Sociopolitical Action Research Articles

Современные тенденции в подготовке сотрудников органов внутренних дел Российской Федерации для противодействия экстремизму

The article analyzes current trends in the training of employees of the internal affairs bodies to counter extremism, as well as some methods of recruiting young people into extremist organizations, taking into account the socio-psychological characteristics of the modern youth environment, which were studied in 2019-2020 on the basis of the Moscow Psychological and Pedagogical University and the Academy of Management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
 At present, the solution of the tasks of countering extremism by the police is carried out through the maintenance of a patrol-guard service, networks of stationary police posts, patrol stations and the comprehensive involvement of military personnel (employees) of the Federal Service of the National Guard of Russia, as well as public organizations and formations.
 The authors come to the conclusion that the effectiveness of countering extremism increases when it is possible to reveal the strategic and tactical plans of extremist groups; take proactive measures; to professionally prevent attempts to unleash mass riots that arise during rallies, marches, demonstrations, as well as during socio-political actions, interethnic and interreligious conflicts. The above directions that increase the effectiveness of countering extremism cannot be solved without thorough training of employees of the internal affairs bodies to counter modern types of extremism and their psychological adaptation to new threats.

Valongo

This article discusses the archaeological and sociopolitical action that brought Valongo Wharf in Rio de Janeiro back to life. This action aimed to put the remains of the past in the service of present-day causes like the fight for recognition, respect, social justice, and fundamental rights for Brazil’s Black population. But although widely recognized by Black and White people alike, Valongo causes discomfort. Reflecting the current resurgence in racism and religious intolerance, Valongo is unwelcome for many White people because it foregrounds the Black population. For other White Brazilians, it exhumes evidence of the brutal subjugation of Black people by Whites occurring in Brazil until the late nineteenth century, a shameful episode they would rather forget. In parallel, many Afro-descendants resist an undesirable and shaming association of themselves with slavery that is seen to perpetuate their subalternity. Responding to this multidimensional context, the article seeks to instigate a reflection on the limitations of a White archaeologist, inevitably possessing an implicit bias, investigating an archaeological site particularly sensitive to Afro-descendants in Brazil and elsewhere, and to encourage Black people to more actively engage in the material recovery of their own past, work that has thus far been predominantly performed by White archaeologists.

Politics, Political Ideology, and Organizations

Research at the intersection of strategic management and organizational theory has shown renewed interest in exploring the implications of politics and political ideologies for organizations. This symposium aims to extend this conversation by including five empirical studies focusing on 1) the political ideologies of corporate actors in and around organizations; 2) how political (mis)alignment influences organizational outcomes, as well as field-level changes in practices; and 3) encouraging cross-over of ideas between literatures in corporate political activity, field-level identity formation, social movement sociology, and organizational implications of political ideologies. Profiting from Protest: A Contingency Model of the Effects of Anti-Corporate Activism Presenter: Mary-Hunter McDonnell; The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania Presenter: Samantha Darnell; The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania Investor Reactions to Corporate Sociopolitical Activism Following Discourse Triggering Events Presenter: Matt C. Hersel; College of Business, Clemson U. Presenter: M. K. Chin; Indiana U. Bloomington Presenter: Zeki Simsek; Clemson U. A Grounded Model of Politics in Field-Identity Formation Presenter: Ina Toegel; International Institute for Management Development Presenter: Shubha Patvardhan; U. of Delaware Out of Character: CEO Political Ideology and Diffusion of CSR Executive Position Presenter: Abhinav Gupta; U. of Washington, Seattle Presenter: Anna Fung; American U., Kogod School of Business Presenter: Chad Benjamin Murphy; Oregon State U. Effects of CEO Political Ideology: Building a Politically Homogenous TMT Presenter: Andrew Franklin Johnson; Texas A&M U., Corpus Christi Presenter: Katherine Roberto; Texas A&M U., Corpus Christi Presenter: Bruce C. Rudy; U. of Texas At San Antonio

