scholarly journals “Ibizagate”: Capturing a Political Field in Flux

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Christian Karner
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Political Field ◽  
Multiple Voices ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
Political Boundaries ◽  
Truth Claims ◽  
Media Discourses ◽  
Discursive Field ◽  
Do So

Abstract The “Ibiza affair,” a succession of scandals triggered by undercover recordings of the FPÖ's former head, Heinz-Christian Strache, in compromising discussions with a purported Russian oligarch's niece has profoundly altered Austria's political landscape and public debates. This article offers a historically contextualized analysis of the multiple voices and competing truth claims articulated by diverse actors in the course of the scandal's fallout. Empirically, this discussion offers a systematic analysis of political and media discourses focused on “Ibiza” between May 2019 and June 2020. Conceptually, the argument builds on Michel Foucault's approach outlined in I, Pierre Rivière and its subsequent applications within nationalism studies. This analysis thus examines data through the questions as to who speaks about the event in question, how they do so, what is being claimed and disputed, and which political strategies and trajectories this enables. The competing, partly shifting positions revealed are the following: Strache's initial regret that soon turned to a self-ascribed “victim-cum-martyr” status; the FPÖ's distancing and eventual rupture from its long-standing Bundesparteiobmann; the Kronen Zeitung's attempted ideological repositioning; the ÖVP's need and opportunity to shift its positions vis-à-vis its political competitors; and critical voices calling for far-reaching structural changes. With the full facts behind the scandal still to be established, the (post-Foucauldian) approach applied here captures the contestations, (new) fault lines, and (shifting) political boundaries constitutive of a discursive field in a crisis context.

Do Dutch dermatologists care for venereology? An inquiry among all non-academic dermatologists in The Netherlands

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 45-47
Author(s):  
◽  
J M Mommers ◽  
W I Van Der Meijden
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Outpatient Clinics ◽  
National Society ◽  
Dutch Society ◽  
Regional Collaboration ◽  
Fruitful Cooperation ◽  
Municipal Health ◽  
Do So

The financing of STD outpatient clinics in The Netherlands is currently undergoing structural changes. Because these changes also have implications for the infrastructure of STD care as a whole, the STD committee of the Dutch Society for Dermatology and Venereology (STD committee NVDV) and the National Society of Municipal Health Services (GGD-Nederland) are currently exploring the possibilities and feasibility of intensified regional collaboration between Municipal Health Services (MHSs) and dermatologists. However, for fruitful collaboration it is essential that a substantial number of dermatologists has an interest in STD care. Therefore, the STD committee NVDV has conducted a structured survey in order to study the support of Dutch dermatologists for such a regional collaboration. In this paper, the results of the survey are presented. It appears that the majority of Dutch dermatologists is (still) interested in STD, and although a minority currently collaborates with local MHSs on a regular basis, a large group is willing to do so in the future. We conclude that the majority of dermatologists in the Netherlands (still) cares for venereology and that there is a sound basis for a fruitful cooperation with MHSs.

SHELL DEFORMATION AND SPIN EFFECTS IN NUCLEON SEPARATION ENERGIES

1993 ◽  
Vol 02 (04) ◽  
pp. 789-807
Author(s):  
D. CALEB CHANTHI RAJ ◽  
M. RAJASEKARAN ◽  
R. PREMANAND
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Shell Correction ◽  
Separation Energy ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Spin Effects ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Type Calculation ◽  
Nucleon Separation Energy ◽  
New Formula ◽  
Good Agreement

A new formula to obtain shell correction to separation energy is derived from a Strutinsky type calculation. A systematic analysis of shell and deformation effects on nucleon separation energy is made. Spin induced structural changes are also evident in shape changes along the spin coordinate. Calculations are performed for a wide range of nuclei from Zr to Cm. The results are generally in very good agreement with experimental analysis.

