Suchergebnisse

Italian sociol'ts of the late 19th cent have described the Maffia above all as a soc plague. This has limited the study of a phenomena. The Maffia is certainly related to the lingering traces of feudalism which characterize Sicily (thus explaining, for example, the recourse to extralegal violence). But its vigor in the second half of the 19th cent must be attributed principally to the alliance of the new landed bourgeoisie, enriched by the purchase of noble & Church properties, with the traditional aristocracy. The Maffia, recruited from peasant circles, serves to defend this dominating class by retarding the formation of a middling peasantry. The exploitation by the 'mafiosi' of both the large land owners & the peasants is extremely profitable, permitting some of them to enter the ranks of the bourgeoisie. This soc role added to the control of the administration explains the strong position of the Maffia in Sicily. IPSA.

Only a small fraction of the soc & human sci's can be treated in the same way as is legitimate for the whole of the natural sci's. These -`spear-heads' cut across the traditional boundaries between disciplines. A new division is suggested for `arts & letters', which do not covet the sci'fic label, the soc sci's which are in the position of clients of the natural sci's, & the human sci's which are disciples of the natural sci's. Such a division would avoid the danger of giving any one society a priveleged status & allow the proposed study to set out frankly the real divergences between the soc & humanistic disciplines at present, rather than reflecting traditional R, misleading cleavages. HA.

The reaction against the New Deal of Roosevelt & Truman, the fear of increased power of the State, the hostility toward ai planned society, the present prosperity of the US--these factors have favored the rebirth of a conservative ideology. Conservative Americans are not, however, senseless & reactionary defenders of laissez faire & of isolationism. Their pessimistic view of human nature, their distrust of abstract solutions, & their respect for past experience push them toward a decentralized & hierarchical state. Can this conservative ideology, which has had considerable success in US intellectual circles & in the Republican group around President Eisenhower, become an effective pol'al force? Circumstances are favorable for such a development, but against it are the egalitarianism & the belief in human achievement that are deeply rooted in the conscience of the American masses. Tr by J. A. Broussard from IPSA.