http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/liberalism Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Tue, 19 May 2026 21:28:29 -0400 Tue, 19 May 2026 21:28:29 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1962/#itsnotmyperiod-hashtag-activisms-challenge-to-narratives-of-menstrual-stigma By Jessie J. Liu - Perceptions of menstruation as a taboo subject have historically characterized Western and non-Western societies alike and persist today, both perpetuating harmful cultural understandings of women’s abilities and normalizing institutional practices that exacerbate gender disparities. With the advent of viral social media movements or “hashtag activism,” however, challenges to these oppressive, misogynistic mainstream narratives have become increasingly powerful. Centered on menstrual activism and dismantling menstrual stigma, #ItsNotMyPeriod is one such movement. This paper argues... Thu, 22 Sep 2022 11:02 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1962/#itsnotmyperiod-hashtag-activisms-challenge-to-narratives-of-menstrual-stigma http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1937/knowledge-production-in-international-relations-a-poststructural-feminist-critique-of-liberal-feminism By Dana K.J. Al-Thani - In popular international relations (IR) theory, knowledge production is often dismissed as an objective process between the researcher and the empirical world. This article rejects this notion and contends that the process of knowledge production is always inherently political in the conduct and study of IR. In order to achieve this argument, a poststructural lens is adopted in order to critique the liberal understanding of knowledge production within IR as a scientific process capable of revealing ‘universal truths.’ Additionally, in discussing ‘the political’ this article... Wed, 09 Feb 2022 01:27 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1937/knowledge-production-in-international-relations-a-poststructural-feminist-critique-of-liberal-feminism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1878/commodifying-nature-reflections-of-hegemony-in-ecotourism By Amna Abudyak - This paper will attempt to link fundamental ideas and terms of environmental sociology in the context of ecotourism relating to human society and conceptions of nature. Furthermore, connections to neo-Marxist and neo-Gramscian theories will be made. As humans’ urban “habitats” grow exponentially, the relationship between tourism (i.e. ecotourism) and the naturework associated with the industry becomes increasingly important on the environmental, political, and cultural levels. As the tourists flows primarily from the Global North to the Global South are investigated sociologically... Thu, 18 Feb 2021 08:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1878/commodifying-nature-reflections-of-hegemony-in-ecotourism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1870/liberal-and-realist-explanations-of-merkels-open-door-policy-during-the-2015-refugee-crisis By Niklas Ernst - During the 2015 refugee crisis Chancellor Angela Merkel allowed refugees to enter Germany in unprecedented numbers. Her historic decision to adapt the so-called “open-door policy” continues to shape contemporary German politics. More precisely, it will likely define Merkel’s legacy and political future. This article analyzes her decision through two major IR theories: liberalism and realism. It aims to contribute to the discipline’s understanding of the “open-door policy” by assessing what each theory can explain well and less well. While the article analyzes... Mon, 01 Feb 2021 02:03 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1870/liberal-and-realist-explanations-of-merkels-open-door-policy-during-the-2015-refugee-crisis http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1790/linguistic-essentialism-and-indigenous-authenticity-the-role-of-indigenous-languages-in-defining-indigeneity By Ella Agoos - Since the European invasion of Latin America in the sixteenth century, the concept of indigeneity has been inherently political. In what can only be described as an ongoing ethnocide, colonial powers did everything they could to stomp out the rich diversity of indigenous cultures throughout the land while imposing their Western Christian values upon colonized groups. After centuries of being denied their own culture, indigenous groups now struggle to preserve their surviving cultural practices. One such element of culture that many indigenous peoples see as tied directly to their identities is... Mon, 07 Sep 2020 10:03 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1790/linguistic-essentialism-and-indigenous-authenticity-the-role-of-indigenous-languages-in-defining-indigeneity http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1784/totalitarian-friendship-carl-schmitt-in-contemporary-china By Jackson T. Reinhardt - For the past several years, the study of German jurist Carl Schmitt has exploded in China. Floria Sapio remarks that Schmitt has enjoyed “enormous currency among mainland Chinese scholars since the 2000s.”