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Following Douglas and Kristeva, Sibley theorizes in Geographies of Exclusion that socio-spatial boundaries necessarily activate discourses of purity and impurity. Yet there is also a second, more sophisticated theory present in the text. Sibley offers three qualifications to Douglas and Kristeva, emphasizing the culturally specific nature of purity and impurity classifications, their status as contested and metaphorical discourses, and their irreducibly spatial organization and operation. Furthermore, beyond these qualifications, a close reading of the grain of Sibley's argument suggests an account in which (a) temporal closeness to the origin and (b) spatial homogeneity are the standard against which "purity" is measured. Purity and impurity, then, would not attend any "matter out of place" but operate within particular cultural contexts as assessments of whether a phenomenon or space corresponds, in its relative homogeneity, to its impure origin and essence. This perspective offers support for addressing the materiality of purity and impurity discourses.

In this work we show the most significant features of our research which has been accomplished with the collaboration of the Research and Scientific Politic Department of the University of València. It has been elaborated following a case study methodology, and it analyses the practice of six secondary school teachers who have been able to wake up their student's interest by using and innovative and contextualized methodology that provokes a significant learning. Instruments for data recompilation have been: in-depth interview, non-intervened observation and the analysis of the multimedia documents produced during their lessons. From the analysis of these data we have reached to the following conclusions among others: firstly, independently of the socio-cultural context and even using different methodologies, these teachers are obtaining good results due to their personal implication in the development of students-based activities; and, secondly, teachers' vocation and motivation are the basis for a good teaching professionalization.

During the latest global financial crisis, austerity as a concept has been described as the best possible and inevitable solution to achieve fiscal consolidation in Europe and in the euro zone. But even considering austerity as an economically rational measure, the politicians of most EU member states' have introduced the austerity measures only to a limited extent or have chosen less stressful and politically less risky strategies. Estonian politicians, having earlier shock therapy experience from the years of re-independence, were among few European governments, who decided to adopt austerity measures with its economic and social consequences. Against all theoretical and rhetorical expectations they remained in power. The aim of the article is to analyze why austerity has not triggered negative political reaction of citizens, as expected in theoretical models as well feared by politicians, and was it caused by specific socio-cultural factors or well-planned strategy of government

Статья посвящена процессу развития «богословия власти» в XIV-XVI вв. как основы для формирования идеологии самодержавия. На примере богословских воззрений Ивана Грозного обсуждаются особенности развития концепции церковно-государственных отношений в России. Показана внутренняя противоречивость и альтернативные точки зрения на возможные пути богословского осмысления понятия царской власти в средневековой России. Сделаны выводы в отношении последствий формирования «богословия власти» для дальнейшей социокультурной истории России. ; The article examines the development of a particular "theology of power" in Russia in the 14-16th centuries, which became a foundation of the Russian ideology of monarchical rule. It explores a specific relationship between the Russian church and state as expressed in Ivan the Terrible's theological views. It then discusses several inner conflicts and alternative theological viewpoints on the phenomenon of Tsar's power in the medieval Russia. It goes further with detailed analysis of how this "theology of power" affected the country's later socio-cultural history.

Политический медиадискурс анализируется с позиций механизма, с одной стороны, продуцирующего реалии украинской картины мира, с другой, способствующего конструированию политической действительности посредством этих реалий. Представлена культурная специфика медиапотока Украины, базирующегося на ментальных основаниях украинского этноса, поскольку народный опыт верба­ли­зуется в картину мира. Актуальность исследования обусловлена соотнесением данных языковых явлений с общественно-политической обстановкой в Украине и развитием двусторонних отношений России и Украины в вербальной деятельности СМИ. ; The given work analyses the Ukrainian political media discourse from the perspective of the national image of the world and mechanisms that construct and represent the political reality by means of the Ukrainian image of the world. The article makes a study of the Ukrainian media stream cultural features based on mental images of the Ukrainians. The applicability of the article is to identify language features and socio-political situation in Ukraine that help to develop Russian-Ukrainian bilateral relations by means of Mass Media.

