Present-day Attitudes Research Articles

Henrietta Howard: mistress, survivor, imperialist?

ABSTRACT Traditionally, Henrietta Howard has been seen through the lens of her role as George II's mistress and a ‘woman of reason’ who was connected to the leading men of her day. More recently, Henrietta Howard has been reinterpreted as a minor feminist icon: a survivor, who overcame childhood tragedy, an abusive marriage, and the patriarchal system to become a leading cultural patron, living in comfort at the home she built, Marble Hill. This article seeks to situate Henrietta as a beneficiary of, and participant in, imperial activity and exchange. Today these two interpretations - Henrietta as ‘survivor’ and Henrietta as ‘imperialist’;- feel at odds with one another. Present-day attitudes mean that a feel-good, ‘girlboss’; feminist narrative about Henrietta’s life, does not sit easily with the fact that she benefitted from transatlantic slavery. However, I argue the two readings can be reconciled, creating a new interpretation, when we consider that it was through imperial activity that Georgian women such as Henrietta Howard were able to materially benefit, survive and even thrive.

The Holocaust, the Socialization of Victimhood and Outgroup Political Attitudes in Israel

How does historical victimization and its memorialization impact present-day outgroup attitudes in conflict-riven societies? This study explores this question using a survey experiment with a representative sample of 2000 Jewish Israelis—half of whom are direct descendants of Holocaust survivors—and a content analysis of 98 state-approved school textbooks, examining how histories of victimization become socialized and shape political attitudes. We find that, in Israel, family victimization during the Holocaust plays surprisingly little role in shaping present-day attitudes toward outgroups. Rather, perceived historical victimization of the Jewish and Israeli people is broadly socialized among the Israeli public and is a stronger predictor of outgroup (in)tolerance. These findings shed light on the power of societal victimhood narratives—even in the absence of personal family histories of victimization—to shape political attitudes in conflict contexts, with long-term implications for intergroup cooperation and conflict.

An Unfinished Chapter: The Impact of Belgians’ Social Representations of Colonialism on their Present-Day Attitudes Towards Congolese People Living in Belgium

Various national and international political associations have claimed that present-day racism towards people of African descent living in formerly colonizing European countries is caused by these countries’ colonial past and their governments’ failure to adequately address this historical legacy. However, no empirical study has yet examined the relation between social representations of colonialism (SRC) and attitudes towards Afro-descendants among majority group members. To investigate this phenomenon, we carried out two cross-sectional studies, which both confirmed that SRC are associated with attitudes towards the Congolese and with support for compensations. Study 1 (N = 407) investigated, among Belgian participants, the association of the two dimensions of SRC – Exploitation and Development – with present-day intergroup attitudes and support for compensations (material and symbolic) for colonialism. Representing the colonial past in terms of Exploitation was associated with more positive attitudes and more intentions to compensate for colonialism, whereas representing it in terms of Development had the opposite effect. Some of these effects were moderated by national identification. Study 2 (N = 203) used the same design but also included a modern racism scale. Results of Study 1 were generally replicated, and effects of SRC on modern racism were obtained: SRC in terms of Exploitation was associated with less modern racism, and SRC in terms of Development was associated with more modern racism. Results are discussed in terms of post-colonial intergroup relations.

The associations between exclusive collective victim beliefs and negative attitudes toward the EU

The present study investigated the effects of historical exclusive collective victim beliefs (i.e., the perceived uniqueness and severity of the ingroup’s past suffering) on attitudes toward the European Union. Three cross-sectional online surveys (total N = 729) tested the hypothesis that historical exclusive victim beliefs are related to negative EU attitudes. We also hypothesized that the associations between exclusive victim beliefs and EU attitudes are mediated by the perceived similarities between the EU and former perpetrators, belief in the existence of victimhood-related conspiracies against the ingroup, and perceived lack of acknowledgment of the ingroup’s victimization by the EU. Study 1 demonstrated, Study 2 and Study 3 directly and conceptually replicated the mediating role of perceived similarities between the EU and former perpetrators, suggesting that historical analogies provide orientation for contemporary group members. Additionally, in Study 2, we obtained evidence for the mediating role of the belief in the existence of an EU-related conspiracy against Hungary as a mediator, and in Study 3, for the mediating role of the perceived lack of acknowledgment of the ingroup’s victimization by the EU. The findings have theoretical and practical implications regarding the role of historical victim beliefs in formulating present-day attitudes.

