20 research outputs found
Pandemic Response and the Cost of Lockdowns: Global Debates from Humanities and Social Sciences (Ed. Peter Sutoris, Sinéad Murphy, Aleida Mendes Borges, Yossi Nehushtan)
No full textPandemic Response and the Cost of Lockdowns brings the vast analytical apparatus of the humanities and social sciences to the task of critically analysing the political decisions taken in 2020–21.The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic left little time for critical debate about the impact of lockdowns. Across the world, governments claimed to "follow the science", but they rarely paid attention to the humanities and social sciences. Indeed, the absence of these perspectives is symptomatic of a longer-term trend in the marginalisation of the humanities and social sciences in policymaking and public debate. This book exposes the tragic consequences of this omission in 2020–21 and demonstrates the potential for a different path in the future – a path in which we pay attention to power, complexity, and our biases. The authors establish what these disciplines have to offer in a global emergency and how we can ensure they help us avoid the mistakes of 2020–21 in the future.This original and interdisciplinary book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and researchers throughout the humanities and social sciences, including the fields of philosophy, sociology, anthropology, law, political science, and history, as well as relevant policymakers
The proportionality of lockdowns
No full textProportionality is the test used by courts in the liberal-democratic world to determine the justifiability and legitimacy of repressive state measures. This chapter considers whether the lockdowns imposed in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic were proportionate and thus legally and morally justifiable. It points out three pathologies of the political and public discourse around lockdowns, all of which relate to the final stage of the test, which examines the appropriateness of the balance struck between the severity of the restriction on freedom and the public interest in protecting health and lives. First, by focusing in a one-sided way on the protection of life, the public and political discourse neglected the question of the severity of the restriction on freedom and, relatedly, the costs of lockdowns, in particular their social, medical, psychological, cultural, and economic costs. Second, by de facto placing a taboo on the question of the relevance of the age distribution of the people dying from Covid-19, a proper consideration of this relevant factor was prevented. Third, the considerations that were regarded as determinative in striking the balance between protecting life and guaranteeing freedom, namely the protection of the health services from being overburdened and/or giving preference to human life as the highest value, were normatively unconvincing. Because of the complexity of, in particular, the empirical questions, this chapter and its single author cannot reach a confident conclusion as to the proportionality of the recent lockdowns. It does, however, show that the public and political discourse was biased in favour of lockdowns and offers a doctrinal structure as well as normative reflection on how to conduct the proportionality assessment properly
Misogyny and Intersectionality
No full textTen years on from the speech that stopped us all in our tracks – Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech. Where were you then? And where are we now?Then it was done. After staying silent, I’d had my say. At no time did I feel worked up or hotly angry. I felt strong, measured, controlled. Yet emotion did play its role in the energy of the speech. The frustration that sexism and misogyny could still be so bad in the twenty-first century. The toll of not pointing it out.On 9 October 2012, Prime Minister Julia Gillard stood up and proceeded to make all present in Parliament House that day pay attention – and left many of them squirming in their seats. The incisive ‘misogyny speech’, as her words came to be known, continues to energise and motivate women who need to stare down sexism and misogyny in their own lives.With contributions from Mary Beard, Jess Hill, Jennifer Palmieri, Katharine Murphy and members of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, Julia Gillard explores the history and culture of misogyny, tools in the patriarchy’s toolbox, intersectionality, and gender and misogyny in the media and politics.Kathy Lette looks at how the speech has gained a new life on TikTok, as well as inspiring other tributes and hand-made products, and we hear recollections from Wayne Swan, Anne Summers, Cate Blanchett, Brittany Higgins and others of where they were and how they first encountered the speech.While behaviours may have improved since the misogyny speech, there remains a way to go and Julia Gillard explores the roadmap for the future with next-generation feminists Sally Scales, Chanel Contos and Caitlin Figueiredo to motivate us with that rallying cry: Not now, not ever
Youth and Politics: Is there space for youth in Cabo-Verdean Politics?
Get PDFAll over Africa young people face serious economic, social and emotional challenges in their everyday lives as the generation hardest hit by the failures of neoliberalism (Honwana 2012). In the absence of political role models, this so-called ‘waithood generation’, has rejected traditionally understood notions of political participation associated with representative democracy and are taking the role of active citizens moving away from the ‘myopic obsession’ over voting and party systems.
