Perspectiva Social

The social perspective & Basics of Sociology

Perspective-taking, social emotional skills

Abstract The main focus of this research is to discuss the perspective of the teamwork and its impaction organizational performance and success. Also highlight the Meanings of Team and its work sprit towards batter organizational performance and specific to its impact on the success of organization that provided the basis for this research study. In this research study a thoroughly focus was on organization and teamwork. The aim of this research is to deliver a participative view of teamwork in the organization, and also discourses the major issues and emphases on the recent work that opens the basis to move research onward. There is much worth in taking a more focus on the essential areas of teamwork. The team signifies the spirit and working capacity of the employees as team to bring organization to the success. The various explanations, definitions, processes, dimensions, team size and benefits etc. regarding the above topic teamwork and organizational success is highlighted. Keywords: Teamwork, Success, Organization, Performance, Work Groups, Employees Introduction It is indeed human beings have learned in their beginning of life to work together as (Team) that have made such a remarkable developments as unique specie. Human beings have experience throughout their social history, lived, loved, grow younger to older and worked together in groups said West M.A. (2012).The mutual social knowledge of living and functioning together creates connection among people, society and families. When work is done cooperatively as a team it can achieve extremely extra work than individually. Team can be defined as in the human society to live, to work and to play and to cooperate with others for particular task. According to John W. Newstrom et al (1993) “team is the process of assessing performance of workers, passing information and exploring methods to increase performance”. If observe closely, one can discover the instances of The Government: Research Journal of Political Science Supplementary Edition Vol. III 88 The Government social (teams) they are functioning either effectively or ineffectively everywhere; organizations, schools, work place, home etc. “Coordinating the events of people is like sand house, making by using a sole particles of sand” expressed Belbin, R. M.(2010). Moreover it is one of the general myths that the skill of team member is more important than their vigor, attention and determination for the tasks. Another widespread myth is that the team members are not alone accountable for the achievements or failures of their tasks the truth is that the members are the small parts in the teams and their individual abilities effect on the various results in team. The working relationships exist among team that might sight these relationships at different levels of involvement or relationships among the members as they move towards the degree of communication, integration and commitment increases. Terry L.G. et al (1980) expressed that “The skills are essential if members have to work together efficiently in complex situations, only development of skills and relationships, involvement on the task regarding the particular task might be selected for reaching at target that is considered as a definition of a team”. Team often perform higher when they work together with sprit that enable them to achieve a collective goal at the workplace, it is not only benefits to the organization also affects the workers confidence and success. Cooperating on various tasks reduces workloads for all team members and enables them to share duties or ideas. Work as a team is the part of everyone's life, as one is a member of a family team, staff team, school team, and community teams etc., so as to understand how to work effectively as a team member. Especially there is a need when task is threatened with increasingly many problems for example; the energy problem has effects on organization, family life, and social development and the multi-dimensional nature of many problems require a scientific skill based problem solving approach. Terry L.G, et al (1980) expressed that “The skills, competencies and efforts of team by setting priorities the team can have better impact on the problems solving such efforts can reduce work load, work duplication, and produce a result better than separate efforts”. There are some processes of teamwork by adopting those the objectives can be achieved easily. Le Pine, et al, (2008) identified10 teamwork processes that fall in three categories following are those. TEAMWORK PROCESSES TRANSITION PROCESSES •Mission analysis •Goal specification •Strategy formulation ACTION PROCESSES •Monitoring progress toward goals •Systems monitoring •Team monitoring and backup behavior •Coordination INTERPERSONAL PROCESSES •Conflict management •Motivation and confidence building •Affect management Team Work 89 Teamwork process reduces the work stress on every member which permits members to complete given important task of organization; teamwork offers members an opening to pledge with each other. Also it develops relations between the members who start a teamwork they usually sense appreciated on productive accomplishment of task. It may be cited one of the best instances of surgical team; where surgeon is assisted by his team; nurses, anesthetist and experts etc., everyone knows that their success depends upon the teamwork. In addition they are devoted to the aim that is human life it is easy to succeed with best teamwork. The important role of manager is the team building, trust building, confidence building, in the team to achieve the task. In the Situation where all team members contribute the task, it develops the positive relationship in the team that improves the trust of team members.