Public Life Research Articles

Society and Archaeological Sites in Interwar Greece

Throughout the twentieth century, Greek society invested in the enhancement and management of archaeological sites and monuments seen as particularly important for the nation’s political and diplomatic agendas. Antiquities have always been part of public life in modern Greece, as evidenced by national campaigns emphasizing the timeless value of ancient Greek culture, promoted in the service of national, political and economic ends. In this context, the Greek Archaeological Service has long carried out works for landscaping and demarcating archaeological sites, as well as for enhancing access to them. This study, drawing on archival material of the Directorate for the Management of the National Archive of Monuments (DMNAM) and other sources as well as two case studies—the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae/Andritsaina and the archaeological site of Delphi—examines the factors that have determined the relationships between antiquities and Greek society. In particular, it focuses on contradictions, and occasional conflicts, related to such relationships during the interwar period (1918–1939) and the social impact of the promotion and enhancement of archaeological sites. The paper also emphasizes local communities’ and authorities’ involvement in managing archaeological sites in their regions due to high tourist interest during this period.

Selling the junta abroad: PR campaigns and UK–Greek relations during the Wilson government, 1967–69

ABSTRACT The propagandistic machine of the military dictatorship that ruled Greece between 1967 and 1974 has provided a focal point of scholarly inquiry in recent years. However, research has focused on the domestic front—the role of radio, television, and cinema—and has completely neglected the issue of public relations in the foreign policy arena. Nothing is known about how the dictatorship, which held an exceedingly weak reputational hand, strove to remake its image to the outside world. This article addresses this historiographical lacuna, exploring the Greek junta’s attempts to improve its international reputation by enlisting the services of foreign public relations (PR) firms. By demonstrating the interplay of nation branding and foreign policy in this way, this article highlights the underappreciated role of transnational non-governmental actors such as PR firms in the ‘nation branding’ of authoritarian regimes. In the process, it reveals how the lobbying activities of a London-based PR firm enlisted by the junta vitiated UK–Greek relations during Harold Wilson’s Labour government, and culminated in an important, and underexplored, flashpoint in political discourse concerning the outside interests of parliamentarians and standards of integrity in British public life.

Beyond trade-offs: Exploring the changing interplay of public and private welfare provision in old age and health in the historical long-run

Modern welfare states compete with private providers of welfare in offering economic security. This is most evident in the case of pensions competing with life insurance and private pensions as well as of public health insurance competing with private insurance providers. The common view of this public–private relationship is one of a trade-off: longitudinally, political scientists describe how retrenchment was pushed by privatized welfare, whereas economists trace the crowding-out of private to public welfare provisions. Cross-sectionally, they claim that countries have lower public spending levels because they have a large private sector. We suggest a more nuanced view. Drawing on a new long-run panel data of public pension and private life insurance expenditures and contributions in 20 OECD countries since Bismarck to the current day, we show that in the postwar years a cross-sectional trade-off emerged, which then faded. Longitudinally, complementary relationships of public and private provision growth have become the norm. We argue theoretically and show empirically that trade-offs only occur if governments still hold (waning) anti-interventionist and pro-market views.

The Specific Application and Meaning Expression of Folk Art in Urban Landscape Design Under the Optimized Interactive Genetic Algorithm

