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Barbership singing is often dismissed by its critics as merely an enjoyable hobby. Though long popular with both its public and participants, it has been relatively neglected in the field of music studies. Robert A. Stebbins demonstrates that barbershop singing is an elaborate and complicated form of serious leisure that provides its participants with distinctive lifestyles. The Barbershop Singer is a unique case study of this significant musical genre, describing the social world of the barbershop singer and exploring its appeal for both male and female singers. Robert Stebbins traces the history of barbershop singing and compares and contrasts the worlds of jazz, classical music, and barbershop as serious leisure pursuits. Stebbins also reveals its costs and rewards, its complex organizational structures, the social marginality felt by its more dedicated participants, and the main problems facing the art today. Although barbershop singing is clearly a circumscribed social world, understanding how it works expands current knowledge of the variant forms of social participation available to citizens of the modern world. The Barbershop Singer will be of interest to sociologists as well as those involved in the world of barbershop.

Almost all aspects of social, cultural, economic and political life stand to be affected by the new electronic technologies. Virtual Society? is one vision of the consequential impact of these technologies. But to what extent and in what ways are the Internet and other electronic technologies really changing our lives? To what extent are we moving to a 'virtual society'? This collection provides a comprehensive set of detailed empirical studies of the genesis and use of these new technologies, ranging widely across application areas: from cyber-caf--eacute--;s to new media; email and organizat

The socio-cultural aspects of organic agriculture (OA) in the nine provinces in the Philippines – Tarlac, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Bukidnon, and Davao was documented and assessed based on the data gathered from FG, KII and survey. There were 11 focus groups conducted among the representatives of various OA farming organizations, while there were 37 interviews to various experts: farmers, technicians, traders, representatives of NGOs and LGUs. In the survey, gender relations, labor dynamics and market systems, perceived attitudes on the social cost and benefits of organic agriculture to the farmers were determined. The findings showed that OA in the nine provinces started between 1960 and 1980. It was then known as natural farming. The active promotion of OA was after the promulgation of Republic Act 10068 or 'Organic Agriculture Act of the Philippines'. It was promoted thru conduct of trainings, meetings, lectures, farm visits and fora that are centered on the production of organic fertilizers (concoctions), pesticides and vermicompost. The motivating factor for conversion to OA is mainly for economic, health, and environmental reasons. Organic farming (OF) does not involve synthetic inputs which is the reason why the fertility of the soil is restored. With continuous practice of OF, it can help mitigate the effect of global warming. Furthermore, compared to inorganic farming, there is less expense for farm inputs and yet organic products are even sold at higher price than inorganic. OA was also found to be a family activity where members are involved from land preparation to marketing. The farmers make their own fertilizers using a variety of techniques such as composting, vermicomposting, bokashi, using microorganisms (IMO, EM), and making concoctions (foliar and liquid fertilizers). There were also some who practice integrated farming, which involves a combination of crops, vegetables, livestock and fishpond. The farmers sold a variety of organic products such as rice, vegetables, fruits, herbs, fish and livestock, and vermicast. Organic products are typically sold to farmers' neighbors, direct buyers, organic farmers'; organization, and middlemen. Some products are also sold the local public markets and supermarkets. The challenges encountered by organic farmers are related to organic farming operations, government support, and organic certification. Though certification is deemed important to farmers for it guarantees that products are truly organic, they suggest the use of Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) instead of the institutionalized certification. The findings of the study can be use d to craft policies on marketing of organic products. Organic agriculture is a way of life, and is a means to promote good health, to attain sustainable income for the farmers and to achieve quality environment.

"[Keaton] provides the most in-depth analysis of the predicament of French Arabs and Africans living in the suburbs of Paris.... [O]ne can read the book through the lens of such great African American writers and activists as Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X.... [It] contains an implicit warning to you, France, not to repeat the American racism in your country." -- from the foreword by Manthia DiawaraMuslim girls growing up in the outer-cities of Paris are portrayed many ways in popular discou

This book is a collection of papers, exploring how designers, researchers and practitioners respond to the changing nature of contemporary perceptions of the relationship between humans and technology. Originating from a workshop at the 2012 Design Research Society Conference in Bangkok, the book presents diverse approaches from theoretical explorations to practical methods and educational solutions. The papers are presented in three sections with the first providing background information