Memories of hunger, continuities, and food choices: An ethnography of the elderly in extremadura (Spain)

Food choices are a complex subject of study. This study reviews existing literature on the topic, while also offering new perspectives. It introduces empirical materials that suggest the existence of continuities between childhood memories of food insecurity and current nutritional choices and practices among older adults. This is a qualitative study, based on grounded theory, which explores memories of hunger in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War through ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 12 rural localities in Extremadura (Spain) – analysing current food practices and ideologies among surviving post-war children and tracing continuities between the past and the present.It provides results in the field of food continuities and shows how experiences and memories of hunger have an impact on food choices many decades later Data analysis and interpretation revealed three main categories: food memories of the so-called “years of hunger”; present-day food practices; and continuities between past and present. The inductive-deductive analysis revealed enduring memories that shaped present-day attitudes towards food – i.e. maximisation of ingredients and “zero-waste” practices; conspicuous consumption at particular times of the year; the central role of bread; and even certain food taboos. More than seventy years later, memories of deprivation and hunger are still pervasive and permeate present-day dietary practices and choices.

The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics: Humans, Nonhumans, and the Living Landscape

The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics: Humans, Nonhumans, and the Living Landscape

Family Law in the GCC and the Best Interests of the Child

AbstractThis article considers the inclusion of the best interests of the child standard in the family law regimes of Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as its implications for our understanding of families in the Persian Gulf region. Specifically, the degree and ends to which the concept of the best interests of the child have been used in formulating the rules governing domestic child law generally, and parental care in particular, will be investigated. As the best interests of the child standard remains a vague and largely undefined legal concept in all three family codes, the analysis will not limit its focus on statutory approaches to reforming child law. More importantly, this article also considers legal practice in child law and the courts’ interpretation of the best interests of the child standard. In doing so, the article: (i.) discusses how the introduction of the best interests of the child standard has served to reform family law on its codification in Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE; and (ii.) explores what the interpretation of the concept of best interests of the child tells us about changing societal values, family structures, and present-day attitudes towards motherhood and fatherhood in the GCC. I argue that, although the best interests of the child standard has come to influence most aspects of child law in the three countries under review, its usage and meaning remains inconsistent. The concept serves multiple purposes in the area of parental care in particular. What is still missing in all three jurisdictions is a thoroughly grounded and all-encompassing framework to determine the best interests of the child standard and also an understanding of its overall function within family law.

“My Best Memory Is When I Was Done with It”: PE Memories Are Associated with Adult Sedentary Behavior

ABSTRACT The transition from childhood to adolescence is marked by a dramatic decrease in physical activity (PA). Physical education (PE) experiences may contribute to this change but remain underresearched. Using a retrospective survey, we examined whether memories of enjoyment or nonenjoyment of PE relate to present-day (adult) attitudes, intentions, PA, and sedentary behavior. An online questionnaire was completed by 1028 American respondents (18–45 yr). The participants rated their retrospective enjoyment of PE, present attitudes and intentions for PA, as well as present PA and sedentary behavior. In addition, participants responded with their best and worst PE memories in an open-ended fashion. Retrospective enjoyment of PE was associated with present-day attitude (r = 0.37, P < 0.00001) and intention (r = 0.23, P < 0.00001) for PA, as well as negatively associated with sedentary time on the weekend (r = −0.14, P < 0.00001). The best memories related to enjoyment of the activities in class (56%), experiencing feelings of physical competence (37%), and, interestingly, 7% were not having to take PE class any longer or skipping the class. Of the worst memories, 34% related to embarrassment, 18% to lack of enjoyment, 17% to bullying, 14% to social–physique anxiety, 16% to injury, and 2% to being punished by the PE teacher. Childhood memories of PE are associated with PA attitude, intention, and sedentary behavior in adulthood. Intensified research efforts should be directed toward understanding the factors and processes that lead to the formation of memories of PE.

