Democracy

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark E. Warren
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Democratic Theory ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The People ◽  
Collective Decisions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Historical Origins

When compared to various forms of autocracy, monarchy, theocracy, oligarchy, and dictatorship, democracies are better at solving, routinizing, and institutionalizing basic problems of common social life and collective action. This article explores the historical origins of ideas that articulate and justify contemporary democratic theory and practice. First, it surveys the conceptual questions embedded in the concept of democracy inherited from the Greek, demokratia—literally, the power (kratos) of the people (demos), though commonly translated as rule of the people. Embedded in this concept of democracy we find at least four basic classes of questions: Who are “the people”? At what level of organization is “self-government” directed? How is the rule of the people translated into collective decisions and actions? Why is democracy good? The answers to these questions form, as it were, the history of democratic theory from the perspective of what historical democratic ideas and practices might contribute to the present and future of democracy.

The Rise of Normative Judaism. I. To the Reorganization at Jamnia

1924 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 307-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Foot Moore
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Jewish History ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Small Extent ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
Complete Development ◽  
Great Achievement ◽  
The People ◽  
Distinctive Type ◽  
History Of

The centuries which we designate politically by the names of the dominant powers of the age successively as the Persian, Greek, and Roman periods of Jewish history constitute as a whole an epoch in the religious history of Judaism. In these centuries, past the middle of which the Christian era falls, Judaism brought to complete development its characteristic institutions, the school and the synagogue, in which it possessed, not only a unique instrument for the education and edification of all classes of the people in religion and morality, but the centre of its religious life, and to no small extent also of its intellectual and social life. Through the study of the Scriptures and the discussions of generations of scholars it defined its religious conceptions, its moral principles, its forms of worship, and its distinctive type of piety, as well as the rules of law and observance which became authoritative for all succeeding time. In the light of subsequent history the great achievement of these centuries was the creation of a normative type of Judaism and its establishment in undisputed supremacy throughout the wide Jewish world.

The Social Life of Opium in China, 1483–1999

2003 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangwen Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Modern China ◽  
The Political ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Major Theme ◽  
Opium Trade ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of ◽  
Opium Wars

The history of opium is a major theme in modern Chinese history. Books and academic careers have been devoted to its study. Yet the question that scholars of the opium wars and of modern China have failed to ask is how the demand for opium was generated. My puzzle, during the initial stage of research, was who smoked opium and why. Neither Chinese nor non-Chinese scholars have written much about this, with the exception of Jonathan Spence. Although opium consumption is a well-acknowledged fact, the reasons for its prevalence have never been fully factored into the historiography of the opium wars and of modern China. Michael Greenberg has dwelt on the opium trade, Chang Hsin-pao and Peter Fay on the people and events that made armed conflicts between China and the West unavoidable. John Wong has continued to focus on imperialism, James Polachek on Chinese internal politics while Opium regimes: China, Britain, and Japan, 1839–1952, the latest work, has studied the political systems that controlled opium. But the political history of opium, like the opium trade and the theatre of war, is only part of the story. We need to distinguish them from the wider social and cultural life of opium in China. The vital questions are first, the point at which opium was transformed from a medicine to a luxury item and, secondly, why it became so popular and widespread after people discovered its recreational value. It is these questions that I address. We cannot fully understand the root problem of the opium wars and their role in the emergence of modern China until we can explain who was smoking opium and why they smoked it.

scholarly journals Building collective power in citizen-led initiatives for health accountability in Guatemala: The role of networks

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Hernandez ◽  
Anna-Karin Hurtig ◽  
Isabel Goicolea ◽  
Miguel San Sebastian ◽  
Fernando Jerez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Health System ◽  
System Failures ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
The People ◽  
Network Building ◽  
History Of ◽  
Relational Qualities ◽  
Base Of Support ◽  
Network Mapping

