Privileged Position Research Articles

Technocratic reason in hard times: the mobilisation of economic knowledge and the discursive politics of Brexit

ABSTRACT In the context of the debate surrounding and following the Brexit referendum in June 2016, credentialed economic expertise did not enjoy a privileged position within the political and policy debate. Using the contrasting cases of the Office for Budget Responsibility and Economists for Brexit/Free Trade, this paper explores the mobilisation of economic expertise within the discursive politics of Brexit under conditions of pervasive radical uncertainty. It argues that politicisation is an important factor in side-lining technocratic influence over policy choice, but that the particular type of politicisation in play (plebiscitary) meant that the input of technocratic experts was downgraded. It is a politics conducted in another register to the reasoned, evidence-based vernacular of accredited experts and the policy discourses that they work with and through. We also argue that the basic unknowability of the post-Brexit economy further impaired expert input. These limitations were acknowledged by accredited experts themselves, reducing their traction within the policy debate. This unknowability was exploited by forms of counter-expertise mobilised by the Leave campaign. The radical uncertainties of Brexit allowed in heterodox assumptions and approaches to compete on a level playing field with an approximation of what could be presented as prudent best practice.

Reflecting (on) power?Critical reflections by healthworkers in Germany on racial power and privilege

Abstract Background Healthcare users have increasingly reported on experiences of racial discrimination in healthcare encounters in Germany (Aikins et al. 2020). While research on the experiences of racialised users predominates, examining the perspectives of white professionals, especially those holding positions of authority, regarding their internalised stereotypes and discriminatory practices is also crucial. This study therefore investigated the prevalence of conscious or unconscious biases related to critical whiteness and anti-racism among healthcare workers (doctors, nurses and therapists) and how these attitudes shaped their professional practice. Methods Problem-centred expert interviews (Döringer 2021) with 20 healthcare professionals from medicine, nursing, and therapeutic professions working in hospitals or rehabilitation facilities across three German federal states. Data were analysed using documentary method (Bohnsack 2002). Results Respondents exhibited varying degrees of reflective abilities, and there are limited opportunities for structured self-reflection focused on recognizing and addressing racism. The research interview constituted a much-needed space for such reflection. Those who are sensitised about their own positions of privilege often are so due to external influences and personal trajectories (teenaged children, trade union activism) rather than through the values or structures of their institutions. Unconscious racism nonetheless still manifests, demonstrating the need to create more inclusive environments where critical self-reflection on racism is encouraged. Conclusions To effectively combat racism, German healthcare institutions must systematically implement anti-racist and intersectional interventions. This also entails creating spaces for reflection where staff can openly examine and acknowledge their own biases, fostering an environment conducive to collective action for promoting anti-racist workplace practices. Key messages • Opportunities for self-reflection critical of racism should also be offered across institutions in order to ensure trusting, non-hierarchical spaces. • Reflections on one’s own social positioning and privileges are not common in all circles, so the necessity of this attitude should be communicated in an error-friendly manner.

Unlocking public infrastructures? State aid and the common European data space

EU state aid rules are part of the EU’s competition policy, a form of soft law developed to nudge states away from public investments in many areas. Rules were used to impose that market competition holds a privileged position, and that enacting social, political, or economic benefits that might stifle competition requires a complicated legal and political negotiation process between the European Commission, Member States, and private companies. Nonetheless, many strategic projects or situations in recent years led to significant state aid. The Commission utilised a variety of means to encourage both private and public investments in EU based digital infrastructure that is critical for public media services and for unified European data space. Despite EU’s balancing act between the private and public interests, business interests are dangerously capturing the development in the media data space. To grasp the social and economic contribution of publicly financed productive activities, we approach public broadcasting systems as producers of public wealth of a peculiar kind whose activities and goals are defined by their public purpose, rather than the imperatives of capital and profitmaking. Unifying data spaces with too many design decisions conceded to capitalist production runs the risk of further neglecting social foundations of member states. We argue that the desired digital transformation would be more successful if it moved towards affirmative approaches to public services and public infrastructures, recognising the historical and contemporary contribution of the production of public wealth and public media in member states.

Photoinduced Asymmetric Alkene Aminohetarylation with Chiral Sulfoximine Reagents.

