scholarly journals Adolescent male orphans affected by HIV and AIDS, poverty and fatherlessness: A story of marginalisation?

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juanita Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Therapy ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Adolescent Male ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Alternative Future ◽  
Future Narratives ◽  
Point Of Departure

This article explores the experiences of fatherless adolescent males affected by HIV, AIDS and poverty, in order to investigate how these experiences influence the creation of their alternative, future narratives and if these experiences result in narratives that speak of marginalisation or instead, will speak of survival. Research methods from the qualitative case study research design are employed. The theoretical point of departure is a postfoundational practical theology and narrative therapy. The specific focus is on issues of marginalisation and to listen to the narratives within their contexts. The article explores and deconstructs the dominant discourses engrained within the larger socio-economic and cultural context and questions whether these narratives should be viewed as a story of marginalisation. The article concludes that it is not a story of marginalisation, but rather a story of survival, a story of hope.

scholarly journals Deconstructing masculinity: Dominant discourses on gender, sexuality and HIV and AIDS from the experience of the adolescent male orphan

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juanita Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Narrative Therapy ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Adolescent Male ◽  
Theological Study ◽  
Practical Theological ◽  
Dominant Narratives

As a postfoundational practical theological study, this article is interested in the description of the co-researchers’ experiences, as these are continually informed by various traditions of interpretations. It listens to and describes the current narratives of three co-researchers and deconstructs these narratives by looking at various concepts of masculinity and sexuality. It looks specifically at how these concepts are created and maintained through various socio-cultural dominant narratives related to gender, sexuality, and HIV and AIDS, and how these dominant narratives influence the creation of self- and alternative narratives of the co-researchers. This article employs research methods from the qualitative and case study research design and works from the theoretical viewpoints of a postfoundational practical theology and narrative therapy.

scholarly journals The use of metaphors in Narrative Research in exploring and describing experiences of adolescent male orphans affected by HIV and AIDS

2011 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juanita Loubser ◽  
Julian C. Müller
Keyword(s):  
Practical Theology ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Immune Deficiency Syndrome ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Adolescent Male ◽  
Primary Study ◽  
Father Figure ◽  
Relationship With God ◽  
Future Narratives

This article relates to the primary study which aimed at addressing uncertainties about the type and nature of the relationship between the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and adolescent male orphans affected by this disease and all its aspects, such as poverty, exposure to crime and stigmatisation, and the lack of parental figures – more specifically, the absence of the father figure. Subsequently, this study aimed at dissecting the orphan’s life experiences in the midst of HIV and AIDS and explored ways in which these experiences influence his sexual and power relations with women and his role as future father and husband in the absence of a father figure (or male role model). Moreover, the researcher explored ways in which these past and future narratives influence or affect the male orphan’s view of and relationship with God, or whether it is rather this view of and relationship with God that influence and affect his relationship with his past narrative and writing of his future narratives. Research methods from the qualitative and case study research design and, more specifically, from postfoundational practical theology and narrative therapy, were employed in exploring the above issues. With the use of the metaphor of Tree of Life and the David narrative, the researcher journeyed with the co-researchers in the construction of a preferred alternative narrative, which in turn functions as a guiding metaphor for aspiring to the future and living their lives in a preferred and satisfying manner. Therefore this article explains the use of these metaphors during the seven movements of Postfoundational Practical Theology and shows how these metaphors succeeded in assisting the co-researchers with externalising aspects of their problem-saturated narratives, identifying unique outcomes amidst these narratives, and developing alternative narratives that serve as a vehicle for change and creating hope amidst a context of seeming despair.

scholarly journals 'I am who I am': Deconstructing orphaned boys' references to God: An application of the post-foundational notion of practical theology

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juanita Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Practical Theology ◽  
Narrative Therapy ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Father Absence ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Adolescent Male ◽  
Public Language ◽  
Experience Of God ◽  
Presence Of God ◽  
Pastoral Therapy