Abstract Background Citizen-led accountability initiatives are a critical strategy for redressing the causes of health inequalities and promoting better health system governance. A growing body of evidence points to the need for putting power relations at the forefront of understanding and operationalizing citizen-led accountability, rather than technical tools and best practices. In this study, we apply a network lens to the question of how initiatives build collective power to redress health system failures affecting marginalized communities in three municipalities in Guatemala. Methods Network mapping and interpretive discussions were used to examine relational qualities of citizen-led initiatives’ networks and explore the resources they offer for mobilizing action and influencing health accountability. Participants in the municipal-level initiatives responded to a social network analysis questionnaire focused on their ties of communication and collaboration with other initiative participants and their interactions with authorities regarding health system problems. Discussions with participants about the maps generated enriched our view of what the ties represented and their history of collective action and also provided space for planning action to strengthen their networks. Results Our findings indicate that network qualities like cohesiveness and centralization reflected the initiative participants’ agency in adapting to their sociopolitical context, and participants’ social positions were a key resource in providing connection to a broad base of support for mobilizing collective action to document health service deficiencies and advocate for solutions. Their legitimacy as “representatives of the people” enabled them to engage with authorities from a bolstered position of power, and their iterative interactions with authorities further contributed to develop their advocacy capabilities and resulted in accountability gains. Conclusions Our study provided evidence to counter the tendency to underestimate the assets and capabilities that marginalized citizens have for building power, and affirmed the idea that best-fit, with-the-grain approaches are well-suited for highly unequal settings characterized by weak governance. Efforts to support and understand change processes in citizen-led initiatives should include focus on adaptive network building to enable contextually-embedded approaches that leverage the collective power of the users of health services and grassroots leaders on the frontlines of accountability.

scholarly journals Cross-cultural Communication as the Way to Improve the Efficiency of Learning a Foreign Language

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana Suleimanova ◽  
Aiman Kamzina ◽  
Tolkyn Seidimkhanova
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
World Community ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
Radical Revision ◽  
Day By Day

The article considers the new time; new conditions demanded the immediate and radical revision, both the general methodology and specific methods and techniques of teaching of foreign languages. These new conditions and its prompt entry into the world community, reckless gallops of politics, economy, culture, ideology, mixture and movement of the people and languages, change of the relations between Kazakhstan citizens and foreigners, absolutely new purposes of communication—all these set the new tasks in the theory and practice of teaching of foreign language. The sudden and radical change of social life of our country, its "opening" and entry into the world community returned languages to life, making them a real means of different kinds of communication - the number of which is increasing day by day along with the growth of scientific and technical facilities of communication.     Keywords: Crossroads of cultures; Lifestyle; Socio-cultural competence; Tolerance

Two regimes of the symbolic: radical democracy between Romanticism and structuralism

2019 ◽  
pp. 77-88
Author(s):  
Warren Breckman
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Democratic Theory ◽  
Radical Democracy ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
German Romanticism ◽  
Linguistic Turn ◽  
Ernesto Laclau ◽  
Constructed Dialogue ◽  
History Of

The ‘symbolic’ has found its way into the heart of contemporary radical democratic theory. When one encounters this term in major theorists such as Ernesto Laclau and Slavoj Žižek, our first impulse is to trace its genealogy to the offspring of the linguistic turn, structuralism and poststructuralism. This paper seeks to expose the deeper history of the symbolic in the legacy of Romanticism. It argues that crucial to the concept of the symbolic is a polyvalence that was first theorized in German Romanticism. The linguistic turn that so marked the twentieth century tended to suppress this polyvalence, but it has returned as a crucial dimension of contemporary radical political theory and practice. At stake is more than a recovery of historical depth. Through a constructed dialogue between Romanticism and the thought of both Žižek and Laclau, the paper seeks to provide a sharper appreciation of the resources of the concept of the symbolic.

scholarly journals The Reflection of the Ideas of Ziya Gyokalp in the Theory and Practice of Kemalism

2019 ◽  
pp. 137-146
Author(s):  
Egnara Vartanyan
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Mutual Influence ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Political Life ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
European Values ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Republic Of Turkey ◽  
Turkish Society

Introduction. The article is devoted to reflecting the ideas of Turkish philosopher, sociologist, culture expert Ziya Gyokalp in the concepts of Kemalism, to the problem of reasonable mutual influence of the East and West, to the attempts of the first President of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Atatyurk to introduce turkish society in the Westernized civilization in the 1920–1930s. The first Turkish president interpreted the ideas of Ziya Gyokalp, who fought for the synthesis of national traditions and European civilization achievements. The president defined such milestones in the political life of Turkey as europeanization, nationalism, laicism, etatism, revolutionism, nationality, republicanism. The article shows the struggle of westernists and traditionists; calls of nationalists to preserve national traditions, study the history of Muslim peoples and state institutions to make their adapting to new conditions of life in modernity easier. Only the balance between traditionalism and modernism can correspond to the realities of a particular society and era, while the westerners called for the transfer of European values to the national soil. Methods. The historical-typological and historical-system research methods used in the article allowed to analyze the typology and transformation of Turkish culture in the first two decades of the republic’s existence. Analysis. The article shows the struggle of Westerners and Traditionalists, the appeals of nationalists to preserve national traditions, to study the history of Muslim peoples and state institutions in order to adapt them for modern life more easily, because only the relationship between traditionalism and modernism can correspond to the realities of a particular society and to the modern epoch, while Westerners wanted to bind European values and national soil. Results. The article draws the conclusion that fundamental principles of Kemalism were formulated by M.K. Atatyurk and implemented by him and his supporters not immediately, but step by step, beginning with 1918. The ideology of Kemalism is in tune with the ideas of Ziya Gyokalp to a great extent. The paper emphasizes that during the decades since the first attempts to modernize Turkey the state has taken unprecedented steps to import Western culture. Undoubtedly, transformations in Turkish society in the field of government, culture, and everyday life were of progressive importance. It contributed to national strengthening of Turkey and its transition from feudal to bourgeois forms of social life.

scholarly journals «GRAMMAR» OF PANTELEIMON KULISH IN THE CONTEXT OF UKRAINIAN WRITING

2019 ◽  
pp. 120-127
Author(s):  
Tamara Usatenko ◽  
Galyna Usatenko ◽  
Myroslava Marushchenko
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Literary Language ◽  
The People ◽  
The Creation ◽  
New Literature ◽  
The 19Th Century

The article is devoted to the defining of the phenomena of Ukrainian cultural movement of the 19th century, when under conditions of comprehensive Russification of the Ukrainian community and the influence of the Church Slavonic language as well as of complete lack of education in the native language, the processes of creation of the Ukrainian literary language took place. The new Ukrainian spelling was established, the struggle for teaching in schools in the Ukrainian language was intensified, various styles, and lot of genres of literature in the native language were developed. These searches and comprehension by advanced representatives of political, cultural and social life are considered. It is determined that the spirit of romanticism, European revolutions, the abolition of serfdom, scientific and industrial shifts gave birth to a galaxy of unique Ukrainian thinkers, scientific societies, writers, etc. Among them, Panteleimon Oleksandrovich Kulish (1819-1997) was a significant person due to his energy, ability to organize a business, multifaceted talent, profound knowledge. One of the resonance works of the diverse creative heritage P.O. Kulisha is studied in the article, that is a book for initial education in native language − the "Grammar" of the Ukrainian language, which was highly appreciated by T. Shevchenko. Its structure, the content of each part, the pedagogical role as well as the concept of the author, manifested in its preface and the final part were described. The study emphasizes that in the processes of creating a new literary Ukrainian language, its spelling, writing textbooks, grammars in Ukrainian for initials education, two periods are noticeable: the first one – the 20-30th years of the 19th century, when the problems of the necessity of a new literary language arose, the new literature, preservation of the ethnographic, folklore heritage of the people, the second one – the 40-60th-years was the period of active participation of a new generation of Ukrainian thinkers in the development of the Ukrainian literary language, the creation of new spelling, new literature for primary education in native Ukrainian language. The role of "Grammar" in the formation of a new Ukrainian literary language and its phonetic spelling, in the formation of education in the Ukrainian language, the creation of textbooks in the Ukrainian literary language, and the development of Ukrainian writing are underlined. The emphasis was also put on the introduction of the author's, phonetic spelling, the so-called "Kulishivka" in the "Grammar", which is the basis of the modern Ukrainian spelling. Despite the prohibition of "Valuevsky (1863)" and "Yamsky (1876)" decrees, books and newspapers, although very limited were published in Ukrainian. The article also highlights the following discourses: the role of "Grammar" wrote by P. Kulish (the theory and practice of creating a Ukrainian literary language, the new Ukrainian spelling, which caused the intensification of imperial repressions) and its contemporary significance for the new Ukrainian space of ideas, meanings, communication, methods of publications in the Ukrainian language, as well as some grammatical factors of the theory or history of writing: the language of sound - the language of the book: thinking - writing, writing - thinking; sound - letter, letter - sound; "science of reading" - writing, etc. Comparison of discourses contributes to the conclusion that the development of the living language, sound of language during writing has been improved so complex and multifaceted in the 19th century that passed later in the 20th century, and even in the 21st century remain controversial, as evidenced by the lengthy discussion of the “Project of the New Ukrainian spelling”.

