The Scarlet Empress

2019 ◽  
pp. 58-74
Author(s):  
James Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Power Structures ◽  
Historical Figure ◽  
Costume Drama

The Scarlet Empress (1934) redeploys costume drama as farce and as a critique of despotism. The chapter analyzes how Marlene Dietrich does not so much play the role of Catherine the Great as replace the historical figure with her own Hollywood star persona. The power structures of despotism and the lawlessness of the sovereign are thereby parodied: promiscuity becomes the bond Dietrich’s Catherine has with her subjects and the studio-enhanced beauty of her appearance is substituted for the separateness of the royal person. With its spectacular yet rickety film sets, The Scarlet Empress is not an apologist’s chocolate-box rendition of European monarchical government but instead conveys its émigré makers’ sense of its pomposity. Rather than exposing what lies behind the spectacle of power, the film considers what becomes of power when it is nothing but spectacle and appearance.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caron E. Gentry
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Imago Dei ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
President Obama ◽  
Reinhold Niebuhr ◽  
Christian Realism ◽  
Feminist Thought

This introduction contrasts the election of President Obama with the election of President Trump, introducing the concept of anxiety politics and the role of emotions in discourse. It argues that while Christian realism, as articulated by Reinhold Niebuhr, continues to be relevant, its discussion of power structures and anxiety needs to be reevaluated in light of feminist thought. It does so by intersecting Niebuhr with other theologies on the imago dei and creativity. In this way it can better account for the racial and misogynist structures that the United States is founded upon and that continue to haunt and effect US politics.

scholarly journals Shopping Centres, Cycling Accessibility and Planning—The Case of Nova Lund in Sweden

Urban Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Till Koglin ◽  
Lucas Glasare
Keyword(s):  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Shopping Centre ◽  
The Past ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
The Subject

This paper evaluates the history and cycling accessibility of Nova, a shopping centre established in Lund, Sweden, in 2002. The current situation was also analysed through observation and a literature review. Moreover, the study conducted a closer analysis of the history and role of the municipality based on further literature study and interviews with officials. The conclusion of the analysis indicates poor and unsafe bikeways caused by conflicts of interest between politicians, officials, landowners and the general public. It also depicts a situation in which the municipality’s master plan has been ignored, and, in contrast to the local goals, cycling accessibility at Nova has seen no significant improvement since the shopping centre was first established. The reasons for this, arguably, are a relatively low budget for bikeway improvements in the municipality, as well as a situation in which decision-makers have stopped approaching the subject, as a result of the long and often boisterous conflicts it has created in the past. Lastly, it must be noted that it is easy to regard the whole process of Nova, from its establishment to the current situation, as being symptomatic of the power structures between drivers and cyclists that still affect decision-makers at all levels.

From Myth to History: Historicizing a Sage for the Sake of Persuasion in the Yellow Emperor Narratives

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanmo Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Historical Figure ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Chinese Scholars ◽  
Chinese Texts ◽  
The Many ◽  
Remote Past

Among the many depictions of the Yellow Emperor that survive in a number of early Chinese texts, the historicized image of this purported ancient sage king has been accepted by many Chinese scholars as that of a historical figure and has greatly inspired their reconstruction of China’s remote past. In examining some of the extant Huangdi narratives, especially passages preserved in theDiscourses of the States[Guoyu],Records of the Grand Historian[Shiji], andRemaining Zhou Documents[Yi Zhoushu], this paper reveals a trend of historicizing an originally mythical Yellow Emperor presented in early Chinese writings. It also explores the historiographical reasoning behind such historicization and provides an alternative approach emphasizing the role of persuasion in the Huangdi narratives.

The Miracles of an Eschatological Prophet

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 131-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Eve
Keyword(s):  
New Age ◽  
Historical Jesus ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Central Aspect ◽  
Historical Figure ◽  
Social Scientific ◽  
The Temple ◽  
Holy Man

While it has not been a central aspect of his work on the historical Jesus, E.P. Sanders has contributed to the understanding of Jesus’ miracles. In Jesus and Judaism, Sanders argued that Jesus was an eschatological prophet and maintains that he certainly healed people in ways that his contemporaries regarded as miraculous, but that his miracles were not signs of the end, and cannot be used to determine what type of figure he was. The fuller treatment of miracles in the later The Historical Figure of Jesus emphasizes the exorcisms and dismisses the nature miracles as having made minimal impact, leading Sanders to conclude that Jesus’ miracles were not as spectacular as the Gospels suggest, and that they probably led his contemporaries to view Jesus as a holy man like Honi the Circle-Drawer, although Jesus himself probably understood his miracles as signs of the imminent arrival of the new age, and his disciples may have come to see them as a defeat of evil powers and as a legitimation of Jesus’ claims. After summarizing Sanders’s arguments this article goes on to suggest how some of their foundations may be secured while also suggesting that the case for associating Jesus’ miracles with his role as an eschatological prophet may be stronger than Sanders allowed. It then concludes by indicating how Sanders’s account of the role of Jesus’ miracles might be further rounded out first by exploring their possible symbolism (as Sanders does with the Temple incident) and second through various social-scientific approaches.

