Left-wing Research Articles

The Left Party: Crisis of Ideas or Inherited Defect?

The purpose of this study is to determine the nature of the crisis which the German Left Party faces today. The article analyses the ideological profile of the party, the depth of tensions between representatives of different wings within the party, and the origins and consequences of fierce competition with the right-populist Alternative for Germany in the new federal states. The party's guidelines set out in the 2011 party program are considered outdated. It is argued that today's Left Party is unable to offer the electorate new attractive ideas. The article analyses the contradictions on the issue of finding a new political image for the party between the right-wing “statesmen” (ideological successors of the PDS and SED) and the left-wing “internationalists”, which led to the Left Party’s split last autumn. The article emphasises that during the years of the eurozone crisis and the unprecedented migrants flow to Germany in 2015-2016, the Left leadership has failed to keep the support of the citizens in the East of Germany, who have shifted mainly to the AfG-voters. Based on the results of the study, the authors recognise that the crisis of the Left Party is systemic. The authors draw attention to the fact that the Left Party’s split would cause its withdrawal from the forefront of the German political life. In return, Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht, the new party launched by Sahra Wagenknecht, will probably gain its momentum. In this case, Left Party's right-wing members, part of the protest electorate of the Alternative for Germany, and supporters of a diplomatic settlement of the Ukrainian conflict and relations recovery with the Russian Federation may vote for Wagenknecht's party.

CONSTRUINDO O ‘MITO’ E DEMONIZANDO A ESQUERDA: UMA ANÁLISE DE DISCURSO CRÍTICA DAS DEZ FAKE NEWS MAIS COMPARTILHADAS VIA FACEBOOK E WHATSAPP DURANTE A ELEIÇÃO PRESIDENCIAL NO BRASIL EM 2018

The dissemination of fake news, by means of texts which were massively shared on social media and spread disinformation among the population was a phenomenon that marked the 2018 Brazilian presidential elections. In October 2018, Revista Exame published a report containing a ranking with the ten most shared fake news throughout the first round of the presidential elections. Using the three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis proposed by Norman Fairclough (2003), I analyzed the ten texts of the ranking, identifying their structure, and how the processes of lexicalization, intertextuality and interdiscursivity appear within the corpus; based on Wardle (2017), I investigated what kind of information disorder was used; finally, according to Thompson (2011), I examined how ideology operates in these texts. Throughout the analysis I have noticed a superlexicalization of a nationalist ideal linked to the then-presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro. Two semantic-discursive fields stood out: the representation of Jair Bolsonaro and that of politicians associated with the left-wing spectrum. Bolsonaro is represented throughout the texts as the candidate who has validation from the public. Left-wing politicians are represented as enemies who need to be fought and who exhibit morally questionable behavior. It was possible to conclude that the texts presented here corroborate a movement of the middle-class in support of the candidate Jair Bolsonaro (Cavalcante, 2020), being complacent with his neo-fascist discourse in favor of a neoliberal/meritocratic ideology, depicting left-wing politicians as executioners of nationalist progress.

Populism: reconceptualising a multifaceted concept

Abstract. Populism is an interdisciplinary ever-changing topic. It has generated endless controversies. Scholars are confused in their conceptualisation. We have varieties of populism with more or less radical versions. Nevertheless, I know that populism is not just a European phenomenon. It spread throughout the world. The rising of populism has produced an explosion of many conceptual studies. The populist political parties emerge whether on the right or the left wing. This paper examines the literature facets of populism, and in particular radical right wing populism, in Europe particularly in the United Kingdom. It shows that the left-behinds citizens tend to vote for populist parties. There is a rising support for radical populist political parties in Europe. Populist discourse asserts that the rich political elite govern by conspiracy against the people, and their governance is not for the common good. Moreover, they are ‘true representation of the people’. Based on academic, this article literature wants to explore populism as an ideology and new concepts of populism such as strategic and an identitybased populism tool to widen the populist electorate in Europe, in particular right-wing populism,. Mots-clés : populisme, radicalisme de droite, contre l’establishment, le peuple, pensé unique Keywords: populism, right wing radicalism, anti-establishment, people; single-mindedness

