Supranational Communities Research Articles

Distant-Reading Communities: Monolingualisation in Fin-de-Siècle European Literary Historiography

Abstract A return to earlier forms of distant reading multilingual corpora allows us to reflect on the monolingual authorial position that manages and mediates the language diversity and linguistic specificity (literariness) of multilingual corpora with the objective of fostering supranational (imagined) communities of readers (Anderson, 1983). Revisiting the distant-reading practices of fin-de-siècle Britain can help us identify historiographical focal points and priorities, provide an understanding of the scope and circumference of the corpus, and reveal the conceptions of gain and loss perceived as integral to distant reading. The tension between enrichment and dispossession inherent in the practice of literary historiography is acute when it comes to multilingual corpora, compiled to facilitate a crossing and re-weaving of the boundaries of language, understanding, and community. In the 12-volume series Periods of European Literature, edited and, in part, written by the journalist, literary historian, and Chair of Rhetoric and English Literature at Edinburgh University, George Saintsbury (1845–1933), Anglophone comparatists represent the multilingual corpora of exemplar works, gauging the necessity for, or dispensability of, translation, and managing the “great unread”, which, in this case, equates the “great unreadable”. In their desire to build imagined communities of readers of European literature, Saintsbury and his contributors tend to operate in a monolingual supralinguistic sphere in which languages, authors, and works are named, passages are occasionally quoted, but in which no reading of literature, neither on the side of the comparatist, nor of the reader, takes place. Literary language is thus only tangentially part of literary historiography.

PROCESSES OF AREAL VARIATION OF ROMANCE LANGUAGES AND CULTURES (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE FRENCH-SPEAKING SPACE)

The article aims to study modern aspects of the variation of linguistic and cultural space and to clarify approaches to its study, using the example of the French-speaking space. The role of Romance studies in the development of the principles of spatial research, the establishment of spatial patterns, mapping and the creation of atlases is shown. It is proved that the peculiarity of the Romance school of areal studies is the increasing desire to reflect the connection of language and culture. Taking into account these features, it is established that the French-speaking space is a vast, fragmented area with a core and regional centers, showing a tendency to expand, having relative integrity, which is supported by the interconnections and development trends of its constituent zones. The question of whether the unity of the Francophone area is preserved or weakened as it expands requires further research. The results of the study confirm the immanent nature of variability as a property of language, the complexity of the relationship “center” - “periphery”, the role of borders in language and culture, the importance of self-esteem of speakers in maintaining the integrity of the area. These questions are important for studying not only the Francophone area, but also the areas of other supranational communities formed on the basis of other languages - Romance and non-Romance.

Integration, urban citizenship, and spatial aspects of (new) mobilities: Greek migrants' constructions of integration in European cities.

This study aims at casting light on the ways in which spatial aspects of mobility and belonging serve as social-psychological discursive resources used by Intra-European Greek immigrants in order to account for integration. For the purposes of the study, 17 virtual interviews with Greek migrants in European cities were analysed. Interview discussion was facilitated by photographs of participants' meaningful places. In the analysis, accounts of belonging to the community 'in general' were juxtaposed to accounts of bonding with specific places. Participants, using spatial discursive resources and constituting complex relationships between political participation, citizenship and place, developed competing arguments and positioned themselves as integrated or excluded from local, national or supranational communities. Accounts of attachment to private and public places mobilized constructions of citizenship based on place appropriation and people-environment relations and constructed spatial or symbolic boundaries. The conclusions underscore the benefits of understanding migrant integration through multilevel (local, national and supranational) constructions of political participation and urban and localized perspectives of citizenship.

Memorial communities in the global world

The article reveals the methodological potential of the cosmopolitan approach to the study of collective memory as one of the main prerequisites for the formation of group identity and identification of the foundations for the formation of global memory. For this purpose, the civilizational approach of S. Huntington, the paradigmatic approach of J. Heidt and the methodological apparatus of memory studies with its inherent intention to the problem of forming a group identity are used. These methodological tools helped to explain the whole spectrum of modern civilizational transformations and provided an impartial view of the sources of aggressive policy of russia towards Ukraine’s European choice and entire Western civilization. In view of this, the results of the study can be useful for developing a humanitarian policy appropriate to Ukraine’s European choice, in particular, for elaboration of a strategy for the development of Ukrainian memory policy. It must be developed taking into account the ultimate importance of global (universal) memory for overcoming international conflicts for the sake of peace and prosperity of all mankind and understanding the problematic nature of its emergence in the near future due to civilizational differences and economic inequality. Given this, it is important to the modern world to form supranational communities, whose members being aware of the decentralized nature of global processes and the risks involved will focus on creating a system of interstate mechanisms to overcome turbulence to preserve peace and increase human well-being. Despite the noble intentions of the supporters of the cosmopolitan world based on the principles of liberal democracy, their ideas and programs are discern with great caution, and sometimes even with open hostility in cultural environments and communities with different from European collective experience and historical memory. This, in turn, puts on the list of items the need to unite the entire Western world and construct a supranational pan-European identity as a prerequisite for the internal consolidation of European society around core values defined by shared historical memories that underpins European international policy

Economic Factors of the Socio-Environmental Agenda in the ESG Concept

Relevance. The rationalization of complex social ties of economic activities has given rise to the concept of balanced provision of comfortable living conditions, protection of the natural and cultural environment, meeting the needs of private business maximizing efficiency. The society requires to assess discrepancies between the priorities of economic factors and the generally accepted ESG green agenda.Purpose. To conduct a theoretical and conceptual analysis of the parameters of socio-ecological problems of economy, identify priority groups of criteria for choosing models of individual, institutional, country socio-ecological behavior.Objectives: Determine the conceptual framework for the evolution of approaches to the social and environmental agenda, conduct a study of the specifics of social and environmental assessments of the behavior of subjects, identify groups of factors in the dynamics of the carbon intensity of the economy, including the production and consumption of carbon intensive goods.Methodology. The methodological approach included an analysis of the dynamics of the concepts from environmental protection to the social and environmental component of the corporate strategy and the argument of market communication at the micro-level, from the millennium goals to the sustainable development of supranational communities; retrospective analysis of national volumes of CO2 emissions; methods of grouping, classification, graphical interpretation of the results of a comparative analysis to identify the evolution of the socio-ecological behavior of states.Results. An analysis of the statistical data on carbon dioxide emissions from a number of countries, taking into account consumption, showed an underestimated share of the economic "center" (USA, European Union) in emissions and an overestimation of the "periphery" countries (China, India). The use of a socio-ecological instrument of market promotion and squeezing out competitors reflects the predominance of economic factors in the behavior of organizational institutionalized economic entities. An analysis of the results of public opinion surveys confirms the discrepancy between the commitment to reasonable consumption declared by buyers and the real significance of cost-price factors of choice.Conclusions. The study of the declared and implemented socio-ecological model of individual, corporate, country behavior showed the predominance of economic factors in the implementation of the ESG approach by individuals, enterprises, and states. Actually implemented behavioral strategies are determined by the dominance of economic factors in the choice of models of individual, corporate, territorial (national, regional) socio-ecological behavior, along with the stated balancing of environmental, socio-cultural, economic factors (ESG).

Diabolical Suggestions: Disinformation and the Curious Scale of Nationalism in Ukrainian Geopolitical Fault-line Cities

ABSTRACT During the past few years, research on conflict in cities has built valuable intellectual bridges across boundaries into numerous surrounding fields. One such area – the study of the spatiality of (dis/mis-)information – is an indispensable ingredient in the concept of the geopolitical fault-line city, the empirical solidity of which this article sets out to investigate using the case of two strategically crucial cities in Ukraine: Kharkiv and Dnipro. Two main questions are addressed: (1) Who places the blame for the Russo-Ukrainian war primarily on Russia? (2) Who would be ready to oppose a hypothetical Russian invasion of the city using non-violent methods? Because Russia is the party primarily responsible for the unfolding of armed conflict in Ukraine, the first question implicitly explores who it is that is least influenced by pro-Russian disinformation narratives, whereas the second question explores the central security implication of this particular situation. The article uses data from two sample surveys conducted in the case study cities in 2018 (n = ca. 1250 for each city), and reports its findings in amultivariate setting, aiming to contribute to the general literature on divided and contested cities, as well as to the more specific literature on the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. The results show that the categories of “Ukrainian” and “Russian” are of relatively little salience in the case study cities, contrary to the (now slowly fading) narrative of ethnic polarization that has been haunting many academic and especially media portrayals of Ukraine. What matters, instead, is self-identification as “European” or “Soviet”, imaginary supranational communities that are geopolitical at heart.

Władze regionalne w zarządzaniu metropolitalnym. Polskie doświadczenia w odniesieniu do Kanady i regionu metropolitalnego Toronto = Regional authorities in metropolitan governance. Polish experience in the context of Canada and Toronto city-region

The article attempts to present dilemmas related to shaping metropolitan policy in Canada, and then relate them to problems occurring in Poland. It is a part of the debate on seeking the right governance configurations and discourses in response to the communities’ needs. Particular attention is paid to the characteristics of the scales of governance and socio-spatial relations in the Toronto metropolitan area. The article has been divided into four main parts. Part one outlines the theoretical framework and the context of the conducted analyses. Part two describes the structures and processes of regional and metropolitan governance in Southern Ontario, with the earlier reference to the institutional conditions and directions of reforms characteristic of the whole of Canada. Part three of the study concerns the governance arrangements that may constitute important reference points for the scientific and political discourse taking place in Poland. Part four is an attempt to capture the similarities and universal premises that have a decisive influence on the processes of forming metropolitan structures and policies, both in Canada and in Poland. The assumption was made that, despite different historical and socio-cultural conditions, comparing Canadian and Polish experiences is justified, necessary and possible. Firstly, due to the reason that socio-spatial relations in various territorial systems are subject to the same development processes and the accompanying processes of transformation and adaptation. Secondly, residents (members of local, metropolitan, regional, national and supranational communities) have similar needs and expect a high quality of life. Decision-makers and actors of political scenes in different geographical spaces have (or may have) the same technologies, ways of information processing, access to knowledge and knowledge of socio-economic processes. They also face challenges related to the inclusion of citizens in decision-making processes. The analysis of metropolitan processes in both countries emphasizes the differences resulting from various historical and economic contexts of development and also makes it possible to identify universal mechanisms and regularities independent of these contexts. The practice of metropolitan policy proves that the process of re-territorialization of power structures and governance is shaped as a resultant of the impact of forces and interests at all levels of territorial authorities: central, regional and local. Based on the analysis of the processes of the formation of metropolitan structures in Canada and Poland, it can be stated that the rank and position of regional authorities play a key role in it. In Canada, strong regional authorities initiate actions for the shaping of metropolitan structures and formulate the scope of their competence and organization. The importance of central authorities for the dynamics of metropolitan processes is secondary in this case. The weakness of regional authorities in Poland leads to the inability to give metropolitan processes the dynamics of development and the legislative rank adequate for the role played by urban regions in the socio-economic development of the country. As evidenced by the example of Toronto, the evolution of the governance system in practice initiates the process of self-learning the system which goes from one to another phase of development, improving the quality of its operation. In Poland, however, the process of creation of governance structures adequate for realistically existing functional metropolitan areas has been stopped, notably, due to the unfavourable political decisions at the central level.

Cross-cultural Education in the Formation of Supranational Communal Competence

Abstract The text presents the assumptions of cross-cultural education, emphasizing that in the multicultural world it is necessary to look for solutions used in the past as regards the formation and functioning of supranational communities. The author believes that currently, in light of increasing nationalisms, cross-cultural competence that enables the formation of supranational communities is indispensable. He points out that we should refer to the tradition of the Commonwealth of many nations in this respect. He considers the functioning of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, experiences of the multicultural policy of that time, where other nations were treated with appreciation and respect, as something that should be accomplished by contemporary cross-cultural education. He highlights the need to draw on that multicultural experiment, to reflect on it and analyze it in order to realize the essence of tradition of civil liberties and relationships between free people and communities based on freedom.

Латинская Америка и меняющийся мир

Reviewed book is a complex work devoted to the sociopolitical challenges and the problems of economic and integral development of the Latin America in the context of building a new international order. The authors analyzed the present situation of intra- and extraregional collaboration of Latin American countries and activities of supranational communities. Moreover, they assessed the region's ability to become single and autonomous subject in international relations. In this monography were identified the major threats and challenges that might interfere with this. In this regard, the authors consider that extraregional factors play an important role, in particular, the impact of the USA of the countries and regional integration associations. Greatly disunity among Latin American states, they impossibility of reaching consensus-based positions and on the basis of this of building the sustainable international system owing to the United States direct impact and the Organization of American States role in the region. The sustainability of the oldest integration system, such as OAS, and the ideologically based conditionalities of own Latin American integration do not permit a fully strong and enduring alliance. The part of the Latin American countries tend to transpacific integration, and the others of them interested in Chinese investments. In general, interests vary of Latin American countries leads to discord among nationalities that is detrimental to the chances of the region to become one of the pole in the multipolar world. The monograph is of interest to Latin American studies and to all who want know more about international relations.

