Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Examination Of The Ways In Which Transdisciplinary Research Could Be Used To Incentivize Local Communities To Combat The Illegal Wildlife Trade, Jessica Rios

FIU Undergraduate Research Journal

The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is currently one of the most critical conservation concerns, given its direct impact on biodiversity loss, endangering local ecosystems, and adding pressure to all species at a point when they face dangers like deforestation and mass extinctions. This industry also significantly impacts local communities, many of which are compelled to engage in it as a result of their precarious socioeconomic conditions. While effective countermeasures to this global issue have been identified, successful implementation of these countermeasures require diverse disciplines and collaborators. This paper argues that a transdisciplinary approach that converges knowledge and skills from social …

Marxism And The Left-Right Division In South Korea, Hyun Ok Park

Class, Race and Corporate Power

This paper delves into the dynamics of Korean Marxism and its political implications across three pivotal historical periods: the university student movement from the 1980s to the early 1990s, the era from the 1990s to the 2000s, and finally, the contemporary landscape characterized by the emergence of mass protests, the ascent of the far-right, and the spread of populism. It aims to provide insights into revitalizing Marxism in South Korea.

This paper is based on the authors talk presented in the panel, “Peril and Possibilities: Academic Marxism, Class Struggle, and the Growth of the Right Worldwide,” at the Socialist …

Building Global Labor Solidarity: Where We Are Today (Early 2024), Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

Labor activists have long-been encouraging workers to build international labor solidarity to empower each other and to improve all workers’ lives and well-being going back to before the First International. This tradition, while dismembered by the Cold War between the US and the UK on one hand and the Soviet Union on the other, has been resuscitated since the 1970s, with efforts by activists, scholars, and some workers to build cross-national border solidarity across the globe for workers, an effort that is growing.

This paper details these efforts, dividing the work between 1978-2011 and 2011 to today, listing some of …

Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On Healthcare Disparities In Florida, Kayla L. Haydon, Catarina Jim, Joel J. Mantilla, Noel C. Barengo

American Journal of Non-Communicable Diseases

Objective

Healthcare disparities disproportionately affect underserved and marginalized communities due to social determinants of health (SDoH), contributing to significant differences in health outcomes and life expectancy within different communities in Florida. This observational study aimed to understand the impact of SDoH, such as race/ethnicity, income level, and education attainment on healthcare access in Florida.

Methods

Self-reported data from the 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were pooled to evaluate disparities in healthcare access by race/ethnicity, income, and education level in Florida.

Results

Health status and healthcare access vary based on characteristics related to SDoH, including race/ethnicity, income level, and educational …

Lepaio Condemns Afl-Cio Leadership’S Bullying Affiliates On International Affairs, The Editors

Class, Race and Corporate Power

A statement from the Labor Education Project on AFL-CIO International Operations (LEPAIO) reprinted with permission.

The LEPAIO condemns the AFL-CIO’s leadership for bullying affiliates on international issues, and especially regarding the current Israel and Gaza war. LEPAIO, an organization of labor unionists and supporters, has long challenged the AFL-CIO’s international leadership “labor imperialism” in its international operations.

Academia, Marxism, And Sociology: A Warning From "The History Man", Tom Brass

Class, Race and Corporate Power

An essay by Tom Brass which examines how popular culture formed the negative image of sociology as taught at the 1960s new universities by portraying it as following Marxist fashion and thereby failing to anticipate the shift to the anti-Marxism of the cultural turn. It concludes by considering why and how such academic fashion is constructed and reproduced, and examines implications for the kinds of hegemonic trends encountered in social science publications.

Yes, Imperialism Is Still Relevant, And The Struggles Against It Will Continue - An Interview With Intan Suwandi, Intan Suwandi

Class, Race and Corporate Power

Raju Das and Robert Latham interview Intan Suwandi about her work and how it relates to the struggle against capitalism.

