Steven French and Décio Krause
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199278244
- eISBN:
- 9780191603952
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199278245.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
Drawing on philosophical accounts of identity and individuality, as well as the histories of both classical and quantum physics, this book explores two alternative metaphysical approaches to quantum ...
More
Drawing on philosophical accounts of identity and individuality, as well as the histories of both classical and quantum physics, this book explores two alternative metaphysical approaches to quantum particles. It asks if quantum particles can be regarded as individuals, just like books, tables, and people. Taking the first approach, the book argues that if quantum particles are regarded as individuals, then Leibniz’s famous Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles is in fact violated. Recent discussions of this conclusion are analysed in detail and the costs involved in saving the Principle are carefully considered. For the second approach, the book considers recent work in non-standard logic and set theory to indicate how we can make sense of the idea that objects can be non-individuals. The concluding chapter suggests how these results might then be extended to quantum field theory.Less
Drawing on philosophical accounts of identity and individuality, as well as the histories of both classical and quantum physics, this book explores two alternative metaphysical approaches to quantum particles. It asks if quantum particles can be regarded as individuals, just like books, tables, and people. Taking the first approach, the book argues that if quantum particles are regarded as individuals, then Leibniz’s famous Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles is in fact violated. Recent discussions of this conclusion are analysed in detail and the costs involved in saving the Principle are carefully considered. For the second approach, the book considers recent work in non-standard logic and set theory to indicate how we can make sense of the idea that objects can be non-individuals. The concluding chapter suggests how these results might then be extended to quantum field theory.
Tim Bayne
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199215386
- eISBN:
- 9780191594786
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199215386.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, General
One of the features of consciousness that has been largely overlooked in recent treatments of the topic is its unity. What is the unity of consciousness? To what degree might consciousness be ...
More
One of the features of consciousness that has been largely overlooked in recent treatments of the topic is its unity. What is the unity of consciousness? To what degree might consciousness be unified? And what implications might the unity of consciousness have for our conception of consciousness and the self? Drawing on philosophy, psychology and neuroscience, this book presents answers to these questions. The first part of the book develops a conception of the unity of consciousness according to which a subject has a unified conscious if and only if it has a single conscious state that subsumes each and every one of its conscious states. This conception of the unity of consciousness gives rise to the unity thesis—the claim that consciousness in human beings is necessarily unified. The second part of the volume examines the plausibility of the unity thesis. The book develops a model for evaluating the unity thesis and then goes on to apply this model to a wide range of syndromes—such as anosognosia, the hidden observer in hypnosis, and the split‐brain syndrome—in which the unity of consciousness is often said to breakdown. In each case the evidence in favour of disunity models is found wanting. The final third of the volume examines points of contact between the unity of consciousness on the one hand and theories of theories of consciousness, the sense of embodiment, and accounts of the self on the other.Less
One of the features of consciousness that has been largely overlooked in recent treatments of the topic is its unity. What is the unity of consciousness? To what degree might consciousness be unified? And what implications might the unity of consciousness have for our conception of consciousness and the self? Drawing on philosophy, psychology and neuroscience, this book presents answers to these questions. The first part of the book develops a conception of the unity of consciousness according to which a subject has a unified conscious if and only if it has a single conscious state that subsumes each and every one of its conscious states. This conception of the unity of consciousness gives rise to the unity thesis—the claim that consciousness in human beings is necessarily unified. The second part of the volume examines the plausibility of the unity thesis. The book develops a model for evaluating the unity thesis and then goes on to apply this model to a wide range of syndromes—such as anosognosia, the hidden observer in hypnosis, and the split‐brain syndrome—in which the unity of consciousness is often said to breakdown. In each case the evidence in favour of disunity models is found wanting. The final third of the volume examines points of contact between the unity of consciousness on the one hand and theories of theories of consciousness, the sense of embodiment, and accounts of the self on the other.
Steven French and Décio Krause
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199278244
- eISBN:
- 9780191603952
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199278245.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This introductory chapter presents an outline of the metaphysics of identity and individuality, which emphasizes the conceptual distinction between individuality and distinguishability. The Principle ...
More
This introductory chapter presents an outline of the metaphysics of identity and individuality, which emphasizes the conceptual distinction between individuality and distinguishability. The Principle of Identity of Indiscernibles effectively reduces the former to the latter, but notions of haecceity, ‘transcendental individuality’, and ‘space-time’ individuality are also presented, with the aim of laying the groundwork for the subsequent considerations of identity and individuality in the quantum context. In particular, as identity in higher-order logic is defined in terms of indistinguishability and ‘countable’ objects which feature in set theory are typically taken to be those which have well-defined identity conditions, this metaphysical framework will underpin the rest of the discussions in this book.Less
This introductory chapter presents an outline of the metaphysics of identity and individuality, which emphasizes the conceptual distinction between individuality and distinguishability. The Principle of Identity of Indiscernibles effectively reduces the former to the latter, but notions of haecceity, ‘transcendental individuality’, and ‘space-time’ individuality are also presented, with the aim of laying the groundwork for the subsequent considerations of identity and individuality in the quantum context. In particular, as identity in higher-order logic is defined in terms of indistinguishability and ‘countable’ objects which feature in set theory are typically taken to be those which have well-defined identity conditions, this metaphysical framework will underpin the rest of the discussions in this book.
Steven French and Décio Krause
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199278244
- eISBN:
- 9780191603952
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199278245.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter discusses the concepts of indistinguishability, individuality, and non-individuality in the quantum context. It is argued that the above view of particles as non-individuals is not a ...
More
This chapter discusses the concepts of indistinguishability, individuality, and non-individuality in the quantum context. It is argued that the above view of particles as non-individuals is not a necessary consequence of the physics, and that quantum particles can be taken to be individuals, subject to certain constraints. However, the sense of individuality here cannot be understood in terms of the Identity of Indiscernibles, since on a standard interpretation of quantum theory, Leibniz’s Principle is violated by both fermions and bosons. Criticisms of this argument are reviewed, as is Saunders’ recent attempt to defend a Quinean form of the Principle. The consequences of regarding quantum particles as individuals are considered in detail, and Teller’s account of entanglement in terms of non-supervenient relations is developed in this context. The conclusion is reached that quantum physics supports two alternative metaphysical packages of individuality and non-individuality, yielding a stronger form of underdetermination, which can be used to support a form of structuralism.Less
This chapter discusses the concepts of indistinguishability, individuality, and non-individuality in the quantum context. It is argued that the above view of particles as non-individuals is not a necessary consequence of the physics, and that quantum particles can be taken to be individuals, subject to certain constraints. However, the sense of individuality here cannot be understood in terms of the Identity of Indiscernibles, since on a standard interpretation of quantum theory, Leibniz’s Principle is violated by both fermions and bosons. Criticisms of this argument are reviewed, as is Saunders’ recent attempt to defend a Quinean form of the Principle. The consequences of regarding quantum particles as individuals are considered in detail, and Teller’s account of entanglement in terms of non-supervenient relations is developed in this context. The conclusion is reached that quantum physics supports two alternative metaphysical packages of individuality and non-individuality, yielding a stronger form of underdetermination, which can be used to support a form of structuralism.
Steven French and Décio Krause
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199278244
- eISBN:
- 9780191603952
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199278245.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter explores Manin’s suggestion that formal axioms for indiscernible objects in physics should be given. Collections of such objects cannot be regarded as sets, since such sets are typically ...
More
This chapter explores Manin’s suggestion that formal axioms for indiscernible objects in physics should be given. Collections of such objects cannot be regarded as sets, since such sets are typically taken to be collections of distinguishable objects. The theory of identity in classical logic and set theory is considered to lay the groundwork for the discussion of the corresponding theory for (truly) indiscernible objects in Chapter 7. The usual ways of accommodating such objects in standard logic and mathematics are critically assessed, with emphasis on the concept of indiscernibility in a structure.Less
This chapter explores Manin’s suggestion that formal axioms for indiscernible objects in physics should be given. Collections of such objects cannot be regarded as sets, since such sets are typically taken to be collections of distinguishable objects. The theory of identity in classical logic and set theory is considered to lay the groundwork for the discussion of the corresponding theory for (truly) indiscernible objects in Chapter 7. The usual ways of accommodating such objects in standard logic and mathematics are critically assessed, with emphasis on the concept of indiscernibility in a structure.
Jolyon Howorth
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199283958
- eISBN:
- 9780191603297
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199283958.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Common wisdom has it that European disagreements over the American-led invasion of Iraq killed the prospects for a European defense and foreign policy—but the common wisdom is wrong. In recent years, ...
More
Common wisdom has it that European disagreements over the American-led invasion of Iraq killed the prospects for a European defense and foreign policy—but the common wisdom is wrong. In recent years, Europeans have moved fairly steadily in the direction of a meaningful European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). The member-states remain divided on many policy issues and a number of deep obstacles remain to a strong common policy. But few now question the idea that Europe should play a greater role on the world stage, and the past several years have seen modest but concrete steps toward that goal.Less
Common wisdom has it that European disagreements over the American-led invasion of Iraq killed the prospects for a European defense and foreign policy—but the common wisdom is wrong. In recent years, Europeans have moved fairly steadily in the direction of a meaningful European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). The member-states remain divided on many policy issues and a number of deep obstacles remain to a strong common policy. But few now question the idea that Europe should play a greater role on the world stage, and the past several years have seen modest but concrete steps toward that goal.
Carl A. Raschke
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231173841
- eISBN:
- 9780231539623
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231173841.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The historical irruption of the force of exception—the impulse to universality—can only be attributed to singular eventualities. Monotheism can be considered the strong force of exception within the ...
More
The historical irruption of the force of exception—the impulse to universality—can only be attributed to singular eventualities. Monotheism can be considered the strong force of exception within the unified field of human significations that establishes the real intention of the concept we have in mind when we talk about human solidarity. The historic drive toward the formation of an ever more inclusive politeia amounts to a “secularized,” or domesticated, rechanneling of the monotheistic impulse. That is why all militant ideologies of democracy, especially in their early Enlightenment phases turn out to be exceptionalist. It is also why militant universalist ideologies in general are ultimately divisive rather than inclusive.Less
The historical irruption of the force of exception—the impulse to universality—can only be attributed to singular eventualities. Monotheism can be considered the strong force of exception within the unified field of human significations that establishes the real intention of the concept we have in mind when we talk about human solidarity. The historic drive toward the formation of an ever more inclusive politeia amounts to a “secularized,” or domesticated, rechanneling of the monotheistic impulse. That is why all militant ideologies of democracy, especially in their early Enlightenment phases turn out to be exceptionalist. It is also why militant universalist ideologies in general are ultimately divisive rather than inclusive.
Nathan Hofer
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780748694211
- eISBN:
- 9781474416115
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748694211.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
The Sufi order known as the Shādhilīya was one of the most popular Sufi movements of the Islamic Middle Ages, counting adherents across north Africa, Egypt and Greater Syria.1 The order’s eponymous ...
More
The Sufi order known as the Shādhilīya was one of the most popular Sufi movements of the Islamic Middle Ages, counting adherents across north Africa, Egypt and Greater Syria.1 The order’s eponymous ‘founder’, Abū l-Óasan al-Shādhilī (d. 656/1258), was born in the Maghrib but eventually settled in Alexandria in the 1240s with the explicit sanction of the Ayyubid regime. While al-Shādhilī and his cohort rejected overt state sponsorship, they did cultivate warm relations with Ayyubid and early Mamluk rulers, as well as many of Egypt’s most prominent ʿulamāʾ. These alliances permitted al-Shādhilī to intercede on behalf of his disciples and clients and to travel freely across Egypt to teach his form of Sufism– advantages he did not enjoy in his previous home in Tunis. Al-Shādhilī met with great success in Egypt, establishing a reputation as a powerful Sufi master and an ally of people across the socio-economic spectrum, attracting a large numbers of followers in the process. Indeed, within roughly fifty years of al-Shādhilī’s death, a nascent social movement tied to his name had emerged that persists to the present day in multiple branches and sub-orders. But how did this informal and localised teaching circle become a trans-regional voluntary association of Sufis who conceptualised themselves as a coherent social body tied together by the teachings of an eponymous master?Less
The Sufi order known as the Shādhilīya was one of the most popular Sufi movements of the Islamic Middle Ages, counting adherents across north Africa, Egypt and Greater Syria.1 The order’s eponymous ‘founder’, Abū l-Óasan al-Shādhilī (d. 656/1258), was born in the Maghrib but eventually settled in Alexandria in the 1240s with the explicit sanction of the Ayyubid regime. While al-Shādhilī and his cohort rejected overt state sponsorship, they did cultivate warm relations with Ayyubid and early Mamluk rulers, as well as many of Egypt’s most prominent ʿulamāʾ. These alliances permitted al-Shādhilī to intercede on behalf of his disciples and clients and to travel freely across Egypt to teach his form of Sufism– advantages he did not enjoy in his previous home in Tunis. Al-Shādhilī met with great success in Egypt, establishing a reputation as a powerful Sufi master and an ally of people across the socio-economic spectrum, attracting a large numbers of followers in the process. Indeed, within roughly fifty years of al-Shādhilī’s death, a nascent social movement tied to his name had emerged that persists to the present day in multiple branches and sub-orders. But how did this informal and localised teaching circle become a trans-regional voluntary association of Sufis who conceptualised themselves as a coherent social body tied together by the teachings of an eponymous master?
Timothy Johnston
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199604036
- eISBN:
- 9780191731600
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199604036.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History, Political History
Official Soviet Identity evolved in relation to the dramatic events of this period. By 1953 a successful and resilient version of Sovietness had emerged that stressed the peace-loving diplomatic ...
More
Official Soviet Identity evolved in relation to the dramatic events of this period. By 1953 a successful and resilient version of Sovietness had emerged that stressed the peace-loving diplomatic identity of the USSR. The cultural aspect of Official Soviet Identity was less compelling, particularly when faced with a dynamic opponent such as the USA. The USSR collapsed when enough people decided they no longer wanted to be Soviet. The supra-national narrative of Sovietness was swept away by a tide of nationalist rhetoric, but nationalism was the beneficiary not the cause of the fallLess
Official Soviet Identity evolved in relation to the dramatic events of this period. By 1953 a successful and resilient version of Sovietness had emerged that stressed the peace-loving diplomatic identity of the USSR. The cultural aspect of Official Soviet Identity was less compelling, particularly when faced with a dynamic opponent such as the USA. The USSR collapsed when enough people decided they no longer wanted to be Soviet. The supra-national narrative of Sovietness was swept away by a tide of nationalist rhetoric, but nationalism was the beneficiary not the cause of the fall
Michael Keating
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199545957
- eISBN:
- 9780191719967
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199545957.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, UK Politics
Support for the old Union is falling in Scotland. This is part of a general restructuring of states in Europe, with the emergence and re-emergence of sub-state territories. The old territorial ...
More
Support for the old Union is falling in Scotland. This is part of a general restructuring of states in Europe, with the emergence and re-emergence of sub-state territories. The old territorial management formula, based on redistribution from the centre, no longer holds. Class solidarities no longer favour the Union. Scots increasingly identify primarily with their nation rather than the United Kingdom. The governing class has lost its ability to articulate an ideology of union. Yet public opinion has not been converted to independence. Rather, most people favour deeper self-government, within a new Union. The European context is important, not because Scots are particularly pro-European, but because it lowers the threshold of independence.Less
Support for the old Union is falling in Scotland. This is part of a general restructuring of states in Europe, with the emergence and re-emergence of sub-state territories. The old territorial management formula, based on redistribution from the centre, no longer holds. Class solidarities no longer favour the Union. Scots increasingly identify primarily with their nation rather than the United Kingdom. The governing class has lost its ability to articulate an ideology of union. Yet public opinion has not been converted to independence. Rather, most people favour deeper self-government, within a new Union. The European context is important, not because Scots are particularly pro-European, but because it lowers the threshold of independence.
Henry Colburn
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474452366
- eISBN:
- 9781474476454
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474452366.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
This book is the first study of the material culture of Egypt during the period of Achaemenid Persian rule (ca. 526-404 B.C., also known as the ‘27th Dynasty’). Previous studies have characterised ...
More
This book is the first study of the material culture of Egypt during the period of Achaemenid Persian rule (ca. 526-404 B.C., also known as the ‘27th Dynasty’). Previous studies have characterised this period either as ephemeral and weak or oppressive and harsh. These characterisations, however, are based on the perceived lack of evidence for this period, filtered through ancient and modern preconceptions about the Persians. This book challenges these views in two ways: first, by assembling and analyzing the archaeological remains from this period, including temples, tombs, irrigation works, statues, stelae, sealings, drinking vessels and coins; and second, by using that material to study both the nature of Achaemenid rule, and how the people living in Egypt experienced that rule. The archaeological perspective permits the study of people from all walks of life, not just the elites who could afford to commission statues and; rather, by looking at the decisions made about material culture by a wide range of people in Egypt, it is possible to understand both how the Persians integrated Egypt into their empire, and how various individuals understood their roles in society during the course of this integration. It is thus a study of both imperialism and identity.Less
This book is the first study of the material culture of Egypt during the period of Achaemenid Persian rule (ca. 526-404 B.C., also known as the ‘27th Dynasty’). Previous studies have characterised this period either as ephemeral and weak or oppressive and harsh. These characterisations, however, are based on the perceived lack of evidence for this period, filtered through ancient and modern preconceptions about the Persians. This book challenges these views in two ways: first, by assembling and analyzing the archaeological remains from this period, including temples, tombs, irrigation works, statues, stelae, sealings, drinking vessels and coins; and second, by using that material to study both the nature of Achaemenid rule, and how the people living in Egypt experienced that rule. The archaeological perspective permits the study of people from all walks of life, not just the elites who could afford to commission statues and; rather, by looking at the decisions made about material culture by a wide range of people in Egypt, it is possible to understand both how the Persians integrated Egypt into their empire, and how various individuals understood their roles in society during the course of this integration. It is thus a study of both imperialism and identity.
Katelyn E. Knox
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781781383094
- eISBN:
- 9781781384152
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/liverpool/9781781383094.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
In Race on Display in 20th- and 21st-Century France Knox turns the tables France’s rhetoric of ‘internal otherness’, asking her reader not to spot those deemed France’s others but rather to ...
More
In Race on Display in 20th- and 21st-Century France Knox turns the tables France’s rhetoric of ‘internal otherness’, asking her reader not to spot those deemed France’s others but rather to deconstruct the very gazes that produce them. Weaving together a vast corpus of colonial French children’s comics, Francophone novels, and African popular music, fashion, and dance, Knox traces how the ways colonial ‘human zoos’ invited their French spectators to gaze on their colonized others still inform the frameworks through which racial and ethnic minorities are made—and make themselves—visible in contemporary France. In addition to analyzing how literature and music depicting immigration, immigrants and their descendants in France make race and ethnicity visible, Knox also illustrates how the works she analyzes self-reflexively ask whether they, as commodities sold within wider cultural marketplaces, perpetuate the culture of exoticism they seek to contest. Finally, Knox contends that to take seriously the way the texts interrogate the relationship between power, privilege, and the gaze also requires reconsidering the visions of normalcy from which racial and ethnic minorities supposedly depart. She thus concludes by exposing a critical ‘blind spot’ in French and Francophone cultural studies—whiteness—before subjecting it to the same scrutiny France’s ‘visible minorities’ face.Less
In Race on Display in 20th- and 21st-Century France Knox turns the tables France’s rhetoric of ‘internal otherness’, asking her reader not to spot those deemed France’s others but rather to deconstruct the very gazes that produce them. Weaving together a vast corpus of colonial French children’s comics, Francophone novels, and African popular music, fashion, and dance, Knox traces how the ways colonial ‘human zoos’ invited their French spectators to gaze on their colonized others still inform the frameworks through which racial and ethnic minorities are made—and make themselves—visible in contemporary France. In addition to analyzing how literature and music depicting immigration, immigrants and their descendants in France make race and ethnicity visible, Knox also illustrates how the works she analyzes self-reflexively ask whether they, as commodities sold within wider cultural marketplaces, perpetuate the culture of exoticism they seek to contest. Finally, Knox contends that to take seriously the way the texts interrogate the relationship between power, privilege, and the gaze also requires reconsidering the visions of normalcy from which racial and ethnic minorities supposedly depart. She thus concludes by exposing a critical ‘blind spot’ in French and Francophone cultural studies—whiteness—before subjecting it to the same scrutiny France’s ‘visible minorities’ face.
Paul Gilbert
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748623877
- eISBN:
- 9780748671991
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748623877.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This book is a reflection upon a contemporary world in which people's identities are increasingly invoked in support of political claims which often lead to acrimony and violence. It asks what ...
More
This book is a reflection upon a contemporary world in which people's identities are increasingly invoked in support of political claims which often lead to acrimony and violence. It asks what cultural identity is and questions its political significance. Tracing the idea back to Herder and the now discredited notion of national character, the book argues that collective cultural identity is not a deep feature of individual psychology, as it is taken to be by Isaiah Berlin, Charles Taylor and others; nor, indeed, is it a uniform phenomenon. Instead, the book claims, various distinct types of cultural identity emerge in response to the different circumstances that people face and draw them together. Such identities are marked by merely surface features of appearance and behaviour, as in the female dress codes of Islam; and these have a principally aesthetic appeal to bearers of the culture, an appeal which is illustrated by reference to the literature and music of Ireland. In consequence, it is argued, cultural identities cannot provide the ethical support for political claims attributed to them, and their invocation is in many ways politically pernicious.Less
This book is a reflection upon a contemporary world in which people's identities are increasingly invoked in support of political claims which often lead to acrimony and violence. It asks what cultural identity is and questions its political significance. Tracing the idea back to Herder and the now discredited notion of national character, the book argues that collective cultural identity is not a deep feature of individual psychology, as it is taken to be by Isaiah Berlin, Charles Taylor and others; nor, indeed, is it a uniform phenomenon. Instead, the book claims, various distinct types of cultural identity emerge in response to the different circumstances that people face and draw them together. Such identities are marked by merely surface features of appearance and behaviour, as in the female dress codes of Islam; and these have a principally aesthetic appeal to bearers of the culture, an appeal which is illustrated by reference to the literature and music of Ireland. In consequence, it is argued, cultural identities cannot provide the ethical support for political claims attributed to them, and their invocation is in many ways politically pernicious.
Alex Belsey
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781789620290
- eISBN:
- 9781789623574
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781789620290.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century and Contemporary Literature
The post-war British artist Keith Vaughan (1912-77) painted male figures, whether alone or in groups, as a life-long enquiry into identity, sensuality, and the sanctity of the body. Yet Vaughan was ...
More
The post-war British artist Keith Vaughan (1912-77) painted male figures, whether alone or in groups, as a life-long enquiry into identity, sensuality, and the sanctity of the body. Yet Vaughan was not only a supremely accomplished painter; he was an impassioned, eloquent writer. Commenced in the summer of 1939 as war across Europe seemed inevitable, Vaughan’s journal was a space in which he could articulate ideas about politics, art, love and sex during a period of great political and personal upheaval. Image of a Man is the first book to provide a comprehensive critical reading of Vaughan’s extraordinary journal, which spans thirty-eight years and sixty-one volumes to form a major literary work and a fascinating document of changing times. From close textual analysis of the original manuscripts, this book uncovers the attitudes and arguments that shaped and reshaped Vaughan’s identity as a man and as an artist. It reveals a continual process of self-construction through journal-writing, undertaken to navigate the difficulties of conscientious objection, the complications of desire as a gay man, and the challenges of making meaningful art. By focussing on Vaughan’s journal-writing in the context of its many influences and its centrality to his art practice, Image of a Man offers not only a compelling new critical biography of a significant yet underappreciated artist, but also a sustained argument on the constructed nature of the ‘artist’ persona in early and mid-twentieth-century culture – and the opportunities afforded by life-writing, specifically journal and diary forms, to make such constructions possible.Less
The post-war British artist Keith Vaughan (1912-77) painted male figures, whether alone or in groups, as a life-long enquiry into identity, sensuality, and the sanctity of the body. Yet Vaughan was not only a supremely accomplished painter; he was an impassioned, eloquent writer. Commenced in the summer of 1939 as war across Europe seemed inevitable, Vaughan’s journal was a space in which he could articulate ideas about politics, art, love and sex during a period of great political and personal upheaval. Image of a Man is the first book to provide a comprehensive critical reading of Vaughan’s extraordinary journal, which spans thirty-eight years and sixty-one volumes to form a major literary work and a fascinating document of changing times. From close textual analysis of the original manuscripts, this book uncovers the attitudes and arguments that shaped and reshaped Vaughan’s identity as a man and as an artist. It reveals a continual process of self-construction through journal-writing, undertaken to navigate the difficulties of conscientious objection, the complications of desire as a gay man, and the challenges of making meaningful art. By focussing on Vaughan’s journal-writing in the context of its many influences and its centrality to his art practice, Image of a Man offers not only a compelling new critical biography of a significant yet underappreciated artist, but also a sustained argument on the constructed nature of the ‘artist’ persona in early and mid-twentieth-century culture – and the opportunities afforded by life-writing, specifically journal and diary forms, to make such constructions possible.
Myra S. Washington
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781496814227
- eISBN:
- 9781496814265
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496814227.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Race and Ethnicity
This book examines the racialization of Blasians – mixed race people with Black and Asian ancestry – that neither sees them as new or unique, nor as a racial salve to move the United States past the ...
More
This book examines the racialization of Blasians – mixed race people with Black and Asian ancestry – that neither sees them as new or unique, nor as a racial salve to move the United States past the problem of the colour line. The emergence of Blasian celebrities and the analyses of these stars acknowledges that to understand what and who is a Blasian means to first understand hegemonic notions of both Blacks and Asian/Americans. Contextualized against those dominant discourses Blasians explode the narrow boundaries of authenticity around racialized categories. Multiracial people are just as capable as monoracial people of upholding hierarchies of identity, as well as dismantling those hierarchies. Thus, in this book Blasians do not escape race, or erase race, but they do deconstruct normative instantiations of identity. The presence, mobility, and utility of these multiracial celebrities within both U.S. and global racial schemas simultaneously realize and complicate potential alternatives to racial and racist paradigms. These mixed race stars draw attention to how risible and absurd the biological and cultural premises for racialization truly are, and demonstrate potential alternatives for affiliation that do not rely on genetic material.Less
This book examines the racialization of Blasians – mixed race people with Black and Asian ancestry – that neither sees them as new or unique, nor as a racial salve to move the United States past the problem of the colour line. The emergence of Blasian celebrities and the analyses of these stars acknowledges that to understand what and who is a Blasian means to first understand hegemonic notions of both Blacks and Asian/Americans. Contextualized against those dominant discourses Blasians explode the narrow boundaries of authenticity around racialized categories. Multiracial people are just as capable as monoracial people of upholding hierarchies of identity, as well as dismantling those hierarchies. Thus, in this book Blasians do not escape race, or erase race, but they do deconstruct normative instantiations of identity. The presence, mobility, and utility of these multiracial celebrities within both U.S. and global racial schemas simultaneously realize and complicate potential alternatives to racial and racist paradigms. These mixed race stars draw attention to how risible and absurd the biological and cultural premises for racialization truly are, and demonstrate potential alternatives for affiliation that do not rely on genetic material.
Michael Lister and Emily Pia
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748633418
- eISBN:
- 9780748671977
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748633418.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This book seeks to analyse the impact of globalisation, European integration, mass migration, changing patterns of political participation and welfare state provision upon citizenship in Europe. ...
More
This book seeks to analyse the impact of globalisation, European integration, mass migration, changing patterns of political participation and welfare state provision upon citizenship in Europe. Uniting theory with empirical examples, the central theme of the book is that how we view such changes is dependent upon how we view citizenship theoretically. The authors analyse the three main theoretical approaches to citizenship: [1] classical positions (liberal, communitarian, and republican), primarily concerned with questions of rights and responsibilities; [2] multiculturalist and feminist theories, concerned with the question of difference; and [3] postnational or cosmopolitan theories which emphasise how citizen rights and behaviours are increasingly located beyond the nation state. Using these theoretical perspectives, the second section of the book assesses four key social, economic and political developments which pose challenges for citizenship in Europe: migration, political participation, the welfare state and European integration. These, it is argued, represent the most significant challenges to and for citizenship in contemporary Europe.Less
This book seeks to analyse the impact of globalisation, European integration, mass migration, changing patterns of political participation and welfare state provision upon citizenship in Europe. Uniting theory with empirical examples, the central theme of the book is that how we view such changes is dependent upon how we view citizenship theoretically. The authors analyse the three main theoretical approaches to citizenship: [1] classical positions (liberal, communitarian, and republican), primarily concerned with questions of rights and responsibilities; [2] multiculturalist and feminist theories, concerned with the question of difference; and [3] postnational or cosmopolitan theories which emphasise how citizen rights and behaviours are increasingly located beyond the nation state. Using these theoretical perspectives, the second section of the book assesses four key social, economic and political developments which pose challenges for citizenship in Europe: migration, political participation, the welfare state and European integration. These, it is argued, represent the most significant challenges to and for citizenship in contemporary Europe.
Banu Özkazanç-Pan
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781529204544
- eISBN:
- 9781529204582
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781529204544.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
This book brings about insights and key concepts from the field of transnational migration studies to bear upon the field of organization studies. It expands upon multiscalar global perspective, ...
More
This book brings about insights and key concepts from the field of transnational migration studies to bear upon the field of organization studies. It expands upon multiscalar global perspective, moving beyond methodological nationalism, and historical global conjuncturesas relevant transnational concepts for studying people and difference in novel ways including agentic, reflexive mobile subjectivities as the new subjects of diversity research that emerge in a ‘post-identitarian’ world. Specifically, the book offers transmigrant, hybrid, and cosmopolitan subjectivities as new the subjects of diversity research. Beyond new subjectivities, mobility ontology requires rethinking the epistemology of multiculturalism, examining inequalities, and redirecting the methodologies adopted to attend to difference. In expanding on these, the book offers new frameworks for the study of people on-the-move and organizations through a mobility ontology that foregrounds movement as the natural order of the social world. It also calls into question the ways existing research paradigms and approaches have potentially replicated the creation of boundaries and borders through implicit assumptions about difference, race/ethnicity and belonging. By shifting the ontological premise upon which the field of organization studies rests, this book provides novel ways of theorizing difference, people and work beyond static epistemologies guiding much of the field.Less
This book brings about insights and key concepts from the field of transnational migration studies to bear upon the field of organization studies. It expands upon multiscalar global perspective, moving beyond methodological nationalism, and historical global conjuncturesas relevant transnational concepts for studying people and difference in novel ways including agentic, reflexive mobile subjectivities as the new subjects of diversity research that emerge in a ‘post-identitarian’ world. Specifically, the book offers transmigrant, hybrid, and cosmopolitan subjectivities as new the subjects of diversity research. Beyond new subjectivities, mobility ontology requires rethinking the epistemology of multiculturalism, examining inequalities, and redirecting the methodologies adopted to attend to difference. In expanding on these, the book offers new frameworks for the study of people on-the-move and organizations through a mobility ontology that foregrounds movement as the natural order of the social world. It also calls into question the ways existing research paradigms and approaches have potentially replicated the creation of boundaries and borders through implicit assumptions about difference, race/ethnicity and belonging. By shifting the ontological premise upon which the field of organization studies rests, this book provides novel ways of theorizing difference, people and work beyond static epistemologies guiding much of the field.
Rhonda M. Roorda
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231172219
- eISBN:
- 9780231540483
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231172219.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
While many proponents of transracial adoption claim that American society is increasingly becoming “color-blind,” a growing body of research reveals that for transracial adoptees of all backgrounds, ...
More
While many proponents of transracial adoption claim that American society is increasingly becoming “color-blind,” a growing body of research reveals that for transracial adoptees of all backgrounds, racial identity does matter. Rhonda M. Roorda elaborates significantly on that finding, specifically studying the effects of the adoption of black and biracial children by white parents. She incorporates diverse perspectives on transracial adoption by concerned black Americans of various ages, including those who lived through Jim Crow and the Civil Rights era. All her interviewees have been involved either personally or professionally in the lives of transracial adoptees, and they offer strategies for navigating systemic racial inequalities while affirming the importance of black communities in the lives of transracial adoptive families. In Their Voices is for parents, child-welfare providers, social workers, psychologists, educators, therapists, and adoptees from all backgrounds who seek clarity about this phenomenon. The author examines how social attitudes and federal policies concerning transracial adoption have changed over the last several decades. She also includes suggestions on how to revise transracial adoption policy to better reflect the needs of transracial adoptive families. Perhaps most important, In Their Voices is packed with advice for parents who are invested in nurturing a positive self-image in their adopted children of color and the crucial perspectives those parents should consider when raising their children. It offers adoptees of color encouragement in overcoming discrimination and explains why a “race-neutral” environment, maintained by so many white parents, is not ideal for adoptees or their families.Less
While many proponents of transracial adoption claim that American society is increasingly becoming “color-blind,” a growing body of research reveals that for transracial adoptees of all backgrounds, racial identity does matter. Rhonda M. Roorda elaborates significantly on that finding, specifically studying the effects of the adoption of black and biracial children by white parents. She incorporates diverse perspectives on transracial adoption by concerned black Americans of various ages, including those who lived through Jim Crow and the Civil Rights era. All her interviewees have been involved either personally or professionally in the lives of transracial adoptees, and they offer strategies for navigating systemic racial inequalities while affirming the importance of black communities in the lives of transracial adoptive families. In Their Voices is for parents, child-welfare providers, social workers, psychologists, educators, therapists, and adoptees from all backgrounds who seek clarity about this phenomenon. The author examines how social attitudes and federal policies concerning transracial adoption have changed over the last several decades. She also includes suggestions on how to revise transracial adoption policy to better reflect the needs of transracial adoptive families. Perhaps most important, In Their Voices is packed with advice for parents who are invested in nurturing a positive self-image in their adopted children of color and the crucial perspectives those parents should consider when raising their children. It offers adoptees of color encouragement in overcoming discrimination and explains why a “race-neutral” environment, maintained by so many white parents, is not ideal for adoptees or their families.
Rhonda M. Roorda
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231172219
- eISBN:
- 9780231540483
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231172219.003.0002
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
Arthur E. McFarlane II, great grandson of W. E. B. Du Bois and advocate for the preservation of cultural heritage Lora Kay (pseudonym), principal of a charter school in Washington, D.C. Chester ...
More
Arthur E. McFarlane II, great grandson of W. E. B. Du Bois and advocate for the preservation of cultural heritage Lora Kay (pseudonym), principal of a charter school in Washington, D.C. Chester Jackson, professional adoption worker and adoptive fatherLess
Arthur E. McFarlane II, great grandson of W. E. B. Du Bois and advocate for the preservation of cultural heritage Lora Kay (pseudonym), principal of a charter school in Washington, D.C. Chester Jackson, professional adoption worker and adoptive father
Rhonda M. Roorda
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231172219
- eISBN:
- 9780231540483
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231172219.003.0003
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
Vershawn A. Young, author and scholar Michelle M. Hughes, adoption attorney and adoptive mother Mahisha Dellinger, CEO and founder of Curls Deneta Howland Sells, physician and civil rights advocate ...
More
Vershawn A. Young, author and scholar Michelle M. Hughes, adoption attorney and adoptive mother Mahisha Dellinger, CEO and founder of Curls Deneta Howland Sells, physician and civil rights advocate Tabitha, child welfare bureau chief Bryan Post, CEO of the Post Institute for Family-Centered Therapy and adoptee Shilease Hofmann, spouse of a transracial adoptee Chelsey Hines, foster care alumna and transracial adoptee Demetrius Walker, entrepreneur and cofounder of the dN|BE ApparelLess
Vershawn A. Young, author and scholar Michelle M. Hughes, adoption attorney and adoptive mother Mahisha Dellinger, CEO and founder of Curls Deneta Howland Sells, physician and civil rights advocate Tabitha, child welfare bureau chief Bryan Post, CEO of the Post Institute for Family-Centered Therapy and adoptee Shilease Hofmann, spouse of a transracial adoptee Chelsey Hines, foster care alumna and transracial adoptee Demetrius Walker, entrepreneur and cofounder of the dN|BE Apparel