Green baize gladiators: Bridge as a mindsport for all

The researchers have shown that we need to continually re-evaluate our conception of a ‘sport’.

Electronic sports, or esports, have evolved the concept of ‘sport’, especially around the mental acuity needed to play. Professor Samantha Punch at the University of Stirling, together with Dr David Scott at Abertay University, Scotland, see similarities in the card game bridge. They are helping establish a new academic subdiscipline – the sociology of mindsport. In the process, Punch and […]

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The evolution and spiritual journey of two former Black Panther Party members: George Jackson and Eldridge Cleaver

a hand pores over an open book

Dr Trevin Jones is an English Professor at St. Louis Community College. In his dissertation on African American prison writers, he explores how different African American male prison writers explore issues of activism, masculinity, identity, and spirituality. In particular, he focuses on two former members of the Black Panther Party: George Jackson and Eldridge Cleaver. Although coming from similar perspectives, […]

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When Narratives Collide: The Fundamentals of Islamic Fundamentalism

The destruction of heritage sites by the IS has been religiously grounded in Jihadist Salafism.

Heritage is a group’s claim to a legacy. There are, however, different ways of reading history in the process. The Western notion of World Heritage finds value in a culturally diverse past, which is already fulfilled by the present. Conversely, Islamic fundamentalism seeks to bring about conformity to its founding age, condemning any deviance from this particular foundation. Baudouin Dupret, […]

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Real-time societies: Maintaining control in the digital world

Contemporary 21st century societies are experiencing the rapid growth of digitisation in virtually all aspects of life.

The rapid growth of digitisation is disrupting society profoundly. To secure a worthwhile future, we need to explore new approaches to govern complex socio-technical systems. Professor Johannes Weyer and his research team at Technische Universität Dortmund in Germany have developed SimCo, a simulation framework to investigate the dynamics of socio-technical systems like transportation or energy supply. This research examines how […]

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Gender stereotypes and the recruitment process in Spain

The researchers sent equivalent résumés from both male and female applicants to diverse job openings.

The majority of university degrees are earned by women, yet men far outnumber women in senior workplace roles, and according to the World Economic Forum, it will be at least 100 years before women’s career prospects equal those of men. Research by M. José González, Clara Cortina and Jorge Rodríguez from Pompeu Fabra University in Spain throws important light on […]

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