Pluralistic Approach Research Articles

Beyond job‐search theory: A value pluralist approach to conditionality in Australian employment services

AbstractThis article examines the contested impact of financial sanctions on Australian employment services, with government evaluation relying on job‐search theory to justify sanctions while research from sociological and psychological perspectives suggests they exacerbate labour market disadvantages and poverty. The division in perspectives reflects both methodological differences and ethical stances within scholarship. Welfare conditionality scholars propose value pluralism as an approach to reach consensus on shared policy goals across disciplines. This article engages in a simulation of the value plural approach to identify evidence gaps in the research and evaluation of sanctions and conditionality in employment services. The article identifies a research and evaluation agenda for conditionality policy, emphasising the importance of reaching a consensus to advance ethically robust policy.

Philosophy of psychiatry: theoretical advances and clinical implications.

Work at the intersection of philosophy and psychiatry has an extensive and influential history, and has received increased attention recently, with the emergence of professional associations and a growing literature. In this paper, we review key advances in work on philosophy and psychiatry, and their related clinical implications. First, in understanding and categorizing mental disorder, both naturalist and normativist considerations are now viewed as important - psychiatric constructs necessitate a consideration of both facts and values. At a conceptual level, this integrative view encourages moving away from strict scientism to soft naturalism, while in clinical practice this facilitates both evidence-based and values-based mental health care. Second, in considering the nature of psychiatric science, there is now increasing emphasis on a pluralist approach, including ontological, explanatory and value pluralism. Conceptually, a pluralist approach acknowledges the multi-level causal interactions that give rise to psychopathology, while clinically it emphasizes the importance of a broad range of "difference-makers", as well as a consideration of "lived experience" in both research and practice. Third, in considering a range of questions about the brain-mind, and how both somatic and psychic factors contribute to the development and maintenance of mental disorders, conceptual and empirical work on embodied cognition provides an increasingly valuable approach. Viewing the brain-mind as embodied, embedded and enactive offers a conceptual approach to the mind-body problem that facilitates the clinical integration of advances in both cognitive-affective neuroscience and phenomenological psychopathology.

A survey of congruences and quotients of partially ordered sets

A quotient of a poset P is a partial order obtained on the equivalence classes of an equivalence relation \theta on P ; \theta is then called a congruence if it satisfies certain conditions, which vary according to different theories. The literature on congruences and quotients of partially ordered sets contains a large and proliferating array of approaches, but little in the way of systematic exposition and examination of the subject. We seek to rectify this by surveying the different theories in the literature and providing philosophical discussion on requirements for notions of congruences of posets. We advocate a pluralist approach which recognises that different types of congruence arise naturally in different mathematical situations. There are some notions of congruence which are very general, whilst others capture specific structure which often appears in examples. Indeed, we finish by giving several examples where quotients of posets appear naturally in mathematics.

Opening the Thucydides trap: a genealogy of rise-and-fall theory

Abstract Over the last decade, Graham Allison's ‘Thucydides trap’ has become a predominant framework for analysing the prospect of great power conflict between the United States and China. The controversy surrounding this rise to prominence has reinvigorated a tradition of thinking about the effects of power parity on global order that previously flourished during the Cold War. This renewed attention has nevertheless come at a significant cost. By reconstructing the tradition from which the Thucydides trap emerges, a tradition that we call rise-and-fall theory, this article demonstrates how the ascendance of the Thucydides trap as a framework of analysis has obscured critical debates about the relationship between the rise and fall of competing powers and the onset of conflict. These debates problematize fundamental questions concerning how to conceptualize power, what types of interstate relations are to be analysed, and which causal mechanism(s) matter most in explaining revisionism and conflict. This article demonstrates how the Thucydides trap largely overlooks these debates, thereby providing analysts with less precise heuristics for thinking about the prospect of global conflict than they might otherwise have. We develop a more pluralistic approach to the application of rise-and-fall theory that makes use of its diverse perspectives and substantive divergences to provide more nuanced and holistic analyses.

