Conceptual Foundations of Civilizational Transformations in Contemporary Social Philosophy

Introduction. The relevance of the analysis of civilizational transformations in Russia is explained, first of all, by the vast vicissitudes of its political, economic and socio-cultural development in recent decades. The importance of the topic is growing, since the content of the philosophical problem in the period of building a multipolar world is supplemented by geopolitical components. Methods. The work used historical and dialectical methods, as well as systems analysis. Results. In modern scientific research, the ideas of linear and cyclical development are no longer opposed to each other as rigidly as was customary in the 19th – 20th centuries. The development of the concept of “axial time” by K. Jaspers leads to the idea that local civilizations, throughout their development, undergo significant transformations, while maintaining their own uniqueness. The concept of “civilizational transformations” is closely related to the category of “social transformations” that has developed in the scientific literature, however, it focuses primarily on cultural changes that cover the spiritual sphere of society. Discussion and Conclusion. At present, there is a need to include the concept of “civilizational transformations” in the scientific circulation, which in its most general form describes all possible changes in civilization on the way of its development. Civilizational transformations not only change the social code in the spiritual sphere, but also significantly affect the transformation of social, political and economic institutions.

Chivalry and Knighthood in the Past and Present; Contrasting “Gawain” and Fire Emblem Three Houses

In my paper, I delve into the socio-political dimensions of knighthood and chivalry during the medieval era of Europe through a comparison between the Medieval English poem, “Gawain and the Green Knight,” and the video game, Fire Emblem Three Houses, published in 2019 by Nintendo. Within both texts, I explore chivalry and knighthood as a specific social code and institution of power, both of which are complex constructs beneath its veneer of idealism and romanticism. More prominently however, I discuss the interplay between chivalry as a system of power and one’s humanity. I argue that Three Houses compellingly demonstrates this dynamic through its characters and their interactions together, and shines a light on the reality of individuals beholden to institutional power. Although contemporary narratives may tend to misconstrue the past for dramatic effect, I believe there is value in examining them because they may conversely reveal previously overlooked aspects of historical concepts due to the biases and values of the period.

Communicative Taboos in Modern Business Etiquette

The article examines the features of communicative taboos in business etiquette. The taboo system has protected core values for centuries and has been an unwritten social code. Taboo reflects the foundations of morality, spiritual culture, features of thinking and worldview of individuals and ethnocultural communities. The spheres and nature of taboos are a reflection of the times and cultures of the people and are clearly manifested in the process of intercultural communication. Violation of the most severe taboos can lead to termination of contact. The study found that in the process of intercultural communication, given the similarity of most taboo topics, the degree of categoricalness of their use is different, or the circumstances under which certain topics can be raised are different. In order to comply with the verbal rules of business etiquette valid in one's own or in other cultures and ethnic groups and at the same time ideologically express the necessary meaning, promoting friendly intercultural communication, it is necessary to use a number of ways not to break taboos related to language units. etc. In the case of nonverbal taboos, mutual misunderstanding and non-perception in the process of nonverbal communication usually occurs because a somatic object is used to nonverbally express a certain meaning or perform a certain movement, which cannot be used from the point of view of another culture.

Negotiating the Societal and Cultural Impact on a Perpetrator’s Psyche in Elif Shafak’s Honour

The present study focuses on investigating the behavioral psychology of the protagonist, Iskender as a killer from the text Honour by Elif Shafak, a renowned Turkish novelist. Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (1977) presents the importance of Observational Learning, Imitation, and Modeling in an individual's social learning and personality development. He propounds that behavior, cognition, and other environmental influences: all operate as interacting determinants to influence the development of an individual. Hence, by taking the cognitive framework of Bandura, and by tracking the factors behind the felony committed by Iskender in the name of honor, the researchers have analyzed Iskender’s behavioral psychology and guilt-oriented self. The study showed that Iskender was not criminal by nature but had been forced to act on honor ideology. Honor serves as a social code in Turkish Islamic culture and the analysis shed light on the moral principles or ethos in Turkish society implying that moral degradation and honor-killing practices are an everyday phenomenon in Turkish Islamic culture. The arguments in the study provided a lens to the readers to understand the psyche of the accused; Iskender was a victim of culturally transmitted ideology. Society, culture, and immediate relations served as the powerful influences on him in instigating him to commit this felony. Besides, the analysis exposed the subaltern position of women in Turkish culture. The study is a positive addition to Turkish literature and literature on honor killing.

