Reaction GIFs and reaction images appear as common multimodal linguistic objects in digitally mediated communication. While past research has tended to focus on the paralinguistic functions of these communicative devices, less attention has been paid to how these digital tools enable their users to strategically enact and embody particular social identities on social media. This article offers a stance-based computer-mediated discourse analysis of a small, gay UK- and Ireland-based Twitter community of practice. Through qualitative analyses of the eight members’ tweets containing reaction GIFs and images (<i>n</i> = 991), as well as their responses to an online survey, this article demonstrates how these self-identified gay men construct four distinct feminine-coded personae: the Sassy Queen, the Hun, the Battle-Axe and the Flamboyant Queer. Each persona exhibits linguistic (e.g., features from British English or African American Language) or stance-based collocations. This analysis identifies common qualities or traits that all four personae possess that these Twitter users may identify with or value, potentially motivating their recurrent constructions. The ability of these non-traditional linguistic resources to conduct identity work is discussed. More broadly, this study foregrounds the significance of social media as a series of digital platforms where online identities are continually developed, (co-)constructed and negotiated.
This study explores the concept of communicative distance from a psychological perspective, defined as the psychological and emotional gaps that emerge between individuals due to mental barriers, fears, and past experiences, which significantly influence the quality of human interactions. Communicative distance emerges as a vital tool in shaping narrative structures and developing characters, as it highlights internal conflicts and the complexities of interpersonal relationships. The novel The 99th Floor by Jana Fawaz Elhassan serves as the analytical case study, where the relationships of the main characters are constructed around these communicative distances, forming intricate behavioral patterns that intensify psychological and social tensions. The research aims to analyze and critique these communicative gaps, shedding light on their role in shaping the dramatic and psychological crises of the characters. Employing a psychoanalytic approach, the study focuses on character interactions within critical contexts. The findings reveal that communicative distance in The 99th Floor is vividly manifested in the relationship between Majd and Hilda, both of whom grapple with psychological traumas stemming from the Lebanese Civil War. These traumas create emotional barriers that hinder deep communication. Majd, as a Palestinian, faces identity-related challenges, while Hilda suffers from the loss of her family. These gaps are evident in moments of physical proximity devoid of emotional connection, underscoring psychological contradictions. Such distances exacerbate feelings of isolation, thereby intensifying internal conflicts and contributing to a realistic portrayal of the complexities of human relationships in the context of war. Ultimately, the novel offers a profound insight into the impact of communicative distances on the psyche in the contemporary world.
Keywords: Narratology, communicative distance, psychology, The 99th Floor, Hilda, Majd.
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Extended summary
Introduction
The intersection of psychology and literature provides a rich framework for understanding human behavior and relationships. Psychology, as an empirical science, examines mental and behavioral phenomena, while literature, as a creative art form, expresses human experiences, emotions, and imaginations through narrative. This study explores the concept of communicative distance—a psychological construct referring to the emotional and mental gaps between individuals caused by cognitive barriers, fears, and past experiences—and its role as a pivotal tool in narrative design and character development. Drawing on Jana Fawaz Elhassan’s novel The 99th Floor, the research investigates how communicative distances shape the psychological and social dynamics of the main characters, Majd and Hilda, within the context of the Lebanese Civil War. By employing a descriptive-analytical approach grounded in psychoanalytic theory, the study aims to analyze how these distances contribute to internal and external conflicts, deepen narrative tension, and reflect the broader impact of war on human connections. The research addresses two key questions: (1) how do communicative distances influence the psychological traits of Majd and Hilda? (2) What narrative techniques does Elhassan employ to highlight these distances and their impact on plot development and psychological conflicts? This analysis underscores the synergy between psychology and literature in illuminating complex human relationships.
Materials & Methods
This study adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology, integrating psychoanalytic theory to examine communicative distance in The 99th Floor. The primary material is the novel itself, with a focus on the interactions between the protagonists, Majd and Hilda. The research employs a qualitative approach, analyzing textual elements such as dialogue, descriptions, and symbolism to identify instances of communicative distance. A quantitative component is included to measure the frequency and intensity of communicative distances (intimate, personal, social, and public) within key scenes, using content analysis to categorize interactions based on their emotional and physical proximity. Data collection involves close reading and coding of narrative passages to identify patterns of psychological and emotional barriers, particularly those influenced by the characters’ war-related traumas. The psychoanalytic framework draws on theories of identity, trauma, and interpersonal dynamics, referencing works such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and studies on emotional detachment. The analysis also considers the socio-cultural context of the Lebanese Civil War, exploring how external factors shape internal conflicts. By combining textual analysis with psychological theory, the study ensures a rigorous examination of how communicative distances function as both a narrative device and a reflection of the characters’ psychological states, providing a comprehensive understanding of their role in the novel.
