Pluralistic Society Research Articles

Drag story hour at public libraries: the reading child and the construction of fear and othering in Swedish cultural policy debate

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to produce new knowledge about the positions that public libraries both take and are given in the conflicts over politics and identity that play out in contemporary cultural and library policy debates. Using conflicts over drag story hour at public libraries as case, the study seeks to contribute to an emerging body of research that delves into the challenges that public libraries as promoters of democracy are confronting in the conflictual political landscape of today.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents an analysis of debates reported in news articles concerning Drag story hour events held at Swedish public libraries. Utilizing the analytical lenses of discourse theory and plural agonistics, the analysis serves to make visible the lines of conflicts drawn in these debates – particularly focusing on the intersection of different meanings ascribed to the notion of the reading child, and how fear is constructed and used as an othering devise in these conflicts.FindingsDifferent imaginings of the reading child and the construction and imagination of fear and safety shapes the Drag story hour debates. The controversies can be understood as a challenge to the previous hegemony regarding the direction and goals of Swedish cultural and library policy and the pluralistic democratic society these policies are meant to promote.Originality/valueThe paper offers new insights into the consequences of the revival of radical right politics, populism and societal polarization, and the different responses from public libraries.

Exploring Curriculum Transformation in Higher Education Institutions: A Critical Analysis of Equity and Social Justice Perspectives

This paper addresses the imperative of curriculum transformation within higher education in South Africa to confront and mitigate structural inequalities and promote equitable access and outcomes. Drawing upon Fraser's multi-dimensional framework for social justice, the study critically examines the efficacy of curriculum interventions, particularly Education Development initiatives in South Africa. Fraser's framework enables assessing how these interventions address justice dimensions: redistribution, misrecognition, and representation. The analysis reveals that existing interventions predominantly adopt an affirmative rather than transformative approach, primarily focusing on redistributive justice while neglecting misrecognition and representation issues. The study underscores the necessity of embracing a transformative paradigm in curriculum development within South African higher education institutions. A transformative approach necessitates a fundamental reframing of the curriculum, involving reassessing the scale of existing challenges, interrogating underlying assumptions shaping curriculum norms, and re-evaluating the delineation between 'mainstream' and 'other' students. Moreover, it advocates for revisiting the appropriateness of the curriculum for a diverse and pluralistic society. In conclusion, the paper advocates for a comprehensive reframing of the South African higher education curriculum, emphasising the imperative of transformative practices. It proposes recommendations for reformulating the curriculum to address better social justice issues, including embracing inclusivity, challenging prevailing norms, and fostering a curriculum that reflects the diversity and complexities of contemporary society.

What We Argue About When We Argue About Death.

The literature on the determination of death has often if not always assumed that the concept of human death should be defined in terms of the end of the human organism. I argue that this broadly biological conceptualization of human death cannot constitute a basis for agreement in a pluralistic society characterized by a variety of reasonable views on the nature of our existence as embodied beings. Rather, following Robert Veatch, I suggest that we must define death in moralized terms, as the loss of an especially significant sort of moral standing. Departing from Veatch, however, I argue that we should not understand death in terms of the loss of all moral status whatsoever. Rather, I argue, what we should argue about, when we argue about death, is when and why people lose their rights-claims to the protection and promotion of their basic bodily functioning.

Harmonization of State, Custom, and Islamic Law in Aceh: Perspective of Legal Pluralism

Indonesia recognizes several legal systems i.e., state law, customary law, Islamic law, and international law. Islamic sharia in Aceh is part of legal pluralism in Indonesia. This study aims to discuss the application of Islamic sharia from the perspective of legal pluralism. This normative legal study employed a legal pluralism theory analysis. Legal pluralism is a theory that views law not only as positive or written law made by the state but also as a recognition of the legal reality that exists in a pluralistic society. The study collected data by means of a literature review. Findings revealed that Islamic sharia in Aceh as part of the recognition of the concept of legal pluralism has been implemented well in the context of state law, custom, and Islamic law. The state has provided juridical legitimacy through laws in the context of legal substance and judicial institutions or sharia courts. Likewise, revitalization has also occurred in traditional institutions in terms of customary law and customary justice. The argument emphasized in this study is that Islamic sharia in the context of legal pluralism has succeeded in manifesting legal harmonization between the state, custom, and Islamic law

Food Injustice in Plural Societies

It is said that meeting the food needs of the Indonesian people is not balanced, even though the level of food productivity is high. Famine conditions demonstrate this in several areas and low levels of food security compared to other countries. This article aims to explain the forms of food injustice in Plural Society, especially in Indonesia. This article is based on the argument that forms of food injustice in Indonesia occur because food distribution does not work well. This article is qualitative research, with data collection through document review. This article shows three forms of food injustice in Indonesia: inadequate public food consumption, the absence of special regulations for food distribution, and the emergence of a food waste culture in Indonesia. The conclusion of this article shows the reasons for food injustice in Indonesia, which occurs because food distribution does not work well, so the food supply chain cannot provide justice for food to the Indonesian people. This article contributes to comprehensive and in-depth knowledge about food injustice by highlighting food distribution issues and emphasizing the formulation of food distribution policies as a solution. This article is still limited to the secondary data used. A deeper study is needed through observations and interviews with parties understanding how food injustice occurs in Indonesia.

