Contemporary Theory Research Articles

Empirical Political Theory: A Template for a Research Design and a Qualified Defense

Developments in contemporary analytic political theory have called for political theory to situate itself near political science, to pay attention to political institutions, to follow the research output of the social sciences, and to present sensitivity to method. This empirical and methodological turn has brought about a debate regarding the form and desirability of such empirically grounded political theory. We aim, first, to clarify what the empirical turn in political theory implies for research in political theory. We shall situate such empirically grounded political theory in contemporary analytic political theory, in contemporary analytic political theory’s descriptive and prescriptive steps, and also examine how this turn complements contemporary analytic political theory’s evaluative step. Second, to suggest a defense of this empirical development, as if properly understood, it would assist empirically grounded contemporary analytic political theory to achieve its own stated goals. Third, to provide a template for a research design in empirical contemporary analytic political theory.

“If I got it, she got it”: Black mothers' food provision and symbiotic mothering

AbstractObjectiveThis study advances contemporary theories of motherhood, mothering, and foodwork within the context of poverty by focusing on the ways that low‐income Black mothers engage interdependent culturally distinct mothering strategies in light of a porous social safety net.BackgroundContemporary standards for good parenting are increasingly resource‐based.As such, the intricate and tactical ways that low‐income Black mothers manage to make food ends meet with little means and few resources are often obscured in favor of hegemonic forms of mothering.MethodThis study draws on 44 in‐depth interviews with low‐income Black mothers and grandmothers to examine their survival strategies, focusing on food provision.ResultsFindings reveal that these mothers prioritize basic needs provision, such as food and feeding, and achieve this often difficult goal by engaging a cultural toolkit that we term symbiotic mothering. Symbiotic mothering is constructed and reinforced through the collective processes of maternal exchange, mutual aid and resource pooling, and the intergenerational and horizontal transmission of cultural knowledges, values, and practices.ConclusionsWhile there is a wealth of scholarship interrogating the ways Black women deviate from dominant mothering expectations, symbiotic mothering highlights the unique cultural skillsets these mothers actively engage to meet the everyday demands of mothering, particularly related to food provision.

Whose pain? Whose shame? Integrating heritage and histories in Ballarat, Australia

ABSTRACT For generations a burden of misplaced shame has sat with victim-survivors of children’s institutionalisation. Experiences and memories of family separation, cultural obliteration, mistreatment, hunger, unpaid labour, curtailed educational and professional opportunities, and abuse had come to silently define and destroy the lifelong living experience of childhood incarceration. Meanwhile, institutions and the communities they are part of have been able to effectively ignore the legacies of their own trespasses, through ‘top-down’, celebratory approaches to history and heritage. In recent decades, renewed emphasis on survivor voices and agency has culminated in a range of Commonwealth and state-based reports, Inquiries and Commissions, driven by abundant survivor testimonies and truth-telling. The sense of shame and guilt over these parts of our collective histories has now re-centred on the perpetrators and enablers of abuse and mistreatment. Using interpretive heritage and historical lens this article outlines a theoretical conception of ‘integrated’ approaches to history and heritage, using real-life examples from contemporary urban development and institutional heritage in the regional Australian city of Ballarat. The authors examine changing contemporary representations of institutional Care, neglect and abuse, arguing that shifting cultural and social power is reflected in the urban landscape and cultural fabric of the associated institutions.

Gendered relations? Associations between Swedish parents, siblings, and adolescents' time spent sedentary and physically active.

The family is assumed to be fundamental in youth socialization processes and development, connected to social and cultural practices such as healthy lifestyles and physical activity. However, gender patterns in physical activity among adolescents and the structural drivers of gender inequality (e.g., parentage and siblingship) are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore further how gender structures relate to adolescents' time spent being sedentary and physically active, using contemporary gender theory. This cross-sectional study involved 1,139 adolescents aged 13-14 and their parents, including 815 mothers and 572 fathers. Physical activity and time spent sedentary were assessed through accelerometry among adolescents and through a self-report questionnaire for parents validated against accelerometry. The results showed significant relationships between mothers' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and girls' MVPA on weekdays and weekends, and fathers' MVPA was significantly related to girls' MVPA on weekdays. Our results imply that the relationship between Swedish parents' and adolescent girls' physical activity in higher intensities are to some extent gendered practices. However, time spent sedentary does not seem to show any patterns of being performed according to binary ideas of gender. Further, our exploratory analyses suggest that these results somewhat intersect with parents' educational level and relate to intra-categorical aspects of doing gender. The results also indicate slight gendered patterns in the "doing" of brotherhood for time spent sedentary, however, for boys only on weekends. The study contributes to the understanding of gender norms as constraints and enablers for adolescents' participation in physical activity. The results can spur public health and physical activity research to apply a contemporary gender theory approach, and to expand the research agenda connected to what relates to gender inequalities in physical activity practices.