Рассматриваются вопросы анализа речевой структуры политических медиатекстов, а также вопросы взаимосвязанного понимания категорий интенциональности, текстовой модальности и референции. В центре внимания семантика медиатекста и дискурса, испытывающая влияние внешнего (социокультурного) и внутреннего (ментального) контекстов. Излагаются общие проблемы интерпретации медиатекстов с использованием терминов «интенциональность», «идеологическая модализация», «идеологическая оценка», «ментальное состояние». Обосновывается основополагающая роль модальных нагрузок в построении картины мира и формации медиатекста. ; The article is devoted to analysis of the speech structure of the political media texts, as well as the interrelated categories of intentionality, understanding of the text by modality and references. The focus is the media text and discourse semantics, experiencing the impact of the external (socio-cultural) and internal (mental) contexts. Presentation devoted to general problems of interpretation of the texts using the terms "intentionality", "ideological modalization", "ideological score", "mental state". The foundation role of modality in the world picture construction and media text creation is proved.

This article examines the dynamics of population agency and empowerment in each of three fields of aid provisionhumanitarian relief, international development and peacebuildingduring recent decades. It first describes how the concept of active agency and participation has been commonly defined in these fields. Thereafter the analysis explores the obstacles and challenges analysts have identified, to date, in aid organization efforts to realize efficacy among targeted populations. Third, this study sketches the principal-agent accountabilities regime operating in major donor nations and international organizations in the three domains surveyed. The argument suggests that funders need to revisit their accountability assumptions and measures and broaden those to acknowledge the socio-cultural, political and economic conditions and governance capabilities of the nations and the populations targeted, since these ultimately mediate both citizen engagement and efficacy and intervention outcomes. The article concludes with a brief exploration of its implications for aid practice in the three fields treated.

Special considerations when working with women with substance use disorders were assessed in comparison to male counterparts. Topics included gender differences relating to physiological, psychological and socio-cultural spheres. Treatment considerations related to trauma sensitivity, marginalization and stigma were addressed. Special considerations relating to female racial minority populations were evaluated and explored. Research included a comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles, research studies and government report findings covering multiple disciplines: counseling, neuropsychology, medical, criminal justice and social work. Findings of this research revealed significant diversity and complexity within the American population of females struggling with chemical addiction. Due to this complexity, working with females in addictions treatment can be more challenging than working with males and frequently requires multiple levels of treatment. The findings of this paper encourage counselors, even those not directly working in addictions, to become more aware of these special considerations when working with female clients.

This paper examines the impact of gas flaring on Niger Delta Women. The findings of the study show that gas flaring impact men and women disappropriately, with women being more exposed and vulnerable due to a number of associated cultural and socio-economic factors. It was also observed that gas flaring ritual has continued endlessly in Niger Delta due to a number of factors which include: lack of political will, lack of sound and broad regulatory framework, high level of corruption and lack of patriotism among state actors and above all, insincerity and lack of environmental accountability among multi-national oil companies operating in the Niger delta. The authors therefore conclude that there is the urgent need to mainstream gender in oil and gas policies in Nigeria. There is also the need to put in place a sound and broad regulatory framework that will compel multi-national oil companies operating in the Niger delta to be environmentally accountable to the people.

Child sacrifice remains a profound challenge to human socio-cultural rights. The increasing problem manifests in several dimensions. It results to death of some children, disappearance of others, children with life-time deformations and/or irreversible disabilities, to the detriment of the child and his/her immediate and extended families. Each child and family victim faces unique and diverse traumatic experiences and peculiar challenges, so are the coping mechanisms, where coping ever occurs. This paper identifies some of the challenges contingent upon cases illustrated. Analysis of the challenges faced and possible coping is guided by a framework of theories that underpin coping with traumatic experiences. These include; the play therapy for children, cognitive-behavioural therapy, the stage specific model, narrative coping mechanisms, and support and self-help groups therapy. Hence, a reflection on how the victims, survivors and their families/caregivers actually cope in practice, based on documented cases is made.

