Understanding Terrorism: Threats, Definitions, and Responses
The Threat of International Terrorism
- Very unlikely, not massively consequential.
- Suggested to even ignore it completely, go about daily lives as usual; to do otherwise would give in to the terrorist goal to provoke and strike fear.
- Despite this, the threat of terrorism – or its perception – thus owes itself far more to the subjective emotions and fear of politics and uncertainty – particularly by citizens of the developed world.
- Fears can be amplified and preyed on by terrorists and the media,
The Frankfurt School: Critical Theory and Habermas’ Philosophy
The Frankfurt School
The Frankfurt School emerged in 1923 when a group of German scientists and intellectuals with Marxist leanings met to conduct sociological research aimed at countering positivist, neopositivist, scientistic, and empiricist theories. The goal was to highlight the shortcomings of these theories and address how advanced technological society and its technical achievements, instead of liberating human beings, had spawned ideological and technical elements that contributed to their
Read MoreUnderstanding Public Sector Organizations and Executive Functions
Public Sector Organizations: An Overview
Public sector organizations encompass the state’s institutions, representing the different powers and government authorities of the executive branch.
Integration of the Public Sector
The integration of the public sector consists of national institutions directed by the central government. These institutions are located at the territorial or regional level, within provinces or municipalities, such as State Departments.
The Executive Branch
The executive branch
Read MoreRichard Hoggart and Culturalism: An Analysis
Theme 3: Hoggart
Culturalism is a school of thought that includes the works of Richard Hoggart, E.P. Thompson, and Raymond Williams. It emphasizes the study of culture as crucial for a full sociological and historical understanding of a given social formation. Hoggart’s contribution to cultural studies is often attributed to two key factors: the publication of his book, The Uses of Literacy (1957), and his founding of the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (1964). This center provided
Read MoreKey Concepts: Society, Politics, and Economics Defined
Key Concepts: Society, Politics, and Economics
- Information Society: A post-industrial model of society extending from the Internet and electronic technologies, where knowledge is the critical value. It expands the model of globalization.
- Nation-State: A political organization where a country agrees to a unit of government.
- Patriarchy: A family, social, cultural, and political system characterized by male domination and preponderance, evident in both private and public spheres.
- Network State: A political
Political Culture and Democratic Stability
This work took a very conservative reputation by reinforcing the then-dominant elitist theories of democracy. Their results were interpreted in the same line as the conclusions of the studies at the University of Michigan. However, the approach of Almond and Verba was conditioned by the obsession with the political events that led to World War II. Their main concern was to study the stability of democracy.
Another criticism of this group of authors emphasizes that political culture may be the result
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