“Functions effectively members of team must be flexible, committed, trusting each other and help to each other’s in the progress and the achievement of goals” Expressed Plamínek (2008). The accountability of every member in the team must be increased so that they do not let each other down therefore they do their best for the achievements of their teams. In contrast, working alone on a task the pressure is generally high in team in those cases of small confidence impacts fewer on members. Team consists on members who always vary from each other’s in skills, knowledge and abilities but working together that is an opportunity for them to gain skills and knowledge from each other’s that they had never before. Working alone on a task is a challenge and using the ideas of each other brings them to come up with a mutual resolution and the achievement of the task. Nowadays theoretical development and research has rested largely a new trend that is emerging within the organizations as an essential process of teamwork. Teamwork has brought a new move in the research and development to the inputs and outputs that bound, constrain and impact on the team processes within organizations said Ilgen, D.R. (1999). The world is changes fast, any one set of instructions can’t be sufficient, changes needs flexible members, teams and organizations so as to be effective on task. This paper suggests that in teams members must use the exclusive human abilities. Cannon B.et al (1995) has précised dimensions of teams into three categories: Team dimensions 1-Cognitions: include associations, task team-mate characteristics, team mission, objectives, norms, and resources, team role interaction patterns, skills, roles, and team orientation. 2-Skills: consist on adaptability, shared situational awareness and mutual concept to conflict resolution. 90 The Government 3-Attitudes: symbolize motivation, collective potency, shared vision, team cohesion, mutual trust, collective orientation and importance of. Teamsize Researchers have given different approvals about the best size of team as Katzenbachetet al (1993) suggested that the teams should comprise on a dozen or so members which are enough to achieve a task. Although seven is the best size of the team in the organizational practices said Scharf, A. (1989). Several views of researchers are expressed in the literatures and it is difficult to decide which better is because their opinions are based on their own observations. The team size matters in the proper output and performance however from an empirical research it is also difficult to decide the suitable team size and what to accept. This study suggests that team size has a practical link with efficacy such as few or many member shave impact on the performance but size matters. Proper size of team improves the performance maximum stated Campion M. A et al (1996).These different results are expected due to the fact that appropriate team size is required for task, environment and situation where team works. However, larger teams can also experience coordination problems that delay performance. Sheppard, J. A. (1993) expressed that the question of best team’s size is a complex one; more research is required on this topic to explain the impact of team size on given definite task. Literature Review Across many different organizations and industries teamwork is focused to increase the performance of employees’ their unity and also create work culture. Organizations those regularly develop new ideas or products using a project-based approach and assemble teams in order to focus responsibilities to achieve the object. Researchers have given dissimilar meanings of “teams”. Dyer W.G. (2007) said that “teams are groups of people who trust in cooperation, if members are expert the success of goal is more possible”. It is essential due to the problemsolving cooperation added from many minds of team members working on a resolution of problems. Team members contribute their thoughts together to make exclusive plans for dealing with problems and this unity enhance the result due to interaction, trust and teamwork. Teamwork means a "work done by several companions with each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole" Merriam, (2012). In addition combined employees are expected less hostile to each other and accepting more of each other’s decisions. Unity of employees can increase the flow of work in organization. When employee’s working together as a team, they learn from each other that awareness is based on their personal experiences and from coworkers; Team Work 91 employees from different departments may acquire knowledge from each other. The main object for organizations is to hold the team effort to achieve output and