Suchergebnisse

William Kornblum-an eminent urban sociologist and a veteran traveler in the Francophone world-invites readers on an exploration of a changing city. Blending travelogue and social observation, he roams Marseille's neighborhoods and regions in the company of writers, scholars, activists, and ordinary people.

Unlike many other major metropolitan centers in France, Marseille has not suffered high rates of collective violence and rioting in its public housing estates ( cités). Yet it is also true that the cités of Marseille are as feared and stigmatized as any in France. This article explores research on the city's housing estates and presents original ethnographic work that helps to explain Marseille's exceptionalism. I find that local efforts at community education by active residents of La Visitation, a typical mid-sized Marseille cité, enhance social cohesion and neighborhood pride, despite persistent problems of underemployment among its young residents. I also describe a successful effort to use a produced video (an application of visual sociology) to draw attention to and support for residents' local initiatives.

Central Park is in full bloom as I write this; the orange Gates that lit up the park in the gloom of February are a faint after-image. The grand achievement of Christo and Jeanne Claude is overshadowed by the changing seasons and the press of daily life in this impossibly busy city. But think back to the Gates for a moment: was there ever in our New York experience a public art event so successful on so many levels? Was there ever one that so captured the imagination of people who don't ordinarily flock to see conceptual art? And yet only a few months after the Gates were taken down, in a move that surprised the public for its stealth, the Bloomberg administration opened another chapter of the park numbers game by signaling that it would limit gatherings on the Great Lawn to fifty thousand people or less. If it remains in effect, this policy will bar not only large concerts, but also political rallies such as the one the mayor and the Police Department refused to permit during the 2004 Republican National Convention. As a sociologist who studies the life of urban public spaces, I am worried about the privatization of public spaces; and like many New Yorkers, I fear the loss of Central Park as a gathering place for rallies and demonstrations. Because I had an insiders' view of the Gates installation, I want to use it to reflect on some critical issues of art, community, and public space.

Ethnographers often find that the discovery of a mentor, someone who generously unlocks doors and shares invaluable experience with a naive outsider, is a critical turning point in the research process. This article explores a mentor-investigator relationship in ethnographic research within the more specialized field of historical ethnography and through a case of historical ethnography: fieldwork in Chicago's jazz and blues music scenes from August through October 1924, where the discovery of a mentor has brought an unexpected and original perspective to the research.

Ethnographers often find that the discovery of a mentor, someone who generously unlocks doors & shares invaluable experience with a naive outsider, is a critical turning point in the research process. This article explores a mentor-investigator relationship in ethnographic research within the more specialized field of historical ethnography & through a case of historical ethnography: fieldwork in Chicago's jazz & blues music scenes from August through October 1924, where the discovery of a mentor has brought an unexpected & original perspective to the research. 20 References. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Inc., copyright 2004 The American Academy of Political and Social Science.]

Kornblum reviews 'What Workers Want' by Richard B. Freeman and Joel Rogers.

The underclass in the US is examined to determine its ideological & socioeconomic dimensions. It is contended that the concept of an "urban underclass" was constituted during the 1980s by conservative political pundits & the economically endowed to justify their excesses. Here, a distinction is made between the underclass & the merely impoverished to underscore the fact the former consists of people whose behavior -- rather than unemployment or poverty -- is the cause of their lowly status. Various descriptions of the underclass are discussed & critiqued, including those offered by William J. Wilson, Christopher Jencks, & Ken Auletta. It is concluded that the underclass is composed of people who are trapped at the bottom of both the legal & illegal class systems, & who, because of mental illness, addiction, or destitution, are likely to remain there. W. Howard

The label "underclass" should not be used to lump together people from below-poverty-level families, recidivist criminals, & welfare mothers. Four case studies of individuals so labeled demonstrate the misconceptions that can arise from such lumping together. The underclass should be considered as those poor who are unemployable, & unlikely to be unable to change without help. This group, made up primarily of unskilled, uneducated adolescents, faces a 50% unemployment rate as a result of the depression in the manufacturing sector of the economy. The quick-fix solutions suggested by most government policies will not greatly reduce their numbers. Only employment opportunities for the young & unskilled will ameliorate the situation. A. Darroch.

Both the economic viability of the United States auto industry & the future leadership of the United Automibile Workers (UAW) are uncertain at present. Indications are sought through data from observations of the UAW's 1979 bargaining with auto manufacturers & the election of union representatives a few days later. The closing of automibile plants is a source of economic problems for Detroit, Mich, area communities & for the UAW. Newly elected union officials seem ready to work for progressive goals. Class conflict remains active in local communities & plants, making any movement toward industrial democracy unlikely. However, the Union appears likely to remain active & progressive in the 1980s. W. H. Stoddard.

Within the United Steelworkers of America a young generation of leaders headed by E. Sadlowski has risen to power against an autocratic regional regime which had been absolute since 1937. The ideals of these insurgents include the freedom to: vote for more than one candidate, vote without intimidation in fair elections, vote on labor agreement terms, & to voice new & radical ideas. A brief history of Sadlowski is presented, along with a sketch of life in the steel-producing areas of the US, & of union politics in these areas. Sadlowski's Nov 1974 victory in the Chicago region, & the insurgent movement in general, are examined against this background. Currently, strong dues protest & an acceleration of the movement initiated by Sadlowski & the insurgent forces is challenging the union machine in fundamental ways, & discontent among union members is rising steadily. C. Grindle.