Bootstraps, redlines and wage-theft: using Monopoly to critically examine American wealth inequality

Bootstraps, redlines and wage-theft: using Monopoly to critically examine American wealth inequality

Exploring reflexive methodology as a pluralist approach to enhance mixed methods research on coping and livability among LGBTQ people in Sweden

ABSTRACT The article explores the use of reflexive methodology to enhance mixed methods queer psychological research in Sweden, by analysing data from a qualitative research project on how LGBTQ people cope with minority stress from four epistemological perspectives. A descriptive, hermeneutically and phenomenologically inspired analysis showed that coping should be understood from temporal perspective, where ‘microcoping’ covers strategies used in specific here and now-situations, and ‘macrocoping’ addresses general strategies used over time. We suggest that this differentiation is explored in further research. The analysis then included a theoretically driven perspective using feminist theories and discursive perspectives. Three themes resulted describing different types of constant ongoing work, ‘existential’, ‘relational’ and ‘reflexive’, that participants utilized to carve out a livable existence in the world. We suggest that reflexive methodology can help produce results that can be useful in a local as well as an international context and in relation to different audiences.

‘I like exploring other languages’: primary and lower secondary students’ attitudes towards plurilingual education

ABSTRACT While teachers’ beliefs about plurilingual education are widely studied, there is a gap in research exploring learners’ orientations. Drawing on a conceptualisation of plurilingual education distinguishing between three pluralistic approaches to languages and a transversal dimension focusing on learners’ language resources, the article investigates primary and lower secondary students’ attitudes towards plurilingual education in response to plurilingual education being implemented in the students’ language teaching. Based on interview data collected in a multiple-case study from majority and minority language students in Grades 1, 5 and 7, the analysis displays consistent learner positivity towards plurilingual education, especially emphasising the éveil aux langues approach whereas the integrated didactic approach as well as intercomprehension between related languages receive less attention. The findings indicate that the attitudes towards plurilingual education are linked to the learners’ language resources creating a framework for the students’ encounters and comparisons with other languages. Combining the findings and research literature on plurilingualism as a universal criterion for all learners in a modern, globalised world, the article suggests a continuum of the learner's plurilingualism. However, the findings reveal that experienced plurilingual education contexts do not only foster positive attitudes towards linguistic diversity, but that discriminating language-hierarchising attitudes co-exist.

THE PROBLEM OF NATIONAL IDENTITY IN MARTIN MCDONAGH’S THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE

The end of the nineteenth century was a turning point for Irish theatre with the establishment of the Irish Literary Theatre as playwrights attempted to write national plays disengaging from the British theatre. This period is known as the Celtic Revival, a period of building a national identity both by political and cultural action, during which the playwrights contributed to the rejuvenation of the old Irish myths and traditions. However, at the end of the twentieth century when Ireland became a multicultural country with multiple identities, and opened to the outer world politically and economically, the Irish theatre, too, started to change its outlook by problematizing the nationalistic elements of Irishness instead of glorifying the national and cultural values. The Irish playwright, Martin McDonagh has also maintained a pluralist approach challenging the traditional and national elements in his plays. Instead of adhering to a national identity, McDonagh believes in cultural pluralism to adapt to the new century. McDonagh’s pluralist approach will be discussed with Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of ‘nomadic identity’ and ‘rhizome’. Thus, this paper aims to analyze how McDonagh problematizes the national identity in The Beauty Queen of Leenane by portraying characters, who are incarcerated by meaningless national values and norms.

Importance of methodological pluralism in deriving counterfactuals for evidence-based conservation.