With the rapid and stable growth of China's economy and the rapid development of urban construction, urban complexes have sprung up in major cities. The lag in urban ecological environmental protection, maintenance and construction has brought great pressure to the needs of today's urban residents in terms of life, safety, and sense of belonging. In the major cities with many high-rise buildings in contemporary China, land resources are becoming more and more scarce, and the urban ecological environment is in urgent need of recycling, and due to the blind imitation of Western culture and design mode and the neglect of my country's traditional regional culture, the urban landscape lacks interaction, resonance, and sense of belonging with citizens, and the phenomenon of landscape similarity emerges in various cities, focusing on the landscape space of urban complexes. There are also these problems. Urban residents urgently need a third space that can adjust their physical, mental, and spiritual needs. How to design an urban complex landscape that meets the aesthetic needs and humanistic needs of contemporary cities and has regional characteristics has become the first important task of my research. Folk art is an artistic treasure created by the working people in their production and life. Folk art is the embodiment of cultural regionality and the foundation of national culture. It awakens people's awareness of the importance of local culture, awakens people's sense of belonging, and is closer to the local public life. Today, the living soil and social and humanistic environment of folk art are in the process of urbanization in our country, and there is a trend of gradual disappearance of lifestyle changes. How to make the contemporary urban complex landscape an organic soil for the survival, expression, application, and development of folk art is an important task in contemporary urban landscape design. Based on optimization, related concepts such as symbols, folk art symbols, urban complexes, urban complex landscape design, etc. have been sorted out. The relevant experimental results show that the construction land accuracy of the logistic regression model based on genetic algorithm has increased from 78.0% to 85.3%. kappa increased from 74.5% to 81.2%. Research shows that the logistic regression parameter optimization method based on genetic algorithm has better simulation effect than the conventional logistic regression method and is more suitable for the situation of unbalanced data distribution and many data features in the simulation of large-scale urban land dynamic changes.

Theorising Girls Room Graff: Networking Affirmation to Counter Misogyny

Abstract The harmful impact of misogyny on women as we take part in public life is not a new problem. And despite its early promise as a space open to all, the online world has not tempered misogynistic responses to women having opinions. What is easier to see in online interaction is the ‘networking’ of misogyny— hostile commentators ‘piling on’ and coordinating harassment. I explore the need for solutions by surveying contemporary feminist analyses of online misogyny, and considering whether the ‘mobbing’ theorised in bullying literature might be useful in understanding ‘pile on’ behaviours. My case study, a 2013 Tumblr site called Girls Room Graff, archives graffiti taken from women’s public bathrooms in bars and restaurants, thereby serving a purpose subversive of networked misogyny: it piles on validation and affirmation to empower the reader. I argue this is one way of doing politics of care from a feminist peace studies standpoint.

Phenomenology of the inclusive potential of the family as a factor in socialization of children with disabilities

Introduction. The lack of tools for studying the potential resources and capabilities of the family, as well as the search for optimal strategies and mechanisms for the real inclusion of people with disabilities in all spheres of public life is on the current national and international agenda. Aspects of rehabilitation potential of the individual and the environment, educational potential, functionality and effectiveness of the family, competence, including inclusive competence, are considered for a comprehensive analysis of inclusive potential of families raising children with disabilities. The emphasis is shifted to understanding the potential of the family as a factor in socialization of children with disabilities. The article aims to systematize and scientifically analyze ideas about the potential opportunities and resources for the socialization of children with disabilities and their families, followed by justification of the criteria base and mechanism for assessing the inclusive potential of families. Materials and methods. Within the framework of interdisciplinary scientific discourse, a model of a criteria base and of mechanism for analyzing and assessing the inclusive potential of a family raising a child with disabilities is proposed. The basis for constructing such model is decomposition of groups of competencies through indicators of parental effectiveness based on formalization. Results and discussion. Based on the analysis of the terminological field related to assessing and developing family potential in matters of development and socialization of a child with disabilities, the author’s positions on ‘inclusive family potential’ are presented. Some socio-psychological phenomena are considered that reflect the capabilities and resources of both the children themselves and their social environment. Particular attention is paid to indicating the functional effectiveness of parents of children with disabilities. Conclusion. The discussed model for assessing the inclusive potential of families raising children with disabilities has a universal design, formed as a result of initial testing and expert assessment. This approach allows for a comparative analysis of individual indicators and assessment of the influence certain factors exert on the effectiveness of accompanying children of different categories of disabilities. Systematically analyzing individual groups of parents’ inclusive competencies allows optimizing their inclusion in comprehensive support of children with disabilities.

