Political Realm Research Articles

Unveiling Otherness: Gendered Memories and Identity in Octavia Butler's Dawn

In recent years, American Studies have shifted their focus towards the political realm. However, despite the undermining of many moral-philosophical dogmas of the Western metaphysical tradition by poststructuralism and deconstruction, a significant portion of the political claims made in this revisionist turn still rely, albeit tacitly, on these moral and ethical assumptions. As these assumptions often clash with the theoretical foundations of revisionist works, some proponents resort to what could be termed as the "pathos of marginality" and rely on vague concepts of "otherness." Furthermore, these political-ideological interpretations often neglect aesthetic aspects, suspecting them of carrying implicit and hegemonic strategies of representation. This abstract delves into the exploration of gendered memories and identity within Octavia Butler's seminal work, Dawn. The narrative unfolds in a world fundamentally transformed by alien intervention, where the protagonist, Lilith, grapples with the complexities of her own identity amidst encounters with enigmatic extraterrestrial beings. Through an analysis of key characters and narrative themes, this study elucidates the nuanced portrayal of otherness and the role of gendered memories in shaping individual and collective identities. Butler's visionary narrative offers a thought-provoking examination of the intersections between memory, gender, and the construction of the self in a post-apocalyptic world. By delving into the philosophical underpinnings and ethical implications of otherness, this research aims to shed light on the intricate dynamics of identity formation and the quest for belonging in speculative fiction.

Distinct But Not Separate: Rethinking Maritain’s Distinction of Planes to Recover his Democratic Potential

Few Catholic theologians wielded as much influence over the Twentieth-Century Catholic Church as Jacques Maritain. Furthermore, few have stirred as much global controversy in the realm of theological politics (especially in the area of global affairs). Considered treasonous by Latin American conservatives and impractical by those arguing for a politically active church, Maritain’s work touts a contemplative moderation that frustrates all political sides. Maritain’s canon daunts even the best readers and often breeds practical misinterpretation of his own philosophy. Using primary sources from Argentina and Brazil, this article reexamines Maritain’s distinction of the spiritual and worldly planes and its application of Maritain’s political thought during both the Spanish Civil War period and Brazil’s 21-year dictatorship (1964-1986). It thereby pushes back on longstanding theological critiques of this distinction. Far from advocating a church aloof from the political sphere, Maritain advocated for a vigorous engagement with it while maintaining the church’s spiritual integrity.

It All Begins With a Name: Examining News During the Ketanji Brown Jackson Judicial Nomination

ABSTRACT After winning the US presidency, Joe Biden fulfilled a promise and put forward the name of Ketanji Brown Jackson as a nominee to the highest court in the nation on 25 February 2022. The purpose of this study is to explore media coverage of the historic confirmation process for the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. In recent years, US politics have expanded to include more Black women, who have been making historic firsts. We argue that media coverage either upholds or rejects this shift of intersectional identities in the political realm due to the prevalence of white, patriarchal ideology within the US context. By conducting a discourse analysis and an experiment, this study centers on how race and gender affect political news coverage and attitudes. Study 1 documents that although new coverage emphasized Jackson’s historic first, and occasionally included voices of other Black women, it greatly emphasized ideological divisions and political strategy over the course of the hearing. Study 2 found that news frames had minimal effects on Americans’ attitudes toward the nomination. The endorsement of a white expert, or the endorsement of a liberal expert when Black empowerment was emphasized, boosted support for confirmation.

Deep ecology and the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas: the importance of moving from biocentric responsibility to environmental justice

Environmental theory and practice can benefit greatly from Emmanuel Levinas’ non-ontological philosophy of the Other in order to address the current global environmental crisis. From this viewpoint, this article focuses on 2 major positions within deep ecology. We discuss the significance of transitioning from one of them, which represents biocentric responsibility, to the other, which seeks to achieve environmental justice by challenging the hegemony of institutionalised environmentalism. In Levinasian terms, this is represented by moving from the anarchic realm of ethics (face-to-face) to the totalising realm of politics (humanity), where the naked face of the Other becomes visible in the presence of a Third, and decision-making and concrete disputes resolution becomes necessary. Within this framework, historical and current inequalities compel the global North to degrow in order to allow the Others to weather the consequences of resource overconsumption and inequality.

