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Theorising the politics of famine: Bangladesh in 1974
Get PDF1974 saw the first - and last - famine in independent Bangladesh. The disaster killed two per cent of the population and caused a crisis of legitimacy for the new leadership. Its catastrophic aftermath saw the emergence of an agreement among ruling elites and citizens that protection against mass starvation was a priority for the legitimation of political rule. This article draws on the 1974 Bangladesh famine to revisit theories of the politics of famine at a time when episodes of mass starvation are on the rise. The effort at theory-building draws specific attention to how to incorporate the geopolitics of famine and humanitarian relief into the analysis of the political reasons famines occur or are not prevented
The Never Fixed Chinese Characteristics: The Agential Cut of American, Japanese and Chinese Scholars
Get PDFArthur Smith’s Chinese Characteristics (1890) elicited varied responses in the US, China, and Japan. However, scholars often overlook Shibue Tamotsu’s Japanese translation. This paper addresses why Tamotsu’s work has been neglected and examines how Smith’s book has been interpreted in these three countries. Using Karen Barad’s theory, it argues that Chinese Characteristics and its interpretation represent an entangled canvas of experiences and relations, offering a complex view of East-West and intra-East Asian dynamics. The paper advocates for cross-temporal and spatial dialogue by analysing the unique interpretations shaped by different agents
Making Girls and Boys in Twentieth-Century China
No full textThis chapter explores the making of girls and boys in twentieth-century China, utilizing sources produced between the 1910s and the 1970s. Prescribing how to raise or educate “new” subjects, these materials outlined the ideal child persona: the rescuer or constructor of China. According to a template proposed to boys and girls across political regimes, these prototypes of rejuvenated subjectivity were characterized by industrious vigor, techno-scientific competence, patriotism, and group commitment. Emphasizing traits that we now code as masculine, the ideal child persona may appear to have been gendered male. Yet, this culturally contingent reading would assume the disappearance in twentieth-century China of earlier gendering processes, in which role and position could sometimes matter more than bodies. Suggesting instead its persistence, this chapter argues that the ideal child persona—whether boy or girl—is best understood as gendered outer, because of the public, conspicuous positioning that its exemplary roles entailed
From Conflict to Mutuality: Adopting Values Beyond Our Horizon
No full textChapter 4 introduces four steps for adopting values beyond our horizon: Navigate Cross-Cultural Conflict, Recognize New Values, Acknowledge Differences Through Reflection, and Add New Values to Your Intercultural Repertoire—outlining an inclusive and dynamic approach to incorporating new values into existing cultural frameworks. The chapter also discusses how conflicts arising from cultural differences can be transformed into learning opportunities. Misunderstandings stem from differing communication styles, social expectations, and power dynamics shaped by historical and political influences. By recognizing these sources of conflict, individuals can develop cognitive flexibility, empathy, and a deeper appreciation for diverse perspectives. Approaching conflict with openness and a willingness to learn helps transform tensions into valuable learning experiences. Ultimately, learning, recognizing, and adopting values beyond our horizon helps us evolve into more adaptable and inclusive individuals who can thrive in diverse environments with people from different cultures and backgrounds
Legal security of consumer personal data in the digital service space: A comparative analysis
No full textObituary, In Memoriam: Elizabeth Howard Moore (1949–2024)
No full textThe name Elizabeth, née Howard, Moore is one that is likely very familiar to many readers of the Journal of the Siam Society. She not only published in JSS on several occasions (see the reference list at the end), she was also an active scholar in Thailand throughout the course of her career, making significant contributions to the study of this country’s art and archeology. At the time of her passing on 13 January 2024, Elizabeth was Emeritus Professor in the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology, School of Arts, SOAS, University of London
Female Labour Force Participation and the Care Economy: The Case of Egypt
Get PDFAccording to official data sources, The MENA region has one of the lowest recorded female labour force participation rates (FLFPR) in the world, averaging 20.2% in 2022 (World Bank, 2024).There is no scarcity in research that attempts to understand the factors behind this, much of which has focused on the role of education, marriage, and cultural constraints on the ‘supply-side’ while others demonstrated the importance of demand-side factors and macro-level variables such as labour laws and the particular structural transformation of countries in the MENA region. With time, however, a “paradox” has emerged – namely the lack of responsiveness of the FLFPR despite the general improvement in factors previously identified in the literature as being determining factors of the FLFPR (Assaad et al., 2020). This paradox has encouraged the expansion in consideration of other variables that were not traditionally explored in the literature, with the role of care and unpaid work gaining particular attention. So far, the general narrative in the literature is that given the severe uneven gendered distribution of unpaid care work responsibilities in the region, women are faced with a binary between unpaid care work at home versus paid work outside the home. The uneven burden of care shouldered by women then results in their low and stagnant FLFP rate. Investment towards the expansion of the care economy is thus being widely proposed as a means to facilitate women’s increased labour force participation. However, many important elements of this supposed relationship and binary between paid and unpaid work are yet to be explored. The literature is still missing a detailed mapping of how care is organised on the ground in MENA countries. Without understanding how care is organised it is impossible to confidently conclude how this affects women’s work-related decisions. The other missing angle in the literature is the lack of acknowledgment and analysis of the level of heterogeneity among women in the MENA region so that current analyses tend to treat women as a homogenous group in terms the factors determining FLFP. With these gaps in mind, the contribution of this thesis is two-fold. First, it attempts to provide an overview of how care is organised in a case study MENA country, Egypt, focusing on childcare as a crucial element of the care economy. It then reassesses how childcare affects women’s participation decisions, but with an added layer of analysis: class. Thus, providing a deeper – duallayered – analysis of this relation. To address pre-existing gaps and achieve the objectives set out, the thesis incorporates a mixed methodology approach. Labour Market surveys (ELMPS) are quantitatively analysed in the first instance, and semi-structured interviews then provide a new source of information to address questions that do not currently have adequate quantitative measures. The results of this thesis highlight the importance of considering the intersectionality of variables. We find that class structures affect both how childcare is organised as well as how childcare affects women’s participation decisions. We find that commodified childcare mainly exists in the form of nurseries in Cairo and that these are relatively widespread in quantity and available at all price points. Consequently, we find that while the lack of support for affordability persists and hinders people’s access to high quality childcare services, it does not mean that households are not utilising any form of childcare services, 4 which is particularly true for lower-class households. Rather, the findings also show that the current narrative in the literature (i.e. that childcare influences women’s participation in the labour market) is mainly representative of women from the middle-class groups. On the contrary, the lack of access to affordable and good quality childcare options is not necessarily a determinant of FLFP for lower-income groups, instead it is the women’s participation status that dictates what childcare is used. It is also not a direct influencer of FLFP decisions for women from wealthier groups as their decisions are strongly steered by each choice’s ability to act as a social status marker in society. Overall, the implications of these results are that investments towards the expansion of the care economy may not yield the expected effect on the FLFP rate that is born out of the current narrative in the literature. Instead, this thesis serves as a reminder to consider the heterogeneity of populations and the need to expand policies to accommodate the realities of different target groups
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