Suchergebnisse

It is argued that the striking differences across Europe in the labor force participation rates of women with children cannot be explained by differences in social policy or welfare system alone. This volume, resulting from research conducted 1998-2001 by the European Commission, explores the interaction of individual motivations & sociopolitical factors that prompt some mothers to enter the workforce & other to remain at home, highlighting the intersection of social policies & practices across different welfare regimes. The current work situation of mothers -- & all women -- is considered against the backdrop of gender-equality policies developed since the late 1950s, along with treaties that have provided the legal basis for such policies; laws against sexual discrimination, guarantees of "equal pay for equal work," & provision of childcare services are highlighted. The continued "gender coding" of certain activities, eg, child care & household maintenance, as "women's work" is discussed & sociopolitical factors in individual EU member states that impact gender-equality policies are considered. K. Hyatt Stewart

The use of the concept of strategy as a theoretical tool in the investigation of women's purposive, everyday practices is explored, focusing on strategies related to working & mothering in the context of larger social changes. The sociological conception of strategy is closely related to Pierre Bourdieu's notion of habitus; issues of agency & structure are considered. Other conceptualizations drawn from economics & history are compared & the use of the concept in various national contexts is examined. It is argued that social change is key in explaining the purposive & quasirational dimensions of social practices in women's lives; such strategies become more complex & widely used in the absence of social policies to deal with such changes. Examples are provided from several European countries on employed mothers' strategies to balance their family & work roles, comparing rational, packaging, coping, & indirect/unconscious strategies. K. Hyatt Stewart

Explores how social groups respond to fear generated by an uncertain social, political, economic, & cultural environment. It is contended that human fear is often a social construction created by complex socialization processes. Society creates notions of risk, threat, & danger, as well as acceptable modes of response. Different social groups recognize different fears, including many invisible fears & perceived threats that have increased in the current information age. Ulrich Beck's (1998) notion that society has changed from the "community of misery of class society to the community of fear belonging to the society of risk" is examined, along with fear of the Other, which easily translates into hatred responsible for ethnic & religious conflicts. The importance of endowing fears with recognizable faces is stressed. It is concluded that sociocultural responses to fear are found in "urban survival guides" of unwritten practices in the chaotic city, & in urban myths about things like kidnapping, organ theft, the vulnerability of women, & the need to depend on supernatural help to deal with the chaos. 1 Figure. J. Lindroth

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

Introduces an edited Vol of 16 Chpts that reviews data collected by the 1991 National Organizations Study on the structures & human resource practices of US organizations. The history of theorizing organizational structures in the post-WWII period is traced, from the structural approaches that dominated until the early 1970s through the efforts in the 1980s & 1990s to establish linkages between organizations & wider stratification processes. Issues raised include the increasing formalization of employment relations, the notion of the high-performance work organization, & various human resource practices & policies (eg, staffing practices, job training, & compensation). New employment relations (eg, subcontracting), gender segregation, & male-female differences in organizational commitment are also considered. D. M. Smith

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

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

Introduces a Vol of nine Chpts (each abstracted) by providing a theoretical & political context for issues raised by recent changes in & challenges to the political project of feminism. The central idea of a shared oppression uniting women in their struggle for liberation informed second-wave feminism of the 1960s & 1970s, which tended to concentrate on social structures that universally disadvantaged women, regardless of class, race, or sexual differences. This ignorance of difference eventually led to the assertion of radical difference in postmodernist & poststructuralist feminist thought. These new strands of theory were anchored in a wider challenge to Western philosophical thought that revealed the gendered nature of the dichotomies that structure it. Two particular claims were stressed by poststructural feminists: that all knowledge was partial & relative to the social construction of experience. Thus, recent feminist work is described as emphasizing the local & cultural variability of gender in all its forms. Others have focused on the nature of power as ambivalent & negotiated rather than imposed from one group onto another. With a focus on identity issues in the context of practicing feminism, contributions address the significance of women's agency & sense of active subjectivity as well as notions of identity construction in power relations. 85 References. D. M. Smith

An introductory chapter focuses on theoretical foundations of the study of violence. It is noted that Georg Simmel (1908) laid the groundwork by shifting notions about violence from evolutionist thinking to treating it as part of the cultural inventory. Contemporary anthropologists view violent confrontations as social actions associated with the interests & beliefs of conscious actors. Operational, cognitive, & experiential approaches to the study of conflict, war, & violence are explored, along with the dichotomy of practice & imaginary that is seen as a key to understanding violence as a total social fact. An examination of dimensions of violence that are accessible to comparative analysis is followed by a discussion of violent imaginaries & how they are represented through narratives, performances, & inscriptions. It is maintained that violence can be viewed as conflict, as war, or as a form of interpersonal relations in everyday cultural reality. Examples of each phenomenological dimension are explored & suggestions are made for future anthropological research on violence & its many forms of social realization. 47 References. J. Lindroth

Summarizes this volume's contributions to the development of a new theoretical approach to social movements that emphasizes their embeddedness within state structures, dominant cultures, & civil society. The need to study both the internal dynamics & external contexts of movements, & their interrelationships, in attempting to explain movement structures, strategies of collective action, & meaning is emphasized. Ways that a movement's collective identity & discourse interact with external opportunities & constraints are of key importance. In addition, it is clear that systemic inequalities based on gender, race, class, & sexuality shape both social movements & the organizations & institutions they confront. 1 Table. K. Hyatt Stewart

Summarizes this volume's contributions to the development of a new theoretical approach to social movements that emphasizes their embeddedness within state structures, dominant cultures, & civil society. The need to study both the internal dynamics & external contexts of movements, & their interrelationships, in attempting to explain movement structures, strategies of collective action, & meaning is emphasized. Ways that a movement's collective identity & discourse interact with external opportunities & constraints are of key importance. In addition, it is clear that systemic inequalities based on gender, race, class, & sexuality shape both social movements & the organizations & institutions they confront. 1 Table. K. Hyatt Stewart

British (Rampton Report 1981 & Swann Report 1985) & US studies on the interaction of schooling, race, & education are reviewed; more discussion of race & higher education has taken place in the US than in GB. The practice of teaching topics concerning race in the British social science courses is complex, due to the contested nature of race. Teaching race cannot really be addressed in full with either pluralist multiculturalist or essentialist forms of antiracist education. Using interview data from lecturers & students, possibilities for a synthesis of the two forms in GB are discussed, including issues of curriculum, the teacher's subject position, student backgrounds, & conflicts among students in the seminar room. M. Pflum