A Literature Review on the Identity Construction of the Simulacra Subject in Jean Genet’s The Balcony

Jean Genet's The Balcony explores the fundamental elements of subject identity construction and identification within a framework of double paradoxes. The reconfigurations of simulacra activities challenge the traditional political model of theater, redefining the nature and expression of the subject's identity and endowing theatrical representation with political potential. The subject of simulacra exists in a constant state of internal and external constitutive difference, emphasizing the essential incompleteness and antagonistic dimension of identity construction, which resonates with the political realm. The dual nature of the other renders the construction of the subject's identity an insurmountable task, while the perpetual opposition of the dual relationship converges into tertiary natures, exposing the failure point of impossibility and necessity in subject identity construction. The trinity mode of the subject continually replaces power relationships through negation, engendering space for reflection. This paper employs Deleuze's theory of in-itself difference and Mouffe and Laclau's theory of antagonism and hegemony to analyze the foundational structural strategy of subject identity construction and identification in The Balcony. It elucidates how this strategy establishes the necessary conditions for the autonomy of politics within Genet Theatre.

From the Three Rs to the “Culture Wars”? How Australians Perceive Local Government Action on Climate Change, Indigenous Reconciliation, and LGBTQIA + Advocacy

Australian local government has rarely been the domain where entrenched and polarising cultural disputes play out, and is instead most often associated with the “3Rs”: roads, rates, and rubbish. However, in recent years, a growing number of local councils from across Australia have taken exceptional and unprecedented steps, sometimes in defiance of state and federal governments, to address some of the country's most ideologically contentious issues. Drawing on long-established American urban politics literature on local politics and culture war conflicts, this research note offers an empirical account of the public understandings and perceptions of local government roles in the realm of contentious politics, an area that has not yet been addressed in the emerging Australian literature. Our findings from a representative nation-wide survey (n = 1,350) indicate that a majority of Australians believe that local governments should be involved in matters relating to climate change, Indigenous reconciliation, and LGBTQIA + advocacy.

MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES

This paper provides an analysis of the most important sustainability indicators for SSCM in construction and gives a detailed overview of what has been scientifically accomplished in the field to date, and identifies areas for further research. The most important sustainability indicators were also grouped and presented in the literature review into the main seven assessment groups of the SSCM construction industry and ranked by experts from Northern Italy and Lithuania in several different ways. Based on the data from the Table 3, it can be inferred that a harmonious work environment among ecological sustainability indicators appeared as the most crucial indicator for respondents. Environmental education was among the most important social indicators. In the legal group, work efficiency emerged as the most significant indicator, while in the physical group, sustainable resource use was crucial. In the political realm, economic and political stability was the most important, and among technological indicators, innovation stood out. Among economic indicators, profit was the most significant sustainability indicator for respondents. A general indicator importance method combined results obtained from expert surveys using various methods. The ranking of sustainability indicators in each group was not included in the calculation of the overall indicator importance, but the results were similar in both cases. The determined importance of indicator values could be adapted for further analysis, specifically for multicriteria evaluation, as per the conceptual model shown in Figure 1. This article provides members of the construction industry with detailed calculations and results of the evaluation of key sustainability indicators related to supply chain groups. This study explores several possible ways to measure the importance of sustainability indicators, which could provide further theoretical insights into SSCM in the construction industry and help develop an accurate sustainability index model.

Going Local, Going Mainstream? Ethnographic Study of Two French Cities Governed by the Rassemblement National

Abstract The government actions of populist radical right (PRR) parties have predominantly been scrutinized at the national level, leaving a critical aspect – their territorial foothold – largely unexplored. Through a comparative ethnographic study of two medium-sized French towns governed by the Rassemblement National since 2014, this article delves into how seizing municipal power has influenced the party's efforts towards mainstreaming. We examine the party's strategy, aimed at institutionalization, which relies on a blend of rhetoric emphasizing proximity, pragmatism, and non-partisan administration while preserving fundamental ideological elements of the radical right. This amalgamation of mainstreaming and radicalism, adaptive to different contexts and audiences, is termed ‘adaptable ideology’. Our study makes significant contributions to two pivotal aspects of the literature: understanding the mainstreaming trajectory of PRR parties and exploring the recent, localist turn in the study of this political realm.

