Showing papers on "Elitism published in 2021"
TL;DR: The authors examine premium as a floating signifier and identify three key rhetorics underpinning premium economy: extraction, excess, and comparison, and locate them as a quintessential form of symbolic violence.
Abstract: Aligned with renewed commitments to class critique in sociolinguistics and discourse studies, I examine premium as a floating signifier. My initial semiotic landscape analysis demonstrates how this word is attached to any number of goods/services, coaxing people into a sense of distinction and superior status. These language games occur most vividly in my second analytic site—Premium Economy—where status is fabricated as tangibly but not too obviously distinct from Economy while preserving the prestige of Business. From a corpus of over forty international airlines’ promotional materials, I pinpoint three key rhetorics underpinning Premium Economy: extraction, excess, and comparison. My analysis locates premium as a quintessential form of symbolic violence (Bourdieu 1997/2000) deployed for controlling people by seducing, flattering, and enchanting them. The anxious bourgeoisie are thereby ‘joyfully enlisted’ (Lordon 2014) into the aspirational logics of elitism, all animated by the tenacious neoliberal ideologies of a supposedly post-class world. (Elite discourse, post-class ideology, floating signifiers, Frederic Lordon ‘premium’, Premium Economy)*
19 citations
TL;DR: The authors discuss how American political science treats elitism, pluralism, and populism in the context of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, arguing that populism questions elite values and expertise; thus, populists oppose and usually are opposed by elites.
Abstract: Inherently, populism questions elite values and expertise; thus, populists oppose and usually are opposed by elites. Here, I discuss how American Political Science treats elitism, pluralism, and po...
17 citations
TL;DR: How people deviate from impartiality when evaluating candidates in hiring decisions is examined, and a novel intervention-inducing a calculative mindset-is tested as a method for attenuating evaluators' ideological and ressentiment driven impartiality.
Abstract: Despite organizations' professed commitment to fairness, thousands of employees file race-based discrimination claims every year The current article examines how people deviate from impartiality when evaluating candidates in hiring decisions Researchers have argued the ideological endorsement of elitism (ie, scoring high in social dominance orientation) can lead to discrimination against racial minorities We examined whether an opposing ideological commitment-egalitarianism-can also produce partiality, but in favor of minority applicants Inspired by dual processing models and Nietzsche's philosophical theorizing, we also forwarded and tested a novel, affective predictor of racial biases in evaluation: ressentiment toward the socially powerful Across 4 studies, we found evaluators' ideologies and ressentiment independently shaped evaluations of equally qualified candidates in hiring contexts Participants who endorsed elitism showed a preference for White candidates, whereas those who endorsed egalitarianism evaluated Black candidates more favorably Individuals who experienced stronger ressentiment toward the social elite also preferred Black over White applicants Studies 3 and 4 tested and supported a novel intervention-inducing a calculative mindset-as a method for attenuating evaluators' ideological and ressentiment driven impartiality (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
11 citations
TL;DR: It can be argued that a humanistic enlightenment approach to leadership emerged as a counter to the historical prevalence of totalitarian elitism where leaders were often autocratic and authoritarians.
Abstract: It can be argued that a humanistic enlightenment approach to leadership emerged as a counter to the historical prevalence of totalitarian elitism where leaders were often autocratic and authoritari...
8 citations
TL;DR: Some of the literature suggests that luxury consumption is a beneficial social signal for the actor which facilitates social interaction as discussed by the authors, however, a different stream of recent re-evaluation suggests that it is a negative social signal.
Abstract: Some of the luxury consumption literature suggests that luxury consumption is a beneficial social signal for the actor which facilitates social interaction. However, a different stream of recent re...
8 citations
TL;DR: Scholars who study populism from an 'ideational approach' consider populism as a set of ideas based on a moralised anti-establishment thinking and a strong people-centrist view of politics as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Scholars who study populism from an ‘ideational approach’ consider populism as a set of ideas based on a moralised anti-establishment thinking and a strong people-centrist view of politics. From th...
7 citations
TL;DR: The authors analyzed the different ways in which people interrelate populist, pluralist, and elitist attitudes and found that people holding populist beliefs tend to associate populist attitudes with pluralist attitudes, while people who do not hold populist beliefs associate anti-pluralist attitudes.
