Showing papers on "Social change published in 1992"

Discourse and social change

Abstract: Approaches to discourse analysis Michel Foucault and the analysis of discourse a social theory of discourse intertextuality text analysis - constructing social relations and "the self", constructing social reality discourse and social change in contemporary society doing discourse analysis.

Empowering Education: Critical Teaching for Social Change

Abstract: Ira Shor is a pioneer in the field of critical education who for over twenty years has been experimenting with learning methods. His work creatively adapts the ideas of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire for North American classrooms. In Empowering Education Shor offers a comprehensive theory and practice for critical pedagogy. For Shor, empowering education is a student-centered, critical and democratic pedagogy for studying any subject matter and for self and social change. It takes shape as a dialogue in which teachers and students mutually investigate everyday themes, social issues, and academic knowledge. Through dialogue and problem-posing, students become active agents of their learning. This book shows how students can develop as critical thinkers, inspired learners, skilled workers, and involved citizens. Shor carefully analyzes obstacles to and resources for empowering education, suggesting ways for teachers to transform traditional approaches into critical and democratic ones. He offers many examples and applications for the elementary grades through college and adult education.

The Role of Parents in the Socialization of Children: An Historical Overview.

Abstract: The history of research on childhood socialization in the context of th e family is traced through the present century. The 2 major early theories—behaviorism and psychoanalytic theory—are described. These theories declined in mid-century, under the impact of failures to find empirical support. Simple reinforcement theory was seriously weakened by work on developmental psycholinguistics, attachment, modeling, and altruism. The field turne d to more domain-specific minitheories. The advent of microanalytic analyses of parent-child interaction focused attention on bidirectional processes. Views about the nature of identificatio n and its role in socialization underwent profound change. The role of "parent as teacher" was reconceptualized (with strong influence from Vygotskian thinking). There has been increasing emphasis on the role of emotion s and mutual cognitions in establishing the meaning of parent-child exchanges. The enormous asymmetry in power and competence between adults and children implies that the parent-child relationship must have a unique role in childhood socialization. The American Psychological Association's centennial is a propitious occasion for taking stock of psychology' s progress in the study of human development and to consider where developmental psychology has been, where it stands, and where it is going. Attempting to understand the socialization process has been a long-standing enterprise in both social and developmental psychology. When broadly conceived, the outcomes of interest have not changed greatly over time. That is, students of socialization continue to be concerned with the cluster of processes that lead to adults being able to function adequatel y within the requirements of the social group or groups among whom they live. Therefore the target or outcome behaviors of interest have continued to be some aspect of adequate func

Powerlessness, Empowerment, and Health: Implications for Health Promotion Programs

Abstract: Purpose and Scope. This article reviews the health and social science research relevant to both the role of powerlessness as a risk factor for disease, and the role of empowerment as a health-enhancing strategy. The research literature surveyed includes studies that address these key concepts from the fields of social epidemiology, occupational health, stress research, social psychology, community psychology, social support and networks, community competence and community organizing. Definitions are provided to operationalize these sometimes loosely-applied terms. Important Findings. Powerlessness, or lack of control over destiny, emerges as a broad-based risk factor for disease. Empowerment, though more difficult to evaluate, can also be demonstrated as an important promoter of health. Major Conclusions. Given the importance and currency of these concepts of powerlessness and empowerment, a model of empowerment education is proposed for health-promotion practitioners. Measurement of empowerment ...

Innovation and creativity at work::Psychological and organizational strategies

Abstract: This review of existing research aims to provide students and researchers with a clear perspective on this aspect of social change. The book adopts a largely psychological approach, arguing that the introduction of new ways of working can best be understood as a social process in which human reactions are vital in determining the outcome. The book therefore has major implications and recommendations for the human resource management school. The contributors, from Europe and North America, offer insights into innovation and creativity in working life.

The Concept of Social Movement

Abstract: Recent developments in social movement research have evidenced a greater underlying consensus in the field than one might have assumed. Efforts have been made to bridge different perspectives and merge them into a new synthesis. Yet, comparative discussion of the concept of ‘social movement’ has been largely neglected so far. This article reviews and contrasts systematically the definitions of ‘social movement’ formulated by some of the most influential authors in the field. A substantial convergence may be detected between otherwise very different approaches on three points at least. Social movements are defined as networks of informal interactions between a plurality of individuals, groups and/or organizations, engaged in political or cultural conflicts, on the basis of shared collective identities. It is argued that the concept is sharp enough a) to differentiate social movements from related concepts such as interest groups, political parties, protest events and coalitions; b) to identify a specific area of investigation and theorising for social movement research.