Given the pivotal role of β-(het)arylethylamine moiety in bioactive molecules, the direct amino(het)arylation of alkenes occupies a privileged position in the construction of (het)arylethylamine derivatives. Herein we devise chiral sulfoximines as novel bifunctional reagents which exhibit remarkable efficiency in the challenging asymmetric alkene aminohetarylation reaction, particularly in terms of reactivity and stereo-control. The chiral reagents can be conveniently accessed in gram scale, and efficiently generate N-centered radicals under mild photochemical conditions. The transformation proceeds through enantioselective 1,4-hetaryl migration, ensuring precise chirality transfer from sulfur- to carbon-centers, rendering wide applicability to both aromatic and aliphatic alkenes. Furthermore, the method is straightforward to operate and does not require transition metals or photosensitizers, making it an attractive and practical option.

Examining the Effect of Parents on Children’s Career Choices in the Context of Class Positions

This article delves into the social mobility strategies employed by parents and their descendants from diverse social classes in structuring educational pathways and vocational choices across successive generations. The study relies on qualitative data from in-depth interviews conducted in Ankara with 24 parents and 18 offspring. Data analysis reveals that the strategies parents and their offspring embrace are intricately shaped by their social class positions and the cultural, social, and economic capital available to the latter. Labourer families grappling with cultural capital limitations exhibit constrained guidance to their offspring. In contrast, self-employed professional families actively deploy their comprehensive cultural capital to perpetuate privileged class positions across generations. Business owners or commercial entrepreneurs, characterised by a distinctive outlook, view education as a pathway to attain heightened social status rather than as a means of upward mobility. To address the inequalities uncovered in this research, establishing counselling centres for families to guide how to mentor their children and for the children themselves to facilitate the discovery of their abilities and interests could offer a solution toward mitigating these inequalities.

ASSISTÊNCIA DE ENFERMAGEM NA SAÚDE MENTAL DA MULHER PUÉRPERA COM DEPRESSÃO PÓS-PARTO

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a multifactorial condition that affects the mental health of many women after childbirth, with impacts on child development. Factors such as income, education, and social support influence the prevalence and severity of symptoms. Early identification and proper management are essential, and the nurse’s role is central in this process. Nurses, due to their privileged position, can provide emotional support, conduct screenings, and educate new mothers about the signs of PPD. Ongoing training in mental health is fundamental for these professionals to perform their roles effectively. Research indicates that interventions focused on strengthening social support and improving socioeconomic conditions can be effective in preventing PPD. However, current research has limitations, such as the lack of diversity in samples and interpretive biases. Future studies should include more representative samples and explore new approaches that nurses can adopt in different contexts. Understanding PPD should go beyond identifying symptoms and consider the socioeconomic context and social support available to postpartum women. Proactive nurse intervention is fundamental to ensuring adequate care during this critical period, promoting both maternal mental health and healthy child development. Evidence highlights the importance of public policies that integrate the role of nurses in maternal mental health care.

At the threshold of criminalisation: repression of ‘oppositional’ civil society organisations in the Israeli settler state

ABSTRACT This article discusses the processes of criminalisation of oppositional political activism of Jewish-Israeli citizens. Israel strives to maintain Jewish supremacy, providing a privileged position to Jewish-Israelis while treating Palestinians by default as a threat. The article focuses on the sustained campaign waged against Breaking the Silence, an organisation established by veterans of the Israeli army that attempts to use a moral critique to campaign to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Since 2009, the organisation has become a target of a right-wing campaign of delegitimisation intended to silence it. The article discusses the process through which oppositional civil society groups are transformed from a position of privilege to a threat to be neutralised. Such processes of criminalisation involve multiple informal and formal tools, and actors from ‘civil society’ and ‘the state’. I argue that the distinction between the two spheres is artificial as both are part of the same hegemonic system. I contend that understanding the nature of the threat and those that pose it opens a window into the vulnerability of the system. The states’ coercive side, which was previously geared against Palestinians, turns towards its privileged citizens, thus rendering its vulnerability more visible.

Succinate Dehydrogenase and Human Disease: Novel Insights into a Well-Known Enzyme.

Succinate dehydrogenase (also known as complex II) plays a dual role in respiration by catalyzing the oxidation of succinate to fumarate in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and transferring electrons from succinate to ubiquinone in the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC). Owing to the privileged position of SDH/CII, its dysfunction leads to TCA cycle arrest and altered respiration. This review aims to elucidate the widely documented profound metabolic effects of SDH/CII deficiency, along with the newly unveiled survival mechanisms in SDH/CII-deficient cells. Such an understanding reveals exploitable vulnerabilities for strategic targeting, which is crucial for the development of novel and more precise therapies for primary mitochondrial diseases, as well as for familial and sporadic cancers associated with SDH/CII mutations.

