Popular art,the image,the subject and subverting hegemony

ABSTRACT

One of the most disturbing paradoxes of modern times is that an acute sense of expanding moral responsibility goes hand in hand with a growing inability to bear such responsibility. This article demonstrates how modern technology, in particular information technology, has contributed to both the expansion of moral responsibility and the development of the responsibility gap. In order to deal adequately with the challenges modern technology poses in respect of moral responsibility, it has become necessary to supplement the classical notion of retrospective moral responsibility with the new notion of prospective moral responsibility. In the case of retrospective responsibility some or other negative outcome of the past is ascribed to a particular person or persons. In the case of prospective responsibility, the responsibility of preventing humans and nature from being actively harmed or to realise desirable future conditions by taking the necessary measures in the present, is ascribed to a particular person or persons, or, more likely, to a particular institution or institutions.     

France and middle eastern terrorism

Pierre Péan, La Menace. Paris: Fayard, 1987. Pp.306. 95 FF (paperback).

Yves Loiseau, Le Grand Troc: Le labyrinthe des otages françaises au Liban. Paris: Hachette, 1988. Pp.332.

Marie Seurat, Les Corbeaux d'Alep. Paris: GallimardlLieu Commun, 1988. Pp.191. 89 FF (paperback).

Roger Auque (in collaboration with Patrick Forestier), Un otage à. Beyrouth. Paris: Filipacchi, 1988. Pp.303. 89 FF (paperback).

Gilles Delafon, Beyrouth: Les soldats de l'Islam. Paris: Stock, 1989. Pp.254.98 FF (paperback).     

Book reviews and notes

Constructing Europe: the Role of Symbolic Policies

Substance and symbolism : an anatomy of cooperation in the new Europe / Ian Manners. ‐ Aldershot [etc.] : Ashgate, c2000. ‐ x, 289p.     

Die bydrae van José Ortega y Gasset tot die massakommunikasieteorie: die onderliggende aannames en begrippe van sy generasieteorie

SUMMARY

Vrye Weekblad was closed down on 28 May 1993. This signalled the end of an important era of the Afrikaans press. Political changes and financial problems contributed to the closure of VWB. VWB has since been revived in the form of a fortnightly news magazine. The first edition with the same name, Vrye Weekblad, was published on 24 June 1993. Editorial policy is similar to that of its predecessor.

This article reflects on and assesses the significance that can be attached to the publication and closure of an alternative Afrikaans weekly. VWB's original launch, development, editorial policy and the problems it encountered are sketched against the background of South African society and the press industry. In conclusion, the role played by VWB as a newspaper is assessed.     

The marketing of understanding

Richard Clutterbuck, Terrorism in an Unstable World, London: Routledge, 1994. Pp.235, bibliography, index. £30. ISBN 0–415–10340–1

Maxwell Taylor and Ethel Quayle, Terrorist Lives, London: Brassey's, 1994. Pp.233, index. £19.95. ISBN 0–08–041327–70

Yonah Alexander and Dennis A. Pluchinsky, European Terrorism Today and Tomorrow, McLean, Virginia: Brassey's (US), 1992. Pp.208, bibliographies, index. £18.75. ISBN 0–08–041070–7.

Joyce M. Ferley, Law and Procedure of Extradition, Crayford: Shaw & Sons Ltd, 1994. Pp.298, loose leaf, index, case list. £50. ISBN 0–7912–1270–2

Geoff Gilbert, Aspects of Extradition Law, Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff, 1991. Pp.282, bibliography, index, case list. £80. ISBN 0–7923–1162–0     

A Review of: “Ronald J. Olive. Capturing Jonathan Pollard.”

Augustus Richard Norton and Martin H. Greenberg, The International Relations of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Carbondale and Edwardsville, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1989. Pp.233.

Uwe Backes and Eckhard Jesse (eds.), Jahrbuch Extremlsmus und Demokratie. Bonn: Bouvier Verlag, 1989. Pp.379.

