scholarly journals Racial ideologies, State bureaucracy, and decolonization in Bolivia

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 7-28
Author(s):  
Marcelo A. Bohrt
Keyword(s):  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Central State ◽  
The Public ◽  
Republican Period ◽  
Racial Ideologies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Symbolic Structure ◽  
State Bureaucracy ◽  
Early Republican ◽  
The Relationship

Race has shaped the development of the Bolivian state and its institutions albeit with important transformations in the social and political meaning of race. This paper discusses the racialization of the central state bureaucracy in Bolivia along these two dimensions: the distribution of bureaucratic resources and the assumptions and meanings that underpin bureaucratic hierarchy and spaces. It first discusses the relationship between the modern state and the concept of race, and conceptualizes the ethnoracial bureaucracy as a material and symbolic structure. Next, it examines the composition of the public administration sector overall and across the bureaucratic hierarchy in 2001, before the MAS-IPSP’s rise to power. Last, it surveys the narratives of race and nation that Creole and white-mestizo state elites historically mobilized in demarcating the boundaries of state power around whiteness. In contemporary Bolivia, the production of alternative official narratives of race and nation seeks to blur the boundary between indigeneity and statecraft (re)produced since the early republican period, and to legitimize the changing ethnoracial composition of the bureaucracy. The durability of the project is not guaranteed as the sediment of history and competing political projects weighs heavy on this process of transformation and negotiation.  

scholarly journals Quantification and classification in education: What is at stake?

2021 ◽  
pp. 147821032110320
Author(s):  
Ann Christin Eklund Nilsen ◽  
Ove Skarpenes
Keyword(s):  
Sociology Of Knowledge ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Social Phenomenon ◽  
Ian Hacking ◽  
The Public ◽  
Statistical Knowledge ◽  
The Social ◽  
State Bureaucracy ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Different Levels

Histories of statistics and quantification have demonstrated that systems of statistical knowledge participate in the construction of the objects that are measured. However, the pace, purpose, and scope of quantification in state bureaucracy have expanded greatly over the past decades, fuelled by (neoliberal) societal trends that have given the social phenomenon of quantification a central place in political discussions and in the public sphere. This is particularly the case in the field of education. In this article, we ask what is at stake in state bureaucracy, professional practice, and individual pupils as quantification increasingly permeates the education field. We call for a theoretical renewal in order to understand quantification as a social phenomenon in education. We propose a sociology-of-knowledge approach to the phenomenon, drawing on different theoretical traditions in the sociology of knowledge in France (Alain Desrosières and Laurent Thévenot), England (Barry Barnes and Donald MacKenzie), and Canada (Ian Hacking), and argue that the ongoing quantification practice at different levels of the education system can be understood as cultural processes of self-fulfilling prophecies.

Reading inquiry through the prism of unemployement

2020 ◽  
pp. 201-216
Author(s):  
Guillaume Heuguet
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Science Inquiry ◽  
The Political ◽  
Social Rights ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Role ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship

This exploratory text starts from a doctoral-unemployed experience and was triggered by the discussions within a collective of doctoral students on this particularly ambiguous status since it is situated between student, unemployed, worker, self-entrepreneur, citizen-subject of social rights or user-commuter in offices and forms. These discussions motivated the reading and commentary of a heterogeneous set of texts on unemployment, precariousness and the functioning of the institutions of the social state. This article thus focuses on the relationship between knowledge and unemployment, as embodied in the public space, in the relationship with Pôle Emploi, and in the academic literature. It articulates a threefold problematic : what is known and said publicly about unemployment? What can we learn from the very experience of the relationship with an institution like Pôle Emploi? How can these observations contribute to an understanding of social science inquiry and the political role of knowledge fromm precariousness?

