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Copyright of Political & International Approaches / Faṣlnāmah-i Rahyāft/hā-yi Siyāsī va Biyn/almilalī is the property of Shahid Beheshti University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article in the magazine "AIBR. Journal of Ibero-American Anthropology" focuses on the anthropologist Eve Danziger and her research on the Mopan ethnic group in Central America. Danziger, an expert in linguistic anthropology, has studied the influence of colonial past on the culture and language of the Mopan people, descendants of the Maya. Her work reveals how colonization and evangelization affected the perception of the world and the identity of this group. Additionally, the article addresses linguistic and cultural relativism in the context of linguistic and cultural diversity. [Extracted from the article]

Alan Ward (1935–2014) delivered his inaugural professorial address at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, on 23 March 1988. Following his 1987 promotion to Professor, a position he held until his retirement in 1996, the lecture marked a milestone in his career, which to that point had included not only his influential study, A Show of Justice: Racial 'Amalgamation' in Nineteenth Century New Zealand (1974), but also important work on land reform in Papua New Guinea, the New Hebrides/Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Some 35 years after its delivery and ten years after Ward's death, the Journal of Pacific History now publishes the lecture (as retrieved from his papers and transcribed by his daughter, Ingrid Ward) in its entirety. This introduction highlights key themes from the lecture in the context of Ward's career and subsequent publications that expanded on the issues raised in the speech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the intricate relationship between sociocultural dynamics and human rights in multicultural societies. It examines how norms, belief systems, and power structures shape the perception and exercise of these universal principles. The study employs a qualitative research design, specifically using the Cultural Relativism Framework, to investigate how cultural norms and values influence the interpretation and application of human rights. Through the analysis of literature and case studies, the paper elucidates the interaction between cultural context and human rights interpretations. It acknowledges that human rights are not uniform but are influenced by diverse cultural contexts. Key findings underscore the significance of multiculturalism in human rights interpretation, the impact of social, cultural, and political contexts, the intersection of values, beliefs, and customs, and the roles of states, civil society, and international organizations in shaping human rights discourse. The paper advocates for educational initiatives, intercultural dialogue, inclusive policymaking, and legal reforms to promote and protect human rights in diverse societies. It recommends enhancing human rights education, facilitating intercultural exchange, empowering civil society, addressing discrimination and inequality, and integrating customary laws with formal legal systems. By fostering mutual respect and understanding, societies can uphold human rights and cultural diversity, enabling peaceful, equitable coexistence. This assertion is based on empirical observations and scientific principles that highlight the importance of mutual understanding in preserving human rights and promoting cultural diversity. This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of human rights, advocating for a balance between universal principles and cultural specificities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) play a key role in the realization of the environmental rule of law and in strengthening social and ecological sustainability. States have the duty to protect and empower the EHRDs, while businesses, investors, and financial institutions also have responsibilities to respect human rights. Although the literature on human rights defenders is comprehensive, the article offers a theoretical analysis of the challenges facing the EHRDs by using Lawrence Lessig's New Chicago School approach to explore the opportunities for bridging the gap between the theory and practice concerning the protection of EHRDs. The article endeavors to contribute to the literature by methodologically explaining the importance of legal regulation and State intervention for creating a safe and just space for the activities of the EHRDs. It demonstrates the effects of the four modalities in Lessig's theory—i.e. the law, the social norms (culture), the architecture (technology), and the market—on the behavior of EHRDs, and ultimately on democracies while emphasizing the power of law as one of these modalities and being one of the imperative elements of the environmental rule of law. It argues that the adoption of international agreements, laws and policies regulating culture, technology, and markets, would empower civil society and encourage broad participation in the decision-making processes both within the States and the businesses to ensure accountable, transparent, and inclusive governance. It concludes that strengthened legal protection mechanisms for the rights of the rights' defenders is an urgent need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the environmental rule of law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Catalunya is the property of Fundacio Revista de Catalunya and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

AbstractWithin the context of globalization, social workers need to ensure that international-level professional knowledge and practice do not lead to the oppression of the local people that the profession seeks to serve. One of the challenges for social workers is how to negotiate the sometimes-competing definitions and demands of local and cultural norms versus global and international laws. In this study, we used qualitative methods to explore those instances that bring to the fore the contentions between cultural and legal rights in child welfare cases in Ghana. Evidence from the study revealed that these social workers were faced with three main instances where conflict usually arose when navigating between the law and the culture of the people: (a) child custody disputes, (b) child paternity tests, and (c) child marriage. One of the key findings is that social workers adopt a benefit-emphasis approach to sensitise families and communities about the benefits of the legal requirements that guide and protect children. In doing so, they try to avoid any form of condemnation or attack on the norms and values of the people. The importance of this approach lies in its tact to de-emphasize the need to label right or wrong and emphasize the benefits of, for instance, educating the girl child for the family. We argue that using the benefit-emphasis approach is a key strategy for negotiating cultural and legal demands in child protection cases in Ghana.

