Objectivity Of The Social Researcher

Objectivity Of The Social Researcher Before addressing the debate, the historical significance of social theory must be addressed as there is a long history regarding issues of objectivity, and value free research. Prior to World War Two, social research was dominated by the paradigm of positivism. Philosophers such as Comte (1798-1857) strongly affirmed that methods applied to the natural sciences such as physics should be applied to the study of social behaviour (Benton Craib, 2001). The positivist perspective placed great emphasis on the objectivity of social research, accepting Science as the only general form of knowledge that produces reliable social scientific knowledge that can be generated into theory applicable to social behaviour within society (Benton Craib, 2001: 23). Moreover, like the natural sciences it requires both logical and empirical support. Causal relationships can be identified and truths can be falsified thus, positivist sociology assumes that law-like generalisations can be derived from socia l research Pedraza (2002: 75). Postivism was widely accepted throughout the nineteenth centuary as science was assumed to be the highest form of knowledge, thus by applying the methodologies of the natural science to the newborn social sciences allowed for some level of acceptance. As far as objectivity is concerned, positivist methodological approaches claim that objectivity is an ideal that is attainable, as the social realtiy of society can be observed it without any antecedents. As a result, the aim of the social scientist is to be exogenously detached from the research subject. Turning to Weber (WEBERREF) changed the direction of social research claiming that although social research should be value free, obtaining completely objective research was impossible. This is simply because researchers are subjective humans. Weber coined the term value free sociology and urged that sociologists need to be unconfined by personal values if it was to make a positive contribution towards society. Weber recognised that personal values would to some extent influence research topics but encouraged objectivity in exploring a topic once chosen. For Weber, value freedom is then a non-judgemental analysis of society in its own terms. Although Weber advocated this approach to social research, it must be acknowledged that values can enter research in a variety of ways ranging from the choice of research area, formulation of the research question; methodology including data collection, analysis of data; interpretation of data and overall conclusions (Bryman, 2008). Following from Weber the epistemological position of positivism has been overtly critiqued by various theorists, particularly those who take an ontological, interpretivist stance. For example, Becker (1964: 245) argues that, there is no position from which sociological research can be done that is not biased in one way or another. Therefore, social research cannot be completely objective as researchers can unknowingly contaminate their exploration of an issue with values developed throughout their own biography. Furthermore, Becker (1964) claims that, sociologists must either write from the position of a superordinate or from that of a subordinate (Lawson, 1991: 591). In addressing this claim, Becker (1964) discusses the credibility of hierarchy which explores the notion that social groups whom are perceived to be superior within a given society are in a position of power that can define the rules of society. The exclusivity of the natural sciences within society is an example of thi s. Becker (1964: 242) goes on to surmise that sociologists challenge this rule by refusing to acknowledge the established status order in which it is surmised that the truth of knowledge is unequally distributed. Therein, Becker suggests that social research should focus on the underdog in order to reform knowledge distribution. This is similar to the view that has been taken up by feminists such has Hartstock (2004: 7) who place emphasis on relativist standpoint theories whereby knowledge is shaped by power relations, that it is socially situated. Therefore those oppressed can give the best account fo the internal workings of their group. Hartstock (2004) attains that prior to feminist sociology, research disciplines and public policy did not account for women as group with their own knowledge. For Hartsock (2004), any social research that does not address the unequal distribution of knowledge, is therefore, potentially skewed. Thus drawing upon the Marxist notion of historic materialism standpoint theorists such as Hartstock (2004) and Harding (DATE) chose to address this with the aim of exercising social research from the position or standpoint of women. It can be surmised from this perspective that it is therefore it is impossible for a social researcher to extract themselves from power relations in thei r own situation. Therefore the feminist approach strongly advocates that objectivity should not be the primary aim of a social investigation. Rather, it is important for researchers to adopt a stance and consider how their values will influence their research. In addition, it should be recognised that feminist researchers shape the results of their analyses no less than do those of sexist and androcentric researchers. The objectivist stance should be avoided as it attempts to make the researchers cultural beliefs and practices invisible, while simultaneously skewering the research objects, beliefs and practices to the display board (Harding, 1987:9). What are the arguments against this? GOULDNER Gouldner is in consensus with Becker that social research cannot be value free yet he openly criticises Beckers claiming that Becker does not address the reasons why sociologists are more inclined to take the side of the underdog. Furthermore Gouldner asserts that is not always the case, the manner which some sociologists conceive the value-free doctrine disposes them to ignore current human problems and to huddle together like old men seeking mutual warmth. This is not our job, they say, and if it were we would now know enough to do it. (Gouldner, 1973: 13) It is clear that subjectivity poses a severe limitation for the positivist objective approach to social research. For Gouldner, however, the positivist approach posed another extensive