Discourse &Society, Volume 34, Issue 6, Page 789-791, November 2023.
Toward an immunological turn in nineteenth‐century studies
Abstract
This essay surveys the evolution of scholarship that embodies what (Anderson and Mackay [2014], Intolerant bodies: A short history of autoimmunity. Johns Hopkins University Press) have called the “immunological turn,” an interdisciplinary critical movement that takes immunity and vaccination as its primary critical objects. While interest in the relationship between immunology as a field in the life sciences and immunity as a cultural discourse has existed since the 1980s and 1990s, this piece traces the development of this thinking over time across the fields of political theory, anthropology, sociology, the history and philosophy of science, science and technology studies, as well as literary and rhetoric studies, that together articulate and critique the centrality of immunity to Western society. This article considers how the immunological turn models an approach to the nineteenth century that draws together the humanities and the sciences in both carefully historicized and deeply theoretical ways. This survey of the field concludes with speculations on new directions for the immunological turn that interdisciplinary scholars in the nineteenth century might take up to intervene in ongoing debates over vaccine hesitancy and refusal.
QR codes during the pandemic: Seamful quotidian placemaking
Convergence, Volume 29, Issue 5, Page 1121-1135, October 2023.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, one technology for contact tracing has come to dominate – QR codes. As a technology pioneered in Japan two decades ago and mainstreamed in China, QR codes have quickly become part of quotidian placemaking. While locations such as China have fully incorporated QR code technology into everyday contexts including public transport and mobile wallet applications, QR codes in the West were relatively overlooked. That was, until the pandemic. In this article, we examine some of the ways QR codes are being imagined and reimagined as part of public placemaking practices. In order to do so, we begin with a short history of QR codes – emerging in Japan, becoming mainstream in China and their consequent uptake globally. We then discuss the methods of our Australian study conducted during the pandemic and the seamful/seamless findings from our study.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, one technology for contact tracing has come to dominate – QR codes. As a technology pioneered in Japan two decades ago and mainstreamed in China, QR codes have quickly become part of quotidian placemaking. While locations such as China have fully incorporated QR code technology into everyday contexts including public transport and mobile wallet applications, QR codes in the West were relatively overlooked. That was, until the pandemic. In this article, we examine some of the ways QR codes are being imagined and reimagined as part of public placemaking practices. In order to do so, we begin with a short history of QR codes – emerging in Japan, becoming mainstream in China and their consequent uptake globally. We then discuss the methods of our Australian study conducted during the pandemic and the seamful/seamless findings from our study.
A critical discourse analysis of Al Jazeera’s online coverage of the war in Yemen before and after the 5 June 2017 Gulf crisis
Discourse &Communication, Volume 17, Issue 5, Page 553-589, October 2023.
In this study, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was utilised to examine the Al Jazeera Arabic news website with respect to its reports on the social actors in the Yemen war, particularly the KSA, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain coalition and the opposing Houthis, both before and after the Gulf crisis that occurred on 5 June 2017. The analysed data included a total of 32 news articles related to the war in Yemen, with 16 articles covering the period prior to the Crisis, from 2015 to 2017, and 16 covering the period following the onset of the crisis, from 2017 to 2019. The overall aim was to uncover the ideological implications of various linguistic elements, such as lexical choices, news headline creation, and de-legitimisation strategies, and the results revealed identifiable, distinct, and non-random changes in tone and angle of representation relating to the various social actors and their actions. Before the crisis, the coalition was represented positively while Houthis was presented negatively, while after the crisis, the tone towards these social actors was completely reversed. The various discursive strategies used in the articles across both periods thus show that the coverage of the Yemen crisis was intended to ideologically and politically guide readers’ understanding of the crisis.
In this study, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was utilised to examine the Al Jazeera Arabic news website with respect to its reports on the social actors in the Yemen war, particularly the KSA, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain coalition and the opposing Houthis, both before and after the Gulf crisis that occurred on 5 June 2017. The analysed data included a total of 32 news articles related to the war in Yemen, with 16 articles covering the period prior to the Crisis, from 2015 to 2017, and 16 covering the period following the onset of the crisis, from 2017 to 2019. The overall aim was to uncover the ideological implications of various linguistic elements, such as lexical choices, news headline creation, and de-legitimisation strategies, and the results revealed identifiable, distinct, and non-random changes in tone and angle of representation relating to the various social actors and their actions. Before the crisis, the coalition was represented positively while Houthis was presented negatively, while after the crisis, the tone towards these social actors was completely reversed. The various discursive strategies used in the articles across both periods thus show that the coverage of the Yemen crisis was intended to ideologically and politically guide readers’ understanding of the crisis.