Between Assimilation and Identity: The Dynamics of the Jewish Community in Indonesia

This research examines the existence and dynamics of the Jewish community in Indonesia, which has deep historical roots dating back to the arrival of early European explorers and settlers. The Jewish community in Indonesia is unique and rarely discussed in the context of the country's religious plurality. Despite their relatively small numbers compared to the majority religion, their existence brings important perspectives on assimilation and identity dynamics. This research fills a knowledge gap by investigating the specific dynamics of the Jewish community in the context of assimilation and identity, expanding the understanding of the history of antisemitism and representation as well as Jewish national loyalties and identity in Indonesia. Through qualitative methods and a case study approach, data was collected through in-depth interviews and document analysis to capture the historical perspectives and adaptations of the community. The results show that the Jewish community, although small, has successfully assimilated while maintaining their religious and cultural identity in a social environment dominated by other religions. This research provides new insights into the study of religious plurality, particularly in the context of Muslim-majority Indonesia. It illustrates how assimilation and identity preservation can occur simultaneously, offering a more complex and dynamic perspective than previously recognized. The findings also emphasize the importance of interfaith education and interreligious dialogue as factors that influence the ability of religious minorities to maintain their identities. The results of this study have significant implications for the understanding of religious diversity in Indonesia and how small communities can contribute to the national discourse. The theoretical benefits of the findings enrich the study of religious minority dynamics in plural societies, highlighting that flexibility and adaptation are important aspects in the survival of religious and cultural identities. Practically, the findings can inform the development of more inclusive policies that protect the rights of religious and faith minorities in Indonesia.

The Impact of the Law: On Character Formation, Ethical Education, and the Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies. Edited by John WitteJr . and Michael Welker. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2022. Pp. 288. $35.00 (paper). ISBN: 9781666750621.

The Impact of the Law: On Character Formation, Ethical Education, and the Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies. Edited by John WitteJr . and Michael Welker. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2022. Pp. 288. $35.00 (paper). ISBN: 9781666750621.

From Politics of Islam to Terrorism: Discovering the Roots of Islamophobia in Indonesia

Islamophobia is an issue that has affected both minority and majority Muslim communities in many countries, including Indonesia. To gain a deeper understanding of Islamophobia in Indonesia, this study focuses on two of eight components of Islamophobia identified by Sabri Ciftci (2012), namely, Islam is perceived as a political ideology and is associated with violence. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including historical-comparative and survey, the authors explore how the Indonesian government has dealt with Islamophobia since the Old and New Order periods. This research also delves into how Islamophobia has impacted minority Christians and moderate Muslims during the Reform Era, where Islam is often associated with religious intolerance and terrorism. The results indicate that Islamophobia in Indonesia has three primary root causes linked to certain Islamic societal behaviour: political tensions between Islamic fundamentalists and nationalists regarding the state ideology, religious tensions between radical Muslims and Christians resulting in intolerance, and acts of terrorism using Islamic symbols. This research concludes Islamophobia in Indonesia has switched from the government to the community level, requiring the government policy to eliminate Islamophobia in a pluralistic society.

Multiculturalism in the curriculum: a comparative analysis of the Finnish, Irish and Hungarian national core curricula

PurposeOne key aspect of European curriculum reforms is to empower students with the skills needed to engage actively in the pluralistic and multicultural global society of the 21st century. This study aims to examine the extent of multicultural education within the national core curricula of three European countries: Hungary, Finland and Ireland, focusing on its role in fostering social acceptance through education.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research applying discourse analysis was conducted to identify key multiculturalism concepts within the curricula. The analysis concentrated on understanding how multiculturalism is portrayed through various perspectives, emphasizing situational meanings and frameworks. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the findings was carried out.FindingsThe research found that all three curricula contain the concept of multicultural education, although the extent of emphasis varies. The Hungarian National Core Curriculum (NCC) primarily emphasizes national values and sporadically addresses multicultural issues, often from a local perspective. In contrast, the Irish NCC is tolerance-oriented, stressing not only the understanding of different cultures but also the importance of accepting them. The Finnish NCC reflects a global perspective and emphasizes respect for different cultures and minority groups, with a pluralistic approach.Originality/valueThis study enhances our understanding of the discourse of multiculturalism within the curricula of three European countries, emphasizing both their similarities and differences. Additionally, it underscores the crucial role that curricula can play in effectively implementing multicultural education.