Koptā kritika sociālo tīklu laikmetā

The article analyses the situation of professional theatre criticism in the contemporary theatre environment and the reflection of current stage processes in performance reviews. The aim of the study is to identify changes in the purposes, form and content of professional theatre criticism at a time when social networks have become popular and are used both as a platform for discussion and as a platform for self-expression. In order to distinguish between reviews of performances written by professionally trained experts and other written reviews, the author of the article uses the term “cultivated criticism”. The research sources are the Latvian professional media Teātra Vēstnesis and www.kroders.lv, as well as the social network Facebook. The media content is analysed using the insights of art criticism theorists from the beginning of the 20th century to the current day and comparing the common and different principles of reviewing in the pre-digital and digital age. The professional standards of the review authors are also addressed. The author of the article has chosen the principles of theatre criticism from the works of the American theatre director and critic Harold Clurman (1901–1980) and the Scottish theatre critic and cultural journalist Mark Fisher as a theoretical framework. The findings of these experts are related to the opinions of Latvian and Lithuanian practising theatre critics on the meaning of reviews. The content analysis of the reviews looks for intersections with the American art critic Ben Davis’s concept of post-descriptive criticism, which, according to Davis, changes the descriptive nature of traditional, ekphrastic criticism. The research confirms Davis’s thesis that the transformation of a visual image into a verbal image is changing along with the changes in the artistic and informational environment. Regardless of the form of the review, theatre criticism remains an essential tool for the study of theatrical processes. At the same time, it is concluded that media content analysis does not provide a clear answer to the question of how to make cultivated criticism seen by theatre practitioners as respectable feedback and suggestions for professional development. These findings suggest that the paper’s topic is open for further research and discussion.

Interpretation of the Problem of Educational use of Aesthetic Views of Eastern Thinkers in Pedagogical Research

The article discusses the issue of learning from the moral, aesthetic, didactic and philosophical views of Eastern thinkers, their research from a mystical, pedagogical, didactic, axiological point of view. Thoughts are expressed about the fact that our spiritual heritage, which has been preserved and developed over the centuries, serves as a program in the education of a perfect human being. This paper delves into the interpretation of the problem concerning the educational utilization of aesthetic perspectives from Eastern thinkers in pedagogical research. It addresses the growing interest in integrating Eastern philosophical aesthetics into educational practices and examines the challenges and opportunities associated with this endeavor. Drawing on a comprehensive review of existing literature, this study explores various Eastern philosophical traditions, such as Taoism, Confucianism, and Zen Buddhism, to elucidate their unique perspectives on aesthetics and education. Additionally, it critically analyzes the implications of incorporating these perspectives into pedagogical frameworks, considering factors such as cultural context, educational goals, and practical implementation strategies. By synthesizing insights from Eastern thought and contemporary educational theory, this paper offers valuable reflections on how educators can effectively leverage Eastern aesthetic views to enrich teaching and learning experiences in diverse educational settings. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the intersection between Eastern philosophy and pedagogy, paving the way for further research and practice in this burgeoning field.

The Periodical as a Playhouse: Wyndham Lewis’s ‘Enemy of the Stars’ in <i>Blast</i> (1914)

Modernist plays in the early twentieth century often resisted the theatre. Many circulated in print, in ‘little magazines’ dedicated to literature and the arts. Using Wyndham Lewis’s ‘Enemy of the Stars’ (1914) as a case study, this article considers what the medium of the little magazine offered modernist playwrights. The article first engages with some of Lewis’s earlier periodical publications and his interest in contemporary crowd theory, to trace how his attitude towards performance and the masses developed. Comparing the periodical publication of Lewis’s experimental play to a 1932 revision in book form then reveals that it is precisely the magazine’s dramatic potential that allowed Lewis to stage a closet play to be read by the individual, instead of watched by the masses that he despised. This article thereby argues for an understanding of the modernist periodical as a highly performative medium, and acknowledges its vital role in shaping modernist aesthetics.

