Participation In Public Space Research Articles

Philosophy of childhood and children's political participation: poli(s)phonic challenges

What challenges does the political participation of children pose to the Philosophy of Childhood? What challenges does the Philosophy of Childhood pose to children's political participation? This text is inspired by the idea that “research is not about enumerating situations, but making researchers lose their sleep”. It is divided into two distinct parts. In the first, we introduce the theoretical framework that orients our research group and our work with children in the philosophical research community. We posit a link between listening to children's voices, the conditions of listening, and the location of their political participation in public space. The second part is comprised of a creative illustrated narrative in the form of a dialogue. From the coast of what could be called the territory of political participation, two characters - Sentinel and Walker - discuss the waves of children that crash onto the territory. To what extent does creating space and time for listening to children open polyphonic movements and enable the construction of new forms of polis: poly(s)phonies? In what ways does the Philosophy of Childhood challenge itself in the creation of poly(s)phonies where the participation of children sets the tone? In what ways does the Philosophy of Childhood in turn challenge us to create poly(s)phonies?

Exploring the Invisibility of Women’s Resilience in Facing Anthropogenic Disasters

The intensity of anthropogenic disasters increases with the pace of climate change, but on the other hand, the invisibility of women’s experiences has negated women’s capacity to build disaster resilience. This study aims to determine the factors that support women’s participation in anthropogenic disaster management. The Publish or Perish (PoP) application is used to review and retrieve articles on the Google Scholar database and find 15 relevant articles on women’s resilience. Based on the results of the article review, it was found that there were two important factors related to one another, namely, community support for women and access to resources, which provide space, opportunities, and appreciation for women as important agents in disaster management. In addition, there are also individual factors and their influence on women’s resilience, namely the level of spirituality, optimism, and hope that women bring to their domestic experiences. Thus, this paper has shown that women’s participation in public space is an important part of disaster management schemes.

African feminism, activism and decolonisation: the case of Alimotu Pelewura

ABSTRACT Consequent to colonial policies that restricted women’s participation in public space, the Nigerian woman of the colonial era experienced strenuous socio-political and economic marginalisation/oppression. This marginalisation spurred many of the affected women into acts of subtle and overt resistance. However, historical narratives have typically downplayed narratives portraying women’s agency as an integral and essential part of the anti-colonial resistance. Contemporary efforts at redressing this imbalance have resulted in the identification of women activists including Funmilayo (Ransome) Anikulapo-Kuti (FRK), Margaret Ekpo and Oyinka Abayomi to mention a few. Such efforts at identifying feminists and women activists have nevertheless significantly downplayed or outrightly ignored earlier generations of women activists whose successful activisms paved way for this group of identified activists. This study, therefore, sets out to interrogate the socio-economic and political philosophy of Alimotu Pelewura, an unlettered activist and the leader of the first mass-based women’s interest group in colonial South-west Nigeria. Utilising historical and analytical research methods, it presents an exposition of Pelewura’s economic, social and political activities and subjects such to critical analysis, with a final aim of distilling her socio-political and economic philosophies from these activities, thus, presenting Pelewura’s philosophy as an African feminist narrative towards decolonisation efforts.

Criminal Policy and Criminal Law in a Strong State

The modern Russian society is transforming largely in the context of the implementation of the idea of a strong state. The uncertainty and ambivalence of this idea, which in various interpretations focuses on expanding the sphere of state participation in public space or on the effectiveness of state administration, allows the state to independently determine the vector of state building. In Russia, as follows from the public statements of the political leadership and current practice, the specifics of a strong state involve an increase in the sphere of influence of the state, an increase in its power, and the protection of conservative values and sovereignty. Each of these components requires adequate criminal and legal support, including the criminalization of socially dangerous attacks. An analysis of legislative practice shows that in the total array of new offenses introduced into the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation since 2000 more than 40% provided support for the construction of a strong state. It is fair to consider this practice as a reflection of a very specific and poorly studied concept of the criminal policy of a strong state in science. Such a policy focuses on the expansion of the sphere of state presence in the social space, the use of criminal law means primarily protect state interests, which consist in ensuring the stable (unchanged) functioning of a strong vertical of power in a consolidated society, including through the norms of criminal law, based on conservative patriarchal values. At the same time, it carries the potential risks of total state control and a reduction in the scale of freedom, which requires mandatory consideration and reflection in the criminal and political science discourse.

