Conceptual Toolbox Research Articles

Data in movement: the social movement society in the age of datafication

ABSTRACT Data has increased currency in contemporary activism and has become an integral part of the action repertoire of today’s social movements. But data and data infrastructure are not only tools to support a movement’s struggle: they are constitutive parts of the environment in which movements operate, and objects of contention in their own right. These developments challenge scholars of social movements and collective action. How are movements changing under the pressure of datafication? What ‘new’ mechanisms, actors and tactics meet the growing demand for citizen participation in an increasingly datafied society? Is social movement scholarship ‘fit’ to capture and interpret this evolution? This theoretical article puts social movement studies in dialogue with critical data studies with the aim of encouraging a much-needed cross-pollination. It advances the notion of ‘datafied movements’ to address the novel structural condition of contentious politics in the age of datafication and to explore the socio-technical, systemic effects of data and data infrastructure on movement dynamics. It reflects on how five key social movement dynamics, and the related elements in the conceptual toolbox of social movement studies – group formation, opportunity structures, action repertoires, meaning work, and collective identity – are altered by datafication and the advance of intelligent systems in society. In so doing, this article charts the building blocks of a future-proof research program in social movements.

Sociopolitical reputation and the reform of pharmacies in Greece and Portugal

AbstractThis article argues that differences in sociopolitical reputation can explain why interest groups fail or succeed in influencing policymakers and that therefore sociopolitical reputation is a useful addition to the conceptual toolbox of interest groups scholars. Focusing on pharmacies and their associations in Greece and Portugal between 2005 and 2021, this article uses the concept of sociopolitical reputation to explain why reform attempts to reduce pharmaceutical spending and increase competition in the pharmacy sector were successful in Portugal but not in Greece, even though pharmacists are a much stronger interest group in Portugal than in Greece and even though both countries were under significant exogenous pressure to introduce structural reforms in the wake of the Eurozone crisis.

What do ‘local elites’ seek from EU security policies in the Sahel? Re-thinking the agency of non-European actors

The European Union (EU) has been attempting to promote stability in the Sahel since 2011 through capacity-building missions in the security and defence sectors. These policy instruments have been criticised for their limited effectiveness. To explain it, a common argument claims that ‘local elites’ lack ownership and political engagement. This article opposes such rationale and suggests that we need to rethink the agency of non-European actors beyond a Eurocentric conceptual toolbox (‘resistance’, ‘fragility’, ‘ownership’). Building on an ethnography of the European capacity-building mission in support of security forces in Niger (EUCAP Sahel), this article shows that Nigerien elites regard the EU as an economic resource rather than a genuine security actor. Therefore, they primarily seek economic profits, material advantages, and professional opportunities from EU security policies. The argument proceeds in three steps. The first part intends to refine the broad category of ‘local elites’. I suggest an inductive distinction that helps simplify our understanding of the agential practices of non-European actors. The second part uses this inductive distinction to foreground different strategies of Nigerien elites to make the most out of EU security policies. Third, the article discusses both the theoretical and policy implications of these empirical findings.

Towards a trans inclusive practice: thinking difference differently

Within the UK a polarised and politicised discourse exists that attempts to pitch transgender identities in opposition to discourses on sexual orientations. This suggests that interventions assisting clients in their understanding of one, would be detrimental on exploration of the other i.e., to be affirming of gender identity is to cause conversion of sexuality and vice versa. This paper attempts to address some of the problems with this oppositional critique and solve some of the practical problems that the theorist and/or clinician may encounter while attempting to help their clients within the realm of psychological therapies. It does so through Deleuzian ontologies of difference, coupled with Bhaskarian critical realism. We aim to present a (re)consideration of the biopsychosocial model of Health. The recent publication of the International Classification of Diseases 11th Edition and its reclassification of trans aetiology as a Disorder of Sexual Development has presented a conceptual shift from gender dysphoria towards a gender incongruence model (WHO 2022). The aim of this article therefore is to develop practice by enhancing the conceptual toolbox of the clinician and therapist working with Gender Sex and Relationship Diversities (GSRD). Thereby enabling them to better approach a wider diversity of clients safely.