The Relationship between Translocal Chinese and their Hometowns (1920s–40s): The View from “Shining” Monthly of Jushan, Quemoy (跨境華僑及其僑鄉社會∶以顯影僑刊為中心的考察(1920s–40s))

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-292
Author(s):  
Bo-wei Chiang (江柏煒)
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Modern China ◽  
Overseas Chinese ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
News Reports ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of

Quemoy is a famous overseas Chinese hometown in modern China. Since the 17th Century, Western colonial power expanded to South Asia, Southeast Asia, China and Japan, and drew these areas into the network of the global economy. The Quemoy Islands, situated outside Xinmen (Amoy)-port, were influenced by external and internal factors that shaped the region’s history of overseas migration. Emigrants from Quemoy brought radical changes back to their hometown, including social, economic, cultural and architectural impacts. These historical phenomena, usually described as expressions of “transnationalism,” are important foci of current research. This research tries to study the modernization of one overseas Chinese native hometown by investigating “Shining,” a monthly publication of Jushan village in Quemoy. “Shining” is one of the most comprehensive overseas Chinese publications and news reports in the world, however, it has received little academic attention. “Shining” published its first issue in September 1928, but publication was interrupted by the Second Sino-Japan War, between 1937–45. In April 1946, the publication resumed until the kmt retreated to Taiwan in 1949. The monthly publication had 21 volumes in total and recorded many historical materials, such as social life, overseas Chinese remittances, events, cultural changes and architectural activities during the 1920s–30s. It also reported political conditions and made criticisms of political issues between 1945–49. “Shining” conveyed progressive ideas and values to the people of Quemoy at that time. This paper will use “Shining” to study social change in the native hometown, including the economic connection between Quemoy and overseas areas, the formation and characteristics of overseas Chinese families, the interaction between folk society and colonial culture, the modification of everyday life and values, the changes in landscape and architecture. I attempt to examine the use of overseas Chinese newsletters to develop a new field of social history in the study of modern overseas Chinese native hometowns. 閩粵為近代中國著名的僑鄉，海外移民及歸僑眾多。華僑的出洋主要是經濟上的因素，他們匯款返鄉支持了家鄉家眷生計、教育、剬益、實業等層面的發展，促成了僑鄉社會的近代化。在昔日交通不便捷的情況下，海外僑居地與僑鄉之間的聯繫，經常必須仰賴僑刊或鄉訊的報導。這些刊物一般由各僑鄉宗族所辦，刊行於海外，讓華僑得以了解家鄉動態與相關事聞。不過由於國共戰爭、文化大革命之故，多數僑刊沒有保存下來。 本文擬以保存完整的僑刊福建金門珠山《顯影》（Shining）為例，一方面深入分析1928至1949年間（1937–45年間因戰爭停刊）《顯影》史料，一方面也從刊物內容中理解1920s–40s年代金門社會生活、治安狀況、海外鄉僑事蹟、僑匯經濟、實業發展、政治時局、文化變遷等主題。最後，進一步探究《顯影》的史料價值及其侷限，說明其對於僑鄉研究的重要性。 (This article is in English.)

The historical development of the language - the basis of human history

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 119-121
Author(s):  
Murodova Nigora
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
National Language ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Culture And Language

The study of the national language is largely dependent on the study of the history of the people who speak the language. The people are the creators of their own culture and language as well as the creators of their own history. We study the history and culture of the people by learning the language. It is directly related to the study of the linguistic features of the dialects that exist in the language. As is known, everything that occurs in social life is reflected first and foremost in the vocabulary of the language. But over time, some words become consumed and gradually forgotten. Such words are mainly related to the material way of life of the people, but are also a rich source of information about the ethnos' history. This article discusses such words that are preserved in Uzbek dialects of Navoi region.

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