Emergent causal novelty. From early emergentism to the contemporary debate.

This bibliometric study maps 52 years of scholarship on “wicked problems,” tracing the field’s evolution from Rittel and Webber’s foundational framing to contemporary debates on super-wicked problems, clumsy solutions, and adaptive governance. We identify four dominant thematic clusters: collaborative governance, sustainability, policy implementation, and crisis management. Co-citation and co-word analyses reveal two emerging fault lines—one emphasizing networked, deliberative governance and another critiquing collaborative feasibility—and point to novel research frontiers, including joined-up government, pragmatic experimentation, and temporal governance for time-urgent challenges. We propose a typology of wicked problems and outline four governance paradigms to guide practitioners.

ABSTRACT The concept of transability, also referred to in medical discourse as Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), remains a contentious subject, eliciting strong public and professional reactions. This study examines the media and public discourse surrounding a recent case in which a 20-year-old man in Quebec voluntarily underwent the amputation of two fingers. Using qualitative content analysis, we analyzed 15 news articles and three Reddit threads to explore the ways in which this case was framed, discussed, and contested. The findings reveal that news coverage predominantly framed BIID as a psychological disorder requiring medical intervention, emphasizing the “healthy” status of the amputated fingers and reinforcing a biomedical perspective. Public reactions to the case, particularly in online forums, were overwhelmingly negative, with many commenters condemning the procedure as unethical, comparing it to self-harm, or linking it to broader ideological debates, including transgender healthcare. A minority of voices supported the procedure as a harm-reduction strategy. This paper contributes to the growing scholarship on transability by highlighting how media narratives and online discussions shape public understanding of bodily autonomy, disability, and medical ethics. The case highlights the ongoing tensions between medicalization, identity, and individual rights in contemporary healthcare debates.

Teacher education has an essential role in facilitating dialogue between diverse socio-politico-religious perspectives. This study used a mixed methods survey (N = 1179) to examine intragroup differences among pre-service teachers (PSTs) across the Left–Right Spectrum (LRS), the Theist–Atheist Spectrum (TAS), and identifications with Ultimate Concepts. Findings showed that PSTs tended to identify as centre left and theistic-agnostic; that gender significantly predicted TAS identification, with female PSTs more likely to be theistic; that TAS and LRS were significantly related, with theism associated with more right-leaning positions; and that PST demographics were significantly interrelated. We interpret these findings to support (a) inclusive approaches in Initial Teacher Education that represent and reconcile socio-politico-religious differences, and (b) further research on disciplinary affiliation and identity. We situate these insights within contemporary debates about the teaching profession’s role amid growing disruption and polarisation in Western democracies.

This article examines the concept of political character in the thought of Muhammad ‘Imarah, emphasizing its role as the ethical foundation of political legitimacy in Islam. Responding to modern political reductionism that separates power from morality, the study argues that ‘Imarah conceptualizes Islamic politics not as an ideology of power or merely a legal-formal system, but as an ethical praxis grounded in tawhid, trust (amanah),justice, and human moral responsibility as khal?fah. Employing a qualitative library research method with a normative-philosophical approach and intellectual history, this study analyzes ‘Imarah’s major works in dialogue with classical and contemporary Islamic political thinkers, particularly al-Mawardi, Fazlur Rahman, and Alija Izetbegovi?. The findings demonstrate that ‘Im?rah advances Islamic political thought beyond prevailing normative discourses by reorienting fiqh al-siyasah from an institutional and stability-centered paradigm toward a critical political ethics in which moral character constitutes the primary source of political legitimacy. By articulating the concept of al-dawlah al-madaniyyah bi marja‘iyyah islamiyyah, ‘Imarah offers a mediating framework that challenges both normative secularism and Islamic political formalism, thereby enriching contemporary debates on the ethical foundations of governance in Muslim societies. While his framework remains largely normative-philosophical and lacks detailed institutional elaboration for modern political systems, this limitation underscores the article’s contribution in repositioning Islamic political ethics as a dynamic field of moral critique rather than a fixed legal or ideological project. Ultimately, this study contributes to contemporary Islamic political ethics by proposing a character-based, humanistic, and justice-oriented model of political legitimacy that responds to ongoing ethical crises in modern Muslim politics.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has reshaped Europe’s geopolitical, security, and economic landscape, with particularly acute consequences for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). This thematic cluster provides an interdisciplinary snapshot of these transformations, emphasizing the region’s role as both a frontline and a catalyst for broader European change. Drawing on international relations, security studies, economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology, the contributions examine how the war has accelerated European Union security integration, including unprecedented military assistance to Ukraine, expanded defense coordination, and rising defense expenditures. The introduction highlights the war’s devastating human, economic, and environmental costs for Ukraine, alongside spillover effects across Europe, such as mass displacement, energy shocks, inflationary pressures, and heightened social and political tensions within CEE states. It situates these developments within contemporary scholarly debates over international order, realism and liberalism, and the limits of aggregated European analyses that obscure regional variation. Collectively, the articles explore geopolitical repositioning, energy transformation, public opinion, and lived experiences of war and displacement, offering insight into Europe’s evolving political and institutional trajectory amid an ongoing conflict.