Political Parties and Household Food Insecurity Among Canadian Provinces: A Panel Data Analysis, 2005–2014

ABSTRACT In Canada, links between social determinants and household food insecurity (HFI) are well-documented, but the influence of political parties remains unclear. This study examines whether political parties predict HFI rates across Canadian provinces and explores the mediating roles of low income and social assistance. Panel data from 2005 to 2014 were obtained from Statistics Canada, with political party strength categorized as left, center, or right. Linear regressions with Driscoll and Kraay standard errors reveal that left-leaning parties are associated with lower HFI rates, right-leaning parties with higher rates, and center parties show no significant effect, controlling for demographic and economic factors. Low income and social assistance fully mediate the effect of left parties but only partially mediate the effect of right parties. These findings provide insights into the politics of food insecurity, with implications for social work in the context of COVID-19.

Le Pen, Zemmour and the ‘patriotic ecology’ of the French far right: The case of the 2022 presidential elections

The French far right has historically been torn between two strategies which were opposed during the 2022 presidential campaign, a modernist line who was embodied by Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National and a traditionalist line who was represented by Éric Zemmour’s Reconquête. This article specifically examines the way the differences between the modernist and traditionalist lines were expressed when it comes to the topic of environmental concerns. Indeed, while ecological issues have long been seen as the exclusive domain of the political left, the increasing salience of the climate crisis means that politicians across the political spectrum have provided their own perspective on ecological issues. Building on a deeper tradition of conservative and nationalist thought about the environment, this article demonstrates that the French far right has developed a form ‘patriotic ecology’ that can be interpreted in different ways. Through an analysis of their programmes for the 2022 presidential campaign, the article contrasts the archetypical way Zemmour mobilised environmental issues by mobilising the classic far-right tropes about the environment while Le Pen engaged with them in much more modern and sophisticated way to depict herself as more in touch with the contemporary zeitgeist. Finally, it concludes with a discussion on the ideological plasticity of the far right and the need to address its versatility in appropriating issues beyond its ideological core.

How Not to Square the Left Vienna Circle’s Non-Cognitivism with its Political Commitment

Abstract This paper contextualizes and criticizes a recent attempt to square the socio-political commitment of the members of the so-called left wing of the Vienna Circle with the ethical non-cognitivism that follows from their conception of cognitive meaningfulness. It is shown that intolerable consequences result from the moral-political reading of the “scientific world-conception” proposed and it is argued that squaring their commitment and non-cognitivism does not require such a reading. It is also pointed out how deleterious consequences are avoided by an already existent reconstruction of the left wing’s position which was misunderstood by the author criticized and which is briefly recollected.

Determinants of Social Dialogue in European Countries (1980–2018)

ABSTRACTThis paper provides a quantitative assessment of the political and structural determinants of social dialogue in 25 European countries between 1980 and 2018 using a measure of social dialogue based on an original survey of industrial relations and social policy experts. We assess hypotheses on the role of structural (unionisation, employer organisation) and political (government partisanship, government strength) factors on the extent of cooperation between governments, trade unions and employers in public policymaking. We find a declining trend in the overall extent of social dialogue in the countries surveyed. Using panel regressions, we show that higher levels of social dialogue are more prevalent among governments where there is a balance of power between right‐wing and left‐wing parties, and thus where unions and employers can act as ‘brokers’ between left and right parties. We find no association between most structural factors (unionisation, collective bargaining coverage, employer organisation) and levels of social dialogue.

The effect of election outcome on economic activity: a tale of two countries

This paper investigates the effect of partisan politics on macroeconomic performance in France and the United Kingdom between 1971-2023. Using a panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, it examines whether ideological divides between left- and right-wing parties and coalition governments relate to accountability for key macroeconomic indicators. Results suggest that economic growth is slightly lower under the left-wing governments, whereas unemployment and inflation rates are higher with a statistically significant difference of 10% for inflation. Furthermore, coalition governments underperform on growth and unemployment, struggling to stimulate economic expansion. Finally, despite the characterization of political parties as either right or left leaning in terms of cultural matters, their implemented economic policies seem to yield comparable economic outcomes.

