Convergence, Ahead of Print.
With the accelerated growth of the sim racing industry over the last few years, research on the phenomenon has started to emerge. Nonetheless, the history of sim racing remains unmapped. This study aims to fill the gap by investigating the development in sim racing in Europe and in Asia-Pacific between 1997 and 2021. Twenty four semi-structured interviews were carried out with experts representing sim racing associations, event organizers, and teams from Europe and Asia-Pacific. Data were analyzed using an inductive-deductive codebook approach. The results show the evolution of sim racing throughout five sociohistorical stages, which demonstrate how sim racing emerged as a hybrid of esports and motorsports and has kept evolving since ‘in-between’ their respective actors until today. The findings suggest that the slow evolution of sim racing has been particularly dependent on networked sociocultural actors, while positively affected by uncontrollable events like the COVID-19 pandemic. As a key implication, we find that the history of sim racing differs from that of esports by its multifaceted dependence on the motorsports ecosystem.
Toward integrative triangulation in discourse-historical approach
Discourse &Society, Ahead of Print.
This paper proposes a novel mode of Discourse-Historical Approach that features integrative triangulation of quantitative and qualitative analyses. The integrative triangulation is achieved by following a rule-bound and systematic discourse analytic procedure with rules derived from a diachronic discourse model that is constructed by explicating premises in the Discourse-Historical Approach, and by using data-driven inductive inference with three supra-lexical quantifiable components – propositions, sinsign topics, and discursive strategies. The case study with American identity construction as the macro-topic and the U.S. presidential inaugural addresses as the discourse corpus shows that the integrative mode produces explicit and sufficient evidence that not only complements, validates, and expands existent findings, but also reveals novel insights on the macro-topic, proving that integrative triangulation of quantitative and qualitative analyses promotes credibility, explicitness, transparency, and replicability in the Discourse-Historical Approach.
This paper proposes a novel mode of Discourse-Historical Approach that features integrative triangulation of quantitative and qualitative analyses. The integrative triangulation is achieved by following a rule-bound and systematic discourse analytic procedure with rules derived from a diachronic discourse model that is constructed by explicating premises in the Discourse-Historical Approach, and by using data-driven inductive inference with three supra-lexical quantifiable components – propositions, sinsign topics, and discursive strategies. The case study with American identity construction as the macro-topic and the U.S. presidential inaugural addresses as the discourse corpus shows that the integrative mode produces explicit and sufficient evidence that not only complements, validates, and expands existent findings, but also reveals novel insights on the macro-topic, proving that integrative triangulation of quantitative and qualitative analyses promotes credibility, explicitness, transparency, and replicability in the Discourse-Historical Approach.
Book review: Liz Morrish and Helen Sauntson, Academic Irregularities: Language and Neoliberalism in Higher Education
Discourse &Society, Ahead of Print.
Nationalism in discursive legitimation: An analysis of the Vietnamese Communist Party’s ‘bamboo diplomacy’ discourse on digital journalism
Discourse &Society, Ahead of Print.
Bamboo diplomacy, the latest conceptualization in Vietnamese foreign policy, has recently captured widespread media coverage. This study investigates the discursive legitimation strategies employed by the Vietnamese Communist Party to justify the adoption of the aforementioned policy. In addition, the study focuses on the integration of nationalism in the legitimation process of bamboo diplomacy discourse in the context of digital media. Drawing upon constructivism, banal nationalism, and Van Leeuwen’s model of legitimation in discourse and communication, the study utilizes CDA and DHA to analyze 66 articles on six official Vietnamese online news outlets. The findings revealed that nationalism-based legitimacy is a key underpinning of three discursive strategies of the four implemented in the VCP’s bamboo diplomacy discourse. Accordingly, three main patterns of nationhood reproduction were identified: (i) the myth of national history, (ii) the authority of national traditions, and (iii) the moralization of bamboo iconography.
Bamboo diplomacy, the latest conceptualization in Vietnamese foreign policy, has recently captured widespread media coverage. This study investigates the discursive legitimation strategies employed by the Vietnamese Communist Party to justify the adoption of the aforementioned policy. In addition, the study focuses on the integration of nationalism in the legitimation process of bamboo diplomacy discourse in the context of digital media. Drawing upon constructivism, banal nationalism, and Van Leeuwen’s model of legitimation in discourse and communication, the study utilizes CDA and DHA to analyze 66 articles on six official Vietnamese online news outlets. The findings revealed that nationalism-based legitimacy is a key underpinning of three discursive strategies of the four implemented in the VCP’s bamboo diplomacy discourse. Accordingly, three main patterns of nationhood reproduction were identified: (i) the myth of national history, (ii) the authority of national traditions, and (iii) the moralization of bamboo iconography.
