Commemorative Events and Public Rituals: Redefining our Leisure Engagement with Violent Death as Healing Practice and/through Social Activism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elspeth Frew ◽  
Kirsty Forsdike
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Violent Death ◽  
Public Event ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Therapeutic Practice ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Leisure Engagement

The paper examines the concepts of public grief and social activism in the context of commemorative events, such as candlelight vigils. These candlelight vigils can be viewed as a form of leisure activity as individuals freely chose to attend the event during their free time. Attending such events has the potential to provide therapy to the attendees and contribute towards their wellbeing, similar to the phenomenon of individuals visiting roadside memorials and locally created shrines following an unexpected and/or violent death. The paper focuses on the candlelight vigils held to commemorate high profile murders of women as part of the violence against women focus in Victoria, Australia. These events also provide attendees with the opportunity to engage in social activism, reinforcing that these events provide the opportunity to engage in a blend of both private and public mourning; and may encourage social good via activism which also may be a form of therapeutic practice for wellbeing. The paper introduces the concept of grief leisure as a way to conceptualise the attendance at public event vigils as a therapeutic practice to help deal with grief.

Ecology, Dharma and Direct Action: A Brief Survey of Contemporary Eco-Buddhist Activism in Korea

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-311
Author(s):  
Young-Hae Yoon ◽  
Sherwin Jones
Keyword(s):  
Social Engagement ◽  
Direct Action ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
Turn Of The Millennium ◽  
Hunger Strike ◽  
Korean Society ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Reclamation Project ◽  
Self Immolation

Over the last few decades there has emerged a small, yet influential eco-Buddhism movement in South Korea which, since the turn of the millennium, has seen several S?n (J. Zen) Buddhist clerics engage in high-profile protests and activism campaigns opposing massive development projects which threatened widespread ecological destruction. This article will survey the issues and events surrounding three such protests; the 2003 samboilbae, or ‘threesteps- one-bow’, march led by Venerable Suky?ng against the Saemangeum Reclamation Project, Venerable Jiyul’s Anti-Mt. Ch?ns?ng tunnel hunger-strike campaign between 2002 and 2006, and lastly Venerable Munsu’s self-immolation protesting the Four Rivers Project in 2010. This article will additionally analyze the attempts by these clerics to deploy innovative and distinctively Buddhist forms of protest, the effects of these protests, and how these protests have altered public perceptions of the role of Buddhist clergy in Korean society. This study will additionally highlight issues relevant to the broader discourse regarding the intersection of Buddhism and social activism, such as the appropriation of traditional Buddhist practices as protest tactics and the potential for conflict between social engagement and the pursuit of Buddhist soteriological goals.

Sport Reporting in an Era of Activism: Examining the Intersection of Sport Media and Social Activism

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans C. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
Television Programs ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sport Media ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World

While there is a longstanding connection between sports and politics, this past year has seen a surge of social activism in the world of sport, and numerous high-profile athletes have used their positions of prominence to raise awareness of social or political issues. Sport media, in turn, have faced questions regarding how best to cover such activism. Given the popularity of sport media, such decisions can have real implications on the views held by the public. This scholarly commentary discusses how sport media cover the social activism of athletes and presents the results of a content analysis of popular news and sports television programs, newspapers, and magazines. Overall, results indicate that sport media are giving significant and respectful coverage to athletes who advocate for social or political issues.

Life transitions and leisure activity engagement among older Americans: findings from a national longitudinal study

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 537-564
Author(s):  
Yura Lee ◽  
Iris Chi ◽  
Jennifer A. Ailshire
Keyword(s):  
Mail Survey ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Activity Engagement ◽  
Household Activities ◽  
Leisure Engagement ◽  
The Impact