Does a Left-Wing Political Orientation Really Go Along With Greater Prosociality? A Large-Scale Empirical Investigation

The notion that political orientation is linked to prosociality has been voiced by many, suggesting that supporters of left-wing parties and ideologies may favor prosociality more than supporters of right-wing parties and ideologies. However, evidence for this proposition is inconclusive. We conducted a large-scale, preregistered analysis of the relation between political orientation and prosociality in a heterogeneous German sample (189 ≤ n≤ 1,836) using five different measures of political orientation, six incentivized economic game paradigms to measure prosocial behavior, and 10 measures of trait prosociality. Whereas we found only weak support for left-wing political preferences to be associated with more prosocial behavior, stronger evidence for said link was apparent for trait prosociality. Overall, our study suggests that political orientation and prosociality are indeed linked, thus supporting theoretical arguments. However, this link is relatively weak and depends on the way prosociality is measured.

Different effects of smooth pursuit eye movements on motion-based stimulus response congruency.

In the motion-based stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) effect, responses are faster when the task-irrelevant stimulus motion is congruent with the response movement performance. In the present study, we tested whether smooth pursuit eye movements, related to tracking a moving object, influence motion-based SRC when present on their own or when combined with position-based SRC. We examined the motion-based SRC effect during both the response selection and response execution stages. When investigating motion-based SRC alone, participants responded with left or right movements of the single hand to the left or right movements of a centrally presented stimulus, either with their eyes fixated at the center or tracking the moving object. In the case of combined motion-based and position-based SRC, participants responded with left or right movements of the left or right hand to stimulus motion presented on the left or right side of the screen, again with eyes either fixated at the center or following the moving target. Results showed that during the response selection stage, smooth pursuit type eye movements had no effect on the motion-based SRC when the stimulus moved in the center, whereas the effect was enhanced when the stimulus presentation was lateralized. This aligns with the idea that attentional shifts differ between central and peripheral vision and that cognitive system computes various spatial maps for stimulus and response. In the case of response execution, smooth pursuit type eye movements had no effect on the motion-based SRC effect, regardless of stimulus location.

A Neurological Disease, Vathatvartma (Ptosis), Managed with Integrated Management of Modern Science and Ayurveda – A Case Report

ABSTRACT Introduction: Ptosis is when the upper eyelid droops downward. However, a droopy eyelid can cover the pupil and reduce vision in some cases. Causative factors may be congenital, injury or stretching of eyelid muscles or ligaments damage to the nerve controlling the eyelid muscles, aging, a complication of eye surgery, a complication of Botox injections. Aim and objectives: To study case of ptosis with integrated treatment of neurologist along with Ayurveda treatment. Methodology: Case Description - This is a 34year old female patient complaining that she is unable to open her right eye since11 days. She visited to local ophthalmologist, then they have consulted neurologist, MRI done, treatment started, at the same time patient wants to take Ayurveda treatment also. After 7th day visit to neurologist, she has stopped his medicine and told to continue alternative treatment So she consulted at MGACH&RC Salod on 4/3/2022. Her V/A right eye after uplifting upper lid by doctors hand is 6/6 and lt eye v/A is 6/6. Fundus of both was within normal limit. No diplopia, Acute onset with fronto orbital pain, pupil NSRL, conjugate left downgaze movement restricted. Result and Discussion: treatment prescribedshirodhara with brahmi and til tail, netratarpan with triphalaghruta, Tab Palsineuron 2 bd, Tab Ekangvirras 2 bd. - vatashamak Chikitasa is done as ptosis is neurological disease.after 7th day visit to neurologist, he has stopped his medicine and told to continue alternative treatment. Conclusion: The results were enthusiastic photographic depiction were taken. This case may be fruitful for further research on Nimesh/ Ptosis.

