Evaluates the current state of research on the sources of social capital's attitudinal aspects. Following an overview of the debate on social capital's sources, attention turns to detailing two specific debates, highlighting the work of Robert Putnam (eg, 1993). It is suggested that while historical factors drive the formation of generalized trust & the forms & density of social interactions, current social & political institutions & various levels of government are also involved. Demonstrated is that the relevance of voluntary institutions as the key measure of social capital has been challenged & that the assumption regarding the efficacy of such associations in producing generalized norms & values such as trust should be handled gingerly. Further, institutional analysis of social capital sheds light on the importance of looking beyond organizations & social interactions for mechanisms that generate, foster, or disturb the development of generalized trust & norms of reciprocity. In addition, family is seen to play an important role in generalized & cooperative attitudes & perhaps societal engagement. Social capital is also found to be embedded deeply in the three-way state-family-civil society relationship. 94 References. J. Zendejas
Professional learning on social media is generally framed as unproblematic, but the transition to these platforms marks a change as professionals' work is conditioned by their logic and economy. In this paper, our focus is how problematic inequalities of teachers' professional learning around access, participation and resources are produced as their professional exchanges is formed by social media participation. Three aspects of inequality have been examined. First, the performance of teachers' (un)equal professional opportunities; second, (un)equal access to resources; and third, (un)equal existential opportunities for professional development. We draw on examination of three-years of API data from a large teacher Facebook-group asking, who can participate (gender, location), what voices are heard (status, language), and how does the social media platform condition professional exchange and participation? Our results consider the opportunities and costs for teachers as individuals, professionals and intellectuals. They reveal problematic temporal aspects such as work intensification, and limited professional exchange, partly conditioned by the platform functionality.
In: Soziale Ungleichheit, kulturelle Unterschiede: Verhandlungen des 32. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie in München. Teilbd. 1 und 2, S. 813-821
"The proposed presentation has two aims: (a) It will outline a theoretical understanding of 'citizenship' that is rooted in sociological systems theory and in sociolinguistic approaches. With this approach it tries to develop a sociological supplement to the more normative notions of governance and citizenship in the legal and political sciences. (b) It will apply these theoretical considerations to a comparative view on forms of citizenship, which can be observed in participatory procedures in different European countries. The rationale of such a perspective is, at the end, to aim at a sociologically grounded evaluation of normative expectations about 'adequate' and 'legitimate' forms of participatory governance. The task or the problem that is being solved by the idea of citizenship has been remaining identical from the beginning of political reflection in the Greek polis to the modern concepts, such as Marshall's 'Citizenship and Social Class', Barber's notion of 'Strong Democracy', Philip Frankenfeld's concept of 'technological citizenship', or more recently, Phillippe Schmitter's concept of different positions of 'holders'. All these concepts deal with a certain aspect of the relationship between persons and society. Citizenship describes the coupling between the political system and individuals or groups, often using terms of justice and community membership. In modern society, citizenship mainly has two aspects: (1) membership in a wider, largely national, context; (2) and a certain kind of social position. To be a citizen means more than being a member of a nation; it means having rights and duties, especially rights of information, rights to participation, voice, and standing for example, that is rights to being treated in a certain way. These rights and duties constitute social positions, a term by which we mean differentiated sets of social expectations. On this basis, citizenship can theoretically be understood as an aspect of social inclusion. It is then be defined as a special mode of inclusion into the political system. When inclusion is the function of citizenship, a number of different (but functionally equivalent) forms could fulfil this function. Nationality is prominent mode of inclusion into the political system, as well as electorate, for example. Participatory forms of inclusion play a respective role in public procedures. We may on the basis of functions and forms then try to identify effects of different forms. One consequence of this approach is its conceptual openness to different semantic concepts of citizenship, which can be observed in their empirical occurrence (...)." (author's abstract)
Under global capitalism, social reproduction has become unlinked from production & differences between rich & poor have become starker. As corporate commitment to place is reduced, public disinvestments in health, education, welfare, & environment responsibilities occurs, & many suffer, but especially children. The migration of social capital from poorer to richer countries is just another type of transfer of capital. The political-economic, cultural, & environmental aspects of social reproduction are discussed. The restructuring of social reproduction has left children in poor, underserved neighborhoods without adequate & safe outdoor play. Family & individual efforts to ensure social reproduction are arising as the state pulls back. Topographies & counter-topographies are proposed as research strategies to analyze the material effects on social reproductions produced by global economic restructuring. Counter-topographies link different places engaged in common struggles against globalization; an example from Sudan is described. 29 References. M. Pflum
