” consisting of the aid context in Sri Lanka and internationally is rapidly shifting. This creates unique pressures within the “restricted field” of the case NGO and its constituents. These pressures are manifested in the contest between the different capitals held by various stakeholders to shape the NGO. The nature of access to these capitals is important in the way that the NGO is shaped by external forces, and also by the individuals within it. Research limitations/implications This study adds fresh perspective to the growing body of work in NGO accountability. The paper highlights the tensions NGOs face through a holistic application of a Bourdieusian conceptual framework. The authors show how the habitus of the organisation is shaped in such a way that conceptions of accountability were captured by powerful external and internal constituencies. Ultimately, the nature of an organisation’s agency is questioned. Practical implications The authors present a more nuanced understanding of forces which shape accountability in an NGO setting which is of practical relevance to NGOs and their stakeholders. The authors highlight the struggle for an NGO to maintain its agency through resisting external forces that impact on its operations. Originality/value This study presents a comprehensive and holistic application of Bourdieu’s concepts and their interactions in an organisational setting. The struggle to harness various forms of capital in the field, shapes doxa and the habitus of NGO actors, illuminating the role of symbolic violence in the creation of an organisational identity.

scholarly journals Culture, Sexuality and Indigenous Healing in Pakistan: Exploring Sexual Health Care through Hakeems and Herbalists

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Abdul Qadar ◽  
Zia Ur Rehman
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Indigenous Healing ◽  
Cultural Logic ◽  
Sexual Health Care ◽  
Cultural Order ◽  
Term Basis

Objective: This paper aims to understand the relationship between sexuality, culture, and male sexual health through the role of hakeems as an indigenous healing framework in Pakistan. Study Design: Participant observation (by first author) and personal practice (by second author). Place and Duration of Study: At a matab where second author practices hikmat is located in Islamabad. The fieldwork in the form of collaborative learning has been going on since September 2019 to date. Materials and Methods: This research is based on the participant observation at the matab where people come to seek herbal medicine and consultancy from the hakeem. Narrative account of anthropologist and practice of certified hakeem, through an interactive exchange of ideas about questions of the study, was employed. The study has taken information in the form of semi-structured interviews from the patients who either gave consent or asked to remain anonymous. Results: Results have shown that the nature of the relation between sexuality and cultural order have compelled people to seek hikmat as indigenous healing on a long-term basis. The framework of indigenous healers has helped to understand the cultural logic of sexuality, which is embedded more closely in the practice of hakeems than the biomedical regime. Conclusion: Cultural competence, in this case the same cultural background of the hakeem and patients, adds to our understanding of the indigenous healing framework, sexuality, and culture.

scholarly journals PERANAN KOMISI PEMILIHAN UMUM PROVINSI BENGKULU DALAM PENYELENGGARAAN PEMILIHAN KEPALA DAERAH SERENTAK DI PROVINSI BENGKULU TAHUN 2015

2018 ◽  
pp. 28-43
Author(s):  
Muhammad Laksmana Surya Adi Wibawa
Keyword(s):  
Good Governance ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Local Elections ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Reduction Techniques ◽  
The People ◽  
Democratic State ◽  
Election Commission

ABSTRACTThe general election is held directly to execute the mandate of the Constitution which stipulates that sovereignty belongs to the people. Therefore, a country that calls itself as a democratic state, the elections should be held at a certain time. Election Commission is an institution established by legislation to hold elections which is national, permanent and independent. Indonesia is a unitary state is a republic whose government delivery system is framed within a policy of decentralization and regional autonomy. One of the most important steps in ensuring good governance at central and local is the process of forming a good government anyway, so also in the Bengkulu Province. Therefore, researchers are interested in taking the title essay “The Role of the Bengkulu Provincial Election Commission in Simultaneously Local Elections in 2015 in Bengkulu Province”. This research aims to determine the role of Bengkulu Provincial Election Commission in conducting simultaneously local elections in 2015 in the Bengkulu Province, the obstacles encountered and efforts made to overcome these obstacles. In analyzing the problems and the facts, the researchers used the theory of the role according to Soekanto. Furthermore, this research will yield some suggestions for the various parties to the improvement of the election system with simultaneous concepts, especially in the Bengkulu Province for the next elections. Through a kind of qualitative research with descriptive and inductive approach, researchers find and process the data and facts onthe ground and then explained in detail and deep understanding of the role of Bengkulu Provincial Election Commission in conducting simultaneously local elections in 2015 in Bengkulu Province. Researchers conducted ethnographic data collection techniques, participant observation, and in-depth interviews. Conducted semi structured interviews with several informants were selected according to the criteria of an ideal informant. Data, facts, and information obtained from the interviews will be through reduction techniques, featuring in a table or chart display, and conclusion drawing. Based on the results of research conducted, proving that Bengkulu Provincial Election Commission perform the role well in the simultaneously local elections in 2015 in Bengkulu Province. The role has not been well executed in terms of facilitating the campaign and increase the number of voter, unfortunately the number of abstention is increase. There are four obstacles faced by the Bengkulu Provincial Election Commission, but followed up with a four attempts have been made in overcoming these obstacles. Keywords: role, bengkulu provincial election commission, simultaneously local elections