quality; team is a key to achieve quality productivity. According to Maddux et al (2003) “some of the organizations have major benefits from the use of teamwork which are showed in the following chart: Benefits of Teamwork 1 Improving quality of work life for employees 2 Reducing absenteeism and increasing turnover 3 Increasing innovation and change 4 Improving organizational adaptability and flexibility A real team is mostly one where members are allowed to take decisions that how to complete task. That authority enables them to control the work process, decreases the outside control and increases the sense of duty for work. Team always feels superiority on workplace and they rely on each other’s being there. Plamínek (2008) said that “affiliation with teamwork gives member a sense of belonging, interaction and recognition of success”. These actions support to remove the sense of loneliness of team member in organization. Effective teams can also improve efficacy through communication and trust between the team members, quality of work and decrease in absenteeism contribute to positive impact on team. Involving employees in teamwork helps the organization remain open to new ideas.“The world of organizations is shifting individualism is out and collectivism is in, power is out, empowerment is in.” stated G. M. Parker (1998). This study discovers the experiences and difficulties of teamwork that employees and organizations are facing nowadays due to big transformation and enlarged globalization. In recent years a remarkable amendment has been emerged in the belief of team working organizations. The modern study has explored that the scope of teamwork have been appeared in system rooted in belief, and employees accept changes that denoting a modern organizational system. The organizations which are responsive to the changes appear to achieve greater satisfaction. Although it may be suggested that, the managers should assess the values and beliefs of their employees to play more dedicated role in the development of organization by making sprit to face the modern challenges. Organizational cultural is much significant and it has the excessive impact on the performance of organization and employees’ but it is quiet arguable topic that the culture of teamwork can be developed according to the requirement. It is difficult to specify the relationships and to assess the reliable set of values to use as they believed symbol across the entire organizations. This review study focus that 92 The Government there is a great influence of organizational culture on the assumptions, values, and beliefs on the individuals’ considerations, actions and performances and so is vice versa, through learning, and training process. However the researchers believe that the organizational setup aids to unite employees of diverse cultures and dissimilar social backgrounds, traditions and have their own beliefs to work. Creating a positive teamwork culture it has several diverse aspects are goal setting, conflict resolution, empowerment, ability to accomplish tasks, measuring output and consideration for other teamwork cultures stated Pack L, et al April 27, (2012). Team work in the organization delivers employees the wisdom of unity; understand to each other’s, and reducing conflict. In addition teamwork in organization inspires employee for impartiality by affirming that no one is ignored in the organization and all treated equally. It is known that a team in organization is bound and sincere to work with dedication to bring the success. If the employees are committed and recognize the teamwork values and its benefits, as a part of the organization they can contribute a lot to the achievement of organization. One can finds the informal instances of team at these level, family, society, community, tribe and work groups etc., and formally team appears at the level of departments, functional groups, and other organizational units. The employees feel a greater sense of achievement for being a part of an organization, if they attain team work, having freedom to work not forced. The system gives best performance to achieve recognition and credit from their managers and it will increase their effort that helps them to contribute the organizational performance. Each team batter knows about their role and how to achieve tasks. The true spirit of teamwork gives benefit to organization in maintaining its standard by which it becomes identified. The team defines its specialty, and the way it is doing task that is perceived by the organization as well as its managers and it is secured by appreciation. Employees identify what they believe; that exist in their belief system and those understandings call them to change their views to develop and raise attention towards batter performance. The literature contains sufficient definitions of teamwork and the word team is used to denote a set of generally developed as to learn collective values, attitudes and cooperation to work. The study praises that the teamwork is mostly related with the team success for instance, Wagner (1995) described that “in the team individual is less valued and group is more valued, with”. It is found in the study that individualismcollectivism both regulates the relationships between team size, standing, and cooperation that