Activism Research Articles

Information and Idioms in Circulation: Engaging the Minority Classification in 1930s India

Abstract Several studies have shown how a system of social classifications influenced the bureaucracy of British India when dealing with Indian society on a day-to-day basis. We know less, however, about how representatives of Indian society engaged such classifications and the information accompanying it to advance their own political agendas. This article examines how the classification of “minorities,” along with data connected to it, impacted discourse of Indian political actors in the early 1930s. The article presents a novel method to analyse first-person speech for themes and information content. It then applies the method to interventions by Indian delegates to the Sub-committee on Minorities of the India Round Table Conference, held in London, 1930–2. The article places the empirical investigation within a conceptual frame inspired by Ian Hacking's “looping effect.” Hacking attempts to capture how those classified negotiate imposed designations to advance agendas beneficial to themselves. The following study shows how Indian delegates engaged minority classification in a variety of ways in their political argumentation. The study also shows how information related to the minority classification was “looped” in speech by Indian actors to advance political claims and consolidate identities.

Political PR in International Digital Communications: The Experience of the Eurasian Media Space

Digital media has become an integral part of the political life of citizens, as an increasing number of people around the world use digital media technologies for communication. Digital media contribute to the formation of socio-political factors that raise concerns about the spread of disinformation, information disagreements and political polarization.Aim. To analyze the tools, problems and opportunities of political PR in the context of digitalization of the media space in foreign countries and the EAEU countries.Tasks. To give significant ideas about the concepts of “political public relations” and “political communication”; to identify factors influencing political communication processes; to present international experience in the application of political PR in the context of digitalization of media; to formulate the possibilities for the development of Eurasian integration in the context of digitalization of the media space.Methods. The methodological basis of the scientific research was such modern general scientific research methods as: comparative analysis, statistical and structural-logical methods, content analysis of open sources of information.Results. The paper defines the role and importance of digital media in political PR activities, identifies traditional and modern factors of influence on political activity, as well as problems in the new digital reality. To build political communications with the audience, its impact and increase engagement, political organizations use new media technologies using multimodality. In practice, the digital inequality of the world population deprives a number of people of digital communication, and as a result, the necessary conditions for participation in the political and economic life of the country. The digital divide of the EAEU countries reduces the political communicative impact on citizens’ beliefs in the need to strengthen integration processes. It seems appropriate to introduce consistency in the formation of the Eurasian integration agenda and a single digital information field to increase the political culture of civic engagement in all EAEU member states.Conclusions. With the help of variation of resources, the necessary content is formed to create the necessary audience effect. Indeed, digital media has a number of advantages that have been proven in practice, however, political PR is influenced by the negative side of the development of digital communications — the spread of fake news, most of which cannot be traced to the source. Therefore, the transformation of digital opportunities, the distribution of political resources, the dissemination of political discourse and the structure of political opportunities in the digital age is the most relevant in the modern world. Using the example of the EAEU countries, it is proved that digitalization in the international media space causes the involvement of citizens of different countries in integration, generalization and formation of public support for the state.

Revictimization of women victims of intimate partner violence in the French press: A social representations approach.

This study aims to analyze how the press portrays cases of revictimization experienced by women in France, through the lens of social representation theory. An exploratory, descriptive study was conducted using a corpus of 157 online press articles. A total of 187,773 words and 5,240 segments were analyzed using Iramuteq version 7, employing top-down hierarchical classification and lexical similarity analysis. The analysis identified four classes: 1. Violent incidents (25.5%); 2. Political actions against violence (26%); 3. Institutional revictimization (26.6%) and 4. Violence and breaking the silence (21.9%). The findings illustrate how media portrayals contribute to the construction of social representations surrounding revictimization. Class 1 reveals a focus on extreme cases of violence, such as femicides, and highlights a potential gender bias in media reporting through the omission of terms like 'femicide'. Class 2 demonstrates the influence of ideological perspectives on the portrayal of political measures against violence, with conservative outlets framing such actions within traditional values, while progressive newspapers advocate for systemic reform. Class 3 shows a gap in the conceptualization of institutional revictimization in the French press compared to other countries, revealing how conservative portrayals can minimize systemic issues and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Class 4 shows the role of female journalists in addressing various forms of violence, despite the limited impact of the #MeToo movement in recent coverage. Collectively, these findings elucidate how media representations shape public attitudes and institutional responses to gender-based violence through the lens of social representations.

Insecurity and political apathy in Nigeria’s elections: a study of Kano State elections (2011 - 2019)

This paper explores insecurity as a cause of political apathy that hinders political participation in Nigeria, taking Kano State as the context of the research. It adopts qualitative approach, simultaneously using both primary and secondary sources; in-depth interviews, scholarly articles and journals. Interviewees were purposively sampled. Rational Choice Theory is used as the theoretical pedestal to elucidate that partaking in political activity though an element of liberal democracy happens based on the choice and volition of citizens. Such a right could be taken away when citizens are disenfranchised as a result of insecurity; political violence, hooliganism etc. The study finds out among other things that violence emanates from the misconduct of thugs, sponsored or hired by politicians to rig elections, intimidate voters and scare off opponents at polling units. Also, belief of politicians that elections must be won by hook or crook and at all cost scares voters from falling victims at the hands of politicians and their political soldiers. Accordingly, the study recommends adequate civic education and political sensitization to citizens at early age through conventional schools and otherwise. Also, the electoral body should sanitize the system by employing stringent rules in the electoral process to ensure safe and violent-free environment before, during and after elections. Vetting and screening to-be political officers should also be rigorous, entailing character, records, use of drugs and association with political hooligans.

In search of a new vanguard

This study explores the historical relevance social movement vanguards within the framework of Marxian scientific socialism, while ascertaining the emergence of women as drivers of connective action in digitally enabled movements (DEMs). While the rhizomic structures of social movements have thrived on the spontaneity of emerging cells of social activist leaders, this study contests the claims of contradictions between spontaneity and vanguardism in DEMs. The study adopts the case study methodology to establish how technology affords more visibility to female icons of social movements by drawing examples from Sudan, Lebanon and Nigeria. Data was sourced from primary literature, digital archives and newspaper reports to tease out the history and current dynamics of women’s roles in social movements. It uses vanguardism as the conceptual framework for teasing out the intersections of gender, age, identity and technology as observed in DEMs. The study thus contends that technology plays important roles in restructuring the power dynamics of social action by showcasing how women such as Alaa Salah (Sudan), Malak Alawiye Herz (Lebanon) and Aisha Yesufu (Nigeria) emerged as icons of DEMs. It concludes that the weaponization of female bodies has become a potent form of resistance against the gendered biopolitics of sexual objectification and the necropolitics of state repression. The study thus advocates an all-inclusive approach to understanding the structures of social movements in recentring the iconic roles of women during connective action and physical protests. This is to enable the balance between vanguardism and spontaneity that is requisite for effective social action in the digital age.

Sepsis, an Ancient Threat and Today's Challenge for Global Health

Sepsis is a longstanding, deadly health issue affecting 49 million people and causing 11 million deaths annually, with stark disparities in care access between low- and high-income countries. Despite treatment advances, diagnosis and care remain challenging, and adherence to protocols varies widely. Survivors often face lasting health issues, especially in resource-limited regions where post-sepsis care is lacking. To address these gaps, the Global Sepsis Alliance’s 2030 agenda emphasizes political action, healthcare readiness, societal involvement, research, and preventive measures like sanitation and vaccination. Achieving a “world free of sepsis” depends on coordinated global efforts and expanded roles for healthcare workers.

Leveraging the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Process to Advance Health Equity.

