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: This article reviewed recent work in socio-historical technology studies and discussed Relativism, reflexivity, theory, and practice, and the main body of the article is devoted to a discussion of the latter two problems.
Abstract: This article reviews recent work in socio-historical technology studies. Four problems, frequently mentioned in critical debates, are discussed—relativism, reflexivity, theory, and practice. The main body of the article is devoted to a discussion of the latter two problems. Requirements for a theory on socio-technical change are proposed, and one concrete example of a conceptual framework that meets these requirements is discussed. The second point of the article is to argue that present (science and) technology studies are now able to break away from a too academic, internalistic perspective and return to the politically relevant "Science, Technology & Society" issues that informed much of this work more than a decade ago.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the methodological issues encountered when using email as a web-based interview in on-line qualitative research, drawing on two separate research studies that used this met...
Abstract: This article explores the methodological issues encountered when using email as a web-based interview in on-line qualitative research. By drawing on two separate research studies that used this met...
251 citations
TL;DR: It appears that the Internet and mobile phone at best consolidate differences between men and women in the space-time constraints associated with everyday activities.
250 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...Despite trenchant critiques by prominent geographers and social theorists (Giddens, 1984; Harvey, 1990; Rose, 1993, for instance), we believe time-geography to be extremely valuable for our purposes for at least four reasons....
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TL;DR: In a study of the relationship between housing tenure and health, this article explored through in-depth interviews with 43 adults the extent to which home owners and social renters in the West of Scotland obtained psycho-social benefits from their homes.
Abstract: It has been said that people need the confidence, continuity and trust in the world which comprise ontological security in order to lead happy and fulfilled lives, and furthermore that ontological security can be attained more through owner occupied than rented housing. Ontological security, however, can be elusive both in a real sense and in empirical research terms. As part of a study of the relationships between housing tenure and health, we explored through in-depth interviews with 43 adults the extent to which home owners and social renters in the West of Scotland obtained psycho-social benefits from their homes. It is important to acknowledge the regional context of the study, in particular the residualised state of social rented housing in the UK and the problematic, post-industrial nature of the Scottish regional economy. Interviewees felt protected by their homes when they were in a low crime area which was more likely to be in an area of owner occupied housing. For some interviewees owner occupation provided less protection than social renting from the threat of losing the home because of the risk of repossession. Inhabiting a house rather than a flat could promote autonomy over the home, as could having skills or income to carry out repairs and maintenance. Owner occupation was thought to be more prestigious than social renting, but whether being prestigious was desirable was sometimes contested. Interviewees also talked about ontological security in terms of the home being a site of constancy but this runs counter to the restless tendency to move house in order to progress in society and move up the housing ladder.
250 citations
Cites background or methods from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...This base could be a personality trait, such as an inner sense of coherence (Antonovsky, 1987) or hardiness (Kobasa, 1979), a loving person such as a care giver or partner (Laing, 1965; Ainsworth, 1985; Bowlby, 1988) or simply the normal routine of everyday life (Giddens, 1984, 1991)....
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...The term “ontological security” appears to have been rst used by Laing (1965) and then later taken up by Giddens (1984) who de nes ontological security as: The confidence that most human beings have in the continuity of their self identity and in the constancy of their social and material…...
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TL;DR: In this article, the social processes involved in the formation of large agglomerated villages in the Neolithic of the Near East and Anatolia, with particular reference to Catalhoyuk in central Turkey, are discussed.
Abstract: This article is concerned with the social processes involved in the formation of large agglomerated villages in the Neolithic of the Near East and Anatolia, with particular reference to Catalhoyuk in central Turkey. The article aims to show that practice theories (dealing with how social rules are learned in daily practice within the house) can be used to interpret the patterning of recurrent construction and use activities within domestic space at Catalhoyuk. The regulation of social practices in the house created village-wide social rules, but it is argued that the habituated behavior was also commemorative and involved in the construction of social memory. Sitewide and house-based specific memories are documented at Catalhoyuk. The evidence for habituated practice and social memory at other sites is briefly discussed, and is argued to be relevant for the formation of settled agricultural societies.
249 citations
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