Search

In 1991, Philomena Essed highlighted the importance of studying contemporary racism, focusing on the interplay between the macro‐social dimension and its constant reactivation in everyday interactions. Later, psychologists redefined the pervasive experience of racism in everyday encounters in terms of racial microaggressions. Migrants and asylum seekers today constitute “ideal” candidates for this kind of experience. This is due to the persistent historical processes that harken back to Western colonialism and imperialism, as well as the growing hostility towards people migrating from the Global South. This hostility has been brewing for several decades in Western countries, and it manifests in both everyday informal interactions and institutional contexts, where migrants and asylum seekers constantly face racist attitudes.

In 1991, Philomena Essed highlighted the importance of studying contemporary racism, focusing on the interplay between the macro‐social dimension and its constant reactivation in everyday interactions. Later, psychologists redefined the pervasive experience of racism in everyday encounters in terms of racial microaggressions. Migrants and asylum seekers today constitute “ideal” candidates for this kind of experience. This is due to the persistent historical processes that harken back to Western colonialism and imperialism, as well as the growing hostility towards people migrating from the Global South. This hostility has been brewing for several decades in Western countries, and it manifests in both everyday informal interactions and institutional contexts, where migrants and asylum seekers constantly face racist attitudes.

In our article, we aim to explore the experience of everyday racism of young people with migrant parents in Italy. Drawing on the analysis of 20 interviews, we seek to reconstruct the overall dynamics of racial microaggressions, highlighting how the context in which microaggressions occur and the interplay between ethnic background, gender, and somatic features influences the interpretations and reactions of the victims. We highlight the boundary work and identity negotiation process carried out in everyday encounters. We also show that participants’ experience oscillates between the claim of not-taken‐for‐granted citizenship, the feeling of being confined within ethno‐cultural imaginaries, and the experience of overt manifestations of racism. Finally, we highlight both the process by which victims come to recognise racial microaggressions and the obstacles they face in coping with them.

In our article, we aim to explore the experience of everyday racism of young people with migrant parents in Italy. Drawing on the analysis of 20 interviews, we seek to reconstruct the overall dynamics of racial microaggressions, highlighting how the context in which microaggressions occur and the interplay between ethnic background, gender, and somatic features influences the interpretations and reactions of the victims. We highlight the boundary work and identity negotiation process carried out in everyday encounters. We also show that participants’ experience oscillates between the claim of not-taken‐for‐granted citizenship, the feeling of being confined within ethno‐cultural imaginaries, and the experience of overt manifestations of racism. Finally, we highlight both the process by which victims come to recognise racial microaggressions and the obstacles they face in coping with them.

In 1991, Philomena Essed highlighted the importance of studying contemporary racism, focusing on the interplay between the macro‐social dimension and its constant reactivation in everyday interactions. Later, psychologists redefined the pervasive experience of racism in everyday encounters in terms of racial microaggressions. Migrants and asylum seekers today constitute “ideal” candidates for this kind of experience. This is due to the persistent historical processes that harken back to Western colonialism and imperialism, as well as the growing hostility towards people migrating from the Global South. This hostility has been brewing for several decades in Western countries, and it manifests in both everyday informal interactions and institutional contexts, where migrants and asylum seekers constantly face racist attitudes.

In 1991, Philomena Essed highlighted the importance of studying contemporary racism, focusing on the interplay between the macro‐social dimension and its constant reactivation in everyday interactions. Later, psychologists redefined the pervasive experience of racism in everyday encounters in terms of racial microaggressions. Migrants and asylum seekers today constitute “ideal” candidates for this kind of experience. This is due to the persistent historical processes that harken back to Western colonialism and imperialism, as well as the growing hostility towards people migrating from the Global South. This hostility has been brewing for several decades in Western countries, and it manifests in both everyday informal interactions and institutional contexts, where migrants and asylum seekers constantly face racist attitudes.

