Universal Discourse Research Articles

Social science Eurocentrism in the land of universalism: An introduction to French blindness

AbstractFrom the late 18th century onwards, France has delivered a universalistic discourse about politics, society, rights and also science. The emergence of social science largely confirmed this trend. Nowadays the growing challenging of Eurocentrism that has become more and more visible since the early 1990s remains most often untranslated, untaught, uninvestigated and undebated. The disciplinary structure of the university as well as the lingering isolationism of French social science accounts for part of this situation, the latter requires some further explanations. If some opening has recently been visible in the field of gender, race and discriminations, it has usually meant a greater influence of some—White or Black—American anthropologists, sociologist or philosophers, but hardly ever of non‐Western thinkers. The very issue of a social science canon is not even raised. The main reason for this is the weight of French neo‐republicanism as it was born in the early 1990s at the very same time when anti‐Eurocentric alternatives discourses became more widely heard. It results in a persistent denial of these discourses as being scientific and a widespread ignorance of them in the academic field.

Three-Dimensional Path Tracking of Over-Actuated AUVs Based on MPC and Variable Universe S-Plane Algorithms

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are widely used for the inspection of seabed pipelines. To address the issues of low trajectory tracking accuracy in AUV inspection processes due to uncertain ocean current disturbances, this paper designs a new dual-loop controller based on Model Predictive Control (MPC) and Variable Universe S-plane algorithms (S-VUD FLC, where VUD represents Variable Universe Discourse and FLC represents Fuzzy Logic Control) to achieve three-dimensional (3-D) trajectory tracking of an over-actuated AUV under uncertain ocean current disturbances. This paper uses MPC as the outer-loop position controller and S-VUD FLC as the inner-loop speed controller. The outer-loop controller generates desired speed instructions that are passed to the inner-loop speed controller, while the inner-loop speed controller generates control input and uses a direct logic thrust distribution method that approaches optimal energy consumption to distribute the thrust generated by the propellers to the over-actuated AUV, achieving closed-loop tracking of the entire trajectory. When designing the outer-loop MPC controller, the actual control input constraints of the system are considered, and control increments are introduced to reduce control model errors and the impact of uncertain external disturbances on the actual AUV model parameters. When designing the inner-loop S-VUD FLC, the strong robustness of the variable universe fuzzy controller and the easy construction characteristics of the S-plane algorithm are combined, and integral action is introduced to improve the system’s tracking accuracy. The stability of the outer loop controller is proven by the Lyapunov method, and the stability of the inner loop controller is verified by simulation. Finally, simulations show that the over-actuated AUV has fast tracking processes and high tracking result accuracy under uncertain ocean current disturbances, demonstrating the effectiveness of the designed dual-loop controller.

Discourse of trauma and transformation of memory in the novel of J. S. Foer’s “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”

The article is devoted to considering the peculiarities of trauma discourse in the context of dynamics and transformations of individual and collective memory based on the material of the novel by the modern American writer J. S. Foer “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”. Sociocultural dynamics of the first quarter of the 21st century causes significant changes in the spheres of collective imagination and memory, which finds its expression in the literary discourse, one of the significant types of which is currently the discourse of trauma. In turn, the category of trauma acquires universal status in modern humanitarianism. This determines the relevance of the research topic. The purpose of the article is to consider the discursive specificity of J. S. Foer’s novel «Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close» in the context of trauma, individual and collective memory. The subject of consideration is the peculiarities of the representation of trauma in the context of the transformation of memory in the novel by J. S. Foer. The novelty of the study consists in the attempt to distinguish the discourse of trauma related to the peculiarities of the narrator’s vision of reality and the socio-cultural determinations of trauma that affect the entire society, that is, to isolate the universal discourse of social trauma in the novel compared to individual trauma. The task of the research: to analyse the specific features of the discourse of trauma in J. S. Foer’s novel; find out the correlation between trauma discourse and transformations of individual and collective memory; to justify the universal nature of the trauma discourse in the novel. Historical-cultural, hermeneutic and discursive methods were used in the research process. The discourse of trauma in the novel acquires universal features and concerns all the narrators of the novel, who form its plot. The visual component that forms the visual-symbolic narrative of the novel actualizes the synesthetic perception of the trauma and its totality, spread not only to the family of the main character, but also to the entire society. At the same time, the graphic and visual experiments and findings of the author allow us to interpret the text as a complex postmodern and metamodern whole. The trauma discourse in the novel captures the transformations of individual and collective memory, which are aimed at restoring the functionality of the existence of people and communities on both the cognitive and emotional-affective levels. The discourse of trauma acquires features of totality, while remaining rational and avoiding signs of self-obsession, which enables catharsis as life after and with trauma. The symbolic nature of the processes taking place in the collective consciousness and imagination represents itself through the transformations of discourse, which record the transformations of memory. Prospects for further research are outlined by the possibility of considering the discourse of trauma in a wider cultural, linguistic and sociological context.

토니 모리슨의 웃음: 언어적 기능과 담론의 무기

Morrison's laughter is different from that of any other literary work. Morrison uses laughter as a weapon for a discourse that dismantles the contradictions of Western conventions built up by dichotomous and rationalistic thinking. She uses laughter as a linguistic function to represent her discourse and a weapon of the discourse. By presenting the characteristics of African American laughter, that is, autonomous, unconscious, lasting for a long time, having a healing function, and combining with tears and dance, Morrison proves cultural differences and also shows the linguistic function of laughter. In addition, Morrison uses the recovery of laughter as a stepping stone to prepare for the future regarding the loss of their unique laughter as the loss of a foundation for life or the loss of the will to live.
 Morrison creates laughter as a weapon of discourse that resists dominant thinking prevents violence, and transcendent and universal discourses that break away from rationalism. This kind of laughter represents a difference rather than a language-to-language discourse and shows that there can be a variety of substitutes for language. The invention of imaginary and unrealistic laughter expands the horizons of laughter to unknown areas. Morrison's laughter does not create comedy but contains elements of both comedy and tragedy, transcends the limits of language, evokes empathy beyond language, and embraces a broader scope than the space-time contained in language. Morrison's invention of laughter means that laughter is not fixed, but changes and is created anew like language. The use of laughter allows Morrison’s extraordinary discourse as social, philosophical and cultural views to be flowered in a high level of literary art.

From Exile to a Global Citizen

In ancient Greek literature and Indian epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana, exile or banishment is depicted as a punishment meted out for sins and crimes committed by humans, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Gradually, from individual/ group punishment, exile evolved into mass exodus resulting from war, conquests and other conflicts. All forms of exiles suffer from the pain and sorrow of leaving behind one’s homeland and belongings. Consequently, the literature produced by exiled poets and writers are filled with nostalgia and agonizing memories. However, over the years, other concerns related to their new lives gain prominence in their writings. This paper attempts to trace the journey of exiles from the past to the present and move towards the future in the writings of diasporic writers of different decades. This paper will focus on the works of V.S. Naipaul, Monica Ali, Zia Haider Rahman and Tarfia Faizullah to discover the newer trends emerging in their texts. V.S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr Biswas (1961) is the epitome of the diasporic writer’s attempt to understand his past in relation to his present. The ownership of a house in the new country is like staking a claim to belong to that country, and Mr. Biswas is desperate to do so. On the other hand, Monical Ali’s Brick Lane, published at the turn of the century, deals with a husband and wife negotiating the difficulties of belonging to a new society. Zia Haider Rahman and Tarfia Faizullah belong to the next group of diaspora writers, who are second generation immigrants growing up in a new land no longer ‘foreign’ to them. The protagonist of Rahman’s novel in The Light of What We Know (2014) successfully confronts problems and complications to ‘belong’ and ‘become’ a British citizen. Tarfia Faizullah, a young Bangladeshi-American poet, uses the history of the War of Independence of Bangladesh to align it with other similar universal discourse of genocide. It appears that figuratively, the exiled writer has now arrived at an acceptable point where s/he is flying out as a global citizen. This transformation of diasporic writers from the periphery to the centre as globally read figures has given rise to the concept of transnationalism. Spectrum, Volume 17, June 2022: 1-11

Complicating Narratives of Contemporary Chinese Art as Global Art through the Lens of Exhibition Histories

Abstract This essay reviews two publications on Chinese contemporary art and its relation to the global through the lens of exhibition histories. The monograph Die chinesische Avantgarde und das Dispositiv der Ausstellung. Konstruktionen chinesischer Gegenwartskunst im Spannungsfeld der Globalisierung (The ‘Chinese avant-garde’ and the exhibition as dispositive. Constructing contemporary Chinese art in the global context) authored by Franziska Koch (2016), and the edited volume Uncooperative Contemporaries: Art Exhibitions in Shanghai in 2000, (2020) published in the Exhibition Histories series by Afterall Books. The former seeks to re-write the history of contemporary Chinese art exhibitions from a transcultural perspective with a particular focus on group exhibitions of contemporary Chinese art in the West. The latter focuses on exhibitions that took place in the wake of China's “global turn in the year 2000. It examines the first international Shanghai biennial and so called “satellite shows,” unofficial exhibitions that took place concurrently with the biennial. Both books examine how Chinese contemporary art's relation to the global has been conceptualized and operated differently at different times, in different yet often transculturally/transnationally entangled locales, socio-political contexts, power structures and geopolitical currents, in different discursive contexts, according to specific political and discursive conditions and agendas, and through various agents and institutions. This essay argue that by shedding light on specific locales, and their transnational and transcultural entanglements, and the various agents involved in the formation of global contemporary Chinese art both publications critically intervene into top-down universalist discourses of the “global contemporary.” Speaking from different positionalities, they seek to complicate narratives and understandings of contemporary global and Chinese art from the bottom-up. Informed by the post-colonial critique of historicism a bottom-up perspective they conceive of global art not as a universalistic concept, but as plural articulations of global contemporaneity conceived as “disjunctive unity,” a shared yet heterogenous present constituted by multiple contemporaneities.

Methodological and epistemological determinants of approaching Quranic terminology

The Qur'anic term has a constructive dimension within the Qur'anic system, which must be taken into account in order to reach the truth of the Qur'anic term. Through these methodological and cognitive approaches, we conclude that the approach to Qur’anic terminology is unique in its study from others because of its characteristics that should be represented by the researcher in his study of Qur’anic concepts, because the Holy Qur’an is a cosmic and universal discourse that is characterized by its comprehensiveness and encompassing, and its continuity in giving over time. They cooperate in a tight format that prevents distortion and alteration. The search results can be displayed as follows: The Qur’anic term has been known with great care since the revelation of the revelation, as scholars have made good efforts in approximating its connotations and purposes, which necessitates referring to it in order to define it and stand on its approach and value. The approach to the Qur’anic terminology needs a sober scientific approach that controls the terminological and conceptual study of the words of revelation, in order to understand the purposes and values ​​of the Qur’an as a prelude to purifying man and ending with building urbanization.

The cross-association relation based on intervals ratio in fuzzy time series

<span lang="EN-US">The fuzzy time series (FTS) is a forecasting model based on linguistic values. This forecasting method was developed in recent years after the existing ones were insufficiently accurate. Furthermore, this research modified the accuracy of existing methods for determining and the partitioning universe of discourse, fuzzy logic relationship (FLR), and variation historical data using intervals ratio, cross association relationship, and rubber production Indonesia data, respectively. The modified steps start with the intervals ratio to partition the determined universe discourse. Then the triangular fuzzy sets were built, allowing fuzzification. After this, the FLR are built based on the cross-association relationship, leading to defuzzification. The average forecasting error rate (AFER) was used to compare the modified results and the existing methods. Additionally, the simulations were conducted using rubber production Indonesia data from 2000-2020. With an AFER result of 4.77%<10%, the modification accuracy has a smaller error than previous methods, indicating very good forecasting criteria. In addition, the coefficient values of </span><em><span lang="EN-US">D<sub>1</sub></span></em><span lang="EN-US"> and </span><em><span lang="EN-US">D<sub>2</sub></span></em><span lang="EN-US"> were automatically obtained from the intervals ratio algorithm. The future works modified the partitioning of the universe of discourse using frequency density to eliminate unused partition intervals.</span>

Disaffected: The Cultural Politics of Unfeeling in Nineteenth-Century America by Xine Yao

Reviewed by: Disaffected: The Cultural Politics of Unfeeling in Nineteenth-Century America by Xine Yao Denise Wong (bio) Disaffected: The Cultural Politics of Unfeeling in Nineteenth-Century America, by Xine Yao. Durham: Duke University Press, 2021. Ix + 291 pp. $27.95 paper. ISBN 978-1-4780-1483-6. Disaffected: The Cultural Politics of Unfeeling in Nineteenth-Century America marks an exciting turn in affect studies towards the radical affordances of unfeeling as a tactic of resistance. Xine Yao's debut monograph moves critical discussion beyond "the stifling imperatives of the political stakes of sympathy" to uncover "what we can apprehend" by "stay[ing] with the negativity of unfeeling and [End Page 105] suspend[ing] its rehabilitation" (3). Disaffection is both negative feeling and the negation of feeling as resistance but neither resolved nor subsumed by discourses of overcoming. It is a mode for understanding the extent to which cultural fantasies of justice and social change are contingent upon a politics of recognition and sympathy. Yao contends that the Western liberal project of inclusion demands sympathetic recognition and, though seemingly innocuous, presumes a false universality masking an insidious disparity between who gets to retain their subject status while refusing to feel. One of Yao's most generative provocations is her reading of sympathetic recognition as a colonial legacy originating in the culture of sentiment advanced by Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759). She identifies four modes of disaffected unfeeling "in the cultural imagination deployed to flatten out and invalidate individual and collective subtleties" (6): unsympathetic Blackness, queer frigidity, Black objective passionlessness, and Oriental inscrutability. Although Disaffected is concerned with how American literature and culture understands affect and politics, a paradigm with a disproportionately global impact, the scope of Yao's framework extends far beyond the geographic and historical specificity of her corpus which focuses on nineteenth-century fiction that "question[s] the politics of sympathetic identification in the cultural imagination informed by sentimentalism" (21). The primary texts include Herman Melville's Benito Cereno (1855), Martin R. Delany's Blake; or the Huts of America (1861), Elizabeth Stuart Phelps's Doctor Zay (1882), Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's Iola Leroy (1892), and Edith Maude Eaton's Mrs. Spring Fragrance (1912). These writers "use the space of fiction to question the politics of sympathetic identification in the cultural imagination informed by sentimentalism" (21). The first two chapters explore unsympathetic Blackness as a mode of dissent from two contexts. In the first, the novella Benito Cereno illustrates how the false universality of white sentimentalism ensures that Babo, Melville's Senegalese slave-turned-rebel leader, remains an illegible and thus contemptible subject. Following philosophers Denise Ferreira da Silva and Sylvia Wynter, Yao argues this falsely universal discourse of sentimentality is predicated upon racialised politics of recognition. In the second, Martin R. Delany's eponymous protagonist Blake rejects dominant white modes of feeling but, instead of being executed as an act of justice, he forms an alliance with the Indigenous community "to unmake the structural conditions of Black enslavement and Indigenous dispossession that produce the modern world" (23). Borrowing Tiffany King's formulation, Yao reads "convergence without conflation" (73) in the way Blake "disrupt[s] the colonial dichotomization of Blackness and Indigeneity as antagonistic to each other" (77) by thinking through the historical and theoretical intersections of Black emancipation and Indigenous sovereignty. [End Page 106] The third chapter reads queer frigidity as a consequence of white middleclass women's entry into the medical profession. Yao takes Phelps's Doctor Zay as an example amidst a cluster of late nineteenth-century American novels which use the marriage plot to stage debates about the correlation between love and political desire for suffrage and other rights. The expectation for women to reappropriate "the masculinized authority of medical science's disciplinary detachment" (112) juxtaposes "the coercive affective imperatives of marriage and family" (25). Yao focuses compellingly on the homology between the invention of anaesthesia and the pathologisation and queering of female frigidity (diagnosed by sexologist Havelock Ellis as "a medical condition prevalent among women" [114]). Anaesthesia as a mechanism of controlled unfeeling for professional advancement parallels "the alleged abnormality of frigidity" (115) in the way detachment signifies agency...

The Paulician Heresy: Contradiction of National and Universal

Historical events always become the object of reinterpretation. The history of the Paulician heresy, which was widespread in medieval Armenia and Byzantium, is no exception. In this article, I will address the attempt to reinterpret the history of the Paulicians from a national-conservative position made by Karlen Mirumian. Analyzing his account of events and comparing it with the Soviet interpretation and a more detailed examination of the Paulician doctrine leads to interesting implications for understanding the specificity of the national discourse. The paper will compare the approaches to the interpretation of the role of the Paulicians in history given by Karlen Mirumyan and the Soviet author Hrant Bartikyan. Mirumyan's approach raises quite a few questions regarding methodology, especially his retrospective application of the framework of nationalist ideas to the feudal era. Besides, a more detailed study of the Paulician doctrine, conducted by Nina Garsoïan, shows us that the doctrine described by Mirumyan repeats the anti-Paulician propaganda of Byzantine authors, which has little in common with reality. All this allows us to move on to the peculiarities of Armenian nationalist ideology, which, when confronted with the Paulician phenomenon, reveals a surprising unity with the imperial discourse it is meant to oppose. That's why I turn to the ideas of the contemporary French philosopher Alain Badiou, who proposed the concept of three discourses - the discourse of homogenization, the discourse of exclusion, and the discourse of universalism. My assumption is that the Byzantine imperial discourse corresponds to the first, the nationalist discourse to the second, and the Paulician doctrine to the third, the universal discourse, against which the other two discourses merge.

Busting the Silos of “Global” Scholarship

Busting the Silos of “Global” Scholarship

Patents, War and Peace. The Resilience of the International Patent Order Through the First World War

By the end of the 19th century, an international order had emerged for patents, allowing business actors to use patents in many countries concurrently, and thus supporting a new phase in the development of industrial capitalism. Centred on Europe in spite of a universalistic discourse and important transatlantic connections, this international order was shaken by the outbreak of the First World War. Indeed, patents were impacted by provisions of economic warfare. These measures, although similar in their principle in all warring countries, were however executed to a varying degree, depending on the extent of economic dependence or fear of retaliation. These differences also manifested during the negotiation of the Treaty of Versailles, the analysis of which contradicts the idea of a general expropriation of German patents. Thus escaping disintegration, the international patent order was afterwards progressively restored on its pre-1914 foundations.

Translating Khan on Singer: Global Solvent Versus Local Interpretation

This work focuses on Peter Singer’s book, One World: The Ethics of Globalisation, and a reading of it recently presented by M. Ali Khan. Khan’s response to Singer is acutely critical, but ultimately fails to situate Singer’s offering in its proper historical context. In this sense, Khan’s response is not sufficient. We demonstrate that Singer’s offering is permeated by a universalising discourse marked by asymmetric power relations clearly described by Edward Said in Orientalism and, more surprisingly, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in The Possessed. We illustrate how Singer’s narrative and the counter-narrative of Khan represent a continuation of a longer historical disputation between the West and the East. JEL classifications: J7, B31 Keywords: Orientalism, Globalisation, Economy, Language, Translation, Communication, Domination, Dialogue, Local, Global, Community ...It is a sign of the decay of nations when they begin to have gods in common. —Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1872)1 ...Political imperialism governs an entire field of study, imagination, and scholarly institutions—in such a way as to make its avoidance an intellectual and historical impossibility. —Edward Said (1979)2

