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Majority rule is an essential element of the institution of democratic government. In three steps, I will explore the conditions of its acceptance as a mechanism of pure procedural legitimacy. Starting from H.L.A. Hart's analysis of the concept 'rule', I will argue that the validating conditions of rules are not normativ beliefs or reasons, but essentially social patterns of conduct and reasoning that manifest themselves in political agency and discourse. Secondly, I will outline a normative rationale that defends majority rule as a source of genuinely 'political' legitimacy under conditions of social pluralism. Finally, I will explain why majority rule's legitimating potential requires that political agency and discourse accept the separation of the political sphere from private spheres.

Social practice theory provides insight not only for analysis of existing social habits but also into their formation. Better understanding of the complexity of practices also allows insight into their relative degrees of obduracy: the potential for change or resistance to change. Characteristic of much work in recent analysis of cycling promotion is a tendency towards abstract generalization that ignores the specificities of practices as they occur in given locations. Cycling practices are not only located in space but also in time, and meanings, competencies and technologies are all inheritors of particular histories. This paper argues that much current promotional activity and research into changing behaviour is problematic inasmuch as it is ahistorical, lacking in analysis of the social and political forces that are responsible for the sedimentation of current practices. Following Oosterhuis' (2016) argument, the paper argues that without embedding analysis of transport processes in a much broader context, that pays heed to forms of governance, citizenship, the relative competencies of different levels of polity and the ways in which these forces are historically constructed, interventions aimed at behavioural change have little chance of success. Developing the work of Aldred (2010) on cycling and citizenship and Shove (2015) on social practice and policy, the paper links these to the field of comparative environmental politics (Steinberg & Van Deever 2012) through a lens of historical analysis. Drawing on a survey of over 100 recent papers analysing problems and interventions designed to promote modal shift in general and toward cycling in particular, the paper considers the degree to which these are sensitive to the social political and historical forces against which they operate. It then uses a comparison between historic campaigns for change in the UK and Germany to argue that the impact of interventions is less to do with their design than with the political context into which they are introduced.

It is argued that agricultural gross margin accounting (GMA) is a social phenomenon with the characteristics of an institutionalised practice. This proposition is examined using the new institutionalism in sociology theoretical framework (NIS) drawing on evidence from the literature and interviews. Underlying social, political and functional factors (termed 'the antecedents of deinstitutionalisation' by Oliver (1992)) and the fragmentation of business processes at the farm level, suggest that the next few years will test the widespread advocacy of GMA in farm analysis by advisors and consultants.

In recent decades, social research on youth in Italy has explored a wide range of issues through different interpretative and methodological approaches. However, there are very few studies that seek to identify the keynote features of the juvenile condition. This article argues that collective identities and forms of identification among youth are shaped more and more frequently through the sharing of social practices, of the meanings connected to these practices, and of more comprehensive lifestyles. With reference to four main fields (sport, music, politics, religion) and focusing on youth cultures, it analyses the connections between behaviours, attitudes, values and representations of youth actively involved in each of these different fields. The aim is to identify transversal processes through which young people today elaborate and adopt social practices and cultural profiles, create new social forms, and develop innovative signification processes.

International audience ; This academic investigation into the issue of kinship is the result of several workshops entitled 'Running risks in the family: kinship put to the test of economics and politics, from Iran to the Balkans', that were held on February 2004, 13th (Aix-en-Provence), and May 2004, 7-8th (Istanbul). These meetings were organised by the Institut d'ethnologie méditerranéenne et comparative (IDEMEC) [Institute of Comparative and Mediterranean Ethnology] and the Institut Français d'Etudes Anatoliennes (IFEA) [French Institute of Anatolian Studies]. They were coordinated by Gilles De Rapper and Benoit Fliche.

International audience ; This academic investigation into the issue of kinship is the result of several workshops entitled 'Running risks in the family: kinship put to the test of economics and politics, from Iran to the Balkans', that were held on February 2004, 13th (Aix-en-Provence), and May 2004, 7-8th (Istanbul). These meetings were organised by the Institut d'ethnologie méditerranéenne et comparative (IDEMEC) [Institute of Comparative and Mediterranean Ethnology] and the Institut Français d'Etudes Anatoliennes (IFEA) [French Institute of Anatolian Studies]. They were coordinated by Gilles De Rapper and Benoit Fliche.