In our article, we aim to explore the experience of everyday racism of young people with migrant parents in Italy. Drawing on the analysis of 20 interviews, we seek to reconstruct the overall dynamics of racial microaggressions, highlighting how the context in which microaggressions occur and the interplay between ethnic background, gender, and somatic features influences the interpretations and reactions of the victims. We highlight the boundary work and identity negotiation process carried out in everyday encounters. We also show that participants’ experience oscillates between the claim of not-taken‐for‐granted citizenship, the feeling of being confined within ethno‐cultural imaginaries, and the experience of overt manifestations of racism. Finally, we highlight both the process by which victims come to recognise racial microaggressions and the obstacles they face in coping with them.

In 1991, Philomena Essed highlighted the importance of studying contemporary racism, focusing on the interplay between the macro‐social dimension and its constant reactivation in everyday interactions. Later, psychologists redefined the pervasive experience of racism in everyday encounters in terms of racial microaggressions. Migrants and asylum seekers today constitute “ideal” candidates for this kind of experience. This is due to the persistent historical processes that harken back to Western colonialism and imperialism, as well as the growing hostility towards people migrating from the Global South. This hostility has been brewing for several decades in Western countries, and it manifests in both everyday informal interactions and institutional contexts, where migrants and asylum seekers constantly face racist attitudes.

In 1991, Philomena Essed highlighted the importance of studying contemporary racism, focusing on the interplay between the macro‐social dimension and its constant reactivation in everyday interactions. Later, psychologists redefined the pervasive experience of racism in everyday encounters in terms of racial microaggressions. Migrants and asylum seekers today constitute “ideal” candidates for this kind of experience. This is due to the persistent historical processes that harken back to Western colonialism and imperialism, as well as the growing hostility towards people migrating from the Global South. This hostility has been brewing for several decades in Western countries, and it manifests in both everyday informal interactions and institutional contexts, where migrants and asylum seekers constantly face racist attitudes.

In our article, we aim to explore the experience of everyday racism of young people with migrant parents in Italy. Drawing on the analysis of 20 interviews, we seek to reconstruct the overall dynamics of racial microaggressions, highlighting how the context in which microaggressions occur and the interplay between ethnic background, gender, and somatic features influences the interpretations and reactions of the victims. We highlight the boundary work and identity negotiation process carried out in everyday encounters. We also show that participants’ experience oscillates between the claim of not-taken‐for‐granted citizenship, the feeling of being confined within ethno‐cultural imaginaries, and the experience of overt manifestations of racism. Finally, we highlight both the process by which victims come to recognise racial microaggressions and the obstacles they face in coping with them.

The B cell receptor immunoglobulin (Ig) gene repertoires of marginal zone (MZ) lymphoproliferations were analyzed in order to obtain insight into their ontogenetic relationships. Our cohort included cases with MZ lymphomas (n = 488), i.e. splenic (SMZL), nodal (NMZL) and extranodal (ENMZL), as well as provisional entities (n = 76), according to the WHO classification. The most striking Ig gene repertoire skewing was observed in SMZL. However, restrictions were also identified in all other MZ lymphomas studied, particularly ENMZL, with significantly different Ig gene distributions depending on the primary site of involvement. Cross-entity comparisons of the MZ Ig sequence dataset with a large dataset of Ig sequences (MZ-related or not; n = 65 837) revealed four major clusters of cases sharing homologous ('public') heavy variable complementarity-determining region 3. These clusters included rearrangements from SMZL, ENMZL (gastric, salivary gland, ocular adnexa), chronic lymphocytic leukemia, but also rheumatoid factors and non-malignant splenic MZ cells. In conclusion, different MZ lymphomas display biased immunogenetic signatures indicating distinct antigen exposure histories. The existence of rare public stereotypes raises the intriguing possibility that common, pathogen-triggered, immune-mediated mechanisms may result in diverse B lymphoproliferations due to targeting versatile progenitor B cells and/or operating in particular microenvironments.

