Political Relations Research Articles

Central Europe in the Fifteenth Century: Patterns of Conflict and Negotiation

Abstract The nine articles in this collection are the product of two workshops hosted at the University of Chicago in 2022 and 2023 in affiliation with the University of Vienna. They build on recent work that has called attention to the extraordinary political and religious diversity in the fifteenth-century Holy Roman Empire, and Central Europe more broadly. Pushing back against older historiography, in which this period was frequently overlooked or framed by uncritical use of such broad categories as the “state,” the “territory,” the “estates,” and the “feud,” this collection recognizes the polycentric nature of the fifteenth century's structures and institutions. Specifically, these articles return to the sources, especially documents of practice rather than normative texts, to open the door to a new understanding of conflicts and negotiations. They illuminate the patterns of conflict and negotiation evident in specific historical contexts by examining actors, networks, and practices of community building—as well as the processes through which conflicts emerged, evolved, and were negotiated and settled. Rather than relying on time-honored categories and meta-narratives, the contributors embrace the messiness of social and political relations and of the extant source material to shine new light on key themes in the fifteenth century's history.

Can you hear the image speak? Primitivism, imagespeech, and audienceship

This paper proposes ‘imagespeech’ as a conceptual framework to discuss the political relationship between visual representation and distribution of voices that produce structures of (in)visibility and (in)audibility within the art historical legacies of colonialism, modernism, and nationalism. In particular, it explores the biography, materiality, and audienceship of Citra Irian (Image of Irian) – a series of artworks made between 1975 and 1985 by Sunaryo, who claims that his work resembles ‘primitive lines’ of Papuan material cultures and conveys the spiritual forces of Indonesian nationalism. In 1981, an art student named Semsar Siahaan burned down one of Sunaryo’s Citra Irian sculptures as an iconoclastic happening art act. Beyond a story of dispute between two Indonesian male artists, this paper employs imagespeech to listen to the various conflicting historical voices that resound from Citra Irian to identify by whom, how, and what Citra Irian was made to say. By asking ‘who has made an image speak?’ (a historical inquiry) and ‘what can an image say?’ (a speculative inquiry), this paper aims to understand primitive images, particularly those inflected with histories of silencing and speaking out, as a multimodal field that contains the possibility of practicing democratic audienceship and the ethics of representation in the way we engage with art history.

Traditions and Folk Belief of the Supernatural: A Case Study of Western Himalayas in Shimla Hill

This paper intends to highlight the belief in the existence of superhuman or supernatural power in the area of study, which has a rich stock of myths, legends, traditions and the sacred occasion which are explained by some myth or the other, having some mythology behind them. Shimla hills as a part of Western Himalayas has plenty of folk beliefs and legends associated with deities’ heroes and cults, and these play an important role in the customary practice and behaviour of the masses. The region has several great deities drawn from historical traditions. These gods and heroes, and the folklore associated with them are the guardians of the traditional value system which governs the life of the people in this area. This unique amalgamation of good and evil spirits as gods has tremendous effect on the social and religious culture of the people residing in the region. Most of the gods have their family members as deities of various villages, which have given birth to strong connections within the region in terms of social and political relationships. While these project a sense of monolithic culture, it is also possible to read the sources and complexity of the cultural formation through an analysis of the conflicts and contestations within the tradition variation. These folk beliefs, traditions of the supernatural are the mirror of the cultural life of this area which can be described as animistic.

Banana Ketchup

Banana ketchup is an iconic marker of Filipino cultural identity. Across the homeland/diaspora divide, the Filipino public celebrates the memory of Maria Y. Orosa, the food scientist, early immigrant to the American West Coast, and anti-Japanese guerrilla fighter, for her creation of the country’s favorite sauce or sawsawan. The history of this beloved food item is often recounted as a narrative of scientific innovation, anticolonial resistance, and sovereignty. This essay explores the work that such narratives do, noting not only how they are invoked as frames for Filipinos and Filipino Americans’ critiques of gustatory coloniality but also how they can themselves veil other political realities deserving of attention. At banana ketchup manufacturing plants in the Philippines, laborers and allies reimagine the condiment not as a proud symbol of identity but rather as a vessel of labor exploitation, union busting, and police brutality. This alternative narrative is often eclipsed by modes of storytelling that elevate Orosa’s ingenious substitution of a native fruit like bananas for an imported product like tomatoes as an emblem of gustatory independence. Documenting an essential piece of Filipino food history yet to receive much scholarly attention, this essay ultimately asks how ways of remembering food history can themselves become ways of forgetting. Its aim is to offer an intervention toward bringing cultural memory and contemporary labor struggles between the Filipino homeland and diaspora into political relation.

