Political Theory Commons^™

Becoming Human: A Theory Of Ontogeny Michael Tomasello. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2019 Pp. 392., Benjamin Gregg

International Dialogue

No philosophical question is older than What are we, we humans? Michael Tomasello contributes a splendid, empirically based answer to this hoary debate in Becoming Human, with a programmatic subtitle, A Theory of Ontogeny. We humans are an evolved organism with a capacity to create culture only by means of which we can realize aspects of our biological selves—and just as our biology can realize aspects of our cultural selves. That is, our biology evolved in ways that released in us capacities for “culture” that, in turn, released in us biologically relevant capacities, with “enormous and cascading phenotypic effects”—but effects …

Working With English Grammar: An Introduction Louis Cummings New York: Cambridge University Press, 2018, 372 Pp., Owen G. Mordaunt

International Dialogue

The purpose of this book is to give an introduction of the grammar of the English language to students with little or no knowledge or no prior knowledge of English grammar. It could be part of a linguistics program and could include students working toward a TEFL/TESOL degree or even those students working towards certificates in these areas. It could also be suitable for students in Advanced Placement in the U.S. and Advanced Levels elsewhere. In addition, this text could be useful to those who need to increase their knowledge of English grammar, be they professionals, writers, editors, teachers, speech …

Structures Of Loyalty: A Comparative Study Of Jewish And Palestinian Evangelicals' Acquiescence To Fundamentalist And Authoritarian Values, Anders P. Lundberg, Kristian Steiner

International Dialogue

This is a qualitative comparative study of two evangelical movements in Israel and in the West Bank: the Israeli Messianic (IM) movement and the Palestinian Evangelical (PE) movement. Through interviews on how informants understand the Middle Eastern conflict, our aim is (1) to compare the prevalence of fundamentalist/authoritarian (F/A) values in the IM and PE movements and (2) to understand how a particular socio-political context —Israel and the West Bank—might affect the acquiescence to a F/A mindset amongst the two movements. To accomplish this, we created a F/A construct that measures five values: literalism, social withdrawal, authoritarian aggression, authoritarian submission, …

A Beacon Of Hope In A Troubled Context: Sketches Of The Life Of Mons. Paride Taban, Shepherd And Bridge-Builder, Alberto Eisman Torres

The Journal of Social Encounters

Monsignor Paride Taban, Bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Torit in Southern Sudan, is a multifaceted figure. Apart from his role as pastor and religious leader, he is an outstanding peace builder and the co-founder of the New Sudan Council of Churches, one of the most significant civil society institutions during the second civil war (1983 – 2005). This institution spearheaded numerous ecumenical initiatives including development work, humanitarian relief, training of grass-roots leaders and last but not least peace mediation. He is a relentless fighter for peaceful coexistence and tolerance in an environment marked by violence, oppression and impunity and …

Public Opinion Governance And Think Tank Research Based On Think Tank Double Helix Methodology, Qianqian Li, Yijun Liu, Ning Ma, Hongbing Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Public opinion governance research is a typical think tank research driven by big data, which should deal with the "five major challenges" faced by China's economic transformation, social transformation, and reform challenges, namely, risk intertwined challenges, modeling complexity challenges, interdisciplinary challenges, social impact challenges, and scenario uncertainty challenges. The Think Tank Double Helix Methodology provides an effective research paradigm to guide the whole process of public opinion governance and think tank research. Based on this methodology, opinion research could effectively respond to the five significant challenges and serve the demands of national governance. This paper demonstrates a deep understanding of …

Inaccessible Interpolated Imagery: How Coffee Farmers In The State Of Chiapas Might Access Political Economic Opportunity Through Representation, Paolo Fiann Bicchieri

Master's Theses

Here is a useful parable to boil down the idea of this project and set the tone: when one goes to the bar to tell a story about a fight at the bar, they would never venture to place themselves as the hero of the brawl, taking out three drunkards in a single punch, unless they were really in the bar, at that time, fighting a good fight. One would never do this as the bartender, locals, and regulars would all know if this were the case or not. Yet transnational corporations, governments, and even consumers do this all the …

Because Potato, Candice Evers

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This thesis project explores the phenomenological qualities of the internet; asking, since the internet is difficult to grasp, what other modes of investigation might we have available? Using an investigative framework set forth by Jack Halberstam, this thesis declines to come to knowledge solely through understanding the formal, the structural, the highly visible and mainstream. The literature that I have gathered provides a range of modes for interrogating the simultaneously central and inconsequential subject of my thesis itself: the potato. Juxtaposing the physical, political and material conditions of the potato the internet’s least academic mode of knowing: the meme. Analyzing …

Reformation Within The Nation: Adapting The Nordic Rehabilitation And Reintegration Model To Positively Recondition The United States Criminal Justice System, Jessica Cornell

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

An analytical and statistical based comparison of criminal sentencing, incarceration, rehabilitation and reintegration in the United States of America to those of the five countries which follows those of the Nordic Criminal Justice System.