Public and private partnerships (PPPs) can be regarded as one of the most relevant forms of organizational and institutional innovation in the field of social welfare. The analysis of the forms of inter-organizational collaboration in services codesign constitutes a very interesting direction for examining the reconfiguration of the relationships between public administrations and private actors. To this purpose, an explorative multiple case study involving three different PPPs was conducted. The results confirm the polymorphism of co-design practices, both on an organizational level and on a more strictly administrative level. Clearly, these are very dissimilar and, in many ways, irreconcilable experiences. Three analytical dimensions were identified: a) the breadth of the partnership and the scope of the co-planning work; b) the role of the funding body in the governance of the co-planning process; c) the level of integration among the participants

Biogenesis of chloroplasts in higher plants is initiated from proplastids, and involves a series of processes by which a plastid able to perform photosynthesis, to synthesize amino acids, lipids, and phytohormones is formed. All plastid protein complexes are composed of subunits encoded by the nucleus and chloroplast genomes, which require a coordinated gene expression to produce the correct concentrations of organellar proteins and to maintain organelle function. To achieve this, hundreds of nucleus-encoded factors are imported into the chloroplast to control plastid gene expression. Among these factors, members of the Pentatricopeptide Repeat (PPR) containing protein family have emerged as key regulators of the organellar post–transcriptional processing. PPR proteins represent a large family in plants, and the extent to which PPR functions are conserved between dicots and monocots deserves evaluation, in light of differences in photosynthetic metabolism (C3 vs. C4) and localization of chloroplast biogenesis (mesophyll vs. bundle sheath cells). In this work we investigated the role played in the process of chloroplast biogenesis by At5g42310, a member of the Arabidopsis PPR family which we here refer to as AtCRP1 (Chloroplast RNA Processing 1), providing a comparison with the orthologous ZmCRP1 protein from Zea mays. Loss-of-function atcrp1 mutants are characterized by yellow-albinotic cotyledons and leaves owing to defects in the accumulation of subunits of the thylakoid protein complexes. As in the case of ZmCRP1, AtCRP1 associates with the 5′ UTRs of both psaC and, albeit very weakly, petA transcripts, indicating that the role of CRP1 as regulator of chloroplast protein synthesis has been conserved between maize and Arabidopsis. AtCRP1 also interacts with the petB-petD intergenic region and is required for the generation of petB and petD monocistronic RNAs. A similar role has been also attributed to ZmCRP1, although the direct interaction of ZmCRP1 with the petB, Peer Reviewed

Biogenesis of chloroplasts in higher plants is initiated from proplastids, and involves a series of processes by which a plastid able to perform photosynthesis, to synthesize amino acids, lipids, and phytohormones is formed. All plastid protein complexes are composed of subunits encoded by the nucleus and chloroplast genomes, which require a coordinated gene expression to produce the correct concentrations of organellar proteins and to maintain organelle function. To achieve this, hundreds of nucleus-encoded factors are imported into the chloroplast to control plastid gene expression. Among these factors, members of the Pentatricopeptide Repeat (PPR) containing protein family have emerged as key regulators of the organellar post–transcriptional processing. PPR proteins represent a large family in plants, and the extent to which PPR functions are conserved between dicots and monocots deserves evaluation, in light of differences in photosynthetic metabolism (C3 vs. C4) and localization of chloroplast biogenesis (mesophyll vs. bundle sheath cells). In this work we investigated the role played in the process of chloroplast biogenesis by At5g42310, a member of the Arabidopsis PPR family which we here refer to as AtCRP1 (Chloroplast RNA Processing 1), providing a comparison with the orthologous ZmCRP1 protein from Zea mays. Loss-of-function atcrp1 mutants are characterized by yellow-albinotic cotyledons and leaves owing to defects in the accumulation of subunits of the thylakoid protein complexes. As in the case of ZmCRP1, AtCRP1 associates with the 5′ UTRs of both psaC and, albeit very weakly, petA transcripts, indicating that the role of CRP1 as regulator of chloroplast protein synthesis has been conserved between maize and Arabidopsis. AtCRP1 also interacts with the petB-petD intergenic region and is required for the generation of petB and petD monocistronic RNAs. A similar role has been also attributed to ZmCRP1, although the direct interaction of ZmCRP1 with the petB, Peer Reviewed

