Wittgenstein and Phenomenology: Controversies of the French Interpretation

The author of the article focuses on the matter of Wittgenstein's philosophy reception in France. The reception of Wittgenstein's philosophy was quite late and led to different, sometimes opposite interpretations of his thought, even among French analytical philosophers. Applying a sociological approach to the problem of reception, the author identifies factors that hindered the penetration of the ideas of analytical philosophy in France, including the powerful institutionalization of philosophy in France with its inherent traditionalism and conservatism, fully expressed national character of French philosophy, as well as the extremely polemical character of French analytical philosophy, the transformation of the choice of this tradition of philosophizing into an ethical and political choice. These factors are illustrated by an analysis of Wittgenstein's conflicting interpretation of Jacques Bouveresse and Sandra Laugier. If the first creates an image of Wittgenstein as Anti-Husserl, blaming the phenomenologist for ignoring ordinary language, the second proposes a phenomenological reading of Wittgenstein's ideas using the philosophy of ordinary language. The article shows how opposing interpretations of Wittgenstein's philosophy reproduce the internal conflicts of the French philosophical field.

Multilingualism at the multiplex: a new audience for screen translation?

The phenomenon of subtitling as an aesthetic or political choice within a film, rather than a strategy for the transfer of a complete work, merits further examination at a time when filmmakers are increasingly including substantial segments of subtitled dialogue in mainstream films. The potential impact of this trend on an audience assumed to be resistant to screen translation is considerable. Despite important reservations, it is argued here that the growing visibility of translation within mainstream cinema has the potential to create space for certain forms of resistance to the dominance of English in the entertainment market, and promote the development of a ‘multilingual imagination’ in multiplex cinemagoers.

Between Normative Power and Soft Power: the Psagot case

The Psagot judgment, handed down by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) in 2019, provides that products originating in Israeli settlements in territories Israel occupied during regional wars, exported to the EU, should be labelled as such, to allow consumers make an informed political choice. This article argues that the Psagot judgment thus reinforces normative, 'top-down' governmental power with soft, 'bottom-up' consumer power. Psagot's implications for Israel-EU relations is discussed along with the effectiveness of the EU approach in the short and longer terms.

The Unequal Pandemic

This accessible, yet authoritative book shows how the pandemic is a syndemic of disease and inequality. Drawing on international data and accounts, it argues that these inequalities are a political choice and we need to learn quickly to prevent growing inequality and to reduce health inequalities in the future.

Firmer Roots of Ethnicity and Nationalism? New Historical Research and Its Implications for Political Science

Among social scientists, constructivism has long reigned supreme in the study of ethnicity, nationality, and nationalism. Accordingly, scholars have highlighted the role of cultural framing and political choice in the definition of ethnic categories, their fluidity, and their flexible boundaries. Conversely, they have deemphasized the historical roots of ethnicity and depicted nations as the contested products of nationalist movements and political leaders and as (merely) “imagined communities” (Anderson 1991). Although constructivism encompasses a broad gamut of theories that differ in the malleability ascribed to ethnicity (Chandra 2012, 19–22, 139–49), recent authors have emphasized its susceptibility to change by highlighting manipulation by political-electoral entrepreneurs (Wilkinson 2012) and focusing on “identity in formation” (Laitin 1998), “ethnicity without groups” (Brubaker 2004), and “imagined noncommunities” characterized by “national indifference” (Zahra 2010).

Peran Elite Adat Pada Pilkada Kabupaten Pinrang 2018

The study aims to discover (1) the reasons for the indigenous elite to get involved in the 2018 pre-Pilkada in Pinrang district, (2) the role of the indigenous elite in the 2018 Pilkada process in Pinrang district, (3) the adaptation process for the indigenous elite after the 2018 Pilkada in Pinrang district. This study employed qualitative approach, which described descriptively with data collection techniques used were observation, in-depth interviews, documentation, and literature study. The subject selection technique used was purposive sampling. The subjects of the study were 11 informants. The data validity of the study employed triangulation techniques. Based on the results of the study, several findings are discovered, namely, the role of the indigenous elite in the 2018 Pilkada in Pinrang distirict is not merely limited to the pre-Pilkada but also in the process and after Pilkada is carried out. The reasons for the indigenous elite to get involved in the 2018 pre-election in Pinrang district are to maintain the image, charisma, and position held by the indigenous elite and as a form of proof that the indigenous elite is the manifestation of a leader. The role of the elite in the 2018 Pilkada in Pinrang district is to become the center for regional mapping which is the basis of support, the indigenous elite which is the generality of winning the area where it is located is an instant strategy for the winning team for regional head candidates to win the Pilkada. Apart from that, another role of the indigenous elite is to become a patron for the masses who take sides and believe that the political choice of the indigenous elite is their political choice. The adaptation process of the indigenous elite after the 2018 Pilkada in Pinrang district is a form of response of indigenous elite after Pilkada where the conditions are winner and losers. This adaptation process is filled with various approaches to get the best position in government and for the losing party will try to approach freedom from political sanctions and still get respect and trust from their masses.

Explaining political choice: prospects for economic theory

The goal of the article is to demonstrate the potential of the economic theory in political choice as opposed to market choice. The article analyzes the input of economic theory to analyzing political choice. The following research objectives were set: (a) to highlight the development of the modern economic theory with regard to political choice with special semphasis on studies dealing with transition nations; (b) to demonstrate relevance or irrelevance of economic voting concept under conditions of modern Ukraine; (c) to find out how the information imperfectness and its comprehension by consumers in the political market affect the resulting choice. The scope of this study extends to an individual’s choice within the political market, and a subject is its distinctiveness under conditions of transition society. It is shown that political choice is characterized by inherent irrationality that gives space to different ways of external influencing voter preferences. The author proves that the economic vote is not present in the Ukrainian political context.

The Political Choice of Orthodox Believers in Russia: Strengths and Limitations of Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches to Research

Previous studies have shown that religiosity is a heterogeneous concept combining identities, practices, and beliefs. At the same time, most of these studies are based on a quantitative methodology. It allows a relationship between religiosity and the political choice of believers to be found, but imposes a limitation on the analysis. The quantitative methodology does not control the interactions of aspects of religiosity, and cannot explain the discovered relationships. This paper proposes an alternative research strategy, specifically, (1) the proposed model allows an analysis of the multiple influences of both religious and non-religious identities, practices and beliefs, and that (2) the qualitative data collected from in-depth interviews with believers complements previous research of the mechanisms of religious influence on political choice. A subjective assessment of one’s position and the actions of the authorities are the most important aspects to the voter (the role of beliefs). An assessment leads to a political choice when (1) a group-identity intensifies the significance of the political problem and poses questions for the individual, and (2) a set of norms and practices provides clues on how to solve a problem. An empirical test of the model was carried out in 2019 in three settlements in the Lipetsk region. The findings illustrate the sufficient potential of the chosen research strategy. The different political choice among respondents, who were expected to have the same political attitudes by quantitative indicators, are explained through the choice of motives and context.

First Names in a Social Context

In this paper, the influence of social change on the Croatian fond of first names is addressed. Once, first names served to indicate the belonging of an individual to a certain linguistic, religious or ethnic community; socio-political circumstances or affiliation with a place of origin were reflected in them, or they were a declaration of a certain social consciousness or political choice. From the second half of the 20th century onward, they have more often come to reflect individualization, and changes in the frequency of certain first names have become more evident. Male first names are more traditional and susceptible to the rules of inheritance, even though social circumstances are more strongly reflected in them, while female names are more open to more frequent change and to foreign linguistic systems.