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The article "State, strength, and market. Cartagena in the 17th century" by Pablo Sierra Fáfila reviews Julián B. Ruiz Rivera's book on research in Cartagena in the 17th century. The importance of society, economy, and the political-defensive structure in the city during that time is highlighted. Aspects such as the presence of differentiated groups, commercial influence, and the role of intermediaries in the transit of slaves are mentioned. Additionally, the complexity of power relations between the Cabildo and the governors is addressed, as well as the challenges faced by the city in its role as a defensive bastion. [Extracted from the article]

The article explores the social challenges associated with water in Morelos, Mexico, between 1880 and 1959, revealing the persistent water scarcity in a region rich in aquifer sources, alongside the exposure of its inhabitants to flooding during the rainy season. This was the result of power dynamics that created contradictions in land use and conditions of vulnerability for populations lacking political and economic influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper delves into the critical media freedom situation in Albania. Acknowledged now as the fourth pillar of democracy, media not only is crucial in informing the citizens but also acts as a watchdog by holding the authorities in power accountable and protecting democratic principles. Despite the several obstacles that media has faced in Albania dating back to the Ottoman era and exacerbated by the communist regime that lasted for almost half a century, the Albanian media started to flourish during the transition era, nevertheless facing persistent challenges when it came to media freedom. Through qualitative and quantitative data, this paper examines the contemporary state of media in Albania by emphasizing its effect on the country's democracy. While a robust legal and institutional framework for media freedom exists, its implementation in the case of Albania remains deficient, and that has resulted in numerous violations throughout the years. The widespread cases of self-censorship among journalists coupled with the political and economic interest of media owners, have further exacerbated the issue. The attempts made by the Albanian government to control media outlets with new laws and institutions have been scrutinized by international bodies as well. Overall, the aim of this research is not only to merely analyze the state of media freedom in Albania but also to bring more attention to this urgent situation which is threatening democratic principles in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept 'co-production of knowledge and innovation' (CKI) is gaining prominence. European Union (EU) research and innovation funding programmes like Horizon 2020 (H2020), Horizon Europe, and INTERREG underscore its significance as engaging diverse societal actors is often a requirement. Reality reveals disparities in actor participation in these multinational EU-funded CKI projects. As these projects are perceived as avenues for tackling 'grand societal challenges', such as the transition to sustainable agri-food systems, questions arise about whether they ensure equitable inclusion of diverse perspectives, enable genuine participation, and why barriers to entry persist. This study delves into the complexity of multinational CKI projects, shedding light on these questions. One H2020 and one INTERREG project are analysed using the multilevel innovation system framework incorporating a 'power dynamics' dimension. By including 'power dynamics' in an innovation system-based analysis, we offer a nuanced examination of mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion and a better understanding of potential policy intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Bottom Set Citizen: Ability Grouping in Schools—Meritocracy's Undeserving" by Paula Ambrossi critically compares the English school system with those in Chile, highlighting the impact of ability grouping on social inequalities. Ambrossi argues that ability grouping perpetuates neocolonial social, political, and ethnic inequalities, reinforcing lifelong disparities. The text emphasizes the negative effects of ability grouping on children's self-esteem, learning outcomes, and democratic values, advocating for mixed ability classes to promote social justice and equality in education. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the intersection of Freirean pedagogy and environmentalism, focusing on Greg Misiaszek's analysis of Freire's relationship to contemporary environmental issues. Misiaszek argues for the legitimacy of Freirean pedagogy as a response to climate and biodiversity crises, but faces challenges in positioning Freire as an environmental thinker. The text delves into the concept of ecopedagogy, emphasizing the need to deepen students' perspectives on environmental injustice and critiquing neoliberal education models. Misiaszek's work is situated within the critical pedagogical tradition, but some critics argue that he falls short in addressing the systemic issues of capitalism and neoliberalism that contribute to environmental degradation. [Extracted from the article]

Christianity's political prominence in Ghana has attracted the attention of scholars interested in the wider issues of religion and politics in sub-Saharan Africa. Analyses of the political influence of Christianity in Ghana generally focus on domestic factors, without considering external actors' involvement. This article examines the political impact of the leading form of Christianity in Ghana, Pentecostalism, in relation to both domestic and external factors. The aims of the article are, first, to explain and account for Pentecostals' political impact in Ghana. The second aim is to explain and account for the links between elements of the American Christian Right and prominent Pentecostals in Ghana. Both support normatively conservative, even regressive, policies which, the article argues, encourages the breakdown of Ghana's civil religion. Ghana is the first west African nation to be subject to sustained attention from elements of the US Christian Right, following similar efforts in east Africa, particularly in relation to Kenya and Uganda. This novelty makes the American Christian Right's focus on Ghana both noteworthy and an important topic of research in the context of the internationalisation of the former. The article is divided into four sections. The introductory section presents the main sections of the article, and provides a thorough account of the background of the study. The second section surveys what has been called the 'pentecostalisation' of Christianity in Ghana, which aligns with similar processes in other sub-Saharan African countries, including Nigeria. The third section examines the links between Ghana's Pentecostals and elements of the American Christian Right and explains how this helps to fuel a breakdown Ghana's longstanding allegiance to civil religion. The final section describes the main political result: the scapegoating and criminalisation of Ghana's numerically small, beleaguered gay community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social power can activate behavior toward goal attainment. In the context of romantic and sexual relationships, social power may facilitate competitor derogation tactics and self-promotion tactics to attract a partner. We hypothesized that perceived invulnerability to harm would provide a pathway linking social power to competitor derogation, whereas self-perceived mate value would provide a pathway linking social power to self-promotion. Findings from 218 participants (Mage = 38 years) revealed that experimentally manipulated social power enhanced perceived invulnerability, which in turn was positively associated with competitor derogation. Social power did not affect ratings of self-perceived mate value. Women more strongly endorsed self-promotion in pursuit of a short-term (vs. long-term) relationship, whereas men's ratings did not vary by relationship goal. Our findings suggested that social power may influence goal-directed thinking and behavior in the context of romantic and sexual relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new evidence linking different aspects of perceived inequality (education, employment, law enforcement, income and wealth, power, and gender) to life satisfaction. Using large‐scale national survey data, we examined the relationships between the six aspects of perceived inequality, life satisfaction, and generalized trust among South Koreans (N = 17,357). Exploratory structural equation modelling identified a two‐factor structure of perceived inequality: Opportunity Inequality (inequalities in education and employment) and Power Inequality (inequalities in income and wealth, law enforcement, power, and gender). Results from mediation analysis suggested that both aspects of inequality negatively predicted life satisfaction via reduced generalized trust. Those processes were consistent regardless of household income. The study underscores the critical impact that public perceptions of (in)equality in various opportunity and power aspects have on well‐being and trust and emphasizes the urgency of government and policy action to address the growing problem of inequality in South Korean society. The findings highlight the urgent need to address disparities and promote social harmony and well‐being in countries facing similar challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article examines the incidence and effects of the most common ballot ordering procedure used in U.S. general elections, Prevailing Party laws, which give the most advantageous ballot position to the currently prevailing political party. Methods: Panel regression and regression discontinuity analyses are applied to almost 50 years of county‐level election data from Wyoming. Results: Prevailing Party laws generally increase the favored candidate's vote share by two percentage points or more, enough to flip the result of roughly 1 percent of major elections nationwide. Conclusions: The effect of Prevailing Party laws is substantially larger than that of more innocuous ballot ordering schemes, due to "endorsement effects" these other schemes lack. The existing literature, which exclusively analyzes these other schemes, substantially understates the degree to which ballot order can be used to maintain political power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Colombian armed conflict, the peace negotiations with FARC, and the Final Peace Agreement signed in 2016, highlighting the gender mainstreaming efforts in the peace process. It explores the challenges faced by women in political empowerment post-peace agreement implementation, focusing on the gender quota system. The research reveals persistent barriers to women's political participation, including traditional power structures, economic elites, and violence against women in politics, hindering the transformative potential of gender reforms in achieving an "engendered" peace. [Extracted from the article]

From a political perspective, 1928 marks the beginning of a new period in the history of democracy in the U.K., this being when universal full suffrage was achieved via the Representation of the People Act. Taking into consideration this and other social and political factors, the main aim of the present paper is to investigate how the process of democratisation influenced the language employed by Members of Parliament between 1930 and 2005. For this purpose, we examine the use of markers of authority and power. Specifically, the evolution and use of gender-neutral occupational titles are analysed. The corpus used for this investigation is the Hansard Corpus (Alexander and Davies 2022), which includes written records of British parliamentary debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the American cultural phenomenon known as the revenge of the nerds, which is a myth of social mobility where smart kids excel in STEM fields and become successful while their peers end up in low-paying jobs. The narrative is a neoliberal revision of the self-made man, emphasizing intelligence and specialized skills over hard work. The revenge of the nerds narrative has evolved over time, with examples from films like "Revenge of the Nerds" and "Back to the Future" showcasing how nerds can achieve success in different ways. The article also explores modern adaptations of the revenge of the nerds narrative in films like "The Social Network" and biographies like Elon Musk's, highlighting the complexities and limitations of achieving success through this myth. [Extracted from the article]