Německý univerzitní patolog v přemetech mimořádné doby. K biografii Franze X. Lucksche (1872–1952)

The pathologist Franz Xaver Lucksch (1872–1952) seems to have been in many ways a rather distinctive personality within the academic landscape of German medicine and medical research in Bohemia. As a member of the generation that grew up during the belle époque, he witnessed all the dramatic turnovers of Central Europe in the twentieth century. A man of considerable scientific ambitions, he became assistant professor (1904) and extraordinary professor (1914) at the Institute of Pathology (Institut für Pathologie) of the German Medical Faculty in Prague under Professor Hans Chiari (1851–1916). Having researched pellagra endemics in Romania in 1910, he returned there in the late 1930s thanks to the support of the Rockefeller Foundation. To the best of our knowledge, he published 48 academic contributions in his lifetime, infectious diseases (including tuberculosis) being the most frequent subject. Lucksch fought in the First World War, ending his military service as a lieutenant colonel of the Austro-Hungarian imperial army. Although he at first considered a professional military career in Austria even after 1918, he eventually returned from Vienna to Prague in 1919. There, he continued his medical work and research as a first assistant, which was the position he held for many years. In public life, he was active in spreading awareness of public health issues – probably in reaction to the autopsies he was carrying out. He emphasised the importance of nutrition and prevention of tuberculosis, a disease highly prevalent in Czechoslovakia at the time. But above all, he focused on physical training (Leibesübungen). In 1929–36, he headed the University Physical Training Centre (Hochschulzentrale für Leibesübungen) at the German University in Prague and the German Educational Course for Physical Training of Teachers. Aside from that, he was also a member of the German Association of Gymnasts. This is how Lucksch became acquainted and rather unfortunately politically involved with Konrad Henlein (1898–1945) and his Nazi movement among the Sudeten Germans of Czechoslovakia. At first, he was an active member but shortly after the German occupation of Bohemia and Moravia in March 1939, he found himself in a rather awkward position when the political movement he had previously endorsed started making problems for his Jewish wife and two children. His son, Franz Lucksch Jr. (1916–1966), became also a physician and made a notable scientific career after 1945. In 1936, Lucksch was appointed interim director of the Institute of Pathology. In the spring of 1939, he retired. As an emeritus, he had two part-time jobs: aside from publishing, he still did some teaching and research at the Institute during the academic year, and, in the remaining period, he worked as a pathologist at the Provincial Institute for the Mentally Ill (Landesanstalt für Geisteskranke) in Kosmonosy (Kosmanos), 65km from Prague. At this institution he performed autopsies of patients who died mainly due to extremely bad conditions. After the war, Lucksch was allowed to stay in Prague, but under rather difficult conditions, including financial issues. In connection with the prosecution of Nazi ‘euthanasia’ crimes in the 1960s, a suspicion emerged that he may have conduced tuberculosis experiments on psychiatric patients. Given the particular circumstances, however, this was highly improbable, neither has anything of that kind been proved in connection with Lucksch.

​​Making ‘Setgel’s Creature’ Mindful​: Conceptual Change in Contemporary Mongolia

As globally circulating understandings of mental health and mindfulness practices gain popularity in Mongolia, they articulate with setgel, a localised concept that has been shaped by a constellation of historical forces. Loosely translated as ‘mind’ in English, setgel has remained central to Mongolian notions of personhood, health, and civic duty, even as the meanings associated with those ideas have changed. As progressivist forces, Tibetan Buddhism and the dominant Soviet political culture of much of the 20th century have held and shaped values in public life. This Position Piece explores the role of power relations and political economy in changing associations of setgel through the example of a recent state-sponsored, Buddhist-inflected mindfulness promotional event for Mongolian influencers. It asks broader questions about how anthropologists as generators of ‘cultural’ knowledge attend to expectations from institutional hosts in the field while also maintaining fidelity to historical change in our work.

