History, Archaeology and Cultural Comparison

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-468
Author(s):  
Sverre Håkon Bagge
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Essential Feature ◽  
Intermediate Position ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
Cultural Comparison ◽  
The West ◽  
Central Factor ◽  
The World ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Eurasian History

Ian Morris’s Why the West Rules – for Now (2010) is a brilliant book, dealing with Eurasian history from the first civilisations to the present. It takes an intermediate position in the famous debate about Europe and the rest of the world and European dominance during the last few centuries. Morris uses all kinds of sources. However, his general approach is staunchly materialistic: the motors of history are fear, sloth and greed. Cultural differences do exist, but can be explained by the former factors. This is an attitude not confined to archaeologists, nor necessarily shared by all of them, but may nevertheless have something to do with Morris’s background in this field. One objection is that Morris may have underestimated the importance of institutional factors; he does not discuss the division of Europe into separate states, which has often been regarded as a central factor in ‘the Rise of the West’. This in turn raises the question of the ‘two hand-maidens’ and their relationship to the EU. If political division is an essential feature of Europe, what will happen if this division disappears?

scholarly journals International challenges and opportunities: Putting the EU’s positions into words

European View ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-144
Author(s):  
Petteri Orpo
Keyword(s):  
North Africa ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
The West ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The World ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Hybrid Threats ◽  
Council Presidency ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Eu

Europe is facing numerous challenges, many of which are unprecedented either in their scale or in their nature. These challenges include uncertainties about the future of the liberal international order and the rise of populist movements in the West. And there are also tensions and reform pressures in the areas of international trade, climate change and extreme weather events; pressures linked to migration from the Middle East and North Africa; hybrid threats and cyberattacks; and problems related to the expected departure of the UK from the EU by the end of March 2019. During its forthcoming Council Presidency in autumn 2019, Finland will have the opportunity to propose new solutions to these and other challenges. This article argues that it is important for Europe’s leaders to clearly articulate and put into words what the EU’s positions and objectives are on the world stage. Without clear positions and objectives, the EU will not be able to represent its member states and citizens as effectively as it should.

Global NGO crackdown is set to worsen

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
European Commission ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Reporting Requirements ◽  
The World ◽  
The Eu

Significance In the past few years, a flurry of new requirements and restrictions on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been passed or are being considered across the world. These include restrictions on foreign funding, new licensing and registration, and onerous reporting requirements. Impacts The use of administrative and financial procedures to restrict NGO activities hinders the West from supporting civil society abroad. A European Citizens Initiative petition condemning Hungary's restrictive practices could trigger a review by the European Commission. Poland's own media clampdown could risk the unprecedented move of invoking Article 7 of the EU Treaty, which could lead to sanctions.

THE DISCURSIVE FIGURE OF “TRANSITION” AND RESILIENCE AS THE PILLARS OF SYMBOLIC MAPPING: THE CASE OF THE NORMATIVE INTERACTION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE EU

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 73-81
Author(s):  
Gleb Kotsur ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Symbolic Interaction ◽  
The West ◽  
Significant Component ◽  
Liberal Democracies ◽  
Official Discourse ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The World ◽  
Peripheral Position ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Eu

The normative interaction between Russia and the EU is a significant component of foreign policy for both Moscow and Brussels. It reflects important general patterns of the symbolic interaction between the West and the rest of the world. The theory of hegemony of E.Laclau and C.Mouffe and post-Marxist discourse analysis show that the European symbolic mapping today is based on historicism and orientalism, embodied in the discursive figure of «transition». The situation has changed recently after the emergence of the «resilience» notion (as the ability of states and societies to adapt to turbulence) in the neoliberal hegemony of the EU. The interpretation of this concept by the EU directly links it with the normative component: only liberal democracies can be resilient in the long run. This approach fills the previous structure of the symbolic political map with the new content – some countries are subject to more exclusion. For instance, Russia moves from its conditional semi-peripheral position to the peripheral one that threatens the resilience of the EU and its Eastern partners. Nevertheless, this position of an outsider in the official discourse of the EU provides Russia with the unique opportunity to come out of the Western-centered historicist pattern.

A formação intercultural em narrativas de professores/as indígenas: Um estudo na aldeia Muã Mimatxi

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karla Cunha Pádua
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Community Life ◽  
The West ◽  
Pedagogical Tools ◽  
Minas Gerais State ◽  
The World ◽  
Education School ◽  
Ecological Calendar ◽  
Indigenous Teachers

A pioneira nos estudos sobre a influência das palavras africanas no português do Brasil é a etnolinguista, baiana, Professora Doutora Yeda Pessoa de Castro.Ela, ao longa dos últimos sessenta anos ,vem sempre “dando trela” às línguas africanas do grupo banto. Devido ao fato de nutrir grande admiração pela pesquisadora, resolvi investir numa pesquisa particular em dicionários e/ou glossários (1889-2006) para apresentar a “certidão de nascimento” de algumas palavras africanas que ao longo de pouco mais de um século estão ainda presentes na oralidade e na escrita de africanos e afro-brasileiros. In an increasingly diverse and plural world, the narratives of Pataxó indigenous teachers presented in A formação intercultural em narrativas de professores/as indígenas: um estudo na aldeia Muã Mimatxi reveal us particular ways of reflecting upon education, school and formation which can teach us a lot. The participants of the first FIEI course offered by UFMG - Intercultural Formation of Indigenous Teachers - belong to the Muã Mimatxi village located in Itapecerica, in the west-center region of Minas Gerais State; these teachers provide meaningful lessons on how to deal with cultural differences. Difference is seen as a resource to be incorporated and resignified, depending on the relations with the principles that rule their culture. This graduation course has not only benefited the collective life but it has also helped to revitalize the school, which is the central place of community life. Some of the pedagogical tools learned at the FIEI became meaningful to this group of teachers. Among them, we point out the so called project “Percursos Academicos”, a socio-ecological calendar and the idea of inter culturality. The ways such elements were appropriated and recontextualized have helped us to understand their particular conceptions of the world and the central role the school plays in their lives and in their future life projects.

