Divided Societies Research Articles

일본정치사회의 분단, 공론장의 위기와 보수화

This article analyzed the conservatism of Japanese political society, focusing on the division of Japanese political society and the crisis of the public sphere. In general, conservatization in Japanese political society focuses on the rise of conservatives due to the decline of innovative forces, excessive representation of right-wing ideologies, and support for conservative forces that led reform discourse in the process of overcoming a long-term recession. However, it is noteworthy that the silence of the general public on political issues is deeply related to conservatism in Japanese political society. This fact is meaningful in that it is possible to grasp the characteristics of the conservatization of Japanese political society, which is carried out regardless of political support. Based on this point, this article examined the characteristics of right-wing conservatism in Japanese society, focusing on the fact that it is a crisis of polarization and public sphere. In conclusion, the polarization of Japanese political society that has intensified since the 2000s and the resulting self-satisfied and present-oriented attitudes of the public have made them passive and subordinate to social affairs. As a result, the conservatist, which are active political participants, are overrepresented, and Japanese political society is being tilted toward conservative and rightward.

Identity politics and ethnic humour in contemporary Jordan

Following political turbulence and instability in the Middle East, Jordan has become a home for a large number of Palestinians, Iraqis, and Syrians, and now includes a significant number of Egyptians in its workforce. This growing diversity in the population has impacted the country not only socially and economically but quite noticeably in terms of identity politics and ethnic humour (how do indigenous people perceive the other(s) and how do others perceive the indigenous people?). This is explained through the rising tensions between Jordanians and Jordanians of Palestinian origin in relation to the formation of ethnic humour that is based on the idea of urban and rural division in Jordanian society. The discussion in this article argues that the people of Transjordanian towns, such as As-Salt, At-Tafilah, and As-Sarih, have ‘unexpectedly’ become the target of many ethnic jokes by the urbanites in Amman and elsewhere, who now make up the majority of Jordanians of Palestinian origin. The people of these Transjordanian small towns and villages have been the target of Jordanian ethnic humour because of their backwardness, lack of discretion, and stupidity, compared to the cleverness, modernity, and high culture of the Jordanian urbanites and their cultural superiority. However, since the 2011 Arab Spring, the people of these Transjordanian towns have developed a counter-superiority tendency to laugh at the powerful in urban centres and make fun of the government and its institutionalised discourse about reform and progress.

Polymeric electronic materials for microelectronics manufacturing: A review

This review paper is part of a series of papers dedicated to the centenary celebration of the American Chemical Society Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering which has been the scientific home of many polymer scientists and engineers in the semiconductor industry. It is a review of parts of the research and development of advanced polymeric electronic materials for the fabrication and manufacturing of modern integrated circuits at the International Business Machines Corporation. This paper covers three types of advanced polymeric electronic materials: (1) photoresist materials used to “print” integrated circuits on silicon wafers, (2) on-chip low dielectric constant (low-κ) materials to insulate electrically conducting copper wires and (3) photo-patternable on-chip low-κ materials which function both as a photoresist and as an on-chip low-κ material. The photoresist materials are thin film imaging material systems of bilayer photoresist materials for 248 nm lithography and trilayer photoresist materials for 193 nm lithography. The low-κ dielectric material part focuses on fundamental understanding of plasma-induced damage to nanoporous organosilicate low-κ dielectric materials and the design of damage-resistant low-κ dielectric materials. Finally, the photo-patternable low-κ dielectric materials part describes the design and the development of dual-functional photo-patternable low-κ dielectric materials for both 193 nm and 248 nm lithography patterning of semiconductor Back-End-Of-the-Line. Several of these materials have been adopted for high-volume manufacturing of semiconductor chips for some of the most popular electronic devices in the world today.

Kelsenian Courts in an Ethnic Key: A Nightmare or a Noble Dream?

Abstract It is recognized that constitutionalism in divided societies is often strained and may require appropriate tailoring, but how far should that go? Constitutional courts – traditionally conceived as independent and impartial guardians of the constitutional order and the rule of law – seem to defeat the point of consensual decision-making settlement promised by consociational power-sharing solutions frequently recommended for deeply divided societies. One way of cutting this Gordian knot is by offering a hybrid solution, a sort of consociationalised constitutional court. The legitimacy of such an institution, in the context of a consociational political regime, is to be secured by it itself becoming a ‘power-sharing court’, strongly reflecting the salient cleavages dividing the society, and incorporating power-sharing elements in its structure and decision-making rules. In deeply divided societies where such cleavages are ethnic ones, and they often are, the constitutional court would be an ethnic court. This chapter critically examines such a model, by focusing on three such courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in particular the Bosnian Constitutional Court, often seen as an example of a ‘strong power-sharing court’. In particular, it considers the extent to which the standard model of the constitutional court can be bent out of shape, while retaining its original functions.

Социокультурные и антропологические вызовы начала ХХΙ века

Introduction. The article deals with the problem associated with the active invasion of new technologies, gadgets, and what has now been generically called artificial intelligence into our lives. The strengthening of the virtual, the emergence of media space, online culture, the online world, technological comfort, the digital world are beginning to qualitatively change a person, influence his attribute qualities that seemed integral and iconic. Theoretical analysis. Society begins to react to the totality of transformations with a number of new contradictions, special social tension. The introduction of artificial intelligence calls into question the creativity of a person, leads to the division of society into a few professionals who are in the thick of digital technology, and the majority of non-professionals. Virtualization has also weakened the understanding of the physical boundaries of the body and the ability to use its resources wisely. There is a threat to the private uniqueness of a person as a social and cultural component, which manifests itself through communication, and develops in a socio-cultural environment. It is assumed that for the average user of a personal computer in the near future, the role of a machine reproducing information may be prepared, while artificial intelligence will perform a creative role that at one time distinguished a person. Conclusion. The theses discussed above lead to the question: to what extent society, having created technologies, has ensured their inclusion in the social space, to what extent society as a whole is ready to exist together with artificial intelligence in the interfacing real and virtual worlds, and what needs to be done to preserve the individual and society? The results of the technological breakthrough of the first decades of the XXI century put society in front of a difficult choice of a balance between qualitative changes in society and anthropological qualities of a person and the preservation of the attributive properties of the individual and society.

Civil War Settlements, Perceived Agreement Fairness, and Trust in Political Authorities: Investigating the Influence of Power Sharing on Public Opinion in Divided Societies

Little is known about civil war settlements' effects on public opinion in countries emerging from conflict, cases in which beliefs in agreement fairness and trust in political authorities may influence acceptance of the peace process. We posit that settlements designed to redistribute power and resources will be perceived as fairer and produce larger improvements in trust in the national government for individuals from marginalized groups than for those from dominant groups. Employing original survey data collected in the Philippines, we test these propositions with reference to the country’s 2014 peace agreement. We find that marginalized Muslim groups perceive a fairer peace agreement and report improved trust in comparison to the dominant Christian community. Using a survey experiment to analyze the influence of power-redistributing settlement measures, we find that trust in the government is not significantly affected by information regarding power sharing, a result that holds for members of both communities.

The Attitude of Pesantren in Establishing Independence and World Peace

0009-0002-9648-1968Pesantren are Islamic boardinmg schools in Indonesia and were born and developed with the dynamic changes in society. Pesantren has also given birth to figures who are very influential in the process of spreading and preserving the values of Islamic teachings such as scholars like Kiai, ustad, and others.Pesantren is derived from religious teachings and uses character building to make students independent. Pesantren has always been a patron or a spotlight in addressing problematic lifestyles. When viewed in the context of the current era, there are so many problems in everyday life, such as radical thinking that eventually leads to extremist actions causing a division in society. This study aims to answer the question of reality where students can grow on their own and solve a growing issue of radicalism. This study uses a qualitative method using a socially constructive approach. The data is obtained through journals, books, and newspapers. The results of this study, can usher independence as evidenced by the disciplined and responsible attitude of students. Furthermore, the attitude of Pesantren in creating world peace is by instilling Tawazun, Tawassut, and Tasamuh. Pesantren can be reflected in independent students with disciplined attitudes and a sense of responsibility. Along with the provision of moderate attitudes, polite and humble individuals will reflect the values of peace in the community.
 Keywords: Pesantren, Independence, and Peace.

Роль взрослого-фасилитатора в сопровождении детей, переживших насилие

The article is devoted to the current problem of facilitating technology of accompanying children who have survived violence, used by adults in the process of organizing free creative play, displaying the child’s experiences and traumatic events. Currently in Russia there is a process of spreading violence against children, which is caused by socio-economic instability and social divisions in society. There is no doubt that preschool age is the most sensitive, sensory stage of formation of moral concepts of ‘good’ and ‘evil’, personal qualities of empathy, sympathy, empathy. However, the dominance in society of aggressiveness and egoistic manifestations on the part of adults, has a serious impact on the socialization of the personality — engenders a state of emotional deprivation of the child to the mother, hypocrisy and adaptation to those forms of behavior that will be advantageous for the child to avoid punishment or all sorts of humiliation in front of adults. The sphere of special interest in the presented format is the innovative search for means and methods that ensure the restoration of the psycho-emotional state of the personality of a child who has experienced adult violence. Special attention in the article is paid to such categories as facilitator, free creative play as a leading means of overcoming the consequences of psychological confusion of a person who has experienced violence, his/her detachment from society, depression, as well as aggression in relations with other subjects, which is often encountered in the created conditions. The scientific understanding of the use in the format of technology of the method of free creative play as a joint activity of an adult with a child, focused on the development of children’s independence, initiative of personality, consistent with the age and individual preferences, leading to the correction of psycho-traumatic consequences of violence, providing positive dynamics of emotional and cognitive spheres of the psyche is outlined

Local rule-making in Ancient Rus’

The subject of this study is the ways and methods of regulating legal relations at the local level in medieval Ukraine. The main attention is paid to the state formations of the East Slavic legal-cultural and political space of the 11th–14th centuries. The legal reality of Ancient Rus’ was characterized by limited centralized legal regulation. In contrast to the Middle Ages of Western Europe, rulers in Ancient Rus’ did very little to create laws. As a result of this policy, a significant part of legal relations had to be settled at the local level. The unique social structure of Ancient Rus’, which did not know self-governing urban communities, did not know self-governing craft guilds, etc., also contributed to this. The complex structure of the society of Ancient Rus’, its characteristic features and basic elements is revealed. Family and pseudo-family corporate structures served as the basis of society. These structures included certain families, clans, large and small families, as well as numerous «people of the house», that is, people who were in various types of legal dependence. Attention is drawn to how these corporations, as rule-making subjects, regulated relations within themselves and among themselves. The contractual nature of pseudo-family corporate structures, whose counterpart in Western Europe is «conjuratio», is revealed. Ancient Rus’ was characterized by the lack of legal formalization of the division of society into estates. At the same time, a significant number of types of forms of early feudal and ministerial dependence, as well as slavery, are known. There is no record of the existence of proper laws, or of the regulation of such relations of dependence through tradition. Thus, dependency relations in all their forms were mostly to be regulated by local law acts, in particular by law-making treaties. And the more complex the form of dependence was, the more complex was the legal act regulating it. A separate subject of research is church institutions and monasteries, which formed separate corporate structures with their own regulatory system, which combined both downward normative legal regulation and local rulemaking, which could come into conflict with such centralized legal regulation. Attention is also paid to terminological problems and their solution at the modern stage. It is necessary both to update the existing scientific terminology and to be cautious about the terminology of the past. The peculiarities of the use of the word «custom» (zwychay) in the medieval society of Ancient Rus’. Examples from church literature illustrate how this word was used precisely in a legal sense, which is quite different from the modern legal understanding of legal custom. Key words: Medieval Ukraine, East Slavic state formations, Ancient Rus’, Medieval Law, Ancient Rus’ Law, law-making treaty, Source of Law, Legal history.

When active representation is not enough: ethnic minority street-level workers in a divided society and policy entrepreneurship

When active representation is not enough: ethnic minority street-level workers in a divided society and policy entrepreneurship

Legacies of Survival: Historical Violence and Ethnic Minority Behavior

How is the electoral behavior of minorities shaped by past violence? Recent studies found that displacement increases hostility between perpetrators and displaced individuals, but there has been paltry research on members of surviving communities. We argue that the latter exhibit the opposite pattern because of their different condition. Violence will cause cross-generational vulnerability, fear and risk-aversion—leading the surviving communities to seek protection and avoid conflict by signalling loyalty and rejecting nationalist movements. In their situation as an excluded minority in the perpetrators’ state, they will be more likely to vote for out-group parties. Exploiting exogenous battlefield dynamics that created inter-regional variation in the Palestinian exodus (1947–1949), microlevel measurements that capture the damage of violence, and an original longitudinal data set, we show that Palestinian villages in Israel more severely impacted by the 1948 war have a much higher vote share to Jewish parties even 70 years later. Survey evidence further supports our theory, revealing that this pattern exists only for members of the surviving communities, and not among displaced individuals. The findings shed new light on the complex social relations that guide political decision-making in post-war settings and divided societies that suffer from protracted conflicts.

Sanamahism of meitei: “new ancient” religion of Manipur

Sanamahism is a noticeable phenomenon in the religious picture of the Indian state of Manipur, the ethno-national religion of the Meitei people, which began to form on the basis of old traditional cults in the 1930s. Adherents of Sanamahism initially opposed their religion as the main form of expression of ethnic identity Meitei (Meiteilon) to Hinduism: they emphasized the forced conversion of Meitei to Hinduism, and the organizations they formed, “Apokpa Marup” in 1930 and “Meitei Marup” in 1945, were in a tough fight against the “Brahma Sabha”. The creators of Sanamahism opposed the caste division of society and emphasized the originality of the mythological narratives and ritual practices of Meitei. The peculiar theology of the “new ancient” religion is based on the interpretation of the image of the god Sanamahi as the main creative principle of the world and the supreme God. The most important element of Sanamahism is a kind of myth-history that uses traditional mythological, ritual and cult elements, but organizes them in a new way. In the last decade of the twentieth century the confrontation between Meitei Hindus and Sanamahists has decreased, and at present there are even some attempts to proclaim the Sanamahism as a sort of “local Hinduism”.

Entering an Information Era of Parallel Truths? A Qualitative Analysis of Legitimizing and De-legitimizing Truth Claims in Established Versus Alternative Media Outlets

In today’s digital media ecology, alternative narratives and conspiracies spread rapidly, and may undermine the legitimacy of journalism and reinforce polarized divides in society. In this setting, constructions of truth may greatly vary across established and alternative media. In this paper, we use a comparative qualitative content analysis in the US and the Netherlands to offer in-depth insights into how factual claims are legitimized and delegitimized by alternative versus mainstream media outlets. We put the assumption of post-factual relativism and alternative truths to an empirical test: To what extent and how do alternative versus established media construct irreconcilable versions of reality? When political disagreement is no longer founded on a shared reality, representative democracy may be severely damaged and vulnerable to undermining discourses of untruthfulness.

BERBAGI PENGETAHUAN DENGAN KELOMPOK PEMUDA TANJUNG DAPURA DALAM MEWASPADAI TURBULENSI POLITIK

Indonesia, which has chosen the path of becoming a democratic country, should no longer question differences in choices in general elections. However, in the course of history, general elections, especially in 2014 and 2019, were marked by divisions in society. This has also become a concern for some groups that a similar incident will occur so that there will be political turbulence in society. On that basis, this service activity is carried out by making youth partners, so that youth can respond wisely to various events related to the 2024 election. This activity is carried out on Jalan Tanjung Dapura by holding discussions with partner groups. The results of the dedication show that young people with the status of first-time voters are very enthusiastic about this activity. They will also participate actively in the 2024 elections democratically. They hope that the elections can take place peacefully, there will be no divisions in society for the sake of the integrity of the nation and state.

Memory Building and Istitba’ in Divided Societies

AbstractThis paper studies collective memory in divided societies. To do so, we begin by studying national memory in civil societies, where the nature of this memory is hegemonic. We use Gramsci’s concept of hegemony to explain national memories in civil societies and differentiate it from that of contested memories in divided places. In order to explain memory in divided societies, we apply Ibn Khaldoun’s concepts of ‘aAsabiyah and Istitba’. Societies deeply divided tend to have contested memories at two levels: within a community which creates an internal other and outside the community where groups compete to impose their memory at the state level. We use examples from Lebanon, Northern Ireland and Bosnia‐Herzeogvina to explain the memory dynamics from a Khaldounian perspective.

The Interpretation of Racism in the Film "Green Book" from Roland Barthes' Semiotics Perspective

Racism in the United States continues to be an enduring issue from generation to generation. Various forms of racial discrimination have remained ingrained in the social life of American citizens. The formation of stereotypes, negative prejudices, and the division of society based on skin color, between white and black individuals, have been triggering factors for the emergence of racism. White Americans still hold a position of high supremacy over black Americans. Film is a mass audio-visual medium believed to have the potential to influence its audience and depict or reconstruct realities of a phenomenon or issue, which is then presented in the form of a movie. The film "Green Book" is an adaptation of a true story that took place in the 1960s, a time when racism against black individuals by white individuals was prevalent. The purpose of this research is to describe the representation of racism in the film "Green Book." The method used in this research is Roland Barthes' semiotics, which focuses on the discovery of signifiers and signifieds in the object of study, namely the film "Green Book." It is formulated into three levels: denotative meaning, connotative meaning and myths, as well as the theory of racism. The results of this research show that the film "Green Book" depicts various instances of racism against black individuals in the United States. The portrayal of racism includes insults, marginalization, discrimination in physical and social status.

Regionalism as a mode of inclusive citizenship in divided societies

Abstract This Article presents a new mode of governance called “inclusive regionalism,” which aims at curing the fragmented citizenship of marginalized groups within multicultural-divided societies. It seeks to expand the theoretical work on the appropriate mode of local governance in multicultural-divided societies from a narrow resident-based to a broad citizen-based point of view. I argue that regionalism can play a dual role in curing social ills through the establishment of regional facilities that engage in civic activities and promote solidarity between citizens. As opposed to localism, a regionalist mode of governance that coordinate the facilities and practices of several localities within a region is more capable of confronting issues of discrimination, segregation, and inequality within and between localities. Moreover, such a mode of governance can connect the residents of separate localities within the region by providing regional facilities and institutions that serve as bridges between communities. Accordingly, applying a regional mode of governance might result in a much less fragmented society, which benefits from greater opportunities for cooperation between residents of the region in various fields. Promoting such a mode of governance requires a shift in the perception of regionalism as a means of control toward a mode of “community building” that advances social and environmental justice and inclusive citizenship.

