Suchergebnisse

Examines insights provided by feminist science studies into the complex & controversial issue of sexual difference. Varied definitions of "woman" are described, noting that women's studies has emphasized the "subjective & collective meanings of women & men as categories that have been constructed." However, it is maintained that discussions of what characterizes woman invariably include the matter of bodies, & of differences related to biological attributes. Feminist studies of science, medicine, & technology have tackled questions of how & by whom standards of differences are determined, & there is a serious need for the fruits of these discussions to be included in women's studies. Three scientific modules suggested for inclusion in women's studies curricula are: (1) sexual dimorphism; (2) human conception; & (3) HIV/AIDS. It is emphasized that critical considerations of science, technology, & medicine in their social contexts gives students the opportunity to shift abstract notions of "woman" to practical, specific productions of "femaleness.". 27 References. J. Lindroth

The introductory essay of a section on "Altered States" maintains that scholars of feminist science studies almost never work in academic departments that have many other scholars with the same interests. Consequently, their work not only rarely conforms to the orderly dimensions of any prevailing framework, but often challenges these frameworks. The evolution of feminist science studies is traced from its emergence in the 1970s, when feminist critics of science worked in isolation, through the development & enrichment of a theoretical framework, to the current body of work that has "reimagined the cornerstone role of objectivity in the practices & purposes of creating scientific knowledge." Diverse questions currently being researched are examined, noting that most feminist science theory/research looks at who does science, how & for whose benefit it is conducted, & its social consequences. The dual deconstructive & reconstructive roles of feminist theory in the humanities & social sciences are discussed, along with similar deconstructive & reconstructive elements of feminist science theory. A synopsis of the section's essays is included. 42 References. J. Lindroth

The autobiographical narrative of a doctoral candidate in the Dept of Hydrology & Water Resources at the U of Arizona, who is simultaneously pursuing a master's degree in women's studies, discusses the process that led her to become a feminist scientist. It is maintained that hydrology & women's studies are not mutually exclusive. Women's studies promotes understanding scientific analyses as social & political processes, while hydrology emphasizes human dependence on nature. Combining disciplines is described as two sides of a river in which the sediment from both banks is blended & redeposited in a different place as a new formation. The dynamics of this process are compared to Donna Haraway's (1997) notions of diffraction as a way to kindle social change & its use by a "modest witness." Scholars who wander between disciplines are seen as modest witnesses who negotiate the "erosion, mixing, & redepositing of knowledge." Difficulties involved in this diffraction are discussed. It is hoped that hydrologists will one day also address political & social aspects of their research. 10 References. J. Lindroth

An exploration of recent controversies in US academic circles about the use of sociological theories in communist studies contends that historians favoring the "neototalitarian approach" blame social science concepts, especially modernization theory, for the post-1989 "intellectual disaster," claiming Soviet socialism was attributed with an unrealistic capacity for reform. Although communism's demise has negated some arguments of the modernization approach, it is argued that abandoning sociological theories would be a grave mistake, especially since neototalitarian approaches are not a viable alternative. Cognitive problems of the totalitarian approach are examined, noting the conceptual reorientation that emerged in the 1960s as an attempt to overcome these deficiencies. Sociological explanations of communist systems are reviewed, & the modernization approach is compared to neototalitarian explanatory models of the Soviet breakdown, illuminating theoretical flaws in the latter, & demonstrating that neototalitarian theorists simply add a different evaluative component to the arguments of modernization theorists. Consideration is given to the complex causes of the Soviet downfall & a structure of domination familiar to Soviet research. J. Lindroth

An autobiographical narrative of a natural scientist who has bridged the gap between hard science & women's studies describes the path that took her from teaching biology, to geography, to a tenure-track position in women's studies. It all started with the development of a "Women & Science" course for the biology department that led to teaching a similar course in the women's studies department. The importance of the perspective of science to both science & women's studies is discussed, noting the continuing expansion of feminist science studies, & the fruitful analyses that result from working across boundaries of the natural & social sciences. The disadvantages of combining disciplines are also discussed, along with the difficulties involved in attracting natural scientists to women's studies; changes that would occur if a feminist pedagogy were consistently employed within the natural sciences; & the potential for new intellectual & institutional configurations emerging from feminist science studies. 2 References. J. Lindroth

Die Autorin gibt einen Überblick über Entwicklung und Stand der Institutionalisierung der Women's Studies in Australien. Nach einer anfänglichen Begriffsklärung stellt sie einige Modelle der Women's Studies an den Hochschulen vor, die zwischen 1973 und 1974 entstanden sind. Sie beschreibt ferner die gesellschaftlichen Bedingungen und zukünftigen Herausforderungen der australischen Frauenforschung sowie die beruflichen Einsatzmöglichkeiten nach dem Studium der Women's Studies. Ihre tabellarische Übersicht, in welcher sie einzelne Hochschulstandorte, Bildungsabschlüsse und besondere Schwerpunkte auflistet, dokumentiert den hohen Institutionalisierungsgrad der Women's Studies in Australien. In ihren abschließenden Bemerkungen weist sie auf die 'rückständige' Verankerung der Frauenforschung in den Studien- und Prüfungsordnungen an deutschen Hochschulen hin. (ICI)

