Social Constitution Research Articles

Bodies in alliance: rethinking cultural and economic logics of social media celebrity constitution in Turkey’s new media ecosystem

ABSTRACT This article examines the cultural and economic logics of social media celebrity constitution under the contemporary conditions of advanced capitalism. Although the past two decades have witnessed a great deal of interest in the constitution of social media celebrities in the new media ecosystem, little research directly deals with the constitution of this kind of ‘statue’ and contemporary capitalism nexus. In this sense, the present article, through the lens of immaterial labour theory, will focus on the following research question: how are Turkey’s economic and political transitions reflected in the new media ecosystem, especially within the rising concept of neoliberal individualism? By taking up this question, this article will regard the cultural and economic logics of social media celebrities as immaterial labour and evaluate their role in the new media ecosystem by regarding Turkish YouTubers as its case study. This study argues that the constitution of social media celebrity and contemporary capitalism’s commodification logic are strongly tied to each other. The present study has found that the constitution of social media celebrity under the contemporary conditions of capitalism is reproduced by the macro transformation process into a new media ecosystem, especially in the case of Turkish YouTubers.

Private Law Regulation of Digital Intermediaries

Communication in the digital world depends on Internet intermediaries. By means of technology they control access to information and function as creators of the public. In particular, platforms for social networks do not just facilitate communication but they shape sociality. However, as important as online intermediaries are for the entire spectrum of social life, they create autonomous normative orders, the rules of which they can self-enforce based on their control of the logical architecture. Under these circumstances the law should be cautious not to confuse the autonomization of emergent normativity and private regulation with their naturalization. The article enquires into the options of private law to regulate the regulatory activities of digital intermediaries. In order to apply private law review to digital regulation, it is essential to understand the terms of use and running code as manifestations of the autonomy of the digital. Private law would then act as a kind of constitutional law for the digital medium. In the context of such social constitutions, protection of freedom is primarily accomplished through developing standards of due process for private regulation. The focus of private-law instruments should be to induce procedural and participatory innovations in the normative orders of transnational media.

Pictography, Law, and Earth: Gerald Vizenor, John Borrows, and Louise Erdrich

This essay examines Anishinaabe pictography in contemporary legal contexts, challenging the notion that the law must necessarily inhere in alphabetic isomorphism, let alone in the colonialist inscriptive norms of the nation. Explaining how pictography elicits a loosened relation between sign and signified, this essay develops a semiotic theory of nonisomorphy to analyze uses of pictography in the work of several Anishinaabe scholars and writers: in John Borrows's advocacy of “jurisgenerative multiperspectivalism,” in Gerald Vizenor's conception of social irony and ironic constitutionalism, and in Louise Erdrich's figuration of ecological literacy and reciprocity. Focusing in particular on the trope of metonymy in pictographic writing, this essay elucidates the perspectival shifts and contextual metamorphoses of metonymy in the native poetics of the Americas, forming and transforming historical experience while offering colonial situations ample room to trip themselves up on their own contradictions.

Post-Crisis Capital Controls in Developing and Emerging Countries: Regaining Policy Space? A Historical Materialist Engagement

Recent political economy scholarship has interpreted the recent resurgence of capital controls across the Global South as attempts by some developing countries to preserve their policy space to pursue heterodox economic policies. This article critically engages with this literature and argues for the need to study capital controls in light of the social constitution and the class character of the capitalist state, money, and private capital flows. This argument is substantiated through a class analysis of the deployment of capital controls in Brazil from 1945 to 2014, which emphasizes the crucial role that capital controls have historically played in the reproduction of capitalist social relations and particular forms of class rule in Brazil.JEL Classification: F30, F32, F38, F54

Cenas brasileiras, violências, subjetividades

Neste artigo problematizamos as repercussões dos ideais sociais que retratam o povo brasileiro como pacífico e avesso a movimentos marcados por ações violentas. De forma específica, interessa problematizar as repercussões desses ideais sobre a organização social nacional e a constituição subjetiva do brasileiro. A pergunta posta diz respeito às implicações subjetivas e sociais relacionadas ao fato de uma pessoa inserida na tradição cultural nacional passar a se representar e a se sentir como alegre e pacífica, mesmo perante a desigualdade social e a violência. Entendemos que essa inscrição psíquica pode ocorrer em função do ideal social disseminado por séculos a fio, pelas elites que dominam a cena econômica e cultural.

