We provide evidence on the stories that people tell to explain a historically notable rise in inflation using samples of experts, U.S. households, and managers. We document substantial heterogeneity in narratives about the drivers of higher inflation rates. Experts put more emphasis on demand-side factors, such as fiscal and monetary policy, and on supply chain disruptions. Other supply-side factors, such as labor shortages or increased energy costs, are equally prominent across samples. Households and managers are more likely to tell generic stories related to the pandemic or mismanagement by the government. We also find that households and managers expect the increase in inflation to be more persistent than experts. Moreover, narratives about the drivers of the inflation increase are strongly correlated with beliefs about its persistence. Our findings have implications for understanding macroeconomic expectation formation.
The MUHAI consortium studies how it is possible to build AI systems that rest on meaning and understanding. We call this kind of AI meaningful AI in contrast to AI that rests exclusively on the use of statistically acquired pattern recognition and pattern completion. Because meaning and understanding are rather vague and overloaded notions there is no obvious research path to achieve it. The consortium has therefore set up a task early on in the project to explore how understanding is being discussed and treated in other human-centred research fields, more specifically in social brain science, social psychology, linguistics, semiotics, economics, social history and medicine. Our explorations have yielded a wealth of insights: about understanding in general and the role of narratives in this process, about possible applications of meaningful AI in a diverse set of human-centred fields, and about the technology gaps that need to be plugged to achieve meaningful AI.Venice International University This volume summarizes the outcome of our consultations. It has three main parts: I. A general introduction, II. A series of chapters reporting on what understanding means in various human-centered research fields other than AI, III. A short conclusion identifying key research topics for meaning-based human-centric AI. Our explorations have yielded a wealth of insights: about understanding in general and the role of narratives in this process, about possible applications of meaningful AI in a diverse set of human-centred fields, and about the technology gaps that need to be plugged to achieve meaningful AI.
We provide evidence on the stories that people tell to explain a historically notable rise in inflation using samples of experts, U.S. households, and managers. We document substantial heterogeneity in narratives about the drivers of higher inflation rates. Experts put more emphasis on demand-side factors, such as fiscal and monetary policy, and on supply chain disruptions. Other supply-side factors, such as labor shortages or increased energy costs, are equally prominent across samples. Households and managers are more likely to tell generic stories related to the pandemic or mismanagement by the government. We also find that households and managers expect the increase in inflation to be more persistent than experts. Moreover, narratives about the drivers of the inflation increase are strongly correlated with beliefs about its persistence. Our findings have implications for understanding macroeconomic expectation formation.
In this text, I will unpack the workings of a particular technological apparatus applied in South Vietnam during the war, contextualising it in the culture of systems-analysis which became prevalent in US defence strategy following the Second World War. This apparatus – called theHamlet Evaluation System – was in formal operation from 1967 until 1973, and aimed to provide US Forces with a vital narrative of progress in their "pacification programmes" in Vietnam. With its disruptive use of computers, the immense scale and scope of its task, and its affordance of a managerial approach to warfare, this system raises a number of issues around the role of the computer as bureaucratic mediator – in this case, tasked with converting complex insurgencies into legible, systematic narratives. What kind of insights did it provide into the operations of the Vietcong insurgency? How does it fit into the wider ecologies of command and control in the US Military during the first few decades of the Cold War? As the Hamlet Evaluation System, almost fifty years after its inception, is still considered the "gold standard of [counterinsurgency]" (Connable 113), it remains an important case study for those trying to understand how computers structure the institutional bureaucracy of war, and how they are imagined as epistemological tools that can somehow reveal objective truths about the complex, dynamic reality of war.