Envisioning an Ideal Christian Family in Republican China

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-215
Author(s):  
Yun Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Active Role ◽  
Republican China ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Republican Period ◽  
Chinese Christians ◽  
The Social ◽  
Christian Family ◽  
Early Republican ◽  
Domestic Roles ◽  
Theological Thinking

Abstract Amid debates and discussions on the institution of the family in Republican China, foreign missionaries and Chinese Christians played an active role in promoting an ideal Christian family. This article investigates the three waves of prominent theological thinking that underpinned changing ideals of the Christian family throughout the Republican period: Chinese society’s encounter with the gendered ethics of the Christian community in the early Republican period, discussions of domesticity by Chinese Christians amid the social gospel movements of the 1920s, and discussions of domesticity during the National Christianizing the Home Movement. An exploration of Christian publications on domesticity points to a gendered perspective on women’s domestic roles as well as a male-dominated theological construct that attempted to reconfigure the notion of the Chinese Christian family. The discourse on the ideal Chinese Christian family had both secular and spiritual dimensions, shaped by the dynamic transnational flow of ideas and the development of local theological thinking.

The origins and development of the English diaspora in North America

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Bueltmann ◽  
Donald M. MacRaild
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
English Language ◽  
Republican Period ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
The Social ◽  
Early Republican ◽  
Ethnic Associations ◽  
Migrant Groups

Chapter 1 frames the following discussion of English associations and ethnic activities by charting English migration to North America from the mid-1700s. The earlier emigrants carried with them cultural characteristics, habits and customs that were critical in shaping the social and civic life that marked the English as foundational and invisible within America society. We problematize existing scholarship and challenge the assumption that the hegemony of the English language and the early immigrants’ foundational context provided all subsequent English migrants with a permanent and unchanging advantage over other migrant groups by default. Ordinary English migrants faced the same challenges and hardships as any other group; working-class immigrants in particular dealt with many common economic pressures regardless of their origins. Ultimately, the English had much in common with those of other backgrounds. The English settled in all colonies, counties and states; they were loaded towards the urban and industrial areas, but the focus upon the north-east—in both the colonial and early Republican period, as well as north of the border in what was to become Canada—gradually gave way to greater diffusion: a diffusion in line with the spread of ethnic associations. In the nineteenth century, English-born immigrants—the mainstay of English ethnic associations—came to be hugely out-numbered by several immigrant groups, most notably the Irish, with whom innate tensions were reprised in the new country. Chapter 1 explores such factors as a frame for the study that follows.

scholarly journals What Do ‘We’ Know That ‘They’ Don’t? Sociologists’ versus Non-Sociologists’ Knowledge

2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 671-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Mesny
Keyword(s):  
Social World ◽  
Public Sociology ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Public ◽  
The People ◽  
Embedded Knowledge ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status ◽  
Critical Policy ◽  
The Relationship

This paper attempts to clarify or to reposition some of the controversies generated by Burawoy’s defense of public sociology and by his vision of the mutually stimulating relationship between the different forms of sociology. Before arguing if, why, and how, sociology should or could be more ‘public’, it might be useful to reflect upon what it is we think we, as sociologists, know that ‘lay people’ do not. This paper thus explores the public sociology debate’s epistemological core, namely the issue of the relationship between sociologists’ and non-sociologists’ knowledge of the social world. Four positions regarding the status of sociologists’ knowledge versus lay people’s knowledge are explored: superiority (sociologists’ knowledge of the social world is more accurate, objective and reflexive than lay people’s knowledge, thanks to science’s methods and norms), homology (when they are made explicit, lay theories about the social world often parallel social scientists’ theories), complementarity (lay people’s and social scientists’ knowledge complement one another. The former’s local, embedded knowledge is essential to the latter’s general, disembedded knowledge), and circularity (sociologists’ knowledge continuously infuses commonsensical knowledge, and scientific knowledge about the social world is itself rooted in common sense knowledge. Each form of knowledge feeds the other). For each of these positions, implications are drawn regarding the terms, possibilities and conditions of a dialogue between sociologists and their publics, especially if we are to take the circularity thesis seriously. Conclusions point to the accountability we face towards the people we study, and to the idea that sociology is always performative, a point that has, to some extent, been obscured by Burawoy’s distinctions between professional, critical, policy and public sociologies.

