This year’s judges noted the high quality of the four nominees for the 2014/15 Politics Learning and Teaching Prize and the four nominees for the Best Politics Article of 2015. However, after discussion the prizes were awarded to the following articles:
2015 Politics Article Prize
Yulia Kiseleva, Russia’s Soft Power: Discourse: Identity, Status, and the Attraction of Power, Politics 35:3/4, pp. 316-329
In awarding the prize the judges noted that “Yulia Kiseleva’s article makes a significant and timely contribution to debates about Russian understanding and use of soft power and about the concept of soft power more broadly. It presents a persuasive argument about the importance of Russia’s ‘dual identity’ in shaping a soft power discourse that has combined an attempt to accommodate the ‘Western’ definition and to resist it. Through this discussion, it offers an excellent critical engagement with existing theoretical literature and develops a novel, ‘interpretive’, framework for analysing soft power that has relevance and potential for application across the field.”
Read Yulia Kiseleva’s blog: Great power identity behind Russia’s engagement with the West’s soft power.
More blogs related to the Soft Power of Hard States Special Issue are available here.
2014/2015 Teaching and Learning Prize
Lesley Pruitt, Reflections on Possibilities and Challenges of Discussing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Role-Play Simulations, Politics 35:1 (February 2015): 85-98
In awarding the prize the judges noted that Lesley’s article deals with a difficult subject matter and offers useful tools and approaches for engaging with such topics. The passion the author has for the topic shines through the paper. The paper is an excellent read, rich in its coverage of the literature and helpful in the way it outlines how to include sensitive issues such as SGBV into simulations. The piece offers practical suggestions for the politics teacher to utilise within the classroom as well as helpful suggestions as to the stage at which role-play/simulations should be introduced, i.e. after discussion of relevant literature and key debates. The real-world application of the approach is also highlighted – in particular that it may aid future employment roles.
Read Lesley Pruitt’s blog: Discussing Sexual & Gender-based Violence (SGBV) in Role-play Simulations.
More blogs on Learning and Teaching in Politics and International Relations are available here.
Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all nominees for publishing their work in Politics. Our special thanks to the judges for performing such an important service for both the journal and the wider politics and international studies community.
All Politics articles and information on submitting a manuscript can be found here.