For conjunctural geography: From method to counter-hegemonic practice

Conjunctural analysis makes an important addition to the conceptual toolbox for understanding the contours of China's (capitalist) regional economies. In this commentary, we concur with Peck's suggestion that the conjunctural approach can animate economic geography's engagement with ‘thick’ theorization without foregoing context-rich inquiry. However, we also emphasize Stuart Hall's commitment to counter-hegemonic politics and his use of the conjunctural approach to explore – and ultimately facilitate – historical breaks in social structures of dominance. Through a brief exploration of ways of engaging the region in China area studies and Chinese geography, we discuss how the conjunctural approach can be mobilized to (re)politicize geographies of regional development.

What Exactly is Presupposed by Agnotology? The Challenge of Intentions

ABSTRACT The paper seeks to contribute to clarifying agnotology as an ‘epistemic strategy’, conceived as ‘epistemically damaging and hurt[ing] the production of knowledge’. My general claim is that the grammar of intentions ‘embedded’ in agnotological arguments is often not considered accurately. I use considerations from the philosophy of action as a theoretical framework to make more explicit what is implied in agnogenetic manoeuvres. Agnotology, as a ‘theory’ about epistemic states, in particular knowledge and ignorance, would be seriously incomplete without that component. The following can thus be read as a contribution to an analysis of the presuppositions of the strategic variant of Agnotology. My first claim is that the more common objections to the introduction of intentions are in no way definitive. My second, more specific, claim is that we need a room, in our conceptual toolbox, for ‘anti-epistemic intentions’, which play a key role in agnotological arguments.

Reading Slavery in the Epistle of Jude

Abstract The Epistle of Jude has been examined by biblical scholars for a variety of reasons in recent decades, but one still underexplored interpretative avenue is Jude’s treatment of enslavement. In this article, I argue that Jude pulls from the same conceptual toolbox as many other texts of the Roman republican and imperial eras in its depiction of believers as enslaved people (δοῦλοι) and Jesus as an enslaver (κύριος; δɛσπότης). After placing these three terms in the context of ancient enslavement, I offer three examples of Jude’s participation in a broader discourse of enslavement: (1) the importance of loyalty and disloyalty to Jesus the κύριος; (2) the capability of the enslaver to harm and control the bodies of the enslaved, and (3) the presumption of the benevolence of the κύριος in offering mercy. This reading of Jude highlights how deeply embedded even a short New Testament text can be in the vocabulary, stereotypes, and normalization of violence of Roman enslavement.

Bounded Ownership: Lessons Learned From Online Platforms in Creating Inclusive Goods

The article explores a part of platform imaginary that is dedicated to property rights. Specifically, it explicates a notion of ownership—called here bounded ownership—that brings benefits to owners through loosening restrictions on property use. Bounded ownership creates online spaces that are more inclusive and at the same time enables owners to govern them. To fully grasp bounded ownership, the article argues for maintaining the distinction between production and consumption and uses Zelizer’s theory of exchange circuits. With this conceptual toolbox, the article traces the principles of bounded ownership in free and open-source software (FOSS), where they have been present for several decades. It is argued that in FOSS production and consumption constitute separate circuits where ownership is enacted differently. The article then draws a parallel between FOSS and more recent commercial online platforms. It argues that FOSS projects can be considered a layer in the platform ecosystem and at the same time highlights the differences in how bounded ownership is enacted in FOSS and other platforms. While online platforms have been successful in implementing bounded ownership in various sectors, they created deep dependencies on the part of users and content producers. The article concludes by discussing platform practices that retain the inclusiveness of bounded ownership while decreasing the dependency on platforms.

