Dominant Western Research Articles

Deconstructing the Empire: BRICS and the Rise of a Multipolar World

This study examines the rise of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and its impact on the global political economy through Hardt and Negri’s concept of “Empire.” BRICS has challenged Western dominance by leveraging economic globalization to build influential networks, reflecting trends of deterritorialization and decentralization. Key strategies include China’s push for internet sovereignty and Russia’s market realignment under Western sanctions. The recent expansion of BRICS to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE underscores its growing influence in reshaping global governance. However, the study also identifies elements of “Empire” within BRICS, such as the use of economic leverage and biopower to exert control. These findings reveal a complex interplay between power and resistance, where BRICS, while challenging Western hegemony, also replicates some control mechanisms. This research contributes to the theoretical discourse on globalization and provides practical insights into the evolving multipolar world order.

Power shifts in international organisations: China at the United Nations

AbstractThe People's Republic of China is central to current debates about power shifts in international organisations, but a systematic and comprehensive assessment of China‐related shifts has been missing. As Special Issue introduction, this article contributes to addressing this gap and examines whether, how and to what extent China‐related power shifts have unfolded at the United Nations (UN) over the last two decades or so. We define power shifts as changes in the ability of actors to shape others' capacities to act and outline a framework that builds on Barnett and Duvall's four power types of compulsory, institutional, structural and productive power. Drawing from Special Issue contributions, our analysis covers empirical insights from the UN's three main pillars – peace and security, development and human rights – and paints an uneven picture. Despite continuing Western dominance, China is mobilising more compulsory power means than two decades ago. Chinese attempts to enact institutional power have also increased but mostly unfold in multilateral niches and remain cautious. While China's structural power position has expanded, China‐related effects in productive power have so far remained limited and scattered. We conclude with a combined assessment of changes across power types and discuss research and policy implications.

The Islamic Republic of Iran as a New Member of BRICS

The article analyzes the political, economic and cultural development of Iran throughout the existence of this unique state and its role in regional and world politics. It is claimed that the Islamic Republic of Iran represents one of the oldest civilizations and a serious geopolitical force in the center of Eurasia. The author explores the history of various state entities, that existed on the territory of modern Iran. The article provides an overview of key events in Russian-Iranian relations from the end of the 18th century to the present day, including the wars between the Russian and Persian Empires, the interaction of Moscow and Tehran during the First and Second World Wars, and the era of the Cold War. Special attention is paid to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which is considered as a symbol of protest against Western domination and an important factor in Reislamization, as well as the Iran-Iraq war of 1980–1988 and its consequences for regional stability. As а part of the study of Iran’s policy in the 21st century, attention is focused on Tehran’s relations with the leading centers of the modern world, including the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, the United States of America. The article describes the impact of Iran’s nuclear program on international relations and the effect of Western sanctions on the socio-economic situation in the Islamic Republic. The author concludes that Iran, which joined the BRICS in 2024, has every chance to become an important player in the global economy and politics. At the same time, the Islamic Republic of Iran is a very valuable asset for the group itself.

Western Domination, Destructive Governance, and the Perpetual Development Crisis in the Arab Region

This article presents a theoretical view that describes how the rooted Western imperial political structure in the Arab region has trapped the latter in a perpetual development crisis. It follows a de facto analysis and contends that Western imperialism has maintained a counter-development of Arab governance since the mid-19th century, which has resulted in a persistent economic deficiency in the region. This article discusses why Washington Consensus endeavors have failed to deliver the promised results in the development of the region, and argues that it has condoned the principal problem, which is the foreign de facto hostile Western strategic rule that has an inherent disinterest in achieving comprehensive development in the Arab region. This article provides an argument against the views that blame the Arab’s economic failures on domestic institutional factors, and maintains that the foreign Western hostile domination is the primary source of the lasting backwardness in the Arab region. This article defines the West as the consortium of European and North American nations that have had imperial enterprises in the Arab region in the modern period. The most notable of these nations are the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.

Global Perspectives on Climate Crisis in Postcolonial Literature: Decolonizing Ecological Narratives

This paper explores the intersection of postcolonial literature and global perspectives on the climate crisis, focusing on how literary narratives decolonize ecological discourse and advocate for environmental justice. Postcolonial literature, emerging from regions formerly colonized by Western powers, offers unique perspectives on environmental issues, challenging dominant Western narratives and proposing alternative frameworks rooted in cultural and historical contexts. Through a comparative and thematic analysis of selected texts, this research examines how postcolonial authors critique colonial legacies, highlight environmental degradation’s disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, and envision sustainable futures grounded in cultural resilience and ecological stewardship.