Most protected area impact research that uses counterfactuals draws heavily on quantitative methods, data, and knowledge types, making it valuable in producing generalizations but limited in temporal scope, historical detail, and habitat diversity and coverage of ecosystem services. We devised a methodological pluralistic approach, which supports social science qualitative methods, narratives, mixed methods, and interdisciplinarity, to fully unlock the potential of counterfactuals in ensuring a place-based and detailed understanding of the socioecological context and impacts of protected areas. We applied this approach to derive possible counterfactual conditions for the impact of a montane protected area on 40years of vegetation change in the Cape Floristic Region-a global biodiversity hotspot and UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Africa. We incorporated diverse methods, knowledge, and information sources, drawing on before-after protected area comparisons for inside and outside the protected area. A significant increase in shrubland vegetation (17-30%) was observed and attributed primarily to a decline in frequent burning for grazing. This also occurred outside the protected area and was driven by socioeconomic drivers and not by concerns over biodiversity conservation or land degradation. Had the protected area not been established the area would have seen intensification of cultivation and increased road networks, buildings, and water storage in dams. Our approach increased historical temporal coverage of socioecological change and contextualized assumptions around causality. Protected area impact evaluation should reengage in place-based research that fully incorporates pluralism in methodologies for constructing counterfactuals in a way that builds regional and global understanding from the local level upward. We devised 10 key principles for deriving counterfactuals grounded in methodological pluralism, covering aspects of collaboration, cocreation, inter- and transdisciplinarity, diverse values and lived experiences, multiple knowledge types, multiple possible causal mechanisms, social science qualitative methods, perceptions, perspectives, and narratives.

Avicenna on representation: towards an existential-relational account of intentionality

ABSTRACT Many scholars consider Avicenna’s theory of cognitive forms a theory of representation, which raises two questions. First, why does a cognitive form represent a particular object instead of another? This issue is known as the determination problem. Second, what is the nature of intentionality of the cognitive form? This is known as the nature problem. This paper examines Avicenna’s theory of cognitive forms and focuses on how he would address the two problems. I argue that Avicenna offers a pluralistic approach to the determination problem: depending on the type of representation, the object of representation is determined differently. Additionally, Avicenna views the nature of intentionality as a referential relation towards the object that can be attributed to the representation in virtue of the object somehow existing in the subject immaterially.

An Assessment of Kwasi Wiredu’s Contributions to African Philosophy of Religion

The African philosophy of religion has come of age. However, laying the groundwork and shaping its intellectual trajectories was the work of eminent thinkers and philosophers who laboured in recent years. Kwasi Wiredu is one of the scholars who stood tall and strong with the depth of his thoughts and perspectives seemingly traversing the scope of time and space. In light of the overarching objective of this study “to decisively relaunch African philosophy of religion as a self-sustaining field of African philosophy,” it behoves that a review of Wiredu’s contribution to the field is critically examined, considering the postmodern categories and contexts. Using an analytical approach, this paper shows that Kwasi Wiredu’s contribution to the discourse on the substance and nature of Africa is highly informative and enlightening, though it is open to dispute and reflections just like every other philosophical work. A brief review of the catalogues of Wiredu’s scholarly works shows that the issues of conceptual decolonization, cultural reconstructionism and the nature of African philosophies underscore his work. The article argues that for contemporary philosophers, it behoves that Wiredu’s analytic framework may be adopted. But, culturally-inclined and realistic approaches should be adopted in doing Africa philosophy. The diversities of African cultures and traditions as well necessitate a pluralistic approach from various parts of Africa.

Harmonious Accommodation among Coexisting Multicultural Ethical Frameworks through Confrontation

This paper interrogates the skepticism surrounding comparative ethics, particularly the question of its relevance in a world where ethical decision-making processes are primarily presumed to be dictated by one universalist culture. The paper argues that all cultures are inherently intercultural, evidenced by the historical coexistence of ideas and practices. Post-comparative ethics, which emphasizes the situational application of intellectual comparison and integration, is inevitable for postcolonial, non-Western societies. Historically, societies have navigated a variety of ethical frameworks, with some, like medieval Chinese society, embracing a plurality of beliefs. This pluralism is exemplified by the harmonious accommodation (yuanrong 圓融) of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Using the example of Song Dynasty Chan master Dahui Zonggao 大慧宗杲, this article illustrates that intercultural ethics can be both diverse and sincere. Dahui’s pluralistic approach demonstrates that sincere commitment to multiple ethical systems is possible in our multicultural situation. I will discuss common approaches to the multicultural situation, such as expedient synthesis, theoretical synthesis, and crude syncretism, before illustrating the advantage of Dahui’s kanhua 看話禪method as harmonious accommodation through confrontation. This underscores the importance of shifting the debate from “Why compare?” to “How to compare?” in achieving the accommodation of different ethical frameworks.

Rational representations of uncertainty: a pluralistic approach to bounded rationality

Rational representations of uncertainty: a pluralistic approach to bounded rationality

Rethinking rigour to embrace complexity in peacebuilding evaluation

The field of peacebuilding evaluation has evolved over time in response to the complex nature of peace efforts. However, it still predominantly relies on evaluation models that aim to measure discrete peace outcomes adhering to rigid notions of rigour. The inclusive rigour framework presented in this article responds to this challenge, adding to complexity-aware and epistemologically plural approaches to build credible causal explanations in conditions of uncertainty. It identifies three interconnected domains of evaluation design and practice: effective methodological bricolage, meaningful participation and inclusion, utilisation and impact. Rigour here is not defined by methodological choice alone, but rather, relies on an active view of evolving methodological choices throughout an iterative process as maximum use value and meaningful participation are sought. Using three cases, we highlight the critical role of partnership arrangements and associated evaluation cultures and mindsets underpinned by power dynamics that enable or hinder the practice of inclusive rigour.

Региональная идентичность как предмет социально-гуманитарных междисциплинарных исследований

The article presents an analysis of socio-humanitarian concepts dedicated to the notion of “identity”, particularly its regional identity. The author defines that currently, interdisciplinarity and a pluralistic methodological approach (methodological flexibility) determine the increased interest of representatives of social-humanitarian knowledge in the theory of identity. The article also analyzes the inherent potential of the phenomenon of identity in historical research. Based on representative source material, the author demonstrates the fruitful scientific potential of the constructivist theory, which allowed him to present a wide range of scientific studies of identity. The emphasis is placed on the fact that the strive for preservation and promotion of regional identities is a topical issue in modern society. It is noted that the state can contribute to the development of regional identity, support the creation of cultural centers, organization of festivals, exhibitions, and other events that contribute to the popularization and attraction of attention to the unique characteristics of each region, in other words, implement an identity politics.

VERBAL İNTERAKTİVLİYİN PLÜRALİST YANAŞMADA TƏDRİSİNİN BƏZİ MƏSƏLƏLƏRİ

Some Issues of Teaching Verbal Interactivity in a Pluralistic Approaches Summary The article deals with the some issues of teaching verbal interactivity in a pluralistic approaches. When communicating in a foreign language, the rules for using speech activities and practical activities related to verbal interactivity in different situations are shown. The article also refers to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in the application of verbal and non-verbal communication and the Framework of Reference for Pluralistic Approaches to Languages and Cultures(CARAP) developed under the leadership of Michel Candelier. In this regard, the use of gestures, facial expressions and body language to achieve effective communication during dialogues in cultural and natural situations is important in teaching French. The scientific studies of local and foreign linguists and methodologists on the subject have been analyzed and summarized. Key words: communication, interactivity, verbal communication, nonverbal communication, pluralistic approaches

Understanding patients’ perspectives of clinical communication within a Major Trauma Centre

