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Full-Text Articles in Political Science

The Yakuza: Organized Crime In Japan, Darlene N. Moorman Dec 2020

The Yakuza: Organized Crime In Japan, Darlene N. Moorman

The Downtown Review

Examining organized crime groups should not be purely economic; in other words, the culture, social structure, political contexts, and so on, are also critical in an insightful analysis of any organized crime group. For this paper, the Japanese yakuza are considered both in an economic viewpoint, such as how they make money, but also in other areas, such as its syndicates' notable cultural contributions and specific social characteristics. Moreover, this paper explores the dynamic changing of the organization overtime, especially in regards to its shifting relationship with the Japanese government.


The European Union And Violence Against Women: Fundamental Rights And Con Games, R. Amy Elman Dec 2020

The European Union And Violence Against Women: Fundamental Rights And Con Games, R. Amy Elman

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Deciphering the European Union’s (EU) commitment to countering violence against women is challenging. To date, much of its response has been rhetorical. This article opens with a brief consideration of the EU’s first few initiatives to counter violence against women before turning to the polity’s enthusiastic endorsement of the Council of Europe’s 2011 Istanbul Convention, which defines such violence as a human rights violation. Not least, it offers a critical analysis of the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency’s 2014 survey on violence against women, the world’s largest international survey of its kind. That inquiry involved 42,000 in-person interviews with a representative …


Introduction To The Dignity Memorial Issue On Kate Millett, Donna M. Hughes Oct 2020

Introduction To The Dignity Memorial Issue On Kate Millett, Donna M. Hughes

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.


Re-Assessing The Genocide Of Kurdish Alevis In Dersim, 1937-38, Dilşa Deniz Sep 2020

Re-Assessing The Genocide Of Kurdish Alevis In Dersim, 1937-38, Dilşa Deniz

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article discusses a century-long denial of historic genocide targeting Kurdish Alevis in Turkey. Firstly, I argue that the state-sponsored killings and forced displacements that occurred in Dersim in 1937-38 constitute genocide. Secondly, I use census numbers and other available documentation to suggest a possible figure for the causalities, while pointing out the methods by which the state has tried to cover up these numbers, indicating state planning and preparation. Finally, I show that as a part of the continued denial of such genocide, Turkish leftist organizations have been manipulated by the state, and thus have ended up supporting much …


The Little Book Of Racial Healing: Coming To The Table For Truth-Telling, Liberation, And Transformation. The Little Book Of Race And Restorative Justice: Black Lives, Healing, And U.S. Social Transformation, Chris Hausmann Aug 2020

The Little Book Of Racial Healing: Coming To The Table For Truth-Telling, Liberation, And Transformation. The Little Book Of Race And Restorative Justice: Black Lives, Healing, And U.S. Social Transformation, Chris Hausmann

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.


We Do Not Have Borders: Greater Somalia And The Predicaments Of Belonging In Kenya, Bashir Haji Aug 2020

We Do Not Have Borders: Greater Somalia And The Predicaments Of Belonging In Kenya, Bashir Haji

The Journal of Social Encounters

Karen Weitzberg opens her book with a proverb from the early Somali independence era: “wherever the camel goes, that is Somalia.” This quote sets the precedence for the book illustrating Somalis’ rocky relationship with borders. Originally, Somalis were nomadic pastoralists that frequently moved around, crossing borders. However, after many African countries gained independence, new border lines were drawn up. As a result of this new reality, many Somali clans were forced to claim their territorial land and were also shut out from other regions, thereby impacting their way of life. Weitzberg, a Stanford graduate with a background in African and …


Two Books On Peace Education And Advocacy From The Philippines, Patricia M. Mische Aug 2020

Two Books On Peace Education And Advocacy From The Philippines, Patricia M. Mische

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.