ADOLF BIBIČ’S INNOVATIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE MARXIST CONCEPTUALISATION OF POLITICS

Abstract. The article analyses the innovative Marxist conceptualisation of politics proposed by the Slovenian political scientist Adolf Bibič. The latter built on the contributions of Heglo-Marxists and Gramsci to political theory. At the core of his theory, he placed the question of the political power–class exploitation relationship. He distinguished political politics from self-managing politics, and problematised the dominant Western understandings of politics as well as the theories of elitism and pluralism. Moving away from such theories and dogmatic Marxist notions about the withering away of politics, he formulated his project of humanising politics beyond class exploitation and capitalist relations of production. This project assumed a necessary transformation of political practice in terms of the dialectical process of the socialisation of politics and the politicisation of society. Keywords: Adolf Bibič, politics, political science, class relations, economic exploitation.

The geopolitics of anti-Asian racism: A critical discourse analysis of dominant Western narratives on China in the COVID-19 era

Over the past decades, dominant Western institutions have increasingly perceived China as a challenge to a US-centric world order and framed it as a threat to Western values. We propose that understanding the synergies between these institutions’ messaging on China and the reported growing number of incidents of anti-Asian racism can illuminate what drives the latter, especially in the COVID-19 era. We draw from theories of globalization, political socialization, and stigma to identify dominant narratives on China during COVID-19 through a critical discourse analysis of public documents, spanning close to three years, from governments, civil society entities and actors influential in public policy, and Western mainstream media. We show that the dominant Western narrative is that China is a threat to Western values and to humanity, both perceived as interchangeable. This narrative is constructed through double standards and the omission of relevant geopolitical contexts that might help Western publics to develop a more nuanced perspective of China’s role in world affairs. The ideological work of “othering” China and whoever refuses to condemn it is all but inevitable, as is the message of “Us versus Them” with the potential to legitimize anti-Asian racist beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. Discourse is not a slender surface of contact, or confrontation, between a reality and a language (langue) […] in analysing discourses, one sees the loosening of the embrace [between] words and things, and the emergence of a group of rules proper to discursive practice. These rules define not the dumb existence of a reality […] but the ordering of objects [performing] a work that […] displaces its own data, and reveals, at the end of the day, a quite different task. A task that consists of not - of no longer - treating discourses as groups of [signifiers] but as practices that systematically form the objects of which they speak. Of course, discourses are composed of signs; but what they do is more than use these signs to designate things. It is this more that renders them irreducible to the language (langue). It is this 'more' that we must reveal and describe. Michel Foucault, The Archeology of Knowledge, 1972, P. 48 & 49

The Whiteman and gifts: Underlying concepts influencing Ghanaian officials’ explanation of corruption

Corruption – the (mis)use of entrusted power or public office for private gain – is a widely researched and discussed subject matter with various descriptions. Understanding the meaning and nature of corruption from the perspectives of criminal justice and anti-corruption officials is essential for developing effective anti-corruption measures and strategies. However, justice and anti-corruption officials’ perspectives of what corruption means are under-explored. Addressing this gap, the current study explores Ghanaian justice and anti-corruption officials’ understanding of corruption and factors that might influence their perceptions. The study uses a qualitative design of interviews with judges, prosecution lawyers, police officers, defence lawyers and anti-corruption officials. The results show that colonialism, Western domination and historical and cultural practices are key factors underpinning officials’ understanding and explanation of corruption. The discussion depicts clashes between Western values and cultural practices of developing countries like Ghana. Finally, the article concludes by discussing the implications of the results for policy and practice.

Agonist relationships in the toddler classroom: Exploring the connection between conflict and care

Dominant Western discourse in early childhood education frames conflict as a disruptive and damaging force that is antithetical to the “ideal” classroom environment. However, critical early childhood scholars have begun to reconceptualize the role of conflict in early childhood classroom dynamics, exploring its potential as a productive and necessary force that supports current and future political participation for young children. This paper draws from data collected during an eight-month ethnography of care practices in an infant/toddler classroom at a university laboratory school in the Southeastern United States. Using Chantal Mouffe's theories political conflict, we interpret one teacher's understandings of conflict in her classroom and the practices that she engaged in support of what Mouffe would term “agonist conflict” (i.e., friendly, rather than antagonistic, conflict). Findings demonstrate that this teacher views agonist conflict to be a productive process for young children—one that enables them to articulate their political subjectivities as members of their classroom community and one that will foster their engagement as citizens of a broader democratic society. As such, the emotional support and scaffolding she provided to support such engagement constitute a political form of care. This research holds implications for reconceptualized understandings of peer conflict in early childhood contexts and insight into how teachers can better support children's developing political engagement through agonist conflict with their peers.

