Concept Of Power Research Articles

Nursing in the Capitalocene: An anarchistic approach to governmentality and pastoral care.

During the COVIDicine, many nurses awoke to the ways that the Healthcare-Industrial Complex (HIC) dictates the care we are able to provide. Using the Foucauldian concepts of pastoral power and governmentality, we explore the ways that nurses participate in upholding power structures within the HIC and reproducing them in our work, contributing to a carceral culture based on hierarchy and power dynamics. We also explore the ways nurses are both agentic in this system and subject to it, reluctant to make waves and lose our place within a system that can offer nurses safety and security in, and most importantly, a paycheck. This paper articulates a prefigurative anarchist approach to nursing praxis. Through the writing of Emma Goldman, we locate a historically founded philosophical basis for practical tactics that nurses can use to actualise this praxis. Both individually and as a collective, nurses can assert their own ethic and power through direct action, micro-insurgency and solidarity to build the world we know can be. Our only limitation is our imagination.

Synergistic Inhibition of Colorectal Cancer Cells by Autocrine Motility Factor Peptide and Glycyrrhetinic Acid.

Anti-cancer peptides are a powerful drug concept that induces cancer cell death through growth inhibition and membrane disruption, providing broad efficacy. The autocrine motility factor (AMF) interacts with the AMF receptor, regulating cancer cell motility, proliferation, metastasis, and angiogenesis through autocrine and paracrine pathways. However, studies verifying the synergistic effect of the combined use of anti-cancer drugs extracted from plants and AMF treatment are insufficient. The effects of AMF-derived peptide sequences were evaluated in HT29 and SW620 colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. The study assessed the impact of AMF peptides on cell proliferation, colony formation, the Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate/Reduced Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NADP+/NADPH) ratio, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in these CRC cells. Additionally, the combined effect of AMF peptides and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), a compound derived from licorice plants, was investigated by analyzing cell proliferation, colony formation, ROS production, and cell cycle progression in CRC cells. AMF peptides significantly inhibited CRC cell growth (p < 0.05), decreased colony formation (p < 0.05), and increased the NADP+/NADPH ratio (p < 0.05) and ROS production (p < 0.001). When combined with GA, AMF peptides enhanced GA's effects on CRC cells, further suppressing cell growth (p < 0.05) and colony formation (p < 0.05) while increasing ROS generation (p < 0.05). The synergy between AMF peptides and GA, derived from licorice plants, suggests the potential for combined peptide-phytochemical therapy for treating CRC.

Labour division and inclusion: perspectives of early childhood education staff on interprofessional collaboration when identifying and working with autistic children

ABSTRACT Autistic children have the right to be included in early childhood educational (ECE) settings. Motivated by the need for knowledge of how such education can be developed, this study examined the perspectives of ECE staff (i.e. teachers, child carers, and principals) on interprofessional collaboration regarding identifying and working with autistic children. Qualitative interviews were used. By using Interpretative phenomenological analysis, three themes were found: (1) identifying children, (2) professional collaboration in ECE settings, and (3) collaboration with professions from outside ECE settings. The findings were analysed in light of the concepts of power, jurisdiction, and interprofessional collaboration and discussed in relation to inclusive education. The study found that rigid labour divisions, power imbalances, and lack of knowledge were perceived to hinder collaboration concerning identifying and working with autistic children. The study concludes that future research on interprofessional collaboration is needed to improve inclusive education.

Prohibited journeys: power, mobility and resistance in early-modern Spain and Spanish America

This article explores the Spanish Crown’s increasing regulations on mobility and their attempts to inspect and classify transatlantic travellers, highlighting both top-down and bottom-up expressions of power. It explores the efforts of early modern power to control movement, while tracing their shortcomings and limitations, as well as the means through which some travellers reclaimed power and their freedom to move. The article offers an overview of the Crown’s initial efforts to control movement, using historical accounts to enhance our understanding of the complex interaction between mobility and power, and how they shaped each other. By considering public policies, testimonies from local authorities, and freedom litigation suits, the article traces how power was resisted and balanced through individual responses and legal mechanisms, contributing to more nuanced and interdisciplinary views of power dynamics, the free movement of people, and global mobility studies. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s concept of disciplinary power, it proposes tracing earlier stages of this diffused form of power, shedding new light on mobility as a governing mechanism and as an amalgam of experiences that reconfigure power relations and convey stories of resistance.

Enlightenment and Genocide: Johannes Andreas Paravicini’s Mission on Timor in 1756

Abstract The Dutch United East India Company (voc) had a Janus-faced position in early-modern maritime Asia as merchant and politician. The present study highlights this through the case of the Spanish-born diplomat Johannes Andreas Paravicini (1710–71). During his mission to Timor in 1756, he concluded a major contract with numerous indigenous states that ostensibly brought a major part of Timor under the voc, in defiance of the rival Portuguese. The contract itself merits attention as literature due to its Enlightenment rhetoric and stress on general welfare, despite being accompanied by excessive physical violence, genocide, and slaving. The article furthermore scrutinizes the ceremonies and symbols that aimed to subjugate the native states. It is argued that Paravicini, while relying on local informants, misrepresented the Timorese hierarchical power structures and concepts of authority. For the Dutch, this led to a series of disappointments and setbacks in the region during the following decades.

Ethical AI in Healthcare: Balancing Innovation with Privacy and Compliance

Within the dynamic and ever-changing healthcare industry, Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerges as a powerful and revolutionary concept capable of transforming patient care, optimising operational processes, and improving clinical decision-making. Nevertheless, the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare systems gives rise to substantial ethical considerations, especially pertaining to privacy and adherence to regulations. This work examines the ethical aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector, highlighting the importance of maintaining a harmonious equilibrium between technical advancement and strict compliance with privacy regulations and legal obligations. Moreover, the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare must adhere to legislative frameworks specifically created to safeguard the rights of humans. This encompasses not just compliance with current rules but also the proactive identification and resolution of developing legal norms as AI technology advances. Healthcare practitioners and artificial intelligence (AI) developers should cooperate to create explicit standards and procedures that conform to existing legislation and expected future rules.

그림책으로 읽어보는 어린이의 몸과 건강: 푸코의 지식, 권력과 담론을 기초로

Objectives This study aimed to analyze how picture books discuss and represent children's bodies and health, as well as to uncover their underlying meanings, utilizing the concepts of knowledge, power, and discourse by the post-structuralist M. Foucault. Methods To achieve this, a discourse analysis was conducted using Foucault's techniques of discipline, surveillance, and normalization on 132 picture books selected through the search of the National Library for Children and Young Adults. Results The findings revealed that these picture books reflect the standards and norms set by our society regarding children's bodies and health. They utilize the authority and status of specialized knowledge in fields such as medicine, nutrition, psychology, and sports science to regulate children's bodies by presenting different arrangements of healthy or vulnerable bodies and establishing hierarchical knowledge to secure a standardized body position. The multiplicity of voices, including the voice of narrators, illustrations, and the voice of adult readers, intertwined with gazes between characters, exerted the power of reward and punishment, allowing child readers to self-regulate regarding their bodies and health. Moreover, the ideal characteristics of children's bodies and health were reinforced through powerful discourses structured around expectations, commands, conventions, norms, declarations, and linked to broader societal discourses such as risk and deficiency, differentiated by age and gender. Conclusions The meaning and discourse surrounding children's healthy bodies were discussed within the context of how societal discourses, including risk and deficiency discourses based on age and gender, also regulate children's bodies and health. Picture books by adopting a narrative form can become a mechanism of power that (re)produces and disseminates knowledge and discourse about children.