Cooking Up American Politics

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 53-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
nancy siegel
Keyword(s):  
Early Nineteenth Century ◽  
Domestic Ideology ◽  
Domestic Environment ◽  
Republican Period ◽  
The Social ◽  
Late Eighteenth ◽  
National Sentiment ◽  
New Nation ◽  
Early Republican ◽  
Social Act

Cooking Up Politics explores the expression of nationalism in the early republican period of American history through analysis of the domestic environment. This includes the development of American recipes, the patriotic ornamentation of imported ceramics and furnishings, and the role played by women as culinary activists who furthered the causes of republican values through a domestic ideology in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. In particular, this study addresses the naming of recipes in American cookery books, reflective of the growing interest in national sentiment. Recipes for Independence cake, Election cake, and the Federal pan cake, developed by authors such as Amelia Simmons, demonstrate that the meaning associated with food consumption and the social act of gathering to dine could be not only familial but patriotic as well. Such a nationalistic association with food allowed women to create a unique means to express their commitment to the new nation, thus linking language with food.

LEARNING TO READ (AGAIN): THE SOCIAL EXPERIENCES OF TURKEY'S 1928 ALPHABET REFORM

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 677-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hale Yılmaz
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Personal Narratives ◽  
Social Experiences ◽  
The State ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Republican Period ◽  
The Social ◽  
Early Republican ◽  
Repressive Regime

AbstractThis article reconsiders Turkey's 1928 alphabet reform by shifting the focus from the state to the social experiences of alphabet change. Rather than assuming an obedient and indifferent public silently following the decrees of an authoritarian and repressive regime, it explores the actual processes, institutions, and lived experiences of the alphabet reform by drawing on a variety of sources, including unpublished archival evidence and personal narratives collected through oral interviews. It draws attention to the multiplicity of experiences of learning to read and write (the new letters) as well as to the persistence of the Ottoman script; it also examines the variety of ways that state authorities dealt with this persistence. The analysis of this particular reformist measure has implications for understanding social change and the emergence of a nationalist culture in the early republican period as well as state–society relations and the nature of the Kemalist state.

scholarly journals The Relationship of Online Discourse on the Values of Bitcoin and Ethereum

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gil Benchlouch
Keyword(s):  
General Term ◽  
Online Discourse ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Insurance Firms ◽  
Positive Traits ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

With technology brazenly breaching through society’s barriers in countless diverse fields, the 21st century has revolutionized many age-old industries. One of the largest areas within society influenced by the progress of technology are the fields of finances, economy, and investment, coupled with the aspect of social influence. With this shift in society parallel to the advancement of contemporary technologies, thus becoming increasingly reliant on the tools made available, the complex yet traditional world of finance has pivoted, becoming contingent upon the use of cutting-edge technologies. This critical shift has introduced the world of Fintech, providing many innovative fiscal opportunities. The coined term, Fintech, is a general term referring to products as services for fiscal activities developed by entities unrelated to banks, insurance firms, nor online companies, providing alternatives to the traditional options available to the general public. (Gulamhuseinwala, Bull and Lewis, 2015). Resultantly of this Fintech trend, one of the largest and most promising fields of contemporary investment is recognized as that of Cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin and Ethereum being the most recognized and heavily traded currencies. Many positive traits can be used to define the novelty of this new economy, with one of the main aspects being its peer to peer (P2P) nature of its trading process. However, beyond the tremendous advancements visible within the process of Cryptocurrency production and trade, one of the most important aspects is the influencers upon the valuation of the different currencies. Similarly to the progression of the economy which has transported the financial world to a digital economy, so has the social world, advancing discourse regarding many topics to the online environment. Thus, it is critical to analyze and assess the nature of online discourse regarding Cryptocurrencies. Explicitly, the chatter preceding to sharp rises and falls with Bitcoin and Ethereum, the most recognizable coins. Additionally, it is imperative to appraise the trends in the behavior and quantity of online discourse prior to a significant drop in Ethereum & Bitcoin.Within the online arena, there are countless different outlets and platforms for people to express themselves in general, or more importantly in this instance regarding the topic of Cryptocurrencies. By using platforms that are designated for discussion regarding financial topics or general social media platforms, the public is provided a critical platform utilized by countless individuals, many of whom are increasingly involved with the aforementioned topics. These platforms stipulate a stage for these individuals, who have become critical by voicing their opinions, thoughts, and experiences. Many of these influencers are sought after for their knowledge, specifically influencing the behavior of others. However, it is critical to evaluate the importance of additional aspects beyond the superficial such as who are the influencers, rather elements such as the content or nature of what is being discussed. Resultantly to trends of content, nature, and volume of what is being discussed in the online arena., people’s behavior regarding investments, specifically within Cryptocurrencies, are very possibly subjected to the influence of others, leading to rises and falls in coin valuation.