Economic mobility and parents’ opportunity hoarding

Creating opportunities for people to achieve socioeconomic mobility is a widely shared societal goal. Paradoxically, however, achieving this goal can pose a threat to high-socioeconomic-status (SES) people as they look to maintain their privileged positions in society for both them and their children. Two studies evaluate whether this threat manifests as "opportunity hoarding" in which high-SES parents adopt attitudes and behaviors aimed at shoring up their families' access to valuable educational and economic resources. The current paper provides converging evidence for this hypothesis across two studies conducted with 2,557 American parents. An initial correlational study demonstrated that believing that socioeconomic mobility is possible was associated with high-SES parents being more inclined to attempt to secure valuable educational and economic resources for their children, even when doing so came at the cost of low-SES families. Specifically, high-SES parents with stronger beliefs in socioeconomic mobility exhibited decreased support for redistributive policies and viewed engaging in discrete behaviors that would unfairly advantage their children (e.g., allowing them to misrepresent their identities on school and job applications) as more acceptable relative to both low-SES parents with similar beliefs and high-SES parents who were less optimistic about socioeconomic mobility. A subsequent experimental study established these relationships causally by comparing parents' responses to different types of socioeconomic mobility. Together, the current findings merge insights across psychology and economics to deepen understandings of the processes through which societal inequities emerge and persist, especially during times of apparently abundant opportunity.

FUZULIY SHE’RIYATIDAGI BA’ZI OBRAZLARNING ASKETSIZM NUQTAYI NAZARIDAN FALSAFIY TAHLILI

In this philosophical analysis attempt, the nature of the relationship (the act of thinking) between the poems of the wise poet Fuzulî and his mental world will be tried to be explained by the method of philosophical analysis. Our main purpose in doing this is to explain how the aesthetic bond (taking into account internal and external elements) is established between Fuzulî's poetry, an aesthetic object, and the aesthetic subject (Fuzulî) who created it. If it is possible to achieve this, it will be shown that the knowledge of the aesthetic subject (as aesthetic knowledge) will to some extent be free of subjectivity and have an informational value equivalent to rational knowledge. Fuzulî lived between approximately 1480-1556 and is a well-known figure as a man of letters and poet in the Turkish and Islamic world with his poems. He is one of the groundbreaking artists of Classical Islamic and Turkish Literature, with his knowledge of Arabic and Persian, which he knows well enough to write poetry, as well as his native language, Turkish. According to Fuzûlî, the art of poetry creates a privileged position that offers people the opportunity to rise above the total existence. Although Fuzûlî clearly demonstrates his superiority in the art of poetry in his ghazals, he deserves his fame as a poet with his masnavi named Leyla vü Mecnûn.

»Man är liksom alltid mittemellan på något sätt»

This article explores interview material of migrants’ experiences of borders from a minority perspective. The analysis focuses on the migrants’ own interpretations of their move, using the theoretical categories of performative borders (Rumford 2014) and emerging adults (Arnett 2004) as analytical tools to gain an understanding of what it means to be a young Finland-Swedish migrant in Sweden in the 2010s. Linguistic, national and cultural borders are discussed. Given the privileged position of the migrants, the institutionalised national border is relatively absent from the material. Instead, a very tangible border that appears is the language border, especially between Swedish and Finnish. For the interviewees, this linguistic border does not coincide with the national border as they are moving to an area where their mother tongue is transitioning from minority to majority status. Cultural borders can be seen as flexible, invisible boundaries within which people believe that they share cultural expressions and values, and thus identity (Fjellström 1997). Respondents refer to boundaries drawn by perceived cultural similarities and differences. All these boundaries are created by the media, experiences, other people’s stories, and stereotypes. The interviewees begin by drawing on their own experiences of moving from Finland to Sweden, but at the same time these experiences are constantly linked to other stories, past experiences, and perceptions. By addressing performative boundaries, the focus is on how personal experience, conveyed through narrative, expresses experiences of belonging and exclusion – something that is actualised through both minority and migrant status.

Fused Porphyrin-Graphene Nanoribbons, One-Dimensional Porphyrinoid Polymers, and Subphthalocyanine-Based 2D-Polymers: On-Surface Synthetic Approaches

On-surface synthesis offers a versatile approach to fabricate novel carbon-based nanostructures that cannot be obtained via conventional solution chemistry. Within the family of such nanomaterials, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) hold a privileged position due to their high potential for different applications. One of the key issues for their application in molecular electronics lies in the fine-tuning of their electronic properties through structural modifications, such as heteroatom doping or the incorporation of non-benzenoid rings. In this context, the covalent fusion of GNRs and porphyrins (Pors) represents a highly appealing strategy.