The Political Relevance of Company Executives and Company Performance: A Literature Review

In recent years, the intricate and multifaceted relationship between the political activities of corporate executives and the performance of their respective companies has garnered significant attention from scholars, policymakers, and business leaders alike. This comprehensive literature review embarks on a scholarly exploration, aiming to delve deep into the complex dynamics that characterize the influence of corporate executives' political engagement on not only company performance but also broader political outcomes. To achieve this, the review draws upon a diverse body of evidence, encompassing empirical studies, theoretical frameworks, and illuminating case analyses, thereby illuminating the intricate interplay between corporate leadership, political involvement, and business success.The literature review begins by examining the evolving nexus between the realms of politics and corporate leadership. Recent years have witnessed a pronounced intertwining of these two domains, with corporate executives emerging as pivotal players in shaping political outcomes. Their involvement takes diverse forms, including but not limited to campaign contributions, lobbying efforts, active participation in industry associations, and advocacy for policy changes, collectively endowing them with substantial influence. This intersection of corporate interests with political agendas raises critical questions about the alignment of these interests and the potential consequences they may bear on company performance.

Between modernity and modernism: Reading affect in Muktibodh’s translated poetry

ABSTRACT The belief of poet Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh that poetry can resolve the disjuncture between aesthetic and political realms is significant to interpretations of the literary production of mid-20th-century India. This article examines the use of affects in Muktibodh’s poetry translated into English, that both mark such disjunction and attempt to resolve it. It analyses affects for how they foreground the codependency of modernity and modernism. To this end, the article understands modernity through relative periodization as a phenomenon that continually causes change either through transitions towards capitalism, or alternatively through authoritative, surveillance-based forms of governance. The losses caused by such modernity require rehabilitation, which in Muktibodh’s poetry takes place through a modernist aesthetic. Thus, the article offers a reading that interprets Muktibodh’s modernism as aiming to reconcile his creative-aesthetic freedom with the sociopolitical realities of the losses caused by modernity, and as inspired by the urge to overcome loss.

Oligarchs, Political Ties and Nomenklatura Capitalism: Introducing a New Dataset

This article examines the relationship between nomenklatura membership, wealth accumulation and political ties across the post-Soviet region from the 1990s to the mid-2010s. It introduces the Post-Soviet Oligarchs (PSO) dataset, containing the sociodemographic characteristics of the super-rich across the former Soviet republics. While the article finds partial support in favour of the nomenklatura capitalism hypothesis, statistical analysis also points to distinct regional patterns of wealth and political inequality. Thus, the most extensive overlap of wealth and power is observed in the authoritarian regimes of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, where ties to the Soviet regime facilitated the exertion of political influence after 1991, enabling in turn wealth accumulation. By contrast, in democratising contexts, the political connections of the super-rich point to a mutually dependent relationship between the economic and political realms, with wealth featuring as a major power resource.

Sacrifice and Struggle

Abstract Most people are familiar with claims concerning entire generations. Whether used to praise the legacy of past generations or to protect posterity, the emphasis on generational aspects is common in the realm of politics. Regardless of their prevalence, generations are rarely studied from a conceptual perspective. This article both demonstrates the need to place more emphasis on generational concepts and proposes a theoretical approach for doing so. By discussing mid-eighteenth-century British petitions, it demonstrates how historical actors operationalized generational concepts (generation, ancestor, forefather, posterity, and descendant) in practice. As a conclusion, the article suggests that their uses are best understood through Michael Saward's notion of representative claim-making.