CSR and the Hermeneutical Renovation of Foucault’s Toolbox

This article aims to examine Foucault’s conceptual toolbox (methodology, conceptual tools, and conceptual meta-tools) in relation to the socio-historical analysis of CSR and of the corporation. The article has a bidirectional purpose: it aims to use Foucault’s toolbox to analyze CSR, and to use the occasion of applying Foucault to CSR to reflect on the interpretation, critical potential, and adequacy of Foucault’s conceptual toolbox. It starts with some preliminary work: a review and rework of an interpretation of Foucault’s conceptual toolbox by Koopman and Matza. With this interpretationally revised toolbox in mind, it then initiates a Foucauldian approach to the research field of ‘the corporation’ and the sub-field of CSR. Most of the first half of this article demonstrates that Foucault’s toolbox offers a fruitful start to tackling these fields. The second half of the article takes up a counterpoint in the reverse direction, namely that Foucault’s toolbox is not equipped for adequately apprehending the interpretative play and flexibility operating within CSR discourse. This leads to a suggestion of three ways to incorporate hermeneutic tools into Foucault’s toolbox, and to an exemplification of how such toolbox renovation sheds new light on the tactics and power dynamics of CSR discourse.

Career-washing? Unpacking employer brand promises on social media platforms

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how a global fashion retailer uses a social media platform to build an appeal via a process of online employer branding.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved a narrative and thematic analysis of posts of a global fashion retailer on LinkedIn. The authors sampled organisational posts and the responses they received over a six-month period.FindingsThe organisation uses carefully curated success stories of “ideal” existing employees to build an appeal based on the values of growth and belonging. While varied, the responses of platform users tend to be limited to brief contributions, questioning the success of the organisation’s attempts at creating an appeal.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors argue that employer branding literature needs a new conceptual toolbox, which better reflects the mediated, affective and networked nature of platforms.Practical implicationsTo avoid career-washing, employer brands should engage with the networked nature of platforms, fostering authentic conversations with users rather than using platforms merely as a billboard to post content.Originality/valueThe authors theorise the appeal of the employer brand through the concept of the “employer brand promise”. Furthermore, they show how, on social networks, this promise attempts to create value through meaningful engagement. They also conclude by observing how the employer brand promise can act as a form of career-washing, where there is a significant dis-connect between the promise offered and the reality of retail work on the ground.

World of origin: The contagious ingredient of monastic products

This paper addresses the question of the resources that consumers rely on when faced with products that communicate very little. When consumers purchase items from Christian abbeys, this question is particularly significant given that these organizations, while sharing a common history, are spatially dispersed. Through qualitative interviews with purchasers of monastic products, our research confirms the contagion process from products’ origin to consumers, and proposes the new concept of World of Origin (WOO), a cloud-like representation serving as an extrinsic source of meaning and acting as a substitute for strong brand narratives. Distinct from Country of Origin, terroir, brand aura, and heritage, WOO is an addition to the marketing conceptual toolbox, facilitating a thinner grain analysis of consumption phenomena. The contagious power of WOO enriches the research on the context’s influence and enables a discussion of the consequences of consumers themselves creating embellished or even false inventions of the past.

Entangled Assemblages

Food and life are intimately entangled. To grasp the underlying complexity of this seemingly simple statement, this article first introduces the approach to food/eating as an assemblage enacted by various heterogeneous components, and further develops it by engaging with actor network theory and material semiotics. Thereafter the focus turns to ‘entanglement’, as inspired by quantum physics, to elicit the basic dynamics of the entanglement of food and more-than-human beings, conceived of as involving mutual and differential becomings within and among assemblages. The article illustrates these entangled becomings by drawing upon examples from Sri Lanka, which in an intercultural philosophical fashion serve to establish an articulation (in the sense of a connection) between the proposed abstract approach to food and some basic premises of Buddhism and Ayurveda, a South Asian health system. Overall, the article crafts a conceptual toolbox and performs ontological groundwork wherein food and human beings as entangled assemblages provide a productive, refined, and sensitive research apparatus for the intimate study of more-than-human life and organization while also spurring novel theorizations through food/eating.

