The concept of ‘relevance’ is crucial to legal information retrieval, but because of its intuitive understanding it goes undefined too easily and unexplored too often. We discuss a conceptual framework on relevance within legal information retrieval, based on a typology of relevance dimensions used within general information retrieval science, but tailored to the specific features of legal information. This framework can be used for the development and improvement of legal information retrieval systems.

Resumen: Nos proponemos analizar el concepto de “fe” tal como surge en los textos de Unamuno a lo largo de su extenso quehacer intelectual. Con ello, intentaremos determinar las características esenciales de dicho concepto según las propuestas del insigne rector salmantino que, inspirado en las “primitivas comunidades cristianas”, miró de reojo la “fe racional” y “dogmática” de matriz escolástica. En nuestros análisis del concepto unamuniano de fe prestaremos especial atención a sus nociones de “virilidad” y “feminidad de la fe”, con (...) vistas a destacar el “pesimismo metafísico” en que cayó el último Unamuno, incapaz de creer en la trascendencia a partir de su propia concepción de la creencia religiosa, que empezó a definir en el año de 1900 con la publicación de su ensayo “La fe”.: Our proposal here is to analyse the concept of “faith” as it arises in Unamuno’s writings throughout his extensive intellectual work. In doing so, we shall attempt to determine the essential characteristics of that concept according to the proposals of the famous Rector of Salamanca, who, inspired by the “primitive Christian communities”, looked askance at the “rational” and “dogmatic” faith built in the mould of scholasticism. In our analyses of Unamuno’s conception of faith, we pay particular attention to the notions of “virility” and “femininity” of faith. Doing so we try to highlight the “metaphysical pessimism” into which he fell towards the end of his life, when he became incapable of believing in transcendence based on his own conception of religious belief, which he had begun to define in 1900 with the publication of his essay “Faith”. (shrink)

La filosofía cristiana de Stein surgió en el campo de tensión marcado por la fenomenología de Edmund Husserl y la enseñanza de Tomás de Aquino. El primero la fascinó por su ética de pensamiento riguroso y honesto, y el segundo por su clara concepción del campo de trabajo común para la razón y la fe. De este modo, Stein, a su vez, ideó la confrontación entre Husserl y Tomás, con la esperanza de que la filosofía se acercara así a (...) su ideal. Pues la filosofía siempre ha querido ser una teoría del ser cerrada y posiblemente coherente, cuyos enunciados estén definitivamente demostrados. Sin embargo, según Stein, sólo puede ser una teoría de este tipo si tiene en cuenta lo que dice la teología sobre el ser y, más concretamente, sobre su causa. En la filosofía de Stein en el estado cristiano, se pueden ver constantemente influencias tanto de Husserl como de Tomás. Al mismo tiempo, Stein propone su propia concepción de la filosofía y, por tanto, estas influencias se elevan muy por encima de ella. El artículo pretende describir el camino intelectual de Stein hacia esta filosofía, las influencias de Husserl y Tomás en su enfoque teórico de la filosofía cristiana, así como en sus investigaciones prácticas en el marco de la filosofía cristiana, y especialmente la peculiaridad de la filosofía de Stein. (shrink)

El ateísmo sigue siendo una realidad prominente en la cultura contemporánea. Aunque algunos de los razonamientos ateístas vienen de muy antiguo asistimos, en nuestro momento cultural, a una proliferación de publicaciones en el ámbito científico que llegan a la siguiente conclusión: ‘probablemente Dios no exista’. Algunos pensadores del siglo XXI muestran, a su vez, la queja de no encontrar en el ámbito del cristianismo interlocutores que se preocupen por debatir las cuestiones que el mundo científico plantea a propósito de la (...) necesaria existencia de Dios. En el artículo se identifican varias cuestiones ateas contemporáneas, tales como: el materialismo, la causa y orden del universo, la cuestión siempre debatida del mal y el papel que desempeña el deseo tanto en la creencia como en el ateísmo. Se sugieren a estas cuestiones algunas respuestas desde la fe cristiana a partir de los razonamientos que en su día ofreciera Tomás de Aquino.Atheism continues being a prominent reality in contemporary culture. Though some of the atheistic arguments are old, we are witnessing in our cultural moment a proliferation of issues in the scientific field which come to this conclusion: “there is probably no God”. Some 21st century’s thinkers complain, too, of not finding on Christian side interlocutors interested in debating issues brought up by scientists about God’s necessary existence. Some atheistic, contemporary questions can be identified in the article, such as: materialism, cause and order of the universe, the ever debated question of evil and the role played by desire in both belief and atheism. Some of the answers given to these questions by Christian faith are based on Thomas Aquinas’ reasoning. (shrink)

