Technology as prospective ontology

Starting from common-sense notions of ‘furniture of the world’ a process ontology is developed in which prospective is an integral part. Technology as configurations that work (precariously) embodies expectations which structure further development. Examples (a cloned puppy, hotel keys, DC airplanes, stem cells, and overpasses on Long Island) are used to develop the notion of material narratives that are “written”, not just by engineers and designers/producers, but also by users: “reading” implies some further “writing”. In contrast to prevailing notions of technological control (through manipulation of building blocks), the “writing” of nanotechnology is modulation of the invisible and impredictable - an extreme example of unruly technology and repair work after the fact, where in practice control is a gesture not so different from magic. Because ontology cannot be other than prospective, it is political throughout. Thus, prospective technology highlights ontological politics.     

Five women talk about work‐related brief therapy and therapeutic writing

Therapeutic writing can play a valuable role in brief, workplace counselling. The present study explores the experiences of five women who used therapeutic writing in this context. Ethical and methodological dilemmas in carrying out this research are highlighted. The study also demonstrates the use of ‘fictionalist’ accounts as a way of overcoming some of the difficulties associated with the dual role of practitioner/researcher, especially confidentiality.     

Identity narratives of Muslim foreign workers in Japan

This article examines the identity and acculturation experience of Muslim foreign workers in Japan. The psychological impact of prolonged stay in a foreign country was studied by eliciting narratives of experiences of 24 male foreign workers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Iran who had been in Japan more than 5 years. By analysing the narratives they produced, three different styles of stories emerged which explained their experiences and their attempts to maintain or construct a sense of identity. Accepting the dominant narrative of Japanese society and describing oneself as ‘almost like Japanese’ was one way. Another strategy stressed the rejection of the dominant narrative as well as attempts to maintain the original narrative of the self as educated and active young men. The third narrative showed how individuals re‐defined themselves as Muslim by incorporating religious identity into a central part of their self‐concepts, and asserting its pervasive effect on all aspects of life. This study provides a perspective for acculturation research focused on social elements of identity, and derived from experiences in a relatively mono‐cultural society recently opening to immigration and in which there is a prevailing ideology of assimilation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Narrating the negative consequences of elder care and familial obligation in Atlantic Canada

At a time when renewed emphasis is being placed on the role of the family in providing care for elderly people, shifts in family structures and the demographic profile of societies such as Atlantic Canada are impacting on community structures foundational to familial caregiving practices. Research shows that family members who attempt to provide familial care without adequate support risk negative health and interpersonal consequences. Hence many find it necessary to reflect upon their familial obligations. This article investigates the storytelling processes through which caregivers, aged between 45 and 55 years (N = 26), make sense of their efforts to provide care. We explore the ways in which participants in four focus groups and 12 interviews refer to negative consequences of caring in order to navigate dilemmas arising from their enactment of familial obligations in the absence of adequate support. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lessons We Learned: Stories of Volunteer–Patient Communication in Hospice

As our population ages, the questions of how to care for and communicate with the dying have become increasingly important areas for research. This study identifies hospice volunteers as both important members of the hospice team and as an underresearched source of wisdom regarding end-of-life communication. This article presents preliminary findings from a longitudinal, ethnographic study of volunteer–patient relationships in hospice. Three themes related to volunteer–patient communication are described using stories from hospice volunteers. The article concludes with reflections on end-of-life communication as experienced by the volunteers, and suggests that narrative ethnography is an appropriate and effective research method for the study of hospice and end-of-life care.     

Narrative in psychotherapy theory,practice, and research: A critical review

This paper offers a critical review of narrative approaches to therapy, in terms of theory, practice and research. It proposes that narrative approaches currently lack a theory that explains adequately how the reworking of narratives brings about changes and how a client's various narratives are integrated. Research approaches to the study of narrative in therapy are at an early stage. A review of current research into narrative approaches to therapy is presented, and suggestions are offered for further research.     

Narrative congruence between populist President Duterte and the Filipino public: Shifting global alliances from the United States to China

This research examines what happened when the populist Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reversed his country's global alliance, switching loyalties away from the United States towards China. We use the lens of narrative congruence, to see if political storylines of a populist president are accompanied by similar shifts in storylines among his followers. Our data corpus consists of text from Duterte's speeches and from comments on partisan Facebook pages, representing supporters and opponents of the president. We time‐bound our data corpus to text produced around the time President Duterte announced his realignment towards China. We use text mining and network analysis to identify overlaps among words used by the different social actors. Our findings show that when Duterte switched alliances, Facebookers—regardless of partisanship—accepted this alliance shift. However, our results likewise reveal an imperfect congruence. Duterte's followers move on to a story criticizing Duterte's domestic political enemies, whereas anti‐Duterte Facebookers talk about monetary deals and drug issues in the Philippines' newfound friendship with China. We discuss our findings in the light of a psychology of populism, the use of a discursive social networks approach to study macropsychological phenomena, and discursive resistance in a populist state.     

Love as story,love as storytelling

Across three studies, individual differences in the degree to which (a) participants enjoyed autobiographical storytelling with their romantic partners (storytelling enjoyment [SE]) and (b) thought about these relationships in narrative terms (narrative mindset [NM]) were examined in relation to psychological functioning and romantic relationship narratives. Drawing data from over 1,650 participants, relationship satisfaction, certain positive personality traits, and a dimension of secure attachment corresponded with both SE and NM. SE and NM also related to features of participants' relationship narratives. Storytelling and applying a NM to one's love life may carry implications for functioning within the romantic domain.     

Ethical narratives,street kitchens and doing religious difference amongst post-migrant communities in contemporary Britain

Street kitchens organised by religious groups in response to food poverty and homelessness have become a ubiquitous feature of British cities. Although a good deal of literature has explored this genre of social action, relatively little has analysed it as a feature of religious practice associated with post-migrant communities. This paper uses data drawn from ethnographic research on Sikh and Muslim street kitchens in two British cities to consider the significance of such initiatives amongst Britain’s South Asian communities. The paper focuses on the role of narrative in this context, deploying Ingold’s notion of ‘storied knowledge’ to analyse fluid, emergent ethical practices expressed through religion-related stories. These practices, envisaged here as ‘religioning’, draw on South Asian religious traditions creatively reconfigured in the postcolonial city. I argue that such developments constitute a significant diasporic intervention into settled accounts of ‘faith’ as a vehicle for ethical citizenship in British urban environments.     

Letting Diasporic Voices Be Heard

More than 68.5 million people were forced to move from their countries, according to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, in 2018. Forced displacements are caused by poverty, war, and lack of safety. Since 2015, Europe has been experiencing a so‐called refugee crisis that calls European values and policies into question. Beyond data, there are the experiences of those who are on the move. The number of people arriving on the continent has made integration a decisive topic. This research aims to discover the portrayal of refugees and migrants in media. This goal includes the challenge of making European media evaluate their work to improve the treatment given to complex subjects such as migration. This article is the result of research derived from the project Refugees Reporting in 2017, coordinated by the Europe Region of the World Association for Christian Communistories ancation and the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe.