Review: Isabelle Stengers, In Catastrophic Times: Resisting the Coming Barbarism

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 259-264
Author(s):  
Nicholas Beuret
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
General State ◽  
Cautionary Tale ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Status ◽  
Isabelle Stengers ◽  
Ecological Catastrophe

In Catastrophic Times: Resisting the Coming Barbarism (2015) offers a welcome intervention into the current state of global political impasse and ecological catastrophe. Less a cautionary tale or a series of political injunctions, In Catastrophic Times sets out a clear account of how the ‘cold panic’ induced by looming ecological crises such as climate change is actively produced by the managers of the status quo – those Stengers calls ‘Guardians’. Stengers claims it is the convergence of governance without legitimacy with enclosed knowledges and the cult of expertise that has produced a general state of panicked political impotence. Against this mode of governance, Stengers offers a series of tactical experiments, from paying attention as intervention to acts of scientific commoning, articulated through what she calls the GMO event, that seek to seize environmental issues and sociotechnical problems as political questions in order to resist the devolution of modernity into a global social apartheid state.

scholarly journals The Interlocking Processes Constraining the Struggle for Sanctuary in the Trump Era: The Case of La Puente, CA

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Gilda L. Ochoa
Keyword(s):  
Status Quo ◽  
City Council ◽  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Cautionary Tale ◽  
Community Members ◽  
White Supremacist ◽  
The Status ◽  
The City

By 10 January 2017, activists in the predominately Latina/o working class city of La Puente, California had lobbied the council to declare the city a sanctuary supporting immigrants, people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. The same community members urged the school district to declare itself a sanctuary. While community members rejoiced in pushing elected officials to pass these inclusive resolutions, there were multiple roadblocks reducing the potential for more substantive change. Drawing on city council and school board meetings, resolutions and my own involvement in this sanctuary struggle, I focus on a continuum of three overlapping and interlocking manifestations of white supremacist heteronormative patriarchy: neoliberal diversity discourses, institutionalized policies, and a re-emergence of high-profiled white supremacist activities. Together, these dynamics minimized, contained and absorbed community activism and possibilities of change. They reinforced the status quo by maintaining limits on who belongs and sustaining intersecting hierarchies of race, immigration status, gender, and sexuality. This extended case adds to the scant scholarship on the current sanctuary struggles, including among immigration scholars. It also illustrates how the state co-opts and marginalizes movement language, ideas, and people, providing a cautionary tale about the forces that restrict more transformative change.

The Status Quo of Sustainable Tourism Development in Phuket. A Qualitative Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
Kevin FUCHS ◽  
Kris SINCHAROENKUL
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Sustainable Tourism Development ◽  
Mass Tourism ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Status ◽  
Coherent Leadership

Sustainable tourism is an increasingly fashionable term that is strongly correlated with the global age of increased mobility. While there is increasing interest in sustainable tourism, there is no contemporary research that describes the current state of Phuket, Thailand, the mass-tourism destination. An in-depth review of existing literature revealed that sustainable tourism at large receives a great deal of attention in its current state. This paper aimed to go beyond the common theme of sustainable tourism and conducted a thorough analysis about the status quo in Phuket with regard to sustainable tourism. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews (n=5) with industry experts and later analyzed the content by the means of thematic analysis. The research is specific to Phuket; therefore, the results of this research are not generalizable to other mass-tourism locations. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but it is evident that stakeholders in Phuket recognize the importance of sustainable tourism. Moreover, the lack of accountability, coherent leadership, and consistency resulted in a high failure rate when initiatives were launched to improve sustainable tourism behavior in Phuket.  

scholarly journals Pedagogy of the Black academic

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (22) ◽  
pp. 2423-2424
Author(s):  
Glenn E. Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Positive Change ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Current State ◽  
Single Person ◽  
The Status ◽  
Black Man ◽  
Social Upheaval ◽  
The Impact

I am just starting my career as a cancer biologist, but I have always been a Black man in America. This means that I have always inhabited a world that generally disregarded my existence in some form or another. It is June 17th, 2020 and protests have been happening for weeks since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The current state of America may be uneasy for some, but for many Americans, the looming threat of exclusion and violence has been an unwelcome companion since birth. This letter is not about a single person, but the Black academic’s experience of race inside and outside of the academy during a time of social upheaval. I have trained in a variety of institutions, big and small, and all the while acutely aware of the impact of my Blackness on my science. The intent of the following is to provoke the reader to reflect on how we as a nation can move toward radically positive change and not incremental adjustments to the status quo. The views expressed are my own and are the result of years of personal experience observing the anti-Black standard in America.

