Community Contexts (Asynchronous Session)
Bracketing in Autoethnographic and ‘Insider’ Ethnographic Research: Challenges and Praxis View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jacquelyn Allen-Collinson, Adam Brian Evans, Gareth McNarry
Sociological and anthropological ethnographic researchers, especially those adopting a phenomenologically-attuned perspective, are frequently exhorted to engage in the bracketing of pre-existing assumptions and presuppositions in researching the lifeworlds of participants. The challenges of engaging in the ‘epochē’ and bracketing are considerable, however, and particularly acute for ethnographic ‘insiders’ and autoethnographic researchers, who are familiar with the field under study, including the embodied experiences of inhabiting that field. In this paper, we delineate the key elements of a sociological- phenomenological approach to the study of physical-cultural embodiment in general, before portraying the specific bracketing practices in which we engaged in two recent studies of competitive swimming and distance running, respectively; both domains with which we were highly familiar. Drawing on our own experiences, we then propose some practical ways in which ethnographic and qualitative researchers more generally might consider approaching the challenges of epochē and bracketing, in order to question our often tacit and long-held assumptions regarding participation in familiar physical cultures and lifeworlds. These include the role of critical, ‘outsider’ colleagues, and re-immersion in the physical culture under study but under different conditions, so as to ‘refresh’ embodied ways of knowing, and the use of video and audio self-recordings.
Peace, Transitional Justice, and Purpose of Penalty : Analysis of the Final Peace Agreement in Colombia in Light of International Human Rights Standards View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Melba-Luz Calle-Meza, Yenifer Yeraldin Rodriguez Castillo
The Colombian armed conflict of more than half a century seems to have ended with the final Agreement signed on November 24, 2016. However, on the national scene, the penalties established within the framework of the agreed special criminal justice system continue to provoke debate. In this sense, the article intends to carry out an analysis on the fines of the penalty in the transitional justice processes and specifically in the Colombian case, in light of the protocols of international criminal law and the Inter-American Human Rights System. As a starting point, traditional criminal dogmatics is studied, then the concept of transitional justice and international protocols, and finally, the analysis of the fines of the penalties in the final Agreement, concluding that the fines of the penalties to be imposed by the JEP have considered the criteria of international law and have facilitated the purpose of a peace with justice in Colombia.
Crisis as Moral Opportunity: Justice and Solidarity View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Elena Alvarez-Alvarez
Social thinker Zygmunt Bauman identified in the lack of questioning itself one of the main troubles of liquid modern times. It is one of the main obstacles to see the lack of justice, inequity, and human suffering. It makes people remain indifferent to it. But indifference is also a face of immorality, in the sense it denies the other in their humanity. The current crisis is making us all suffer, irrespective of social status. It is also forcing us all to consider this reality we tend to forget: there are suffering people in the world we live in. Identifying injustice, suffering its fate, maybe seeing a positive face, in the sense it can make us all more compassionate, more responsible towards the others in need. According to Bauman's thought, justice means freedom, and freedom means being able to choose and having the means to put into action one's choice. Therefore, sharing goods, and searching the common good in the pubic sphere can reduce inequity and increase our level of justice. It means also changing for better our way of living-in-the-world. Solidarity consists in this attitude, and is necessarily to build truly human bonds, and justice, in the public space. This crisis has given us also several examples of people responsible towards the other enough to give their own lives. They make us hope that overcoming inequity is still possible.
Resilience in Social Work Practice: Initial Findings from Cross National Research with Practitioners in Greece and the UK View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Paul Stepney, Angeliki Andrikaki
In this paper initial findings from a cross-national study in Greece and the UK will examine resilience as an important concept for social work practitioners. Resilience is a complex and culturally sensitive construct that enables us to cope with stressful life events. In the literature, it is defined as the ability to withstand adversity, recover from disruption and return to previous levels of functioning. Recent research among social workers in the UK suggests that resilience enhances emotional well-being and helps practitioners cope with the constant flow of potentially traumatic events. The current research found that resilience was an important part of human capital that increased the sense of ‘organisational belonging’, in terms of team loyalty, common values, and intellectual bonds. This helped staff work more effectively and feel supported. In Greece, the absence of formal structures meant that staff drew upon personal qualities and used peer supervision to promote resilience. In the UK, resilience was enhanced by formal supervision which helped staff manage high caseloads and the pressure of meeting government targets. Overall, the conflicts experienced by practitioners were found to be similar, albeit arising from different factors, but the human spirit that emerged from both countries emphasised the importance of nurturing the person in order to promote resilience. Consideration will be given to the radical changes that COVID-19 has brought to practitioners’ personal and professional lives. This new era for social work necessitates enhanced levels of resilience, if practitioners are to continue serving the public effectively.
Approbation of the Epistemological Attitude Model towards Sources of Knowledge View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jevgenija Sivoronova
The authors in the research present the approbation of the epistemological attitude model towards the sources of knowledge. The epistemological attitude model is a theory of evaluation of sources of knowledge and their content. Model content is based on epistemological approaches and strategies, philosophically psychological aspects of personality cognition, academic and personal contexts of scientific and non-scientific knowledge acquisition. The epistemological attitude is structure model consists of four dimensions. The dimensions of the epistemological attitude model are described as epistemological knowledge dimensions, namely, the epistemological approach and epistemology strategy, subjective dimension - personality activity principle in cognition, and contextual dimension - cognition context. The model envisages reflecting the construct of the source of knowledge and its importance. Three hundred undergraduate and graduate students have participated in the pilot study. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are produced approbating the epistemological attitude model. As a result, the model of epistemological attitude is tested and verified, and outcomes are discussed in terms of psychometric properties and construct validity. In perspective, further research is focused on improving the model, increasing the degree of validity, with the possibility to develop a reliable and valid method, Epistemological Attitude Scale.
