Journal•ISSN: 1522-3442
Sociological Practice
Springer Science+Business Media
About: Sociological Practice is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Community development & Service-learning. It has an ISSN identifier of 1522-3442. Over the lifetime, 165 publications have been published receiving 1184 citations.
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98 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The applied social sciences have shifted for themselves, growing rapidly but in a trial-and-error fashion and with little assistance from the theorist as discussed by the authors, who carried with them the suspicion that such a social scientist had somehow betrayed his vow of dispassionate objectivity and had sold his scientific heritage for a tasteless mess of popularity.
Abstract: Not so long ago the words "social engineer" were a term of opprobrium. They carried with them the suspicion that such a social scientist had somehow betrayed his vow of dispassionate objectivity and had sold his scientific heritage for a tasteless mess of popularity. This fastidious judgment was congenial to a stable society confident in the capacity of its established routines to cope with familiar tensions. It made sense also in a culture which had an unshaken belief in progress, rationality, and justice, and an optimistic faith that each new generation would automatically outdistance its predecessors. (7) As these assumptions no longer appear transparently self-evident, there emerge such pragmatic disciplines as disaster research, industrial sociology, military sociology, propaganda and communications research, and group dynamics to mention only a few. Today, the growth of such organizations as HUMRO, RAND Corporation, The Air Forces Institute, and others, indicates the rapid transition to a more honorific and powerful place for the applied social sciences. The applied social sciences have shifted for themselves, growing rapidly but in a trial-and-error fashion and with little assistance from the theorist.
86 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the relationship between social support and recidivism is explored and recommendations are offered to enhance the transition from prison to public life. But the support system for the ex-felon has many beneficial aspects, it can do very little to counter the institutional barriers and deficiencies that exist with the present penal system.
Abstract: This study explores the relationship between social support and recidivism. Although the support system for the ex-felon has many beneficial aspects, it can do very little to counter the institutional barriers and deficiencies that exist with the present penal system. Recommendations are offered to enhance the transition from prison to public life.
60 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a description of a culturally sensitive mitigation strategy, the "Talking Circle", and its application to Alaska Natives negatively impacted by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Abstract: Technological disasters are unique in that they result in long-term social impacts. The mitigation of such impacts is an area that has received little attention in both the disaster and the applied sociology literatures. This article presents a description of a culturally sensitive mitigation strategy, the “Talking Circle,” and its application to Alaska Natives negatively impacted by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Talking Circles are a traditional social activity for Alaska Natives and this activity was organized and implemented by members of the Village of Eyak in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The 2-day event resulted in many testimonies about personal experiences with the oil spill. Post-Talking Circle activities by Eyak Village members indicate increased cultural awareness and political mobilization. These findings suggest that this mitigation strategy promoted cultural consciousness among victims experiencing chronic disaster impacts and resulted in a “transforming activity” for the Native Village of Eyak.
59 citations