Brazilian Racial Politics Essay

The reading provided, extracted from Orpheus and Power by Michael George Hanchard, critiques the Race vs. Class Paradigm that is widespread in the Brazilian society. By weaving together some works of the more renowned analysts and sociologists of the topic, he highlights two main things: firstly, the salient points of their claims and secondly, the faults in their arguments. By comparing and contrasting two schools of thought on the issue, Class-based and Structuralist, he points out certain weaknesses and the glaring irreconcilability of such thought when applied to the trends in Brazilian economic society. The subject of Race and Class and their contributions into creating a society wherein oppression has been structured into policy has fueled many debates, much of them still ongoing. While there has not been any theoretical consensus reached, a characteristic that is always attendant in the field of academia, there is however, a fortunate by-product in that it has broadened the body of current knowledge to embrace other topics into the discussion such as modes of production and social inequality. It is also interesting to note that the post-World War II era, as represented by the works of Oliver Cox and Stanley Greenberg, show the minimum agreement between scholars that race, at the very least, plays cuts an integral figure in structuring the oppressive social inequality. This makes for a broader, richer and more interesting scholarly debate. Hanchard begins the comparison with a discussion on Economic Determinism and the study of the Negro population in Brazilian society through the written work of one Florestan Fernandes, Democracia Racial. Fernandes describes the relationship between the â€Å"White elites† and the â€Å"Negroes† in Brazilian society as a situation where the former â€Å"limit themselves to treating the Negro with tolerance, maintaining the old ceremonial politeness in inter-racial relationships and excluding from this tolerance any true egalitarian feeling or content. † (Hanchard 32) By articulating the â€Å"hegemonic position† of the White population over the Black one, he more than hinted at the absence of racial democracy in Brazilian society. Fernandes’ analyzed the racial interaction of the society a pivotal time in economic Brazilian history. The importance of his written work may largely be attributed the perfect timing of it. His deconstructions and analysis of Brazilian society then, through interviews and the gathering of empirical data, did much to further the study of Brazilian racial relations. Moreover, his role and significant importance to the field is further underscored by the fact that he was the first to analyze the linkage between race and class in the context of Brazilian socio-economic development. He claimed that the Brazilian Blacks were â€Å"exploited both during and after slavery by uncaring whites†. However, in a turn-about, he concludes that the Afro-Brazilian is â€Å"dysfunctional, suffering from anomie, hopelessness and immorality† and lacked a sense of discipline and responsibility that made them pale in comparison to Italian immigrants for competition in the labour markets. Hanchard, however, took issue with this particular conclusion and rebutted by emphasing the failure of Fernandes’ missed or misappreciated the important fact that the intervention of big landowners and government officials played a crucial role in creating a marketplace that preferred Southern European immigrants. In essence, Fernandes’ approach fails is that his discussion of the Negro social movement was confined to issues of racial inequality where race itself was autonomous and not an economic variable nor indicator. George Reid Andrews, by using an approach offered by Greenberg, refutes Fernandes’ claims and forwards his own. Andrews’ approach fares better than the previously discussed one of Fernandes’ to the extent that he explored the â€Å"collusion between the state government and landowners to foster economic development† by subsidizing European immigration creating a rocky playing field where the Blacks were the destined losers. He then claims that although slavery played the role of a detrimental catalyst in Brazilian socio-economic development, it is but one of many factors to the displacement of Afro-Brazilian workers. He considered state intervention more critical in that policy itself structured the economic oppression by the doling out of development funds in a very preferential treatment to European immigrant workers. Thus, he introduced a very important aspect into the debates; that of the material dimension of race and how it structures state policies. At this junction, the theoretical wars began to include a different perspective: Structuralist. As the third generation of race relations, this school of thought rebuts and debunks the racial democracy myth proposed by their predecessors. Carlos Hasenblag and Nelson Do Valle Silva are two of the most prominent figures in this approach that does not treat race and class as being on opposing ends of the same spectrum but rather they situated racial inequality at the very heart of socio-economic relations and the development and trends of the labour market. Harchand, however, critically points out that although there was a discussion of racial inequality, there was virtually no explanation offered how such inequality id politically constructed or even contested. â€Å"Despite the conceptual differences between the Reductionists and Structuralists, the tendencies seemed to concur about one crucial dimension of Brazilian race relations; a dimension that seemed to distinguish Afro-Brazilians from their US counterparts: a lack of collective awareness of themselves as a subordinated racial group. † (Hanchard 41) By analyzing the theories at hand, one thing is clear: the need for a better-tailored conceptual framework to be used as a guide for racially equal policy making. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In an effort to stop the mentality of finger-pointing to the dominant white, what has the different Afro-Brazilian social movements done, or at least attempted to bring about, in order to correct the racial inequality with regard to economic policy and labour markets? 2. What are some concrete state policies, like the Black Economic Empowerment Movement of South Africa, that can correct this historical injustice?

