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Abstract Sociological studies indicate that adherence to the tenets of agrarianism is still widespread in American society. But efforts to identify the structural roots of agrarianism have been only partially successful in that only a small portion of the variation in support of agrarianism can be explained thereby. The multidimensionality of agrarian beliefs and the linkages with underlying values prevalent in American society are explored with data drawn from a national sample of adults. Results indicate that tenets of the agrarian creed are widely endorsed by the American public as a whole. Moreover, beliefs are organized in the form of attitudinal (factor) dimensions corresponding to four of the five tenets of agrarianism identified by Flinn and Johnson (1974): family farm, agrarian fundamentalism, yeomanship (independence), and farm life style. The analysis of scale scores for the first three dimensions indicates that each expresses a different social ethic that is revealed in the unique configuration of American values to which it is significantly related.

This book offers a comprehensive account of the nature and expression of contemporary forms of religion in Western societies. Drawing both on recent original work and classical and contemporary conceptual frameworks, it examines the beliefs, practices, patterns of organisation and significant trends in both mainstream and fringe religions including cults and quasi-religions. Competing arguments and theories about key developments are treated fully and fairly and there is a clear sense throughout of the social context. The approach is broadly sociological and the well-paced, jargon-free writing style and clearly sectioned chapters make this an ideal text for teaching and study purposes, both in sociology and religious studies. Amongst the themes and concerns covered are: * what we mean in the first place by religion * secularisation and new expressions of religiosity * the effect of religion on society and the relationship between religion and social change * the links between belief, belonging and social identity * contemporary Christianity and the religions of ethnic minorities in the West * globalisation, religious pluralism and postmodernity STEPHEN J. HUNT is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of West of England, Bristol. He has written widely on contemporary Christianity and new religious movements

At the moment, no other European city attracts so much fascination as the city of Berlin. An unrivalled symbol of modern urban life, Berlin is a dynamic city whose inhabitants, in the course of the past two centuries, have lived through both the rapid growth and the violent destruction of the institutions of civil society, several times over. This volume situates itself within these developments by presenting, for the first time in English, a sample of the best, recently written essays on contemporary civil societies, their structural problems, and their uncertain future, written by scholars

As machine-readable data comes to play an increasingly important role in everyday life, researchers find themselves with rich resources for studying society. The novel methods and tools needed to work with such data require not only new knowledge and skills, but also a new way of thinking about best research practices. This book critically reflects on the role and usefulness of big data, challenging overly optimistic expectations about what such information can reveal, introducing practices and methods for its analysis and visualisation, and raising important political and ethical questions regarding its collection, handling, and presentation.

Americans believe economic opportunity is as fundamental a right as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. More concerned about a level playing field for all, they worry less about the growing income and wealth disparity in our country. Creating an Opportunity Society examines economic opportunity in the United States and explores how to create more of it, particularly for those on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder.Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill propose a concrete agenda for increasing opportunitythat is cost effective, consistent with American values, and focuses on improving the

Today we are not talking about criticism of the traditional image of man, but about the end of faith in human exceptionalism. The human rights movement is recognized as a form of logo-centrism and is shifting towards the protection of the rights of women, children, the disabled, prisoners, migrants and other minorities. Voices are heard in defense of the rights of animals and non-human beings with artificial intelligence (a pair of robots have already obtained citizenship rights); scientists are discussing the possibility of reconstructing human beings based on gene technology. A profound transformation of perceptions about man is taking place in the models of the new network globalization, which replaces the liberal and conservative projects of the unity of mankind. The development of PR technology, which dealt a blow to the ideals of individual freedom and democracy in civil society, has turned man into a controlled being. The order of a global network society is no longer determined by human criteria of good and evil, but by information and financial flows. The digital revolution in work and entertainment, education and culture, as well as economics and politics has led to the creation of many digital counterparts, while man himself, deprived of the protection of the state and society, has found himself in a situation of anomie and total loneliness. Thus, transhumanism is no longer a mental experiment of marginal philosophy, but a post-human stage of civilization development. Discussions about the future of a network society, artificial intelligence and human construction based on gene technologies should not be perceived as intellectual entertainment, which free minds have been exposed to in recent years. They should not be neglected, because the more scenarios of possible development will be created and calculated, the better humanity will respond to the next crisis.

