Outline of a Theory of Practice.
About: This article is published in Contemporary Sociology.The article was published on 1980-03-01. It has received 14683 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Practice theory.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the emotional dimensions of human mobility and transnational family life and argue that feelings of non-belonging are part and parcel of human nature and thus not restricted to migrants, experiences of loss and homelessness can be directly caused by migrant specific predicaments.
Abstract: This paper explores the emotional dimensions of human mobility and transnational family life. The author argues that while feelings of non-belonging are part and parcel of human nature and thus not restricted to migrants, experiences of loss and homelessness can be directly caused by migrant-specific predicaments. After a discussion of some of the recent debates around transnationalism and emotions, and an introduction of the major themes that link the papers in the Special Issue, the author reflects on her own experiences of transnational care. The analysis focuses on issues such as family obligations, moral expectations, the experiential dialectics of proximity and distance, and the impact of changing communication technology on emotional processes. The paper uses a theoretical perspective that examines emotions as discourses, practices and embodied experiences.
119 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors distinguish between two contrasting conceptions of personal agency, i.e., the power of agency and agentic power, by referring to material taken from Weber's essay The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
Abstract: The concept of agency, although central to many sociological debates, has remained frustratingly elusive to pin down. This article is an attempt to open up what has been called the “black box” of personal agency by distinguishing clearly between two contrasting conceptions of the phenomenon. These two conceptions are very apparent in the manner in which the concept is defined in sociological reference works, resembling as it does a similar contrast in the treatment of the concept of power. The two are referred to as type 1 and type 2 or the power of agency as compared with agentic power, the essential contrast being that the first refers to an actor's ability to initiate and maintain a program of action while the second refers to an actor's ability to act independently of the constraining power of social structure. The nature of these two forms of personal agency is then illustrated by referring to material taken from Weber's essay The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, this essay itself being...
119 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The authors examined the induction experiences of new teachers of color in urban high-minority schools as they negotiate challenges about cultural identifications and found that new teachers may find themselves challenged by students with whom they are supposedly culturally matched.
Abstract: Background: The call to recruit and retain teachers of color in urban high-minority schools is based on an assumption of a cultural match with students. Yet new teachers of color may find themselves challenged by students with whom they are supposedly culturally matched. Although past research has examined recruitment, preservice, and veteran experiences of teachers of color, little research investigates the critical novice phase. Purpose: The study examines the induction experiences of new teachers of color in urban high-minority schools as they negotiate challenges about cultural identifications. The research questions ask: How, if at all, do new teachers of color experience sociocultural challenges from students? If they do experience such challenges, how do the teachers respond to them in practice? Participants: Fifteen new teachers of color working in urban high-minority secondary schools in different subject domains in California. The participants include Latino, African American, Asian, Filipino, and biracial new teachers. Research Design: This article draws from cross-case analysis of case studies of new teachers of color on the theme of responses to sociocultural challenges. Data Collection/Analysis: Data are from teacher interviews, classroom observations, and focus groups, reflecting 3 years in the teachers’ lives. We coded the data on three levels: preliminary coding of sociocultural challenges, pattern coding of responses to challenges, and cross-case analysis.
119 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the relationship between the business and philanthropic endeavours of world-making entrepreneurs and present an original model of entrepreneurial philanthropy which demonstrates how investment in philanthropic projects can yield positive returns in cultural, social and symbolic capital, which in turn may lead to growth in economic capital.
Abstract: This paper focuses upon the relationship between the business and philanthropic endeavours of world-making entrepreneurs; asking why, how and to what ends these individuals seek to extend their reach in society beyond business. It presents an original model of entrepreneurial philanthropy which demonstrates how investment in philanthropic projects can yield positive returns in cultural, social and symbolic capital, which in turn may lead to growth in economic capital. The model is applied to interpret and make sense of the career of Andrew Carnegie, whose story, far from reducing to one of making a fortune then giving it away, is revealed as more complex and more unified. His philanthropy raised his stock within the field of power, helping convert surplus funds into social networks, high social standing and intellectual currency, enabling him to engage in world making on a grand scale.
119 citations
TL;DR: The authors surveys two broad approaches to research on the sociocultural dimensions of HL learning, one from a correlational perspective and the other from a social constructivist perspective, and concludes with a discussion of the implications of the socio-cultural complexity associated with HL learning for research and practice.
Abstract: The very notion of heritage language (HL) is a sociocultural one insofar as it is defined in terms of a group of people who speak it. Heritage languages also have a sociocultural function, both as a means of communication and as a way of identifying and transforming sociocultural groups. This article surveys two broad approaches to research on the sociocultural dimensions of HL learning. While both of these approaches acknowledge the close connection and mutual dependency between HL learning processes and sociocultural processes, they differ in that one of them takes a correlational perspective, and the other a social constructivist perspective. This article reviews a selective body of work conducted from each of the two perspectives and concludes with a discussion of the implications of the sociocultural complexity associated with HL learning for research and practice.
119 citations