Photovoice as a visual-verbal strategy for studying contents and processes of social representations: a participatory project on sustainable energy

Photovoice is a participatory action-research strategy that has been mainly adopted to give voice to “unheard” groups. In this article, we adapted this strategy in a study on the social representations (SRs) of sustainable energy shared by young citizens (ages 11–12) in Narni, Italy, a small urban center with a history intertwined with sustainable energy issues. In particular, the study suggests that photovoice could be useful to jointly examine verbal and visual components of social representations and to highlight communicative formats that contribute to shape SRs. Images of sustainable energy produced by participants show technocentric and ecocentric contents, confirming previous studies conducted with adults. Anthropocentric components also emerge, potentially identifying a challenging figurative nucleus. Photo-elicitation and small-group discussions show a twofold communicative activity: reification formats and homogamic communication are used to reaffirm shared representations, and the consensualization format is used when potentially disruptive elements for the community are at stake. Overall, results show the potentialities of photovoice experience for SR research and suggest that photovoice could actually benefit from further in-depth analyses of images and of communication within groups. Implications of the results for civic engagement are discussed

Beyond technology: A research agenda for social sciences and humanities research on renewable energy in Europe

This article enriches the existing literature on the importance and role of the social sciences and humanities (SSH) in renewable energy sources research by providing a novel approach to instigating the future research agenda in this field. Employing a series of in-depth interviews, deliberative focus group workshops and a systematic horizon scanning process, which utilised the expert knowledge of 85 researchers from the field with diverse disciplinary backgrounds and expertise, the paper develops a set of 100 priority questions for future research within SSH scholarship on renewable energy sources. These questions were aggregated into four main directions: (i) deep transformations and connections to the broader economic system (i.e. radical ways of (re)arranging socio-technical, political and economic relations), (ii) cultural and geographical diversity (i.e. contextual cultural, historical, political and socio-economic factors influencing citizen support for energy transitions), (iii) complexifying energy governance (i.e. understanding energy systems from a systems dynamics perspective) and (iv) shifting from instrumental acceptance to value-based objectives (i.e. public support for energy transitions as a normative notion linked to trust-building and citizen engagement). While this agenda is not intended to be—and cannot be—exhaustive or exclusive, we argue that it advances the understanding of SSH research on renewable energy sources and may have important value in the prioritisation of SSH themes needed to enrich dialogues between policymakers, funding institutions and researchers. SSH scholarship should not be treated as instrumental to other research on renewable energy but as intrinsic and of the same hierarchical importance.acceptedVersio

Empowerment of intergroup harmony and equity

The impact of empowerment interventions is often short-lived because they are not anchored in changes in the wider social and structural context. This chapter draws its inspiration from social representation theory and social identity theory. Several theoretical propositions are derived from these theories that bear on the effectiveness of empowerment interventions. Drawing on field experiences with Roma communities and young unemployed people in Hungary and Italy, we demonstrate how a focus on intergroup interactions, between minority and majority group members, is central to the empowerment process. In addition, we address the role of power and the means by which power can be dissembled and more equitably shared. Finally, we discuss the importance of placing contextual factors at the center of our analysis and enacting changes in context in order to arrive at empowerment interventions that produce sustainable changes in intergroup harmony and equity

Emergence of polarized opinions from free association networks

We developed a method that can identify polarized public opinions by finding modules in a network of statistically related free word associations. Associations to the cue “migrant” were collected from two independent and comprehensive samples in Hungary (N1 = 505, N2 = 505). The co-occurrence-based relations of the free word associations reflected emotional similarity, and the modules of the association network were validated with well-established measures. The positive pole of the associations was gathered around the concept of “Refugees” who need help, whereas the negative pole associated asylum seekers with “Violence”. The results were relatively consistent in the two independent samples. We demonstrated that analyzing the modular organization of association networks can be a tool for identifying the most important dimensions of public opinion about a relevant social issue without using predefined constructs

Clinical outcomes and risk factors for COVID-19 among migrant populations in high-income countries: a systematic review.

Background: Migrants in high-income countries may be at increased risk of COVID-19 due to their health and social circumstances, yet the extent to which they are affected and their predisposing risk factors are not clearly understood. We did a systematic review to assess clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in migrant populations, indirect health and social impacts, and to determine key risk factors. Methods: We did a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO CRD42020222135). We searched multiple databases to 18/11/2020 for peer-reviewed and grey literature on migrants (foreign-born) and COVID-19 in 82 high-income countries. We used our international networks to source national datasets and grey literature. Data were extracted on primary outcomes (cases, hospitalisations, deaths) and we evaluated secondary outcomes on indirect health and social impacts and risk factors using narrative synthesis. Results: 3016 data sources were screened with 158 from 15 countries included in the analysis (35 data sources for primary outcomes: cases [21], hospitalisations [4]; deaths [15]; 123 for secondary outcomes). We found that migrants are at increased risk of infection and are disproportionately represented among COVID-19 cases. Available datasets suggest a similarly disproportionate representation of migrants in reported COVID-19 deaths, as well as increased all-cause mortality in migrants in some countries in 2020. Undocumented migrants, migrant health and care workers, and migrants housed in camps have been especially affected. Migrants experience risk factors including high-risk occupations, overcrowded accommodation, and barriers to healthcare including inadequate information, language barriers, and reduced entitlement. Conclusions: Migrants in high-income countries are at high risk of exposure to, and infection with, COVID-19. These data are of immediate relevance to national public health and policy responses to the pandemic. Robust data on testing uptake and clinical outcomes in migrants, and barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 vaccination, are urgently needed, alongside strengthening engagement with diverse migrant groups

Photovoice as a visual-verbal strategy for studying contents and processes of social representations: a participatory project on sustainable energy

Photovoice is a participatory action-research strategy that has been mainly adopted to give voice to \u201cunheard\u201d groups. In this article, we adapted this strategy in a study on the social representations (SRs) of sustainable energy shared by young citizens (ages 11\u201312) in Narni, Italy, a small urban center with a history intertwined with sustainable energy issues. In particular, the study suggests that photovoice could be useful to jointly examine verbal and visual components of social representations and to highlight communicative formats that contribute to shape SRs. Images of sustainable energy produced by participants show technocentric and ecocentric contents, confirming previous studies conducted with adults. Anthropocentric components also emerge, potentially identifying a challenging figurative nucleus. Photo-elicitation and small-group discussions show a twofold communicative activity: reification formats and homogamic communication are used to reaffirm shared representations, and the consensualization format is used when potentially disruptive elements for the community are at stake. Overall, results show the potentialities of photovoice experience for SR research and suggest that photovoice could actually benefit from further in-depth analyses of images and of communication within groups. Implications of the results for civic engagement are discussed