Political Culture Research Articles

Political competence of Croatian secondary school students 2010–2021

Political knowledge and democratic attitudes are recognized in contemporary studies as important dimensions of democratic political culture. Furthermore, knowledge and attitudes can be seen as integral parts of political competence. Unlike other dimensions of political culture such as, for example, political participation, political interest, etc., research on political knowledge and democratic attitudes are more an exception than a rule. This assessment is especially true for Croatia. In this paper, we attempt to address some of these gaps by focusing on the exploration of political competences of Croatian final-year secondary school students. The paper is divided into two major sections. In the first part, we discuss the meaning and importance of political competence for the functioning of democratic political systems. The second part consists of a presentation and discussion of the research results on political knowledge and democratic attitudes of Croatian final-year secondary school students conducted in three time points - 2010, 2015 and 2021. By doing so, we want to detect the levels of political knowledge and democratic attitudes, as well as the possible changes that occurred in these levels during the research period. Finally, we are also interested in the relationship between these two dimensions of political competence.

Intercivilizational Dialogue in Central Asia: Views of Russian and Tajik Scientists

The article provides an analysis of the features of the dialogue of civilizations in Central Asia. The region is considered as an intercivilizational hub where Persian, Hellenistic, Babylonian, Chinese, Indian, Mongolian, Arab, and Turkic civilizations interacted and competed. As a result, a special type of culture arose that influences peoples, their national psychology, religion, and linguistic characteristics. Historically, the region was a contact zone of settled agricultural and nomadic civilizations. The impetus for the development of the region was given by its transit potential, in particular the Great Silk Road. The authors believe that at the present stage, dialogue is possible based on an understanding of the historical community of different peoples living in the region, and one’s own civilizational identity, which is based on traditional values. The political culture of the Central Asian countries has developed its own democratic principles, which are not always identical to Western ones. At the present stage, new dialogue platforms are emerging where active intercivilizational dialogue is conducted. Along with the dialogue are Afghanistan, Iran, China, Pakistan.

ڕۆڵی كولتوری سیاسی له‌ به‌رهه‌ڵستیكردنی گۆڕانی سیاسیدا توێژینه‌وه‌یه‌كی ڕه‌خنه‌یی شیكارییه‌

This study has tried to analyze the role of political culture in resistance to political change. It is the basic goal of the study to identify, how political culture could leave a negative impact on the political change process? is political culture has an unchangeable form to do this role at any time? To this end, the research uses appropriate methods. The method that has been used is the inductive method. The result that the study obtained, is, political culture can resist political change, and is not a static concept, does not change according to time and place, but a variable one, and in interaction with the political system and society. Political culture has many forms, and each of which has its ability that distinguished it from others, in other words, each of them has its influence on a specific society. In general, this factor could be opposite to political change in any political system, particularly in dictatorial and quasi-democratic systems, in which some values and norms are imposed itself that violate people's demands and freedom. Also In this circumstance, the new media and social networks could have their effect on political culture and share in this resistance.

Творчество Галима Хисамова: зарождение политического романа в башкирской прозе ХХI века

The famous Bashkir novelist Galim Khisamov, the author of a number of major novels, occupies an important place in the literature of Bashkortostan in the first quarter of the XXI century. His talent was awarded the Salavat Yulaev State Prize, and many of his works have been translated into Russian. His most important difference among modern prose writers is that the author carries in his work the features of the national heroic character of the Bashkir people. The works of G. Khisamov reflect the mentality of the people, their proud spirit of the owner of their land, demonstrate the high level of intelligence and education of his many heroes, who lead their compatriots to a better life, and thus correspond to the accepted definitions of the nationality of literature. In the historical genre, the novel by the writer G. Khisamov “February Blizzard” was written, which is dedicated to the events of a century ago, the theme of the formation of the USSR and the Republic of Bashkortostan. But a novelty in the genre diversity is his political novel “President Rakhimov”, dedicated to the life of a major leader of such a powerful region as Bashkortostan. If the novel “February Blizzard” of 2017 about the formation of the Bashkir Republic can be attributed to the historical and political, then the novel about the first president of the Republic of Bashkortostan “President Rakhimov” can undoubtedly be attributed to the political. An important indicator of the realism of the novel is the appeal to a contemporary living in our time, a political figure. Of course, in the political novel “President Rakhimov” there are features of historical and industrial novels. Describing the activities of Murtaza Rakhimov as president in close-up, the author delves into the historical, socio-political, as well as production aspects of the republic’s governance for the benefit of its population. Undoubtedly, the experience of artistic development of politics as a specific life material in G. Khisamov’s novel is of interest both from the point of view of the formation of national political history and from the point of view of the development of national artistic and political culture and requires extensive literary study.

Freedom of Expression and Hate Speech Regarding the Activities of Public Officials in Political Debate

Abstract Freedom of expression has accompanied humanity for centuries. As societies have developed over the decades, it has evolved and changed. In parallel, the brutalisation of language has also progressed, leading to the emergence of hate speech. Today, hate speech is a global phenomenon, significantly impacting the speech of public figures. This is due to the fact that such statements reach a wide audience, which includes both supporters and opponents of such a person. Consequently, this leads to a wide-ranging debate where individual arguments lose relevance, overshadowed by the repetition of negative slogans and comments with hateful overtones. This article aims to delineate the boundary between freedom of expression and hate speech, highlighting the consequences associated with the use of hate speech by public figures. It seeks to prove the main thesis that hate speech in the activity of public figures is an unquestionably negative phenomenon and thus cannot benefit from the protection guaranteed under freedom of speech. Additionally, it posits that hate speech undermines the dignity of individuals and society, leads to a decline in the culture of speech, and diminishes both political and social culture. Consequently, it erodes the authority of public figures and harms the offices they hold by undermining trust in them.

The Polish-Lithuanian legacy of Sir Thomas More in the rediscovered plays and playbills of the eighteenth century

The life and execution of Sir Thomas More, humanist writer and Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII Tudor, has captured the imagination of both Elizabethan and Continental playwrights. The article discusses the cultural context as well as the form and structure of a 1736 playbill, Messis immortalium trophaeorum ex triumphalibus palmis, Thomae Mori cancellarii Angliae (Wrocław Ossolineum Library, XVIII – 15241. IV), originally from Zamoyski Academy; and a newly discovered 1765 manuscript play, Morus Angliae Cancellarius tragedia (Vilnius University Library, MS F3-1118), from the Jesuit College in Lwów, both from the early modern Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The article argues that specific representations of More’s life and martyrdom in the Jesuit theatre of Poland-Lithuania can be explained and analyzed in the light of the political traditions and multi-denominational religious life of the Commonwealth up to its partitions in the second half of the eighteenth century. They raise interesting questions regarding the balance of spiritual and secular concerns, and creatively link Thomas More’s story with the Commonwealth’s political culture to offer moral and ethical exemplars for the young.

The “bridge character”: Carl Schurz and West German–American rapprochement

In 1952, West Germans and Americans held a joint, year-long observation celebrating the centennial of the arrival of German-born Carl Schurz in the USA. The collaborative, transatlantic celebration served to publicize a historical and cultural relationship between the German and American peoples through the memory of Carl Schurz. State and non-state participants publicly remembered Schurz as the quintessential German–American and a “bridge character” that transcended national borders, occupied an important ideological space, legitimized the Cold War relationship between erstwhile enemies, and perpetuated an on-going process to construct a transnational, cultural identity rooted in Western liberal-democratic political culture. For the US government, the historical character of Carl Schurz also became a means of promoting a liberal heritage in the face of on-going Soviet accusations of American imperialism, warmongering, and poor race relations.