scholarly journals Age-Friendly as Tranquilo Ambiente: How Socio-Cultural Perspectives Shape Older Latinos’ Lived Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 237-238
Author(s):  
Melanie Plasencia
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
New York ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Latino Older Adults

Abstract Researchers have increasingly considered the importance of age-friendly communities to improve the health and well-being of older adults. Studies have primarily focused on the built environment, such as community infrastructure, older adult behavior, and environmental expectations. Less attention, however, has been given to the role of cultural characteristics in shaping perceptions of age-friendly environments for Latinos. Using an ethnographic methodological approach, including participant observation in a Latino community near New York City and 72 semi-structured interviews, this study provides empirical insights into how older Latinos characterize age-friendly communities. Latino older adults described their community as age-friendly using Tranquilo Ambiente (TA), which translates to a calm or peaceful environment. According to older adults, a TA possesses the following: 1) a sense of personal safety, including protection of their body, 2) ethnic, social connectedness, including networks with other Latinos and important social and cultural events; and 3) a comparative understanding of their communities treatment of seniors versus other geographical and spatial locations. While much has been written on the role of the built and social environment in developing and implementing age-friendly communities, more research on the cultural significance and understanding of place among marginalized older adults is necessary. TA and its characteristics demonstrate that cultivating an age-friendly setting requires adapting structures and services to promote Latino older adults' social and cultural support and engagement.

The Realignment of Mormon Religious Authority

2019 ◽  
pp. 189-210
Author(s):  
Jana Riess
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Religious Tradition ◽  
The Other ◽  
Religious Authority ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Ecclesiastical Authority ◽  
Traditional Institutions ◽  
The Church

This chapter examines how young adult Mormons regard ecclesiastical authority differently than older Mormons do. Mormons stand apart from many other faiths because they believe their leaders are the only men authorized by Jesus Christ himself to exercise all the authority of the holy priesthood. Given this belief—that Mormonism's uniqueness stretches from its ecclesiastical authority in the form of prophets and apostles—it is not surprising that the religion strongly emphasizes obeying the teachings of those leaders. Indeed, millennial Mormons have grown up in a religious tradition that places a premium on obeying the leaders of the Church and have inherited modern Mormonism's expanded view of the role of the prophet. On the other hand, they're also embedded within a generation that takes a dim view of many traditional institutions, including religious ones, and has tended to qualify claims to exclusive truth. The chapter then considers how young adult Mormons reconcile these tensions within themselves.

The Need Analysis of Participation in an English Immersion Village at Kampung Inggris Pare

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Widya Rizky Pratiwi ◽  
Haryanto Atmowardoyo ◽  
Kisman Salija
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Immersion Program ◽  
English Immersion ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Need Analysis ◽  
Societal Needs ◽  
Initial Perception ◽  
English Immersion Program

The privilege of English as an international lingua franca force many countries to open a wider opportunity for society to learn the language. However, the unbalance between societal needs and the role of English as a foreign language in Indonesia sometimes find the obstacles in the process of learning. This paper reveals the learners’ initial perception of English and analyzes the need for participation in an English immersion program. 24 participants from six English institutions contributed to this qualitative study. The data collected through participant observation and semi-structured interviews for three months in Kampung Inggris Pare, Kediri, East Java, Indonesia. Most of the learners had a negative perception of English before participating in this immersion program that they perceived this language was difficult. This perception is associated with negative experiences during the process of learning English at school. However, their awareness of low self-confidence and poor speaking performance in facing globalization invited them to participate in an English immersion village in Kampung Inggris Pare. This paper concludes that the necessities, the lacks, and students' desire underlie the need analysis of participating in an English immersion program in Kampung Inggris Pare.

