A critical approach to Hannah Arendt’s concept of worldliness and its applicability in the social sciences

Human Affairs ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noelia Bueno Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Oral History ◽  
Social Rights ◽  
Virtual Networks ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Intangible Resources ◽  
Political World ◽  
The Social

AbstractThis article will explain and critically examine Hannah Arendt’s concept of worldliness with the aim of clarifying its limitations when it is used in the context of the social sciences, particularly where understanding and contributing to solving the problem of the forced displacement of people are concerned. Arendt defines “worldliness” as “having a world” in the double sense of having a tangible world of references and a political world. Her ideas regarding the worldliness of tribes and stateless people will be discussed and criticized, together with her avoidance of considering the relevance of oral history and oral resources and her position on human rights. Finally, this article proposes that social scientists require a broader conception of worldliness, in which intangible resources like shared oral narratives, virtual networks or shared views of the homeland are not dismissed, and can even serve as a basis for fighting for political and social rights.

scholarly journals EDITORIAL

1993 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. v-viii
Author(s):  
Sayyid M. Syeed
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
New Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Science Framework

This is the tenth year of the existence of AJISS. Starting from a publicationschedule of twice a year in 1984 to three times a year in 1989, itbecame a desk-topped quarterly in 1993. In 1992, due to increased demand,we began printing AJISS simultaneously in Washington, DC, andMalaysia. This year, it will also be published in Pakistan as well as translatedinto Turkish in Turkey, in shii. Allah. We are grateful to AlmightyAllah for our widespread readership and for the contributions sent fromaround the globe.In this issue, we feature two articles on various theoretical aspects ofthe Islamization of knowledge. The first one, by Ibrahim A. Ragab, discussestheory building in the Islamic social sciences. He argues for an alternativesocial science framework based on the Islamization paradigm,which he asserts could integrate both empirical and nonempirical elementsof behavior into a united system of explanation. Exploring the possibilityof using knowledge derived from revelation as a major source in the processof theory building, he encourages Muslim social scientists to drawupon the rich insights derived from the transcendental sources, but onlyafter subjecting the resulting propositions to stringent verification. Ragabassures us that this new model rejects unwanted dogmatism, unwarrantedexclusiveness, and a parochiality that shuns anything that comes by wayof non-Muslims. Muslim social scientists, he opines, will have to reorienttheir critical approach to their disciplines and also acquire a better understandingof the religious sciences: revealed knowledge. This would ensurea Muslim contribution in the social sciences, a contribution that disappearedduring centuries of stagnation in the Islamic ummah.In the second paper, Louay Safi examines the progress of the Islamizationof knowledge project over the last decade. He outlines the generalframework, analyzes the work of its proponents and critics (al Faruqi, alBuff, Rahman, 'AbuSulayman, Arif, Umziyan, Abul-Fadl), and proposesmodifications aimed at overcoming the difficulties inherent in the originalplan. Safi makes it clear at the outset that even though the production of ...

ISLAMIC SOCIAL SCIENCES

1988 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Abul Fadl
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Foundations ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Human Value ◽  
The Social ◽  
Western Values ◽  
Culture Brokers

The need for a relevant and instrumental body of knowledge that can secure the taskof historical reconstruction in Muslim societies originally inspired the da’wa for the Islamizationof knowledge. The immediate targets for this da’wa were the social sciences for obvious reasons.Their field directly impinges on the organization of human societies and as such carries intothe area of human value and belief systems. The fact that such a body of knowledge alreadyexisted and that the norms for its disciplined pursuit were assumed in the dominant practiceconfronted Muslim scholars with the context for addressing the issues at stake. How relevantwas current social science to Muslim needs and aspirations? Could it, in its present formand emphasis, provide Muslims with the framework for operationalizing their values in theirhistorical present? How instrumental is it in shaping the social foundations vital for the Muslimfuture? Is instrumentality the only criteria for such evaluations? In seeking to answer thesequestions the seeds are sown for a new orientation in the social sciences. This orientationrepresents the legitimate claims and aspirations of a long silent/silenced world culture.In locating the activities of Muslim social scientists today it is important to distinguishbetween two currents. The first is in its formative stages as it sets out to rediscover the worldfrom the perspective of a recovered sense of identity and in terms of its renewed culturalaffinities. Its preoccupations are those of the Muslim revival. The other current is constitutedof the remnants of an earlier generation of modernizers who still retain a faith in the universalityof Western values. Demoralized by the revival, as much as by their own cultural alientation,they seek to deploy their reserves of scholarship and logistics to recover lost ground. Bymodifying their strategy and revalorizing the legacy they hope that, as culture-brokers, theymight be more effective where others have failed. They seek to pre-empt the cultural revivalby appropriating its symbols and reinterpreting the Islamic legacy to make it more tractableto modernity. They blame Orientalism for its inherent fixations and strive to redress its selfimposedlimitations. Their efforts may frequently intersect with those of the Islamizing current,but should clearly not be confused with them. For all the tireless ingenuity, these effortsare more conspicuous for their industry than for their originality. Between the new breadof renovationists and the old guard of ‘modernizers’, the future of an Islamic Social Scienceclearly lies with the efforts of the former.Within the Islamizing current it is possible to distinguish three principal trends. The firstopts for a radical perspective and takes its stand on epistemological grounds. It questionsthe compatibility of the current social sciences on account of their rootedness in the paradigmof the European Enlightenment and its attendant naturalistic and positivist biases. Consistencedemands a concerted e€fort to generate alternative paradigms for a new social science fromIslamic epistemologies. In contrast, the second trend opts for a more pragmatic approachwhich assumes that it is possible to interact within the existing framework of the disciplinesafter adapting them to Islamic values. The problem with modern sciene is ethical, notepistemological, and by recasting it accordingly, it is possible to benefit from its strengthsand curtail its derogatory consequences. The third trend focuses on the Muslim scholar, rather ...