Product Design and Process Selection †Services Essay

1. Identify the operations management problems that Dr. Barr is having at the clinic. Dr, Barr is experiencing several operations problems due to a change in what customers are requesting compared to the services the clinic was designed to offer. The increase in specialized services and the addition of grooming requires a different layout. Not only have the space requirements changed but some non-contact services are being performed in contact areas. Customers are requesting a mix of services but the clinic has not thought about service â€Å"packages†. Finally, the staff is not trained for the new service mix. 2. How would you define the â€Å"service bundle† currently being offered? How is this different from the initial purpose of the clinic? Customers are now requesting a bundle of grooming, examining, and sometimes minor surgical services. The business was originally designed to offer examining and surgical services. Not only do the new demands require additional services but also customers see these as a package. The clinic needs to offer the demanded bundle more seamlessly. 3.Identify the high-contact and low-contact segments of the operation. How should each be managed? The high contact segments include reception and customer waiting. The low contact segments are examining, surgery, and grooming. However, grooming is currently being performed in a high contact area. High contact segments must be performed while the customer is present and in contact. Low contact segments can be performed while the customer is not there, and do not need customer contact. In fact, as the grooming operations demonstrate, customer contact with low contact segments can decrease performance. 4.What should Dr. Barr have done differently to avoid the problems she is currently experiencing? What should she do now? Dr. Barr should have studied the impact of a change in the mix of services offered before she started accepting a significantly different mix. Now she needs to either reject business that is outside of her original plans (probably not what she wants to do) or redesign the clinic to better handle the current mix. The redesign should include a new facilities layout, employee training, and probably attention to the service â€Å"packages† offered.

Developing management skills Essay

By reading the Southfield Case, one can quickly realize that there is definitely lack of direct communication and goal expectations between both Mark Sanders, Vp of account services and Frank Belby, Reginald manager. I believe, there was a lack of supportive communication between Mark and Frank since in the case it was mentioned that Belby viewed professional guidance from Sanders as threatening and it usually caused Belby to distance himself from Frank, which it negatively resulted production. Based on the reading of chapter four of Developing Management Skills, there is a fine line between coaching and counseling and it is extremely challenging for managers to effectively perform both and in the same time make sure that they are not directly ignoring the other persons feelings and confidence. When Frank needed professional advice or when professional criticism was required, instead he mostly got coaching instead of counseling, which resulted in the distance relationship between them, which frank interpreted as a criticism attack on his character. Furthermore, we also learn that in one incident Mark had intervened in a problematic situation between Frank and one of his customers and was able to save that clients contract. By not allowing Frank to resolve the situation, Mark is stretching his duties far too thin and does not allow other employees to delegate effectively, which results in low productivity over all. Based on chapter four readings, the best relationships are based on congruence, which one cannot really find between Mark and Frank’s relationship. Frank is not being clear about his expectations from Mark. It was mentioned in the case that Frank didn’t get the promotion partially because he never directly communicated to frank that he wanted the promotion.

Ethic and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethic and Morality - Essay Example To fully define the anti-nature concept, Nietzsche makes it clear that when one denies his own passion, then he is denying the reality. To him, the greatest and best moralities are those, which accommodate nature while the weakest are those who deny it. Particular, the philosopher state that an individual should have a free will to choose what he or she wants and nothing should control or trigger him to do something. In his concept of morality as anti-nature, Nietzsche stated how the extensiveness of morality and religion alter the human nature. Even though many people believe that religion provides a sense of direction in life, the philosopher strongly disagreed. According to him, following a religion means ignoring the nature of humanity since an individual is forced to act in a certain way that pleases the Maker. I disagree with Nietzsche since his argument opposes the religion and thus, discourages most Christians from reading. This essay supports Irish Murdoch’s philosoph y since he captivates readers’ attention with her adequate knowledge in literature and philosophy. Although both Nietzsche and Murdoch deal with the concept of morality in a similar way, there are differences on how the two present their argument. Nietzsche based his argument on a naturalistic perspective of how religion contradicts how humanity is responsible for controlling their given passions and nature. However, Murdoch includes religion in the equation of morality. He based his argument on morality without and with God thus allowing readers to understand his point of views (Jacobus 55). Unlike Nietzsche, Murdoch engages other people’s philosophies in great depth and further incorporates them in her discussion. Nietzsche uses deists’ intellectuals and gives no or little credibility to their experiences and beliefs. While researchers, scholars, and deists can think about other philosophers’ argument on the subject while reading Murdoch argument, Murdo ch creates a platform where readers can decline or accept her argument at any point. Based on how Murdoch presents her arguments, readers can think that the author has not yet concluded her argument but given her readers a free will to choose what they believe. Nietzsche does not take a psychological path to examine the virtue of duty or responsibility (Friedrich 405). Although both Murdoch and Nietzsche derive their beliefs about morality from nature, Nietzsche quoted that â€Å"each individual has the duty to carry out his passions. Just as modern moral philosophers were rediscovering the virtues, social psychologists were uncovering evidence of the church being hostile to human nature † (Friedrich 404). The moralities of being weak in life are discussed in the religious cloak and in this case, Nietzsche believes that the church is hostile to human nature. From Nietzsche’s argument, one can derive the fact that the greatest moralities are those that embrace nature wh ile the weakest deny it. At this point, Nietzsche provides readers with a system that can benefit human beings in life especially on love and hostility. However, Murdoch takes a psychological path and examines the virtue of responsibility or duty. At this point, Murdoch believes that fulfilling one’s duty towards nations, institutions, and others is virtuous deed outside religion. Murdoch continues to argue that dutifulness is in our human nature. It is crucial