Философские основания современного китайского неореализма

Chinese new realism painting is formed under the interaction of western philosophy and Chinese native phi-losophy. Philosophical and cultural theories have had a significant impact on artists’ understanding of real-world problems and the way they conceive art. For some contemporary Chinese artists, philosophical and cul-tural theories have become an integral part of their professional outlook. Neorealist artists depict objective reali-ty according to their feelings, emotions and spiritual values. This paper points out three philosophical concepts that influence Neo-Realism philosophy: symbol philosophy, value philosophy and life philosophy. These philo-sophical schools have influenced the most important conceptual attributes of creation and reflected the particu-larity of neo-realists’ cognition of the world. The particularity of the philosophical and cultural interpretation of the new realist artist’s creation lies in the artist’s high subjectivity, criticism and individualization. It is this philo-sophical premise that opens up a broad space for free creation, showing the subjective understanding of reali-ty, reflecting the inner world of the individual and the interpretation of reality in the works.

Jak nadać sens nowej kondycji historycznej? Taynna Marino rozmawia z Markiem Tammem i Zoltánem Boldizsárem Simonem

Marek Tamm and Zoltán Boldizsár Simon, in dialogue with Taynna M. Marino, discuss some of the main dilemmas and challenges of contemporary historical theory, from the scientific status and so-called crises within the discipline to discussions about new forms of temporality and historicity that can respond to the technoscientific, ecological and socio-political changes we are facing today. In this conversation, the authors emphasize the historians’ role in making history relevant for the future and the efforts to redefine historical knowledge to encompass diverse forms of life (more-than-human, better-than-human, nonhuman) and tackle disconnected pro-spects of the future. Finally, they call attention to the importance of a fruitful dialogue between historians and theorists of history and of collaborating with scholars from other sciences to develop new ways of making sense of the new historical condition.

Migration, ethnic otherness and the ‘refugee crisis’ in Germany: Why more conflict is better integration, and how this reconfigures positive cross-cultural management scholarship

Otherness in contemporary cross-cultural management (CCM) studies often emerges from migration and refugee movements, with ensuing integration challenges. In this context, ‘difference’ is perceived as being more problematic than enriching, and this makes it difficult to contribute to integration via a Positive Organizational Scholarship. Introducing the sociology of conflict, I propose that the success of a positive cross-cultural management engagement with Otherness should not be measured in terms of the degree to which difference is overcome and integrated, but in terms of the degree to which more parties engage more deeply with relevant conflict and friction. Investigating Otherness by means of a sociology of conflict approach thus radically changes the assumptions, research agendas, practices, presumed goals and potential responsibilities of a contemporary cross-cultural management theory and practice: deeper conflict signifies better integration, and assuming otherwise is both unrealistic and mis-fitting. I exemplify this reverse logic, and how to employ it, with a discussion of the ‘refugee crisis’ and the dynamics of ‘migration background’ in Germany. Thus reconfigured, integration in Germany emerges as more successful than is commonly believed.

Reading Carefully Augustine’s De Magistro

ABSTRACT There are surely few writers who have had a more profound impact on European culture, and in the broadest range of fields, than St. Augustine, and this despite the fact that he was North African. Nonetheless, while Augustine is still called upon in debates on interfaith dialogue and in theological and philosophical disputes, one area of his large corpus has received scant attention—his philosophy of education. Although there are references throughout Augustine’s writings to his philosophy of education, he devotes only a single text to its elaboration—De Magistro—On the Teacher. The fact that this work has been largely overlooked by scholars is disappointing, because the De Magistro, despite its use of theological language, retains a very modern and contemporary thematic with interesting insights for any contemporary theory of education. In this article we provide a primer in reading Augustine’s De Magistro.

Mind on the battlefield: what can cognitive science add to the military lessons-learned process?

ABSTRACT In this paper, we demonstrate the advantages of combining the detailed military history of actual battles with contemporary decision-making cognitive theories. Specifically, we analyse two battle decisions made in Israeli-Arab wars, and interpret, through a cognitive lens, some of the decisions that were subsequently deemed “incomprehensible” in the civilian and military literature. This perspective permits analysis of multiple processes – such as risk evaluation, mental completion of unknown information, and estimation of enemy response. Moreover, it predicts that even highly experienced commanders are prone to the effect of cognitive biases, and may therefore make bad decisions with disastrous consequences.

