Suchergebnisse

Critical theory is based on a group of works by investigators from Germany & the US, particularly associated with the Frankfurt school, which approach Marxism, psychoanalysis, & anthropology from a critical perspective. For critical theory, the necessity of sensual human happiness becomes an inseparable part of the emancipatory revolution of human society. In contradistinction to a culture of the masses, cultural industry, a product of administration & planning, is proposed. The tension between imagination & daily life is resolved in the form of routine. Work time & leisure time are fused in a process that subordinates temporal awareness to consumption. Progressive technical domination becomes a means of repressing the masses. P. Farrell

The article maintains that the values of intellectual plurality, professorial freedom, & autonomy are inherent to the U Nacional Autonoma Mexico (UNAM) since its inception. Naturally, asserting these values has not been an enterprise free of obstacles & difficulties, as a quick review of its own history shows. In spite of undisputedly being an important generator of culture & higher knowledge, the UNAM is an institution quite vulnerable. In this sense, the article stands behind the thesis that maintains that the high bureaucratic structures responsible for managing public education in Mexico have taken advantage of the inherent fragility of the UNAM -- & of higher education as a whole -- to cancel its autonomy & its freedom. The author maintains that, starting with a malicious & slanted reading of the decay of public higher education, the search for a project to transform & privatize it is underway. Therefore, the main consequence that such "modernizing" projects share is none other than to eliminate the political commitment performed by the UNAM, directed at democratizing access to the goods generated by its functions. Adapted from the source document.

Mexican political culture & the formation & transmission of values are analyzed, noting that post-1988 constitutional changes promoted democracy by ensuring secrecy of one's vote & the independence of political parties from the executive powers. Democratic values & political culture are equally important, the latter proceeding from the former. The family, Catholic Church, schools, media, & political-social organizations are viewed as the five basic institutions that create & inculcate values, making their role in the current democratic transition particularly important. However, these structures have historically promoted authoritarian values & need to be reformed to promote democratic ones, eg, tolerance, public dialogue, & civic participation. Adapted from the source document.

As an entry point to a discussion of nationalism & immigration issues in contemporary France, the article analyzes the foulard affair, in which Muslim females have been forbidden to wear headscarves in French schools. Specific topics surveyed include the dichotomy between civic nationalism & ethnic nationalism, the lessons afforded by the study of the concept of cultural nationalism in French history, & the interlocking & competing roles of republicanism, nationalism, & immigration in contemporary France. The article argues that the foulard affair has placed traditional French values such as universalism & patriotism into a new relief, as they are now viewed within ethnic & cultural contexts, with a serious conflict growing between homogeneity & pluralism. While the historical context is particular to France, the discussion also takes pains to frame the foulard affair within the larger context of the international conflict between Islam & the West. Tables, References. R. Young

"This book is an exploration of Western thought that emerged from the fringes of the great philosophical schools. In particular, it analyzes various cultural phenomena or studies the work of certain authors essential to understand European culture in its entirety since classical Greece. This is the context for investigating the presence of rites, myths, witches and religious ideas in Europe due to philosophical systems, but also thoughts born on the fringes of the majority philosophical currents. All this is explained in three parts: the first, centered on the ancient world; the second, Christianity; the third, in Europe until the 17th century"--

Cardiel Reyes was the first & only professor emeritus of the Faculty of Political & Social Sciences at the Autonomous National U of Mexico (UNAM). His biography, academic trajectory, & career positions are described here. Cardiel Reyes organized the V Congress of Rectors & the I Congress of Mexican Universities, which were the basis for creating the Faculty of Political & Social Sciences & the National Assoc of Universities & Institutions of Higher Learning. He then founded the School of Political Science at the Autonomous U of Puebla in 1951. At UNAM, he was named Director of the Faculty & fought for new facilities, especially an auditorium. He was very active in curriculum development & university committees, & was distinguished by his moral stature & clear & plain discourse. In his research, he studied science & culture & wrote some 30 books. M. Pflum

Explores the relationship between individual values & political orientation in Spain, Venezuela, & Mexico. Primary & secondary school teachers & university students (total N = 523) were asked to rank the importance of each of 56 values, & then to indicate their choice of political party. Discrimination analysis was used to predict political party choice from the scale of values. The Spanish results indicated that ideological beliefs were the most important determinants of political preferences. Party competition in Venezuela was dominated by values regarding modernization vs tradition, while in Mexico, values were not at all predictive of party affiliation (presumably due to the dominance of a single party & lack of true competition). It is concluded that, to comprehend the impact of values on political orientation, it is important to consider the full range of paths that value systems can take, depending on culture & specific national politics. 59 References. M. Wagener

Presented are preliminary results of a survey of Spanish students (N = 2473) in various types of military schools with the objective to determine their: (1) professional profile, (2) attitude to change in the military tradition, (3) training programs, (4) defense policy of the European Union, (5) political culture & views, (6) sociodemographic profile, & (7) family's military tradition. Qualitative & quantitative findings are produced, discussing respondents: (1) institutional vs occupational dichotomy (eg, Huntington, Samuel P., 1995 or Moskos, Charles & Wood, Frank R., 1991), (2) military personnel's limitation of rights & liberties, (3) the relationship between society & military forces, (4) acceptance of women's presence in the army, (5) acceptance of immigrants in Spanish armed forces, (6) the need for a reform of training curricula, (7) facultative/compulsory courses in English as a second language & other official languages of Spain (eg, Catalan, Galician, or Basque), (8) the opportunity of educational scholarship after retiring from the military, (9) views on democracy & the Spanish state of autonomous communities, (10) liberal vs conservative ideology, (11) religiosity, (12) national identity (Spanish or affiliated with the autonomous region), (12) geographic origin, (13) social class, & (14) military ancestry (the presence of members of the military in the family). Tables, Figures. Z. Dubiel