Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal

Modelling the Governance of Reconstruction after a Mining Disaster in Brumadinho, Brazil

Mon, 06 May 2024 10:20:14 +1000

The present study aims to analyze the relationships between actors from civil society, the State and the private sector, in the dynamics of reconstruction of the territory after the environmental disaster caused by the rupture of the tailings dam of the mining company Vale S.A in the Córrego do Feijão mine, in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil, on January 25, 2019. This study is characterized by being an empirical, quantitative research, which aimed to evaluate a theoretical model for the reconstruction of the territory of Brumadinho in the post-environmental disaster scenario. The tested hypotheses show that if the actors responsible for the reconstruction were dedicated to taking more just actions and aimed at meeting the real needs of the territories, in order to improve the pessimistic scenario identified, better results could be found in the final analysis. This reflects the current image of mining, demonstrating that the actions currently carried out are not aligned with the principles of sustainability.

An Interpretive Case Study of Chinese New Zealanders’ Participation in Non-elected Representation

Yu Du — Mon, 06 May 2024 10:21:49 +1000

This paper adopts Michael Saward’s representative claims theory to analyze Chinese New Zealanders’ participation in non-elected representation. It explores how they made representative claims and examines the democratic legitimacy of their claims. Based on an interpretive analysis of in-depth interviews with 38 Chinese New Zealanders, I found age-based and educational-level-based patterns of how they participate in non-elected representation. Individuals and Chinese associations made representative claims based on various grounds. However, the democratic legitimacy of individual-made claims and association-made claims varied. When interviewees made representative claims, they cherished the claims’ instrumental goals and intrinsic values. These findings expand our knowledge of Chinese New Zealanders’ political participation and representation. This paper also analyzes the difference between making representative claims and political advocacy. It deepens our understanding of non-elected representation.

Young People’s Interaction with Political Information in Japan

Hitoshi Kamada — Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 +1000

This paper investigated how Japanese young people’s attitudes toward politics and the social environments they are in affect their interaction with political information in their daily life. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty people to gather data about their experiences with political information and their attitudes toward politics. The results show that they have mixed feelings about political information, which arise from personal factors but are interrelated with broader social factors. Their attitude, which comprises their sense of remoteness to politics, low political efficacy, and difficulty understanding politics, reduces their interest in knowing political information. Social factors that limit opportunities for political participation and conversation diminish the utility of information and the motivation for seeking information. The habit of monitoring political information, often facilitated by experience watching television news with family, emerges as a factor that can maintain young people’s exposure to political information, regardless of their level of political interest.

History, Fiction and Trauma: Unveiling the Unspeakable in the Novel Amu

RANJITHA Raj — Mon, 06 May 2024 10:32:54 +1000

Post-independent India has witnessed several horrific incidents of communal violence. The largest communal riot happened in the year 1984, in the capital city of New Delhi. But after the occurrence of the Anti-Sikh Riots of 1984, there was silence surrounding the incident. The silence was primarily caused by the trauma inflicted from the incident. There are reasons to believe that the silence was politically motivated too. However, the role fictional writings have played in communicating the traumatic memory of the incident was significant. This paper studies the novel Amu written by Shonali Bose to understand the representation of traumatic memory of the community. The paper attempts to problematize the decades-long silence surrounding the incident and the novel’s role along with other similar fictional accounts in unravelling the truth of the incident.

Volunteering for a Job: Creativity and Tanzanian Youth

Chelsea Cutright — Mon, 06 May 2024 10:35:15 +1000

This paper explores motivations behind voluntary activities of youth in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, during an increasingly common period of ‘waithood,’ characterized by prolonged status as youth and delay in adulthood due to challenges with unemployment. Drawing on ethnographic anthropological fieldwork conducted in 2019, this paper uses stories of two youths from two youth-led organizations located in Dar es Salaam to explore differing motivations for engaging in volunteering. These examples illustrate how volunteering either acts as a stepping-stone to future employment or as a replacement for formal employment, dependent on class identity. It is argued that for Tanzanian youths, volunteering is a creative response to the challenges of waithood. This paper suggests that policymakers and civil society organizations addressing youth issues in Tanzania should recognize the diverse motivations and creative and strategic dimensions of volunteering to better support young people in navigating waithood and their futures.

Traditional Birth Attendants as Guardians of Tradition Amidst Modernization in Javanese Culture

Mon, 06 May 2024 10:38:02 +1000

This study examines the enduring presence of traditional birth attendants in Batang Regency, Indonesia, and involves various stakeholders, including users of traditional midwifery services, healthcare professionals, and the general public. The research utilizes participant observation and in-depth interviews to collect data. The participants involved in the study include one traditional birth attendant aged 70, three traditional birth attendants aged 30-40, one midwife, nine women who have utilized traditional midwifery services, and seven community members. The findings highlight three key aspects. Firstly, traditional childbirth, facilitated by traditional birth attendants, continues to exist even in the modern world. Secondly, various factors such as belief or faith, emotional bonds, economic considerations, ease of access, and non-procedural approaches contribute to the persistence of traditional midwifery alongside other evolving practices. Lastly, the resilience of traditional practices performed by traditional birth attendantsindicates their adaptability to health sciences and their positive impact on maternal and child health.