The main features of the culture of political relations between the USSR and the People's Republic of China

The main features of the culture of political relations between the USSR and the People's Republic of China

Jejak Gelar Doctor Honoris Causa Soekarno dan Pembelajaran Sejarah

Soekarno is one of Indonesia's great figures who is paradoxical, on the one hand he is widely revered but on the other hand he is also widely criticized. The traces of his life are complete, apart from receiving a lot of criticism, he also received a lot of awards. This research aims to trace the path of Soekarno's award of the doctorate honoris causa, the background factors, and how it relates to history learning. This research uses a historical method which includes five stages, namely topic determination, heuristics, criticism, interpretation and historiography. Data collection techniques use document and literature studies such as speech manuscript archives, ministerial decrees, books, journals, articles and online newspaper media. The results of the research show that Sukarno was the Indonesian president who received the most doctor honoris causa degrees, namely 26 degrees (7 awards from within the country and 19 from abroad). Awards cover the fields of law, politics, philosophy, history, social, engineering and religion. The awarding of this honorary title cannot be separated from Soekarno's great role and his political relations in the national and international arena. Historiography regarding the track record of Soekarno's doctor honoris causa degree could be a new alternative to enrich history learning material at high school and college levels.

The World of Czech Intellectuals in the Life of Roman Dyboski

The paper discusses the role of Czech (Czechoslovakian) intellectuals in the life of Roman Dyboski (1885–1945), professor of English philology at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Dyboski was one of just a few Polish scholars who, despite the tense political relations between Czechoslovakia and Poland at that time, advocated the idea of mutual intellectual cooperation. Roman Dyboski’s position was quite specific. He grew up in the Polish-Czech border region and studied English language and literature. His chief aim was to bring closer Poland and the Anglo-Saxon world. To this purpose, he corresponded actively with scholars from Czechoslovakia, especially with experts on English studies, including Otokar Vočadlo. He also met many of them in person when he was in London as a lecturer at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies of the University College London established by Tomáš G. Masaryk. Dyboski was also one of but a handful Polish experts who spoke Czech and published in Czechoslovakia not only on Polish but also on English matters, which given the considerable level of interest in Anglo-Saxon culture in both countries brought Poles and Czechs closer together.

Research on Strategies to Address Financing Constraints for Technology-based Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

With the rapid development of society, technology- based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have gradually become a cornerstone of China's national economy, serving as a long-term driving force for promoting the country's high-quality development. However, due to the incomplete financial institutional system, the need for enhanced government support, and inherent deficiencies within these enterprises, the financing requirements of technology- based SMEs often go unmet. This paper addresses the current challenges of difficulty, costliness, inefficiency, and slowness in the financing of technology- based SMEs. It analyzes the financing constraints faced by these enterprises and proposes corresponding strategies. The primary focus is on the gradual enhancement of the enterprises' capabilities, the establishment of a multi-level and comprehensive financial system, and the importance of the government establishing and maintaining a positive political relationship with technology- based SMEs.

Struggling for access in the global era: the cases of edamame and rice agriculture in rural Thailand

ABSTRACT Recent research has shown that adopting a cooperative approach in agricultural production and exchange can be an effective and sustainable method in agri-food supply chains (SCs). However, existing studies have primarily focused on treating institutions as organizational components of agricultural production and exchange, with little attention given to the power dynamics inherent in agri-food collaboration. To bridge this gap, this study has integrated perspectives from new institutional economics (NIE) and political ecology. In particular, this study has drawn on the concept of “a bundle of powers” introduced by Ribot and Peluso (2003) in the “theory of access” framework. In this paper, I investigate the power dimensions of collaboration within agri-food SCs, emphasizing the importance of understanding the political relationships of agri-food production. My findings demonstrate that, while the networking between farmers and the edamame SC tends to be more socially sustainable, interactions with the rice SC have occasionally led to adverse outcomes such as indebtedness and impeded rice farming. These findings underscore the significance of taking into account the political and power dimensions of the agri-SC to comprehend and tackle the challenges encountered by farmers in their cultivation decisions.

