Struggle For Autonomy Research Articles

Pan-Celticism as a Form of Cultural Cooperation of Celtic Peoples in Second Half of 19th - Early 20th Centuries

The article deals with the formation and development of pan-Celticism as a movement for solidarity and cooperation of the Celtic peoples in the revival of their languages and culture, as well as a means of struggle for autonomy in the regions of the British periphery. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the Celtic Association and the Celtic Congress activities, as well as the ideological component of these organizations. The novelty of the study is seen in the fact that the author, for the first time in Russian historiography, turned to the problem of pannational movements as a possible form of preserving, maintaining and popularizing the culture and language of small peoples. It is concluded that pan-Celticism at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries had both a political and a cultural dimension. However, as a result of the reaction of the British government that followed the Easter Rising of 1916, the Pan-Celists were temporarily forced to abandon their political goals. The growth of self-awareness of the Celtic peoples, the independence of Ireland in 1922 and autonomy by Wales and Scotland in 1997, as well as the surge of unprecedented interest in the Celtic heritage in the world in the last decade of the 20th century can be considered as a result of almost a century of activity of pan-Celtic organizations.

Twenty-first-century feminismos: women's movements in Latin America and the Caribbean

Simone Bohn and Charmain Levy's Twenty-first-century feminismos offers a thorough exploration of recent women's and feminist movements in eight countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. Divided into ten chapters, the volume traces the local, national and transnational histories, as well as the socio-political dynamics of feminist mobilizing. Its varied, in-depth case-studies provide an overview of the contemporary movements in light of the historical developments of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This interdisciplinary book makes important contributions to various fields, including gender studies, Latin American studies and political science. Despite its breadth and diversity, there are recurring themes that emerge throughout the chapters. These fall into three broad categories: struggles for autonomy (be it reproductive, Indigenous or anti-imperialist); alliances and tensions between institutional and autonomous approaches to social change; and the production of knowledge grounded in the lived experiences of the movements. This last point is further reflected in the composition of the volume, as more than half of the chapters are translated from French, Spanish or Portuguese. Hence, the contributors provide insights into new sites of analysis and theorizing within anglophone literature.

Carrie Lam, China-Hong Kong Dual System and the Struggle for Autonomy: A Diplomatic Analysis

Carrie Lam, the fourth Chief Executive was “Too Pro-China” to insist on the autonomy or enhance the struggle of Hong Kong for autonomy as proposed by the 1997 China’s promises to the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and the international community, that it would operate a “One Nation-Two Systems” for fifty years, ending in 2047. The last twenty-five years have been characterized by broken promises, failed covenants, unnecessary political meddling, judicial undercutting, press gagging and restrictions on freedom of speech leading to protests, advocacy, instability and political tension in the territory. The UK which should have intervened by reminding China of the July 1, 1997 pledges and accord and in absolute terms compel China to uphold the agreements, has been burdened by socio-political, economic and domestic challenges. China has taken advantage of UK’s domestic problems and political instability to violate the agreements over Hong Kong. This article argues that the people of Hong Kong were aware of/already sensed a consistent decline in China’s resolve to allow freedom of speech, democracy, freedom of the press, uninterrupted judicial process, fundamental human rights and the British educational system. This article concludes that while the UK kept her promise to transfer HK to China after Ninety-Nine years (1898-1997). China has refused to keep to the post transfer treaty. The covenant of fifty years has been broken almost immediately after it was signed. The UK on the other hand has broken the ethical/moral covenant to keep China on the covenant lane. Aside pockets of condemnations, no sanctions have been recommended or applied for failure or default by China. This paper is essentially a field research with reliance on primary and secondary sources of data in published outlets such as journals and online articles, newspaper interviews, and books. Its scope is limited to issue and content analysis of Hong Kong’s struggle to make China keep her promises. The study adopts the Kant’s Struggle for Autonomy as a theoretical guide. It captures the essence of the struggles in Hong Kong.