The Rainbow Connection: How Music Classrooms Create Safe Spaces for Sexual-Minority Young People

LGBTQ students in many parts of the United States often experience hostility on the part of other students, teachers, and administrators. This article reviews current terminology, examines present-day attitudes and recent literature, and offers suggestions to educators who want to create safe spaces for all students in their classrooms.

The Weight of History: When Historical Corporate Transgressions Affect Present-Day Consumer Attitudes

Many organizations with long histories have committed major moral transgressions in their distant past. We establish that such transgressions, even if they were the responsibility of individuals long departed from the firm, can negatively bias consumers’ present-day attitudes toward these organizations. Neither attempting to make up for past wrongs nor highlighting a high transgression base rate among similar organizations of the past is particularly effective at mitigating negative consequences of past transgressions. Conversely, behaving righteously in the present in a domain unrelated to that of the transgression and having consumers deliberate on the connection (or lack thereof) between the past and present organization appear relatively effective at mitigating the effect of past transgressions on present attitudes. We argue that these findings can be explained by consumers instinctively representing organizations as possessing an immutable essence.

True confessions: why I left a traditional liberal arts college for the sins of the big city

PurposeBy means of several auto-ethnographic stories (including a scene from a working script for a proposed film), the author interrogates numerous ideas and misconceptions about gay youth, both past and present. A “bargain of silence” sometimes following gay sexual encounters in youth is described. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe author recounts a sexual experience with a male college student in his past. This dissonance catapulted the author to move from his small liberal arts college to the city and begin his education again at an art college.FindingsThe author then describes his personal attraction to a 16-year-old boy who lived near his lodgings during one summer’s break from art college. This time, the relationship remained purely platonic, but that did not seem to matter where the boy’s parents were concerned. The author’s social position and pretence coupled with his romantic outlook convinced him that anything was possible, even this platonic love. The painful lesson learned that summer was that this was not the case, and never would be. The boy’s parents threatened Jones, and he never saw the youth again. The author continues by discussing his award-winning research-based film, Rufus Stone, and the reactions and conversations following screenings, particularly with youth. This present generation seems to Jones to be a sexually ambivalent one, more comfortable with multiple choices or no choice at all. Nonetheless, these young people do identify with the complexity of feelings and insecurities presented by youth within the film.Research limitations/implicationsIn a recent report on sexuality of American high school students by the Center for Disease Control, researchers found an ambivalence and “dissonance” amongst youth regarding sexuality and choice. The author acknowledges that there remains a contemporary problem of genuine acceptance by society, and that there still is work to be done. He also admits that present-day attitudes by youth regarding sexuality are one that he had previously assumed to be historical ones.Originality/valueBeing straight or being gay can be viewed within the wider culture’s need to set up a sexual binary and force sexual “choice” decision-making for the benefit of the majority culture. Through the device of the fleeting moment, this essay hopes to interrogate the certainties and uncertainties of the “norms” of modernity by portraying sexuality in youth.

Ireland and Brexit: A Roundtable

A panel of five historians and political scientists, from the United States, Ireland, and Britain respond to questions regarding Brexit vote of the United Kingdom in June 2016 and historic and present-day attitudes toward the European Union (EU) in Britain and Ireland. The authors consider regional variations in attitudes toward the EU within both countries. They offer commentary on the implications of the Brexit vote on future British-Irish relations, particularly with regard to the nature of the land border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the future. The article closes with a discussion of how the nature of nation-states has been called into question by the vote, requiring that political actors and nations reconcile states and multi-state entities with nations in a new context.

