Contemporary society

About: Contemporary society is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3991 publications have been published within this topic receiving 91755 citations.

Commoning in the new society

Abstract: This article provides a meta-level framework which radically critiques the routine terms of reference with which we operate in a TINA (there is no alternative) society. Refusing the terms of reference for both the articulation of the 'problems' of contemporary society, and their possible resolutions, this article challenges core ideas about the nature of history, the individual, progress and development itself. It posits a convivial life as a realistic lifeworld for fully autonomous people in a commons-based society.

The Reluctant Welfare State: American Social Welfare Policies: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract: Written in clear, lively prose and supported by Jannson's impeccable research, this highly respected book analyzes the evolution of the American welfare state from colonial times to present--not only covering three centuries of historical developments, but contemporary policies in the first years of the 21st century--and it places social policy in its political, cultural, and societal context. Using social policy history as a catalyst, Jansson invites students to think critically about issues, developments, and policies in prior eras and in contemporary society, and he inspires students to develop their own "policy identity." This book uniquely links social welfare policy to an empowerment perspective, showing how African Americans, Latinos, women, gays and lesbians, Asian Americans, Native Americans, the elderly, poor people, and other vulnerable populations, as well as social reformers, have achieved progressive reforms through policy advocacy. By making these powerful connections among historical events, current social welfare policy, and the profession of social work, Jannson illustrates how a deep understanding of the past can inform our present and future actions.

Diversity and its discontents : cultural conflict and common ground in contemporary American society

Abstract: Never before has the legitimacy of a dominant American culture been so hotly contested as over the past two decades. Familiar terms such as culture wars, multiculturalism, moral majority, and family values all suggest a society fragmented by the issue of cultural diversity. So does any social solidarity exist among Americans? In Diversity and Its Discontents, a group of leading sociologists, political theorists, and social historians seek to answer this question empirically by exploring ideological differences, theoretical disputes, social processes, and institutional change. Together they present a broad yet penetrating look at American life in which cultural conflict has always played a part. Many of the findings reveal that this conflict is no more or less rampant now than in the past, and that the terms of social solidarity in the United States have changed as the society itself has changed. The volume begins with reflections on the sources of the current "culture wars" and goes on to show a number of parallel situations throughout American history--some more profound than today's conflicts. The contributors identify political vicissitudes and social changes in the late twentieth century that have formed the backdrop to the "wars," including changes in immigration, marriage, family structure, urban and residential life, and expression of sexuality. Points of agreement are revealed between the left and the right in their diagnoses of American culture and society, but the essays also show how the claims of both sides have been overdrawn and polarized. The volume concludes that above all, the antagonists of the culture wars have failed to appreciate the powerful cohesive forces in Americans' outlooks and institutions, forces that have, in fact, institutionalized many of the "radical" changes proposed in the 1960s. Diversity and Its Discontents brings sound empirical evidence, theoretical sophistication, and tempered judgment to a cultural episode in American history that has for too long been clouded by ideological rhetoric. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Seyla Benhabib, Jean L. Cohen, Reynolds Farley, Claude S. Fischer, Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., John Higham, David A. Hollinger, Steven Seidman, Marta Tienda, David Tyack, R. Stephen Warner, Robert Wuthnow, and Viviana A. Zelizer.