Towards a Theory of Teacher Agency: Conceptualizing the Political Positions and Possibilities of Teacher Movements

In response to a need for increased engagement given the #RedForEd movement, this article draws upon my experience as an organizer and participant in the recent wave of teacher activism to provide implications for theories of teacher agency and political transformation. First, I conceptualize the Arizona #RedForEd movement’s unique position beyond the state’s logics of political power, considering the possibilities that such a position created for teacher-activists in Arizona. I then confront the decreasing power of the movement in order to demonstrate the need for increased theorizations of the reflexive capacities of institutionalized power structures to sustain oppositional education social movements. I consider the recent history of the RedForEd movement with the hope of forwarding renewed considerations of political transformation, power, and teacher agency, which can inform movements that challenge the hegemonic limits placed upon social-justice-oriented movement work

Alterglobalization, Global Social Movements, and the Possibility of Political Transformation Through Sport

Alterglobalization is the name for a large spectrum of global social movements that present themselves as supporting new forms of globalization, urging that values of democracy, justice, environmental protection, and human rights be put ahead of purely economic concerns. This article develops a framework for the study of the influence of alterglobalization on sport by: outlining a periodization of social move¬ments and sport; proposing a typology of responses to the politics of globalization; and proposing a typology of recent social movements associated with sport. The arti¬cle does not report on an empirical research project, but provides a stock take of what has happened since the 1990s regarding the politics of globalization and the politics of sport, with specific reference to global social movements. The questions raised in this article include: What form do the movements challenging the world sports order today take? Does an alterglobalization movement exist in sport? What alternative models of sport do they propose

Global crisis and its implications on the political transformation in China

This paper analyzes the impact of global financial and economic crisis on the process of system transformation in China. First, it details the direct impact of global growth on macroeconomic development and its indirect impact on economic transformation. Second, it analyzes the direct impact of global crisis on macroeconomic decline and its indirect impact on the prospects of political transformation. The paper builds on the basic principles and ideas of the Interactive Party-State model to introduce the concept of transformation dynamics. This concept implies the direction and speed of change of the retreating party-state sphere and the emergence of the field outside of it during the process of transformation. Using this concept a statistical survey was carried out on the economic transformation of the Chinese party-state. Results reveal the disparities of the dynamics of transformation in time, in space, and at different levels of aggregation between 1999 and 2004. A dominant type of transformation dynamics is revealed during this period and the shift of dominant type within that period, sensitive to the trend of certain economic indicators. Based on those findings, the paper projects the dominance of another type of transformation dynamics as a result of the consequences of global crisis. It also outlines the possible impact of this dynamics on the premises of political transformation.system transformation, China, economic transformation, political transformation, spatial disparities in system transformation

Turkey's Reform Effort Reconsidered, 1987-2004

This article aims to develop a coherent explanation of the impact of the EU on Turkey’s politics between 1987 (the year Turkey applied for EU membership) and 2004, providing a more profound analysis of Turkish political transformation within the framework of its relations with the EU. It integrates Moravcsiks’ work on the human rights regime in post-war Europe with Risse’s theory on communicative action in world politics to provide an alternative explanatory framework for recent political transformation in Turkey. It will be argued that the main dynamics driving recent democratisation in Turkey were its newfound location within the European human rights regime—a result of having been granted the right to individual petition to the European Court of Human Rights just before its 1987 membership application—and the increasing power of European argument as an alternative way of resolving domestic political conflicts in Turkey.democratization; Europeanization; fundamental/human rights

Mongolia’s Political Transformation: Observations and Comparisons

Mongolian Journal of International Affairs Vol.1 1994: 29-3

Politieke transformasie as ’n ideologiese denkraamwerk: ’n beleidsdinamiese analise en perspektief

Political transformation as an ideological framework: an analysis of dynamic policies and perspectives The period after 1994 can be described as the period of political transformation in South Africa. With a revolutionary point of departure, political transformation established itself as a political ideology in South Africa. In general political ideologies are characterised by a hard core of ideas that is extremely difficult to change and a softer periphery (policy application context) that is more pragmatic and dynamic in nature. Changes are normally taking place on the level of the periphery which serves as a protective belt for the hard core of the ideology. Political transformation as an ideology is no exception to this general role and currently needs changes in its protective belt to ensure its survival. This article investigates the ways in which the transformation ideology can reposition itself in the future