El presente documento aborda el tema enunciado en el título de manera general; ofrece los principios de un tratado más externo, que habrá de hacerse estudiando mejor las aportaciones de las Escrituras y de la tradición cristiana. Sin embargo, más que un estudio abstracto, lo importante es el estudio de la vida, del compromiso de amor y gracia, en el Espíritu de Cristo.

En este artículo el profesor Manuel Ángel Martínez expone los temas más importantes de la reflexión teológica de Antonio Royo Marín. Se centra especialmente en una de sus obras más importantes La Teología de la Perfección. Royo Marín ha sido un predicador infatigable. Muestra de ello son los numerosos escritos que dejó y su amplia divulgación entre muchos fieles cristianos. Varios grupos, repartidos en diversos lugares del mundo, siguen nutriéndose de su teología. La profundidad con la que están escritos y (...) la claridad de su exposición permiten a muchos lectores un acercamiento a la espiritualidad cristiana y a sus fuentes. Los Santos Padres de los primeros siglos del cristianismo, Santo Tomás, Santa Teresa de Jesús, San Juan de la Cruz, Santa Teresa de Lisieux, Santa Catalina de Siena, Juan González Arintero, entre otros, inspiraron la reflexión teológica de Royo Marín.El 17 de abril se cumplirán cinco años de su fallecimiento. Con este motivo y respondiendo a las numerosas demandas que nos han llegado, ofrecemos a todos los lectores la magnífica descripción que de su teología ha escrito en Ciencia Tomista el profesor Manuel Ángel Martínez Juan. (shrink)

Este artículo indaga en la profunda fecundación que Santo Tomás de Aquino establece entre la teología trinitaria y la vida cristiana. En una mirada complexiva del plan integral de la Summa Theologiae no puede pasarnos desapercibido que la concepción de la moral del Angélico tiene lugar en un horizonte exquisitamente teológico. La perspectiva de la secunda pars trata del hombre, ser “a imagen”, después de haber tratado del Modelo, y siempre a su luz y en relación con Él. Es (...) precisamente en la teología del Espíritu Santo donde la vida divina trinitaria se abre a su comunicación –¡y uso! – en la historia de la salvación de los hombres. De este modo, la vida cristiana es concebida fundamentalmente como vida de la gracia, en la que no recibimos únicamente un efecto divino –la gracia creada–, sino al Espíritu Santo en persona –Gracia increada– que nos mueve y protege Él mismo juntamente con el Padre y el Hijo. (shrink)

La teología de santo Tomás es una tarea de mediación entre la concepción cristiana del universo y el conocimiento de la cultura humana. El artículo presenta su originalidad en este cometido siguiendo la lectura de los textos. La primera parte presenta su vocación cristiana en el contexto de las innovaciones culturales del siglo XIII. La segunda, ofrece el contexto de los debates que santo Tomás mantuvo con teólogos y filósofos. Así puede ofrecer en la tercera parte la síntesis (...) original del maestro dominico, es decir, unir ambos campos sin confundirlos. El autor subraya la condición teológica de esta síntesis. En la cuarta parte aclara que esta posición no significa reducir la fe a una metafísica ni tampoco dejar la razón al arbitrio de la teología. (shrink)

