Showing papers in "Sociologija in 2010"

The Catch 22 syndrome of social scientists in the semiperiphery: Exploratory sociological observations

Abstract: This paper describes the parochial predicament of the social sciences by looking at world sociology in its Janus-like face: on the one hand we focus on the intellectual, political, and sometimes even ethical compromises that social scientists in European semiperipheral countries forgo in order to gain acceptance and recognition in world sociology On the other hand we show how these compromises paradoxically impoverish intellectual potentialities in the major centers of academic excellence too In the analyses we focus on different interrelated facets of scholarly work where these paradoxes take shape: problem setting and conceptualization, the hierarchy of scholarly publications, the definition of excellence through citation patterns, scientific conferences, and lastly, funding schemes for research We argue that the social and the political organization of the World System of Science jeopardizes free access to multiple and plural perspectives of the social A potential source of ideas, theories, and paradigms is hampered by the hierarchical division of labor between scientists in the centers of science and their peers in semiperipheral countries, whose knowledge remains unutilized and sidelined

Culturalism: From idea to unconscious presupposition

Abstract: The authors argue that the ideas found in the harder versions of multiculturalism have already been supported by the mid-20th century social-cultural anthropology - both in the scholarly works and in the political activism of its proponents. This form of cultural relativism, making the leap from anthropological method to ontological claims about the organic essence of cultures, is hereby named “culturalism”. By this notion the authors understand a theory of culture that includes central anthropological ideas: a culture precedes and determines individuals belonging to it; cultures have unlimited freedom to generate differences, uninhibited by any human nature; cultures form closed, organic units where all their different articulations, from gastronomy to theology, form an unbreakable whole which implies that these value systems are unique and in no way may be compared with, or judged against, other value systems. Cultural relativism formulated in the American anthropology of the 1940’s and onwards is far from being a simple doctrine. It consists of a whole cluster of loosely connected facts, axioms, propositions, ranging from the completely unproblematic, to strongly problematic and even hardly understandable ideas. All those statements have been critically scrutinized in this paper.

Bourdieu and social movements theories: Some preliminary remarks on a possible conceptual cross-fertilization in the context of (post-)Yugoslav anti-war and peace activism

Abstract: This paper puts forth and calls for further unpacking of a potentially fruitful conceptual cross-fertilization between various social movements theories and Bourdieu’s sociology of practice. Following some of my most important predecessors, I argue that this theoretical hybridization could accommodate many threads of social movements research that otherwise would not cohere into a rounded theory. Bourdieu’s powerful conceptual armoury is both parsimonious and flexible and seems particularly well-suited to address the problematic issues pertaining to agency and structure in the field of social movements. In the second section of the paper, I call for an exploration of Yugoslav anti-war and pacifist activism immediately before and during the wars of Yugoslav succession. I perceive a number of politically and organizationally heterogeneous initiatives, taking place throughout the demised country, as a case that can be used to empirically test the proposed theoretical considerations. Yugoslav anti-war and pacifist activism has yet to receive the sociological attention that it deserves. It is a complex social phenomenon calling for a sophisticated and systematic examination which should position it between its antecedents - the embryonic forms of extra-institutional engagement during Yugoslav communism - and its divergent posterity, mostly circumscribed within the national fields of non-governmental organizations.

Organizational growth of SMEs in Serbia: Governance as a built-in limiting growth factor

Abstract: The aim of the study is to investigate the characteristics of governance structures in three Serbian medium-sized enterprises and, particularly, whether the corporate governance influences organizational growth prospects of these firms. The results suggest that in all the companies owners held a tight personal control over all activities, not being willing to delegate any authority to professional managers. This unwillingness of owners to delegate authority actually presents the main barrier for further organizational growth for their firms, and such behavior is, we believe, deeply rooted in the values of the Serbian national culture.

Identities and family value orientations in the Balkans

Abstract: According to Giddens, the modern self is bewildered by the growing variety of possible identities on offer. In the transitional period Balkan countries are currently facing, we can observe a dynamic interplay of traditional and new identities. Traditional identities on one hand change under the pressure of new ones, and on the other put up certain resistance to possible changes. In this paper the authors present a comparative analysis of identification and identities in Serbia, Bulgaria and Macedonia, based on the findings of empirical research. By establishing similarities and differences between identity dynamics in these countries, it becomes possible to account for identity trends in them. In a separate section, family value orientations are examined as cultural frames of reference of identity constructions. Their analytical deconstruction is accomplished through the prism of relatively structured gender relations and a particular, 'desired' pattern of family values.