Making White Christian nationalism plausible: Examining the institutional logic of a conservative Christian school

Over the last several years, enrollment at Conservative Christian schools has risen noticeably due to a response to COVID-19 regulations and culture wars being played out within primary and secondary schools. Alongside this trend, there has also been a significant rise in White Christian nationalism during the early part of the 21st century. Using data gathered through an ethno-case study of a Conservative Christian school, I examine the institutional logic that animated and guided the way the school socialized students to think about their civic and public life. I describe this logic as a theo-political logic that manifested itself symbolically through the language and theory of the Christian worldview which was not only taught by faculty but also helped to organize the curriculum and pedagogy of the school. Building on this description of the theo-political logic and using Peter Berger’s (1967) notion of plausibility structures, I argue that while conservative Christian schools may not explicitly support White Christian Nationalism, the theo-political logic that organizes and dominates the school helps develop plausibility structures that allow students, faculty, and staff to support policies and public engagement that align with White Christian nationalism.

VERTICAL MOBILITY, THE “GLASS CEILING”, AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION: PERCEPTION OF FEMALE POLICE OFFICERS

In Serbia women are still discriminated against in all aspects of their public and private lives. The security system, especially police, bears the consequences of structural inequalities. Our research deals with the position of women working in police units. The aim of the research was to define the identities of policewomen in Serbia through their perception of vertical advancement and exposure to gender discrimination. The research will be based on qualitative approach ‒ interviews with women police officers. The sample will consist of 40 respondents from different police units, selected using the snowball method. Qualitative results indicated the presence certain doses of gender stereotypes in women, but also their impression that they are not completely professionally accepted by colleagues. The results indicate a structural gender segregation and marginalization, which is reflected in the imprisonment of women in narrow circle of administrative and auxiliary police work. The findings of this study will represent an important argument in the development and improvement of gender-sensitive regulation in the police, protection against discrimination and in the projection of its personnel structure and career advancement of employees under equal conditions.

Threading the Needle: Jacques Maritain’s Defense of a Christian and Liberal Democracy

Some of the key oppositions tearing apart American public life in the early 21st century are related to issues explored in the mid-twentieth century political philosophy of Jacques Maritain. Supporters of liberal democracy, then and now, insist that it is a political system that privatizes religion and all concepts of a common good. Supporters of an integralist alternative demand official state support for religion as the vision underlying political goals. And, of course, arrayed against both are authoritarian movements that threaten democracy altogether. In this context, Maritain’s nuanced political philosophy is far from dated. He thoughtfully defends liberal democracy’s protection of human rights, while also demonstrating that democracy is strengthened by a Catholic vision of the ultimate human good. His political wisdom provides a way through our current impasses and points to a path that will support the survival of this fragile experiment in democracy and the even more fragile hope that democratic processes could be a means to create a more just world.

Music and the Social Construction of Self

Sociologists have demonstrated that people use music to construct meaning in numerous specific contexts, groups, and subcultures. This article expands such work by examining how people draw on music to construct identities in daily life beyond any specific setting. Drawing on four years of participant observation and twenty‐five in‐depth interviews, findings demonstrate three mechanisms of identity‐work as people use music in public to (1) define who they are, (2) explain how they feel because of who they are, and (3) narrate where they have been in their lives that made them who they are. These findings demonstrate how people use music in daily life to construct identities, and the theoretical potential of such exploration for sociological and music studies of public life.

Gandhian Perspective of Non-Violence

Gandhi's great achievement was to evolve and practice a non-violent method for conflict-resolution at the beginning of the twentieth century, which proved to be the most violent century in the annals of mankind. In the first half of the century, which almost synchronized with Gandhi's entire public life, there were two devastating world wars with a colossal loss of life. In the second half we were spared the catastrophe of a third world war, but the 'cold war' between two rival ideological-cum-military blocs brought the world to the verge of an atomic holocaust: only a 'balance of terror' between them kept the peace. so spoke Mahatma Gandhi, celebrating the need and nature of the principle of non-violence for mankind. All wise men down the ages have preached the doctrine, of love and non-violence. Zoroaster, Buddha, Mahavira, Christ, Nanak primarily emphasized a moral code that gave due status to non-violence. Non-violence is a philosophy of life, a modus operand which has been accepted as an article of faith in the East as well as the West. But what does the word ‘non-violence’ mean in simple terms? To what extent can and should non-violence be exercised in daily life? And is it not true that the world today is in dire need of nonviolence?