Discusses the relationship of women's studies to the discipline of philosophy, drawing on personal experiece as a feminist philosopher. Traditionally, philosophy has been dominated by a male perspective that privileges a combative culture, a disembodied form of reason, & a preference for analysis of themes & issues pertinent to the public rather than private sphere. In this climate, feminism has been pushed to the margins of philosophy, forcing women to choose between success on the discipline's terms or migration to women's studies programs. In arguing that women philosophers should continue to inhabit the borderlands between philosophy & women's studies, three dangers in inhabiting this space are raised: the tendency to turn philosophy into an exercise in literary analysis; (2) the tendency to make feminist arguments inaccessible to educated readers; & (3) the tendency to base one's work solely on linguistic or psychoanalytic theories. It is concluded that feminists can continue to occupy the borderlands by maintaining a commitment both to political engagement & to critical scrutiny. 14 References. D. M. Ryfe

Die Autorin untersucht aus vergleichender Perspektive die professionelle Verwirklichung von Frauen und Männern in akademischen Berufen. Auf der Grundlage von empirischen Untersuchungsergebnissen analysiert sie die Motive zur Wahl von akademischen Berufen, die Eigenart der Beschäftigung an der Universität und einzelne Faktoren für Zufriedenheit und Unzufriedenheit mit der beruflichen Tätigkeit an der Universität im Zusammenhang mit dem beruflichen Aufstieg. Sie geht den Fragen nach den geschlechtsspezifischen Differenzen hinsichtlich des Verlaufs und des Erfolgs der akademischen Karrieren nach. Als Erklärungsfolie zieht sie die Sozialisationstheorie sowie die Organisationssoziologie heran und stellt abschließend fest, dass eine Diskriminierung von Frauen im Sinne der Zugangsverweigerung zu akademischen Berufen nicht mehr existiert. Die Gründe für die Diskriminierung lokalisiert sie in der Sozialstruktur, da die Männer diejenigen sind, die Erfolgsstandards festlegen. (ICG). Die Untersuchung enthält quantitative Daten.

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

In an introduction to this edited volume (see related abstracts in IRPS No. 87), the field of cultural studies & its relation to science & technology are discussed. It is suggested that the traditional belief in the primacy of cause/effect relationships fails to recognize the complexity & interdependence of variables in the modern world. Culture, science, & technology are not distinct entities, but overlapping fields, which transform & are transformed by each other. Although science & technology have permeated modern society, they do not independently determine the outcomes of social situations & evolution. It is argued that traditional deterministic social sciences must be replaced by a theory of complexity that erodes the boundaries between distinct forms of knowledge & perspectives, & seeks to consider cause in terms of multiple & merging influences. Further, region-oriented communities are becoming less important as technology allows easy communication with distant others, & thereby facilitates the bypass of local ties. It is concluded that the field of cultural studies is best equipped to deal with the rapidly changing circumstances of the modern world due to its appropriation of knowledge from diverse perspectives, & its lack of fundamental & fixed principles. T. Sevier

An exploration of "scientific motherhood" from the perspective of the everyday lives of women focuses on the negotiated meanings/uses of the discourse that forms women's relations to scientific authority. Emphasis is on negating the attitude toward science that implies women's victimization by medical discourse, as well as the notion that women accept the premise of medicine on its own terms. Rather, it is argued that scientific motherhood is a contradictory discourse shaped by relations of inequality. Data are drawn from an analysis of 38 lengthy interviews with African American & Jewish women who raised their children in the 1930s-1940s, presented in Medicalized Motherhood: Views from the Lives of African American and Jewish Women. The narratives reveal struggles between old & new practices, & disagreements about techniques for rearing healthy children that are structured by larger conflicts between social groups over status, boundaries, & acceptability. It is argued that women initiated medical discourse as a way to create motherhood within ethnoracial & class boundaries. Numerous quotations from the narratives are included. 29 References. J. Lindroth

Der Charakter der japanischen Sozialwissenschaften war aus historischer Sicht immer schon international, indem ein Austausch bzw. Import von Wissen und Gelehrten aus westlichen Ländern seit ihrer frühesten Entwicklung im 19. Jahrhundert erfolgte. Heute ist es ihr Ziel, welches von den Regierungsorganisationen vorgegeben wird, das vorhandene Wissen in andere Teile der Welt zu exportieren. In diesem Sinne waren die Aktivitäten der Sozialwissenschaften in Japan seit etwa eineinhalb Jahrhunderten durch den Import / Export von Fachwissen geprägt. Dabei hat immer die Regierungspolitik die Initiative ergriffen, um den internationalen Status der japanischen Sozialwissenschaften zu wahren. In diesem Kontext ist danach zu fragen, was einzelne Gelehrte dazu beigetragen haben, die Internationalisierungsbestrebungen der Regierung zu unterstützen. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden daher abseits der politischen Aspekte die Faktoren untersucht, welche zur Internationalisierung der Sozialwissenschaften in Japan geführt haben. Hierzu wird erstens der deutsche Einfluss auf die japanischen Sozialwissenschaften im späten 19. Jahrhundert sowie der Einfluss des Marxismus untersucht. Zweitens werden die Entwicklung des Hochschulsystems in Japan zwischen Forschung und Arbeitsmarkt sowie die Formen der interkulturellen Kommunikation in den Blick genommen. (ICI).