have better effects on the cooperation of individualists rather than the cooperation of collectivists. Team Work 93 Conclusion The main concentration of this research paper is to examine more in-depth the fundamental of teamwork and its effectiveness to achieve the organizational goals. Teamwork provides vast amounts of knowledge and information, cultural differences each of these building a culture of teamwork and the skill to make the valuable solutions of the problems. To work efficiently, team members need a good understanding of how to do their job, to achieve goal and for that a basic way to ensure understanding is training, then they have to be motivated to do a job. Team is a vital activity of organization, when organization desires to perform sound it has to be confident that team functions effectively. Consequently it is compulsory to know how team performs, what manners within a team happen, and how they make decisions. If there is knowhow of teamwork events, it can be effective for the tasks that they have to accomplish. Organizations build up their own culture through tradition, history and structure these values can be accepted by team workers of an organization. The values and assumptions are the vital tools of organizations and are used as guidance for team. These have to do mostly with the basic dignity and worth of all members of team and the ability, necessity for them to solve the problems and work for the positive change. Through this review study is concluded that there is a good impact of teamwork on the organizations doings and success. Subsequently in recently developed literature there is a great focus amongst the social scientists and scholars’ in their discussion on the above topic teamwork. The above study is also an evidence of little effort to assess the significance of teamwork in organizations success. teams in organiz

Los elementos que me pides para el modelo pedagógico dialógico son los siguientes: • Meta de formación: se refiere al propósito o finalidad de la educación, que en este modelo es la transformación social hacia una sociedad más justa, democrática e inclusiva, donde todas las personas puedan desarrollar sus potencialidades y participar activamente en la construcción colectiva del conocimiento. Un ejemplo de esta meta es el proyecto de las comunidades de aprendizaje, que busca mejorar el aprendizaje y la convivencia de todos los estudiantes, mediante la colaboración y el diálogo entre todos los miembros de la comunidad educativa. • Concepción de desarrollo: se refiere a la visión o teoría que sustenta el proceso de aprendizaje, que en este modelo es la concepción dialógica del desarrollo, que se basa en la idea de que el desarrollo humano es el resultado de la interacción social mediada por el lenguaje, y que se produce a través de procesos de internalización y externalización de los significados compartidos. Un ejemplo de esta concepción es la aplicación de los grupos interactivos, que son una forma de organización del aula donde se agrupa a los estudiantes en pequeños grupos heterogéneos, con la ayuda de un adulto voluntario, para realizar actividades de aprendizaje diversificadas y dialógicas. • Relación maestro-estudiante: se refiere al tipo o estilo de interacción que se establece entre el profesor y los alumnos, que en este modelo es una relación horizontal, basada en el respeto mutuo, la confianza, la cooperación y el diálogo igualitario. Un ejemplo de esta relación es la práctica de las tertulias dialógicas, que son espacios donde se lee y se dialoga sobre obras clásicas de la literatura universal, con la participación activa y crítica de todos los asistentes, sin importar su nivel educativo o cultural. • Contenidos curriculares: se refieren al conjunto de conocimientos, habilidades, actitudes y valores que se pretenden enseñar y aprender, que en este modelo son los contenidos dialógicos, que se caracterizan por ser relevantes, significativos, plurales y críticos. Un ejemplo de estos contenidos es el uso de las fuentes documentales diversas y contrastadas, que permiten abordar los temas desde diferentes perspectivas y fomentar el pensamiento crítico y creativo. • Metodología: se refiere al conjunto de estrategias, técnicas y recursos que se utilizan para facilitar el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje, que en este modelo son las metodologías dialógicas, que se basan en el uso del diálogo como herramienta principal para el aprendizaje cooperativo, interactivo y transformador. Un ejemplo de estas metodologías es el aprendizaje servicio, que consiste en realizar proyectos solidarios que responden a necesidades reales de la comunidad, integrando los contenidos curriculares con el compromiso social. • Evaluación: se refiere al proceso de recoger, analizar e interpretar información sobre el rendimiento y el progreso de los estudiantes, así como sobre la calidad y la eficacia del proceso educativo, que en este modelo es la evaluación dialógica, que se caracteriza por ser formativa, participativa, diversa y orientada a la mejora. Un ejemplo de esta evaluación es la realización de asambleas o reuniones periódicas donde se comparten los logros y las dificultades, se valoran las aportaciones de todos los participantes y se proponen acciones para mejorar el aprendizaje y la convivencia.

SPANISH STUDENTS 10/22/25 In the sentence 'The author chose to juxtapose the wealthy neighborhood with the impoverished area to highlight social inequality,' what does 'juxtapose' most likely mean based on context clues? * 1 point to separate completely to describe in detail to criticize harshly to place side by side for comparison When reading 'This paradox confused everyone: the more he tried to save time, the less time he seemed to have,' what can you infer about a paradox? * 1 point a mathematical equation a simple solution a type of poem a contradictory statement that reveals truth The passage states: 'The author's use of symbolism was evident when the broken mirror represented the character's shattered dreams.' Based on this context, symbolism involves: * 1 point using objects to represent deeper meanings creating rhyming patterns writing in chronological order using literal descriptions only In the text 'Please elaborate on your answer by providing specific examples and detailed explanations,' the word 'elaborate' suggests the need to: * 1 point use simpler words change the topic add more detail make it shorter The critic wrote: 'The actor's performance captured every nuance of emotion, from subtle sadness to barely contained rage.' What does 'nuance' refer to in this context? * 1 point subtle variations in meaning simple emotions loud expressions obvious differences When the text says 'The implication of her silence was clear to everyone in the room, though she never spoke a word,' what does 'implication' mean? * 1 point a command given a direct statement a question asked a conclusion drawn indirectly The scientist stated: 'Based on our limited observations, our hypothesis suggests that plants grow faster with classical music.' What is a hypothesis? * 1 point a type of experiment a proven fact a final conclusion a possible explanation needing more evidence In 'Three witnesses were able to corroborate the defendant's alibi, strengthening his case significantly,' the word 'corroborate' most likely means: * 1 point to question or doubt to confirm or support to change the story to ignore completely The passage reads: 'The student needed to justify her controversial thesis with solid evidence and logical reasoning.' What does 'justify' mean here? * 1 point to make it longer to make excuses for to avoid explaining to prove something is reasonable When the text states 'The researcher was able to synthesize information from five different studies to create a comprehensive theory,' what does 'synthesize' involve? * 1 point copying one source exactly combining multiple sources to create something new rejecting all previous research focusing on only one idea When a reader encounters 'The symbolism in the novel was complex, with the recurring image of doors representing new opportunities throughout the story,' they should: * 1 point memorize all symbols skip symbolic passages look for deeper representational meanings focus only on the literal meaning If a teacher says 'Your essay needs more elaboration - expand on your main points with examples and analysis,' what critical thinking skill is being requested? * 1 point developing ideas with supporting details summarizing briefly using fewer examples changing the topic entirely In the passage 'The dark clouds gathering on the horizon seemed to foreshadow the troubles that would soon befall the village,' what literary technique is being demonstrated? * 1 point The author is using environmental details to hint at future plot developments The author is focusing on realistic weather descriptions The author is using weather to predict actual meteorological events The author is describing a coincidental weather pattern When analyzing 'Sarah knew the antagonist in her favorite novel wasn't just evil—he represented the fear of change that many people experience,' what deeper understanding about antagonists is revealed? * 1 point Antagonists are always completely evil characters Antagonists can represent abstract concepts or human struggles Antagonists must be human characters Antagonists only exist to create action scenes In the sentence 'The protagonist's journey wasn't just about reaching the destination—it was about discovering who she truly was,' what does this suggest about effective protagonists? * 1 point Protagonists must always succeed in their missions Protagonists should remain unchanged throughout the story Protagonists undergo both external and internal development Protagonists should focus only on external goals When the text states 'The word 'home' carried different connotations for each character—warmth and safety for some, confinement and obligation for others,' what critical reading skill is being highlighted? * 1 point Memorizing dictionary definitions Understanding that words have only one correct meaning Identifying grammatical structures Recognizing that word meanings can vary based on personal experience In 'While the denotation of 'snake' is simply a reptile, the author's use of it to describe the character suggests something far more sinister,' what analytical skill is required? * 1 point Understanding reptile biology Memorizing animal classifications Distinguishing between literal and figurative meanings Identifying sentence structure When examining 'The author's tone shifted from hopeful in the opening chapters to increasingly cynical as the story progressed,' what does this reveal about sophisticated writing? * 1 point Tone is unimportant in storytelling Tone changes reflect the author's developing attitude toward the subject Only the ending tone matters Authors should maintain the same tone throughout In analyzing 'The theme of the novel wasn't stated directly but emerged through the characters' repeated struggles with moral choices,' what does this demonstrate about themes? * 1 point Themes develop