Toward a glocal theory for Iranian social sciences

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 201-212
Author(s):  
Nasser Fakouhi

In this essay, I describe a perspective of what we may call a ‘Southern Theory’ in Iran. Historical and contemporary conditions in Iran have mediated against the development of such a theory, yet could, if reflexively approached, produce a glocal theory. In exploring the issue via Iran, I note the necessity of emphasizing the diversity of thought encompassed by the Southern Theory, and of considering the different time/spaces of the South. The essay has a critical approach regarding current social and scientific relations in and out of Iran in the social sciences in general, and particularly in anthropology. In this way, I try to rethink the question of English as a scientific lingua franca, considering the short and long consequences of such an approach.

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-37
Author(s):  
Felipe Ziotti Narita ◽  
Jeremiah Morelock

In this article, we offer a critical social analysis of crisis in light of capitalist development and, above all, in the post-2008 world. We discuss five approaches in the social sciences that deal with the problem of crisis and develop some theore­tical lines for a critical approach to the theme. We argue that precarity can be an important topic for grasping the current crises via critical approaches. The text also presents the six articles that are part of the issue we edited for Praktyka Teoretyczna entitled “Latency of the crisis.”


1984 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friedrich Kratochwil

How do norms influence choices in social life? Conceptual distinctions among types of norms and suggestions in the work of Hobbes, Hume, and Durkheim help us investigate in greater detail the “woolly” concept of regimes in international relations. When we disaggregate the “set of explicit and implicit norms, rules, and decisionmaking procedures” in a given issue area and focus on the conceptual links between rules, principles (norms), and actions, we gain an understanding of the role of norms in social life that is more comprehensive than the understanding provided by traditional accounts. Furthermore, placing the present regime discussion within wider philosophical traditions enables us to develop a more critical approach to the building of theory in the social sciences, since the use of norms as explanatory devices challenges the predominant positivist outlook in several important respects.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 152-172
Author(s):  
Silvia Cataldi

The subject of participation has been gathering increasing interest from the various social disciplines: from politology to psychology, from urban sociology to evaluation, this concept carries a particular fascination and discussing participatory research has now become an absolute must. However, an adequate reflection on methodologies for analyzing research practices and evaluating hypotheses and effects when setting up actual research relationships has not followed on the tail of this new tendency. This paper arises from that need and aims, through discussion of the main debates that have interested science and sociology, to reevaluate a critical approach towards the analysis of the social relationships that are created during a research investigation. This study starts out as a reflection aimed at analyzing the impact that participation, in all its various forms, can have on the way research is carried out. The originality of this article lies in the proposal of a form of participation, and from this, the expression of a hope for the future of social sciences: that we can aspire towards a dialogical model and towards a new cooperative and emancipatory relationship with the public.


1997 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
Curt Cadorette

This article analyzes the social and religious life of a small town in the south of Peru. Focusing on the celebration of Holy Week, it studies how particular socioeconomic and cultural groups employ Catholic ritual to articulate their self-understanding, both socio-politically and religiously. The essay uses concepts drawn from the social sciences to help elucidate the theological and missiological challenges one faces in a conflictive social environment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 462-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Tolk ◽  
Wesley J. Wildman ◽  
F. LeRon Shults ◽  
Saikou Y. Diallo

AbstractThe social sciences and humanities are fragmented into specialized areas, each with their own parlance and procedures. This hinders information sharing and the growth of a coherent body of knowledge. Modeling and simulation can be the scientific lingua franca, or shared technical language, that can unite, integrate, and relate relevant parts of these diverse disciplines.Models are well established in the scientific community as mediators, contributors, and enablers of scientific knowledge. We propose a potentially revolutionary linkage between social sciences, humanities and computer simulation, forging what we call “human simulation.” We explore three facets of human simulation, namely: (1) the simulation of humans, (2) the design of simulations for human use, and (3) simulations that include humans as well as simulated agents among the actors. We describe the potential of human simulation using several illuminating examples. We also discuss computational, epistemological, and hermeneutical challenges constraining the use of human simulation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-597
Author(s):  
Thanh H. Vuong

