Social Justice

Caring about ending poverty, Caring for poor people

by William Cerf

Unpublished. Submitted in fulfillment for Ph.D. class in Ethics and Social Justice.

Priestly Power and Probity on the Battlefield: Examining the Politico-Religious Origins of the Just War Doctrine

by David Drissel

Dangerous spaces: threatening sites for social justice

by John Schostak

This paper discusses some of the implications of the articles in a special issue of the journal "Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education"

The link to the revised paper is given.  But you can also download the unrevised prepublication version to get a sense of the papers in the special issue.

There is nothing natural about space as it is understood here. Spacing is an act that constructs relationships,... more There is nothing natural about space as it is understood here. Spacing is an act that constructs relationships, intervals, separations and thus boundaries. The earth has no territories other than those imagined and enforced through acts of territorialisation. A city has its private spaces closed to open access and open spaces that are inscribed with what can or cannot be done. As individuals pass by, stop and talk, or do such mundane things such as meet for coffee, interactional spaces are constructed and de-constructed. There are lines of legitimate connection and passage just as there are lines that cannot be crossed, or can only be crossed under certain conditions. In this special edition, each paper, in its different way, focuses on the spaces that emerge as off-limits, margins, edges, no-places; or on what happens when boundaries become indeterminate, shifting or shifty.

Diritti e giustizia sociale nella giurisprudenza europea 2010

by Dolores Morondo Taramundi

Published in A. Cantaro (a cura di) Giustizia e diritto nella scienza giuridica contemporanea, Giappicchelli, Torino 2011, pp. 236-47.

On Being in the Moment By Ivy Helman

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

Time.  We mark years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. We mark seasons.  We mark life events. ... more Time.  We mark years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. We mark seasons.  We mark life events.  We live our lives in time: both circular and linear.  Time began before we did and time will continue after we cannot experience it any further.  Some say we repeat time with rebirth.  Others suggest that we only have one lifetime of which we should make the most.  Still others suggest there is existence outside of time with concepts like infinity and eternal life. 

Digitizing surveillance: categorization, space, inequality

by David Murakami Wood

Graham, S. and D. Wood (2003) ‘Digitising Surveillance: Categorisation, Space, Inequality’, Critical Social Policy, 23(2): 227-248.

Preying on Victims: Radical Christianity and Exploitation of Tragedy in the Name of God By Michele Stopera Freyhauf

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

It is our moral responsibility, whether we identify as Christians or not, to pray for not prey on the victims of... more It is our moral responsibility, whether we identify as Christians or not, to pray for not prey on the victims of tragedies.

Over the last month, dare I say years, society has witnessed or been subjected to an all out war from radical Christians across America deploying the wrath of God and reveling in the tragedy of others to perpetuate their apocalyptic message of rhetoric and terror.  As I hear the news over the last few months, an old Billy Joel song starts to play in my head “We didn’t start the fire.”  Whether we started the fire or not, we should not feed the flames of hatred but figure out a way to extinguish it.

Here is a brief synopsis of current events that reflect this hatred and radicalism perpetuated in the name of God – examples of Christianity terrorizing or preying on victims through their actions.

The Westboro Southern Baptist Church: Preying on Victims at Funerals and Thanking God for their Tragic Deaths

Drinking the Green Cordial: Religious Contributions to the Secular Ideology of an Australian University.

by Mark Hutchinson

accepted for Journal of Religious History

This paper looks at the social justice origins of the equity ideology which informs the mission of the University of... more This paper looks at the social justice origins of the equity ideology which informs the mission of the University of Western Sydney. Commencing in peri-urban situations (particularly Penrith, Blacktown and Mount Druitt) of social and cultural marginalisation, the paper traces the rise of political and social activism among local politicians, religious groups, social workers, and residents to obtain an effective means of social advancement and professionalisation in their areas. Now one of Australia's largest universities, UWS was effectively the result of a confluence of politicised religious and humanist social justice impulses arising from an acknowledgement of the limitations of the welfare state. The paper expands on the themes previously explored in 'A riveder le stelle: Gough Whitlam and the "grounds" for a University in Western Sydney". It makes the point that, at the communal level, secularism can be less an anti-religious ideology and more a mechanism for mutual effort, suggesting that the religious roots of Australian secularism need closer investigation.

Deo Meera E., Christina Chin, Jenny J. Lee, Noriko Milman, and Nancy Wang Yuen. 2008. "Missing in Action: ‘Framing’ Race on Prime Time Television." Social Justice 35:2.

by Nancy Yuen

Why I Thrift (and How I Got Started) by Grace Yia-Hei Kao

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

Last weekend, I went to a store and came home with one cotton sundress, four lightweight sweaters, two pairs of pants,... more Last weekend, I went to a store and came home with one cotton sundress, four lightweight sweaters, two pairs of pants, one beaded necklace, and three khakis for my preschooler. I paid $26.31 for the entire haul. That feat was only possible because I bought all of those items second-hand at a thrift store. 

While I have always been a value-conscious shopper, for the majority of my life “scoring a bargain” almost always meant buying something new on sale at a deep discount. I only started buying used clothes a few years ago after my firstborn son moved up into the toddler room at his daycare. In short, the more artwork he did at school, the more consistently he came home with paint splattered all over his hair, body, and clothes. Though his teachers always told us that it was “just” finger paint and that it would wash out, his clothes would almost invariably remain stained (whether or not I pretreated the stains, or vigorously attempted to scrub them out by hand before and/or after the wash).

That permanently-ruined-though-barely-worn clothes routine quickly drove me bonkers. Worst still was my growing realization that even if I had been successful in removing the stains, my rapidly growing son would soon outgrow his clothes anyway. When I shared these frustrations with my “working moms” support group at Virginia Tech, it was then when I learned of this amazing store featuring gently used children’s clothes and toys that I hadn’t realized even existed–Once Upon a Child.

Do We Need More “Ministerial Exceptions”? by Kile B. Jones

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published by the Feminism and Religion project

In a recent unanimous and precedent-setting Supreme Court ruling, a “ministerial exception” was given to Hosanna-Tabor... more In a recent unanimous and precedent-setting Supreme Court ruling, a “ministerial exception” was given to Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School regarding employment discrimination.  Cheryl Perich, a “called teacher” at Hosanna-Tabor, was fired after issues surrounding her narcolepsy developed.  As is well known in the United States, innumerable federal, state, and local laws exist to protect employees from discrimination based on race, sex, age, disability, and so forth.  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin.  In the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, signed in 1990), employers are also held liable for discrimination based on an employees’ disability.  The “ministerial exception” excludes religious institutions and ministers from the ADA.  It is important to note that the ADA protects employees hired by private companies as well as public ones.

In the slip opinion, the Supreme Court argues that, “The Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment bar suits brought on behalf of ministers against their churches, claiming termination in violation of employment discrimination laws.”

Home Access: Providing Computers to Families via a National Strategy

by Dr Eva Dakich

Yelland, N. J., Neil, G., & Dakich, E. Home Access: Providing Computers to Families via a National Strategy. In M. Turcsanyi-Szabo, N. Reynolds (Eds.), Key Competencies in the Knowledge Society
IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2010, Volume 324/2010, 440-446, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-15378-5_43

In this paper we discuss the role of new technologies, and computers in particular, in lives of families in Australia.... more In this paper we discuss the role of new technologies, and computers in particular, in lives of families in Australia. We report on part of a project that provided children families with computers and connection to the Internet. There is an increasing awareness that living in the 21st century involves using and interacting with a range of new technologies, also referred to as information and communications technologies (ICT). However, for many children and their families this is not possible because they do not have the capacity to purchase them. The Tech Packs Project (The Smith Family, 2007) grew out of the Computer for Every Child Project which was an attempt to start to bridge the ‘digital divide’ by providing computers so that a group of families in the targeted locations of large metropolitan cities could participate in the Information Age. The families involved were those whose personal resources did not afford them the opportunity to purchase new technologies, especially computers We surveyed the families members to determine the extent of their use of any technologies before and after receiving the computer and initiated focus groups to find out the ways in which having a computer created contexts for them to become more proficient in the use of ICT In this paper we will present the findings from both the survey and focus group data that we have collected.

Petkovska, S. "Affirmative action controversies in education" (Croatian)

by Sanja Petkovska

published in The Journal Discrepancy, 10 (14/15), 23-39.

The ideas of including diversity into the educational system is a contemporary phenomenon within the framework of the... more The ideas of including diversity into the educational system is a contemporary phenomenon within the framework of the strategies of managing diversity which does not give results, but in turn stresses the necessity of finding solutions to problems concerning equality, human rights, social and historical justice, coexistence and shared values. Affirmative action has its origins on the American continent in the nineteen eighties, but is closely related to educational and cultural phenomena in contemporary education and social life all over the world. The controversy following its implementation exceeds the framework of the educational system, and the debates on the representation of minorities and historically marginalized groups in the institutions of Western society, which will also be vigorously led in the future, will probably also be characterized by misunderstandings which underlie the basis of the contact and political
coexistence of diverse cultures.

Greed and the Crisis

by Antti Kauppinen

Public lecture given at the Policy Institute, Trinity College Dublin, May 10, 2012.

Is the global economic crisis the result of a moral crisis? Yes, in part. If we distinguish between prudence or... more Is the global economic crisis the result of a moral crisis? Yes, in part. If we distinguish between prudence or healthy pursuit of self-interest and greed or excessive pursuit of material self-interest, untempered by what is due to others, and look at how the crisis came about, we can see that institutional and individual greed has indeed contributed to the problems we're facing. Had institutions and individuals constrained their maximization of profit in accordance with their proper social function and the requirements of fair competition, many ill-advised risks would have remained untaken. In the final section, I make a few proposals as to how to tame the daughters of avarice.

From Saint Martha to Hurricane Katrina: A Feminist Theopolitical Ethic of Hospitality

by M. Christian Green

In Feminism and Hospitality,Maurice Hamington, ed. (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield, 2010), 91-106.

The figure of Martha in Christian theology attests to an ethic of hospitality that is active and contemplative, public... more The figure of Martha in Christian theology attests to an ethic of hospitality that is active and contemplative, public and private, practical and theoretical. It is an ethic which, when released from fear and anxiety, is open to the most radical and strange of possibilities—resurrection and salvation through the risen Christ. Yet as feminist theologians have recognized, it has secular as well as spiritual implications, particularly in the way that we relate to those who are “other” to us in some sense. Through that relationship, there is the potential for community and solidarity. What are some specific principles that we learn from the Marthine tradition of hospitality in relation to such contemporary challenges as the social and political disaster spawned by Hurricane Katrina? Here are some preliminary possibilities.

Hodges- Ethical and Moral Teaching in the Old and New Testaments- Problems of Exegesis

by Blair Hodges

Hodges- A simple definition of justice

by Blair Hodges

Prenatal Fair Equality of Opportunity

by Michele Loi

Co-authored with Eszter Kollar. Draft (excerpt)

Protest in the City: Counter‐hegemonic Resistance in China's Hong Kong (Abstract)

by Daniel Garrett

To be presented at the 2012 International Visual Sociology Association Annual Conference (IVSA 2012) 'Re‐Visualizing the City', July 9 ‐ 11, 2012.

After fifteen years of Chinese communist rule the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region remains a vivacious and... more After fifteen years of Chinese communist rule the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region remains a vivacious and provocative enclave of counter-hegemonic protest and resistance against local and mainland dominate forces.  As a special enclave within the People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong enjoys limited democracy and liberal freedoms such as freedom of speech, press,  and of protest. The territory is also the only part within the PRC where multi-party democratic elections, commemorations over the 1989 Tiananmen incident, and provocative protests for greater democracy and against the local and mainland governments can occur;  so vibrant is its protest tradition that it has even been called the City of Protests where past, present, and future narratives of the city are frequently, and sometimes, hotly contested.  This paper and associated repertoire of images examine how the city has been visually re-imagined, transformed, and utilized by its subalterns to reproduce their aspirations and demands for greater democracy and social justice while subversively contesting and resisting hegemonic pressures.  The co-optation of key cultural, economic, social, and political venues within the city during its many demonstrations, processions, and protests are visually explored as are their protest materials.

The Fire Next Time: Rodney King, Trayvon Martin, and Law-and-Order Urbanism

by Jenna Loyd

2012, City.

Twenty years after the police beating of Rodney King and the riots that swept across LA in response, racism is still a... more Twenty years after the police beating of Rodney King and the riots that swept across LA in response, racism is still a systemic problem in United States cities, as shown by the recent murder of Trayvon Martin. Martin’s needless death struck a nerve with thousands of people gathering for vigils and demonstrations across the country. The lives of Trayvon Martin and Rodney King are related through systemic anti-Black racism that shapes the urban form. Indeed, nationwide trends toward policing and fortified enclosure are the accumulated effects of Cold War military spending and domestic racial politicking. Together, they made law-and-order the nation’s de facto urban planning policy rather than a program of social investment in collective urban futures. Sanford, Florida no less than Los Angeles, has inherited this past. Ending declared and undeclared wars are the material conditions and means of peace-making that justice for Trayvon, and so many others, demands.