Political Era Research Articles

The relevance and resilience of the cordon sanitaire in Portugal: the March 2024 legislative elections

ABSTRACT On 10 March 2024, Portugal held a snap legislative election. Marked by a considerable increase in turnout, it inaugurated a new era in Portuguese politics, with the increased support for the populist radical right and a right-wing parliamentary majority. However, a cordon sanitaire strategy kept Chega out of the new cabinet. The election gave rise to a minority coalition government and a tripartite parliamentary landscape, with the mainstream right, the populist right, and the left parties forming three competing blocks. This article examines the 2024 election and a possible link between the rise of the radical right and increased voter turnout. We conclude that the fact that more citizens turned out in this election only partially explains Chega’s growth.

Assessing the role of non-state actors in health service delivery and health system resilience in Myanmar

BackgroundDue to the weaknesses of the public health system and its low reach, especially in border areas, provision of health services by non-state actors (NSAs) has historically played an important role in Myanmar. NSAs include local and international NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs), but also Ethnic Health Organisations (EHOs) in the border areas, as well as the private (for profit) sector. This study aims to understand the changing role of NSAs in the shifting political environment of Myanmar between 2010 and 2022, and to explore their contribution to health system resilience.MethodsOur study includes three main components: a documentary review (n = 22), key informant interviews (KIIs) at central level (n = 14) and two township-level case studies (13 KIIs, 4 FGDs). Mostly qualitative data were collected in 2022 and synthesized, using a health system resilience framework to structure the analysis.ResultsDuring the transition period (2010–2014) and the new political era (2015–2020), while the country gradually transitioned to a democratic system, the government increasingly recognized NSAs. Initially, engagement with NSAs remained focused on disease-specific activities and government oversight was limited, but later it expanded to health system strengthening, including the start of a “convergence” with ethnic health systems. Progress was relatively slow, but defined by a clear vision and plans. The military coup of February 2021 brought a halt to this progress. Collaboration between government and NSAs was interrupted, and NSAs restored previous practices and parallel systems. Initially, most health service provision stopped, but with time coping strategies emerged, which showed the capacity of NSAs to absorb the shocks (focusing on basic services; using informal communication channels; maintaining buffer stocks of supplies) and adapt (changing modes of delivery and supply chains, and adjusting HRH training).ConclusionsThe study highlights the role of NSAs during crises, and provides insights on how the resilience capacities built over time by NSAs to provide services in adverse circumstances have informed the response to the latest crisis. While strategies of absorption and adaptation are noted in the study, we did not identify any transformation strategy – which might indicate the difficulty of NSAs to introduce radical changes when subjected to multiple shocks and a hostile political environment.

Young Adults in Turbulent Times: Findings from the Arizona Youth Identity Project

This special issue examines young adults’ beliefs, identities, and political priorities during a tumultuous political era. Each article uses different subsamples of the qualitative and quantitative data collected by the Arizona Youth Identity Project (AZYIP), an ongoing mixed-methods study since the 2020 presidential election. This introductory essay describes the broader goals of the project and AZYIP study design and highlights key themes that emerge across the studies in the special issue, including Arizona young adults’ critical awareness of social issues, commitment to active citizenship, and desire for systemic change.

The struggle against post-truth politics has always been about white supremacy: Lessons from the informational praxis of SNCC

Exacerbated but by no means invented by President Donald Trump, post-truth politics are defined as a disregard for facts in political discourse and policymaking. The post-truth era is dominated by two forms of informational praxis: misinformation and disinformation. Through the archival record of civil rights organizations, we argue we should not see the present era of post-truth politics as new but instead see it as part of a more prolonged struggle over white supremacy and the broader effort to contain challenges to the US economic and racial order. By contextualizing the geography of post-truth politics, the strategies and tactics civil rights groups use to counter white supremacist lies are important to understand, especially in an era where social media can spread lies and disinformation at lightning-quick speed. Thus, we also explore how civil rights organizations challenged disinformation and the control and suppression of information perpetuated by those in power.

