Brazilian Racial Politics Essay

The reading provided, extracted from Orpheus and Power by Michael George Hanchard, critiques the Race vs. Class Paradigm that is widespread in the Brazilian society. By weaving together some works of the more renowned analysts and sociologists of the topic, he highlights two main things: firstly, the salient points of their claims and secondly, the faults in their arguments. By comparing and contrasting two schools of thought on the issue, Class-based and Structuralist, he points out certain weaknesses and the glaring irreconcilability of such thought when applied to the trends in Brazilian economic society. The subject of Race and Class and their contributions into creating a society wherein oppression has been structured into policy has fueled many debates, much of them still ongoing. While there has not been any theoretical consensus reached, a characteristic that is always attendant in the field of academia, there is however, a fortunate by-product in that it has broadened the body of current knowledge to embrace other topics into the discussion such as modes of production and social inequality. It is also interesting to note that the post-World War II era, as represented by the works of Oliver Cox and Stanley Greenberg, show the minimum agreement between scholars that race, at the very least, plays cuts an integral figure in structuring the oppressive social inequality. This makes for a broader, richer and more interesting scholarly debate. Hanchard begins the comparison with a discussion on Economic Determinism and the study of the Negro population in Brazilian society through the written work of one Florestan Fernandes, Democracia Racial. Fernandes describes the relationship between the â€Å"White elites† and the â€Å"Negroes† in Brazilian society as a situation where the former â€Å"limit themselves to treating the Negro with tolerance, maintaining the old ceremonial politeness in inter-racial relationships and excluding from this tolerance any true egalitarian feeling or content. † (Hanchard 32) By articulating the â€Å"hegemonic position† of the White population over the Black one, he more than hinted at the absence of racial democracy in Brazilian society. Fernandes’ analyzed the racial interaction of the society a pivotal time in economic Brazilian history. The importance of his written work may largely be attributed the perfect timing of it. His deconstructions and analysis of Brazilian society then, through interviews and the gathering of empirical data, did much to further the study of Brazilian racial relations. Moreover, his role and significant importance to the field is further underscored by the fact that he was the first to analyze the linkage between race and class in the context of Brazilian socio-economic development. He claimed that the Brazilian Blacks were â€Å"exploited both during and after slavery by uncaring whites†. However, in a turn-about, he concludes that the Afro-Brazilian is â€Å"dysfunctional, suffering from anomie, hopelessness and immorality† and lacked a sense of discipline and responsibility that made them pale in comparison to Italian immigrants for competition in the labour markets. Hanchard, however, took issue with this particular conclusion and rebutted by emphasing the failure of Fernandes’ missed or misappreciated the important fact that the intervention of big landowners and government officials played a crucial role in creating a marketplace that preferred Southern European immigrants. In essence, Fernandes’ approach fails is that his discussion of the Negro social movement was confined to issues of racial inequality where race itself was autonomous and not an economic variable nor indicator. George Reid Andrews, by using an approach offered by Greenberg, refutes Fernandes’ claims and forwards his own. Andrews’ approach fares better than the previously discussed one of Fernandes’ to the extent that he explored the â€Å"collusion between the state government and landowners to foster economic development† by subsidizing European immigration creating a rocky playing field where the Blacks were the destined losers. He then claims that although slavery played the role of a detrimental catalyst in Brazilian socio-economic development, it is but one of many factors to the displacement of Afro-Brazilian workers. He considered state intervention more critical in that policy itself structured the economic oppression by the doling out of development funds in a very preferential treatment to European immigrant workers. Thus, he introduced a very important aspect into the debates; that of the material dimension of race and how it structures state policies. At this junction, the theoretical wars began to include a different perspective: Structuralist. As the third generation of race relations, this school of thought rebuts and debunks the racial democracy myth proposed by their predecessors. Carlos Hasenblag and Nelson Do Valle Silva are two of the most prominent figures in this approach that does not treat race and class as being on opposing ends of the same spectrum but rather they situated racial inequality at the very heart of socio-economic relations and the development and trends of the labour market. Harchand, however, critically points out that although there was a discussion of racial inequality, there was virtually no explanation offered how such inequality id politically constructed or even contested. â€Å"Despite the conceptual differences between the Reductionists and Structuralists, the tendencies seemed to concur about one crucial dimension of Brazilian race relations; a dimension that seemed to distinguish Afro-Brazilians from their US counterparts: a lack of collective awareness of themselves as a subordinated racial group. † (Hanchard 41) By analyzing the theories at hand, one thing is clear: the need for a better-tailored conceptual framework to be used as a guide for racially equal policy making. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In an effort to stop the mentality of finger-pointing to the dominant white, what has the different Afro-Brazilian social movements done, or at least attempted to bring about, in order to correct the racial inequality with regard to economic policy and labour markets? 2. What are some concrete state policies, like the Black Economic Empowerment Movement of South Africa, that can correct this historical injustice?

