Political Tool Research Articles

Bucking Nationalism: Masculinity, Patriotism and the Political Rodeo

The rodeo has long been a tool for America to understand nationalism and the American West. The space has been traditionally geared towards masculinity, telling the story of how the men conquered the West and tamed wild beasts. While rodeo remains an essential political tool of American nationalism, it has also served as a space for groups to challenge dominant narratives. Through non-traditional spaces, Black, gay, and other diverse rodeo spaces have created an environment that challenges normative American nationalism. This work studies these spaces and the people associated with the rodeo to understand the political space of rodeos. Looking at rodeos as a contact zones, this paper researches Buffalo Bill's Wild West and the creation of mythology in the West, explores nationalism, and defines political space. Finally, the study of a diversity of rodeos concludes with a new understanding of the power of the Rodeo in American culture.

Mapping Energy Geopolitics in Europe: Journalistic Cartography and Energy Securitisation After the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

ABSTRACT The 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered measures in the European Union to reduce its energy interdependencies with Russia. In this paper, we delve into the role of journalistic cartography as places of visual securitisation producing the context which enabled these decisions. Crossing critical security studies with critical geopolitics and critical cartography, our hypothesis is that journalistic cartography solidifies certain discourses over energy geopolitics through the performance of maps dividing the world between places endangered and places exporting danger. Our analysis conducted on 206 maps leads to three main results. Firstly, it demonstrates the existence of common narratives across countries, thus nuancing previous findings concerning the spatial heterogeneity of energy security discourses. Secondly, these imaginaries rely on five mapping genres that perform spatial categorisation between insecurity from outside/security from inside. Thirdly, these genres sustain a neorealist interpretation of energy interdependencies, which sees trade as a zero-sum game and exports as coercive political tools, while silencing other approaches.

Female roles in Western-style Chinese opera: from Confucianist female archetype and political allegory to postmodern complexity

ABSTRACT Borrowing the lens of Western gender theories in exploring the development of Western-style Chinese opera that emerged from the historical backbone of Confucianism and patriarchal traditions, this article examines how female roles were portrayed under the assumed gender binary that is a criterion of heteronormativity with unfaded accents of past feudal Chinese traditions. We identified three periods of Western-style Chinese operatic where the early works in the first two periods (early 1920s–late 1940s and early 1950s–late1970s) reveal that male dominance remains largely at the core led by China’s male-primogeniture tradition, and more often, female protagonists were moulded into political tools for communist and collectivist demands. The latter works, written since the mid-1970s, broke through the ancient feudal shadows of the Confucian Four Books of Women with pluralistic sonic and visual gender expressions that established a schism between past and present Chinese feminism. The outcome reveals how Chinese feminism was portrayed and employed as a political tool in these operas, where female roles were enmeshed between Confucianism and female empowerment, in an ambivalent desire to reconstruct the reality and simulacrum of feminism bounded by political allegory, classical Chinese aesthetics, and Western feminism.

That is What Most of Us Fail to Remember: Politics as a Neutralizing Game World Designed by Elites

Concepts such as political framing and elite capture have never been thought of as part of the humanitarian foundation of politics. This is, however, not true of identity politics. Christened in 1977 by the Combahee River Collective, identity politics was originally meant to enable a group, composed mainly of black feminist women, to build their own political agenda. Striving to see the full complexity of their values and priorities leveled with those of other political movements, identity politics was looking to reveal limitations from inside groups and widen the scale and scope of problems tackled. Unity was meant to guide society towards a better world. Nevertheless, presently, identity politics often represents a normalized separation between societies whose identities are defined by past history. No longer meant to strengthen the voices of the unheard, it has become a political tool for those exercising significant impact on the political discourse of the present. Similarly, the integrities of both values and religion have, over time, subsided to power as well. With the basic foundations of the world's politics hijacked, a race against time has begun as society's justifications for climbing over people and exploiting the planet's limited resources have driven it to the verge of a disbalance so grave it might prove impossible to reverse. Thereupon, this text aims to analyze the scope of this twisted use of politics, explore activism as a countereffect, and examine the development of society under what can be defined as a never-ending match between "dark" and "light."

Rational and ambitious legislators? Role theory, between open questions and new applicability

Abstract Role theory utilizes sociological and political science tools to study parliamentary functioning and parliamentarians’ behavior. While scholars in the USA (1960–70) and Europe (1990–2010) have extensively applied it, this review focuses on its enduring theoretical validity. It introduces a role choice typology, categorizing parliamentarians in empirical studies. The analysis highlights role theory strengths and weaknesses, highlighting that the goal of reelection represents only one potential explanation of parliamentarian behavior. The article suggests reconsidering the sociological concept of role to derive testable hypotheses. In addition, the article extends role theory applications to studying legislative careers and less institutionalized legislatures.