Research findings
The findings reveal that communicative distance in The 99th Floor significantly shapes the psychological profiles of Majd and Hilda, reflecting their war-induced traumas. Majd, a Palestinian grappling with identity crises due to displacement and conflict, exhibits emotional gaps that prevent deep relational connections, manifesting as reticence and alienation. Hilda, having lost her family in the war, displays emotional closure, driven by grief and fear of vulnerability, which further isolates her. These distances are most evident in scenes of physical proximity lacking emotional intimacy, highlighting psychological contradictions that intensify their internal conflicts. Quantitatively, the analysis identified frequent instances of personal communicative distance (45–90 cm) in their interactions, often juxtaposed with emotional detachment, occurring in approximately 60% of their shared scenes. Narrative techniques, including terse dialogues, vivid descriptions of physical closeness contrasted with emotional distance, and symbolic settings like confined spaces (e.g., elevators), underscore these gaps. Internal monologues and free indirect discourse further reveal the characters’ suppressed emotions, enhancing the portrayal of their psychological struggles. The findings demonstrate that communicative distances not only deepen character complexity but also amplify the narrative’s dramatic tension, offering a realistic depiction of human relationships fractured by war.
Discussion of Results & Conclusion
The study illustrates those communicative distances in the 99th Floor serve as a dual-purpose tool: a psychological mechanism reflecting the characters’ trauma and a narrative device enriching the plot. The emotional and psychological barriers between Majd and Hilda, rooted in their experiences of the Lebanese Civil War, create a dynamic interplay of isolation and conflict, aligning with psychoanalytic theories of trauma and identity. The frequent use of personal communicative distance, coupled with narrative techniques like symbolic settings and internal monologues, underscores the tension between physical proximity and emotional disconnection, effectively portraying the characters’ inner turmoil. These findings highlight Elhassan’s skillful use of communicative distance to craft a realistic and layered narrative, reflecting the broader impact of war on human connections. The study concludes that the 99th Floor offers profound insights into the psychological effects of communicative distances, contributing to a deeper understanding of how literature can illuminate complex human experiences. This research lays the groundwork for future studies exploring the intersection of psychology and literature in crisis contexts, emphasizing the role of communicative distance in character development and narrative progression, and reinforcing the novel’s significance as a study of human resilience and relational complexity.
Ahmad Ismail, Hardiyanti Munsi, Andi Muhammad Yusuf
et al.
This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of identity studies over the past decade, focusing on global trends and scholarly impact. Identity is defined as a dynamic concept that reflects how individuals and groups construct their sense of self within diverse social, cultural, and political contexts. Using the Scopus database, this research analyzed 18,399 publications from 2013 to 2024, spanning multiple disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, and digital cultural studies. This study identified leading authors, collaboration patterns, and thematic evolutions within identity research, highlighted through citation analysis and network visualization. The findings reveal significant contributions from Western countries, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom, in shaping the global discourse on identity. Key topics frequently explored include social identity, cultural identity, and the influence of globalization. Additionally, emerging themes such as identity in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial disparities are highlighted. This bibliometric analysis provides insights into global collaboration, research productivity, and the intellectual contributions of prominent scholars. Utilizing R software and the Bibliometric package, this study offers a deep understanding of the dynamics of identity research and suggests future directions to further explore the formation, negotiation, and expression of identity in an increasingly globalized world.
This study investigates the diachronic evolution of female stereotypes in China from 2008 to 2023, against the backdrop of rapid socio-cultural changes and uses a combination of word embeddings and qualitative analysis. Based on the corpus of Southern Weekly, the most influential newspaper in China, this study identifies 15 words with significant differences in gender association distances for analysis from the list of 114 words across multiple dimensions. By analysing the gender biases and relational shifts of the selected 15 words, this article reveals societal expectations and stereotypes of gender roles as reflected in the distribution of lexical gender biases. Furthermore, it examines the dynamic changes in word associations, offering insights into the evolving perceptions of gender roles in Chinese society. Through the lens of media discourse analysis, this research contributes to understanding the intersection of language, gender and cultural transformation in contemporary China.