[1] Even though Schmitt has received a recent revitalization of interest of his thought among Western scholars,[2] he is still known primarily for his aphoristic (and largely untranslated) texts on political theory and his infamous association with the Nazi Party. Yet, the reason that this esoteric and controversial thinker has garnered any consideration within Chinese academia is... Tue, 14 Jul 2020 08:23 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1784/totalitarian-friendship-carl-schmitt-in-contemporary-china http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1706/the-body-as-a-weapon-of-resistance-in-postcolonial-short-stories-the-cases-of-augusto-monterroso-and-zulema-de-la-rand#250;a-fernand#225;ndez By Kyle S. McQuillan - The arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the “New World” at the end of the fifteenth century triggered an age of violence, oppression, and colonization that lasted until the United States took the stage as a modern colonial power in 1898. Overt colonization was transformed and reinvented as neocolonialism under the guise of “international policy” written with the intention of controlling the entirety of the Western Hemisphere. The economic, social, and political systems put in place by the Spanish, and later the Americans in the postcolonial period, are still tangible in... Mon, 20 Nov 2017 10:28 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1706/the-body-as-a-weapon-of-resistance-in-postcolonial-short-stories-the-cases-of-augusto-monterroso-and-zulema-de-la-rand#250;a-fernand#225;ndez http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1624/antonio-gramsci-hegemony-and-the-greek-crisis-building-new-hegemony-to-supersede-neoliberal-discourse By Carter Vance - Antonio Gramsci’s interpretation and analysis of “hegemony,” its mechanisms, causes and consequences for the Left, is fundamentally an attempt to grapple with how culture and the “common sense of the epoch” (Miliband, 1990) grow out of class society and impose their ontological structure on even those whose interests it opposes. Given the continued existence and deepening of class divisions in the 21st century, an understanding of Gramsci’s work may be even more of a critical project for the Left now than when it was first written. The terrain on which political... Mon, 10 Apr 2017 11:23 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1624/antonio-gramsci-hegemony-and-the-greek-crisis-building-new-hegemony-to-supersede-neoliberal-discourse http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1469/canadian-democracy-in-theory-and-practice-the-roots-of-semi-representative-liberalism By Carter Vance - This article explores the nature of Canada’s political system as an evolving consequence of its roots in classical liberal thinking coupled with the self-protecting instincts of a variety of elite interest groups. In performing this exploration, through the political economy of such issues as free trade and public versus private service provision, it argues that this system deliberately closes down certain political possibilities by institutionally underrepresenting particular communities and restricting policy sovereignty via international agreements. This creates disconnects between the... Thu, 27 Oct 2016 10:57 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1469/canadian-democracy-in-theory-and-practice-the-roots-of-semi-representative-liberalism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1451/rethinking-microcredit-in-bangladesh-does-grameen-bank-serve-the-neoliberal-agenda By Mehran Shamit - Grameen Bank, translated as "rural bank" in the Bangla language, is a grassroots microcredit organization founded in 1983 by Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus to provide new financial opportunities to the poor. Grameen Bank and Muhammad Yunus were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for their development efforts through microcredit. As of October 2011, Grameen Bank has over 8 million borrowers, 97% of whom are women (Grameen Bank, n.d.). The Bank provides services to more than 97% of villages in Bangladesh with 2,565 branches across the country and is especially well known around... Tue, 20 Sep 2016 09:07 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1451/rethinking-microcredit-in-bangladesh-does-grameen-bank-serve-the-neoliberal-agenda http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1437/how-important-is-the-notion-of-the-civilising-mission-to-our-understanding-of-british-imperialism-before-1939 By Thanapat Pekanan - The ‘civilising mission' is a broad ideology that combines four main ideals; Enlightenment ideals, Christian / Evangelical ideas of pre-destination, racist ideas about white superiority and Liberalism. All these ideals have had a significant role in our understanding of British imperialism