Postmodern Theory in Art Essay

Philosophy refers to the search for truth, existence, knowledge and performance through sense and rationale. Philosophy attempts to study the nature of existence, soundness, impartiality, beauty, mind and language. Art on the other hand refers to the process of arranging elements in a creative manner that makes them appealing to the senses and the emotions. Art includes performance which involves the use of language. The artist Paul McCarthy, born in 1945 in Salt Lake City, learned his art skills at the University of Utah in the year 1969. On his further studies at San Francisco art institute, he studied painting and went further to study film, video and art at the University of Southern California. McCarthy majors his work in video and sculpture having taught performance, video, installation and performance art history at the University of California (Bronfen 214). McCarthy in his works institutes color as a central theme in his story of modern and contemporary work. McCarthy’s life and art works are connected to the practice centered on the role of artists within the cultures and the system of art. In his works he proves a bit of a chocker. The use of language and descriptions of all the American culture that he grew up with, he works towards bending and transforming the familiar into the disturbing. The works of McCarthy definitely removes the dark side of the American dream and presents a selection of postmodern works produced between 1966 and 2006. The philosophies of Kierkegaard involved a unifying factor which evolved around three spheres of existence, which is the aesthetic, the ethical and the religious choice in constant tension. According to Kierkegaard the personal aesthetic enjoyment is in the inconsistent search of pleasure which is self-centered. Comparing the artist Paul McCarthy to this philosophy, it is clear that the philosophy involved beauty and pleasure which is mainly egocentric just like the work of McCarthy which involves the provision of pleasurable activities, through performance and beautiful paintings (Robert & Adorno 132). The ethical sphere however is not egocentric but impersonal. It involves a law centered on reasoning as opposed to personal inclination and expediency. Kierkegaard asserts that at this stage, life does not just involve a succession of separate moments of pleasure but is a long range venture which should be structured according to rational principles. The principles according to Kierkegaard’s philosophies do not only include the rules of eventual interest but the conceptual ideologies of morality that describe what an individual should do. Just like Kierkegaard’s ideals, in McCarthy’s attempts to reduce the disadvantages of painting, he resorted to using the body as a canvas. He later involved the use of bodily fluids and foods to act as surrogates in his work. Other than painting the work of McCarthy included transgressive presentation art, psychosexual events which were meant to test the emotions of both the artist and the viewer. McCarthy in his works was known for shocking, sexually charged pieces that feature benign cartoon and pop culture characters reflecting the ideologies of morality which teaches the viewers and the artist on what they should do (Glennie 34). Much of the works of Kierkegaard looks into religious premises like the faith in God, the organization of the Christian church, the Christian ethics and divinity and the emotions and feelings of different people when dealing with the choices of life. Kierkegaard remained the most influential figure in modern philosophy’s consideration just like McCarthy who remained the most influential artist in the postmodern artistry. Kierkegaard believed and insisted on individual rather than collective responsibility before God. In the stage of true religious choice, only a leap of faith that provides a ground for decision is employed, however there are no automatic rational decision procedures. According to the philosophy of Kierkegaard, acknowledgment of the need for religion as a personal dedication to truth is the major component of life. Relating to this principle of Kierkegaard, McCarthy centers his interest within the daily activities of life and the confusion created by such activities. Due to misinformation by people, McCarthy has been taken to be influenced by the Viennese Actionism. Due to his dedication to truth as his life component, McCarthy clarifies that he knew the activities of the group in the 1970s but there exists a big difference between the self deleterious activities of the Viennese and his own performances. This is a reflection that as Kierkegaard’s principle of individual responsibility to God, McCarthy obeys the same principle and would therefore not engage in the injurious activities of the Viennese (Ben 56). The view of Kierkegaard on the free press can be understood on why he hated the press. He was mainly concerned on the public sphere which had been a source of problem for many intellectuals in the middle of the 18th century before the democratization and the expansion of the press. In his view to the free press, Kierkegaard abandoned the use of internet with the claims that it promoted risk free ambiguity and idle curiosity that undermined responsibility and dedication. Kierkegaard’s opposition to the press is said to have had sociological, political and psychological motivations. He however claims that he does not attack the press because of the liberalism or any other political reason. As has been noted earlier, the works of Kierkegaard mainly revolved around religious issues. His view was therefore opposing free press because he believed that the press and especially the daily newspaper were making Christianity and religious matters impossible. Definitely from his political, sociological and psychological qualms, he considered the press as a threat to both cultural and religious practices. Because of these reasons Kierkegaard continued to attack the public and the press up to 1846 in his writings. With the democratization of the public sphere by the daily press, Kierkegaard felt that the public sphere was becoming a new and a dangerous cultural experience whereby the ranking created by the press was to produce something that was very wrong right from the beginning. In the modern society Kierkegaard gives his total view on the relation of the press, public sphere and the ranking taking place in his time. He considers the press mysterious and desituated with no obsession and dedication and combines in this philosophical age to produce the public. The ideals and the philosophies of Kierkegaard strongly affected the theologians and the existential philosophy. Even though Kierkegaard was a very strong defender of religious faith he was an unhappy, neurotic and a terribly suffering man (Ben 356). His belief was that the best way to disclose truth was through dramatic confrontation of conflicting practices to life. In addition to his ideals and philosophical works, Kierkegaard was a thinker and a genius. His philosophy despite having not been presented in a systematic and analytical manner, contain several wealth of sharp intellectual insights. Due to lack of coherent stance, the philosophies of Kierkegaard have remained questionable. Nevertheless according to Kierkegaard, his principles have been mainly on how one can become a Christian. Other than his philosophical work, Kierkegaard had complex poetic work which rewards careful reading. The totals of moral of his philosophy can be put into a single sentence that the existence of human beings needs real passion and thought. Conclusion Art and philosophy may be two different disciplines, but still some principles or morals of an artist and a philosopher may relate in some way. The revealed example is between the artist Paul McCarthy and the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. The ideals and the philosophies of Soren Kierkegaard match the artist Paul McCarthy for instance, both of them seems to value aesthetics, ethical values and religious choices and issues.