Invisible boundaries to access and participation in public spaces: navigating community diversity in Leicester, UK

ABSTRACT This paper considers how institutions responsible for urban public spaces might promote more equitable access. Focusing on the Gujarati community in Leicester, UK it reveals multiple cultural sensitivities that are often not taken into consideration by institutions, even as they seek to enable participation. The research maps invisible boundaries which prevent ethnic minority communities accessing urban public spaces, including complex dynamics of ethnicity, caste and class. We suggest that considering how residents imagine boundaries traversing the urban environment, and how these bound them from others – including powerful institutions – explains why certain physical spaces and spaces of participation remain inaccessible to them. It finds institutional practices perpetuate these boundaries by not recognising such complexities and how they alter local participation. This research demonstrated that the perception of accessible spaces extends beyond distance and physical accessibility to a desire for power to shape those spaces. By critically examining the factors that delimit movement in space, this article extends understanding of access and participation, highlighting that the two are not in a straightforward linear or hierarchical relationship in which one precedes the other. Rather the two can be sought together, with participation a prerequisite for access. Secondly, effective participation does not just require power to be shared across the boundary between institution and “community” – it should also be distributed across the community, and traverse social boundaries within it.

Prevalência de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis e fatores relacionados à hipertensão arterial em idosos: inquérito domiciliar em Picos, Piauí

Popular participation in public spaces is an extremely important issue in the country's democratic process and the consolidation of citizenship. The Municipal Councils are channels of representation in the formulation and control of public policies at all levels being linked to public management in the decision-making process. Therefore, the present work analyzes the valuation of citizen participation in the Municipal Council for Environment and Sustainable Development in the municipality of Gurupi-TO under the dimensions of Social Management to understand the functioning of CADESG from the actors' point of view. The methodology employed was the case study from the document analysis, non-participant observation, and application of a structured questionnaire using the method of Content Analysis of BARDIN (2016). The theoretical foundation discusses the conceptual framework of Social Management correlating its possibility for the exercise of deliberative power by society. Results were obtained and identified that pointed to a certain level of social management and from the perspective of deliberative citizenship glimpsed the need for improvement of the categories analyzed.

International perspectives on the participation of children and young people in the Global South

ABSTRACT This paper presents findings from a study exploring children’s participation and protection rights. The research was conducted by the International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership (ICCRP) – a multi-sectoral partnership, involving academic institutions, non-government organisations, and young people in five countries. Although funding came from a Canadian federal agency, partners adopted a decolonial approach to break down inequitable power dynamics. This approach ensured the usage of contextually relevant methods and that children’s voices were heard. This paper reports on findings in Brazil, China, and South Africa, where participatory methodologies were used, to explore how young people and adults conceptualise the experience of ‘participating together.’ Our findings show that there is no single conceptualisation of participation that fits the different contexts where the ICCRP worked. In China, the emphasis is on education and respect for parents’ decisions about their lives; in South Africa, it is on respect and duty to elders and community; while in Brazil, participation relates to ‘protagonism’ where there is a rhetoric of young people’s autonomy in public policy. However, in all cases, intergenerational relations are dynamic and evolve over time. Additionally, individuals who experience meaningful participation in public spaces, change their attitude to participation in the private sphere.

Networked Struggles: Placards at Pakistan’s Aurat March

Aurat March [Women’s March] is an annual event organised in various cities across Pakistan to observe International Women’s Day. Since its inception in 2018, the March has been condemned by conservative religious and political segments of society for reasons relating to propriety. This commentary explores how placards predominantly form the object of censure in the movement’s backlash. By reflecting on discourses on mainstream and social media, I first assess the use of placards in constructing networks of feminist voices. I then assess the (re)production of anti-feminist discourses, sparked by commentary on (select) placards and doctored images to promote dis/misinformation campaigns through the convergence of networked misogyny. Placards at Aurat March have therefore constructed a space for resistance—both by the movement and in retaliation to it—shifting the placard to a site of networked struggles over feminist and women’s participation in public spaces.