Ordo-Liberalism as Tradition, Ideology, and Model of Citizenship: Memorializing, Reinventing, Forgetting

2020 ◽  
pp. 99-128
Author(s):  
Kenneth Dyson
Keyword(s):  
Family Resemblance ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Dual Nature ◽  
Academic Power ◽  
Liberal Tradition ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
Invented Tradition ◽  
Canonical Texts ◽  
Core Characteristics

This chapter examines the complex processes of memorialization, reinvention, and forgetting that have characterized the Ordo-liberal tradition; the role of the Freiburg School; the selection of certain aspects of political economy and of certain thinkers and texts; and the distinctive focusing illusions that have followed. It also looks at how its identity has been shaped by its ideological makeup and its model of citizenship. The picture that emerges is of a tradition whose core characteristics can be defined but whose boundaries are difficult to fix. Part of the problem is its ideological hybridity as both conservative and liberal. The chapter looks at the dual nature of the Ordo-liberal tradition as explicit and formalized knowledge and as tacit and common-sense knowledge (William Sorley). In the first sense it is characterized by academic power structures, notably in economics and law, and canonical texts, and by the effects of generational change on these structures. In the second sense, Ordo-liberalism is bound up with administrative cultures and the extent to which they are rule-bound and receptive. The chapter then considers two other aspects of the Ordo-liberal tradition: as ideal type (Eucken) and more loosely as family resemblance (Ludwig Wittgenstein); and as authentic and invented tradition (Eric Hobsbawm), distinguishing Freiburg 1, 2, and 3. Finally, the chapter identifies the Ordo-liberal model of citizenship as based on safeguarding the morally responsible individual: the wise consumer, the thrifty saver, and the responsible creditor. It condemns feckless and profligate behaviour, notably of debtors. This model is subjected to critique.

ICT in Direct Democracy

2015 ◽  
pp. 129-137
Author(s):  
Stavros Amanatidis ◽  
Olga Eirini Palla
Keyword(s):  
Direct Democracy ◽  
Political Power ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Communications Technology ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Strong Function ◽  
Division Of Powers ◽  
The People ◽  
Technological Developments

This chapter presents and analyzes the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in public participation and more specificly in e-referenda as an aspect of direct democratic participation. It aims to explain the correlation between ICT and e-referenda. Referendum, used as an instrument to accept or deny a proposed political decision, has a strong function of controlling political power and securing the openness of political power structures. It serves as an instrument of division of powers and opens roads to opposition outside parliament. In general, it provides the people with veto positions (Schiller, 2003, p. 12). By presenting the evolvement of the ICT and the technological developments that resulted an impact on the way democracy is being exercised in the modern societies, there is an attempt to provide ideas and solutions on the use of e-referenda in modern democracies. The dangers, the advantages, and the disadvantages of the use of ICT in democracy are presented and analysed as well. All these issues are being discussed, as this chapter tries to give a clear and objective perspective regarding the role of e-democracy and the problems that come along with its implementation.

'Unhappily Torn by Dissensions and Litigations': Durban's 'Memon' Mosque, 1880–1930

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goolam Vahed
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Muslim Community ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Muslim Identity ◽  
Half Century ◽  
Muslim Society ◽  
Independent Life ◽  
A Site

AbstractThis study focuses on Durban's Grey Street mosque, built by Indian Memon migrants in 1880. This review of the first half-century of the mosque's existence underlines the important social role of mosques, and also questions the notion of homogeneous Muslim community. While the mosque was the most visible symbol of Muslim identity in Natal, it was also a site of contestation, reflecting the class, language, caste and ethnic divisions among Muslims in a diasporic situation. Mosques were built along class and ethnic lines and dominated by traders. As Muslim society matured, there were challenges to the leadership of non-clerical traders who did not tolerate challenges to their authority. Opposition sometimes centred on Imams who commanded the allegiance of the congregation. Mosques did not have an independent life but reflected the prevailing power structures in Muslim society. While outsiders believed that ethnic diversity was subsumed by a unitary Muslim mass, Muslims comprised a community of communities, and the building and management of mosques underlined this fact.