A STUDY OF THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN THE IMMIGRATION PROCESS IN A LIGHT OF SOCIAL INTEGRATION THEORIES AMONG EAST AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS IN FINLAND

This study utilizes empirical data to focus on the role of religion in the migration process in light of two theories developed thus so far in the field of immigrant integration. This is achieved based on my own data collected in form of interviews in relation to east African immigrants living in Finland. I investigate whether the currently existing conceptual toolbox is sufficient enough to base an analysis of immigrant integration and how religion influences the process of immigration. Effects of religion are analysed based on individual east African and communal expressions of religious faith. I begin by exploring the concepts of migration and immigrant integration. I then proceed to evaluate the social exchange theory and the social bond theory while focusing on the experiences of east African immigrants in Finland that are captured via interviewing. I argue that despite the theoretical framework for analysing migration phenomena there is still a need for a deeper analysis of the key effects of religion on immigration processes. Additionally, east African immigrants in Finland often face difficulties in religious assimilation in the host society due to mainly language barriers and differences in religious practices. There is an equal need for more elaborate research on religious concepts since most of the currently existing theories are an amalgam of social factors appertaining to immigration processes. A separate focus on religion becomes a necessity since religion has become a juggernaut in migration phenomena.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0854/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Enroling around—Reconfiguring place and space in the wake of a new reception centre in a small rural town

AbstractThe paper examines how a small rural town Kauhava, Finland, is reconfigured in the wake of a reception centre being established. Drawing on the conceptual toolbox of the sociology of associations, we find that regardless of attitudes towards asylum seekers, people springing into action and enroling others leads to the problematisation and intensification of place. This involves turning public and private spaces into contested places. Competing definitions of community and identity emerge. While new identities are configured, new associations and ways of linking actors and places together also take form. The paper examines how the micropolitics of place and belonging are carried out in practice, and what types of mechanisms bring about or prevent new conjunctions and transformations in places. The data consist of interviews in Kauhava with town officials, reception centre volunteers, opponents of the centre and refugees who have stayed in the town.

Making Referents Seen and Heard Across Signed and Spoken Languages: Documenting and Interpreting Cross-Modal Differences in the Use of Enactment.

Differences in language use and structures between signed and spoken languages have often been attributed to so-called language “modality.” Indeed, this is derived from the conception that spoken languages resort to both the oral-aural channel of speech and the visual-kinesic channel of visible bodily action whereas signed languages only resort to the latter. This paper addresses the use of enactment, a depictive communicative strategy whereby language users imitate referents in signed and spoken languages. Reviewing comparative research on enactment, this paper highlights theoretical and methodological shortcomings in prior works. First, a broader set of causal explanations needs to be taken into account when interpreting differences between signing and speaking communities. A more comprehensive conceptual toolbox ensures that differences are not automatically attributed to modality. In particular, less-studied factors of language diversity, like sociolinguistic and cultural ecologies, and how they interact with other factors should be considered. Second, diversity in enactment across signed and spoken languages is shown to be inadequately and insufficiently documented. It is argued that by comparing enactment across more diverse signing and speaking communities and using large, directly comparable corpora, solid analyses can be carried out, enabling a better understanding of how and why different communities use enactment in similar or different ways.

A History of Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Faith, Awareness, and Revolution in the Middle East

A History of Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Faith, Awareness, and Revolution in the Middle East

Historical institutionalism: a tool for researching the nonprofit sector in times of pandemic

Historical institutionalism is increasingly acknowledged as a promising theoretical platform in the field of nonprofit sector studies. The main goal of the paper is to review major applications of historical institutionalism to the nonprofit sector, with a particular focus on how this theoretical platform illuminates the responses of Czech nonprofit organizations to the Covid-19 crisis. In addition, the paper contributes to the conceptual toolbox of historical institutionalism, a novel approach of the retrograde analysis of events. Drawing on the Luhmannian systems theory, the events are taken to reflect system-building processes occurring at the level of nonprofit organizational fields, and comprise the mutual succession of critical junctures and the periods of relative stability in the evolution of the nonprofit sector. Applied to the context of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic, the proposed approach allows to infer the high probability of new critical junctures. Given the enormous challenges and the growing resource deficits faced by Czech nonprofit organizations, many of their existing path-dependencies will be likely broken, with new ones being called into life.