Between micronarratives of individual gain and macronarratives of public utility: discourses of return migration in times of crisis

ABSTRACT Many Central and Eastern European countries recognized the benefits of migration of their citizens after the EU enlargement in 2004, such as financial remittances and obtaining education abroad. Even more advantages are expected by the sending states upon anticipated return of migrants to the countries of origin. The article will examine Polish policies of return migration in times of two crises: Brexit and the pandemic. The analysis includes macronarratives (political discourse, such as state documents, legal acts and narratives of various state representatives and authorities concerning the return of Poles) and micronarratives (stories of individuals). Interviews with over 50 Polish migrants in the UK are juxtaposed with the state narratives. On the example of Poland, the article demonstrates how the process of possible return migration is constructed, narrated, and justified in micro- and macronarratives. The narratives and political tools engaged in inducing return migration reflect the state’s and the migrants’ anticipations and projections about the vision of community, national belonging, and citizen’s duties. The study of the micro- and macronaratives sheds light on nuanced ways in which co-agency works: that is, how social phenomena are shaped by actors who have diverse ways of looking at the problem, different (partly complementary, partly opposing) interests and motivations.

Identity Politics Violations in Indonesian Elections

Identity politics violations are a frequent phenomenon in elections in Indonesia, where ethnic, religious, ethnic, gender, or other social group identities are manipulated or exploited for political gain. The purpose of this study is to identify, analyze, and understand more deeply about identity politics violations in elections, as well as their implications for democracy and Indonesian society as a whole. The analysis will be based on the theory of identity politics, multiculturalism, and political participation. The results of the analysis show that political elites and candidates for regional heads tend to use or maintain identity politics for political interests and strengthen power hegemony. As a result, the use of religious issues as political tools in the 2019 Presidential Election is a source of tension and a potential threat to the country's social and political stability. With a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, this research is expected to provide valuable insights for political stakeholders, electoral institutions, and society at large to develop prevention and countermeasures against identity politics violation and strengthen the foundation of an inclusive and equitable democracy in Indonesia.

More than pinpricks and quick-fixes: Urban acupuncture and aesthetic governmentality in Bandung

This paper presents a critical analysis of the urban acupuncture movement in Bandung through the lens of aesthetic governmentality (Ghertner, 2015). Drawing on qualitative data collected online and on-site, I propose two ways in which aesthetic governmentality extends to Bandung. First, I explore how the interactions between urban acupuncture and the political context of Indonesian Islamist urbanism (Kusno, 2022) have shaped and been shaped by the Bandung aesthetic governmentality regime. Secondly, I highlight how Instagram has become a political tool for Bandung leadership's aesthetic campaigning. My overarching argument is to show how urban acupuncture – originally created as a form of grassroots urbanism in Bandung – has been co-opted by the city government to create aesthetic images that serve as masking mechanism to impose state control beneath the façade of a seemingly organic, bottom-up community movement. The Bandung case, the paper concludes, points to a unique form of aesthetic governmental logic, where photogenic images of acupunctural beautifications have been used as political tools to deflect attention away from the fact that deep underlying infrastructure problems – such as traffic jams and poor park maintenance – and resident needs for functional public spaces remain unaddressed.

Pengaruh Media Sosial Terhadap Partisipasi Politik Masyarakat Kampus

The use of social media has become an integral part of everyday life, including in people's political participation. Campus community political participation is greatly influenced by social media. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp have a significant impact on political engagement. People use social media as a political campaign tool, as well as a means of communicating and obtaining political information that is fast, accurate and reliable. This research aims to determine the influence of social media on political participation in campus communities. The method used is descriptive qualitative. The data collection method was carried out by interviewing students. Participants in this research were PPI FUSI UINSU students using structured interviews conducted with 30 PPI FUSI UINSU students. Data is collected and analyzed to identify levels of media use, participation and politics. The research results show that social media is very important for citizen participation, especially the community. The role of social media as a medium for information about politics is quite large. Social media as a communication tool for seeking political information, social media has positive and negative impacts on the political participation of campus communities, especially in increasing political awareness and participation through online information and discussions and the spread of hoax news. With easy access and fast dissemination of information, social media allows students to more easily engage in political discussions, express opinions, and gather support for various issues. Apart from that, social media also helps in mass mobilization to attend demonstrations, elections and other political events. Social media has an important role in increasing the political participation of students in the Fusion Islamic Education Study Program at UIN North Sumatra. As a result, political participation among students has become more active and dynamic, creating a younger generation who is more aware and critical of developing political issues.