Modelling sino-US political relation: evidence from geopolitical economic and technological aspects

Modelling sino-US political relation: evidence from geopolitical economic and technological aspects

Analysis of the Development History and Problems of Sino-Russia Trade in the Context of "One Belt, One Road"

China and Russia, as neighboring economic powers, have geopolitical advantages and stable political relations. The two countries have complementary advantages in production factor endowment and industrial structure, creating favorable conditions for bilateral trade. This paper examines the healthy development momentum in China-Russia relations in recent years. For 13 consecutive years, China has been Russia's largest trading partner. However, the trade between the two countries is limited to low-value-added products and other issues, failing to reflect their comparative advantages fully. This paper analyzes the history and problems of Sino-Russia trade in the context of the 'Belt and Road' initiative. The content is divided into three parts. First, it introduces the background and reasons for the study. Secondly, the development of Sino-Russia trade is analyzed by taking the "Belt and Road" initiative as the dividing line. Finally, it analyzes the problems existing in the process of Sino-Russia trade development and puts forward suggestions.

Indian Ocean Internationalisms: The Sri Lankan Pursuit of Peace, 1971–89

In 1971 the Sri Lankan Prime Minister tabled the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace at the 26th United Nations General Assembly, marking the state's international debut at the global stage. This article analyses the trajectory of this highly significant initiative in the context of rapidly evolving political instabilities within Sri Lanka and across the Indian Ocean region. It argues that Sri Lanka's pursuit of peace during the 1970s and 1980s stemmed from multiple threats to its sovereignty combined with the state's desire to develop strategic allies and the material donations that flowed from those relations. The pursuit saw Sri Lanka align with India, the USA, the Soviet Union, and Britain at moments of political deterioration. These alignments enabled the Sri Lankan government to seek material supports to address breakdowns of political relations with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna in the south and Tamils in the north and east. The article argues that the Sri Lankan pursuit of peace irrevocably transformed Indian Ocean internationalisms and shows how a small state aligned to suit its political needs. The pursuit also linked Sri Lanka's Indian Ocean peace efforts to a liberal order in problematic ways and strengthened international backing for violence against its citizens.

Interactions and Interferences of Italian and German Nationalist Regimes in Asia during the Interwar Period (1928–1937)

This article presents a comprehensive narration and interpretation of the political relations between nationalist regimes in Asia and Europe during the interwar history from 1928 to 1937. Authoritarian regimes with political affinities and similar autarchic economic strategies created the ground for an unprecedented collaboration among governments situated on the opposite side of the world. China, Italy, Germany had a prolonged political, military and economic dialogue which lasted for almost a decade and involved the active mediation of political leaders, scholars and highly professional military officers. The interaction with Japan disrupted that partnership and finally changed the perspectives of the strategic alliance. Ultimately, affinities and disagreements among these governments were relevant in leading the world into the abyss of the Second World War. The preparation of this article is supported by primary sources consulted at diplomatic and historical archives and historical literature written in three languages (English, German, and Italian).

Political relations and trade cooperation of the Belt and Road initiative: research on trade network based on strategic emerging industries

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of political relations on trade in strategic emerging industries (SEIs) in the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) associated countries. This investigation encompasses not only from the perspective of bilateral political relations but also the political intervention of third parties.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs the temporal exponential random graphmodel to analyze the dynamic structure and influencing factor of SEIs trade network among 150 BRI-associated countries from 2015 to 2020.FindingsThe results indicate that the trade of SEIs in the BRI-associated countries exhibits a pattern of concentrated exporters and decentralized importers. Amicable bilateral political relations foster trade cooperations in SEIs, while political pressure from the United States has the opposite effect. Furthermore, compared with the influence of third parties, the BRI has created a more robust trade environment characterized by political mutual trust.Practical implicationsBRI-associated countries should strengthen their political communication, and endeavor to transform political consensus and shared vision into concrete collaborative projects, while mitigating geopolitical uncertainties through a sound risk evaluation system. Moreover, they should establish a more transparent and consistent consultation mechanism and leverage the BRI trade network to foster balanced and mutually beneficial partnerships that minimize rivalry and dependence on a single market.Originality/valueThis study goes beyond observed trade cost and incorporates the political factor into the determinants of the BRI trade, thereby expanding the theoretical boundaries of existing BRI research. Also, this study employs bilateral trade data to construct SEIs trade networks (SEITNs) along the BRI route. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic determinates of the SEITNs will provide valuable practical guidance for enhancing and expanding trade and cooperation among BRI-associated countries.

Ultra‐Processed Food, Depletion, and Social Reproduction: A Conceptual Intervention

AbstractWhat we eat and how we think about food and nutrition are undergoing a momentous change, driven by the rise of ultra‐processed food. There is a growing body of evidence linking the consumption of ultra‐processed food to poor health outcomes. However, the health depleting effects of ultra‐processed food go beyond changes in discrete indicators of nutrition and health. Processes of depletion entail social, economic, and political relations. This paper aims to emphasise the importance of a social science research agenda on ultra‐processed food by establishing the conceptual connections between ultra‐processed food and depletion using a social reproduction approach. To do this, it draws on the notion of depletion through social reproduction elaborated by Shirin Rai, Catherine Hoskyns and Dania Thomas, which provided inspiration to unpack the totality of social reproduction and consider specific resources needed for social reproduction. Such an approach reveals that ultra‐processed food is both an input for social reproduction, through consumption, and a form of social reproduction work, when food work and the associated (health) care work are considered. On this basis, the paper identifies four conceptual dimensions to explore whether and to what extent the expansion of ultra‐processed food can cause depletion and the key methodological principles to use this conceptual approach in empirical research.

Eco-fascism: an oxymoron? Far-right nationalism, history, and the climate emergency

Can we conceive of a continuity in the way right-wing nationalisms address environmental issues from the origins of fascism to the currently ongoing global “polycrisis”? This article explores the use of the term “eco-fascism” in connection with the climate crisis and considers the political relationship between ecologism and the contemporary far right through a historical perspective, seeking to determine persisting patterns in the relationship between the far right and the environment. Section 1 travels back to the historical origins of this relationship between nationalism, fascism and the environment, arguing that the conceptions of nature adopted and nourished by fascism had scarcely anything to do with ecology in its contemporary meaning. Section 2 explores the most well-known and consolidated studies on the relationship between the far right and climate change denialism, identifying a broad consensus that unites scholars from various disciplines on the density, intensity and persistence of this political relationship in the current millennium. The article concludes by underlining the irreality, falsifiability and internal contradictions of the notion of “eco-fascism” at a time when right-wing regimes have seized power in many countries through the use of vocabularies and sentiments in defense of the territory and its resources, but with a substantial refusal to tackle global environmental problems.

The theory of the regional security complex — Case study, the riparian states of the Black Sea

Known in Antiquity as the Pontus Euxinus, the Black Sea has been the bridge between European and Eastern civilizations since ancient times. Possessing a multi-varied mosaic of cultures, the Black Sea area has facilitated over the centuries, both the development of commercial and political relations and the maintenance and production of conflicts, being like the Sword of Damocles. Located at the intersection of three security zones (Euro-Atlantic, Russian, and Eastern), the Black Sea is currently a vulnerable space in terms of security. Heir to Byzantine culture, most of the riparian states have a complicated internal and external policy, being caught between the idealism of the Western world and the realism of the Eastern European space. At the same time, the revisionism of the Russian Federation and Turkey in terms of foreign policy will also mean a change in the dynamics of the relations between the states bordering the Black Sea, which could result either in its return to the status of a Russian lake or in a division of the spheres of influence between the Russian Federation and Turkey. In this sense, in order to analyze the future security dynamics of the riparian states, we used the theory of the regional security complex, which we consider very appropriate in our study of the Black Sea region.

