Sport Between ‘Play’ and ‘System’

Author(s):  
Ross McKibbin

Modern sport, though not wholly a British invention, very largely is so. It is one of Britain’s most important gifts to the modern world. But it is also representative of a whole social system, and sport in Britain has always been intimately connected to British social and political life. It is a powerful marker, of which the ‘amateur tradition’ and apparent class exclusiveness are the two most obvious marks. I argue, however, that Britain did not differ much from other comparable countries, except that its class exclusiveness was exaggerated, partly because it was more openly expressed and less obviously concealed. I also argue that the amateur spirit was an attempt by men to preserve the notion of ‘play’ as against the sporting ‘system’ which they themselves had created.

2018 ◽  
pp. 3-10
Author(s):  
Alexander Tkachenko

The report shows the results of the Russian-Ethiopian historic and ethnographic expedition – a joint scientific project of two countries, successfully implemented in the early 1990s. Advanced results achieved by this expedition were much owed to participation of several leading Russian and Ethiopian scientific centers and universities – the Institute for African Studies, the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Addis Ababa University and Institute for Ethiopian Studies, The Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations, and others. The participants of the expedition gathered and summarized a large body of data acquired during opinion polls, held in the course of the visits to a number of educational, medical, economic and manufacturing centers and organizations, including workshops, agricultural farms, banks, scientific centers. The collected scientific data has allowed, based on multi-factor analysis, to specify the nature of evolutionary processes in communal relations, efficiency of various aspects of federalism policy in a cosmopolitan country. Its value is reflected by applicability and sharp demand for a scientific view on one of the most troubled sides of social and political life of many African countries, and of the modern world. Based on the field research, a high number of articles and monographs have been prepared and published in the Russian Federation. They include “Report on Field Studies of Ethiopia Carried Out by Russian Historical, Ethnic, Sociological, Expedition, 1990–1992”, “Ethiopia: History, Culture and Ethnicity”, “Ethiopia: the Particular Features of Federalism”, “Drama in Modern Ethiopian Literature and Theatre”, “Mission in Ethiopia. African Policy of the USSR in the eyes of the Soviet Diplomat. 1956–1982”, two volumes of “Africa” encyclopedia and others.


1981 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Linklater

Since Rousseau political theorists have had frequent recourse to a contrast between the fragmented nature of modern social and political life and the allegedly communitarian character of the Greek polis. At the heart of this opposition was the belief that the polis represented a condition of unsurpassable harmony in which citizens identified freely and spontaneously with their public institutions. Unlike their ancient counterparts, modern citizens exhibited less identification with their public world than resolution to advance their separate individual interests and pursue their private conceptions of the good. Nevertheless, the disintegration of the polis was not depicted in the language of unqualified loss. History had not been simply an unmitigated fall, because the individual's claim to scrutinize the law of the polis on rational grounds involved a significant advance in man's self-consciousness. The positive aspect of its decline was man's transcendence of a parochial culture in which neither the right of individual freedom nor the principle of human equality had been recognized. If the modern world had lost the spontaneous form of community enjoyed by the ancients, it surpassed that world in its understanding and expression of freedom.


2019 ◽  
pp. 41-70
Author(s):  
George Pattison

The modern world has been marked by a recurring sense of the degradation of language. According to Hannah Arendt, for whom the possibility of politics is interdependent with the possibility of authentic speech, this generates a political crisis, connected to the role of science in contemporary society. The impact of science on the language of public discourse is further explored through Habermas and Uwe Poerksen. Their analyses receive added force through the development of new communications technologies that are proving fateful both for individuals and their personal relationship as well as for political life. Though acknowledging the optimism still associated with these technologies in some quarters, the chapter asks how we can protect against their negative effects. The thought of Byung-Chul Han is used to identify the need for attentive listening and a sense of the uniqueness of the human countenance and name to counter the digital shitstorm.


2021 ◽  
pp. 129-142
Author(s):  
Nancy Kankam Kusi ◽  
Frank Mintah ◽  
Valentina Nyame ◽  
Uchendu Eugene Chigbu ◽  
Menare Royal Mabakeng ◽  
...  

Abstract This chapter highlights that matriarchy and matrilineal social orientations are not inherent guarantees of women's access to land but can reinforce male dominance over land ownership, control, and access to land. It notes that social structures and norms are subject to change and, in this instance, colonialization and modernization have acted as the two key influencers in reshaping Asante matriarchy. The researchers argue that the continuous interplay of cultural negotiations within the traditional matriarchal regime have caused a drastic transformation in Asante land tenure system which have fuelled unequal access to land. In effect, a postcolonial Asante woman is no longer guaranteed land tenure security from her family or community and more likely to face the harsh realities of landlessness. The chapter does not assume equal access to land hitherto but notes that the inequality gap has been further widened by the weakening of 'female power' in the matriarchal social system.


