A long relationship, no membership: Turkey and the European Union. An investigation of cultures and identities standing in the way of accession.

The aim of this study is to investigate and establish culture and identity issues potentially standing in the way of Turkey becoming a member of the European Union. It has been more than 50 years since Turkey first showed intents to become member of the collaboration, which today is called the European Union. In 1999, Turkey was officially recognized as a candidate for full membership. Since then the accession process has moved in slow motion or reached a complete stalemate. The research, analysis and discussions in this thesis try to provide answers to why this is. Through theories of ethno-symbolism and constructivism, identities and social discourse are examined in Turkey and in the European Union. Whether or not a common European identity exists is, as this thesis will explain, not a question easily answered. This thesis is written on the basis that identities are founded in common history, culture and political understanding. The analysis and discussion in the paper outline arguments that indicate specific differences between European and Turkish identity such as ethnic traditions and cultures. Furthermore, different views on democracy in Turkey and in the EU are also discussed. It is the conclusion of this thesis that these differences arguably create obstacles for a future Turkish membership and possibly will continue to do so for a long time

Children’s Self-Reported Reasons for Accepting and Rejecting Foods

Children’s eating behavior does not necessarily align with dietary recommendations, and there is a need for better understanding the factors underlying their food choices. The aim of this study was to investigate children’s self-reported reasons for accepting and rejecting foods. A questionnaire was developed with reasons based on prior research and in-depth interviews. A set of various food stimuli covering different types was evaluated by 106 girls and 99 boys aged 10–13 years by checking all reasons that apply (CATA) for either accepting or rejecting them. Results showed gender differences among reasons for both food acceptance and rejection, but also in liking and willingness to re-taste the stimuli. The most common reason for food acceptance was good taste in boys and curiosity in girls; for food rejection they were bad taste, bad smell and dislike of appearance in boys and bad taste, bad smell, dislike of appearance and texture in girls. Overall, boys liked the food stimuli more than girls and were more willing to re-taste them. Future research should focus more on the role of sensory properties in both acceptance and rejection, and the potential of children’s curiosity as a driver in tasting foods should be further explored

Are Individual Citizens Morally Responsible for Policy Outcomes?

This project concerns one overall question: are individual citizens morally responsible for policy outcomes? The aim of this project is to answer this question, in order to resolve a tension between the commonly held ideal that policy outcomes represent the will of the people on the one hand, and a seeming reluctance to hold our fellow citizens morally responsible for these outcomes on the other. In order to resolve this tension, I examine various accounts of moral responsibility to see whether the individual citizen is responsible in light of these. I focus primarily on whether the individual can be morally responsible in light of her political participation via her voting action. Firstly, I examine whether the individual is morally responsible in light of her direct contribution to the voting outcome. I conclude that she is not, because she fails to make a relevant causal contribution. I then examine indirect accounts (mainly shared responsibility), i.e. accounts of moral responsibility which do not require that the individual makes a direct contribution. I ultimately show that none of the examined accounts are successful. Therefore, I develop an account which can be successfully applied, based on observations made throughout this project. Specifically, I argue that the individual can be morally responsible for policy outcomes, if she performs her unilateral part in constituting or sustaining the particular project which brings about the policy outcome. She does this – roughly – if she through her voting action was an interdependent part of the project that brought about the outcome. She is an interdependent part even in the event where she fails to make an actual contribution to the voting outcome and thus the policy outcome itself. Lastly, I apply this account to a high stakes just war scenario, and show that it explains our intuitions of responsibility

OM AT „FØLGE MARKEDET“ OG „KØBE SIG IND I FÆLLESSKABET“ Politiske og moralske økonomier i danske andelsboligforeninger

Boliger er en af velfærdssamfundets kerneydelser, som med en vækstorienteret boligpolitik og byplanlægning samt dereguleringen af boligfinansieringen i løbet af det sidste årti er blevet mere markedsorienteret og markedsstyret. Med en substantivistisk økonomisk antropologisk tilgang undersøger denne artikel, hvordan folks økonomiske liv i danske andelsboligforeninger er indlejret i sociale relationer og fællesskaber, og hvordan disse udfordres, påvirkes og spiller sammen med neoliberaliseringen af andelsboligsektoren. Artiklen trækker på E.P. Thompsons begreb moralske økonomier til at argumentere for, at der sker forskydninger mellem tre idealtyper af moralske økonomier i danske andelsboligforeninger – solidarisk fællesskab, familiefællesskab og økonomisk fællesskab – hvor den neoliberale politiske økonomi tilskynder til, at flere opfatter sig som en del af og praktiserer et økonomisk fællesskab, som er økonomisk og retsligt orienteret. Etnografien viser sig dog også, at de neoliberale politikker og lånemuligheder blev modtaget forskelligt og med forskellige konsekvenser i forskellige andelsboligforeninger, som igennem deres moralske økonomier har forskellige tidshorisonter, arbejdsdelinger og former for social kontrol. Søgeord: økonomisk antropologi, moralske økonomier, boligmarked, neoliberalisering, finansialisering, fællesskab &nbsp

Cathrine Hasse: An Anthropology of Learning. On Nested Frictions in Cultural Ecologies

Anmeldes af Maja Hojer Bruun &nbsp