The Evolution of China's Cyber-Espionage Tactics: From Traditional Espionage to AI-Driven Cyber Threats against Critical Infrastructure in the West

Purpose: This article critically investigates the evolution of China’s cyber-espionage strategies, specifically illustrating the shift from traditional espionage methodologies to the incorporation of advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI). This transition profoundly reshapes global power dynamics, delineating nuanced threats to critical infrastructure in Western nations, including power grids, financial systems, and communication networks (Wang et al., 2019). Materials and Methods: Utilizing a theoretical framework grounded in Joseph Nye's concept of soft power and contemporary security studies, this research posits a hypothesis: there exists a positive correlation between technological advancements and the escalation of espionage activities by state actors. The inquiry encompasses a comprehensive analysis of key components, such as vulnerabilities, adaptive strategies, geopolitical implications, deterrence mechanisms, and international collaboration, thereby illuminating the multifaceted risks to national security inherent in the digital age (Nye, 2004). Findings: The study critically evaluates the countermeasures undertaken by Western countries, probing strategic enhancements of cyber defences and the formation of international coalitions aimed at collective security (Huang et al., 2021). The findings reveal substantial obstacles in achieving a cohesive and effective response to the rapidly escalating and pervasive nature of contemporary cyber threats (Zhang et al., 2020). Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Considering the ongoing maturation of China’s cyber capabilities, characterized by an increased reliance on AI and the impending advent of quantum computing, the article advocates for a comprehensive revaluation of global security practices (Mann et al., 2020). It underscores the imperative for Western nations to not only innovate defensively but to also adopt proactive measures and foster significant international collaboration. This multifaceted approach is essential to address the complex challenges posed by state-sponsored cyber operations within an increasingly interconnected global landscape (Chen et al., 2021).

The translation of Salazar’s speeches into English: a case-study on soft power practices in twentieth century Portugal

ABSTRACT The concept of soft power is visible in many forms. According to Nye, the use of rhetoric is the resource found at the basis of soft power, thus projecting the development of a specific kind of narrative in a given setting. Hence, this article will focus on the context of the twentieth century Estado Novo dictatorship in the period from 1933 to the aftermath of the second World War in Portugal. This regime employed soft power practices through the systematic publication of political texts, more concretely of the speeches written and delivered by dictator Oliveira Salazar, which were translated into several foreign languages. This work will provide insight into the case of the translation of Salazar’s speeches into English as a means to influence international relations with a specific target audience in mind. It will also exemplify the kind of message the regime wanted to disseminate according to a specific target audience. A close reading of two speeches will therefore provide further insight.

Implications of tragic experiences on symbolic power: The case of displaced persons in Kenya

Displacement of human populations is a common phenomenon from natural and human causes. Conflict and natural disasters such as floods, volcanic eruptions, landslides, out-breaks of diseases are among the regular culprits. Victims of displacement experience dramatic changes in their life situations a common denominator being temporary and at times permanent deprivation of crucial resources for their daily lives. This affects their place in the social hierarchy among members of their host community. The displaced persons in Kenya following the 2007-2008 post-election violence were uprooted from their homes and deprived of their property. They lived in camps and with well-wishers depending on assistance from others. How does this affect their social station in life and how do they manifest? This paper examines the effect of displacement on the perception and treatment of the affected persons by their host communities. The paper utilizes qualitative methods to analyze the discourse of the displaced persons, providing a deeper understanding of their experiences upon displacement. The paper was guided by insights from Critical Discourse Analysis and Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical concepts of capital, symbolic power and symbolic violence the paper. It brings to light the sudden changes in the perceptions and social evaluations of the victims and their response to the undesired changes. The paper comes to the conclusion that the new life status leads to new self-evaluations as well as the evaluations by those around them and the displaced persons lose symbolic capital and symbolic power and come to the receiving end of symbolic violence. In so doing, the paper illuminates the plight of the displaced persons beyond the evident material loses and recommends interventions to address these effects.

Interpreting Visuality in the Middle Ages: The Iconographic Paradigm of the Refectory of the Monastery of San Salvador de Oña

The research area of the interaction between religion, politics, and medieval Hispanic art has been pioneering and at the cutting edge of contemporary historiography in recent years. The deployment of iconographic and calligraphic motifs in medieval religious spaces has been identified as a key means of propagating legitimating messages of power and disseminating Christian doctrines. This interdisciplinary study proposes an analysis of the artistic vestiges present in the refectory of the Monastery of San Salvador de Oña (Burgos), with a view to establishing their decorative evolution during the 14th century and their symbolic significance. In order to establish a chronological proposal for the remains, the historical, artistic, and architectural contexts of the monastery are analyzed. This is complemented by a study of materials and techniques and a symbolic and iconographic analysis of the signs of power and evangelical concepts from the time of Peter I until the transition to the Trastámara dynasty. In this way, a cross-disciplinary investigation is proposed, with the aim of elucidating how a sacred artistic work situated within a secular context can serve multiple purposes of political and religious legitimation through the adaptation of its iconography over time.

How practical is tactical? Political sociology, militarization, and police tactical teams in Canada

Emergency Response Teams (ERT), commonly referred to as Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) teams, are the specialized police unit responsible for mitigating violent and dangerous conflict beyond the capacity of general duty to handle effectively. Debates surrounding the application and effectiveness of ERTs in policing highlight a need to keep ERT members safe due to adequacy and occupational health and safety standards while concurrently managing the expectations of community groups. These groups include those calling for defunding or de-militarization. Explored in the current article, is a thematic analysis of popularized media to unpack the arguments that police, government officials and community activist groups make to help shift opinions on police militarization. However, we frame these media account within Bourdieusian concepts of symbolic power, habitus or field struggle to provide insight into, arguably conflicting, interpretations of police militarization.

Why the post-identification era is long overdue: Commentary on the current controversy over forensic feature comparison as applied to forensic firearms examination

In this commentary, we critically review recurring arguments for and against the discipline of forensic feature comparison as applied to firearms examination from various commentators within and outside forensic science. One of the mainstream criticisms that we address, among others, is that the field cannot demonstrate sufficient proficiency and robustness based on empirical (i.e., black-box) studies. While the lack of empirically demonstrated examiner proficiency is a valid concern and a powerful concept in the short term (e.g., in admissibility proceedings), many critics reduce their discussion of forensic feature comparison solely to the need to measure and demonstrate proficiency through error rates. However, the exclusive focus on aggregate expert performance metrics, here referred to as examiner diagnosticism, remains a surface-level perspective. It provides an incomplete account of the field because these metrics do not represent—but are often confused with—the notion of the evidentiary value of findings, i.e., observations made on examined items in individual cases. We argue that examiner diagnosticism should be contrasted and complemented with the notion of feature selectivity, i.e., the diagnostic capacity of observed marks and features on examined items. We argue that forensic scientists should report and be probed on their ability to quantify feature selectivity (i.e., the probative value of findings). By ceasing to express source attribution opinions (identification/individualisation), which are now widely exposed as unscientific, the forensic feature comparison disciplines could move further into the long-awaited post-identification era pioneered by other fields such as forensic genetics.

Power in the future of work: production, reproduction, and reconstruction

Labour studies have always been concerned with power, so how do concepts of power inform an understanding of the future of work today? Luke’s Three Dimensions of Power reveals how past contests over the normative outcomes and policy choices of future labour also present for platform capitalism. But while modern conceptions of power capture the realignment of productivist power relations under rentier capital, they fall short in explaining the legacy of colonial capital on the future of work. Drawing on a wide range of post-colonial and post human literatures, structural power is shown to forget the futures of many exploited, dispossessed and subaltern workers where productive alliances may be formed. Understanding power in these terms also shows how power relations can be confronted and challenged in a post-productivist agenda that could inform new ways of understanding the future of labour.

Discipline and Power in the Digital Age. Critical Reflections from Foucault’s Thought

In the ever-evolving landscape of the digital age, the theories posited by Michel Foucault four decades ago provide an insightful lens through which to view our contemporary technological society. This article underscores the shift from modern reference disciplines, such as biology, political economy, and linguistics, to the emergent domains of cognitive and computer sciences. By exploring the personalization of online user experiences via data collection and behavioral microtargeting, the study highlights the nuances of modern surveillance. This new era of monitoring bears a resemblance to Foucault’s concept of disciplinary power, marked by its subtle yet omnipresent control. In a world where digital oversight by governments and corporations is increasingly prominent, the relevance of Foucault’s ideas becomes significant for deciphering and traversing the intricate landscapes of power and surveillance in the digital age.

Power of economics without power in economics?