before 1939. Due to the limitations of this essay, I will focus on two of the most relevant and important aspects of the ‘civilising mission': racism and Liberalism. This essay proceeds in three parts. The first section demonstrates how important racism was in influencing the understanding of British... Wed, 24 Aug 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1437/how-important-is-the-notion-of-the-civilising-mission-to-our-understanding-of-british-imperialism-before-1939 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1381/mega-events-and-the-neoliberal-production-of-space-in-rio-de-janeiro By Sam Smith - Sporting mega-events in Rio de Janeiro, including the 2014 World Cup and the upcoming 2016 Olympics, employ particular tactics of spatio-temporal scale-making to produce a utopic atmosphere of global camaraderie, modern urban development, and sporting revelry. However, these spectacular representations simultaneously work to obscure the recognition of the violence of infrastructural development, as securitization and privatization facilitate the mass displacement of residents of Rio’s urban slums. This article traces the implications of both material and discursive processes associated with... Wed, 23 Mar 2016 08:18 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1381/mega-events-and-the-neoliberal-production-of-space-in-rio-de-janeiro http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1371/book-review-planet-of-slums-by-mike-davis-2006 By Florence Lee - In essence, Davis blames neoliberalism for these problems. The ‘villains’, or driving forces behind modern slum creation, are the World Bank and the IMF. And Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) – conditions attached to provisional loans that poor countries are subjected to whereby neoliberal market policies (opening up of the market, removing trade barriers and excess state control) are promoted – have been the reason. By encouraging less trade subsidies and privatization, SAPs lead to borrowers having to cut back on public taxation and spending. Davis states that millions... Sat, 27 Feb 2016 02:29 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1371/book-review-planet-of-slums-by-mike-davis-2006 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1356/defeating-apathy-and-alienation-in-scotland-true-victors-of-the-scottish-referendum By Shaun Docherty - The seeds of this rebellion were initially sewn during the 1980s when the incumbent Conservative Government began to impose its newly embraced neoliberal ideology in the UK, creating a legacy of mass unemployment and social upheaval still experienced today. These events were particularly poignant in Scotland, demonstrating to the nation how they were the victims of a democratic deficit: where although the unpopular Conservative Party were a minority in Scotland, they still possessed a mandate from Westminster to impose a new devastating political economic doctrine which few north of the border... Wed, 17 Feb 2016 02:26 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1356/defeating-apathy-and-alienation-in-scotland-true-victors-of-the-scottish-referendum http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1353/book-review-a-brief-history-of-neoliberalism-by-david-harvey-2005 By Florence Lee - Michael Thompson, reviewing A Brief History of Neoliberalism by David Harvey, calls it ‘the world according to David Harvey’ (2005). This is an accurate remark: although erring slightly on the side of conspiracy, the book is a breathtaking overview of the ‘neoliberal world’ through Harvey’s neo-Marxist and anti-capitalist lens. The book is aimed at the general reader and is a non-technical, concise introduction to many of the key features of neoliberal theory: the economic practices proposing that human wellbeing can be attained by reducing state intervention, promoting... Fri, 12 Feb 2016 03:11 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1353/book-review-a-brief-history-of-neoliberalism-by-david-harvey-2005 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1329/the-occupation-of-common-sense-from-neoliberalism-to-radical-democracy By Tristan Smaldone - Conceiving neoliberalism as a form of constructivism, an ideological project rather than a doctrine prefigured by ‘human nature’, illuminates a promising path towards countering its impoverishing effect on both the citizen subject and the ethos of democracy. This involves a concerted intervention at the level of discourse, aimed at reestablishing the importance of sociality and political community building over the fallacious, insular self. In the midst of the recent financial crisis, the Occupy Wall Street movement began this intervention but faltered over the question of representation... Wed, 20 Jan 2016 11:41 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1329/the-occupation-of-common-sense-from-neoliberalism-to-radical-democracy http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1051/media-discourse-during-the-financial-crisis-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-of-the-contemporary-fourth-estate By Shaun Docherty - The concept of a “fourth estate” was first articulated by John Declare, editor of The Times in an article published in 1853. He believed the press had a crucial role to play in British society’s transformation into a representative liberal democracy by holding the state to account and by “seek[ing] out the truth, above all things.”