The exploration of the discourse-power interplay has been the motivation behind Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) research orientation. CDA analysts have and continue to display vivid interest in the discourse of the dominant groups, particularly politicians, with the objective of describing and elucidating how existing social structures – power abuse, dominance, and inequality – are enacted, reproduced and sustained. While there is a vibrant literature on political speeches, not much work has been done on discursive manipulation as a form of social power abuse and dominance in political discourse from the Ghanaian perspective. This study therefore presents a critical analysis of a political speech by Mohammadu Bawumia, presidential candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), with the aim of investigating how the Vice-President discursively represents himself, the government, and the past government as a strategy for accomplishing his manipulative goal. Drawing on van Dijk’s ideological square framework for analysis, the result shows the use of the macro-strategy of positive representation of the in-group (government) and negative representation of the out-group (opposition or former government), which manifests at all levels of discourse through the use of other minor discursive strategies: positive self-presentation, authority, number game rhetoric, active/passive structures, implication, and presupposition. Key findings include the strategic use of statistics to enhance credibility, the deployment of passive constructions to conceal government failures, and the use of metaphors to dissociate Bawumia from the government’s shortcomings. The outcome of the study implies that political speeches are imbued with covert ideologies, asymmetrical power relations, power abuse, dominance, inequality, and deception, which can only be exposed and resisted through the application of CDA tools. The study therefore recommends advocacy by policymakers and other civil society groups to awaken the consciousness of readers and listeners of political speeches to scrutinize political utterances, given their opaque nature and partisan or ideological functions.
Institutional policies and plans play a significant role in the daily life of a college or university. In this paper, we explore the ways that policy texts discursively contribute to constructions of institutional citizenship. Using an example drawn from a policy discourse analysis, we explore how institutions (re)make subjectivities according to the institution’s interests. We describe the differential subjectivities produced by this discourse for historically marginalized and historically centered identities and argue that this difference, perpetuated through official policy and instantiated in different institutional citizen discourses, undermines institutional equity efforts. Ultimately, discourses of institutional citizenship work to maintain inequitable status quos, pointing to the potentially conservative nature of both policy and citizenship.
Hekmat Al-Akash, Ayman Aldarawsheh, Rami Elshatarat
et al.
Abstract Introduction Non-nursing tasks (NNTs) have become a prevalent issue among healthcare professionals, affecting nurses globally. This study delves into the experiences of Jordanian nurses regarding NNTs, aiming to uncover challenges and propose solutions within the Jordanian healthcare context. Objective Explore the impact of NNTs on Jordanian nurses’ roles, workload, and satisfaction. Additionally, the study aims to identify various types of NNTs performed by nurses, understand their impact, and propose solutions to mitigate challenges associated with these tasks. Methods A qualitative-exploratory research design was employed for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Jordanian nurses using a purposeful sampling approach to ensure a diverse representation of experiences and perspectives. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring themes and patterns related to NNTs, their challenges, and potential solutions. Ethical guidelines were strictly followed to maintain participant confidentiality and ensure the integrity of the data collected. Results Analysis of the interviews revealed four major themes: challenges of NNTs, types of NNTs, impact of NNTs, and proposed solutions. Nurses faced significant difficulties due to task ambiguity, role confusion, and increased workload from NNTs, which included administrative duties, clerical work, and tasks typically performed by other healthcare professionals. These NNTs negatively impacted nurses’ effectiveness, productivity, and job satisfaction by diverting time and energy from primary nursing responsibilities, causing professional strain. To address these issues, participants suggested clearer job descriptions, stricter task assignment protocols, and systemic changes to tackle the root causes of NNTs. Conclusion This study sheds light on the pervasive challenges posed by NNTs among Jordanian nurses and emphasizes the importance of addressing these issues to enhance nursing care quality and nurse well-being. By proposing actionable solutions tailored to the Jordanian context, this research contributes to the global discourse on NNTs and underscores the need for organizational support and advocacy to optimize nurses’ roles and improve patient care outcomes.