Quietly queer(ing): the normative value ofsuturaand its potential for young women in urban Senegal

Sutura(discretion, modesty) is a central element in Senegalese Wolof culture that, among other things, promotes feminine honour through chastity, silence with regard to discussing sexuality with elders, and refraining from articulating same-sex desires in general. Consequently,suturais seen as limiting the space for non-normative sexualities. However,lesbiennesin Senegal strategically employsuturato navigate this gender and sexual normativity, whereby they queer the initially heteronormative framework. This article explores how, at the frontiers of international sexual rights activism and its antithetical Islamic social code, young women open new avenues for thinking queer Africa. The article explores young women's diverse tactics to turnsuturafrom a heteronormative framework into a vehicle for queer expression. These women demonstrate the constant yet indeterminate possibilities to negotiate between normative expectations and queer lives. They furthermore propose an alternative to the international queer frontier of overt resistance and protest, and suggest that the silences thatsuturaprescribe are more productive for queering their urban environment. By balancing the simultaneous desires of same-sex intimacies, family life, societal expectations and urban success, these women are pioneers in offering new routes for ‘queering queer Africa’, as Stella Nyanzi has described it.

AFGHANISTAN IN THE IMMEDIATE POST-TRAUMA CASE INVESTIGATING POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE YEARS (2002-2008)

Afghanistan has been ruled under informal arrangements of power for most of its life. Due to conventional politics, political institutions have been less prioritized over time. Historically, Afghanistan has been short of a sound and secured political environment owing to multitudes of problems: geostrategic location, ethnic disorder, the conservative-liberal ideological gap, the sectarian divide, its tribal structure, etc. Afghan code of political conduct is based on longstanding traditions under which matters of local and even national importance are settled by the Jirga (local council) following those rules. The Head of a tribe is always cherished and his words carry weight. The Jirga system still prevails in Afghanistan and the Pashtun belt of Pakistan. Despite being an archaic scheme, the Jirga system has its merits in Afghan’s social and political lives as it decides their day-to-day matters within due space of time, and its assessments are valued because of the tribal social code. In the current political developments following the Bonn Agreement, 2001, the informal provisions of power have been given a legal role as the Loya Jirga approved the Constitution and played an active part in the Interim and Transitional Afghan setups. This research paper presents a short history of power patterns in Afghanistan and studies its current political system at national and sub-national levels.

Arbeitsvermittlung im Spannungsfeld von Dienstleistung und Kontrolle – Eine multimethodische Studie zu Eingliederungsvereinbarungen in der Grundsicherung für Arbeitsuchende

