Sociology Commons^™

Constructing A Shared Identity In Deeply Divided Societies, John M. Nagle

John M Nagle

In order to bolster sustainable peacebuilding in violently divided societies, a normative suggestion is that efforts should be made to construct a shared public identity that overarches ethnic divisions. A number of different centripetal/transformationist processes are identified as engendering a shared identity in comparison to consociational arrangements, which are accused of institutionalizing ethnic differences and perpetuating conflict. These transformationist approaches essentially rest on the premise that since ethnicity is constructed it can be reconstructed into new shared forms. Looking at Northern Ireland, we argue there are limits to the extent that ethnicity can be reconstructed into shared identities. By analysing …

The Cultural Realm Of European Integration, Antonio Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Against the background of the changing global context, this book presents an analysis of three country members of the EU (France, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and the most significant social representations that are influencing the course of European integration.- WorldCat

National Identity, Nationalism, And The Organization Of The European Union, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Based on in-depth interviews and document analysis, this article examines the relationships between cultural identification and the process of European integration. It shows that French and Spanish people's cultural attachments to Europe as a common social organization is still very limited and reflects a concern for the defense of a national identity. This research contributes to our understanding of the European integration and to the theory of cultural identity by suggesting a dynamic paradigm that articulates the constitution of a formal organization with the process of cultural identity formation.

National Identities Confronting European Integration, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

This article examines the relationships between cultural identification and the process of European integration. Specifically, it describes and analyzes 1) people's cultural attachments to Europe as a common social organization and 2) the connection between people's perception of European integration and the defense of a national cultural identity

The Embodiment Of Tolerance In Discourses And Practices Addressing Cultural Diversity In Schools, The Case Of Cyprus, Nicos Trimikliniotis, Corina Demetriou, Elena Papamichael

Nicos Trimikliniotis

The report examines the processes, methods and Practices of the Cypriot educational system as the

embodiment of tolerance in discourses and practices addressing cultural diversity in schools. These are

mediated by the perceptions of policy makers, the convictions of stakeholders involved in the processes and abilities of and tools made available to educationalists. In examining the nature of the educational system and particularly the way in which the system treats its minoritised individuals and groups, the philosophy which emerges is that of viewing diversity as a disadvantage and a deficiency that needs to be ‘treated’, against a backdrop of essentialising …

The Priesthood Of Nationalism In Egypt: Duty, Authority, Autonomy, Benjamin Geer

Benjamin Geer

This thesis considers the effects of nationalism on the autonomy of intellectuals in Egypt. I argue that nationalism limits intellectuals’ ability to challenge social hierarchies, political authority and economic inequality, and that it has been more readily used to legitimise new forms of domination in competition with old ones. I analyse similarities between religion and nationalism, using the sociological theory of Pierre Bourdieu together with cognitive linguistics. Focusing mainly on the similarities between priests and nationalist intellectuals, and secondarily between prophets and charismatic nationalist political leaders, I show that nationalism and religion are based on relatively similar concepts, which lend …

Prophets And Priests Of The Nation: Naguib Mahfouz’S Karnak Café And The 1967 Crisis In Egypt, Benjamin Geer

Benjamin Geer

Similarities between religion and nationalism are well known but not well understood. They can be explained by drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's sociological theory in order to consider symbolic interests and the strategies employed to advance them. In both religion and nationalism, the “strategy of the prophets” relies on charisma while the “strategy of the priests” relies on cultural capital. In 20th-century Egypt, nationalism permitted intellectuals whose cultural capital was mainly secular, such as Naguib Mahfouz, to become “priests of the nation” in order to compete with the ʿulamaʾ for prestige and influence. However, it severely limited their autonomy, particularly after …

Refugee Camps In The Palestinian And Sahrawi National Liberation Movements: A Comparative Perspective, Randa Farah

Randa R Farah Dr.

Drawing on ethnographic field research, this analysis compares the evolution of refugee camps as incubators of political organization and repositories of collective memory for Palestinian refugees in Jordan and Sahrawi refugees of the Western Sahara. While recognizing the significant differences between the historical and geopolitical contexts of the two groups and their national movements (the PLO and Polisario, respectively), the author examines the Palestinian and Sahrawi projects of national consciousness formation and institution-building, concluding that Palestinian camps are “mapped” in relation to the past, while political organization in Sahrawi camps evidences a forward-looking vision.

評陳佳宏著《台灣獨立運動史》, Weider Shu

Weider Shu

No abstract provided.