Hindu-Right Activism in Pandemic: Exploring the Role of Durga Vahini in Covid-19
Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Volume 30, Issue 2, Page 217-227, June 2023.
Women’s activism in the Hindu right has gone through communication and mobilisation shifts in the context of Covid-19. The article traces how the hierarchy and coordination within the Durga Vahini—the women’s wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad facilitate the propagation of two primary goals of seva, and sanskar in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Through semi-structured interviews with the representatives of the organisation, the article focuses on understanding mobilisation strategies like e-satsangs, accommodation of marginalised groups through the distribution of raw food resources, and manipulation of mythological narratives for the recruitment of young girls to propagate Hindu nationalism. The core argument of the article is focused on understanding these mobilisation tactics and changing nature seva in the times of pandemic.
Women’s activism in the Hindu right has gone through communication and mobilisation shifts in the context of Covid-19. The article traces how the hierarchy and coordination within the Durga Vahini—the women’s wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad facilitate the propagation of two primary goals of seva, and sanskar in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Through semi-structured interviews with the representatives of the organisation, the article focuses on understanding mobilisation strategies like e-satsangs, accommodation of marginalised groups through the distribution of raw food resources, and manipulation of mythological narratives for the recruitment of young girls to propagate Hindu nationalism. The core argument of the article is focused on understanding these mobilisation tactics and changing nature seva in the times of pandemic.
‘Versailles literature’ on WeChat Moments – humblebragging with digital technologies
Discourse &Communication, Volume 17, Issue 5, Page 662-684, October 2023.
Versailles literature is a newly emerged phenomenon on Chinese social networking sites. It is in essence an indirect form of self-praise. Despite its popularity on social media, there is little research on this phenomenon. This study investigates the pragmatic strategies for performing VL on WeChat Moments. The results showed that Versailles literature often includes strategies such as implicit self-praise, modified explicit self-praise, and self-praise through comments and replies, among which the tactics that have not been observed before, such as bragging in a foreign language, creating false ‘question–answer’ or ‘compliment–response’ interactions and commenting to the adverts. These strategies are implemented in various ways by virtue of the technological affordance of WeChat Moments, in order to balance the disclosure and the dissimulation of the object of praise. The study also discusses the distinctive features of VL and explains the absence of some frequent strategies of self-praising in Versailles literature.
Versailles literature is a newly emerged phenomenon on Chinese social networking sites. It is in essence an indirect form of self-praise. Despite its popularity on social media, there is little research on this phenomenon. This study investigates the pragmatic strategies for performing VL on WeChat Moments. The results showed that Versailles literature often includes strategies such as implicit self-praise, modified explicit self-praise, and self-praise through comments and replies, among which the tactics that have not been observed before, such as bragging in a foreign language, creating false ‘question–answer’ or ‘compliment–response’ interactions and commenting to the adverts. These strategies are implemented in various ways by virtue of the technological affordance of WeChat Moments, in order to balance the disclosure and the dissimulation of the object of praise. The study also discusses the distinctive features of VL and explains the absence of some frequent strategies of self-praising in Versailles literature.
Women and Resistance in the Conflict-Affected Bodoland Territorial Council Region of Assam
Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Volume 30, Issue 2, Page 188-208, June 2023.