The Acoustics Of Civil Resistance: Summoning The Spirit Of The Law With A Smartphone, Sharon Sliwinski

Data and Test Instruments

Inspired by Diamond Reynolds’s radical gesture to open a live broadcast in the moments after Philando Castile was shot by police in 2016, this paper explores the ways smartphones have become a critical tool of civil resistance. The paper situates this tool in a historical context, tracking the role of visual testimony in the long struggle for Black liberation, drawing special attention to the acoustic dimension and posing questions about how attending to the sonic environment modifies our understanding of bearing witness as embodied practice and our understanding of civil resistance.

Is France Having A Populist Moment?, Emma Gilmore

Honors Theses

The word populism is often thrown around in news media and academic scholarship, but there is a lack of understanding of what it actually means as a political theory. In France, the two presidential candidates that made it to the second round in 2017, Emmanuel Macron and Marine le Pen, were both called populist, despite having vastly different campaign strategies and messages. This study used a computer-based method to analyze Campaign books from 24 candidates beginning in 1981 that determined that Populist language is on the rise, but not as aggressively as news media suggests.

The Role Of Sex: An Analysis Of U.S. Attitudes Toward Climate Change, Chloe Riggs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes the intersection of sex, environmental risk perception of climate change, and feminism. More specifically, with a sample size of 8,280 respondents from the American National Election Studies (ANES) 2020 Times Series Study, this research examines the relationship between pro-environmental attitudes and sympathy for feminism, controlling for sex, as well as if a measure of sympathy for feminism influences pro-environmental attitudes, controlling for demographic (age, education, race, sex, and income) and political preference (political ideology and party affiliation) variables. Previous literature strongly supports a sex gap in risk perception, a pattern known as the White Male Effect (WME) …

The Pandemic, Environmentalism, And Re-Thinking Social And Political Philosophy: Pandemic 2: Chronicles Of A Time Lost, Edward Sandowski, Betty J. Harris

International Dialogue

In Pandemic!2-Chronicles of a Time Lost, Slavoj Žižek continues his discussions, written and performed in multiple media, of the pandemic that has severely afflicted the world for what seems so very long. And there are more trials coming, into the indefinite future, possibly, at worst, he imagines, terminated by a grand climate/ecological crisis and its consequences, which may, admittedly, end humanly experienced time altogether.

Do Politics Repel Truth? Hannah Arendt On Political Controversies In Dialogue With Plato, Marie-Josée Lavallée

International Dialogue

This article uncovers Hannah Arendt’s debt to Plato’s work in her analyses of political controversies of her time, as Nazi propaganda and state lies on American involvement in the Vietnam War, and her assessment of the failure of the French Revolution. While her relation to Plato’s oeuvre when she tackles political issues most often took the form of a stormy and one-sided dialogue resembling a monologue, her treatment of these controversies shows that Arendt had at times an authentic, open, and fruitful dialogue with the Greek philosopher. To make sense of these phenomena and events, she uses a range of …

Fleeing From War Or Pandemic, And Returning Home, Rory J. Conces

International Dialogue

Today, the word ‘flee’ connotes a moral weakness for many, perhaps even cowardice for some. However, that is not entirely accurate. Fleeing may be a morally decent response to a dangerous situation. As the American philosopher Todd May wrote in his insightful book A Decent Life: Morality for the Rest of Us (2019): “Most of us seek to live a morally decent life. We are not moral monsters, but neither do we strive to be moral saints. [There are] avenues of moral improvement that do not require us … to sacrifice our deepest commitments and projects ….[Why? That which] … …

Table Of Contents, Rory J. Conces

International Dialogue

Table of Contents for Volume 11

Forbearance, Endogenous Development, And Aid Work, Selina L. Haynes, Mark S. Williams

International Dialogue

The international aid industry continues to export paid and unpaid Westerners to undertake development work of questionable and suspect utility to Africa, and to the less-developed countries of other regions. Despite its widespread acceptance in the West and tremendous financial support, this work has been criticized as failing to meaningfully improve the quality of life due to a multitude of systemic challenges within the industry. This range of challenges includes the intrinsic power imbalances found between debtor nations and their creditors; the dominant position of great powers within international organizations and as the funders of international non-governmental organizations; the pathological …

Notes From The Editor, Rory Conces

International Dialogue

Introduction to volume 11.