Regulating social spaces of everyday life: The bottom-up codification of a behavioural norm in a Dutch municipal bylaw

The utopian ideal of public space promotes it as the material manifestation of a freely accessible realm in which diverse social entities engage with one another to discuss, debate and form an inclusive society. In reality, access to and participation in public space is restricted for various factions of society. In the regulation of public space formal law plays a large, albeit not exclusive, role. Intrinsically formal law is presumed to come from above and beyond, and technically law is indeed emanated top-down by legislative authorities. The initiative to law however can originate from elsewhere. The case study presented here offers an example of law being enterprised from within, as a bottom-up strategy to claim dominance over a shared space and an attempt to block access to competing factions. Law then is wielded as a vertical power strategy between citizens, in which government has to struggle not to be reduced to an instrument in the hands of the elite. The case narrates the attempt of residents to have a municipal ban on using cannabis installed on a small inner-city playground in Amsterdam. This article aims to contribute to literature on juridification of social relations, the production of space and the making of law.

Chicas modernas y de barrio. La modernidad femenina alternativa de las jóvenes de clases populares urbanas en el periodo de entreguerras

Este trabajo reformula el marco interpretativo mayoritariamente empleado en los estudios históricos sobre la mujer moderna, redefiniendo dicha categoría y mostrando la pluralidad de significados e interpretaciones históricas que alberga. Como ejemplo alternativo al canon establecido de mujer moderna se propone el de chica o muchacha moderna, una figura reconocida globalmente en el periodo de entreguerras como agente de modernidad cuya ruptura con la tradición se afirmaba en terrenos distintos a los de las mujeres modernas: su presencia en el espacio público, su disfrute del ocio y la vida nocturna y su afirmación de una sexualidad transgresora y desinhibida. Como caso de estudio se ofrece el de las jóvenes de clases populares urbanas en el Madrid de entreguerras, analizado a través de las fuentes judiciales para mostrar sus conductas y actitudes en el terreno de la sexualidad y las relaciones entre géneros, así como sus lugares y pautas específicos de sociabilidad.

Art as intervention: Protests on urban transformation in China and Australia

ABSTRACT Participation in public space is widely recognized as a means for deepening social inclusion. Recent developments in urban participation have seen an intertwining relationship between art, technology, and activism. This article presents a comparative study of two protests regarding the transformation of two public spaces: Donghu in Wuhan, China, and Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia. We aim to compare and contrast how art functions in the processes and results of the protests in each country’s socio-political contexts. Both possessing artistic and activist components, the Donghu protest played out as a disguised form of occupation that failed eventually. The case of Federation Square engaged with both artist activism and direct political engagement that ended in triumph for the activists. In both cases, art was mobilized to mediate a broader range of communications and prompt social change. The latter case took a relatively elitist approach than the former by relying on informed activists and working within a liberal democratic framework. Nonetheless, both protests showcase public agency and subjectivity despite different socio-political contexts. This paper argues that analyzing the role of art in urban protests can provide new insights into the esthetic modes of resistance in conflicts over the transformation of urban space.

El enfoque de capacidades en la promoción del derecho a la información en comunidades en vulnerabilidad

El derecho a la información es un derecho humano de utilidad para la exigencia de otros derechos y la participación en el espacio público; sin embargo, la información pública no está al alcance de todas las personas de forma equitativa debido a barreras como la digital, la escolaridad, la alfabetización, la pobreza económica, la etnia, el género, entre otras. Mientras que las políticas de promoción del derecho a la información se han basado en difusión en medios masivos y proyectos con enfoque de “formación de usuario”, que no necesariamente consideran el desarrollo de capacidades en las personas y la reducción de barreras para el acceso y el uso de información pública de sectores en vulnerabilidad. Este artículo propone el uso del enfoque de capacidades en las políticas de promoción del derecho a la información, para lograr que las personas puedan usar información pública como herramienta indispensable de la capacidad de control sobre su entorno político. Para ello, se desarrolla un marco analítico de capacidades de acceso y uso de información pública y se aplica en un estudio de caso del programa “Transparencia proactiva” de Artículo 19 México y Centroamérica, que promueve el derecho a la información en comunidades rurales y mayoritariamente indígenas en Chiapas, México, con la finalidad de identificar estrategias orientadas al desarrollo de capacidades para el acceso y uso de información pública. A partir de ello, se ofrecen algunas recomendaciones desde el enfoque de capacidades para mejorar las políticas públicas de promoción del derecho a la información en personas en vulnerabilidad.