Is “memory-for-when” universal? Group and individual variability in temporal position memory for words, faces, and classrooms

ABSTRACT Many contemporary theories of memory assume that everyone automatically stores temporal contextual information about all types of encountered information, yet most studies on this topic have used words and ignored individual differences. Five experiments accumulated evidence that explicit storage of temporal context information does not appear to occur automatically for all people and types of memoranda. We collected judgments of temporal position (memory-for-when) for words (Experiments 1 & 3), faces (Experiments 2A, 3, 4, and 5), and classrooms (Experiments 2B & 3). At the group level, for each of these memoranda memory-for-when was sensitive to the original input position and showed a temporal primacy effect reflecting better memory for position for items near the beginning of the list, indicating some automatic storage of temporal context information. However, memory-for-when was significantly better for words than classrooms, with faces in the middle. Moreover, individuals varied dramatically in their ability to indicate memory-for-when, especially for classrooms where many people performed at or near chance. Taken together, the data suggest that explicit memory-for-when may be dissociable from the more implicit use of temporal contextual information that is theorised to occur during free recall.

Affectivity in distance education

This article sought to deepen the understanding of the influence of affectivity in Distance Education (DE), exploring the intersection between this dimension, Contemporary Pedagogical Theories, and Educational Technologies. The main objective was to analyze how these elements converge to shape the student's experience in the DE modality, aiming to provide valuable insights for more effective and student-centered educational practices. The topic was succinctly addressed, divided into specific sections to explore crucial nuances. The theoretical framework encompasses Educational Psychology, Contemporary Pedagogical Theories, and the potential of Educational Technologies, providing a solid theoretical foundation. In the methodology, a bibliographic approach was chosen, conducting a critical review of specialized literature. The careful selection and analysis of relevant sources allowed for a holistic understanding of the topics, providing the construction of well-founded arguments. The results indicate the importance of strategically integrating affectivity, Contemporary Pedagogical Theories, and Educational Technologies in DE. The analysis highlights tools such as discussion forums, personalized feedback, and adaptive platforms as valuable instruments to strengthen the affective dimension and promote a more humane and effective learning experience. The conclusion not only summarizes the main results but also emphasizes the practical relevance of these findings in the context of DE, offering suggestions for future research and educational innovations. This study contributes to the continuous understanding and improvement of DE, considering the complex interactions between affectivity, pedagogical theories, and educational technologies.

Molecular Insights into Chemical Reactions at Aqueous Aerosol Interfaces.

Atmospheric aerosols facilitate reactions between ambient gases and dissolved species. Here, we review our efforts to interrogate the uptake of these gases and the mechanisms of their reactions both theoretically and experimentally. We highlight the fascinating behavior of N2O5 in solutions ranging from pure water to complex mixtures, chosen because its aerosol-mediated reactions significantly impact global ozone, hydroxyl, and methane concentrations. As a hydrophobic, weakly soluble, and highly reactive species, N2O5 is a sensitive probe of the chemical and physical properties of aerosol interfaces. We employ contemporary theory to disentangle the fate of N2O5 as it approaches pure and salty water, starting with adsorption and ending with hydrolysis to HNO3, chlorination to ClNO2, or evaporation. Flow reactor and gas-liquid scattering experiments probe even greater complexity as added ions, organic molecules, and surfactants alter the interfacial composition and reaction rates. Together, we reveal a new perspective on multiphase chemistry in the atmosphere. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Physical Chemistry, Volume 75 is April 2024. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Nonnaturalism, the Supervenience Challenge, Higher-Order Properties, and Trope Theory

Nonnaturalist realism is the view that normative properties are unique kind of stance-independent properties. It has been argued that such views fail to explain why two actions that are exactly alike otherwise must also have the same normative properties. Mark Schroeder and Knut Olav Skarsaune have recently suggested that nonnaturalist realists can respond to this supervenience challenge by taking the primary bearers of normative properties to be action kinds. This paper develops their response in two ways. First, it provides additional motivation for the previous claim about the bearers of normative properties by drawing from the work of H. A. Prichard. Second, and more importantly, it formulates a plausible metaphysical framework based on the contemporary trope theory to explain why action kinds would have their second-order properties, including their normative properties, necessarily.

Re-contextualizing Heim’s 12 Dimensions: A Comparative Analysis with Contemporary Theories of Energy, Reality, and Consciousness

This paper re-contextualizes Burkhard Heim’s theory of 12 dimensions within the framework of extant literature on energy, reality, and consciousness, providing a comprehensive synthesis that aligns Heim’s dimensional theory with contemporary scientific and philosophical thought. Critically analyzing Heim’s multidimensional theory presents a unique opportunity to explore the multilayered fabric of reality, encompassing the micro to macrocosmic scales. This paper examines how Heim’s dimensions can be integrated with modern insights into spacetime's nature, energy dynamics, and consciousness phenomena. In reinterpreting Heim’s theory against modern scientific and philosophical discourse backdrop, this paper synthesizes Heim’s dimensional framework with existing energy, reality, and consciousness paradigms. This integrative approach enriches our understanding of Heim’s contributions and advances the dialogue between his multidimensional theory and current research in quantum physics, energy and consciousness studies.