In our chapter, we explore how the intersection of governmentality studies with critical discourse analysis (CDA) enables an empirical and analytical examination of the ways in which discursive and non-discursive practices contribute to the rationalities (episteme) and apparatus (techne) of governmentality. To this end, we examine urban security policies and discourses in >Milan over the past decade. Drawing on archival data, official statistics and research reports, we analyse the general policy framework that has emerged and consolidated in the period considered. Special attention is paid to a new frame for urban policies inaugurated in 2005 with the stipulation of “Local pacts for Urban Security”.

Security can be regarded as a set of governmental devices (dispositifs according to Foucault) which in modern states have ensured the management of the population and allowed the ordinary and regular functioning of liberal societies (Foucault, 2008). In this framework, ‘security devices’ are a set of governance techniques that emerged in the eighteenth century in order to act on the population, this being defined as a phenomenon which can be regulated according to a criterion of statistical normality and not according to a norm (Foucault, 2004b/2007). The series including ‘population’ - understood as the object of government in the place of the former unit constituted by the ‘territory’ - and ‘security devices’ - understood as a set of technologies with which to manage the population - is integrated with the notions of threat and risk, which become key elements of governance in liberal societies (Foucault, 2008).1.

Il capitolo discute gli aspetti organizzativi - intesi in un prospettiva processuale - connessi allo sviluppo e alla attuazione di iniziative di coprogettazione per la realizzazione di servizi sociali e di iniziative di welfare. Oltre a una disamina della "attenzioni organizzative" richieste nelle fasi di avvio, di gestione e di rendicontazione delle iniziative di coprogettazione, il capitolo dedica la parte iniziale a riflettere sull'evoluzione delle metafore organizzative e sulla coerenza tra rappresentazioni dell'agire organizzativo e realizzabilità di iniziative di coprogettazione.

The proposed revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), has reignited a protracted debate in psychiatry and clinical psychology regarding the criteria used to diagnose and classify mental disorders. Drawing on the concepts of legitimisation and hegemony, the aim of this study is to deconstruct how the authoritativeness of the DSM was discursively constructed, legitimised and consolidated over time. To fulfil this purpose, we combine a critical psychology perspective with critical discourse analysis and adopt a multi-level model of analysis that embraces the notions of genre and repertoire in scientific discourse. The materials were approached considering the following interrelated dimensions: (a) semantic macro-areas; (b) discursive strategies; and (c) linguistic means. The data set is constituted by the Forewords and Introductions of different editions of the DSM, from the DSM-I through to the DSM-5. The analysis highlights the discursive strategies that play an important role in self-legitimisation and the construction of a dominant hegemonic discourse.

This dissertation presents an interdisciplinary work aimed at investigate the discursive construction of otherness in mental health domain in the Western culture, and in detail the role of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the APA, in this process. Critical psychology perspective oriented the research and the data collection. The analysis is conducted through a multi-method approach (Critical Discourse Analysis, Semiotic Analysis and Lacanian Discourse Analysis), which integrates several traditions with a particular concern about the ways in which power and ideology are discursively enacted, produced and resisted by text and talk and shape the concept of mental disorders. The study (1) examines how legitimisation and hegemony have been discursively constructed, legitimised and consolidated over time. The study (2) aims to investigate the scientific debate around the deletion of NPD in order to reconstruct and deconstruct the decisional process through which the boundaries between normality and pathology are constructed. The study (3) aims to investigate how the discourse of DSM was contested by discourse of other social actors involved in the mental-health domain in order to analyze the effect on shaping subjectivity of patients and mental-health professionals.