Emerging Threats To India’s National Stability

It is known truism that no country can achieve economic growth and resultant prosperity unless it has a wellthought-out plan in place to meet these goals. And, such a plan cannot be achieved unless the country is stable and secure. This prescription is also relevant for India as it stands at the cusp of a greater economic growth and a more prominent role and standing in global politics. As the world enters a new era of global politics, marked by the growing interests and aspirations of the erstwhile colonized nations, the Republic of India stands as a shining example of how a nation, despite all its adverse historical experiences, has been able to make substantial progress in the fields of economy, science and technology, human security and development to the extent of being recognised as an emerging power of the world. Relatedly, the country has had to ensure the availability of requisite conditions to facilitate this progress and continued growth in multiple fields. Further, through optimum usage of its soft and hard power, as well as its value-based attributes such as its multiculturalism, its pluralistic values promoting respect for all religions and furthering the ideals of democracy, India has been able to carve a place for itself on the right side of history in this changing world of geopolitics and geo-economics. However, there are many challenges in the realms of security, both internal and external, which need to be addressed effectively in a timely mannerfor India to make speedy progress and achieve its aspirational goals. Through careful identification and examination of the challenges that India could face in the realms of national security, it is intended to define the means and methods to deal effectively with these challenges so that India can achieve its carefully formulated national goals, interests and objectives in an optimal and timely manner. The agencies concerned of the government will accordingly be able to prepare themselves not only for the challenges of today, but also the future, so that India can achieve its developmental and aspirational goals of becoming a developed country and a major global power by 2047.

Untruth as the New Democratic Ethos: Reading Michel Foucault’s Interpretation of Diogenes of Sinope’s True Life in the Time of Post-Truth Politics

Since 2016, the rise of post-truth politics has created a situation of democratic discontent in the west. While many scholars tend to regard post-truth politics as a threat to democratic order, I would like to propose that what we have been witnessing in this form of politics has been the transformation of the democratic ethos. By turning to Michel Foucault’s lecture on the true life of Diogenes of Sinope, delivered at College De France in 1984, I ascertain the framework for demonstrating how we can approach a new shape of democratic ethos in our era of post-truth politics. I argue that in Diogenes’s true life, Foucault saw the concrete life, which could liberate each individual from the constraints of their conventional lives by emphasizing the material conditions of all human bodies. Diogenes’s life could then be a form of self-emancipation since it not only showed how untrue the conventional life was but also released each individual from any conventions estranged from them. Relying on this point, I propose the notion of untruth as the new ground of our democratic lives. Though post-truth politics destroys the objective form of truth, the untruth—as its main element—can play a leading role in grounding our democratic ethos to the extent that it asserts our capability of self-emancipation.

The weaponization of plagiarism accusations in the era of anti-woke politics

Plagiarism accusations have become increasingly politicized over the last few years. In this article, we raise some of our concerns with how vacuous plagiarism accusations are now part of the arsenal of anti-woke politics. Revisiting the recent case of Claudine Gay, the former president of Harvard University, we identify the implications such accusations pose to our profession, including the undermining of academic freedom and the concomitant silencing of scholarly voices.

Understanding Digital Rights in An Era of Digital Politics in Africa

As more African countries connect their citizens to the Internet and other digital technologies in a bid to improve services, questions are being asked about the protection of human rights for nationals online. The wake of the COVID-19 pandemic forced many countries on the continent to search for alternative ways to provide services. Varying national shutdowns also impacted democratic processes like elections and accompanying actions such as voter registration and campaigning. This paper aims to assess the trends and challenges around the implementation of digital rights and propose the way forward for scholars and practitioners promoting digital rights. Data was collected using desktop research to identify and assess common themes and differences across the continent. The results show that as technologies continue evolving at a fast pace, it is fundamental for African governments to reassess and adapt their laws to maintain and protect the rights of their citizens online.