In ihrem Beitrag präsentiert die Autorin ein erstes Hochschulranking nach Gleichstellungskriterien für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland, das von dem Kompetenzzentrum Frauen in Wissenschaft und Forschung (CEWS) im August 2003 erstellt wird. Für das Ranking werden sieben Indikatoren in den folgenden Bereichen entwickelt: (1) Studierende, (2) Promotionen, (3) Habilitationen, (4) hauptberufliches wissenschaftliches und künstlerisches Personal, (5) Professuren sowie (6) Veränderungen beim wissenschaftlichen und künstlerischen Personal bzw. (7) bei den Professuren im Zeitverlauf. Bei den Universitäten (einschließlich Universitäten-Gesamthochschulen) liegen die ehemalige Universität-Gesamthochschule Essen sowie die Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin und die Universität Göttingen in den beiden ersten Ranggruppen. Drei Fachhochschulen in Niedersachsen befinden sich unter den insgesamt acht Hochschulen der beiden obersten Ranggruppen in der Gruppe der Fach- und Verwaltungsfachhochschulen. Bei den künstlerischen Hochschulen befindet sich die Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Berlin in der ersten Ranggruppe, die allerdings bei einem Indikator auch lediglich in der Mittelgruppe platziert ist. Bei den Indikatoren für Veränderungen zwischen 1996 und 2001, die für alle Hochschultypen gemeinsam ausgewertet werden, liegen vor allem Fachhochschulen in der Spitzengruppe (33 von 52 Hochschulen in der Spitzengruppe bei den Professuren, 46 von 74 Hochschulen in der Spitzengruppe bei dem wissenschaftlichen und künstlerischen Personal). Diese Hochschulen weisen damit eine Erhöhung des Frauenanteils von mehr als 5 Prozent auf. Ähnlich wie die ersten Rankings zu Lehre und Forschung an deutschen Hochschulen löst auch das Ranking nach Gleichstellungsaspekten widersprüchliche Reaktionen aus. Das CEWS hat nach Ansicht der Autorin mit dem Hochschulranking nach Gleichstellungskriterien einen ersten Schritt getan, um ein weiteres Instrument der Qualitätssicherung für die Dimension Chancengleichheit zu entwickeln. Ebenso wie andere Rankings bedarf dieses Hochschulranking der kritischen Diskussion. (ICG2)

The cumulative body of research on borderlands is impressive for its diversity, its interdisciplinarity and its broad scope. One of the richest characteristics of this field is the tendency for scholars to treat borderlands as puzzles which need to be (re)composed. This tendency, however, may impede more ambitious efforts at «theorizing borders», as scholars put forward theories based on empirical cases located in a variety of institutional, economic, cultural and environmental contexts

pt. 1. Historical trends in the sociology of aging -- pt. 2. Theories and methods in the sociology of aging -- pt. 3. Social diversity and inequalities of aging -- pt. 4. Social relationships and aging -- pt. 5. Social institutions and aging -- pt. 6. Economies, government, and aging -- pt. 7. Social vunerabilities and aging -- pt. 8. Public health and aging -- pt. 9. Care arrangements and aging -- pt. 10. Sociological lives : personal reflections on the sociology of aging -- pt. 11. The future of the sociology of aging.

The essays in this volume present a comprehensive view of modern economics. They range from technical papers on a specific issue, such as that devoted to a critique of Kaldor's model of income distribution, through evaluation of a wide-ranging literature, with special emphasis on the Cambridge controversies in the theory of capital. * Intellectual portraits of Eric Russell, Joan Robinson and Lorie Tarshis are also included. * The concluding essay 'The Social Science Imperialists' gives an overview of the issues and trends that have dominated economics in recent years

The introduction of the national socio-economic system into the phase of development of post-industrial society puts forward a number of new approaches to its functioning, based primarily on the possibility of introducing creative ideas as the primary source of competitiveness. The institutional orientation of creative management to address socio-priority socio-economic development goals is worth noting. The transformation of knowledge into science-intensive technologies and products stimulates the rapid growth of labour productivity, reduces its resource consumption, and allows the national economy to reach the competitive level of social production, increase the pace of accumulation of public goods, and refine the motivational principles of activity. The decisive feature of creative management is the direct correlation of the success of creative activity with the democratization of management, taking into account creative potential and the level of professional training, and creating conditions for self-realization. The stimulation of creative development is intended to provide optimal cooperation between performers of different qualifications, with different life settings and psychological peculiarities. The motivation for creative activity is based on the ability of a creative worker to work independently, using his own potential and inspiration, based on a high level of interest. The diversity of organizational factors of creative management is determined by the plurality of socio-technical types of organizations, the complexity and dynamism of their interaction with the external environment, the lack of relevant information. Understanding the uniqueness of creative management requires consideration of mental processes of the head, whose thinking should be absolutely practical and applied. Given the transformational challenges of a globalized society, the issues of ethics of scientific and technical creativity and creative economic development, which are based on the philosophical aspects of responsibility, become an inalienable priority of creative management. The ethics of creative management is differentiated on the basis of the orientation towards the internal (in relation to the customer of the creative project, the leaders, members of the creative interaction) and external, which evaluates the social consequences of the results of creative activity (including the price of errors or unwanted technological, environmental and legal effects) for society as a whole. ; Досліджено соціальні аспекти креативного менеджменту з позицій платформи соціально-економічної парадигми національної економіки та побудови соціально орієнтованого суспільства, заснованого на знаннях. Зазначено, що креативний менеджмент є багатокомпонентним управлінським впливом, пов'язаним із процесами генерування і впровадження у соціально-економічний простір нових ідей, заснованих на постійно оновлюваному знанні. Показано, що завданням інституційної підтримки креативного менеджменту є сприяння розвитку високотехнологічних галузей та інтеграція національної економіки у світове науково-інноваційне співтовариство. Креативність керівника проявляється у творчому ставленні до справи, вмінні критично бачити проблему та формулювати нові задачі перед підлеглими. Доведено, що наявність антагоністичних умов вимагає поєднання жорсткості та гнучкості в управлінні, дотримання принципів "обмежувального фактора" для забезпечення конструктивного вирішення проблеми. Зазначено, що в етичному контексті завданням креативного менеджменту стає управління кумулятивним накопиченням технологічних перетворень та постійний моніторинг можливості їх позитивного, негативного (зокрема, і небажані технологічні, екологічні, інформаційно-правові ефекти) чи різновекторного впливу на безперервне оновлення вихідних умов для подальших трансформацій.