Personalized Politics in Traditional and Social Media: The Case of the 2019 Finnish Parliamentary Elections

Personalization of politics is a well-established field of research, yet not much is known about how the phenomenon has been influenced by the increased use of social media as a tool for political communication. In this research we analyze media personalization in newspapers and on social media posts of parties and party leaders during the 2019 Finnish parliamentary elections. Combining quantitative and qualitative content analysis, we find that a) personalized content was more common in newspapers than on social media, and b) the contexts of personalized content were largely similar regardless of media type, suggesting it may be more relevant to speak of “hybrid media personalization” rather than “traditional media personalization” and “social media personalization”. These findings are linked to broader discussions on personalization of politics and the use of social media as a political communication tool.

Nilai-nilai Pendidikan Akhlak bagi Anak dalam Film Doraemon yang Berjudul Stand by Me

Life in this era has witnessed an increase in immoral behavior among the younger generation, given the many moral deviations that occur. Facing this challenge, efforts to cultivate character and morals in the world of education are becoming increasingly urgent. The issue of morality in the context of education continues to be a growing issue, especially when discussing the problem of immorality. Moral education, as the main foundation in developing one's ethics and morals, has a crucial role. In an increasingly developing era, the cultivation of moral education can be done through a variety of media and not only obtained from the school bench. Cartoon or animated movies are favored by children because of the interesting and entertaining character of the image or animation. Movies are not only entertainment media and political propaganda tools but also have cultural and educational roles, one of which is found in the movie Stand by me. The method applied in this research is qualitative content analysis type with primary and secondary data sources, the research instrument is the researcher himself, the data collection technique uses documentation and observation, the data analysis technique used is content analysis. The results showed that in the movie doraemon stand by me has the value of Islamic moral education values and has an impact on the value of moral education values and can be used as a learning medium. The conclusion of the movie doraemon stand by me contains 13 moral education values identified, has a positive value in it and can be used as education and the values conveyed in accordance with the teachings of Islam.

Situationally-triggered metaphor as political argument

Abstract This paper proposes to investigate the public responses to situationally-triggered metaphors as these have been observed in political argumentation. Situationally-triggered metaphors occur when a nonmetaphorical connection is made between the metaphor and an aspect of the relevant situational context. The question addressed in this research is: how are such metaphors perceived by the public when these form part of the political argumentation? To answer this question, the study focuses on a particular instance of political situationally-triggered metaphor i.e., Boris Johnson’s “James Bond” metaphor produced during COP26. The paper draws on Critical Metaphor Analysis and Deliberate Metaphor Theory to analyse the public comments and reactions posted on the social media platform Twitter in response to the politician’s arguments. The analysis reveals that most of the public responses exploit the “James Bond” metaphor to dispute Johnson’s self-identification to the fictional character and provide meta-arguments that revolve around the politician’s misuse of metaphors. In contrast, responses that exploit the metaphor to convey political arguments or endorsement are much more limited. It is thus argued that situationally-triggered metaphors not only represent a political rhetorical device, but they are also effective political tools to shift public attention towards discursive patterns instead of arguments presented in discourse.

Os Procuradores-Gerais do Ministério Público

Based on the historical look and the political sociology analytic tools, this text aims to discuss the establishment of rules for occupying the highest position in the hierarchy of the state Public Prosecutor’s Office: the position of Attorney General. By analyzing the trajectory of those who held this position from 1891 to after 1988, it was possible to understand the changes in the official and non-official rules regarding the morphological transformation of nominees. The study of 33 cases reveals the political and social tensions surrounding the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s high hierarchy until the 21st century

Environmental Injustice: The Effects of Environmental Taxes on Income Distribution in an Oligopolistic General Equilibrium Model

We apply a static oligopolistic general equilibrium model to investigate the effects of an environmental tax on labor incomes, capital incomes, profits, and the distribution of income. The study is motivated by the fact that environmental taxation is one main political tool to realize environmental sustainability and support sustainable development. However, to ensure social and economic sustainability, the taxes applied must be perceived as fair by the majority of the civil society. Moreover, efforts to determine a fair taxation policy would ensure, inter alia, responsible consumption and production, and lower inequality in the economy, which are one of the two priorities of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 10 and 12). Therefore, it is necessary to determine the tax incidence to inform policymakers regarding the distribution of the tax burden. To examine environmental policy, we assume the government applies a policy objective to realize strong environmental sustainability, as proposed by the Dutch economist Rofie Hueting. The main result is that oligopolistic firms can shift the whole tax burden resulting from environmental taxes to workers and capital owners. Consequently, we show that environmental taxes can lead to more income inequality, and the more concentrated the markets, the bigger the social and economic inequality. Noting that addressing environmental problems is a priority of the UN SDGs, our analysis shows that approaching the issue using just environmental tax propositions is not advisable. These results of the analysis also provide a justification of why many members of the society tend to oppose environmental taxes.