Women, violence, and social change

Abstract: Women, Violence and Social Change demonstrates how refuges and shelters stand as the core of the battered women's movement, providing a basis for pragmatic support, political action and radical renewal. From this base movements in Britain and the United States have challenged the police, courts and social services to provide greater assistance to women. The book provides important evidence on the way social movements can successfully challenge institutions of the State as well as salutatory lessons on the nature of diverted and thwarted struggle. Throughout the book the Dobashes' years of researching violence against women is illustrated in the depth of their analysis. They maintain the tradition established in their first book, Violence Against Wives, which was widely accalimed.

Radical Ecology: The Search for a Livable World

Abstract: Radical Ecology responds to the profound awareness of vironmental crisis which prevails in this closing decade of the twentieth century. Carolyn Merchant examines the major philosophical, ethical, scientific and economic roots of environmental problems and identifies the ways in which radical ecologists can transform science and society in order to sustain life. Laws, regulations and scientific research alone cannot reverse the spread of pollution or restore our dwindling resources. Merchant argues that in order to maintain a liveable world, we must formulate new social, economic, scientific and spiritual approaches that will transform human relationships with nature. She analyses the revolutionary ideas of visionary ecologists, at the forefront of social change and assesses their efforts to bring environmental problems to the attention of the public.

Sociology, environment, and modernity: Ecological modernization as a theory of social change

Abstract: To minimize or at least substantially reduce damage to the natural resource sustenance‐base we urgently need institutional reform within modern society. Environmental sociologists have different views as to which institutional traits can be held primarily responsible for the environmental crisis. Examples include its capitalistic or industrial character as well as the complex, highly administrated technological system of modern society. We discuss these matters in the context of the theory of “ecological modernization”; as developed by the German sociologist Joseph Huber, among others. To analyze the institutional reforms required for bringing human interaction with the sustenance‐base under rational ecological control, however, the theory needs to be substantially modified and complemented in several respects. However, restructuring the processes of production and consumption is only half the story. The change to ecologically sound patterns of production and consumption is limited by the dimensi...

Social network and social class: Toward an integrated sociolinguistic model

Abstract: In sociolinguistics, approaches that use the variables of socioeconomic class and social network have often been thought to be irreconcilable. In this article, we explore the connection between these variables and suggest the outlines of a model that can integrate them in a coherent way. This depends on linking a consensus-based microlevel of network with a conflict-based macrolevel of social class. We suggest interpretations of certain sociolinguistic findings, citing detailed evidence from research in Northern Ireland and Philadelphia, which emphasize the need for acknowledging the importance of looseknit network ties in facilitating linguistic innovations. We then propose that the link between network and class can be made via the notion of weak network ties using the process-based model of the macrolevel suggested by Thomas H0jrup's theory of life-modes. (Sociolinguistics, sociology, quantitative social dialectology, anthropological linguistics) One of the most important contributions of Labov's quantitative paradigm has been to allow us to examine systematically and accountably the relationship between language variation and speaker variables such as sex, ethnicity, social network, and - most importantly perhaps - social class. Language variation in large and linguistically heterogeneous cities as well as in smaller communities has been revealed not as chaotic but as socially regular, and Labov and others have shown how investigating this socially patterned variation can illuminate mechanisms of linguistic change. In this article, we focus on the variables of social class and social network, both of which have appeared in some form in a large number sociolinguistic studies of variation and change. Our principal interest lies not in the complex sociological issues associated with class and network, some of which we discuss here, but in understanding the role of class and network in patterns of linguistic variation and mechanisms of linguistic change.