This article examines distinct theological frameworks of Al-Farabi and Al-Ghazali, whose arguments significantly contributed to the evolution of Islamic philosophy. Employing a library-based qualitative comparative research lens, the study uncovers the differing conceptions of God, Al-Farabi’s rationalist God of Necessary Existence and Al-Ghazali’s voluntarist God of Absolute Will, and how each conceived of creation, causality, knowledge, and eschatology. Al-Farabi, drawing from Aristotle and Neoplatonism, envisioned a cosmos rationally organised and emanating from the self-contemplation of God, where reason and revelation meet harmoniously as the expressions of a singular truth. Al-Ghazali, following Ash’arite and Sufi teachings, argues for the divine’s unbounded power and freedom in creation ex nihilo, the causation of events as occasionalist, and the dominance of revelation over reason, in Al Ghazali’s critique of the falasifa in Tahafut al-Falasifah, a new boundary of philosophical thought and Islamic orthodoxy. The central claim of this study is that the conflict between each other’s ideas is not simply a clash of doctrines, but a deeper conflict between two opposing metaphysical worldviews—rational necessity and divine volition. These worlds profoundly changed the course of Islamic philosophy, kalam, and mysticism, as well as contemporary debates in Islamic philosophy, addressing the integration of reason and revelation. This article contributes originally by reframing the al-Fārābī - al-Ghazālī debate as a paradigmatic metaphysical conflict between rational necessity and divine volition, rather than a merely doctrinal disagreement.

Objectives: This study highlights the rich cultural‑historical heritage of Mount Rudnik and examines how it can strengthen Central Serbia’s tourism offer. Theoretical Framework: Drawing on cultural‑tourism theory, heritage valorisation and destination branding, the work situates Rudnik within contemporary debates on mountain destinations in post‑transition economies. Method: We employed a descriptive‑analytical method combining desk research, field surveys and analysis of official tourism statistics between 2000 and 2022. Results & Discussion: Rudnik contains dozens of archaeological sites, medieval fortifications, sacral monuments and vernacular structures. Visitor numbers peaked in 2008 but remain seasonal, signalling unexploited capacity and a need for product diversification. Implications: Findings guide local authorities and tourism organisations in prioritising conservation, interpretation and event programming to extend stays and balance seasonality. Originality/Value: The paper systematises dispersed Serbian‑language evidence, providing the first English baseline for further research and destination planning.

Prevailing narratives in digital studies depict algorithms as opaque tools of domination, controlling user experiences and reinforcing asymmetrical power dynamics, sidelining the potential for user resistance. In line with a growing body of more nuanced perspectives, this article challenges these portrayals by exploring how online users resist algorithmic outcomes through creative and astute strategies by drawing on 27 interviews and 3 focus groups with e-commerce platform users. Combining insights from everyday resistance theories and contemporary debates on algorithmic resistance, the article frames algorithmic flexibility, the inherent programmatic contingency of algorithms, as a structural enabler for e-commerce users to influence algorithmic outcomes. The investigation of e-commerce platforms, where algorithms exert tangible influence over users’ finances, provides a valuable, yet understudied, empirical site for analysing how algorithmic resistance unfolds in daily economic life. In doing so, the paper extends conceptualisations of algorithms as instruments of power and resistance into the realm of mundane, self-interested, and often individualised encounters with algorithms. By foregrounding the entangled nature of algorithmic power and user resistance, digital platforms are positioned not as sites of unilateral control but as dynamic arenas of continuous negotiation.

