Working Group on
Sociology of Local-Global Relations, WG01
Program Coordinator
- Nataliya VELIKAYA, Russian State University for the Humanities, Russia, natalivelikaya@gmail.com
On-line abstracts submission
June 3, 2013 - September 30, 2013 24:00 GMT.A direct submission link will be provided in due course.
If you have questions about any specific session, please feel free to contact the Session Organizer for more information.
Proposed sessions
in alphabetical order:
Globalization from Below: Institutional and Policy Changes in Developing Countries
Session OrganizerBinay K. PATTNAIK, Indian Institute of Technology, India, binay@iitk.ac.in
Session in English
Globalization as an economic process has successfully forged the local with the global. This process of linking the local with the global is usually accomplished through FDI of MNCs in many of the relatively unexplored areas of exploitation in developing countries, such as Food (GM), Agriculture (seeds/fisheries/forests, etc.), mining, infrastructure projects (e.g. Power, energy, airport, etc) and other large scale projects (often through SEZ). These projects have caused displacement of local communities, their loss of livelihood, loss of biodiversity, environmental degradation, etc. And resultant was widespread popular protests and resistance movements.
These widespread protests and resistance movements have given scope to anti-development, anti-corporate, anti-state and even anarchist elements in developing countries to fish in the troubled waters. Thus the changes are far reaching, as these have influenced the nature of politics in many developing countries. In response to the widespread protest movements, the developing countries have initiated many institutional and policy changes. Thus the purpose of this session would be the articulation of these protests/ resistance movements, as well as institutional and policy changes brought in by these movements as effects in many developing countries.
Innovative Teaching in the Local-Global Prospective
Session OrganizerOlena LEIPNIK, Sam Houston State University, USA, soc_ovl@shsu.edu
We are inviting papers related to the changes in the educational practices claimed by the new local-global disposition. The new kinds of experiences brought by the latest technological and economic development across the globalized world at all the levels of locality constitute the framework for this session, with the main focus on the corresponded changes in educational practices.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
- Geographical, geopolitical, actual, and other forms of locality with regards to managing education.
- New technological advances and their influence on education practices.
- Online teaching and shifting meanings of the components of education for the educational community, those people involved in education on both sides as providers and recipients of the educational services.
- The reconfiguration of the spatial location and identity of the participants of the educational process.
- New teaching techniques, best practices, and tough experiences in education related to the global dynamics.
- Meanings of globalization regarding education in those regions with the limited technological encounter and/or in poverty.
- Grassroots education movements related to the global-local reconfigurations.
- The Sustainability project with regards to education.
- Academic community engagement teaching and other forms of academic service to the local communities.
National and Regional Identities: Nations between States
Session OrganizersArvydas Virgilijus MATULIONIS, Institute for Social Research, Lithuania, matulionis@ktl.mii.lt
Kusein ISAEV, Kyrgyz-Turkish University, Kyrgyzstan, kusein@elcat.kg
Session in English
Papers shall focus on the problems of national, European, Asian or other identities, peoples or social groups (especially, national minorities), who are living in the regions near state boarders. It is supposed to analyze the ways, sources, canals of traditional and new forms of identities. Dimensions of local/global could be presented as factors and reasons of forming and safeguarding of local, regional or national identities.
New Forms of Civic Activity in a Globalizing World
Session OrganizersNataliya VELIKAYA, Russian State University for the Humanities, Russia, natalivelikaya@gmail.com
Krzysztof OSTROWSKI, Pultusk School of Humanities, Poland, ostrow@wsh.edu.pl
Session in English
Globalism as a policy includes different elements in the common melting pot of the new order, reproduces inequality and discrimination, provide bureaucratic management on the different levels. On the other hand new social forces appear which can’t accept new order (M. Hardt, A. Negri, Empire). These groups act not only in new developing countries excluded from the world economic system but also in the old capitalists countries, where we can see increasing of movements against reducing social rights. Sustainability of social states mainly depends on the striving of social groups to defend and to keep their rights.
As for developing countries social rights there are directly linked with the way to democracy and with the political regimes. One can remember events in post-socialist countries (so called orange revolutions and colored revolutions) or Arab spring. New forms of social-political and civic activities are mainly associated with network society (M. Castells) and new technologies that are able to unite people in a short term and for urgent reasons.
We are going to examine different forms of protest movements, their social bases in different social and political systems as well as to estimate activity of so called global civil society, which are becoming the most significant actors of political changes.