This article presents a particular trajectory of Latin American and Caribbean intellectual practices as a contribution to the effort of pluralizing the various genealogies of Cultural Studies conversations, projects, and research and political agendas from a global perspective. It departs from what could be thought as a strategic port encompassing both the analytic of the complex, dynamic, and intertwined relation between culture and power and the recognition of intellectual practices as key elements not only for the diagnosis of the present conjuncture; but also for imagining and enabling other futures. From this vantage point, different intellectual traditions interpellated or not with the cultural studies label are described to historize the Cultural Studies project as one produced from the peripheries of the World System. The article argues that this was the pool of intellectual practices that inspired the institutionalization of Cultural Studies in Colombia in the 1990s. Finally, it describes some of the most pressing and relevant research agendas in the present while arguing that today Cultural Studies in the country is not only an academic project inside universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power dynamics, generally defined as the patterns of partners enacting or resisting influence, are inherent in all relationships. Power structures and processes play a role in people's perceptions of themselves and others, their feelings and emotions, and both their implicit and explicit behaviors. As such, understanding power dynamics is crucial for fully conceptualizing and intervening within relationships. Although power was not always given high priority in many of the early systemic family therapy models, that has changed over the years, with scholars working to address how power is manifested in relationships, how power imbalances affect relationships, and how power can be addressed more explicitly in treatment. Nonetheless, there is much additional work needed to ensure that systemic therapists have an appropriate depth of understanding regarding power dynamics to fully recognize their manifestations in relationships and then intervene appropriately. To help in these efforts, this paper aims to synthesize relational power research into a more complete description of what power is and how it is enacted in couple relationships. To do this, we introduce relevant perspectives of power not fully integrated with family therapy theories. Overall, we provide a brief history of power‐oriented research in the fields of family therapy, outline couple research regarding the sources of power that can inform therapeutic case conceptualizations and interventions, describe how power is addressed in specific couple therapy models, and highlight some important clinical applications that can help systemic therapists more fully address power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has developed an unlikely but pragmatic ally in expanding his hold on state power: the armed forces. This article shows how Erdoğan fundamentally restructured and curbed the military's power after the failed coup attempt of 2016. These reforms divided the army, empowered the police‐like gendarmerie, and placed civilian authorities squarely in control of both. The study analyzes the use of the gendarmerie inside Turkey, and the army outside, as the government battled the Covid‐19 outbreak and tried to assist foreign countries in their fights against the pandemic. This use of hard power bolstered the government's soft power, strengthening the Erdoğan regime. The case demonstrates the effectiveness of Turkey's new civil‐military relations and indicates that we should expect to see the state continue to leverage its military capacity to solve problems at home and abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses Richard Saull's two-volume work, "Capital, Race and Space," which examines the far-right from Bonapartism to Fascism through a Marxist lens. Saull's analysis covers a wide historical span, emphasizing the international dynamics and ideological underpinnings of far-right movements. The text critiques prevailing paradigms in fascist studies and highlights the influence of leftist thinkers on understanding fascism in the 20th and 21st centuries. Saull's work delves into the complexities of far-right ideologies, historical materialism, and the impact of capitalism, imperialism, and race on the development of far-right movements. [Extracted from the article]

This article examines the key aspects that contribute to Qatar's influence and soft power and investigates how Qatar strategically utilizes culture, economics, sports diplomacy, and media influence to shape perceptions of Qatar. A focal point of Qatar's soft power tool is Al Jazeera, which serves not only as a media giant but also as a dynamic force to amplify Qatar's influence. The article focuses on the resonance of Qatar's cultural initiatives, tourism sector, and sports and how these elements together contribute to soft power. Against the backdrop of regional challenges, Qatar's strategic posture emerges as a resilient force that positions the country as a key player in shaping regional dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using muscularity as an analytical object, the paper argues that contemporary preoccupations in India with fitness and health are rooted in the nation's colonial past and the nationalist project which informs the present desires of the neoliberal subjects. In doing so, the paper moves closer to Lacanian psychoanalysis for understanding the body politic in South Asia. The prevalent discourse of health and fitness carries within it the hauntings of the colonial archetype of the feeble, diseased Indian and the consequent work of the ego is channelised in overcoming this image of the vulnerable nation-self by working out an aesthetic model to be followed by those who truly belong to the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing prevalence of the China threat discourse, its extensive historical complexity is seldom fully explored in existing academic literature. The article unitizes the enormous data of Google Ngram Viewer to track the evolution of the China threat discourse among American elites over the last seven decades. This article argues that understanding the China threat discourse requires a dynamic perspective that considers historical context and demonstrates that American elites' perception of China has shifted from ideological and military hostility to concerns over China's rising economic power and challenges that China's political system might pose. The article suggests that the drivers underlying the China threat discourse are historically contingent and evolve alongside changes in China's national strength and the perception of China's politics, highlighting the significance of both material and ideational drivers in shaping the China threat discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the intersection of ecofeminism and republicanism in the context of care work, highlighting the importance of recognizing vulnerability as a fundamental human condition. It discusses the gendered nature of care work, the impact of imagined invulnerability, and the need for political care as a universal interest for all citizens. The article proposes an institution of compulsory care service to degender care work, foster active citizenship, and address social, economic, and ecological issues. The concept of political care is emphasized as a way to transform the masculine view of public life into a more caring one, promoting fairness, justice, and collective well-being. [Extracted from the article]

The article explores Marx's three conceptions of political change under capitalism: direct democracy, proletarian revolution, and self-government under proletarian leadership. It delves into the evolution of Marx's political thinking throughout his life, highlighting the transition from democracy to communism and the role of the proletariat in achieving human emancipation. The text emphasizes the importance of popular participation and accountability in institutional structures, showcasing the necessity of envisioning political change through the leadership of the proletariat. Marx's ideas on the dictatorship of the proletariat and the Paris Commune are also discussed, illustrating his evolving perspectives on political transformation under capitalism. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the Chilean constituent process that began in response to widespread protests against the Constitution of 1980. The process involved two assemblies, a failed referendum in 2022, and a subsequent agreement to establish a "Constitutional Council." The article explores the theoretical and political challenges of constituent power in the context of the Chilean process, highlighting the need to balance revolutionary and constrained approaches to constitution-making. It critiques traditional theories of constituent power and proposes a relational approach that emphasizes the dynamic and democratic nature of constitutional processes. The article concludes by calling for a nuanced understanding of constituent power that goes beyond normative constraints and engages with the complex political and cultural factors that shape constitutional legitimacy. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the role of identity politics in democratizing democracy, challenging the criticism that it undermines community, rational communication, and solidarity. Drawing on radical democratic and standpoint theories, the author argues that identity politics disrupts hegemonic discourse, making power politics reasonable when following minority standpoints. The tension between power and reason, particularism and universalism, is central to identity politics and democracy, necessitating an ongoing oscillation between the two. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding identity politics as an interplay between reason and power, highlighting the need for inclusive deliberation and the development of strong objectivity to overcome epistemic ignorance and promote democratization. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the contested nature of neoliberalism and the critiques of democracy within neoliberal thought. It focuses on the writings of Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, and James Buchanan to develop a critical account of neoliberal thought. The article highlights the neoliberal critique of democracy, the proposed reforms, and the challenges in theorizing a politics of neoliberal transformation. It concludes by pointing out the dilemmas faced by neoliberals in implementing their theoretical frameworks in practice. The article also suggests a potential link between neoliberalism and right-wing populism in terms of their shared desire for political rupture. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on infrastructure studies in Latin America, specifically on the collapse of the Talavera bridge in Lima, Peru, in 2017. The social, political, and cultural implications of infrastructure in the region are discussed, highlighting inequality, failures, and associated violence. It analyzes how infrastructure generates power relations and affects different social groups, as well as its role in the transformation of landscapes and social relationships. The importance of studying infrastructure from an anthropological perspective to understand its complexity and its effects on society is addressed. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the relationship between the spatial distribution of elite power and geophysical factors in two regions within the Low Countries between c.1350 – c.1650. It does so through a focus on seigneuries, bundles of territory and rights through which premodern lords and ladies across Europe held jurisdiction and economic prerogatives over local subjects. Historians have often assumed that the uneven distribution of such jurisdictions in different regions was connected to the fertility and commercial potential of the landscape. This article pioneers a structured, transregional approach to test this hypothesis, by quantifying and visualizing the spatial distribution of seigneuries in connection with three geophysical features – soil fertility, proximity to waterways, and relief – within and between two Netherlandish principalities, Guelders and Hainault. Through visualization and quantification of the spatial clustering of seigneuries, the analysis confirms that these institutions gravitated towards areas that were most fertile and commercially viable. In addition, the data suggest a hierarchy in the relative importance of geophysical features. Soil fertility emerges as the prime factor, with relief (Hainault) and waterways (Guelders) as secondary (interdependent) factors. • Spatial patterns of seigneuries in the Late Medieval Low Countries. • Lordship distribution is visually and quantitatively linked to the physical landscape. • Influence of soil composition, relief, hydrographical infrastructure. • Mapping premodern rural jurisdictions in the principalities Guelders and Hainault. • Methodology for linking socio-political institutions and geophysical features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging from a need for culturally grounded speech-language therapy in Aotearoa (New Zealand), this study examined Māori (Indigenous people of New Zealand) values and perspectives on communication held within a data set of 2,669 pepeha (ancestral sayings). Analysis of literal translations, context, literary features, and philosophical meanings led to identification of 368 sayings relevant to communication. Thematic analysis of these sayings resulted in eight themes: (a) āhuatanga karere (message and messenger characteristics), (b) mana reo (power and influence of language), (c) reo ā-tinana (body language), (d) te whē (sound), (e) tohu (signs, instructions, marks, visions, omens), (f) whakarongo (listening, hearing, obeying), (g) whanaungatanga (relationships), and (h) whatumanawa (open expression of emotion). These themes identify a holistic view, beyond interpersonal interactions, emphasising the interconnectedness of the human, spiritual, and natural worlds in ancestral communication. Findings contribute a deeper understanding of traditional Māori communication and add to the foundations guiding culturally grounded therapeutic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate between- and within-country consensus about affective meanings of social identities along the evaluation, potency, and activity dimensions from the affect control theory research tradition. Ratings for 387 (194 male and 193 female) identities were collected from two samples representative of the French (N = 700) and German (N = 700) populations for age, gender, and region. Guided by two preregistered hypotheses based on previous cross-cultural research, our analysis points to considerable cultural consensus between French and Germans who seem to share a common "Carolingian" affective culture; yet some culture-specific patterns concerning the evaluation dimension and evaluation-potency interactions were found to be statistically significant. We interpret these results in terms of known cross-cultural features such as power distance and conceptions of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaders with legitimacy attain substantial benefits in the workplace, like cooperation and minimal dissension from workers. We argue that legitimacy also benefits leaders by enhancing workers' positive emotions and displays and reducing negative emotions and displays to their behaviors. Employed, adult study participants took the role of a worker and responded to a vignette description of a leader's behaviors (use of fair/unfair decision- making procedures; high/low use of power benevolently) and status characteristics (Study 1, three months/three years of experience; Study 2, Black male/White male). Results confirm the expected patterns of effects of legitimacy on positive and negative emotions. Perceived legitimacy also largely mediates the effects of the leader's behaviors and experience (but not race) on emotional responses. Legitimated leaders benefit from a flow of positive emotions and displays and are largely protected from negative emotions and displays that could jeopardize their legitimacy and ultimately the functioning of the work group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rae Langton and Jennifer Hornsby apply J.L. Austin to understand women's systemic disempowerment from performing ordinary speech acts. They argue that speakers are silenced on an illocutionary level when their intended speech acts go unrecognized, yet some speakers counterintuitively exert power by camouflaging their intentions. This phenomenon, which I call illocutionary dissimulation, is both illustrated in the plot of Anna Burns's Milkman and theorized through the novel's style. Milkman reveals a previously unrecognized linguistic subterfuge that prevails in constrained communicative landscapes like 1970s Northern Ireland and formally models how disparate feminist accounts of language might unite to redress linguistic violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of a proliferation of texts framing ongoing events and experiences in terms of crisis, a new critical literature has emerged to interrogate the political, moral, and epistemological assumptions and blind spots of this way of understanding the modern world. In this special issue, we engage with this new body of work on crisis by distinguishing between two models—sovereign and distributed. While the sovereign model of crisis fleshes out the link between crisis and political power, the distributed model points to the social fragmentation and confusion that crisis-claims can provoke when they are made outside established institutional channels—when they are distributed across disparate audiences. Understanding the relationship between crisis and sovereignty on the one hand, and between crisis-claims and their audiences on the other, sheds new light on the narrative and performative effects