The Challenges and Obstacles for Conducting Credible National Elections: Bangladesh Perspective View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Khaleda Yasmin
Bangladesh – a South Asian country with 100 million eligible voters - has experienced many challenges to democratic governance including conducting free and fair or at least credible national elections since its independence in 1971. Despite the importance of a credible electoral system, academic studies on Bangladesh perspective are limited. Instead of finding the social, political, and cultural challenges and obstacles for conducting credible national elections in Bangladesh, researchers have mostly focused on institutional weaknesses of electoral bodies and made recommendations to reform the Election Commission of Bangladesh. The purpose of this research is to uncover deep-seated problems which hamper the conduct of credible national elections. In this regard, this study also recommends pathways that may enable the Election Commission and the national government to develop an atmosphere for conducting credible national elections. With Representative Democracy, Electoral Clientelism, and State Capacity as the theoretical foundation of this study, it follows qualitative methods. The design of this study is based on an ethnographic and case study approach. The data collection for this research entails interviews with semi-structured questionnaires, case studies, archival investigation, doctrine analysis, and historical analysis. Data is inductively coded and subjected to thematic analysis. The Election Commission of Bangladesh, political parties of Bangladesh, and non-governmental civic organizations that aim to strengthen democratic intuitions may benefit from this research.
An Application of Value-Belief-Norm Theory in Predicting Solid Waste Management Behavior Among Student Community: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lewlyn Lester Rodrigues, Sumana Jagadeshi Raghu
This study examines the antecedents of solid waste management behavior based on the psychological framework of Stern’s value-belief-norm theory. Data collected from 512 students of Udupi district, India was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that altruistic and biospheric value orientations had a significant positive impact on belief, while egoistic value orientations had a negative impact on belief. The study also revealed that belief and moral norms were the predictors of solid waste management behavior. The findings of this study are in accordance with Stern’s assumptions of pro-environmental behaviors and highlight the importance and need of strong commitment among citizens to protect our ecosystem through waste reduction behaviors. This research enhances the understanding of the significance of the role played by the determinants of solid waste management behavior and it opens up scope for academicians as well as practitioners to design a sustainable solid waste management system and healthy society through further research. Implications drawn through the results of this study may be useful to government bodies in improving the pro-environmental behaviors in the context of solid waste management.
Unexpected Lessons for the Twenty-first Century from the Methods and Resilience of Father Dolling: Evaluating Dolling’s Work Amongst the Poorest and Most Disadvantaged in Late Victorian Portsmouth View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Matthew Fisher
The purpose of this study is to evaluate Father Dolling’s humanitarian action during his tenure at Portsmouth and assess its relevance to twenty-first century inequalities, poverty, and exclusion. Primarily focusing on Dolling’s published work documenting the social crisis he encountered during his mission; evaluating the relevance of his approach to alleviate poverty, inequality, and exclusion amongst the poorest in Landport, Portsmouth; finally assessing its relevance to similar twenty-first century societal issues. It shows how appropriation by historians has discouraged research and application of Dolling’s work, in part, because of his supposed lack of widespread success. However, for those named individuals he helped it had significant impact on their quality and longevity of life. It briefly evaluates Victorian hagiographical biography and the authors accounting for inequalities and poverty to enhance understanding of ways to reduce twenty-first century injustices, the main conclusion drawn is that Father Dolling has significance in the research of poverty and inequality of the twenty-first century as he enters the debate which searches for solutions to these societal ills. Dolling’s struggles with the notion of state legislation, to help reduce disparity on an extensive scale, and his conviction of everyone’s individual responsibility (and resilience) to alleviate poverty and reduce inequality on a localised level. It displays Dolling’s conviction that acting against tribal thought of his employers was necessary when dealing with injustice. Concluding a cohesive partnership between government legislation and individual social responsibility are invaluable in reducing poverty, inequality, and exclusion in twenty-first century Britain.
Planting the Seeds of Gratitude: Corporate Social Responsibility and Quality of Life of the Beneficiaries View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ernesto Cordero
The study sought to determine the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and their effects on the beneficiaries’ quality of life. A mixed-method type of research was used in this study, combining quantitative correlational and qualitative analysis. It utilized statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, mean, weighted mean, and regression analysis. The research instrument was standardized and adopted from the study of Kim, Uysal, and Sirgy (2012) entitled” How does tourism in a community impact the quality of life of community residents?” The interview used guide questions to direct the responses of the respondents. The study’s subject is the 400 beneficiaries of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA). The findings reveal that PBGEA’s CSR activities regarding economic, social, cultural, and environmental were implemented to a moderate extent. On the other hand, the beneficiaries’ quality of life in terms of life satisfaction on various conditions, level of life satisfaction, and satisfaction level on health and safety were all categorized as reasonably satisfied. The CSR factors such as economic, social, and cultural were not statistically significant to claim their influence on the community’s quality of life. However, though environmental factors significantly influence the community’s quality of life, the extent or magnitude of its influence cannot be said to have a significant effect. Considering the findings and conclusions of the study, recommendations were suggested to their beneficiaries.