The Two Faces of Political Parties: How They Can Both Promote and Hinder Rawls’ Public Reason

This article explores the impact of political parties on a Rawlsian model of public reason. Political parties possess the potential to play a vital role in promoting public reason by connecting the background culture and the public political forum, identifying and systematizing the diverse array of opinions within a pluralist society. They can translate comprehensive doctrines into shared public values, advance electoral programs that articulate a reasonable political conception of justice and construct the deliberative arena necessary for public reason. However, it is crucial to recognize that political parties can also undermine public reason. They may prioritize sectarian interests over shared ones, appeal to non-liberal or perfectionist values, perpetuate misinformation, succumb to the influence of monetary donations, or adopt a closed-minded and rigid ideological stance. Achieving the ideal of public reason necessitates political parties striking a delicate balance between advancing their own agendas and respecting a practice of public justification.

World languages for Black Linguistic Reparations

AbstractThis conceptual work highlights the history of Black erasure throughout the existence of world languages (WLs) as a field of study in the United States. It outlines the unique challenges faced by African descended learners who have and continue to pursue WL study in US classrooms. These include but are not limited to reduced local funding and programmatic expectations due to the remnants of anti‐Black educational policies, monolingual and imperial language ideologies prevalent in texts and pedagogical approaches, and generations of segregation in and outside of schools. Finally, this work proposes WLs serve as a site of Black Linguistic Reparations through, (1) the redistribution of resources in the field, (2) the repair of enacted WL teaching to meet the calls of ACTFL's standards for preparing students for communication in a pluralistic society, and (3) a recreation of the “world” as narrated through a global, rather than a white Western lens.

Grung, A. H. (Ed.) (2023). Complexities of Spiritual Care in Plural Societies: Education, Praxis and Concepts

Grung, A. H. (Ed.) (2023). Complexities of Spiritual Care in Plural Societies: Education, Praxis and Concepts. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 273 pp. (hbk). ISBN: 9783110717235.

Counter Hegemony Through The Role Of The Wasathiyah Millennial Muslim Generation In Realizing World Peace

The research findings indicate that the state's authority over society's intellectual life is entirely pursued through cultural mechanisms. This allows the state to establish jurisdiction authority acquired through legitimate means, such as a public decision to accept or reject a policy decision made by a power holder without resorting to Dominio, which is a form of dominance based on violence. In terms of the millennial wasathiyah Muslim generation's role and attempts to bring about peace, the paradigm is the realization of a pluralistic society made up of people from various ethnic, cultural, religious, and other backgrounds who share the same resolve and goals to establish the country and state.

On Turbans, Abayas, and Colanders: The Scope of Religious Dress in a Pluralistic Society

Abstract This article scrutinizes the ongoing European debate surrounding religious attire, particularly in the context of legal restrictions and requests for accommodation. The core inquiry revolves around the ambiguous definition of ‘religious dress’, encompassing both prescribed attire and symbols with religious significance. Beyond conventional religious garments that are generally legally accepted, the article delves into the contentious classification of cultural styles, as seen recently with the ban on abayas and qamis in French public schools, and the exemptions for ‘religious dress’ claimed by adherents to mock religions such as Pastafarianism. Acknowledging the contested nature of defining religion, the article examines the potential necessity for legal definitions, emphasizing their role in determining both recognition and limitations. The study navigates the European legal framework, drawing insights from supranational sources and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights to unravel the intricacies, challenges, and implications of regulating religion and religious dress in Europe.

Mass Media Culture in Slovakia (on the Example of Tracking the Value Message of Media Content Flowing to the Public)

The media inherently reflect the cultural, political and social contexts of a nation through products (audiovisual programmes). Public opinion to some extent participates in the profiling of the programmes broadcast. The thematic concept of media products is marked by the current social current – the mainstream. The paper deals with the state of contemporary Slovak media in terms of value setting, specifically noting the pitfalls related to censorship, i.e. blocking uncomfortable opinions. It gives examples from media practice testifying to the violation of the typical principles of respecting the values of the pluralistic society in which we have been living for more than three decades. The main objective of the paper is to make the public image concerning media freedom (reflecting on problematic social causes) more accessible by presenting the stated facts, comparing them and placing them in a broader substantive context. Freedom of expression (thought) in the media should be maintained to a healthy degree even at the cost of expressing an opinion that contradicts the rhetoric of those in political power.