Bateson's "Eurêka" has been his application of Russell and Whitehead's theory of types to the social sciences. They had postulated a discontinuity between the levels of the members of a class and a class of classes and so on. Hence a class may not be a member of itself. The cat scratches and the word "cat" does not bite. Confusion between levels, or the signifier and the signified, or the map and the territory, or the menu and the meal, is a sign of disorder. Having been introduced to Bateson's ecology, Anthony Wilden has formulated a theory of contexts, already present in "System and Structure". In order to avoid simplicity through the flattening of social and organic levels into inorganic levels of matter-energy, the theory of contexts suggest the organisation of constraints, complexites, or levels of reality into levels of logical types, using the rule of extinction. It goes on to suggest the use of the rule of commutation to eliminate spurious similarities and inappropriate symmetries which lead to oppositions and Imaginary "contradictions". It is suggested to use Korzybski and Hayakawa's rule of communication in order to get over conflicts due to misperception. To illustrate all of this, we propose to dismanthe the processes which have led to the misunderstanding behind the first Indochinese war of 1946-1954. From one misunderstanding to another, the VPA (Vietnam People's Army), in the 1980's, mobilised at the Kmer-Siamese border, at the door of Thailand who since 1939 has claimed to be the land of the Thais and heir to the Champa empire which was established in 192 and, soon after 1471, was dissolved by the "gnawing" of the Vietnamese peasants in their "long march" towards the South. The most revolting of working, conjugal and international disputes is that which emerge from misperceptions where each party is convinced of its own good will and of the foul bad will of the other. A mutual consent regarding the context, that of metacommunication, may lead to a common signification (consensus) of beings, events and objects.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 209
Author(s):  
Anwar Mujahidin

This paper aims to analyze the results of published research from Indonesian researchers who have the theme of the thematic interpretation of the Qur’an (mawdūi) in the field of humanities. The question is how is the relationship of the Qur’an as a holy book as well as the source of Islamic sciences integrated and interconnected with the social sciences of the humanities. This research is a qualitative library research with a critical approach. The theory used is the epistemology of science and the scientific revolution, so it can be found the relationship between the Qur’an and science which are reflected in the object of research and criticism is made to make the constructive pattern of the Quran interpretation according to the epistemological framework. The results of the study show that there are three patterns of relations between the Qur’an and science. First, the Qur’an is a source of knowledge, in which the Qur’an and theories in the social sciences of the humanities are identical and in line. Second. The Qur’an is a source of universal value. The verses of the Qur’an which relate to the field of study in the social-humanities contain universal axiological values contributing to the construction of the social sciences of the humanities. Third, the Qur’an has a different perspective on an object of science, thus it contributes to build a paradigm of science. Of the three patterns, the second and third patterns can be developed as a pattern of relations between the Qur’an and science. The Qur’an is a social science-humanities paradigm. The relationship between the Quran and the social sciences of the humanities is a dialectical paradigmatic relationship, namely the dialogue between text and context and context to text.[Paper ini bertujuan menganalisis hasil penelitian yang telah terpublikasi dari para peneliti Indonesia yang memiliki topic tafsir al-Quran tematik (mawdūi`) pada  bidang Ilmu Sosial Humaniora. Pertanyaannya adalah bagaimana hubungan al-Quran sebagai kitab suci sekaligus sumber ilmu- ilmu keislaman berintegrasi dan berinterkoneksi dengan ilmu-ilmu sosial humaniora. Penelitian ini adalah jenis penelitian kualitatif kepustakaan dengan pendekatan kritis. Teori yang digunakan adalah epistemologi ilmu dan revolusi ilmu pengetahuan, sehingga dapat ditemukan pola-pola hubungan al-Quran dan sains yang tercermin dalam objek penelitian serta dilakukan kritik untuk membuat pola tafsir al-Quran yang konstruktif sesuai kerangka epistemologi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan adanya tiga pola hubungan al-Quran dan sains. Pertama, al-Quran adalah sumber ilmu, di mana al-Quran dan teori-teori dalam ilmu sosial humaniora adalah identik dan sejalan.Kedua.Al-Quran adalah sumber nilai universal. Ayat-ayat al-Quran yang berhubungan dengan bidang kajian dalam ilmu sosial-humaniora mengandung nilai-nilai universal yang aksiologis berkontribusi terhadap konstruksi ilmu sosial humaniora. Ketiga, al-Quran memiliki cara pandang yang berbeda terhadap suatu objek sains, sehingga berkontribusi untuk membangun suatu paradigma ilmu. Dari ketiga pola tersebut, pola kedua dan ketiga dapat dikembangkan sebagai pola hubunganal-Quran dan sains. Al-Quran menjadi paradigma ilmu sosial-humaniora. Hubungan al-Quran dan ilmu-ilmu sosial humaniora adalah hubungan paradigmatik dialektik, yakni dialog antara teks ke konteks dan konteks ke teks.]


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