Billionaires in World Politics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hägel
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
International System ◽  
World Politics ◽  
Political Field ◽  
Individual Agency ◽  
Bill Gates ◽  
Change Mitigation

This book shows how the privatization of politics assumes a new dimension when billionaires wield power in world politics, which requires a re-thinking of individual agency in International Relations. Structural changes (globalization, neoliberalism, competition states, and global governance) have generated new opportunities for individuals to become extremely rich and to engage in politics across borders. The political agency of billionaires is being conceptualized in terms of capacities, goals, and power, which is contingent upon the specific political field a billionaire is trying to enter. Six case studies explore the power of billionaires in their pursuit of security, wealth, and esteem. The chapter on security analyzes Raj Rajaratnam’s relationship to the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka, and Sheldon Adelson's transnational electioneering in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Regarding the economy, the book studies how the Koch brothers' political protection of fossil fuels is affecting climate change mitigation, and how Rupert Murdoch's opinion-shaping is valorizing conservatism across borders. The chapter on social entrepreneurship and esteem examines the role of Bill Gates in the governance of global health and George Soros's attempts to build open societies as a 'stateless statesman'. An analytical conclusion evaluates the prior findings in order to address three major questions: Is it more appropriate to see billionaires as 'super-actors', or as a global 'super-class'? What is the relative power of billionaires within the international system? What does the power of billionaires mean for the liberal norms of legitimate political order?

scholarly journals “I am African, iko nini”

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-233
Author(s):  
Rachel Spronk
Keyword(s):  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
Generational Conflict ◽  
Social Transformations ◽  
Young Professionals ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
And Shifts ◽  
Individual Self ◽  
Discursive Field ◽  
Urban Professionals

In Nairobi, young urban professionals self-confidently position themselves as Africans, while they are simultaneously reproached for being ‘un-African’. I explore this economy of claims and how it relates to the way the lifestyles of young professionals become the focus of generational conflict. I follow how various actors use the notions African, Western, modern and traditional as reified concepts that comprise a discursive field of practices. Disentangling public debates and individual self-perceptions, it becomes clear that matters of cultural heritage, gerontocratic relations and intergenerational expectations, and shifts in gender and sexuality reflect a field of tension and ambivalence. Young urban professionals display a vibrant cosmopolitan way of being and are the visible results of social transformations that started with their grandparents.

scholarly journals The Dislocation of News Journalism: A Conceptual Framework for the Study of Epistemologies of Digital Journalism

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 259-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mats Ekström ◽  
Oscar Westlund
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
News Media ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Digital Journalism ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Truth Claims ◽  
Journalism Research ◽  
Knowledge Claims

This article focuses on news journalism, social media platforms and power, and key implications for epistemology. The conceptual framework presented is intended to inspire and guide future studies relating to the emerging sub-field of journalism research that we refer to as “Epistemologies of Digital Journalism”. The article discusses the dependencies between news media and social media platforms (non-proprietary to the news media). The authority and democratic role of news journalism pivot on claims that it regularly provides accurate and verified public knowledge. However, how are the epistemic claims of news journalism and the practices of justifications affected by news journalism’s increased dependency on social media platforms? This is the overall question discussed in this article. It focuses on the intricate power dependencies between news media and social media platforms and proceeds to discuss implications for epistemology. It presents a three-fold approach differentiating between (1) articulated knowledge and truth claims, (2) justification in the journalism practices and (3) the acceptance/rejections of knowledge claims in audience activities. This approach facilitates a systematic analysis of how diverse aspects of epistemology interrelate with, and are sometimes conditioned by, the transformations of news and social media.

scholarly journals Representations of Indigenous Peoples and Use of Pain Medication in Canadian News Media

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E Nelson ◽  
Annette J Browne ◽  
Josée G Lavoie
Keyword(s):  
First Nations ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
News Media ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Pain Medication ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Problematic Substance Use ◽  
Problematic Substance ◽  
Media Discourses

Using media coverage of the withdrawal of OxyContin in Canada in 2011 and 2012 as an example, this article describes a systematic analysis of how news media depict First Nations peoples in Canada. Stark differences can be seen in how First Nations and non-First Nations individuals and communities are represented. In First Nations communities, problematic substance use is discussed without considering the context of pain management, broad generalizations are made, and language of hopelessness and victimization is employed. An analysis of the differences in language, tone, sources of information, and what is left unsaid, makes visible the ways in which misinformation about First Nations peoples and communities is constructed and perpetuated in media discourses.

scholarly journals The European Union–Azerbaijan high-level transport dialogue: A timely reaction to the structural changes?

