Suchergebnisse

A constitution has traditionally been seen as the documentary record of a settlement of conflict. This traditional constitution is an enactive document, consummating the creation of a polity. Constitution‐making has been a widespread practice in the many conflicted and divided societies of the late twentieth century. The issues of recent conflicts are concerned with the recognition of identities as well as with provisions for the legitimate exercise of power. This agenda necessitates a process as important as the product, both open‐ended and open to participation. I propose that we reconsider constitution‐making as itself a part of the process of conflict transformation. Defining constitution‐making as a forum for negotiation or a continuing conversation amid conflict and division draws attention to the distinctive characteristics of modern constitutionalism and to the ways in which this process helps or hinders the transformation of conflict. Examples are drawn from recent constitution‐making in Canada, Northern Ireland, and South Africa.

A constitution has traditionally been seen as the documentary record of a settlement of conflict. This traditional constitution is an enactive document, consummating the creation of a polity. Constitution-making has been a widespread practice in the many conflicted & divided societies of the late 20th century. The issues of recent conflicts are concerned with the recognition of identities as well as with provisions for the legitimate exercise of power. This agenda necessitates a process as important as the product, both open-ended & open to participation. I propose that we reconsider constitution-making as itself a part of the process of conflict transformation. Defining constitution-making as a forum for negotiation or a continuing conversation amid conflict & division draws attention to the distinctive characteristics of modern constitutionalism & to the ways in which this process helps or hinders the transformation of conflict. Examples are drawn from recent constitution-making in Canada, Northern Ireland, & South Africa. Adapted from the source document.

The minimum wage was conceived as an attack on poverty within the work force. Americans first defined "sweated labor" as a category and a social problem, then wrote solutions into law which fundamentally changed that definition and undermined the original purpose. First, in 1912, a problem of economic exploitation of workers became a problem of women unable to protect themselves. Transformed into an issue of the rights of labor, in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) a radically new minimum wage law left those most in need unprotected.

A review of women's movement activism in the late 20th century notes that, in spite of serious challenges, feminist movements in the US & GB have changed the political agenda & realized policy goals advancing women's political aspirations. It is argued that these achievements are linked to internal structural changes as well as external relationships with other organizations & the state. Patterns of sustained dynamic interaction driving the forms & agendas of these movements are examined, stressing the impact on policy outcomes of interrelationships between mobilization, agenda formation, & changes in values/consciousness. The context & content of US & British feminist movements are described, along with changes that occurred in the movements & the emergence of new political environments that threatened their survival. Resultant policy outcomes associated with economic equity, abortion, & domestic violence are assessed, along with the evidence of changes in consciousness that allowed movement goals to become a greater part of everyday values & practices. J. Lindroth