Representation of Indonesian women politicians (Media analysis to G30S PKI incident coverage from 1965 to 2015)

Background: The G30S/PKI incident that occurred in 1965 is known for the murder of six generals by the PKI (Indonesian Communist Party). The “New Order” (Orba) regime under Suharto carried out the extermination of hundreds of PKI members and supporters, imprisoning thousands of people, including members of Gerwani and those who were neither PKI nor Gerwani members, due to biases and assumptions. Since the Reformation era of 1998, many historical facts about G30S/PKI have been questioned by the public. Over the past 50 years, issues related to G30S/PKI have fluctuated in media coverage. Today, the representation of female politicians cannot be separated from the negative memories of the tragedy and the militant image of Gerwani. Methods: The research questions are: How consistent is media reporting when covering the same issue in different political contexts? How does the media, as a means of value socialization, influence the collective memory of society regarding women's activities in politics?. The research is conducted using content analysis of a national newspaper from 1965 to 2015 to examine the visibility of Gerwani-related issues over time. Discourse analysis is also used to explore the role and position of Gerwani. Findings: The results indicate that the media tends to side with the dominant group, namely the rulers, and does not voice the interests of weaker groups. Women's interests are framed and represented through the perspective of men. Conclusion: In this context, female politicians receive more appreciation from society when they do not emphasize militant methods in advocating their ideas but instead focus on a caring approach. Novelty/Originality of this Study: The originality of this study lies in its focus on the evolving portrayal of Gerwani over different political eras and its examination of the media's role in shaping collective memory and gender biases. It uniquely integrates the political economy of communication, collective memory, and feminist perspectives to explore how media representation impacts societal views on women in politics.

Ethics of Spying on One’s Friends: Angela Merkel’s Telephone

Covert information gathering about one state by another is not itself an act of hostility, and it can coexist with friendship between the states in question. Indeed, it can be predicated on friendship in the sense that the point of the information gathering can be to gauge the depth of a friendship and how warm it is currently. The fact that these things have to be gauged does not mean that countries are not allies after all, but rather that reading the dispositions and intentions of allies can be difficult. Another way of putting it is that in international relations it is hard to maintain useful, up-to-date knowledge of one’s friends. After all, in this era of fragmented party politics and social media–fed movements, politics in a single country can be opaque even to that country’s government.

Pola Komunikasi Politik Terhadap Generasi Z Pada Pemilu 2024

In the current era of globalization, many problems occur when entering the political era. It needs to be realized that in the current era, providing information must be in the right pattern, especially to generation Z as young people who choose. Of course, it is necessary to know the things that need to be informed to Gen Z during the political period so that the information reaches the right target to Generation Z. Therefore, it is necessary to know the political communication patterns of Generation Z, especially during the 2024 election. Understanding the communication patterns of Gen Z. one of them is by providing space for expression for them and providing two-way communication that involves them, especially during political campaigns. The goal is that generation Z no longer chooses to be part of the white group and is more involved in the progress of this nation. This research uses a qualitative method with a descriptive approach involving several generation Z people in providing information which will later be explained in written form.

ყალბი კოლექტიური ნების კონსტრუირების მექანიზმი და ძალაუფლების დიქტატი 2003-2021 წლების საქართველოში

The reasons for changes of Governments in Georgia since 1990 have been officially cited to be the fight against dictatorships. Dictatorships have been occurred in Georgia under the various motives for the years, even in the 2000s, although Georgia acknowledged the classical meaning of the term “Dictatorship” like the rest of the contemporary world. It is worthwhile to study not only the dynamic of changing the meaning of the term “Dictatorship”, but to examine the content and occurrences of “Dictatorship” in Georgia, that is the core subject of the represented article. The paper "Fake collective will construction mechanism and power dictation 2003-2021 in Georgia“ examines the forms and reasons of government changes of the mentioned period exploring the new governments’ management styles and attitudes of society. The research topic also covers the elections of 2021 that is regarded as the basis of the next political era in Georgia. This article attempts to find the solutions to the following issues: “Dictatorship”, “Democracy” and Georgia – the ways of the development of a public opinion in the period of government changes in 2003-2020; Etymology of the evaluation of new authorities (dictatorship, democracy); Illusion of the democratic changes/reforms or development – replacement of dictatorship with a democracy or replacement of dictatorship with a new dictatorship; How is democracy evaluated in Georgia? – The national characteristics, dynamics and public opinion of the evaluation of democracy and dictatorship; How to manage democracy to get the essential progress in Georgia? (regarding public opinion, citizenship and participation). The paper discusses the theories of Hans Kung, Max Weber, Eric Hoffer and Jurgen Habermas, in order to find the answers to the above mentioned issues. Furthermore, here is reviewed the theories of public opinion formation according to the Antonio Gramsci’s “Cultural Hegemony” and Jim Sharp’s “From Dictatorship to Democracy – A Conceptual Framework for Liberation”. The article hypothesis that the forms of dictatorship are changed in the 21st century. It is well wrapped and significantly differ from its classical meaning and nowadays, there is no need of tyranny and absolute autocracy. The mentioned topic is discussed in a multidiscipline perspective, like service and political marketing, policy philosophy, theories of political sciences, service management and in the overall context of various communication fields. The article develops the criteria for evaluation of modern dictatorship and finds answers to the questions why is it considered that the replacement of dictatorship with democracy is illusion and how is dictatorship wrapped into the cloak of democracy.

