Suchergebnisse

Discusses postmodernism in respect to the nature & legimation of social & scientific knowledge. Based on a definition of postmodern as skepticism toward metanarratives, it is suggested that the postmodern condition is characterized by unstable, continually changing, & evolving language games composed of overlapping & often contradictory forms of meaning & action. Although decisionmakers & authorities may attempt to subject these language games to universal rules & power structures, knowledge in the postmodern world avoids fixed meanings & highlights the contradictions inherent in supposedly stable knowledge. Under these circumstances, the traditional borders between & within the sciences & the real world blur & disappear, creating new forms of knowledge & meaning. In regard to science, legitimation can still be sought through some form of consensus; however, consensus is neither possible or desirable in terms of communication. Therefore, the success of the postmodern world relies on a form of social justice not dependent on consensus & language games based on free & open access to all forms of knowledge, information, & opinion. T. Sevier

Examines conditions conducive to future terrorist activities & assesses recent incidents as warnings. The importance of considering the underlying motives of terrorists & the dangers of improved communications, particularly the Internet, are discussed. The decline of the moral authority of the US government, represented by poor voter turnout & decreasing respect for government, are described. The Oklahoma City & World Trade Center (New York City) bombings are analyzed as examples of challenges to this authority & the problems of an increasingly diverse & autonomous society. The threat of widespread poverty is seen in the takeover of the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru, by the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. These incidents present a model for other discontented groups worldwide that can take advantage of modern communications. T. Arnold

Im Oktober 2001 und Januar 2002 fand im "Collegium Budapest" eine internationale Konferenz statt, in der die Situation der Sozialwissenschaften in Mittel- und Osteuropa aus dem Blickwinkel von Soziologen, Politologen und Ökonomen diskutiert wurde. Der Autor möchte in seinem Aufsatz über die Bedingungen der Soziologie in Ostmitteleuropa einige Hauptlinien der Debatte skizzieren, die Fragestellungen systematisieren und eine vorläufige zusammenfassende Bilanz ziehen. Wesentliche Fragen der Debatte waren z.B.: Sind die Soziologien in den ost- und mitteleuropäischen Ländern gleich oder unterschiedlich? Wie weit sind sie von den Kontexten der europäischen Soziologie entfernt? Und wie werden sie durch die fortschreitende Internationalisierung der Soziologie im Zeitalter der Globalisierung beeinflusst? Der Autor erörtert einige allgemeine Probleme der Disziplin und regionale Probleme, die unter den Soziologen von postkommunistischen Ländern diskutiert werden, sowie spezifische Fragestellungen nationaler Soziologen, bei denen ideosynkratische historische oder kulturelle Erfahrungen und die besondere gegenwärtige Situation in den postkommunistischen Ländern im Vordergrund standen. (ICI)

Current consumer behaviour, actions and policy decisions symbiotically interact with the vision that well-being equals unlimited capacity for material consumption, defining a relationship of mutual dependency and bringing about serious negative environmental, social and economic impacts derived from the present development model (WWI 2010).

The cultural & organizational components required for the development of civil society in Muslim cultures is studied, focusing on the movement for civil society in contemporary Indonesia. The conventional perception of Islamic politics as unified is challenged; several strands of political thought have emerged from the Islamic political tradition in Indonesia. An overview of Indonesia's colonization reveals the existence of a movement toward civil society before independence was declared in 1945. The rise of a central state & concomitant decline of civil society during the 1950s & 1960s & the return of democratic civility during the 1980s & 1990s are discussed. Analysis of Indonesian civil society confirms the assertion that civic values are not naturally engendered by certain societal institutions; rather, it is contended that the interaction between such institutions & the state is an overlooked yet necessary component in the establishment of civil society. J. W. Parker

"Disintegration of the USSR, formation of the new independent states onto the post-Soviet space became a significant event in contemporary history and human biographies. Majority of these states have begun market and democracy reforms, which pushed dramatic system transformation of their societies. It was expected, that reforms would provide the economy growth, increase of welfare and life chances of citizens unlimited by the centralized economy and authoritarian state. However already from the mid 1990th sharp social polarization (Gini coefficient was multiplied almost in 2 times, except for Belarus and Georgia), decline of life chances for most citizens, considerable reducing of life expectancy (above all things, capable of working men) showed up in these countries. The daily life of the people living in the former USSR has been transformed, with the certainties of everyday life being eroded as the bureaucratic redistributive order has taken on the guise of the market. In parallel, vertical social integration has been undermined alongside a significant increase in social inequalities; at the same time increase of social integration within strata has been showed up. What vectors of social inequalities are most strong? And what reasons of these phenomena are? In spite of the wide-spread opinion that age, gender and ethnicity are the independent factors of increasing of inequality; the author argues significant dependence of these factors on the objective class positions. Investigation of objective medium shows the expressly structured allocation of resources and life chances belonging to 'new' and 'old' social classes. On a base of survey data on Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and Kazakhstan, the paper concludes with some tentative projections concerning future social inequality development in these societies, in which relations of power, appropriation of property, social capital and high-quality education entail deep distinction in life chances of people. The author underlines that post-Soviet societies now mirror elements of traditional class societies with acquisition classes being not numerous, and in which a significant proportion of the population is social excluded. The paper is based on a data source of the EU-founded project on living conditions, lifestyle and health (LLH, with project leading by Ch. Haerpfer) as a multi-level survey conducted in 8 post-Soviet states during 2000-2002 years." (author's abstract)