This article examines how Soviet and post-Soviet forms of Russian nationalism used ethnic engineering – above all mass deportations and demographic reshuffling – to transform ethno-national diversity into a structural source of conflict. Building on a qualitative, historical-comparative design, the study combines close reading of Soviet constitutional and legal texts with secondary literature on deportations and “frozen conflicts” to trace mechanisms linking Stalin-era policies to contemporary wars in the post-Soviet space. Archival decrees, census data and administrative cartography are analysed through thematic coding (e.g., “collective punishment,” “demographic engineering,” “border manipulation”) and compared across key episodes such as the deportation of Chechens and Ingush, Crimean Tatars and Volga Germans. The article then connects these historical patterns to post-1991 conflicts in the Caucasus, Crimea/Donbas and Central Asia, showing how earlier deportations and territorial rearrangements created asymmetric republics, competing memories of victimhood and territorially embedded grievances. Rather than treating Russian nationalism as a purely ideological phenomenon, the analysis conceptualizes it as a repertoire of state practices that combine coercive removal, selective rehabilitation and later “protection” of co-nationals abroad. The findings challenge accounts that explain post-Soviet conflicts solely through democratization failure or great-power rivalry, arguing instead that ethnic wars in the region are rooted in a long genealogy of state-led population politics. The article concludes by discussing the broader implications for theories of ethnofederalism and for contemporary debates on how authoritarian regimes manage diversity through forced mobility rather than inclusive citizenship.

The thalidomide disaster (1957–1962) is often narrated as a biomedical tragedy caused by inadequate testing. This paper argues that its deeper historical significance lies in how it transformed the epistemic and moral foundations of pharmaceutical governance. The decisive variable separating catastrophe from containment was not superior scientific knowledge, but regulatory culture—specifically, whether institutions treated uncertainty as tolerable risk or as grounds for restraint. In the United States, FDA medical officer Frances Oldham Kelsey withheld approval for thalidomide amid incomplete evidence, legitimizing delay as a protective act. In contrast, West Germany and much of Europe operated within trust-based regulatory systems that normalized limited premarket proof and dispersed responsibility across manufacturers, physicians, and courts. By integrating institutional history, comparative regulatory analysis, and regulatory theory, this paper reconstructs how doubt became a form of state authority, how that authority was codified in the 1962 Kefauver–Harris Amendments, and why this transformation remains central to contemporary debates over accelerated approvals, emergency authorizations, and public trust.¹Methodologically, the article employs comparative historical analysis across the United States and West Germany, drawing on statutory texts, FDA institutional materials, parliamentary records, and contemporaneous medical literature to explain why similar scientific uncertainty produced divergent regulatory outcomes.

ABSTRACT In the Global South, discarding practices are shaped not only by contemporary debates on circular economies and environmental justice, but also by enduring colonial legacies and cultural influences that continue to structure material flows and social responsibilities. We thematically synthesised 48-peer-reviewed articles on how household-level discard practices are informed by cultural meanings and colonial influences, offering a comprehensive account that bridges fragmented studies into a coherent decolonial perspective. Using the PRISMA methodology and Population, Experience, and Outcome framing, we identified five key themes: the legacies of imposed systems; the gradual erosion of traditional discard practices; religious paradigms of waste; women's invisible labour and stigmatisation; and the rise of informal waste economies in response to municipal voids. After drawing the distinction between waste colonialism and colonial influence on waste in the introductory section, our findings demonstrate how the latter have continued to shape contemporary waste infrastructure and behaviours, often conflicting with local cultural norms and practices. We propose hybrid waste governance models that integrate formal systems with community-based approaches, traditional practices, and informal economies. The review highlights the need to reframe waste management not just as a technical issue but also as a culturally mediated and historically situated practice. This review provides insights into the development of more equitable, effective, and culturally sensitive waste policies in the context of the Global South.