2001 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 257-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Arrighi ◽  
Beverly J. Silver

A sea change of major proportions is taking place in the historical social system forming the modern world, creating a widespread sense of uncertainty about the present and foreseeable future. In the words of Eric Hobsbawm, as ‘the citizens of the fin de siècle tapped their way through the global fog that surrounded them, into the third millennium, all they knew for certain was that an era of history had ended. They knew very little else’.


Author(s):  
Robbie Duschinsky ◽  
Sarah Foster

Critics have alleged that in attempting to adapt to the individual-centric environment of contemporary health provision, mentalization-based therapy itself has been complicit with the atomization of society. Conversations with his colleague Peter Fuggle and Dickon Bevington at the Anna Freud Centre have also had a profound role in highlighting to Fonagy the importance of the wider social system around the individual. Pursuing these questions, this chapter begins by examining the growing attention to the social environment shown by Fonagy and colleagues, and especially their exploration of the role of friends and friendships for mentalization and epistemic trust. It will then examine the reflections and research by Fonagy and collaborators on public mental health. The researchers’ hopes regarding school-based prevention will be given particular attention, and the chapter will also show how this work has shaped Fonagy’s efforts as a policy influencer. Finally, the chapter will appraise the considerations offered by Fonagy and colleagues of the role of culture, in particular the issue of whether attention to cultural processes should be regarded as mentalizing, non-mentalizing or as not mentalizing, and whether organizations and societies can themselves be said to institutionalize cultures of mentalizing or non-mentalizing.


Author(s):  
Martin Häusler ◽  
Nicole Bender ◽  
Lafi Aldakak ◽  
Francesco M. Galassi ◽  
Patrick Eppenberger ◽  
...  

This chapter on the musculoskeletal system aims to give an overview of the evolutionary implications for health and diseases of this body system. Using specific examples, the chapter shows how musculoskeletal diseases develop from an evolutionary point of view, with a specific emphasis on mismatches between the evolved human body and the modern environment, as well as on consequences of human bipedal gait. The chapter discusses the evolutionary aetiology of common musculoskeletal disorders as a consequence of mismatch to the modern world, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, flat feet, osteoporosis, and impacted third molars. As a consequence of the passage to bipedalism, the evolutionary background of low back pain, and knee and hip arthritis is examined. The chapter concludes with a discussion of implications for treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal diseases, focusing on the life course approach to health. In fact, every life stage shows specific needs and asks for specific interventions in order to optimally maintain musculoskeletal health up to old age.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-166
Author(s):  
Kun Budianto

Islam is a religion perfect and comprehensive, it should have a major role in the political life of a country. To go toward the integration of society, the state and the Islamic ijtihad is needed that will provide guidance for parliamentarians or politicians in explaining hujahnya in politics. And the interaction of Muslims living in the modern world with the political will give new experiences and challenges towards a just and prosperous society. A clean and healthy politics will increase public confidence, especially in Indonesia that Islam is indeed manage all aspects from the economic, social, military, cultural to political. Political institutions in Islam, among others, consists of the concepts of the constitution, legislation, shura and democracy and also the ummah. Islam made ​​in the constitution is in order as the guidelines and rules of the game in the relationship between government and the people. Legislation created to deal with affairs of state and government set a law that will be enforced and implemented by people. While the shura and democracy are two interrelated things, shura is in deliberation and democracy also emphasizes the element of deliberation. And the ummah or community can be defined nation, people, people, communities and so on. It could be said that the people of an organization are bound by the rules of Islam.


Author(s):  
Małgorzata Kiwior-Filo

The changes taking place in the modern world, their character and dynamics determine the need to verify the role and tasks of the most important institution of political life, in particular the state. However, the multitude of positions in this regard, from extremely libertarian, aimed at eliminating the state as an organization using coercion, promoting “philosophy of strength” instead of “philosophy of freedom”, to voices demanding “strengthening” the state - a guarantor of security (on various levels: military, economic , social, social, cultural etc.), especially in the face of challenges such as migration crisis or modern terrorism. The dilemma of limiting the state or strengthening it, which has always been present in political discourse, deepens the crisis of values and the difficulty in defining concepts of fundamental importance, including democracy itself. Question asked by Chantal Delsol What do we care about? it seems so current in the face of many contemporary paradoxes.


2019 ◽  

Illusions of Democracy: Malaysian Politics and People offers an up-to-date and broad analysis of the contemporary state of Malaysian politics and society. Transcending disciplinary boundaries, it offers a look at Malaysian politics not only through the lens of political science but also anthropology, cultural studies, international relations, political economy and legal studies touching on both overlooked topics in Malaysian political life as well as the emerging trends which will shape Malaysia’s future. Covering silat martial arts, Malaysia’s constitutional identity, emergency legislation, the South China Sea dilemma, ISIS discourse, zakat payment, the fallout from the 1MDB scandal and Malaysia’s green movement, Illusions of Democracy charts the complex and multi-faceted nature of political life in a semi-authoritarian state, breaking down the illusions which keep it functioning, to uncover the mechanisms which really underlie the paradoxical longevity of Malaysia’s political, economic and social system.


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