of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory Budget, as a process for democratic decision-making in allocating public funds, has gained traction globally since the initial experiences in Porto Alegre, Brazil in the 1980s. This article analyses the 2022 and 2023 experiences of participatory budget (PB) in the city of Monterrey, Mexico. Based on a comparative analysis of secondary data of Monterrey's two-year programme, the study illustrates the obstacles and potentialities of implementing PB. Some of the limitations revolve around intergovernmental coordination, spatial limitations and limited impact on changing power relations concerning urban interventions. In assessing the programme's implementation, we seek to highlight that while participation indeed increased from 2022 to 2023, the conceptualisation of the programme differs from the original one in Porto Alegre, and distribution of projects and resources remains uneven. By critically evaluating Monterrey's PB initiatives, the article aims to contribute to the broader discourse on the complexities and challenges of participatory budget implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some research indicates that regional integration is more likely when power asymmetry exists among neighbouring states. Theoretically, preponderant powers can act as regional leaders because they can promote the development of collective goods that will entice others into partnerships. Other scholars argue that power asymmetry is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for integration. The preponderant power is to be willing to lead efforts. We argue that the US cannot lead North American regional integration when the voting public consumes negative messages concerning its least developed partner, Mexico. Negative portrayals of Mexico, whether justified or not, lower US public support and contribute to limiting the US political capacity to foster region building. The data analysis of a national representative sample (N = 1,133) using an online survey experiment confirms our hypotheses while controlling for various demographic factors and candidate support during the 2016 party election primaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020 Germany released its Indo‐Pacific guidelines in response to global shifts and escalating Sino‐US rivalries in the region. This article scrutinises Germany's ambitions and stance in the Indo‐Pacific, utilising the middle power concept as an analytical tool. It argues that Germany's Indo‐Pacific strategy is broadly in line with its wider foreign policy approach rather than marking a radical shift. Divided into three sections, the article explores middle power theories, Germany's foreign policy approach and Germany's Indo‐Pacific tilt. Assessing Germany's progress in the Indo‐Pacific, the paper employs a middle power framework based on capabilities, identity and engagement. We argue that Germany seems intent on positioning itself as a civilian middle power, evident in its deeply engrained norms determining identity and guiding engagement. The article uses a qualitative approach, drawing from primary material such as official statements of German policymakers and policy documents, supplemented by secondary sources covering the literature on middle power dynamics, the Indo‐Pacific region and Germany's foreign policy. Employing thematic documentary analysis, the paper identifies recurring patterns and trends in Germany's evolving role in the Indo‐Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a close examination of two cases in which rural schoolmasters in Victorian Scotland were accused of sexually assaulting their pupils, this article explores the gendered social and power dynamics, attitudes towards teachers and the nature of schools as spaces and institutions in rural communities. The sense of authority that community members felt over schoolmasters made them subject to scrutiny and pressure from the community, especially the mothers of pupils, in ways that allowed the community to assert at least some authority over schoolmasters. However, both rural schoolmasters examined here were able to leverage their professional prestige, gender and the preference many communities had to handle potentially scandalous matters quietly and locally to mitigate substantially the consequences they faced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leadership is a critical determinant of university performance. While much attention has been given to the personal traits of university leaders, the differences in leaders' political capital are largely neglected. Grounded in the framework of power relations in the management domain and contextualised in Chinese elite universities, the study has hypothesised and corroborated that the political capital imbalance between the party secretary and the president, the two top university leaders, adversely impacts the university's innovation performance, which is reflected by academic publications. However, this adverse effect would be attenuated if the president would be recruited externally. The study provides a new explanation of why political capital may not facilitate university innovation as expected while challenging the generalizability of shared governance logic as developed in US institutions of higher learning. The findings further enrich the university leadership literature by unveiling the impacts of cooperation and governance arrangements and underscoring the benefits of recruiting outsiders to enhance university innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Technological leadership as a driver in the distribution of global power. • US-China tech power dynamics in the global patent network. • "Fit-gets-richer" vs. "rich-gets-richer" mechanisms. • Validates China's central tech role without overcoming the US. • "Rich-get-richer" mechanism benefits the US in patents. This research analyzes the evolution of technological leadership in the global patents network, focusing on the roles of the US and China from 2001 to 2021. The US's central position in the network faces increasing challenges from China's economic and technological rise. This study goes beyond conventional approaches that