Corporate Activism: Exploring an Emerging Field of Research and Practice

In the last few years, we have seen an emergence (or perhaps resurgence) of overt political activism on the part of companies and their leaders. Such activism clearly presents a range of risks as well as potential rewards for companies, depending on whether (and which) stakeholders respond positively or negatively to the stand taken, and the nature of the activism involved. Corporate activism also raises important, broader questions about the appropriate limits of powerful economic actors’ participation in political debates and the nature of democratic decision making. This symposium will feature current research efforts in this emerging area and map out a path for future work. The symposium will include presentations of new research by leading scholars engaged in exploring various facets of corporate activism, and offer the audience the opportunity for a rich discussion on the potential and drawbacks of research and practice in this new area. The Rise of Corporate Activism Presenter: Cory Maks-Solomon; George Washington U. When CEO Sociopolitical Activism Attracts New Talents Presenter: Christian Voegtlin; Audencia Business School Presenter: Andrew Crane; U. of Bath Presenter: Laura Noval; Imperial College Business School Can CEO Activists Shape Organizational Ideology? Presenter: Mary-Hunter McDonnell; The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania Presenter: Michael Toffel; Harvard U. Corporate Activism: Establishing a Typology and Finding Common Ground Presenter: Anna Eileen McKean; Northwestern U. Presenter: Maurice Jerel Murphy; U. of Southern California

Avaliando Propostas de Ensino Baseadas em Questões Sociocientíficas: Reflexões e Perspectivas para Ciências no Ensino Fundamental

Atualmente, pesquisas mostram a necessidade de repensarmos a educação científica e tecnológica e refletirmos sobre um currículo voltado à politização dos estudantes, estimulando-os para tomada de decisões e ações sociopolíticas visando uma maior justiça socioambiental. Esta abordagem compõe algumas das vertentes da Educação Ciência-Tecnologia-Sociedade-Ambiente (CTSA) que apontam como estratégia pedagógica o uso de Questões Sociocientíficas (QSC). Contudo, há poucos trabalhos no Brasil sobre avaliação de propostas de ensino baseadas em QSC, sobretudo no ensino fundamental. Considerando que essa avaliação contribui para uma melhor aplicação dessas propostas, aumentando as chances de êxitos na educação científica, objetivamos, em um trabalho descritivo-exploratório, analisar características dessas propostas de ensino baseadas em QSC, no nível fundamental, encontradas na literatura, com base em autores da área. Para isso, elaboramos uma ferramenta analítica, em forma de gráfico de radar, composta por eixos elencados mediante estudo da literatura pertinente. Tais eixos permitem inferir implicações para o ensino que podem ser obtidas a partir das propostas analisadas. Após análise, percebemos que as propostas didáticas vêm sido elaboradas de modo a estabelecer as relações entre os domínios CTSA, em uma abordagem contextualizada com a realidade do aluno, mobilizando as dimensões conceituais, procedimentais e atitudinais dos conteúdos. Entretanto, é necessário que a tomada de decisão consciente e justificada por argumentos, assim como o preparo e o engajamento para ações sociopolíticas, recebam uma atenção maior nessas práticas de ensino. Ademais, sugerimos questões para aperfeiçoar a própria ferramenta desenvolvida, para melhor caracterizar o ensino baseado em QSC, mesmo em diferentes níveis educacionais.

Revolutionary Ideals, Mass Action, Concrete Realities, and Transition to Democracy: Theoretical Notes on the Mass Democratic Movement (MDM) During the Last Phase of the Struggle for Liberation in South Africa

This exploratory contribution presents but one angle of the transfer of power in South Africa following the banning of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). The Mass Democratic Movement (MDM) in South Africa played a short-lived but important role in political mobilisation before the transition from authoritarian rule to democracy through drawn-out negotiations (1991–1994). The MDM may be seen as the last phase of defiance against apartheid that forced the National Party (NP) to the negotiating table towards a new democratic order. This contribution argues that MDM activities reflected numerous strategies to achieve its objectives. Insights gained from transition theory that gained prominence as a theoretical tool during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and Maoist and other revolutionary theories explore the role of the MDM within the contemporary political context. Insights from transition theory in this article are used as a heuristic tool and not as political prescription in contrast to revolutionary theories that are built on programmes of sociopolitical action aimed at instating a new order.