Reinterpretasi Teologi Injil Yohanes 14:6 Dalam Konteks Inklusifitas Pendidikan Agama Kristen (PAK) di Indonesia

An inclusive perspective in understanding and responding to religious plurality in Indonesia is pursued through efforts to reinterpret the theology of the Gospel of John 14:6 in the context of the inclusiveness of Christian Religious Education (PAK) in Indonesia. The aim of reinterpreting this text is to offer an inclusive understanding of religious teachings in Indonesia’s pluralistic society. In carrying out this reinterpretation of theology, it is understood that the truth and the path to God must be seen from various religious perspectives, but still upholding the values of Christ. Thus, reinterpreting the theology of the Gospel of John 14:6 in the context of PAK inclusiveness in Indonesia is an important step in facing religious plurality with an inclusive attitude and expanding understanding of religious diversity in a pluralistic Indonesian society

Practice of Patriotism, Ethnocentrism, Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism in India: An Interrogation

The central concern of this paper is to examine intersectionalities between the ideals of cosmopolitanism, patriotism, ethnocentrism and nationalism in general, and their changing facets and interfaces in India. It argues that being a multiethnic and plural society, the civilisational ethos of India is conventionally founded on cosmopolitanism. The practice of patriotism and its accommodative principle of unity in diversity have provided the building blocks to this cosmopolitanism. During India’s independence struggle these ideals encountered the forces of modernism, ethnocentrism, communalism and ethno-nationalism. In contemporary India the forces of economic neoliberalism, developmental imbalances and persisting social and economic inequalities, post modernism, hyper modernism, populism, and cultural politics have become part of social reality. Notwithstanding the prevalence of the ideals of cosmopolitanism and civilisational interactive processes, these encounters have brought cumulative fluidity in the social, economic and political orientations in contemporary society, and have created further space for the influence of ethnocentrism and cultural politics as a means to remain rooted in society.

Discovering the Child? Individualization Processes of Catholic Religious Education in the Horizon of Secularization since 1900

At the beginning of the 20th century, early processes of secularization – especially in working-class families living in large cities – and inadequate teaching methods led to a crisis of Catholic religious education. Teachers and professors highlighted that it was becoming more and more difficult for reli­gious education to reach students and to ensure that they become devoted members of the Church. In this situation, a catechetical movement was established, which was mainly situated in Munich and Vienna, where teachers, catechists, and academics discussed reforms of the commonly used teaching methods in religious education. Conferences and the foundation of journals followed. It is at least from this point that the process of modernization in the field of religious education in the German-speaking context begins. This modernization gained traction after the Second Vatican Council and was also pro­moted by the phenomenon of secularization and pluralization after the 1960s. Against this background, the essay will address the following questions: What led to the modernization of religious education that began around 1900? What role was played by the new openness of catechists and theologians for edu­cation science and the (religious) pluralization of society? To answer this question, the article will focus on developments between 1900 and the 1920s, during the 1970s, and the more or less topical discus­sion about the concept of ‘theology of children’ since the late 1990s. This study will also ask whether this development can be described as the discovery of the child in theology and religious education. Finally, this paper asks what consequences this development has for a denominational religious education in state schools today and in the future.

Pentingnya Peranan PAK Dalam Kehidupan Masyarakat Majemuk

A pluralistic society is an Indonesian society characterized by a diversity of social units based on race, ethnicity, custom, culture and religion. A pluralistic society is a characteristic of the Indonesian people who have the same or different origins, especially differences in ethnicity, religion, customs, and different interests. Christian religious education is very important in the life of a pluralistic society. The role of Christian religious education, first sir leads to openness, secondly sir leads to spiritual sir leads to faith independence sir leads to social sir as a means of evangelism. This study uses a type of qualitative research with a literature study approach. Through this research it is known that the role of Christian religious education is very important in a pluralistic society.

Tradition and Transformation: Spirituality in Church-Related Caring Communities in a Pluralistic Society

Demographic change in aging societies makes it urgent to ask how care can be understood as a social task. This is where the concept of caring communities comes in, which understands care as a task of many, indeed, of society as a whole, and aims to offer mutual care in communities. While the concept has been described in theory many times, empirical studies are rare. In pluralistic Western societies, the church as an institution is becoming less important while spirituality and spiritual needs are increasing in prominence. These processes of secularization run parallel to a growing interest in spirituality and an individualization of religion. Nonetheless, church congregations have always offered a place of mutual care and lived religion that functions as a network and social resource. So far, the role of spirituality in church-related caring communities has not been sufficiently addressed. In an exploratory qualitative study of three church-related caring communities in Germany, we focus on the target group of caring relatives, of whom we interviewed nine. The results show that church-related caring communities provide important spiritual resources and rely on the basis of shared values that are closely connected to Christian convictions. However, the different understandings of care and spirituality point to the relevance of discussing the often preliminary motives and values of care. Especially in plural societies, the discourse on plural values for mutual care is important and can form a basis for caring practices such as spiritual and pastoral care. Opportunities and places to discuss and debate different and shared values underlining care practices are necessary. The potential of spiritual and pastoral care in church-related caring communities is important and needs to be further strengthened.