Post-Communist Region in the Era of Growing Inequality
Session OrganizerAigul ZABIROVA, Eurasian University of Astana, Kazakhstan, zabirova@hotmail.com
Session in English
After the break of the USSR all socialist states moved from controlled economy to different forms of market, this fundamental transformation has led to dramatic changes in the social structure of post-socialist societies. The significant shift of the population to poor and low-income groups took place; however, these reforms had general positive effect, namely the appearance of new social class (entrepreneurs) and etc. Furthermore in the twenty first century social inequality has already been globally structured due to the new economic, political and cultural relations; it has been agreed that globalization has exacerbated inequality over the past thirty years.
The proposed session will encourage you to critically analyze the social inequality as complex social phenomena that need to be framed in global context; to examine the relationship between ethnicity and socioeconomic status in the context of post-soviet nation-building process; to reflect the obvious rise of rural-urban disparity in post-socialist countries. Finally there will be debate on new forms of inequality, the ways of how new social classes and groups emerge, split and change in post-communist region.
Public Opinion in the Local Context
Session OrganizerLarissa VDOVICHENKO, Russian State University for the Humanities, Russia, vdlarissa45@yandex.ru
Session in English
The principal goal of this session is the peculiarity of public opinion on the local level. This subject matter will be presented by five main topics:
- Local communities and public opinion.
- Impact of public opinion on the social and political situation on the local level.
- Representation of ethnic and language identities, and cross-cultural relations in public opinion.
- Public opinion on the local political leaders.
- Role of affinity groups, economic and political associations in the processes of public opinion`s shaping.
Religious Influence on Local and Global Relations
Session OrganizerMiroljub JEVTIC, University of Belgrade, Serbia, jevticmiroljub@yahoo.com
Session in English
Global relations are, among other factors, set of local interactions. Therefore, every factor which has the influence on local relations is reflected on global level. And one of the most important factors which influence and create global relations is religion. In some world’s regions we have a situation where several different religions coexist together. For example, Middle East. In this region we have the presence of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. And if we consider Afghanistan as a part of this region, we will have Buddhism as well, having in mind The Buddhas of Bamiyan. Many scholars argue that local Middle East situation is the consequence of inter – religious relations.
Therefore, local relations between Muslims and Jews are reflected on global Islam and Judaism relations. In accordance, it is the same in Christianity and Islam relations, as well as between Christianity and Judaism relations. After all, the holy places of these religions are in Middle East. Hence, this relations are reflected on global inter – religious relations. The goal of this session will be to analyze this phenomenon.
Unequal Genders: Another Challenge for Globalized Societies
Session OrganizerFlaminia SACCA, Tuscia University, Italy, sacca@unitus.it
Session in English
Since Nobel Prize Amartya Sen has introduced the concept that development is freedom and that there is no development without the enhancement of the levels of women’s freedom, it has become clear that the gender gap is not only a cultural and political matter. It has also economic consequences.
To put it more clearly: “The key for the future of any country and any institution is the capability to develop, retain and attract the best talent. Women make up one half of the world’s human capital. Empowering and educating girls and women and leveraging their talent and leadership fully in the global economy, politics and society are thus fundamental elements of succeeding and prospering in an ever more competitive world. In particular, with talent shortages projected to become more severe in much of the developed and developing world, maximizing access to female talent is a strategic imperative for business.” This is how Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum focused the issue in the Preface to the latest Gender Gap Report (2012).
But we also have evidence that at the turn of every economic crisis women tend to become the first target of violence, reduced rights and freedom in general.
We invite papers that will address the relationship between economy and gender inequalities both from a theoretical or a field research perspective. We also welcome papers which can focalize on success cases of reducing the gender gap both at a socio-political or economic level, but we would also be interested in the analysis of recent cases of a backward process in the condition of womens rights.
Vulnerabilities and "Normal Accidents" in Local-Global Relations
Session OrganizerSergei KRAVCHENKO, Moscow State University of International Relations, Moscow, Russia, sociol7@yandex.ru
Session in English
Local-global relations often are described as tense and provoking different types of conflicts at different levels. Some of these conflicts are near to be institutionalised, others are mainly illegal and not controlled.
We are going to examine the weak links of local-global relations, the most widespread accidents that can be regulated because of activities of states, organisations, subregional and subnational institutes. On the one hand we would like to analyze the most vulnerable zones and flaws that can create different social fluctuations.
WG01 Business meeting
