Showing papers on "Social theory published in 2004"

Conceptualizing simultaneity: a transnational social field perspective on society

Abstract: This article explores the social theory and consequent methodology that underpins studies of transnational migration. First, we propose a social field approach to the study of migration and distinguish between ways of being and ways of belonging in that field. Second, we argue that assimilation and enduring transnational ties are neither incompatible nor binary opposites. Third, we highlight social processes and institutions that are routinely obscured by traditional migration scholarship but that become clear when we use a transnational lens. Finally, we locate our approach to migration research within a larger intellectual project, taken up by scholars of transnational processes in many fields, to rethink and reformulate the concept of society such that it is no longer automatically equated with the boundaries of a single nationstate. Social scientists have long been interested in how immigrants are incorporated into new countries. In Germany and France, scholars’ expectations that foreigners will assimilate is a central piece of public policy. In the United States, immigration scholars initially argued that to move up the socioeconomic ladder, immigrants would have to abandon their unique customs, language, values, and homeland ties and identities. Even when remaining ethnic became more acceptable, most researchers assumed that the importance of homeland ties would eventually fade. To be Italian American or Irish American would ultimately reflect ethnic pride within a multicultural United States rather than enduring relations to an ancestral land. Now scholars increasingly recognize that some migrants and their descendants remain strongly influenced by their continuing ties to their home country or by social networks that stretch across national borders. They see

Health by association? Social capital, social theory, and the political economy of public health

Abstract: Three perspectives on the efficacy of social capital have been explored in the public health literature. A "social support" perspective argues that informal networks are central to objective and subjective welfare; an "inequality" thesis posits that widening economic disparities have eroded citizens' sense of social justice and inclusion, which in turn has led to heightened anxiety and compromised rising life expectancies; a "political economy" approach sees the primary determinant of poor health outcomes as the socially and politically mediated exclusion from material resources. A more comprehensive but grounded theory of social capital is presented that develops a distinction between bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. It is argued that this framework helps to reconcile these three perspectives, incorporating a broader reading of history, politics, and the empirical evidence regarding the mechanisms connecting types of network structure and state-society relations to public health outcomes.

Science of Science and Reflexivity

Abstract: Over the last four decades, the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu produced one of the most imaginative and subtle bodies of social theory of the postwar era. When he died in 2002, he was considered to be a thinker on a par with Foucault, Barthes, and Lacan a public intellectual as influential to his generation as Sartre was to his. "Science of Science and Reflexivity" will be welcomed as a companion volume to Bourdieu's now seminal "An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology." In this posthumous work, Bourdieu declares that science is in danger of becoming a handmaiden to biotechnology, medicine, genetic engineering, and military research that it risks falling under the control of industrial corporations that seek to exploit it for monopolies and profit. Science thus endangered can become detrimental to mankind. The line between pure and applied science, therefore, must be subjected to intense theoretical scrutiny. Bourdieu's goals in "Science of Science and Reflexivity" are to identify the social conditions in which science develops in order to reclaim its objectivity and to rescue it from relativism and the forces that might exploit it. In the grand tradition of scientific reflections on science, Bourdieu provides a sociological analysis of the discipline as something capable of producing transhistorical truths; he presents an incisive critique of the main currents in the study of science throughout the past half century; and he offers a spirited defense of science against encroaching political and economic forces. A masterful summation of the principles underlying Bourdieu's oeuvre and a memoir of his own scientific journey, "Science of Science and Reflexivity" is a capstone to one of the most important and prodigious careers in the field of sociology."

Leadership for Social Justice and Equity: Weaving a Transformative Framework and Pedagogy:

Abstract: Although many agree that theory, research, and practice should be intertwined to support the type of schooling (and society) that values rather than marginalizes, few scholars offer ground-breaking, pragmatic approaches to developing truly transformative leaders. From a critical theorist perspective, this article offers a practical, process-oriented model that is responsive to the challenges of preparing educational leaders committed to social justice and equity. By weaving a tripartite theoretical framework together in support of an alternative, transformative pedagogy, students learn “to perceive social, political, and economic contradictions, and to take action against the oppressive elements of reality”. The three theoretical perspectives of Adult Learning Theory, Transformative Learning Theory, and Critical Social Theory are interwoven with the three pedagogical strategies of critical reflection, rational discourse, and policy praxis to increase awareness, acknowledgment, and action within preparatio...