Abstract: Populist attitudes are generally considered to consist of three types of beliefs, viz. people-centrist, anti-elitist, and Manichean beliefs. There is less agreement, however, on how populist attitudes are related to liberal democratic attitudes. Some argue that populist attitudes are incompatible with liberal democratic attitudes (e.g., pluralism and elitism). Others assert that these attitudes are compatible. Starting off from the concept of belief systems, we analyze the different ways in which people interrelate populist, pluralist, and elitist attitudes. Using correlational class analysis, we uncover four belief systems that differ in (a) how consistently people support populist beliefs and (b) the direction of the relationship between populist and pluralist beliefs. We also find that the differences between belief systems are related to people's support for populism. People holding populist beliefs tend to associate populist attitudes with pluralist attitudes, while people who do not hold populist beliefs associate populist attitudes with anti-pluralist attitudes.
6 citations
TL;DR: The authors used network analysis and natural language processing on 240,000 mathematicians and their advisor-advisee relationships to study how the Fields Medal helped integrate Japan after WWII, through analysis of the elite circle formed around Fields Medalists.
Abstract: The Fields Medal, often referred as the Nobel Prize of mathematics, is awarded to no more than four mathematicians under the age of 40, every 4 years. In recent years, its conferral has come under scrutiny of math historians, for rewarding the existing elite rather than its original goal of elevating under-represented mathematicians. Prior studies of elitism focus on citational practices while a characterization of the structural forces that prevent access remain unclear. Here we show the flow of elite mathematicians between countries and lingo-ethnic identity, using network analysis and natural language processing on 240,000 mathematicians and their advisor–advisee relationships. We present quantitative evidence of how the Fields Medal helped integrate Japan after WWII, through analysis of the elite circle formed around Fields Medalists. We show increases in pluralism among major countries, though Arabic, African, and East Asian identities remain under-represented at the elite level. Our results demonstrate concerted efforts by academic committees, such as prize giving, can either reinforce the existing elite or reshape its definition. We anticipate our methodology of academic genealogical analysis can serve as a useful diagnostic for equity and systemic bias within academic fields.
6 citations
TL;DR: Using the critical emancipatory paradigm grounded on the power elite theory that addresses issues of oppression and power relations, the paper was able to show, among other issues, how African nationalism created leaders who were against societal plurality, which takes diversity into consideration and celebrates it as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Using the critical emancipatory paradigm grounded on the power elite theory that addresses issues of oppression and power relations, the paper was able to show, among other issues, how African nationalism created leaders who were against societal plurality, which takes diversity into consideration and celebrates it. Also the critical emancipatory paradigm along the power elite theory made it understandable that those who are oppressed would always find a way of expressing themselves and try to shape the world they want to live in. For example, in addressing the decimation of their self-identity by those in power, the minority groups in Zimbabwe and South Africa are seen forming ‘dissident’ community archives parallel to the so-called mainstream national official archives such as National Archives of Zimbabwe and National Archives and Records Services of South Africa which are presided over by ‘ruling political party government bureaucrats’ pushing the agenda of their elite leaders who are obsessed with ‘only’ preserving their history and ignoring the histories of the minority groups, as the paper revealed. This phenomenon in this paper was considered through national mainstream archives and selected community oral history methodologies. The paper concludes that even in critical emancipation, there is elitism as those in power will always push their own agendas. In decolonising the archives through a collection of oral histories, archival institutions in both countries have further perpetuated the marginalisation of minority groups by covering only stories of elite members of society.
6 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors highlight the evolution and conceptual framework of institutional repositories and their impact on the academic and scholarly circles in terms of better visibility, wider audience, and wider audiences.
Abstract: The article tries to highlight the evolution and conceptual framework of institutional repositories and their impact on the academic and scholarly circles in terms of better visibility, wider audie...
5 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine a self-described "intercultural" children's choir project, which has been developed by an established classical music institution in Berlin and examine how diversity is negotiated in the organisational and social workings of the choir.
TL;DR: The authors empirically testify that corporate elitism is an antecedent to groupthink, which prevents organizational empathy from working effectively in crises, and they offer guidance to organizations on how to better manage their crisis proneness through identifying the early signs of Corporate elitism and groupthink.