Media and postmodern reality

Abstract: The paper tackles the ideas of key postmodern theoreticians on the role of the media in contemporary societies. The aim is to show that according to postmodern theory the media have become the leading factor in contemporary social processes marked by the loss of sense of historical continuity in everyday human experience. Postmodern theoreticians claim that, since the media system, which has come to wholly encompass reality at the turn of this century, is unable to reclaim the past, human existence has found itself in the ceaseless schizophrenic present. Simulations of events that once were and come back to us today like a string of anachronistic media notions about the past, bring us into the state of historical amnesia. The media, and cinema above all, are the main catalyst of this process, as well as of what postmodernists call the new superficiality and shallowness of social life. Postmodern reality is characterized by a simulation of history which didn't happen; today people are exposed to pseudo-experience emerging from constant exposure to the simulacrum of historical events. In place of conclusion, Baudrillard's interpretation of the Gulf War as a virtual media event is offered.

Women in academic profession and male domination

Abstract: This paper presents a case study of women in the academic teaching profession in the context of the Criminal Police Academy, a Belgrade higher education institution of a typically male-dominant type. The aim of the paper is to describe and analyze women's current position and upward career mobility, as well as to discover the causes and mechanisms limiting their weaker (slower) professional recognition. Multiple case method was deployed, on the basis of data collected from various sources: relevant literature on gender inequality of women in the academic profession, official documents of the institution in which the study was conducted, and personal life stories of women research subjects taken through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that women who are part of a masculine climate in their academic teaching profession and in their personal life, are arguably in a subordinate position compared to men, and accept their position as quite natural. The research was limited to six typical cases, so that the conclusions may be generalized only with the greatest care; however, researchers who are interested in checking the study's objectivity and validity are provided with the adequate basis for further testing. The research shows that personal perspectives and testimonies of women can contribute to a deeper understanding of their disadvantage in academia, while at the same time contributing to the sociology of the 'individual' and the 'qualitative' by expanding the database on gender issues.

The importance of psychoeducation in systemic family therapy alcoholic treatment

Abstract: The main goal of the paper was to analyze the impact of psychoeducation in alcoholism therapy treatment on initial motivation and comprehension, change in attitudes to alcoholism, and beginning of creating a new value system. The sample consisted of 166 respondents (83 married couples) that had been involved in one-year systemic group family therapy alcoholic treatment (with the man being alcoholic). A questionnaire on knowledge about alcoholism was used. The respondents were tested three times - at the beginning of the treatment, after 6 months, and after one year. The results showed that the level of education had increased through three phases of the treatment, that motivation changed from initial to substantial, that the comprehension had also changed, turning family system into a more functional model of living. Statistically significant difference in level of education between phase 1 and phase 3 of the family therapy was confirmed. In conclusion, the authors argue for the importance of psychoeducation as a method in treating alcoholism.

Arguments pro and con of the 'enhancement' of human beings through genetic intervention

Abstract: The paper aims to explain two basic standpoints regarding the enhancement of human beings through genetic engineering. Savulescu seems to be starting from a technoprogressive, (neo)liberal orientation, while Fukuyama's position implies a step back - to (bio)conservatism, returning to the natural human rights. These opposing general attitudes reflect the same aspiration - towards greater control and monitoring by the state for the benefit of individuals and (or) humankind. While Fukuyama justifies the narrow use of biotechnology for the purpose of therapy and prevention of disease, so far Savulescu goes a step further, understanding 'enhancement' to include increasing the length and quality of life, and focuses exclusively on genetic intervention for this purpose. Discussing the same problems Fukuyama lists several reasons why we should limit the use of biotechnology - reasons of religious, utilitarian and philosophical nature. In this paper, arguments for and against genetic intervention are discussed, while cited examples are commented ad hoc.

Tradition and modernization: European perspectives of culture in the Balkans

Abstract: Layers of historic heritage and modern tendencies interlace in the culture of the present-day Balkans. Eurointegration of the Balkans faces numerous challenges. On one side, the so-called Eurooptimism is awakening, while on the other, fears of losing cultural and national identities are growing ever stronger amongst Balkan peoples. Is it possible to integrate the societies of the Balkans into the European Union, and retain the particularities of the cultural tradition of the peoples of this region? The answer to this question demands a complex and multidisciplinary analysis, especially when the contemporary Serbian society is concerned. Organized conservative forces are standing in the way of modernization, resisting any modern invention and creative initiative coming from the so-called Other Serbia. The issue is subjected to cultural-sociological analysis in this paper, supported, particularly regarding the situation in Serbia, by the findings of a several-years empirical study conducted within a research project organized by the Center for Sociological Research of the Faculty of Philosophy in Nis.

Childhood in the discourse of the politics of equal recognition

Abstract: The starting point of the analysis is the claim that the idea of childhood is not derived from immaturity as a biological fact of life but from the facts of culture. Childhood is a historical, social and cultural construct. It was 'discovered' retrospectively, after the moderns began ascribing more significance to everyday life, taking care of the little things in it - marriage, family, education. The idea of childhood, it is argued, is intimately connected with bestowing importance to everyday life and mundanity. Arguing in favor of a radical break with the 'misrecognition' of childhood - a representation based on an image that is constraining, humiliating, and often contemptuous towards children - the author provides a theoretical synthesis of the new paradigm in the sociology of childhood with Charles Taylor's politics of recognition. Coupling the idea of childhood with the politics of recognition results in the awareness that the world is no longer just the world of adults, that it has stopped being a reality inherent only to adult people.