Post Award Phase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Post Award Phase - Essay Example Secondly, the contractor has to evaluate the impact of such changes on the ongoing project. The evaluation will help in determining any negative impact of the change on the project. For instance, limited supply of sand may lengthen the construction period. After the evaluation, the contractor and the project manager shall document the change as either approved or disapproved. If the change is approved, its impact on the scope of the work should be documented on the purchase order change notice or on the contract amendment. However, disputes are likely to occur in the course of this change. Dispute resolution process should therefore be put in place. These include the identification of the problem, researching the facts, conducting evaluations and ensuring open communication between the two parties. These steps shall help resolve any dispute arising from the change. The resolution activities must also be documented for future

An analysis of Animal Experimentation articles Essay

An analysis of Animal Experimentation articles - Essay Example The presented arguments by the doctors and research scientists (two experts in their field) indicate that this is a subject that divides opinion between informed, intelligent people. The clear issue in the debate revolves around morality and whether animal experimentation is necessary to safeguard human beings against potentially harmful new drugs and practices in medicine, and is vehemently supported by both sides. 2. Were the problems or issues expressed effectively? Describe how the problems or issues were or were not best expressed. The two articles vary on their ability to express the issues effectively. Lankford uses the article to defend the position of support towards animal experimentation. In this manner, the article does not address the issue but just seems to provide a list of statistics to prove his point. The work highlights a number of animal research achievements and how it has led to the prevention of disease but does not suggest any form of resolution of the issue. The Carlson article does attempt to resolve the issues. The work discusses that â€Å"we can learn to improve public health by looking first at what threatens it† (Carlson), indicating a willingness to seek a resolution. This viewpoint also acknowledges that it is vital to keep questioning forms of medicine and that it can be beneficial to look at the argument from different perspectives. 3. How would you determine the credibility of the sources of information used by the authors in the articles when investigating the problems or issues presented by your topic? The two articles appear to be fairly reliable and credible sources of information regarding the animal experimentation debate. The first, written by Lankford, was written for the Foundation for Biomedical Research. The group is in favor of animal experimentation and use medical facts and statistics to back up their claims. The author is clearly knowledgeable, although the article does not highlight his position in the organization. The second article is an expert opinion in the field of research science. Her work contrasts with the first, emphasizing that the results of animal experimentation have been grossly misjudged. Carlson relies on findings from University studies and medical journals to persuade her audience. In terms of credibility, both articles appear to be so, though Carlson does provide sources for the statistics used whereas Lankford states facts such using language such as â€Å"between 1950 and 2004† (Lankford) but fails to ascertain where they come from. 4. Compare two steps that would be most effective in refining solutions to the problem and resolutions to the issues presented by your topic. The animal experimentation debate is saddled with a number of issues concerning morality and ethics. For animal experimentation to be proven necessary and useful to society, it appears that more clear research and positive results are needed that link the success of medical improveme nts to the need to test them on animals. The main difficulties to overcome are the beliefs surrounding animal cruelty which animal extremist groups chiefly use as their main argument against animal experimentation. These groups will perhaps never be persuaded as to the benefits of animal experimentation but scholars such as Carlson indicates that there is no proof that animal testing is necessary to