Becoming Policy. Cultural Translation of the Weimar Constitution in China (1919–1949)

During the drafting process from the 1920s to 1940s, the Weimar Constitution (WRV) played a decisive role in shaping Chinese social(-ist) constitutions, especially the part related to the social- economic issue. Through the lens of cultural trans- lation, this paper seeks to explain how the WRV was adapted, reinterpreted, and recontextualized throughout several rounds of constitution making in China. By focusing on the roles played by the translators, legislators, and interpreters, this paper discusses how the social rights created by the WRV were translated into the fundamental policy of the 1947 Constitution of the Republic of China. More- over, regarding »policy« as the legal instrument for regulating the social-economic life, and even broader fields, it triggers the modern transforma- tion of Chinese meritocracy and reinforces the national legal tradition depicted in its modern form. To some extent, this case study on cultural translation of constitutional law discloses the mechanism, both temporarily and spatially, for the intercultural communication of the normative information.

The X-ray report of “Economic growth”

With regret to say that politicians and thinkers of economic subject use the word “economic growth” in their talks, writings and discussions as if it is the way to achieve peaceful and happy life. When I read the phrase (“economic growth”) in views/debates and articles, I personally feel on its use as if we fool the innocent and inexperienced young generation and mislead them. To whom we say “economic growth” is a helpless inevitable and selfishly selected remedial actions under situational compulsion by men to postpone the present challenges, to escape from perilous liabilities, to avoid facing hard path and just to secure, continue and enjoy with present comfort at any cost. The actions for “economic growth” suppress the present social issues of challenges and store them to come out in future at any appropriate time and opportunity, rather in more complex and ugly form. I think; we should clearly appraise the emerging youth of our society that every action of “economic growth” not only brings harm to the ecological balance, but the incessant population growth and lust of few people to enjoy wealthy life contaminates the process of natural social evolution. Its consequences reflect in deformed social constitution decorating “economic growth” with illusive mask of “a gate way to heavenly life”. Keywords: economic growth.

El naciente derecho laboral mexicano: 1891-1928

This essay shows the ideological and doctrinal sources that prepared the way for the so-called social constitutionalism in Mexico since the end of the 19th century. Very close to the current European social issue, the Mexican liberals discussed the protection of workers and the dignity of work, disclosing free recruitment and free exercise of the profession enacted at the old article 5 of the Constitution of 1857, from subordinated and salaried work of the new article 123 of the Constitution of 1917. A mixture of libertarian and Catholic ideas and some other external influences led to the foundational and controversial debate of registering as a constitutional norm, the protection of the social and economic rights of the manufacturing and agricultural workers, which snatched judicial control, in civil matters, (which was common in other countries of America) of lawsuits arising from the recruitment, permanence and dismissal of workers, which passed to the scope of the Conciliation and Arbitration Boards under the control of the revolutionary executive of 1917. The essay shows, with original and little consulted sources, that the ideological and doctrinal influences that were behind the writing of the article of work in Mexico were in some times against the attribution of judicial law, the Amparo, in hands of the Mexican Supreme Court, despite the fact that the executive power maintained until the current reforms of 2018-2019, the control of those conciliation and arbitration boards. With the reforms of 1928 and the first Federal Labor Law of 1931, labor matters became a norm of political control of the executive power, inaugurating a kind of mass politics and unions control managed by General Cardenas government (1934-1940).It also highlights the strong influence of the libertarian and anarchist ideas of the political newspaper Regeneration of Ricardo Flores Magon in the doctrinal body of section VI of the new article 123, which the literature known until today tends to insinuate more from the Catholic perspective of Rerum Novarum.

Hume’s theory of social constitution of the self

Hume distinguishes between the self of thought and imagination and the self of the passions. He is criticized for contradicting himself as he allegedly attributes fictitiousness to the self in book one of the Treatise but later reintroduces the self in books two and three. Hume?s account of the idea of the self, however, is not contradictory: he shows the impossibility of a pure associationist-empiricist account of the self. Instead, he proposes a social account of the constitution of the idea of the self and consciousness. In doing so, Hume?s account of the self anticipates social-historical theories of the self.

The Transnational Constitution of Europe's Social Market Economies: A Question of Constitutional Imbalances?

AbstractThroughout its history the European integration process has not undermined but rather strengthened the autonomy of member statesvis‐à‐viswider societal interests in relation to political economy, labour markets and social provisions. Both the ‘golden age nation state’ of the 1960s as well as the considerable transformations of member state political economies over the past decades, and especially after the euro‐crisis, was to a considerable degree orchestrated through transnational, most notably European, arrangements. In both cases the primary objective has been to strengthen state capacities of public power and law against the encroachment of private interests into the state. In spite of this continuity, considerable changes can be observed in the substantial economic policies advanced due to the switch from a Keynesian to a monetarist economic paradigm. It is suggested that the debate on constitutional imbalances between the EU's economic and social constitutions should be seen in this light.