problem, it was useful to those young, or not so young, men who live off sociology rather than for it, and who think of sociology as a way of getting ahead in the world by providing them with neutral techniques that may be sold on the open market to any buyer (Gouldner, 1973: 12). In others word Gouldner saw self interest as a powerful motivator the outcome of research being affected by the context in what it is undertaken. Thus the social researcher is not necessarily on the side of the underdog. In laymen terms Lawson (1991) suggests that the crux of this debate is the question of whether sociologists are allied with the state, accepting the state as the overall authority or should they adapt a more ethical, moral role in addressing social problems of society. Ultimately social researchers are divided by this dilemma that as Gouldner suggests, depends on the social context of the researcher. What Gouldner recognises is that the attempt of sociologists to draw upon the natural sciences to obtain an objective approach does not entirely fit with social studies and that the institutions in which professional sociologists consult such as government, academia and business can have a profound effect on a researchers values. Parsonian sociologists such as Haak (1994) and Hammersely (2000) are critical on views promoted by Becker and Gouldner arguing that that the politicisation of social research is not only misguided, but inherently dangerous, and that an intelligent and sceptical commitment to the principles of objectivity and value neutrality must remain an essential feature of social research (back cover). Hamersley (2000) promotes the idea of value-free, objective social research placing emphasis on academia as the key institution to producing knowledge. Yet the University as a place for producing knowledge itself is under threat. This can be demonstrated by addressing the tragedy of the anticommons. ANTICOMMONS 300 In response to Hardings Tragedy of the Commons whereby a resource is exploited by overuse, (HellerRosenburg1998)) address the notion of the anticommons where upstream and downstream technologies are compatible for the development of a new product yet the technology is patentable and ownership is fragmented thus the price of the new product becomes high and its consumption ends up being small or there is a gridlock in the development of the products EXAMPLE OF ANTICOMMONS This is not objective research if the notion is to make profit 250 This situation can be directly perceived by examining changes within university systems. For example, in Japan, national universities that conduct public research have transitioned to University Corporations by which there is an emphasis in profiteering from any innovations it may develop (Nishijima, 2004). According to Nishijima (2004) the Japanese ministry of education has advocated universities to acquire patents of innovations and to partake in research activities with private organisations such as corporations. through establishing Technology License Office for the past few years. The transition of National University to University Corporation implies that results of basic research will suddenly change from public goods to private goods and that the anticommons problem will emerge in the product innovation where basic research and development of new products are complementary. In the case of National University, there seems no consensus (no argument so far) on how economists should formulate the objective function of national university.10 Even if we assume that national university behaves as if it maximized a particular objective function such as probability of research success subject to budget and other constraints, equilibrium variables of national university will not be far from those arbitrarily given, as long as the particular objective function is not convincing. Therefore we have no choice but to exogenously give particular values to variables Thus as Oliver (1992) ascribes, social research are sometimes forced to take sides as funding bodies are not willing to take risks and support user-controlled research. The point that Gouldner (1973) puts across is that sociology should focus on social change therefore it must take sides. Essentially, Marx emphasised the need for social research to contribute to social change, The Standpoint of the old materialism is civil society; the stand point of the new is human society, or social humanity. The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it. (Eastman, 1935) like Marx, Gouldner (1973) believed that sociology should count towards human emancipation thus Gouldner became a strong believer in public sociology. REFLEXIVITY 300 The notion of reflexivity. Researchers must give an indication of the purpose of their research and how they have come to partake in such research This illustrates some of the factors that can affect social research. Namely, the need for profit. PARSONIAN SOCIOLOGY ARGUES FOR EPISTIMOLICAL RESEARCH DISCUSS!! BURAWOY PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY DISTINCTION BETWEEN THOSE THAT ACT AND THOSE WHO DONT As Burawoy (2005: 324) asserts the possibility for public sociology comes from sociologys spontaneous connection to its reflexive relation with civil society. Burawoy clearly recognises that sociology in itself is a reflexive paradigm and suggests that it clearly needs to move from ideological theory to commitment to action. In a sense Burawoy (2005: 325) advocates that social research must take sides claiming like Marx and Gouldner that society should place human society or social humanity at its organising centre. 200 words Whilst this debate continues, a few conclusions can be drawn from this essay. Firstly, it is near impossible for social researchers to complete value free research. There are several factors that account for this. Namely as Gouldner asserts, the social context in which research is conducted. Secondly, It would seem that social research is clearly divided by professional and public sociology. Thus it is not a case of whether or not to take sides but more a case of which side our values empower us to choose. Those inclined towards professional sociology may attain that objectivity is not compromised whereas those inclined towards public sociology may recognise that it can be and even more so, that it is necessary to evoke humanitarian changes.