Power relations dominate most social and economic processes. Despite its significance, however, the concept of structural power relations is often neglected in standard economics. Standard economics often confines itself to dissecting an idealised, abstract world, wherein power dynamics are abstracted from and seen as somewhat outside the economic realm. But, can economics be powerful in understanding, explaining and, ideally, tackling the multiple crises of our time without embedding the concept of power in its analysis? We suggest that the lack of consideration or insufficient engagement with power-related aspects in mostly standard approaches has far-reaching implications, as policies that neglect underlying power relations are not fit to address the crisis. This collection reopens the discussion of power in economics. Building on the talks and discussions at the 2023 EAEPE Pre-Conference that was held in Leeds, UK, this collection provides scholars an outlet to shed light on power structures within their field of research to highlight the complexity and interrelation of power and economics. We also conduct a literature analysis to identify different forms and categories of power used in the mainstream and heterodox economics literature with a particular focus on the different definitions and interpretations of the concept. We get our sample from the Web of Science (WoS) category ‘Economics’ in the WoS SSCI database, from 2010 to 2024. This approach provides a roadmap to better understand the different interpretations, definitions and conceptualisations of power within current literature.

SPECIFICS OF THE EU DEVELOPMENT POLICY

The article deals with the current stage of EU development policy. The evolution of the EU aid system is retrospectively analyzed. Attention is also paid to the key EU documents wherein the principles of current development policy are set forth. The background the EU is delivering its aid against is outlined. It involves political and economic crises, competition with the «rising» donors, including China, discussions on strategic autonomy, rise of the far-right parties. The pivotal changes in EU development policy are investigated, which are a new financial instrument, geographical redistribution of ODA flows, introduction of the Team Europe and Global Gateway initiatives, substantive change to the EU normative power concept. EU development policy is revealed to be increasingly acquiring a tactical character, with the focus having shifted onto the neighborhood and EU mainstream issues. Aspiration to make the aid system more flexible to rapidly respond to crises is noted as well.

The men’s world cup in Qatar 2022 through the lens of the western media: soft power, sports diplomacy and sportswashing

The chapter examines Western journalistic discourses from the perspective of culture, political values, and international relations during the coverage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. We explore Soft Power, Sports Diplomacy, and Sportswashing concepts and analyze the discourses through a historical context about the Islamic and Arabic World, Qatari academics' perspectives, human rights issues, and international media placement. Considerations include the use of sports to position Qatar as an active player in development programs and to present positive facts to improve geopolitics in the region.

Institutional power and the deinstitutionalization of marriage

AbstractIn this article, I revisit the debate surrounding the deinstitutionalization of marriage. I identify the divergent methodologies used to evaluate deinstitutionalization and argue that institutional power requires greater definition. I develop the concept of institutional power by applying a Lukesian lens to new institutionalist theories of institutional activities. I define deinstitutionalization as the loss of connection between institutions and their sources of institutional power which constitutes their institutionality. Further, I argue that the indicators used to assess deinstitutionalization must recognize (a) the formal and informal aspects of marriage's institutionality and (b) the regulatory, normative, and cultural‐cognitive bases of marriage's institutional power. I argue that discursive processes drive developments in the discursive field of intimacy yet the emphasis on individualization in existing scholarship struggles to adequately explain developments such as same‐sex marriage. I propose that the personal life thesis offers a more cogent explanation of these changes.

Understanding model power in social AI

AbstractGiven the widespread integration of Social AI like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and MyAI, in personal and professional contexts, it is crucial to understand their effects on information and knowledge processing, and individual autonomy. This paper builds on Bråten’s concept of model power, applying it to Social AI to offer a new perspective on the interaction dynamics between humans and AI. By reviewing recent user studies, we examine whether and how models of the world reflected in Social AI may disproportionately impact human-AI interactions, potentially leading to model monopolies where Social AI impacts human beliefs, behaviour and homogenize the worldviews of its users. The concept of model power provides a framework for critically evaluating the impact and influence that Social AI has on communication and meaning-making, thereby informing the development of future systems to support more balanced and meaningful human-AI interactions.