Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The New Profits Of Pleasure: Reality Television And Affective Exploitation In Post-Pandemic Neoliberalism, Sophia Aepfelbacher

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis uses reality television and the parasocial relationships it cultivates as a microcosm to better understand the current form of neoliberalism as well as the implications it has for democracy. I extend the preexisting scholarship surrounding neoliberalism and reality television by emphasizing the importance of social media in understanding that link. By conducting a case study of Netflix's Love is Blind, I demonstrate how both reality television content and the reality-television-participant-to-influencer pipeline serve to reinforce neoliberal values by constructing powerful cultural imaginaries such as a model of care and self-sufficiency that centers marriage and the household. I argue …

Middle Power And Symbolic Power In Climate Change Negotiations: The Case Of Indonesia’S Strategy In The Katowice Climate Change Conference, Adam Pratama, Moch Faisal Karim

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This article presents a fresh perspective on international climate change negotiations by shining a light on the often-ignored concept of symbolic power within the role of middle powers, an area where current literature largely emphasizes behavioral and functional aspects. Focusing on Indonesia's participation in the 2018 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, the study explores how the nation adeptly wielded symbolic power to champion the concerns of developing nations. Through strategic utilization of language and identity, Indonesia underscored three crucial negotiation points: financial support, technological transfer, and capacity building—all essential for achieving the Paris Agreement …

Book Review: The Military And The Market, Ryan Orsini

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Editors: Jennifer Mittelstadt and Mark R. Wilson

Reviewed by Major Ryan Orsini, Infantry officer, US Army

The Military and the Market is filled with historical and political science case studies to help US policymakers and practitioners navigate the interrelationships between the Department of Defense and the private market. The studies present the success and failure “of regulation and adaptation of individual markets, from on-post housing to local prostitution, and their impact on the military mission and overall social equity.” This book is well suited for policymakers and practitioners at the local and national levels.

Book Review: Corruption In The Americas, José De Arimatéia Da Cruz

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Editors: Jonathan D. Rosen and Hanna S. Kassab

Reviewed by Dr. José de Arimatéia da Cruz, professor of international relations and comparative politics, Georgia Southern University, and visiting professor, Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College

Jonathan D. Rosen and Hanna S. Kassab argue in Corruption in the Americas that corruption is not only an industry but has also become an integral part of Latin American societies. The book also notes that support for democracy in many Latin American countries (despite years of authoritarianism) is at an all-time low. The reviewer recommends this book saying, “The book highlights the …

Book Review: Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler And Stalin, Rev. Dr. Wylie W. Johnson

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Timothy Snyder

Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, US Army War College class of 2010

Covering the rules of Hitler and Stalin between 1933 and 1945, Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin, explores three periods of genocide in which “two great ideological powers that worked out their Darwinian fantasies at the expense of peoples they identified by religion, ethnicity, ideology, and location.” In addition to military casualties, 14 million noncombatants died. The reviewer notes, “Bloodlands is an important book for US military leaders of all ranks for two reasons. First, it is a stark warning to …

Book Review: The Good Captain: A Personal Memoir Of America At War, Joseph J. Collins

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: R. D. Hooker Jr.

Reviewed by Joseph J. Collins, PhD, retired US Army colonel

Retired Army colonel Rich Hooker’s The Good Captain is a memoir spanning the Cold War through the Global War on Terror. Hooker’s deployments take up the bulk of the book and include Grenada with the 82nd Airborne Division, Somalia to work with legendary Ambassador Bob Oakley, Zaire to coordinate humanitarian operations in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Kosovo as a parachute infantry battalion commander, the Sinai Peninsula for peacekeeping operations, command of the Dragon Brigade in Iraq and, in his last year of service, Afghanistan with the …

Who Should Run? Examining The Positions, Experiences, And Conditions That Best Prepare A Candidate To Run For And Serve As President Of The United States., Davis M. Bernstein

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Over the United States’ 246-year history, the nation has had 46 presidents. These individuals often carried with them decades of military, political, or judicial experience. In 2016 this long held political norm was dashed, and America elected its first candidate without any traditional experience. With this enormous precedent setting change in electoral and governmental politics, experience has come under a new spotlight; and questions on what experience matters, or if experience matters at all have received new scrutiny. Polling data, historical precedent, conventional wisdom, and political norms will all be integral for the purpose of examining pre-presidential experience and put …