Book review
Discourse &Society, Ahead of Print.
Counting the Numbers: Nationalism and the Question of Surplus Women
Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Volume 31, Issue 1, Page 85-101, February 2024.
The ‘evils’ of sati and widowhood constituted two of the major elements of social reformation and women’s progress in India in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These ‘evils’ were rooted in casteist and sexist ideologies and practices, aspects that remained largely unrecognised by the dominant reformist agendas. The narrative of social progress of women focused only on the upper-class and upper-caste women whose lives were prescribed by brahmanical and patriarchal ideals of chastity, purity, and devotion to husbands. Consequently, ‘patriarchy’ was interpreted as a traditional system oppressing the upper-class upper-caste women. The social reformations such as companionate marriage, widowhood, sati, were practices predominant only in upper-caste communities. It is also significant to note that social reformation was intended to revive the ‘great’ Hindu tradition and rid it of its bad elements exhibited through the practice of sati. This article, through a comparative reading of the discourses on sati and widowhood by Raja Rammohan Roy and the idea of endogamy by B. R. Ambedkar, examines the roots of brahmanical patriarchy to delineate the gendering of caste in imposing a false homogeneity of nationalism.
The ‘evils’ of sati and widowhood constituted two of the major elements of social reformation and women’s progress in India in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These ‘evils’ were rooted in casteist and sexist ideologies and practices, aspects that remained largely unrecognised by the dominant reformist agendas. The narrative of social progress of women focused only on the upper-class and upper-caste women whose lives were prescribed by brahmanical and patriarchal ideals of chastity, purity, and devotion to husbands. Consequently, ‘patriarchy’ was interpreted as a traditional system oppressing the upper-class upper-caste women. The social reformations such as companionate marriage, widowhood, sati, were practices predominant only in upper-caste communities. It is also significant to note that social reformation was intended to revive the ‘great’ Hindu tradition and rid it of its bad elements exhibited through the practice of sati. This article, through a comparative reading of the discourses on sati and widowhood by Raja Rammohan Roy and the idea of endogamy by B. R. Ambedkar, examines the roots of brahmanical patriarchy to delineate the gendering of caste in imposing a false homogeneity of nationalism.
Laughing Online: Indian Stand-up Comedy as Spectator Sport
Journal of Creative Communications, Ahead of Print.
This paper investigates spectator dynamics in the offline and online performances of stand-up comedians, Vir Das and Kenny Sebastian. It studies the performer–comedian relationship through the media theory of John Fiske and John Hartley, the Rasa Box of Richard Schechner and Group Phenomenon of psychology. Media and performance aspects, such as stage setting, lighting, script, identity, complaisance and techniques, are theorised to arrive at insights into spectatorship in stand-up comedy.
This paper investigates spectator dynamics in the offline and online performances of stand-up comedians, Vir Das and Kenny Sebastian. It studies the performer–comedian relationship through the media theory of John Fiske and John Hartley, the Rasa Box of Richard Schechner and Group Phenomenon of psychology. Media and performance aspects, such as stage setting, lighting, script, identity, complaisance and techniques, are theorised to arrive at insights into spectatorship in stand-up comedy.
Cyber Laws and Media Censorship in Pakistan: An Investigation of Governmental Tactics to Curtail Freedom of Expression and Right to Privacy
Journal of Creative Communications, Ahead of Print.
All the democracies in the world have universally recognised the right to privacy and freedom of expression as fundamental human rights. It is fundamental to the preservation of all human rights, a basic element of democracy and a vital part of human dignity. Governments and governmental agencies frequently violate internationally accepted human rights, norms and standards under the cover of legislation. Media censorship is a worldwide issue that has existed for centuries. Censorship is often justified on the grounds of maintaining public order, but the underlying motive is to keep the people uninformed of governmental activities. It is argued that civil society, media personnel and the common people are working under pressure in Pakistan due to cyber and media laws. In the name of national security, the state has been working, intentionally, to put in place the best possible surveillance systems to establish a sort of watchdog over activists, bloggers, journalists and the general public.