through patterns in the narrative Themes are only found in the conclusion Themes should always be explicitly stated Themes must be simple moral lessons When the passage reads 'From the character's nervous glances and hesitant speech, readers can infer that she's hiding something important,' what critical thinking process is being described? * 1 point Following explicit plot statements Memorizing character descriptions Making random guesses about character motivations Using textual evidence to draw logical conclusions In 'The ending was deliberately ambiguous, allowing readers to decide whether the character's actions were heroic or selfish,' what does this suggest about sophisticated literature? * 1 point Good stories always have clear, definitive endings Unclear endings indicate poor writing Ambiguity can enhance reader engagement and interpretation Authors should avoid confusing readers When analyzing 'The controversial decision to ban the book sparked debates about censorship versus protecting young readers,' what critical thinking skill is most important? * 1 point Choosing one side immediately Examining multiple perspectives before forming an opinion Avoiding difficult topics entirely Following popular opinion In 'Each character's perspective on the same event revealed how personal experiences shape our understanding of truth,' what deeper concept is being explored? * 1 point All perspectives are equally valid Perspective is unimportant in understanding events There is only one correct way to view any situation Personal background influences how we interpret events When the text states 'The community proved resilient, rebuilding not just their homes but their hope after the disaster,' what does this reveal about the concept of resilience? * 1 point Resilience encompasses both practical and emotional recovery Resilience is an innate trait that cannot be developed Resilience means avoiding all difficulties Resilience only involves physical recovery In analyzing 'The author's portrayal of the character's empathy—her ability to understand her enemy's pain even while fighting him—added complexity to the conflict,' what does this suggest about empathy? * 1 point Empathy means agreeing with everyone Empathy makes people weak in conflicts Empathy should be avoided in difficult situations Empathy can coexist with opposition and create moral complexity When examining 'The character's integrity was tested when telling the truth would hurt people she loved,' what does this reveal about integrity? * 1 point Integrity means always following rules regardless of consequences Integrity means never causing any harm to others Integrity is only important in public situations Integrity involves making difficult moral choices even when costly In 'The student learned to advocate for her ideas by presenting evidence rather than just stating opinions,' what critical skill is being developed? * 1 point Supporting positions with logical reasoning and evidence Avoiding controversial topics entirely Learning to argue loudly and persistently Always agreeing with authority figures If you rewrote a scene from 'The Birchbark House' from Omakayas's grandmother's first-person perspective instead of Omakayas's, how would this most likely change the reader's understanding? * 1 point Nothing would change since they're both female characters The language would become more formal and difficult The story would become less interesting because adults are boring Readers would gain wisdom from experience but lose the innocence of childhood discovery In a plot diagram, the rising action serves which critical purpose beyond simply building toward the climax? * 1 point To provide background information about the setting To confuse readers so the ending is surprising To develop character relationships and establish stakes that make the climax meaningful To make the story longer and more detailed When analyzing the falling action in 'The Birchbark House,' which element would be most important to consider when writing an alternate version? * 1 point Whether the consequences of the climax align with the new direction you want the story to take Making sure it's shorter than the rising action Including a moral lesson for readers How quickly the conflicts get resolved In the exposition of a story, conflict serves which essential function that many readers don't realize? * 1 point To immediately grab attention with action scenes To provide comic relief before serious events To show off the author's writing skills To establish what the characters characterization/personality, which determines what they' must learn to overcome as they face more problems

In a single domesticated grain seed, one might see the bud of great civilizations. The birth of agriculture was a turning point in humans' social development, as stable food supplies enabled people to transcend the constraints of food gained by hunting and gathering. After that, people were able to settle down and experience population booms. As one of the major areas around the globe where agriculture originated, China has contributed to the world's domesticated rice, millet, buckwheat and soybeans. Archaeological studies have unveiled that the planting of rice originated around 10,000 years ago in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, leading to the eventual replacement there of hunting and gathering practices dating back 5,000 to 6,000 years. "It marked the formation of a rice-based agricultural society in the area," said Zhao Zhijun, an archaeologist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Archaeological studies of the origins of rice-based agriculture are an important part of a national project tracing the origins of Chinese civilization itself. President Xi Jinping has greatly valued the project. At a group study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on May 27, 2022, Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, emphasized the significance of the project and the role that archaeological studies play in better understanding Chinese civilization. The project to trace the origins of Chinese civilization, in addition to finding signs of human activity more than 1 million years ago, has also proved that China's history includes 10,000 years of culture and more than 5,000 years of civilization. The project has provided clear knowledge of the origins and formation of Chinese civilization, the history of its development, the process of the formation and development of its pluralistic and integrated pattern, and the characteristics of the civilization and why it was formed in such a way, he added. This was not the first time that Xi emphasized the importance of the origin-tracing project. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, Xi has toured more than 100 historical and cultural locations and issued many instructions related to archaeology and the origin-tracing project. During the 23rd group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in 2020, Xi called for giving more attention to archaeological research and letting historical facts speak for themselves. "This will provide strong support for our efforts to carry forward the best of traditional Chinese culture and increase our cultural confidence," said Xi. The origin-tracing project has been carried out since 2002. Its ongoing fifth phase, which started in 2020, involves the participation of more than 500 researchers from 29 institutes across the country. It primarily centers on several ancient capital sites, including the Liangzhu site in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, the Taosi site in Xiangfen county, Shanxi province, the Shimao site in Shenmu, Shaanxi province, and the Erlitou site in Luoyang, Henan province, from 3,500 to 5,500 years ago, as well as other settlements mainly along the basins of the Yellow, Yangtze and Liaohe rivers. The project has also expanded to a wider geographic and chronological framework to decode how Chinese civilization emerged and how its diverse elements formed a unity. Excavation of the Liangzhu site, which is over 5,000 years old and is one of the major sites covered in the origin-tracing project, has yielded an inner city covering 3 million square meters and an outer city of 6.3 million sq m, making it the world's largest capital at the time. It also had a giant water control system, which contributed to the formation of a rice-based agricultural society. By calculating the earthwork volume, archaeologists found that building the entire ancient city, the water control system and Mojiaoshan — a 10-meter-tall man-made terrace in the center of the city — required 10,000 people working daily for seven-and-a-half years. The discoveries show that Liangzhu had a kingship able to organize people for large-scale public construction, and its social differentiation, emergence of the city concept and existence of a kingship prove that it became a civilized society, said Wang Wei, a veteran archaeologist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Significant topic Wang said that tracing the origins of a civilization is a significant topic in the research of human history. Over the years, the Chinese project has provided China's answer to how to define civilizations. In 2022, Xi commended the efforts and stressed that the project has made creative contributions to the research on tracing the origins of the world's civilizations. Wang said: "International academia has proposed three indispensable elements for a civilized society based on features of Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations: written characters, metallurgy and the city concept. But we can find that some of the three elements were absent in many ancient civilizations. For example, the Mayan civilization had no metallurgy, while the Incan civilization didn't have written characters." Western scholars believe that Chinese civilization began with the Yinxu Ruins in Anyang, Henan province, a capital of the late Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC), based on the discovery of inscribed oracle bones from that time. However, Chinese archaeologists don't agree. With continued archaeological research, international academia now believes that places around the world can propose criteria for civilization based on their own ancient social development. China's archaeological studies have shaped the nation's criteria in defining a civilization: the development of productivity, an increase in population, the appearance of cities, social differentiation and the emergence of kingship and state. "These criteria are suitable for identifying other civilizations as well," said Wang. "Civilizations have in common the appearance of kingship and state. They are only different in the ways of imposing kingship and the forms of state." In China, kingship and state "were shown by exquisite jade and bronze ritual artifacts, grand palaces and magnificent mausoleums imitating aboveground palaces", he added. "In Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, they were demonstrated through superb stone temples, pyramids and large-scale tombs." Multidisciplinary subject President Xi said in 2020 that archaeologists should work closely with researchers from other fields to make an interpretive analysis of material remains. Zhang Chi, a professor of archaeology at Peking University, said that since material remains are often the research focus of archaeological studies, these should not only be observed with the eyes, but also studied using scientific and technological tools. Therefore, from the perspective of research methods, archaeology is by nature a multidisciplinary subject, Zhang added.

