The Politics of Meaning: From Frames to Design Conflicts

Author(s):  
David J. Hess

The chapter reviews the literature on frame analysis and narratives in social movement studies and the parallel literature in science and technology studies on technological frames, boundary objects, and other cultural dimensions of science and expertise. It suggests the value of materializing the analysis of cultural meaning in the study of social movements and industry by developing the analysis of design conflicts. Three main types of design conflicts are reviewed: those based on social structural conflicts of race, class, and gender; those based on field-level industrial conflicts between incumbent firms and challengers; and those based on the environmental conflict between sustainability and resilience. This chapter uses examples from work on feminism, race, and design; on the solar energy and organic food movements; and on trade-offs between resilience and sustainability at the household and regional levels.

1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Watkins ◽  
Anne McCreary Juhasz ◽  
Aldona Walker ◽  
Nijole Janvlaitiene

Analysis of the responses of 139 male and 83 female Lithuanian 12-14 year-olds to a translation of the Self-Description Questionnaire-1 (SDQ-1; Marsh, 1988 ) supported the internal consistency and factor structure of this instrument. Some evidence of a “positivity” response bias was found, however. Comparison of the Lithuanian responses to those of like-aged Australian, Chinese, Filipino, Nepalese, and Nigerian children indicated the Lithuanians tended to report rather lower self-esteem. The Lithuanian males also tended to report lower self-esteem than their female peers. Interpretation of the results are considered in terms of reactions to the recent upheavals in Eastern Europe, stable cultural dimensions, and possible cultural and gender biases in the items of the SDQ-1.


Author(s):  
Rafaela M. Dancygier

As Europe's Muslim communities continue to grow, so does their impact on electoral politics and the potential for inclusion dilemmas. In vote-rich enclaves, Muslim views on religion, tradition, and gender roles can deviate sharply from those of the majority electorate, generating severe trade-offs for parties seeking to broaden their coalitions. This book explains when and why European political parties include Muslim candidates and voters, revealing that the ways in which parties recruit this new electorate can have lasting consequences. The book sheds new light on when minority recruitment will match up with existing party positions and uphold electoral alignments and when it will undermine party brands and shake up party systems. It demonstrates that when parties are seduced by the quick delivery of ethno-religious bloc votes, they undercut their ideological coherence, fail to establish programmatic linkages with Muslim voters, and miss their opportunity to build cross-ethnic, class-based coalitions. The book highlights how the politics of minority inclusion can become a testing ground for parties, showing just how far their commitments to equality and diversity will take them when push comes to electoral shove. Providing a unified theoretical framework for understanding the causes and consequences of minority political incorporation, and especially as these pertain to European Muslim populations, the book advances our knowledge about how ethnic and religious diversity reshapes domestic politics in today's democracies.


2013 ◽  
Vol 04 (03) ◽  
pp. 1350013
Author(s):  
ULRICH HOFFMANN

The problems of climate change, hunger and poverty, economic, social and gender inequity, poor health and nutrition, and environmental sustainability are inter-related and need to be solved by leveraging agriculture's multi-functionality. Against this background, this paper analyzes various aspects of the fundamental transformation of agricultural production methods and systems required for dealing with the serious challenges that arise from global warming. It also discusses the trade-offs to be made in enhancing the mitigation and adaptation potential of agriculture as part and parcel of a pro-poor development approach in agriculture, which will also have to include a modification of international trade rules.


Author(s):  
Carina Assuncao

The Pokémon franchise has been targeted and has been successful with males and females (Tobin, 2004). In it, cute-looking creatures with superpowers fight each other for the fame and glory of their masters (the players). The franchise includes a plethora of entertainment media. This essay will focus on the recent release, Pokémon GO. This particular game and its location-based technology will be analysed using cyberfeminism and actor-network theory to explore the play space as a context for kinaesthetic awareness and embodiment. The cyberfeminism herein exploited is that of “the utopian tradition of imagining a world without gender” (Haraway, 2000, p. 292). Actor-network theory, a strong methodological tradition in science and technology studies, sees actors and the networks they create as completely ‘flat’ and non-hierarchical. ANT has been criticised for its lack of concern with politics and gender (Lagesen, 2012) but, in combination with a feminist lens, ANT has the potential to uncover issues that other approaches in game studies cannot. This original framework can help game studies scholars to see gameplay processes in a new light by following the many actors involved in game design and use.