Unquiet Slumbers

Unquiet Slumbers Nathan K. Hensley (bio) If we take presentism to mean “a bias towards present or present-day attitudes . . . in the interpretation of history” (that’s the Oxford English Dictionary; another dictionary calls it an “uncritical . . . tendency”), then we seem forced to understand this “bias” as a kind of intellectual sin: and perhaps, in a historical field like ours, the original one. The phrase we’re gathered to discuss concedes this, I think, since the syntactical form it borrows—“strategic BLANK-ism”—does something like cop to doing a bad thing while asking for leave because that thing is done strategically. My title comes from that model of looping, recursive historicism called Wuthering Heights (1847), which I will discuss later. First, I want to dwell briefly on the itinerary of the syntactic structure I just named “strategic___-ism”—from Gayatri Spivak to Caroline Levine to us, here, now—to focus less on the goodness or badness of the last part, presentism, and more on the first, strategy. In a 1993 interview that partially touched on her coinage “strategic essentialism,” Spivak noted that she no longer used the phrase. Pressed by well-meaning interviewers, Spivak explained that the term, after its enormously wide uptake in the American academy, “became the union ticket for essentialism,” an excuse for right-minded people to subscribe to the bad ideas—nationalism, gender ideology—congregating under that name. “As to what is meant by strategy,” she continued, “no one wondered about that” (Danius and Jonsson 35). We should follow Spivak, probably, in remaining suspicious of methodologies that crystallize so easily into portable maxims, and her question continues to resonate for us today: what is meant by strategy? Caroline Levine’s 2006 article “Strategic Formalism,” later reworked in her Lowell-Prize-winning 2015 book Forms, is experiencing a similarly vibrant citational life, and has [End Page 113] more to say about formalism than the other half of what the essay’s subtitle calls a “new method in cultural studies.” Three years before the interview I just mentioned—the first time she renounced strategic essentialism—Spivak warned against the temptation to allow strategy to “freez[e]” (4) and acquire a “fetish-character” (3). It is often the case, Spivak explains, that “strategies are taught as if they were theories, good for all cases.” But a “strategy suits a situation; a strategy is not a theory” (4).1 I want to pause briefly on the danger Spivak notes of transforming temporary operational procedures into the static templates for thought she names “theory,” and that Levine calls “method.” Spivak’s distinction between tactical tool and hypostasized “masterword” (3) evokes the Marxian notion of strategy as an action directed toward a goal in a particular situation, one whose “goodness” or “badness” can only ever be judged by the extent to which it helps realize an end whose justness has been agreed upon in advance.2 As Vladimir Lenin says in one of his letters on strategy: “Our theory is not a dogma, but a guide to action” (n.p.). This sense of strategy-as-weapon puts it nearer to the art of war than the disinterested pursuit of truth: it is the means by which an enemy is defeated, a tool in a just struggle. And it’s in this spirit that Louis Althusser, in a set of half-sane, constantly revised lectures he began developing in 1962 and delivered for the first time in 1971, undertook to read the work of Niccolò Machiavelli, recovering this infamous amoralist as a figure for the left. Through Machiavelli’s political realism, Althusser justified his own sense that action must always be fitted to a conjuncture, “an aleatory, singular case” where “all the existing concrete circumstances” are arranged in a particular way (18). Onto the typescripts that became Machiavelli and Us (1999), Althusser added by hand the word “singular,” which he also underlined, and, in blue and black ballpoint pen, wrote in the word “case” four times over two pages; he was emphasizing obsessively the fact that method must always arise from, and seek to change, a unique concrete scenario (105n). The point is that there can be no such thing as strategic...

Princely Patronage and Patriot Cause: Corruption and Public Value Dynamics in the Dutch Republic (1770s–1780s)

While the usefulness of historical insight is often implicitly recognized in public values studies, it is rarely expressed in actual historical research. This article argues that historical analysis is well equipped to investigate public values and their dynamics (i.e., change and continuity over time). To illustrate this argument, the article presents a corruption scandal involving the regent Hugo Repelaer in the Dutch Republic of the 1770s and 1780s. The article shows how patronage and other forms of political behavior were contested on the basis of new and/or reemphasized public values and political principles, such as popular sovereignty and representation. It also shows the emergence of value monism in the Dutch context. An explicit link between the events of the case and theoretical perspectives on public value dynamics serves, furthermore, to increase the understanding of the latter and to elucidate present discussions. The article contends that a historical approach to public values can and should inform present-day attitudes to corruption and integrity, and offers promising avenues for future historical research on public values on a European scale.