The Profits Of (The Critique Of) Patriarchy: On Toxic Masculinity, Feminism, & Corporate Capitalism In The Barbie Movie, Bryant W. Sculos

Class, Race and Corporate Power

This article explicates the political, social, economic, and cultural contribution of Barbie (2023). Through a critical and normative analysis of four different prominent reviews of the film, this essay explores the quality of discourse surrounding Barbie, with particular emphasis on its feminist critique of toxic masculinity and lack of a coherent criticism of capitalism.

What Does Working Class Voter Really Mean?, Ronald W. Cox

Class, Race and Corporate Power

Understanding how class interests are articulated in U.S. elections has a problematic history in the social sciences as a result of a poor conceptualization of class. Recent scholarly articles by political scientists contribute to this problem by promoting a narrative that the two U.S. political parties are undergoing "realignment" of class interests. This article challenges that narrative by critiquing the way that class is defined and measured, arguing that Weber should be replaced by Marx.

Sociology: A Guide To Action Or To Analysis In The Global Climate Change Crisis? A Call For Action By The Social Sciences And The Humanities, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

The debate over the purpose of sociological research has historically been one between Marx and Weber: is sociology’s role to analyze society (ala Weber) or to change it (Marx)?

The issue of climate change and environmental destruction is one that has been relegated to the margins of Sociology, being seen as an “environmental” issue. The changes we’ve seen so far, however, show how this has had and is having a major impact on human beings and, at least in the United States, is having a major impact on the culture of the country, both in general and specifically on different …

"White Malice: The Cia And The Covert Recolonization Of Africa" By Susan Williams, (Public Affairs Press, 2021). A Review Essay, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

Africa has long been looked at by outsiders as a continent that is hopelessly mired in corruption and incapable of social and economic development. This especially pertains to sub-Saharan Africa, overwhelmingly populated by black people, thus fitting the trope of white supremists that black people cannot successfully govern themselves.

This book by Susan Williams annihilates the lie. Williams details the impact of stealing millions of people for enslavement, the subsequent colonization of the continent by Western European powers and then, after the decolonization of a number of these countries, the recolonization of the continent by the United States operating explicitly …

Physical And Mental Health Concerns Of Emerging Latine Gender Diverse Adults, Shaileen Barberena, Hector Peguero, Dionne Stephens

FIU Undergraduate Research Journal

Barriers to healthcare access are apparent in minority groups including ethnic, racial, gender, and sexual minorities. Most of the barriers experienced by these groups are centered on discrimination, cost, and lack of cultural competence which, in effect, leads to physical and mental health disparities. Multiple studies have reported the health concerns of gender diverse people, but few have discussed the concerns of gender diverse people who also identify as Hispanic/LatinE. As immigration rates continue to rise and gender minorities become more socially acceptable, the health concerns of this population become increasingly difficult to ignore. This proposal aims to answer the …

Class, Sectoral, Or Self-Interest? The Collective Action Of Large Manufacturing Firms In Response To Protest, Tarun Banerjee

Class, Race and Corporate Power

When social movements protest large corporations, are they taking on just the targeted firm or is their target part of an organized sector or the larger corporate class? Put differently, are large corporations purely atomistic entities or are they collective actors, organized at the level of their sector or the capitalist class? Extant research finds class-wide networks often unify the political behavior of connected firms, including in their responses to protests. Yet, other studies find the declining significance of these networks, suggesting the corporate class is now fractured. Given the mixed findings, a key aspect of the debate has remained …

The Only Commonality Is Uncommonality: Progressive Protest From The Mid-1980s, Globalization From Below, Environmental Devastation, Climate Change, And Questioning Of Industrial Civilization, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

Noting the extensive number of progressive protests, mobilizations, and social disruption from below since the mid-1980s, not just in the US but around the world, this article suggests that what is going on is the expansion of the global economic and social justice movement, a bottom-up form of globalization. It suggests that this is, ultimately, a rejection of industrial civilization itself. And it points out, through an examination of the effects of climate change, that the continued existence of industrial civilization is imposing a burden on the peoples of the world that far outweighs its benefits, and suggests that protests …