An Analysis on The Historical Transformation and Consequensces of The Relationship Between Theoria and Techne

The aim of this study is to examine the evolution of the relationship between theoria and techne concepts. In ancient Greece, theoria, Aristotle's contemplative activity that he identified with happiness, as it is an end in itself, and the individual is self-sufficient in this activity to take part in divinity. This activity, which falls under the subject of philosophia (love of knowledge) in accordance with the meanings conveyed by the words Philo (love) and sophia (knowledge), was traditionally associated with knowledge until modern times. Techne, on the other hand, was the craftsman's knowledge of making something. For example, the knowledge of the tailor, the carpenter, or the sculptor was techne knowledge.In the modern age, the transformative impact of technological advancements on nature and society has led to an excessive emphasis on the knowledge of doing something. The level of progress in technology fostered an optimistic and progressive understanding from the perspective of problem-solving. When scientific advancements merged with technology, science and technology themselves turned into an ideology; however, this ideology failed to realize the ideal of a society living in peace and abundance. But it led to economic and social changes and transformations in both the modern and postmodern periods. With the merger of techne and logie, theoria lost the privileged position it had in antiquity. Before humanity loses control over technology, the relationship of this process with theoria should be re-established and technology should be connected to a good purpose.

Tanycyte radial morphology and proliferation are influenced by fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 and high-fat diet.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) is a widely expressed, membrane-bound receptor that transduces extracellular signals from FGF ligands and cadherins, resulting in intracellular signals influencing cellular growth, proliferation, calcium, and transcription. FGF21 and FGF2 stimulate the proliferation of tanycytes, specialized radial astrocytes along the ventricle of the hypothalamus, and influence metabolism. Tanycytes are in a privileged position between the cerebrospinal fluid, the blood supply in the median eminence, and neurons within nuclei in the hypothalamus. The effect of FGFR1 signaling upon tanycyte morphology and metabolism was examined in adult mice with conditional deletion of the Fgfr1 gene using the Fgfr1flox/flox; Nestin-Cre+ line. Loss of Fgfr1 resulted in shorter β tanycytes along the medial eminence. Control Fgfr1flox/flox littermates and Fgfr1flox/flox, Nestin-Cre+ (Fgfr1 cKO) knockout mice were placed on a 1-month long high-fat diet (HFD) or a normal-fat diet (NFD), to investigate differences in body homeostasis and tanycyte morphology under an obesity inducing diet. We found that FGFR1 is a vital contributor to tanycyte morphology and quantity and that it promotes stem cell maintenance in the hypothalamus and hippocampal dentate gyrus. The Fgfr1 cKO mice developed impaired tolerance to a glucose challenge test on a HFD without gaining more weight than control mice. The combination of HFD and loss of Fgfr1 gene resulted in altered β and α tanycyte morphology, and reduced stem cell numbers along the third ventricle of the hypothalamus and hippocampus.

Space agnostic or space, place and delivery mode specific – one or the other: Addressing the privileging of the classroom over online learning

Purpose The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to address the privileged position that classroom learning continues to hold over online learning and to consider the nuances associated with space and place in learning design and teaching for online learners. Design/methodology/approach It is often believed that the learning that is undertaken in the classroom is superior to the learning designed and delivered for online delivery. In many instances online learners have been subjected to learning and teaching designed for the classroom – learning that is designed for a very different delivery mode, one in which space and place have a significantly different impact on learning, and where connectedness with teaching staff and other students is assumed. Findings No findings as this is a viewpoint paper. Research limitations/implications No research implications as this is a viewpoint paper. Practical implications This paper has practical implications for learning designers and those involved in the design and development of online learning events. Originality/value No originality value as such as this is a viewpoint paper.

The Foundational Principles upon Which the Centre for Management Excellence in Public Finance Management is Built "A Comparative Study"

The fundamental regulations that govern the administration's effective management and safeguarding of public funds constitute the theoretical underpinnings of the administrative centre of excellence in public funds management. These foundations are linked to the same standards that established the existence of administrative law as a whole and the management of public funds in particular; thus, general philosophical foundations, including public utility theory, public authority theory, and modern theory, emerged. The most meritorious of these theories were the mixed theories whose contents are derived from the theories of public authority and public utility. This is due to the logical norms that this theory establishes regarding the management of public funds for the benefit of the public. Public ownership and discretionary power may be regarded as the pillars of a unique theory that effectively grants the administration control over its funds, as well as the flexibility and space these theories afford the administration to exercise its privileged position in the management of public funds.