Clinical communication between major trauma patients (MTP) and healthcare professionals is extremely complex. Multiple demands are placed on specialist multi-disciplinary teams (MDT) and patients in all stages of treatment. Patient-staff clinical communication has an integral role in MTP healthcare experiences, supporting them with a range of physical and psychological difficulties post-injury. This study aimed to understand MTP perspectives of clinical communication within a MTC through qualitative semi-structured interviews. Twenty participants were purposively sampled from an outpatient follow-up clinic and interviews were analysed using a pluralistic qualitative approach. Three themes were conceptualised from the data; “Challenges to speaking up” “Conversations left me feeling” and “Strategies need to be clinical but tailored”. Patients often found it challenging to speak up due to feelings of vulnerability, confusion, and challenges navigating medical terminology. Patients spoke of not wanting to burden staff and family members playing a role in patient-staff communication, but these challenges require further exploration. Patients highlighted the positive (feel reassured, cared for, and human again) and negative (feeling like an object, angry, confused, and dependent) emotional impact of staff communication. Patients also described the benefits of being provided with written information, clear explanations of injuries and person-centred communication. MTP require multiple options to communicate and address psychological difficulties. Greater training on the emotional impact of conversations, skills to respond to psychological distress and communication guidance for staff, is needed to improve clinical communication with MTP.

Promowanie różnorodności językowej i kulturowej w kształceniu nauczycieli języków obcych – dobre praktyki i skuteczne rozwiązania

The aim of the article is to present good practices and effective solutions adopted in the plurilingual and multicultural education, integrated language didactics and virtual exchange courses at the Centre for Foreign Language Teacher Training and European Education of the University of Warsaw. During classes students become familiar with pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures, language didactics for tertiary education, and different aspects of intercultural communication. The classes help the students to develop plurilingual and intercultural competence, including the skill of linguistic and intercultural mediation. The students also learn how to plan and organize project work and how to promote linguistic and cultural diversity during a foreign language lesson at school. The article discusses methods and tools used during these classes and gives examples of tasks carried out by the students. These are, among others, an intercultural project, which consists in carrying out and recording interviews with foreigners living in Poland and integrated didactic tasks, during which students learn to notice and analyse relations between languages. The integrated didactic tasks concentrate on relations between the students’ mother tongue, the first foreign language (English) and additional languages which, in the case of the students of the Centre and their future learners, are German and French. The article also shows the way in which a tool for comparing national cultures (available at hofstede-insights.com), related to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, can be used. The examples of tools and tasks presented in the article are intended to show how to effectively promote cultural and linguistic diversity and how to help the students, who are future teachers of foreign languages develop plurilingual and intercultural competences.

Examining meaning-making and decolonial resistance in Pakistani women's stories of navigating coloniality and gender

Although Pakistan attained independence from the British colonial rule in 1947, the effects of colonial violence endure in the psychosocial realities of Pakistani people. Centering the stories about coloniality of two women leaders working in nongovernmental organizations, this article examines how psychological processes of meaning-making and decolonial resistance manifest in women's engagement with (de)coloniality in Lahore, Pakistan. I draw from transnational and decolonial feminisms and critical psychologies to highlight how two women's contextually shaped realities reflect colonial legacies interlaced with local and global inequities, and to document the ways women construe and resist coloniality-driven gender injustices. Using thematic narrative analysis, findings show that these women make sense of and resist coloniality through an intersectional approach, historical counter-narratives, and reimagination. The article discusses how context-specific decolonial strategies demonstrate women's agency and resistance within transnational feminist praxis, contributing to pluralistic and justice-enhancing approaches. The findings contribute to decolonizing psychological research by documenting Pakistani women's psychological processes and advancing non-Eurocentric knowledge and practices.

Тарих пәнін оқытудағы методологияның орны

The article summarizes the methodological value of the technology of teaching students in general educational institutions and universities in the context of the formation of historical knowledge as the basis of civic identity. One of the main tasks of the discipline was formulated – the subtext of methodological orientation. The place of approaches in cognition that cause the causes of exacerbation was also shown. The logic and significance of methodological approaches are analyzed and presented in action. For the purposes of Kazakh studies, a universally pluralistic approach «civilization» is proposed, which can bring the subject of history closer together as an instrument of consolidation in objective analysis, evaluation, formulation. In the systematization of the historical process and trends, their features and levels were highlighted