This paper explores the significance of two classic Georgian works, Wisdom of Lies and Teaching Through Jest, for contemporary education, drawing on Hans-Georg Gadamer’s concepts of tradition and the fusion of horizons. It begins by critiquing the dominant narratives in contemporary Georgian education, which prioritize human capital, competition, and economic outcomes, and are shaped by non-organic, external traditions. We argue that when educational systems sever ties with their traditions, they lose continuity, identity, and meaning, resulting in homogenized educational practices. As an alternative, engagement with these Georgian texts offers a rich resource to education. Both works provide critical reflections on the aims of education and the role of citizenship emphasizing the importance of truth-telling, moral courage, and the cultivation of critical, socially engaged learners. They demonstrate how humor, allegory, and playful pedagogy can foster creativity, curiosity, and reflective thinking, challenging narrow, outcome-focused approaches. A central metaphor in these works is education as a journey, highlighting transformative experiences and personal growth, in contrast to models focused on measurable outcomes and standardization. By reconnecting education with intellectual traditions, Wisdom of Lies and Teaching Through Jest demonstrate how literary and philosophical texts can inform contemporary debates on ¬pedagogy, citizenship, and aims of education.

Terrorism has occupied a significant space in contemporary legal debate, especially given the challenges it poses to public safety and the preservation of fundamental rights. In Brazil, the classification of this phenomenon gained greater normative density with the enactment of Law No. 13.260/2016, which sought to align the domestic legal system with the international commitments undertaken by the Brazilian State. This work aims to analyze the legislative and doctrinal classification of terrorism in the national legal context, as well as to discuss police action in confronting these practices and the legal limits that guide this intervention. The methodology adopted is based on bibliographic and documentary research, with analysis of legislation, doctrinal works, and specialized academic productions, selected based on criteria of timeliness and thematic relevance. The results indicate that, although Brazilian legislation has advanced in defining terrorism, interpretative tensions persist regarding the delimitation of the criminal offense and the protection of constitutional guarantees. It is also observed that police activity plays a central role in the prevention and repression of these behaviors, requiring a balance between operational efficiency and respect for the Democratic Rule of Law. It is concluded that the legal and institutional confrontation of terrorism demands constant critical reflection in order to avoid abuses, ensure the legality of state actions, and strengthen collective security without compromising essential rights.

Abstract Anandamath (1882), authored by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, occupies a foundational position in the intellectual history of Indian nationalism. Set against the historical backdrop of the late eighteenth-century Sannyasi Rebellion and the Bengal famine, the novel fuses militant nationalism with Hindu religious revivalism through epic narrative strategies and powerful ideological symbols, most notably Vande Mataram. This paper offers an interdisciplinary analysis of Anandamath using close textual reading of the Chatterjee (1882/2016) English translation alongside a systematic synthesis of scholarship. The study examines how the novel constructs a spiritually sanctioned model of militant Hindu nationalism while simultaneously engaging in revisionist practices that reshape historical memory. Particular attention is paid to the ethical framing of violence, the sacralisation of the nation as Mother Goddess, and gender ambivalence through the character of Shanti. The paper argues that while Anandamath functioned as a powerful mobilising text within anti-colonial nationalist consciousness, it also embedded enduring ideological tensions related to gender, secularism, and communal identity that continue to shape contemporary debates in India. Keywords: Anandamath, gender, Hindu nationalism, historical memory, Vande Mataram

This study explores the epistemological dialogue between Nyāya logic of classical Indian philosophy and Western epistemology, aiming to develop a comparative theory of knowledge. Nyāya epistemology, codified in the Nyāya Sūtras of Gautama, presents a pluralistic framework of four pramāṇas—perception (pratyakṣa), inference (anumāna), comparison (upamāna), and verbal testimony (śabda). It situates valid cognition (pramā) not only as a theoretical achievement but also as an instrumental means for the attainment of liberation (mokṣa). Western epistemology, from Plato’s concept of knowledge as justified true belief to the analytic refinements of Russell, Quine, and Williamson, has traditionally emphasized perception and inference, often underestimating the role of testimony in knowledge formation. By placing these two traditions in dialogue, this paper identifies points of convergence in rational inquiry and logical methodology, as well as divergences in the treatment of epistemic sources, the role of metaphysics, and the ultimate purpose of knowledge. It proposes a comparative theory of knowledge that integrates the analytical precision of Western philosophy with the pluralistic inclusivity of Nyāya, offering insights for contemporary debates in cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and cross-cultural philosophy.