Uwe Backes and Eckhard Jesse, Politlscher Extremlsmus in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Band I: Llteratur, Pp.312; Band II: Analyse, Pp.384; Band III: Dokumentation, Pp.344; Köln: Verlag Wissenschaft und Politik Berend von Nottbeck, 1989.

Richard L. Clutterbuck, Terrorism and Guerrilla Warfare: Forecasts and Remedies. London: Routlege, 1990. Pp.235. £25 (hardback).

President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism, Report to the President. Washington, DC: US. Government Printing Office, 1990. Pp.v + 182.     

Book reviews

Michael Waller, Peace, Power and Protest: Eastern Europe in the Gorbachev Era, London: Institute for the Study of Conflict, 1988 (Conflict Study No.209). Pp.27. £5.50.

Paul Leventhal and Yonah Alexander (eds.), Nuclear Terrorism: Defining the Threat. Washington: Pergamon‐Brassey's, 1986. Pp.vii + 218. NP.

Paul Leventhal and Yonah Alexander (eds.), Preventing Nuclear Terrorism. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1987. Pp.xviii + 472. NP.

Paul Wilkinson and Alasdair M. Stewart (eds.), Contemporary Research on Terrorism. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1987. Pp.xx + 634. £45.

Richard E. Rubenstein, Alchemists of Revolution: Terrorism in the Modern World. New York: Basic Books, 1987. Pp.ix + 272. $17.95.

James Adams, Secret Armies. London: Hutchinson, 1988. Pp.440. £14.95.

David C. Martin and John Walcott, Best Laid Plans: The Inside Story of America's War Against Terrorism. New York: Harper & Row, 1988. Pp. 392 $22.50.     

South African women: an intercultural perspective

SUMMARY

Misrepresentation of local whisky as a genuine Scotch whisky was the centre of a high-powered legal wrangle in South Africa. As South African courts tend to favour informed expertise over empirical surveys, the author was asked to act as an expert witness for the plaintiffs. Evidence focused upon brand perceptions created by the label, specifically dominant features as opposed to small print.     

A Review of: “Joshua Alexander Geltzer. U.S. Counter-Terrorism Strategy and al-Qaeda: Signalling and the Terrorist World-View.”

Augustus Richard Norton, Amal and the Shi'a: Struggle for the Soul of Lebanon. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1987. Pp. xxii + 238.

Leonard Weinberg and William Lee Eubank, The Rise and Fall of Italian Terrorism. London and Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1987. Pp.155.

Robin Erica Wagner‐Pacifici, The Moro Morality Play: Terrorism as Social Drama. London and Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1986. Pp.360.

Leonardo Sciascia, The Moro Affair. London: Carcanet Press, 1987. Pp.175.     

Book reviews

Terrell E. Arnold, The Violence Formula: Why People Lend Sympathy and Support to Terrorism. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1988. Pp.224. £15.50 (paperback).

Richard H. Shultz, Jr., The Soviet Union and Revolutionary Warfare: Principles, Practices and Regional Comparisons. Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press, 1988. Pp.283. NP.

Charles W. Sutherland, Disciples of Destruction: The Religious Origins of War and Terrorism. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Press, 1987. Pp.451. NP.

Maxwell Taylor, The Terrorist. London: Brassey's Defence Publishers, 1988. Pp.205. £21.95.

Marc A. Celmer, Terrorism, U.S. Strategy, and Reagan Policies. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1987. Pp.132. $29.95 (cloth).

Geoffrey M. Levitt, Democracies Against Terror: The Western Response to State‐Supported Terrorism. New York: Praeger Publishers and The Center for Strategic and International Studies, The Washington Papers/134, 1988. Pp.142. $32.95 (cloth); $9.95 (paper).

D. Michael Shafer, Deadly Paradigms: The Failure of U.S. Counterinsurgency Policy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1988. Pp.331. $34.50.

Charles Townshend, Britain's Civil Wars: Counterinsurgency in the Twentieth Century. London: Faber, 1986. Pp.220. £14.95.

Duncan M. Perry, The Politics of Terror: The Macedonian Revolutionary Movements, 1893–1903. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1988. Pp.257. NP.     