analyze material capabilities by adopting a structural dynamic approach, which allows us to examine not only a country's centrality but also the mechanisms that lead a country to become central in the network. International technological influence is assessed through the global patents network by analyzing each country's position and growth mechanisms. The results show that, despite China's substantial growth in the network, the US remains the undisputed central power, benefiting from a growth mechanism that favors already central countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating diverse disciplines and knowledge practices into conservation offers new insights into the complex socioecological dynamics of conservation challenges and how to address them. Integration, however, is not simple; disciplines differ widely in their epistemic and professional commitments, theories, methods, applications, practices, and codes of ethics. Using an epistemic justice approach, we examined how and why different forms of disciplinary and social diversity are connected and offer a framework for promoting disciplinary diversity for conservation science and practice. This framework draws on a literature review and open‐ended responses from surveys of Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) members (n = 577) and nonmembers (n = 213) on experiences of professional and disciplinary exclusion and inclusion collected by SCB's Disciplinary Inclusion Task Force. We propose 4 steps conservation organizations and projects can take to promote disciplinary diversity and inclusion: know your history; understand power dynamics; listen to underrepresented voices; and operationalize disciplinary diversity and inclusion. As members of a highly interdisciplinary and diverse task force, we illustrated this framework through reflections on our shared experiences working together and the challenges and opportunities we faced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social and economic position and power shape everyone, including scientists and researchers. The way researchers do conservation science and the voices centered in the process are a result of researcher upbringing, experiences, access to resources, and values and are a manifestation of positionality. Positionality is a concept that can help one think about one's position and power in one's work. Creating a successful research partnership requires careful thinking about how equity, diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility are accounted for in the research environment. We drew on our own experiences as early career, mid‐career, and Indigenous researchers to explore researcher positionality and how understanding one's positionality can bring to the fore power dynamics in conservation science and research. We focused on the use of reflexive practice to recognize diverse roles and responsibilities, build strong project governance, and enrich relationships. We considered 2 large research partnerships, Apoqnmatulti'k (Mi'kmaw for we help each other) and the SakKijânginnaniattut Nunatsiavut Sivunitsangit (Inuttitut for Sustainable Nunatsiavut Futures) project, to examine moments of tension and interrogation of power and the ways in which this interrogation led to stronger relationships and better research. We advise that large transdisciplinary and cross‐cultural research teams use positionality and reflexivity to explicitly make choices about power dynamics in the context of executing partnership‐driven work. This can be accomplished through personal and collective interrogation of the power dynamics at play in project administration, research questions, and interpersonal relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the specificities of the new multilateralism made-in-China under Xi Jinping. We argue that China has been investing in a combination of Soft Power and Multilateralism to foster a friendly worldwide environment whilst promoting China's geopolitical reemergence. Drawing on role theory, we assess whether there has been a shifting trend on China's soft power and multilateralism, to cope both with international expectations on China's new role and China's own role conception. We conclude that China's gradual turn towards multilateralism and soft power is a complementary strategy to China's longstanding use of bilateralism. It provides China with new institutions and ways to prosper as Chinese interests are no longer effectively fulfilled within the old Bretton Woods system. This article aims to deepen the existing literature on China's soft power, whilst highlighting the novel developments in China's multilateral initiatives and soft power including the impact of EU's de-risking approach toward China – not yet addressed by current studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issuance of capitulations by the Tokugawa shogunate to foreign communities in early modern Japan, focusing on the Dutch, Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Chinese. Initially, the shogunate granted privileges to foreign merchants through written documents known as capitulations, but later shifted to orally relaying regulations and restrictions. The text also explores the transition from capitulations to contracts in the mid-eighteenth century, highlighting the significance of these agreements in regulating trade between Japan and foreign entities. The article emphasizes the evolution of diplomatic practices and the integration of foreign communities into Japanese society during this period. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses how students across the hemisphere rose up in solidarity with Palestine, creating encampments on college campuses in various countries to condemn the genocide in Gaza. The encampments aimed to demand divestment from the U.S. and Israeli war machine while also addressing broader issues related to collective control of universities and society. Participants faced repression from university administrators, police, and Zionists, but navigated these challenges through security measures and unity. The movements aim to strengthen solidarity with Palestine and other struggles in the coming year, focusing on decolonization, international collaboration, and raising awareness about ongoing genocides. [Extracted from the article]