Acercándonos a los Santos Padres y dejándonos llevar por ellos queremos en estas páginas reflexionar sobre el ministerio eclesiástico, atendiendo de manera sencilla al pensamiento y a las palabras de los Padres en tanto que recogen el pensar y sobre todo el sentir de las comunidades cristianas de su tiempo. En estas primeras iglesias el ministerio se comprende desde el servicio como entrega confiada y generosa al Padre, y entienden que en Cristo y sólo en Él este servicio alcanza (...) su plenitud. (shrink)

Este artículo aborda el papel del Espíritu Santo en la tarea evangelizadora de las comunidades cristianas, centrándose en la pastoral familiar. Se parte de un análisis de la importancia del Espíritu Santo en los primeros pasos de la Iglesia y desde el olvido el Espíritu Santo ha sido consignados por los cristianos actuales, tanto en su ámbito personal vida y en su vida apostólica. Después de insistir en que el seguidor de Cristo es el hombre del Espíritu, este artículo ofrece (...) algunas claves para descubrir su presencia y su papel irreparable en evangelización. (shrink)

Juan Escoto Eriúgena, en su obra principal, el Periphyseon, reflexiona acerca de la importancia de la relación integradora entre el Creador y la Creación por la mediación del Espíritu que “corre”. Desde una lectura cristiana neoplatonizante por influencia de Dionisio, analiza en su diálogo el valor fundamental del alma humana y su conocimiento intelectivo en para el retorno de lo múltiple a la Unidad. El hombre como persona contiene los diversos rasgos esenciales de lo creado, y resuelve el retorno (...) universal de Todo en Uno. (shrink)

El artículo ofrece una síntesis del planteamiento y explicación que ofrece Domingo de Soto sobre la “antropología sacramental”, a partir del comentario a la Suma Teológica de Santo Tomás. Se plantean diversas cuestiones, como: número, necesidad, jerarquía de los sacramentos, correspondencia de los mismos con las diversas situaciones o fases de la vida, así como con los distintos aspectos de la vida cristiana y eclesial: virtudes, vicios, dones, función, efectos…El autor concluye con unas consideraciones sobre lo que sería necesario (...) plantearse para actualizar hoy esta antropología, teniendo en cuenta los diversos cambios verificados al respecto. (shrink)

El presente artículo constituye la segunda parte de un estudio más amplio sobre la obediencia política en el pensamiento de santo Tomás. Como se señalaba en la introducción de la primera parte, el ámbito político representa un escenario privilegiado para analizar la verdaderaa naturaleza de la virtud de la obediencia, pues es un ámbito en el que se hace singularmente difícil reconocer, a través de la variable figura del gobernante, la voluntad de Dios sobre el hombre. Pero para poder distnguir (...) esta voluntad, y someterse inteligentemente, es preciso clarificar antes el ámbito y límites del débito de obediencia política. Esta delimitación aclara el oficio de gobierno, señala cuál es el papel que juega en la vida humana y la verdadera naturaleza del poder político: de ahí el análisis de la obediencia al poder "de hecho" y al poder injusto.Así, este problema de la obediencia, y en concreto el de la obediencia a los poderes temporales irregulares, pone de manifiesto la pregunta nuclear de la vida humana: ¿quién manda verdaderamente? Este estudio pretende mostrar la respuesta de la tradición cristiana, magistralmente expresada en la obra de santo Tomás. (shrink)

En el siguiente artículo se hace una interpretación, desde una racionalidad analógica, de dos conceptos clave en el desarrollo e integridad de la fe cristiana: la posibilidad de una falacia o engaño histórico en la literatura de los evangelios apócrifos y la posibilidad de una falacia o engaño en la literatura que fundamenta la película El código Da Vinci. Es decir, se plantea un contraste conceptual, racional e interpretativo, de la presencia de la religión cristiana como engaño a (...) la fe de los hombres y mujeres creyentes de esta época, en comparación con un análisis analógico en la lectura de los conceptos clave que se encuentran en la película y en los evangelios apócrifos, encontrados estos últimos de forma reciente por autoridades competentes en esta materia. (shrink)