Women and the extreme right: A comment

Reza Shah‐Kazemi (ed.), Algeria: Revolution Revisited. London: Islamic World Report, 1997, distributed by I. B. Tauris and St. Martin's Press. Pp.193. $19.95. ISBN 1–8606–4368‐X.

Danny O. Coulson and Elaine Shannon, No Heroes: Inside the FBI's Secret Counter‐Terror Force. New York: Pocket Books, 1999.

Jessica Stern, The Ultimate Terrorists. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1999. Pp.214. $22.95 (cloth). ISBN 0–674–61790–8.

Ehud Sprinzak, Brother Against Brother: Violence and Extremism in Israeli Politics from Altalena to the Rabin Assassination. New York: The Free Press, 1999. Pp.366. US$27.50, Can.$41.00. ISBN 0–684–85344–2.     

Nationalism and its consequences: A review

Anthony D. Smith, Myths and Memories of the Nation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999, pp. 288, £15.99 (paperback). ISBN 0–19–829684–3 (also published in cloth edition).

Umut Ozkirimli, Theories of Nationalism A Critical Introduction, Houndmills, Basingstoke: Macmillan Press Ltd, 2000, pp 253, £14.50 (paperback). ISBN 0–333–77712–3 (also published in cloth edition).

Hakan Wiberg and Christian P. Scherrer (eds.), Ethnicity and Intra‐State Conflict: Types , Causes and Peace Strategies. Aldershot: Ashgate, 1999, pp.327, £42.50 (cloth). ISBN 1–84014713X.

Michael Hechter, Containing Nationalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, pp.256, £19.99. ISBN 0–19829742–4 (cloth).     

Global media/local meanings

ABSTRACT

In this article the author argues that qualitative investigations into the consumption practices of local audiences provide an important counter to the pessimistic claims of the media imperialism theorists, limited as they are primarily to institutional and textual analysis. In particular, the author argues that qualitative studies of how local audiences interact with global media provide an important corrective to the assumption that cultural homogenisation and synchronisation (Schiller 1976; Hamelink 1993) is following in the wake of the spread of global (primarily American) media and that this is necessarily something to be deplored.

This article first outlines some of the main tenets of the media imperialism thesis. Next it considers some of the more important critiques of this thesis. Finally, it draws on an interview the author conducted with a student at Rhodes University in order to clarify some of the important theoretical considerations we need to take into account when trying to assess the impact of global media on local audiences.

Indeed after years of anti-apartheid sanctions … South African is a country awash in American consumer goods, colonised by American pop culture, and obsessed with American celebrities. (Bill Keller, New York Times, September 25, 1993:5)

Choices [pertaining to media consumption] are constantly being made … But the questions of what those choices might mean, and how they work their way into the lives of those who make them, separating those lives from others perhaps just down the street, and linking them perhaps with others who share everything but locality; these questions remain. (Roger Silverstone 1990:186)     

A Review of: “Mikel Dunham. Buddha's Warriors: The Story of the CIA-Backed Tibetan Freedom Fighters,the Chinese Invasion,and the Ultimate Fall of Tibet”

Brenda K. Uekert, Rivers of Blood: A Comparative Study of Government Massacres. Westport, CT and London: Praeger Publishers, 1995. Pp.256, biblio, appendix of data sources. $55. ISBN 0–275–95165–0.

Maria Tatar, Lustmord: Sexual Murder in Weimar Germany. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995. Pp. 213.

James E. Jacob, Hills of Conflict: Basque Nationalism in France. Reno, Las Vegas and London: University of Nevada Press, 1994. Pp.568.

Mark S. Hamm, Hate Crime: International Perspectives on Causes and Control. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson Publishing, 1994. Pp.199, index. ISBN 0–87084–350–8.

David A. Korn, Assassination in Khartoum. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press (An Institute for the Study of Diplomacy Book), 1993. Pp.262, biblio, index. $24.95. ISBN 0–253–33202–8.     

Review essay: Heroic victims,the hostage memoirs

Terry Anderson, Den of Lions, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1993. Pp.356, index. £9.99 (paperback). ISBN 0–34061736–5.