Notes from International Dialogue's Editor-in-Chief, Rory J. Conces

Complex Effects Of International Relations: Intended And Unintended Consequences Of Human Actions In Middle East Conflicts Ofer Israeli. New York:, Kenneth Christie

International Dialogue

Ofer Israeli, in this book, offers us an original and encompassing study of the complex effects of international relations, elucidating for readers the intended and unintended consequences of human action. And that is no simple task given the often-chaotic way that international relations seem to play out in real life. Hindsight, particularly in international relations is beneficial but not always conducive to change and how we make decision-making effective goes beyond how we see our national interests play out. Any effort to alleviate, change these disastrous outcomes in the post 1945 period would have been welcome but we can see …

How "Lyingnewspapers" Made Huey Long The Ruler Of His State: A Model Of Press-Populist Dynamics, Christina A. Georgacopoulos

LSU Master's Theses

Huey Long’s use of the phrase “lyingnewspapers” to discredit negative publicity is commonly cited as evidence of his negative relationship with the mainstream press, but he did not always hold a hostile view toward newspapers. Before the press turned against him during his enemies' attempt to impeach him as governor in 1929, newspapers were one of his central tools for political advancement. He devised strategies to attract press attention and relied on newspapers to publicize himself and propagate his ideas more frequently and consistently than he used circulars or radio broadcasts, which are commonly attributed to his political success. As …

Political Communication Channels Of The Aceh Woman Legislative Member In Conveying Information To The Community, Ainol Mardhiah, Cindenia Puspasari, Maisura Maisura, Nanda Ameliany

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This research investigates the political communication channel of the Aceh’s woman legislators to the community. After the period of political conflict in Aceh, women participation in the public sphere as a legislator is shown to be increasing in quantity. However, their coverage on the media regarding their performance and activity as Aceh’s women’s legislators is still lacking. These women representatives have not been received enough recognition within the community. This study aims to reveal the political communication channel of these women’s legislator to the constituents. This study was conducted in the Aceh Legislative Body using a descriptive qualitative method. The …

Financial Institution And The Inclusion Of Youths Through Entrepreneurship In Kenya, Fred Ernest Nasubo

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Kenya is home to 10.1 million youths, which corresponds to almost 20.3 per cent of the country's population aged 15-24 years. According to the World Bank report released in 2017, Kenya tops in the East Africa region in youth unemployment at 17.3 per cent in comparison to Uganda and Tanzania, at 6 per cent. The majority of youths considered to have attained working age are either unemployed or engaged in low paid employment. Promoting youth entrepreneurship is one way of empowering young people to respond innovatively to the needs of society; this would consequently lead to the generation of more …

Testing The Rambo Effect Theory: A Comparative Analysis Of Economic Integration In Mercosur And Sadc, Sarvesh Lutchmun

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This paper attempts to conduct a comparative analysis between the integration processes of two regional blocs of the Global South, one in Latin America, namely the 1991-founded Common Market of South America (MERCOSUR) and the other in the southern part of Africa, namely the 1992-founded Southern African Development Community (SADC). In particular, this paper will seek to compare the economic integration process between MERCOSUR and SADC using insights of international political economy and regional cooperation. In doing so, the paper will test the 'Rambo effect' theory which claims that the dominant power of Brazil and South Africa has led to …

Federalism, Federal Powers And The Politics Of Restructuring In Nigeria, Charles Ekpo, Stephen E. Magor University Of Calabar

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The fact that Nigeria is a very wealthy country both in human and mineral resources could be debatable since wealth is relative. What is, however, incontrovertible is the growing disparity between the wealthy and the wretched, and the general unevenness in the spread of infrastructural and human capacity development across the country. While several reasons have been advanced for this anomaly, this paper toes the path of structural functionalism by ascribing this ill to the faulty nature of Nigeria's federalism which concentrates excessive power and resources in the hands of the federal ruling elite class, with a chronic history of …