Language Development Essay

The role of Language Development and its relationship to problematic behavior is pioneered by Stevenson et al (1985) as cited from Douglas (1989, p. 6-7) Michigan Non Profit Organization (p. 7). The study revealed that children who appears to have poor language capabilities at 3 years of age has a high degree of probability to express â€Å"neurotic behaviors† when he or she turns to 8. In relation with this, the study of Starte 1975 and Richman et al (1982) as cited from Douglas (1989) claims that one of the main reasons for poor language development may have been caused by poor act language stimulation and interaction at the household. As such, children with language disabilities find it hard to relate with people and in the long run develop challenging behaviors. Corollary with this problem is the issue of hearing loss among children in addition to their language delay. Such a disposition as claimed by Douglas has added a lot on the tendency of the child to develop challenging behaviors. What usually happens is that children get frustrated when their parents or other people simply can not understand what they want to happen. The improper functioning of their language capability and hearing has caused for misunderstanding amongst adults. In addition, traumatic brain injuries that resulted from accidents may also cause challenging behavior (Loenthal, 1998 as cited from Michigan Non Profit Organization, 2002, p. 7).

Compensation policies and practices in any Saudi Company Essay

Compensation policies and practices in any Saudi Company - Essay Example The policy also holds that every employee should receive an employment contract specifying their levels of salary. This policy states that every employee of the company should receive a competitive salary and this is aims to ensure that the company is able to maintain a highly competitive workforce with high level of skills and expertise. Through this policy, it is able is able to establish a practice through which the appropriate salary is determined for all employees are therefore able to work competitively for the company. The second policy is the policy on range of salaries and on the method of payment. The range will be dependent on the level of qualification and the work experience that the employee has. The method of payment is monthly and will be dependent on the terms provided on the employment contract (PMU, 2013). Another policy that the company observes is the benefits policy which ensures that various benefits are offered to the employees. The benefits maintained in the benefits policy include an annual vacation for the employees, holidays for the employees provided by the company, offering insurance, savings and retirement plans for its employees, offering shipment for personal effects of the employees and assisting employees when undertaking their education. Another compensation policy that Saudi Aramco observes with regard to compensation of its employees is employee’s promotional policy which gives the well performing employees to higher levels in the company and this will entail a an increase in the amount of salary that the employee receives. The basis for promotion of the employees may also be upon the application for promotion by an employee. It may also be based on review of the academic records of the specific employee. Another compensation policy that south Aramco applies on its employees is overtime work policy. This policy ensures that the employees are compensated for the extra