In recent years, an increasing number of scholars have made serious efforts to analyse how differently or similarly citizens of new and advanced democracies understand democracy. Unlike those research endeavours, this study attempts to evaluate how well or poorly global citizens are informed about democracy. Analysing the latest wave of the World Values Surveys, it demonstrates that the proportion of those well informed about democracy varies considerably across countries and within the population of each country. The well informed are most numerous among politically attentive citizens living especially in economically and democratically developed countries. This finding does not confirm the recently popular thesis of global democratisation that democratic political culture can emerge in any type of society within a relatively short period of time. Instead, it supports the long-standing Almond-Verba model of civic culture, which links cultural democratisation with socio-economic and political modernisation over an extended period of time.

Was Jesus a deviant? The abnormals who are legislators of the world in Florian Znaniecki's conceptionThe aim of this article is to remind us the still current conception of 'deviants' by the classical sociologist – Florian Znaniecki. Znaniecki has distinguished three types of people: normal, 'subnormal' and 'overnormal'. Normal people are just ordinary people who live according to social rules and norms. The 'subnormals' are, simply speaking, different types of offenders. And the 'overnormals' are the people who enrich their socio-cultural system. 'Deviants' are extreme and the most interesting type of 'sub' - and 'overnormal' people. They are the men of genius, such as Socrates, Jesus Christ, Descartes, Napoleon, Lenin and Piłsudski. They are often perceived as anarchists and in fact they transform the social order totally or at least the way of thinking about it. We can take a risk with the idea that the future always depends on 'deviants'.

This article focuses on the complex ways in which artistic innovation and creativity have been fostered by the experience of living in late apartheid and post-apartheid society. It argues that contemporary South African artists, film-makers and performers have developed highly inventive formal and conceptual vocabularies in their effort to negotiate the ever-changing landscape of contradictory and sometimes irreconcilable realities they encounter on a daily basis, often attaining major international acclaim in the process. Blurring the boundaries between long-established artistic genres, and challenging racial, sexual and other stereotypes, they have refused to abandon the hope of achieving the ideals of a renewal and respacialization of the current socio-cultural landscape. Many of them have done so against the odds of vociferous opprobrium from state officials and legal challenges by the ANC, which in recent years has questioned the right to freedom of expression of a number of artists.

AbstractThis article focuses on lesbian and gay couples and families and the politics of same‐sex marriage. Drawing from the literature on same‐sex couples, same‐sex marriage, and queer theory's concept of heteronormativity, we argue that gay and lesbian couples and families both affirm and challenge heterosexual and gendered family forms. First, we review literature that discusses how same‐sex relationships and families are similar to and different from conventional heterosexual relationships and families. Second, we discuss the socio‐legal and cultural inequalities faced by LGBT families. Third, we discuss the politics of same‐sex marriage, examining the debate among social conservatives, pro‐marriage activists, and queer critics over the desirability of same‐sex marriage. We conclude that the growing visibility of LGBT couples and families has made their exclusion from the institution of marriage more conspicuous and that recognition of LGBT relationships and families seems likely to increase.

AbstractThe public opinion literature shows that cues about the policy positions of social groups influence citizens' political attitudes. We assess whether cues about religious groups' positions affect attitudes on three issues: protection of homosexuals in the workplace, improving the socio-economic conditions of African-Americans, and government-provided health insurance. We argue that such cues should shape issue attitudes and condition the impact of religious and political orientations on those attitudes. That should be especially true on issues closely connected to religion and for citizens with low levels of political awareness. We assess this argument with a survey experiment pitting pairs of religious groups on opposite sides of issues. We find that religious group cues matter primarily for cultural attitudes, among less politically-aware individuals, and for the religiously unaffiliated, Democrats, and liberals. The dominant effect is negative, moving these groups away from the positions of religious leaders and especially evangelical leaders.