Beyond Feminist Aesthetics: Feminist Literature and Social Change

Abstract: \"Beyond Feminist Aesthetics\" has a dual focus. First, Rita Felski gives a critical account of current American and European feminist literary theory, and second, she offers an analysis of contemporary fiction by women, drawing in particular on the genres of the autobiographical confession and the novel of self-discovery, in order to show that this literature raises questions for feminism that cannot be answered in terms of a purely gender based analysis.Felski argues that the idea of a feminist aesthetic is a nonissue that feminists have needlessly pursued; she suggests, in contrast, that it is impossible to speak of \"masculine\" and \"feminine,\" \"subversive\" and \"reactionary\" literary forms in isolation from the social conditions of their production and reception. The political value of such works of literature from the standpoint of feminism can be determined only by an investigation of their social functions and effects in relation to the interests of women in a particular historical context. This leads her to argue for an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of literature which can integrate literary and social theory, and to develop such an approach by drawing upon the model of a feminist counter-public sphere.Rita Felski has produced a closely reasoned, stimulating book that creates a new framework for discussing the relationship between literature and feminist politics. It will interest students and teachers of women's studies, comparative literature, cultural studies, and fiction.

Social research: Philosophy, politics and practice

Abstract: This critical introduction to the principles of social and educational research draws together a key set of readings which offers a comprehensive approach to the wide range of values and practice in social research. Issues explored include: the relationship between quantitative and qualitative methods; positivism and the role of the natural sciences as a model for social research; the purposes of research - knowledge or the transformation of the social world; issues of race, gender and power in social research; the politics and ethics of data collection; and the validity and relevance of social research.

Dramaturgy and Social Movements: The Social Construction and Communication of Power

Abstract: The sociology of social movements currently lacks a conceptual framework to understand collective attempts to construct and reconstruct definitions of power. This defic-iency highlights a paradox. On the one hand, movement activists devote considerable time articulating their under-standing of power relations. Movement scholars, on the other hand, have generally neglected the processes by which these meanings are developed, sustained, and transformed.

Strengthening the links between educational psychology and the study of social contexts.

Abstract: Education is an essentially social process, and the understanding of social contexts and reciprocal interpersonal and group processes as they are likely to occur in schools and classes is an important part of educational psychology. Focusing on selected topics originating in social psychology and sociology, this article advocates greater research attention to such factors as the social dimensions of self or identity, social support and belonging in educational settings, and group dynamics as influences on individual learning and motivation.

Social Work: An Empowering Profession

Abstract: In this Section: 1. Brief Table of Contents 2. Full Table of Contents BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS: Part One: The Profession of Social Work Chapter 1: Social Work: A Helping Profession Chapter 2: An Evolving Profession Chapter 3: Social Work and Social Systems Chapter 4: The Social Service Delivery System Part Two: Social Work Perspectives Chapter 5: Values and Ethics in Social Work Chapter 6: Human Rights and Social Justice Chapter 7: Diversity and Social Work Part Three: Generalist Social Work Chapter 8: Empowerment Social Work Practice Chapter 9: Social Work Functions and Roles Chapter 10: Social Work and Social Policy Part Four: Contemporary Issues in Fields of Practice Chapter 11: Social Work and Poverty, Homelessness, Unemployment, and Criminal Justice Chapter 12: Social Work in Health, Rehabilitation, and Mental Health Chapter 13: Social Work with Families and Youths Chapter 14: Adult and Aging Services FULL TABLE OF CONTENTS: Part One: The Profession of Social Work Chapter 1: Social Work: A Helping Profession Who Are Social Workers? What Do Social Workers Do? What Is the Purpose of Social Work? How Are Social Work and Social Welfare Related? How Is Social Work an Empowering Profession? Looking Forward Practice Test Chapter 2: An Evolving Profession The Emergence of Social Work as a Profession Defining Social Work as a Profession The Quest for Professional Status The Common Base of Social Work Practice Tenets for the Social Work Profession Looking Forward Practice Test Chapter 3: Social Work and Social Systems The Ecosystems Perspective Social Functioning Client Systems in Social Work Social Work Methods Looking Forward Practice Test Chapter 4: The Social Service Delivery System Social Service Settings The Funding of Services Staffing Patterns Self-Help Groups as Resources Service Delivery Issues Looking Forward Practice Test Part Two: Social Work Perspectives Chapter 5: Values and Ethics in Social Work Values and Ethics The Foundation of Professional Social Work Values The Value Context of Social Work Social Work Codes of Ethics Ethical Principles for Social Work Ethical Preferences for Empowerment Social Work Looking Forward Practice Test Chapter 6: Human Rights and Social Justice Human Rights in Society Social Justice Social Injustice: The "Isms" The Bases of Social Injustice Effects of Social Injustice Opportunities, Obstacles, and Empowerment Social Work as a Human Rights and Social Justice Profession Looking Forward Practice Test Chapter 7: Diversity and Social Work Diversity and Social Work Multicultural Social Work Practice Racial and Ethnic Diversity Sexual Diversity Social Work with Diverse Populations Looking Forward Practice Test Part Three: Generalist Social Work Chapter 8: Empowerment Social Work Practice The Empowerment Base of Social Work Practice Engagement Assessment Implementation: Intervention and Evaluation Looking Forward Practice Test Chapter 9: Social Work Functions and Roles A Generalist Approach Consultancy Resource Management Education Looking Forward Practice Test Chapter 10: Social Work and Social Policy Social Policy Social Policy and Political Ideologies Social Work and Social Policy Street-Level Services Public Welfare Policy in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries Current Public Welfare Programs Looking Forward Practice Test Part Four: Contemporary Issues in Fields of Practice Chapter 11: Social Work and Poverty, Homelessness, Unemployment, and Criminal Justice Social Work and Poverty Social Work and Homelessness Social Work and Unemployment Social Work in Criminal Justice Concluding Remarks Practice Test Chapter 12: Social Work in Health, Rehabilitation, and Mental Health Social Work in Health Systems Social Work and Genetics Social Work and AIDS Social Work and Physical Disabilities Social Work and Developmental Disabilities Social Work and Mental Health Social Work and Chemical Dependency Concluding Remarks Practice Test Chapter 13: Social Work with Families and Youths The Contemporary Family Child Maltreatment Child Welfare Services Social Work in the Schools Specialized Services for Adolescents Concluding Remarks Practice Test Chapter 14: Adult and Aging Services Services for Adults Caregiving for Aging Parents and Life Partners Intimate Partner Violence Elder Abuse Services for Older Adults Concluding Remarks Practice Test

Language, interaction and social cognition

Abstract: The importance of language is increasingly acknowledged within social psychology. In this seminal book, a group of distinguished authors goes beyond general theory to address, from a research base, key issues in the interrelationship between language, interaction and social cognition. Their starting point is that the ways in which we perceive and, therefore, interact with others are structured by the language available to us, as a socially constructed system above and beyond individual minds. The relationship between language and social cognition is not, however, a fixed or unicausal one: linguistic terms are also generated in response to social and cultural development. The interplay is dialectical - a dialectic of the social. The authors explore this dialectic through such themes as: the use and power of category labels; trait-behaviour relations in social information processing; and interpersonal verbs and attribution. They examine the significance of language use in the persistence of stereotypes, and the links between syntactical reasoning processes and social cognition, as well as the impact of perspectivity. They consider the ways in which communication roles and context shape, and are shaped by, language. Language, Interaction and Social Cognition will be essential reading for all those in social psychology, psycholinguistics, linguistics and communication studies concerned with the role of language in interaction and social cognition.

The multiple caretaker paradox: Data from Holland and Israel

Abstract: In a multiple caretaker environment, nonparental caregivers can be important attachment figures with considerable impact on children's later socioemotional development.

Teaching social skills to students with autism to increase peer interactions in an integrated first-grade classroom.

Abstract: We investigated the use of social skills groups to facilitate increased social interactions for students with autism and their nonhandicapped peers in an integrated first-grade classroom. Social skills groups consisted of training students and peers in initiating, responding, and keeping interactions going; greeting others and conversing on a variety of topics; giving and accepting compliments; taking turns and sharing; asking for help and helping others; and including others in activities. Training occurred during the first 10 min of 20-min play groups, four times per week. Using a multiple baseline across subjects design, results demonstrated increases in the frequency of, time engaged in, and duration of social interactions, as well as the responsivity of students and peers to each other. Results were maintained when students were monitored and given feedback on social performance in play groups and during follow-up.

The Consolidation of Democracy and Representation of Social Groups

Abstract: To the neophyte graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley in the early 1960s, attending Seymour Martin Lipset’s course on political sociology (Sociology 290) was a revelation. The big &dquo;comparative&dquo; questions-development and democracy, class conflict and political change, nation-building and state formation, national trajectories and international trends, public opinion and public policy-were there, and they all got a serious hearing. Lipset handled each with awe-inspiring erudition and that heterodoxical blend of behavioral, structural, and cultural factors that is his hallmark. I remember references to incidents of working-class history in obscure towns I had never heard of, to parties, unions, and movements over