Los cinco estudios que componen este volumen estan dedicados a mostrar que es posible abordar el estudio de un film y por extension del cine en su conjunto a partir de fragmentos minimos extraidos de una obra concreta. Concebidos con una metodologia unitaria intentan, limitando al maximo el uso de esa jerga especializada que suele hacer de muralla entre el analista y el lector, proporcionar instrumentos operativos para todos aquellos que conciben el cine como territorio donde saber y placer no (...) solo no estan renidos sino que se refuerzan mutuamente. Los ejemplos han sido tomados, conscientemente, de obras al mismo tiempo muy conocidas y suficientemente representativas de determinadas maneras de hacer. Se ha huido de toda normatividad con la finalidad de hacer buena la frase de S.M. Eisenstein cuando recordaba a sus discipulos que el no podia ensenarles nada, pero ellos si que podian aprender mucho. Equidistante del moderno analisis formalista y de la tradicion clasica que reivindicaba la primacia del contenido, el tipo de trabajo patente en estas paginas reivindica el lugar central del texto filmico y sus texturas singulares en los nuevos estudios cinematograficos. (shrink)

The psychological factors influencing a return to sport has gained increased research attention. In the current investigation, we explored professional basketball players’ perceptions of the psychological factors facilitating a return to performance equal to or exceeding previous performance standards. We also sought to describe athletes’ experiences – both positive and negative – of returning to sport following injury recovery. Ten Italian professional male basketball players (age range 22-36 years), were retrospectively interviewed in relation to three time-periods: (1) from the commencement (...) of rehabilitation to their first official competition, (2) the first official competition, and (3) the six-months following the initial competition. Hierarchical content analysis of the data revealed numerous themes across the three time periods. In regards to Period 1, participants indicated that social support, investment in rehabilitation and training programs, coping skills and motivation were fundamental in reaching pre-injury performance levels. During their first official game (i.e. Period 2), athletes reported that realistic performance expectations, focusing on the performance, positive emotions, motivation, arousal and social support facilitated their return to sport. Athletes however, also described a predominance of factors that hindered their return to pre- injury levels (i.e., low confidence in personal abilities, decrements in skill execution and dysfunctional physical sensations). Moreover, participants typically described a substandard level of performance during their first competition back following injury. In recounting experiences during the six months following their first official game, basketballers reported improvements in skill execution and highlighted the importance of coping skills, motivation and social support. The process of restoring self-confidence in one’s ability to successfully perform was perceived as crucial in enabling participants to move beyond a mere return to sport to a return to high performance ─ that is, to reach a level of proficiency equal to or exceeding previous performance standards. Findings support the relevance of cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses highlighted in the Integrated Model and suggest the importance of addressing psychological factors throughout the return-to-sport process. Finally, results from the present study hold a number of practical implications for athletes’ aiming to achieve a return to pre-injury levels. (shrink)

El autor nos entrega en este artículo cuatro fábulas místicas que han configurado la espiritualidad bizantina primitiva, considerando tanto la mística greco-bizantina de los siglos II al V, como, lo “la fase ascendente” que se extiende desde el siglo VI al X, siendo éstas la Fábula Antoniana, la de Evagrio Pontico, la de la Escala Espiritual de Juan Climaco y la de los Santos Locos. Concluye el artículo señalando que la espiritualidad bizantina primitiva se configuró como una “espiritualidad del (...) corazón", en tanto los malos pensamientos vienen desde fuera del corazón, de los demonios, que acechan el corazón del hombre. (shrink)