Poverty In The High-Income Countries: A Marxist Alternative To Mainstream Ideologies, Jamie A. Gough, Aram Eisenschitz

Class, Race and Corporate Power

Poverty has been present in all the advanced capitalist countries since the dawn of industrial capitalism in the late 18C, and remains so to this day. Mainstream explanations of this phenomenon are superficial and mistake symptoms for causes. In this article we present a Marxist explanation of poverty in the high-income countries since the late 19C. We show how poverty is systematically produced by the dynamics of capital accumulation and the capital-labour relation, including their spatial dynamics, operating in the realms of production, social reproduction, and their mediations by the state. Since poverty is produced by the totality of society, …

Mexico's Fate Amid U.S. – China Competition, Kathleen C. Schwartzman

Class, Race and Corporate Power

What is Mexico’s future in the face of global hierarchical shifts. Mexico has existed in a dependent relationship with the United States since the beginning of the 20th century. Mexico’s dependency evolved in tandem with the U.S.’ rise to power. That U.S. dominance is being challenged in the 21st century, thus offering Mexico a chance for a different development path. Drawing on elements from world-systems, dependency, and political economy theories, I consider three possible trajectories: Mexico will develop more autonomously; it will become dependent on China; or it will experience stagnation. Using international and governmental data sets, reports from U.S. …

The Afl-Cio’S Foreign Policy Program: Where Historians Now Stand, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

The struggle to end the AFL-CIO’s foreign policy program, as part of the effort to build global labor solidarity, began in the late 1960s but has qualitatively escalated since 2010. This paper details these efforts, while showing the advances over the preceding ten years. Interestingly, while labor historians have provided some important contributions in the past, they have refused to engage with the work of Kim Scipes, a major writer in the field, ignoring his path-breaking work yet supporting some of his major claims. The question is asked whether historians in this sub-discipline are being taught to over-prioritize archival works …

Two Decades Of Imperial Failure: Theorizing U.S. Regime Change Efforts In Venezuela From Bush Ii To Trump, Timothy M. Gill, Joseph Marshall Brown

Class, Race and Corporate Power

Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez ushered in the Pink Tide and the rise of the left in Latin America at the turn of the 21st century. Chávez initially won presidential elections in 1998 based on the promise of participatory democracy and tackling economic inequality, and thereafter by championing 21st Century Socialism. From the beginning, Chávez challenged U.S. global leadership by condemning its vision for the world and by cultivating an anti-imperial nexus of allies. This pattern has continued under current President Nicolás Maduro. In response, the U.S. has opposed the Venezuelan socialists throughout three successive presidential administrations: Bush II, Obama, …

What The New Deal Can Teach Us About Winning A Green New Deal, Martin Hart-Landsberg

Class, Race and Corporate Power

Growing awareness of our ever-worsening climate crisis has boosted the popularity of movements calling for a Green New Deal. At present, the Green New Deal is a big tent idea, grounded to some extent by its identification with the original New Deal and emphasis on the need for strong state action to initiate system change on a massive scale. Given contemporary conditions, it is not surprising that people are looking back to the New Deal period for inspiration. However, inspiration is not the same as seeking and drawing useful organizing and strategic lessons from a study of the dynamics of …

“Mass Strikes And Social Movements In Brazil And India: Popular Mobilization In The Long Depression" By Jörg Novak, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019) A Review Essay, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

A review of Jörg Novak's “Mass Strikes and Social Movements in Brazil and India: Popular Mobilization in the Long Depression" published by Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.