Gender inequality: The challenge of contemporary demography

Abstract: Gender perspective is a heuristic device in researching social phenomena, and gender inequality is a social fact which requires an adequate answer. Also, social differences between women and men are examined as relevant factors of demographic phenomena. The contemporary demography is opening up space not only for the gender aspect, but also for gender inequality as a relevant research topic. This paper discusses the possibilities of demographic approach to studying social inequality between women and men. By analyzing socio-demographic structures and their dynamics insight is obtained into the generality, tendencies and particular features of the phenomenon. This is the specifically demographic contribution to understanding gender inequality.

Innovation and social interests

Abstract: The paper focuses on socially and historically structured circumstances surrounding and moral problems involved in the pragmatic definition of innovation as 'novelty proven useful by its users'. Contending conceptions and strategies of innovation of the organization of social relations in dialectical social systems are compared and socially and historically contextualized in the so-called 'transition countries' on the new Eastern border of the European Union. The conclusion is that the cited pragmatic definition of innovation may be misused for an apology of morally dubious new ends and means in the narrow interest of particular groups of users, often at the expense and against the interest of a majority of other individuals and social groups.

Habermas' concept of systemic colonization of lifeworld

Abstract: This paper aims at comprehending the specific nature of Habermas' critical perspective on modernization, defined through the concept of systemic colonization of the lifeworld. The comprehension should be reached through a relatively detailed analysis of the fundamental elements and insights of the theory of communicative action. The first to be analyzed should be the conceptual apparatus that Habermas develops on the basis of synthesizing Mead's symbolic interactionism and Durkheim's concept of social development. Then the paper focuses on the complex concept of lifeworld, that Habermas formulates on the grounds of this conceptual apparatus. The focus of the paper is on understanding Habermas' concept of colonization as a specific communicative-theoretic reinterpretation of the analysis of reification. In the final part, the weaknesses of Habermas' approach to the phenomenon of colonization are considered, such as neglecting the question of contemporary forms of colonization, as well as the overall defensive nature and rationalistic reductionism of his theory.

Lustration in Europe and Serbia: The motivation for passing the laws on lustration and their social functions

Abstract: The main topic of this article are the motives that led to the adoption of lustration laws in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Serbia, and their social functions. In the opening section, lustration is placed in the wider framework of dealing with the past and two possible approaches to the phenomenon are discussed: to take it as part of the broader process of decommunization, or a measure of transitional justice. In the next section an attempt at defining the concept of lustration is made, with a view to eliminating some ambiguities surrounding it. Subsequently, two partially complementary theoretical models explaining the occurrence, form and severity of dealing with the past and lustration are presented. After that comes the description of the socio-political context at the time of the adoption of lustration laws in the three countries and identification of political and ideological forces that have supported or challenged it. Finally, the article attempts to answer the question whether lustration is a legitimate measure of settling historical justice, overcoming the legacies of socialism, a way to strengthen liberal democracy, or merely a tool in political struggles for power.

Citation analysis of the University of Priština located in Kosovska Mitrovica

Abstract: Paper gives the results of the first ever performed scientometric research and citation analysis and assessment of the full-time faculty of the University of Pristina located in Kosovska Mitrovica (University of KM). Lists of most cited scientists, researchers and Professors employed at the University of KM are presented, as well as lists of their most cited scientific papers. Scientometrics results are obtained by using well-known and efficient web browsers and index citation databases. H-index and G-index are calculated for individuals and for the entire University of KM. The results presented in this paper are only a part of results obtained in the pioneering research aimed to assess the quality of individuals and activities at the University of KM by using up-to-date scientometric and bibliometric methods. The main objective of the research is to enhance the transparency of research, scientific and teaching activities at the University of KM. Objective evidence on the University of KM and other Serbian universities is absolutely necessary in order to put together an adequate action plan to improve the quality of higher education and university system in the Republic of Serbia.

Sociologist in the total institution

Abstract: On the basis of empirical experience from practical work this paper discusses the real place and role of the sociologist in the prison, as a total institution, where sociologists are employed as educators, along with other professions (psychologists, educationalists, social workers, etc.), and usually closely cooperating with lawyers. According to the current work regulations, and on the basis of practice so far, the sociologist can work as classical educator, to be in charge of educational groups of inmates, work in the reception department on assessing incoming inmates, and to organize inmates' leisure time by directing them towards pro-social and creative activities (music, painting, reading, etc.). New reform trends in working with inmates suggest new work methods, such as creative workshops, counselling in the sphere of substance abuse and dependency, or expert teams in working with minors. In the prison, the sociologist is indispensable as a researcher of criminal activities.