This paper examines the influence of cultural relativism on the international protection of human rights, addressing the complex interplay between universal human rights standards and cultural diversity. Cultural relativism, which posits that human rights should be interpreted within the context of a specific culture, often conflicts with the principle of universality upheld by international human rights instruments. This tension raises critical questions about the applicability and enforcement of human rights norms across diverse cultural landscapes. By analyzing concrete cases and theoretical perspectives, the paper explores how cultural relativism can challenge and enrich the discourse on human rights. It highlights the potential for cultural relativism to undermine universal human rights protections by justifying practices that violate fundamental rights. Conversely, it argues that a nuanced understanding of cultural contexts can enhance the legitimacy and effectiveness of human rights interventions. The paper concludes by advocating for a balanced approach that respects cultural diversity while upholding the core human rights principles, emphasizing the need for dialogue and adaptability in the international human rights regime. The paper examines how instruments like the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights offer pathways to reconcile universal human rights with cultural diversity through adaptive frameworks.

The social movement toward cultural relativism has led to a growing distrust and even disbelief in the value of scientific inquiry regarding the effects of, or the need for, special education for students with disabilities. The authors examine the basic underpinnings of scientific methodology and its fundamental role in establishing best practice in the field. We also address contrary views and their risks and weaknesses. Scientific methodology is foundational to effective programs and services to marginalized students, including those with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catherine Elgin has recently offered compatibility with autonomy as a plausible criterion for the epistemic virtues. This approach mixes elements of Kantianism with virtue theory. Sasha Mudd has criticized this combination on the grounds that it weakens the structure of Kantian autonomy and undermines its resources for responding to cultural relativism. Elgin's more recent defense of the role of autonomy has taken a more Kantian turn. Here, I defend Elgin's original claim, grounding it in a distinctively virtue theoretic account of the development of virtues. Exploring how individuals develop their epistemic virtues within a social context, I show how these virtues can be grounded in both developmental and constitutive relational autonomy. I further argue that a virtue theoretic conception of autonomy should be substantive, not just procedural, and this limits concerns about relativism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cultural Relativism Doctrine is a challenging concept that questions the universalist claims made in international human rights documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to this doctrine, human rights, as interpreted and conceived in the West, may not be universally acceptable for non-Western societies. Within cultural relativism, a subset called “Africanism” seeks to present its own acceptable narrative of human rights by emphasizing the principles and cultural commonalities specific to the African continent. Africanism has different views on cultural relativism, ranging from minimal to moderate and maximal perspectives. These views raise questions about the legitimacy of the global human rights paradigm. The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights also reflects this theoretical tension to a certain degree. Considering the modern African context and culture, it can be inferred that a middleground perspective based on intercultural cooperation and dialogue is the best way to address the challenges arising from this issue. During the post-colonial era, the traditional mechanism of safeguarding human dignity has proven ineffective and insufficient in Africa. Additionally, the interconnectedness of civil-political rights with social-economic rights appears to be a valid prioritization of various human rights types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elena Abrusci's book, "Judicial Convergence and Fragmentation in International Human Rights Law," examines the issue of judicial convergence and fragmentation in international human rights law (IHRL). The book aims to answer two questions: whether judicial fragmentation affects IHRL or if judicial convergence is the norm, and what factors contribute to this situation. Abrusci argues that, despite the potential for fragmentation, the trend in IHRL has been towards judicial convergence. The book analyzes various factors that contribute to this convergence. While the book lacks a normative argument and does not fully explore the political and historical context of judicial dialogues, it provides valuable insights into the case law and workings of human rights bodies. [Extracted from the article]

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic, debilitating disease that disproportionally affects the Hispanic/Latino community residing in the United States. Optimal nutrition therapy is fundamental to the proper management of T2D and must be culturally adapted to facilitate permanent behavior change in this population. This review selected and assessed the nutrition components of interventions aimed to improve T2D outcomes in US-based Latinos/Hispanics, published from 2002 to 2023. An overview of the participant characteristics, nutrition intervention, and dietary assessment and outcomes is included. Nutrition interventions in this community benefit from the inclusion of bicultural registered dietitian nutritionist (RDNs) to assure the counseling team promotes culturally tailored nutrition recommendations based on current dietary guidelines. Nutrition assessment and outcomes should be captured with the use of validated dietary assessment tools and dietary quality indices appropriate to their target population. Standardizing these practices will facilitate intervention comparability and replicability and ultimately better target the needs of this community.