[2] This basic premise has been developed by liberal democracy theorists like Noberto Bobbio who have defined the modern media’s pivotal role in a functioning, inclusive democracy. Today, the media’s role in a democratic society... Fri, 19 Jun 2015 09:26 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1051/media-discourse-during-the-financial-crisis-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-of-the-contemporary-fourth-estate http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1013/capitalist-hegemony-the-political-challenge-of-alter-globalization By Jessica C. Bridges - Commonly associated with the economic principles espoused by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her US counterpart Ronald Reagan, neoliberal globalization conceives of the market and private capital as the main drivers for the “restructuring of economic, political and life” (Bangura 1994: 787). After a decade of TINA (There is No Alternative) indoctrination, a momentous backlash emerged in the 1990s (Ramos 2006: 3). Intent on exposing the internal conflicts and failures innate in a system that allowed the propagation of global stratification, activists representing... Mon, 16 Mar 2015 08:53 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1013/capitalist-hegemony-the-political-challenge-of-alter-globalization http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1084/creating-europe-the-discourse-of-civilisation By Benjamin Walton - Today political philosophy is generally conducted in the light of the perceived triumph of liberalism. That is, it typically proceeds from the assumption that it is unreasonable, if not irrational or pathological, to resist liberalism whether as a mode of thought or as a social order. Despite critics' repeated attempts to demonstrate the incoherence of liberal values, they appear to have stood the test of time - so much so, that the solutions to the world's pressing social problems are largely being conceived of within the parameters of a liberal world order .2 However , E. P. Thompson asks rhetorically... Wed, 01 Jan 2014 07:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1084/creating-europe-the-discourse-of-civilisation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/782/on-freedom-and-progress-comparing-marx-and-mill By Frank Wang - This essay compares Karl Marx’s and J.S. Mill’s understandings of freedom and their analyses of the impediments to its realization. First, this essay argues that the two philosophers share the same premise that progress is possible and that mankind has the capacity to drive it. Second, this essay argues that while their conceptions of freedom differ, both see freedom as an end in itself. Then, the essay argues that while their views on what is necessary for progress differ, they share an understanding of human nature’s basic tendancy for self-cultivation. What distinguishes them... Mon, 04 Nov 2013 08:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/782/on-freedom-and-progress-comparing-marx-and-mill http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/724/challenging-stereotypes-in-glee-or-not-exploring-masculinity-and-neoliberal-flexibility By Katherine J. Wolfenden - The show’s Super Bowl special, "The Sue Sylvester Bowl Shuffle,” shows how Glee expands masculinity and then invokes it to enforce the then-modified, but still maintained, system.[8] After she witnesses the football team and the glee club exchange countless sexist and homophobic slurs (Karovsky says of Finn, “Hudson’s a frickin’ girl”; Finn says to Karovsky, “You’re always calling everybody gay, but I never see you with a girlfriend”), Coach Beiste mandates that her players join the New Directions and perform a halftime number with the choir... Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:45 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/724/challenging-stereotypes-in-glee-or-not-exploring-masculinity-and-neoliberal-flexibility http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/677/globalizations-peace-the-impact-of-economic-connections-on-state-aggression-and-systemic-conflict By Brian D. Blankenship - The question of whether economic relations have an impact on interstate military conflict has divided scholars and political thinkers since the Enlightenment. Kant claimed that economic interconnectedness among states would contribute to long-term peace in international politics, but since that time consensus has proved illusory, and scholars have taken a diverse array of