The Bodoland territorial council (BTC) region of Assam has witnessed many conflicts in the past. The women of the conflicting communities, Bodo, Bengali-speaking Muslims, and Adivasi, have largely borne the brunt of these conflicts. The societies are patriarchal and women face domination at various levels—family, society, and state. This article seeks to answer the question, ‘How do the conflict-affected women belonging to the Bodo, Bengali-speaking Muslim and Adivasi communities in BTC display resistance against the dominant forces in the family, society, and state?’ The article attempts to understand the forms of resistance (overt, physical or confrontational, and everyday forms of resistance) displayed by these women, by analysing the in-depth interviews conducted with them. The narratives help us understand their condition, their struggles, and the ways in which they display resistance against the dominant forces. The article argues that the Bodo women display overt resistance, such as participating in the Bodoland movement, holding protests, contesting elections, and carrying out peace marches against insurgencies and ethnic conflicts. The Bengali-speaking Muslim women display everyday forms of resistance, such as pursuing education, holding jobs, maintaining silence and refraining from making contact with members of the dominant community. The Adivasi women display physical resistance, such as engaging in direct confrontation with forest officials, and overt resistance, like participating in protests and social movements to demand their rights.
The Bodoland territorial council (BTC) region of Assam has witnessed many conflicts in the past. The women of the conflicting communities, Bodo, Bengali-speaking Muslims, and Adivasi, have largely borne the brunt of these conflicts. The societies are patriarchal and women face domination at various levels—family, society, and state. This article seeks to answer the question, ‘How do the conflict-affected women belonging to the Bodo, Bengali-speaking Muslim and Adivasi communities in BTC display resistance against the dominant forces in the family, society, and state?’ The article attempts to understand the forms of resistance (overt, physical or confrontational, and everyday forms of resistance) displayed by these women, by analysing the in-depth interviews conducted with them. The narratives help us understand their condition, their struggles, and the ways in which they display resistance against the dominant forces. The article argues that the Bodo women display overt resistance, such as participating in the Bodoland movement, holding protests, contesting elections, and carrying out peace marches against insurgencies and ethnic conflicts. The Bengali-speaking Muslim women display everyday forms of resistance, such as pursuing education, holding jobs, maintaining silence and refraining from making contact with members of the dominant community. The Adivasi women display physical resistance, such as engaging in direct confrontation with forest officials, and overt resistance, like participating in protests and social movements to demand their rights.
COVID-19 and Its Impact on Diverse Aspects of Women’s Lives
Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Volume 30, Issue 2, Page 148-169, June 2023.
The objective of this article is to study the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of women by exploring different aspects like their daily work patterns, hygiene practices, psychological effects and nutritional status during the pandemic. 510 women participated in the online survey. The majority of the respondents belonged to the age group of 20–29 years and were either graduates or above. 37.3% of the working respondents reported increased professional responsibilities during the pandemic. Cooking and cleaning occupied most of the time during the lockdown. Anxiety, lack of concentration and frequent arguments with the family members were reported by the respondents. Many of the respondents took up physical activities to maintain their fitness. They also believed that usage of masks would prevent them from catching the infection. 75.2% of women included vitamin-rich sources in their diet. This level of consciousness might be linked to the educational profile of the respondents.
The objective of this article is to study the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of women by exploring different aspects like their daily work patterns, hygiene practices, psychological effects and nutritional status during the pandemic. 510 women participated in the online survey. The majority of the respondents belonged to the age group of 20–29 years and were either graduates or above. 37.3% of the working respondents reported increased professional responsibilities during the pandemic. Cooking and cleaning occupied most of the time during the lockdown. Anxiety, lack of concentration and frequent arguments with the family members were reported by the respondents. Many of the respondents took up physical activities to maintain their fitness. They also believed that usage of masks would prevent them from catching the infection. 75.2% of women included vitamin-rich sources in their diet. This level of consciousness might be linked to the educational profile of the respondents.
Know(ing) Infrastructure: The Wayback Machine as object and instrument of digital research
Convergence, Ahead of Print.
From documenting human rights abuses to studying online advertising, web archives are increasingly positioned as critical resources for a broad range of scholarly Internet research agendas. In this article, we reflect on the motivations and methodological challenges of investigating the world’s largest web archive, the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine (IAWM). Using a mixed methods approach, we report on a pilot project centred around documenting the inner workings of ‘Save Page Now’ (SPN) – an Internet Archive tool that allows users to initiate the creation and storage of ‘snapshots’ of web resources. By improving our understanding of SPN and its role in shaping the IAWM, this work examines how the public tool is being used to ‘save the Web’ and highlights the challenges of operationalising a study of the dynamic sociotechnical processes supporting this knowledge infrastructure. Inspired by existing Science and Technology Studies (STS) approaches, the paper charts our development of methodological interventions to support an interdisciplinary investigation of SPN, including: ethnographic methods, ‘experimental blackbox tactics’, data tracing, modelling and documentary research. We discuss the opportunities and limitations of our methodology when interfacing with issues associated with temporality, scale and visibility, as well as critically engage with our own positionality in the research process (in terms of expertise and access). We conclude with reflections on the implications of digital STS approaches for ‘knowing infrastructure’, where the use of these infrastructures is unavoidably intertwined with our ability to study the situated and material arrangements of their creation.