This study contributes to the literature via a qualitative meta-analysis that illuminates the role of schools in preventing and countering violent extremism and hate crimes globally. By examining and analyzing recent studies at the intersection of peace education and countering or preventing violent extremism (CVE/PVE), the present study develops themes that provide essential lessons for teachers and other educational leaders looking to prevent and reduce violence, as well as build more peaceful school cultures. These themes include the role of power dynamics in the classroom and beyond, the importance of fostering social and community connections, and fostering in students certain relevant cognitive and affective skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses two recent texts, "Race, Racism and the Geography Curriculum" by David Lambert and Jonathan Morgan, and "Decolonizing Geography" by Sarah Radcliffe, which address the need for a critical race and anti-colonial consciousness in geography education. Lambert and Morgan focus on anti-Black racism in Britain, while Radcliffe takes a global perspective on overturning coloniality. Both texts emphasize the importance of engaging racism and colonialism in geography education, but do not offer universal solutions, advocating for critical and political approaches tailored to local contexts. The authors, who are white scholars in Britain, acknowledge their positionality and argue that challenging racism and colonialism in education is a responsibility for all, not just scholars of color. [Extracted from the article]

This paper examines the rise and decline of Sibila de Fortià through the lens of material and economic considerations. The text highlights the intricate interplay between materiality and royal dignity in the life of Queen Sibila. It portrays how her ascent and authority were closely tied to her economic resources and possessions, including symbolic items like the crown and seals. Material culture played a critical role in shaping and projecting the queen's image, especially when her legitimacy was questioned. The paper provides a chronological examination, emphasising the economic and material dimensions of her progression, charting her journey from the king's paramour to her tenure as a queen and finally addressing the challenges encountered during her widowhood. This article is part of a research cluster in this issue on the economic power of medieval queens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is part of a research cluster in this issue on the economic power of medieval queens. This paper explores the only known surviving detailed economic register of a queen of Portugal's expenses up to the early sixteenth century. Covering the early years of Maria of Castile and Aragon's queenship (1501–1508), the document gives extraordinary insight into the queen's household and the management of her finances. The study conducted over the book allows us to become acquainted with some of Queen Maria's ladies, officials, and servants, detect expenditure patterns, and get a glimpse of daily life at court, along with how the queen constructs her image, exercises her patronage and consolidates her authority. It is also possible to better understand how connected Portugal and Castile were, both economically and culturally, even before the Dual Monarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introductory piece for the research cluster 'The Economic Power of European Queens: Sources, Resources and Expenditure both delineates the content of the cluster and places it in the context of wider research. The article highlights common themes among the four articles in the cluster and common issues with the survival of sources which document the economic activity of royal women. It also highlights the importance of new research which is beginning to illuminate the financial element of queenship and helping us to understand this vital, yet understudied, part of the queen's office. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding queenly expenditure is a key part of studying queenship, not least because it provides insight into how queens carried out their roles and responsibilities. But examining such expenditure also serves a purpose in relation to research on the material foundations of queenship. This article examines one aspect of that expenditure, namely the gifts and rewards given by Margaret of Anjou and Elizabeth of York, two fifteenth-century English queens consort. Gifts and rewards serve as signal examples of how these queens used their economic resources and provide an additional entry into how to view these queens in economic and social/cultural terms. It shows that relating the queens' gifts and rewards to and demonstrating the implications of their practices on both their economic and social roles is a fruitful method of extending our understanding of the economic resources available to the queens and how they used them. This article is part of a research cluster in this issue on the economic power of medieval queens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tudor Chamber Books (1485–1521) are a useful, underexplored source for examining queenship. In addition to the two queen consorts, Elizabeth of York and her daughter in law, Catherine of Aragon, there is interesting coverage of Margaret and Mary Tudor who became respectively Queen of Scots and Queen of France, as well as the early years of Mary I. This article demonstrates how financial records can shed new light on pivotal moments in a royal woman's life, including childhood, betrothals and weddings, widowhood, joys such as coronation ceremonies and stresses of childbirth and infant (or even maternal) loss. It demonstrates the utility of the Chamber Books themselves and of wider financial sources in charting the lives of royal women and understanding more deeply the rhythms and responsibilities of queenship. This article is part of a research cluster in this issue on the economic power of medieval queens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]