TL;DR: In modern times, loyalty to the nation state, particularly a relatively universal nation-state able to assimilate diverse groups like the U.S., tended to be associated with a sense of loyalty to a "super-group" as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In modern times, loyalty to the nation state, particularly a relatively universal nation-state able to assimilate diverse groups like the U.S., what Amy Chua (2018) calls a “super-group,” tended to...
TL;DR: This paper examined the construction of elitism among the characters in the Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) morning drama Massan (September 2014-March 2015) and found that uneven allocation of English abilities along with other semiotic cues associated with class, gender, and age erases the privileged position that elite men occupy in Japanese society.
Abstract: Engaging the fields of discourse analysis and language ideology, this paper examines the construction of elitism (Jaworski and Thurlow, 2009) among the characters in the Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) morning drama Massan (September 2014—March 2015). The uneven allocation of English abilities along with other semiotic cues associated with class, gender, and age erases the privileged position that elite men occupy in Japanese society. In doing so, male characters with English abilities are discursively constructed as self-motivated individuals with exceptional qualities. By ignoring their inherited privileges, the drama indexes larger neoliberal discourses that hide the increasing social divide in Japanese society. Such discursive representations of English abilities is highly problematic given NHK’s position as Japan’s only public broadcasting organization.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors combine international, political, and intellectual history to demonstrate that a significant theoretical and practical debate has been held about who decides the national interest in a mass democracy.
Abstract: Who decides the national interest in a mass democracy? This article combines international, political, and intellectual history to demonstrate that a significant theoretical and practical debate ab...
01 Jan 2021
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the considerable economic contribution of international students to host institutions risks reproducing colonial relations if their pedagogical experiences are not thought through carefully, and they advocate that the conservatoire must move beyond its attempts to contain the effects of cultural diversity and instead harness the potential for selfrenewal that comes from embracing cultural difference in a third space.
Abstract: Conservatoires in the West are now made up of a significant body of international students who come to study the Western canon of classical music. With the canon arising in the same milieu as Enlightenment notions of shared humanity, historically, many have argued that this music has a wide, cross-cultural appeal. Though such tropes of classical music still exist, they also have the potential today to act as awkward anachronisms, markers of elitism, whiteness and cultural hegemony. This chapter starts from the perspective that the considerable economic contribution of international students to host institutions risks reproducing colonial relations if their pedagogical experiences are not thought through carefully. Looking to postcolonial theory to make sense of the dynamics at play, key concepts from Homi Bhabha are used as a lens to view the conservatoire. It is argued that international students are marginalized through stereotyping and positioned ‘in need’ of a Western education, even with attempts to bring their cultural experience of learning into account. I advocate that the conservatoire must move beyond its attempts to contain the effects of cultural diversity and instead harness the potential for self-renewal that comes from embracing cultural difference in a third space.
TL;DR: The story of talent management as a new form of human resource innovation has been investigated in this article. But how do "talented" people become corporate elites, and what does the process of becoming elites mean to them?
Abstract: How do ‘talented’ people become corporate elites, and what does the process of becoming elites mean to them? The story of talent management (TM) as a new form of human resource innovation has large
TL;DR: This paper analyzed populism utilizing the semiotic theory of A.J. Greimas, a structural linguist who offers a tool for uncovering links between manifestations of populism and the language structu...
Abstract: This article analyzes populism utilizing the semiotic theory of A.J. Greimas. This structural linguist offers a tool for uncovering links between manifestations of populism and the language structu...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed Leathes's texts and the parallels in the report, especially his vision of ModernStudies, which linked the teaching of history and modern languages, and revealed the origins and gave more detail of the meanings of some of the concepts in the Report.
Abstract: Described as the magna carta of language teaching, the
‘Report of the Committee appointed by the Prime Minister
to enquire into the Position of Modern Languages in the
Educational System of Great Britain (28 August 1916)’ is
known as ‘the Leathes Report’ after the committee’s chairman, Stanley Leathes, the First Commissioner of the British
civil service. Leathes was not just a civil servant but also an
author on education matters, including language education.
His views had appeared in several publications over the
previous decade, and many of those views are echoed in
the report. This article analyses Leathes’s texts and the parallels in the Leathes Report, especially his vision of ‘Modern
Studies’, which linked the teaching of history and modern
languages. In doing so, it reveals the origins and gives more
detail of the meanings of some of the concepts in the Report.
It has been argued that the Report is elitist. Leathes’s own
education took place in elite institutions as did that of many
other civil servants of the time, but this article shows that it is
a misinterpretation to say this led to elitism in the Report
when it has in fact a meritocratic view of education, also
present in Leathes’s own writings.
TL;DR: Theories of the common good are discussed in this article with implications regarding the shortcomings of democratic political institutions and structures, and the theoretical framework provided by the political thought of W. E. B. Du Bois and Friedrich Nietzsche are used to critically examine the idea of common good in contemporary democratic societies.
Abstract:
The concept of the common good represents those resources that are good for an entire group as a whole, or what preserves what the people or inhabitants of the national community have in common. The “good” are those things that benefit the community as a whole; lead to the protection, sustainment, and improvement of the community. Theorists agree that it is the ultimate end of government; the good of all its citizens and void of special interests. Theories of the common good are discussed in this paper with implications regarding the shortcomings of democratic political institutions and structures. The theoretical framework provided by the political thought of W. E. B. Du Bois and Friedrich Nietzsche are used to critically examine the idea of the common good in contemporary democratic societies. Du Bois sought an objective truth that could dispel once and for all the irrational prejudices and ignorances that stood in the way of a just social order for African Americans. Nietzsche’s political theory was primarily concerned with disdain for democracy and the need for Aristocratic forms and social ordering. He was skeptical that with the demise of religion, it would be possible to achieve an effective normative consensus in society at large which is needed to legitimize government authority. Both theorists agree that the exceptional and great individuals are few in society and should govern in favor of the masses. Based on their example, this paper argues that both authors are suggesting an Epistocratic form of government where those with political knowledge are privileged.
TL;DR: The disadvantaged position in which underrepresented faculty in medicine often find themselves is characteristic of not only our current society but also tradition and elitism in academic medicine as discussed by the authors, and it is a characteristic characteristic characteristic of both academia and society.
Abstract: The disadvantaged position in which underrepresented faculty in medicine often find themselves is characteristic of not only our current society but also tradition and elitism in academic medicine....
TL;DR: The authors argue that celebrities possess a significant degree of epistemic power (the power to influence what people believe) that is unconnected to appropriate expertise, which presents a problem both for deliberative and epistemic theories of democratic legitimacy and for real existing democracies attempting to meet the standards of legitimacy set out by these theories.
Abstract: Is there good reason to worry about celebrity involvement in democratic politics? The rise of celebrity politicians such as Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky has led political theorists and commentators to worry that the role of expertise in democratic politics has been undermined. According to one recent critique (Archer et al. 2020), celebrities possess a significant degree of epistemic power (the power to influence what people believe) that is unconnected to appropriate expertise. This presents a problem both for deliberative and epistemic theories of democratic legitimacy, which ignore this form of power, and for real existing democracies attempting to meet the standards of legitimacy set out by these theories. But do these critiques apply to democratic elitism? In this paper, we argue that recognition of celebrity epistemic power in fact represents a valuable resource for supporting the legitimacy and practice of democratic elitism, though these benefits do come with certain risks to which elite theories are particularly vulnerable.
01 Jan 2021
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used various methods ranging from dialectics and hermeneutics to comparative studies and semiotics to study the phenomenon of the elite from the viewpoint of the community of certain selected groups responsible for forming a response to the challenge of their era.
Abstract: The real world is experiencing serious transformational changes associated with the crisis of the globalist (monopolar and multicultural) project and the growth of post-industrial trends. Under these conditions, the role of many professional elite communities is also changing, as well as the emphasis of their assessments and roles in the global social process. Since elites are in every field of professional activity, it is needed to study the phenomenon of the elite from the viewpoint of the community of certain selected groups responsible for forming a response to the challenge of their era. The goal of the present work is to show the role of elite (open and high-quality) university education in the formation of professional qualities of contemporary elite communities. The authors used various methods ranged from dialectics and hermeneutics to comparative studies and semiotics. This set of research methods allowed penetrating the depth of the qualitative parameters of elite communities, as well as giving them a comprehensive assessment. In this regard, a special role is given to the principles of personalism, which reveal the depth of the elite personality and the meaning of their creative process. It is this task, i.e. uncovering the meaning of the work of outstanding personalities that is a new word in the development of modern elitology as the science of elite (as a form) and elitism (as content). The results of the present work concern justification of the need for elite education in the implementation of meritocratic projects and gradual abandoning of the dominance of oligarchic interference in its technological processes. The novelty of this situation lies in the fact that universities have to strengthen their qualitative potential in a transition period from late industrialism to early post-industrialism, which makes its impact on the whole process.