Envisioning the Semantics of Kinyarwanda causative and applicative morphemes in the Cognitive Grammar Theory

This paper uses the Cognitive Grammar Theory to examine the semantics of Kinyarwanda causative and applicative. The study was motivated by the fact that Kinyarwanda verb extensions, particularly the causative and applicative, have multiple sociocultural interpretations of meanings, which is a typical characteristic of Cognitive semantics. The study was couched in the interpretivism paradigm, which looks for culturally derived interpretations historically situated in the surroundings of humans. A qualitative approach was used to analyse the meanings of Kinyarwanda words used by Nyarwanda native speakers. Data was collected from focus group discussions involving six Kinyarwanda speakers. Four were monolinguals; the rest were multilingual, speaking Kiswahili, English and Kinyarwanda. The data were presented using Leipzig glossing rules, and illustrations were used to show more than one meaning in the derived verbal lexemes. Thus, data analysis was used using cognitive grammar theoretical apparatuses, which account for multiple meanings of the derived lexemes. The study found that the causative and applicative verb extensions attached to the verb root have multiple senses that line with Cognitive Grammar Theory, whose major assumption is that words have multiple conceptualisations. For instance, the derived verb vugisha had four meanings: speak to, make or cause to talk, disgusting and switching on something (such as in radio receiver or electricity). As the presence of different meanings in the same word causes ambiguity, further research can be carried out on Kinyarwanda ambiguity under the contemporary theory of Metaphor.

MEDII AEVI in Ukrainian School Textbooks: Modern Paradigms and Contextual Analysis

The study on the representation of Medieval Times in Ukrainian school textbooks holds paramount relevance in the current educational landscape. As the world experiences dynamic changes in historical viewpoints and teaching methods, it becomes vital to comprehend how the medieval period is depicted in educational resources. The study's focused on textbooks published between 2020-2022 and addressed the need to evaluate a contemporary representation of the Middle Ages in light of modern historiographical advancements. With 76 participating history teachers, the research guarantees a wide variety of viewpoints, mirroring the intricate nature of history education in Ukraine. The research methodology employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection methods to gain comprehensive insights into the representation of Medieval Times in Ukrainian school textbooks. The primary methods included surveys, interviews, and textbook analysis. The results showed that teaching practices are significantly influenced by modern paradigms in historical science. However, school textbooks often exhibit conservatism, favoring information that has stood the test of time. The survey revealed that 59% of respondents considered Ukrainian school textbooks generally align with modern understandings of historical processes related to the Middle Ages. Conversely, 38% noted a lack of representation of modern historical science paradigms in these textbooks. In conclusion, the research illuminates notable shortcomings within the current educational landscape, specifically concerning the implementation of modern manuals and textbooks. A crucial observation is the insufficient emphasis on practical source utilisation, as well as the neglect of incorporating historical reconstructions, museum visits, and archaeological sites into educational practices. As a result, this research aids in comprehending the intricacies of historical education by uncovering the interaction between contemporary paradigms and customary portrayals in Ukrainian school textbooks. The findings underscore the evolving nature of historical education and the ongoing efforts required to align educational materials with emerging perspectives.

"He Has Made Us All Look Unreal": Strange(r)ness in Jackie Kay's "Trumpet" (1998)

This article analyses, from the perspective of gender and affect theory, the representation of Joss Moody, the deceased protagonist of Jackie Kay’s debut novel, Trumpet (1998). This work centres around the portrayal of the transgender stranger, as delineated by those characters who represent the legal and medical discourses during a series of posthumous strange encounters. For that purpose, this article combines close reading techniques with an interdisciplinary theoretical approach to the selected novel, where intersectional perspectives allow for the examination of the literary text. Firstly, I offer an examination of Sara Ahmed’s contemporary theory of strange(r)ness, as well as her model of the sociality of emotion, with a special focus on the model of the stickiness of disgust. This theoretical framework is then applied to the literary analysis of Trumpet, which rests on the juxtaposition of Joss’s (mis)representation, based on the discrepancy between his female birth sex and his lived masculinity.