Weaving Dreams of a World Among Worlds: T’nalak of the T’boli as an Ecological Practice

George Marshall claims that environmental advocacy does not get enough traction despite the urgency of the climate crisis because of two things. One, the human brain reacts to things that are personal, definite, visible, and urgent. Climate change does not exhibit any of these and, thus, tends to be ignored. Two, most consciousness-raising efforts take the scientific route, disseminating information using technical jargon. While it appeals to the analytic side of the brain, it does not compel action. The brain’s intuitive/emotional side must be affected to elicit an effective response to an event. Affect is achieved creatively, especially through stories with which people can identify. The modern world, however, shuns stories as pre-scientific, outmoded, and false. Using a pluriversal view where the coexistence of different but overlapping epistemologies is imaginable, this paper shows that the reactivation of marginalized knowledge systems could counter the dominance and universalism of the (Western) modern world. Traditional epistemologies, as performances, could model the intuitive and personal relationship with the environment claimed to be effective in compelling climate action. It demonstrates this through the t’nalak culture of the T’boli, one of the Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines. T’nalak-making is a sacred ritual that performs a cultural ecology that sees the world as divine, composed of spiritual beings that guard natural resources. As such, the T’boli build relationships with them by respecting and caring for the environment where these spirits dwell and rule. As the t’nalak gains wide recognition through the performance of the annual T’nalak Festival and the t’nalak itself gains protection from modern systems as an intellectual property, the t’nalak-based cultural ecology could inspire a similar attitude toward the planet to help mitigate the effect of climate change.

Traditional and Contemporary Eco-cosmologies Within Western and Christian Traditions: Green Shoots for Integral and Integrative Sustainability Transformation

This article traces persistent and important counter-narratives within Western and Christian traditions, which correlate more closely with many indigenous worldviews from across the globe than with dominant narratives from across these traditions. It posits that a paradigmatic transformation is required toward an integral and integrative eco-cosmology, one that embraces cosmic interconnection and complexity. This may emerge from green shoots emanating from a diverse range of traditions, including, importantly, from within the dominant Western tradition.

Our Search for Intergenerational Rhythms as Tongan Global Scholars


 
 
 
 Our search for collective meaning-making across spaces and places as Tongan global scholars carries intergenerational rhythms. This article is a diasporic collaboration between members of the Tongan Global Scholars Network (TGSN), an online cultural collective drawn together through creatively critical rhythms and a desire to make space for ongoing criticalities through Tongan concepts, knowledge, and approaches. Employing the art of e-talanoa in our search for ways of crafting meaning, we unfold our narratives about TGSN’s humble beginnings using a range of modalities expressed as words, images, screenshots, and poetry. Our desire to connect early career scholars of Tongan heritage across the diaspora of Australia, the United States of America, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Tonga via the online space, led to enabling intergenerational relational rhythms between more seasoned and emerging scholars, sharing their understanding of Tongan knowledge and its relevance in the dominant Western academe. Intergenerational rhythms are central to TGSN’s survival. As a global network, TGSN continues to provide meaningful spaces for creatively critical meaning- making and intergenerational collaborative dialogue.
 
 
 

Decolonising the African doctorate: transforming the foundations of knowledge

Despite revolutions, ongoing student protests, and long-standing transformational efforts, African higher education remains steeped in a colonial model, with current structures, approaches, and purposes paralleling Western universities. The doctorate, the highest level of formal education one can attain, reflects this commitment to Western domination, relying upon European conceptions of knowledge to shape the entire research process. Thus, knowledge construction in higher education, and particularly in the African doctorate, has remained fixed to Eurocentrism. This conceptual article presents a critical race theory model to transform the African doctorate towards a social justice orientation, arguing for investments in race-conscious, Black affirming approaches that recognise doctoral researcher positionalities and African languages as ways to disrupt socio-political and racialised contexts. This transformation requires re-alignment of the entire research endeavour through an Ubuntu lens, with doctoral recipients engaging in training and support that embody antiracist, decolonial, and African Indigenous-affirming approaches.

