Suchergebnisse

Argues that the sociology of law should continue its long-standing focus on law & governmentality, but also should expand its analysis to an examination of the interaction of legal & nonlegal forms of governance. The beginning of such an enterprise is provided by the work of Michel Foucault (1977), raising the question of law's role in modern forms of governmental rationality. It is suggested that Foucault's analysis ought to be revised to attend to the plurality of forms of law & governance, & to focus more explicitly on forms of state power. Using this conception, it is contended that the key link between law & modern power is that law plays the organizational & ideological role of providing temporary moments of unification within dispersed fields of social power. This approach to law & governance is favored over others because it facilitates an account that remains sensitive to variations in modes of governance & local power while remaining attentive to the role of the state in the condensation of power relations. 69 References. D. M. Smith

Discusses the historical & current relationship between the social sciences, the scientific method, & postmodern theory. Drawing on the methodology & conclusions of Galileo, modern science has attempted to reduce the distance between science & reality through objective methodology & heightened rationality. It is argued here that the scientific method relies more on the choice of appropriate language & vocabulary than on actual correspondence between methodology & fact. Social scientists have traditionally adopted this skewed approach to life through the scientific method, which blurs rather than reveals reality. The boundaries between explanation & understanding, or nature & humanity, have little meaning in the real world, & it is suggested that the social sciences must be seen as continuous with literature, history, anthropology, politics, etc. Both Thomas Dewey & Michel Foucault advocate rejection of traditional notions of rationality, objectivity, method, & truth. However, it is concluded that Dewey's vocabulary allows more room for hope & solidarity within the social sciences. T. Sevier

This chapter focuses on the family, Pakistan's most fundamental social institution. It is argued that childhood experiences & childrearing techniques have a long-term impact on the perpetuation of social patterns & assessments of power. This results in a complex relationship between the "individual" & "social power." A study of the relationship between the self & society highlights the psychological basis for Pakistan's current crisis of power. This crisis of power is also relevant to the social breakdown that has emerged in recent years in Pakistan. Traditional power relations have been weakened, while the lack of a dominant political leader has led to surging social problems & a general feeling of powerlessness & apathy among the public. 20 References. K. Larsen

This chapter focuses on the family, Pakistan's most fundamental social institution. It is argued that childhood experiences & childrearing techniques have a long-term impact on the perpetuation of social patterns & assessments of power. This results in a complex relationship between the "individual" & "social power." A study of the relationship between the self & society highlights the psychological basis for Pakistan's current crisis of power. This crisis of power is also relevant to the social breakdown that has emerged in recent years in Pakistan. Traditional power relations have been weakened, while the lack of a dominant political leader has led to surging social problems & a general feeling of powerlessness & apathy among the public. 20 References. K. Larsen

"SozioNet forms part of a forthcoming national social science information portal, which is currently being developed by the German Infoconnex initiative. Inspired by successful examples like MathNet or SOSIG, SozioNet provides access to freely available web resources with relevance to social science. It is based on a network of social science institutions and scientists, to agree on and establish common metadata standards. SozioNet implements a general infrastructure for the creation of semantically rich metadata, and for the harvesting and retrieval of relevant resources with a domain specific focus." (author's abstract)

Reviews the basic theoretical approaches to the sociology of culture that stem from the original work of Max Weber & Emile Durkheim. It is suggested that recent trends in the sociology of culture have been influenced by Clifford Geertz's (1973) break with the Weberian problematic of defining culture as ideas that motivate individuals. The transformation of cultural studies set off by Geertz's work is summarized in three notions, ie, that: (1) culture is composed of shared public symbols in the form of ideas & texts that are given meaning in particular contexts; (2) culture is a form of social practice, exterior to the individual, located & embodied in institutional practices; & (3) within cultural analysis, attention should always be given to issues of power & inequality. It is argued that from these new perspectives culture is viewed as powerful in three ways: (A) its power does not depend on any particular person believing in it; (B) it does not have to shape the individual's own beliefs & aspirations so much as the individual's knowledge of how others will interpret their actions; & (C) it is structured by institutions that produce systematic patterns for social action. D. M. Smith