Which elements of the work of John Locke do you think are most Essay

Which elements of the work of John Locke do you think are most important to the law relating to human rights today, and why - Essay Example He is considered as one of the very first English empiricists. His role in the development of the social contract theory still stands out as one of his best contributions. It is noted that his works heavily affected the epistemological and political philosophy development. It is also claimed that his works heavily impacted on the development of Rousseau and Voltaire (Rousseau, S, Nervous Acts: Essays on Literature, Culture and Sensibility. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004). The theory of mind by john Locke is often cited as the genesis of modern conceptions of identity and the self. It is Locke who was the first person to define the self in regards to a continuity of consciousness. On the basis of this assertion, John Locke was focusing his attention on the need to observe individual worthiness as opposed to group importance. As it will emerge later in this paper, the major basis of the human rights standing is in regard to individual valuation (Asharvin R, Revolutionary Politics & Lockes Two Treatises of Government, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986). The works of John Locke have pointed out important aspects of religion. In his letters relating to tolerance following the European religious wars, John Locke came up with a classic reasoning. He fronted three arguments that sought to redress the situation. He posed that earthly judges, the state, and human beings cannot fully evaluate truth claims of religious standpoints that were in competition. He followed this by saying that even if they could be in a position to do so; the enforcement of a single religion could equally fail to achieve the desired goals on the belief that violence is never an option in enforcing of rules. He further revealed that coercion to achieve uniformity would lead to further social disorder hence the need to settle for diversity (Ayers, R., Locke, Epistemology & Ontology, Routledge, 1991). As the above case points, the

Ecological Colapse of Past Civilizations Research Paper

Ecological Colapse of Past Civilizations - Research Paper Example This risk has been existing in the human history, resulting in the current destructive modern technology, which is contributing a lot towards environmental pollution. It is widely believed that pre-industrial societies respected and preserved nature, lived with their environment in a harmonious manner, and were wise when it came to the consumption of natural resources. However, Diamond points out that there is a large number of pre-industrial societies that did collapse. He defines â€Å"society collapse† as a local radical decrease of the number of human populations and economic, political, and social complexity (363). He further states that collapse can result in a certain human population disappearing completely over a wide area. Some of the victims of past civilizations listed in this article include: Great Zimbabwe, Greenland Norse, Anasazi, Angkor Wat, Classic Lowland Maya, Mycenaean Greece, and Easter Island among many others. Human beings should have learned from the collapse of these societies and work tirelessly to find appropriate solutions to the current environmental difficulties. Diamond notes that the recent devastating evidence from archaeological and other disciplines demonstrates that some of the past collapses actually stemmed from ecological disasters that are similar to the current ecological suicide that human beings are risking to commit nowadays. Even though the past societies were made up of smaller populations with less destructive technology compared to the ones we possess nowadays, the pre-industrial ecological suicides unfolded resulting in collapsing of some societies. This indicates that things will become worse if we continue participating in modern activities that cause a lot of harm to the environment. People can really learn from these past happenings. However, the problem seems to be very complicated. This is a problem that requires critical thinking to come up

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary - Essay Example In Rudolph’s article, the history of American universities is presented. From the earliest days, the struggle of those who sought a better way for American students is shared with the reader. Some men begged books to start new schools, some man fought danger in the wilderness to found a new college that would present education to the people. The early days were a real challenge. As America grew, so did its universities. Many schools were inspired by a religious awakening that occurred in America's early days. Each denomination had its own school and many of these survive to this day. At their best, Rudolph argues, these schools represented American democracy and helped the idea of America flourish. Kerr's article presents a more contemporary view of universities and shows how they are adapting to try to survive in today's changing marketplace. Universities play a somewhat different role than they did in the period discussed by Rudolph. Now they are intended more to train peopl e for employment and conduct important research that can save lives and change the way we think about our place in the world. But funding is scarce. Research universities are the fountainhead of research and development and yet they lack the federal funds to continue to produce at an effective level. Kerr wonders about the future of such universities.

Management Philosophy Final Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Philosophy Final Paper - Essay Example The management model used by the management is also a determinant of the relationship that will be created with the employees. Competency is also required of the employees as it plays an essential role in ensuring that the mangers are able to carry out their duties effectively. The paper is thus a management philosophy regarding best management practices. As a manager, I prefer an organization that is flexible and the leadership is democratic. According to the participative theory of leadership, the leader should always take into account the input of the others and also ensure that the other people are encouraged to participate and make their own contributions. The use of such models encourages flexibility and teamwork which is essential in enhancing the success of an organization. On the other hand, I would like to work where the organizational culture promotes flexibility and teamwork. This is because a good relationship among the employees can be attained through teamwork and close working relationship among the team members. As a manager and employee, I also prefer working in an organization that has effective communication. Effective communication is an important tool that enables the employees to understand the issues that are taking place in the organization (Hatten, 8). I believe that ethics at the workplace is important and should be considered before making any managerial and business decision. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the brand image of an organization is dependant on how ethical it is. The confidence of the clients is usually enhanced by the presence of high ethical standards. Any form of unethical behavior has negative impacts on the image of the organization. I therefore believe that the concepts of ethics should also be incorporated in an organizational culture of an organization. As a manager and employee, I would not work in any organization that is engaged in unethical