Alliances In The Third Millennium System And Their Impact On Multipolarity, Basma Tom, Mohammad Katatsheh

Jordan Journal of Applied Science-Humanities Series

Using the hypothesis that there is an associative relationship between the alliances formed by rising powers in the third millennium system and the transformation of that system from unipolarity to multipolarity as a baseline, this paper aims to investigate and explore the key alliances among rising powers in the third millennium system, as well as the impact of these alliances on the shift from unipolarity to multipolarity. Both a descriptive analytical method and a systems analysis approach were employed. This study concludes that these rising powers, while notably rejecting American hegemony, tend to establish political and economic alliances amongst themselves, …

Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths (A Critical Historical Study Of Karen Armstrong's Book), Shaden Al-Wahsh

Jordan Journal of Applied Science-Humanities Series

Religious knowledge may hold greater value than some other forms of knowledge. Karen Armstrong, the researcher, worked diligently to gather information for her book, which was translated into Arabic from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic sources. She presented her perspective using a rich vocabulary, along with a comprehensive vision and subjectivity. Her book focuses on holy geography, highlighting the symbols that give certain places significant value. According to her book, the sacred feeling precedes the physical places and temples. After considerable effort, Karen sought to find a common link among the three Abrahamic religions. However, given the substantial amount of historical …

The Impact Of Internal Legislative Determinants On The Participation Of Political Parties In The Jordanian Political System (1946-2020): A Comparative Political Historical Study, Bashar Al-Tarawneh

Jordan Journal of Applied Science-Humanities Series

This study aimed to identify the internal legislative determinants in the Jordanian political system that affect the participation of political parties during the period from 1946 to 2020. The study utilized three research methods: the historical method, the descriptive and analytical approach, and the comparative approach. The study reached several key findings, the most notable being that internal legislative determinants significantly impacted the participation of parties in the Jordanian political system, with each determinant varying in its degree of influence. The study also presented a number of recommendations, including amending the text of the Jordanian Constitution of 1952 to include …

The Impact Of Political Stability On Sustainable Development: A Case Study Of The Countries Affected By The Arab Spring Revolutions (2006-2018), Ramzy Radaideh

Jordan Journal of Applied Science-Humanities Series

This study aims to identify the impact of the level of political stability on sustainable development in the countries affected by the Arab Spring revolutions during the period from 2006 to 2018. The study assumes that there is a positive relationship between political stability as an independent variable and sustainable development as a dependent variable. The study employs a systems analysis approach, as well as descriptive, analytical, and statistical methods. The findings support the hypothesis that there is a statistically significant correlation between the level of political stability and indicators of sustainable development in the countries affected by the Arab …

Panem's Parallel's: Authoritarianism In The Real World, Quentin J. Stewart

Honors Capstones

Throughout the twentieth century, there has been an increasing awareness and fear of authoritarian governments in the Western world, the United States in particular. While these methods of governance were steadily becoming more present in Western media throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, portrayals of authoritarianism and dystopia experienced a peak in popularity toward the end of the two-thousands decade, with book and film franchises like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins spearheading this emergence. Many of the themes and aspects of the series setting alert the audience to many of the ways authoritarianism can be seen in real life, …

Masters Abroad, Sebastian Chavez

Capstone Collection

The research focuses on gaining the perspective and experience of students attaining a master’s degree abroad. The overall study is to answer the following questions: 1) What is the reasoning behind gaining a master’s degree abroad? 2) What kind of impact does a master’s degree have on the identity of students? 3) How might a master’s abroad experience aid international relations? Among the key findings, specifically, students’ main incentives ranged from career development in wanting to advance career objectives or real-world experiences of living and adapting to a new cultural environment. Following identity transformation, students experienced self-growth or discovered new …

Opportunity Discrimination: Resettlement Efforts Made By Ngos In The United States, Sarah Rauf

Capstone Collection

Social identity plays a key aspect in life. This research tests whether homogeneity between refugees and their host communities correlates to the immigration process and resettlement success. The analysis helps form a conclusion that people want to help those who look like themselves before those who appear more foreign. This is related to the central theories of social identity and prejudice stemming from stereotyping. Data collection comes from interviews with staff at a number of NGOs in the United States. The immigration and resettlement policies of these NGOs have been researched, and members were interviewed on the reformation of their …

Love And Hate Across The Us Political Spectrum, Joseph Walker

Research Psychology Theses

Twitter is a vast source of qualitative and quantitative data on human interaction. This proposed study examines group identity strength (GIS), measured as how strongly one identifies with a group, as a factor of positive and negative partisanship in the US by observing tweets and follower interactions. The top 10 words collocated with “love” and “hate” will be analyzed for each level of GIS for liberals and conservatives. Expected findings are that those with stronger GIS will display more in-group favoritism than out-group animosity, and that the top collocates of love and hate will be different for liberals and conservatives.

