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Jacques Bidet's theory of modernity is a fascinating research project which confronts us in a challenging way with a series of key theoretical & practical problems. The text focuses on the concepts of metastructure, domination, class & democracy. The most important concept is "metastructure," which is to be perceived as all coordination & legitimation resources (on the economic, legal-political & cultural levels -- the overcoming of any transcendental order) at the disposal of the citizens of modernity. These resources can be combined in several different ways, in varied structures of modernity. How are we to understand the ontological status of this metastructure? A full answer confronts us with another question: is it possible to offer a scientific explanation of the genesis of this modern (meta)structure? Thus, if metastructure is some sort of general grammar of modernity, the social structures are an actualization of the possibilities of metastructure according to the spectrum ranging from the extreme of planned collectivism to the extreme of liberistic capitalism. Consequently, the duality of modernity is manifest in the fact that it is characterized, on the one hand, by universalistic legitimacy and, on the other, by the persistence of forms of (class) domination. According to Bidet, in capitalism a dominant class will be established with two poles -- property & competence -- which correspond to the interlinkage of market & organization in such a form of society. For this reason, an attempt to achieve emancipation from the domination of the proprietor, in the case of planned collectivism, developing to the full the organizational dimension in order to satisfy the social needs in a more egalitarian way, necessarily results in the organizer's domination. But the thesis that the dominant class in capitalism has two poles (property & competence) is met with the objection that simultaneously too much & not enough is said about the second pole of this class (of managers). Namely, it remains unclear how we must think the unity of capitalist domination in the plurality of spheres of social power; & if, on the contrary, we must abandon this unity, why should we limit ourselves to only two poles? The author concludes with a discussion of two questions which he deems to be decisive: to what extent can the inequalities related to property or competence be designated as class relations or forms of domination? And what is the relation between various modalities of class relations or relations of domination, & the institutions of modern poliarchic democracy which is centered on the multi-party system? Adapted from the source document.

Providing a balance sheet of Kirchnerism is not a straightforward task. While clearly far from being the recasting of Argentina's political culture proclaimed by its partisans, neither of Argentina's political culture proclaimed by its partisans, neither was it a mere prolongation of the 1990s dispensation. In what follows, the author will outline Kirchnerism's characteristic features, noting both where it marked a break with the past & the elements of strong continuity. For if Kirchner can point to some genuine economic achievements & certain policy initiatives that qualitatively separate him from earlier administrations, his government otherwise presided over widening income inequalities & an increasing trend towards precarious forms of labor. His political praxis meanwhile, was marked by repeated recourse to tactics of co-option & clientelism, suggesting that the old order supposedly swept aside by the crisis of 2001-02 has clung to life, in altered guise; & that it may yet make a full recovery. The conflict with the countryside had a paradoxical result; on the one hand, it brought onto the political stage different social & economic actors, linked to the agribusiness model, while strengthening the positions of the most conservative & reactionary section. On the other hand, its denouement has imposed political limits on the government which probably signal the end of the 'K Era' -- at least in the configuration that has obtained since 2003, combining appeals for a 'new politics' & hopes of constructing a cross-party centre let force with a heightened concentration of power in the executive branch & the instrumental use of allies, even within the ruling bloc. This style of government, effective in reshaping the political scene during the first years of Kirchner's mandate, is now being questioned by a significant portion of society -- above all the middle classes -- who rejected the authoritarianism of the presidential couple, disbelieving its promises of renewal & demanding that power be further democratized. The Peronist party's election of Nestor Kirchner as its chairman in May 2008 may be a public role, but as a first step towards the reconsolidation of the Partido Justicialista which, thanks to Kirchner's changeling strategies, has ridden out the storms of devaluation more successfully than any other political force in the country. The situation as it stands is likely to mark the end of the K Era & its timid experiments with building a centre left coalition clearing the way for the traditional system of Peronist domination to return with a vengeance. Adapted from the source document.

