Conduct a contrast analysis of institutionalism versus culturalism as competing analytical paradigms within comparative political studies. Be sure to draw on some examples when making your answer in order to fully flesh it out.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Solution
Contrast analysis of institutionalism versus culturalism as competing analytical paradigms within comparative political studies
Sample Solution
Contrast analysis of institutionalism versus culturalism as competing analytical paradigms within comparative political studies
Contrast analysis of institutionalism versus culturalism as competing analytical paradigms within comparative political studies:
Institutionalism
- Focus: The role of institutions in shaping political outcomes.
- Assumptions: Institutions are relatively stable and enduring features of political systems. They shape the behavior of individuals and groups, and they can have a significant impact on political outcomes.
- Examples: The role of the legislature in a democracy, the role of the judiciary in a legal system, the role of the bureaucracy in a government.
Culturalism
- Focus: The role of culture in shaping political outcomes.
- Assumptions: Culture is a complex and dynamic set of beliefs, values, and norms that shape the way people think about politics. It can have a significant impact on political outcomes, such as the level of support for democracy or the likelihood of conflict.
- Examples: The role of religion in politics, the role of ethnicity in politics, the role of gender in politics.
Comparison
Institutionalism and culturalism are two of the most influential analytical paradigms in comparative political studies. They offer different perspectives on the factors that shape political outcomes, and they have different implications for political analysis and policy making.
Institutionalists argue that institutions are the most important factors shaping political outcomes. They point to the fact that countries with similar cultures can have very different political systems, and that countries with very different cultures can have very similar political systems. They argue that this is because institutions shape the way people interact with each other, and they can have a significant impact on the distribution of power and resources.
Culturalists argue that culture is the most important factor shaping political outcomes. They point to the fact that countries with similar institutions can have very different political systems, and that countries with very different institutions can have very similar political systems. They argue that this is because culture shapes the way people think about politics, and it can have a significant impact on the level of support for democracy or the likelihood of conflict.
Conclusion
Institutionalism and culturalism are both important analytical paradigms in comparative political studies. They offer different perspectives on the factors that shape political outcomes, and they have different implications for political analysis and policy making. The best approach to political analysis is to use both institutionalism and culturalism, and to consider the relative importance of each factor in a particular case.
Here are some examples of how institutionalism and culturalism have been used to explain political outcomes:
- Institutionalism: The institutionalist approach has been used to explain the success of democracy in some countries and the failure of democracy in others. For example, institutionalists argue that the success of democracy in the United States is due to the strong institutions of the U.S. government, such as the separation of powers and the checks and balances system.
- Culturalism: The culturalist approach has been used to explain the rise of nationalism in some countries and the decline of nationalism in others. For example, culturalists argue that the rise of nationalism in Europe is due to the resurgence of ethnic identities and the decline of religious identities.
The institutionalist and culturalist approaches are both useful for understanding political outcomes. However, it is important to remember that they are not mutually exclusive. In many cases, both institutional and cultural factors play a role in shaping political outcomes.