Under global capitalism, social reproduction has become unlinked from production & differences between rich & poor have become starker. As corporate commitment to place is reduced, public disinvestments in health, education, welfare, & environment responsibilities occurs, & many suffer, but especially children. The migration of social capital from poorer to richer countries is just another type of transfer of capital. The political-economic, cultural, & environmental aspects of social reproduction are discussed. The restructuring of social reproduction has left children in poor, underserved neighborhoods without adequate & safe outdoor play. Family & individual efforts to ensure social reproduction are arising as the state pulls back. Topographies & counter-topographies are proposed as research strategies to analyze the material effects on social reproductions produced by global economic restructuring. Counter-topographies link different places engaged in common struggles against globalization; an example from Sudan is described. 29 References. M. Pflum
The relationship between the postmodern & feminist accounts of philosophy & social criticism is discussed in reference to the potential for a mutually beneficial form of postmodern feminism. Both postmodernists & feminists have attempted to develop new frameworks of social criticism that do not rely on traditional philosophy. Postmodernists have emphasized the philosophy aspect of this goal, while feminists have focused on social criticism. It is argued that both discourses have developed complementary strengths & weaknesses, & cooperation between the disciplines could elucidate & overcome their internal shortcomings: a postmodern critique of feminism could reveal its essentialist tendencies, while a feminist critique of postmodernism could expand its political relevance. Following an examination of these weaknesses utilizing the work of Jean Francois Lyotard & various feminist theorists, the defining characteristics of postmodern feminism are depicted as (1) recognition of the importance of historical narratives & societal macrostructures; (2) historical & cultural sensitivity; & (3) an emphasis on alliances between differences rather than universal homogeneity. 33 References. T. Sevier
An introduction to an edited Vol on the poignancy of social movements focuses on past research, present problems, & future developments. It is maintained that current scholarship has neglected the actual/potential effects of social movements, as well as conditions & processes that enhance or detract from a movement's impact. Contributors address the gap by exploring theoretical questions regarding which aspects of society are modified by social movements & by conducting empirical evaluations of the impact of contemporary social movements in different countries. A review shows that most social movement studies are limited by their focus on success/failure, policy outcomes, & causality. In contrast, contributions view social movements as complex sets of actors, groups, & organizations with different perceptions of success. They also distinguish between intended & unintended consequences, & consider the counterproductive potential of the latter. The durability & direction of change are discussed, along with the need for a coherent theoretical framework for social movement outcomes. 1 Figure. J. Lindroth
Analyses of social contexts are almost universal in social research. In many cases, however, they are not explicitly labelled or even recognized as such. The conceptual aspect of 'context' then remains implicit in the substantive research question - such as when investigating the effects of 'social background' as a characteristic of an individual's parental or family context. Systematic commonalities can be found among various analyses that either implicitly or explicitly deal with social contexts and their relevance for education. This article presents a formal classification of relevant contexts and their effects on education, discusses common methodological issues of contextual analyses and gives a brief survey of important findings in relevant research areas - in particular, family effects, peer effects, school effects and effects that can be associated with larger socio-economic contexts and institutional systems.
Explores the impacts of new information & communication technologies (ICTs) on various aspects of everyday life, considering ICTs as (1) both objects & media, (2) material & symbolic, (3) embedded in time & space, (4) involving both active & passive use, & (5) shifting boundaries between public & private spaces. Secondary research is drawn on to analyze social & cultural factors affecting the speed & scale of household adoption of ICTs, noting variations by gender, age, & household composition. The process by which ICTs are "domesticated" is also discussed. The impacts of ICTs on individual social life are examined, including isolation, the potential for addiction, & perceptions of/relationships with the outside world. Implications for policy making & social planning are considered. K. Hyatt Stewart
This chapter investigates the relationship between physical space and processes of creative thinking and action. The authors build on organizational and sociological literature about social space and aesthetics, then illustrate how the latter two aspects influenced each other in five action experiments. Small mixed groups explored how they would use a studio to facilitate social innovation and to strengthen the link between the Max Stern Jezreel Valley College in Israel and the surrounding communities. Analysis of the video recordings identified seven configurations of social space that changed over time as the participants engaged in the task. The authors suggest that the undifferentiated and unencrusted nature of the space was both a source of uncertainty and potential for the participants. Some groups generated more innovative processes and products than others. The study also offers insights into the importance of embodied action and verbal discourse in innovative processes.