The digital revolution contributed to practical reality according to the stages of its emergence in contemporary history (A model)

The digital revolution has politically affected the actual political reality through the transformation of the relatively free digital public sphere, under official digital censorship systems, and also for major global digital companies. Digitalization has today become a tool for building digital pressure groups that exercise their criticism and demands outside partisan frameworks and outside constitutional and legal systems, and outside The traditional mechanisms of a representative democratic system, including party pluralism, competitions, parliamentary and party elections within each party, municipal elections, referendums, and the formation of governments based on the results of the elections, or presidential elections in presidential systems such as the United States of America, or parliamentary and semi-presidential elections in the French style. Therefore, this study seeks to highlight knowledge of several questions about the possibilities of modifying the system of representative democracy towards introducing some forms of direct democracy, and not waiting for general elections to change the policies of elected governments, according to the political phenomena of digitization and its impact on democratic political culture as part of the processes of liquidity, and transformation in terms of the emergence of some phenomena. Populism, the post-truth world, and fake news in politics.

Book review: Ritajyoti Bandyopadhyay, Streets in Motion: The Making of Infrastructure, Property and Political Culture in Twentieth-century Calcutta

Book review: Ritajyoti Bandyopadhyay, Streets in Motion: The Making of Infrastructure, Property and Political Culture in Twentieth-century Calcutta

The Sword Culture of Southern China in the East Zhou Dynasty

In the East Zhou Dynasty in China, the sword was a practical weapon and an important cultural symbol in the Southern part of China. This article employs the method of literature review, starting from explaining the practical use of the sword and analyzing the cultural message conveyed by the Southern sword in the East Zhou Dynasty in China. The article explores the sword culture from three aspects: sword-making technology, legend and literature stories of swords, and the political and social culture behind swords, providing a cultural picture with multiple aspects. It was found that the southern sword in the East Zhou Dynasty not only reflected the wisdom of metallurgical craftsmen but also became an important element in legend stories and political and social conventions. The Southern sword represents Southern peoples natural worship, morality and prestige of rulers, and the good quality and spirits of humanity. These swords were also the symbol of royal members political power and high status, the identity and capability of aristocracy, and the gratitude or respect between people.

Religious Organizations as Racialized Organizations: Loose Coupling and Symbolic Allyship Between Denominational Racial Justice Statements and Congregational Practice

In the post-Civil Rights era, many predominantly white religious denominations issued statements denouncing racism and challenging their congregations to take organizational action to undo racism, but do these statements translate into actions? New institutionalism theorizes that loose coupling between statements and actions is normative for organizations as they balance signaling support to their external environment while simultaneously maintaining the good faith of internal membership, but Ray contends that because organizations are racialized, this disconnect maintains racial inequality. Building on new institutionalism, I develop the concept of symbolic allyship: symbolic actions that mark the organization as an ally, but these symbolic actions vary in the degree to which they pose organizational risk in maintaining member confidence. Using a nationally representative sample of American congregations within predominantly white denominations that have implored their congregations to act to address racism, I employ latent class analysis to test the prevalence and shape of congregational loose coupling between symbolic statements and symbolic actions. Results suggest that loose coupling between statements and actions is the norm. Further, results provide some evidence that congregations trend toward engaging in symbolic actions that have lower potential costs to the good faith of members. Because these forms of symbolic allyship signal support to the outside world, they may also mask lower levels of organizational change and reinforce racial inequality. Finally, regression analysis illustrates that the ideological mismatch between more progressive denominational statements and more conservative local political and theological cultures helps in understanding this pervasive loose coupling.

Hybrid Modernity in ‘K-Culture’ : The Non-simultaneous Cultural Politics of the Global Korean Wave and Its Landscapes

Hybrid Modernity in ‘K-Culture’ : The Non-simultaneous Cultural Politics of the Global Korean Wave and Its Landscapes

TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION ABOUT ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS & ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH TEACHERS’ PERFORMANCE: THE APPLICABILITY OF MOA MODEL

The motivation, opportunity and ability model for teachers’ performance is related to the employees' long-term performance and competitiveness. The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceptions of teachers about organizational politics by finding out the relationship amid organizational politics, teachers' performance, and motivation, opportunity, and abilities (MOA) model. Quantitative survey research design was employed for this study. The sample was comprised of 15 public & 15 private schools of district Lahore. The data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicated that school teachers observed a strong culture of organizational politics. Results showed that there is positive relationship amid teachers’ performance and MOA model and thus related to organizational politics. The findings of study will enhance understanding of teachers' performance in MOA model & politics & interrelationship with individual performance. Teacher’s performance can be increased with the use of MOA model in the institutions.