Analisis Peran Media Sosial Dalam Konflik Israel-Palestina Ditinjau Dari Teori Orientalisme Edward W Said

Social media has a big role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a forum for conveying information both in the form of facts and doctrine to the general public. The alignment of an individual or a country can be reflected through what they present on social media. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Edward W Said's theory of orientalism can be seen from the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which was interpreted as a manifestation of orientalism. The aim of this research is to analyze orientalist patterns in social media representations of Israel and Palestine. The method used by researchers in this research is the content analysis method. The research subjects used are ordinary people who have the power to convey their defense on social media. This research focuses on Israeli and Palestinian society by using social media as a tool in obtaining data. The result of this research is that orientalism in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be identified through history, political actions and societal views which often reflect Western dominance and views of superiority towards the East. It can be concluded that in the context of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, the role of social media is becoming increasingly significant, and algorithms on these platforms can play an important role in shaping people's views and attitudes.

Kritik Sosial Natsume Soseki dalam Novel Bocchan

This research aims to reveal Natsume Soseki's attitudes and views in the form of social criticism regarding the phenomenon of social deviation in Japanese society due to the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912) in his novel, Bocchan. Social problems often arise in modern societies, including what happened in Japan during modernization from 1868-1912, called the Meiji Restoration. These social problems include social and cultural dislocation due to the penetration of dominant Western culture and the marginal position of traditional elements, especially in the second decade of the early Meiji era, when Japan aggressively adopted Western culture on a large scale. This social phenomenon can be seen from the decline in Japanese society's appreciation for traditional social and cultural values while simultaneously placing Western culture in a superior position. The theory used in this research is Alan Swingewood's Literary Sociology theory. Through this theory, we will analyze the influence of Natsume Soseki's social background as the author of the novel Bocchan, as well as his ideological tendencies in responding to the symptoms of social deviation in Japanese society (1868-1912), which became the background for the creation of the novel Bocchan. After that, it will be analyzed to what extent the novel Bocchan can reflect social phenomena. The analysis was done by connecting the social aspects of the novel with the historical, social reality that was the background for its creation, namely Japanese society during the Meiji Era (1868-1912). Next, the author will see what social criticism is depicted in the novel. The results of the research show that the novel Bocchan describes Natsume Soseki's social criticism of the phenomenon of socio-cultural dislocation in Japanese society due to Westernization during the Meiji era, as well as the problems of a group of people who persist with old habits in the condition of the Japanese nation which is changing towards a developed and modern country.

A Decolonial Reimagining of Workplace Spirituality: Embracing Sufi wisdom in the Quest for Meaningful Enchantment

This paper critically examines the human quest for meaning and enchantment in the context of modernity's disenchanting tendencies and the subsequent emergence of co-opted forms of re-enchantment. It argues that while the workplace spirituality movement attempts to address the crisis of meaning in organizational life, it often reproduces neoliberal capitalist rationality embedded in coloniality. Drawing on decolonial theory, the paper proposes engaging with Islamic spirituality, Sufism, as a means to generate a radical imaginary capable of providing deeper meanings and expanding human potentialities. The concept of ishq-i haqqiqi (intense love of the Divine) is presented as a cornerstone for reimagining enlightenment in more holistic and spiritually grounded terms. This approach offers promise not only for addressing existential and moral crises but also for fostering more humane and sustainable forms of social and economic organization. The paper contributes to ongoing discussions about the role of spirituality in management and organizational studies by offering a decolonial perspective that challenges dominant Western paradigms and opens up new possibilities for understanding human flourishing in organizational contexts.

“Making Sense” of Art through Design: Towards a Multisensory Theory of Reception Aesthetics

According to the dominant Western paradigm of aesthetic reception, what distinguishes works of art from everyday objects is that they offer an aesthetic experience exclusively through the privileged sense of sight. Correspondingly, theories of reception aesthetics in the fine arts, which seek to understand the ways in which works of art engage viewers in the process of meaning-making, traditionally focus on visual perception. However, contemporary works of art engage so-called “viewers” in increasingly multisensory ways that warrant not only a revision of the outdated and contentious privilege of the ocular in aesthetic reception, but correspondingly, a contemporary theory of reception aesthetics that considers multisensory forms of perception. Therefore, this article asks: how might the design of everyday objects ­– which engage users in visual as well as tactile, proprioceptive, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory ways ­– contribute to a theory of reception aesthetics that can illuminate and inform the ways in which sensory works of art engage audiences in the process of meaning-making? Drawing on Wolfgang Kemp’s theory of reception aesthetics on the one hand and Donald Norman’s theory of design on the other, this article proposes a methodology for analysing the impact of artistic productions in design terms (namely, affordances, constraints, signifiers, feedback, mapping, and conceptual model). Subsequently, it offers a “keyhole” comparison of an everyday object (a Rubik’s Cube) and a multisensory work of art (Lygia Clark’s Critter [1960]), whereby the interaction analysis of the former illuminates the multisensory ways in which the latter engages its audience in the process of meaning-making.

