Raul Perez Lejano - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Raul Perez Lejano
Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 2015
ABSTRACT In this article we present a ‘narrative network' approach, which by virtue of its en... more ABSTRACT In this article we present a ‘narrative network' approach, which by virtue of its engagement with the non-human and with collaborative decision-making, is especially well suited to support social scientists in better comprehending the diverse possibilities for environmental governance in the Anthropocene. The most highly salient Anthropocene narrative is focused on physical phenomena, and neglects the importance and dynamism of the social landscape. Despite the dire warnings conveyed by this narrative dominated by the physical sciences, the solutions it recommends rely on status quo institutional arrangements. In this article, we explain and illustrate how the narrative-network analysis can identify and describe successful political action by largely informal networks that bridge geographic, economic, cultural, and political differences and embrace participatory environmental governance. We illustrate the power of narrative-network analysis to reveal an environmental network in the case of the Sonora Desert at the US–Mexican border. Such networks can be the vanguard of discourse and policy change, raising neglected issues and undertaking collaborative action that foreshadows later formalization, and enlist the participation of actors ordinarily far outside the policy-making process. We add to our previous work on narratives by explaining how the narrative-network analysis can be useful to discursive scholarship in environmental planning and policy. We harness analytical methods associated with narratology and social psychology to tap into the communicative dimension of the discourse dynamics.
Water Policy Entrepreneurs, 2009
The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks, 2013
The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks, 2013
The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks, 2013
The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks, 2013
The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks, 2013
This Element argues that relational policy analysis can provide deeper insights into the career o... more This Element argues that relational policy analysis can provide deeper insights into the career of any policy and the dynamics of any policy situation. This task is all the more difficult as the relational often operates unseen in the backstages of a policy arena. Another issue is the potentially unbounded scope of a relational analysis. But these challenges should not dissuade policy scholars from beginning to address the theme of relationality in public policy. This Element sketches a conceptual framework for the study of relationality and illustrates some of the promise of relational analysis using an extended case study. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Routledge eBooks, Feb 1, 2013
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2018
The MIT Press eBooks, Aug 17, 2007
FILLM studies in languages and literatures, Jan 29, 2018
Raul P. Lejano offers a boldly original synthesis of narratology, psychology, and human geography... more Raul P. Lejano offers a boldly original synthesis of narratology, psychology, and human geography. This helps him articulate his two main insights: that our identity as individuals, though not completely determined by sociocultural factors, nevertheless profoundly reflects our embeddedness in particular places; and that the way we think of, or would like to think of, our own identity is most readily captured in the stories we tell about ourselves. Most revealing of all, he suggests, are our stories about coming to grips with an entire city, especially when our experience of it is actually one of dislocation or relocation – when we in some sense or other “lose” a city to which we have hitherto belonged, or when we “find” a new one. By way of illustration the book includes four specially commissioned autobiographical stories by writers of Filipino origin, which Lejano’s analytical chapters compare and contrast with each other within his interdisciplinary frame of reference. At once learnedly sophisticated and readably empathetic, his commentaries are underpinned by a basically phenomenological orientation, which leads him to view human individuals as essentially relational beings, naturally inclined to enter into dialogue with both their fellow-creatures and the larger environment.
Oxford University Press eBooks, Oct 22, 2020
Chapter 2 considers what happens at the sharp turn in the road when a narrative does not just len... more Chapter 2 considers what happens at the sharp turn in the road when a narrative does not just lend meaning and organization to the group but isolates it from healthy public discourse; an adversarial turn that occurs when the group’s narrative becomes a closed and rigid ideology. The chapter outlines the telltale signs of the ideological transition and describes some key features that can be uncovered through narrative analysis. It goes on to discuss how the closedness of a narrative is closely related to the insularity of the group. Finally, text from climate skeptical blogs and op-eds are examined and the narrative approach to analyzing ideology is illustrated.
Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Dec 18, 2015
Raul P. Lejano offers a boldly original synthesis of narratology, psychology, and human geography... more Raul P. Lejano offers a boldly original synthesis of narratology, psychology, and human geography. This helps him articulate his two main insights: that our identity as individuals, though not completely determined by sociocultural factors, nevertheless profoundly reflects our embeddedness in particular places; and that the way we think of, or would like to think of, our own identity is most readily captured in the stories we tell about ourselves. Most revealing of all, he suggests, are our stories about coming to grips with an entire city, especially when our experience of it is actually one of dislocation or relocation – when we in some sense or other “lose” a city to which we have hitherto belonged, or when we “find” a new one. By way of illustration the book includes four specially commissioned autobiographical stories by writers of Filipino origin, which Lejano’s analytical chapters compare and contrast with each other within his interdisciplinary frame of reference. At once learnedly sophisticated and readably empathetic, his commentaries are underpinned by a basically phenomenological orientation, which leads him to view human individuals as essentially relational beings, naturally inclined to enter into dialogue with both their fellow-creatures and the larger environment.
Routledge eBooks, Feb 17, 2015
Journal of Planning Education and Research, Jul 9, 2016
Communities are sorted through differencing, the social construction of distinction. This, in tur... more Communities are sorted through differencing, the social construction of distinction. This, in turn, enables what we term social rendering: erasure of existing community and reimagination of an alternative one. This practice is founded upon an evolutionary notion of development as ecological succession, involving the intersectionality of race, class, and other markers. Such social genotyping leads to a genitocracy built around systems of differences. We examine the effect of present-day redevelopment practice on the Southern California community of Santa Ana. We illustrate how the processes of differencing and rendering undermine the sociocultural fabric of authentic community life.
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, Dec 16, 2013
Regulatory agencies often face a dilemma when regulating chemicals in consumer products-namely, t... more Regulatory agencies often face a dilemma when regulating chemicals in consumer products-namely, that of making decisions in the face of multiple, and sometimes conflicting, lines of evidence. We present an integrative approach for dealing with uncertainty and multiple pieces of evidence in toxics regulation. The integrative risk analytic framework is grounded in Dempster-Shafer (D-S) theory that allows the analyst to combine multiple pieces of evidence and judgments from independent sources of information. We apply the integrative approach to the comparative risk assessment of Bisphenol-A (BPA) based polycarbonate and the functionally equivalent alternative, Eastman TritanTM copolyester (ETC). Our results show that according to cumulative empirical evidence, the estimated probability of toxicity of BPA is 0.034, whereas the toxicity probability for ETC is 0.097. However, when we combine extant evidence with strength of confidence in the source (or expert judgment), we are guided by a richer interval measure, [Bel(t), Pl(t)]. With the D-S derived measure, we arrive at various intervals for BPA, with the low-range estimate at [0.034,0.250], and [0.097,0.688] for ETC. These new measures allow a reasonable basis for comparison and a justifiable procedure for decision-making that takes advantage of multiple sources of evidence. Through the application of D-S theory to toxicity risk assessment, we show how a multiplicity of scientific evidence can be converted into a unified risk estimate and how this information can be effectively used for comparative assessments to select potentially less toxic alternative chemicals.
Science, Technology, & Human Values, Sep 1, 2008
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) has captured planning practice to an unprecedented degree, a... more GIS (Geographic Information Systems) has captured planning practice to an unprecedented degree, and this article on how it reconfigures and is configured by institutional context. The author inquires into GIS as a technology for incorporating knowledge into institutional use and includes five propositions: (1) GIS's efficiencies in data processing allows it unprecedented facility and scope of analysis, (2) its use increases alienation, (3) its mimetic language furthers its role in planning, (4) its logic appears rational—purposive, but it conceals an underlying normative logic, and (5) its most profound effect is on the mapper, and the alienating and normative character of GIS necessitate new modes of “social ground-truthing.” The author studies the southeast Los Angeles (SELA) initiatives to demonstrate these propositions. This article compares two studies: one GIS-based, and the other based on participatory action research and discusses how GIS might be recontextualized into a technology for liberating democratizing processes.
Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 2015
ABSTRACT In this article we present a ‘narrative network' approach, which by virtue of its en... more ABSTRACT In this article we present a ‘narrative network' approach, which by virtue of its engagement with the non-human and with collaborative decision-making, is especially well suited to support social scientists in better comprehending the diverse possibilities for environmental governance in the Anthropocene. The most highly salient Anthropocene narrative is focused on physical phenomena, and neglects the importance and dynamism of the social landscape. Despite the dire warnings conveyed by this narrative dominated by the physical sciences, the solutions it recommends rely on status quo institutional arrangements. In this article, we explain and illustrate how the narrative-network analysis can identify and describe successful political action by largely informal networks that bridge geographic, economic, cultural, and political differences and embrace participatory environmental governance. We illustrate the power of narrative-network analysis to reveal an environmental network in the case of the Sonora Desert at the US–Mexican border. Such networks can be the vanguard of discourse and policy change, raising neglected issues and undertaking collaborative action that foreshadows later formalization, and enlist the participation of actors ordinarily far outside the policy-making process. We add to our previous work on narratives by explaining how the narrative-network analysis can be useful to discursive scholarship in environmental planning and policy. We harness analytical methods associated with narratology and social psychology to tap into the communicative dimension of the discourse dynamics.
Water Policy Entrepreneurs, 2009
The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks, 2013
The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks, 2013
The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks, 2013
The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks, 2013
The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks, 2013
This Element argues that relational policy analysis can provide deeper insights into the career o... more This Element argues that relational policy analysis can provide deeper insights into the career of any policy and the dynamics of any policy situation. This task is all the more difficult as the relational often operates unseen in the backstages of a policy arena. Another issue is the potentially unbounded scope of a relational analysis. But these challenges should not dissuade policy scholars from beginning to address the theme of relationality in public policy. This Element sketches a conceptual framework for the study of relationality and illustrates some of the promise of relational analysis using an extended case study. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Routledge eBooks, Feb 1, 2013
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2018
The MIT Press eBooks, Aug 17, 2007
FILLM studies in languages and literatures, Jan 29, 2018
Raul P. Lejano offers a boldly original synthesis of narratology, psychology, and human geography... more Raul P. Lejano offers a boldly original synthesis of narratology, psychology, and human geography. This helps him articulate his two main insights: that our identity as individuals, though not completely determined by sociocultural factors, nevertheless profoundly reflects our embeddedness in particular places; and that the way we think of, or would like to think of, our own identity is most readily captured in the stories we tell about ourselves. Most revealing of all, he suggests, are our stories about coming to grips with an entire city, especially when our experience of it is actually one of dislocation or relocation – when we in some sense or other “lose” a city to which we have hitherto belonged, or when we “find” a new one. By way of illustration the book includes four specially commissioned autobiographical stories by writers of Filipino origin, which Lejano’s analytical chapters compare and contrast with each other within his interdisciplinary frame of reference. At once learnedly sophisticated and readably empathetic, his commentaries are underpinned by a basically phenomenological orientation, which leads him to view human individuals as essentially relational beings, naturally inclined to enter into dialogue with both their fellow-creatures and the larger environment.
Oxford University Press eBooks, Oct 22, 2020
Chapter 2 considers what happens at the sharp turn in the road when a narrative does not just len... more Chapter 2 considers what happens at the sharp turn in the road when a narrative does not just lend meaning and organization to the group but isolates it from healthy public discourse; an adversarial turn that occurs when the group’s narrative becomes a closed and rigid ideology. The chapter outlines the telltale signs of the ideological transition and describes some key features that can be uncovered through narrative analysis. It goes on to discuss how the closedness of a narrative is closely related to the insularity of the group. Finally, text from climate skeptical blogs and op-eds are examined and the narrative approach to analyzing ideology is illustrated.
Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Dec 18, 2015
Raul P. Lejano offers a boldly original synthesis of narratology, psychology, and human geography... more Raul P. Lejano offers a boldly original synthesis of narratology, psychology, and human geography. This helps him articulate his two main insights: that our identity as individuals, though not completely determined by sociocultural factors, nevertheless profoundly reflects our embeddedness in particular places; and that the way we think of, or would like to think of, our own identity is most readily captured in the stories we tell about ourselves. Most revealing of all, he suggests, are our stories about coming to grips with an entire city, especially when our experience of it is actually one of dislocation or relocation – when we in some sense or other “lose” a city to which we have hitherto belonged, or when we “find” a new one. By way of illustration the book includes four specially commissioned autobiographical stories by writers of Filipino origin, which Lejano’s analytical chapters compare and contrast with each other within his interdisciplinary frame of reference. At once learnedly sophisticated and readably empathetic, his commentaries are underpinned by a basically phenomenological orientation, which leads him to view human individuals as essentially relational beings, naturally inclined to enter into dialogue with both their fellow-creatures and the larger environment.
Routledge eBooks, Feb 17, 2015
Journal of Planning Education and Research, Jul 9, 2016
Communities are sorted through differencing, the social construction of distinction. This, in tur... more Communities are sorted through differencing, the social construction of distinction. This, in turn, enables what we term social rendering: erasure of existing community and reimagination of an alternative one. This practice is founded upon an evolutionary notion of development as ecological succession, involving the intersectionality of race, class, and other markers. Such social genotyping leads to a genitocracy built around systems of differences. We examine the effect of present-day redevelopment practice on the Southern California community of Santa Ana. We illustrate how the processes of differencing and rendering undermine the sociocultural fabric of authentic community life.
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, Dec 16, 2013
Regulatory agencies often face a dilemma when regulating chemicals in consumer products-namely, t... more Regulatory agencies often face a dilemma when regulating chemicals in consumer products-namely, that of making decisions in the face of multiple, and sometimes conflicting, lines of evidence. We present an integrative approach for dealing with uncertainty and multiple pieces of evidence in toxics regulation. The integrative risk analytic framework is grounded in Dempster-Shafer (D-S) theory that allows the analyst to combine multiple pieces of evidence and judgments from independent sources of information. We apply the integrative approach to the comparative risk assessment of Bisphenol-A (BPA) based polycarbonate and the functionally equivalent alternative, Eastman TritanTM copolyester (ETC). Our results show that according to cumulative empirical evidence, the estimated probability of toxicity of BPA is 0.034, whereas the toxicity probability for ETC is 0.097. However, when we combine extant evidence with strength of confidence in the source (or expert judgment), we are guided by a richer interval measure, [Bel(t), Pl(t)]. With the D-S derived measure, we arrive at various intervals for BPA, with the low-range estimate at [0.034,0.250], and [0.097,0.688] for ETC. These new measures allow a reasonable basis for comparison and a justifiable procedure for decision-making that takes advantage of multiple sources of evidence. Through the application of D-S theory to toxicity risk assessment, we show how a multiplicity of scientific evidence can be converted into a unified risk estimate and how this information can be effectively used for comparative assessments to select potentially less toxic alternative chemicals.
Science, Technology, & Human Values, Sep 1, 2008
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) has captured planning practice to an unprecedented degree, a... more GIS (Geographic Information Systems) has captured planning practice to an unprecedented degree, and this article on how it reconfigures and is configured by institutional context. The author inquires into GIS as a technology for incorporating knowledge into institutional use and includes five propositions: (1) GIS's efficiencies in data processing allows it unprecedented facility and scope of analysis, (2) its use increases alienation, (3) its mimetic language furthers its role in planning, (4) its logic appears rational—purposive, but it conceals an underlying normative logic, and (5) its most profound effect is on the mapper, and the alienating and normative character of GIS necessitate new modes of “social ground-truthing.” The author studies the southeast Los Angeles (SELA) initiatives to demonstrate these propositions. This article compares two studies: one GIS-based, and the other based on participatory action research and discusses how GIS might be recontextualized into a technology for liberating democratizing processes.