Resilient Traditions, Modern Realities

This study explores the political economy of Minangkabau, a culturally rich and the world�s largest matrilineal community. The research focuses on understanding the power dynamics between men and women by conducting a gender analysis. The findings reveal that Minangkabau women hold a unique and privileged societal position. Traditionally, societal expectations allocate more roles and responsibilities to men, particularly in economic and political domains. Contemporarily, the special rights held by women have faded and been replaced by dominant male gender roles. Some gender roles have begun to disappear, such as the role of Bundo kanduang, mamak and tigo tungku sajarangan. In accessing economic resources, Minangkabau women experience challenges from men, private parties, and the government. These ignore the role of women as the legitimate owners of inherited property in Minangkabau land. Meanwhile, Minangkabau women have difficulty competing with men within systems that tend to be biased for political resources. In addition, Minangkabau women increasingly participate in productive work, demonstrating their ability to compete with men in the labor market. Despite these advancements, the study highlights a challenge for Minangkabau women. Keywords: Matrilineal, Gender, Political Economy, Gender Roles, Resources, Gender Division of Labor

Ancient Egyptian scribes and specific skeletal occupational risk markers (Abusir, Old Kingdom)

Men with writing proficiency enjoyed a privileged position in ancient Egyptian society in the third millennium BC. Research focusing on these officials of elevated social status (“scribes”) usually concentrates on their titles, scribal statues, iconography, etc., but the individuals themselves, and their skeletal remains, have been neglected. The aim of this study is to reveal whether repetitive tasks and maintained postures related to scribal activity can manifest in skeletal changes and identify possible occupational risk factors. A total of 1767 items including entheseal changes, non-metric traits, and degenerative changes were recorded from the human remains of 69 adult males of well-defined social status categories from the necropolis at Abusir (2700–2180 BC). Statistically significant differences between the scribes and the reference group attested a higher incidence of changes in scribes and manifested themselves especially in the occurrence of osteoarthritis of the joints. Our research reveals that remaining in a cross-legged sitting or kneeling position for extended periods, and the repetitive tasks related to writing and the adjusting of the rush pens during scribal activity, caused the extreme overloading of the jaw, neck and shoulder regions.

Special considerations for the use of AI tools by PEERs as a learning and communication aid.

There is no doubt that navigating academia is a formidable challenge, particularly for those from underrepresented backgrounds who face additional barriers at every turn. In such an environment, efforts to create learning and training environments that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive can feel like an uphill battle. We believe that harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help in leveling the playing field. While AI cannot supplant the need for supportive mentorship, it can serve as a vital supplement, offering guidance and assistance to those who may lack access to adequate avenues of support. Embracing AI in this context should not be stigmatized, as it may represent a vital lifeline for underrepresented individuals who often face systemic biases while forging their own paths in pursuit of success and belonging in academia. AI tools should not be gatekept from these individuals, particularly by those in positions of power and privilege within the scientific community. Instead, we argue, institutions should make a strong commitment to educating their community members on how to ethically harness these tools.

Mobility-in-place: how to keep privilege by being mobile at work

Abstract In this paper, we explore the notion of mobility as a dynamic process of keeping oneself in a privileged position through the mobilisation of linguistic, communicative, and semiotic resources. It is a proposed construct that troubles our understanding of the two dominant paradigms in the study of language in globalisation: the sociolinguistics of distribution (study of language-in-place) and the sociolinguistics of mobility (study of language-in-motion) (Blommaert and Dong 2007. Language and movement in space. Working Papers in Language Diversity. University of Jyväskylä). We examine the professional life story of Andrew and Juanito to map out the inventive manner by which they move around within their workplaces through their deployment of language, and English in particular. While there has been substantial work dedicated to unpacking elite language and how it enables the mobility of speakers, our paper departs from it by constructing an understanding of how such privilege is organized in terms of people’s ability to shift between linguistic and stylistic choices in order to mobilize their own privileged mobility within their chosen workplaces. What we see here is the mobilisation of ‘language-in-motion-in-place’ -- or broadly, mobility-in-place -- which erases the conceptual dichotomy between the two dominant paradigms in the study of language and globalisation: while the speakers are in place, they are also mobile.