How are romantic cross-class relationships sustained?

How are romantic relationships across class maintained under broader conditions of class inequality? This article draws on in-depth interviews with 38 people who have partnered across class in Australia. It examines the emotional and interpersonal labour required to preserve such relationships within a highly differentiated class structure that is widely obscured in public and political life. We find, first, that for people in committed cross-class relationships where this difference was openly acknowledged, class difference was acutely felt and described in highly emotional, imprecise terms. Second, this heightened awareness of class difference stimulated elevated levels of class friction and class dissonance within these relationships. We detail these experiences, as they were narrated to us, before examining certain interviewees' efforts to understand and resolve these complexities. We highlight the collaborative work undertaken by one couple in particular to navigate feelings of class discomfort and class dissonance. Third, by focussing on the emotional terrain of intimate cross-class negotiations, we stress moments which have the potential to disrupt assumptions about class hierarchies and modes of moral distinction that take place within these relationships. Proceeding to tentatively valorise different forms of value-making and recognition within cross-class relationships, we also pay attention to the role of class in enabling this very capacity for adaptation.

Concepts of culture of digital society in contemporary sociology

This article makes an attempt to streamline existing sociological approaches to studying culture of digital society. First of all, the phenomenon of digital society is characterised and defined. Its specificity is revealed. Then the transition is made directly to the phenomenon of culture of digital society. The main objective of this article is to show connection between the concept of culture of digital society and sociological theories of culture. To achieve it, the article provides a review of sociological theories of culture. In particular, the theories of P.A. Sorokin, T. Parsons and M.S. Archer are considered. The article demonstrates the specifics of the culture of digital society. The historical stages of development of this phenomenon are highlighted. A trend towards digitalisation of public life is identified. Next, the concept of culture of digital society is discussed directly. The final part of the article emphasises the connections between the culture of digital society and general sociological theories of culture. Finally, new research questions regarding further study and conceptualisation of the culture of digital society are posed. In conclusion, the author accentuates the necessity to conduct empirical research on specific and general cases related to the studied concept.

KONTRIBUSI LITERASI DIGITAL DAN INTERAKSI BELAJAR ANTAR SISWA TERHADAP KETERAMPILAN MEMECAHKAN MASALAH PEMBELAJARAN IPAS

The improvement of skills relevant to the 21st century focuses on students' ability to explore the surrounding environment. For this it is necessary to train students' problem-solving skills from the natural environment as well as human behavior in public life that require contributions in their achievements. The aim of the study was to determine the contribution of digital literacy and learning interaction between students to IPAS (IPA and IPS) problem-solving skills of 4th grade primary school students in Waru Sidoarjo District. The research uses a quantitative approach of survey methods. The primary data used was obtained directly from the field. Data source 181 respondents across five sampled schools after reduction. The result was that both free variables contributed positively and significantly to the IPAS problem-solving skills of grade IV elementary students. The standard values of the coefficients in each variable showed different values, namely digital literacy of 0.187, while the learning interaction between students was 0.177. The results showed that the digital literacy variable was the more dominant variable

Inhibition of Pim kinases triggers a broad antiviral activity by affecting innate immunity and via the PI3K-Akt-mTOR axis the endolysosomal system