This article investigates and reflects on the religious and spiritual aspects inherent in the narratives of adolescent male orphans, affected by HIV and AIDS, poverty and fatherlessness, and more specifically on aspects which tell us about how these boys understand and experience the presence of God within their specific situations. In coming to such an understanding, this article focuses specifically on the various names attributed to God by the coresearchers and investigates the prominence through social construction behind these names and how it influences the coresearchers� experience of God amidst their unique circumstances. With the use of the perspectives of a post-foundational notion of practical theology and narrative therapy and research, these names and their accompanied significance are deconstructed. The aim of the deconstruction process is to unveil dominant discourses that both inform the use of specific references to God and assist the coresearchers in finding meaning in the use of these names. The larger study employed research methods from the qualitative and case study research design, and included interdisciplinary work based on the post-foundational notion of transversality. Disciplines included in the dialogue were pastoral therapy, critical psychology and social work. This article�s reflections can be useful in all the above-mentioned disciplines and gives insight into understanding the significance behind the phenomenon of naming a deity in one�s personal and public language, and the influence such spiritual affirmations have in the psychosocial sphere of the holistic persona.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The larger study (from which this article originates) is an interdisciplinary study, as to conform to the principles of a postfoundational notion of practical theology and as such supports the assumptions underlying this theoretical framework.Keywords: Names for God; Postfoundationalism; Practical Theology; Co-Researchers; HIV and Aids; Poverty; Father Absence

scholarly journals “Is it because I’m gormless?” A commentary on “Narrative therapy in a learning disability context: a review”

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Learning Disability ◽  
Narrative Therapy ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Narrative Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Narrative Approaches ◽  
Research Reporting ◽  
Future Work

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on “Narrative therapy in a learning disability context: a review”. Design/methodology/approach – This commentary reflects on the use of Narrative therapy and considers it in the wider context of assisting people with learning disabilities to develop self-understanding. The commentary makes connections between the use of Narrative therapy and narrative approaches to research reporting. Findings – The use of Narrative therapy can assist in the development of positive personal stories for individuals with learning disabilities. Case study research provides a useful reference point from which to develop future work. Reporting of case studies sometimes omits data that might be useful for others attempting to replicate findings. Originality/value – This paper highlights the need for authors to ensure that the “small details” are included in research reporting. A narrative approach, rich in detail of research participants might enable authors to tell a “thicker” story, thus improving generalisability.

scholarly journals Perceiving those who are gone: Cultural research on post-bereavement perception or hallucination of the deceased

2020 ◽  
pp. 136346152096288
Author(s):  
Pablo Sabucedo ◽  
Chris Evans ◽  
Jacqueline Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Vantage Point ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Clinical Case Study ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
The One ◽  
Felt Presence

Experiencing the continued presence of the deceased is common among the bereaved, whether as a sensory perception or as a felt presence. This phenomenon has been researched from psychological and psychiatric perspectives during the last five decades. Such experiences have been also documented in the ethnographic literature but, despite the extensive cross-cultural research in the area, anthropological data has generally not been considered in the psychological literature about this phenomenon. This paper provides an overview aimed at bridging these two areas of knowledge, and approaches the post-bereavement perception or hallucination of the deceased in cultural context. Ongoing debates are addressed from the vantage point of ethnographic and clinical case study research focusing on the cultural repertoires (in constant flux as cultures change) from which these experiences are labelled as desirable and normal, on the one hand, or as dangerous and pathological, on the other.

scholarly journals An interdisciplinary investigation into the narratives of three co-researchers: A postfoundational notion of practical theology

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juanita Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Social Constructionism ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Narrative Therapy ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Adolescent Male ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
Formed Part ◽  
Key Aspects

