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The role of terrorism, homophobia, and misogyny in justifications of institutional Islamophobia in France: a decolonial race critical discourse analysis
No full textIn recent years, Islamophobic discourse and policy in France has increasingly transcended the traditional left-right divide. In addition, existing scholarship has demonstrated how Islamophobia, disingenuously cast as an ethical, secular commitment to the critique of a particularly ‘dangerous’ religion/culture, in France is increasingly expressed as a virtue, with, for example, prominent French philosopher Élisabeth Badinter declaring that “il ne faut pas avoir peur de se faire traiter d\u27islamophobe.” This paper employs a critical discourse analysis within a decolonial and race critical framework in order to achieve two main objectives. First, it provides a historicized account of Islamophobia, paying close attention to the role of homophobia and misogyny, in relation to changing understandings of French secularism over several decades and within a longer context of ‘racecraft’ and coloniality/modernity. Secondly, this paper theorizes what a decolonial and race critical approach to discourse analysis might look like. In doing so, this paper identifies and examines the various discursive strategies employed by a wide variety of government officials, politicians, and media personalities, across the political spectrum, to justify institutional Islamophobia (i.e., policies that disproportionately disadvantage those racialized as Muslims), in particular in relation to the defense of abstract ‘French values’ and laïcité from ‘Islamists’, while often disingenuously displaying selective outrage at ‘Muslim’ homophobia and misogyny. Ultimately, this paper also argues that it is not possible to understand these discursive strategies outside of past and present material conditions generated and sustained by (neo-)colonialism and (neo-)liberalis
I have nothing against homosexuals but… : Discursive construction of homophobia on a French discussion forum
No full textOnline discussion forums constitute an important source of data for critical analyses of discourse because they provide examples of the materialization of ideologies and circulation of discourses in everyday language use. Thus, the analysis of online discussion forums may help us gain a better understanding of the linguistic and rhetoric construction of discriminatory discourses, such as homophobia.
In this talk, I will analyze online posts in reaction to a French Youtube video related to homophobia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aADCpfgad8). The video is a replay of the TV show Homophobie : stop à la vague de haine ! (“Homophobia, stop the hate wave,” duration 1 hour 3 minutes), broadcast on the French television channel France 2 on January 11, 2019. In this program, lesbians and gay men tell about their everyday experiences of homophobia. The video was posted on Youtube on January 18, 2019. The data were collected on May 23, 2019, and consist of 410 posts (posts removed by the moderator were not counted).
The analysis focuses on the linguistic and rhetoric devices used in the construction of homophobia and the strategies used to resist it in randomly selected sub-threads of the discussion. These techniques include speech and thought representation, intertextual and translational links to other texts, and intersectional links to discourses beyond the discussion forum, including topoi and the syntactic structures through which they are materialized in the posts. While the analysis is mainly qualitative, it is based on a quantitative analysis of the most important linguistic and rhetoric features present in the discussion
Frequency of singular they for gender stereotypes and the influence of the queer community
No full textSingular they has been denounced in formal grammars since the mid-18th century (see Bodine 1975; Paterson 2014), yet it dates to at least the 14th century (Balhorn 2004; Curzan 2003), persevering in both writing and speech (e.g., Baranowski 2002; Balhorn 2009; Newman 1992; Strahan 2008). Linguistic investigations of pronominal use suggest an envelope of variation (e.g., LaScotte 2016; Maryna 1978; Meyers 1990) in which speakers make choices based on a multiplicity of factors (e.g., gender stereotypicality, antecedent type). The role of LGBTQ+ community remains less examined. Do aspects of identity impact an individual’s choice of pronoun for singular generic nouns (e.g., a student), and is that dependent on the referent’s perceived gender?
A 2018 survey garnered responses across Canada and the United States from 623 participants (289 LGBTQ+, 196 “queer-adjacent”, 131 non LGBTQ+, and 7 no response). The stimuli consisted of six filler questions interspersed among three targets (mechanic, secretary, student). LaScotte’s (2016) open-ended student question was replicated, and Martyna’s (1978) fill-in-the-blank style was modelled for mechanic and secretary—nouns with perceived gender stereotypes (masculine and feminine respectively; Haines, Deaux, & Lofaro 2016). Finally, participants rated occupations on a sliding scale for perception of role performance (masculine to feminine, with gender neutral at the midpoint). Quantifying the frequency of third-person pronouns across all occupations resulted in 2249 tokens split between they (n=1712), he (n=269), she (n=189), and he/she (n=78).
