Contemporary society

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

Levels of Sociocultural Integration: An Operational Concept

Abstract: M ANY ANTHROPOLOGISTS who began their careers in research on tribal societies now find themselves involved in the analysis of such complicated contemporary sociocultural systems as China, Russia, India, or the United States. It is not surprising that they bring to these newer tasks methodological tools that were devised primarily for the study of tribal society. Valuable as these tools are for many purposes, they are not adequate to deal with all the phenomena encountered either in the study of modern nations or in the analysis of the acculturation of native populations under the influence of these nations. There is some tendency to meet the difficulty by borrowing concepts and methods from the other social sciences which have had long experience in dealing with contemporary societies. Where this leads to new interdisciplinary approaches it represents healthy scientific development, but often it appears that anthropologists are ready to abandon the unique methods of their own science to imitate the other social sciences. It should be possible to revise basic anthropological concepts and methods to meet the needs of the new and enlarged subject matter. The greatest need is an adequate conceptualization of the phenomena of sociocultural systems above the tribal level. Because anthropology is distinctive in its primary concern with culture-a concept which perhaps represents its greatest contribution to the social sciences-it seems to be widely held that a general definition of culture is sufficient to dictate problem and method in the study of any culture. There would probably be no great disagreement with the bare statement that culture consists of learned modes of behavior that are socially transmitted from one generation to the next and from one society or individual to another. To have operational utility, however, this definition would have to be modified in the case of each particular kind of culture. Our present working definition of culture was devised largely for the study of tribal societies, and it does not at all meet certain needs in the analysis of the more complicated contemporary cultures. The concept of tribal culture is based on three fundamental aspects of the behavior of members of tribal societies. First, it is a construct that represents the ideal, norm, average, or expectable behavior of all members of a fairly small,

Genetics and Society: A Sociology of Disease

Abstract: Genetic science has advanced rapidly in recent years; things happen now that might have seemed like science fiction only ten years ago. Genetics and Society looks at the history of this science and the wide-ranging impact it has had on contemporary society. Using fascinating and cutting-edge examples throughout, Anne Kerr examines topics as diverse as: the institutional structures that have grown up around the diagnosis and treatment of genetic disorders. the media representation of genetic debates from designer babies to the genetic sources of alcoholism. the politics of genetic decision-making and the state regulation of both genetic research and the biomedicine industry. Each chapter begins with a summary and a definition of key terms and ends with annotated notes on further reading, meaning that it is as accessible for the layman as it is for the scientist. The resulting student-friendly text will be essential reading for anybody with an interest in genetic science and the impact it is having on society.

Society, work, and welfare in Europe

Abstract: PART ONE: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND THE PERSISTENCE OF NATIONAL DIFFERENCES Foundations of Modern Society: Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK The Making of Contemporary Societies: Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK PART TWO: CHANGING PATTERNS OF WORK AND EMPLOYMENT Employment Protection Regimes and the Regulation of Labour Markets Women and Employment The Restructuring of Work PART THREE: SOCIAL WELFARE, GENDER, POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION IN EUROPE Women and Social Policies in Europe: The Development of Gendered Welfare Regimes Poverty in Europe Conclusion: Social Exclusion in Europe

Capitalism or information society? The fundamental question of the present structure of society

Abstract: Theodor W. Adorno asked in 1968: What is the fundamental question of the present structure of society? Do we live in late capitalism or an industrial society? In today’s society, we can reformulate this question: What is the fundamental question of the present structure of society? Do we live in capitalism or an information society? This article deals with these questions. A typology of information society theories is presented. Radical discontinuous information society theories, sceptical views and continuous information society theories are distinguished. Second, an alternative concept that is grounded in Hegelian philosophy and Marxist political economy is presented. The basic argument is that the emergence of transnational informational capitalism is a transformational sublation, but not a radical one, and that informational capitalism is just one of the forms of capitalism that co-exist today. There is a unity of diversity of capitalism(s).

Towards a Theoretical Model of Social Media Surveillance in Contemporary Society.

Abstract: 'Social media’ like Facebook or Twitter have become tremendously popular in recent years. Their popularity provides new opportunities for data collection by state and private companies, which requires a critical and theoretical focus on social media surveillance. The task of this paper is to outline a theoretical framework for defining social media surveillance in the context of contemporary society, identifying its principal characteristics, and understanding its broader societal implications. Social media surveillance is a form of surveillance in which different forms of sociality and individuals different social roles converge, so that surveillance becomes a monitoring of different activities in different social roles with the help of profiles that hold a complex networked multitude of data about humans.