Peace Education In The Philippines: Measuring Impact, Jasmin Nario-Galace Aug 2020

Peace Education In The Philippines: Measuring Impact, Jasmin Nario-Galace

The Journal of Social Encounters

In this essay I discuss the education and experiences that were important for my formation as a Peace Educator and Advocate. The essay also briefly looks at the issue of peace research, teaching and activism, and how we at the Miriam College –Center for Peace Education believe that research and teaching are important but not enough. I recount research I helped to conduct that shows that peace education had a positive impact on those who participated in it, and then go on to describe our successful Iobbying efforts with the Philippine government and at the United Nations. I conclude with …


Peace Education In The Philippines: My Journey As A Peace Educator And Some Lessons Learned, Loreta Navarro-Castro Aug 2020

Peace Education In The Philippines: My Journey As A Peace Educator And Some Lessons Learned, Loreta Navarro-Castro

The Journal of Social Encounters

In this essay I discuss the development of Peace Education in the Philippines. I also discuss my journey as a peace educator and organizer of peace education. I conclude with lessons that I learned in my work that may be useful for others interested in Peace Education and Advocacy.


Reflections On Peace Education And The Philippines, Patricia M. Mische Aug 2020

Reflections On Peace Education And The Philippines, Patricia M. Mische

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay, written at the request of JSE editors as an introduction to its special section on Peace Education in the Philippines, discusses the meaning and importance of educating for peace in a globally interdependent but fractured world; shares reflections from the author’s personal journey as a learner/teacher/researcher engaged in peace education, with special attention to her experience in peace education in the Philippines from 1979 to 2020; and introduces two very accomplished Philippine peace educators and their work.


The Mischaracterization Of The Pakhtun-Islamic Peace Culture Created By Abdul Ghaffar Khan And The Khudai Khidmatgars, Shelini Harris Aug 2020

The Mischaracterization Of The Pakhtun-Islamic Peace Culture Created By Abdul Ghaffar Khan And The Khudai Khidmatgars, Shelini Harris

The Journal of Social Encounters

Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his Khudai Khidmatgar Movement, whose peace activities included nonviolent resistance to British rule in India, have remained relatively unknown despite the magnitude of their achievement and significance (100,000 strong peace army). Even among appreciative peace scholars their nonviolence has been mischaracterized as an adoption of Gandhi’s teachings; Khan is referred to as the Muslim Gandhi. I argue that this is due to a reliance on biased colonial sources, concomitant racist characterization of the Pakhtuns and Islam, and an insufficient understanding of violence. I illustrate how this movement’s motivation and inspiration were deeply rooted in Pakhtun culture …


Jesus, The Last Scapegoat: A Chinese-Indonesian Christian Theological Imagination For Peacebuilding And Reconciliation, Hans Harmakaputra Aug 2020

Jesus, The Last Scapegoat: A Chinese-Indonesian Christian Theological Imagination For Peacebuilding And Reconciliation, Hans Harmakaputra

The Journal of Social Encounters

After enduring the systematic oppression under Suharto’s three-decade regime (1967-1998) in Indonesia through discriminatory policies, Chinese-Indonesians suffered an enormous loss in the 1998 riots that signified the end of Suharto’s regime. Many Chinese-Indonesians were killed, raped, and displaced. A few years later, the new government abolished the discriminatory policies against Chinese-Indonesians, and they started to enjoy equality as citizens of Indonesia. However, negativities that resulted from the traumatic experiences cannot be diminished easily. This essay suggests a Chinese-Indonesian Christian theological imagination of Jesus’ crucifixion that aims to deal with communal trauma and contribute to the peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts. This …


Catholic Conscience And Nuclear Weapons, Joseph J. Fahey Aug 2020

Catholic Conscience And Nuclear Weapons, Joseph J. Fahey

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay briefly explores the history of Catholic ethics on war and peace. It then discusses Catholic social teaching regarding nuclear weapons, and the movement from conditional acceptance to the position of the unacceptability of even possessing nuclear weapons because they are intrinsically evil. The essay concludes with a discussion of the meaning of this development for policy makers and those who work in the nuclear weapons field as well as for average Catholics.


