The Articulation of the Equality and Rights of Women in Bahá’í Discourse and Implementation

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-55
Author(s):  
Wendi Momen

The origins of the Bahá’í concept of the equality of women and men lie in the writings of Bahá’u’lláh. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá developed it further, first in his correspondence with western Bahá’ís and later during his travels in Europe and North America as he spoke to audiences about the social teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. While he was in London in September 1911, he met with suffragettes, among others. On one occasion he asked one visitor why she thought women should have the vote. Her response included a metaphor of humanity being a bird with two wings, male and female, both of which are required if the bird is to fly. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá incorporated this metaphor into his talks in the West and eventually into his writings and it has become an enduring description of gender equality found in many documents.This essay explores how the concepts of the equality of women and men, the rights of women and the advancement of women have been articulated over time in the talks and writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the works of Shoghi Effendi, the writings of the Universal House of Justice and the statements of the Bahá’í International Community. It also considers how these concepts have been applied and developed by individual Bahá’ís and their families, within the Bahá’í community and in its institutions, and how this experience is being shared in public discourse.

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 110-112
Author(s):  
Shabana Mir

When it comes to Muslims in the West, nothing is a more sensational visualsymbol than the hijab. Due to the current Muslim and non-Muslim fixationon it, scholarly examination of hijab and related issues is necessary.The Muslim Veil in North America examines some of its historical, sociological/anthropological, and theological aspects. Part 1 engages with theveil’s hyper-visibility in Canada. Since the book does not engage with theAmerican experience, I am not sure why the title refers to North America.I enjoyed part 2 immensely, and will use it as a reference on the subject.The bulk of this section explores the historical development of the veil’stheological status and nature. This book is different from, say, Maudoodi’sPurdah, which sees the veil in its contemporary form as a product of historicalprocesses.This book is dedicated to diasporic Muslim women, although introductorymaterial in various chapters addresses readers unfamiliar with Islam. Undergraduates will appreciate its accessibility in comparison tomost academic texts, and it will make the subject comprehensible to layreaders. Unfortunately, this means that the book wavers between being anacademic (education, anthropology, and sociology) and a lay read. This isnot because the entire book is tailored to different kinds of readers, butbecause its two parts are rather disjointed. Part 1 addresses a more lay andintroductory social science-related reader with basic information; part 2, onthe other hand, is a highly specialized examination of exegetical and hadithhistory.The editors, in addressing a gaping void in the literature, possiblyattempt to do too much: specialized theology, history, politics, anthropology,and sampling of “voices.” I would have preferred it to be more selective.Also, “let the voices speak” is a commendable approach, but after a certainpoint we should go beyond it. There is also a line between “reportage syndrome,”writing without an adequate theoretical framework, and skillfulacademic writing, which allows contextualized voices to be heard by fellowacademics within the social sciences. I would also have preferred that thetheology and sociology chapters be connected by common threads ...


2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 735-765
Author(s):  
Joanna Bielecka-Prus

Abstract In this article I discuss the social roles of Polish sociologists in the period between 1945 and 1989. Sociologists in Poland are assumed to have constituted a heterogeneous group representing various attitudes towards the political system. Over time, they defined their intellectual role in public discourse differently. This picture remains incomplete without consideration of some crucial aspects: whether there were ways in which sociologists neutralized their participation in building the regime; and the techniques used for evasion and “legal criticism” of the system. The analysis is based on my comments of well-known sociologists published in the press and in books. Issues discussed include the function of sociology, the role of sociologists in a socialist country, and the position of sociology among other sciences and political doctrines.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud PATURET

Under the Ancien Régime in France, the individual was inserted into a legal system of binary classification shaped around masculinity and femininity already used in earlier periods. Roman jurists and after them the medieval canonists refuted the proven existence of both male and female sexes in one body and such an orientation continued in the West under the Ancien Régime. During these times, this physiological feature was assimilated to deviant and condemnable sexual behaviours. The study of several trials against hermaphrodites shows the social embarrassment caused by sexual ambivalent. This strange physiognomy was enough to suggest he was a criminal or a debauchee. Nowadays, French legal system is fortunately milder but remains organized around a unique and defined sex as stated in the birth certificate. Therefore it fails to recognize the concept of third gender. A mental revolution has to rise on this point.


Revista Foco ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 180
Author(s):  
Raphaela Reis Castro Silva ◽  
Isabela Grossi Amaral