Socialist in content, national in form: Small-scale housing estates in Budapest between 1945 and 1960

Abstract In the second half of the 20th century, solving the housing crisis became a significant social issue and political task throughout Europe, particularly in the countries of the Eastern Bloc. Although due to its quantity, prefabricated large mass housing estates became overrepresented, dozens of smaller, experimental, and diverse mass housing forms also emerged. It is hypothesized, that these small housing estates, due to their scale and quality, are urban planning projects that were realized across political, economic, and architectural changes. To demonstrate their adaptability, this paper presents the small housing estates built in one of the capitals of the Eastern Bloc countries—Budapest—during the most turbulent one-and-a-half decades of the socialist era (1945–1960). The research consists of three main parts: (1) Hungarian politics and housing policy, (2) Budapest's urban policy, and (3) a brief presentation of the urban planning and architectural aspects of Budapest's small housing estates. The result of the research is the creation of a complete small housing estates portfolio, illustrated archive articles, archival plans, and photographs. It becomes evident that although the times from World War II to the consolidation of power saw vastly different political eras, directives, and ideals realized, along with various architectural styles and housing policies, the small housing estate as an urban planning product was able to adapt and survive. Moreover, it is a valuable architectural, housing, and urban planning imprint of the era, the only mass housing form realized in numerous examples in Budapest.

On the Origins of the Witness-Protagonist

Abstract This essay focuses on the “witness-protagonist”: a recessive but still identifiably major character who observes the developments of the main plot from a position on its margins. Such characters are familiar from modernist novels, but this essay turns back to a formative stage in their history to recover their forgotten political significance. Working across four central cases (Samuel Richardson’s “man of feeling” Sir Charles Grandison, Charlotte Smith’s self-effacing protagonist Lionel Desmond, Walter Scott’s “mediocre heroes,” and Jane Austen’s “creepmouse” heroine Fanny Price), the essay describes witness-protagonists as characters with an uncertain relation to the novel as a whole. Straddling the functions of narrator and character, witness and agent, they pose at once a formal problem (of where to place the character in relation to the story) and a political one (of who can participate in the life of the collective) that had particular salience in the era of emergent mass politics.

Neo-orientalisms in Leïla Sebbar’s Métro: instantanés

ABSTRACT This article examines Leïla Sebbar’s engagement with colonial-era orientalist iconography in her 2007 text Métro: instantanés, a collection of literary snapshots of scenes glimpsed in the Parisian metro dating from 1997 through 2006. Whereas critics have frequently affirmed that Sebbar’s evocations of orientalist visual artefacts work to subvert orientalist discourse, the author proposes that a number of these snapshots constitute a largely uncritical reinscription of contemporary formulations of orientalist discourse. In particular, the author analyses Sebbar’s portraits of French Muslim girls and women in relation to debates regarding the political, social and cultural meaning of Islamic headscarves. Through a comparative analysis of Métro: instantanés and Sebbar’s Mes Algéries trilogy (2004–2008), the author argues that the former betrays a nostalgia for a past era of Franco-Arab political and cultural expression, one that inflects her portraits of French Muslim girls and women at the turn of the century. These portraits are not the neutral, documentary objects that their form suggests, but rather Sebbar’s personal vision of contemporary France, one that significantly overlaps a neo-orientalist and neo-colonial imaginary in which the bodies of French Muslim girls and women threaten the values and security of the Republic.