NCMP-17. SPHENOID WING DIFFUSE LARGE B-CELL LYMPHOMA MIMICKING A MENINGIOMA: A RARE DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

Abstract BACKGROUND Meningioma is the most frequent dural lesion and in most cases have a benign course and surgery usually is curative. Nevertheless, there are several dural lesions, neoplastic and non-neoplastic that may mimic meningiomas. Radiological features could help to perform this differentiation. Primary dural lymphoma (PDL) is a rare entity in which adjuvant therapy is required for proper therapeutic approach. CASE PRESENTATION A 67-year-old female patient presented with a clinical complaint of left exophthalmos and headache. During investigation, it was noticed the presence of a hyperintense left sphenoid wing lesion with orbital invasion. The diagnosis of meningioma was initially considered and she underwent neurosurgical approach aiming maximal extension. However, histopathological investigation disclosure that was a primary dural lymphoma (diffuse large B type) and she was referred to adjuvant therapy with a proper control of the disease. CONCLUSIONS Dural lesions could have neoplastic and non-neoplastic origin. Although meningiomas have a high prevalence, it must be considered other pathologies during evaluation and consideration of the differential diagnosis. This help to improve therapeutic management of the patients.

The revival of radical popular education in Italy as a new form of cultural and class struggle: The case of popular schools in Rome

The aim of this article is to examine the revival of popular schools in Italy, focusing on the ‘network of Roman popular schools’. This is a little researched but highly relevant topic in sociology nowadays, due to the innovative way it links politics and education in an increasingly unequal society. Inspired by research gathered over 4 years of participant observation and 28 in-depth interviews, I describe the way in which popular educators combine social mutualism, typical of Italian Antagonistic Left movements, with critical pedagogical practices: education is considered by activists as a way of doing politics by other means, in line with the origins of popular education enacted by the labor movement in the two past centuries and in particular with the pedagogical experience promoted by Lorenzo Milani, in turn capable of uniting Gramscian and Freirian thought. Popular educators address their educational actions to the social recognition of subaltern students, who are otherwise stigmatized by the dominant culture. In this way, a very interesting counter-hegemonic practice seems to be generated that entails not only the learners’ identity but also that of the educator themselves. This analysis leads to the identification of new popular education as a form of class and cultural struggle aimed at restoring social recognition to the working class.

Contesting Western support for Ukraine. The radical left in the European Parliament

ABSTRACT The 2022 full-scale Russian invasion into Ukraine challenged the political parties of the radical left and right that have traditionally been sympathetic to Russia. This paper examines the positions on the Russian war against Ukraine of radical left members of the 9th European Parliament (2019–2024), based on their voting behavior in the first year since the start of the full-scale invasion. The data show that the radical left is most divided over sanctions. In contrast, MEPs from the 18 radical left parties under study are highly united in their support of international law. The divisions among radical left MEPs correlate weakly with the geographical distance to Russia and with their parties’ position on the left/right-axis, but more strongly with parties’ position on socio-cultural questions: Socio-culturally progressive parties are more inclined to support an assertive stance towards Putin’s authoritarian and traditionalist Russia than socio-culturally conservative ones.

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.

"The Politics of Paranoia": Wyndham Lewis’s Critique in Left Wings Over Europe: Or, How to Make a War About Nothing (1936) Based on Richard Hofstadter’s Ideologies

The current paper explores Wyndham Lewis’s critique of left-wing ideologies in his 1936 work Left Wings Over Europe: Or, How to Make a War About Nothing, through the analysis of Richard Hofstadter’s concept of "the paranoid style in politics." Hofstadter’s theoretical framework provides a practical structure for understanding Lewis’s vehement opposition to socialism and communism. In Left Wings Over Europe, Lewis represents leftist ideologies as destabilizing forces responsible for inciting conflict and navigating Europe toward needless war, particularly in the context of rising tensions leading to World War II. Not only does this research analyze how Lewis’s paranoid narrative aligns with Hofstadter’s insights, highlighting how Lewis's portrayal of leftist movements reflects broader fears of subversion and ideological warfare in 1930s Europe. but also explores how Lewis’s personal experiences and political anxieties shaped his critique, offering insight into the role of political paranoia in shaping intellectual and cultural discourse during times of upheaval. Ultimately, the paper contributes to a deeper understanding of how paranoia influences political thought, particularly in moments of crisis.

