social power Archives

Pushing boundaries: Peter McLaren on the importance of critical pedagogy inside and outside the classroom

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An interview with Peter McLaren on how critical pedagogy has evolved and where he sees this social movement and philosophy progressing.

Peter McLaren is Distinguished Professor in Critical Studies and Co-Director and International Ambassador for Global Ethics and Social Justice of the Paulo Freire Democratic Project at Chapman University in the USA. Regarded as one of the leading architects of critical pedagogy, McLaren re-envisions the philosophy of Freire in the context of contemporary issues, including the struggle of the LGBTQ community, […]

Using agent-based modelling to understand social phenomena

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Professor Shigeaki Ogibayashi uses a novel agent-based modelling system to build a bottom-up modelling system to evaluate the causal mechanisms in social phenomena, such as bullying

Agent-based modelling (ABM) is used to understand the behaviour of a system and establish what governs its outcomes. Professor Shigeaki Ogibayashi, from the Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan, proposes that, if the agent-based model is constructed entirely bottom-up, it should be possible to build a model where the causal relationship emerging from the artificial society is the same as that […]

Invoking human rights to stop ivory tower bullies

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Dr Leah P Hollis argues that workplace bullying is a violation of the Human Rights Act; as an international issue, employees are denied the rights to civility and dignity in the workplace, especially in higher education institutions

Higher education institutions are not immune to workplace bullying. In fact, research shows that they can be virulent breeding grounds for a particularly pernicious form of bullying – one cloaked in popular perceptions of civility. In higher education, bullying is even delegated to subordinates. However, because workplace bullying inhabits a grey legal area, prosecuting cases is challenging. Dr Leah P […]

The uses of social power in early childhood

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Dr Sandra Della Porta conducted a study into the use of social power in family dynamics, specifically in conflict situations with more than three family members

Dr Sandra Della Porta from Brock University in Ontario, Canada, investigates the use of social power in early childhood. Her most recent research demonstrates how children’s use and effectiveness of power strategies develops over time, but can also be influenced by birth order. The study involved analysis of naturally occurring family conflict, to ensure complex family dynamics such as parent–child […]