On 8 August 1967, five leaders – the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – sat down together in the main hall of the Department of Foreign Affairs building in Bangkok, Thailand and signed a document. By virtue of that document, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was born. The five Foreign Ministers who signed it – Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso R. Ramos of the Philippines, Tun Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand – would subsequently be hailed as the Founding Fathers of probably the most successful inter-governmental organization in the developing world today. And the document that they signed would be known as the ASEAN Declaration. It was a short, simply-worded document containing just five articles. It declared the establishment of an Association for Regional Cooperation among the Countries of Southeast Asia to be known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and spelled out the aims and purposes of that Association. These aims and purposes were about cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields, and in the promotion of regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter. It stipulated that the Association would be open for participation by all States in the Southeast Asian region subscribing to its aims, principles and purposes. It proclaimed ASEAN as representing “the collective will of the nations of Southeast Asia to bind themselves together in friendship and cooperation and, through joint efforts and sacrifices, secure for their peoples and for posterity the blessings of peace, freedom and prosperity.” It was while Thailand was brokering reconciliation among Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia over certain disputes that it dawned on the four countries that the moment for regional cooperation had come or the future of the region would remain uncertain. Recalls one of the two surviving protagonists of that historic process, Thanat Khoman of Thailand: “At the banquet marking the reconciliation between the three disputants, I broached the idea of forming another organization for regional cooperation with Adam Malik. Malik agreed without hesitation but asked for time to talk with his government and also to normalize relations with Malaysia now that the confrontation was over. Meanwhile, the Thai Foreign Office prepared a draft charter of the new institution. Within a few months, everything was ready. I therefore invited the two former members of the Association for Southeast Asia (ASA), Malaysia and the Philippines, and Indonesia, a key member, to a meeting in Bangkok. In addition, Singapore sent S. Rajaratnam, then Foreign Minister, to see me about joining the new set-up. Although the new organization was planned to comprise only the ASA members plus Indonesia, Singapore’s request was favorably considered.” And so in early August 1967, the five Foreign Ministers spent four days in the relative isolation of a beach resort in Bang Saen, a coastal town less than a hundred kilometers southeast of Bangkok. There they negotiated over that document in a decidedly informal manner which they would later delight in describing as “sports-shirt diplomacy.” Yet it was by no means an easy process: each man brought into the deliberations a historical and political perspective that had no resemblance to that of any of the others. But with goodwill and good humor, as often as they huddled at the negotiating table, they finessed their way through their differences as they lined up their shots on the golf course and traded wisecracks on one another’s game, a style of deliberation which would eventually become the ASEAN ministerial tradition. Now, with the rigors of negotiations and the informalities of Bang Saen behind them, with their signatures neatly attached to the ASEAN Declaration, also known as the Bangkok Declaration, it was time for some formalities. The first to speak was the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Narciso Ramos, a one-time journalist and long-time legislator who had given up a chance to be Speaker of the Philippine Congress to serve as one of his country’s first diplomats. He was then 66 years old and his only son, the future President Fidel V. Ramos, was serving with the Philippine Civic Action Group in embattled Vietnam. He recalled the tediousness of the negotiations that preceded the signing of the Declaration that “truly taxed the goodwill, the imagination, the patience and understanding of the five participating Ministers.” That ASEAN was established at all in spite of these difficulties, he said, meant that its foundations had been solidly laid. And he impressed it on the audience of diplomats, officials and media people who had witnessed the signing ceremony that a great sense of urgency had prompted the Ministers to go through all that trouble. He spoke darkly of the forces that were arrayed against the survival of the countries of Southeast Asia in those uncertain and critical times. “The fragmented economies of Southeast Asia,” he said, “(with) each country pursuing its own limited objectives and dissipating its meager resources in the overlapping or even conflicting endeavors of sister states carry the seeds of weakness in their incapacity for growth and their self-perpetuating dependence on the advanced, industrial nations. ASEAN, therefore, could marshal the still untapped potentials of this rich region through more substantial united action

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