Источники по истории российско-финляндских отношений начала ХХ в.: проблемы и перспективы публикации

The review examines content and features of sources published in the three-volume collection “Russia and the Independence of Finland” (2021), prepared by the Russian-Finnish team of authors (compiled by M. V. Zelenov and P. Hakala) headed by the head of the Federal Archival Agency, Doctor of Historical Sciences A. N. Artizov, with participation of the National Archive of Finland. The publication presents documents from the Russian federal archives: State Archive of the Russian Federation (GA RF), Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA), Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History (RGASPI), Russian State Archive of Economics (RGAE), Russian State Archive of the Navy (RGAVMF), Russian State Military Archive (RGVA); from departmental archives: Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire (AVPRI), Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation (WUA RF), Archive of the President of the Russian Federation (AP RF); and from the National Archive of Finland (NAF). From the NAF fonds have been chosen for publication mostly Russian-language documents of Russian institutions and officials. The collection contains documents revealing the development of political process starting with the Grand Duchy of Finland’s struggle for autonomy and ending with Finland’s movement for the state independence. Commentary, nominal and geographical indexes, chronicle of events, appendices with a list of resolutions of the Russian and Soviet institutions in Finland are of independent scientific significance. Absence of illustrative materials is compensated by lists of photographic documents, including photographs and documentary newsreel footage, with indication of the archives. The collection materials expand the source base of research, reflect specifics of the source base on the history of Russian-Finnish relations, where prevail documents on the legal status of the Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire. The authors pay considerable attention not only to the legal controversy of the parties, but also to documents revealing the complex political relations between Russia and Finland, especially in the period of 1917–20. Introduction into scientific use of documents containing information on the underlying causes of confrontation between the Russian and Finnish political elites of the Russian Empire and on interaction of the Soviet and Finnish structures give credit to the team of Russian and Finnish archivists. Among documents published for the first time, stand out documents of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia on the support of revolutionary movement in Russia in 1905–07 by the Finnish left-wing political forces. The documents point to diverging positions of Russian bureaucracy on the Finnish issue and search for compromise solutions. Introduction into scientific use of documents containing information on the underlying causes of confrontation between Russian and Finnish political elites and their publication are associated with difficulties in deciphering handwritten texts and their translation from French, Swedish, and other languages. It is noted that some documents on the essence of the Russian-Finnish contradictions during the First World War have already been introduced into scientific use by Russian researchers, indicating presence of research interest and need for further work on the publication of sources.

Book Review. International Relations in Southeast Asia: The struggle for autonomy, 3rd Edition. By Donald E. Weatherbee, 2014. 378 pp. Price: $144 (Paperback) and $57 (eBook).

International Relations in Southeast Asia: the struggle for autonomy, by Donald E. Weatherbee, is an intriguing book, offering an original approach to the study of IR in the region, and propounding key insights regarding the qualities of regional integration, which result in a compelling argument. The book is recommended reading for diverse audiences, ranging from students of international relations, diplomats within the Southeast Asia region as well as from outside the region, policy makers, and civil servants working across regional international boundaries as part of the integration processes of ASEAN. Following an introductory assessment in support of importance of this book, this review will provide a brief summation of the content of the text before turning to a discussion of the main argument and the manner in which the author substantiates it. This is then followed by a discussion of potential critiques of the text, before concluding by mentioning why the book is of significance to Cambodian policymakers and the broader public.

Triple Marginalization and Struggle for Autonomy: A Study on Dalit Women in Bangladesh

Dalit people have been marginalized in different spheres of life since the dawn of modern civilization. The situation of Dalit women is even more complex. This paper aims at understanding the marginalization of Dalit women at a local context in Bangladesh based on empirical evidences. Data for the study were collected using mixed-method approach. The findings of the study reveal that Dalit women have to confront different forms of discrimination both in their own community as well as wider society. They face various types of patriarchal customs, such as dowry, domestic violence, dehumanization, and child marriage within their society. In addition, they frequently face inequalities in job and not treated with dignity in the wider society. The findings of the study reveal that these realities are constantly changing and Dalit women are continuously working for the betterment of their community as the soulful agents.