scholarly journals What Makes GO-JEK Go in Indonesia? The Influences of Social Media Marketing Activities on Purchase Intention

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-103
Author(s):  
Massoud Moslehpour ◽  
Taufiq Ismail ◽  
Bey Purba ◽  
Wing-Keung Wong
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Brand Image ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
The Social ◽  
Marketing Activities ◽  
The Relationship

This research examines the relationship between social media marketing activities and purchase intention mediated by trust and brand image to confirm the constructs with practical applicability, specifically in a growing online ride-hailing service company. This study employs a quantitative approach with a causal research design to test the proposed hypotheses to identify interrelationships between each pair of constructs. Data collection was performed through a survey of 350 respondents via an online questionnaire as the primary data source distributed to social media users in Indonesia who had experienced using GO-JEK services. In addition, EFA, CFA, SEM, and bootstrapping methods were run to analyze these research data. Social media marketing, trust, and brand image affect consumers’ purchase intention significantly. Among the five dimensions of social media marketing, the findings show that two dimensions—namely, entertainment and word of mouth, bring the most significant direct effect on purchase intention. Trust and brand image mediate the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention. This study suggests practical directions for organizations. First, it reveals the social media dimensions that directly encourage purchase intention among consumers. Second, it explains that trust and brand image can amplify each variable’s influence on the purchase intention among consumers. GO-JEK is an example of the online ride-hailing industry that causes the generalizability issue in different business contexts. Based on our findings, there are some practical directions for GO-JEK. First, it reveals the social media marketing dimensions that directly encourage purchase intention among consumers to use GO-JEK. Second, it explains that trust and brand image can amplify the influence of each variable on consumers’ purchase intention. Very few studies investigated social media marketing’s role in a GO-JEK business model in the Indonesian context. This research delivers in-depth insights into the significant factors that affect Indonesian consumers to decide which product they intend to buy through the influence of social media activities.

scholarly journals Od demokracji bezpośredniej do rządów zgromadzenia? Rousseau i problemy republikańskiego konstytucjonalizmu

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-210
Author(s):  
Rafał Lis
Keyword(s):  
Social Contract ◽  
Direct Democracy ◽  
Popular Sovereignty ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Emergency Measure ◽  
The Government ◽  
Direct Government ◽  
The Relationship

The following article considers the problems connected with the relationship between the principles of the direct democracy and the gouvernement d’assemblée. The values contemporarily ascribed to these principles are often counted among different, sometimes even opposing, traditions of republican constitutionalism. However, the proposed analysis of Rousseau’s thought suggests that the general intellectual tendencies that are attributedto both systems might originally have had a lot in common. Furthermore, they embody the two different republican ways of implementing the very ideas of popular sovereignty and the accountability of the public authorities to the citizens. The undertaken juxtaposition of the contents of the Social Contract and of the Considerations on the Government of Poland may even point to an evolution of Rousseau’s stance. It can be discerned especiallyin the approval in the second work, which pertained to one of the largest European states of that time, as it conveys the need to shift the responsibility for law-making to the assembly of deputies (the Sejm). The proposition of transferring this responsibility to a quasi-representative body corresponds perfectly with the warnings against the abuses of an unchecked executive, which are equally stringent in the Social Contract. This actuallydenoted that Rousseau was ready to accept some sort of gouvernement d’assemblée in large states. In the end however, it did not mark a departure from the ideals of the direct government, especially after taking into consideration Rousseau’s extraordinary appreciation of the institutions of deputy directives and – treated already as an emergency measure – confederation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document