All the democracies in the world have universally recognised the right to privacy and freedom of expression as fundamental human rights. It is fundamental to the preservation of all human rights, a basic element of democracy and a vital part of human dignity. Governments and governmental agencies frequently violate internationally accepted human rights, norms and standards under the cover of legislation. Media censorship is a worldwide issue that has existed for centuries. Censorship is often justified on the grounds of maintaining public order, but the underlying motive is to keep the people uninformed of governmental activities. It is argued that civil society, media personnel and the common people are working under pressure in Pakistan due to cyber and media laws. In the name of national security, the state has been working, intentionally, to put in place the best possible surveillance systems to establish a sort of watchdog over activists, bloggers, journalists and the general public.
Taming Global Citizenship Education Within Twitter’s Attention Economy
Journal of Creative Communications, Volume 19, Issue 1, Page 13-31, March 2024.
A contested concept that finds multiple theorisations and practices in relation to various ideological, geographical and cultural positionings, global citizenship education (GCE). has taken flight in the formal and non-formal education sectors over the past two decades, bringing together education-focused actors from government and civil society in dynamic relationships. With the proliferation of social media, GCE actors have taken to platforms such as Twitter for educational and communicative purposes, leading to the emergence of an attention economy surrounding GCE. This article utilises issue mapping to trace and visualise the performance of GCE by organisations in the Global North, comparing their formal organisational definitions with their communication of their GCE work over Twitter. While organisational public education and communications have long functioned within a competitive, neoliberal economy, this article focuses specifically on how the attention economy of Twitter contributes to the diffusion or capture of particular understandings of global citizenship through a GCE issue network.
A contested concept that finds multiple theorisations and practices in relation to various ideological, geographical and cultural positionings, global citizenship education (GCE). has taken flight in the formal and non-formal education sectors over the past two decades, bringing together education-focused actors from government and civil society in dynamic relationships. With the proliferation of social media, GCE actors have taken to platforms such as Twitter for educational and communicative purposes, leading to the emergence of an attention economy surrounding GCE. This article utilises issue mapping to trace and visualise the performance of GCE by organisations in the Global North, comparing their formal organisational definitions with their communication of their GCE work over Twitter. While organisational public education and communications have long functioned within a competitive, neoliberal economy, this article focuses specifically on how the attention economy of Twitter contributes to the diffusion or capture of particular understandings of global citizenship through a GCE issue network.
The ethical dilemma of modding digital games: A literature review of the creation and distribution of mods
Convergence, Ahead of Print.
In parallel with the rapid growth of the digital games market, the modding phenomenon has been gaining momentum. Mod culture, a manifestation of the convergence and the remix cultures, emerges as a way to adapt digital games to the needs of their players and incorporate content from other media, such as books, movies, or series, into the game world. This systematic literature review aims to discuss the ethical considerations of modding by understanding its impact on the overall gaming experience and comprehending how players and game companies perceive and respond to modders’ motivations. 15 studies from various scientific fields were analysed. Overall, mods impact the gaming experience in a variety of ways, ranging from educational purposes to deeper social concerns. While modders find motivation to create mods stemming from a myriad of reasons, including leisure and self-improvement, the stance taken by game companies, gaming communities, and players tends to discourage them from developing new mods and deter new modders who aspire to contribute with creative content. In conclusion, it remains important to recognise that specific ethical dilemmas linked to mod culture require in-depth debate to reach a consensus. Furthermore, other aspects demand more stringent scrutiny to ensure that we can all benefit from the enriching playground of personal experimentation and exploration that modding offers in this contemporary era of convergence.
In parallel with the rapid growth of the digital games market, the modding phenomenon has been gaining momentum. Mod culture, a manifestation of the convergence and the remix cultures, emerges as a way to adapt digital games to the needs of their players and incorporate content from other media, such as books, movies, or series, into the game world. This systematic literature review aims to discuss the ethical considerations of modding by understanding its impact on the overall gaming experience and comprehending how players and game companies perceive and respond to modders’ motivations. 15 studies from various scientific fields were analysed. Overall, mods impact the gaming experience in a variety of ways, ranging from educational purposes to deeper social concerns. While modders find motivation to create mods stemming from a myriad of reasons, including leisure and self-improvement, the stance taken by game companies, gaming communities, and players tends to discourage them from developing new mods and deter new modders who aspire to contribute with creative content. In conclusion, it remains important to recognise that specific ethical dilemmas linked to mod culture require in-depth debate to reach a consensus. Furthermore, other aspects demand more stringent scrutiny to ensure that we can all benefit from the enriching playground of personal experimentation and exploration that modding offers in this contemporary era of convergence.