Structural Racism in Sweden: Framing Attitudes towards Immigrants through the Diversity Barometer Study (2005–2022)

This article presents a theoretical framework for analysing the findings derived from the Diversity Barometer, a longitudinal study that collected data on immigration and diversity-related topics in Swedish society from 2005 to 2022. This article examines attitudes towards immigrants and migration in Sweden and how the historical context of Swedish race relations and structural racism shapes these attitudes. Specifically, the article focuses on attitudes regarding immigrants’ social rights and responsibilities, workplace diversity, cultural diversity, and spatial segregation. Our findings and analysis demonstrate how structural racism manifests itself through attitudes towards individuals with immigrant backgrounds in Sweden. Research has also revealed the pervasive nature of racial discrimination across various aspects of Swedish society, contributing to a divided society based on racial markers. However, the findings also show complexity in how Swedes’ attitudes toward immigrants are to be understood when they do not follow a simple horizontal division between Swedes and immigrants. Instead, it appears as an intricate vertical division where immigrants, their culture and their labour are accepted, albeit in a subordinate manner.

Unwriting Brexit? Bridging Fictions and Liminal Aesthetics Within the UK’s Hostile Environment

The article considers the various frictions and fissures in contemporary European politics. Contrary to its historical genesis, this politics often aims at division rather than community, a development epitomized by Brexit. The creation, reinforcement, and protection of borders seem to be a core aim of this policy, which can be observed in EU foreign policy in the narrower sense, but also in the central framing narratives that the EU pursues in the context of border politics and migration in order to fortify the ‘fortress Europe’, as does the UK with its Hostile Environment policy. Contrary to the supposed populist success of such policies, which were clearly demonstrated by the Brexit referendum vote, there is also widespread skepticism towards such disintegrating governance.A vast body of literature, mostly so-called Brexlit, addresses the fractures created by Brexit but also the many pre-existing divisions that Brexit did not cause, but was a consequence of. Some of these works establish an antagonistic Leave or Remain dichotomy, perfectly understandable from the point of view of the losing side of the referendum, but perhaps not necessarily productive in terms of reducing the divisions in society or even generating compassion for the opposition. The article argues that there is, however, a body of literature that aims at the erasure of borders, that seeks to bridge the existing ruptures within society and to reconcile the divided camps. I would like to focus on two respective literary projects, the EFACIS Kaleidoscope series which features various writers and artists from Ireland and their respective views on Europe, and Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet and Companion Piece, five novels that negotiate contemporary UK politics post Brexit. While both projects perceptibly address contemporary borders and exclusions, they do not present them as inevitable. Rather, they offer alternative designs for overcoming the existing divisions by integrating them into their plots, but they also reflect this communal unity on the formal level of their works. In this respect, both projects seem particularly suited to create a welcoming climate of solidarity, in order to unwrite, if not Brexit itself, at least some of its consequences.

Dental disease and dietary patterns in coastal Phoenicia during the Roman period

AbstractThe current paper presents one of the first bioarchaeological studies on dental disease and dietary patterns in coastal Phoenicia during the Roman period, focusing on the dentition of 145 adults from the contemporary and geographically proximal sites of Byblos, Beirut, and Tyre. Pathological conditions of the oral cavity and dental wear were used to assess intra‐assemblage and inter‐assemblage differences. Byblos in almost all instances exhibited higher levels of dental diseases and wear than Beirut and Tyre, suggesting a greater consumption of carbohydrates but also poorer oral hygiene and greater mechanical stress (dental wear) in this community. This difference between Beirut/Tyre and Byblos may be explained by the politico‐economic status of these cities as textual sources highlight the economic and political prowess of Beirut and Tyre due to their status as colonia. In addition, within each assemblage females generally exhibited higher caries (and associated periapical cavities and ante‐mortem tooth loss) than males. Although dental caries may be linked to nondietary factors, these patterns may support a more cariogenic diet for females in agreement with literary accounts reciting gender‐based divisions in Roman society, at least to the extent that these would manifest in dietary patterns. The findings from this study offer important insights into major and understudied communities along the Phoenician coast. Yet, further research is required, employing complementary methods (e.g., isotopic analysis and dental calculus microdebris) and including larger datasets of Roman Phoenician assemblages.