In this article, I describe my public history project seeking to transform a street in Connaught Place, New Delhi, into a militarised Srinagar marketplace. Through this phenomenological project, I aim to make Hindu, middle- class, upper-middle-caste Indians realise that the Indian presence in the Kashmir Valley is a colonial, military occupation. Through this, I want them to reconsider India's claims of being a secular, liberal-democracy. To contextualise my intervention, I briefly represent the mainstream Indian narrative on Kashmir, both in academia and the wider public space, in the first section of this article. Thus, by highlighting the 'silences' in the general understanding of Kashmir, I will demonstrate my project's contribution to Kashmir's historiography. KEYWORDScolonialism; exhibit; phenomenology; India-Occupied Kashmir; historiography; Museum
In this paper, I explore the narratives that surround my Serbian and English identity, the personal accounts gathered through some of my projects, research and arts initiatives that are expressed here in photography and narrative vignettes. I depict the emotional cartography of exile and the selfhood through images and text, reveal the challenges of subjectivity that exile brings and I invite the moderation of history as a vital step towards democratisation, not only of the national, but political imagination. My work is a dip into the experience in order to articulate it in a bearable vein and reflect on my predominantly artistic endeavour largely influenced by the story of exile. The work is positioning the Balkans in relation to the Western, mostly European prism and proposes the idea that the colonial heritage is permeating that relationship. In my photographs and texts I perform imaginary reunification of myself. In the images I take and pose for, I am marrying the old self pre-exile and the new one post-event, trying to answer who is it now looking at me and who is it that the others see. I look at my dual identity as it did not exist before my exile or as it is unique because the ones who do not have the experience of exile have no access to such knowledge, but as everybody else, they have a varied experience of self. It is that multiple self in the others that I am provoking by my bodily presence and the refusal to allow them (to any of their selves) to mediate my experience by telling my story. As Said wrote reflecting on exile: "Only. someone whose homeland is "sweet" but whose circumstances make it impossible to recapture that sweetness, can answer those questions." (1984:55)
The United States is a Nation of Immigrants. A central part of the myth and narrative of the United States is based on the historical patterns and phases of various immigrant populations, their struggles, and their assimilation into the diverse culture of the United States. Each of these successive waves of immigration, however, has met with strong resistance by the existing population, a phenomenon that has persisted to the present day. This dual nature of this American narrative is reflected in the simultaneous existence of the Statue of Liberty, as a symbol of welcoming, and the ever-growing U.S.-Mexico border fence, as an adamant sign of isolation. While the immigration narrative in all its complexity is often acknowledged in theoretical terms, the practical importance of continuous immigration to the economy of the United States is treated as a separate societal issue. In fact, the United States' agricultural production depends heavily on the supply of migrant workers, almost entirely made up of immigrants. Due to the inconsistency of this work, farm owners hire immigrants who, unlike most people born in the United States, are willing to live without a permanent address, endure the physical labor, and who are in need of the opportunity, even if it is unstable. I posit that architecture can serve to expose the vital immigration, labor, and consumption processes underlying food production in the United States through a clear narrative made evident by techniques of sequence, mimesis, and composition in a functional monument containing an Immigration Advocacy Center, Community Garden, and Farmer's Market for the city of Sacramento. This project conflates programs associated with different economic groups in a way that reveals their social relationship. The Immigration Advocacy Center, Community Garden, and Farmer's Market that it houses will become vital to the city of Sacramento as a functional monument. A functional monument is a meaningful structure that can be occupied for a specific program; it describes a monument that is not viewed in the round but that a visitor is immersed in as they experience the narrative that it describes. It connects consumers of agricultural produce with the means of production, promoting an acceptance of and appreciation for the immigrant workers who support our economy. The architect has a great potential to construct meaning through the interpretation and implementation of culturally relevant stories and events, or those that have been passed down through history, and which still evoke clear images, emotions, and symbolic meaning in a given culture. The culturally sensitive architect deploys not only forms and technologies, but also symbols, which are defined as "a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract" (Oxford Dictionaries 2013). These symbols are established through stories, which are made familiar to the cultures that participate in an oral or written tradition. There are numerous architectural devices used to indicate narrative. The purpose behind expressing a narrative, whether it is to teach religion, promote a political view, to intimidate, or to encourage, often influences the way in which the narrative is conveyed; everything from the subconscious organization of a plan to the straightforward display of a symbol can indicate the presence of narrative in an architectural work. The role of narrative in architecture has existed for as long as architecture itself; since the first architect, Daedalus, created the labyrinth in Crete (Image 1) to hold the Minotaur, buildings have been a representation and reminder of the stories that inspired them (Image 2). Narratives define architecture by providing a system of associations, symbols, and deep cultural meaning by which a building can be interpreted and understood; the Hindu Bull, the Christian Cross, and the Jewish Star of David each have particular connotations specific to the cultural and religious narratives they participate in. An investigation of various scholarly interpretations of "narrative" in architecture yields a more complex and profound framework for the development of immigration and consumerism as a synthesized, contemporary American narrative. Architectural theorist and historian George Hersey explains parallels between Greek sacrificial practices and Greek ornament; how a temple's order expresses elements of ritual sequence and associated beliefs. He says, "classical ornament represented the remains or trophies of sacrifice." (Hersey 1988) In Giuseppe Terragni's Danteum, Dante's text The Divine Comedy, is embodied architecturally in a promenade, commemorated and used to symbolically reinforce Mussolini's government. Frank Lloyd Wright's synagogue, Beth Sholom, represents Mount Sinai, echoing