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Masculinity and Power
Another Power: To Other Masculinities
Pere Almeda
Illustrator: Lara Lars
Reading 15 min.
Bertrand Russell used to say that the most fundamental matter in social sciences is power, in the same way that energy is fundamental to physics [1]1 — Russell, Bertrand (2004). Power: A New Social Analysis. London: Routledge. . However, the understanding of power is too often taken for granted and the truth is that it has often remained in the background in both philosophical and political debates, as well as being excessively linked to State theory and the study of its institutions. Thus, when thinking about power, political/legal theory and the social sciences have favoured an object, the State and its sovereignty, hiding the true diversity of the figures of power, and it is therefore in our interest to rethink it, now, by going beyond this totem and setting it aside.
Power: A Preliminary Debate
Despite the importance we give to the idea of power, it remains an unstable and often obscure concept—as Byung-Chul Han affirms—full of contradictory or irreconcilable notions that can lead us to theoretical chaos [2]2 — Byung-Chul Han (2018). What is Power? Cambridge: Polity. . However, the debate around power and its meaning should be prior to many other discussions. If we wish to interpret the dynamics of today's world, it is both essential and urgent to critically analyse the different approaches towards and theories of power, as we attempt to reveal the nature of a concept that neither peaceful nor neutral. The ways and meanings by which we understand power and its deployment determine the framework of human relations, shape institutions, make sense of social processes and structure the world in which we live, enabling or limiting its transformation.
Power, Domination and Masculinity
If we focus on the fundamental contributions that the gender perspective and feminisms have made in regard to the analysis of power relations, we observe how they have enabled the deconstruction of a historical reality, centred on the interests and privileges of men and how they describe a version of power as domination-rooted in the asymmetries and effects of violence. Feminisms reveal this reality and denounce how men have concentrated power in a secular manner, endowing it with meaning while structurally discriminating, suppressing and excluding women.
An idea of power that stems from relations based on force and coercion, in which subjects impose themselves on each other, seeking submission and obedience, and that Hegel's Master-Slave dialectic develops as a metaphor through which to interpret the world and explain human nature. A world that evolves tailored to the desires of men, their strength and power, and which, in turn, is also captive to a very specific vision of what masculinity supposedly represents, a view that renders it hegemonic. A mystification of what it means to be a man and that is presented as an only, eternal and universal meaning. Furthermore, the consolidation of certain perspectives of power has evolved in parallel to a certain construct of masculinities. Thus, the classic conception of power, understood as domination, has remained inevitably linked to historical processes and stages "featuring" and monopolised by men, while also prioritising their heteronormative version. A masculinity that, as a social and political value, has permeated and shaped societies and their institutions. Power and masculinity have fed back into each other and forged a correspondence that links a particular imaginary of what it represents to be a man together with social structures that deploy a specific idea of power, both existing in an almost inseparable way.
Power and masculinity have fed back into each other and forged a correspondence that links a particular imaginary of what it represents to be a man together with social structures that deploy a specific idea of power
A "prominence" of men and a notion of masculinity that has consolidated power relations that, in the first place, have led to the oppression of women and to their historical concealment, but which have also deployed many other dimensions of social, political, economic, cultural and sexual hierarchy and domination. It is in modernity that concepts such as nation, state or social class become consolidated. Concepts that are fundamental to the understanding of nationalism, imperialism and colonialism, as well as capitalist development and class struggle. Concepts and areas that, at present, can only be understood if they also include the vision of intersectional feminism and which show how gender issues are fundamental in capturing its foundation and evolution.
As an example, the idea of nation as the possessor of sovereignty, based on a population of free men, from the beginning already excludes women; a nation that in its "desire" to be a state, of "state building" in the liberal era, also drives women away from power, deprives them of civil rights and prevents their active participation in public life. Or capitalist development, which neither recognises nor remunerates women's work, nor the essential functions of care or reproduction as the basis for sustaining the economy, as Carole Pateman and other women authors masterfully describe [3]3 — Pateman, Carole (1988). The Sexual Contract. Cambridge: Polity. . A complex network of power, the patriarchy, that places men in dominant roles and structurally subordinates and oppresses women, who are no less than half of humankind!
It is by basing ourselves on intersectional feminism that we can identify the different axes of inequalities and the intersecting power relations, thus providing a political and theoretical reflection on gender, social class, skin colour, cultural/national origin or sexual orientation. From this perspective, and following the criticism against hegemonic masculinity, we realise that not only women suffer its effects and consequences, but that those who represent a dissident form of masculinity are also affected by heteronormative impositions. Thus, origin, social class and/or sexual orientation render many men powerless subjects, at risk of exclusion or discrimination and subject to domination and subordination.
That leaves hegemonic masculinity, as expressed by Michael Kimmel, as the only successful way of being a man [4]4 — Kimmel, Michael (1997). "Masculinity as homophobia: Fear, shame and silence in the construction of gender identity", in M. M. Gergen & S. N. Davis (eds.), Toward a New Psychology of Gender. Taylor & Frances/Routledge, p. 223–242. . A success that patriarchy projects on those who meet the criteria of being considered "real men" and who behave as such, under established views of sex, gender and desire. Men who have and crave for power, who are legitimised by the system to occupy its central position and who present themselves as both the masters and subjects of universality.
The fallacies and constrictions of real men are, however, an obvious limitation of freedoms, of individual autonomy and of the desires that drive life. Subversive masculinity breaks away from the disciplinary conformity of this notion to reconfigure other power relations, thus subverting masculinities of domination and allowing other dissident forms to proliferate.
Although it is true that, as the criticism of hegemonic masculinity advances, many men feel dissatisfied or uncomfortable with the attitudes and actions that are expected of them, it is also true that many men find it difficult to break free of the roles and stereotypes of hegemonic masculinity, as in those who benefit from its advantages and privileges. How difficult it is to give up privileges! Sometimes, according to Jablonka, defending gender justice as a man is to fight against oneself [5]5 — Jablonka, Ivan (2019). Des hommes justes: Du patriarcat aux nouvelles masculinités. Paris: Seuil. . Many others are also incapable of taking on certain roles, such as those related to care and historically feminised activities. And in the most worrying aspect, we also see how many men do not stop using violence to maintain their status or to impose themselves in their relationships with women. One simply has to take a look at the dramatic statistics on male-inflicted gender-based violence and sexual violence around the world.
However, masculinity should not be linked to violence, privilege or heteronormativity, nor should the concept of power be linked to domination. Power and masculinity are a social construct, an elaborate story full of intentions, of the legitimation of an established order, at the service of specific interests and beneficiaries.
The Man-Masculinity pairing, like the concept of power, is a product of society, not a biological decision. Dismantling the system that associates one and the other allows us to visualise the patriarchal structures and their functioning. The challenge consists of decoding the relation between which power and which masculinity, analysing their meanings and symbolisms from a critical perspective, altering the social order of gender, and questioning the model that supports "being men" by means of an ideological structure that translates into unequal power relations.
Masculinity should not be linked to violence or privilege, nor should the concept of power be linked to domination. Power and masculinity are a social construct to legitimise an established order
It is necessary to break with a univocal conception of the ideas of power and masculinity in order to develop broader or alternative perspectives that can help us explain a dynamic reality we aspire to transform. This implies allowing other possible and dissident masculinities to emerge, as well as promoting new normative conceptions with which to guide the transformations we need. Feminisms and gender perspective are an opportunity to turn this reality around, helping to redefine power and masculinities based on principles of emancipation, autonomy and equity, and democratising their nature to orient them towards justice and the common good.
The Transformation of Notions of Power
In order to pave the way and explore the changes that can enable a critical redefinition and conception of a just and legitimate form of power (if this is even possible now), in this text I interrelate some of the perspectives of reflection and analysis on the phenomenon of power that based on feminisms [6]6 — See the article by Maria de la Fuente that systematises the feminist reflection on power during the last few decades: "Ideas de poder en la teoría feminista" (Ideas of power in feminist theory), Revista Española de Ciencia Política, no. 39, 1990, p. 173–193. , yet not exclusively, are oriented towards this purpose and are in dialogue with each other. Thus, in the following I briefly develop: the theoretical distinctions between power as a resource or power as a relation; the distinctions between power over and power to, which has been developed by various women authors, including Amy Allen; the crucial contributions of Hannah Arendt, which challenge the dominant version of power to return it to its origin (the word); Martha Nussbaum's capabilities approach; and, finally, the reconfiguration of power that emanates from the ethics of care.
Power as a Resource or Power as a Relation?
From the classic perspective, power is thought of as a resource. A good that some possess, that one has or does not have. This perspective implies understanding the dynamics of power as a zero-sum game: if you have power, the other does not have it and, conversely, if the relations of force are reversed, power is lost and is taken control of by others: certain individuals, certain groups or social classes, specific elites, or institutions and the state. A definition of power that is inevitably influenced by the ability to impose unwanted behaviours, limits and obedience on others. The fundamental concern regarding this conception is very often focused on the ways in which power is obtained and on how it is maintained or consolidated afterwards. The first wave of liberal feminism was based on this idea of power, as a good that had to be redistributed equally between women and men in order to reverse its unequal and unfair distribution. If the new masculinities were to participate in this new order, they would have to admit to losing power in order to enable its "redistribution" towards "women". Hence the legitimation of positive discrimination or "affirmative action" policies, which are meant to allow women access to equal opportunities and positions of power that they had been deprived of or banned from until then.
If, on the other hand, we understand power as the effect of a relation, it cannot be possessed or maintained, but is the consequence of a bond that is created in a given situation. Power flows and springs from multiple social interactions and relations, in line with what Foucault expressed. If power is not something stable and there is no situation in which domination is maintained forever, it is susceptible to transformation. The importance of this view is that it allows us to interpret power as an opportunity to manoeuvre and change the dynamics of an unfair or unequal relationship. Power as a relation makes it possible to act and obtain results that are different from those of the statu quo due to a fair or reasonable exchange, or by going beyond imposition or domination, to open the way to acceptance, affinity, consensus and compromise.
Power over or Power to (Empowerment)
We can also attempt to analyse power based on a typology that distinguishes between power over and power to, and which several authors have expanded upon. Let's take a look.
Power over represents the most classic view of power and consists of the ability of an individual or a group to impose or limit the options of another by virtue of a set of structural, economic, cultural, social and/or institutional factors. This type of power is usually based on force, coercion, domination and/or control of certain resources. But most of the time power over is imposed by means of fear and the threat of the use of force, or by controlling the flow of resources we need to survive: money, food, medical care, or even by controlling more subtle resources such as information, approval or love. We are so used to this notion of power, so steeped in its language and its implicit threats, that we often only become aware of its operation when we witness its most extreme manifestations. Power over is based on the belief that power is a finite resource that some individuals or groups possess, and therefore implies that some people can have it and others cannot. Male domination over women or over non-heteronormative masculinity can be considered a form of power over [7]7 — Allen, Amy (1999). The Power of Feminist Theory. Boulder: Westview Press. .
Power to is, instead, the ability and freedom of an individual person to achieve a goal or series of goals, sometimes despite their subordinate status [8]8 — De la Fuente, M. (2005) "Ideas de poder en la teoría feminista" (Ideas of power in feminist theory), Revista Española de Ciencia Política, no. 39, 1990, p. 173–193. . It is the ability to do, to create, to develop in the world and facilitate the existence of others by means of one's own existence. It implies the empowerment of subjects so that, based on their autonomy, they can act and cooperate in a non-coercive way towards transforming their reality and that of others, renouncing the will to dominate. Power to allows us to explore the category of empowerment, which is the process by which seemingly powerless subjects can develop their own capacities and thus have/acquire a power that stems from existence itself. Power as the ability to transform oneself and what surrounds us, escaping the radical dualism between the powerful and the disempowered [9]9 — Wartenberg, Thomas E. (1990). The Forms of Power: From Domination to Transformation. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. . This category allows us to understand how the subjects of subordinate groups retain the power to act despite their subordination. It is a notion of power that does not have distributive features (it is not a zero-sum game, where some must lose in order for others to win), and it does not have to imply conflictual effects.
Power over others is imposed by means of fear and the threat of the use of force
Both typologies allow us to analyse social situations and evaluate them based on the notion of power that is being used and, at the same time, we can theoretically argue and debate the consequences of opting for one notion or the other.
Hannah Arendt's view of power
Hannah Arendt, one of the most influential liberal philosophers of the 20th century, raises the need to rethink the world and the nature of power. Following the devastation of the Second World War and the horrors of the Holocaust, Arendt asks: how can Humanity carry on after what took place at Auschwitz? Can we continue to think in the same way after Nazism and the application of an industrial rationality at the service of extermination? "Even in the darkest of times we have the right to expect some illumination," Arendt would later say [10]10 — Arendt, Hannah (1968). Men in Dark Times. New York: Harcourt. .
And, indeed, for Arendt this illumination comes to pass by laying the foundations of a disruptive distinction between power and violence. Breaking the "painful" perspective of the dominant political way of thinking, which understands power as the effectiveness of imposing the will of some over that of others, and in which it is not possible to differentiate between power and violence. A power that, based on from Hobbes' Leviathan—and which liberalism confirms—is conceived of as institutionalised violence in order to protect us from a state of war, and which Max Weber also legitimised at the beginning of the 20th century as a means of limiting violence in the democratic State [11]11 — For Webber, the State is any coercive political association with a permanent organisation (politischer Anstaltsbetrieb) in which its administrative / bureaucratic apparatus manages to successfully maintain its claim to a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force as a means to enforce order. . But for Arendt, to speak of power in these terms is not to speak of power, but of violence and, as such, it must be identified and disassociated. Thus, with the dissolution of this nexus, the German thinker intends to dismiss the idea that domination constitutes the central problem of political affairs. On the contrary, the view of power that should be "useful" to us should be based on the principle of non-domination. Arendt therefore aspires to the idea that the central aspect of politics should be the creation of spaces where people can express themselves through words and actions. A return to the agora of the polis of ancient Greece, which was the appropriate and original space for politics and power [12]12 — Arendt, Hannah (1954). "What is Authority?" Available online. , to the place where human relationships and the exchange of ideas take place. In this way, the most interesting political action is that which does not submit uncritically to the assimilation of power, but rather that which defends the revolutionary tradition of those who participate in it: political action corresponds to those who are genuinely involved in the life of the community, deploying its capacities, expressing its vision of the world and reaching agreements that enable action and consensual decisions. The power of politics is what individuals say and do in the agora and in the public sphere, deploying its potential [13]13 — For Hannah Arendt, an active life supposes that "through action and speech, people show who they are, actively reveal their identity . . . Power is what maintains the existence of the public sphere, the potential space for the appearance of people who act and speak . . . Power is only real when word and deed have not been separated. When words are not empty and facts are not brutal . . . words are for discovering realities, and actions are not used to violate and destroy but to establish relations and create new realities." Arendt, Hannah (1958). The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. .
Power, then, corresponds to the human ability to act in concert in a given group or community. Authority becomes the power exercised by a few who acknowledge those who are asked to obey, and whose obedience does not require fear or coercion. Force and violence are only put into practice when authority fails.
According to Hannah Arendt, power can only be truly effective if it includes the consent of those with whom it relates; the survival of power and its legitimacy are closely linked to the degree of adherence it manages to provoke and maintain among citizens
While most approaches sustained that power has to do with the intention and will of an individual to dominate others, Arendt responded that "power is never the property of an individual" [14]14 — Arendt, Hannah (1970). On Violence. San Diego: Harvest Books. . Power belongs to a group and remains in existence only so long as the group remains together and plural in its communication and action. And power can only be truly effective if it includes the consent of those with whom it relates. Therefore, the survival of power is closely linked to the degree of adherence it manages to provoke and maintain among citizens and on which it bases its legitimacy. And thus, the violation of human rights inherent to each person, as well as the non-recognition and denial of the value of each individual, entails the deprivation of our right to speak and act, and would imply stripping us of our human condition [15]15 — Arendt, Hannah (1958). The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. . A power, in short, that must be seen as the potential to do, to create and to communicate, without coercion.
Martha Nussbaum's Capabilities Approach
Picking up Arendt's thread, Nussbaum considers that the most important aspect of a power which can be "useful" to us is that, as people, we are capable of thinking, doing, creating and/or transforming reality. A strength we call agency. A capacity that allows us to break free of the contexts of oppression and domination through a power to resist, rebel and develop. For Nussbaum, the interaction of a given context with our basic capabilities gives rise to combined capabilities through which transformation is possible [16]16 — Nussbaum, Martha C. (2011). Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press. .
Thus, the capabilities approach, developed together with Amartya Sen, recognises the value of several factors: 1) the importance of a person's real freedoms; 2) the differences, virtues and abilities of each person when transforming resources into valuable activities; 3) the multivarious nature of actions that lead to happiness; 4) a balance of material and non-material factors in evaluating human well-being; and 5) the importance and concern for how opportunities are distributed within society [17]17 — Sen, Amartya (1993). "Capability and Well-Being", in The Quality of Life. Oxford: Clarendon Press. . All these factors have been fundamental in the progression of human development indices, which go beyond indicators that only measure economic growth, such as GDP.
The capabilities approach makes personal and collective empowerment possible, articulating a process through which oppressed groups develop the ability to increase their self-confidence and inner strength, identifying the factors that determine their position and challenging them in order to activate change on a social, political, economic, cultural or sexual level.
Power Based on the Ethics of Care
The ethics of care developed by authors such as Carol Gilligan and Nancy Harstock, based on women's experiences with reproduction and on the revaluation of feminised practices such as caring for the family, represents an alternative logic to the dominant ethics of capitalism and materialism. An ethics that incorporates the female experience of care and, more specifically, of motherhood into the public sphere. A series of functions and responsibilities without which society cannot sustain itself, going beyond the strictly personal, family or private space to incorporate the value of care as a universal value that permeates the entire range of social and political relations.
The ethics of care forces us to rethink power, integrating a new dimension: power as a social relation that allows us to prepare and empower the people we care for to participate in society and/or live a dignified life. A care that transforms into power when practiced with a feeling of responsibility, respect and empowerment towards the community of which we are a part of. An ethics of responsibility that constitutes alternative forms of leadership, not only in the political sphere, but also in the social and economic sphere. In this way introducing into the public sphere forms of power and leadership linked to consensus, the empowerment of third parties and the practice of empathy or other elements that were considered virtues only in the private sphere. The ethics of care applied to the notion of leadership and power gives meaning to public responsibilities and guides them towards trust and the common good, both essential characteristics of a recognised and legitimate authority.
Abolish Power as Domination and Displace Hegemonic Masculinities
To speak of power and masculinities today means leaving behind the old hegemonic conceptions and their consequences—seeing as we already know where they lead us—in order to open up and offer alternatives that guide us towards more desirable horizons. The challenge is to learn to disengage collectively from the attributes and issues that have defined people's views of power and hegemonic masculinities, so they do not lead us to repeat the same mistakes, injustices or inequalities.
While the notion of power as domination is still in force, and essential to be able to describe and denounce realities full of oppression, the set of critical perspectives offered in this text, along many others that have not been included, help us to displace and isolate this view that is no longer "useful" to us, and to work towards a new perspective in order to transform power into something desirable or at least reasonable, if that is even possible. In this sense, it helps to think of power as the result of a relationship that is not immutable, one that we can change and subvert in order to turn it around; and to also understand that, if we seriously aspire to emancipate ourselves, we should not aspire to simply redistribute power, but on the contrary, to abolish it, especially when it implies domination. The only notion of power that interests us is one that empowers us and opens up a world of possibilities that break away from hegemonic logic and destabilise classical power structures. A power to that empowers us to speak and express ourselves collectively, to take action and create our own conditions of well-being and progress, just as Hannah Arendt said. Or power as a capacity for agency, to end domination and unleash our potentialities. Or power understood as a responsibility and care towards others and the community that embraces us, and which becomes a shared ethics for a world worth living.
We need to move towards the deconstruction of hegemonic masculinity, finding other ways of being men: the redefinition of masculinities requires us to review our life experiences and implies going beyond the oppressive dimension of power
At the same time, the need to move towards the deconstruction of hegemonic masculinity is also very evident. A slow and progressive process that begins with its displacement for the centre of power, allowing for the emergence and building of other masculinities and alternative models of relation that lean towards better forms of coexistence between people. The masculinity of non-domination, that of just men, in the words of Jablonka [18]18 — Jablonka, Ivan (2019). Des hommes justes: Du patriarcat aux nouvelles masculinités. Paris: Seuil. , would consist of refraining from arbitrarily interfering with the will of the rest, guaranteeing social and political conditions so that everyone can enjoy their freedoms and vital options. A redefinition of masculinities that requires us to review of our life experiences and implies going beyond the oppressive dimension of power, especially when it is based on gender identity and gender binaries as a matrix of domination, as Judith Butler masterfully reveals to us. The fundamental objective would be to find other ways of being men and being people, building bonds and processes of emancipation and equity, while driving away all forms of violence, domination and discrimination.
Russell, Bertrand (2004). Power: A New Social Analysis. London: Routledge.
Byung-Chul Han (2018). What is Power? Cambridge: Polity.
Pateman, Carole (1988). The Sexual Contract. Cambridge: Polity.
Kimmel, Michael (1997). "Masculinity as homophobia: Fear, shame and silence in the construction of gender identity", in M. M. Gergen & S. N. Davis (eds.), Toward a New Psychology of Gender. Taylor & Frances/Routledge, p. 223–242.
Jablonka, Ivan (2019). Des hommes justes: Du patriarcat aux nouvelles masculinités. Paris: Seuil.
See the article by Maria de la Fuente that systematises the feminist reflection on power during the last few decades: "Ideas de poder en la teoría feminista" (Ideas of power in feminist theory), Revista Española de Ciencia Política, no. 39, 1990, p. 173–193.
Allen, Amy (1999). The Power of Feminist Theory. Boulder: Westview Press.
De la Fuente, M. (2005) "Ideas de poder en la teoría feminista" (Ideas of power in feminist theory), Revista Española de Ciencia Política, no. 39, 1990, p. 173–193.
Wartenberg, Thomas E. (1990). The Forms of Power: From Domination to Transformation. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Arendt, Hannah (1968). Men in Dark Times. New York: Harcourt.
For Webber, the State is any coercive political association with a permanent organisation (politischer Anstaltsbetrieb) in which its administrative / bureaucratic apparatus manages to successfully maintain its claim to a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force as a means to enforce order.
Arendt, Hannah (1954). "What is Authority?" Available online.
For Hannah Arendt, an active life supposes that "through action and speech, people show who they are, actively reveal their identity . . . Power is what maintains the existence of the public sphere, the potential space for the appearance of people who act and speak . . . Power is only real when word and deed have not been separated. When words are not empty and facts are not brutal . . . words are for discovering realities, and actions are not used to violate and destroy but to establish relations and create new realities." Arendt, Hannah (1958). The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Arendt, Hannah (1970). On Violence. San Diego: Harvest Books.
Arendt, Hannah (1958). The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Nussbaum, Martha C. (2011). Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press.
Sen, Amartya (1993). "Capability and Well-Being", in The Quality of Life. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Pere Almeda is the director of the Institut Ramon Llull, a public body founded with the purpose of promoting Catalan cultre and language abroad. Previously, he has been the director of the Centre for Contemporary Studies of the Catalan Government and of the IDEES magazine. Jurist and political scientist, he holds a MA in Political Science and a postgraduate in International Relations and Culture of Peace. He is also an associate professor of Political Science at the University of Barcelona. He has collaborated and worked as advisor in different institutions such as the Catalan Parliament, the European Parliament or the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs at the UN Headquarters. Has served as coordinator of the International Project of Sant Pau and Director of the Think Tank Fundació Catalunya Europa leading the project Combating inequalities: the great global challenge.
Rethinking masculinity to transform society
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Stick your masculinity up your ass
Javier Sáez
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Government of Catalonia Ministry for Foreign Action and Open Government Centre for Contemporary Studies
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About a year and a half ago, I started receiving emails from him. His name seemed to be Indian-Nepali like but with a different spelling. He kept telling me about his collection and asking lots of questions about Vintage Recorded music. Fianlly, I gave him a call and found out more about him.
His name is Roberto Jangbahadooer. His ancestors are from Bihar and were settled in the north of South America in the 19th century. He is from Suriname and now lives in Oost-Souburg, a town in the municipality of Flushing, Netherlands.
.He is in mid-thirties and, amazingly, started liking the music from 30s and earlier when he was a teenager! Among others his favorites are Gauhar Jan, Rafi, Mukesh, Lata, Pradeep, Kishore, Geeta and Juthika Roy. He likes music all the way from 1900 to 1970. He recently sent me his collection of Gauhar Jan songs. I will be putting them up soon.
He is married with a beauty from the Indian Panjab. Her name is Payal Himanshi Jangbahadoer.


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Contact MEA | English
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Siemens MEA
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Investment in the Next Generation fuels the Future of the Middle East
"The world is changing rapidly through technology, and we need to equip our future generations with the necessary capabilities and tools to make things faster, cheaper, and better" - Khaled Abdel Ghaffar
When Solar Impulse 2, a completely solar-powered airplane, took off from Abu Dhabi on its record-breaking around-the-world flight in 2015, it featured a wing design optimized using Siemens Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software.
Engineers building Solar Impulse 2 used the software to quickly determine how best to minimize the plane's weight, while ensuring it could handle the rigors of this first-of-a-kind flight.
The same technology was used to send the Curiosity Mars rover into space, and now, Siemens is making this software available to more than 40,000 university students across four countries in the Middle East.
Through licensing grants valued at US$420 million, the software is now available for use by students at ten universities in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and soon Iraq. The students are using the software as part of their studies to learn about, and train on, technology that represents the cutting edge of digitalization.
"The world is changing rapidly through technology, and we need to equip our future generations with the necessary capabilities and tools to make things faster, cheaper, and better," said Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Egypt's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, at the time the grant was announced.
The PLM software allows state-of-the-art product design, simulation, analysis, manufacturing, and product data management and lifecycle support. The software makes it efficient and cost effective to manage this information throughout the entire lifecycle of a product – from ideation, design, and manufacturing to service and disposal.
By integrating data, processes, business systems, and ultimately people in an extended digital environment, PLM opens new opportunities for innovation and efficiency. For example, the software makes it possible to test new products and even new production lines through a virtual digital twin, eliminating or reducing the need for physical prototyping.
By giving university students access to this powerful and versatile tool, Siemens is helping them acquire advanced digital skills in preparation for a future we can hardly imagine, given that 85 percent of the jobs that will exist only 11 years from now, in 2030, haven't been invented yet.
In a world where digitalization is bringing change at an unprecedented speed and scale, providing students in the region early access to these tools is critical. Industry 4.0 is changing the way things are done across industries, from power plant operations and maintenance to manufacturing production lines and supply chain management.
With new generations of Middle Eastern engineers and technicians fluent in Industry 4.0 software such as PLM, the region can more quickly and effectively diversify its economies.
Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, UAE Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills, affirmed this when the grants were announced in the UAE: "As the UAE transitions to a competitive knowledge economy, building the skills of the future among UAE nationals is a top priority."
"The software grant from Siemens is a significant contribution to enhancing local digital skills, as they become increasingly essential for the development of this country and the jobs of tomorrow," he added.
By collaborating with universities and ministries, Siemens is working to bridge the gap between industry and academia, creating a dialog that can build a greater understanding among K-12 schools, vocational schools, and universities regarding the types of skills and qualifications that businesses and industries require.
Through these PLM grants, Siemens is not only sharing technology and fostering knowledge transfer, but also giving examples of the type of learning required to build the workforce of tomorrow that is ready to adopt and leverage digitalization in almost any sphere.
Students will come out of these programs with experience working on real-world software, making them more attractive hires, helping them make the transition to the workplace, and providing a boost to companies and the broader economy as their expertise drives greater productivity, efficiency, and operational excellence.
The software grants are part of a larger US$560 million investment by Siemens in its digital presence in the region. Complementing the grants, Siemens is establishing MindSphere Application Centers in the region, including the first two in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. These centers, which are among more than a dozen worldwide, provide a platform for Siemens and its regional partners to jointly solve customer problems with powerful new digital solutions.
The largest numbers of students impacted by the PLM licensing program are in Egypt, where grants were made to the engineering faculties at the country's three largest public universities in Cairo, Ain Shams, and Alexandria. More than 35,000 students can access the software for courses and projects in computer-integrated manufacturing, robotics, industrial design, work design, ergonomics, materials science, and processing.
As part of the grant in Egypt, Siemens refurbished and equipped the PLM labs at each university, where the software has become an integral component of the engineering programs. Siemens also is directly supporting the programs with train-the-trainer workshops and training sessions for students and professors.
In partnership with five universities in the UAE, PLM software is available to 3,850 students building solutions and training on use of the software. In Saudi Arabia, 1,700 students from Effat University in Jeddah, which is the first Saudi university to offer engineering courses to women, and King Saud University in Riyadh are benefitting from the software grants.
From regional classrooms to high in the skies, and as far away as the planet Mars, Siemens PLM software is supporting pioneers in their pursuit of new frontiers. Young people across the Middle East are 'learning by doing' on PLM software, as they use digitalization to design, manufacture, and create a new future for their countries and the region as a whole.
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Emad Ghaly, CEO of Siemens in Egypt speaks about the company's 'Business to Society' approach in Egypt.
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By Force Material. Discovered by Player FM and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Player FM, and audio streamed directly from their servers.
A deep dive into the secrets and source material of Star Wars with hosts Rohan Williams and Baz McAlister. Discover the influences and inspirations behind the Star Wars saga, from films and folklore to history, politics and geography. These are the stories behind the prequels, the sequels, and everything in between!
57 episodes available. A new episode about every 10 days averaging 76 mins duration .
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Listen to two guys who usually have no chill about Star Wars try to exercise a bit of chill about Star Wars in our totally squeaky clean and SPOILER-FREE review of Solo: A Star Wars Story!
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It looks good! A little rough around the edges, but good.
The Last Jedi has finally come home, and we're discussing all the special features in this week's episode of the Force Material podcast!
Discover the origins of Paul Bettany's mysterious Solo: A Star Wars Story character in this week's episode of the Force Material podcast!
Solo: A Star Wars Story is set to take inspiration from one of the greatest films of all-time — Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven.
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This week, we're looking back at George Lucas' first (and least successful) sequel, More American Graffiti!
Where were you in '62? This week on the Force Material podcast, we're celebrating the film that first brought together Ron Howard and Lucasfilm!
In a week where the internet is aflame with debate about whether Alden Ehrenreich could possibly play Han Solo, let's take a moment and remember that he's not the first 'other guy' to muscle in on the role made famous by Harrison Ford.
Hey, don't everybody thank us at once... but the first Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer has arrived, and we've got your emergency reaction pod right here!
This week, we're explaining how Broadway smash Hamilton left its mark on the Star Wars universe. Godspeed, revolutionaries!
This week on the Force Material podcast, we're breaking down an Akira Kurosawa classic that's all about the truth... from a certain point of view.
We're saying farewell to Rian Johnson's Film Camp with a wrap-up of how each film actually influenced The Last Jedi!
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Finally! No more theories and speculation — The Last Jedi is here, and we're here at 3am to talk about it!
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Patriot Pet Products already had a long established presence on Amazon but only recently decided to create their own website to showcase their products. When Peter contacted us for a quote we reviewed his products and were blown away but the number of awesome testimonials. We knew we could help create a website worthy of such high praise.
Using the Divi Theme and the Anthem child theme by BeSuperfly, this site came together very quickly due to the variety of pre-configured sections that are easy to customize.
Peter provided us with fantastic product photography which made creating the products easy. We also installed a product-zoom plugin to make the website experience as similar to Amazon as possible.
We installed Amazon payments in conjunction with Woocommerce, to enable existing Amazon customers to use their Amazon account to make payment. Plus Stripe for credit card payments.
And with a patriotic feel we sourced some great imagery to immediately convey what Patriot Pet Products is all about.
We test every page and post across a variety of portable devices to ensure the entire shopping experience is one of joy, no matter how you choose to browse the website.
Sourcing high quality imagery that complements the brand is crucial for the added 'wow' factor.
Selling the product involved installing the #1 plugin WooCommerce. One of the key features of this child theme are customised WooCommerce pages, including the Shop, Cart and Checkout.
We installed Amazon Payments and Stripe plugins to enable existing Amazon customers to use their Amazon account on the website, and Stripe for credit card payments. Offering a variety of payment solutions is often key to converting the sale.


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Mother charged with murder, abuse in 4-year-old son's death
FLINT — A 33-year-old Michigan woman has been charged with murder and child abuse in the death of her 4-year-old son.
Jamia Robinson was arraigned Wednesday.
WNEM-TV reports that Jordyn Mathena was taken to a hospital Sunday and died Monday.
Prosecutors say the boy suffered severe burns, head trauma and a broken nose.
Investigators were told he was pushed as he stepped into a bathtub.
A hearing is scheduled Aug. 16 on a petition filed in juvenile court to terminate Robinson's parental rights to seven other children.