China, the EU, and the New Multipolarity

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustaaf Geeraerts
Keyword(s):  
Political System ◽  
International System ◽  
Pragmatic Approach ◽  
The West ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
The World ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Value Preferences ◽  
The Eu

The world within which the EU and China have to deal with each other is changing. The unipolar moment is definitely fading and slowly giving way to an international system characterized by multilayered and culturally diversified polarity. This development has far-reaching consequences for the EU–China relationship; the more so since the EU and China have distinctive identities and define their value preferences differently. China is no longer the developing country it once was and is becoming more assertive by the day. Beijing is at the head of the world’s most successful economy and will weigh more and more heavily on global governance.1 Three decades of impressive economic growth have boosted the self-confidence of the Chinese leaders significantly. In Beijing, the notion that China should start taking on an attitude befitting a great power is gaining ground. China is taking up ever more space within various multilateral organizations and is setting up diplomatic activities throughout the globe. Moreover, Beijing has become more active in setting up its own multilateral channels to further its national interests and own norms. China no longer considers itself an outsider that should crawl back into its shell and steer clear of a global political system dominated by the West. All this puts into question the EU’s conditional policy towards China, which is based on the assumption that China can be socialized and persuaded to incorporate Europe’s post-modern values. The way ahead seems to be for Europe to opt for a more pragmatic approach, which takes stock of the changes in the underlying power and identity relations between the EU and China. The analysis of this paper will be developed at three levels. First, it examines the changes in the structure of international politics. To what kind of structure are we evolving and where do China and the EU fit in? Second, it takes a closer look at the respective identities of China and the EU and explicates the major differences between them. Finally, this study appraises the implications of the emerging multilayered and culturally diversified polarity for the further development of the EU–China relationship.

Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation in Sri Lanka

Crisis ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudath Samaraweera ◽  
Athula Sumathipala ◽  
Sisira Siribaddana ◽  
S. Sivayogan ◽  
Dinesh Bhugra
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
General Population ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
National Average ◽  
The West ◽  
Suicide Methods ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Completed Suicide ◽  
The World

Background: Suicidal ideation can often lead to suicide attempts and completed suicide. Studies have shown that Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world but so far no studies have looked at prevalence of suicidal ideation in a general population in Sri Lanka. Aims: We wanted to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation by randomly selecting six Divisional Secretariats (Dss) out of 17 in one district. This district is known to have higher than national average rates of suicide. Methods: 808 participants were interviewed using Sinhala versions of GHQ-30 and Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation. Of these, 387 (48%) were males, and 421 (52%) were female. Results: On Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation, 29 individuals (4%) had active suicidal ideation and 23 (3%) had passive suicidal ideation. The active suicidal ideators were young, physically ill and had higher levels of helplessness and hopelessness. Conclusions: The prevalence of suicidal ideation in Sri Lanka is lower than reported from the West and yet suicide rates are higher. Further work must explore cultural and religious factors.

Psychology from Egyptian, Arab, and Islamic Perspectives

1997 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 356-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fouad A-L.H. Abou-Hatab
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
21St Century ◽  
The West ◽  
Islamic Perspective ◽  
National Heritage ◽  
Western Psychology ◽  
The World ◽  
The One

This paper presents the case of psychology from a perspective not widely recognized by the West, namely, the Egyptian, Arab, and Islamic perspective. It discusses the introduction and development of psychology in this part of the world. Whenever such efforts are evaluated, six problems become apparent: (1) the one-way interaction with Western psychology; (2) the intellectual dependency; (3) the remote relationship with national heritage; (4) its irrelevance to cultural and social realities; (5) the inhibition of creativity; and (6) the loss of professional identity. Nevertheless, some major achievements are emphasized, and a four-facet look into the 21st century is proposed.

Searching for new Sources of growth. Are the Developing Countries Catching up with the Developed ones?

2015 ◽  
pp. 30-53
Author(s):  
V. Popov
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Gdp Per Capita ◽  
The West ◽  
Catching Up ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Economic Divergence ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Relative Standing

This paper examines the trajectory of growth in the Global South. Before the 1500s all countries were roughly at the same level of development, but from the 1500s Western countries started to grow faster than the rest of the world and PPP GDP per capita by 1950 in the US, the richest Western nation, was nearly 5 times higher than the world average and 2 times higher than in Western Europe. Since 1950 this ratio stabilized - not only Western Europe and Japan improved their relative standing in per capita income versus the US, but also East Asia, South Asia and some developing countries in other regions started to bridge the gap with the West. After nearly half of the millennium of growing economic divergence, the world seems to have entered the era of convergence. The factors behind these trends are analyzed; implications for the future and possible scenarios are considered.

Russian Policy of Agriculture Support and the Necessity of Its Modification after WTO Accession

2012 ◽  
pp. 132-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Uzun
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
World Trade Organization ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
World Trade ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Wto Accession ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Agriculture Support

The article deals with the features of the Russian policy of agriculture support in comparison with the EU and the US policies. Comparative analysis is held considering the scales and levels of collective agriculture support, sources of supporting means, levels and mechanisms of support of agricultural production manufacturers, its consumers, agrarian infrastructure establishments, manufacturers and consumers of each of the principal types of agriculture production. The author makes an attempt to estimate the consequences of Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization based on a hypothesis that this will result in unification of the manufacturers and consumers’ protection levels in Russia with the countries that have long been WTO members.

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