An Analysis of The Other in All of Us, As Evoked by E.R. Burroughs Tar

An Analysis of The Other in All of Us, As Evoked by E.R. Burroughs' Tarzan Human nature is one of self-awareness. Because of that awareness, it is necessary for us to define ourselves by looking at the world around us and deciding what groups we fall into, and what groups we do not. Those groups we feel a part of become a safe haven, and those groups we feel separated from are seen as foreign, exotic, dangerous, or even subhuman. â€Å"The Other† must exist for human beings to define themselves individually. Our recognition of our differences in relation to others gives us our humanity and our individuality. But our curiosity about The Other still remains. Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel, Tarzan, is a discourse on our fascination with otherness: our reactions to â€Å"the other,† and our desire to discover how the other sees us. Burroughs’ has structured the novel so that readers are forced out of their traditional roles, taking on those of The Other. In so doing, readers see things about themselves that were invis ible to their individual selves, but obvious to outsiders. Burroughs avoids using this technique to reveal any great truths about society, choosing rather to entertain and amuse, but through entertaining his readers, he cannot help but give them a vehicle for rediscovering themselves. In Tarzan, there are two main kinds of â€Å"other,† two worlds, juxtaposed. Tarzan and his jungle constitute one world; Jane and â€Å"civilization† constitute another. Orbiting these two main worlds, are several moons, such as the Mbonga village and the mutineers. Tarzan might even be considered a moon, since there is no one like him, and he belongs to no group but his own. Tarzan’s jungle world would likely be foreign to most rea... ...girl, but found a new sense of self and identity, as does the reader. Burroughs has taken the readers on a journey away from themselves and into a place they could never go alone. He takes them outside of themselves, away from all that is safe and predictable, and gives them a chance to be reborn as an â€Å"other.† And in remaking the reader into an â€Å"other,† the reader is naturally given the opportunity to see society, and perhaps even his own little corner of society, through new eyes. He warns the reader to remember the feelings evoked by Tarzan and to be true to his new self. It is not only the places or events described in Tarzan that make it so enduringly entertaining; it is the chance to see our own lives as something unique, unusual, and significant. Works Cited: Burroughs, Edgar Rice. Tarzan: The Adventures of Lord Greystoke. Ballantine Books, 1972.