Subtle Orientalism: Moroccan Self-Criticism and Poor Hygiene as Tools for Western Representations

By analyzing Jeffrey Tayler’s Glory in a Camel’s Eye (2003) and Tahir Shah’s The Caliph’s House (2006), this paper considers the more elusive elements of Orientalism in contemporary travel writing. While earlier colonial era writers were less subtle often in obvious terms suggesting backward and undeveloped narratives to the point of being almost negative these visceral accounts are bound up with the skillful deployment of local voices that serve as a weaponized device for endorsing Western constructions. They often use the self-critical words of Moroccans to disguise their prejudices, granting them an appearance of impartiality and legitimacy. The paper argues that even in its most nuanced form, teaching culture through such subtle comparison sustains Orientalist frameworks by comparing a “modern” West with the primitive East. Using a more subtle, strategic representation of Western dominance as instantiation enables the study to show in scrutinizing travelogue passages that local voices of Morocco had been weaponized to promote/propagate white supremacy and live among larger narration for cultural imperialism. This study also explores how these travelogues capitalize on representations of dirt, poor hygiene, and otherness in Moroccan life, serving to highlight how depictions of uncleanliness and animal-like imagery continue to dehumanize and exoticize non-Western peoples.

Western theory in lesser-known, non-Western literary translation: Perils of Venuti’s foreignization in English translations of Sinhala novels

Existing approaches for non-Western literary translations introduced by Western scholars evolve from their own dominant Western cultural contexts. Whether these approaches from dominant Western cultures address the constraints of translating literature written in lesser-known, non-Western languages remains under-examined. The current study aimed to examine the suitability of applying approaches that have evolved from dominant Western cultural contexts to translations of literature from lesser-known, non-western cultures. The study examined the suitability of Venuti’s foreignization strategy to the translations of three Sinhala novels; “Viragaya” by Martin Wickramasinghe translated as “The Way of the Lotus” by Ashley Halpe, “Charita Tunak” by K. Jayatilake translated as “The Grain and the Chaff” by Ediriweera Sarachchandra and “Hevanalla” by Siri Gunasinghe, translated as “The Shadow” by Hemamali Gunasinghe. The findings showed only the translator of “The Shadow” uses Venuti’s foreignization strategy. “The Way of the Lotus” uses the domestication strategy and “The Grain and the Chaff” uses both strategies approximately equal number of times. “The Shadow” achieves cultural communication however due to the lesser-known status of the Sinhala culture, the translation lacks aesthetic features. In using the domestication strategy, “Way of the Lotus” preserves aesthetic features but fails to achieve cultural communication. By using both strategies, “Grain and the Chaff” ensures the translated text which communicates the source culture to a great extent while preserving the aesthetic features. The study identified approaches that evolve from Western cultures for non-Western literary translations are not suitable for literature written in lesser-known, non-Western languages.

Yuval Sharon’s Twilight: Gods (2020-21)

Yuval Sharon’s Twilight: Gods is a drive-through opera that presents a contemporary vernacular reimagination of Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung. Motivated by pandemic-related concerns, it was staged in the Detroit Opera House Parking Center in October 2020 and subsequently in Chicago’s Millennium Lakeside Parking Garage in April 2021. Rejecting immersion, my article puts forth re-enchantment as a phenomenological model, which captures the sense of play underlying site-specific opera. I build on Carolyn Abbate’s notion of “ludic distance” in positing that re-enchantment is derived not despite, but because of our hyperawareness of the creative tensions present in the hybrid media and technologies fleshed out before us. Moving on then to more specifically ideological—and ethical—considerations, I interrogate the racialized scripting underpinning the opera’s display culture. Employing Matthew Morrison’s Blacksound, I examine Scene 4 (“Siegfried’s Funeral March”) in demonstrating how it reveals an attempt to muster Detroit/Blacksound in the commodified packaging of Black signifiers for the edification of an elite, mostly white audience. A musical collaboration premised on “fitting” Black music into the dominant Western paradigm perpetuates musical essentialism. Similarly problematic questions ensue from examining the ethics and politics of collaboration with the two Black poets who contribute to the productions in uneven ways. It is an open question whether, in the end, the creative team has succeeded in fulfilling the redemptive terms it has set for itself. I conclude by stimulating further questions and reflections on how a socially progressive and anti-Racist opera would look and sound like in 21st-century America.