Logics of Exclusion: How Ukrainian Audiences Renegotiate Propagandistic Narratives in Times of Conflict

Serial Focus Groups: A Longitudinal Design for Studying Interactive Discourse

“…Practically speaking, serial focus groups may be particularly useful for the study of issues that are closely interwoven with social, political or cultural identities (e.g., ideological beliefs, anti-elite resentment, intergroup conflict; Cramer, 2016; Ron & Maoz, 2013) or embedded in discursive-cultural dynamics of consensus and dissent (e.g., norm/opinion formation; polarization processes; Eliasoph, 1998; Just et al, 1996). Likewise, for the study of deviant experiences or otherwise touchy issues (e.g., deprivation; paranormal belief; Lamont, 2007; Spradley, 1979), as well as for complicated matters that require deeper consideration by participants (e.g., information evaluation strategies, as in our Ukrainian study; ethical dilemmas; complex decision-making processes; Pasitselska, 2022a; 2022b), serial focus groups offer valuable advantages. The same is true where discursive negotiations accompany concurrent real-world developments (e.g., election campaigns, as in our Israeli study; developing crises; Tenenboim-Weinblatt et al, 2022) or when the gradual transformation of knowledge and social relations within the group are relevant for the object of study (e.g., consensus formation; empowerment processes; Kamberelis & Dimitriadis, 2014), making use of serial focus groups’ longitudinal design.…”

“…Both studies relied on a Grounded Theory approach to analyze the data (Strauss and Corbin, 1997): In the Ukrainian study, analysis focused on media-related lay theories and attitudes, information behavior, and epistemic norms (Pasitselska, 2022a; 2022b). In the Israeli study, analysis focused on participants’ strategies for predicting electoral outcomes and the likelihood and desirability of projected outcomes (Tenenboim-Weinblatt et al, 2022; in print).…”

“…Finally, the availability of repeated observations proved instrumental for differentiating between participants’ strategic self-positioning, the influence of emergent group consensus, and the disclosure of more idiosyncratic, personal views. For instance, the second author could show how Eastern Ukrainian participants’ distancing of the ongoing conflict reflected less of a genuine disengagement, but responded to shifting communication norms negotiated in the group (Pasitselska, 2022b). Especially at the beginning, but also later following exchanges that positioned simple people as powerless victims of the conflict, participants tended to echo common public narratives that encouraged cynical media-related attitudes:Maria: There is no truth on the TV channels.…”