Qual é a relação entre o conceito de trabalho e a ciência administrativa? Ou melhor, qual é sentido do trabalho na (ou para) sociedade atual? Essas são as questões que orientam esse ensaio teórico. Essa reflexão nos parece fundamental para a formação do administrador, a fim de que seja possível compreender a função social da ciência da administração no contexto atual da sociedade contemporânea, e principalmente sua atuação crítica e cidadã. O ensaio busca construir pontes entre o surgimento da Teoria Administrativa, a ideia do trabalho nas várias etapas da evolução do ocidente e o conceito atual do trabalho, objetivando promover e estimular um pensamento crítico acerca do sistema das relações de trabalho ao longo do tempo situando historicamente as perspectivas que a ciência da administração sobre, como forma de compreensão dos fenômenos existentes na sociedade e nas organizações. Nesse movimento, percebe-se que a conjuntura atual do trabalho vem se caracterizando pela precarização, informalidade, sobretrabalho, entre outros problemas que aumentam a exclusão social e fazem dos trabalhadores suas principais vítimas, tendo como aporte conhecimentos desenvolvidos dentro da área de administração. Essas transformações significativas apontam para ressignificações dos sentidos do trabalho na (ou para) sociedade atual influenciando nas relações concretas das formas de ser, nas identidades dos sujeitos incluídos e excluídos desse sistema, e também nas formas de ensino e formação desses profissionais, sempre permeadas por discursos ideológicos em consonância com sua época e com a classe que detém, de certa forma, o poder vigente. What is the relationship between the concept of work and administrative science? Or rather, what is the meaning of the work in (or for) the current society? These are the questions that guide this theoretical essay. This reflection seems to us fundamental for the formation of the administrator, so that it is possible to understand the social function of the science of administration in the current context of contemporary society, and especially its critical and citizen performance. The essay seeks to build bridges between the emergence of the Administrative Theory, the idea of work in the various stages of the evolution of the West and the current concept of work, aiming to promote and stimulate a critical thinking about the system of labor relations over time historically the perspectives that the science of the administration on as a way of understanding the phenomena existing in society and in organizations. In this movement, one can perceive that the current situation of work is characterized by precariousness, informality, overwork, among other problems that increase social exclusion and make the workers their main victims, having as contribution knowledge developed within the area of administration. These significant transformations point to the re-signification of the meanings of work in (or for) society influencing the concrete relationships of the forms of being, the identities of the subjects included and excluded from this system, and also in the forms of education and formation of these professionals, always permeated by ideological discourses in line with their times and with the class that holds, in a certain way, the prevailing power.


Author(s):  
Zekeriya Eray Eser

Classes forming the social division of labor have changed with the capitalist mode of production. The inheritance from the feudal system is not suitable for the capitalist system. For this reason, the class structure which is suitable for capitalism over time has taken place in many societies. This transformation has become more difficult, especially in the late capitalist countries. This chapter examines class structures of some late-capitalist countries outside Europe and North America. Latin America, Japan, South Korea, and Turkey have historically been studied before and after periods of capitalism. While some countries have successfully completed and managed to develop their class transformations under difficult conditions, some countries have failed. Along with an unsuccessful transformation, new classes have emerged which have preventive effects on the development target. It is difficult for the countries that cannot make their class structure compatible with the capitalist system and the development target.


2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 140-156
Author(s):  
Alexander Vasyaev ◽  
Viktor Shestak

The article subject is cyberbullying and cybermobbing. The emphasis is placed on the legal practice of combating cyberbullying and cybermobbing issues in developing countries, since these phenomena are still insufficiently studied. The developing countries legislation is compared with doctrinal and practical developments in the fight against the studied problem in developed countries of the West and former USSR. Experiment was conducted to determine the methods effectiveness to combat cyberbullying using the social networks built-in extensions. 40 random accounts were taken in equal parts related to "male" and "female" representatives, from 18 to 30 years old. The article indicates cyber-mobbing and cyberbullying concepts and their varieties, existing in modern world. The study examines statistical data, programs and measures of different states in fight against cyberbullying and cyber-mobbing. Experiments results showed that Instagram users are aware of the built-in extensions availability of the social network to protect against cyberbullying and use them relatively frequently. With that, female segment of Instagram users is more concerned about comments content under their photos than the male one. Measures have been developed to prevent and counteract cyberbullying and cybermobbing, introduction of which into the states policies might help in the fight against these social phenomena.


Author(s):  
Gráinne de Búrca

This chapter examines the struggle for women’s rights and gender equality in Pakistan in recent decades through the lens of the experimentalist account of human rights. It describes the work of women’s groups and other activists in Pakistan to advance the rights of women in a highly patriarchal political and social system, and their engagement over time with international human rights law and institutions as part of those efforts, in particular the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Activists have drawn on the support of transnational networks and have used international human rights institutions, including CEDAW as well as the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council, to increase pressure on governmental and other domestic actors to introduce change. Despite the huge scale of the social and political obstacles facing their efforts at reform, many significant changes have been introduced as a consequence of domestic mobilization and engagement. The chapter outlines some of these contested legal and political processes over time and the reforms that have gradually been brought about, as well as the limitations they have confronted.


2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-449
Author(s):  
Rosangela Werlang ◽  
Jussara Maria Rosa Mendes

This literature review deals with death and the changes in its concept and meanings over time, aiming to relate this to the different social organizations and issues that involve individuality and human finitude. It intends to arouse the reflection about this theme respected by all of us, and related to our own contingency. In this sense, the article provides several perspectives through different authors' voices, seeking to understand how we arrived at this contemporary stage where death must be forgotten at any cost. It is a forbidden subject even inevitably being part of our daily lives, and its guardians must increasingly insure the non-participation and non-involvement of the people. Therefore, understanding the past stages of death, from its proximity to its banishment from the social life, is a necessary condition to analyzing our own end, and the end of our own individuality.


2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Hirshleifer ◽  
Siew Hong Teoh

AbstractEvolved dispositions influence, but do not determine, how people think about economic problems. The evolutionary cognitive approach offers important insights but underweights the social transmission of ideas as a level of explanation. The need for asocialexplanation for the evolution of economic attitudes is evidenced, for example, by immense variations in folk-economic beliefs over time and across individuals.


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