Addressing Legitimacy Concerns in Antitrust Private Litigation Involving China’s State-Owned Enterprises

China’s Anti-Monopoly Act (AML) incorporated key antitrust provisions inspired by EU antitrust concepts into China’s law in 2007. By analysing leading post-2007 antitrust cases heard before China’s courts taken by private parties challenging State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) anti-competitive activities, the authors argue in this significant and original contribution that, despite the AML's enactment, China’s Judiciary has not accepted antitrust Legitimacy. Leading antitrust cases challenging SOEs anti-competitive activities, taken by either consumers or enterprises are analysed, highlighting the contrast with how EU antitrust jurisprudence deals with similar matters. The analysis illustrates how China’s courts have applied key antitrust concepts (such as abuse of dominant position, prohibition of market-sharing; price-fixing; etc.) in a questionable manner. Given that the understanding of such concepts are accepted in over 125 jurisdictions, this raises major questions about the Legitimacy and Effectiveness of antitrust principles in the legal system of the world’s most dynamic economy. That there is an antitrust Legitimacy and Effectiveness problem to be addressed has been recently partially recognized by the State in China, with the putting forward of reform proposals by its antitrust regulator (the State Administration of Markets Regulator (SAMR)) in 2020 in an effort to get major State agencies to recognize the primacy of antitrust. However, these reform proposals omitted reference to the Judiciary’s role in antitrust enforcement against SOEs, even though they play a large role in the economy. The article demonstrates how the reform proposals, which appeared in October 2021 in the AML Amendment Bill 2021, will not solve the private antitrust enforcement Legitimacy problems identified by the authors in cases involving SOEs. Several suggestions to overcome judicial deference to SOEs’ overly robust anti-competitive practices are proposed by the authors, including soft measures that in the long run may be more effective than legislative change. The article also discusses the need for the AML to incorporate a single economic entity test and a collective dominance test in order to give the courts dealing with allegations of SOE anti-competitive behaviour a more comprehensive conceptual toolbox to assist the courts make findings of dominance. Without movement also on the judicial side, the authors conclude that the Legitimacy of antitrust principles will continue to be in question inside China’s legal framework, and consequently the Effectiveness of private antitrust remedies will continue to be weak in one of the world’s largest economies. * Anti-Monopoly Act 2007, Competition Law, China Antitrust, Abuse of Dominance, Price-Fixing, SAMR, SOEs, private antitrust enforcement, Court of Justice, Anti-Monopoly Amendment Bill

Political realism and the quest for political progress

Political realism and the quest for political progress

The Different Facets of Injustice

In her recent work, Nancy Folbre (2020, 2021) undertakes an ambitious effort: constructing an intersectional political economy that aims to identify the common mechanisms and logic underpinning the many wrongs that characterise capitalism. In this paper, we focus on what we deem the three fundamental theoretical pillars of her approach. First, she challenges the oppression/exploitation distinction within Marxian political economy and proposes a broader definition of exploitation that can take manifold forms. Second, she questions the Marxian concept of class, and emphasises the variety of forms of subordination and exploitation related to social identities that cannot be reduced to Marxian classes. Finally, she advocates a more comprehensive notion of the economy beyond a focus on capitalist relations of production. It is difficult to understate the theoretical relevance of these claims, which highlight the importance of various contemporary forms of injustice—of which the exploitation of workers by capitalists is only one. As a complement to the Marxian theory of exploitation and class, Folbre’s approach would broaden our understanding of oppressive social relations. Yet as an alternative to Marxian political economy, it is ultimately unconvincing: a shift of emphasis to ‘manifold exploitations’, social groups, and the economy does not yield a gain in analytical insight but rather an impoverishment of our conceptual toolbox. The struggle against capitalism is different from the struggle against patriarchy and racism, even if the ultimate aim should be the removal of all structures of oppression and domination.