Johannes Schaaf’s Tätowierung (Tattoo, 1967), West German Cinema around 1968, and the Joys of Violence; or, The Forgotten Case of the “Aesthetic Left”

Focusing on Johannes Schaaf’s neglected film Tätowierung (Tattoo, 1967), this essay revisits a film-theoretical and film-political debate in West Germany around 1968 that involved a conflict between the so-called political Left and the aesthetic Left. Attending to the kinds of violence around which the film is structured, the essay hypothesizes that the film, which was well received on its release, diagnosed emerging political developments in remarkably prescient ways that nevertheless remained opaque to the political Left but that, ironically, the allegedly apolitical aesthetic Left affectively sensed and gave expression to at the level of both film criticism and filmmaking. Attending more closely to this film, largely ignored by German film historiography, might be useful for addressing the question of what left politics—and filmmaking—was, and what it is today.

Book Review: Amy Sonnie and James Tracy, Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power: Interracial Solidarity in 1960s-70s New Left Organizing. New York: Melville House. 2021.

The tenth anniversary revised and updated edition of Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power: Interracial Solidarity in 1960s-70s New Left Organizing is a critical retelling of New Left politics in the United States. This retelling should be of interest to historians, political scientists, sociologists, community organizers, and anyone concerned with the possibilities and challenges of creating a meaningfully inclusive society. It should be of interest to this diverse audience for the following reasons.

Infantile Intraparenchymal Brain Abscess due to Streptococcus pyogenes

Introduction Group A ß-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) are the most common bacterial cause of tonsillitis, and can cause noninvasive diseases such as pharyngitis and impetigo, as well as more severe invasive diseases. The incidence of invasive disease is 1-3/100,000 per year, and the morbidity and mortality rate is high. GABHS is rarely lead to brain abscesses. Case Report Acute phase reactants were found to be high in a 40-day-old patient who presented with fever, irritability and focal seizures. Acute phase reactants were high. Transfontanel ultrasonography showed increased thickness, echo and blood supply in the meninges. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion MRI revealed a thick-walled abscess in the right cerebral hemisphere and parietooccipital parenchyma with diffusion restriction on diffusion-weighted images. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test revealed S. pyogenes,and S. pyogenes grown in CSF culture. Initially, meropenem, vancomycin, metronidazole antibiotherapy was applied. Treatment was revised to cefotaxime and vancomycin after culture antibiogram and was completed for 8 weeks. Seizures regressed. Control brain imaging showed improvement. Restriction in left lower extremity movements remained. Physical therapy and rehabilitation was recommended and he was discharged. Conclusion GABHS, which is the causative agent of acute tonsillitis, rarely causes invasive disease which has high mortality and morbidity.

Degree of Concern and Awareness of Spanish Consumers About Working Conditions in the Clothing Industry

The clothing industry has experienced global and sustained growth in the last decades due, among other factors, to the decentralisation of production in this sector and its consequent lowering of prices, but also to the effect of the unceasing demand that fashion generates. Simultaneously, the number of people employed in the textile sector has been growing in economically developing countries under precarious labour conditions. The objective of this study is to analyse the level of knowledge and awareness of the Spanish population about the working conditions in clothing manufacturing at production sites. To achieve this, we applied statistical analysis to data collected from a sample (n = 3000) of Spanish fashion consumers. The main results show a society with a high degree of concern for labour conditions in the textile sector, as well as for the environmental repercussions triggered by this type of production. Considering the differences based on socio-demographic variables, we find that women, older consumers, and respondents with higher education show a greater degree of concern about the working conditions in the clothing industry. Along the same lines, respondents who are ideologically left wing present a higher degree of concern than respondents from the extreme right.