From Science as a Vocation to Science as a Game: and the Resulting Loss of Meaning

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mats Alvesson ◽  
Yiannis Gabriel ◽  
Roland Paulsen
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Technical Expertise ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
World Science ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Voice

Against a generalized loss of meaning in society, social scientists find it hard to undertake relevant research that addresses problems facing our world. Science has turned from a vocation aimed at improving the lot of humanity to a careerist game dominated by publishing hits in starred journals. Instrumental rewards replace the passion for discovery and the intrinsic quest for knowledge. Competition among academics and academic institutions, such as journals, universities, and professional bodies, is not intrinsically harmful. Competition in the social sciences, however, is currently resulting in large quantities of formulaic publications, increasing specialization, faddishness, opportunism, and a general ironing out of originality and relevance. Academic authorship and the voice of individual scholars is wiped out as most papers are co-authored by several researchers, each a specialist in his or her area. The result is a devaluation of scholarship and a privileging of technical expertise in narrow disciplinary areas.

The Problem

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mats Alvesson ◽  
Yiannis Gabriel ◽  
Roland Paulsen
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Prestigious Journal ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Academic Researchers ◽  
History Of ◽  
Wide Gap

This chapter introduces ‘the problem’ of meaningless research in the social sciences. Over the past twenty years there has been an enormous growth in research publications, but never before in the history of humanity have so many social scientists written so much to so little effect. Academic research in the social sciences is often inward looking, addressed to small tribes of fellow researchers, and its purpose in what is increasingly a game is that of getting published in a prestigious journal. A wide gap has emerged between the esoteric concerns of social science researchers and the pressing issues facing today’s societies. The chapter critiques the inaccessibility of the language used by academic researchers, and the formulaic qualities of most research papers, fostered by the demands of the publishing game. It calls for a radical move from research for the sake of publishing to research that has something meaningful to say.

Reconsidering American Power

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
American Power ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
The Social ◽  
State Sponsorship ◽  
To Come

Postcolonial studies, postmodern studies, even posthuman studies emerge, and intellectuals demand that social sciences be remade to address fundamentals of the human condition, from human rights to global environmental crises. Since these fields owe so much to American state sponsorship, is it easier to reimagine the human and the modern than to properly measure the pervasive American influence? Reconsidering American Power offers trenchant studies by renowned scholars who reassess the role of the social sciences in the construction and upkeep of the Pax Americana and the influence of Pax Americana on the social sciences. With the thematic image for this enterprise as the ‘fiery hunt’ for Ahab’s whale, the contributors pursue realities behind the theories, and reconsider the real origins and motives of their fields with an eye on what will deter or repurpose the ‘fiery hunts’ to come, by offering a critical insider’s view.

scholarly journals The echr and the Protection of Irregular Migrants in the Social Sphere

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-67
Author(s):  
Sylvie Da Lomba
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
European Convention ◽  
Social Rights ◽  
Irregular Migrants ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
European Court ◽  
Poor Access ◽  
The Social ◽  
International Adjudication

For more than a decade, the Council of Europe has expressed deep concern over irregular migrants’ poor access to basic social rights. With this in mind, I consider the extent to which the European Convention on Human Rights can contribute to protect irregular migrants in the social sphere. To this end, I consider the role of international supervisory bodies in social rights adjudication and discuss the suitability of international adjudication as a means to uphold irregular migrants’ social rights. Having reached the conclusion that international adjudication can help protect irregular migrants’ social rights, I examine the ‘social dimension’ of the European Convention on Human Rights and the significance that the European Court of Human Rights attaches to immigration status. I posit that the importance that the Court attaches to resource and immigration policy considerations in N v. United Kingdom significantly constrains the ability of the European Convention on Human Rights to afford irregular migrants protection in the social sphere.