Fear as a Political Tool: A Critical Analysis of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Fearmongering Narratives

This paper examines the fearmongering narratives employed by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia in her political strategy. By analyzing sources, such as campaign materials, legislative proposals, and press releases through a content analysis method, the paper identifies three primary fear-based narratives this politician uses: threats to the country, threats to freedom, and threats to children. Moreover, the impact of fearmongering in Rep. Greene’s electoral strategy and its success in Georgia’s 14th congressional district, known for its conservative leanings, are also explored. By understanding the effectiveness of fearmongering, this research sheds light on the dynamics of contemporary political discourse in the United States and its potential consequences.

Exploring the Impact of Media Content on Social Media Engagement Through Comment Analysis

This study investigates audience participation on the social media platforms of Kantipur Daily, Sagarmatha Radio, and Nepal Television using survey data collected in 2024. A review of comments on Facebook and X(Twitter) indicated that positive feedback is primarily focused on sports and social/health/lifestyle news Moreover, opinions and economic news receive relatively less attention than political news. The study highlights particular areas that need more research and offers insightful information about audience dynamics in the context of digital communication. This finding emphasizes the value of social media as a political communication tool, which is especially clear from the positive comments on Political News. Additionally, despite certain restrictions, the results show how the communication landscape is changing and how social media is improving news accessibility and content quality. The finding indicates that social media has become a new arena for public affairs, and its results show that Facebook is more widely used than X.

The Influence of Political Memes on Political Marketing Strategy in Malaysia

Rapid development and quick-moving media not only change how people behave and communicate but also completely alter the marketing approach used to promote politics to maintain political power. The usage of memes in politics has also altered the agenda-setting of social groups that are concerned with Malaysian politics. This study aims to examine the impact of political memes on Malaysian youth, particularly on their decision to vote in general elections at the age as early as of 18. It also tries to examine the elements that make memes effective political marketing tools. Using a quantitative study involving 400 young people, it discovered that politics and memes had an impact on the younger generation. Further study is imperative to investigate on the young people preference that influenced their political decision making.

Édouard Glissant and the importance of reading well: Opacitic‐reading as geographic method

AbstractWith what intentions and expectations does one arrive at reading a new philosophical text? In the case of the late Martinican thinker Édouard Glissant, engaging with his work usually begins from the premise that his thought is adapted from, or indebted to, that of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. In this paper I seek to intervene in these non‐representational aspects of our thinking that escape habituated perception and condition, yet colour our reading and thus our resulting research and writing. If — as Paul Gilroy writes, ‘Glissant's time is now’, how do we as geographers respond? I argue that rather than reject the association of Glissant's work with Deleuze and Guattari's, the more philosophically, poetic, and politically challenging and creative task comes from reconceptualising their relationship to one of connection. In order to do this, I begin with Glissant's concept of ‘opacity’, which supports difference against assimilation and which Katherine McKittrick understands as a political tool. Taking this tool in hand, I develop my conceptualisation of the opacitic to refer to the staging or taking‐place of this opacity on a subterranean and micro‐political level. Opacitic‐reading as method contends how our reading of philosophical texts can create anew moments of clarity and connection through complexity, rather than aspiring towards transparent understanding that seeks to ‘grasp’ ideas and hold onto them. For geographers, opacitic‐reading intervenes in important debates about reading Glissant specifically, engaging with the work of so‐called minority thinkers from Western perspectives, as well as contributing to broader debates about how geographers engage with philosophy and theory.

영화 속에 나타난 백인 예수의 정치적 영향력과 사회언어학적 상징성

Shaun King's assertion that “the statues of White Jesus must be destroyed” presupposes that the portrayal of Jesus as white in popular media and artistic works in the United States has symbolized racial discriminatory consciousness associated with white supremacy since the early days of American history and continues to influence the current society and political landscape. This paper examines how the portrayal of White Jesus in films, in particular, operates in relation to racial stereotypes, how it has functioned as a political tool through its theologization, and what sociolinguistic symbolism it has been utilized with. After analyzing these aspects, the paper seeks various alternatives to overcome this phenomenon.

The Battle at Lake Changjin: The Influence of Korean War Memory on Contemporary Chinese War Films

Abstract The 2021 film The Battle at Lake Changjin (长津湖) is China’s highest-grossing film. Together with its sequel, its success as a political tool rests on appealing to a broad audience while engaging with familiar themes embedded in collective memory. The Chinese Communist Party, which commissioned the films, leveraged preexisting tropes regarding the conflict and repackaged them for a modern audience. This paper will proceed in three parts. First, it will trace the deliberate development of collective memory of the conflict from its inception up to President Xi Jinping’s gaining power in 2012. Next, it will explore the new emphasis on the Korean War in the 2010s and 2020s, and the political objectives Xi seeks to achieve by propagandizing the Korean War. Finally, it will provide a thematic analysis of the films and how the intended political messaging interacted with the embedded collective memory.