This study aims to address the debate on universalism versus relativism regarding human rights over the case of China. By the end of the Cold War and with the increasing effects of globalization dynamics, the idea of human rights had become a controversial issue, and interventions in states that violate human rights have come to the agenda of international society. United States of America and the European Union have frequently mentioned the issue of human rights violations with regard to China. However, China has emphasized that no one should intervene with it on this issue, claiming up until the 1990s in the face of these allegations that the issue was its own internal affair. Meanwhile, China has tried to open a discussion about the universality of human rights through cultural values. China focuses on Asian values, claiming that human rights are a product of the Eurocentric Western modern world. This situation can be considered a challenge of postmodern and post-colonial theories that highlight cultural relativism, regarding the mainstream theories represented by realism and liberalism within the discipline of International Relations. However, using these critical theories may reproduce existing power relations by reducing them into a cultural context. This study seeks to reexamine China's human rights understanding beyond the universalism vs. relativism debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enduring question of whether grief can ever be pathological (and, if so, when) has been shrouding mental health and psychiatric care over the last few years. While this discussion extends beyond the confines of psychiatry to encompass contributions from diverse disciplines such as Anthropology, Sociology, and Philosophy, scrutiny has been mainly directed toward psychiatry for its purported inclination to pathologize grief--an unavoidable facet of the human experience. This critique has gained particular salience considering the formal inclusion of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and the subsequent Text Revision 5th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). This study contends that the inclusion of prolonged grief disorder as a diagnostic entity may be excessively rooted in Western cultural perspectives and empirical data, neglecting the nuanced variations in the expression and interpretation of grief across different cultural contexts. The formalization of this disorder not only raises questions about its universality and validity but also poses challenges to transcultural psychiatry, due to poor representation in empirical research and increased risk of misdiagnosis. Additionally, it exacerbates the ongoing concerns related to normativism and the lack of genuine cultural relativism within the DSM. Furthermore, the passionate discussion surrounding the existence, or not, of disordered forms of grief may actually impede effective care for individuals genuinely grappling with pathological forms of grief. In light of these considerations, this study proposes that prolonged grief disorder should be approached as a diagnostic category with potential Western cultural bias until comprehensive cross-cultural studies, conducted in diverse settings, can either substantiate or refute its broader applicability. This recalibration is imperative for advancing a more inclusive and culturally sensitive understanding of grief within the field of psychiatry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a history of critique, concentrated discussion and improved assessment processes, neglect continues to be a major challenge for child protection services. This paper draws on findings from a government‐commissioned analysis of 'serious case reviews' (SCRs) in England, arising from incidents of serious child abuse in 2017–2019. There were 235 cases, for which 166 final reports were available. Alongside a quantitative analysis of the whole cohort, we undertook an in‐depth qualitative analysis of 12 cases involving neglect. A key challenge in responding to neglect in its different forms is that it can be so widespread amongst families that practitioners no longer notice its severity or chronicity – it becomes normalised. In this paper we explore two dimensions of the 'paradox of neglect' where it seems to be everywhere and nowhere simultaneously. The first is that neglect is so closely bound up with the prevalence of poverty that little action is taken to address it. The second is that the overwhelming nature of neglect can blind practitioners to other forms of maltreatment that may also be present within a family. Practitioners, now more than ever, need to recognise the dimensions of this paradox to protect children from neglect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to explain the relationship between Human Rights and moral universality from a constructivist paradigm. From an ordinary perspective, Human Rights are universal. This attribute has been disputed from different forms of skepticism (classical utilitarianism, neo-Aristostelianism, cultural and ethical relativism). From a constructivist point of view, Human Rights are not the product of a descriptive analysis, but the outcome of a suitable procedure of construction. The distinction between moral realism and Kantian constructivism is equivalent to the difference between a path of discovery and a path of invention in ethics. In this sense, Human Rights are the outcome of an impartial procedure of moral justification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is sanctified to theoretical research of the concept of the universality of human rights as a process of establishment of corresponding norms and mechanisms of universal character with the aim of defence and providing of human rights, and also concept of universality-as an achievement of certain perfection in the protection of human rights. This universality shows up as a transcendent aspect. Universal rights are rights everybody has that as personality, regardless of legal space or historical time. Consideration of this aspect is very important for the ground of absoluteness of human rights. The idea of universality of human rights is based on position that human rights have exterritorial character and that their realization and defence are not business only of the separate states, but is the article of general interest. Universality of human rights arises out of universality of human nature. Quality of practical changes in development of the modern states largely depends on ideas about universality of human rights and reasons of optimization of human rights. Problem of the general understanding of concept of universality of human rights, causes much violation of human rights and freedoms, and her it costs to decide through the search of ways of understanding of universality of rights and freedoms, through description of basic elements that determine maintenance of the modes of human rights, by finding out of all totality of descriptions each of elements-right and moral, social and other terms that can come forward as a stimulant or vice versa, their realization prevent. The most frequent misunderstanding in relation to understanding of universality of human rights arises up when speech йдеться about countries that develop, that not only feel different difficulties of economic, social and cultural character in realization of that or other convention on human rights but also in relation to different reasons does not welcome omnifying of human rights or, at least up to a point, behave to her with a carefulness. It is in-process carried out research of theoretical analysis of different conceptions of understanding of universality of human rights, discussion and discussion of opinions of supporters of cultural relativism and universalism. Today by a reference-point in the difficult and contradictory situations of the modern world, there must be universal human rights, that would express the clear limits of his freedom, place in society, to intercommunication with the state or with other individuals. Must yield to no doubt in the modern world, judgement, that human rights are an inalienable, inalienable achievement of all humanity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delves into the profound impact of postmodernism on the trajectory and evolution of future public administration. The 20th century witnessed radical changes in worldview, marking the transition from modernity to postmodernity. The basic principles of postmodernism, encompassing deconstruction, fragmentation, future shock, and cultural relativism, have instigated a paradigm shift challenging traditional administrative frameworks (M. Foucault, J.-F. Lyotard, A. Toffler, etc.). The article explores how these postmodern tenets influence administrative practices, power structures, and the very nature of governance. Postmodernity is characterized by a unique attitude towards truth, acknowledging its relativity, and by decentration, the absence of a single center, replaced by multipolarity and globalization. "Post-truth" replaces truth, posing new challenges to the future of public administration. The public administration of the future will be shaped by existing trends, including Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), etc. It will also depend on modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, data analysis, and data-driven decision-making, as underscored by the need for digitalization in response to the pandemic (according to EIB). However, alongside advantages, there are also challenges, such as issues of liability in the use of AI for future public administration. These risks can be mitigated through collaborative and participatory governance models, adaptive leadership, an emphasis on inclusivity, diversity, and social equity, addressing environmental concerns, advanced training courses, and other strategic measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

本文整理三位文化人類學家對教育的觀點。C. Geertz認為教育即文化限 縮，J. Henry認為教育即文化綑綁，G. D. Spindler則認為教育即文化干預、 文化壓縮，三者皆強調文化依賴教育擔負傳遞的功能，卻同時框限教育的內涵與運作。延伸討論的結果指出，教育的框限並非絕對的，教育不會被全然的文化所決定，在特定文化範圍內仍允許學校實施的彈性與個人抉擇的自由，也容許相對程度的創造；從文化相對論推論出教育的相對論，教育皆有其文化框限，各有其優缺點；每種教育模式都只是適應文化環境的文化選擇，沒有優劣差別，亦無放諸四海皆準的教育。在結論中，引用Spindler創用之文化治療概念，期待教育工作者從文化觀點進行質疑與批判，不需盲從於特定時空的教育模式，勇於發掘文化框限的機制與效應，以獲得教育的相對主體性，促成文化與教育的覺醒來支持合理教育的運作。 This article synthesizes the viewpoints of three cultural anthropologists on education. C. Geertz regards education as cultural reduction, J. Henry views it as cultural binding or fettering, and G. D. Spindler sees it as cultural intervention and compression. They all emphasize the reliance of culture on education for its transmission, yet at the same time, note how cultural also confines the operation of education. The extended discussion suggests that the limitations of education are not absolute. Education is not entirely determined by culture; there is still room for flexibility in implementation within the broader cultural space and freedom for individual choice, as well as opportunities for relative creativity. Derived from cultural relativism, the perspective adopted in this paper argues that all forms of education have their own cultural limitations, each with its advantages and disadvantages, and that every educational model is merely a cultural choice, adapted to its environment, with no superior or inferior models. In conclusion, drawing on Spindler’s concept of ‘cultural therapy,’ the paper calls for educators to critically question educational models from a cultural perspective, and to avoid blind adherence to specific educational models found in a particular time or place. It encourages the exploration of the mechanisms and effects of cultural constraints, with the goal of achieving relative subjectivity in education, and thereby fostering a better understanding of the interplay between culture and education that supports the rational operation of education.

This article discusses the methodological and ethical challenges posed by the bureaucratization of research ethics in Eastern Europe, particularly as this impacts the practice of anthropology and fieldwork. It reflects on the authors' extensive fieldwork among Czech‐speaking Protestants in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, highlighting the discrepancy between Western and Eastern European academic norms regarding ethnography. The authors argue that increased formalization and ethical regulation favour more easily bureaucratically managed methodologies, to the detriment of traditional anthropological fieldwork, which is critical for deep cultural understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public release of ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence language model, caused wide-spread public interest in its abilities but also concern about the implications of the application on academia, depending on whether it was deemed benevolent (e.g., supporting analysis and simplification of tasks) or malevolent (e.g., assignment writing and academic misconduct). While ChatGPT has been shown to provide answers of sufficient quality to pass some university exams, its capacity to write essays that require an exploration of value concepts is unknown. This paper presents the results of a study where ChatGPT-4 (released May 2023) was tasked with writing a 1500-word essay to discuss the nature of values used in the assessment of cultural heritage significance. Based on an analysis of 36 iterations, ChatGPT wrote essays of limited length with about 50% of the stipulated word count being primarily descriptive and without any depth or complexity. The concepts, which are often flawed and suffer from inverted logic, are presented in an arbitrary sequence with limited coherence and without any defined line of argument. Given that it is a generative language model, ChatGPT often splits concepts and uses one or more words to develop tangential arguments. While ChatGPT provides references as tasked, many are fictitious, albeit with plausible authors and titles. At present, ChatGPT has the ability to critique its own work but seems unable to incorporate that critique in a meaningful way to improve a previous draft. Setting aside conceptual flaws such as inverted logic, several of the essays could possibly pass as a junior high school assignment but fall short of what would be expected in senior school, let alone at a college or university level.

This article explores the challenges that arise when human rights come into conflict with cultural, political, and ethical values in diverse societies. Eight areas of discord related to human rights are identified, and four criteria are proposed to assess how human rights relate to these values. These criteria include universality and cultural relativism, contextualization, ethical pluralism, and equity and social justice. The evaluation is based on neutrosophic selection criteria, employing the COPRAS multicriteria method. This analytical and decision-making approach is applied to eight specific cases of conflicts between human rights and values, such as women's rights, freedom of expression, and others. The results obtained provide a solid foundation for understanding how human rights relate to cultural, political, and ethical values in diverse societies. The article highlights the importance of finding a balance between protecting fundamental rights and respecting cultural and ethical diversity in resolving these conflicts. The promotion and protection of human rights remain a fundamental goal of the international community, regardless of cultural, political, or ethical differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Taiwan Journal of Sociology of Education is the property of Taiwan Association for the Sociology of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Customs and values within Indigenous communities form the basis of customary behavior in understanding human conduct, particularly in the context of Balinese indigenous women's behavior as guardians of tradition in an empirical approach to legal anthropology. This means that the legal norms used to observe the behaviors of Balinese indigenous women as custodians of indigenous traditions within the frame of cultural relativism represent legal realities apparent in legal situations or any legal events that genuinely occur within the indigenous community, as manifestations of the indigenous women's behaviors in preserving sacred traditions. This is based on an empirical approach to Legal Anthropology. Whether acknowledged or not by the indigenous community, the empirical approach to cultural relativism fundamentally holds a social and cultural value system that can serve as the social capital of the nation. The community's attitudes and behaviors rooted in tradition are guided by values believed to be true, exemplifying the traditional values and cultures passed down through generations and perceived as instruments for social control and religious values that guide human life, manifesting the preservation of local cultural relativism among the local indigenous community. Indigenous communities in these regions become the focal research site with the hope of safeguarding traditional values as a reinforcement of customary practices, the culture, and the traditions of the local indigenous community, which embody the manifestation of protected local wisdom governed by regional customary laws. The methodological approach utilized involves the Empirical Approach of Legal Anthropology linked with the theory of cultural relativism, leading to the conclusion that the approach involves field observations, interviews with research informants, and analyzing primary, secondary, and tertiary data sources through the lens of cultural relativism concerning the behaviors of indigenous women based on an empirical approach within the context of indigenous customary law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ainu are indigenous groups of people found in Hokkaido and northeast Honshu, Japan. During the nineteenth century, their land was integrated into the Japanese empire and the people redefined and assimilated. While intended to erase the Ainu as distinct groups, policies and discourses also showed that Ainu communities were not accepted as belonging to the category of 'Japanese', with the notions that they lacked Japanese ingenuity and civilization, were stuck in a prehistoric past, and lived in terra nullius. These discourses influenced the formation of museums' collections in Japan, such as the Tokyo National Museum (TNM) and the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka (Minpaku). By offering a reading of exhibitions on the Ainu and their accompanying catalogues between 1977 and 2017, this research sheds light on how colonial legacies continue to be shaped and challenged in representing Ainu communities in museums. The TNM seems unable to challenge tropes of this colonial discourse due to their intricate connection with the government, their notion of political neutrality, and their focus on art that tends to exclude the Ainu from the museum. Minpaku, on the other hand, has tried to introduce notions of cultural relativism and centre cooperation with Ainu communities to facilitate best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several scholars (many of whom belong to the approach commonly labelled 'Paul within Judaism') have argued that in Romans 2:17 Paul does not address a Jew but a Gentile who believes he can 'call' himself 'a Jew' because he has been circumcised and adopted customs from the Mosaic Law. These scholars claim that identifying the addressee as a Gentile dramatically affects the interpretation of Romans by shifting a purported Pauline critique of 'legalism,' Jewish 'ethnocentrism', or 'Judaism' to the more accurate critique of gentile transgression and Judaizing. These scholars have rightly noted that the identification of the addressee as a Jew in 2:17 has often been assumed rather than argued. This article responds to common arguments made for a Gentile addressee, provides a positive case that the figure is Jewish, and argues that a Jewish addressee can be accommodated within an interpretation of Rom. 2–4 that does not interpret Paul's indictment in terms of 'legalism,' Jewish 'ethnocentrism', or 'Judaism', but as an address to a Jewish kinsman of the sinful generation of 'the last days' that precedes the national restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the lone outlier associated with the cannibal boom of European exploitation films in the 1970s and 1980s – with the main point of diversion being that Sisworo Gautama Putra's film is an Indonesian production rather than the typical Italian fare. Being an Asian film that emulates the traditionally European style of cannibal film, Primitives opens a larger discussion about the role of the theoretical savage and the implications thereof, put in place by ghosts of imperialism and cinematic mimicry. The author explores these concepts with psychoanalytic input, opting to unpack the rationality behind an Indonesian film following the same imperialist notions utilized by the preceding Italian directors, which ultimately results in a subdivision of the artificial–natural dichotomy: the meta-natural. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has generally affected the attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyles of people and states. Although there is still no definitive position on the causes of the new species from the coronavirus family, there have been articles and discussions leading to the blaming of Chinese cultural tradition of eating the meat of bats - mammals which were also considered by scientists as potential transmitters of SARS-CoV-2. To measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the changing attitudes towards the doctrine of cultural relativism, in anthropological and sociological terms and state sovereignty in political terms, respondents from several Western Balkan countries, such as Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina answered a series of questions. The research findings show that changing the attitudes towards cultural relativism and state sovereignty is significantly dependent on bilateral relations between the Western Balkan nations with Chinese Foreign Policy rather than the COVID-19 pandemic.

