scholarly journals STS; Post-truth, and the Rediscovery of Bullshit

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 370
Author(s):  
Bennett Holman
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Social Epistemology ◽  
Slight Modification ◽  
Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Contemporary Politics ◽  
Fda Approval ◽  
Minimal Standard ◽  
Do So

Post-truth politics has led to a number of prominent reflections on the extent to which the basic tenets of STS (social construction, the symmetry thesis, etc.) must be amended (Briggle 2016; Latour 2004; Sismondo 2017a).  Alternatively, others have argued that the basic principles of STS should be maintained and the similarities of STS with post-truth should be embraced (Fuller 2016b; Woolgar 2017).  After first critiquing other scholars read on post-truth politics, I argue that one of the central drawbacks of STS is the absence of epistemic grounds to identify people who are plainly bullshitters (Frankfurt 1986).  I contend that the lesson that post-truth politics has to offer STS is that a minimal standard of an epistemological system is that it must have the intellectual resources to endorse the claim “Trump is full of shit.”  Yet it is not clear how one could go about reconciling central STS tenets with the clear and present need to oppose dangerous trends in contemporary politics. Despite arguing that STS should change, I contend that it should not do so at the expense of what is distinctive and valuable about STS.  After considering Steve Woolgar’s (2017) list of the strengths of STS scholarship I propose that with slight modification they can be preserved. As an example of an epistemology which does so, I introduce Helen Longino's critical contextual empiricism and then use it to analyze a case study of the recent FDA approval of flibanserin for hypoactive sexual desire disorder. I conclude by arguing that social epistemology, as developed in philosophy of science, is reconcilable with opposing post-truth politics and retains many of the primary virtues of STS. 

Managing Erp System Risk in SMEs: A Multiple Case Study

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 170-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Placide Poba-Nzaou ◽  
Louis Raymond
Keyword(s):  
Adoption Process ◽  
Erp Implementation ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Erp System ◽  
System Risk ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Do So ◽  
Number Of Authors

ERP systems are increasingly accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). If the potential benefits of these systems are significant, the same applies to the risk associated with their implementation. A number of authors emphasize that IS risk management is most effective when it is initiated at the earliest possible moment in the system's lifecycle, that is, at the adoption phase. But how do SMEs actually manage the risk of ERP implementation during the ERP adoption process? The research objectives are (1) to identify and describe the influence of the SMEs’ context on their implementation risk exposure, and (2) to understand whether and how, within the adoption process, SMEs actually manage the risk of implementing an ERP system supplied by an ERP vendor, with open source software, or through in-house development. In order to do so, four case studies of SMEs having implemented an ERP system were undertaken. The study shows that to manage risk at the adoption stage, SMEs can proceed in a rather intuitive, informal and unstructured manner, that is explicitly based however upon an architecture of basic principles, policies and practices.

Evaluating the Cognitive Interviewing Reporting Framework (CIRF) by Rewriting a Dutch Pretesting Report of a European Health Survey Questionnaire *The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies of Statistics Netherlands.

Methodology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 104-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Vis-Visschers ◽  
Vivian Meertens
Keyword(s):  
Health Survey ◽  
Cognitive Interviewing ◽  
Survey Questionnaire ◽  
Reporting Framework ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
European Health ◽  
Original Report ◽  
Minimal Standard ◽  
Exhaustive List

We used the Cognitive Interviewing Reporting Framework (CIRF) to restructure the report of a pretest on a European health survey questionnaire. This pretest was conducted by the Questionnaire Laboratory of Statistics Netherlands, and the original report was written according to a standard Statistics Netherlands format for pretesting reports. This article contains the rewritten report with highlights from the case study. The authors reflect on the process of rewriting and the usefulness of the CIRF. We conclude that expanded use of the CIRF as a reporting format for articles on cognitive pretests would enhance international comparability, completeness, and uniformity of research designs, terminology, and reporting. A limitation of the CIRF is that it does not provide an exhaustive list of items that could be included in a report, but it is more a “minimal standard”: that is a report on how a cognitive pretest was conducted should at least contain a description of the CIRF items.