Grafos, algoritmos e métricas. Como seguir rastros nas mídias sociais?

Resumo Em Análise de Redes para Mídia Social, os pesquisadores Raquel Recuero, Marco Bastos e Gabriela Zago, do grupo de pesquisa Mídia, Discurso e Análise de Redes Sociais (MIDIARS), da Universidade Católica de Pelotas (UCPel), apresentam possíveis caminhos teóricos e epistemológicos para a compreensão do social forjado no digital. A resposta central dos autores aponta para a aplicação da Análise de Redes Sociais (ARS), associada a elementos da teoria dos grafos e da sociometria, aos estudos de redes sociais na internet.

Empirical moral rationalism and the social constitution of normativity

Moral rationalism has long been an attractive position within moral philosophy. However, among empirical-minded philosophers, it is widely dismissed as scientifically untenable. In this essay, I argue that moral rationalism’s lack of uptake in the empirical domain is due to the widespread supposition that moral rationalists must hold that moral judgments and actions are produced by rational capacities. But this construal is mistaken: moral rationalism’s primary concern is not with the relationship between moral judgments and rational capacities per se, but rather with developing a conception objectivity normativity that avoids Platonism. In light of this, I develop an alternative approach to translating moral rationalism into the empirical domain that builds on the common rationalist view that normative requirements are explained by the relationship between agents and the social structures and practices in which they are embedded. I propose that this social conception of normativity can be translated into a scientific framework by interpreting it as a claim about the importance of constraint-based explanation when accounting for norm-governed behavior. In order to develop this point more concretely and show that it is empirically tractable, I turn to research on macaque social organization that highlights the ways in which (proto)normative standards are generated by empirically observable social structures. The insights garnered from the macaque case allow me to then locate moral rationalism’s core claims about the relationship between morality and the standards of practical rationality within an empirically plausible framework.

The material and social constitution of interest

Abstract In the 21st century, what role does interest play in the organization of equitable learning opportunities for young people? Drawing on a large corpus of interview data from a longitudinal study of fifty-four adolescents involved in interest-driven afterschool activities domestically and abroad, we investigate the role of youths' interests in their everyday lives. Cognizant of the growing emphasis from sociocultural learning scholars on issues of interest, agency, and engagement as they relate to learning, we explore youths' interests from their perspective—that is, we highlight the ways in which youth themselves made sense of their interests in relation to the rest of their lives. Informed by social practice theory, our analysis situates the interests articulated from the first-person perspectives of youth amidst the broader sociocultural situations from which they arose. Analysis of data reveals the material and social constitution of interest itself—and calls for increased attention to the interplay between social relations and material realities as key mediators of contemporary learning opportunities.

Dinâmicas de consumo de bens virtuais: práticas e valores no universo de League of Legends

Este artigo busca compreender o consumo de bens virtuais nas práticas cotidianas de jogadores do jogo on-line League of Legends (LoL) para refletir sobre a própria constituição social dos consumidores deste jogo on-line. O objeto de estudo centrou-se nas skins disponíveis em LoL, as quais foram especificamente observadas nas relações estabelecidas com os jogadores e suas motivações de aquisição e interpretação destes bens no ambiente do jogo. O arcabouço teórico-analítico parte da orientação da abordagem antropológica do consumo. Como recorte empírico, a discussão será evidenciada por meio de uma pesquisa com premissas etnográficas com um grupo de consumidores de LoL das cidades de Belém (PA), Diadema (SP) e Osasco (SP). As reflexões indicam que as motivações principais para o consumo dessas mercadorias em League são baseadas na atuação essencial dos valores simbólicos em detrimento dos valores de uso e de troca.

Ritual, narrative and time: Bridging between Durkheim and Ricoeur

Paul Ricoeur’s theory of the narrative constitution of time and Emile Durkheim’s conception of the ritual construction of time seem, at least on first examination, incommensurable. While their important and influential theories of the social constitution of time are not easily harmonised, it is possible to construct several bridges between the two, such that they may, at least, be brought into conversation with one another (a dialogue Ricoeur himself seemed keen to avoid). While the two theories may be mutually exclusive, if we look at the relationship between ritual and narrative, we find unexpected points of possible convergence where bridges may be built. We find that ritual and narrative are themselves not entirely distinct from one another and even sometimes difficult to disentangle. Furthermore, narratives of the past require the calendar (itself owing much to its ritual heritage) to provide a structure for, and a way of marking, the flow of time. Conversely, ritual practices often act as carriers of narrative, assisting the transmission of narratives from generation to generation.