ideas already present in the form of written tradition. The mastery and manipulation of cultural narratives and their symbolic associations are powerful tools for the architect. By constructing symbols and allegories, architectural work gains stronger cultural relevance and greater conceptual depth. The influential modern architect, theorist and teacher, O.M. Ungers describes allegory as "a dimension of controlled indirectness and double meaning" that "suggests a more deceptive and oblique language." He states that "The allegory arouses in the contemplator a response to levels of meaning and provides the designer with a tool that goes beyond pragmatic representation." Ungers describes the strength that symbols gain in a culturally and historically rich context: "While signs point to something that they represent, as words are artificial signs for ideas and thoughts, symbols are a penetration of mind and image characterized by mystery, depth, and inexhaustible interpretation. To express and visualize something abstract, transcendental or spiritual either symbols or allegories are used." (Ungers 2011) There are many culturally relevant stories in contemporary society: Biblical Parables, Greek Myth, The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, The Divine Comedy by Dante, Folk Tales, Fairy Tales, and Urban Legends. People are taught stories by parents, peers, religious following, and public media. These narratives work not in isolation, but form the rich tapestry of law, religion, tradition, poetry, song, and expression that comprises the diverse, yet often interconnected, oral and written cultures of the world. One of the most important cultural narratives in the United States today and throughout history is immigration in the land of opportunity. How an architectural framework manifests this narrative - whether in an impenetrable wall defining the countries border or an image of welcoming known world-wide - defines what the connotations of this narrative are and how it is considered nationally and internationally. While tall fences and intense patrolling at the U.S.-Mexico border are meant to establish security for Americans, this is inconsistent with the promise of Lady Liberty, a symbol that represents the ideals of freedom and opportunity: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-test to me. I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door!" Consumerism and immigration each define the United States in their own way, but are mostly viewed as unrelated. They are intrinsically linked, however, through the U.S. economy; thesequence from immigration to labor, transportation, and consumption form an essential American narrative. Agriculture in the United States is strongly dependent on immigration. The expression of a comprehensive narrative would promote a more just and equitable society; in this culture of consumers, the individuals who buy agricultural goods at a grocery store and the immigrant migrant workers who labor to generate the agricultural products are divided. There is a geographical and temporal split that has obfuscated the relationship between consumers and producers in the United States. Agriculture and immigration are interdependent parts of a system founded upon mutually beneficial processes that form a more complete American narrative for both immigration and consumerism. The narrative of immigration in the land of opportunity does not represent our nation fully. By comprehending the interdependence of immigration, labor, transportation and consumption, the United States will be better able to accommodate present and future immigration and its citizens will have a deeper appreciation for the immigrants and laborers that have always worked towards our nation's prosperity.
"Appendix B. Addresses to Sir Francis B. Head, bart., from the legislatures of the British North American colonies . on his resignation of the government of Upper Canada": p.[17]-38. ; An account of the author's administration of the government of Upper Canada, 1836-1838. ; Mode of access: Internet.
"Appendix B. Addresses to Sir Francis B. Head, bart., from the legislatures of the British North American colonies . on his resignation of the government of Upper Canada": p.[17]-38. ; An account of the author's administration of the government of Upper Canada, 1836-1838. ; Mode of access: Internet.
This study attempts to analyze the narrative structure found in the narration of life of Soekarwo, a prominent politicians at the present time. Soekarwo was chosen to be analyzed as szxx he represent the senior politician in this country. Soekarwo won the governor election in East Java Province for the period of 2009-2014 and 2014-2019. He won both the first and second election in July and November election (according to the Election Commision / KPU). The main objective of this study is to find out the narrative structure in the participant's narratives as obtained from the interview session with him. From the analysis of the participants' narratives, it is expected to find out how they portray themselves or how they reveal the story in such a way that the listener may capture their figure. After analyzing the text, the writer finally concludes that he wants to present themselves in certain ways, all of which are unique and are basically influenced by his memories, childhood experience, environment, socio-political condition, and the era in which they live. Even though his basic intention may be the same, which is being considered as capable and good figures in politics, but the way he deliver his narratives and the messages within is quite different. Here, the Narrative Analysis (NA) is helpful to analyze such narrativization of the participants' life story. The participants' narrative structure can be analyzed by using Labov's Narrative Structure consisting of abstract, orientation, complicating action, evaluation, and coda. Keywords: Narrative Analysis (NA), Narrative Structure, Life Story
The article is an analysis of a single case—a biographical narrative of a Tri-City resident who enters adulthood at the beginning of political transformation in 1989, and whose life path turns out to be an unintentional, dynamic journey between various professions, social worlds and structural positions. This creates a complicated and ambiguous biographical pattern which does not fall into either the socio-economic promotion of the "winner" or into the degradation of the transformation "loser." The reconstruction of this pattern reveals the hero's great resourcefulness and entrepreneurship, but also the fragility of the structures stabilizing his life and the volatility of life orientation points. The binder of this biography turns out to be, above all, reflexivity and, what I suggest calling, the narrative agency of the narrator, who can transform his structurally dispersed and chaotic life experiences of the time of transformation into a very original story, making him a strong subject of his own fate. This, however, creates the inevitable tension between the experienced or lived life, life history and the narrated life, life story, prompting us to again pose the question about the commonly assumed, although differently defined, correspondence between the level of reality and the level of its linguistic (in this case—autobiographical) representation.