Anti-immigrant political arguments have long been at the centre of the campaigning of the Lega Nord, the Italian extreme-right secessionist party. The paper analyses posters from political campaigns between 2001 and 2008 in order to detect similarities and differences emerging over time, and to show how continuity and change intertwine in the Lega Nord’s anti-immigrant discourse. The analysis is presented across two axes: first, the visual dimensions of the texts are examined, concentrating predominantly on the use of images; second, we analyse the linguistic content of the leaflets, paying particular attention to referential strategies and argumentative structure. The sampled posters demonstrate that although the Lega Nord’s immigration policies are driven by an enduring and base antipathy to foreigners, in the 2008 campaign the strategy shifts to one that foregrounds arguments reminiscent of the Nouvelle Droite’s ethnopluralism. Accordingly, in the interests of respecting cultural diversity, the Lega Nord argue that different national communities need to be kept separate, thereby inverting liberal values for the purpose of countering multiculturalism.

This introductory essay aims at offering an overview of the historical, demographic and economic dimensions of migration in Italy - as well as of Italian politics and migration-related legislation. Based on statistics, analysis and reports, and drawing on existing Italian and international literature on immigration-related issues, the paper highlights the profile of Italy’s migrant groups as well as the role they have been playing in the country’s labour market over time. The paper analyses key migration-related legislation showing that Italian immigration policies have been basically focused on ex post regularizations, control of new legal entries and repression of irregular ones. The increasing criminalization and securitization of immigration supported by right-wing parties are highlighted. Finally, the most relevant features of public debate on immigration in Italy are highlighted.

In 2007, the two most important Italian left-wing parties merged into a single political entity.This study intends to analyze the merging process. Specifically, and in line with the ingroup projection hypothesis (Mummendey & Wenzel, 1999), we have explored whether the identification and the favouritism toward the upcoming common group was affected by the perceivers’ projection of specific and common stereotypical traits from the subordinate groups to the superordinate one. Political militants’ (N =132) levels of ingroup identification, their representations of the previous ingroup, outgroup and of the new party, their attitudes towards the common group were assessed. Results confirmed that the cognitive representation of the merged party was shaped much more on the basis of the typical traits of the ingroup than of the outgroup. Moreover, Structural Equation Analyses showed that the identification with the superordinate category and the consequent favouritism toward the merger were related to the projection of ingroup attributes. The findings also suggested that the ingroup projection may be particularly crucial when the intergroup bias is high. Finally, political implications are discussed in terms of obstacles and resources inherent to the merging process.

Cet article a pour but d’analyser les façons dont le conflit « interethnique » est construit dans le discours anti-immigration de la droite extrémiste. Notre hypothèse est que le discours sur l’identité nationale et sur l’insécurité sont fonctionnels pour l’ethnicisation et la racialisation du conflit social, ce qui pourrait impliquer non seulement un sentiment de menace et le construit social de peur, mais aussi un glissement vers la légitimation de la violence et de la haine ethnique. Ce glissement dans la représentation de l’autre (qui passe d’« étranger » à « ennemi ») se réalise sur le plan discursif à travers une inversion des rôles dans la relation entre ceux qui font partie du groupe (in-group) et ceux qui en sont exclus (out-group), en particulier pour ce qui est de la dimension dominant-dominé sur laquelle se fonde l’idéologie raciste suprématiste.