AbstractOne of the major aspects of successful ageing is active engagement in later life. Retirement and widowhood are two significant life transitions that may largely influence leisure engagement patterns among older adults. Limited findings exist regarding the impact of life transitions on leisure activity engagement due to the scarcity of longitudinal data with repeated measurement of older individuals’ leisure engagement. This study longitudinally examined changes in leisure activity engagement as influenced by retirement and widowhood using five waves of national panel data from the Health and Retirement Study and its supplementary Consumption and Activities Mail Survey. Multi-level modelling was conducted with retirement and widowhood status as time-varying variables. Socio-economic status, depressive symptoms, cognitive function, self-rated health and functional limitations were also included as time-varying and time-invariant covariates. Findings show that engagement in mental, physical, social and household activities significantly decreased during an eight-year period. Moreover, transition from working to retired status was associated with increased engagement in mental, social and household activities but decreased engagement in physical activities among men only. Transition from married to widowhood status was associated with decreased engagement in household activities among women only. Encouraging active leisure engagement among individuals who experience either or both life transitions may help maintain their health after transition.

scholarly journals Fighting for What? Couples’ Communication, Parenting and Social Activism: The Case Study of a “Christian-Muslim” Families’ Association in Brussels (Belgium)

Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Cerchiaro
Keyword(s):  
Social Role ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
Direct Consequence ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
The Social ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Aims And Scope ◽  
The Public Sphere

Mixed families have historically been considered to be a direct consequence of a process of social and cultural integration of migrants within the host society, although this link has recently been problematized by scholars. By focusing on the case study of an association of “Christian-Muslim” families in Belgium, this article offers a better understanding of the social consequences of mixedness. The article seeks to shed light on the private and public life of the couples who are members of this association by answering the following research questions: Why do couples turn to this association? At what stages of their lives? What is the social role that the association aims to play in society? Using partners’ life stories and ethnographic observation gathered during the association’s meetings, the findings demonstrate how this association plays an important role at different levels and at different stages of a family’s life. The analysis will highlight that: (1) there is a specific aim to help new couples to face administrative, religious and cultural “obstacles” they encounter during the first period of their relationships, and (2) special meetings to discuss the challenge of parenting are at the core of the association’s activities. The “problem” of transmission requires of the couple further negotiations to find a way to balance their respective cultural backgrounds. These negotiations have to take into account the power misbalance within the Belgian hegemonic context. (3) The social activism of this association is an important aspect of its aims and scope. Some of the couples are active in countering a dominant stereotypical representation of mixed couples. They organize meetings and events to sensitize public opinion on interreligious dialogue, migration issues and the fight against racism. In this way, the association proposes itself as a new peculiar agent of social change in the public sphere.

Ending Violence against Women in Latin America: Feminist Norm Setting in a Multilevel Context

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
pp. 143-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conny Roggeband
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Latin American ◽  
State Violence ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
International Convention ◽  
The Public ◽  
International Obligation ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Forms Of Violence

Latin American feminists brought up the issue of violence in the 1970s under military rule or situations of armed conflict. These contexts made feminists specifically concerned with state violence against women. Women's organizations pointed to torture and rape of political prisoners and the use of rape as a weapon of war and connected these forms of violence to deeper societal patterns of subordination and violence against women in both the private and public spheres. Processes of democratization in the region brought new opportunities to institutionalize norms to end violence against women (VAW), and in many countries feminists managed to get the issue on the political agenda. In the mid 1990s, the region pioneered international legislation on VAW that uniquely included state-sponsored violence. The Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (1994) established an international obligation for states to prevent, investigate, and punish VAW regardless of whether it takes place in the home, the community, or in the public sphere. While Latin American governments massively ratified this convention, national legislation was not brought in line with the broad scope of the international convention. This points to the complex and often contradictory dynamics of institutionalizing norms to oppose VAW in multilevel settings.

