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This article outlines an approach to a critical cosmopolitan social theory derived from the thought of the Japanese philosopher, Watsuji Tetsurō. In order to develop this, his thought is positioned against the works of the British sociologist, Gerard Delanty, and the Argentinian semiotician, Walter Mignolo. This will be done through the concepts of space, time and the imagination. From their respective intellectual positions these other two have attempted to develop an approach to social theory that cannot be reduced to the optic of conceptual Eurocentrism. However, while they have made significant and important contributions to the development of critical approaches to cosmopolitan social theory, of providing tools to re-imagine the world, they have done so through maintaining old ways of seeing the world. What emerges from Watsuji's work is an account of a critical cosmopolitanism that moves beyond conceptual Eurocentrism through an approach to social theory grounded in a relational social ontology. His focus on the ontology of social relationships also provides a cosmopolitanism that makes room for the 'non-social' and identifies a cosmopolitan view of the world as plural and as 'hetero-spatial-temporal'. The social ontology developed by Watsuji also forces us to reconsider our understanding of the imagination, and its potential, beyond the dichotomy of an individual faculty or the product of social context. By expanding the notion of the Imaginal of Chiara Bottici, the article introduces a new understanding of the imagination into the debate.

The article examines the role of apology in a process of reconciling with historic injustice. As with so many other facets of the politics of reconciliation, official apologies are controversial, at times strenuously resisted, and their purpose and significance not always well understood. The article, therefore, seeks to articulate the key moral and practical resources that official apologies can bring to bear in a process of national reconciliation and to defend these symbolic acts against some of the more influential criticisms from the skeptics. The analysis is developed in relation to apologies offered in the context of state-indigenous reconciliation processes in the Americas, Australasia, and other regions of the globe. Adapted from the source document.

The association between birth cohort and subsequent mortality has been of interest especially following publication of studies around 1930 of cohorts born up to the latter part of the nineteenth century, particularly for England and Wales. Updated results are presented for this population, together with those for two other cohorts, twentieth‐century Japanese and British populations born about 1930, which have been identified as having particularly clear‐cut birth cohort patterns, and which are used to underpin incorporation of cohort effects in both British official and actuarial mortality forecasts. Graphical methods used to identify cohort patterns are discussed. A number of limitations and difficulties are identified that mean that the conclusions about the predominance of cohort effects are less robust than often assumed. It is argued that alternative explanations should be considered and that the concentration on birth cohorts with particularly advantaged patterns may distort research priorities.

ABSTRACTThe SOCSIM micro-simulation model is used to investigate how kinship and family patterns in Britain changed as people passed through the 'First Demographic Transition', starting in the late nineteenth century, and the 'Second Demographic Transition', from the 1960s. Certain types of kin, such as former partners, became more common, and others, such as ever-born siblings, less so. An ageing of generational relationships is observed: events that formerly occurred early in life, such as the experience of one's parents' deaths, are being postponed. Patterns of re-partnering are leading to more partial relationships involving step- and supplanted parents, half-siblings, former partners and stepchildren.

Die Auswirkungen der modernen Globalisierung haben starken Einfluss auf die Rolle eines Nationalstaates und drohen seine Bedeutung zu reduzieren. Globalisierung ist gekennzeichnet durch ein hohes Maß an technologischen Innovationen und einem starkem Fokus auf einem neo-liberalen Wirtschaftssystem und hat zur Folge, dass die Souveränität des Nationalstaates abnimmt und gleichzeitig seine Abhängigkeit von Unternehmen wächst. Der Stellenwert des Nationalstaates wird reduziert. Als eine Folge dieser Reduzierung verliert auch seine Identität an Anerkennung. Dennoch muss die Identität und damit der Einfluss des Nationalstaates gewährleistet sein, damit der Staat seine Bürger schützen kann. In dieser Dissertation wird vom Herkunftslandprinzip ausgegangen, dem sog. Country of Origin Effect, und versucht eine neuartige Kampagne im Rahmen der sog. Public Diplomacy zu entwickeln, um die nationalstaatliche Identität zu stärken. Hierbei wird angenommen, dass die heutige Globalisierung als Werkzeug zur Stärkung des Images eines Nationalstaates genutzt werden kann, indem ein bestimmter Teil der Nationalstaatskultur, die sog. "Nation State Export Culture" oder "NSEC", den jeweiligen weltweiten Zielgruppen nahegebracht wird. Diese Hypothese wird durch eine qualitative Untersuchung geprüft. Die Analyse geht von der Annahme aus, dass die Staatssouveränität geschwächt ist und ein Bedarf nach einer NSEC-Kampagne zur Stärkung der Identität des Nationalstaates besteht. Um eine NSEC implementieren zu können wurden die Erfolgsbedingungen vergangener US-amerikanischer, britischer und neuseeländischer Kampagnen der sog. Public Diplomacy analysiert. Diese Fallbeispiele zeigen nicht nur die variierenden Kompetenz verschiedener Nationalstaaten, politische Öffentlichkeitskampagnen durchführen zu können, sondern zeigen auch verschiedene Vorgehensweisen auf, die dabei genutzt oder vermieden werden sollten. Das Ergebnis der gesamten Untersuchung, dass einerseits eine NSEC-Kampagne essentiell für den Erhalt einer nationalstaatlichen Identität ist, jedoch andererseits zeigen die Einzelergebnisse der Analyse der Fallbeispiele das bestimmte Faktoren beachtet werden müssen, um eine NSEC Kampagne erfolgreich durchzuführen. ; Contemporary globalization threatens the role of the nation-state. In particular, contemporary globalization, characterized by an increase in technological innovation and a focus on neo-liberal economics, has reduced state sovereignty and increased nation-state dependency on corporations. Subsequently, as the importance of the nation-state is reduced, its identity is less recognized. However, the identity of the nation-state must be acknowledged in order for the state to protect its citizens. Concentrating upon the country of origin effect, this dissertation conceptualizes a new public diplomacy campaign to protect nation-state identity. It is hypothesized that contemporary globalization can be used as a tool to promote the nation-state identity by conveying a particular section of nation-state culture through exportation, namely the nation-state export culture (NSEC) to global audiences. A qualitative investigation conducted into the hypothesis recognizes the weakening state sovereignty and the need for a NSEC campaign to protect nation-state identity. To ensure successful NSEC implementation, analyses are made of prior United States, British and New Zealand public diplomacy campaigns. These case studies not only assess the varying ability for different nation-states to undertake public diplomacy, but also discover different modus operandi to be utilized or avoided. The analysis concludes that while a NSEC campaign is essential for the protection of the nation-state identity, the case study findings must be recognized in order for the NSEC campaign to be successful.