Al Gore and the Climate Reality Project Down Under: The Up Market of the Climate Movement

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Baer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Problem ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Violent Conflict ◽  
Climate Policies ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Status ◽  
Action Groups

In terms of applied work, anthropologists have been working on climate change issues at two broad and quite distinct levels, namely in the formulation of climate policies and by becoming involved in climate action groups and the climate movement that supports social, economic, and technological changes in the interest of mitigating climate change, a phenomenon that an increasing number of observers view as the most profound environmental problem ever faced by humanity and one that will continue to play itself out during the present century. In her list of issues that engaged anthropologists examine, Warren (2006:213) includes "social justice, inequality, subaltern challenges to the status quo, globalization's impacts, and ethical position of our field research in situations of violent conflict." Ironically, many of these issues are related in one way or another to anthropogenic climate change. I maintain that more anthropologists need to become involved as observers and engaged scholars in applied initiatives seeking to respond to climate change on the local, regional, national, and global levels.

Research on Developing Countermeasures for Environmental Monitoring in China

2013 ◽  
Vol 864-867 ◽  
pp. 1008-1012
Author(s):  
Dian Xing Zhu ◽  
Xin Li
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Environmental Monitoring ◽  
Pollution Control ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Ecological Environment ◽  
Environment Monitoring ◽  
Paper Briefly ◽  
The Status

Environmental issues have become an important problem must be faced, which can not be avoided during economic development. To improve the living and ecological environment,environmental monitoring plays an important role in maintaining rapid and sustained economic development. It can response to the phenomenon and trends of environmental management accurately and comprehensively, and provides the basis of pollution control and environmental planning. This paper briefly described the definition and importance of environmental monitoring, then analyzed the status quo of the environmental monitoring, and pointed some of the deficiencies in the presence of current environmental monitoring. Finally, this paper proposed some suggestions during environmental monitoring to provide reference for environment monitoring in China.

scholarly journals How groundwater level can predict under the effect of climate change by using artificial neural networks of NARX

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-99
Author(s):  
Safieh Javadinejad ◽  
◽  
Rebwar Dara ◽  
Forough Jafary ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Neural Network Modeling ◽  
Network Dynamic ◽  
Software Environment ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Current State ◽  
Neural Network Dynamic ◽  
The Status

The phenomenon of climate change in recent years has led to significant changes in climatic elements and as a result the status of surface and groundwater resources, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, this issue has sometimes caused a significant decline in groundwater resources. In this paper, the effects of climate change on the status of groundwater resources in Marvdasht plain have been investigated. Water supply of different parts of this region is highly dependent on groundwater resources and therefore the study of groundwater changes in future periods is important in the development of this plain and the management of its water resources. In order to evaluate the effects of climate change, the output of atmospheric circulation models (GCM) has been used. Then, in order to adapt the output scale of these models to the scale required by local studies of climate change, precipitation and temperature data have been downscaled by LARS-WG model. Downscaled information was used to determine the amount of feed and drainage of the aquifer in future periods. To investigate changes in groundwater levels at different stages, a neural network dynamic model has been developed in MATLAB software environment. It is also possible to study and compare other points using other scenarios and mathematical modeling. The results of the study, assuming the current state of development in the region, indicate a downward trend in the volume of the aquifer due to climate change and its effects on resources and uses of the study area. The results also introduce Scenario A2 as the most critical scenario related to climate change, which also shows the largest aquifer decline in neural network modeling.

The Missing Link in Regional Integration in South Asia: The Case for Regional and Sub-regional Political Institutions

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-155
Author(s):  
Andrew Thangasamy
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Regional Governance ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Missing Link ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Status ◽  
Better Than

Regional governance efforts in South Asia have been missing regional political institutions. There is no shortage of ideas and suggestions by scholars, practitioners, diplomats and others in terms of areas for integration in South Asia. And yet, regional integration continues in a piecemeal like stuttering fashion. Integration lags not because there are questions about the efficacy of regional integration or questions about where or what to integrate, it lags because of the path forward—in terms of how—is unclear. Regional or sub-regional political institutions vested with the decision-making authority can aid in integration better than the status quo. Political institutions in contrast to forums or summit-convening authorities can make decisions of their own benefiting the interests of those whom they represent. This article examines the current state of regional governance efforts in South Asia and evaluates the argument for regional and sub-regional political institutions.