THE BLAME GAME: Racialized Responses to Hurricane Katrina

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn A. Sweeney
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Color Blindness ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Public Event ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Media ◽  
The U.S

Response to Hurricane Katrina and public commentary by high-profile individuals has made race a focus in the media and brought racial inequality to the attention of people in the United States. Analyzing responses to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I find that, even after this very public event that brought race to the forefront in the U.S., people relied on the ideologies of meritocracy and color blindness to rationalize inequality. Findings of how the myth of meritocracy is utilized, along with how people argue against it, can be used to keep race at the forefront of the nation's attention while furthering discussions of inequality. The academic community is challenged to keep the voices of alternative ideologies in the spotlight and to use the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina to create change.

scholarly journals The Political Personal Realm in the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Risna Desimory Tambunsaribu ◽  
Ikhaputri Widiantini
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Sexual Politics ◽  
The Political ◽  
Public Spheres ◽  
Radical Feminist ◽  
State Involvement ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Critical Interpretation ◽  
Biological Differences

<p class="p1">This article is using a critical interpretation based on radical feminist theory to analyze the issue of sexual violence against women in Indonesia. Based on data from Komnas Perempuan in 2020, the number of victims of sexual violence is increasing. The root of sexual violence comes from the biological differences between women and men that has been constructed in society. Men are considered to have sexual dominance on women. The existence of sexual politics maintains by the state have taken away women’s authority both in private and public spheres. Using the critical and praxis feminist approach, this article assesses the data research from Komnas Perempuan, especially related to cases of sexual violence. The analysis and criticism of sexual politics in this article also highlights the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Violence. The analysis proves the importance of state involvement in ensuring the lives of Indonesian female citizens, especially concerning protection from sexual violence.</p>

scholarly journals THE CITY AND PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THE WORKS OF CLASSICS OF EUROPEAN SOCIOLOGICAL THOUGHT

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
I.V. Manyshev ◽  
◽  
A.A. Trunov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Methodological Foundation ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Sociological Thought ◽  
Mechanical Solidarity ◽  
The City

Urban studies has occupied and continues to occupy a special place in the system of sociological knowledge. G. Simmel, F. Tennis and E. Durkheim paid great attention to the problem of the genesis and evolution of large and small cities, the devel- opment of urbanization processes, various aspects of integration, mobilization and social activism within a single urban space. Classics of European sociological thought laid a powerful theoretical and methodological foundation for the scientific study of the institute of public relations in the social space of European cities of the late XIX – first half of the XX centuries. Their fun- damental differences between the countryside and the city, the specifics of private and public life in small and large cities, the antagonism between community and society, organic and mechanical solidarity, the progress of civilization and the parallel growth of social deviations allow a more adequate approach to the study of the institute of public relations, but in re- lation to modern realities, which are characterized by the processes of digitalization and globalization, the rapid develop- ment of high technologies, new opportunities for social interaction, which become available not only for the elite, but also for ordinary citizens. Without effective public relations, it is difficult to imagine the activities of city authorities and services, trade firms, corporations, police, educational and cultural institutions. We consider public relations as a universal socio-cultural mechanism that allows us to establish and maintain effective public communications between management entities and segments of the urban social environment that are important for their activities (individuals and social groups) in the mode of dialogue and search for joint solutions to current problems.

Introduction: social activism, belonging and citizenship in a period of crisis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shana Cohen ◽  
Jan-Jonathan Bock
Keyword(s):  
Social Space ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Just Society ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

This chapter introduces the books and the individual chapters, which were written by both academics and practitioners in the field in Germany and the UK. The book reflects an interest in democracy and, more pointedly, in how to express and practice citizenship, particularly in relation to helping others and generating a physical and social space for individual belonging. The book builds a narrative of how policy has failed to account for social belonging and, likewise, provide a framework for social solidarity in welfare reform though in practice the experience of belonging seems critical for instigating changes in individual behaviour and self-confidence. Part I: The Social Consequences of Welfare Policy examines policy attempts to address related aspects of poverty and consolidate a social role for the state through specified responsibilities, whether through providing health services, unemployment insurance, or other benefits. Part II: The Practice of Social Good is comprised of practitioner case studies. The section shows how grassroots activism translates abstract notions of a just society fashioned by policymakers. Part III: Social Change and Neoliberalism returns to the presentation of academic research and Part IV: Situating Solidarity in Perspective continues providing a critical platform to discuss the meaning of citizenship.

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