Hashtag Activism: Exploring The Church Must Vote Campaign in Nigeria

Socio-political activism and its relationship with digital media diffusion is an on-going subject of considerable debate among observers and scholars globally. This work creates a research trajectory on Nigeria by investigating the contributions of social media in the implementation of The Church Must Vote campaign. It examines the effects of connective action and clicktivism on political mobilization and evaluates how Christians used social media to increase their civic vitality during the 2019 general elections. A total of 6,951 online content, including 42 YouTube videos posted by the users of the hashtag, #thechurchmustvote, were explored via social networking analysis. Findings show that social media played a significant role in the success of the campaign and served as education channels to advise Christians on the need to participate in the elections. The impressive outcome elicits the recommendation that Nigerians should consider hashtag activism or clicktivism as a valuable political engagement system.

Corporate Sociopolitical Activism and Firm Value

Stakeholders have long pressured firms to provide societal benefits in addition to generating shareholder wealth. Such benefits have traditionally come in the form of corporate social responsibility. However, many stakeholders now expect firms to demonstrate their values by expressing public support for or opposition to one side of a partisan sociopolitical issue, a phenomenon the authors call “corporate sociopolitical activism” (CSA). Such activities differ from commonly favored corporate social responsibility and have the potential to both strengthen and sever stakeholder relationships, thus making their impact on firm value uncertain. Using signaling and screening theories, the authors analyze 293 CSA events initiated by 149 firms across 39 industries, and find that, on average, CSA elicits an adverse reaction from investors. Investors evaluate CSA as a signal of a firm’s allocation of resources away from profit-oriented objectives and toward a risky activity with uncertain outcomes. The authors further identify two sets of moderators: (1) CSA’s deviation from key stakeholders’ values and brand image and (2) characteristics of CSA’s resource implementation, which affect investor and customer responses. The findings provide new and important implications for marketing theory and practice.

Latinx and Black young adults' pathways to civic/political engagement.

Latinx and Black young adults' experiences with the U.S. political system have been contentious. Despite this, they utilize psychological strengths, such as their critical consciousness (CC), to participate in the political process. This research explored relations between CC (e.g., critical reflection of social inequality and voting likelihood) and forms of civic/political engagement (e.g., sociopolitical action and social media engagement) among Latinx and Black young adults. Measurement invariance (MI) tests and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used with Latinx (N = 354, Mage = 26.08, SD = 5.03) young adults who were slightly predominately male (55.1%) and Black American young adults (N = 160, Mage = 25.84, SD = 4.98) who were slightly predominately female (52.5%). MI results indicated measures were not invariant (i.e., they were measured differently) across groups. Therefore, the hypothesized model was examined separately for groups. SEM analyses suggested both groups' critical reflection positively predicted voting likelihood and sociopolitical action. For Latinx young adults, voting likelihood mediated the relation between critical reflection and social media engagement. Black young adults' voting likelihood was unrelated to sociopolitical action and social media engagement. Alternative models examined bidirectional relations between CC and civic/political engagement. Findings suggest civic/political engagement pathways differ for Latinx and Black young adults. However, fostering critical reflection has the potential to stimulate both groups' intent to vote and sociopolitical action. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Being with Black: Windrush suitcase performance and Dramatherapy to meet with trauma, and dialogues about racism and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

This article describes how the happenstance discovery of my mother’s 1950s Windrush Generation suitcase, led to a devised cathartic ritual theatre performance and a reimagining of my past future present. Acknowledging the suitcase as a heritage object, I hoped to safely locate myself with inter- and transgenerational trauma, and dialogues about racism in relation to the Transatlantic Slave Trade. First and foremost, this work is informed by Dramatherapy. It also holds in mind the research of Jungian analyst, Brewster, on ‘archetypal grief’, and the socio-political activism of Sharpe’s, ‘wake-work’. Its conclusion is twofold: First, that with the use of the suitcase within ritual theatre performance, alongside the devised metaphoric story and character of Black, I was able to accrue a significant means of resilience to meet with effects of racism worthy of further investigation. Second, that the performance provided a deepened dialectic and cathartic experience between performer and audience above and beyond cerebral language. Three stand-alone performances of ‘Being With Black’ took place at the British Association of Dramatherapists Conference at the University of Chester in September 2018, and later at the University of Roehampton, London in February and March 2019.