Kathrin & Becky Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kathrin & Becky - Research Paper Example In simple terms, they were the custodians of the man’s ‘creation’ and hence the name ‘house wives’ was coined. However, it reached a point where the women in our society could take it no more. The oppressions and inferiority complex had gone overboard and they united and decided to demand for their rights. This marked a new dawn – a dawn where the inferior lot was informed of their rights. The demand for a just and fair world has been imminent with attention drawn from street debates to national discussions. They all have a similar ending; the world is never fair to the oppressed and minority groups and that the law is made for these people. Surprisingly, the legislators who push for these laws find themselves in situations and positions where they are breaking them. Feminists rely entirely on the law for existence. They believe that the law is meant to protect them. However, this is not the case. Governments have been in the limelight for failing to protect these groups of people. Women are an interesting lot. They love associating themselves with an icon with whom they follow her lifestyle and when Marilyn Monroe, a feminine figure killed herself out of an overdose in 1963, there was an outrage from the feminine society. There was no turning back and an exaggerated femininity was being held up and revered as an ideal for all women. Racism and sexual harassment were thriving and black women were mostly the victims where they were referred to as ‘chocolate bunnies’. However, in a quick rejoinder, Gloria Steinem, a freelance Journalist who was working on an undercover mission highlighted the plight of black women who were on the brink of segregation from the rest. She described that all women were treated as bunnies. This attracted the attention of all women who responded to the urgency to rescue the black woman from the racial stereotype. A look back at history reveals that women have achieved huge milestones that are

Mine water and mine waste management Assignment

Mine water and mine waste management - Assignment Example ocess of applications: 1) that water is sliced off from a natural resource to become part of the working process in mining operations, and to also provide fresh water to the crew; and 2) that natural water resources must be diverted away from the area in order to continue providing clean and environmentally safe resources to surrounding towns and to the natural habitat (Watson & Furey, 2013). Diversion channels assist above ground to moving stream and lake waters away from mining operations. At the same time, channel infrastructures must also be designed to isolate water at the mine from one process to the next one, whether the water is to be cleaned or else mixed with waste (rock and tailings), or used in another part of the mining process. This chapter reviews the components of mine water and mine waste as part of the waste management infrastructure. The following image shows the management design layout for the separations of solid waste on the one side, and mine water drainage on the other side, particular to a copper mine operation (Mining Profile, 2012). In the mining industry, the term â€Å"waste,† as defined by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976, is based on the specific circumstances of causation and in what part of the management process. In some cases, â€Å"waste† is not really a waste, based on the RCRA, such as when considering mine water or process wastewater, which is controlled by permit through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) (Mining Profile, 2012). Mine water, therefore, does not fall under the RCRA regulations. 1.1.a. Waste Rock refers to both â€Å"overburden† and mine development rock which is removed from underground mines in order to access the bodies of ore located underneath. There is none, or very little of, recoverable mineral value in either type. As waste rock is susceptible to air and water, once hauled to disposal dumps, potentially, there will be oxygen and sulphide minerals

Company Law coursewrok 2009-10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Company Law coursewrok 2009-10 - Essay Example The constitution of the company, i.e. its memorandum and articles of association, govern the way in which these relationships operate and has been referred to as a contract between the members, i.e. the shareholders and the company itself. In this paper, concerns that had previously been raised in relation to section 14 of the Companies Act 1985 are discussed and considered in the context of the new arrangements brought in by section 33 of the Companies Act 2006. In order to discuss these issues, the position under section 14 will first be considered along with relevant case law, before moving on to consider section 33 and the way in which this changes the contractual relationships between the relevant entities. Closed companies present particular difficulties in this regard, due to the fact that control of the company is held either by five or fewer people or where all shareholders are also directors. Although it is recognised that a director is different in terms of entity to a shareholder when the same people undertake both roles, it is simply not practical to deal with the contractual relationship between the company, the members and the directors. Throughout this paper, the focus is on the difficulties, both historically and currently, in relation to the contract between the shareholders and the company where the company is a closed company of the nature described above. As noted by Professor Rajak1, ‘The [s.14 Companies Act 1985] contract between the company and the shareholders gives rise to mutual rights and obligations, but these lie in favour of and against the shareholder in his capacity as a member of the company’. This suggests that, although the concept underlying section 14 is relatively clear, it is not always going to be practically obvious and this has been evident in the way that the court has handled issues of the contractual relationship laid out by the constitution, particularly in relation to closed companies. In accordance with