Introduction. Studies regarding health care professionals' representations of pain indicate that doctors and nurses tend to concentrate on the organic origin of pain, and to view pain as subordinate to diagnosis and treatment of the disease; they also tend to underestimate the psychological and psychosocial components of pain, which means that they generally view the patient's subjective experience as secondary. This leads to an underestimation of pain. Objective. The objective of this study was to analyze the representations of pain held by doctors, head nurses, and nurses in two Italian hospitals, focusing on how these representations are shaped according to the local culture in which they are constructed and negotiated. Methods. Our study is based on a socio-constructionist approach, drawing on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 26 health care professionals. Results. The results show similarities and differences in how health care professionals construct their representations of pain. Three main issues emerged. First, the contents of these representations are strictly related to participants' job position and professional training; second, the representation of pain is significantly influenced by the values and meanings associated with the different professions; and third, there are two conflicting representations of pain, focusing on the objectivity vs the subjectivity of pain, respectively. Conclusions. To promote significant change regarding pain management within hospital organizations, it is essential to construct shared representations of the problem and its implications, particularly as regards relations with the patient. This change should take place at the educational as well as the socio-organizational level, and it should take into account ideas and proposals from the subjects involved. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This study investigates the sense of community and interethnic relations in two different metropolitan areas that vary in ethnic heterogeneity. The study was conducted in Milan, Italy using a sample of 318 participants living in different city districts that vary in ethnic heterogeneity (low vs. high). The participants completed a questionnaire that assessed their psychological sense of community, blatant and subtle prejudice, host community acculturation strategies, and some measures of contact (quality, quantity, and type). The results indicate that high ethnic heterogeneity is related to a lower sense of community, higher blatant prejudice, and exclusionism. Residents living in lower ethnic heterogeneity neighborhoods reported closer contact opportunities and lower levels of prejudice. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Questo contributo nasce da una suggestione indotta dalla constatazione di come siano numerose e ricorrenti nei testi che si occupano di ricerca-azione (R-A d ora in poi) le metafore visive, i riferimenti allo sguardo, al vedere. Si è allora voluto sviluppare una riflessione sul significato di questi numerosi richiami visivi , che paiono una peculiarità dei lavori che documentano attività di R-A e sembrano invece assai meno presenti nei resoconti relativi a interventi, anch essi orientati a cambiare le condotte delle persone, ma ispirati da altre posizioni teoriche e realizzati attraverso altri approcci. Per fare un esempio, tra i molti possibili, si possono citare i programmi di behaviour change che caratterizzano l ambito della promozione della salute. Anch essi, com è il caso della R-A, hanno un intento trasformativo ma, a differenza di questa, sembrano far leva, per raggiungere i loro obiettivi, più sulla prescrizione di azioni, sulla persuasione ad adottare certe condotte, sull impiego di tecnologie a supporto , che sull invito a cambiare il modo di vedere le cose .

In diesem Beitrag soll ein Überblick über traditionelle lineare vs. dialogisch-diskursive Modelle in der Medienkommunikationsforschung gegeben werden. Die Beschäftigung mit Prozessen von Medienkommunikation hat sich mit der Evolution neuer theoretischer Modelle in der Psychologie und den Sozialwissenschaften verändert. Die Hauptprobleme traditioneller Modelle, die zunächst in der Medienforschung entwickelt worden waren, resultierten einerseits aus der rigiden Gegenüberstellung von "Sender" und "Empfänger" und andererseits aus der fehlenden Integration sozialer Variablen für eine angemessene Konzeptualisierung des Kommunikationsprozesses. Es wird gezeigt, wie die wachsende Beachtung des interaktiven Charakters von Kommunikation zu einer Ablösung der traditionellen linearen Modelle durch komplexere Modelle führte, verbunden mit einer Re-Definition des Kommunikationskonzepts wie z.B. in dialogischen Modellen und im Rahmen diskursiver Ansätze. Aus dieser Perspektive kommt den Medien eine zentrale Rolle für Prozesse der Wirklichkeitskonstruktion und -rekonstruktion zu; die Entwicklung angemessener qualitativer Verfahren ist in diesem Zusammenhang unabdingbar., This paper aims to provide an overview on traditional linear models vs. dialogical and discursive approaches to the study of mass media communication processes. The ways of conceiving the process of media-communication have changed along with the evolution of the theoretical paradigms of psychology and the social sciences. The main limits of these models which were first developed in the area of media studies derive, on the one hand, from the rigid alternating between source and receivers, and, on the other hand, from the lack of integration of the social variables in the conceptualization of the communication process. This paper will show how an increased focus on the interactive aspects of communication leads to the replacement of traditional linear models with more complex models implying a redefining of the concept of communication, as, for example, the dialogical models and the discursive approach. It is in this perspective that the media is seen to have a fundamental role in the processes of constructing/reconstructing reality, and the development of qualitative methodologies is especially needed., Este artículo intenta proporcionar una visión general sobre la oposición entre los modelos lineales tradicionales y los enfoques discursivos en el estudio de los procesos de los medios de comunicación de masas. Las maneras de concebir tales procesos han cambiado con la evolución de los paradigmas teóricos de la psicología y de las ciencias sociales. Las principales limitaciones de éstos modelos, que fueron primero desarrollados en el área de los estudios de los medios, provienen, por un lado, de la rígida alternancia entre fuente y receptores, y, por el otro, de la falta de integración de las variables sociales en la conceptualización de los procesos de comunicación. Este artículo muestra cómo un creciente interés en los aspectos interactivos de la comunicación, conduce a la sustitución de los modelos lineales tradicionales por modelos más complejos implicando una redefinición del concepto de comunicación; como por ejemplo, en los modelos dialógicos y el enfoque discursivo. Es en esta perspectiva que se ve el papel fundamental de los medios en los procesos de construcción y reconstrucción de la realidad, para lo cual es especialmente necesario el desarrollo de metodología cualitativas.