The article is an analysis of a single case—a biographical narrative of a Tri-City resident who enters adulthood at the beginning of political transformation in 1989, and whose life path turns out to be an unintentional, dynamic journey between various professions, social worlds and structural positions. This creates a complicated and ambiguous biographical pattern which does not fall into either the socio-economic promotion of the "winner" or into the degradation of the transformation "loser." The reconstruction of this pattern reveals the hero's great resourcefulness and entrepreneurship, but also the fragility of the structures stabilizing his life and the volatility of life orientation points. The binder of this biography turns out to be, above all, reflexivity and, what I suggest calling, the narrative agency of the narrator, who can transform his structurally dispersed and chaotic life experiences of the time of transformation into a very original story, making him a strong subject of his own fate. This, however, creates the inevitable tension between the experienced or lived life, life history and the narrated life, life story, prompting us to again pose the question about the commonly assumed, although differently defined, correspondence between the level of reality and the level of its linguistic (in this case—autobiographical) representation.
Versión completa disponible en: http://www.transitsocialinnovation.eu/resource-hub/wp-4-case-study-report-timebanking ; [Abstract] This report provides a very short summary of a full case-study report that includes indepth case-studies of Timebanking. Both, the full case reports and this summary, were guided by four empirical research questions based upon a preliminary conceptual framework of the TRANSIT-project. ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 613169 ; http://hdl.handle.net/2183/30060
Die Untersuchung von Gegen-Narrativen ist ein vielversprechender, aber zugleich weitgehend vernachlässigter Ansatz in der Erzählforschung. Ich gehe in diesem Beitrag davon aus, dass das Konzept der Gegen-Narrative in der Lage ist, theoretisch und methodologisch kulturelle, politische und individuelle Inhalte von Narrationen mit deren Form in neuer Weise in Beziehung zu setzen. Hierzu diskutiere ich die einzelnen Artikel in "Considering Counter-Narratives: Narrating, Resisting, Making Sense" im Lichte der Frage, welchen Beitrag sie zur Identifizierung und zur theoretischen Situierung von Haupt- und Gegen-Narrativen leisten. Zugleich führe ich in das Buch ein, das ich als spannendes Forum vieler aktueller Debatten im Bereich qualitativer Forschung verstehe. Die im Buch präsentierte Debatte zwischen Beitragenden und deren Kommentator(inn)en zeigt alternative Strategien der Annäherung an und des Verständnisses von narrativem Material. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0703346 ; The study of counter-narratives is a promising, yet largely neglected approach to narrative studies. This review draws on the idea that counter-narrativity might theoretically and methodologically connect the cultural, political and personal contents of narratives with the forms of narration in new ways. The anthology is discussed from the perspective of how each article contributes to identifying and theorizing both master and counter-narratives. At the same time, the book is introduced as an interesting forum for many current debates in qualitative research. The ongoing debate between contributors and discussants displays alternative strategies in reading narrative materials. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0703346 ; Pese a haber sido un enfoque ampliamente descuidado en los estudios narrativos, el estudio de las contra-narrativas es prometedor. Esta reseña recurre a la idea de que la contra-narrativa puede conectar teórica y metodológicamente los contenidos culturales, políticos y personales de las narrativas con formas novedosas de narrar de modos ...
In this paper, key narratives within the field of e-government are identified by conducting a thematic analysis of the top 100 most cited e-government papers (plus an additional 20 from 2018-2019). The identified narratives that emerged from this analysis are: the democratic, technocratic, and the tech-savvy narrative, plus the implementation (pseudo) narrative. This paper explores and provides theoretical reflections on these narratives by anchoring them in established background paradigms, such as open society and new public management.