The fetal and infant mortality review (FIMR) process is a community-oriented strategy focused on improving the health services systems for pregnant persons, infants, and their families. FIMR helps communities to understand and change systems that contribute to racial disparities in birth outcomes. FIMR equally values the medical and social services delivery records and the personal narratives of families who have suffered a fetal or infant loss when creating the de-identified case summaries to be reviewed by teams. A two-tiered process, FIMR uses a multidisciplinary Case Review Team (CRT) as the information processor and the Community Action Team (CAT) as the action arm of the process. Pediatricians are vital to both teams, helping to bring about systems change to improve maternal and child health. This paper examines how the well-established FIMR team serving Indianapolis (Marion County, IN) worked to build the capacity of its CAT to address racial disparities in birth outcomes through 5 distinct steps: focus on the primary causes of local fetal or infant mortality, focus on neighborhoods with the highest stable fetal or infant mortality rates, designation of a CAT leader, creation of a culture of regular CAT meetings inclusive of a health-equity skill building curriculum, and inclusion of Grassroots Maternal and Child Health Leaders on the CAT. This paper demonstrates how the synergy between local organizations and community members can effectively address racial disparities in birth outcomes.

Taking Control before the Grass Roots Does: State Government Action in the Implementation of the Community Action Program in Georgia, 1964–1969

Taking Control before the Grass Roots Does: State Government Action in the Implementation of the Community Action Program in Georgia, 1964–1969

An analysis of the role of disinformation in elections

Electoral disinformation poses a significant threat to democratic processes, particularly in politically polarised environments like Zimbabwe. This paper examines the efficacy of the CITE project, a six-month high-impact initiative aimed at countering electoral disinformation during the August 2023 plebiscite. The primary objective was to mitigate the impact of disinformation on citizen participation by training citizens and community journalists to identify, flag, and combat misinformation. Methodologically, the study employed a qualitative exploratory approach, including workshops, social media campaigns, and a systematic desk review of existing literature and primary data sources. Key findings indicate that the project successfully raised awareness about disinformation, reaching over 100,000 people on Facebook with a campaign debunking election boycott rumours. However, the initiative faced limitations such as poor internet connectivity in rural areas and resistance from political actors benefiting from disinformation. The study underscores the importance of tailored strategies for different media platforms and highlights the efficacy of infographics and low-literacy data packaging methods in building trust. The research also identifies the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration and the potential of AI and machine learning in detecting disinformation. The significance of this work lies in its contribution to understanding the dynamics of disinformation in electoral processes and its practical implications for enhancing media literacy and democratic engagement. By comparing Zimbabwe's challenges and solutions with those of other countries, the study offers valuable insights for developing robust counter-disinformation strategies globally.

The Influence of Political Culture on Youth Officials’ Leadership Styles and Civic Engagement

Recognizing the underlying cultural factors that influence political attitudes can aid in resolving conflicts and promoting social cohesion. This study explored the influence political culture on Youth Officials’ leadership styles and civic engagement. The study was conducted in one of the universities in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental. The descriptive-correlational design was used in the study. There were 135 students who served as the respondents selected through a purposive sampling technique. The researcher-made Youth Officials Political Culture, Youth Officials’ Leadership Styles, and Youth Officials’ Civic Engagement Questionnaires were used as research instruments. Weighted Mean and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient were used as statistical tools to analyze the data gathered. Results revealed that the youth officials perceived political culture in their respective barangays was very highly participant. The youth officials’ leadership style was democratic, while their civic engagement was to a very great extent. The perceived political culture generally influenced the respondents’ leadership styles and civic engagement. Political culture holds a major factor on how the youth officials lead their constituents and engage themselves in civic activities. It is recommended that youth officials sustain their democratic practices in governance to encourage citizens to participate freely in collective political action and influence decision-making processes.

Access scarcity, legislative generalization, and the business-oriented shift of the congressional agenda

Abstract Policy specialization in the U.S. Congress benefits the institution collectively and members individually. Yet members of Congress (MCs) are insufficiently specialized to optimize lawmaking success (Volden and Wiseman 2020). In this paper, we demonstrate the increasing propensity of MCs to generalize legislatively is driven largely by an expansion of MC legislative agendas in business domains. We then offer and test an explanation for this trend whereby business’s increasing demand for congressional attention (Drutman 2015) has outpaced the supply of congressional capacity to serve business needs (Crossen, Furnas, LaPira, and Burgat 2020; McKay 2022). This unmet demand incentivizes MCs to expand their business portfolio, which results in increased campaign contributions from business political action committees (PACs). We provide evidence consistent with this theory, showing that under conditions of access scarcity, MCs benefit financially (in terms of increased business PAC contributions) by broadening the number of business domains they are active in legislatively.

Beyond Vaccine: Expanding the Frontiers of Community Action Network in Mitigating Mpox Outbreaks in Africa

Beyond Vaccine: Expanding the Frontiers of Community Action Network in Mitigating Mpox Outbreaks in Africa

Imagining alternative climate futures in higher education

AbstractAcross the globe, interdisciplinary and creative approaches to climate change education are crucial at all levels, particularly in higher education. In this article, I draw from insights working with a class at New Mexico State University in the United States. The aim was to examine approaches to understanding, communicating, and representing climate change. Each student was asked to compose a narrative in which they imagined the year 2100 as a time when we have adequately mitigated and/or adapted to the climate crisis. The assignment set the tone for collective action and foregrounded the importance of story and imagination in building just and sustainable futures. The class complemented a public climate change speaker series and, as a second assignment, students suggested which speakers to invite to shape the series in the future. The two assignments opened new spaces to empower, learn with and from, and build connections between university students and academic staff to shape climate discourse and action in communities. Reflecting on what was learned, sharing an example of a climate futures assignment, and presenting views on a collaborative approach to climate change education all add, I hope, to the literature on imagining futures, empowerment, and authentic learning in climate change education.

Water Drops

This article examines how individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds in Norway participate in anti-racist activism via social media. It investigates the nature of digital activism compared to traditional paradigms, highlighting the varied forms of engagement enabled by digital technology. Drawing on nine months of ethnographic fieldwork among individuals in the arts and cultural sector, it reveals how seemingly minor actions on social media can spark organized activism, unveiling the political activism inherent in daily life and social media practices. The article argues that individuals not identifying as political activists still contribute to political change through everyday social media activities, suggesting that contemporary activism can exist without activists. Introducing the metaphor of ‘water drops’ the article conceptualizes everyday politics as small contributions that may collectively shape meaningful change. Small acts can be merely drops in a vast ocean without major significance. However, if sustained over time, efforts across disparate online spaces can coalesce to challenge and subvert dominant social narratives regarding difference, racism, discrimination, and exclusion. Thus, contemporary activism can thrive with ordinary people who contribute to collective social transformation through digital and mundane interactions.

(Dé)cloisonnements et résistances interstitielles

This article is part of a research project looking at the home as a space for resistance and politicisation. Based on a field study of alternative forms of cohabitation, the aim is to rework the very definition of the home, which thus acts as a conceptual operator for rethinking a set of dichotomies that structure political philosophy: the private and the public, the personal and the collective, the intimate and the institutional, the domestic and the political. From this perspective, two types of (de)partitioning are involved: conceptually, the aim is to undo the construction of a threshold that has excluded the home from the political domain, relegating it to an apolitical, pre-political or even anti-political sphere. In so doing, we will be trying to think what kind of resistance can emerge from within the alternative home; how can we think the ability to make a world from the very margins of the world? In architectural terms, the question of partitions, the ones we add, the ones we remove, appears to be one of the recurring reasons for the appropriation and hijacking of the space by its residents. This raises the question of the insistence of a preexisting materiality - that of space, and that of a socio-political order - against which strategies of subversion inevitably clash. How can we think about the ambiguity of resistance - that of contestation and that of conservation - as a dual requirement, without losing the meaning of all political action? In the final analysis, this problematic should be seen as one of articulation between resistance and its framework, and it invites us to rethink that framework.

Leveraging Dissent: A Policy Narrative's Power to Sow Distrust

AbstractThe rise of political polarization and disagreement within the United States and other democracies indicates an erosion of the social contract, a deterioration exacerbated by the balkanization of social media, that can negatively impact our social relationships. Recent anti–Critical Race Theory (CRT) narratives in education provide insights into how policy narratives can be used to sow distrust in an educational context. In this paper Jane Lo and candace moore argue for the ways policy narratives can sow distrust as opposed to mistrust. Mistrust points to an ongoing process of determining trustworthiness, while distrust connotes a more decisive and deliberate lack of trust in a person or institution. Lo and moore argue that educational research should pay more attention to the building of trust or mistrust in schools in the current context, where the anti‐CRT policy narrative, through amplifying and manipulating existing anxieties and fears in order to motivate political action, capitalizes on and seeks to reinforce the natural mistrust of schooling.

Chicago Police Torture and the Limits of Human Rights Enforcement in Liberal Democracies

From 1972 to 1991, a network of Chicago Police detectives used torture to force confessions from over 100 criminal suspects. Almost all were Black men, and many were wrongly convicted, some for capital offenses. I synthesize insights from comparative research on human rights, state abuse, and police violence in democracies to explain why, for nearly two decades, liberal institutions in Chicago failed to stop the torture. I argue that the nature of state violence in this case—targeting marginalized individuals uninvolved in political activity—intensified the practical, affective, and informational obstacles that are inherent to activating liberal institutions—courts, elected officials, media, and civil society—to fulfill their roles as rights enforcers. Applying these literatures to a type of case they typically overlook—a wealthy liberal democracy—contributes to understanding why state violence persists in such states and why it tends to concentrate on marginalized populations.

Political Clientelism in Rural Areas: Understanding the Impact on Regional Head Elections in Indonesia

Political clientelism is a strategy often used by candidates or political parties to gain electoral support by offering goods, money, or services in exchange for votes. In the rural context, this patron-client relationship develops more strongly due to the high economic and social dependency between communities and political actors. This research focuses on the phenomenon of political clientelism in rural areas and its impact on regional head elections in Indonesia. This research uses a qualitative approach with a descriptive approach. Research findings show that political clientelism in rural Indonesia, especially in agrarian areas, strengthens patron-client relationships in which political elites exploit the economic dependence of communities to gain support through material promises. This causes voters to vote based on short-term favors rather than the quality of the candidate, thereby exacerbating transactional politics and undermining the integrity of the election. Factors such as low political education, limited access to information, and economic instability reinforce citizens’ dependence on local patrons, including village heads, who have access to favors. As a result, the democratic process in rural areas is distorted, focusing more on the distribution of resources than on the vision of candidates, making systemic change difficult to achieve .

Causes and Effects of Waithood and Youth Mobility: Comparing the Youth in South Korea and the Middle East

Waithood, as a social phenomenon, has emerged in this complex, contentious, and uneven global political-economic environment. This paper discusses the phenomenon of waithood faced by youth in Egypt and South Korea. Waithood describes the inability of young people to achieve true economic or social independence at the expected age, resulting in restricted social mobility. This period is often viewed as “waiting for adulthood.” Through a comparative study, this research systematically elucidates the specific manifestations of waithood among Egyptian and Korean youth. Economically, they struggle to find suitable formal employment and are heavily involved in informal activities. Politically, they express their political demands and participate in political activities in various ways within their respective countries. Additionally, this study examines and compares the causes of waithood in both nations, identifying commonalities. Based on these findings, the paper proposes relatively feasible policy recommendations to mitigate the waithood phenomenon, offering insights for future research.

Religious monoglossia/heteroglossia and discourses of women leadership in Pakistani higher education

A growing body of literature reveals how women in higher education are either excluded from leadership roles or face challenges when they take such responsibilities. The role of religion in Muslim societies is vital to understand Muslim women's sense of “self” and their academic leadership roles and engagement in social and political activities. This study uses Bakhtin's writings as well as a feminist perspective in Islam to unpack how religious discourses shape and construe Muslim women's leadership roles in a public university in Pakistan. Data in this study was drawn from two sources: (a) semi-structured interviews with women academic leaders and academics and (b) focus group discussions with postgraduate students. Findings suggest that discourse around women's leadership in higher education in Pakistan is influenced by a male-centric religious monoglossia characterized by discourses on the hijab, masculinist religious epistemologies, and male-centric divine imagery. In addition, the study points to heteroglossic de-centering of the religious monoglossia by suggesting heteroglossic fluidity in Pakistani religious ethics that favors women's roles as leaders in higher education. A heteroglossic fluidity is characterized by how Islam is viewed as a national project, interpreted along sectarian and gendered lines, and often misused to discourage women from assuming leadership roles.