Narrative Infidelity And White Resentment In The Rhetorical Mobilization Of The Anti-Crt Movement, Julien Burns

LSU Master's Theses

Beginning in the summer of 2020, an activist movement has arisen in opposition to Critical Race Theory (CRT). This movement has mobilized tens of thousands of Americans and passed policy curtailing the discussion of race in classrooms despite a lack of evidence that CRT has any meaningful presence in many of the public institutions targeted. This movement challenges logic-based conceptions of rhetorical persuasion and demands an alternative model. In this thesis, I propose that a narrative conception of rhetoric provides a framework for understanding how this movement is rational, despite the falsifiability of its foundation. Specifically, I respond to Walter …

Review, Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden And The American Surveillance State, By Barton Gellman, Patrice Mcdermott

Secrecy and Society

No abstract provided.

Review, Democracy And Fake News: Information Manipulation And Post-Truth Politics, Peter Krapp

Secrecy and Society

No abstract provided.

Being Curious With Secrecy, Clare Stevens, Elspeth Van Veeren, Brian Rappert, Owen D. Thomas

Secrecy and Society

This article contributes to ongoing attempts to broaden out theorizations of secrecy from an intentional and willful act of concealment to a cultural and structural process. We do so by fostering a conversation between secrecy and curiosity. This conversation is enabled through a review of central themes in secrecy studies and curiosity studies, but also through an examination of a collaboration between the science center “We the Curious” and a network of academic researchers. In doing so, this article makes a case for the benefits of paying more attention to curiosity as a means of facilitating a multifaceted understanding of …

(Not) Accessing The Castle: Grappling With Secrecy In Research On Security Practices, Lilly P. Muller, Natalie Welfens

Secrecy and Society

This article discusses how to deal with secrecy and limited access in ethnographically inspired research of security fields. Drawing inspiration from recent debates about secrecy in Critical Security Research and from Franz Kafka’s The Castle, we propose to treat access limitations and the secrecy we encounter as methodological tools that provide insights into social relations and power structures of security fields. We develop the argument in two steps. First, we argue for a more fine-grained taxonomy of secrecy, that allows to distinguish between mystery, concealment and the relational dimension of secrecy. Second, we apply the taxonomy to our respective …

Technologies And Time Tempers: How Things Mediate A State’S (Cyber Vulnerability) Disclosure Practices, Clare Stevens

Secrecy and Society

State secrecy and disclosure practices are often treated as processes of intentional and strategic human agency, and as forms of political time management (Bok 1982; Horn 2011). Through a critical analysis of the United States government’s disclosure practices in the context of their discourse around the cybersecurity “Vulnerabilities Equities Process” (VEP), this paper will present a two-fold argument against these conventional treatments of secrecy and disclosure. While government secrecy and disclosure can certainly be understood as a form of (agential) timing, orientation and control (Hom 2018), this paper will also show how government secrecy practices are emergent at the point …

Introduction To The Special Issue On Secrecy And Technologies, Clare Stevens, Sam Forsythe

Secrecy and Society

Many scholars have treated the inscrutability of technologies, secrecy, and other unknowns as moral and ethical challenges that can be resolved through transparency and openness. This paper, and the special issue it introduces, instead wants to explore how we can understand the productive, strategic but also emancipatory potential of secrecy and ignorance in the development of security and technologies. This paper argues that rather than just being mediums or passive substrates, technologies are making a difference to how secrecy, disclosure, and transparency work. This special issue will show how technologies and time mediate secrecy and disclosure, and vice versa. This …

The U.S. Government's Global Food Security Strategy And The Effectiveness Of Agriculture-Led Growth Through The Perspectives Of Climate Change And Sustainability, Marcella Mcnerney

