Contemporary urban utopia, a query trapped in the capitalist kaleidoscope

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abeer Allahham

Purpose This paper aims to assess the contemporary paradigm of urban utopia’s ability to fulfil its goals and to evaluate its attainability in the first place. Its main question is: are contemporary urban utopias achievable? If not, is there an alternative? Design/methodology/approach In light of modern urban utopia’s failure to achieve the “good city/society,” skepticism regarding utopianism has prevailed. However, many scholars stress the significance of utopianism, calling for its revival. Recently, a new paradigm of urban utopia has emerged; one that stems from present capitalist urban conditions and requires resolving its ills. It puts great emphasis on rights as a means to accomplish the good society and the just city. This research critically examines contemporary urban utopia to evaluate its ability to fulfill its goals. It poses questions such as: Does capitalism facilitates achieving its goals? Could rights as a means achieve the good city/society? If not, is there an alternative? To answer these questions, a substantially different perspective, that of Islam (as a societal system), is used as a utopic paradigm that could open up new paths for developing an alternative utopia. Findings It is found that despite the focus of both the Islamic societal system and mainstream contemporary urban utopia is on the concept of rights, vital dissensions exist between the two models regarding the concept of rights per se. Hence, the urban utopia of the good city and society is achievable, yet, it cannot transpire within the capitalist kaleidoscope. Originality/value Recently, discussions on what constitutes the future city and the alternative conceptions to the (Western) post-Enlightenment approaches generally offered in the English language planning literature have been on the rise. Therefore, this paper contributes to this debate through critically assessing Western contemporary urban utopias from a non-Western perspective, that of Islam. It introduces an alternative model based on Islamic urbanism that could open doors for deeper thinking regarding the alternative future/good city.

2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-236
Author(s):  
Svetoslav Zabunov ◽  
Roumen Nedkov

Purpose This paper aims to reveal the authors’ conceptual and experimental work on an innovative avionics paradigm for small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Design/methodology/approach This novel approach stipulates that, rather than being centralized at the autopilot, control of avionics devices is instead distributed among controllers – spread over the airframe span, in response to avionics devices’ natural location requirements. The latter controllers are herein referred to as edge controllers by the first author. Findings The edge controller manifests increased efficiency in a number of functions, some of which are unburdened from the autopilot. The edge controller establishes a new paradigm of structure and design of small UAVs avionics such that any functionality related to the periphery of the airframe is implemented in the controller. Research limitations/implications The research encompasses a workbench prototype testing on a breadboard, as the presented idea is a novel concept. Further, another test has been conducted with four controllers mounted on a quadcopter; results from the vertical attitude sustenance are disclosed herein. Practical implications The motivation behind developing this paradigm was the need to position certain avionics devices at different locations on the airframe. Due to their inherent functional requirements, most of these devices have hitherto been placed at the periphery of the aircraft construction. Originality/value The current paper describes the novel avionics paradigm, compares it to the standard approach and further reveals two experimental setups with testing results.


2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Detmering ◽  
Anna Marie Johnson ◽  
Claudene Sproles ◽  
Samantha McClellan ◽  
Rosalinda Hernandez Linares

Purpose – This paper aims to provide an introductory overview and selected annotated bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy across all library types. Design/methodology/approach – It introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2014. Findings – It provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions. Originality/value – The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-69
Author(s):  
Shin-ying Huang

Purpose This paper aims to propose a critical multimodal framework to understanding pedagogical materials that focuses on not only the verbal or the visual components but also the interaction between the two semiotic resources that constructs power relations as a result of intermodal interaction, and it further provides an example of an in-depth analysis of one text using this approach. Design/methodology/approach The paper proposes a critical multimodal framework that draws from Serafini (2010) and Royce (1998). Details about how the two works complement to form a critical multimodal framework are discussed, after which the paper analyzes one example from an English-language textbook using the proposed framework to demonstrate its strengths. Findings The findings highlight the power relations constructed in texts as a result of the interaction between the verbal and visual components, specifically how the visual mode functions to rationalize the power relations constructed in the verbal mode. These findings also establish the significance for considering the larger context of materials production and reception identified in the ideological perspective to appreciate how texts reflect discourses in diverse locales. Originality/value This paper argues that even though critical multimodality has often been discussed conceptually in L1 literacy scholarship, how to put these conceptualizations into practice has not been addressed systematically. The paper also contends that critical perspectives to understanding multimodal texts are also important in L2 English-language teaching. The critical multimodal framework proposed thus serves as a conceptual and methodological framework for multimodal reading and interpretive practices in both L1 and L2 contexts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 657-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex H. Poole

PurposeThis paper scrutinizes the scholarship on community archives' information work. Community archives and archiving projects represent unprecedentedly democratic venues for information work centering on essential documentary concepts such as custody, collection development and appraisal, processing, arrangement and description, organization, representation and naming, collaboration, resource generation and allocation, activism and social justice, preservation, reuse, and sustainability.Design/methodology/approachUnearthed through databases searches, citation chaining, and browsing, sources examined include peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and book chapters published in the English language between 1985 and 2018.FindingsThe literature on community archives’ information work shows considerable geographical (six continents), topical, and (inter)disciplinary variety. This paper first explores scholars' efforts to define both community and community archives. Second, it unpacks the ways in which community archives include new stakeholders and new record types and formats even as they leverage alternative archival principles and practices. Third, it discusses community archives as political venues for empowerment, activism, and social justice work. Fourth, this paper delves into the benefits and challenges of partnerships and collaborations with mainstream institutions. Fifth, it documents the obstacles community archives face: not only tensions within and among communities, but also sustainability concerns. Finally, it sets forth six directions for future research.Originality/valueThis paper is the first systematic review of the community archives literature.


