Whilst there are many apparent similarities between the rhetoric of ‘Localism’ in England and that of ‘Community Empowerment’ in Scotland, a closer look reveals striking contrasts in the ways that these policies have been developed and what they mean in practice.
The strategy of gender sensitisation encourages critical reflection on prevalent assumptions to mount a challenge to gender stereotypes. Can it undermine embedded beliefs? The success of gender sensitisation programmes in contexts such as Zambia is an urgent question.
The education system, recovering from economic crisis, increasingly obsesses itself with downsizing and rationalising, with “student learning outcomes” determined by test scores and the job market. Now, more than ever, we need to return to Adorno.
In 1999, the EU embarked on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, not recognising that, left to their own devices, the judges would ultimately be overcome by the material forces and zeitgeist that put the interests of the markets before the rights of individuals.
In recent months, Turkey appears to have significantly receded from its previous commitment to separation of powers in its parliamentary democracy.
The Arab Spring was caused by a multitude of factors (economic, political, social, cultural and religious), but its origins also lay in belief. Not a singular belief, but a collective, multifaceted belief that liberation is not only needed, but also possible.
Though my writing is an intellectual exercise, the war itself has been a very real thing. Tomorrow, as the representative of my village, I will be attending the funeral of a twenty-two year old officer severely wounded two days ago.
A tribute to an intellectual mentor and great friend to openDemocracy.
Led by the self-proclaimed caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (b.1971), ISIS promotes itself in Iraq and globally as a purified expression of original Islam.
People are no longer content simply to take part in elections and to delegate all their power to political representatives. If Europe wants to create a direct link with the people, there is no other solution than to put the latter in a position to communicate with it.