From documenting human rights abuses to studying online advertising, web archives are increasingly positioned as critical resources for a broad range of scholarly Internet research agendas. In this article, we reflect on the motivations and methodological challenges of investigating the world’s largest web archive, the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine (IAWM). Using a mixed methods approach, we report on a pilot project centred around documenting the inner workings of ‘Save Page Now’ (SPN) – an Internet Archive tool that allows users to initiate the creation and storage of ‘snapshots’ of web resources. By improving our understanding of SPN and its role in shaping the IAWM, this work examines how the public tool is being used to ‘save the Web’ and highlights the challenges of operationalising a study of the dynamic sociotechnical processes supporting this knowledge infrastructure. Inspired by existing Science and Technology Studies (STS) approaches, the paper charts our development of methodological interventions to support an interdisciplinary investigation of SPN, including: ethnographic methods, ‘experimental blackbox tactics’, data tracing, modelling and documentary research. We discuss the opportunities and limitations of our methodology when interfacing with issues associated with temporality, scale and visibility, as well as critically engage with our own positionality in the research process (in terms of expertise and access). We conclude with reflections on the implications of digital STS approaches for ‘knowing infrastructure’, where the use of these infrastructures is unavoidably intertwined with our ability to study the situated and material arrangements of their creation.
Delivery riders’ cultural production in Spain: A thematic analysis of their self-representation on YouTube
Convergence, Ahead of Print.
This study analyses YouTube videos about delivery riders in Spain as well as the channels in which the videos were uploaded. The aim is to understand the ways that riders are represented in the videos and determine the labour imaginaries that emerge in the context of platformization, which includes work that depends on platforms that use computer architecture and automation systems to arrange exchanges between people, goods, and corporations, such as the work of delivery riders. This article shows how platformization of labour intersects with cultural production because delivery riders’ work has become a video theme in the YouTube platform. Moreover, in some cases riders (or aspiring ones) use YouTube and other social media to interact, share knowledge and organize their job. Based on a thematic analysis of delivery riders' YouTube videos (n = 40) from 26 channels mined with YouTube Data Tools, this study presents a typology of channels in which riders appear. It also categorizes the main representations of riders as well as the imaginaries that emerge about this type of labour in YouTube videos. The analysis indicates that delivery riders’ work has a transitory nature, which is expressed in the analysed videos. Moreover, the study demonstrates that immigrants are the people who tend to do this type of work in Spain, and shows how being an immigrant plays a particular role in the way riders are represented or gain their social conceptions and aspirations about this kind of work.
This study analyses YouTube videos about delivery riders in Spain as well as the channels in which the videos were uploaded. The aim is to understand the ways that riders are represented in the videos and determine the labour imaginaries that emerge in the context of platformization, which includes work that depends on platforms that use computer architecture and automation systems to arrange exchanges between people, goods, and corporations, such as the work of delivery riders. This article shows how platformization of labour intersects with cultural production because delivery riders’ work has become a video theme in the YouTube platform. Moreover, in some cases riders (or aspiring ones) use YouTube and other social media to interact, share knowledge and organize their job. Based on a thematic analysis of delivery riders' YouTube videos (n = 40) from 26 channels mined with YouTube Data Tools, this study presents a typology of channels in which riders appear. It also categorizes the main representations of riders as well as the imaginaries that emerge about this type of labour in YouTube videos. The analysis indicates that delivery riders’ work has a transitory nature, which is expressed in the analysed videos. Moreover, the study demonstrates that immigrants are the people who tend to do this type of work in Spain, and shows how being an immigrant plays a particular role in the way riders are represented or gain their social conceptions and aspirations about this kind of work.