Stock Price Synchronicity And Institutional Ownership: The Role Of Sustainability Reporting, Political Connection, And Leverage

This research study is aimed to evaluate how institutional ownership affects the degree of correlation among stock prices, as well as the influence of sustainability reporting, political connections, and leverage. The study takes sample data from companies that were on the LQ45 index at the end of the year, or December 31, for the years 2019–2022 using purposive sampling method. Hypothesis testing uses a multiple linear regression analysis model in the form of a moderated regression analysis (MRA) to test moderator variables. The findings indicated that leverage has negative effect on stock price synchronicity, while neither sustainability reporting nor political connections influenced stock price synchronicity. Institutional ownership as a moderating variable is able to strengthen the negative influence of leverage on stock price synchronicity, On the other hand, the presence of institutional ownership does not have an ability to impact the correlation between sustainability reporting and political relationships on stock price synchronicity

Scotland in the multi-national UK state: interpreting legislatures, decentred state, territorial governance

ABSTRACT The article offers a critique of the ‘decentred state’ and the working of the devolved Scottish Parliament in its legislative and political relations with the UK Parliament. It argues that analysis of relations between the devolved Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament, requires examination of both the political culture and political narratives surrounding constitutional governance and the future of the domestic UK union. Both play a pivotal role in shaping interparliamentary relations in the devolved UK. The paper draws on empirical research from two projects that used both documentary analysis of parliamentary sources and interviews with 35 parliamentarians and officials as a Commons Academic Fellow 2016–2021 and Scottish Parliament Academic Fellow 2022–2023. Both the political narrative and culture of interparliamentary relations between the UK Parliament and Scottish Parliament have been impacted arguably even more by the outcome of the 2016 UK EU Referendum than by the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum.

China-ASEAN Economic Ties: Balancing Growth amid Middle-Income Challenges and Opportunities

The introduction of a free trade area between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China (ACFTA) in 2012 brought China to a leading economic position in Southeast Asia (this was manifested in a significant, almost 2.2-fold, increase in the volume of trade) and turned it into a driving force of ASEAN’s economic prosperity. However, this increased economic interdependence creates challenges for both China and ASEAN: on the one hand, China seeks to make the transition from a high-income country to sustainable economic development in the ASEAN region, and on the other hand, ASEAN has concerns about excessive economic dependence on China. This situation requires a balance to be struck to avoid repeating the historical patterns seen in Japan in the 1960s and 1980s. This article examines the investment, trade and geopolitical relations between China and ASEAN in a historical retrospective of 2010-2022, assesses their economic dependence and the mechanisms of political-economic relations, identifies the factors that caused China’s rapid economic breakthrough, and outlines directions for overcoming the most modern challenges that have place in the context of this relationship through formulation of suggested frameworks. The article considers 2 research questions, for the solution of which the G/T (Grounded Theory) approach was used and a qualitative analysis of the 12 most relevant sources was carried out (limitation of their number – according to the concept of theoretical saturation), selected primarily through online databases, websites, international organizations’ data, analytical reviews, and scientific papers. RQ1: Identify the root causes of the problems faced by ASEAN middle-income countries in their engagement with China. The article identifies the following 3 main reasons through the empirical review analysis: 1) dependence of middle-income ASEAN countries on financial assistance, especially from China; 2) a noticeable decrease in unity in the ASEAN region; 3) China’s lack of recommendations on the advisory policy of economic development in the ASEAN countries. RQ2: development of recommendations for middle-income ASEAN countries to increase their ability to pave independent paths to sustainable economic development and reduce their economic dependence on China, taking into account the review of the balance of power in political relations with the United States and China. Using the qualitative analysis tool ATLAS.ti (version 24) for the G/T approach, it was concluded that to overcome the syndromes of lower-middle-income trap (LMIT) and higher-middle-income trap (HMIT), ASEAN economies should implement the following spontaneous strategies: infrastructure development, improvement of basic education and promotion of science and technology. In addition, it is important to raise awareness of political tensions between China and the US, apply the techniques of thoughtful diplomacy, fine-tuned policy formulation, and shared vision to establish a diplomatic balance between China, the US, and Japan in the context of geopolitical risk management.