ABSTRACT This article explores the social transformation of Rome's Banglatown, located in the Torpignattara neighbourhood, as a case of everyday interculturalism. Through ethnographic fieldwork with the Bangladeshi diaspora, it examines how diversity is lived, negotiated and reconfigured in the spaces of daily interaction. Building on the concept of ‘commonplace diversity’, the study highlights how routine public encounters—especially in schools, parks and local commerce—foster recognition and coexistence, while often stopping short of deeper intercultural intimacy. The analysis reveals a gendered dynamic in which Bangladeshi women, particularly mothers, act as informal socio‐cultural brokers in the public sphere, while men remain largely confined to ethnic networks. Crucially, by introducing the notion of relational hybridization , the article demonstrates that second‐generation children are more likely to shift intercultural relations into the private and affective sphere, cultivating friendships and emotional proximity across ethnic lines. These practices do not merely intensify existing ties but alter the social meaning of difference by relocating interculturality into domains of intimacy. These children generate hybrid forms of belonging that challenge both community conservatism and societal exclusion. The article argues that Banglatown is not simply a site of demographic concentration, but a relational space where diversity is enacted and reshaped from below. It contributes to contemporary debates on urban interculturalism by foregrounding affective infrastructures, generational shifts and the everyday labour of living with difference.

The translation of culturally marked linguistic units, particularly jokes and idiomatic expressions, represents one of the most complex challenges in intercultural communication. This article investigates the problems associated with translating humor and idioms from English into Russian, emphasizing cultural asymmetry, pragmatic meaning, and linguistic non-equivalence. The study is based on qualitative comparative analysis and practical translation experiments involving authentic English-language materials. The findings indicate that literal translation strategies are largely ineffective in preserving humorous intent and idiomatic meaning, while functional, adaptive, and culturally informed approaches yield more communicatively successful results. The article proposes a set of methodological recommendations aimed at enhancing translation adequacy and intercultural equivalence, contributing to contemporary debates in translation theory and practice.

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the economic policies pursued by the leading European medieval empires, with particular attention to the Frankish, Byzantine, Holy Roman, and Venetian states. The study investigates the principal instruments of economic regulation, including systems of taxation, the administration of land resources, trade organization, and mechanisms of financial control. Special emphasis is placed on the interplay between economic policy and the political structures of medieval empires, as well as on the broader social consequences of state intervention in economic life. The diversity of economic models within imperial systems is explored, and the specific factors that shaped their emergence and development are identified.The research demonstrates the complexity and variety of approaches to regulating economic activity under conditions of limited resources, underdeveloped market institutions, and persistent political instability. The Frankish and Byzantine Empires, together with the Venetian Republic, elaborated distinctive models of economic governance that reflected both the continuity of traditional norms and the pragmatism of fiscal innovation. Their experience illustrates how states, even in the absence of modern financial institutions, were able to influence economic processes by introducing privileges, monopolies, and taxes, while also investing in infrastructure projects and forging trade alliances that ensured the vitality of imperial economies.By situating medieval economic practices within the broader framework of political and social development, the article contributes to a deeper understanding of the historical dynamics of state intervention in the economy. Moreover, it draws meaningful parallels between the challenges faced by medieval empires and contemporary debates on the role of the state in addressing economic instability, inequality, and resource management. These insights not only shed light on the unique trajectories of medieval imperial economies but also enrich the discussion on the enduring relevance of historical experience for modern economic policymaking.

China’s security policy has become a central theme in contemporary debates on International Relations and regional order in East Asia. Despite the extensive literature on China’s foreign policy, a significant research gap remains in explaining its security behavior through the lens of offensive realism. This study analyzes China’s evolving security policy in East Asia from 2013 to 2025, drawing on the theoretical foundations of offensive realism. Using a descriptive–analytical approach and relying on documentary sources, the research examines key components of China’s strategic transformation — including the Comprehensive National Security Doctrine (2014), the reform and modernization of the People’s Liberation Army, the centralization of political authority under Xi Jinping, and the growing link between security and geo-economics through the Belt and Road Initiative. The findings indicate that China has shifted from a defensive posture to a proactive, power-oriented strategy, seeking regional hegemony and redefining East Asia’s security order in its own favor. Moreover, China’s growing power has intensified regional security dilemmas and strategic competition with neighboring states and the United States. The study concludes that China’s contemporary security strategy represents a structural transition from defensive deterrence to offensive structural deterrence, signaling a long-term move toward a competitive and fragmented regional order in East Asia.