Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@@The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration.
TL;DR: Giddens as mentioned in this paper has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade and outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form.
Abstract: Anthony Giddens has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade. In "The Constitution of Society" he outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form. A particular feature is Giddens' concern to connect abstract problems of theory to an interpretation of the nature of empirical method in the social sciences. In presenting his own ideas, Giddens mounts a critical attack on some of the more orthodox sociological views. "The Constitution of Society" is an invaluable reference book for all those concerned with the basic issues in contemporary social theory.
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TL;DR: The authors explored the role of actors and agency in the literature on sustainability transitions and found that actor roles in transitions are erratic, since their roles can change over the course of time, and that actors can belong to different categories.
Abstract: This article explores the role of actors and agency in the literature on sustainability transitions. We reviewed 386 journal articles on transition management and sustainability transitions listed in Scopus from 1995 to 2014. We investigate the thesis that actors have been neglected in this literature in favor of more abstract system concepts. Results show that this thesis cannot be confirmed on a general level. Rather, we find a variety of different approaches, depending on the systemic level, for clustering actors and agency as niche, regime, and landscape actors; the societal realm; different levels of governance; and intermediaries. We also differentiate between supporting and opposing actors. We find that actor roles in transitions are erratic, since their roles can change over the course of time, and that actors can belong to different categories. We conclude by providing recommendations for a comprehensive typology of actors in sustainability transitions.
293 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors aim to clarify the relationship between organisational structures and individual brand supporting behaviour by modelling the social transformation process and outlining why and how leadership is important throughout the internal brand building process.
Abstract: Purpose – The paper aims to clarify the relationship between organisational structures and individual brand supporting behaviour. It proposes modelling the social transformation process and outlining why and how leadership is important throughout the internal brand building process. The study aims to expand the domain of corporate branding by including a broader range of human resource and leadership‐related aspects than is normally found in the branding literature.Design/methodology/approach – The paper opted for an exploratory study using the open‐ended approach of grounded theory, including 30 depth interviews and one expert group discussion with employees representing middle and senior management having mainly a marketing and corporate communications background. The data were complemented by documentary analysis, including brand documents, descriptions of internal processes, and copies of employee magazine articles.Findings – The paper provides empirical insights about how change is brought about duri...
293 citations
TL;DR: This work proposes an approach to research evaluation that encourages reflexive dialogue through use of an evaluation agenda, and shifts attention from rule-based judgment to Reflexive dialogue.
Abstract: Evaluation is essential for research quality and development, but the diversity of traditions that characterize qualitative research suggests that general checklists or shared criteria for evaluation are problematic. We propose an approach to research evaluation that encourages reflexive dialogue through use of an evaluation agenda. In proposing an evaluation agenda we shift attention from rule-based judgment to reflexive dialogue. Unlike criteria, an agenda may embrace pluralism, and does not request consensus on ontological, epistemological, and methodological issues, only consensus on what themes warrant discussion. We suggest an evaluation agenda-EPICURE-with two dimensions communicated through use of two acronyms.The first, EPIC, refers to the challenge of producing rich and substantive accounts based on engagement, processing, interpretation, and (self-)critique. The second-CURE-refers to the challenge of dealing with preconditions and consequences of research, with a focus on (social) critique, usefulness, relevance, and ethics. The seven items of the composite agenda EPICURE are presented and exemplified. Features and implications of the agenda approach to research evaluation are then discussed.
293 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...…of double hermeneutics; the researcher interprets situations in which the involved participants are already involved in interpretations of the same situation, and they might also engage in interpretations of the researcher and of the researcher’s interpretations (see Giddens, 1986/1989, p. 284)....
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TL;DR: Pairing computational methods and social theory offers a new perspective on how gender emerges as individuals position themselves relative to audiences, topics, and mainstream gender norms.
Abstract: We present a study of the relationship between gender, linguistic style, and social networks, using a novel corpus of 14,000 Twitter users. Prior quantitative work on gender often treats this social variable as a female/male binary; we argue for a more nuanced approach. By clustering Twitter users, we find a natural decomposition of the dataset into various styles and topical interests. Many clusters have strong gender orientations, but their use of linguistic resources sometimes directly conflicts with the population-level language statistics. We view these clusters as a more accurate reflection of the multifaceted nature of gendered language styles. Previous corpus-based work has also had little to say about individuals whose linguistic styles defy population-level gender patterns. To identify such individuals, we train a statistical classifier, and measure the classifier confidence for each individual in the dataset. Examining individuals whose language does not match the classifier's model for their gender, we find that they have social networks that include significantly fewer same-gender social connections and that, in general, social network homophily is correlated with the use of same-gender language markers. Pairing computational methods and social theory thus offers a new perspective on how gender emerges as individuals position themselves relative to audiences, topics, and mainstream gender norms.
291 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...nder, it is easy to forget that social categories are built out of individual interactions, and that the category of gender cannot be separated from other aspects of identity (see also Bourdieu 1977; Giddens 1984; Sewell 1992). For example, there is a relationship between sports and gender—but is it the case that masculinity is the same for baseball fans and wrestling fans? While technology and sports cluster...
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...GENDER AND VARIATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA 23 Social categories such as gender cannot be separated from other aspects of identity (see also Bourdieu 1977; Giddens 1984; Sewell, Jr. 1992)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared levels of residential and work tract segregation for native-born and immigrant groups in a large U.S. metropolitan area, Los Angeles, and found that segregation by work tract is considerably lower than by residential tract, suggesting more intergroup interaction takes place during working hours than at home.
Abstract: When scholars map the urban geography of racial and ethnic segregation, they privilege the time when people are at home. When workers commute, however, the tract of residence of one group often becomes the tract of employment of others. It follows that an exclusive focus on the residential geographies of racial groups erases the presence of others who work in those neighborhoods. Not only does this analytical orientation create a false impression of a city's racialized spaces as fixed, but it also misleadingly characterizes neighborhoods as the domain of those who live, rather than work, in them. In addressing this oversight, the study compares levels of residential and work tract segregation for native-born and immigrant groups in a large U.S. metropolitan area, Los Angeles. The analysis reveals that segregation by work tract is considerably lower than by residential tract, suggesting more intergroup interaction takes place during working hours than at home. The difference in segregation between...
290 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...The theorization and analysis of the diurnal patterns of social interactions and the time-space geographies of social networks has a long and distinguished history (e.g., Hägerstrand 1970; Pred 1977; Giddens 1984; Gregory 1989; D. Massey 1999; Schnell and Yoav 2001; Weber and Kwan 2002)....
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...The theorization and analysis of the diurnal patterns of social interactions and the time-space geographies of social networks has a long and distinguished history (e.g., Hägerstrand 1970; Pred 1977; Giddens 1984; Gregory 1989; D. Massey 1999; Schnell and Yoav 2001; Weber and Kwan 2002)....
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