Understanding a liminal condition: Comparing emerging representations of the “vegetative state”

Abstract

Our research explored the social representations of the 'vegetative state' across different cultural (India, Italy, and the UK) and social milieus (left-leaning, right-leaning, and religious/tabloid newspapers). The aim was to discover how public discourse engages liminality between life and death. Qualitative and quantitative text analyses were conducted on news headlines and full-texts from British (n = 300), Indian (n = 300), and Italian (n = 300) newspapers published between January 1990 and June 2019. Our study shows three results: (a) the vegetative state is a potentially global issue that remains discussed with local timing and characteristics; (b) it is commonly represented in eight frames of different resonance across cultural milieus; (c) the news flows are organised on different dimensions (quality, political, and ideological). Results shed light on how liminality is discursively managed by the interplay of cultural resources and social positionings. In particular, this suggests a hitherto unrecognised function of the objectification process: personification as position-taking.

Ethics and the 2018 Practice Guideline on Disorders of Consciousness

“…But given prevailing negative attitudes about severe brain injury 18 , these biases should be made explicit, acknowledging that future quality of life is often unknown for these patients 19 , and could be subject to value-laden judgments that vary by person, society, and culture. 20,21 Approaching discussions of benefits, harms, and uncertainty with transparency allows clinicians to focus on patient and family-centered goals, rather than imposing subjective and potentially value-discordant attitudes about which treatment decisions would be "best. "…”

“…But given prevailing negative attitudes about severe brain injury, 18 these biases should be made explicit, acknowledging that future quality of life is often unknown for these patients, 19 and could be subject to value-laden judgments that vary by person, society, and culture. 20,21…”

The Discursive Construction of Polyamory: Legitimising an Alternative to Monogamy

“…In our perspective, polyamory may be conceptualised as a liminal relational structure (Gusmano, 2018) between two positions that are usually conceived in terms of mutual exclusivity (loyal/cheater; heterosexual/homosexual; jealous/not jealous), and this liminality is associated with uncertainty, ambivalence, and a feeling of being suspended (O'Byrne & Haines, 2019). Therefore, characterised by the absence of any legitimised order, polyamory may create a paradox that hinders public understanding and impedes social acknowledgement (Greco & Stenner, 2017;Zulato et al, 2021). From this perspective, polyamorists are thus engaged in the construction of a new order, which is made of values, norms, and practices and allows them to overcome the paradoxes associated with a liminal condition (Domínguez et al, 2017).…”

Neuroethics across the Disorders of Consciousness Care Continuum

“…Our ethical analysis tracks DoC care, from preinjury to injury, acute care to subacute care and early rehabilitation, and finally transitioning to chronic rehabilitation and societal reintegration (►Fig. 1). We provide an actionable, chronological lens through which practical ethical issues of DoC are illuminated, safeguards to responsible health policy and practice clarified, and opportunities for future research highlighted (►Table 1).…”

“…Yet, it is important to acknowledge the substantial variation in clinical practices and values across regions and cultures, which may influence normative considerations of DoC and their analysis. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Local ethics consultation is advised to help clinicians and investigators responsibly navigate the context-specific normative landscape of DoC care.…”