Looking to situate social capital more solidly within public institutions, an institutional theory of generalized trust linking the macro- & individual levels is presented & tested. Contending that contemporary political institutions are key determinants of social capital, causal mechanisms underpinning the link between government institutions & social capital are specified. Distinctions are drawn between trust in institutions on the representational side of the system & in those on the implementation side, asserting that the impartiality & fairness of political institutions that implement public policy are important components of institutional trust & confidence that can be separated from conventional political trust in politicians & the government. Further, these aspects of institutional trust foster generalized trust. This is exemplified in the case of the welfare system. The relationship between system impartiality & generalized trust is then elaborated in terms of cognitive inferences, people's observations of others, & the impact of people's welfare or legal experiences. These causal mechanisms are tested using empirical evidence at the microlevel, using the Swedish welfare system & various data sources to see if a lack of impartiality disturbs trust development. Analysis indicates that people do make strong connections between the institutional impartiality & generalized trust at the micro- & macrolevels, they develop different levels of trust dependent on their observations of other citizens, & those who have faced discrimination in the system are less trusting. Further research directions are offered. 3 Tables, 1 Figure, 28 References. J. Zendejas
Working with social media data is a hermeneutic procedure systematically guided by doubts about the meaning of data at all stages of the research process, from data collection and preparation to data analysis and publication. A short walk through the automated data collection workflow, as it is implemented in the open-source software Facepager, highlights some of the epistemic peculiarities of the process. The paper encourages researchers to deal with technical details, errors, and restrictions in order to gain a deeper understanding of the organizing principles of the web. Technical limitations and hurdles should not solely be considered as problems to be solved, but also as indicators of social processes on online platforms. Scraping social media data touches on key aspects of platformization and, therefore, is not merely a data collection method, but also a means of examining the online world through a data hermeneutical lens.
This chapter discusses the legal aspects of researchers' access to social media data, focusing in particular on recent developments in European law. We see law as playing both an enabling and a restrictive role in facilitating platform data access. Identifying a number of shortcomings in current legislation, we argue for the creation of a sound legal framework for scholarly data research. The new Digital Services Act makes some promising first steps towards regulating programmatic data access through APIs, but many obstacles and ambiguities remain. Furthermore, a clear vision on the legal status of public interest scraping projects is still lacking. In the teeth of private ordering by global platform companies, as new gatekeepers in academic research, ensuring fair and rights-sensitive data access must be a priority for the (European) legislator.
Examines the basic visual symbols that constitute the traditional elements of identity for the Russian state & former empire. The need for legitimation is a fundamental aspect of political leadership. Sources of legitimation include national myths & religion; dynastic succession, which played a major role in the Russian monarchy; the symbolic power of the capital city as the seat of political authority; history & tradition, whether accurate or mythical; & symbols of continuity & strength, such as the double-headed eagle, the continued worship of Stalin, & the observance of former Soviet state holidays. The author concludes that symbols play a vital role in maintaining national identity & social order. 45 References. J. R. Callahan
Draws on 1998/99 fieldwork in two Nicaraguan peasant villages to consider whether the relationship between associational membership & the attitudinal elements of social capital exists in the Third World. At issue is whether associational life is linked to horizontal trust & cooperation (ie, reciprocity) or whether associations support vertical & clientelist networks. In addition, some attention is given to the viability of the civil society approach in development practice. An overview of associational life in the villages is provided, highlighting the characteristics of organizational members. The strong Sandinist bias in the villages is explained by the historical evolution of the political opportunity structure, which shaped the nature of associational life while creating & supporting local Sandinist leadership structures. In this light, associational recruitment mechanisms are considered as a way to understand the nonparticipation structure (of Liberals), finding that access to associations & their benefits is impacted by the villages' informal networks; local leaders play a big role in recruiting members. Findings indicate that associations fall into networks, with development efforts dictated by the local structure of the informal networks. Attentions turns to addressing why local leaders provide resources to the "untrustworthy" poorest groups in one village. Thus, the structure & content of its informal networks are scrutinized in search of horizontal forms of cooperation, & their relationship to the more clientelist aspects of associational life pondered. Evidence of horizontal cooperation & trust is overwhelmingly present in the village; why this is so is examined. In closing, policy recommendations are offered, stressing the need to revise the civil society development perspective. 2 Tables, 34 References. J. Zendejas