2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 358-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isto Huvila

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how archivists, records managers and scholarly literature in the field(s) analyse how “participation” is discussed in the context of archives and records management, and to explore practical and theoretical implications of the disclosed discursive practices. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on a discourse analysis of a body of archival literature and a sample of posts collected from the archival and records management blogosphere. Findings – The analysis shows that instead of discussing one notion of participation, the archival science literature is referring to nine different and partly conflicting types of participation from three broad perspectives: management, empowerment and technology. The discourses have also conflicting ideas of the role of engagement and enthusiasm, and of that what do the different stakeholder communities see as real options. Research limitations/implications – The analysed material consists of a limited sample of mainly English language texts that may not capture all the nuances of how participation is discussed in the archival literature. Practical implications – A better understanding of how different claims of the benefits and threats endorsing “participation” in archives helps to develop effective and less contradictory forms of collaboration between different stakeholders. Originality/value – In spite of the popularity of the notion of “participation”, there little, especially critical, research on how participation is conceptualised by archives professionals and researchers.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Jaye Tanner ◽  
Christina Berchini

Purpose The authors of this paper are both white English education scholars with antiracist agendas. This conceptual manuscript aims – in part – to better understand the backlash both of them have faced in trying to contribute to antiracist teaching and research in English education. Design/methodology/approach This manuscript uses practices of narrative inquiry to tell and interpret stories about the authors’ work. Findings The authors hope to critique traditional notions of white resistance in favor of more careful theorizations of whiteness that can be helpful for teachers and scholars in English education and English Language Arts (ELA)with an interest in facilitation antiracist pedagogy. Originality/value Ultimately, with this work, the authors hope to provoke readers to consider how work with whiteness is processed by white people, especially in terms of teaching and learning in English education and ELA. They believe the field of English education should begin to discuss this issue.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 715-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garry D. Carnegie

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the historiographic writings for accounting concerned with the craft of researching and writing history, published in the English-language, across a period of 30 years from 1983 to 2012. The study's aim is three-fold: first, to review the literature pertaining to the writing of accounting history and to identify key developments and trends; second, to identify the contributors to this literature and their publication outlets and third, to analyze citations to identify individuals or groups who have gained traction in accounting historiography. Design/methodology/approach – An essay focusing on developments in the accounting historiography literature as well as a review of some key thoughts or issues in present-day accounting historiography. Findings – The study shows that a key development in the accounting historiography literature during this period has been the advent of new accounting history, which has contributed much theoretical and topical diversity in historical accounting research and an acceptance of the role of oral history as a means of expanding the archive. Research limitations/implications – The present study, with its focus on contributions on the craft of researching and writing history, does not itself examine actual research studies which have been undertaken on accounting's past across the same period of time. Originality/value – The study may assist in making the contributions examined more generally assessable and comprehensible to researchers to both explore and re-explore and may even contribute to the development of further contributions on accounting historiography to guide the approaches to, and direction of, historical accounting research in future.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Sabari Ragavendran

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify three critical ingredients that are necessary to support the upcoming Green Paradigm. Existing research indicates the uprising of Green Paradigm through emergence of Green products and services. Extant literature discusses critical questions such as “what” and “how” in silos. Each of the ingredients is anchored in literature, highlighting the past, showcasing the gap and proposing future direction. Design/methodology/approach – Fundamentally, a combination of literature review and qualitative technique is used to achieve the main objective of the paper. Findings – Gaps in the literature support and suggest the need to focus on three different perspectives: corporate, management research and management education, which needs to be looked from a long range to support Green Paradigm. This finding is substantiated through qualitative research. Research limitations/implications – The limitation of the research is, only a 10 year period is considered for key word search in journals. The journals are restricted to top journals as given by UT Dallas research rankings, 2011. It is quite possible that there are other journals that focus more heavily on green perspective. Originality/value – This paper introduces a holistic perspective that fits all major lenses of the society to foster Green Paradigm, in turn, environmental sustainability.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 603-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Detmering ◽  
Anna Marie Johnson ◽  
Claudene Sproles ◽  
Samantha McClellan ◽  
Rosalinda Hernandez Linares

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy. Design/methodology/approach – Introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2013. Findings – Provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions. Originality/value – The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 296-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Aqeel ◽  
Humaira Jami ◽  
Ammar Ahmed

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish the reliability and validity of an expended scale with translation, adaptation and cross-language validation of the student: thinking about my homework (STP) (Bareno, 1997; Hoover-Dempsey et al., 1999; Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler, 2005). Design/methodology/approach Response items rating are made from four-point Likert-type scales ranging from the 1 (never) to 4 (always). This study includes two versions of the scale: mother’s school involvement version (STPM) and father’s school Involvement version (STPF). Both versions have been translated from English language into Urdu language with a sample of 200 students. Standard back translation method was used for translation and adaption of the scale (Brislin, 1976; Hambleton, 1994). The ages of the students ranged from 12 to 18 years. Findings The overall scale has good internal consistency reliability. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to explore covert and novel configuration of these versions (father’s school involvement and mother’s school involvement). Results revealed that mother’s school involvement consisted of 21 items, and father’s school involvement consisted of 22 items. Originality/value The investigated scale provides assessment of father’s and mother’s school involvement, respectively, in order to achieve better understanding of family’s role in academics.


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