The Arab World

1994 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-575
Author(s):  
Najib Ghadbian
Keyword(s):  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Cultural Attitudes ◽  
Current State ◽  
Nation States ◽  
The Status ◽  
Arab Politics ◽  
Linguistic Groups ◽  
Western Hegemony

This book has an ambitious and comprehensive goal: to analyzethe degenerate contemporary condition of the Arab nation and thenpresent a “theory of action,” a vision to transcend the current state ofdecline and continue the process of nahdah. Barakat’s proposedapproach to the analysis of Arab society is one that he characterizes asdynamic (treating society as changing rather than static), dialectical(emphasizing social contradictions and class struggle), and critical(aimed at transforming the status quo). He treats the Arab world as asingle unit rather than as a number of nation-states. The emphasis onsociety rather than political entity does not negate his cognizance thatthe Arab world has the potential for both unity and divisiveness.Barakat arranges his analysis into three sections: Arab identity andissues of diversity and integration, social structures and institutions(i.e., family, social classes, religion, and Arab politics), and thedynamics of Arab culture.In his diagnosis of the Arab world’s maladies, Barakat offersinteresting and useful insights. In making room for these insights, heblasts orientalist discourse for its “static and mosaic’’ portrait of theArab world and presents a more cogent analysis of Arab reality. Infact, most orientalists do not acknowledge the existence of the Arabworld, but speak rather of a “Middle East” that contains a dizzyingarray of religious, ethnic, and linguistic groups. They characterize theArab part of this region as hopelessly divided, culturally inferior, andunable to modernize. Barakat points out that orientalists contradictthemselves when they speak of both the divided nature of Arabsociety and the existence of an “Arab mind” or mentality. Moreover,most orientalist “scholarship” explains resistance to change amongArabs in terms of cultural attitudes, thereby ignoring the prevailingrelationship of dependency and the socioeconomic and political contextsof this resistance. Such assertions “reveal the animosity towardArabs (and especially toward Muslims) that underlies many scholarlypretensions” (p. 22). Barakat cleverly exposes the agenda behind suchscholarship: the justification of Israel’s existence and the preservationof the status quo under Zionist and western hegemony ...

Responding to Climate Change Disaster

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolanda Jetten ◽  
Kelly S. Fielding ◽  
Charlie R. Crimston ◽  
Frank Mols ◽  
S. Alexander Haslam
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Shared Identity ◽  
The Status ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
Tackle Climate Change ◽  
Post Disaster

Abstract. Climate change-induced disasters (e.g., bushfires, droughts, and flooding) occur more frequently and with greater intensity than in previous decades. Disasters can at times fuel social change but that is not guaranteed. To understand whether disasters lead to status quo maintenance or social change, we propose a model (Social Identity Model of Post-Disaster Action; SIMPDA) which focuses on the role of leadership in the aftermath of a disaster. Looking specifically at climate change-related disasters, we propose that intragroup and intergroup dynamics in both the pre-disaster as well as the post-disaster context affect whether leadership (a) has the potential to mobilize social identity resources to enable social change, or else (b) fails to capitalize on emerging social identity resources in ways that ultimately maintain the status quo. Given the importance of urgent climate change action, we predict that status quo maintenance is associated with post-disaster paralysis. In contrast, social change that is set in train by capitalizing on social identity-based resources holds the promise of greater post-disaster learning and enhanced disaster preparedness when it is focused on addressing the challenges brought about by climate change. We apply this model to understand responses to the 2019/2020 bushfires in Australia. Our analysis suggests that while an emerging sense of shared identity centered on acting to tackle climate change provides a window of opportunity for securing increased disaster preparedness, this opportunity risks being missed due to, among other things, the absence of leaders able and willing to engage in constructive identity-based leadership.

Investigation of the Status Quo and Promotion of Financial Management Enterprises

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 4829-4839
Author(s):  
Xiaodong Wang ◽  
Ying Zhao ◽  
Yuegang Song ◽  
Hongliang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Financial Management ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Financial Risks ◽  
Design Algorithm ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Status ◽  
Fractal Spectrum ◽  
Research Objects ◽  
Operation And Management

Objectives: In day-to-day operation and management activities, attention is paid to preventing and controlling financial risks, which will prevent risks or minimize losses. Methods: The current state of financial management in companies is analyzed, and then how to effectively prevent and promote measures is systematically discussed. Results: Firstly, a multi-fractal spectrum program design algorithm is constructed and multi-fractal spectrum analysis and feature derivations are carried out. Then, several companies are selected as research objects, and the financial management of the company’s operations and stock price changes and tests are simulated. Conclusion: It can be seen that the algorithm constructed in this paper can predict the stock price through the shape of the bell-shaped spectrum and has high accuracy.

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