2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efthimia Tsakiridou ◽  
Christina Boutsouki ◽  
Yorgos Zotos ◽  
Kostantinos Mattas

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to identify consumers' attitudes and behaviour towards organic products in Greece.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on a non‐probability quota sample of 660 respondents to explore the attitudes and behaviour of Greek consumers towards organic food products.FindingsGreek consumers seem to be informed about environmental and health issues. They seek information about the nutritional value of food and demand more products free from chemical residues. The results show that most consumers associate organic consumption mainly with fruit and vegetables. Although demographics seem to affect attitudes towards organics, their value in explaining actual behaviour is minimal.Research limitations/implicationsIt is recognized that the data gathered in this study focus on the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki, Greece. The specific area though, is considered to be representative of the total Greek population. The results confirm that health, concern for the environment, animal welfare and support of the local economy are drivers of organic consumption. However, there is an indication that the importance of motives and barriers may vary for different product categories and perhaps future research should focus on product segmentation.Practical implicationsAlthough certain similarities in consumers' attitudes towards organic food products have been identified, this paper records the variation in behaviour towards organics among the various consumer groups examined in Greece, and highlights the gap between attitudes and actual behaviour. Given the complexity of consumer decision making, future research should explore the other value trade‐offs that consumers make.Originality/valueThis paper attempts to provide evidence on the relatively under researched area of organics attitudes and behaviour in Greece.


Author(s):  
Arpita Khare

The purpose of the current research is to examine moderating role of demographics on attitude towards organic food purchase behavior. Environmental attitude components were classified as actual, verbal, and affect commitment. Data was collected through survey technique in six cities across India. The findings revealed that consumers' attitude towards organic food purchase was influenced by attitude components of Actual and Verbal commitment and moderated by demographic factors of income, gender and age. The findings can be of use to firms marketing organic food brands in India. Environmental attitude factors and demographic factors like income, age, and gender can be used for profiling consumers. With increased growth of organic food market in the country, green marketing and organic food products are upcoming research areas. There is limited research on Indian consumers' attitude towards organic food products. The findings can provide valuable insights to companies marketing these products in the country.


2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Garcia-Hallett

The punitive carceral system is expected to tame people of color into docile bodies through their imprisonment. Furthermore, the oppressive and punitive U.S. context embodies patriarchy and injustice in which women of color endure unique obstacles at the intersection of race and gender. Given the power structures built to destabilize women of color before and after incarceration, this study uses interview data to examine their perseverance through carceral systems. The findings illustrate how oppressive regimes shape postincarceration obstacles and explore how women of color combat social-structural inequalities after incarceration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1395-1410
Author(s):  
Asmahan Massry-Herzallah ◽  
Khalid Arar

Purpose The research investigates perceptions of teachers in the Arab education system in Israel concerning the effect of their principal’s leadership and gender on their motivation. Relying on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions as an analytic tool to understand the Arab school, the purpose of this paper is to answer the following research questions: first, how do the teachers perceive the leadership style and gender of their principal and what influence do these perceptions have on their motivation? Second, what are the influences of the different dimensions of culture described by Hofstede on the teachers’ motivation? Design/methodology/approach To answer these questions, 18 teachers from different schools in the Arab education system (10 female and 8 male) were interviewed. Findings The research revealed three themes which describe the teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ leadership styles with consideration of the principals’ gender: the principals’ involvement and sharing of school operations and decision making with the teachers; the extent of autonomy given to teachers; and establishment of principal–teacher relationships. Originality/value The paper concludes with implications of these leadership styles for teachers’ motivation for work, and suggestions are given to improve Arab principals’ practices and thus to enhance teachers’ motivation.


Author(s):  
J.E. Abraham ◽  
J.D. Hunt

Household behavior in the selection of home location and the selection of workplace locations and commuting modes for employed members involves trade-offs among the attributes of the available alternatives for the different household members. A modified form of nested logit model representing this behavior has been developed and estimated using disaggregate revealed preference observations collected in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Three categories of choice—choice of home location for the household, choice of workplace location for each worker in the household, and choice of mode for the trip to work for each worker in the household—are treated as a joint choice made by the household, allowing for differing numbers of workers in different households. A nesting structure that takes into account the greater similarity among mode alternatives is combined with a system for weighting, by age and gender, the contributions of different individual workers’ utilities to the total household utility. This leads to a nested logit model in which each household has its own nesting structure that is based on the age and gender of the household members. The utility function coefficients and weighting function parameters were estimated with full-information maximum likelihood by using purpose-built software. The resulting model extends consideration of household spatial behavior at the disaggregate level beyond the one-worker and sequential-conditional choice paradigms and provides various insights into the nature of this behavior.


2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonghong Jade Xu

Data from a national survey are used to examine how individual characteristics and social structural factors may influence college graduates choosing an occupation that is congruent with their undergraduate field of study. Analysis is conducted separately for males and females and for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM majors. Comparisons between the subgroups help to identify factors that may contribute to improving career outcomes and, in particular, lowering the attrition rates in STEM at transition from college to employment. The results suggest that positive career outcomes, such as better earnings and greater job satisfaction, are associated with individuals having an occupation congruent with their college major. STEM graduates have a lower unemployment rate than non-STEM graduates, but female presence in STEM majors remains low; and gender inequality (salary and employment status) in STEM occupations is significant from the very beginning of postbaccalaureate employment.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document