In diesem Beitrag soll gezeigt werden, dass Erzählungen in unterschiedlichen Phasen des Forschungsprozesses reflexiv genutzt werden können, um zu verstehen, wie Handelnde ihre Sicht von Ereignissen konstruieren und ihrem eigenen Handeln Sinn verleihen. In der Handlungsforschung kommt der Intersubjektivität eine besondere Bedeutung zu, da in der Interaktion zwischen den Beteiligten (hierzu gehören auch die Forschenden) Versionen von Wissen produziert werden. In diesem Sinne kann Handlungsforschung als ein Prozess verstanden werden, in dessen Verlauf verschiedene Erzählungen generiert werden, die verschiedene Interpretationen eröffnen, die wiederum aktiv von den Beteiligten (re-) konstruiert werden (müssen). Anhand einer Fallgeschichte wird zusammenfassend gezeigt, wie zum einen Reflexivität genutzt wird, um (durch die Identifikation von Konzepten und Kategorien, die die Teilnehmenden zur Sinnzuschreibung heranziehen) die Konstruktion von Erzählungen zu erforschen, und um zum anderen nachvollziehbar zu machen, wie unterschiedliche Arten von Wissen durch die Teilnehmenden ko-konstruiert werden. Reflexivität wird hierbei in ihrem Bezug zu Handeln und zu Sinngebungsprozessen für Handeln verstanden, in die Forschungsteilnehmer(innen) und Forschende involviert sind. In diesem Zusammenhang wird auch thematisiert, welche Rolle Macht in der Beziehung zwischen Beforschten und Forschenden spielt., The paper offers an analysis of how narratives may be reflexively used at different stages of the research process as a tool to access the interpretative frameworks that actors use to construct their accounts of events and to make sense of their action. Inter-subjectivity is a determinant of the action research process as it is in the interactions between participants (professional researchers included) that certain versions of knowledge are produced. Action research can be seen as an ongoing process in which different narratives are co-produced allowing different interpretations to be actively constructed by participants. A case study is briefly presented where reflexivity is used both to clarify how accounts (narratives) are constructed (identifying concepts and categories used by participants to make sense of their action) and to allow different forms of knowledge to be developed by participants. Reflexivity is intended here as being inherently connected to action and as a part of the sense-making process in which both participants and the researcher are engaged. The problem of power relations between professional researchers and participants is discussed., El artículo ofrece un análisis de como las narrativas pueden ser reflexivamente utilizadas en diferentes niveles del proceso de investigación como una herramienta para acceder a los marcos interpretativos que los autores utilizan para construir sus evaluaciones de los eventos y para dar sentido a su acción. La inter-subjetividad es un determinante en el proceso de investigación acción ya que se da en las interacciones entre los participantes (inclusive en investigadores profesionales) en las que ciertos tipos de conocimientos son producidos. La investigación acción puede ser considerada como un proceso continuo en el cual diferentes narrativas son co-producidas permitiendo que diferentes interpretaciones sean activamente construidas por los participantes. Se presenta brevemente un estudio de caso en el que se usa la reflexividad, tanto para esclarecer como las evaluaciones (narrativas) son construidas (identificando conceptos y categorías usadas por los participantes para dar sentido a su acción) así como para permitir que diferentes formas de conocimiento sean desarrolladas por los participantes. Se propone aquí a la reflexividad como inherentemente conectada a la acción y como parte del proceso de dar sentido en el que los participantes y los investigadores están involucrados. Se discute el problema de las relaciones de poder entre los investigadores profesionales y los participantes.

