Suchergebnisse

"China's new leader Xi Jinping has announced that the China Dream of great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is now closer than ever. This book discusses the meaning and progress of Chinese national rejuvenation from multiple perspectives - government, civil society, ethnic relations, economic development, philanthropy, science policy, cultural diplomacy, strategic philosophy and international relations. The authors discuss critically China's progress towards becoming a strong, prosperous and well-governed country. They evaluate the ideas, policies and institutions that have permitted China to reach the current era of national rejuvenation; but they also indicate the problems that China has still to overcome and the barriers it will face in completing the mission of 'great rejuvenation'. China's Many Dreams provides insightful perspectives on the challenges facing China's future, making it essential reading for scholars, researchers and policy-makers interested in China's growth and development"--

Since the arrival of hip hop in Tanzania in the 1980s, a diverse and vibrant range of musical genres has developed in Tanzania's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. Incorporating rapping, these new musical genres and their associated practices have produced new imaginative spaces, social practices, and identities. In this paper, I argue that rappers have appropriated signs and symbols from the transnational image of hip hop to cast themselves as 'thugs' or 'gangsters', simultaneously imbuing these symbols with distinctly Tanzanian political conceptions of hard work (kazi ya jasho), justice (haki) and self-reliance (kujitegemea). This article examines how the persona of the rapper acts as a nexus for transnational and local moral and ethical conceptions such as self-reliance, strength, and struggle. Exploring the complicated, ambiguous, and contradictory nature of cultural production in contemporary Tanzania, argue that rappers use the practice of rapping to negotiate both the socialist past and neo-liberal present. Drawing on the work of De Certeau and Graeber, I argue that rappers use these circulating signs, symbols, and concepts both tactically and strategically to generate value, shape social reality and inscribe themselves into the social and political fabric of everyday life.

Cape Verde, Let's Go addresses the postcolonial politics of citizenship in Portugal through the lens of Creole rap. It examines how Creole challenges what it means to be Portuguese and shapes notions of identity and belonging. The unique historical interactions between Portugal and Cape Verdeans, as well as the subsequent creation of Creole identities, provides the central empirical framework for this book.

This article makes a contribution to the debate on the 'cooperative, competitive citizen' by detailing the outcomes of a recent study on the theory, policy and practices of participatory citizenship in Europe, commissioned by the European Commission (EC). It underlines the
discussion of how to balance citizen collaboration and competition needs to include the concept of participatory citizenship along with a European dimension. It provides strong evidence that the current economic crisis is distorting the interrelationship between participatory citizenship,
social cohesion and economic competitiveness in policy-making in EU member states with increasing emphasis on the latter (the competitive citizen) at the expense of the former (the collaborative citizen). It details how the impact of this policy shift is already clearly visible through evidence
of major funding cuts on projects and programmes that promote participatory citizenship. It also provides evidence that the current economic crisis has shaken the trust and confidence of citizens across Europe, including young people, in politicians and political institutions. Though people
continue to have a strong belief in the principle of democracy and in the values that underpin participatory citizenship, they increasingly lack trust in current politicians and political institutions. However, it also highlights a number of strategies, based on evidence, for strengthening
policy, practices and citizen engagement in participatory citizenship in Europe and also evidence of the value of promoting participatory citizenship in society. It shows how the key role of learning and education in building civic competence among people, particularly young people, and also
that involvement with volunteering enhances political engagement. Finally, in the context of a growth strategy (such as EU 2020) to alleviate the economic crisis, the Study also highlights that participatory citizenship, economic competitiveness and social cohesion are interrelated and mutually
reinforcing. Thus, countries with characteristics of being highly competitive also tend to be highly participatory with high levels of social cohesion, for example, the Nordic countries.