Unlike Dickens’s novel, this is not a tale of light and darkness, order and chaos, good and evil… It is, though, a story worth to be told about two standpoints about games and sports, teaching and research, physical education simply put, that have pursued similar interests on parallel tracks for too long, despite their apparent closeness and expected shared cultural grounds. The objective of this conceptual analysis is to try and reconcile two perspectives, namely motor praxeology and teaching games for (...) understanding (TGfU), born in the last third of the XX century in France and England with the intention to rethink the foundations of physical education (PE) and sports teaching. Pierre Parlebas, from the French side of the English Channel, claimed in 1967 that sports make part of PE, that team sports must be considered from a specific, sociomotor point of view, and that motor conducts (i.e. the significative organization of motor behaviour), not sports techniques, are the corner-stone of PE and sports coaching. In the early 1980s, from the English side of La Manche, Almond, Thorpe, and Bunker made a plea for a shift in the way to teach games (sporting collective duels mostly), deeply concerned by the negative impact of the traditional technics-centred approach on motivation, competence and attained level of the least able in school situations. Our conclusion is that TGfU, or game-based approaches to sports coaching and teaching, can take great advantage of the motor-praxeological rationale for three reasons: firstly, because concepts like understanding, game sense and action principles are operatively, semiotically linked to the reality of the playing process; secondly, because the inner structures of the games that constrain players and guide their motor conducts, permit to integrate games in the general system of sporting games, no matter their level of institutionalisation; finally, because the intervention practice is better thought of and more systematically developed upon the operational concepts of internal logic and expected practical effects of game playing. This time, Paris could be the place to go to in search of solutions, not the city to run away from in hope of consolation. (shrink)

O campo da avaliação psicológica para o porte de arma apresenta dificuldades e limitações em sua fundamentação e exercício profissional, com base na legislação brasileira vigente. Para que ela possa se desenvolver, fazse necessário sistematizar o que tem sido desenvolvido sobre o tema. Neste sentido, foi realizada uma revisão assistemática dos estudos nacionais que abordam à avaliação psicológica para porte de arma. Para tanto, foram realizadas buscas por meio da BVS-Psi de pesquisas que trouxessem, em seu título ou corpo, alguma (...) referência à avaliação psicológica para o porte de arma, utilizando como descritores porte de arma, avaliação psicológica, avaliação psicológica para porte de arma. Os resultados apontaram para 2 artigos de natureza empírica, 14 trabalhos de anais, 2 dissertações e 1 livro. Optou-se por não se limitar o período de publicação em razão da pequena quantidade de trabalhos sobre o tema. Concluise que as pesquisas sobre avaliação psicológica para porte de arma de fogo são escassas e trouxeram limitadas contribuições, denotando um campo carente da atenção científica. (shrink)

In _The End of the Cognitive Empire_ Boaventura de Sousa Santos further develops his concept of the "epistemologies of the south," in which he outlines a theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical framework for challenging the dominance of Eurocentric thought. As a collection of knowledges born of and anchored in the experiences of marginalized peoples who actively resist capitalism, colonialism, and patriarchy, epistemologies of the south represent those forms of knowledge that are generally discredited, erased, and ignored by dominant cultures of (...) the global North. Noting the declining efficacy of established social and political solutions to combat inequality and discrimination, Santos suggests that global justice can only come about through an epistemological shift that guarantees cognitive justice. Such a shift would create new alternative strategies for political mobilization and activism and give oppressed social groups the means through which to represent the world as their own in their own terms. (shrink)

In the nearly 30 years since Premack and Woodruff famously asked, “Does the chimpanzee have a theory of mind?”, the question of exactly how much non‐human primates understand about the mental lives of others has had an unusually dramatic history. As little as ten years ago it appeared that the answer would be a simple one, with early investigations of non‐human primates’ mentalistic abilities yielding a steady stream of negative findings. Indeed, by the mid‐1990s even very cautious researchers were ready (...) to flatly assert that Theory of Mind was a uniquely human capacity. Recently, however, an exciting new theoretical perspective on primate social cognition has arisen, and with it the distinct possibility that our evolutionary relatives may understand far more of the social world than we previously believed. In this paper we review new theory and evidence suggesting that non‐human primates may indeed represent the mental states of others, at least within the domains for which their distinctive social ecology has prepared them. Having asserted that Premack and Woodruff's original question can be answered with a qualified yes, we then consider the new questions that arise in its place, particularly how and why our own Theory of Mind became more domain‐general than that of other primates. (shrink)