Kairotic and chronological knowing: diabetes logbooks in-and-out of the hospital

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Maria Piras
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Condition ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The Right ◽  
Forms Of Knowledge

Purpose The paper reflects on the role of knowledge artefacts in the patient-provider relationship across the organisational boundaries of the clinical setting. Drawing on the analysis of the diabetes logbook, the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the role of knowledge artefacts in a fragmented system of knowledge through the study of two distinct practices: “logbook compiling” and “consultation in the surgery”. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical framework of analysis is rooted in the tradition of practice-based studies which envisions knowledge as the emerging, precarious and socially constructed product of being involved in a practice. The paper follows a designed qualitative research, conducting semi-structured interviews, participant observation and artefact analysis. Findings The knowledge artefacts support different and partially irreducible forms of knowledge. Knowing-in-practice is accomplished by means of different activities which contribute to the reshaping of the knowledge artefact itself. The analysis of the “knowledge artefact-in-use” reveals that different actors (doctors and patients) adopt two different perspectives when investigating the chronic condition. Clinicians are interested in a chronological representation of patient data while patients and families are interested in making sense of specific situations, adopting a kairotic perspective (Kairos: the right moment) that emphasises the instant in which something significant for someone happens. Originality/value The analysis of the knowledge artefacts-in-use has a twofold outcome. On one hand, it illustrates the mutual shaping of knowing, artefacts and practices. On the other hand, it shows how knowledge artefact can become pivotal resources in a fragmented system of knowledge.

Crisis communication in public emergencies: multistakeholders' perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nele Cannaerts
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Media Tools

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence for effective crisis communication in public emergencies including the relevance of planning and training and rehearsal; to explore the role of different stakeholders and how social media influence effective crisis communication.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research design was employed. Two events were analysed, via the synthesis model for handling crisis communication in the public sector, as cases. First, via post-crisis semi-structured interviews, a gas explosion in the city of Antwerp was analysed. Second, via participant observation of a training and rehearsal exercise, more insight was gained on the role of training and social media for crisis communication.FindingsThe findings of this paper provide empirical evidence that (1) effective crisis communication is communication that is diversified across different crisis stages and diverse stakeholders; (2) that different internal social media tools and external social media tools are necessary to be monitored for effective crisis communication; (3) that training and rehearsal are of great importance for effective crisis communication.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to three current crisis communication research calls. First, the call for more research focusing on public sector crisis management, using public sector crisis communication models. Second, the call for the implementation of a more multiple-actor approach instead of an organisation-centred approach; and, third, the call for gaining insight into how specific communication channels are used before, during and after a crisis.

Friends as Informal Educators: The Role of Peer Relationships in Promotion of Sexual Health Services among College Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 0272684X2110346
Author(s):  
Veena Muraleetharan ◽  
Marie A. Brault
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Informal Educators ◽  
The Impact

This ethnographic study of one United States university’s sexual health resources explores the role of peer relationships in sexual health promotion to understand how these relationships shaped students’ interactions with campus sexual health resources. Through analysis of seventeen semi-structured interviews with students, five policy interviews with providers and university personnel, and participant-observation of peer health educator training, the authors examine how trust in peer relationships can serve as a form of social capital to influence sexual health information sharing. The article introduces the term “peer administrator” to describe student actors who sit at the intersection of friend and official resource and explores the importance of these mentoring relationships for sexual health promotion. The analysis also considers how more individualistic models of public health promotion limit the impact of peer relationships and concludes with a discussion of how universities might imagine new forms of sexual health promotion among students.

scholarly journals Beloved Land, Beloved Family: The Role of Welfare in Timorese Migration to England

2021 ◽  
pp. 197-217
Author(s):  
Claire C. Millar
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Market State ◽  
History Of ◽  
Family Based ◽  
System Migration

AbstractTimor-Leste’s long history of colonisation and occupation has posed significant welfare challenges for the small, half-island nation nestled between Asia and the Pacific. Since independence in 2002, a budding pattern of migration has emerged, with increasing numbers of Timorese living and working in the United Kingdom. This chapter seeks to understand how the welfare concerns of these migrants shape their decisions about geographical mobility and vice versa. Analysing semi-structured interviews and overt participant observation conducted in England in 2017 and drawing on an extended version of the welfare resource environment framework, it explores the role of market, state and family-based welfare provisions in this migration trend. It finds that Timorese migrants in England utilise migration – and the market and state-based welfare provisions it brings – in service of their own, family-based social protection system. Migration between welfare contexts allows increased access to new and varied sources of welfare, valued for how they support a family-based framework founded on interdependence, relationships with others and responsibility. By querying the mobility of Timorese migrants in England in light of their welfare concerns, this chapter elucidates the culturally embedded ways in which migrants and their families piece together unique protection packages.

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