Disavantage and avantage of parliamentary system

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Parliamentary System A parliamentary system is a system of democratic governance of a state in which the executive branch derives its democratic legitimacy from, and is held accountable to the legislature. The executive and legislative branches are thus interconnected. In parliamentary system, the head of state is normally different from the head of government.However, parliamentary system had its own advantages and disadvantages. One of the common advantages parliamentary system had is that it's faster and easier to pass legislation. This is because that the executive branch is dependent upon the direct or indirect support from the legislative branch. The executive branch is often includes members of the legislature. As the executive branch is made of the majority party or coalition of parties in the legislature, they possess more votes in order to pass legislation. Usually a bill becomes law within a single session of parliament.Besides, in a parli amentary system, with a collegial executive, power is more divided. It can also be argues that power in parliamentary ystem is more evenly spread out in the power structure of parliamentary system. If comparing the prime minister from the parliamentary system and the president from the presidential system, prime minister seldom tends to have as high importance as a ruling president. Parliamentary system tends to be focus more on voting for parties and its political ideas rather than focusing on voting for an actual person.There is also a body of scholarship, associated with Juan Linz, Fred Riggs, Bruce Ackerman, and Robert Dahl that claims that the parliamentary system is likely to or liable to suffer from authoritarian collapse. These scholars point out that World War II, two- thirds of Third World countries establishing parliamentary governments successfully made the transition to democracy. By contrast, no Third World presidential system successfully made the transition to democr acy without experiencing coups and other constitutional breakdowns.One main criticism and benefits of many parliamentary systems is that the head of government is in almost all cases not the electorate, or by a set of electors directly chosen by the people, separate from the legislature. However, in a parliamentary system the prime minister is elected by he legislature, often under the strong influence of the party leadership. Thus, a party's candidate for the head of government is usually known before the election, possibly making the election as much about the person as the party behind him or her.Another major criticism of the parliamentary system lies precisely in its purported advantage which is no truly independent body to oppose and veto legislation passed by the parliament, and therefore no substantial check on legislative power. Conversely, because of the lack of inherent separation of powers, some believe that a parliamentary system can place too much power in the xecutive entity, leading to the feeling that the legislature or Judiciary have little scope to administer checks or balances on the executive.However, parliamentary systems may be bicameral, with an upper house designed to check the power of the lower. Although parliamentarianism has been praised for allowing an election to take place at any time, the lack of a definite election calendar can be abused. In some parliamentary systems, such as the British, a ruling party can schedule elections when it feels that it is likely to do well, and so avoid elections at times of unpopularity. Thus, by wise timing of elections, in a parliamentary system a party can extend its rule for longer than is feasible in a functioning presidential system.This problem can be alleviated somewhat by setting fixed dates for parliamentary elections, as is the case in several of Australia's state parliaments. In other systems, such as the Dutch and the Belgian, the ruling party or coalition has some flexibility in det ermining the election date. Conversely, flexibility in the timing of parliamentary elections avoids having periods of legislative gridlock that can occur in a fixed period presidential system.

Analysis of “Mr Sookhoo” and “A Cat Within”

Money has been, throughout the history of humanity, an end and an aim for human action. In their pursuit of money, people have followed different paths; some honourable, legitimate and legal and others devoid of legality, honour and legitimacy. Indeed, in the short story collection Stories from Around the World complied by Hilary Patel, many stories examine the impact of money and financial considerations on the decisions that many characters make. In â€Å"Mr Sookhoo†, the eponymous character is immediately identified to the reader as someone whose sole concern in life is the accumulation of wealth and riches. Mr Sookhoo, sitting on his porch and chewing at a tooth pick discloses an ingenious idea to his helpless wife: he informs her that he aims to deploy religion as a tool for making easy money. Mr Sookhoo's plan is simple; knowing that religious people give generously around the festive season especially when presented with a group of innocent carol singers raising money for charity, he decides to fabricate an institute for the blind, deaf