Suchergebnisse

Explores the nature of the black polity in Ontario via a series of 1990s government initiatives developed to serve the needs of blacks. The history of racism in Ontario is traced, & events leading up to the 1992 Toronto race riot are described. The New Democratic Party (NDP) government had trouble identifying black leaders because of the erroneous assumption that blacks were a single community. It is argued that black insiders (in the government) also projected the image of a unified community that was not in sync with reality. In-depth interview data from 12 insiders & 8 black community organization activists indicate that insiders act as mediators between government & community, but sometimes fail to fill the expectations of either. It is contended that the diversity of the black population has hampered efforts to reform the police & justice system; however, insiders have helped to deliver several beneficial initiatives. Problems involved in balancing the politics of ethnic communities & the roles of insiders are discussed. 65 References. J. Lindroth

Examines issues of ethnic match & the role of the ethnic polity in Canada. The history of Canadian ethnic/racial diversity is traced, noting that it was often seen as a problem, rather than a valued feature of society. The state's role in the integration of ethnic minorities is explored, maintaining that there are no simple answers, nor easy policy dimensions, when dealing with pluralism in a liberal-democratic society. Ethnic match, considered a tool for providing culturally sensitive services, has three dimensions: ethnic origin of personnel delivering the service, sponsorship by an ethnospecific organization, & a practice informed by ethnospecific knowledge. How ethnic groups mobilize to make collective political decisions & interact with outside political bodies is discussed. It is contended that the ethnic polity in Canada is functioning increasingly like lobby groups, although they tend to operate on a different plane than other interest groups. Prospects for future resolutions to Canada's often contradictory multicultural issues are discussed. 1 Table, 32 References. J. Lindroth

The close of the first year of Gerhard Schroder's coalition (Social Democrat-Green) government provides adequate opportunity to contrast the current government's immigration policy with longer-term paradigms in German politics & public opinion. It is noted that many of the leading personalities in the coalition who advocate a heterogeneous, multicultural Germany earlier held just the opposite position. A summary of recent legislation, including the 1999 citizenship reform law (which provides for a more liberal definition of German citizens) is presented. The larger trends in worldwide immigration policy are acknowledged: in Germany, as elsewhere, the trend toward nationalism & closed borders is being countered by increasing globalization & denationalization. Current sociological thought on the rise of the "transnational" & the possibility of international cooperation in setting immigration policies is discussed. 14 References. A. Cohen-Siegel

It is argued that Americans have recently acquired a more realistic image of Quebec, seeing it as a modern, open, free-exchange, democratic, & proud state. The US notion of Quebec in the 1970s & earlier, however, had a monolithic quality, tinged by apprehension stemming from the 1976 election of the Quebecois Party. Analysis of the means & objectives of the US environment demonstrates how the current perception of Quebec came to exist. Attention is given to the role of Quebecois & Canadian specialists in the US media, the French-English language question, & the importance of tourism for influencing US ideas. In the final analysis, most Americans are ignorant of Canada, especially Quebec, but Americans who are interested in Quebec are in a good position to influence the US perception as a whole. D. Weibel

En este artículo, el autor analiza el proceso de formación, desarrollo y decadencia de la primera república italiana, caracterizada por una impresionante inestabilidad gubernamental, así como las líneas generales de transformación que apuntan a la fundación de lo que se ha denominado la segunda república, en donde se busca una profunda reforma política que permita corregir las fallas endémicas del sistema político italiano y transitar a una vida política más sana.

Discusses Italian immigration policy, attempting to identify public policy-making patterns. It is suggested that innovative measures addressed to low social strata, at least in Italy, often originate in benevolent illegal practices introduced by sympathetic civil servants & social workers, pressed & supported by voluntary sector associations, charities, & unions. Practices promoted by lobbying are, step by step, embodied in local administration & social services directives & circulars, & then diffused & standardized over the national territory by central government circulars. Senior public administrators & expert committees eventually filter & integrate these practices in the light of comparative policy studies & with a view to possible political outcomes; also they polish, adapt, & correct the practices to translate them into bills of law. Parliament discusses & amends them according to party & intraparty alignments. Any resulting legislation is the outcome of fights & compromises, although enlightenment (expert committees) & benevolence (low strata lobbying) remain in the final product. Legislation originating from benevolent illegal practice is, in turn, partially eroded by malevolent illegal practice, ie, by circulars & decrees illegally used in fields constitutionally protected by law. A remarkable share of the decision-making process takes place sheltered from party conflicts, parliamentary action, or public opinion. This sort of "extrapolitical" policy tends to be of greater significance when new party elites come to power, & lesser when the new elite becomes established. 4 Tables, 1 Figure, 41 Appendixes. Adapted from the source document.

Examines the struggle for a national idea being waged by politicians and intellectuals; roles of the state, democrats, communists, and patriots.

Reviews the last 100 years of Cuban discourse concerning race, drawing on historical materials. During the period of nation-state formation, race was viewed by Cuban elites as an obstacle to achieving national unity. While elites stressed the need to silence race, blacks employed the term to struggle against racially based inequalities & to resist exclusion from the social & political life of the country. This effort produced greater associations between native & foreign blacks, a development that elites worked against by drawing a firm discursive line between the two groups. Political parties also assisted in keeping the issue of race alive by continually appealing to the electorate in racial terms. In the 1920s, white intellectuals worked against this use of race, & also against the heavy foreign involvement in Cuba, by reconstructing a Cubanness in a narrow nationalist framework. The Cuban revolution finally succeeded in submerging racial discourse, but recent economic crises have produced growing social & racial polarization, & thus generated a resurgence of race scholarship. 133 References. D. Ryfe