السياسة بين الأخلاق والمقاصد: عرض مقارن بين ابن تيمية والشاطبيّ

Islamic scholars, including philosophers, sociologists, and jurists agree that the ultimate goal of the state or political authority is to achieve the welfare of the citizens and to bring goodness, prosperity, and happiness to the individual and society. This means safeguarding religion and managing worldly affairs. Political authority in Islam is based on a unique system consisting of two elements: ethics and objectives. These two elements constitute the highest goal of the prophetic message, as Sharia consists of the duality of ethics and interests. The article seeks to uncover the foundational moral and objective basis of political authority by providing a comparative analysis of the most important ethical objectives that must be possessed by uli al-amr, according to Imam Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH) in his book "Al-Siyasah al-Shar'iyyah fi Islah al-Ra'i wa al-Ra'iyah," and Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi (d. 790 AH) in his book "Al-Muwafaqat." The article concludes that the purpose of establishing political authority cannot be realized unless it is framed within the framework of ethics and virtues that enjoin justice, trustworthiness, truth, and freedom. Furthermore, ethics in the realm of politics must be subjected to the hierarchical classification of objectives into necessities, needs, and improvements. Accordingly, priority should be given to the most crucial virtues, while averting the most harmful vices.  

Japanese and Korean collaborations in K-pop: Iz One, TWICE and K-pop spaces in Tokyo

K-pop groups and artists have been localized to appeal to the lucrative Japanese market since the early 2000s. However, the two successful girl groups, TWICE and Iz One, exhibit a new direction in K-pop, by being members of both Korean and Japanese origin within the same groups. By drawing upon the literature on localization strategies and contentious Japan–Korea relations, ethnographic fieldwork and media sources, this article examines two locations in Tokyo in which K-pop consumption takes place. Contrary to the polarization tendencies that signify current Japan–Korea relations in the political realm, the gendered K-pop spaces and Japan–Korea collaborations such as Iz One signify benign hybridity and localization.

The Contribution of The Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) in Political Matters in The Republic of Congo from 1981 to 2021

The 1960s witnessed the wave of independence in Africa, shaping the course of history and leading to the confirmation of original institutions. Notably, a French-speaking space emerged during this era, giving rise to the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, later evolving into the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF). Since 1981, the Congo has been an active member of the OIF, contributing to the cultural and political dimensions of this francophone alliance. This research delves into the collaboration between the OIF and the Congo from 1981 to 2016, spanning crucial periods in both entities' histories. Focusing on cultural and political realms, the study explores the promotion of democracy, human rights, and sustainable development within the OIF space. Education, training, and scientific research take precedence in the cultural domain, reflecting their pivotal role in societal development. In the political arena, the Republic of Congo embarked on a challenging journey toward multiparty democracy and a market economy since 1991, marked by civil conflicts and ethnic tensions. The country's transition continued into the 2000s, emphasizing reconciliation and reconstruction. Both cultural and political sectors demand strategic approaches for sustainable success in the ever-evolving landscape of international cooperation

What Do We Teach to Engineering Students: Embedded Ethics, Morality, and Politics

In the past few years, calls for integrating ethics modules in engineering curricula have multiplied. Despite this positive trend, a number of issues with these ‘embedded’ programs remains. First, learning goals are underspecified. A second limitation is the conflation of different dimensions under the same banner, in particular confusion between ethics curricula geared towards addressing the ethics of individual conduct and curricula geared towards addressing ethics at the societal level. In this article, we propose a tripartite framework to overcome these difficulties. Our framework analytically decomposes an ethics module into three dimensions. First, there is the ethical dimension, which pertains to the learning goals. Second, there is the moral dimension, which addresses the moral relevance of engineers’ conduct. Finally, there is the political dimension, which scales up issues of moral relevance at the civic level. All in all, our framework has two advantages. First, it provides analytic clarity, i.e. it enables course instructors to locate ethical dilemmas in either the moral or political realm and to make use of the tools and resources from moral and/or political philosophy. Second, it depicts a comprehensive ethical training, which enables students to both reason about moral issues in the abstract, and to socially contextualize potential solutions.