and dumb and to use local school children to achieve his selfish money-making aims. Sookhoo shows total disregard to morality putting his personal financial gain at the top of his priorities. Also you can read Analysis July at the Multiplex When Mr Sookhoo's plan starts paying dividends in the form of good takings on the very first day of his carol singing project, he immediately resolves to work his young assistants (who are not, of course, aware of his malicious intentions) longer hours giving them little rest. Moreover, when Mr Archibald, the Headmaster of the local school attended by the carol singers, suggests treating the children to ice-cream, Mr Sookhoo chooses to ignore the suggestion buying the children only a carbonated drink that clearly costs less than the ice-cream. It is clear here that Sookhoo is oblivious to anything but his obsession with making easy money. In Christianity, Sookhoo is guilty of the sin of avarice or greed which is one of the seven deadly sins that signal total loss of faith. In the story, Mr Sookhoo is not a Christian but pretends to be one convincing Mr Archibald that he had â€Å"seen the light† in order to gain his approval for sending children with him on the carol singing mission. Mr Sookhoo's avarice leads to his eventual downfall when he is found out and captured at the end of the story. Sookhoo's avarice leads to a snowballing of unfortunate occurrences that upset the money-making plan that seemed to be going too well. All at once many characters appear in the story pushing, as it were, one more nail into Sookhoo's coffin. First, Mr Ali, who had previously paid Sookhoo to deliver some gravel for him, appears and exposes Sookhoo's failure to keep his end of the bargain. In addition, Mr Archibald, who started harbouring doubts about Mr Sookhoo when the latter's account of the carol singing successes did not correspond to what Mr Archibald was told by a young pupil called Horace, receives a visitor by the name of Mr Harris (who is a real philanthropist working in the charity field) who confirms to him that the deaf, dumb and blind institute does not exist. These revelations and findings raise tension in the story and drive the plotline towards its climax when Mr Sookhoo's love of money brings about his downfall and arrest. Read also Analysis of Characters in Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own† At the end of the story, poetic justice is upheld as the aggressor and wrong doer is punished while the good are rewarded. â€Å"Mr Sookhoo† ends on the note that a blind love of money can only lead to negative consequences. The price that Sookhoo pays for being a slave to money and materialistic gain is no less than his freedom. Mr Sookhoo's metaphorical slavery (signaled by his servitude to anything that can lead to making money) at the beginning of the story becomes the cause of his physical incarceration, which is a form a slavery, at the end. Although in the case of Mr Sookhoo, poetic justice is upheld as good is rewarded and evil is punished, the so-called â€Å"cliff-hanger† ending of â€Å"A Cat Within† where the reader is left to decide whether justice will be at all served, contrasts to the message of â€Å"Mr Sookhoo. † In â€Å"A Cat Within,† where the symbol of the cat acts as a reminder of a dark secret that comes back to haunt the un-named â€Å"Shopman† in the story, the love of money seems to have caused a series of crimes much weightier than those committed by Mr Sookhoo, but there is no indication that these crimes will be punished. In fact, one possible interpretation for the blurred ending of the story is that the Exorcist's own love of money will prompt him to eternally blackmail the Shopman in order to keep his crimes safely tucked away and hidden like the cat's head stuck in the metal urn. â€Å"A Cat Within† ends with the Exorcist withdrawing into his room but reminding the Shopman that he will request his pay later. This reminder could be read as a covert threat and a prelude to a life-long blackmail project the Exorcist hopes to embark on. In â€Å"A Cat Within,† both the Shopman and the Exorcist display their extreme attachment to money. On the one hand, the Shopman keeps his tenants in dire living conditions and sacrifices his own comfort by sleeping in the doorway to stop intruders from coming into his house. On the other hand, the Exorcist makes his living by giving the false impression that he is curing people from obsessions by demons and other supernatural evil beings. When the Exorcist is called upon to help with the assumed â€Å"evil spirit† wreaking havoc in the shop store, his world that places money at the top of the consideration list and the world of the Shopman, where money occupies the same place, meet. Read also  Case 302 July in Multiplex The Exorcist being adept at reading people like a book, manages to speculate accurately about the Shopman and the way he came to accumulate his wealth. It transpires that the Shopman killed a man and his widow before taking their land and money. However, unlike Mr Sookhoo, the Shopman remains free at the end with the cat, a symbol of his dark secret, roaming in the streets with a jug on its head. The symbolism of the cat slipping out of the store but with its head still caught inside the jug suggests that the Shopman's secret is only half revealed.

Chinese diaspora Essays

Chinese diaspora Essays Chinese diaspora Essay Chinese diaspora Essay Today, overseas Chinese communities are found in literally most countries of the world, and they have made significant economic, social and political impact in many of these places. Western social scientists have long postulated that ethnic Chinese communities in Asia have assimilated with their host societies and slowly lost their Chinese identity. On the other hand, all this raises the question of where the loyalties of ethnic Chinese overseas lie. Chinese overseas may owed their loyalty to host governments. This position has modified somewhat with the growth of Chinas economy. Benedict Anderson has argued that the nation is an imagined political community. Nationalism hence can be seen as a movement which includes the construction of the idea of the nation, and the identification of the communities which belong and dont belong to it.(Anderson,1983) As Singapores foreign minister, George Yeo said The idea and ideal of One China are deeply embedded in the Chinese mind. This cultural identification that inspires pride in Chinas recent achievements it has increasingly made use of ethnic Chinese business and political contacts to further its influence in Southeast Asia. Did the links between ethnic Chinese and their motherland be cut off? Did Chinese communities play any roles in internal and external relations respectively within both their host and homeland? If they do, how and what are the implications it brings to the inter-state relations, host-homeland and each other in the diasporic network? This paper attempts to analyse how and in what ways the Chinese diaspora interacts with Indonesian ethnic policies towards Chinese. It focuses on the commoditisation of Chineseness and explores the social networking of Chinese diaspora in order to understand how a virtual nation is being constructed.  2. Literature review  2.1 The process of migration  Migration denotes any movement of human from one location to another and it is usually being divided into international and internal ones. There are many extensive migrations throughout history, in both occasional or permanent manner, depending on historical setting, circumstance and perspective. Migration is an aggregation of individual behaviours into the social forms, usually not being explained by a single or constant theory as it is a combinated competing paradigm with trade-offs between differentiated pull and push factors in distinct circumstances involving some sort of empirical orientation. Ravensteins Law of migration, noticed some similarities of migration caused by economic development in the nintith centries, for examples, it stated that large towns were grow by migrantion more than natural increases, and the theory concluded that migration is always related to economic income maximization. Michael Todaro(1960, in Skeldon, 1997) correlated the concept to the income difference between rural and urban area and regard it as the main factor of migrational movement, in which people would migrant for better paid occupation or job opportunity. Everette Lee(1996 in Skeldon 1997). On the other hand, linked the initiatives of migration to the mutual concessions of pull and push factors, considering people desires with reference to different economic, cultural and political factors. Skeldon(1997) further explained that the migrants preference are not only regarding to profit-maximisation but also risk minimisation through family networks to perpetuating the migration flow, together with access to labour markets and claimed it as the new economics of migration. The risk minimization approach was built upon the segmented market theory which consists of varies sub-groups and hierachy of labours, with different remuneration or fringe benefits, and it is the decision of migrants to choose where to settle. Another strategy the writer gave is family network in which migrants were settled for generations and the risk of unintended consequences would be minimized. The world system theory, by Immanuel Wallerstein, suggested that migration is driven by the global economy through the expansion of Europe by setting up colonies from fifteen century, and resulting in the recent globalization of transnational corporations. There is a core and periphery relationship between European and other, where western countries are seen as leaders of urbanization, therefore this theory is being criticized as Euro-centric bias. 2.2 Problems caused by global migration  Associated with the increasing migrating populations, there leads a Global migration crisis, threatening the sovereignty and cultural integrity of the destination hosts. Migration is often associated with international movements, therefore there may be underlying problems of social or ethnical conflict along with national safety and identity crisis. Migrants, for instance, the politcal refugree of China may result in social unrest by either seeking institutional alternatives of their own motherlands or their hosts, leading to ethnical and political conflicts. Economic migrants who search for benefits from their host may alter the government decision in infrustrutures for the native residents, resulting in uequal distribution of social resources and social burdens. Immigrants, for example colonialists, usually imposed their own living styles to the migration destinations, therefore cultural hegemony will be formed as result. Diasporas may monopolized the economy of their hosts, broadening the rich-poor gap, causing lots of unintended social problems such as racial discrimination, slow down of economic growth, cultural imperialism or economic hegemony. And the problem of diasporas is a serious social issue many countries is facing. 