Diabetes in the Elderly.

The elderly are an important and distinct yet heterogeneous group of persons living with diabetes. The elderly have a unique biomedical, psychological, and social constitution. Their needs are different from those of younger adults. This implies that special care must be taken while evaluating and planning their nursing and management. Diabetes management in the elderly should focus on prevention and limitation of geriatric syndromes (medical conditions encountered in elderly persons), hypoglycemia (low blood glucose), and neurocognitive dysfunction (impairment in the functioning of the nervous system and brain). This review takes a practical approach to the assessment, nursing care, and medical treatment of diabetes in the elderly. It highlights major challenges and suggests solutions to these commonly encountered clinical problems.

A felicidade como fundamento teórico do desenvolvimento em um Estado Social

O artigo tem como objetivo a inclusão da ideia de felicidade como fundamento do desenvolvi­mento humano em um Estado social. Contesta a possibilidade da subsidiariedade poder ser um critério compatível com o ideal desenvolvimentista do Estado social. Analisa o ordenamento jurídico brasileiro e faz algumas considerações a respeito do princípio da subsidiariedade no ambiente europeu. Explica que o constitucionalismo social não pode restringir os deveres do Estado à garantia de dignidade. Diferencia a felicidade subjetiva da felicidade objetiva. Analisa a ideia de felicidade objetiva em duas perspectivas: a jurídica e a política. Conclui que apenas a felicidade objetiva é considerada critério determinante dos fins do Estado social, pois implica a garantia do máximo de bem-estar para as pessoas enquanto a dignidade compreende apenas a garantia do mínimo existencial.

Philosophies of the Transindividual: Spinoza, Marx, Freud

In this contribution, Balibar follows his seminal 1993 work applying the notion of the transindividual to Spinoza’s work, to produce a broader history of thinking the transindividual that brings both Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud into relation with Spinoza, devoting a section to each of these thinkers. Balibar positions the notion of the transindividual, here, as a solution to the opposing ontological errors of philosophical individualism that fails to attend to the social constitution of the individual, and the social organicism that reduces the individual to the effect of larger forces. For Balibar, following Gilbert Simondon, the individual is to be understood as always already extending beyond themselves.

O AMBIENTE DO CONSTITUCIONALISMO SOCIAL

Este trabalho trata da relevância do processo político e constitucional do México, bem como da estruturação de um novo modelo constitucional, o Constitucionalismo Social. Essa aproximação do político com o jurídico no âmbito de um novo modelo que recepciona a economia em seu texto, traz inovação profunda a Teoria da Constituição. Esta passa a ser (re)dimensionada, uma vez que, com a complexidade da sociedade nacional, evidenciou-se a concepção estatista/estatal da Constituição. Uma concepção social instiga um (re)alinhamento do Direito Constitucional a partir de uma nova cultura Constitucional, que funda nossa tradição moderna onde a organização fundamental do Estado e os direitos e garantias fundamentais acabam sendo prioridade dentro de uma visão estadista/estatal da Constituição em detrimento de outras. A Constituição deve ter um caráter material/substancial, porque é constituidora da própria sociedade.

Building bridges or gates? Gated communities’ escape from reality

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to look at the emergence of “gated communities” in Ghana. It explores gated communities as a nexus of social and spatial relations within the context of urban inequality. It is concerned with the phenomenon in which the rich now live in isolation behind barbed wires and gates, fearing for their lives and properties.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts a sociological approach to the study. It does so initially by focusing on the social constitution of a gated community. The gate becomes a focal point of the analysis because by its function, it separates the residents from others. This spatial construction of gated communities does not only preserve the social stratification of class and demographic groups, it institutionalises this already extant stratification. The paper, therefore, uses social inequality and the status attainment theory as the basis of its work. Status processes play a part in the development of powerful inequalities, which shape the structure of groups and societies as well as, directly and indirectly, the opportunities of individuals (Bergeret al., 1980).FindingsThe paper finds that although people feel safer behind gates, at the same time the fear of the outside world increases for them. Their desire to find a small area in which they feel secure, meanwhile, only expands the vast areas in which they feel insecure. It notes that security can be achieved only and much better, if the causes of insecurity, namely poverty and exclusion, are addressed.Originality/valueThe paper wades into the gated communities’ phenomenon. It contributes to the discussion in which social difference and inequality have become more marked features of urban society. Its relevance lies in the fact that it analyses this issue through a sociological perspective.