Religious Transformation in the Middle East

This Special Issue draws attention to religious transformations currently emerging in the Middle East that diverge from the dominating rhetoric surrounding ‘radicalization’, ‘political Islam’, or the ‘Islamic awakening’. Particularly after the Arab uprisings, other currents seem to be coming more to the fore that need careful examination, such as the contemporary realities of religious ambivalence, religious doubts, disengagement from religious movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the search for alternative forms of spirituality or individualized piety, de-veiling, and different forms of non-conformism, free thinking, non-belief, and atheism. Accordingly, the contributions to this Special Issue provide highly relevant insights into several contemporary debates that are crucial in the social sciences and religious studies. This includes processes of individualization; the study of everyday lived (non-)religion; the anthropology of doubt, ambivalence, and ambiguity; and, last but not least, the deconstruction of the religious–secular divide, a divide that is seen as almost impenetrable according to many actors in the Middle East. This Special Issue consists of a cross-section of current works in social science, religious studies, and related fields on Islam/religion and non-religion in the Middle East. The articles present case studies from different countries in the Middle East, with examples from Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, and Syria, as well as studies on diaspora and social media

Evaluating the Impact of Nature-Based Solutions: Appendix of Methods

The Handbook aims to provide decision-makers with a comprehensive NBS impact assessment framework, and a robust set of indicators and methodologies to assess impacts of nature-based solutions across 12 societal challenge areas: Climate Resilience; Water Management; Natural and Climate Hazards; Green Space Management; Biodiversity; Air Quality; Place Regeneration; Knowledge and Social Capacity Building for Sustainable Urban Transformation; Participatory Planning and Governance; Social Justice and Social Cohesion; Health and Well-being; New Economic Opportunities and Green Jobs. Indicators have been developed collaboratively by representatives of 17 individual EU-funded NBS projects and collaborating institutions such as the EEA and JRC, as part of the European Taskforce for NBS Impact Assessment, with the four-fold objective of: serving as a reference for relevant EU policies and activities; orient urban practitioners in developing robust impact evaluation frameworks for nature-based solutions at different scales; expand upon the pioneering work of the EKLIPSE framework by providing a comprehensive set of indicators and methodologies; and build the European evidence base regarding NBS impacts. They reflect the state of the art in current scientific research on impacts of nature-based solutions and valid and standardized methods of assessment, as well as the state of play in urban implementation of evaluation frameworks

Parenting styles and their impact on children’s academic self-concept, behavioural problems and executive functions

Parental styles have a significant impact on children’s developmental outcomes. It could be argued that negative parenting characteristics, including strictness, neglect, control, punishment, and lack of support potentially impact child academic self-concept, behavioural problems as well as child’s cognitive abilities. The current thesis examines this question in Kurdish primary school children. This thesis comprises 6 chapters: Chapter 1 and 2 consist of an introduction and literature review about the topic. Chapter 3 reports study 1 which examines parenting styles and their relationship with academic self-concept and behavioural problems. This chapter also considers whether academic self-concept serves as a mediator in the relationship between parenting styles and behavioural problems. In support of previous studies, results indicate a vital role of parenting styles on children’s academic self-concept and behavioural problems among Kurdish children. The results also indicate that academic self-concept serves as a significant mediator in the relationship between parenting styles with prosocial behaviour and internalising problems. Chapter 4 reports study 2, which is an intervention study. This study tests the impact of Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) programme to improve parenting styles and decrease parental stress. After three months a follow-up study was carried out in order to examine the effectiveness of the STEP programme. It was found that the intervention was effective in promoting parenting styles and reducing the level of parental stress in Kurdish mothers. The follow-up study showed that the changes were sustained over a three months period. However, contrary to expectation, no significant statistical differences were found in academic self-concept and behavioural problems between children whose mothers attended STEP and others whose mothers did not attend. Chapter 5 reports study 3 in which the individual differences in executive functions based on the parental monitoring and hyperactivity expressed by children was investigated. Additionally, a moderating role of parental monitoring in the relationship between children’s executive function and hyperactivity was performed in this study. Results indicated that children subjected to poor parental monitoring and showing a high level of hyperactivity had difficulties in inhibitory control, accuracy, processing speed and task persistence compared with the matched sample. PROCESS analysis indicated a significant moderating role of parental monitoring in the association between accuracy, verbal inhibition and task persistence with hyperactivity. The last chapter, Chapter 6, summarizes the findings of the empirical studies and provides the discussion, conclusion, limitations, implications and suggestions for future research