Collective Memory and Collective Fear: How South Africans Use the Past to Explain Crime

The past is a resource that individuals can draw upon as they try to make sense of the world around them, and scholars have long assumed that individuals internalize and utilize collective memories in their daily lives. Yet capturing and analyzing the deployment of collective memory has proven elusive. This paper offers a novel approach for tapping whether, and how, individuals selectively draw on their collective pasts to explain the present. Analyzing interviews with young South African managers and professionals, this paper demonstrates racial variation in how respondents organically introduce the country’s apartheid past as an explanans for current crime, and suggests how these differences are related to divergent levels of commitment by blacks and whites to the South African nation-building project. In so doing, the paper offers a method for examining how individuals selectively use the past to construct, justify, and explain their present-day attitudes and behaviors. The study further highlights the importance of attending not only to what people remember, but also to how they think through and with collective representations of the past.

Italian Jews: From Social Integration to the Construction of a New European Identity

In this article I discuss the history of Italian Jews from the Emancipation to the racial laws of 1938 and their present-day attitudes to Judaism and the State of Israel. My aim is to suggest how the policy of social integration enabled Italian Jews to construct a new identity without losing their ancestral heritage. The example of Italian Jewry is relevant to understanding the growing need in today‘s European Union—now comprising 27 countries with different languages, cultures, and values—of revising the concept of national identity and of exploring ways of constructing a new European identity.

Collective Futures: How Projections About the Future of Society Are Related to Actions and Attitudes Supporting Social Change

We identified the active ingredients in people's visions of society's future ("collective futures") that could drive political behavior in the present. In eight studies (N = 595), people imagined society in 2050 where climate change was mitigated (Study 1), abortion laws relaxed (Study 2), marijuana legalized (Study 3), or the power of different religious groups had increased (Studies 4-8). Participants rated how this future society would differ from today in terms of societal-level dysfunction and development (e.g., crime, inequality, education, technology), people's character (warmth, competence, morality), and their values (e.g., conservation, self-transcendence). These measures were related to present-day attitudes/intentions that would promote/prevent this future (e.g., act on climate change, vote for a Muslim politician). A projection about benevolence in society (i.e., warmth/morality of people's character) was the only dimension consistently and uniquely associated with present-day attitudes and intentions across contexts. Implications for social change theories, political communication, and policy design are discussed.

Exalting the Meek Virtue of Humility in Aquinas

Exalting the Meek Virtue of Humility in Aquinas

Philadelphia's Lost Waterfront

Philadelphia's Lost Waterfront

Scenarios as a tool for supporting policy-making for the Wadden Sea

The Wadden Sea region along the Dutch coast is currently an area undergoing a turning point in the context of both environmental change and economic growth and development, which will inevitably result in pivotal alterations of its natural systems. In this work, we apply scenarios as a tool to explore possible futures of both environmental conditions and use-regimes in this region. Implications of divergent world-views about the Wadden Sea environment and its development potential are evaluated with this methodology to find common ground among stake-holders regarding management trajectories and the possible environmental conditions that may result from prospective policy options. Particular considerations of how to generate and evaluate scenarios are identified and applied to reveal how current environmental tensions regarding development, resource exploitation, and conservation in the Wadden Sea region can be useful to frame feasible policy prescriptions and mitigate conflict among user-groups. Two scenarios, “Nature First” and “Food and Energy” were constructed based on present-day attitudes and perceptions of how this region should be managed, given its particular status as a unique and sensitive ecosystem that also harbors abundant resources and industrial growth capacity. We show that by looking ahead into potential outcomes of current trends in development efforts, these scenarios can effectively inform the decision-making processes by revealing the potential consequences, both beneficial and adverse, that could result from the variety of development goals currently being considered for the Wadden Sea region. We show that this heavily-utilized coastal zone requires a strategic long-term integrated vision that includes the flexibility to accommodate unexpected circumstances that result from short-term management decisions.