‘Our (Civil) Way of Life’: The Folkloric Civil Sphere

Does the civil sphere consist merely of conscious and reflective subjects? Do folkloric habits, customs, and traditions contribute anything to its universalism? This article proposes the term ‘folkloric civil sphere’ to describe a non-intentional dimension of social life and of the civil sphere, composed of conventional rituals – such as those of holidays – that are followed without reflection or debate and that together form a collective ‘way of life,’ but which are nevertheless civil, in that they transcend primordial loyalties and encourage universalistic discourse. As opposed to the neo-Durkheimian focus on the meanings of delineated and emotionally moving performances, the article relies on ethnological history to develop a bottom-up model for grasping the civil meanings of conventional rituals. It suggests recreating the gradual chronological process in which conventions appear, are disseminated, turn into rituals and into group icons, and only then may acquire ambiguous meanings. Hence the meanings of folkloric customs often lie in the perceived universalism of social conventions – what ‘everyone’ does – rather than in their symbolic significance or semiotic thickness. The article proposes a shift in focus in the discussions of civil solidarity: instead of institutional, legal, and discursive processes, it centers on the slow and quiet integration of minority groups – religious and ethnic groups or undocumented immigrants – into the symbolic civil sphere, by means of cultural codes that become embedded in everyday conventions and create, bottom up, a sense of belonging to the universalist civil sphere and its distinct ‘way of life.’

Apartness of Ideal and Reality

This article contributes to scholarly debate concerning universalist discourse, as either advantageous or detrimental to addressing inequalities between the West and the Global South. First, I explore the theoretical backdrop of the dispute, positing that differing notions of how multiple modernities interrelate informs divergent conceptualizations of universalist discourse, as either rigidly Eurocentric or contextually adaptable. Secondly, I analyze the South African Freedom Charter from both perspectives, arguing that we should recognize universalist discourse as a powerful tool in formulating political visions of decolonization; and conversely, that we should be cautious when utilizing such discourse due to its inherent Eurocentric capabilities.

‘Islamic humanism’: another form of universalism in contemporary Sufism

ABSTRACT Contemporary Sufi orders in Western societies have been often described as ‘universal’, implying a conceptualisation of religion that transcends religious and cultural boundaries. This article challenges a univocal understanding of universalism, arguing for a plurality of universalist discourses, which entail different relations with otherness, practices, organisational structures, and politics. This article shows the continuities and discontinuities among different competing universalist discourses present in contemporary Sufism and Islam, such as Guénonian-Traditionalism, the New Age, and neo-liberalism. Furthermore, it describes another universalist discourse which has not been previously discussed in relation to contemporary Sufism, defined as ‘Islamic humanism’, which focuses on (1) the anthropo-cosmic role of the human being, connecting God, nature, and humankind; (2) a universal truth, which goes beyond religious and cultural differences, but is inscribed in Islam; (3) a pluralistic epistemology merging Islamic, natural, and social sciences; and (4) a sense of responsibility towards society, which implies a socio-political engagement.

Ashray and Shushrusha

In this essay, drawing on the case study of Kolkata-based blind theatre groups Blind Opera (est. 1995) and Anyadesh (lit. ‘a different country’, est. 2006), I argue that performance can effectively provide embodied care to oppressed individuals and their communities in the Global South— united by poverty, lack of state support, infrastructural inaccessibility and other intersectional factors. Blind Opera, and Anyadesh have done pioneering work in exploring theatre as medium for care for the visually impaired. The essay looks at the work of these two groups as one instance among many in the Indian context, where in recent years, theatre or performance has emerged as a major site for dispensing care in marginal communities afflicted by systemic neglect, exploitation, oppression or conflict. Focusing particularly on the practice that has evolved at Blind Opera and Anyadesh, I try to untangle some of the core principles. I identify and explore two key vernacular conceptual categories Ashray and Shushrusha (care/willingness to listen) that have been central to embodied care-practice in the two groups. Discussing Blind Opera and Anyadesh’s work as an instance of marginal embodied care practice in the Global South, I argue, provides a critical counter weight to prevalent Eurocentric and universalist discourse around applied theatre or performative care practices. It is an equally important intervention within discourse around disability and performance which has hitherto focused mostly on examples from Anglo-American or European context.