Central Asian Women’s contextual politics: the case of Muslim women in Uzbekistan

Working toward theorizing Central Asian women’s variegated and dynamic socio-political activism, in this article, I argue that the contextual nature of their activism remains the only viable analytical generalization we can make at this time. This activism emerges always in a particular existential and relational context presenting a range of problems local activists aim to address through the means available to them, including discourses on Islam, gender, and justice. I exemplify my approach by focusing on several Muslim women activists at different levels of Uzbek society, including an individual, communal, and a societal ones. Inspired by their interpretations of Islamic duties and responsibilities, these women fostered their individual moral transformation simultaneously extending it beyond themselves toward their local communities and the government.

Actions for sociopolitical consciousness in a high school science class: A case study of ninth grade class with predominantly indigenous students

AbstractThis case study explores how a group of Grade 9 students engaged in sociopolitical discourses and actions in a science class in a mostly indigenous student school in Nepal. The study used sociopolitical consciousness (SPC) as a framework to document and understand indigenous students’ SPC‐oriented science interactions and subsequent social change actions. We used ethnographic methods of data collection over 6 months. The study focused on the actions of 4 girls and 2 boys belonging to the indigenous Tharu group. Data were analyzed using iterative qualitative methods. The study findings show that students are capable of engaging in critical thinking, critical reflecting, and taking actions for social change. Additionally, students are competent to link their experiences with social, structural, and political discrimination to the relevant science content they learn. The study presents four thematic findings related to SPC and science teaching and learning: Fostering social justice awareness in science class, fostering structural understanding of inequities in sickle cell disease, fostering sociopolitical actions for sickle cell disease, and the teacher's activist pedagogy for SPC in science learning. Implications of the study are that culturally relevant pedagogy helps indigenous students to become sociopolitically more aware of the links between science and social change. Adding aspects of critical pedagogies in science teaching could encourage students to become more sociopolitically reflective about science learning.

Džejms Braun u mreži ideoloških raslojavanja afroameričkog Pokreta za građanska prava

The ideological dispersion of the African-American Civil Rights Movement resulted in political atrophy of emancipatory actions as early as the second half of the 1960s. The ideological orientations of the Movement vacillated from the demand for basic human rights to a comprehensive identity policy, and failed to articulate a coherent course of socio-political action. In a network of ideological stratifications of rebellion against the repressive system, some prominent African-Americans were unable to avoid misunderstandings with the proclaimed goals. This diminished their appellate power to be heard. James Brown was one of those who were more often associated with the Black Power movement, which was a derivative of the civil rights movement. Although this forefather of funk often addressed racial issues in his songs, he did not want to base his social engagement on a thorough rethinking of the socio-economic system in the United States. In this way, Brown failed to exceed the expectations of those who saw in him the embodiment of the Black Pride idea, but he did not betray his faith in the American Dream.

Difficult Pasts and Haunted Presents: Contemporary Archaeology and Conflict in an Age of Global Uncertainty

This article examines the role of archaeology in contemporary society. It works from the premise that archaeology is a form of socio-political action and explores some of the ways in which archaeologies of the recent past can have therapeutic or cathartic effects. Three case studies are presented. The first two focus on the recovery of war dead and the memorialization of conflict landscapes at Fromelles, in northern France, and Peleliu, in Micronesia. The third explores the materiality of unauthorised migration in the US-Mexico borderlands of southern Arizona. The central argument presented in this article is that in an age of global uncertainty, where support for the humanities is in decline and respect for academic knowledge is diminishing, archaeologists should re-position their work to more clearly focus on contemporary social issues. If archaeology is to survive as a discipline it must be seen as being socially relevant research, with the capacity to contribute to contemporary public discourses.

