Archive
Volume 1, Issue 2 (2010)
Critical Theory after the Rise of the Global South
Boike Rehbein
The end of Eurocentrism in reality and theory leads to the
dilemma of relativism and universalism. As an answer to this dilemma, this paper
proposes in epistemology a kaleidoscopic dialectic that focuses on relations and
family resemblances and in ethics a doubled understanding.
Globalization and war: four paradigmatic views
Kavous Ardalan
Any adequate analysis of globalization and war necessarily requires
fundamental understanding of the worldviews underlying the views expressed with respect to
globalization and war. This paper is based on the premise that any worldview can be associated
with one of the four basic paradigms: functionalist, interpretive, radical humanist, and radical
structuralist. It argues that any view expressed with respect to globalization and war is based on
one of the four paradigms or worldviews. This paper takes the case of globalization and war and
discusses such relationship from four different viewpoints, each of which corresponds to one of the
four broad worldviews. The paper emphasizes that the four views expressed are equally scientific
and informative; they look at the phenomenon from their certain paradigmatic viewpoint; and together
they provide a more balanced understanding of the phenomenon under consideration.
Treading on the fine line between self-sacrifice and
immorality: Narratives of emigrated Georgian women
Margharita Lundkvist-Houndoumadi
Women's migration has been increasingly attracting the attention of
researchers who often focus on the female migrants in the destination
countries. However, parallel to the growing phenomenon of
transnational migration and the subsequent importance of the ties
between migrants and their country of origin, attention has also been
drawn to the family members that migrants leave behind them.
Fear of crime in South Africa: Obsession, compulsion, disorder
Ravi Baghel
This paper proposes a five-factor social psychological model for
understanding the "fear of crime" in South Africa. It argues that this phenomenon goes
beyond fear, and beyond crime and is influence by the social psychological context, and the
recent rapid changes in society. Consequently any attempt to address fear of crime must make an
attempt to address these factors; or else actuarial and spectacular responses shall continue to
offer temporary relief from anxiety, without doing anything to address this phenomenon in the long
term.
Globalized National Elites
Alexander Lenger/Christian Schneickert/Florian Schumacher
Globalization is a powerful process, which fundamentally challenges and changes the contemporary international system. Pandemics, terrorism, natural disasters, economic crises etc. all together form a new kind of global challenge, because no national or international actor is capable of facing these tasks single handed.
Assuming that global collective action is essential to face these problems, the project analyzes the structural determinants of the international system in a first step: the rise of emerging powers in an increasingly multipolar and interdependent international system. Subsequently it focuses on actors capable of facing global challenges within this global environment: the elites.
The goal of the paper is to inquire whether there is one global elite, competing national elites or regional networks of globalized elites.