Ethnocentrism or universal human rights norms? A comparative analysis of debate on the children of temporary immigrant workers in Israel and Taiwan

This article applies discursive institutionalism to compare the debates on the children of temporary immigrant workers in Israel and Taiwan. Policymakers in both countries adopted a guestworker program that prevents the long-term settlement of foreign laborers, let alone that of their children. Over time, the increasing number of children born to these laborers triggered the debate on the proper treatment of these children. The debates in these two countries demonstrated varying discursive themes and led to different policy outcomes. Though primarily built on a particularistic, ethnocentric discourse, the discursive interactions around Israel’s Jewish identity resulted in two ad hoc, temporary decisions that legalized the status of hundreds of such children. In contrast, while the dominant narrative in Taiwan has been the supposedly more liberal idea of universal human rights norms, these children have been granted only temporary social service and education support, with no prospect of long-term legal settlement. To understand the seeming paradox in why the more ethnocentric discourse resulted in a degree of policy liberalization while a more universalistic discourse has not, this article shows how agents in the debate responded to the discursive opportunities, with each largely shaped by their respective national identity public philosophies.

Between Democracy and Ochlocracy in the Context of the Centuries-Old Dispute about the Perfect Form of Government: The Legal Heritage of the Antiquity in View of the Challenges of Modernity

The author endeavored to enliven the universal discourse on the perfect system of government applicable to human society, which to many luminaries constitutes a certain paradigm of the science on the state and the law. While adopting a classical, chronological convention of the narrative herein commenced, the author made the time of Antiquity the point of departure, selected the Enlightenment as a form of a modern counterpoint thereto, and then finalized the deliberations carried out here against the reality of contemporary times. The intent of the exploration here was to place the research subject within the interdisciplinary framework, which was undoubtedly supported by the multifaceted nature of the problem at issue and by subsidiary utilization of the advantages of the comparative approach. The intention to present the issue through a broad perspective, transcending the boundaries of academic discourse, was naturally convergent therewith. As a result, the author did not shy from controversy, seeking the purpose of the actions undertaken, thereby in the formation of conclusions on what the applicable law should be. That allowed for the presentation of numerous remarks, assessments, and opinions, among which at least some may be deemed disputatious or plainly speaking, highly debatable. The investigator did not attempt to evade those; on the contrary – sought it in complete premeditation.

Global TALES feasibility study: Personal narratives in 10-year-old children around the world.

Personal narratives make up more than half of children's conversations. The ability to share personal narratives helps build and maintain friendships, promotes physical and emotional wellbeing, supports classroom participation, and underpins academic success and vocational outcomes. Although personal narratives are a universal discourse genre, cross-cultural and cross-linguistic research into children's ability to share personal narratives is in its infancy. The current study addresses this gap in the research by developing the Global TALES protocol, a protocol comprising six scripted prompts for eliciting personal narratives in school-age children (excited, worried, annoyed, proud, problem situation, something important). We evaluated its feasibility with 249 ten-year-old children from 10 different countries, speaking 8 different languages, and analyzed researchers' views on the process of adapting the protocol for use in their own country/language. At group-level, the protocol elicited discourse samples from all children, although individual variability was evident, with most children providing responses to all six prompts. When investigating the topics of children's personal narratives in response to the prompts, we found that children from around the world share many commonalities regarding topics of conversation. Once again individual variability was high, indicating the protocol is effective in prompting children to share their past personal experiences without forcing them to focus on one particular topic. Feedback from the participating researchers on the use of the protocol in their own countries was generally positive, although several translation issues were noted. Based on our results, we now invite clinical researchers from around the world to join us in conducting further research into this important area of practice to obtain a better understanding of the development of personal narratives from children across different languages and cultures and to begin to establish local benchmarks of performance.