Communist’S Post-Modern Power Dilemma: One Step Back, Two Steps Forward, “Soft No” And Hard Choices …, Nicos Trimikliniotis

Nicos Trimikliniotis

This paper considers the challenges ahead after having assessed what determined the outcome of the referendum in April 2004 and the balance of forces as they emerge in the Parliamentary elections of 2006. In spite of the generally sound claims that globalisation shifts decision-making away from nation-states, particularly weak and small states to networks beyond the nation-state, in the case of Cyprus what we have for the first time paradoxically is the “fate” of Cyprus primarily in the hands of Cypriots themselves. Although semi-occupied the two communities can make their decision as to the future of their country and state, …

Transforming National Identity In The Diaspora: An Identity Formation Approach To Biographies Of Activists Affiliated With The Taiwan Independence Movement In The United States, Weider Shu

Weider Shu

Located within the literature on racial/ethnic identity formation theory, especially the transformational stages developed by William E. Cross in his “Psychology of Nigrescence,” the purpose of this dissertation is to interpret and analyze the biographical information of six selected activists affiliated with the Taiwan Independence Movement (hereafter TIM) in the United States, especially their experiences of identity shifting from Chinese identity to Taiwanese identity.

While contending that the essence of national identity --- especially the elements relevant to the construction of subjective meaning --- has often been neglected by most of the students of nationalism, the basic theoretical concern of …

Nationalism In Indonesia: Building Imagined And Intentional Communities Through Transmigration, Brian A. Hoey

Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D.

This article will discuss the Indonesian government’s population resettlement program to explore different ways of looking at the idea of community and community building. Transmigration settlements are both planned and intentional communities. They are planned in accordance to government priorities, which intend them to serve in the building of an imagined community – a unified nation. They are also places where settlers struggle, following their own intent, to build their own personal, everyday vision of community as a place where they feel that they belong. This article will introduce the basic history of the program and its place in the …

Who Joined The Clandestine Political Organization? Some Preliminary Evidence From The Overseas Taiwan Independence Movement, Weider Shu

Weider Shu

The focus of this paper is the political activism of the activists affiliated with overseas Taiwan Independence Movement (TIM), especially those residing in the United States. Based upon the in-depth interview with fourteen TIM activists and two other published data sets about the demographical characteristics of TIM activists, this essay deals with a very fundamental aspect of activism in the clandestine political organizations: what is the social composition of these activists. Two approaches can be seen as direct approaches of political activism in the social movement literature: marginality thesis and privilege thesis. On the one hand, proponents of marginality thesis …

中國民族主義˙帝國主義˙台灣獨立運動︰評三本90年代中國出版的「台獨研究」專書, Weider Shu

Weider Shu

Based on three books conducted by Chinese scholars regarding the Taiwan Independence Movement (TIM), this paper tries to critically examine the so-called “imperialism,” --- the thesis adopted by most, if not all, Chinese scholars while analyzing the issue relevant to TIM. According to this thesis, the origin and development of the postwar TIM is conceived as the product caused by foreign power, which is led by the United States, for the purpose of interfering Chinese domestic politics. This paper argues that we have to explore these Chinese scholars’ notion of nationalism for comprehending their rationale of adopting the imperialism as …

發自異域的另類聲響︰戰後海外台獨運動相關刊物初探, Weider Shu

Weider Shu

As far as the field of Taiwan’s political history is concerned, her overseas counterparts, especially those affiliated with the opposition movement, is probably the most ignored one. In this paper, I contend that we have to take the overseas Taiwan Independence Movement (OTIM) seriously while considering the dynamics of Taiwan’s political development due to the following reasons. (1). In terms of Taiwan’s opposition movement, her overseas counterpart was ever the most important arena for the movement as a whole. (2). There was, and still is, very strong connection between Taiwan’s opposition movement and her overseas counterpart. (3). The OTIM plays …

Violence Against Women In Belgrade, Serbia: Sos Hotline, 1990-1993, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Zorica Mrsevic Dr.

Donna M. Hughes

The SOS Hotline for Women and Children Victims of Violence opened in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1990. For each call reporting an incident of violence, a data form was completed with the details of the call. Almost all callers were victims of violence from family member or intimate partners. The majority reported incidents of physical and verbal/emotional violence; a minority reported sexual and economic violence. The frequency and duration of violence were very high. Callers were often forced to live with perpetrators because of lack of available housing, which worsened due to privatization, economic sanction against Serbia, and the influx of …

War, Nationalism, And Rape: Women Respond By Opening A Centre Against Sexual Violence In Belgrade, Serbia, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Kathleen Foxter

Donna M. Hughes

On 10 December 1993, International Human Rights Day, The Autonomous Women's Centre Against Sexual Violence opened in Belgrade, Serbia. Plans for the Centre started in 1992 when women from the Belgrade SOS Hotline for Women and Children Victims of Violence formed The Group for Women Raped in War.