Youth React Negatively To Food Insecurity Amid Climate Change In Chipinge District Of Zimbabwe, Sensewell Chingwaramusee

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This study analyzes the response of youth in Chipinge in face of climate change's effect on food insecurity in the area. The qualitative research informed by desktop analysis provides empirical evidence that youth in Chipinge district have lost hope in their potential and district’s capacity to guarantee food security due to adverse changing weather patterns over the previous two decades namely, cyclone Eline and Idai. Chipinge’s climate is the key at changing the narrative at hand as it has proven to favor cash crop plantation and small grain production for example, tea, coffee macadamia nuts, sorghum and millet. The study …

Technology And Law: The Use Of Artificial Intelligence And 5g To Access The Courts In Africa, Thabo Magubane

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The application of the latest technological advances has the potential of giving the disadvantaged African persons the ability to have their matters heard and resolved by the courts of law. Access to justice is fundamentally important to the injured party, and it is a vital component of the protection, recognition and enforcement of human rights. Many African persons still lack the ability to afford legal fees due to poverty. This paper is to explore the use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Fifth-Generation Cellular Network (5G) to provide economically disadvantaged African people with the ability to access formal and informal institutions …

Yaljod Full Issue 3.1, Prince Ifoh

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The Young African Leaders Journal of Development (YALJOD) is a biennial journal and an official publication of the Young African Leaders Forum (YALF). It was established in 2015 to host scholarly analysis and competing viewpoints about the development of Africa; and it’s multidisciplinary approach makes it more formidable. YALJOD accepts papers from varied disciplinary areas — including Social Sciences, Physical Sciences and Humanities — that show direct relevance to the development of Africa. It publishes researches understood as the social, economic, political, cultural and technological processes of change in Africa. The intended audience of the journal remains the entire African …

Education Towards Attaining Sustainable Development In Developing Nations: Nigeria As A Case Study, Ezeifekwuaba Tochukwu Benedict

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This Research Paper is a contribution towards highlighting the underdevelopment challenges in Nigeria by applying Education as a tool. In the present decades, there has been a Paradigm Shift in emphasizing on Sustainable Development and the way it been practised. All over the country, there is evidence of a failed leadership attributed by a dwindling economic, educational, political and social fortune. All these challenges are due to the incapability of the leadership to effectively plan for development and apply the necessary educational tools that can produce great leaders that can control the helms of Government and the private sectoral industries. …

A Regional Comparative Analysis On The Role Of Electoral Politics In The Decline Of Africa's Public Sector, Mark Opoku Amankwa, Kofi Agyabeng

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The early post-independence periods saw Africa have efficient Public Sector Institutions. Over a decade, there seems to be a decadent in the public sector. The study examines the regional analysis of government effectiveness in Africa. The study uses data given by the World Bank's Governance Indicator from 55 African countries from 2002 to 2018. The study uses Panel Regression Analysis Model of Random Effects and Pooled Ordinary Least Squares to assess government effectiveness in the five regions of Africa. The findings indicate that Southern African countries performed best as compared to its counterpart regions, followed by North Africa. However, East, …

Power Is Not Served As A La Carte: Rethinking The Social Contract In Nigeria, Chinedu Samuel Ogbuze

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Social contract is central to the provision of public goods and social welfare. Good governance among other things derives from strong institutions of government and citizen engagement in the political process. This study focuses on reshaping the relationship between the government and the governed in Nigeria. Using functionalism theory, the paper argues that political and economic success is not automatic in a democracy but proportional to the extent that the people can hold their leaders accountable. The study concludes that changing the prolonged ethnoreligious narrative is critical to development and growth in Nigeria as the people are more united by …

Is Donor State 'Securitisation' A Threat Or An Opportunity For Humanitarianism?, Albert Mcbell Ninepence

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Since the end of the Cold War, a significant number of aid workers have been assaulted and killed, projecting humanitarian assistance as a precarious discourse. Given that humanitarian workers find themselves in dangerous environments and the threats they are exposed to, the need for security has become an exigent concern for most aid agencies and workers (Barnett, 2011 and VanBrabant, 2001). In view of this, security has now been implanted in the conceptualization, planning and delivery of aid. Though the Copenhagen School is associated with the theory of securitization which provides a framework for defining security as securitizingobjectsandreferentobjects(Watson,2011), differentschoolshaveconstruedsecuritizationin different …