Epistemology and the social /
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Epistemology had to come to terms with "the social" on two different occasions. The first was represented by the dispute about the epistemological status of the "social" sciences, and in this case the already well established epistemology of the natural sciences seemed to have the right to dictate the conditions for a discipline to be a science. But the social sciences could successfully vindicate the legitimacy of their specific criteria for scientificity. More recently, the impact of social factors on the construction of our knowledge (including scientific knowledge) has reversed, in a certain sense, the old position and promoted social inquiry to the role of a criterion for evaluating the purport of cognitive (including scientific) statements. But this has undermined the traditional characteristics of objectivity and rigor that seem constitutive of science. Moreover, in order to establish the real extent to which social conditionings have an impact on scientific knowledge one must credit sociology with a sound ground of reliability, and this is not possible without a preliminary "epistemological" assessment. These are some of the topics discussed in this book, both theoretically and with reference to concrete cases.
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Papers presented at a meeting of the International Academy of Philosophy of Science, held Sept. 22-25, 2005, in Tenerife, Canary Islands. :
1 online resource (231 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9789401206037 :
0303-8157 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The British and French Mandates in Comparative Perspectives/Les mandats français et anglais dans une perspective comparative /
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This collection represents the first large scale attempt to discuss the Middle Eastern mandates as a totality. It compares the application and effects of this very specific form of late colonialism from a variety of different disciplinary perspectives, including anthropology, architecture, archival conservation, economics, history, law and sociology. It contains analyses at both micro and macro levels, including specific instances of revolt or collaboration, studies of particular individuals, of professional groups and their contributions to "nation-building," comparisons between the various political and cultural policies of the mandatory powers, and the formation and practice of "le savoir colonial" by contemporary ethnographers, officials, physicians and teachers. The volume will be of interest to historians of imperialism and of the twentieth century Middle East.
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Papers presented at a conference held in Aix-en-Provence, June 2001. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047402695
9789004133136
Religious minorities in the Middle East : domination, self-empowerment, accommodation /
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The relationship between religious majorities and minorities in the Middle East is often construed as one of domination versus powerlessness. While this may indeed be the case, to claim that this is only or always so is to give a simplified picture of a complex reality. Such a description lays emphasis on the challenges faced by the minorities, while overlooking their astonishing ability to mobilize internal and external resources to meet these challenges. Through the study of strategies of domination, resilience, and accommodation among both Muslim and non-Muslim minorities, this volume throws into relief the inherently dynamic character of a relationship which is increasingly influenced by global events and global connections.
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The result of a workshop held in 2008 in Bergen, Norway and in 2009 in Aix-en-Provence, France. :
1 online resource (viii, 369 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004216846 :
1385-3376 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.