Julius Nyerere’S Understanding Of African Socialism, Human Rights And Equality, Fr. Innocent Simon Sanga, Ron Pagnucco Aug 2020

Julius Nyerere’S Understanding Of African Socialism, Human Rights And Equality, Fr. Innocent Simon Sanga, Ron Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

Julius Kambarage Nyerere, African philosopher, anti-colonial leader, first president of the United Republic of Tanzania, and respected international statesman, served as president of the newly independent Tanzania from 1964 through 1985., after which he remained politically active in Tanzania and on the global stage. Trying to steer a post-colonial course of self-reliance, he developed and implemented African Socialism in Tanzania, articulated in the Arusha Declaration in 1967. As an anti-colonial leader, Nyerere referred to international human rights standards such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and maintained a commitment to human rights as president and afterwards. In this essay …


Tribute To John S. Mbiti, Joseph G. Healey, Mm Aug 2020

Tribute To John S. Mbiti, Joseph G. Healey, Mm

The Journal of Social Encounters

We continue to mourn John S. Mbiti, the Kenyan professor, author and theologian who died in Switzerland on 6 October, 2019 at the age of 87. He was one of the founders of our African Proverbs Project and the African Proverbs Working Group. He was one of cornerstones of our African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories Website.


Reflections From A Lifetime Of Activism. An Interview With Chip Berlet, Chip Berlet, Kendall Sewell, Matthew Wentz, Austin Zinkle Jul 2020

Reflections From A Lifetime Of Activism. An Interview With Chip Berlet, Chip Berlet, Kendall Sewell, Matthew Wentz, Austin Zinkle

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

Chip Berlet is a widely published independent scholar who studies right-wing movements in the United States and Europe, as well as the global spread of conspiracy theories. He is an award-winning investigative journalist and photographer. Since the 1995 Oklahoma bombing, Berlet has appeared frequently in the media to discuss these issues. For over twenty years, Berlet was a senior analyst at Political Research Associates (PRA), a non-profit think tank in the United States that tracks right-wing networks. Berlet is co-author (with Matthew N. Lyons) of Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort (Guilford 2000) and more recently editor of …


Economies Of Security: Foucault And The Genealogy Of Neoliberal Reason, Marshall Scheider Jun 2020

Economies Of Security: Foucault And The Genealogy Of Neoliberal Reason, Marshall Scheider

Gettysburg Social Sciences Review

Michel Foucault is well-known for his theorizations of institutional power, normativity, and biopolitics. Less well-known is the fact that Foucault developed his analysis of biopolitics in and through his historical investigation of neoliberalism. Today, while critique of neoliberalism has become a commonplace of humanities discourse, and popular resistance to neoliberalization rocks the southern hemisphere, it remains unclear that the historical specificity of neoliberalism is well-understood. In particular, the relation between classical liberalism and neoliberal governance remains murky in popular debate. As Foucault powerfully illustrates, this relation is far from clear-cut, and neoliberalism is not reducible to a simple extension of …


Sanctuary Cities And Their Respective Effect On Crime Rates, Adam R. Schutt May 2020

Sanctuary Cities And Their Respective Effect On Crime Rates, Adam R. Schutt

Undergraduate Economic Review

According to the U.S. Center for Immigration Studies (2017), cities or counties in twenty-four states declare themselves as a place of “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants. This study addresses the following question: Do sanctuary cities experience higher crime rates than those cities that are not? Using publicly available data, this regression analysis investigates the relationship between crime rates in selected cities and independent variables which the research literature or the media has linked to criminal activity. Results of this research reveal that sanctuary cities do not experience higher violent or property crime rates than those cities that are not sanctuary cities.


International Migration, Development, And Policy: Reconsidering Migration Transition Theory—A Way Forward, Karin A. C. Johnson May 2020

International Migration, Development, And Policy: Reconsidering Migration Transition Theory—A Way Forward, Karin A. C. Johnson

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

Migration transition theories have been contested as they informed immigration policy in the Global North, which—based on assumptions that immigrants from developing countries may be a threat to social stability and economic opportunity—aimed to diminish emigration from the South. Development policies were proposed that could produce a “migration transition” in the South, where it was assumed that improved economic development would act as a substitute for migration and lead to minimal emigration, thus reducing overall immigration to the Global North. However, policies did not result in a migration transition. Acknowledging problematic rhetoric and contradictory policy and outcomes, this paper addresses …


What The New Deal Can Teach Us About Winning A Green New Deal, Martin Hart-Landsberg Apr 2020

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 …


Uneven Influence: Why Female Representation Affects Some Migration Policies But Not Others, Lauren Olsen Apr 2020

Uneven Influence: Why Female Representation Affects Some Migration Policies But Not Others, Lauren Olsen

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.