Black Girlhood in the Nineteenth CenturyAmerican Tomboys, 1850–1915

Black Girlhood in the Nineteenth CenturyAmerican Tomboys, 1850–1915

Representing social action in Indonesian: A case of Indonesian presidential race

A large body of research on social action representation revolves around how social actors are discursively represented in a variety of media; nevertheless, very few discourse studies have investigated the Indonesian news media portrayal of an Indonesian politician in a number of social events. This research sought to fill in this gap by examining the representation of a prominent Indonesian political figure, i.e. Prabowo Subianto from the lens of two mainstream online Indonesia news media, i.e. Kompas and Republika. More specifically, the prime focus is on outlining types of social action and their grammatical and rhetorical realization in Indonesian discourse. Leeuwen’s (2005; 2008) social semiotics was adopted as the framework of analysis. Ten online news reports—five from each media—focusing on Prabowo were purposively selected on the basis of five key political incidents where Prabowo was engaged. Comparison of two media in their reporting of the events is of special interest, for the representation of the same individual in his socio-political actions can be more apparent and hence media tendencies can be easily identified. Findings reveal that both media have non-neutral, partial tendencies. Their language products entail sympathy and defense of Prabowo, albeit the journalistic code of ethics. More specifically, Republika tends to side with Prabowo’s campaign; while Kompas tends to oppose it. In the form of values, orientation, and tendencies, both media have an ideological tendency to defend or to offend the subject, Prabowo, as is clearly reflected through the distinctive discursive strategies they choose. Implicationally, these results corroborate the long-standing premise that media’s values or ideological stances to a certain extent appear to be a factor in portraying an individual and his/her action in the society, which in turn may influence public perceptions.

Utopismo, insurgência e espaço urbano: o “direito à cidade” lefebvriano e as Jornadas de Junho de 2013 no Brasil

Resumo A metrópole paulistana foi palco e epicentro para a odisseia volátil, espontânea, difusa e reticulada que caracterizou as Jornadas de Junho de 2013 no Brasil. O espaço urbano tornou-se índice e plataforma de luta por sonhos sociais. Reflete-se, aqui, a associação entre essa mobilização e o “direito à cidade” em uma perspectiva de utopismo sobre o espaço urbano, a partir do ser e o agir sociopolítico. Como aporte a esta análise, examinou-se o conteúdo noticioso de jornais impressos de maior circulação no período, auditados pelo Instituto Verificador da Comunicação (IVC). O movimento revelou projetos de vida e país mobilizados na apropriação do espaço urbano para a luta em uma flexão utópica, como um signo socioespacial de insurgência e de desenvolvimento social.

Radical Experiences of Portuguese Social Workers in the Vanguard of the 1974 Revolution

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the contribution of social workers to the Portuguese democratic transition in the 1970s. Their involvement in urban social mobilizations and in the cooperative movement will offer a perspective on the participation of social workers alongside the Revolutionary process and how they, through engaging with social mobilization, grass-roots initiatives and socio-political activism deployed practices consistent with radical social work frames. It is argued that the Revolution provided the structural conditions for social workers to engage with radical practice and that their intervention constituted a form of agency for socio-political transformation while influencing professional self-representations and professional agency.

Didactic Modelling for Socio-Ecojustice

In northern Europe and Scandinavia, there is a tradition called Didaktik. It can be seen as both the art of teaching and as the “science for teachers”, helping us teachers answering didactic questions about WHY?, WHAT? and HOW? to teach (and support learning). Many areas of subject-specific Didaktik have in recent decades evolved from mainly practice-based methodology to quite independent research areas. This applies, for example, to the field of science-Didaktik (i.e., Science Education). Part of this field has a special interest in educational activities for socio-ecojustice. For instance, it can include complex issues used in teaching to build bridges across different curriculum subjects, among them STEM-subjects, in support of sustainability, reflexive Bildung and socio-political activism. The focus in this paper is on socalled didactic models and modelling aiming at actions for socio-ecojustice. In particular, the paper presents a model for eco-reflexive Didaktik, an example of a didactic model. Didactic modelling is the name for the processes when didactic models are used and developed, often by researchers in collaboration with practitioners. The didactic model in focus here is based on philosophical ideas and orientations, such as holism, critical realism, egalitarianism, altruism, reconstructionism and critical pedagogy.

When CEO Sociopolitical Activism Attracts New Talents: Exploring the Conditions Under Which CEO Activism Increases Job Pursuit Intentions

When CEO Sociopolitical Activism Attracts New Talents: Exploring the Conditions Under Which CEO Activism Increases Job Pursuit Intentions