Commentary: Reconciling the three accounts of social capital

Abstract: References 1 Szreter S, Woolcock M. Health by association? Social capital, social theory and the political economy of public health. Int J Epidemiol 2004;33:650–67. 2 Worsley P. Introducing Sociology. Aylesbury, Bucks: Penguin Books, 1970. 3 Prandy K. Class, stratification and inequalities in health: A comparison of the Registrar-General’s Social Classes and the Cambridge Scale. Sociol Health Illness 1999;21:466–84. 4 Ahern B. Lessons for Public Policy Development. Seminar on Social Capital, Dublin, 2001. 5 Cartwright, A. Human Relations and Hospital Care. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1964. 6 Adamson J, Ben-Shlomo Y, Chaturvedi N, Donovan J. Ethnicity, socio-economic position and gender—do they affect reported healthcare seeking behaviour? Soc Sci Med 2003;57:895–904. 7 Coulter A. Paternalism or partnership? BMJ 1999;319:719–20. 8 Salter B. Patients and doctors: reformulating the UK health policy community? Soc Sci Med 2003;57:927–36. 682 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY

Friendster and publicly articulated social networking

Abstract: This paper presents ethnographic fieldwork on Friendster, an online dating site utilizing social networks to encourage friend-of-friend connections. I discuss how Friendster applies social theory, how users react to the site, and the tensions that emerge between creator and users when the latter fails to conform to the expectations of the former. By offering this ethnographic piece as an example, I suggest how the HCI community should consider the co-evolution of the social community and the underlying technology.

Gender As Social Institution

Abstract: This article encourages sociologists to study gender as a social institution. Noting that scholars apply the institution concept to highly disparate phenomena, it reviews the history of the concept in twentieth-century sociology. The defining characteristic most commonly attributed to social institution is endurance (or persistence over time) while contemporary uses highlight practices, conflict, identity, power, and change. I identify twelve criteria for deciding whether any phenomenon is a social institution. I conclude that treating gender as an institution will improve gender scholarship and social theory generally, increase awareness of gender’s profound sociality, offer a means of linking diverse theoretical and empirical work, and make gender’s invisible dynamics and complex intersections with other institutions more apparent and subject to critical analysis and change.

The Cognitive Origins of Bourdieu's Habitus

Abstract: This paper aims to balance the conceptual reception of Bourdieu's sociology in the United States through a conceptual re-examination of the concept of Habitus. I retrace the intellectual lineage of the Habitus idea, showing it to have roots in Claude Levi-Strauss structural anthropology and in the developmental psychology of Jean Piaget, especially the latter's generalization of the idea of operations from mathematics to the study of practical, bodily-mediated cognition. One important payoff of this exercise is that the common misinterpretation of the Habitus as an objectivist and reductionist element in Bourdieu's thought is dispelled. The Habitus is shown to be instead a useful and flexible way to concep-tualize agency and the ability to transform social structure. Thus ultimately one of Bourdieu's major contributions to social theory consists of his development of a new radical form of cognitive sociology, along with an innovative variety of multilevel sociological explanation in which the interplay of different structural orders is highlighted. In keeping with the usual view, the goal of sociology is to uncover the most deeply buried structures of the different social worlds that make up the social universe, as well as the "mechanisms" that tend to ensure their reproduction or transformation. Merging with psychology, though with a kind of psychology undoubtedly quite different from the most widely accepted image of this science, such an exploration of the cognitive structures that agents bring to bear in their practical knowledge of the social worlds thus structured. Indeed there exists a correspondence between social structures and mental structures, between the objective divisions of the social world . . . and the principles of vision and division that agents apply to them (Bourdieu, 1996b[1989], p. 1).

Talk and social theory : ecologies of speaking and listening in everyday life

Abstract: Dedication. Preface. Acknowledgements. PART ONE: Examples of the conduct of talk. 1. Sketching the terrain. 2. Seventy--five dollars goes in a day. 3. I can make a "P". 4. You wrestlin'?. 5. He has no history of IVDA. PART TWO: Thinking about talk and social theory. 6. General perspectives on talk and social theory. 7 Toward a more practical theory of practices in talk. 8 Summing up. Further Reading. References. Index.

Identities and social structure: The 2003 cooley-mead award address

Abstract: The present paper examines existing links between identities and the social structure in the context of identity control theory. I point out that, whether social structure is conceived as positions (roles and group memberships) to which identities are tied, or as the human organization of resource flows and transfers that are controlled by the identity verification process, identities and social structure are two sides of the same coin. Building on this theme, I develop hypotheses that explore some of the implications of this identity—social structure link. Some hypotheses suggest contexts in which identity change is likely; others explore the various consequences of identity verification, which depend on the different ways in which identities are tied to the social structure.