Migrant Diplomacies: Rethinking Diplomacy Beyond State-Centric Perspectives. A Civic Bi-Nationality Experience from North America

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Alejo
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Global Politics ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Interdisciplinary Dialogue ◽  
Contemporary Politics ◽  
Migrant Activism ◽  
Point Of Departure

There is a pressing need to extend our thinking about diplomacy beyond state-centric perspectives, as in the name of sovereignty and national interests, people on move are confronting virtual, symbolic and/or material walls and frames of policies inhibiting their free movement. My point of departure is to explore migrant activism and global politics through the transformation of diplomacy in a globalised world. Developing an interdisciplinary dialogue between new diplomacy and sociology, I evidence the emergence of global sociopolitical formations created through civic bi-nationality organisations. Focusing on the agent in interaction with structures, I present a theoretical framework and strategy for analysing the practices of migrant diplomacies as an expression of contemporary politics. A case study from North America regarding returned families in Mexico City provides evidence of how these alternative diplomacies are operating.

Other People's Struggles

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Owen
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Social Movements ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Identity Politics ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
British History ◽  
Original Theory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Contemporary Politics ◽  
Do So

Other People’s Struggles is the first attempt in over forty years to explain the place of “conscience constituents” in social movements. Conscience constituents are people who participate in a movement but do not stand to benefit if it succeeds. Why do such people participate when they do not stand to benefit? Why are they sometimes present and sometimes absent in social movements? Why and when is their participation welcome to those who do stand to benefit, and why and when is it not? The work proposes an original theory to answer these questions, crossing discipline boundaries to draw on the findings of social psychology, philosophy, and normative political theory, in search of explanations of why people act altruistically and what it means to others when they do so. The theory is illustrated by examples from British history, including the antislavery movement, the women’s suffrage and liberation movements, labor and socialist movements, anticolonial movements, antipoverty movements, and movements for global justice. Other People’s Struggles also contributes to new debates concerning the rights and wrongs of “speaking for others.” Debates concerning the limits of solidarity—who can be an “ally” and on what terms—have become very topical in contemporary politics, especially in identity politics and in the new “populist” movements. The book provides a theoretical and empirical account of how these questions have been addressed in the past and how they might be framed today.

Socio-Semantic Processes in Social Actors Representation: A Case Study of “Ya-Sin”

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-169
Author(s):  
Roghayeh Farsi
Keyword(s):  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Linear Nature ◽  
Do So ◽  
Semantic Processes

AbstractThe academic field of Qurʾānic Studies employs a wide range of approaches, each one of which helps to open up a new perspective on the Qurʾānic text. The Holy Book was revealed to guide people; it is thus of relevance to all aspects of people’s lives. This article focuses on the way social actors are represented in one Meccansūra, entitled “Ya-Sin”, and employs a case-study approach to do so. The analysis carried out includes the socio-semantic processes that thesūrauses in order to represent social actors either by behavior (action) or meaning (reflection), and it also analyzes the actors as they are represented in processes such as activation and passivation. The methodology adopted is eclectic and analytic. It is a hybrid of Swales’ move analysis, El-Awa’s identification of shift-markers, and Halliday’s and Van Leeuwen’s theories of social actor representation. This study shows how such an analysis can contribute to understanding the apparently fragmented and non-linear nature of “Ya-Sin”.

Negotiation between modernity and local culture in moviegoing practice: A case study of a traditional movie theater in Guangzhou Metropolis

2021 ◽  
pp. 136787792199381
Author(s):  
Geng Lin ◽  
Hao Wu ◽  
Xiaoru Xie ◽  
Fiona Fan Yang ◽  
Zuyi Lv
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Traditional Culture ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Movie Theaters ◽  
Movie Theater ◽  
Over Time

As a medium for delivering modernity, movie theaters have faithfully recorded the dialogue between modernity and local daily lives. In contrast to modern movie theaters, traditional cinemas are distinguished by their long history, through which they reflect the changing connotations and social construction of modernity over time. Based on detailed analysis of the historical and social characteristics of Nanguan cinema, a 100-year-old movie theater in Guangzhou, China, we reach the following two conclusions: first, shaped by local traditional culture, the practice of moviegoing localizes modernity with a distinctive grassroots feature that enlivens everyday lives; second, moviegoing at traditional theaters in modern metropolitan areas has further enriched the connotations of modernity by providing a nostalgic experience for audiences.

scholarly journals Success Drivers for Implementing Circular Economy: A Case Study from the Building Sector in Colombia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1350
Author(s):  
Luz Elba Torres-Guevara ◽  
Vanessa Prieto-Sandoval ◽  
Andres Mejia-Villa
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Direct Communication ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Large Building ◽  
Do So

This paper contributes to the circular economy (CE) literature by investigating the drivers of success of the CE implementation in the construction sector and how those drivers can complement any implementation process in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). To do so, we analyzed the case of TECMO Estructuras Metálicas, using the methodology proposed by Jaca and colleagues to implement the CE in SMEs. It is a Colombian company with more than five decades of experience in the manufacture and installation of steel and aluminum structures for small and large building and infrastructure projects. The data were collected between August 2019 and November 2020 through direct communication with the company via workshops, meetings, and company reports. This research found that five drivers are relevant for implementing CE in the construction sector: fertile ecosystem, management commitment, identification of valuable materials, green teams, and CE intermediaries. Moreover, this study also contributes to teaching the implementation of the CE in companies, since it shows that through the methodology presented, implementation projects can be developed in postgraduate classes.

Strengthening of box girder bridges with external prestressing - case study for the Langeland Bridge.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrik Sloth Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Additional Analysis ◽  
Box Girders ◽  
Box Girder Bridges ◽  
Box Girder ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Structural Assessment ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Girder Bridges ◽  
External Prestressing

<p>This paper presents the basic principles for strengthening of bridges and other structures through the use of external prestressing. A case study that includes strengthening of the approach spans for the Langeland Bridge in the south-eastern part of Denmark is included.</p><p>During a recent rehabilitation, corrosion of the post-tensioned tendons was discovered inside the box girders of the bridge. Additional analysis of the extent of the corrosion and a structural assessment was undertaken. Based on this, a strengthening project was carried out, and strengthening with external prestressing is currently being implemented.</p>

Zionism’s Redemptions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arieh Saposnik
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual History ◽  
Political History ◽  
Space And Place ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Counter Narrative ◽  
Contemporary Politics ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Christian Thought ◽  
New Framework

In this volume, Arieh Saposnik examines the complicated relations between nationalism and religious (and non-religious) redemptive traditions through the case study of Zionism. He provides a new framework for understanding the central ideas of this movement and its relationship to traditional Jewish ideas, Christian thought, and modern secular messianisms. Providing a longue-durée and broad view of the central themes and motivations in the making of Zionism, Saposnik connects its intellectual history with the concrete development of the Zionist project in Israel in its cultural, social, and political history. Saposnik demonstrates how Zionism offers lessons for a politics in which human perfectibility continues to serve as a guiding light and as a counter-narrative to the contemporary politics of self-interest, self-promotion and 'post-truth.' This is a study that bears implications for our understanding of modernity, of space and place, history and historical trajectories, and the place of Jews and Judaism in the modern world.

scholarly journals Frontline police employees’ social construction of client service

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 38-47
Author(s):  
Karel Stanz ◽  
G. J. Schwart ◽  
W. J. Schurink
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
South African ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
South African Police Service ◽  
The Social ◽  
South African Police ◽  
Satisfaction Model

The social construction of frontline employees’ client service plays a major role in organisational success. This study illuminated why frontline personnel are reluctant to accept organisational change which is in line with new policing philosophies. Applying modernist qualitative methodology, and particularly grounded theory within a case study design a ‘process satisfaction model’ was developed with the aim to improve employee satisfaction with internal processes and ultimately service delivery. This model may be used for change in the South African Police Service SAPS) and other government departments.

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