Natural Disasters and the Crusades: Framing Earthquakes in Historical Narratives, 1095-1170

This thesis explores perceptions of earthquake causality in the accounts of twelfth-century Syria and the ways that medieval views of natural disasters influenced historical writing. Examining the perceived causes, effects, and significance of cataclysmic seismic events provides insight into shared elements of faith perspectives, the role of nature in medieval worldviews, and how chroniclers framed accounts of natural disasters to reflect their religious and political prejudices. Medieval writers believed that natural phenomena were indicative of important world events and imbued with spiritual significance. Chroniclers perceived earthquakes as omens of future disaster or the apocalypse, and associated them with a need for repentance due to their belief that seismic disasters were divine punishment for moral failings. In addition, Christian and Muslim sources utilized these perceptions on divine causality to criticize the failings of political leaders and rival religious communities. These patterns of portrayal possess great significance in the context of the major conflicts and cultural convergences in the twelfth-century Near East. In addition to the theological perspectives and political criticism present in the sources, terrestrial and astrological explanations for earthquakes were prevalent in the twelfth century and often used to complement, not disprove, perceptions of divine causation. Apocalyptic sentiment and crusading spirituality also influenced portrayals of earthquakes, particularly in the Christian sources. These intellectual patterns are evident in earthquake accounts from the period irrespective of religious and cultural differences, but were firmly grounded in the political realities of the Levant during the Crusades. The sources’ methods of portraying seismic disasters, therefore, provide important insight into the worldviews of medieval chroniclers and the broad effects of earthquakes amidst the complex dynamics of twelfth-century Syria

Autonomous Trade Unions in Algeria: An Expression of Nonviolent Acts of Citizenship