CHALLENGES AND THREATS TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS IN A SITUATION OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CRISIS

The work is dedicated to challenges and threats to human rights and freedoms, which arise during the immersion of the world capitalist system in the economic and financial crisis. Particular emphasis is placed on threats to change the position of the middle class, as the criterion of changes in the field of the rights and freedoms of citizens in modern society. It is proved that a major challenge of our time is the immersion of the capitalist world-system in the global economic crisis. The article substantiates that globalization from the perspective of system analysis can be considered as inter-system self-organization and institutional process in which social systems are combined in a higher level, and that one of the conditions of existence of the world capitalist system is the expansion of capital, goods and services, and develop a global world market . The analysis forecasts I. Walerrstein, the inevitability of democratic theory, the ideology of the "third way" globalization Tony Blair and Gerhard Schroeder. The problem of human rights and freedoms in modern capitalist economy: the social division of labor, differentiation of supply and the culture industry. Certain attention directed to the concept of H. Cleveland and M. Lyuyks about the current state of Western civilization as a transit state from modernity to transmodernity claiming that Western civilization is experiencing a period of transition from modernity (modernity) to the so-called transmodernity, when religion , while remaining separate from the state must play an increasing role in raising the level of spirituality of the political and state leadership. The authors conclude that, on the one hand, capitalism defends the rights and freedoms of the individual (as a consumer) to the interests of national states and supranational communities, and on the other hand, the government also seeks to protect the individual (in this case, as a citizen rather than a consumer) the market power of competing with them in the effectiveness of the impact on the public consciousness and behavior.

Let's get physical: the European Commission and cultivated spillover in completing the single market's transport infrastructure

The 1994 Essen European Council agreed to prioritize 14 trans-European networks (TENs) transport infrastructure projects, including five in high-speed rail. Within a decade Commission proposals emerged to integrate ports, airports, railways, motorways and satellites within the wider trans-European network (TEN-T). This article draws on revised readings of neofunctionalism to argue for cultivated spillover's role in mediating functional pressures to advance common transport infrastructures. It puts forward a typology for sorting and examining the opportunistic, entrepreneurial and persistent behaviour of the Commission, while recognizing how other supranational agents and epistemic communities have stimulated and created conditions conducive to policy integration. The case analysis distinguishes between task expansion and task consolidation at the stages of policy reformulation and implementation.

TAXATION, THE STATE, AND THE COMMUNITY

The paper is concerned with the relationship of taxation to conceptions of the state and the community. The paper contends that public finance theorists have focused little attention on what, precisely, the state is and the role of subnational and supranational communities, even though understanding the state and these communities is essential for grasping how tax revenues are really distributed. The failure of public finance to do so is explainable by the powerful faith in the expertise of theorists and bureaucrats and abstract models for social welfare, whether or not they work or would be agreed upon and implemented via the political process.

Political unification revisited: on building supranational communities

Part 1 A Paradigm for the Study of Political Unification Chapter 2 Delineation of the Subject and of Elementary Concepts Chapter 3 Political Unification Part 4 Distribution and Configuration of Integrating Powers: A Comparative Analysis Chapter 5 Theoretical Framework Chapter 6 Integrating Power Chapter 7 A Union That Failed: The United Arab Republic (1958-61) Chapter 8 A Union That Failed: The Federation of the West Indies (1958-62) Chapter 9 A Stable Union: The Nordic Associational Web (1953-64) Chapter 10 A Growing Union: The European Economic Community (1958-64) Chapter 11 In Comparative Perspective

Marktwirtschaft und Subsidiarität: Die föderative Arbeitsteilung auf dem Prüfstand

Abstract The article analyses whether the efficiency of economic policy decisions in national and supranational communities can be improved by deepening the division of labor between different levels of government. Using a model based on the theory of fiscal federalism, normative criteria for the optimal vertical distribution of authority are developed. A comparison between the derived optimality conditions and the factual distribution of authority in the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union indicates that in Germany as well as within the EU a decentralisation of economic policy authority would be welfare-improving.

The Epigenesis of Political Communities at the International Level

A model for functional analysis of social change is provided to supplement the Parsons-Bales-Smelser differentiation model. Epigenesis deals with the formation of units that acquire functions not previously serviced by the unit. The development of international systems that become supranational communities is a major example of an epigenetic process. A model of epigenesis includes statements about the sector in which the process starts; the functional sequence in which other sectors are added; and the relationship between growth in performances, power, and communication capabilities.