Zoonoses such as ZIKV and SARS-CoV-2 pose a severe risk to global health. There is urgent need for broad antiviral strategies based on host-targets filling gaps between pathogen emergence and availability of therapeutic or preventive strategies. Significant reduction of pathogen titers decreases spread of infections and thereby ensures health systems not being overloaded and public life to continue. Based on previously observed interference with FGFR1/2-signaling dependent impact on interferon stimulated gene (ISG)-expression, we identified Pim kinases as promising druggable cellular target. We therefore focused on analyzing the potential of pan-Pim kinase inhibition to trigger a broad antiviral response.The pan-Pim kinase inhibitor AZD1208 exerted an extraordinarily high antiviral effect against various ZIKV isolates, SARS-CoV-2 and HBV. This was reflected by strong reduction in viral RNA, proteins and released infectious particles. Especially in case of SARS-CoV-2, AZD1208 led to a complete removal of viral traces in cells. Kinome-analysis revealed vast changes in kinase landscape upon AZD1208 treatment, especially for inflammation and the PI3K/Akt-pathway. For ZIKV, a clear correlation between antiviral effect and increase in ISG-expression was observed. Based on a cell culture model with impaired ISG-induction, activation of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR axis, leading to major changes in the endolysosomal equilibrium, was identified as second pillar of the antiviral effect triggered by AZD1208-dependent Pim kinase inhibition, also against HBV.We identified Pim-kinases as cellular target for a broad antiviral activity. The antiviral effect exerted by inhibition of Pim kinases is based on at least two pillars: innate immunity and modulation of the endolysosomal system.

Ethisch overleg op regionaal niveau: ervaringen van het forum voor ethische reflectie van de regio Île-de-France

Ethics consultation at a regional level: the experience of the forum for ethical reflection of the Île-de-France region Referring to experiences in healthcare ethics, we seek to better understand and assume our moral and political responsibilities in a democratic society. One of the reference points is ‘Espace éthique AP-PH’, the ethics forum of the public hospital network in Paris. Its creation in 1995 dovetailed with the upheavals of the ‘AIDS years’, in which the patient’s voice increasingly penetrated public life and spurred political mobilisation. In 2014, it was expanded into the Île-de-France region’s forum for ethical reflection. The forum for ethical reflection is a place where the art of dialogue and discussion is elevated to a normative level, which is indispensable for understanding, deliberation and joint endorsement of an ethical approach that implies responsibility. France now has 15 regional forums for ethical reflection that contribute to the development of a genuine ethical culture among healthcare providers and the general public in their region.

İNGİLİSLƏRİN MİLLİ XARAKTERİNİN FƏRQLİ XÜSUSİYYƏTLƏRİNİ ƏKS ETDİRƏN ATALAR SÖZLƏRİ VƏ DEYİMLƏRİN TƏSNİFATI

The Classification of the Proverbs and Sayings Reflecting Distinctive Features of National Character of the English People Summary The article deals with the classification of the proverbs and sayings reflecting distinctive features of national character of the English people. The proverbs are fixed statements in which simple and popular words are used to reflect the deep truth, and are generalization of experience in everyday life. The proverb is a crystallization of human wisdom, embodied in the language, is declared “a national mirror” or “a lively finding of the language”. The contents of proverbs comprise all aspects of public life. In definite sense, as an important component the proverbs have become an encyclopedia for people to understand their life and regulate their behaviour. They reflect the culture, customs and traditions of people. Key words: The English People, National Character, Distinctive Features, Proverbs, Sayings, Classification

Digital methods of formation students’ communicative competence

Relevance. Digitalization has now covered all sectors of public life and has become an integral part of the education system. The development of digital technologies in the field of education is dictated by relevance and is supported at the state level and by the general public. This article discusses effective digital methods in the formation of students' communicative competence in online English classes. Optimization of the university's communication space is highlighted as an important condition. The purpose of the study is to consider the problems of introducing digital technologies of the Google classroom platform into the field of online higher education. Research methods. During the training process, we used the free Google Classroom web service. We tried to create a friendly atmosphere using warm-up exercises and creative tasks. We participate in this event as equal participants for paired work in classes with students or observe students in the field of “Physical Education” and stay on the sidelines to help them. The results of the study. The developed methodology of distance learning, a model for the formation of digital skills, a methodical system of exercises and textbooks on the formation of students' communicative competence are presented. Conclusions. The effectiveness of the model for the formation of professionally oriented speech activity of students was ensured by the joint efforts of the teacher and the student.