Development of Indian Education during 1854 to 1882: A Historical Review

Lord Dalhausie played a big role in changing the era of the present politics of that time. Though in education point of view woods dispatch at the time of Lord Dalhausie was remarkable but apart from this there were so many things he did for Britisher’s point of view, but it helped Indians also in long run. Opportunity for educational development in India was one of the many things during Dalhausie period and in the next three decades. In this paper, the development of Indian Education during 1854 to 1882 is reviewed and divided into three heads i.e. primary education, secondary education, and higher education. The paper not only consists of the development during the 1854 to 1882 phase but also elaborated its beneficial effect in long run.

Tungkus Asi Sebagai Variasi Lokal Politik Penaungan di Batang Ai Semasa Pilihan Raya Negeri Sarawak 2021

This study explains the role of “tungkus asi” in strengthening the ruling party’s political power during the 2021 Sarawak State Election (SSE21) in Batang Ai. “Tungkus asi” is one of the local variations of patronage politics practised by the Iban at the grassroots level. During the 2016 Sarawak State Election “tungkus asi” played a role in the electoral victory of the candidate from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS). In the SSE21, “tungkus asi” once again propelled the candidate from GPS to victory and thus strengthening the ruling party’s position in Batang Ai. This article looks at how “tungkus asi” was practised and its influence on the electoral support of the Iban towards the candidates. This article was based on a study conducted in Batang Ai which involved observation and interviews with the voters and “tuai rumah”. The study found that “tungkus asi” continued to play a prominent role in galvanising support from the voters. “Tungkus asi” remains relevant in the modern political era as it has become part and parcel of the political process and election among the Iban at the grassroots level. “Tungkus asi” not only consolidates GPS political power, but its practice also helps researchers and observers alike to understand the politics of patronage within the Iban voters.

After the Populist Moment

ABSTRACT: While we are paying a lot of attention to U.S. conservatives this election year, it is also an auspicious time to publish a special section on the global right. Just under a decade ago, we passed through a "populist moment," so-called because of Brexit, Trump's election, and the rise of Marine Le Pen as a serious contender for the French presidency, all in rapid succession. It seemed like the beginning of a new era of politics, one emerging from the dashed hopes and profound failings of the neoliberal order—and in many ways it has been. T he terrain on which political struggle now takes place has been deeply altered by the right, with less educated voters, many of them from the working class, leaving their ancestral political parties and supporting the forces of reaction over issues like immigration, national identity, and "law and order." But in electoral terms, the right's record has been hit or miss, and it's worth learning from their failures as well as their successes.

Presidents And Political Parties: Power In The Hands Of Many Changed To The Power In The Hands Of One

It is the aim of this paper to answer one specific question: How do presidents influence and forever alter the political parties they lead? This paper will examine the power dynamics between the American presidency and political parties throughout this nation’s history. This paper will analyze how presidents in different political eras have influenced political party leadership. This paper will explore specific case studies of presidents and how they have changed their political parties. And this paper will elaborate on its primary thesis that: Before the modern presidency, presidents who wanted to expand their powers were stopped by strongly mobilized and competitive political parties; now, since the New Deal, presidents have much greater control and leadership over their political party, being the ones to advance or derail political party objectives. Conclusively, this paper finds thats presidents, in general, throughout the modern era have made political parties weaker, both in terms of voter turnout and political participation, which is different to how robust and strong political parties were before the New Deal. Additionally, it is found that specific presidents have direct impacts on the political parties they represent, from the demographics of a political party base, to the fundamental policies and ideologies believed by a political party, to the rhetoric used by a political party, and even to the amount of faith voters have in the American government.

Restoration, Revitalization or Liquidation: Strategies of Attitude to Cultural Heritage

The article focuses on the main problems and socio-cultural and political challenges related to the attitude of the professional community, state bodies and society as a whole to cultural and artistic monuments. The issues of restoration/revitalization/reconstruction or elimination of cultural heritage were largely actualized as a result of the direct military invasion of the Russian invaders on the territory of Ukraine in order to destroy the country, Ukrainian self-identification and us as a separate, independent nation. The paper provides examples of complex discussion aspects in relation to artefacts of architecture and art of different political eras, different ideological orientation, practical significance, material value and the degree of destruction / preservation in the context of the transformation of society's attitude to them and the prospects for future post-war reconstruction.