This article elaborates on the sixth movement of a postfoundational notion of practical theology and is concerned with giving a description of experiences, which are thickened through interdisciplinary investigation. The experiences of interest are those of the co-researchers who formed part of the larger research study, conducted in 2010, and who were at the time adolescent male orphans, affected by HIV and AIDS, poverty and father abandonment. The research was conducted within the theoretical frameworks of a postfoundational notion of practical theology, narrative therapy and research, and social constructionism. A qualitative research strategy was employed, with the case study design as point of departure in collecting and analysing research data. Various key aspects were investigated with the use of the model of narrative and the seven movements of a postfoundational notion of practical theology. The aim of this article is to provide an illustration of the application of the principles of a postfoundational notion of practical theology, and its sixth movement – an interdisciplinary investigation – as it is applied within this specific research context. Four interdisciplinary conversationalists, each from a different academic field, were invited to reflect on the three narrated stories of the co-researchers. This article, then, gives a report on their feedback and the value of interdisciplinary investigation in aiding, with the understanding of the meaningmaking process behind collected narratives.

scholarly journals Tidlig islamisk historie i mnemohistorisk betydning - et case-study af sûrat al-kâfi rûn

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Butler
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Religious Tradition ◽  
Religious Culture ◽  
The Other ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Historical Tradition ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
Vital Element

The notion of the Other is basically about distinguishing between oneself and others. As such, it is a vital element in constructing an identity, be that identity socially, religiously or politically defined. This article takes its theoretical point of departure in German Egyptologist Jan Assmann's thesis on monotheism as building on a Mosaic Distinction between 'true' and 'false' in religion; 'belief' and 'unbelief,' and ultimately 'us' and 'them'. It focuses on some of the more grave aspects of Islamic monotheism, namely those of religiously defining oneself as the more righteous party in opposition to other people perceived as being unbelievers, or even shayâtîn, 'satans.' Furthermore, as also pointed out by Assmann, in salvation-oriented monotheistic religions 'forgetting' means being lost, while 'remembrance' spells salvation. This insight appears to be relevant for a study of the Islamic religious tradition in particular, constructed as this is on a strong historical tradition of transmission of memorized and normative narratives. Cultural Memory, in the shape of the narrative Qur'ân, staging and defining Islamic religious culture and telling its story of origins is thus here viewed as crucial to that culture's continued relevance and existence. The exemplary case-study is sûrat al-kâfi rûn, 'The Infidels;' at the same time illustrating the inherited Mosaic Distinction in Islam.

Ethics, Politics, and Host Space: A Comparative Case Study from the South American Chaco

2011 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 882-913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Lowrey
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
South American ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Gran Chaco ◽  
Present Essay ◽  
Point Of Departure

This essay compares two communities of common origin that now dwell in separate rural lowland South American settings, one in the Bolivian Chaco and the other in the Paraguayan Chaco (maps 1 and 2). South America's Gran Chaco is sparsely populated, averaging one person per three square kilometers (Censo Nacional Indígena [Paraguay], 2002). Nevertheless, the present essay takes as its analytic-theoretical point of departure a phrase invoked by Michael Warner in his 1999 book on queer publics in New York City: “Urban space is always a host space” (1999: 190).

scholarly journals Introducing a corporate concept into organisational practices: a case study of domestication and organisational choice

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trond Haga ◽  
Johan E. Ravn
Keyword(s):  
Production System ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
General Concept ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Specific Production ◽  
Domestication Process ◽  
Point Of Departure

This article discusses a case of introducing and launching a new corporate concept, a so-called company-specific production system (XPS), into an organisation. Such concepts are at present very commonly used, but what does it take to implement a new logic into an existing organisation? As a theoretical point of departure, the process was understood as a process of domestication, where the imported concept moves from being external, general and unfamiliar to becoming inter­nal and known, owned by the organisational culture and embedded in its practices. Domestication is a process where the import has to be rescripted through how the organisation, as individual members and as various collectives, enacts it, makes sense of it and understands it. The organisation in this case study had a rich tradition of participation, and in the process under study, members from most levels and functions were involved in the attempts to transform the general concept into something workable and company-specific. This paper takes a socio-technical design approach, which argues that organisations importing new technology or new organisational concepts are faced with choices, not with something inevitable. The study reveals the challenges of the domestication process and how the organisation faces not one choice but a multiplicity of interdependent choices, and how handling the process calls for an untraditional, complex and participatory approach.

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