Proceedings contain: Introductory Note by Kurt W. Back, John P. Robinson, & Philip Harding; the AAPOR Award presented "For Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement" to Jean Stoetzel, President of the French Institut of PO; Presidential Address on "Public Opinion Research as Communication," by W. Phillps Davison, President, Amer Assoc for PO Res; Abstracts of 22 papers presented; summaries of 13 Luncheon Open Discussion Groups; & a note on the Annual Advisory AAPOR Business Meeting. Papers presented were: PUBLIC OPINION IN PERSPECTIVE, Chairman: W. Phillips Davison (Columbia U, New York, NY): Harold D. Lasswell (City U of New York, NY), "Communications Research and Public Policy," Public Opinion Quarterly, 1972, 36, 3, Fall, 301 -- 310. Discussion by Daniel Lerner (Mass Instit of Technology, Cambridge). EFFECTS OF TELEVISION ON SOCIAL AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOR, Chairman: Harold Mendelsohn (U of Denver, Colo); Harold Mendelsohn, "Some Reasons Why Information Campaigns Can Succeed;" Sidney Kraus (U of Massachusetts, Amherst), "Mass Communication and Political Behavior: A Reassessment of Two Decades of Research." HAVE WE CHANGED OUR MINDS ABOUT PROBABILITY SAMPLING? Chairman: Alfred E. Goldman (Nat'l Analysts, Inc): Sydney Roslow & Laurence Roslow (Baruch Coll, City U of New York, NY), "Sample Design: 36-Inch or 24-Inch Yardstick;" Richard Maisel (New York U, NY), "Inference from Nonprobability Samples." ADVERTISING AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS: POLICIES AND PERSPECTIVES, Chairman: Donald L. Kanter (U of Southern California, Los Angeles): John G. Myers (U of California, Berkeley), "Communication Models and Advertising Regulation;" Donald L. Kanter (U of Southern California, Los Angeles), "Government Policy and Public Service Advertising." WAPOR: INTERACTION OF RESEARCH AND GOVERNMENT POLICY, Chairman: Kurt W. Back (Duke U, Winston-Salem, NC): J. Timothy Sprehe, "Prospects for a World Fertility Survey;" Discussion: Samuel Baum (Bur of the Census, Washington, DC), David Mutchler (Aid to Internat'l Development, Washington, DC), & Michael Hoffman (Marcomer, Paris). LARGE-SCALE CONTINUING STUDIES IN EDUCATION, Chairman: Eugene L. Hartley (U of Wisconsin, Green Bay): Thomas P. Hogan (U of Wisconsin, Green Bay), "The Extent and Uses of Survey-Type Testing in American Schools;" David E. Drew (Amer Council on Educ), "Survey of Current Research in Higher Education." THE OBJECTIVITY OF NEWS COVERAGE, Chairman: Leo Bogart (Bur of Advertising, ANPA): G. Ray Funkhouser (Pennsylvania State U, University Park), "All I Know Is What I See in the Media;" Ben H. Bagdikian (Washington Post, DC), "Who Shall Watch the Watchman?"; Norman E. Isaacs (Columbia U, New York, NY), "Does News Form Overpower News Content." THE EUROPEAN ORIGINS OF PUBLIC OPINION RESEARCH: A PANEL DISCUSSION, Panelists: Paul F. Lazarsfeld (Columbia U, New York, NY), Jean Stoetzel (Instit Framcais d'Opinion Publique, Paris); Albert E. Gollin (Bur of Soc Sci Res), & Gillian M. Lindt (American U, Washington, DC), "Signposts Along the Way: On Some European Origins of Public Opinion Research." WAPOR: RESEARCH ON FAMILY PLANNING, Chairman: Kurt W. Back (Duke U, Winston-Salem, NC): Ismail Sirageldin (Johns Hopkins U, Baltimore, Md), "The Survey Method in Family Planning Research and Evaluation: The Case of Pakistan." THE CHANGING BASES OF ELECTORAL BEHAVIOR, Chairman: Robert Agranoff (Northern Ill U, Normal): Everett C. Ladd Jr (U of Connecticut, Storrs, "Political Issues and Differentiation of the Citizenry Parties;" Charles H. Backstrom (U of Minnesota, Minneapolis), "Congress and the Public Opinion: How Representative Is the One of the Other?" CORPORATE TRACKING SYSTEMS FOR MANAGEMENT DECISIONS, Chairman: Sol Dutka (Audits & Surveys Inc), Malcolm A. McNiven (Coca-Cola Co), "Continuing Consumer Research at Coca-Cola USA;" Nicholas J. Mammana (AT & T), "Teeing Off on Tracking;" Robert W. Pratt, Jr & David T. Case (General Electric Co), "The Application of Tracking Data to Strategic Planning." SIMULATION GAME DEMONSTRATION: STARPOWER, Chairman: Arlene & Daniel O'Leary (Simulation Learning Instit): CHANGING VALUES IN AMERICA, Chairman: Ralph K. White (George Washington U, Washington, DC): "Contrasting Approaches to the Measurement of Values;" Milton Rokeach (U of Western Ontario, London), "Values in American Society." THE PROBLEM OF DRUG ABUSE: RESEARCH AND POLICY NEEDS, Chairman: Mitchell Balter Psychopharmacology Res Branch, NIMH), & A. John Rush (Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention), "A View from the Public Sector." This abstract is being presented in 2 Parts. Additional contribution are in the abstract that follows. M. Maxfield.

"Grave sites not only offer the contemporary viewer the physical markers of those remembered but also a wealth of information about the era in which the cemeteries were created. These markers hold keys to our historical past and allow an entry point of interrogation about who is represented, as well as how and why. Grave History is the first volume to use southern cemeteries to interrogate and analyze southern society and the construction of racial and gendered hierarchies from the antebellum period through the dismantling of Jim Crow. Through an analysis of cemeteries throughout the South-including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, and Virginia, from the nineteenth through twenty-first centuries-this volume demonstrates the importance of using the cemetery as an analytical tool for examining power relations, community formation, and historical memory. Grave History draws together an interdisciplinary group of scholars, including historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, and social-justice activists to investigate the history of racial segregation in southern cemeteries and what it can tell us about how ideas regarding race, class, and gender were informed and reinforced in these sacred spaces. Each chapter is followed by a learning activity that offers readers an opportunity to do the work of a historian and apply the insights gleaned from this book to their own analysis of cemeteries. These activities, designed for both the teacher and the student, as well as the seasoned and the novice cemetery enthusiast, encourage readers to examine cemeteries for their physical organization, iconography, sociodemographic landscape, and identity politics"--

"After more than a century of recurring conflict, the countries of the Asia-Pacific region have managed something remarkable: avoiding war among nations. Since 1979, Asia has endured threats, near-miss crises, and nuclear proliferation but no interstate war. How fragile is this "Asian peace," and what is America's role in it? Van Jackson argues that because Washington takes for granted that the United States is a force for good, successive presidencies have failed to see how their statecraft impedes more durable forms of security and inadvertently embrittles peace. At times, the United States has been the region's bulwark against instability, but America has been a threat to Asian peace as much as it has been its guarantor. By grappling with how America fits into the Asian story, Jackson shows how regional stability has diminished because of U.S. choices, and why America's margin for geopolitical error is less now than ever before."

The epic of America -- What I am fighting for -- People of plenty -- The making of a counter culture -- The poverty of affluence -- The world is flat