Questo contributo nasce da una suggestione indotta dalla constatazione di come siano numerose e ricorrenti nei testi che si occupano di ricerca-azione (R-A d ora in poi) le metafore visive, i riferimenti allo sguardo, al vedere. Si è allora voluto sviluppare una riflessione sul significato di questi numerosi richiami visivi , che paiono una peculiarità dei lavori che documentano attività di R-A e sembrano invece assai meno presenti nei resoconti relativi a interventi, anch essi orientati a cambiare le condotte delle persone, ma ispirati da altre posizioni teoriche e realizzati attraverso altri approcci. Per fare un esempio, tra i molti possibili, si possono citare i programmi di behaviour change che caratterizzano l ambito della promozione della salute. Anch essi, com è il caso della R-A, hanno un intento trasformativo ma, a differenza di questa, sembrano far leva, per raggiungere i loro obiettivi, più sulla prescrizione di azioni, sulla persuasione ad adottare certe condotte, sull impiego di tecnologie a supporto , che sull invito a cambiare il modo di vedere le cose .

Il capitolo si concentra sulle metafore visive frequentemente utilizzate e diffuse nella ricerca-azione (R-A). Vengono illustrate le ragioni teoriche che giustificano il ricorso a dispositivi figurativi (le immagini) e linguistici (le parole) nell'attuazione di una R-A, così come le principali forme ricorrenti del loro impiego.

Pain is a symptom often associated with disease, but several studies indicate that pain management continues to be inadequate. This fact seems to depend on representations of the problem and professional practices which are not likely to change. The purpose of this qualitative study, conducted in two hospitals in the north of Italy, is to analyse pain representations held by doctors, and their implications with respect to the practices adopted in assessment and treatment of pain. The results – expressed by the interviewees – indicate three meanings connected to different professional practices: pain is represented as a clinical cue, as a request for help and for attention and as a symptom to be treated. These different meanings are explained in relation to the bipolar nature of pain representation’s nucleus which seems to be structured around the dialectic between subjective and objective pain.

In the past few years, ovule development has been widely studied in different plant species, both from a morphological and a more molecular point of view. At early stages of flower development, the placenta becomes specified inside the carpel and ovules develop from this tissue asmeristematic protuberances. Shortly after, a complicated genetic network regulates ovule patterning controlling the differentiation of three regions named funiculus, chalaza and nucellus. In the past decade, genes playing important roles during ovule development have been identified, and in a few cases, genetic models that could explain the molecular relationship among these genes have been proposed. Here we focus our attention on the molecular genetic mechanisms that stand at the base of ovule development in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana and we report an updated description of the molecular networks controlling both sporophytic and gametophytic tissue development in the ovule. Furthermore, we observe that the mechanisms controlling ovule development seem to be evolutionary conserved, even in a distantly related species such as rice.

The aim of this chapter is to explore the diversity of action research as it emerge across different approaches and disciplinary fields: from quasi-experimental to participative action research. Variable epistemological and theoretical assumptions systematically lead to the constitution of distinctive forms of action research practices. This diversity is illustrated, with reference to the relevant literature, in terms of variation in: the aims of action research; its conception of knowledge; its conception of change processes; the role of the action researcher and their relations with members.