Tribal land alienation and Adivasis’ struggle for autonomy: The case of Bhadrachalam Scheduled Area, Telangana, India

AbstractBased on a case study of the Bhadrachalam Scheduled Area of Telangana, this article argues that the Adivasis of Central India seek autonomy as a response to their dispossession and to the accumulation of capital taking place in their resource-rich territories. The two main factors that have curtailed Adivasi autonomy through land alienation are analysed. The first is a process of agricultural colonization, wherein settlers belonging to agrarian dominant castes have moved into Adivasi territory and acquired tribal lands, thus dispossessing the original owners and reducing them to daily wage labourers. The second process is the industrialization of tribal areas where raw material is available and manpower is cheap, allowing for rapid accumulation through the exploitation of both nature and labour. Adivasis’ struggle for autonomy is therefore a way to reclaim control over their own resources and to preserve their distinct identity.

Ins and Outs of Autonomy

Drawing from processes of autonomous community organization in Mexico, this paper will interrogate and rethink the borders and boundaries of autonomy. Rather than articulating autonomy as some fully separated space with clearly delineated borders, this paper will show how struggles for autonomy in Mexico are constantly navigating their insides and outsides, organizing and inhabiting the border or boundary space. With this, we can begin to re-conceptualize autonomy without state-like borders as something in constant movement. In the same way, we can begin to take seriously the complexities and intricacies of autonomous struggles as they play out in practice.

Humble Women, Powerful Nuns: A Female Struggle for Autonomy in a Men's Church. By Kristien Suenens. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2020. 380 pp.

Humble Women, Powerful Nuns: A Female Struggle for Autonomy in a Men's Church. By Kristien Suenens. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2020. 380 pp.

An Instrumental Connection. Economic Diplomacy, International Arms Trade and Overseas Aspirations between Portugal and Sweden, 1640–80

This paper offers an Iberian perspective on Sweden’s ‘Age of Greatness’ by looking at the intersection of international politics and trade involving Portugal and Sweden after Portugal regained its independence from Spain at the end of 1640. Sweden’s exports of timber, naval stores, iron, copper, and weapons to Braganza Portugal are seen in the context of the Portuguese wars for overseas trade and colonial settlement against the Dutch Republic and the struggle for autonomy against Spain in its home turf. By revisiting the accounts of diplomatic actors, this contribution will discuss how Portugal turned to Sweden for diplomatic recognition and new consumption markets and carriers for its export sector. It will also be shown how Sweden stood to gain by adding a new customer to its military export sector and by tapping into Portugal’s colonial goods and salt, while at the same time it entertained the prospect of using the Portuguese offshoots in West Africa and the East Indies to further its ambitions in overseas trade.

Humble women, powerful nuns. A female struggle for autonomy in a men's Church. By Kristien Suenens. Pp. 381 incl. 46 ills and 8 tables. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2020. €55 (paper). 978 94 6270 227 1

Humble women, powerful nuns. A female struggle for autonomy in a men's Church. By Kristien Suenens. Pp. 381 incl. 46 ills and 8 tables. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2020. €55 (paper). 978 94 6270 227 1 - Volume 73 Issue 1

From survival to self‐governance: A comparison of two peasant autonomy struggles in Colombia's coffee and frontier regions

AbstractThis contribution explores processes of political class formation in peasant autonomy movements. The paper is based on a comparison of two peasant autonomy movements emerging from diverse agrarian structures and looks at how each movement emerged and developed. It argues that variations in class bases, cultural traditions and political histories shape the different ways autonomy is conceived and practised between peasant movements. The political expressions of autonomy struggles can be very diverse, ranging from poverty‐driven survival strategies to politicized socio‐territorial movements. The paper also highlights three main tensions in the question of autonomy for peasant movements: (1) struggles for autonomy do not involve a straightforward withdrawal from commodity markets, but also seek greater control over the terms of integration into markets; (2) states are still central focal points for the demands and tactics of autonomy struggles, and states still play an important role in allocating resources and co‐opting peasant movements; and (3) the strategy of autonomy alone is insufficient for building counter‐hegemonic movements. Leadership strategies are critical in shaping the political direction of autonomy movements.

ITALIANS AND OTHERS IN THE SHADOW OF ABDULHAMID KHAN

Shortly after Abdulhamid II had become padishah, a book that would prove to be highly influential would be published by the Milanese Treves publishing house: "Costantinopoli" by Edmondo De Amicis. This travel account that shows the influence of earlier French writing (Lamartine, Flaubert, Nerval and others) may be considered the Italian key text on the formative years of Abdulhamid during the reign of Abdulaziz. Not only Italian travelers would be strongly influenced by his impressions and descriptions, but also many European tourists would look at the Ottoman court and capital through his eyes. It can be supposed that the sovereign himself showed a great interest in foreign travel accounts. He certainly did as far as the Italian presence in his state is concerned. He well knew that the Italian presence in Constantinople (Pera, Galata) preceded the city’s Ottoman conquest, this making it the oldest ethnic group – if it is allowed to speak of Venetians, Genoese and many others as a nation, while in reality they had quite recently joined in a process of nation building – after the original Greek population. Not only that: the Italian states had been business partners from the Late Middle Ages (as well as military antagonists). The sympathetic Italian outlook on Constantinople will have contributed in a notable way to the Sultan’s benevolence vis-à-vis Italian culture. Orientalist tendencies in Italian art such as represented by some of Verdi’s operas or Donizetti Pasha’s musical creations, excellent painters such as Zonaro, architects as D’Aronco, tailors as Parma were much welcomed and supported by the Sultan whose keen interest in European culture and technical know-how would be unjustly overshadowed by his political conservatism and his struggle for autonomy as a world leader. Thanks to his efforts contemporary Ottoman culture will find its place among the nations. In this article we will examine some prominent Italian artists and their creations for the Ottoman court.

Kristien Suenens, Humble Women, Powerful Nuns. A Female Struggle for Autonomy in a Men’s Church

Kristien Suenens, Humble Women, Powerful Nuns. A Female Struggle for Autonomy in a Men’s Church

JUSTIFYING UNIVERSITIES: CONFLICT AND COMPROMISE IN POLITICAL FORMS OF WORTH IN THE UK

ABSTRACT Justifying higher education is a political exercise in which representatives of universities advocate for resources from the state while also seeking autonomy to manage their own affairs. This analysis builds upon Collini’s identification of the conflict over the value of higher education in the UK. It sets out the ‘worlds of worth’ typology to explain the basis of conflicting justifications in UK higher education policy debates. It elaborates the six worlds of worth and links them to pragmatic justifications utilised in higher education, varying according to situated contexts. It explains the conflicts between the worlds and how they play out in practical ways in higher education policymaking. The Research Excellence Framework constitutes a compromise between multiple worlds of worth. Debates around ‘low value’ courses are centred around conflicts between the industrial and market worlds. It concludes that the worlds of worth model offers a productive framework for the analysis of pragmatic policy conflicts and illuminates political struggles about what universities are for, embedded in power struggles for autonomy and control.

Late-Fifteenth-Century Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and the Emergence of a Muscovite Dynastic Consciousness

This article examines the role played by the disputes for ecclesiastical jurisdiction between the late-fifteenth-century Metropolitan Sees of Kiev and of Moscow in defining the Muscovite rhetoric of princely power. Based on previous temporary ecclesiastical separations and on the Moscow-based Metropolitans' letters, it suggests that a possible acceptance of Grigorii of Kiev's jurisdiction in Novgorod was perceived as a possible threat in Moscow. Thus, when describing the 1471 attack, the official Muscovite chronicles transformed the Novogorodian struggle for autonomy into 'apostasy’. The result was a coherent narrative expressing an emergent dynastic consciousness, based on descent from Riurik, primogeniture and local symbols of Orthodoxy.

Emancipatory struggles and their political organisation: How political parties and social movements respond to changing notions of emancipation

In this article, I address the ways in which debates in liberal, (post)Marxist and postmodernist social theory have remoulded readings of emancipation – and how these reformulations have affected the organisation of emancipatory struggles by and in political parties and social movements. I focus on three conceptual ambiguities that have spurred theoretical disputes and restructured organisational imaginations of emancipation: who might struggle for liberation, to what end and in which ways. In all three respects, understandings of emancipation have become increasingly individualised, contingent and process-oriented – both in theory and in its political-organisational correspondents. As a consequence, effective collective struggles for autonomy may become ever more difficult to organise. While occurring in the name of further liberation, the ongoing reinterpretation of emancipation and its impact on the political organisation of emancipatory struggles might in the end hamper or even undermine the very liberation and autonomy they had aimed to promote.

Liberation and limitation: Emancipatory politics, socio-ecological transformation and the grammar of the autocratic-authoritarian turn

Despite decades of emancipatory mobilization, there is no realistic prospect for any profound socio-ecological transformation of contemporary consumer societies. Instead, social inequality and ecological destruction are on the rise and an autocratic-authoritarian turn is reshaping even the most established liberal democracies. In explaining these phenomena, the struggle for autonomy and emancipation is an important parameter that has not received sufficient attention so far. This article investigates these phenomena through the lens of the dialectic of emancipation – a concept that I have suggested elsewhere and that I here further elaborate, placing particular emphasis on the relationship between the rule-transgressing and the rule-setting capacities of the emancipatory project. The article specifies constitutive dimensions of the emancipatory project, explores their ongoing reinterpretation and reconfiguration and thus explains how the emancipatory logic itself has come to obstruct the socio-ecological transformation and to nurture new forms of authoritarian governance.

Humble Women, Powerful Nuns: A Female Struggle for Autonomy in a Men’s Church, by Kristien Suenens

Humble Women, Powerful Nuns: A Female Struggle for Autonomy in a Men’s Church, by Kristien Suenens

Rural development in the Sertão do São Francisco, Bahia: an interpretation based on the trajectories of peasant families of the territory

This article addresses the trajectories of peasant families of the rural areas in the municipalities of Juazeiro, Casa Nova, Campo Alegre de Lourdes, and Remanso development, in the Sertão do São Francisco territory, semiarid Bahia, Brazil. It aims to interpret the processes of rural development in the territory based on the results of innovations incorporated by families from the interaction in learning networks mobilized by non-governmental organizations and access to a set of public policies. The Lume method was used to guide the economic and ecological analysis of agroecosystems. In its recent history, this territory was the beneficiary of several policies of tackling misery and hunger through Zero Hunger (Fome Zero) and Brazil without Extreme Poverty (Brasil sem Miséria) governmental programs, aimed at peasant farming. The incidence of extensive territorial development policies conducted by innovative institutionalities is another feature that called the attention of the research. A significant ensemble of innovations has been incorporated to the agroecosystems, to which contributed the public policies of the democratic period and, most importantly, the social capital of the territory resulted from the mobilization of the peasantry as well as from their partner organizations. The trajectories of analyzed families show how food production for self-consumption of the families, the reciprocity of give-and-take actions and the trading in a big diversity of local markets, while empowering the families’ struggle for autonomy, also contributes to summon social active strength for the construction of rural development alternatives aimed at both making peasant farming stronger and ensuring food sovereignty of the territory.