In-Between Windowscapes. A Curator’s Perspective on Collaboration as Artistic Activation in Public Spaces

This paper emphasizes that curatorial practice and site-specific art are essential aspects of the transition from artistic collaboration to collaborative curatorial practice and discovers the new potential of ‘curator as collaborator’ practice to cultivate community-based, collaborative and engaging cultural projects in public spaces. By examining the curatorial residency of my participation in Public Space 50 at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia in 2017, this portfolio investigates how I, as a curator, explore art curation locations and methods to enable students to actively work collaboratively to plan, facilitate and produce public art projects. It asks how to turn public spaces into laboratories; how can student artists work together in public space; how to empower a creative student community through artistic collaboration and how artistic activation can be developed among creative participators of different cultures and backgrounds?

Women-Led Businesses: An Ethnographic Study of Gendered Entrepreneurship in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

As a result of the growing global economy and a development model with entrepreneurialism at its heart, women in remote and high-mountain societies in Gilgit-Baltistan, the northernmost part of Pakistan, have begun to venture outside the traditional and gendered economies by embarking on new forms of income-generating activities. This ethnographic study of women entrepreneurs in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, provides a critical analysis of the promotion of women’s entrepreneurship as a key strategy by development organizations to address gender inequities. The ethnographic accounts of women’s diverse experiences as entrepreneurs featured in this article demonstrate that the neoliberal development model and the global capitalist market serve as an opportunity for women in these high-mountain communities that allows them to push against socio-cultural pressures. Within these environments, women strive to become economic actors and make space for themselves in conventionally male-dominated economic trades such as business and entrepreneurship. In contrast to the NGOs’ narratives that glorify women as entrepreneurs in uncontentious ways, my ethnographic research views women as complex subjectivities whose lived experiences are embedded within socio-economic, religious and political dimensions of notions of legitimacy that dictate women’s participation in public spaces. The ethnographic accounts in this article illustrate how women navigate, negotiate, contest and reproduce the patriarchal sovereignties and development regimes.

An Evaluation of the Influence of Environmental, Social and Cultural factors on the Socialization of Traditional Urban Spaces (Case Study: Iranian Markets)

The ‘bazaar’, or the marketplace has been one of the most influential bases of the city in terms of social, political and economic development, and is considered as an active public space for initiating fundamental changes in society. Across Islamic cultures and civilizations, as well as their historical precedents, the marketplace has occupied a broad and complex social meaning, especially in Iran. In this research, the marketplace is considered from a socio-commercial point of view. In order to improve the efficiency of public spaces, it is necessary to identify their effective parameters of socialization, and utilize them towards the future design or improvement of built environments. While the socio-cultural influence of a bazaar determines the development of human relationships around it, its environmental components are also effective in responding to ‘physical needs’ of a populace, that is, the provision of necessities such as food and clothing as well as repair services. The relationship between environmental, social and cultural elements is found to be the most influential factor in increasing the sociality of the public space. In order to analyze bazaar socialization, the research methodology employed in this article comprises a descriptive survey that uses Delphi and Q methodology. According to the results, six key factors were identified: activity-behavioural-movement (ABM) components, physical-functional qualities, enviornmental impacts, physical components (PCs), cultural values (CVs), social cohesion and integration, diversity and spatial attraction. Crucially, the study also finds that the socialization of space is formed through the interaction between human experiences in place and the prevailing cultural forms within it, that is, the regional customs, traditions and overall ‘way of life’ of the native populace. Therefore, the cultural features of urban spaces are another important factor in their development. Studying these factors opens the possibility for facilitating greater levels of interaction and participation in public spaces in a manner that also accommodates different groups of people and their varying subcultures.