Cover -- Half Title -- Dedication -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of Tables -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1 Civil Society in Modern Political Thought and Feminist Reaction -- 2 Women and Civil Society in Turkish Politics: From Past to Present -- 3 The Feminist Movement in Turkey During the 1980s -- 4 The Feminist Movement from Streets to Institutions -- 5 The Islamic Women's Movement -- 6 The Kurdish Women's Movement -- 7 Concluding Remarks: Women's Movements and Feminine Civil Society in Turkey -- Bibliography

Cover -- Series page -- LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY -- Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data -- Dedication -- CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- LANGUAGE TEACHING PRACTICES, PEDAGOGY, AND SOCIETY -- CHAPTER 1: CLASSROOM AS SOCIETY -- CHAPTER 2: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF FOREIGN-LANGUAGE INDIVIDUALITY -- CHAPTER 3: READING THE COMMUNITY CRITICALLY IN THE DIGITAL AGE -- CHAPTER 4: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF CRITICAL PEDAGOGY IN JAPANESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' DESIRE TO LEARN ENGLISH -- CHAPTER 5: CHALLENGES AND TRANSFORMATIONS

Drawing on the experience of leading international Twitter researchers from a variety of disciplines and contexts, this is the first book to document the various notions and concepts of Twitter communication, providing a detailed and comprehensive overview of current research into the uses of Twitter. It also presents methods for analyzing Twitter data.

'Democracy', though acceptable as a shorthand term for participatory and accountable government, carries with it a model which is less useful than the one suggested by 'civil society'. In previous situations of liberation from right-wing dictatorships, civil society was a question of strengthening something that already existed. Not so in the to date unique situation faced during the collapse of left dictatorships in Eastern Europe. Islamic society may yet face similar problems. (SJK)

Intro -- Contents -- About the Author -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Prologue -- The Data and Society Mix -- The Centrality of Records -- Records are Boring -- Sensemaking and Sensebreaking with Records -- Our Mission -- A Short Exercise in Sensebreaking -- A Quick Overview of the Book -- Chapter 1: Making Marks - The Materiality of the Record -- Chapter 2: Data Structures -- Chapter 3: Identifying Things - The Informativity of the Record -- Chapter 4: Making Lists - The Performativity of the Record -- Chapter 5: Coordination Problems -- Chapter 6: The 'Life' of the Record -- Chapter 7: Instituting Place, Product, Time and Digital Presence -- Chapter 8: Building Ontology -- Chapter 9: The Power of Records -- Chapter 10: Scaffolding Commerce -- Chapter 11: Data-Driven Actors -- Chapter 12: The Mechanics of Echo Chambers -- Chapter 13: The Modern Panopticon - Data and Surveillance -- Chapter 14: Counting Heads -- Chapter 15: A Social Ontology of Big Data -- Chapter 1 Making Marks -- Introduction -- Neolithic Data -- The Externalisation of Things -- Actors -- Structures -- Messages -- Actions -- Making Differences Through Structures -- The Modulation of Matter or Energy -- The Patterning of Structures -- Natural, Embodied and Persistent Structures -- Natural structures -- Embodied structures -- Persistent structures -- Individual and Collective Memory -- Sumerian Clay Tokens -- The Rise and Rise of Data -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 2 Data Structures -- Introduction -- Data Structures -- The Inka -- Khipu -- Articulation of Data Structures -- Persistent and Non-persistent Data Structures -- Sender and receivers -- Materiality -- Articulation -- Forgetting -- Actors -- Time and space -- Agency -- Signalling Games -- Coding Things -- Data Structures and the Inka State -- Reversing the Ontological Status of Data Structures.

"The Recent History of Professionalism in Relation to Social Structure and Social Policy" by T. H. Marshall was published by this Journal twenty years ago. It has since become a classic; and may be fittingly celebrated in this anniversary issue. Its classic quality lies in the skill with which Marshall worked enduring themes with current trends and problems into a common web. He defines professions as, in effect and with some other characteristics, those occupations in which caveat emptor cannot be allowed to prevail and which, while they are not pursued for gain, must bring their practitioners income of such a level that they will be respected and such a manner of living that they may pursue the life of the mind. There are certain problems which surround such occupations in all times.The current changes noted by Marshall are the ever greater dependence of modern society upon professional services, an increase in the variety of such services and in the number of the professions, and the tendency for many practitioners of the older professions and for most or all of some newer professions to work in organizations with an employer, rather than to set up a shop to which clients come, one by one, are served, and pay for the service. He also noted that while the community at large is in all times and places concerned with the manner in which professional services are performed, this is especially so in our times; indeed, the community at large is the client of some new professions and, in increasing measure, of older ones.