The concept of solidarity: emerging from the theoretical shadows?

The concept of solidarity has been relatively neglected by social scientists since Durkheim's pioneering work in the late 19th century. The discipline of politics has been guilty of overlooking this 'subjective' element of community life, but recent works by Stjernø and Brunkhorst reflect a growing awareness of the theoretical significance of the concept. Whereas early liberal attempts to theorise solidarity took the nation state to be the appropriate community for its realisation, the emergence of globalisation raises the possibility of human solidarity developing in the global community. Traditional forms of solidarity have been dissipated by the social changes accompanying globalisation, but they were often locked into the defence of particular interests. New forms may be emerging to rekindle the broader vision of human solidarity. Recent work by writers such as Habermas, Honneth, Rorty and Touraine focuses on widening and deepening democratic participation and/or the articulation of our ethical obligations in various ways. It is argued here that these perspectives need to be supplemented by a radical humanist approach grounded in a normative theory of human self-realisation

The ethical challenge of Touraine's 'living together'

In Can We Live Together? Alain Touraine combines a consummate analysis of crucial social tensions in contemporary societies with a strong normative appeal for a new emancipatory 'Subject' capable of overcoming the twin threats of atomisation or authoritarianism. He calls for a move from 'politics to ethics' and then from ethics back to politics to enable the new Subject to make a reality out of the goals of democracy and solidarity. However, he has little to say about the nature of such an ethics. This article argues that this lacuna could usefully be filled by adopting a form of radical humanism found in the work of Erich Fromm. It defies convention in the social sciences by operating from an explicit view of the 'is' and the 'ought' of common human nature, specifying reason, love and productive work as the qualities to be realised if we are to move closer to human solidarity. Although there remain significant philosophical and political differences between the two positions, particularly on the role to be played by 'the nation', their juxtaposition opens new lines of inquiry in the field of cosmopolitan ethics

From Indymedia to Anonymous: rethinking action and identity in digital cultures

The period following the social mobilizations of 2011 has seen a renewed focus on the place of communication in collective action, linked to the increasing importance of digital communications. Framed in terms of personalized ‘connective action’ or the social morphology of networks, these analyses have criticized previously dominant models of ‘collective identity’, arguing that collective action needs to be understood as ‘digital networking’. These influential approaches have been significantly constructed as a response to models of communication and action evident in the rise of Independent Media Centres in the period following 1999. After considering the rise of the ‘digital networking’ paradigm linked to analyses of Indymedia, this article considers the emergence of the internet-based collaboration known as Anonymous, focusing on its origins on the 4chan manga site and its 2008 campaign against Scientology, and also considers the ‘I am the 99%’ microblog that emerged as part of the Occupy movement. The emergence of Anonymous highlights dimensions of digital culture such as the ephemeral, the importance of memes, an ethic of lulz, the mask and the grotesque. These forms of communication are discussed in the light of dominant attempts to shape digital space in terms of radical transparency, the knowable and the calculable. It is argued that these contrasting approaches may amount to opposing social models of an emerging information society, and that the analysis of contemporary conflicts and mobilizations needs to be alert to novel forms of communicative practice at work in digital cultures today

Educação, conflito e convivência democrática

Após uma caracterização sucinta da actual condição pós-moderna, serão desenvolvidas algumas questões que, pela sua relevância actual no campo da educação, merecem ser revisitadas de modo crítico, nomeadamente, e num primeiro momento, a escola, o conflito e a convivência. Num segundo momento, apontar-se-ão algumas características da escola que fazem dela uma organização com alguma perversidade, hipocrisia e irracionalidade. O último aspecto a ser tratado irá compreender a escola como organização comunicacional ou organização convivencial, onde os conceitos de disciplina, violência, conflito e convivência assumem um sentido mais profundamente democrático.After a succinct characterization of the current postmodern condition, some questions might be developed, because of its current relevance in the education field, they must to be reviewed in a critical way, namely, and firstly, the school, the conflict and the conviviality. Secondly, this article underlines some school’s characteristics that turns it into an organization with a little perversity, hypocrisy and irrationality. The last aspect to be treated is the understanding of the school as a communicative or convivial organization, in which the concepts of discipline, violence, conflict and conviviality assume a more democratic orientation.Enseguida a una caracterización sucinta de la actual condición pos-moderna, serán desarrolladas algunas cuestiones que, por su relevancia actual en el campo de la educación, merecen ser visitadas de modo crítico, nombradamente, y en primero momento, la escuela, el conflicto y la convivencia. En segundo momento, se apuntarán algunas características de la escuela que la hacen una organización con alguna perversidad, hipocresía e irracionalidad. El último aspecto a ser tratado irá comprender la escuela como organización de comunicación u organización de convivencia, donde los conceptos de disciplina, violencia, conflicto e convivencia asumen un sentido más profundamente democrático.(undefined

A curated online resource for SOX10 and pigment cell molecular genetic pathways

We describe the creation of a specialized web-accessible database named the Pigment Cell Gene Resource, which contains information on the genetic pathways that regulate pigment cell development and function. This manually curated database is comprised of two sections, an annotated literature section and an interactive transcriptional network diagram. Initially, this database focuses on the transcription factor SOX10, which has essential roles in pigment cell development and function, but the database has been designed with the capacity to expand in the future, allowing inclusion of many more pigmentation genes