1. IntroductionIn recent years, there has been a growing trend in the “North and South” dialectics in all fields. International law is no exception to this rule. Recently, in international law studies, in particular, in philosophical discourses and historical development research regarding the origin and the basis of international law obligations, efforts have been made by new scholars to spread the Eastern approach to international law. As these thoughts normally emerge from the less developed and colonial countries, it is called the “Third-World Approach to International Law (TWAIL)”. This approach is rooted in the critical legal studies movement in international law. By taking the Asian perspective into account and also, the evolution of the history of Asian civilizations, this approach attempts to address the inauspicious phenomenon of colonialism in undeveloped or less developed countries, and thereby, decenter Europe as the origin of international law.From 1996 to 2020, we have been facing a significant increase in studies related to this third-world approach to international law, which depicts the possible emergence of a renaissance period in this field of study. Although its initial consistent rise happened between 1998 and 2012, the volume of scientific content production in this approach gradually increased. In fact, this approach points us to a re-examination of the historical evolution of international law. As mentioned, the researchers and experts of this approach are actively present in the world of international law and this approach will undoubtedly impact their opinions and activities. MethodologyFurthermore, the third-world approaches to international law have rooted in different areas, but naturally, they have become more prominent in some categories of international law, in terms of studying the methodology and the historical background of international law that were mentioned earlier.The third-world approach functions in two ways: first, it challenges the radicalized power and the hierarchy of international institutions and norms, and second, it examines the past and the present foundations of colonies and imperial structures of international law. Many of the insights created by the critical approach have been important and useful for the supporters of the third-world approach to international law. So, this approach will analyze the current issues of international law and human rights in a critical discourse. Although there is a fear of division and conflict in such approaches, they create more awareness and increase the debate between different nations on the subject which leads to the universality of international law. It is worth mentioning that Marty Koskenniemi and David Kennedy are among the most famous experts in this field of study and have written many articles about this approach. ConclusionIn conclusion, it seems that the critical and bold approach to international law through the lens of the so-called third-world countries analyzes the deep-rooted inequalities in the international community. The synergy between the critical approach and the third-world approach has expanded the content of international law norms and has created new discourses in international law. Based on the writings of the experts with the third-world approach to international law, it seems that in the past and especially in recent centuries, through the flawed phenomenon of exploitation and colonialism (both in its traditional and modern forms), the powerful countries of the world have seriously damaged the trust of other countries regarding international decisions and regulations concerning third-world countries and especially Asian countries. Thus, actions should be taken to rebuild that trust. It is possible to change the view of third-world countries to powerful countries in international relations. But the emergence of other powerful governments and Asian actors, especially those countries that have a significant impact on the international economy and, as a result, are noticeably influential on politics and international relations, can lead to a redefinition of many concepts in the modern world.Finally, it seems that, regarding the true goals and ideals of international law, the presence of “North and South” views in all areas related to international law have led to different political sides and the current international order. challenges exist at all levels, but the examination and analysis of such multi-dimensional approaches will lead to the expansion of the discourse and exchange of opinions between different nations and will raise awareness and respect for different cultural systems among them, which finally, contributes to the universality of international law.
The prevalence of systems thinking pedagogy is growing in classrooms because of its inclusion in the Next Generation Science Standards and its potential as a tool for addressing complex, global problems. While most of the research on systems thinking targets the ways students develop system thinking skills, this qualitative study explores teachers' construction of systems thinking as a pedagogy in a professional development context. With this paradigm-shifting pedagogy, teacher learning in professional development is a critical piece of understanding how the practice is taken up. Using social constructionism, discourse analysis, and systems theory, we conducted a holistic case study to analyze how teachers privileged language and ways of knowing during a professional development institute on systems thinking. We found that the teachers considered systems thinking as a catalyst for shifting their thinking, curriculum, and classroom dynamics; imperative to this shift was the implementation of systems mapping as the central activity of the pedagogy. Their model of systems thinking pedagogy respected both teachers and students as capable academics; additionally, it privileged a professional development culture of “becoming” in which the power of the collective was a point of leverage for teachers to disrupt what can be perceived as low expectations for their students and themselves as professionals.
Abstract The political significance of modernist heritage architecture continues to be an unsolved question, particularly its identification and conservation. In Spain, the chronology of modernism stretches through the whole of the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship. The passing of legislation on memory politics in Spain (i.e. the 2007 Law of Historical Memory and the 2022 Law of Democratic Memory) offers a unique opportunity to address this unsolved question by discussing two uncharted heritage debates: namely, the motivations for the heritagisation of modernist architecture in Spain and the challenges in the adaptive reuse of modernist buildings with controversial histories. The former police headquarters in Seville exemplifies the complexities of both debates and to what extent conflicting views about heritage architecture may determine debates about its reuse. Through a documentary review of the heritagisation of Seville’s former police headquarters, a discourse analysis of intervention proposals and press articles and interviews with relevant stakeholders, this study explored how the rise of memory politics in Spain has changed the interpretation of the former police headquarters’ significance in the last two decades and influenced the choices for its adaptive reuse.
Background:
As student teachers shift to preservice teachers during teaching practice, it is necessary to find out how teaching practice could shape their identity and position, especially in the EFL context where English is taught as a foreign language. Based on this purpose, this study seeks information on preservice teacher identity and position during teaching practice by taking discourse analysis lenses.
Methodology:
This study used descriptive research to describe EFL preservice teachers’ identity construction and position. Adopting Fairclough's (2013) theory relationship between language, power and social used as data analysis. An interview transcript was used to investigate the meaning behind the spoken text of two EFL preservice teachers.
Findings:
The finding found they shared similar identity construction across two different contexts where preservice teachers conduct their teaching practice. Starting as a student at university and transferring to school as a teacher made them construct a new identity after several times teaching students and positioned themselves in school by participating in several activities.
Conclusion:
It found that positioning oneself could influence the identity development of preservice teachers. However, the unexpected condition that forced them to teach online made them feel less than a teacher and try to get an identity recognized by the environment by positioning themselves in the school context.
Originality:
In contrast to earlier studies that investigated the anxiety of preservice EFL students, this study focused on describing how EFL preservice teachers' identity construction related to the position assigned to them in the real classroom setting.
The author, using the identity approach and discourse analysis explores a serious political conflict in today’s Spain about historical memory, threatening solidarity and civilian identity of the Spaniards and also political stability in the society, divided on a variety of characteristics – economic, social, territorial, cultural, value, ethnic, linguistic, etc., which have acquired or are acquiring a political dimension. The alternative politics of memory, which are declared and carried out by different competing actors of political process at the country level, first of all being government and opposition parties, are analyzed in the article. The expression of authorities’ discourse of the present left coalition government on the issues of Spanish past in the country’s mediasphere is considered to understand the extent and depth of public and political debate on key problems of Spanish history and memory. The author uses a historical metaphor of conflict of the “two Spains” to assess “memory wars” in Spanish society, multicultural and divided on various grounds, identifying short-term (with a view of forthcoming general parliamentary elections, which will take place in 2022) and long-term strategic risks for inclusive nation-building and sustainable development of the country. A conclusion is made that a division based on party ideological principles is axial (dominant) in “memory wars”, despite the remaining sharpness of the vertical conflict between center and some particularist regions (primarily Catalonia); within the frame of this conflict there are attempts to reassess, anonymize, and get a hold of or mythologize various historic events and personas. Nowadays the dispute between “rightists” and “leftists” in assessment of Second Spanish Republic, number of victims on both sides during the civil war, Francoist regime, success of democratic transition in post-Francoist period and other “difficult” questions across Spanish past becomes more emotionally charged, deep and aggressive.
We question why some state legislatures responded to public discourse promptly while other state legislatures resist change. We use the choice of performance-based budgeting (PBB) to set the stage in answering this compelling question. We employ a logit model as a discrete event history analysis (EHA). We use the EHA to determine how and what variables influence the probability of an organization’s qualitative change (or “event”) at a given point in time. In this study, the organizations are states, and the event to be analyzed is the enactment of PBB law. Our data set is a modified panel of 50 states between the years 1993 and 2008. We study the factors that would influence state legislators to pass PBB laws across the nation. While our empirical result shows that political preferences are not statistically significant factors for states to pass PBB law, state legislators seem to favor the factors associated with the financial management explanation to adopt PBB. Also, the factors of path dependence and mimicking influence states to adopt PBB.
Political institutions and public administration (General)
Maďarová, Zuzana, Hardoš, Pavol, Ostertágová, Alexandra
This article examines Judith Butler’s concepts of vulnerability and grievability in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and biopower practices introduced in the name of the protection of the people. An analysis of the elite political discourse in Czechia, Germany, Great Britain, and Slovakia in the first three months of the pandemic explores how vulnerability was constructed and distributed among the respective populations. We identified two prevailing discursive frames – science and security. Within the first, vulnerability was constructed in terms of biological characteristics, rendering elderly, disabled, and chronically ill bodies as already lost and ungrievable. Within the security frame, Roma or migrant populations’ vulnerability to the virus has been discursively shifted into being seen as a threat, while vulnerability itself was recognized more as a feature of institutions or society. Thus, despite the claims that ‘we are all in this together’, the pandemic has exposed how our vulnerability and interdependency are embedded within existing social structures.