Gendered Conflict Resolution: The Role Of Women In Amani Mashinani’S Peacebuiding Processes In Uasin Gishu County, Kenya, Susan Kilonzo, Kennedy Onkware Mar 2020

Gendered Conflict Resolution: The Role Of Women In Amani Mashinani’S Peacebuiding Processes In Uasin Gishu County, Kenya, Susan Kilonzo, Kennedy Onkware

The Journal of Social Encounters

The role of women in peacebuilding is acknowledged by many stakeholders central in peace work. While this is so, there are still concerns about what we know about women’s involvement in peacebuilding structures established by non-state actors. Drawing from Amani Mashinani (Peace at Grassroots) peacebuilding model initiated by the Catholic Church in Kenya’s North Rift region, we examine the role of women in processes of conflict resolution in Uasin Gishu County. Suggestions to support women’s participation will be discussed.


Peace Connector Projects: Bishop Korir's Strategy For Grassroots Peacebuilding, William Kiptoo Mar 2020

Peace Connector Projects: Bishop Korir's Strategy For Grassroots Peacebuilding, William Kiptoo

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay is a narration of my personal experiences in peacebuilding in the North Rift region of Kenya as a resident of the region, and peace worker from 1995 to date. I draw from my work experiences with the National Council of Churches of Kenya (1995-2005), Catholic Relief Services and the Mennonite Central Committee (2007-2019). Specifically, how connector projects were used as a strategy for grassroots peacebuilding for the conflict-affected communities in the North Rift Valley region. The processes of mobilizing the communities, challenges, and outcomes of reconciliation efforts are discussed. The four connector projects discussed show the rewards attained …


Community Involvement And The Role Of The Church In Peacebuilding In Kenya: Amani Mashinani Approach, Kimeli B. Richard Mar 2020

Community Involvement And The Role Of The Church In Peacebuilding In Kenya: Amani Mashinani Approach, Kimeli B. Richard

The Journal of Social Encounters

Amani Mashinani (Peace at the Grassroots) is a model of peace building that demonstrates the importance of community involvement and Church leadership in peacebuilding efforts in North Rift region of Kenya. The role of community members and the Church in working together during times of conflict demonstrates the possibilities of increased opportunities for positive peace and reconciliation. This essay highlights the role Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret played to transform inter-ethnic conflicts. The role of Bishop Korir as a religious leader is acknowledged through his ability to mobilize local warring communities to embrace the …


Amani Mashinani Conflict Transformation Model: Bishop Korir’S Legacy On Peace And Reconciliation, Elias O. Opongo, S.J Mar 2020

Amani Mashinani Conflict Transformation Model: Bishop Korir’S Legacy On Peace And Reconciliation, Elias O. Opongo, S.J

The Journal of Social Encounters

This chapter is about the story of the late Bishop Cornelius Kipng’eno Arap Korir who stood up for peace and reconciliation in the midst of numerous interethnic conflicts. Bishop Korir, who was then the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret, lived the experience of inter-ethnic violence between the Marakwet, Pokot, Kikuyu, and the Kalenjin communities. As a person from the Kalenjin ethnic community, he had to learn to distant himself from the abrasive political rhetoric and violent actions and embrace the path of the Gospel of Jesus instead. He started what he called Amani Mashinani (Kiswahili for 'peace at …


Memorializing The Work Of Bishop Cornelius Korir In Advancing Grassroots Peacebuilding In Kenya: Perspectives On Amani Mashinani, Eddah M. Mutua Mar 2020

Memorializing The Work Of Bishop Cornelius Korir In Advancing Grassroots Peacebuilding In Kenya: Perspectives On Amani Mashinani, Eddah M. Mutua

The Journal of Social Encounters

This special commemoration feature of Journal of Social Encounters focuses on the work of the late Bishop Cornelius Korir in advancing grassroots peacebuilding in North Rift region of Kenya. Bishop Korir is credited for developing a grassroots peacebuilding model popularly known as Amani Mashinani (Peace at the Grassroots) which brings together warring communities to collectively participate in activities geared at promoting peace. In this context, grassroots peacebuilding is understood in the same vein as locally led peacebuilding which is “an approach in which the people involved in, and most affected by, violent conflict work together to create and enact their …