In Cabo Verde in particular, where politics are characterised by vertical relations of everyday political life and citizen-state interactions, this paper analyses young people as a window to understanding broader socio-political and economic transformations and explore the ways in which these processes of change shape and are being shaped by the young. It highlights how despite all the challenges they face, youth are actively participating in political, social and economic developments and, in the process, constructing their own identities. Thus, departing from orthodox approaches to democracy, this paper considers dissent as central to politics, (Rancière 2011) and questions the viability of the current state of democracy and governance globally. Africa being the ‘youngest continent in the world’ with a median population of around 20 years old (Mo Ibrahim Foundation 2012), what are the implications of these acts of social disobedience and dissent for representative democracy
Women’s Political Presence in Cabo Verde:Are we closing the Leadership Gap?
No full textCentring Cabo Verde—ranked 6th in Africa on the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index—this paper argues that a significant leadership gap persists despite efforts to eliminate gender inequality. Women have historically participated in politics and community mobilization, yet they still face barriers to political office and are disproportionately affected by poverty. While there have been strides in political participation, it is premature to view these gains as indicative of broader acceptance of women’s leadership. The research examines how the male-dominated political establishment instrumentalizes women’s inclusion. Analyzing Afrobarometer data and fieldwork conducted before and after the 2019 Parity Law, the paper highlights that despite important advancements, women's political presence and leadership remain limited, reflecting the centrality of "inclusion calculations" in Cabo Verde's political landscape
Youth Agency in Civic Education: Contemporary Perspectives from Cabo Verde
No full textGlobally, young people have demonstrated a certain level of disenchantment with the way their societies are being governed. Whereas some argue that they have become apathetic and somehow passive bystanders, new trends highlight that the opposite is true in many parts of the world. This paper explores the dynamics of youth groups in Cabo Verde who are acting on their frustrations with the lack of state-led citizenship education and enacting new sites to empower other citizens, foster critical and active citizenship as well as develop capabilities to engage, both individually and collectively, in civic and political activities. Two youth-led initiatives, Djumbai Libertariu and Parlamentu di Guetto, which emerged recently in the capital city Praia, will be analysed as social movements contributing to the emergence of new civic spaces, led by youth, for citizenship education, with the aim of tackling the lack of civil society action and attempting to address issues of general concern through both individual and collective action
Memória e imagem em Atlas de Jorge Luis Borges e em As cidades invisíveis de Italo Calvino
Get PDFDissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Letras, Departamento de Teoria Literária e Literaturas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Literatura, 2018.Esta dissertação analisa dois livros sobre viagens: Atlas , do autor argentino Jorge Luis Borges, e As cidades invisíveis , do autor italiano Italo Calvino. O objetivo do presente estudo é estabelecer as possíveis relações entre memória e imagem na literatura, através do estudo comparativo dessas obras. Para cumprir tal objetivo, o referencial teórico deste trabalho é composto principalmente por teorias e críticas literárias, como as de Roland Barthes, Maurice Blanchot, Ricardo Piglia, Michael Riffaterre e Tiphaine Samoyault. Fora isso, há estudos sobre a memória, incluindo autoras como Aleida Assmann e Frances Yates, e a teoria da fotografia, com destaque sobretudo para os estudos de Philippe Dubois. Depois de uma leitura aproximada aos textos literários e da apreciação do referencial teórico, constata-se que as relações entre memória e imagem funcionam em três estádios interdependentes: imaginação, representação e recordação. A imaginação está vinculada à formação de imagens mentais pelo escritor, antes que este escreva. Já a representação, é o momento em que a imagem é registrada no papel, através das palavras escolhidas para evocá-las. Finalmente, há a recordação, que ocorre quando o registro da imagem pensada pelo autor pode servir como uma forma de resistir à passagem do tempo ou, pelo menos, garantir sua presença nele.This paper analyzes two books about travels: Atlas , by the Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges, and Invisible Cities , by the Italian author Italo Calvino. The goal of this study is to establish the possible relations between memory and images in literature through the comparison of these works. To achieve this goal, the theoretical framework of this research is mainly composed of literary theory and criticism, by thinkers such as Roland Barthes, Maurice Blanchot, Ricardo Piglia, Michael Riffaterre and Tiphaine Samoyault. Other than that, there are studies on memory, by Aleida Assmann and Frances Yates, and photography theory, by Philippe Dubois. After a close reading of the literary texts and the appreciation of the theoretical references, it is noticeable that the relations between memory and image work in three stages: imagination, representation and recollection. Imagination has a link with the mental imagery that the writer creates before he writes. Then, representation happens when that image gets registered on paper, through the words chosen to evoke it. Finally, there is recollection, which occurs when the represented image, once thought by the author, serves as a way to resist the passage of time or at least ensure its presence in it.Instituto de Letras (IL)Departamento de Teoria Literária e Literaturas (IL TEL)Programa de Pós-Graduação em Literatur