How national political culture shapes international relations: the case of Japan

Political culture presupposes going beyond national borders to the outside world, it implies comparing oneself with other cultures in the mirror of socio-political values (“I am the other for the other”). Japan is a testing ground with an exceptionally rich texture for analyzing the influence of a specific political culture on the country’s foreign policy. The author conducts such an analysis based on the methodological arsenal of comparative political science along the “modernity-postmodernity- neomodernity” axis. The author critically examines the concept of the political analyst Andrey Kortunov who focuses on the transition of a number of countries from the postmodern development track, which, within the framework of globalization, led them to nowhere, to a more distinct neo-modern track with its pragmatic transactionalism and orientation to their original values. According to the author, Japan under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tried to break the postmodern deadlock, but then a breakdown ensued caused by the indecisive and reactive policies of weak leaders. Japan is ’’astride on the fence” with one foot in the globalist postmodernity, blindly following the lead of the United States, and the other in neo-modernity, trying to rely on national foundations and values. Using concrete examples from the current reality of Japan, the article shows how the constants of political culture transform the trends that determine the key vectors of international relations, including the negotiations with Russian leaders on the highest level.

How national political culture shapes international relations: the case of Japan

Political culture presupposes going beyond national borders to the outside world, it implies comparing oneself with other cultures in the mirror of socio-political values (“I am the other for the other”). Japan is a testing ground with an exceptionally rich texture for analyzing the influence of a specific political culture on the country’s foreign policy. The author conducts such an analysis based on the methodological arsenal of comparative political science along the “modernity-postmodernity- neomodernity” axis. The author critically examines the concept of the political analyst Andrey Kortunov who focuses on the transition of a number of countries from the postmodern development track, which, within the framework of globalization, led them to nowhere, to a more distinct neo-modern track with its pragmatic transactionalism and orientation to their original values. According to the author, Japan under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tried to break the postmodern deadlock, but then a breakdown ensued caused by the indecisive and reactive policies of weak leaders. Japan is ’’astride on the fence” with one foot in the globalist postmodernity, blindly following the lead of the United States, and the other in neo-modernity, trying to rely on national foundations and values. Using concrete examples from the current reality of Japan, the article shows how the constants of political culture transform the trends that determine the key vectors of international relations, including the negotiations with Russian leaders on the highest level.

Using social networks to study the political culture of modern China

The article systematizes the main approaches adopted by a group of researchers from MGIMO University, HSE University and the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, united within the framework of the ”Moscow Project for the Study of Chinese Political Culture”, to investigate the political culture of modern China through the monitoring of social networks. The authors analyze the existing ideas about political culture in the Chinese academic discourse, identify problems in studying the political views of Chinese citizens by traditional sociological methods (surveys, questionnaires). They further explain the relevance of using social network analysis in modern studies of Chinese society, and also describe the methodology they developed for studying social networks using sentiment analysis. The article lays the theoretical and methodological basis for further research on modern Chinese society based on an array of data from Chinese social networks.

The concept of identity: movement from the abstract to the concrete

The subject of the article is an overview of identitarian research results in Russia reflected in the cycle of the 2010-2023 fundamental scientific publications. The main result is the formation of an original Russian scientific school of identity studies and the establishment of this scientific area as an autonomous subdiscipline of political science. Two substantive dimensions of identitarian studies are identified - analytical-conceptual and substantive-political. Within the framework of the first one, the author analysesthe key theoretical parameters of identity studies, including the substantive evolution of the identity concept, theoretical and methodological context and semantic explications of identity studies. A number of identity theoretical articulations are considered: identity modus operandi (positive, negative), identity crises, development, complex society, political space and political time, social justice, social solidarity, civilisational and geopolitical identity, memory and culture wars, cancellation culture, cultural security and cultural sovereignty, and others. An overview of prospective identity studies is presented, including the synthesis of micro- and macro-level identity analyses; the development of the middle-level theories as the way to bridge the gap between empirical analysis and “big theory” in understanding the changes taking place in different regions of the world, taking into account the historical past, political culture, emotional structure and worldview; the relationship between macro-political identities and ideologies; the correlation between civic and ethnic identities; and the relationship between identity and ideology. The political significance of identity research reflects the need to reorient the contemporary way of thinking as predominantly consumerist to the responsible development imperatives, which is supported by a positive identity.

Democracy as Religion in the Context of the Global Governance System

Introduction. The article examines the modern understanding of democracy as a religious belief system. New technologies and globalization open up opportunities to influence all spheres of society, which makes it possible to impose ethical standards and moral ideals through political technologies and propaganda. Understanding democracy as a new kind of religion allows us to get a full-fledged view of all key elements of the current culture of the modern world, which determines the main semantic content of global revolutionary transformations. Its consideration in the spiritual dimension is an additional vector for the study of social and political processes of globalization. Taking into account the increasing of tensions in the global political arena and the deepening interdependence of all international actors, such an approach can play an important role in their analysis and forecasting. The object of study is democracy; the subject of the study is the specifics of the modern vision of democracy, democratic values and ideals as a special form of religious cult. The purpose of the study is to identify the role of democracy, its new moral values and guidelines in the context of global revolutionary transformations.Materials and methods. The methodological basis of the study was following general scientific and special methods: method of system analysis; historical-genetic method; phenomenological method; analytical method; historical method; contextual analysis and formal logical research methods.Research results. The authors analyzed the specifics of the dominant interpretation of democratic values and goals in the context of Western political culture. The main elements of the new system of beliefs, their relationship, evolution and place in the modern world are revealed. The results obtained allow us to conclude that democracy is being transformed into a special form of cult, which has the characteristic features of religious teaching.Discussion and conclusion. The ideology of people's rule has lost its original meaning, turning into a special cult that serves as an instrument of social management, without taking into account traditional cultures, the diversity of societies and states, and the national identities of peoples. Democracy as a religion without God has become an instrument of the world information agenda, exploiting faith to build a new world order.

Research on the Development, Influencing Factors and Influencing Effects of Industrial Agglomeration in China

Since the rapid development of Chinese society and economy, industrial agglomeration has become an important trend of structural change. In order to help enterprises see the advantages and disadvantages of industrial agglomeration, it is very important to study the causes and effects of industrial agglomeration. Therefore, this paper organizes and proposes the reasons for the agglomeration of the four major industries as well as its positive and negative effects. The research results show that political factors, environmental factors, enterprise advantages and culture, talents and consumption level are the main causes of industrial agglomeration. Moreover, the positive benefits of industrial agglomeration are the sharing of infrastructure, resources and markets and the acceleration of knowledge dissemination and technology exchange. The negative impacts are that they increase the economic risk of the agglomeration area and lead to duplication of construction and waste of resources. For these reasons, the Chinese government should weigh the positive and negative benefits of promoting industrial agglomeration. This paper proposes to explore the causes and effects of industrial agglomeration from a macroscopic perspective, which improves the lack of macroscopic analysis in this field.

This is how we .win! Capital-building and media manipulation practices on The_Donald

ABSTRACT Scholars have grown increasingly interested in the ways media and communication technologies facilitate the spread of problematic information as well as how their affordances manifest in practice. While we have learned much about the structure and use of popular social media platforms, we have more to learn about less mainstream platforms, and about the ways their usage helps actors amass and wield media power. Accordingly, this paper examines networked political actors’ use of alternative media to generate capital and facilitate the spread of problematic information. Drawing data from two years of research on the pro-Trump internet forum The_Donald following its ban from Reddit, the analysis considers how users develop, debate, and deploy media-related practices, and what role those practices play in shaping the broader political culture in which they exist. In addition to gleaning insights from sustained participant-observation in the forums, a content analysis of activist meta-discourse examines the technological structure and affordances of The_Donald as well as the most salient themes and broader discursive patterns, focusing specifically on those aspects of the forum that pertain to practices of manipulation and expressions of media power. This analysis shows how the structure and culture of the forum enable and encourage manipulative media practices. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the unique combination of affordances and political opportunities available to actors allowed them to generate and wield novel forms of networked media capital.