A New Islamic Populism and the Contradictions of Development

A new form of Islamic populism has evolved in many parts of the Muslim world. Its emergence is part of the more universal phenomenon of populist responses to the contradictions of globalised capitalism. It is also a consequence of the outcomes of Cold War-era social conflicts and of social-structural transformations in Muslim societies over the last half-century. Specifically, it articulates the rising ambitions and growing frustrations of urban middle classes across the Muslim world, the anxieties of growing urban poor populations and relatively peripheralised sections of the bourgeoisie. Thus representing cross-class coalitions, the New Islamic Populism aims to provide access to power and tangible resources to an ummah conceived to be both downtrodden and homogeneous, though in actuality, increasingly differentiated. This is demonstrated through a discussion of Indonesia, Egypt and Turkey. The article is intended to provide an alternative to analyses that have tended to dominate discussions of Islamic politics over the last decade. These include analyses that emphasise radical ideas transmitted by shadowy transnational networks that threaten the global secular order and those that posit a strong relationship between political moderation and democratic practice but tend to overlook the structural underpinnings of Islamic politics.     

The absence of a home curriculum in post-apartheid education in South Africa

Abstract

While it is important that education be relevant to the context of students, education systems struggle to introduce curricula that relate to the context of students. In South Africa the national curriculum, which is outcomes based, attempts to address the local context of students by introducing critical outcomes restricted to learning areas, and guide classroom methodology, the selection of content and the motivations for teaching and learning. In this article I argue that due to centralisation and bureaucratisation, the national curriculum does not sufficiently address the context of students. In the analysis, I discuss critical aspects of the curriculum development process, and argue that in order to address the local context, the home curriculum must be introduced in schools. In this way the education system will be striving for the Africanisation of education.     

正确认识中国特色社会主义和资本主义的关系

透视中国特色社会主义与资本主义的关系,应该从三个层次上分析问题。从社会基本制度、社会发展方向和道路层次上看,中国特色社会主义和资本主义有着根本区别;从利用资本主义建设社会主义的方法层次上看,中国特色社会主义与资本主义有一定的联系;从影响层次上看,资本主义对中国特色社会主义会产生一定的风险和危机。     

反全球化运动剖析

新自由主义的全球化是一柄双刃剑,它在进一步拓展资本主义发展空间的同时,也加深了资本主义固有的社会和经济危机。反全球化运动正是经济全球化条件下资本主义新危机的真实写照,它客观上向资本主义提出了解决经济全球化条件下社会经济矛盾的新课题。资本主义为挽救自身命运所做出的自我修正也在客观上构建着新的社会形态的经济和社会基础。     

The Innovation Paradox in Southern Europe. Unexpected Performance During the Economic Crisis

The international crisis has exerted a strong impact on the National Innovation Systems (NIS) of three Southern European economies: Italy, Portugal and Spain. These countries represent interesting cases for analysing responses to the crisis because they show a sort of innovation paradox: despite the weakness of their institutional systems and the defensive policies developed by governments, some of their companies have nevertheless been able to innovate even during the hardest years of the recession. In order to shed light on this paradox, three matters are taken into account: the distinctive features of the South European National Innovation Systems; the behaviour of governments and companies; the ‘generative dynamics’ and the ‘creative processes’ that have taken place during the crisis.     

经济全球化条件下“两制关系”的新变化及其发展趋势

社会主义与资本主义两种不同社会制度的对立统一关系在经济全球化条件下进入了 新阶段，出现了环形式、新特点，新发辰赵势。多层次形式的非制度性冲突与合作，更加激烈的非制 度性利益争夺与摩擦，更加隐蔽、间接和复杂的制度性矛盾和斗争，将伴随未来经济全球化发展全 过程。随着经济全球化趋势的不断扩大和深化，融合与斗争两种趋势的双向延伸和辐射，将使两制 间的较量与斗争在全球范围内更加长期、复杂、艰苦，使两制间的合作与融合更加长期、全面、主动。 两种发展趋势同时存在，而压倒一切的则是它们之间的交流与合作。     

“法人资本主义”论对我国现实问题的启示

2008年的金融危机,使全球经济陷入衰退,引起人们对资本主义制度的新一轮思考。"法人资本主义"论是资产阶级学者为资本主义制度辩护的代表性理论。其论者认为,当今资本主义已是"法人资本主义",法人是社会资本的所有者,股权法人化标志着股份资本已属于法人团体,而不属于原先作为个人股东的资本家。因而在法人持股日益普遍化的法人资本主义社会中,资本家阶级已经消失。通过对"法人资本主义"论的评析,我们可以从中得到其对我国当前完善中国特色社会主义经济制度的现实启示。     

当代资本主义基本矛盾再认识

以资本主义基本矛盾为线索是马克思主义创始人研究资本主义、揭示资本主义历史命运的基本方法。用这种方法认识当代资本主义,资本主义基本矛盾依然存在且表现形式多样;资本主义基本矛盾既具有引发经济危机的破坏性作用,也具有推动资本主义调整改革的建设性作用;它所推动的调整改革产生了更多的社会主义因素,使当代资本主义离社会主义越来越近。     

提问和回答:关于六个“为什么”的思考

六个"为什么",不是新问题,也不是新事物。中国革命的历史事实,有力地回答了:在中国,必须坚持马克思主义的指导,必须坚持中国共产党领导的多党合作和政治协商,必须走社会主义道路,必须实行社会主义公有制。人民公社化和"文化大革命"的曲折发展,证明建设"纯而又纯"的社会主义公有制是不行的。改革开放是强国之路,四项基本原则是立国之本,已经对六个"为什么"作出完整而正确的回答。现在重提六个"为什么",是因为:国内外对社会主义的疑问仍然存在,国际上意识形态的斗争仍未停息,国内"资本主义化"论调甚嚣尘上,国内"纯而又纯"理论仍有市场。要做到科学回答,必须做到:要从理论高度解释清楚六个"为什么",要从历史角度重新申明六个"为什么",要从特殊背景明确回答六个"为什么"。     

新教伦理与新加坡文明

新加坡希冀通过倡导儒家思想复兴的行动去消除新教伦理的弊端 ,促进社会的和谐发展 ,经过十几年的努力 ,现今已取得初步成效。本文通过论述新加坡的独特文明 ,在肯定新加坡实行理性资本主义管理方式而经济实现繁荣的同时 ,对儒家思想为特征的东方文化与新教伦理在新加坡的相互影响提出了移植、兼容和趋同等观点 ,并对儒家复兴是否能引导新加坡社会走上和谐发展的道路阐述了个人的看法。