Pandemic Response and The Cost of Lockdowns:Global Debates from Humanities and Social Sciences
No full textPandemic Response and the Cost of Lockdowns brings the vast analytical apparatus of the humanities and social sciences to the task of critically analysing the political decisions taken in 2020–21.The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic left little time for critical debate about the impact of lockdowns. Across the world, governments claimed to “follow the science”, but they rarely paid attention to the humanities and social sciences. Indeed, the absence of these perspectives is symptomatic of a longer-term trend in the marginalisation of the humanities and social sciences in policymaking and public debate. This book exposes the tragic consequences of this omission in 2020–21 and demonstrates the potential for a different path in the future – a path in which we pay attention to power, complexity, and our biases. The authors establish what these disciplines have to offer in a global emergency and how we can ensure they help us avoid the mistakes of 2020–21 in the future.This original and interdisciplinary book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and researchers throughout the humanities and social sciences, including the fields of philosophy, sociology, anthropology, law, political science, and history, as well as relevant policymakers.<br/
Bridging the gap? An analysis of gender pay gap reporting in six countries
No full textThe research, by the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London and the Fawcett Society, analysed gender pay gap reporting systems in the UK and five other countries: Australia, France, Spain, Sweden and South Africa. It found the UK ranks joint-last among these nations for the strength of its system, in part because it doesn’t mandate that employers with pay gaps take steps to address them.Researchers scored the countries across 11 indicators, awarding the UK a score of four out of 11 – joint-lowest with Australia. By contrast, Spain, which was graded the best, received a score of eight and a half.The study involved interviews with more than 80 stakeholders in the various countries, including government officials, employers, trade unionists, academics and gender equality advocates, all with in-depth knowledge of gender pay gap reporting systems.Those interviewed in the UK were all but unanimous that organisations with pay gaps need to be compelled to produce action plans with clear goals and timelines, spelling out how they intend to improve hiring practices, progression, promotion and policies around family leave and flexible working, in order to address pay disparities between women and men.The study does, however, praise the UK for the transparency of its reporting system, as well as its high levels of compliance, which enables scrutiny of employers by the public, media and others – but says this pressure is not always enough to drive organisations to action.It says “in the UK there is a transparent system with almost perfect compliance”, and many employers have voluntarily taken action to address their gender pay gaps, but they are under no obligation to do so.The report emphasises the need to change the system “from a monitoring tool to an action tool”, bringing it into line with the recommendation of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women that the UK government encourage employers to take appropriate remedial measures to close pay gaps.Other countries analysed in the report do mandate action, such as Spain and France. In the latter, for example, companies that fail to address identified gender inequalities can face heavy penalties of up to one per cent of company payroll.According to the Government Equalities Office (GEO), between 2017/18 and 2018/19, around half of the gender pay gaps reported by UK employers narrowed. The study says that while this could be taken to suggest the reporting system is having a positive effect, it’s important to recognise that almost the other half of reported pay gaps went in the other direction, widening over the same period – although the short timeframe means it is too early to judge the system’s true impact.A further way to improve the UK system, the study says, would be to lower the minimum employee threshold for reporting gender pay gaps, which at 250 “lies well above” the other countries surveyed, such as Sweden, where the threshold is 10 employees, and Spain, where it is 50.Even if the data might fluctuate more within smaller companies, the move could have an important signalling effect, showing how much gender pay equality is seen as a priority in the UK and increasing the accountability of smaller firms, the report argues.Overall, the study makes the following recommendations to improve UK gender pay gap reporting legislation:Establish a legal obligation to publish action plans.Lower the minimum employee threshold.Introduce automatic fines for non-submission of reports.Increase the capacity of the GEO and Equalities and Human Rights Commission to provide better guidance and support and conduct more rigorous monitoring and analysis of submitted data.The legal analysis of the study was facilitated by TrustLaw, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s global pro bono service, and supported by Bowmans law firm