2.3 Definition of Diaspora The term Diaspora, used to be refered specifically to the populations of Jews exiled from Judea by the Babylonians and Roman Empire, has primarily been associated to mass migration of an ethnic population being forced away from its native homelands, induced and dispersed to other corners of the globe usually by political forces(Cohen 1996). Unlike voluntary migrants, diasporas appear to emphasize a compulsory component and rootless identity, diasporas communities often being depicted as victims of involuntary migration by theorists. However, Cohen(1996) and Skeldon(1997) suggested that diasporas approach need to be modified because diasporas communities are not necessarily be victims nowadays as they hold a more active role in creating a new culture of exile which is a kind of strong bonds among the ethnic community and idealized concept of home culture neither be a original nor destination ones. Diasporic communities nowadays have largely altered their way of life to the suiting of their chosen contexts and developed an embiguous force in the society. A de-territorialized identity and link with the land of origin has always been the nature of diasporic identities, they are no longer suppressed ethnic minorities, instead they participate in the economy and society in destination areas and are obviously important to the hosts. There are various ways of thinking about the configuration of transnational diasporas, Sanguin(1994) explained that diasporas could be applied to those ethnic comes from countries where there is still misery, overpopulation, insecurity, dictatorship or religious or racial discrimination, therefore it maybe western-centric biased. Moreover, this word usually represent Oriental or African minorities like Chinese or Indian and is seldom used to describe occidental migrants away from their motherlands, thus the word itself may contain some sense of class discrimination and stereotyping. Diaspora is also a too generalised concept for representing the whole group, not all antecedents of these people were forced to move away from homeland, in doing so, it may not appropriate to use nowadays, instead, transnational ethnic minorities may be more suitable to describe this type of people. Diaspora nowadays somehow no longer only centred on passive involuntary migration but evolved into some new concepts about trading diasporas in 1990s indicated any ethnic groups formed by network of trading communities living in dispersal and yet highly interdependent. They are regarded as stranger merchants established with a host society. Seldon thought that the continued presence of diasporas sometimes be viewed as a threat in the aspect of national security, because these people may seek to destabilize the government in their own area, creating problems within the international system between host and original government. On the other hand, diasporas may to a certain extent, improve the economy of their host countries for example, the dominant economic role of Chinese diasporas in Indonesia. International and internal migrants or diasporas often believed to be having significant impacts on developments because they give rise to transfer of technological improvement and idea inspiration. To cite an example, German scientists and engineers exiled after WWII had significant impacts in later missile and space programmes in USA and USSR. Kotkin(1993) used the statement the making of global tribes to describe the influence to the world by British diasporas that moving out to exploit new opportunities, therefore the expansion of diasporic groups not only responsible for transnationalistic global cultural and economic flow between a core home and periphery away, but also raises critical issues of identity and political participation. According to Skeldon, the refugees gave a tremendous boost to urban growth in the immediate post-war period in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea. However, migration did not cause the rapid development of the East Asian economies and does not rank with the macro-political and economic factors that are so often cited, migration is neither a panacea nor a threat but holding a interrelation which economic development and underdevelopment shape migration, migration, in turn, shapes development, as both concepts often related to the pull and push factors of migration. The key question is how governments can use international migration as a development tool.

Mexican American War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mexican American War - Essay Example D. Eisenhower, Frederick Merk, and David M. Pletcher in three important works on the Mexican American war. These works are, respectively: So Far From God: The U.S. War With Mexico, Manifest Destiny and Mission in American History, and The Diplomacy of Annexation. The paper begins by discussing each author's thesis, arguments and evidence provided to support the thesis one at a time. It then discusses the works in a comparative fashion. While this author agrees most strongly with Merk's argument that U.S. expansionism-Manifest Destiny was not some unique strategy that was only pursued by Americans, there are merits to the arguments presented in the two other works. The paper ends with a conclusion summarizing the major points covered. John S. D. Eisenhower's book, So Far From God: The U.S. War With Mexico is a narrative history of the Mexican American war. Eisenhower has a distinctly "top down" militaristic, traditional historgraphy approach. It is one that emphasizes the VIPs of the war such as presidents and generals - essentially a "great men" view of history. The book is peppered with military details such as battle actions and tactics. One of