positions in the debate. Some have claimed that economic connections foster good will and political integration, and that states will be reluctant to risk the benefits of trade through the initiation of conflict; others have... Tue, 14 Aug 2012 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/677/globalizations-peace-the-impact-of-economic-connections-on-state-aggression-and-systemic-conflict http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/627/cyber-terrorism-and-ir-theory-realism-liberalism-and-constructivism-in-the-new-security-threat By Constantine J. Petallides - This level of exposure and uncertainty creates a new security dilemma faced by all states. In his article “Virtual Defense,” James Adams adopts a strict neorealist approach to dealing with issues of cyber terrorism and security, and while he does lessen the security dilemma, he creates a tense, distrustful, and ultimately unsustainable international system. I argue along with Johan Eriksson and Giampiero Giocomello that to deal with these security threats, the Internet must be viewed as having its own customs and states must come together to promote its continued development and ensure... Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/627/cyber-terrorism-and-ir-theory-realism-liberalism-and-constructivism-in-the-new-security-threat http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/604/superbrands-globalization-and-neoliberalism-exploring-causes-and-consequences-of-the-nike-superbrand By Tasnim B. Kazi - The rise of superbrands has many implications for the nature of work, workers, and organizations. This paper explores superbrands and their impact in three ways. First, the dynamics of the superbrand Nike, along with the implications of Nike as a superbrand, are explored. Second, globalization is discussed as a phenomenon affecting the global balance of power. Finally, the paper explores the effects of neoliberal policy on the growth and dominance of superbrands. In particular, the discussion on globalization and neoliberalism illuminate the various ways in which these phenomena facilitate and... Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:36 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/604/superbrands-globalization-and-neoliberalism-exploring-causes-and-consequences-of-the-nike-superbrand http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1693/effects-of-globalization-on-work-and-organizations-exploring-post-industrialism-post-fordism-work-and-management-in-the-global-era By Tasnim B. Kazi - Thomas (2000) most aptly describes this: “The corporation ‘delayered’, throwing off entire levels of management; it ‘disaggregated’, ridding itself of its extraneous operations; it embraced ‘flexibility’, making it easier to replace career employees with (zero-benefit) temps; it ‘outsourced’ every possible piece of work to the lowest bidder; it ‘reengineered’ its various processes in a less labor-intensive way; it ‘disintermediated’, using new technology to cut out middle-men and move back-office jobs to wherever wages... Sun, 18 Dec 2011 01:47 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1693/effects-of-globalization-on-work-and-organizations-exploring-post-industrialism-post-fordism-work-and-management-in-the-global-era http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/218/human-rights-and-radical-social-change-liberalism-marxism-and-progressive-populism-in-venezuela By Tillman Clark - “Human rights” is a concept so deeply intertwined into the modern discourse that it seems almost impossible to question it or refer to any standard beyond it. The problematic nature of this issue is not so much that people have different conceptions of “human rights”--”right” is pretty straightforward in theory, considering the “right to free speech,” the “right to freedom of association,” the “right to property,” or the “right to a minimal means of subsistence”--but instead the way in which they mask particular... Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:46 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/218/human-rights-and-radical-social-change-liberalism-marxism-and-progressive-populism-in-venezuela http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1125/in-defence-of-the-third-way-a-response-to-peter-hand By Paul Williams And Rob Dixon - In Issue 53 of Interstate, Peter Hand argued that the ‘Third Way’ was nothing but a well packaged combination of rhetoric and soundbites on the part of a government wholly obsessed by presentation.[1] Given the constraints of space we will limit ourselves to primarily responding to Hand’s agenda by contesting four of the central themes of his “argument”. However, it is sometimes difficult to flesh out the assumptions and lines of argument Hand was making because of his own indulgence in ‘soundbite over substance’. The four themes we wish to contest... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1125/in-defence-of-the-third-way-a-response-to-peter-hand