Capstone Collection

The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Global Food Security Strategy Fiscal Year 2022-2026 addresses food security in developing countries. The U.S. Global Food Security Strategy set forth by USAID lays forth a strategy for increasing food security in twelve targeted low-income and developing nations. How well the USAID policy does this with consideration of climate change, sustainability, and socio-economic well-being is crucial to examine given the fact that climate change impacts and predictions are now affecting food systems at all stages, from growth through production. The following discussion combines elements of a policy brief and research paper to …

Decolonizing Wash Practices Between National Policies & International Standards: A Case Study In Tanzania, Mary Thibodeau

Capstone Collection

The international community has developed guidelines and standards for the maintenance of water and sanitation (WASH) in states from the end of the 20th century to present and have often been criticized for their lack of contextual adaptations in the standards that states are expected to implement universally. The research explored how international standards on WASH have applied decolonized methods of interventions to guide the development of culturally relevant national policies. Tanzania was chosen as a case study to conduct a comprehensive review of the states’ integration of international standards within their policies through a decolonial perspective. The study included …

“How Scared Are You?” Mapping The Threat Environment Of San Diego’S Elected Officials, Rachel Locke, Carl Luna

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

Democracy cannot function without individuals stepping up to serve as representatives of their community. The presence and growth of threats and harassment directed towards elected representatives poses a direct risk to our democracy, weakening community cohesion and our ability to address collective challenges. While our research found threats and harassment to be present across political parties, it identified women as far more likely to be on the receiving end both in terms of quantity and severity. If under-represented groups are pushed out of the processes of debate and decision-making, solutions will not be oriented around the diversity of our society. …

Federal Climate Policy Successes: Co-Benefits, Business Acceptance, And Partisan Politics, Roger Karapin, David Vogel

Publications and Research

While most literature on federal climate change policies has focused on failures to adopt broad policies, this article describes and explains successes in two important sectors. Regulations to improve the fuel economy of motor vehicles and efficiency standards for appliances and equipment have produced substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions although they largely have other goals and hence can be considered implicit climate policies.

We synthesize existing literature with our analyses of case studies to offer three explanations for the adoption of effective sectoral policies in these two sectors. First, the policies delivered politically popular co-benefits such as reducing consumers’ …

Hoping As A Transformational Imperative In Puerto Rico: A Phenomenological And Grounded Theory Study Within Colonized Space, José Luiggi-Hernández

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the United States continues to restrict Puerto Rico’s self-determination and imposes oppressive institutions such as the Oversight Board, the people of the archipelago live in precarity and hopelessness. Limited psychological research on colonialism has focused on the detrimental impact of oppression and its influence on the development of fatalism and the inferiority complex. On the other hand, existing psychological theories of hope fail to describe how it is lived within the post-colonial context and to explain the ways in which this psychological phenomenon arises even in the face of systematic dehumanization. As Puerto Ricans show evident signs of hope …

Metacrisis, Not Civil War: Examining France’S Unrest In June/July 2023, Thomas G. Chevalier

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

In this commentary, I examine the urban riots that took place in France at the end of June and early July 2023 to assess the levels of violence and the response of the French government. I argue that the unrest did not represent the brink of a civil war, as wrongly claimed by dark journalistic assessments and dominant right-wing political discourses, but pertained to a more profound condition of metacrisis (a state where a crisis enters a crisis of its own and a dangerous situation of social strife ensues). Tracing recent discourses and imaginaries of civil war in France and …

Do Men Strategically Leverage Women's Intersecting Identities? Intersectional Symbolic Inclusion As An Electoral Competition Strategy In Polarized Turkey, Elif Sari Genc

Dissertations and Theses

Do party elites use intersectionality as an electoral competition strategy? In this dissertation, I study this question in the context of mayoral elections in Turkey by focusing on the competition between the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the People's Republican Party (CHP). Examining the gender and religious orientation of candidates from these parties, local variations in party affiliations, and partisan polarization that is decisive in vote choice at the district level, I argue that the Islamist AKP strategically selects secular-appearing women to leverage their intersecting identities in races where secularist partisan polarization against this party is high.

Drawing on …

Review Of Thorne, Benjamin, The Figure Of The Witness In International Criminal Tribunals: Memory, Atrocities And Transitional Justice, Art Blaser, Trinity Huynh

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

A review of Benjamin Thorne's The Figure of the Witness in International Criminal Tribunals: Memory, Atrocities and Transitional Justice.