Georges Devereux is known as the creator of ethnopsychoanalysis, a discipline that articulates psychoanalysis and anthropology in understanding human phenomena. If in relation to psychoanalysis Devereux declared himself a classical and orthodox Freudian, in relation to anthropology we do not find statements in the same way. The objective proposed for this article is to understand Devereux's insertion in the field of anthropology, considering his formation, his position in the field and the criticisms that he made about anthropology of his time. Devereux's theoretical training took place in the early 1930s and was guided by French anthropology, having Marcel Mauss as his reference author. After the theoretical studies, Devereux went to the United States, where he carried out training for his field research and made his doctoral thesis supervised by Alfred Kroeber, under the foundations of the culture and personality school. Devereux entered to the anthropological field as an opponent of culture and personality school, critical relativism and cultural determinism, seen by him as naive, refusing to face ethical issues and using distancing as a defense mechanism for non-recognition in the other. Although Devereux ascribes the studies of physicists Bohr and Heisenberg as the foundation of complementarism, we can find similarities between Devereux's proposal and the concept of 'total social fact' proposed by Mauss; in both, pluridisciplinary is central, the non-reduction of one discourse to another and the proposition that different explanations of the same phenomenon complement each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of arguments against moral relativism are based on the reality of intracultural conflict or the related possibility of sliding down a slippery slope and out the door of morality altogether. The first batch of arguments draws upon the evident fact that cultures are not unitary or homogenous but contain subgroups at odds with each other. The second batch is based on the claim that if moral truth is relativized to a culture, consistency demands that it eventually be relativized to the individual, and with that comes the end of morality. In this paper, (A) moral relativism is first defined, clarified, and defended—these preliminaries being necessary, given what follows—and (B) the common but infrequently discussed arguments mentioned above are distinguished, exposed, explained, evaluated, and ultimately rejected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal shelters in the United States have become a tool of institutionalized racism and aid in the perpetuation of stig)matization of marginalized communities. Despite having evolved alongside humans and living in all areas, climates, and ways in which humans do, dogs are used as a tool to police the lives of people of color. Dogs enter animal shelters in a variety of ways: they may have been found “stray,” be seized when their owner is hospitalized or incarcerated, surrendered by their owners, or the least likely avenue of confiscation—under assumptions of cruelty or neglect. Owning a dog is treated as a privilege instead of a right, and through this, dog ownership becomes a symbol of status and a demonstration of dominance and control over “others.” Rather than operating from an elitist perspective that is informed by hegemonic ideology, those responsible for capital reallocation, here the re-homing of dogs, should apply a postmodern approach informed by cultural relativism in order to deconstruct their ethnocentric viewpoint. In order to better serve the needs of humans and nonhuman animals through animal sheltering, the concept of the heteronormative nuclear family as the “best” way to live with a dog needs to be re-evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article unpacks the discursive (de)legitimation strategies used by the Malaysian government and Malaysian civil society organisations to construct and contest the legitimacy of female circumcision in Malaysia. This paper examines the ways in which female circumcision in Malaysia is legitimised and contested within the Malaysian news media. Malaysian mainstream and alternative news articles discussing the practice that was published online between the years of 2016 and 2020 were analysed based on previous studies on legitimation (Van Leeuwen, 2008) as the main analytical tools to examine the approaches taken by the Malaysian government and Malaysian civil society organisations to (de)legitimise the practice in Malaysia. Findings reveal that the Malaysian government actively supported the practice of female circumcision using the strategies (1) authority of tradition and authority of conformity, (2) impersonal authority of adat (Malay custom), (3) personal and expert authority (4) denial of female circumcision as a form of FGM/C, (5) mitigation of harm through medicalisation, (6) moral legitimation by cultural relativism, and (7) scientific rationalisation using religion. Malaysian civil society organisations mainly countered the hegemonic discourse using the synergistic strategies of moral evaluation and rationalisation with discourses of health and human rights as the motif of resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of cultural relativism versus universalism is widely discussed when considering women's rights. This article discusses the applicability of cultural relativism to selected issues related to women's rights in Muslim personal law in the context of Saudi Arabia. It analyses the Islamic inheritance law and the women's right to receive mahr (dower) and challenges the idea of the