TL;DR: The authors found that elitism and racial supremacy significantly influenced political behavior in the 2016 presidential election and note that these factors contributed to mass unrest in 2020, exposing fault lines deeply rooted in America's contentious political history.
Abstract: What are Americans’ views on liberal democracy? Have their attitudes changed since the 1950s? How do their attitudes about liberal democracy shape political behavior, such as vote choice? We replicated McClosky’s (1964) seminal study on a module to the 2016 Cooperative Congressional Election Study. Our exploration of 26 survey questions reveals both continuity and change in Americans’ attitudes toward liberal democracy. Whereas Americans have become more hostile toward some standard democratic procedural rules of the game, we also find that they harbor more tolerant attitudes toward racial and ethnic equality. We subjected respondents’ answers to an exploratory factor analysis, which reveals three distinct dimensions regarding democratic values: elitism, authoritarianism, and racial supremacy. We find that elitism and racial supremacy significantly influenced political behavior in the 2016 presidential election and note that these factors contributed to mass unrest in 2020, exposing fault lines deeply rooted in America’s contentious political history.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that elite theories do not offer a better alternative to democracy and present the idea of a hegemonic majority that, by accounting for greater individual and collective engagement and responsibility, breaks the exclusivity of elitism.
Abstract: This paper aims (a) to show how elite theories do not offer a better alternative to democracy and (b) to present the idea of a hegemonic majority that, by accounting for greater both individual and collective engagement and responsibility, breaks the exclusivity of elitism. Inspired by Gramsci’s theory, this idea reinforces the construction of the political decision-making process without developing a concept of authority based on an exclusive elite. It focuses on a specific interpretation of the role of the intellectuals as the connection between the civil society and the government, fortifying or even restoring the trust between the individuals and their representatives and thereby strengthening the legitimacy of our democratic systems.
12 Aug 2021
TL;DR: The authors compared traditional printed posters and novel digital posters using Harold Innis' "Push" theory and found that the printed traditional posters help create a social structure and generation that adopt elitism, publicism, idealism, asceticism, authoritarianism, monism, and collectivism.
Abstract: While technological advances and digitalization have affected or transformed virtually every medium in the last two decades, visual communication is at the top of the list. An important communication media since the dawn of industrial society - especially in the first three quarters of the twentieth century, the poster is one of the mediums having undergone this transformation. This study compared traditional printed posters and novel digital posters using Harold Innis' "Push" theory. The findings of the comparison were analysed in the context of the role of the poster during the historical process as well as the attitudes and behaviours of the younger generation. The data obtained from the analysis indicate that the printed traditional posters help create a social structure and generation that adopt elitism, publicism, idealism, asceticism, authoritarianism, monism, and collectivism, whereas the digital poster contributes to a social structure and generation that embrace egalitarianism, privatism, realism, hedonism, deliberativism, pluralism, and individualism.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argued that the nature of politics of climate change which is couched in the nature and character of Nigerian state has adversely affected National Security and Development in Nigeria.
Abstract: The paper examined politics of climate change, National Security and Development in Nigeria. The paper argued that the nature of politics of climate change which is couched in the nature and character of Nigerian state has adversely affected National Security and Development in Nigeria. Democratic elitism was adopted as analytical construct. The main assumption of democratic elitism is that the political elites who rule the people must rule within the purview of democratic tenets and values. The paper relied on secondary sources of data. The main objective of the paper is to critically examine the politics of climate change and its impact on National Security and Development in Nigeria. The paper noted that the sudden and seemingly forceful amalgamation of the 1914 coupled with the unbridled quest for primitive accumulation has not only infused fissiparous tendencies into the politics of Nigeria but has also militarized the political system in Nigeria. Consequently, National Security and Development are undermined. The paper recommended inter alia that democratic institutions should be strengthened and democratic values should be imbibed and demonstrated by Nigerians.