The emergence & expansion of the administrative state after WWII has led to the inescapable truth that we live in an age of intense legal discipline at national, regional, & global levels. The globalization of the judicial world has been characterized as "a world historical transformation" involving the "rise of world constitutionalism" that is characterized by de Sousa Santos's interlegality, but globalized as the local legal forms & localizes globally for forms. The distinctive discontinuity & uneven forms of transnationalized legal relations suggest international legal theory is at odds with political realities of nonstate actors & nonstate law that are increasingly authoritative. The opportunities for the emergence of challenges to the statist & territorial foundations of international law provided by the conditions of postmodernity emanate from transnational business corporations, private business associations, individuals, groups, & global social movements. A critical globalization studies in international law should place the starting point of the study of analytical foundations of international law with a view to determining who or what interests are privileged or peripheral eyes by the legal doctrines, scrutinization of substantial areas to determine how marginalized peoples can be brought into the legal order, & analyzing the potential for integrating elements of global civil society into the international legal system through participation in the UN & other law creating bodies. References. J. Harwell

Discusses the significance of the movements examined in the preceding chapters & describes popular protests that have taken place in Latin America more recently. Comparisons are made between earlier & later labor strikes, urban movements, gender-based resistance, religious movements, politically grounded protests, & racial/ethnic/indigenous-based movements. Special attention is given to the impact of varying economic, political, & social conditions. It is noted that race & ethnicity became a significant basis for collective protests for change in the 1990s, even though most democracies were more open than ever before to groups that had formerly been excluded. It is contended that redemocratization & market reforms eliminated some problems but created others, generating new feelings of injustice or deprivation, & producing new social movements spawned by past conditions. New strategies, especially those related to advanced modes of communication, are discussed. It is concluded that institutionally grounded historical approaches offer the best opportunity for assessing the unique features of Latin American social movements. 2 Tables, 60 References. J. Lindroth

Discusses the significance of the movements examined in the preceding chapters & describes popular protests that have taken place in Latin America more recently. Comparisons are made between earlier & later labor strikes, urban movements, gender-based resistance, religious movements, politically grounded protests, & racial/ethnic/indigenous-based movements. Special attention is given to the impact of varying economic, political, & social conditions. It is noted that race & ethnicity became a significant basis for collective protests for change in the 1990s, even though most democracies were more open than ever before to groups that had formerly been excluded. It is contended that redemocratization & market reforms eliminated some problems but created others, generating new feelings of injustice or deprivation, & producing new social movements spawned by past conditions. New strategies, especially those related to advanced modes of communication, are discussed. It is concluded that institutionally grounded historical approaches offer the best opportunity for assessing the unique features of Latin American social movements. 2 Tables, 60 References. J. Lindroth

The proceedings of the Weizenbaum Conference 2021 "Democracy in Flux: Order, Dynamics and Voices in Digital Public Spheres" have been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) (grant no.: 16DII121, 16DII122, 16DII123, 16DII124, 16DII125, 16DII126, 16DII127,16DII128 – "Deutsches Internet-Institut").

Discusses the political-economic "trilemma" that informs European integration. The first element of the three-pronged problematic stems from the markedly closer identification of European nation-state legitimacy with welfare-state accomplishments than is seen in the US. The second prong owes to the irrevocable commitment of the EU Member States to an overarching agenda of economic integration whose very achievements are now compelling national welfare states to deal with the same type of regulatory competition that has stymied social policy development in the US. The third element, which is the major focus of this discussion, derives from the effective impossibility in the EU of resituating welfare state functions within the federal level, since Member States cannot forego their welfare responsibilities without imperiling the foundations of their legitimacy. This topic is explored first through a concise theoretical analysis of the prerequisites for democratic legitimacy, then through assessing the impact of European integration. The conclusion considers policies that could bolster national attempts to address the limitations of regulatory competition. 24 References. K. Coddon

Social psychological research on the self is culled to develop some basic theoretical propositions about social movement participation. It is suggested that the self (1) consists of a cognitive structure based on reflexive consciousness & the capacity for self-awareness, (2) is defined by its social & interpersonal connections, & (3) actively makes choices, controls its own responses, & takes responsibility for its own actions. The importance of factor 2 in determining whether one joins & remains a participant in a social movement is discussed, focusing on the interaction between participation & the individual need to belong. The mediating effects of social conditions, charismatic movement leaders, & individual personality differences in attachment/belongingness are also explored. Contributions of factor 3, representing the self's executive function, volition, or agency, are explored using experimental data. It is concluded that a social movement's ability to attract &/or retain members may lie in how well it addresses their individual needs for belongingness or volition. 32 References. K. Hyatt Stewart