Marginal Governance in the Time of Pemekaran: Case Studies from Sulawesi and West Papua

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew McWilliam
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Political Reform ◽  
Political Authority ◽  
The State ◽  
Local Experience ◽  
West Papua

AbstractOne of the outcomes of the radical decentralisation policies accompanying political reform and democratisation in Indonesia is a sustained administrative programme known by the term pemekaran, or a ‘blossoming’ of new administrative and budgetary units that extend to the farthest corners of the nation. This paper explores aspects and impacts of the pemekaran process as it unfolds in two remote corners of Indonesia, namely the sub-district of Routa in Konawe Regency of Southeast Sulawesi and the newly-established district of Bintuni in the swamp lands of Bintuni Gulf, West Papua. In both regions the strategic possibilities that accompany pemekaran have fostered a vibrant local politic based around appeals to established patterns of landed authority. But the logic of pemekaran can lead to fragmentation and confusion over jurisdictional authority. Critics argue that the process dilutes capacity and political authority. Supporters acknowledge the limits but applaud the extension of development funding into areas which otherwise would remain isolated and impoverished. The paper explores some of the dimensions of this debate and the role of pemekaran in shaping local experience on the margins of the state.

Calvin: Militant or Man of Peace?

2003 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Pellerin
Keyword(s):  
Political Authority ◽  
The State ◽  
Karl Barth ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Common Misconceptions

The charge that the Reformation heralded a triumph of confessional party over religion and fostered a spirit of division, discord, and strife is not an unfamiliar one. The thought of Jean Calvin, in particular, has been found responsible, by Karl Barth among others, for rousing its followers to militancy. As this essay will show, however, Calvin's actual positions point in a rather more irenic direction. Thus the first section of the essay addresses common misconceptions about the role of military metaphor in Calvin's writings. Section II draws attention to the integral importance for Calvin's theology of the Gospel call to unity, concord, and peace not only among Christians but all mankind. Section III examines Calvin's cautious treatment of actual fighting and war, and section IV draws together the argument by reference to Calvin's discussion of political authority and the tasks of the state.

Western Asia

2020 ◽  
pp. 513-539
Author(s):  
Carolyn Routledge
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
The State ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Western Asia ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of ◽  
Selection Of

Since Flinders Petrie, the importance of Western Asia to the history and development of culture in ancient Egypt has been recognized by scholars and has also been a significant driver in shaping Egyptological methodology and theoretical approaches. The study of relations between Western Asia and Egypt encompasses a wide range of specialisms given the broad range of evidence, the geographical breadth, and the academic disciplines involved. This chapter reviews the history of the study of relations between Western Asia and Egypt pointing to a selection of challenges scholars face in undertaking their research, and examines two case studies: theories concerning the role of Western Asia in the rise of the state, and the assessment of Egypt’s New Kingdom Empire in Canaan to illustrate the ways in which scholarly challenges are met and the resulting historical conclusions.

Can Political Authority be Founded on a Ruse? Derrida and Lefort on Machiavelli’s Use of Political Deception

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peg Birmingham
Keyword(s):  
Political Authority ◽  
The State ◽  
Democratic Politics ◽  
State Of Nature ◽  
The People ◽  
Theological Foundation ◽  
The Law

The institution of Hobbes’ Leviathan is marked by the transformation of cunning, equally shared by all in the state of nature, into a rational, sovereign politics. The question I take up here by way of Machiavelli and two of his contemporary readers, Derrida and Lefort, what if cunning was politicized rather than replaced by sovereign reason? In other words, what if cunning, a complex political deception, was not abandoned or given over to the sovereign? I argue that Lefort’s reading of Machiavelli, embracing as it does the central role of a shared cunning or ruse between the people and the prince, offers valuable resources for thinking the foundation of political authority for a secular democratic politics, while in contrast, Derrida’s critique of Machiavelli’s cunning illuminates why he is not able to escape a sovereign, theological foundation for political authority and the law.

Meanings and dilemmas in community unionism

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Martínez Lucio ◽  
Robert Perrett
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
The State ◽  
Community Initiatives ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Clear Vision ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Community Unionism ◽  
Minority Ethnic

The article shows that community initiatives take different forms and are the outcome of a broader interplay of factors between workers’ interests, representation, and the strategies of unions and broader coalitions that are mobilized in specific communities. Drawing from three case studies on black and minority ethnic (BME) workers and trade unions in the UK the article looks at how the rhetoric of community unionism has been adopted in an uneven manner by trade unions: the article suggests that: (a) community initiatives are variable, (b) they lack a structure and clear vision, (c) the question of BME engagement is rarely central in many projects, and (d) the ambivalent role of the state is a significant factor in many of these initiatives. This state role is downplayed in much of the literature, thus raising dilemmas in terms of community initiatives.

scholarly journals Ships and Trade: The Role of Public Navigation in Renaissance Venice

2019 ◽  
pp. 473-484
Author(s):  
Stefania Montemezzo
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
The State ◽  
15Th Century

The paper aims at understanding the role that public navigation played for the Venetian merchant firms in the Renaissance. Thanks to the use of accountability, two case studies will be analysed to understand the involvement of private traders in the State galley system and their impact on the operations of the city’s business in the late 15th century.

scholarly journals The Making of Democratic Actors: Counting the Costs of Public Cuts in England on Young People’s Steps towards Citizenship

Societies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Darren Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
The State ◽  
Qualitative Studies ◽  
Youth Empowerment ◽  
Youth Services ◽  
Behavioural Pattern ◽  
Political Debates ◽  
Challenging Question

This paper provides a synthesis of qualitative studies, examining youth empowerment projects and initiatives that have encouraged young people to have a voice in local, regional, and national political debates. Specifically, the article examines the role of English youth services in building the spirit of citizenship in young people against the challenging question of the changing behavioural pattern and profiles of young English electorates. To do this, the paper draws on four case studies to help rethink the critical moments for disadvantaged and vulnerable young people in their journeys towards citizenship, and how English youth services understand and respond to the experiences of young people. The article presents the strengths and limitations of the youth sector to enrich and furnish the spirit of citizenship in today’s youth, and argues for a more innovative role in the part played by the state in an era of austerity.

“The Study of Local Experience”: Reassessing the Role of the Central Committee Secretariat during the nep

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-365
Author(s):  
Christopher Monty
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Far East ◽  
Central Committee ◽  
Political Campaigns ◽  
New Economic Policy ◽  
Local Experience ◽  
Standard Procedures ◽  
The Face ◽  
Party Activists

This article examines one of the standardized procedures implemented by Stalin and his supporters during the New Economic Policy to professionalize policy processes in central party agencies. Stalin and his supporters in the Secretariat and Organization Bureau relied on informational studies generated by officials in the Organization-Assignment Department of the Central Committee Secretariat (Orgraspred) to assess both the results of major political campaigns and the quality of local party administration. This article draws attention to this practice by examining two case studies. The first was a 1924 investigation into the poor health of party activists and officials sponsored by the Orgraspred, which appeared to confirm opposition claims about the separation of the party leadership from the working class. The second recounts the findings reported by three of Stalin’s allies in the Organization Bureau – Molotov, Andrei Andreev, and Nikolai Antipov – following extended personal tours of Tambov, Tula, Kursk, Ukraine, the Urals, Siberia and the Far East in support of the “Face to the Countryside” campaign. A careful review of the standard procedures these case studies exemplify suggests that common beliefs about the apolitical nature of the Stalin faction that formed during the years of factional struggle require revision.

The Role of Artists' Collectives in Producing State Socialist Art in 1950s Romania the Bottom-Up, Pragmatic Professionalization of State Commissions

ARTMargins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 29-52
Author(s):  
Caterina Preda
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Fine Arts ◽  
The State ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Socialist Realist ◽  
Socialist Art ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
State Socialist ◽  
Realist Model

This article analyzes the collective basis of the establishment of the Socialist Realist model of production for the fine arts in Romania in the early 1950s. It discusses the unstudied case of the “artists' collectives” (of production) together with other collective forms, such as the collective studios and the guiding commissions. This is an archive-based study of cultural institutionalism of socialist regimes, based on the analysis of under-explored archival sources such as those of the Romanian Artists' Union (UAP) or the Artistic Fund (FP). Focusing on two specific case studies, those of the artists' collectives “Progressive art” and “Th. Aman”, both founded in 1951, it provides more context to the establishment of the socialist model in Romania. The article finds the state assumed definition of art considered the artist as a simple executioner, and the “artists' collectives” participated in eradicating the individuality of the artist, one of the goals of the new socialist model.

Introduction: France as a Laboratory of Culture

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-96
Author(s):  
Michael Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
World Literature ◽  
The State ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
World Cinema ◽  
Funded Project ◽  
Creativity And Innovation ◽  
The Way

This article introduces the special issue of the journal on France as a Laboratory of Culture. It asks whether France continues to foster creativity and innovation in the cultural realm. Six articles examine case studies, including the role of women in the making of modern Paris, France’s role in world cinema through international co-production, French conceptions of world literature, recent fictional works by Alice Zeniter and Bessora, the rapper Abd al Malik as a complex example of hybrid music, and the state-funded project to create ÉcoQuartiers, or green neighbourhoods. These examples provide challenges to the way things are, whether in changing behaviours, tastes, perceptions or understandings, and demonstrate convincingly that France remains a vibrant laboratory of culture in the modern world.

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