International audience This academic investigation into the issue of kinship is the result of several workshops entitled 'Running risks in the family: kinship put to the test of economics and politics, from Iran to the Balkans', that were held on February 2004, 13th (Aix-en-Provence), and May 2004, 7-8th (Istanbul). These meetings were organised by the Institut d'ethnologie méditerranéenne et comparative (IDEMEC) [Institute of Comparative and Mediterranean Ethnology] and the Institut Français d'Etudes Anatoliennes (IFEA) [French Institute of Anatolian Studies]. They were coordinated by Gilles De Rapper and Benoit Fliche.

How can theoretical psychology develop concepts for analyzing connections between subjective dilemmas in everyday life and contradictions in historical social practice? We discuss this question by analyzing conflicts related to problems in children's school lives. One frequent conflict is whether school problems should be explored in relation to individual deficits and deviations, family background, how the school is organized, the societal task of education etc. However, such conflicts often become concealed by psychological concepts, which contributes to individualization, categorization and the displacement of problems. We argue that theoretical development of the concept of conflict may support the widespread endeavors to transcend such reductionism by developing contextual and dialectical understandings of personal dilemmas. Through examples from empirical studies, the article illustrates how political conflicts concerning societal institutions (such as schools) form part of both inter-subjective conflicts about common matters and personal conflicts in the conduct of everyday life.

Women have the right to take health measures on their bodies. In carrying out health measures, individuals need to seek health information. Health information can be obtained from the environment such as family, neighborhood, and groups involved in it. Along with the increase in technology, information is obtained from the individual environment and the outside world through electronic media and information spread in electronic media can be accessed anytime and anywhere. One of the groups seeking information about health from electronic media is PKK Gunung Anyar Tambak. This study used a qualitative method by conducting in-depth interviews with 16 members of the PKK Gunung Anyar Tambak using snowball sampling. This study found that the information conveyed by women was considered correct after carrying out the information management process with other people, so it requires a negotiation process when taking health measures for their families. In this case, negotiations were carried out with each of the husbands of PKK Gunung Anyar Tambak members. The husband has the power to reject or accept the information conveyed by the wife. The wife must manage online health information obtained from electronic media before it is conveyed to her husband and it can be accepted and practiced in her family.

A key challenge for psychology is how to conceptualize the life problems faced by individuals in such a way as to take into account both the subjective and situated dimensions and the societal and historical character of human life. This challenge is apparent in the conflicts surrounding problems in children's school lives. Psychological concepts are both embedded in and permeate understandings of problems at school contributing to individualization, abstraction, categorization and the displacement of problems. In this article, we suggest that a theoretical development of the concept of conflict may support the widespread endeavors to transcend such reductionism by developing contextual and dialectical understandings of problems in children's school lives. Through a focus on conflicts, we discuss theoretical challenges in conceptualizing the dialectic relationship between historical conditions and situated interplay in concrete everyday practice. Such conceptualizations can be used to analyze connections between personal dilemmas and contradictions of social practice. ; How can theoretical psychology develop concepts for analyzing connections between subjective dilemmas in everyday life and contradictions in historical social practice? We discuss this question by analyzing conflicts related to problems in children's school lives. One frequent conflict is whether school problems should be explored in relation to individual deficits and deviations, family background, how the school is organized, the societal task of education, etc. However, such conflicts often become concealed by psychological concepts, which contributes to individualization, categorization, and the displacement of problems. We argue that theoretical development of the concept of conflict may support the widespread endeavors to transcend such reductionism by developing contextual and dialectical understandings of personal dilemmas. Through examples from empirical studies, the article illustrates how political conflicts concerning societal institutions (such as schools) form part of both intersubjective conflicts about common matters and personal conflicts in the conduct of everyday life.

Social multimedia is changing the way people interact with each other, transforming old practices on political activism, social participation and interpersonal relationships. Sharing dynamically created video segments is a prime example of this social transformation. This paper reports on a long field trial studying social practices around personal videos within a tight social circle. Our results show that users appreciate the importance of video sharing for feeling more connected with group members and for building shared experiences. Our results also indicate that a new generation of video management systems is needed to maximize the impact of group sharing, with a focus on more efficient automatic processes to manage the social experience. A fundamental user requirement is finer-grained privacy controls over video content distribution. Paying special attention to existing social theories and human-centered methodologies this paper brings implications to be considered in the design of future home video management and sharing systems.

Cathode Ray Memories: Television as memory and social practice The history of television in Ireland is, predominantly, an institutional history. Indeed, rather than studying television in Ireland most commentary addresses Irish television as embodied by Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ). There are plentiful accounts of RTÉ, its programmes, personalities and the circuits of institutional power surrounding it. This is a history populated by political and clerical elites, and written by their cultural counterparts. Institutional crises surrounding RTÉ have been used as a proxy for the experiences of Irish people. With few alternatives, this perspective has underpinned common sense understandings of how television has helped to shape Irish society. Ironically, in attempts to explain the effect of the medium in Ireland the medium itself is overlooked. There is little comment on the changes in pace and scale that television technology has introduced. There has been no investigation of the medium's effect on the use of time, daily habits, family routines and so on. Such ubiquitous changes, lying outside the fields of parliamentary and cultural politics, have been overlooked. They are hidden in plain sight. To understand the effect of television in Ireland, as opposed to Irish television, this paper moves beyond the narratives that have predominated heretofore. Methodologically, it takes a necessary step beyond the limitations of a dependence on broadcast archives, newspaper records and official archives. It asks people, rather than tells them, how television has shaped their lives. Following the life story methods of Jerome Bourdon, it presents a pilot analysis of Irish memories of television. It tries to identify, and make explicit, common themes in the collective memory of television. Mindful of the medium, its affordances and the everyday rituals that are built around it, the paper traces and analyses memories of how television has re-shaped social practice.

Energy has an ambivalent status in social theory, variously figuring as a driver or an outcome of social and institutional change, or as something that is woven into the fabric of society itself. In this article the authors consider the underlying models on which different approaches depend. One common strategy is to view energy as a resource base, the management and organization of which depends on various intersecting systems: political, economic and technological. This is not the only route to take. The authors develop an alternative approach, viewing energy supply and energy demand as part of the ongoing reproduction of bundles and complexes of social practice. In articulating and comparing these two positions they show how social-theoretical commitments influence the ways in which problems like those of reducing carbon emissions are framed and addressed. Whereas theories of practice highlight basic questions about what energy is for, these issues are routinely and perhaps necessarily obscured by those who see energy as an abstract resource that structures or that is structured by a range of interlocking social systems.

The research aims at presenting a reasoned theory outlining some ideas for changes in the system of higher education (HE) in Bulgaria. The starting point is from the leading initiatives which shape the European framework for the development of HE in the European Union (EU). Conclusions of Bulgarian researchers about the present state of the Bulgarian HE are referred to. The relation between HE and the labour market in Bulgaria is discussed. Based on some ideas shared by other authors, suggestions are made for cognitive-methodological, organizational-managerial, human resource and financial changes.

Ethnography matters when to provide sustainable and inclusive urban spaces is an issue. Advancing knowledge on the relationship between social practices and public space is therefore crucial. This paper seeks to contribute to widening the debate about this relationship, added now by the phenomenon of penetration of ICT into public spaces. The main goal is to propose a methodological approach to guide the research in the field of urban ethnography. This approach is based, on the one hand, on long experience in ethnographic studies on public spaces, with the goal of identifying the relationship between social practices and the space in the configuration of representations and creation of socio-spatial images, particularly in urban transformation processes. On the other hand, it is based on a detailed analysis of the CyberParks Project objectives. Both allow us to better define the analysis dimensions and to identify their variables. Such framework could be used to guide future ethnographic research to be undertaken in CyberParks and beyond. ; Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union. ; peer-reviewed