Different mechanisms are involved in apoptosis induced by melanoma gangliosides on human monocyte-derived dendritic cells

Tumor escape is linked to multiple mechanisms, notably the liberation, by tumor cells, of soluble factors that inhibit the function of dendritic cells (DC). We have shown that melanoma gangliosides impair DC differentiation and induce their apoptosis. The present study was aimed to give insight into the mechanisms involved. DC apoptosis was independent of the catabolism of gangliosides since lactosylceramide did not induce cell death. Apoptosis induced by GM3 and GD3 gangliosides was not blocked by inhibitors of de novo ceramide biosynthesis, whereas the acid sphingomyelinase inhibitor desipramine only prevented apoptosis induced by GM3. Furthermore, our results suggest that DC apoptosis was triggered via caspase activation, and it was ROS dependent with GD3 ganglioside, suggesting that GM3 and GD3 induced apoptosis through different mechanisms

Pubertal induction and transition to adult sex hormone replacement in patients with congenital pituitary or gonadal reproductive hormone deficiency : an Endo-ERN clinical practice guideline

An Endo-European Reference Network guideline initiative was launched including 16 clinicians experienced in endocrinology, pediatric and adult and 2 patient representatives. The guideline was endorsed by the European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology, the European Society for Endocrinology and the European Academy of Andrology. The aim was to create practice guidelines for clinical assessment and puberty induction in individuals with congenital pituitary or gonadal hormone deficiency. A systematic literature search was conducted, and the evidence was graded according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. If the evidence was insufficient or lacking, then the conclusions were based on expert opinion. The guideline includes recommendations for puberty induction with oestrogen or testosterone. Publications on the induction of puberty with follicle-stimulation hormone and human chorionic gonadotrophin in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism are reviewed. Specific issues in individuals with Klinefelter syndrome or androgen insensitivity syndrome are considered. The expert panel recommends that pubertal induction or sex hormone replacement to sustain puberty should be cared for by a multidisciplinary team. Children with a known condition should be followed from the age of 8 years for girls and 9 years for boys. Puberty induction should be individualised but considered at 11 years in girls and 12 years in boys. Psychological aspects of puberty and fertility issues are especially important to address in individuals with sex development disorders or congenital pituitary deficiencies. The transition of these young adults highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, to discuss both medical issues and social and psychological issues that arise in the context of these chronic conditions.Peer reviewe

The troubling concept of class: reflecting on our ‘failure’ to encourage sociology students to re-cognise their classed locations using autobiographical methods

The troubling concept of class: reflecting on our ‘failure’ to encourage sociology students to re-cognise their classed locations using autobiographical methods Abstract This paper provides a narrative of the four authors‟ commitment to auto/biographical methods as teachers and researchers in „new‟ universities. As they went about their work, they observed that, whereas students engage with the gendered, sexualised and racialised processes when negotiating their identities, they are reluctant or unable to conceptualise „class-ifying‟ processes as key determinants of their life chances. This general inability puzzled the authors, given the students‟ predominantly working-class backgrounds. Through application of their own stories, the authors explore the sociological significance of this pedagogical „failure‟ to account for the troubling concept of class not only in the classroom but also in contemporary society

Homeschooling and the criticism of school: hybridisms and educational (dis)continuities

Desde os anos 1960, o homeschooling apresenta dinâmicas de crescimento atualizadas nos diagnósticos da crise do capitalismo e dos sistemas educativos. Por ser praticado por famílias próximas do progressismo libertário, do cristianismo conservador ou de outras inspirações axiológicas, a abordagem investigativa presente neste texto pressupôs romper com uma visão unívoca e alheia à sua diversidade e aos diferentes graus de (in)formalidade dos quotidianos educativos de crianças e de jovens que caracterizam este fenómeno educativo. Procura-se captar as especificidades do ensino doméstico (ED) em Portugal e a sua crescente expressão social e educacional e reflete-se sobre os sentidos das aprendizagens que ele encerra. Conclui-se que o ED parece ser contrário aos horizontes formativos da criança segundo o interesse da sociedade, sendo omisso sobre o seu papel na emancipação dos sujeitos. Confrontam-se a escola e o seu modo de funcionamento a partir do racional do ED, à procura de novas epistemologias e de novas linhas de pesquisa.Since the 1960s, homeschooling has shown growth dynamics updated by the diagnosis of the crisis of capitalism and of educational systems. Because it is practiced by families close to libertarian progressivism, conservative Christianity, or other axiological inspirations, this paper’s approach sought to break with a univocal conception alien to its diversity and to the different degrees of (in)formality of the children’s and young people’s educational daily lives inherent to this educational practice. Therefore, this paper seeks to understand the specificities of Portuguese homeschooling and its increasing social and educational expression, and to reflect on the meanings of the learning it entails. Being unclear about its role on the emancipation of the subjects, homeschooling seems to be contrary to the educational horizons of the child according to the interests of the whole society. This paper confronts school and its way of functioning with the homeschooling rationale in order to search for new epistemologies and new lines of research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio