Search Results (846)

This study examines the applicability of Critical Race Theory (CRT) beyond its U.S. American origins by analyzing the intersections of state, nation, race, and education in two distinct sociopolitical contexts: South Korea, and Iran. This manuscript explores how education functions as a genealogical site of power mediating relations among the state, nation, race/ethnicity, and social class in the construction and contestation of national identity. In South Korea, historical and contemporary student movements, from anti-colonial struggles and democratization to the Sewol Ferry protests, illustrate how education has served both as a means for producing normative citizens and as a site for cultivating democratic participants through civic resistance. In Iran, educational institutions intersect with gender, ethnicity, and political authority; within a tightly centralized system, CRT and intersectionality illuminate both possibilities and constraints of critical engagement. By situating these two cases within global debates on racialization, class inequality, and nationalism, this paper contributes to a comparative understanding of education as a contested arena where nations are imagined, challenged, and reconfigured. It contributes to scholarship at the intersection of race, class, and nationalism by offering insights into how the state structures and civic actors co-construct the politics of national identity through education in the 21st century while also highlighting the role of racial experiences in these processes. Full article

Agriculture is a sector that is subject to regulation and far-reaching public intervention, especially in developed countries. In Poland, a country that passed through a system transformation, inclusion in the European Union’s (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) mechanisms and the internal market has resulted in positive and multi-dimensional effects for farmers and rural development. This fact is reflected in the evolution of farmers’ attitudes toward the EU, changing from opposition and distrust to acceptance and support. The purpose of the paper is to trace shifts in the political dynamics surrounding the CAP and EU membership among farmers, and to explore their causes. The findings suggest that, following the most recent policy reform—which involved increased environmental and climate commitments alongside market uncertainty—farmers have begun to lean towards a Eurosceptic orientation once more, whilst simultaneously demonstrating ambivalent attitudes towards the CAP. In light of the fragmented representation, the recent protests highlighted a mobilization of grassroots efforts in the pursuit of farmers’ interests. Hence, a question arises regarding the stability of this critical perspective, particularly in the context of future reforms to CAP as well as the economic and climate-related challenges for sustainable agricultural development. This study is based on a literature review alongside economic and social data derived from surveys and public statistics. Full article

The 10.29 Itaewon Disaster in Seoul, which claimed 159 lives during a Halloween celebration in 2022, has divided Korean Protestant discourse on Halloween into two opposing theological positions: one that interprets Halloween as inherently superstitious and satanic based on its historical origins, and another that embraces it as a contemporary youth cultural phenomenon worthy of protection under principles of cultural diversity. These theological frameworks are intertwined with questions of disaster accountability within the political–historical context of Korean Protestantism’s social engagement, with the former—corresponding to the conservative stream of Korean Protestantism—implicitly attributing responsibility to festival participants while absolving the government, whereas the latter—corresponding to the progressive stream—emphasizes institutional failures in crowd management and public safety protocols. Through comparative analysis with established American Protestant discourse on Halloween, this study examines how Korean Protestant theological interpretations of Halloween intersect with both the specific context of the 10.29 Itaewon disaster and political orientations within Korean Protestantism. The research draws on diverse primary sources, including articles, commentaries, official statements, social media discourse, and sermonic materials, to analyze the emergent Protestant narratives following the disaster. Full article

In the context of early modern Catholic global missions, the Jesuit strategies for proselytizing Protestant heretics within Europe exhibited operational mechanisms distinct from those employed in overseas non-Christian populations. Focusing on the seventeenth-century Jesuit drama Pietas Victrix, this article examines the process by which drama was forged into an ideological weapon serving the project of constructing legitimacy during the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Research demonstrates that Jesuit drama transcended the purely esthetic sphere of literature and art, becoming a propaganda tool that integrated Tridentine dogma, anti-Protestant polemics, and the sacralizing narratives of the Habsburg dynasty. In the play, the Jesuit Nicolaus von Avancini (1611–1686) converts abstract politico-theological ideas into tangible political loyalty through narrative strategies and the coordinated use of multiple art forms, mobilizing sensory spectacle and the affective force of total work of art within the Habsburg court—the empire’s core political arena—to reconfigure confessional identity, contest ideological leadership, and accumulate crucial social legitimacy for both the Habsburgs and the Society of Jesus. This paper contends that Jesuit drama, exemplified by Pietas Victrix, represents a missionary form rooted in Thomistic theology yet highly politicized. By situating the play within the context of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, it demonstrates how drama was forged into a potent ideological weapon for legitimacy contestation. This study provides a case for interpreting how the Jesuits utilized cultural media to participate in power construction and self-representation, thereby refining our understanding of the mechanisms of cultural politics in early modern Europe. Full article

Religion is often regarded as a divine concept resistant to change or transformation, yet history reveals that religion can evolve and transform into new cults or religious movements. This reformation or alternative state of religion is often considered an aberrant version of the original. In Sri Lanka, an aberrant form of religion emerged during the modernization and colonization periods, particularly influenced by Protestant groups and urban Buddhists. The significance of this aberrant form of Buddhism is that it lacks the depth of true religious thought and is instead reflected in the mainstream of politics and nationalism rooted in race. Due to the demand to protect Buddhism, which was echoed by this aberrant version, the recognition of Sri Lanka’s diverse ethnic and religious identities gave rise to separatism and a fragmented form of nationalism. One of the key features of aberrant religion is its tendency toward fundamentalism and extremism, as it becomes distorted in the name of safeguarding religion. The consequence of aberrant religion was the fabrication of nationalism tied to ethno-religious identities, particularly among the Sinhalese majority, turning non-violent Buddhist thought into violent racism that cultivated discrimination in cultural values and even escalated into civil war to defend Buddhism and promote Buddhist nationalism. However, in time, the post-nationalist protest movement known as the “Aragalaya” rejected the pathological nationalism generated by aberrant Buddhism and brought about a systematic shift towards a unified nationalism. Thus, this study reflects on the formation of aberrant versions of religion in Sri Lankan history, their extension into nationalism and race, and the continued presence of aberrant religion in the contemporary context. Full article

The so-called social turn toward collaborative art practices in the West has a curious but rarely discussed parallel in unofficial art in the late Soviet Union where collaborative performance art served as a significant catalyst for artistic innovation, particularly during the watershed period between 1975 and 1985. Pathbreaking performances by the Nest, SZ, and others, as well as the important collaborative art movement AptArt between 1982 and 1984, suggest interesting parallels to developments in the West and underappreciated precedents for Moscow Actionism in the 1990s and protest and street art in the 21st century. This article expands the picture we have of collaborative performance in the late-Soviet underground and highlights its role as precursor to participatory practices today. Full article

This article examines the eschatological dimension of the sermons of François Le Picart (1504–1556), a prominent Parisian preacher and a precursor who established the codes that enabled the gradual maturation of a theophanic tension of violence in which human beings were destined to become its instruments. Through a close reading of his sermon collections, this study analyzes how Le Picart interwove Pauline soteriology, divine love, repentance, and apocalyptic imagery to construct a moral and affective pedagogy. His eschatological language—linking love with fear and salvation with punishment—transformed anxiety about the end times into a form of spiritual yet emotional collective mobilization. By associating divine justice with anti-heretical rhetoric, Le Picart’s preaching turned theology into an instrument for defending both faith and social order. This article situates his sermons within the broader Catholic renewal of sixteenth-century France, highlighting the imagery and rhetoric of eschatology as key components of early modern anti-Protestant propaganda prior to the religious wars. Full article

Arthur T. Pierson (1837–1911) was a noted Presbyterian pastor, writer, and advocate of world missions. His career spanned a turbulent era in American Presbyterianism which was reflective of the growing challenges faced by Protestant denominations and illustrates one path some Presbyterians took over the last decades of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth. Born into the antebellum northern evangelical world of the Second Great Awakening and its support of social reform, Pierson, by his death, had become a prominent voice for various doctrines that would coalesce into fundamentalism of the 1920s. Full article

This article explores “contestation” as a constitutive and enduring dimension of Christian monasticism. From its origins in the contemptus mundi and fuga mundi of the Desert Fathers to its modern cultural and ecological expressions, monasticism has embodied a form of resistance—spiritual, social, and existential—toward dominant models of life, thought, and power. This study examines the multiple modalities of monastic contestation: withdrawal and protest, spiritual combat, constructive critique, and the creation of alternative forms of living. Drawing upon sources ranging from Cassian and Benedict to contemporary thinkers such as Panikkar, Jonveaux, and Hervieu-Léger, the paper argues that monasticism’s critical stance toward the world is not mere negation but a creative search for simplicity, authenticity, and integral humanity. By analysing its expressions in education, economy, art, and ecology, the paper demonstrates that monastic contestation remains a vital, transformative force capable of renewing the dialogue between faith, culture, and society. Full article

Protestant Christianity has, from the 16th century onward, developed an understanding of politics and the state that gives it a strong and independent role. This was the result of a process of differentiation between religion and politics, which strengthened both sides. In this paper, the result is described: how the state and how politics are understood within Protestant Christianity, what consequences this has and what misunderstandings can occur. Special explanation is given to the Lutheran concept of the two regiments of God. The peculiarities of the Protestant state concept are then further described with the Lutheran understanding of the social state and of the military service of Christians. Full article

The decontextualization (the portrayal of wildlife removed from their natural ecological context through social media), can distort the public perception of these animals and harm conservation efforts. This paper presents an exploratory case study based on two highly visible Facebook videos. To explore this, we analyzed Facebook comments (n = 720) and emoji-based reactions (n = 23,024) regarding Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) in two contexts: entertainment (macaque dressed in sports attire during political protests) and natural habitat (macaque being fed soda by tourists in its forest environment). This is the first study to examine how social media context influences public perception of Barbary macaque conservation status and welfare through analysis of viewer engagement on viral videos. The results indicated that videos depicting macaques in their natural habitat elicited significantly more positive conservation sentiments (68.4% of comments) compared to entertainment contexts (6.04% of comments). Conversely, the entertainment video generated predominantly negative conservation sentiments (54.95% of comments), with viewers expressing amusement rather than concern for species protection. Videos showing macaques in natural settings, particularly when depicting problematic feeding behaviors, prompted more critical engagement and awareness of conservation issues. This pattern suggests that anthropomorphized contexts may obscure recognition of species threats and normalize inappropriate human–wildlife interactions. Given the small dataset, these findings should be interpreted cautiously and as illustrative rather than generalizable. These findings lend preliminary support to the animal decontextualization hypothesis and underscore the importance of context in shaping public perceptions of wildlife and conservation priorities. Full article

The study examines refugees’ experiences in South Africa to understand how they perceive the country’s hospitality and the Ubuntu (“I am because you are”) principle that underpins its asylum framework. The study is relevant in light of refugee demonstrations demanding UNHCR resettlement to other countries. Grounded in the Critical Refugee Studies Collective, it employs a literature-based meta-analysis to explore how refugees interpret and respond to South Africa’s asylum environment. The findings show that while many refugees initially view South Africa as a place of safety, humanitarian practices that position them as dependent and passive recipients of aid can erode their sense of dignity and belonging. This tension has led some refugees to protest for recognition, improved living conditions, and respect for their rights. The paper argues that refugees’ perceptions of the South African state are shaped by their livability, meaning the quality and security of their lives within the host country. Those who experience relative stability express a stronger sense of acceptance, whereas those facing exclusion, poverty, or xenophobic violence often express dissatisfaction. The study concludes that improving structural conditions and promoting a rights-based rather than charity-based approach would enhance a more dignified environment for refugees in South Africa. Full article

This article explores the evolving roles of Sunnī and Shīʿī political actors in the current Gaza crisis, with a focus on how Iran has come to occupy the rhetorical and symbolic space once dominated by Sunnī Arab leadership. Historically, since the establishment of Israel in 1948, Sunnī regimes positioned themselves as the primary defenders of the Palestinian cause. However, recent shifts—originating in the late 1970s and evolving into the current wave of normalization agreements between Arab states and Israel—have weakened this leadership role. In this vacuum, Iran has articulated a theological-political narrative grounded in Shīʿī doctrines of resistance, martyrdom, and moral duty toward the oppressed, reframed through Khomeinist ideology to legitimize its regional geopolitical ambitions. Drawing on political theology as a theoretical framework, this article analyzes how sacred history shapes Iran’s foreign policy discourse and legitimizes its regional role. This article argues that the current Gaza crisis illustrates a significant transformation in the religious-political landscape of the Muslim world, as Iran leverages its Shīʿī identity to assert moral and political leadership over a cause once firmly associated with Sunnī solidarity. This study concludes that Shīʿism, led by Iran, has shown unwavering support for the Palestinian cause through its backing of Hamas in its latest conflict, despite Iran’s simultaneous pursuit of wider regional drives and ideological goals. Still, Iran’s foreign policies cannot be separated from the historical incidents that gave rise to the Shīʿī tradition of protest and resistance, which remain integral to how Iran’s Shīʿism positions itself in the present conflict. Full article

Black prophetic preaching offers a moral critique of individuals and oppressive powers rooted in Scripture and divine promises. However, in an ever-diversifying contemporary landscape shaped by persistent racial injustice, social upheaval, and compounded oppression, Black protest preaching is emerging as a sub-genre of this tradition that serves as a source of resistance and renewal for all. This article explores the theology and practice of Black protest preaching, using Ezekiel’s embodied homiletic acts in Ezekiel 4–5 and the contemporary observance of “Hoodie Sunday” as interpretive anchors, and how this type of preaching can be used in multicultural contexts. While prophetic preaching typically draws on moral exhortation to call a community toward change and speak truth to power, protest preaching functions through symbolic action, embodied resistance, and spatial disruption to make that truth unavoidable. Full article

Background: Performance-enhancing drug (PED) use has become increasingly prevalent among adolescents and emerging adults, not solely for athletic advantage but as a psychological and sociocultural coping mechanism. In Türkiye, where Westernized body ideals intersect with traditional values, the emotional and symbolic meanings of PED use among youth remain underexplored. Methods: This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis to examine the subjective experiences of 26 Turkish adolescents and emerging adults (19 males, 7 females; ages 16–22) in Istanbul who reported non-medical use of steroids or other PEDs. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling in gym-adjacent communities across six urban districts. Interviews were conducted online, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to identify emergent psychological themes. Results: Six interconnected themes were identified: (1) body-based insecurity and the fantasy of reinvention; (2) emotional regulation through bodily control; (3) secrecy as autonomy; (4) compulsive enhancement and dissatisfaction; (5) psychological dependency and regret; and (6) PED use as agency and protest. While male and female participants differed in aesthetic goals and social narratives, both groups framed PED use as a means of identity construction, emotional survival, and social validation. Participants did not perceive themselves as deviant but as strategic actors navigating a performance-driven culture. Conclusions: PED use among youth in urban Türkiye emerges as a psychologically embedded coping mechanism rooted in emotional regulation, self-concept, and perceived control. Rather than a deviant behavior, it reflects an adaptive but precarious strategy for managing insecurity and achieving recognition during a critical developmental stage. Full article