The Female Body in Hindu Ritual Practices: Women’s Goddess Worship, Dharma, and the Question of Spiritual Agency

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhuri M. Yadlapati
Keyword(s):  
Feminist Criticism ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Judith Butler ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Forthcoming Article ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Feminine Ideals ◽  
Patriarchal Power ◽  
Individual Self

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. Please check back later for the full article. Women’s embodiment has often historically been denigrated in many religious traditions as a limited or inferior avenue to spiritual realization, sparking widespread feminist criticism of orthodox religious observances as a perpetual reinscription of patriarchal power structures. However, a growing body of feminist scholars is rejecting the false dichotomization of agency and complicity. Saba Mahmood and Orit Avishai, for example, discuss the role of agency within “conventional” religious observances of hijab and niddah in the discipline of living according to these rules and developing an inward virtue of modesty, piety, and discipline despite ambivalence. Especially in the Indian context of dharma, which privileges duties over rights and interconnected community over individual freedom, agency and power cannot mean individual self-promotion or resistance to responsibility, but instead reinforce one’s identity in responsibility to others. Investigation into three ritual traditions of goddess worship (the Varalakshmi puja performed by Telugu women, the Kanya puja performed by many Indian communities, and the Tamil worship of Adhiparasakthi both in Chennai and in the Hindu diaspora) reveals the extent to which ritual embodiment of the goddess may translate into spiritual agency and empowerment for women. Whether the ritual explicitly extols conventionally feminine ideals of selflessness and caring for others, as in the Varalakshmi puja, or subverts conventional orthodoxy and male religious authority, as in the Adhiparasakthi worship, the agency and empowerment described by the worshipers largely reflect the values of interconnection, responsibility, and worldly concerns of practical flourishing of family and society. According to the ethnographic work of recent scholars, women worshipers often express emotional satisfaction, spiritual peace, and a marked sense of empowerment in their being able, through their worship, to affect the practical well-being of their families in myriad ways. Such reports offer a serious challenge to the previous view, suggested by Judith Butler, for example, that locates agency in one’s resistance to received norms.

scholarly journals Power and inaction: why organizations fail to address workplace bullying

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-290
Author(s):  
Margaret Hodgins ◽  
Sarah MacCurtain ◽  
Patricia Mannix-McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policies And Procedures ◽  
Direct Exposure ◽  
Realistic Assessment ◽  
Specific Practice ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

PurposeBullying affects at least one-third of the workers through either direct exposure or witnessing, both of which lead to compromised health, and as a result, reduced organizational effectiveness or productivity. However, there is very little evidence that organisations provide effective protection from bullying, and in fact, the converse appears to the case. The purpose of this paper to explore the role of both individual and organisational power in the creation and maintenance of the problem. Such an approach moves away from the specific practice of identifying “bullying” that typically engages targets and perpetrators in a dance that is really just around the edges (Sullivan, 2008) of a larger problem; a culture that permits the abuse of power and ill-treatment of workers, in both practices and through organisational politics.Design/methodology/approachThis paper elucidates key problems with organisational response as identified in the literature and critically examines weak organisational response to workplace bullying using the power theory, arguing that while overt approaches to addressing bullying appear to be underpinned by a simplistic, functionalist understanding of power, practices on the ground are better explained by more sophisticated “second-dimension” theorists.FindingsThere is a need for organisations to move beyond the current individualistic understanding of bullying towards a more nuanced understanding of how anti-bullying policies and procedures are themselves an exercise in institutional power protecting and reinforcing dominant power structures.Research limitations/implicationsThe literature from which this paper is drawn is limited to studies published in English.Practical implicationsThe authors advocate a realistic assessment of the role of both individual and organisational power in the creation and maintenance of workplace bullying, as a way forward to plan appropriate intervention.Social implicationsWorkplace bullying is problematic for organisations at several levels, and therefore for society.Originality/valueThat power is relevant to workplace bullying has been apparent since the work of Brodsky in 1976 and Einarsen's early work, this paper builds on a the more nuanced work of McKay (2014), D'Cruz and Noronha (2009), Liefooghe and MacDavey's (2010) and Hutchinson et al. (2010), exploring the organisational response to the raising of bullying issues by individual employees as an exercise of power.

The truth (as I see it): philosophical considerations influencing a typology of fake news

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-158
Author(s):  
Caitlin Candice Ferreira ◽  
Jeandri Robertson ◽  
Marnell Kirsten
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Alternative View ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the philosophical considerations of fake news and provide an alternative view to current conceptualizations of its binary nature. Through an evaluation of existing research, a typology of fake news is presented that considers the possibility that the propagation of fake news about a brand, may be stemming from the brand itself, a previously unexplored field in the literature. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper based on extensive literature review on the fields of fake news and knowledge creation, resulting in the creation of a synthesized typology. Findings The role of power structures greatly influences the ability for a brand to respond to fake news. Externally constructed disinformation is seemingly more difficult for a brand to address, as a result of having limited control over the message. Internally constructed information, while stemming from the brand itself provides the brand with more control, but a greater public distrust as the source of the fake news seems to confirm the disinformation. Practical implications This paper presents a typology that contrasts the source of the construction of disinformation and the extent to which the facts have been fabricated. Furthermore, this paper provides future researchers with an alternate understanding of the conceptualization of fake news. Originality/value This paper is the first of its kind to establish a typology of fake news on the basis of the source of construction of disinformation. The source plays an important role when assessing the associated brand risks and developing an approach to combat potential negative implications.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document