International Relations an a World of Revolutionary Change

1949 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Easton Rothwell
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
New York ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Revolutionary Change ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Carnegie Corporation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wartime Experience

A PROJECT of collaborative research concerning major world trends affecting international relations has been launched this year at the Hoover Institute and Library. This project has been made possible by a three-year grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.1Beneath the original planning for the project lay the conviction born of wartime experience, that a deeper understanding of the dynamics of international relations could be obtained by pooling the contributions of the social sciences and related disciplines and by taking account of practical experience in the international field. The need for new and more penetrating approaches to international relations had been put by Arnold Toynbee in a few challenging words: “There is nothing to prevent our Western Civilization from following historical precedent, if it chooses, by committing social suicide. But we are not doomed to make history repeat itself; it is open to us through our own efforts, to give history, in our case, some new unprecedented turn.” Natural scientists, as well as social scientists are agreed that any “new unprecedented turn” must be sought in deeper understanding of relations among people and among nations.

The Edwards' Report and the International Relations profession

1988 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Nicholson
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Research Council ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Science Community ◽  
The Social ◽  
Science Community

The Economic and Social Research Council recently published a Report commissioned from a committee chaired by Professor Edwards, a psychiatrist, so that the Council, and the social science community in general, might know what was good and bad in British social sciences, and where the promising future research opportunities lie over the next decade. Boldly called ‘Horizons and Opportunities in the Social Sciences’, the Report condensed the wisdom of social scientists, both British and foreign, and concludes with a broadly but not uncritically favourable picture of the British scene.

SOCIAL HUMAN RIGHTS: GENERAL THEORETICAL CHARACTERISTIC

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyudmyla Bogachova ◽  
◽  
Tetiana Herhulenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Social Rights ◽  
Historical Aspect ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
The Social ◽  
Housing Rights ◽  
Social Code ◽  
The Welfare State

In the article, within the framework of the general exploration of human rights was made an attempt to substantiate the importance of social rights as a separate category of rights that belongs to the «second generation» of human rights and needs analysis within the state and legal reality. Attention was paid to the historical aspect of the development of social rights. The events, that inevitably influenced the emergence, development and ideological justification of the need for recognition of social rights are analyzed, the causal links involved in their formation are also indicated. In publication the connection of social rights with the concept of the welfare state is revealed, the main purpose of this state is to promote the realization of these rights. The fundamental features of this form of organization of government and society make it possible to evaluate the great dependence of the realization of social rights on socially oriented policy and economy of the country. For a deep understanding of the essence and ideas embedded in the content of social rights, the features and characteristics of this category of rights are studied. Attention is also paid to the different approaches to the concept of social rights expressed by researchers in this issue. The sources in which social human rights are legally fixed are considered (the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Social Charter, the Constitution of Ukraine, the German Social Code). Also there is a comparative analysis of the enshrinement of these rights in courses mentioned above. Particular attention is paid to the characteristics of social rights listed in the German Social Code, as well as to the content of the agreement between Ukraine and Germany about cooperation in the social sphere. Great attention in the publication is paid to the studying of events in Ukraine that hinder the realization of social rights. The coronavirus pandemic and military events in the East of the country have negative impact on the implementation of social rights. The statistical data confirming the violation of the housing rights and medical care at present are given. Conclusion is formulated about the need of analyzing social rights as a specialized group of human rights, which have passed a significant historical path of formation and have unique characteristics and features.

Social Capital: Old Hat or New Insight?

2004 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Healy
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Empirical Measures ◽  
Proxy Variables ◽  
Institutional Settings ◽  
Irish Context ◽  
The Social

Following work by James Coleman and Pierre Bourdieu in the 1980s, social scientists from different disciplinary backgrounds have engaged in a debate about the meaning and application of social capital. Questions arise about the coherence, novelty and analytical purchase of the term: there is a risk of overstretching the concept to include too much. Moreover, empirical measures and proxy variables are only very approximately matched to the underlying concept(s). Some applications of the concept lump together different strands of social behaviour and attitude and treats these as universally equivalent or ‘outside’ specific cultures, institutional settings, historical contexts and power structures. It is suggested that these problems cannot be entirely resolved and have parallel examples in all areas of empirical research in the social sciences. However, suggestions are made for greater trans-disciplinary research, dialogue and connection to policy and community practice in an Irish context. We can sum up our position as follows. Social capital has several adolescent characteristics: it is neither tidy nor mature; it can be abused, analytically and politically; its future is unpredictable; but it offers much promise.

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