Brian Keenan, An Evil Cradling, London: Hutchinson 1992 and Vintage, 1993. Pp.296, no index. £16.99/£6.99 (paperback). ISBN 00–917–5208–6 and 0–09999030‐X.

John McCarthy and Jill Morrell, Some Other Rainbow, London: Bantam Press, 1993 and Corgi, 1994. Pp.524, 56 photos, index. £14.99. ISBN 0–593–02729–9 and 0–552–13953‐X.

Terry Waite, Taken on Trust, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1993 and Coronet, 1994. Pp.370, 32 photos, index. £14.99 (hardback) and £5.99 (paperback). ISBN 0–0340–58196–4 and 60969–6.     

Functions of mass media in interpersonal communication

SUMMARY

This paper is the result of a research project on the function(s) of mass media in interpersonal conversation. Based on their research findings the authors conclude that mass media and mass media topics play an important role in conversation; that it forms an integrated component of personal communication; that the mass media is particularly often mentioned in small groups and in groups of lower intensity of conversation, and that the mentioning of the mass media as such fulfills several functions in conversation.     

Introduction: Globalization and change in India

ABSTRACT

This series of papers on Globalization, Institutional Change, and Politics of reforms in India highlights some of the key characteristics of institutional change and globalization in India. This special issue points in the direction of three important conjectures on globalization and change by bringing together a few key aspects of the process of institutional change and engagement with the global in India. First, India’s liberal democracy has embraced globalization and globally influenced institutional change in an embedded liberal way. Second, this is a saga of gradual and largely endogenous change. India is deeply affected by the demonstration effect of global best practices but builds rather more after its own internal consensus. Finally, even though India is not a classic developmental state, the state is an important factor in promoting change.     

Notes on new publications

Stephen Sestanovich (ed.), Rethinking Russia's National Interests, Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1994, xi + 115 pages, $14.95.

Ronald Grigor Suny, The Revenge of the Past: Nationalism, Revolution and the Collapse of the Soviet Union, Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1993, xv + 200 pages, biblio., index, $13.95.

Florence Benoit‐Rohmer and Hilde Hardeman, The Minority Question in Europe: Towards the Creation of a Coherent European Regime [in CEPS Paper No. 55] Brussels: Centre for European Policy Studies, 1994, 55 pages.     

Narendra Modi between Hindutva and subnationalism: The Gujarati asmita of a Hindu Hriday Samrat

ABSTRACT

After the 2002 pogrom, Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, shifted his political repertoire from that of a Hindu Hriday Samrat (King of Hindus’ heart) to that of development and Gujaratiness. He claimed that he was a development man (Vikas Purush) and that he represented the 60 million Gujaratis as an aam admi (common man). He projected himself as an embodiment of their identity—asmita. This populist repertoire, which was explicitly articulated during the Sadbhavna mission in 2012, is in tune with the general trend of Indian politics where most of the Chief Ministers claim to epitomize one subnationalism. In the case of Narendra Modi, however, this regional identity was defined in religious terms and reflected a banalization of Hindutva, an original process that was more likely to happen in Gujarat because of the traditional definition of the state’s identity.     

Recent developments in the philosophy of science: its relevance for the social sciences

SUMMARY

This article reviews developments in the philosophy of science which occurred during the past two decades. It begins with a discussion of the orthodox positivist view of science, concentrating on its logicist conception of theory assessment. This is followed by an exposition of the historicist critique of positivism as primarily worked out in Thomas Kuhn's The structure of scientific revolutions. It is well known that Kuhn's book led to a resurgence of interest in relativist and subjectivist positions in the philosophy of science. The main opponent to historicism, scientific realism, is discussed in some detail in the third section of the article. In the final section, the relevance of these debates to the social sciences is examined. The section begins with a brief outline of the Marxist version of realism which have recently been defended by people such as Bhaskar, Keat and Urry and Sayer. In the final pages of the article, it is argued that a realist theory of the social sciences is possible. It is also argued, however, that such a theory need not necessarily be cloaked in the guise of Marxism.