Remaking “Small Business” in Turkey: Critical Assessment of Small Business Politics Under the AKP Rule

ABSTRACT The capital accumulation in Turkey was notably bolstered by the substantial involvement of small-scale trade and manufacturing activities yet significant changes in the realm of small business politics have occurred since the 1980s, culminating in the restructuring of small enterprises as a viable business model through a series of socio-political and economic shifts. As for the 2000s, this period has witnessed a heightened emphasis on entrepreneurial rhetoric where sectoral inequalities have affected the model of small businesses through a range of institutional-legal policies and financial adjustments compatible with the consumption-led growth model during the AKP era. While the policies aligned with the demands of global trade have indeed created a favorable environment for capital accumulation, but introduced a range of new competition dynamics and complexities among the sectors and have forged new alliances within the small businesses, alongside giving rise to emerging conflicts.

Female Identity, Gender and Politics in Partition Novels: A Comparative Study of Ice Candy Man and Clear Light of Day

The division of India and the formation of a new nation Pakistan has had a transformative impact on the whole subcontinent. The partition resulted in widespread violence that not only posed a challenge to the nation's identity but also had a profound impact on the identity of women, regardless of their cultural or religious backgrounds. Women, who are seen as the pride of the family, particularly in Asian nations such as India, are subjected to oppression and derogation in the name of religious, social, and cultural traditions. They are treated as commodities and objects of entertainment by men. The partition has had a profound impact on both the collective mindset of the people and their social interactions. Throughout history, women have consistently experienced subjugation under patriarchal dominance, and this was most evident during the split. The treatment of women during partition exemplifies the treatment of women as a distinct social group on the Indian subcontinent. The partition of the Indian subcontinent had a profound impact on the lives of women, causing significant trauma. Amidst the tumultuous period of partition, certain famous authors such as Bapsi Sidwa and Anita Desai have drawn parallels between the bloodshed that transpired and the brutality inflicted upon women. The violence was of such magnitude that certain dads resorted to the act of killing their own daughters. Women were killed in the pursuit of preserving their family's reputation. Writers such as Bapsi Sidwa and Anita Desai aimed to contribute to the process of restructuring and rewriting the status of women in their works "Ice Candy Man" and "Clear Light of the Day," respectively. The objective of my research paper is to assess the extent to which they have achieved success in this endeavor. In this paper, I have conducted a thorough analysis of the female characters in both novels who have endured the atrocities of division. I will examine how these characters navigated the realms of politics and patriarchy.

Politics makes bastards of us all: Why moral judgment is politically situational

AbstractMoral judgment is politically situational—people are more forgiving of transgressive copartisans and more likely to behave punitively and unethically toward political opponents. Such differences are widely observed, but not fully explained. If moral values are nonnegotiable first‐principle beliefs about right and wrong, why do similar transgressions elicit different moral judgment in the personal and political realm? We argue this pattern arises from the same forces intuitionist frameworks of moral psychology use to explain the origins of morality: the adaptive need to suppress individual behavior to ensure ingroup success. We hypothesize ingroups serve as moral boundaries, that the relative tight constraints morality exerts over ingroup relations loosen in competitive group environments because doing so also serves ingroup interests. We find support for this hypothesis in four independent samples and also find that group antipathy—internalized dislike of the outgroup—pushes personal and political moral boundaries farther apart.

Digital Media, Social Bubbles, Extremism and Challenges Implicated in the Construction of Identity and Respect for Diversity and Cultural Pluralism

The extensive use of digital platforms has presented considerable challenges to democracy, particularly in the realms of politics and ideology in Brazil. The emergence of digital echo chambers and the rise of extreme viewpoints pose threats to social cohesion, informed decision-making, and the development of individual identities. This analysis focuses specifically on identity formation, the creation and dissemination of information, emphasizing its repercussions on social identity and cultural diversity. Consequently, the influence of these echo chambers in promoting extremist views in this context is just one facet of the broader ideological, racial, and class polarization facing the nation. To face these challenges, it is imperative to defend critical and reflective education on the role and use of social networks, both in the educational system and in the daily lives of young people and society