Showing papers by "Michèle Lamont published in 2014"

Methodological Pluralism and the Possibilities and Limits of Interviewing

Abstract: Against the background of recent methodological debates pitting ethnography against interviewing, this paper offers a defense of the latter and argues for methodological pluralism and pragmatism and against methodological tribalism. Drawing on our own work and on other sources, we discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses of interviewing. We argue that concern over whether attitudes correspond to behavior is an overly narrow and misguided question. Instead we offer that we should instead consider what interviewing and other data gathering techniques are best suited for. In our own work, we suggest, we have used somewhat unusual interviewing techniques to reveal how institutional systems and the construction of social categories, boundaries, and status hierarchies organize social experience. We also point to new methodological challenges, particularly concerning the incorporation of historical and institutional dimensions into interview-based studies. We finally describe fruitful directions for future research, which may result in methodological advances while bringing together the strengths of various data collection techniques.

What is missing? Cultural processes and causal pathways to inequality

Abstract: Thispaperprovidesaframeworkforunderstandingthewaysinwhichsocialprocesses produce social inequality. Specifically, we focus on a particular type of social process that has received limited attention in the literature and in which inter-subjective meaning-making is central: cultural processes. Much of the literature on inequality has focused on the actions of dominant actors and institutions in gaining access to material and non-material resources, or on how ecological effects cause unequal access to material resources. In contrast, we focus on processes that contribute to the production (and reproduction) of inequality through the routine and takenfor-granted actions of both dominant and subordinate actors. We highlight two types of cultural processes: identification and rationalization. We describe and illustrate four processes that we consider to be significant analytical exemplars of these two types of cultural processes: racialization and stigmatization (for identification) and standardization and evaluation (for rationalization). We argue that attention to such cultural processes is critical and complementary to current explanations of social inequality.

Reflections inspired by Ethnic Boundary Making: Institutions, Power, Networks by Andreas Wimmer

Abstract: This essay engages with Wimmer's Ethnic Boundary Making to consider how cultural processes feed into inequality. It describes the strengths of the book, relates it to my early work, and draws on Lamont, Beljean, and Clair (forthcoming), to describe two types of identification processes (racialization and stigmatization) and two types of rationalization processes (standardization and evaluation) that contribute to an understanding of the relationship between symbolic and social boundaries. It stresses similarities and differences between approaches and suggests possible points for convergence.

How neo-liberalism has transformed france's symbolic boundaries?

Abstract: French society has experienced dramatic social changes over the past decades, which have resulted in a significant reshuffling of its symbolic boundaries, moving the poor and ethno-racial minorities toward the periphery of the community of those worthy of recognition, protection, and assistance.* 1 As we move into the twenty-first century, the redrawing of the lines that divide this national community needs to be better understood, as it echoes profound changes found elsewhere in Europe. While an abundance of literature details some of these changes, this essay provides a bird’s-eye view of the recent transformations in the French case in the hope of inspiring more research on the inequalities and divisions at play in contemporary France. When writing about social transformation in France, social scientists often start with a diagnosis of French republicanism and other central cultural traditions, such as Catholicism and socialism. Even though these traditions enable different types of cultural identities and behaviors, scholars agree that all three currents contributed to producing symbolic boundary patterns where internal ethno-racial differences and poverty were downplayed as principles of division. 2 Following a specific interpretation of the central tenets of liberalism, French republicanism has traditionally awarded citizens equal rights as a result of which they entered into a covenant with the state, whose role is to define and promote the common good and insure universalism by downplaying ethno-racial and religious differences between citizens. 3 Until quite recently, the fusion of this liberal republican ideology with the Marxian rhetoric of class warfare also encouraged French workers to downplay divi

How do University, Higher Education and Research Contribute to Societal Well-Being?

Abstract: It has been a real pleasure for me to come to the CHER 2013 conference held in Lausanne. I first would like to thank Christine Musselin, as the CHER president, and Gaele Goastellec, as the conference organiser, for their invitation to think more systematically about the question of the potential impact of University, Higher Education and Research on the well-being of societies.

Looking back at Social Knowledge in the Making

Abstract: In this response to comments on her book How Professors Think, Lamont discusses several points raised by discussants. She also contrasts their respective perspectives and the complementarity of their viewpoints. She identifies the questions they leave open, possible ambiguities in interpretation, as well as topics for future research.