Algeriassa toimii kymmeniä autonomisia ammattiyhdistyksiä. Niiden muodostama monitahoinen poliittinen ryhmä on osa maan hajanaista oppositioliikettä. Autonomiset ammattiyhdistykset ovat sosiaalisia joukkoliikkeitä, joiden tarkoituksena on puolustaa työläisten oikeuksia ihmisoikeusjärjestöjä, kansalaisyhteiskunnan yhdistyksiä sekä poliittisia puolueita järjestöverkostojen kautta. Yksikään oppositioryhmä, olivatpa kyseessä autonomiset ammattiyhdistykset, poliittiset puolueet tai muut kansalaisyhteiskunnan toimijat, ei ole onnistunut muodostamaan uskottavaa, yhtenäistä vastavoimaa valtaapitäville. Algerian ammattiyhdistysliikkeen kartoittamisen ja analysoinnin avulla hahmotetaan liikkeen verkostojen muotoutumista. Samalla sen yhteiskunnallisen muutoksen panosta problematisoidaan normatiivisen demokratian rakentamispuheen kautta. Tässä väitöskirjassa keskitytään viimeisten 30 vuoden aikana toimineisiin näkyvimpiin hallituksen vastaisiin ammattiyhdistysliikkeisiin, jotka perustettiin asteittain vuoden 1989 perustuslaillisen uudistuksen yhteydessä, sekä yksittäisten ammattiyhdistysten muodostamiin konfederaatioihin. Väitöskirja tarkastelee, kuinka maan viranomaiset hallinnoivat rauhanomaista sosiaalista protestia ja hallituksen vastaisten ammattiyhdistysten luomaa haastetta. Lisäksi pohditaan, kuinka autonomisten ammattiyhdistysliikkeiden aktivistien vaatimista kansalaisoikeuksista keskustellaan väkivallattomina kansalaisuustekoina (nonviolent acts of citizenship). Työn empiirinen materiaali koostuu etnografisesta kenttätyöstä, osallistuvasta havainnoinnista ja media-analyysistä. Osittaisen tiedon filosofian (partial knowledge) avulla on mahdollista ymmärtää sosiaalisia ilmiöitä kuten ammattiyhdistystoimintaa ja poliittista aktivismia. Samalla kun ammattiyhdistysliikkeitä tarkastellaan sosiaalisina toimijoina yhteiskunnallisella tasolla, tutkimus lähestyy yksittäisiä aktivisteja kansalaisuustekojen teoreettisesta viitekehyksestä. Se mahdollistaa kansalaisoikeuksien muotoutumisen ymmärtämisen tekemisen kautta sen sijaan, että kansalaisoikeudet hahmotetaan institutionaalisena statuksena. Analysoin haastatteluja ja tutkimusmateriaalia diskurssianalyysilla keskittyen vastakkaisten diskurssien rakentumiseen. Erilaiset ”solmukohdissa” (nodal points) muodostuvat identiteetit ja hegemoniset diskurssit – myös katvealueille jääneet diskurssit ja hajaantuneet toimijuudet – ilmentävät ymmärrystä sekä representaatioita maailmasta. Etenkin työhön, työoloihin ja -sopimuksiin liittyvät sosiaaliset epäkohdat osallistavat eritaustaisia aktivisteja poliittiseen toimintaan ympäri maata rikkoen stereotypioita, joita liitetään uskontoon, poliittiseen ideologiaan ja sukupuoleen muslimienemmistöisissä maissa.There are dozens of autonomous trade unions in Algeria, forming a heterogeneous political body within the dispersed opposition in the country. Autonomous trade unions are social movements that aim to defend workers’ rights through multiple organizational networks that consist of human rights groups, civil society associations and political parties. None of the single oppositional groups, whether autonomous trade unions, oppositional political parties or civil society actors, have succeeded in the formation of a credible, cohesive and unified alternative force to the state authorities in order to challenge the power elite in the country. In mapping and analyzing the trade union movement, its networks and development in Algeria as well as problematizing its functioning and contribution to social change through normatively expressed democracy building, this thesis concentrates on the most conspicuous oppositional unions and their created confederations over the last 30 years, since their official establishment amid 1989 constitutional reform. Secondly, it contemplates how the state authorities manage peaceful societal protest and the challenge presented by these oppositional unions. Thirdly, it explores how the citizenship demanded by these autonomous union activists are negotiated through nonviolent acts of citizenship in the public space. The empirical material of this thesis comprises ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, interviews and media analysis. Through partial knowledge, it is possible to understand social phenomena such as trade unionism and political activism. While autonomous trade unions are observed as social actors within the societal level, this study approaches individual activists through the theoretical framework of acts of citizenship. It enables us to understand citizenship as transformation through acts instead of perceiving citizenship as an institutional status. I analyze interviews and other existing research material, such as media articles and other available literature, through discourse analyses, concentrating on the historical and contemporary construction of antagonistic discourses. Various identities and hegemonic discourses are shaped within nodal points, forming understanding and representations of the world, as well as dislocated discourses within ruptures and the emergence of split subjects. Political engagement involves activists around the country, from cities and villages. They depict and stress their political participation via social grievances especially related to work, working conditions and contracts of employment. Autonomous trade unions bring together members from varied backgrounds, breaking certain stereotypes related to religion, political ideology and gender associated with Muslim-majority countries

Annual Report of the University, 1994-1995, Volumes 1-4

DEMONSTRATING THE STRENGTH OF DIVERSITY A walk around the UNM campus as students change classes demonstrates UNM\\u27s commitment to diversity. Students and professors from a variety of ethnic backgrounds crowd the sidewalks and fill classrooms. Over the past year UNM moved forward with existing and new programs to interest more minority students, faculty and staff in the University and to aid in their success while here. Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education recently recognized the University\\u27s endeavors, ranking UNM as one of the best colleges in the nation at graduating Hispanic students. Provost Mary Sue Coleman says diversity contributes to a stimulating environment where faculty and students have different points of view and experiences. The campus becomes a more intellectually alive place, she says. The efforts to build a diverse campus go hand in hand with the University\\u27s goals of achieving academic excellence and attracting the best and brightest. MINORITY ENROLLMENT In the fall of 1994 a total of 32 percent of the student body came from underrepresented groups. The UNM School of Law had the largest number of Native Americans enrolled in any law school in the country

The Presence of the Prophet in Early Modern and Contemporary Islam

This second volume of the series The Presence of the Prophet, explores the growing importance of the figure of the Prophet Muhammad for questions of authority and power in many regions in early modern and modern times.; Readership: Scientific and general readership interested in Islam and Muslim culture and politics in different regional and historical contexts, Historical Anthropology, Sociology of Religion, Religion and Politics