STRUKTURASI IDEOLOGI CERPEN “GERIMIS YANG SEDERHANA” KARYA EKA KURNIAWAN

The short story "Gerimis yang Sederhana" by Eka Kurniawan is an interesting literary work to be studied, through hegemony and structuration approaches. This short story presents a psychological impact (trauma) after the violence that occurred in the Chinese community in 1998, especially for victims of 1998 who chose to stay abroad. In the context of ideology, there are four ideologies in this short story, namely: the ideology of tyranny, humanism, conservatives, and liberalism. Tyrannical and conservative ideologies became the dominant group. The ideology of liberalism becomes ideological negotiation. The ideology of liberalism also reflects the author's ideology. Regarding the application of the structuration theory, Eka Kurniawan responded to the condition of the victims of 1998, who were still traumatized. This condition has an impact on their lack of participation in public spaces. The ideology of liberalism is expected to encourage that. As a result, five years later there was a deputy governor (subsequently governor) who was directly elected by the people to lead Jakarta from the Chinese community. That is, there is an influence between the agent (author) with the structure of society

A Mural in Sethmacher Square: Tensions Between Heritage and Public Space

The case of the city of Valparaiso, as a world heritage site, has called for a growing interest in tourism and a debate between its protection and participation in public spaces. In this article, we analyze the scope of protecting a material heritage in tension with the dynamic nature of urban culture and the use of public space from an ethnomethodology perspective. The focus of the study is a mural that emerged as an expression of urban culture in La Matriz neighborhood. From the point of view of patrimonial politics its relevance is questioned in relation to the urban space. The result is that while declaring heritage centers promotes economic improvement for disadvantaged neighborhoods, social life in motion is repressed by the protection of an infrastructure that seeks to freeze a past.

Walking through life with cerebral palsy: reflections on daily walking by adults with cerebral palsy

ABSTRACT Purpose: Walking is a major target in childhood physiotherapy for children with cerebral palsy (CP). Little information exists on the importance or value of walking when these children grow up. The aim of this study was to explore personal reflections on daily walking by adults with CP. Method: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted and analysed with systematic text condensation, a four-step thematic cross-case analysis. Results: Eight ambulatory adults (26–60 years, four women and four men) with CP were interviewed. Almost all had experienced deteriorated walking ability in adulthood and reported that walking was restricted and affected by intrinsic features, such as pain, fatigue, reduced balance and fear of falling. Extrinsic features such as being looked at due to walking abnormality and environmental factors, such as seasonal changes affected their free walking and was common. Some had accepted using mobility aids for energy conservation. Conclusions: Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence walking in adults with CP. Reflections by the adults with CP suggest these features may reduce participation in public spaces and potentially increase acceptance and use of mobility aids.

EVERYDAY TECHNOLOGY: A USEFUL SERVANT BUT DANGEROUS MASTER FOR PARTICIPATION IN SOCIETY?

With an increasingly technological society comes an assumed ability to use Everyday Technologies (ET) in order to participate in activities and places in public space, e.g. operating ticket machines to access public transport. This study addresses a mismatch between a growing dependency on ET and evidence that people with dementia experience increased challenges using ET. The aim is to explore how ET-use and perceived risk relate to participation in public space, among people with and without dementia. People with dementia and without dementia, aged 55+, were interviewed using questionnaires including the Participation in ACTivities and Places OUTside the Home questionnaire, across Sweden (n=69) and the UK (n=128). The Swedish and UK findings show small but significant associations between total participation in places within public space, and i) ET-use, and ii) perceived risk in public space. Furthermore, people with dementia participated in fewer places within public space than those without dementia.

After Marginalization

Contemporary social thought frequently posits sociopolitical exclusion as marginalization. This article argues that marginalization relies on a spatial metaphor that conceptualizes social exclusion as always already configured in relation to center and periphery. Suggesting that this reliance on marginalization as a way of understanding sociopolitical exclusion limits political thought, this article calls for a renewed attention to actual material configurations of social exclusion. Considering ethnographic research with adults with mobility and speech disabilities in Petrozavodsk, Russia, and representation of disability in contemporary Russian film, the concept of marginalization is demonstrated to be insufficient to analyze the actual spatial segregation of people with disabilities in contemporary Russia in the digital era. The spatial metaphor of marginalization fails to describe the way that interlocutors with mobility impairments are at once segregated and included in sociopolitical life in the digital era, when civic life unfolds in cyberspace. Drawing on ethnographic interviews and observation, this article proposes pixelization as a descriptor of the specific spatial pattern of sociopolitical exclusion of people with mobility and speech impairments in Petrozavodsk, characterized by material segregation in family apartments combined with intricate enabling connection to various publics via digital networks. Spatial metaphors for social difference matter for the kinds of alternate presents and futures that might be envisioned, challenging the presumption that ableism’s power comes from limiting political participation in public space defined by a liberal democratic agora.