Innovations In Labor Studies - Incorporating Global Perspectives: From Exhortation To Making It Real, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

Ever since the mid-1840s, there has been an exhortation for workers of the world to unite globally. With the exception of a three-year period between 1946 and 1949 - with the founding and development of the World Federation of Trade Unions immediately after the end of World War II - this has been generally a call limited to rhetoric only. The growing understanding of a globalizing world today, however - affecting the world of work, workers and their organizations - suggests it time for workers to try to make it real. This paper examines two issues pertinent to this new …

Sources Of Continued Corporate Dominance, Joshua Murray, Megan L. Jordan

Class, Race and Corporate Power

How do we make sense of the policy implications of the numerous corporate elites appointed to positions in government? The board interlock network served as a reliable map of power for most of the 20^th century. With the decline of the interlock network over the last few decades, we are left without a reliable map of corporate power, leading to a theory of a fractured corporate elite that is ineffectual in its collective policy influence.

In this article, we argue that the fractured elite thesis overlooks two factors that counteract the decline of the domestic interlock network- a stable …

American Labour’S Cold War Abroad: From Deep Freeze To Détente, 1945-1970 By Anthony Carew: A Review Essay, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

With Anthony Carew’s new book, we are much closer to having a definitive empirical history of US Labor’s foreign policy operations across this 25-year period, including the AFL’s, the CIO’s, and the AFL-CIO’s foreign operations between 1945 and 1970. Based on extensive archival research and personal interviews by a careful and extremely meticulous scholar, we now have more details than all-but-a-few specialists may want to know. While not the first book to cover this subject, nor particular aspects of this subject, Carew’s intervention adds greatly to what we know and, in a number of ways, re-establishes the groundwork from which …

Introduction To Part Ii, “Us Labor And Social Justice,” By Section Editor Kim Scipes, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

An introduction to this Special Issue of Class, Race and Corporate Power on "Labor and Social Justice" by its editor, Kim Scipes. This is the second part of a two-part series, with the first being available here.

The Epic Failure Of Labor Leadership In The United States, 1980-2017 And Continuing, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

The organizational failure of labor leadership in the US is more than individual failures, which could perhaps be overcome by the election of new leaders. The author argues that the model of trade unionism that has dominated US unionism—business unionism—offers no viable way forward and must be replaced by another model— social justice unionism.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: A Lifetime With Labor, Vincent Emanuele

Class, Race and Corporate Power

The authors personal reflection on being raised in a union household and the way forward for labor in the wake of Occupy Wall Street, the War in Iraq, and the 2016 election.

Time To Tackle The Whole Squid: Confronting White Supremacy To Build Shared Bargaining Power, Erica Smiley

Class, Race and Corporate Power

The operators of global capital, who have representatives in both US political parties, use a system of white supremacy and structural racism to keep working people disorganized and isolated from each other so that they do not collectively (and successfully) disrupt their ability to continue to concentrate resources among a tiny, select few. And thus in order to truly confront global capitalism and reverse the dramatic trends of inequality in the US and elsewhere, the struggle against white supremacy must be a central element of any strategy to build working class power.

Introduction To Section On Labor And Social Justice By Section Editor Kim Scipes, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

An introduction to this Special Issue of Class, Race and Corporate Power on "Labor and Social Justice" by its editor, Kim Scipes. This is a two-part series, with the second edition to be released in the October, 2017 issue of CRCP.

Addressing Seriously The Environmental Crisis: A Bold, “Outside Of The Box” Suggestion For Addressing Climate Change And Other Forms Of Environmental Destruction, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

Recognizing the severity of the environmental crisis facing humans across the planet, while focusing on the United States, this paper proposes a program that addresses the environmental crisis while providing for economic security for all Americans. It revolves around a drastic reduction of production, and a corresponding limiting of work by each person. It develops and put forth principles that any alternative program must advance, and specifically discusses the rationale for the program presented. In short, while not sure this program would ever be adopted, nonetheless, it is advanced to stimulate further thinking as to how human beings across the …

Another Politics (Book Review), Chris Hardnack Phd

Class, Race and Corporate Power

What are the main political articulations of today's radical movements in North America? In a review of Chris Dixon's Another Politics these questions are addressed in terms of the influence of anti-racist, feminism, anarchism, and prison abolition movements, and how a new form of radical leftists politics is emerging across the continent.