Overall, singular they prevails. But, its patterns of use are not parallel. Mechanic and secretary remain gendered (he and she respectively), whereas student is gender-neutral (they). These results are reflected by the ratings: mechanic skews masculine, secretary skews feminine, and student remains neutral. Across all occupations, non-LGBTQ+ participants use singular they the least frequently, followed by queer-adjacent participants, and then LGBTQ+ participants. Non-binary participants use singular they at the highest rate amongst the LGBTQ+ participants (i.e., more frequently than LGBTQ+ men and women). Additionally, participation in events has an impact: singular they is used more by those who attend LGBTQ+ events. Thus, this study provides empirical evidence about the multifaceted interactions of identity and network, as well as uncovering persistent gender biases
A Consideration of Transpersonal Research Methods for Studying Yoga and Mindfulness in Schools
Get PDFOver the past decade, interest in yoga and mindfulness in schools has grown tremendously, with preliminary research suggesting that these interventions may have a variety of positive effects on youth. However, some quantitative studies of school-based yoga and mindfulness have reported null and/or counterintuitive effects, such as increases in perceived stress, negative affect and psychological symptoms. In addition, some mixed-methods studies that combined quantitative and qualitative approaches have found inconsistent results, with the quantitative outcomes failing to show statistical significance, while students report benefits of yoga and mindfulness in qualitative interviews/focus groups. These inconsistent findings suggest that the field of school-based yoga and mindfulness may benefit from a consideration of additional research approaches, such as transpersonal research methods, to study the potential effects of these interventions. Transpersonal research methods were developed within the field of transpersonal psychology as an alternative approach to studying the nature of inner experiences, particularly transpersonal and spiritual experiences. The current paper re-envisions a previously published study of a school-based yoga intervention through the lens of transpersonal research methods, with the intention of providing researchers with examples and inspiration to enrich their studies of school-based yoga and mindfulness. By combining transpersonal research methods with traditional quantitative and qualitative approaches, scientists have the potential to provide a richer and more complex evaluation of yoga and mindfulness in schools
Exceptional Human Experiences Among Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago: A Study of Self-Reported Experiences and Transformative Aftereffects
Get PDFThe Camino de Santiago pilgrimage is an extraordinary endeavour that tends to trigger exceptional human experiences. Following our previous investigation of this topic, we conducted an online survey of 501 pilgrims in order to assess the frequency of different exceptional experiences (EEs) on the pilgrimage and their transformative aftereffects (TAs) in everyday life afterwards. More than 70% of the respondents reported improvement in terms of self-confidence, personal relationships and letting go of emotional “baggage”. The results show strong correlations between the observed EEs and the (consequent) TAs. We contend that walking the Camino de Santiago often produces exceptional experiences that lead to positive long-term psychosocial effects
Brain Activity During Paired and Individual Mindfulness Meditation: A Controlled EEG Study
Get PDFObjective: In this study, we evaluated brain electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in healthy participants during the performance of paired and individual mindfulness meditation (MM). We hypothesized that EEG activity is differentially affected by meditation in pairs compared to individual meditation. Methods: A total of 20 healthy female university students (mean age 19.54 years, SD =1.53) with no prior experience in MM participated in this study. All participants had to perform a 5-minute MM task together and individually while the other participant was in rest or performing a concentration task (control condition). To exclude social interaction as main factor, participants were separated from their research partner by an opaque screen while instructions were given through headphones. Brain electroencephalographic (EEG) activity from each individual student was measured during all conditions. Results: The main findings indicate that left-frontal alpha and theta spectral EEG power was significantly higher during the paired MM condition compared to individual MM and control condition. Conclusions: This controlled MM study demonstrates differences in brain activity between practicing mindfulness in pairs compared to practicing it individually. We conclude that the increased alpha and theta EEG power during paired MM may be associated with social facilitation or the activation of theory of mind. The results invite further reflection on interpersonal communication and mindfulness
“We Are a Part of the Land and the Land Is Us”: Settler Colonialism, Genocide & Healing in California
No full textRecent attention on the California Indian genocide -- specifically, Governor Newsom’s apology -- historicizes genocide and neglects its contemporary manifestations. This paper seeks to understand the interconnections between settler colonialism and genocide – with an explicit focus on land dispossession and environmental destruction -- and what that means for California Indians today. While settler colonialism and genocide cannot be conflated, settler colonialism produces what scholar Tony Barta has referred to as “relations of genocide.” Specifically, I understand Barta’s relations of genocide as settler colonial orientations to land and environmental destruction.Throughout my analysis, I suggest that the kinship-oriented relationships to land held by Indigenous peoples, as well as the theorization of land within Indigenous Studies, works to complicate and expand contemporary notions of genocide. Moreoever, I argue that to heal from the genocide that occurred in California, both land reparations and ecological restoration must occur. Because all contemporary social problems (poverty, trauma, health disparities) can be traced back land -- its dispossession or contamination -- we must engage with decolonization to rectify impacts of the California Indian genocide
Protecting sacred sites: Project Juristac
No full textVal will speak about the important work being initiated by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band at the nexus of ecological stewardship, cultural revitalization, and healing. Inspired by an obligation to be stewards of their homelands and more-than-human relatives, the Amah Mutsun are pursuing innovative means to regain connection to traditional territory to revitalize dormant cultural practices. Such practices have engendered healing from intergenerational trauma within the community as well as healing of the land itself. Val will also speak about efforts to protect Juristac, an Amah Mutsun Sacred site, from harmful extraction of a proposed gravel mine/quarry