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People-especially Americans-are by and large optimists. They're much better at imagining best-case scenarios (I could win the lottery!) than worst-case scenarios (A hurricane could destroy my neighborhood!). This is true not just of their approach to imagining the future, but of their memories as well: people are better able to describe the best moments of their lives than they are the worst. Though there are psychological reasons for this phenomenon, Karen A.Cerulo, in Never Saw It Coming, considers instead the role of society in fostering this attitude. What kinds of communities develop this

"Karen A. Cerulo knüpft in ihrem Beitrag an das theoretische Programm Wacquants praktisch an. Vorgestellt wird eine empirische Studie zur Entschlüsselung der Bedeutungen von Parfüm. Bei einem Test mit drei Sorten Parfüm konnten die Teilnehmenden zum großen Teil richtig einschätzen, für welche Zielgruppe und Anwendungsumgebung ein Parfum kreiert worden ist. Daraus und aus den Antworten der Befragten schließt Cerulo, dass wir beim Riechen eines Dufts auf ein komplexes Assoziationsnetz zurückgreifen, das wesentlich durch unsere menschlichen Eigenschaften als empfindungsfähig, sedimentiert und situiert bestimmt ist. Cerulos Studie trägt so zu einem umfassenderen Blick auf Duft als kulturellem Phänomen bei." (Autorenreferat)

AbstractA growing body of research suggests that non‐humans play a central role in many social interactions – not simply as objects used by humans as interaction props, but as fully participating agents of action. In this essay, I examine these innovative ideas, reviewing survey data that documents this trend and theoretical and empirical work that seeks to better understand it.

Sociological analyses of social interaction have been primarily directed toward human-to-human exchange. Recently, some have begun to actively question that stance. Challenges are found in new theoretical ideas and in empirical study—experimental, field, and survey data on people's attitudes and behaviors toward nonhumans. Such developments are leading many scholars to carve out a more central role for animals, objects, images, and both memories and projections of the self and others in the study of social interaction. In this article, I review these innovative ideas, pursuing four specific tasks. First, I briefly review the theoretical grounds that eliminated nonhumans from studies of social interaction. Next, I present new theories and empirical studies that construct a role for nonhumans in social interaction. Third, I review surveys that document popular perceptions of human/nonhuman interaction. I conclude by proposing some conceptual guidelines that might bring nonhumans into our contemporary analytic frames.

The technological leaps of our day, especially those in the communications area, touch issues at the very heart of sociological discourse; new communication technologies problematize the definition of interaction, the nature of social ties, and the scope of experience and reality. In light of such developments, one might guess that sociologists would be very busy. Yet, our voice on these matters registers as a mere whisper in comparison to many of our sister social sciences: communications, psychology, and anthropology. (Cerulo 1995, at annual American Sociological Association meetings)

The study of identity forms a critical cornerstone within modern sociological thought. Introduced by the works of Cooley and Mead, identity studies have evolved and grown central to current sociological discourse. Microsociological perspectives dominated work published through the 1970s. Sociologists focused primarily on the formation of the "me," exploring the ways in which interpersonal interactions mold an individual's sense of self. Recent literature constitutes an antithesis to such concerns. Many works refocus attention from the individual to the collective; others prioritize discourse over the systematic scrutiny of behavior; some researchers approach identity as a source of mobilization rather than a product of it; and the analysis of virtual identities now competes with research on identities established in the copresent world. This essay explores all such agenda as raised in key works published since 1980. I close with a look toward the future, suggesting trajectories aimed at synthesizing traditional and current concerns.