Zusammenfassung Arbeitsvermittler*innen wenden als Street-Level Bureaucrats die Bestimmungen des Sozialgesetzbuches II auf einzelne Bürger*innen an. Sie handeln dabei im Spannungsfeld der institutionellen Logiken von Dienstleistung und Kontrolle, die über die sogenannte Eingliederungsvereinbarung – einem Vertrag zwischen Jobcenter und Arbeitsuchenden – handlungsrelevant werden. Der Beitrag untersucht anhand standardisierter und qualitativer Befragungen von Arbeitsvermittler*innen, wie diese mit dem „doppelten Mandat“ des Dienstleistungs- und Kontrollauftrags umgehen und wie sie die Mehrdeutigkeiten der Eingliederungsvereinbarung in der Interaktion mit Arbeitsuchenden verarbeiten. Die Analyse zeigt, dass Arbeitsvermittler*innen fall- und prozessbezogen kooperative oder direktive Elemente der Eingliederungsvereinbarung akzentuieren. Sie beschreiben jedoch auch Fallkonstellationen, in denen sie ihren Entscheidungsspielraum zum Einsatz der Eingliederungsvereinbarung als unzureichend wahrnehmen oder in denen die Eingliederungsvereinbarung zu einer bürokratisch-leeren Übung wird. Abstract: Job Placement Between Service Provision and Control. A Multi-Method Study on Back-to-Work Agreements As street-level bureaucrats, jobcentre advisors apply the legal provisions of the Social Code II to individual cases. In doing so, they act along the institutional logics of counselling and control, which become relevant for action through the back-to-work agreement – a contract between jobcentre and jobseeker. Based on a standardised survey and qualitative interviews and group discussions in jobcentres, this article examines how jobcentre advisors reconcile the logics of service provision and control in their interaction with clients. It is shown that jobcentre advisors accentuate cooperative or directive elements of the back-towork-agreement on a case-by-case basis. They also describe constellations in which they perceive their discretion regarding the back-to-work agreement as insufficient or in which the back-to-work agreement becomes a bureaucratic and empty exercise.

Die betriebliche Mitbestimmung im Zusammenhang mit Transferleistungen nach §§ 110, 111 SGB III

Measures supporting employment for employees who lose their jobs due to a change in the company or who are not taken on at the end of their vocational training are eligible for funding through transfer payments under Sec. 110, 111 of the Third Book of the Social Code (SGB III). The payments are tied to conditions that must also be fulfilled by employers alone and in cooperation with works councils. The author examines which participation rights works councils are entitled to in this context. In particular, the question arises if employers can be obliged to fulfil the conditions. The author comes to the conclusion that this is possible in social plan proceedings and shows when the conciliation board must establish a transfer social plan.

The linguocultural semantics of the anthroponyms and toponyms in G. Martin’s novel A Game of Thrones and the peculiarities of their translation into Ukrainain

The article analyses the linguocultural features of the anthroponyms and toponyms in fiction and their translation into Ukrainian (linguocultural factor taken into account) basing on G. Martin’s novel A Game of Thrones. The main differences between fiction onyms and real life onyms existing in language are defined. Fiction onyms are influenced by such factors as the cultural and social code, historical information, fiction space, the author’s attitude to this or that phenomenon. It is established that in the analysed novel, the characters’ names contain information about the status and place of living of their owners: the names of those who live in the North are based on old English, Scottish and Welsh names, the wildings get Scandinavian ones, those who live in the South get variants of Roman, Greek and Arabic names. The author often makes speaking names and allusions to real historic personalities. It is pointed out that the world in which the characters of the novel exist has a medieval English colouring, so the characters’ names often look like real names of that period or are their derivatives. Complex toponyms often contain parts of words that can be found among the toponyms of Great Britain and carry certain historic information. A conclusion is drawn about the expressive linguocultural features of the proper names of the novel by G. Martin A game of Thrones which reflect the nationally specific cultural and historic information. Choosing translation means in each case is up to the translator who has to consider the linguocultural factor too, as the translation of fiction onyms is much more difficult than the translation of real proper names. In certain cases, the translation can be called more or less successful but there is no single strategy for rendering authorial proper names that carry semantic and cultural information.

Right to Work in Article 27 of the UNCRPD and “Sweatshops for Severly Handicapped Persons”

In Germany since generations sweatshops for persons with severe handicaps do exist. As to § 56 of the Social Code IX these institutions have to develop, improve, unfold or restore the capabilities of persons with severe handicaps. They are addressed to persons, who are—depending on the manner and severity of their handicap—cannot be employed on the general labour market. They should contribute in sweatshops to a minimum standard of economic production and their transition into the general labour market should be supported.