Social theory and philosophy for information systems

Abstract: As Information Systems matures as a discipline, there is a gradual move away from pure statistics towards consideration of alternative approaches and philosophies. This has not been incorporated into the literature of the field. Until now. Collecting major social theorists and philosophers into one volume, Social Theory and Philosophy for Information Systems provides a historical and critical analysis of each that is both authoritative and firmly focused on practical relevance to IS. The result is an insightful text for researchers, academics and students that will provide an up-to-date starting point for those considering alternative approaches.

Critical Social Theory and Transformative Knowledge: The Functions of Criticism in Quality Education:

Abstract: Critical social theory is a multidisciplinary knowledge base with the implicit goal of advancing the emancipatory function of knowledge. It approaches this goal by promoting the role of criticism in the search for quality education. Through critical social theory in education, quality is proportional to the depth of analysis that students have at their disposal. As a critical form of classroom discourse, critical social theory cultivates students’ ability to critique institutional as well as conceptual dilemmas, particularly those that lead to domination or oppression. It also promotes a language of transcendence that complements a language of critique in order to forge alternative and less oppressive social arrangements. A critical social theory-based movement in education highlights the relationship between social systems and people, how they produce each other, and ultimately how critical social theory can contribute to the emancipation of both.

Sport: A Critical Sociology

Abstract: In this lively new book, Richard Giulianotti provides a critical sociological interpretation of modern sport. As global festivals such as the Olympic games and football’s World Cup demonstrate, sport’s social, political, economic and cultural significance is becoming increasingly apparent across the world. Its popularity alone means that sociologists cannot ignore sport. Chapter-by-chapter, Giulianotti offers a cogent examination of a range of widely taught sociological theories and issues that relate to sport. These include functionalism, Weberian sociology, Marxism, postmodern sociology, and globalisation. The author’s use of an international range of case studies and research, about a wide variety of sports, helps to make his account especially accessible to undergraduate readers. ‘Sport: a critical sociology’ will therefore have strong appeal to upper-level undergraduates on courses such as sport and leisure studies, cultural studies, and modern social theory.

Context and Background: Pierre Bourdieu's analysis of class, gender and sexuality

Abstract: A meeting ground for mainstream social theory and contemporary feminist theory. Brings feminist theory face to face with Pierre Bourdieu s social theory. Demonstrates how much Bourdieu s theory has to offer to contemporary feminism. Comprises a series of contributions from key contemporary feminist thinkers. Defines new territories for feminist theorizing. Transforms and advances Bourdieu s social and cultural theory

The globalization of sexuality

Abstract: Sexuality and Social Theory - the Challenge of Queer Globalization The Nation and Sexual Dissidence Locating Queer Globalization The Economics of Queer Globalization Queer Postcolonialism Queer Mobility and the Politics of Migration and Tourism AIDS and Queer Globalization Queering Transnational Urbanism Conclusion

Language and Hegemony in Gramsci

Abstract: Introduction 1. Language And Social Theory: The Many Linguistic Turns 2. Linguistics And Politics In Gramsci's Italy 3. Language And Hegemony In The Prison Notebooks 4. Gramsci's Key Concepts With Linguistic Enrichment 5. Postmodernism, New Social Movements And Globalization: Implications For Social And Political Theory Bibliography index

Exchange, value and affect: Bourdieu and ‘the self’

Abstract: A meeting ground for mainstream social theory and contemporary feminist theory. Brings feminist theory face to face with Pierre Bourdieu s social theory. Demonstrates how much Bourdieu s theory has to offer to contemporary feminism. Comprises a series of contributions from key contemporary feminist thinkers. Defines new territories for feminist theorizing. Transforms and advances Bourdieu s social and cultural theory.

Reflexivity: Freedom or habit of gender?

Abstract: In this article the increasing significance of Bourdieu’s social theory is mapped in recent sociological accounts of gender in late-modern societies. What is highlighted in particular is the influe...

Re-framing Stigma: Felt and Enacted Stigma and Challenges to the Sociology of Chronic and Disabling Conditions

Abstract: This paper comprises a re-examination of the concept of stigma as applied to health and illness. It takes as its point of departure the author's hidden distress model of epilepsy posited in the 1980s. This model is outlined and subject to critique under the headings of conceptual decisions, theoretical context, and biographical impact. It is argued that although the model retains partial validity, its principal weaknesses are its neglect of important sociological questions more commonly posed since its formulation. An examination of these questions is followed by a consideration of stigma relations oriented towards a re-framing of stigma more appropriate for a changed, and changing, social world. A core contention is that interactionist theories of deviance and stigma alike focused almost exclusively on institutional and symbolic orders and paid scant attention to social structures and axes of power. The paper concludes with a provisional re-working of the hidden distress model of epilepsy that takes account of this contention.

Extending Conceptual Boundaries: Work, Voluntary Work and Employment:

Abstract: Traditional social theory has conceptualized work in terms of a dichotomy of public paid employment and private unpaid labour that oversimplifies the complexity of traditional and contemporary work practices and excludes voluntary work from sociological understandings of work. This article explores the lives of five workers from two voluntary sector organizations, whose experiences highlight the weaknesses of concepts such as 'career' and suggest that workâ??s conceptual boundaries be extended. A framework based on the 'total social organization of labour' is developed that distinguishes between paid and unpaid work within the setting of institutional, community and family relations. This provides a basis for mapping individualsâ?? labour and exploring both the interconnections between their work positions and the boundaries of their work identity. At the structural level it highlights how health care and community work constitute labour markets or 'fields' ; hierarchical structures governed by rules that shape how positions are accessed. Copyright 2006 SAGE Publications. All rights reserved. Not for commercial use or unauthorized distribution.

City Limits: Crime, Consumer Culture and the Urban Experience

Abstract: City Limits contributes to a growing body of work under the umbrella of 'cultural criminology', which attempts to bring an appreciation of cultural change to an understanding of crime in late modernity (Hayward and Young 2004). Hayward presents an ambitious theoretical analysis that attempts to inspire a 'cultural approach' to understanding the 'crime-city nexus' and, in particular, to re-address 'strain' and the concept of 'relative deprivation' in the context of a culture of consumption. The book incorporates an impressive array of literature from beyond the boundaries of traditional criminology - including urban studies, social theory and, most strikingly, from art and architectural criticism - illustrating a multidisciplinary approach. This provides for a challenging and enlightening read, with a particularly important emphasis on the impact of consumer culture on the lived urban experience and spatial dynamics of the city and, in turn, for an understanding of transgression and criminality. Runner-up for the British Society of Criminology Book Prize (2004).

Critical Resistance: From Poststructuralism to Post-Critique

Abstract: This book serves as both an introduction to the concept of resistance in poststructuralist thought and an original contribution to the continuing philosophical discussion of this topic. How can a body of thought that mistrusts universal principles explain the possibility of critical resistance? Without appeals to abstract norms, how can emancipatory resistance be distinguished from domination? Can there be a poststructuralist ethics? David Hoy explores these crucial questions through lucid readings of Nietzsche, Foucault, Bourdieu, Derrida, and others. He traces the genealogy of resistance from Nietzsche's break with the Cartesian concept of consciousness to Foucault's and Bourdieu's theories of how subjects are formed through embodied social practices. He also considers Levinas, Heidegger, and Derrida on the sources of ethical resistance. Finally, in light of current social theory from Judith Butler to Slavoj Zizek, he challenges "poststructuralism" as a category and suggests the term "post-critique" as a more accurate description of contemporary Continental philosophy.Hoy is a leading American scholar of poststructuralism. Critical Resistance is the only book in English that deals substantively with the topical concept of resistance in relation to poststructuralist thought, discussions of which have dominated Continental social thought for many years.

Making realism work : realist social theory and empirical research

Abstract: Introduction: Realist Social Theory and Empirical Research Part 1: Methodology and Measurement Introduction 1. Evidence-Based Policy: A Realist Perspective 2. Complex and Contingent Causation: The Implications of Complex Realism for Quantitative Modelling the Case of Housing and Health 3. Contingent Realism and Single Case Probabilities Part 2: Applying Realism Introduction 4. Class as Variable, Class as Generative Mechanism: The Importance of Critical Realism for the Sociology of Health Inequalities 5 Researching 'Real' Language Part 3: Reflexivity and Realist Research Introduction 6 Methodological Triangulation in Empirical Research: An Indian Exemplar 7. Health Visitors and 'Disadvantaged' Parent-Clients: Designing Realist Research 8. Reflexivity and Social Science: A Contradiction in Terms?

Notes on ‘What Not To Wear’ and post‐feminist symbolic violence

Abstract: meeting ground for mainstream social theory and contemporary feminist theory. Brings feminist theory face to face with Pierre Bourdieu s social theory. Demonstrates how much Bourdieu s theory has to offer to contemporary feminism. Comprises a series of contributions from key contemporary feminist thinkers. Defines new territories for feminist theorizing. Transforms and advances Bourdieu s social and cultural theory.

The anti-social model of disability

Abstract: Social theories are usually developed to enable a clearer understanding of a situation or problem. The ‘Social Model’ in various forms is currently the dominant model for researching disability, addressing disability from within a socio‐political framework that draws substantially on a ‘social constructionist’ perspective. This article critiques some of the core sociological assumptions of the Social Model, questioning what ‘work’ this kind of theory does in informing a set of practical concerns around the design of assistive technologies, suggesting an alternative framework of analysis, supported by extensive ethnomethodologically informed ethnographic research