incompatibility of Islam with human rights. The main argument of this article is that the concept of universality is limited and, therefore, a more holistic approach to universal human rights, such as cultural relativism, shall be applied when discussing the issue of human rights and women's rights in Islam. The discussion in this article starts by considering the universal character of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in relation to religions and Islam. Using Saudi Arabia as an example where Islamic law is applicable, a case is made that basing women's rights on Islamic laws, even though they may be discriminatory from a Western point of view, does not always lead to discrimination but indeed serve as a means to achieve equality. Based on the discussions on the universality of human rights in the context of Saudi Arabia's social and legal architecture, the article concludes that reconsidering the formal universality of human rights is essential to reconcile it with women's rights in Islamic law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female genital cutting (FGC) is roundly condemned within international human rights discourse. The narrative surrounding the practice tends to categorically censure FGC in all forms. In this article, I analyse the criminalisation of the practice in New South Wales, Australia to demonstrate the dominant influence of this narrative, while also highlighting its deficiencies. Focusing on the recent Australian case of Magennis and Vaziri and criticisms of the Family Law Council's approach to FGC-eradication in Australia, I argue that the decision relied on speculation rather than objective evidence. Further, by substituting the internal perspectives of affected communities with gendered and racialised stereotypes, the courts prevented women most affected by FGC from participating in active and meaningful dialogue. As a landmark decision, Magennis and Vaziri set a clear precedent as to how future cases are decided and how women from affected communities are to be treated: as gendered, racialised and voiceless subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noting that Benhabib's ethical theory has seldom been engaged with by sociologists of morality, this article introduces and interrogates Benhabib's ethical theory from a sociological perspective. It is argued that Benhabib's critiques of Enlightenment conceptions of morality complement sociological theories of morality. Her concepts of the 'concrete' and 'generalized' other and 'interactive universalism' can potentially inform recurrent debates in the sociology of morality about the extent to which cultural plurality precludes the possibility of sociologists providing normative judgements, and the extent to which certain features of moral experiences can be taken to be universal. However, Benhabib's argument that discourse ethics can provide a procedural means to judge between competing moral claims leads her to prioritize the perspective of 'postconventional' Western modernism as the means to adjudicate between the moral tolerability of cultural beliefs and practices. This leads her to characterize 'conventional' moral systems as subordinate, which succumbs to postcolonial critiques of the role of processes of domination in organizing the validity of moral claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditions within development thought sceptical of market-led development and which emphasise the unevenness and instabilities of global capitalism are experiencing some renewed interest. One such tradition is dependency studies: a school of thought once prominent in the field of development. We critically review the dependency tradition alongside a more recent branch of critical inquiry into development, namely decoloniality. One of our core contributions is to clarify what makes the decolonial tradition substantially distinct from dependency and other traditions in development thought. We locate decoloniality in the context of the "cultural turn" that swept through social theory from the 1970s. Our paper problematises decoloniality's critique of Modernity as inherently colonial and oppressive and finds that its core features are idealism and the strong risk of cultural relativism. We assert that the substantive commitments of the dependency tradition are its strength and reject the equivalence drawn by decolonial theorists between "Eurocentrism" and belief in Enlightenment values and methodologies. Drawing on the work of Samir Amin, we emphasise the need for development theory to retain an analytic focus on a materialist analysis of global capitalism; we echo Amin's critique of culturalism and endorse his defence of universalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates on human rights universality frame universality according to an anthropological view called Western universalism and consider that "cultural relativism" is equivalent to any other framework. Thus, the discussion on this topic has been reduced to who is the rights-holder and the concept of human rights itself. There is a third approach to universality that must be addressed: the universality of interpretations. Most critics of human rights universality do not contest internationally agreed human rights norms (as established in treaties). Rather, they react against interpretations or standards as have been developed by human rights mechanisms. Accordingly, this paper explores three positions that have been developed around this notion: flexible Westerns, dialogical perspectives, and bottom-up approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]