Epistemological disjunctivism is a philosophical theory that has received special attention in the recent years. Particularly because it has been seen by many as a way of renewing discussions that range from the nature of justification of our daily beliefs to the possibility of unveiling the structure of the problem of radical skepticism and of responding to it. Duncan Pritchard is one of the authors who have offered a particular view of disjunctivism and ways of conceiving of disjunctivist treatments to (...) such questions. His work has as its main source of inspiration the seminal work of John McDowell. In this paper, I present a way of understanding the problem ofradicalskepticism and the mannerin which epistemological disjunctivism aimsto offer solutionsto it. In orderto do that, I present McDowell’s general proposal and discuss in which way his account differs from Pritchard’s own disjunctivism. At the end, I try to show how Pritchard’s approach tries to respond to radical skepticism not only by appealing to a disjunctivist reading of our epistemic position, but also by offering a revision of our structure of reasons. (shrink)

In the nearly 30 years since Premack and Woodruff famously asked, “Does the chimpanzee have a theory of mind?”, the question of exactly how much non-human primates understand about the mental lives of others has had an unusually dramatic history. As little as ten years ago it appeared that the answer would be a simple one, with early investigations of non-human primates’ mentalistic abilities yielding a steady stream of negative findings. Indeed, by the mid-1990s even very cautious researchers were ready (...) to flatly assert that Theory of Mind was a uniquely human capacity. Recently, however, an exciting new theoretical perspective on primate social cognition has arisen, and with it the distinct possibility that our evolutionary relatives may understand far more of the social world than we previously believed. In this paper we review new theory and evidence suggesting that non-human primates may indeed represent the mental states of others, at least within the domains for which their distinctive social ecology has prepared them. Having asserted that Premack and Woodruff's original question can be answered with a qualified yes, we then consider the new questions that arise in its place, particularly how and why our own Theory of Mind became more domain-general than that of other primates. (shrink)

O presente texto busca problematizar a noção de parresía no âmbito da tragédia de Eurípides, As Fenícias, à luz do filósofo francês Michel Foucault. Para tanto, faremos um paralelo tomando a parresía como prática de liberdade. Trata-se de problematizar a produção de uma história dos diferentes processos de composição da subjetividade humana e da efetivação da prática de liberdade, ou seja, do sujeito moderno, que nos apresenta possibilidades para uma filosofia crítica – o momento em que o sujeito se dá (...) o direito de interrogar os efeitos dos discursos de verdade pelo exercício do poder. Nessas condições, as técnicas de si se apresentam no formato de uma experiência de si que permite a construção de uma relação consigo a partir de exercícios regulares no governo de si e dos outros. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Parresía; Falar livremente; Foucault; Prática; Liberdade; Resistência; Poder; bell hooks. (shrink)

O presente artigo visa analisar, a partir do pensamento do filósofo Michel Foucault, o exercício da liberdade sob uma perspectiva ética, no âmbito do estoicismo tardio. Liberdade essa que se faz possível a partir do cuidado de si, por meio de exercícios regulares que possibilitam ao indivíduo viver a vida como arte. Com efeito, é na prática do cuidado de si, que o indivíduo se coloca como transformador do mundo e de si mesmo, o qual dá-se no encontro com o (...) outro, longe de ser uma experiência solitária com o próprio eu, realiza-se na associação com outrem. (shrink)

This article analyzes the notion of malaise resulting from the tension impulses between individuals and cultures, according to the results achieved by Freud's psychoanalytic reflexes. Despite certain moments in his work, it is possible to envision a certain possibility of emancipation of the individual through reflection or clinical analysis itself, or the psychoanalyst does not fail to notice a certain entropy present not only in the human being, but in the whole being alive. It is a movement within the organism (...) itself that leads to its exhaustion, meeting its demand in decline. (shrink)

We study an alternative embedding of IPC into atomic system F whose translation of proofs is based, not on instantiation overflow, but instead on the admissibility of the elimination rules for disjunction and absurdity. As compared to the embedding based on instantiation overflow, the alternative embedding works equally well at the levels of provability and preservation of proof identity, but it produces shorter derivations and shorter simulations of reduction sequences. Lambda-terms are employed in the technical development so that the algorithmic (...) content is made explicit, both for the alternative and the original embeddings. The investigation of preservation of proof-reduction steps by the alternative embedding enables the analysis of generation of “administrative” redexes. These are the key, on the one hand, to understand the difference between the two embeddings; on the other hand, to understand whether the final word on the embedding of IPC into atomic system F has been said. (shrink)