2021 ◽  
pp. 187936652110545
Author(s):  
Shamkhal Abilov ◽  
Beyrak Hajiyev
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
The European Union ◽  
South Caucasus ◽  
Trade Routes ◽  
Transportation Projects ◽  
Rise Of China ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Do So

The European Union (EU) and Azerbaijan high-level transport dialogue is the continuation of the long period of cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan in the area of transport since the early 1990s. The geopolitical and geo-economic maps of Eurasia, the South Caucasus, and the regions around have significantly changed since then thanks to rise of China, India, and other regional actors. These actors in their turn began to initiate competitive logistical and transportation projects to define terms and conditions of the making of Eurasian transport and trade routes. The ultimate goal is to have a share in controlling global flows passing through the strategic spots of Eurasian landmass. The EU’s recent transport dialogue with Azerbaijan reflects and is reaction to those changes that happened in the wider Europe, in Eurasia, and in the globe. This paper tries to place the EU and Azerbaijan transport dialogue to a broader picture to find out what changes conditioned and necessitated the upgraded dialogue between the EU and Azerbaijan. To do so, it traces the EU and Azerbaijan’s transport policies and cooperation since the early 1990s.

scholarly journals Scientifically based research in a post-truth era

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Jessica Van Cleave
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Political Context ◽  
Scientifically Based Research ◽  
Alternative Facts ◽  
Truth Claims ◽  
The One ◽  
Do So

In this article, I explore the tension between the current political context in which science needs defending against anti-intellectualism and outright assaults on evidence as a means of decision-making on the one hand and the overzealous scientism that can result from backlash against a perceived lack of rigor in various forms of inquiry. To do so, I return to the emergence of the discourse of scientifically based research (SBR) in education and the debates surrounding it (2002-2013), which have implications for how and why educational researchers would advocate for science and what that advocacy might do. Specifically, I argue that we must have a science that does not allow alternative facts and politically expedient truth claims while still allowing science to be flexible, responsive, and theoretically informed. I conclude by advocating for theoretically informed activism and non-innocent science.

scholarly journals Ramping Up Resistance: Corporate Sustainable Development and Academic Research

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Tregidga ◽  
Markus J. Milne ◽  
Kate Kearins
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Development Discourse ◽  
Hegemonic Discourse ◽  
Corporate Context ◽  
Multiple Voices ◽  
Hegemonic Construction ◽  
Discursive Field

We argue the need for academics to resist and challenge the hegemonic discourse of sustainable development within the corporate context. Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory provides a useful framework for recognizing the complex nature of sustainable development and a way of conceptualizing counter-hegemonies. Published empirical research that analyzes sustainable development discourse within corporate reports is examined to consider how the hegemonic discourse is constructed. Embedded assumptions within the hegemonic construction are identified including sustainable development as primarily about economic development, progress, growth, profitability, and “responsibly” managed levels of resource depletion. We call for multiple voices in the discursive field to debate and to resist closure and highlight the possibilities for academic researchers to actively resist the hegemonic construction. Specifically, we advocate vigilance and awareness, critical and reflective analyses, challenge and resistance based on other frames of reference, and strategies for communicating both within and outside the academy.

Who stops selling? A systematic analysis of ex-tobacco retailers

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleonora Feletto ◽  
Suzan Burton ◽  
Kelly Williams ◽  
Rae Fry ◽  
Clare Sutton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Sales Volume ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Australian State ◽  
Business Changes ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Legislative Changes ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Do So

ObjectiveThere is evidence that wide distribution of cigarettes contributes to smoking, and multiple commentators have called for a review of tobacco retailing. This study analyses retailers who stop selling cigarettes, why they do so, and discusses the implications for tobacco control.MethodAn audit of tobacco retailers in the Australian state of NSW was used to identify retailers who had stopped selling tobacco, and they were then compared with current retailers to determine how many, and what types of outlets stop selling tobacco. Attempts were made to contact and interview all former tobacco retailers identified in three audited regions. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 ex-tobacco retailers, or 31% of the subset of ex-tobacco retailers.ResultsLow-volume outlet types were over-represented as a proportion of retailers exiting the market, and some had resumed selling within 18 months of the audit. Low profits were often cited as a contributor to stopping; however, in all but one case, the decision to stop selling was also influenced by a significant change in business circumstances—either legislative or other business changes.ConclusionsFew retailers stop selling tobacco while continuing in the same business, and those who stop disproportionately represent retailer types with low sales volume. The results suggest that legislative changes provide a window where retailers could be prompted to exit the market.

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