Eisenhower's contentions is that the great military man, Santa Anna y Perez de Lebron (Santa Anna), who fought for Mexican independence from Spain was just an indiscreet popular figure. Eisenhower argues that these indiscretions in his pleasures and private life of Santa Anna's effectively barred him from belonging to the elite of Mexican society.2 However, Eisenhower doesn't discuss the possibility of a person being able to be both a populist and a member of this elite at the same time. Eisenhower used primarily books as his sources, though some of the books contain collections of primary resources such as letters and official government documents of the day.3 He also used newspapers and periodicals, though again, the majority of these are not primary or contemporary sources4. This is perhaps a reflection of his preference for traditional, "great men" history, in respecting the opinions of other already published historic works. First hand anecdotes are frequently used when Eisenhower discusses the details of events from the battlefields. There are maps included both assist the reader in following and understanding the text, as well as serve to emphasize the author's "headquarter's history" approach.5 The full title of the book So Far From God: The U.S. War With Mexico 1846-1848 suggests that the book is from the U.S. Side of the war. Substantial sections are written based on earlier writing by North American historians. The breath of research is limited to English sources and, with the exception of three sources, all of non-Mexican origin.6 One of the 'non-Mexican sources is of Fanny Caldern de la Barca's memoirs and de la Barca was born in Scotland7. Eisenhower attempts to be unbiased towards Mexico and Mexicans. This is especially evident in his references to Mexican soldiers who, he concludes, had to fight an unbalanced war just to maintain their national pride. Eisenhower frequently draws attention to their courage as well, especially in reference to the poor, rough leadership they were under. It is rare that a work is completely unbiased, however, and that is the case for So Far From God. Eisenhower's biasis is revealed through the language he uses to refer

Analysis of Group Processes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Group Processes - Essay Example Group Overview This group has been formed for the purposes of attaining a particular objective. The primary directive of the group is to provide Death Star Hospital (DSH) with clear directions on how to achieve a better healthcare service delivery in Death Star Hospital. The group is made up of seven people, all from different hospital departments. Each member has their own responsibilities, and in working together the group is able to meet its targets and obligations (Hogg and Tindale, 2001). The group is tasked with formulating a way through which DSH will increase efficiency in all its departments to ensure a better quality service is delivered to patients. Members of the Group 1. Yoda: Team Manager Yoda is the most learnt member of the group; he is a hospital administrator. His creativity, positive thinking, passion and dedication make him the right man to be at the helm of the group. He easily interacts with people and has a witty sense of humour. We nicknamed him Yoda because o f how he is able to perceive what one wants to say when having difficulty in explaining oneself. Despite being a highly ranked member of the hospital management, he prefers working in the ‘trenches’ with the rest of staff, as he loves his work. 2. Leila: HR Manager When she arrived in Death Star Hospital three years ago, the human resource department was on the verge of being scrapped from the company due to its unproductiveness. Leila single-handedly brought the department back to life, and it is one of the most efficient and productive departments within the hospital. No challenge is too big for this young lady; she is extremely proactive when it comes to finding solutions in case any problem arises. However, her strict attitudes make her come across as aggressive in situations that involve confrontation, and she can be extremely intimidating. 3. C-3PO: Health Science Librarian C-3PO is the Health Science Librarian at DSH and she is held in high regard among her peers in the industry. C-3PO believes in self-drive and is not patient with people who delay her progress. She has excellent people skills. 4. Luke: Chief Resident His high level of expertise makes him a highly experienced doctor within DSH. He is a conservative person and does not talk much during work hours. He does not take personal or professional attacks lightly, and he tends to be very defensive if his department comes under fire. He has gotten himself into trouble with the hospital administrator for putting the needs of his department in front of the hospital’s needs. 5. Darth Vader: Financial Manager His impeccable cost cutting mechanisms are unmatched within the hospital. Darth Vader had climbed the corporate ladder to the manager position within the first four years of joining Death Star Hospital. Sometimes he gets too personal when hospital departments abuse their budget allocations. He is a good team player and a good listener when people give him suggestions and ideas . 6. Landor: System Analyst Landor has been with DSH for around six years now; he is currently the head of the hospital’s IT department. He was instrumental when DSH was switching from a manual system to a computerised one three years ago. He is a good communicator and is able to determine user requirements without fail, and he delivers each and every time even when given short deadlines. 7. R2-D2: Chief Nurse R2-D2 is the head of the nursing department of DSH. Even though she is young, she maintains a high