Este artigo discute o mal-estar de adolescentes de duas escolas públicas da cidade do Rio de Janeiro, no contexto de retorno presencial das aulas pós-pandemia da COVID-19. Durante o contexto de isolamento, a escola teve de se ressignificar como lugar de aprendizagem, de convivência e de mediações com tecnologias até então ausentes, e atualmente tem que se reconstruir, territorialmente, como um lugar possível de afeto e transmissão. A escola é uma das instâncias que se ocupa desta tarefa, em que o (...) jogo de forças entre os grupos e a subjetividade se faz presente. No entanto, a ausência territorial da escola no período de isolamento social foi inevitável. A questão central a que este artigo busca responder é de que maneira o pressuposto freudiano de que o mal-estar faz parte e é inerente à relação entre o sujeito e a cultura, aparece, e sob que aspectos, nesta experiência de retorno às escolas, no período pós-pandemia. Quer nas dificuldades de aprendizagem, diante do lugar do outro, no conflito entre temporalidade e demanda, nas estratégias de enfrentamento e na distância entre os projetos e a realidade, os estudantes revelam suas angústias e novos modos de lidar com a condição de mal-estar. (shrink)

Aiming at a better understanding of the extent to which Africa-focused research has helped develop context-bound, context-specific, and context-free knowledge, the authors present the findings from a literature review of journal articles with an African context. A systematic search resulted in 271 articles with African data and 139 Africa-focused articles published in 63 top business journals and related disciplines from 2010 onwards. The sample included all journals belonging to the University of Texas Dallas and Financial Times research rankings, as well (...) as the main international business, and business and society outlets. An in-depth analysis of the 139 Africa-focused articles shows an important imbalance in terms of publication patterns, topics covered, theoretical groundings, types of contributions, approaches to the African contexts, and empirics. Building on this exhaustive literature review, the authors provide specific suggestions regarding potential data sources and empirical strategies in African contexts, propose avenues for future research, and introduce four recent studies included in the special issue. (shrink)

We leverage insights and theories from the extensive inter-firm alliance literature to explore the effect of the sector of the partners on Firm–NGO alliance governance. Our analysis suggests that the sector of the partners has an important impact on alliance governance, not only because it constrains the availability of some governance mechanisms but also because it makes alternative mechanisms available or relevant to the partners. Specifically, we predict that B2N alliances will rely on contracts, a restricted scope, and non-equity hostages, (...) such as reputational hostages and stakeholder involvement, rather than equity, leading to limited protection against opportunism. As a consequence, B2N alliance partners will need to rely on trust-based governance mechanisms to a greater extent than B2B alliance partners, although trust will be harder to build in B2N alliances. (shrink)

Exploring the struggles against moral and cultural imperialism.

This article aims to propose some connections between the conceptions of poetry of the Mexican poet Octavio Paz and the German philosopher Martin Heidegger. Both see in poetry the element of recognition of the original condition of the human being, not as an interpretation, but as a perception and affectation of the existential reality of human beings. So that the event of the "poetic saying" is configured as a call to the possibility of glimpsing the being of each entity, inhabiting (...) oneself and, thus, learning to be with others, establishing the poetic field as the clearing of perception and of existential affectation. Poetic speech goes beyond the limits of language, creating and establishing meanings and representations to the affectations that poetry provides. Thus, through poetry man recognizes himself in his worldliness, in search of his own being and in his relationship with other beings. (shrink)

In this article, I address some infectious diseases that never really “ended,” even though their morbidity, their social impact, and their public visibility have faded away: AIDS, syphilis, and measles. I will use data from different projects I have conducted on each of those epidemics: HIV/AIDS at the doctoral training level in the 1990s, with a geographical focus on Brazil and the United States; syphilis in the context of a 2010 project on the social history of health in Lisbon in (...) the late 19th and early 20th centuries; and measles as part of my current project on labor migration in the 19th century, with a focus on epidemic outbreaks in migrant ships from Madeira to Hawaii. (shrink)