![]() |
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
|
Your cart is empty |
||
|
Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > General
Progressive theorists and activists insist that contemporary capitalism is deeply flawed from a normative point of view. However, most accept the liberal egalitarian thesis that the serious shortcomings of market societies (financial excess, inequality, and so on) could be overcome with proper political regulation. Building on Marx's legacy, Tony Smith argues in Beyond Liberal Egalitarianism that advocates of this thesis (Rawls, Habermas, Stiglitz, et al.) lack an adequate concept of capital and the state. These theorists also fail to comprehend new developments in world history ensuring that the 'destructive' aspects of capitalism increasingly outweigh whatever 'creative' elements it might continue to possess. Smith concludes that a normative social theory adequate to the twenty-first century must explicitly and unequivocally embrace socialism.
In this collection of essays Nicholas Brooks explores some of the
earliest and most problematical sources, both written and
archaeological, for early English history. In his hands, the
structure and functions of Anglo-Saxon origin stories and charters
(whether authentic or forged) illuminate English political and
social structures, as well as ecclesiastical, urban and rural
landscapes. As well as previously published essays, "Anglo-Saxon
Myths: State and Church, 400-1066" includes a new account of the
English origin myth and a review of the developments in the study
of Anglo-Saxon charters over the last twenty years.
These three essays on social science terminology examine commonly used words whose meanings, on closer examination, are not clear. The first essay analyzes the term "socialization" as it is used inconsistently by 24 authors in psychology, sociology, and education. Brezinka contends that it is frequently confused with the term "education," to the detriment of both concepts. The second essay, "Models in Educational Theories," examines 15 usages of the term "models," including the vogue expression "paradigm," and finds little of use for the science of education in the concepts. The third essay, "Conflict Education," attacks the New Left and its pedagogical theories for failing to abide by basic principles of concept construction and use. Throughout the book, the author shows how imprecision can be identified and corrected.
Diagnosis is central to medical practice, medical knowledge and research, medicalization dynamics, and health and illness experience. Embedded in social relations, diagnoses reflect and shape social dynamics and cultural concerns. Diagnoses are integral to resource allocation, form the basis for identities, and may become a focal point of turf battles and contested authority. Some diagnoses are willingly embraced, whereas others are strenuously resisted. Some diagnoses come and go as fashions; others persist. A sociological approach to diagnosis therefore occupies a complex intersection of diverse subfields including medical sociology, sociology of knowledge, mental health, deviance, social control, sociology of science, social movements, the body, sexualities, gender, and health and illness. This volume explores the breadth of diagnosis and diagnoses through empirical reports, conceptual work, and theoretical statements from diverse perspectives. Reflecting the multi-faceted nature of the emerging field, the book is arranged in five sections: Frameworks, Context, Contestation, Identity, and Social Control. Sociology of Diagnosis thus provides both a starting point for discussion and means with which to organize the nascent conceptual landscape.
This volume focuses on the contributions that social scientists can make to understanding emerging epidemics, their impact, the threats they pose, and their social and political contexts. While many of the international articles focus on infectious disease, some discussion is given to treating psychiatric epidemics and the analysis of the political and cultural meanings that epidemics have. A sociological volume on emerging epidemics, covering psychiatric or psychological diseases as well as infectious disease is long overdue and topics included here are as wide ranging as: bipolar disorder; obesity; malaria; HIV/AIDS; SARS; West Nile Virus; pandemic influenzas; deviance; depression; ADHD; Alzheimer's; and autism. This valuable reference tool empirically examines emerging epidemics themselves and offers a theoretical analysis of the use of epidemics and epidemiology as frameworks for understanding these phenomena. It will appeal to a broad audience of readers of researchers and practitioners in this field, ranging from those involved in public health policy, human security and community health to medical sociologists and other scientists working in health and medicine.
Restorative Practice Meets Social Justice: Un-silencing the Voices of "At-Promise" Student Populations is a collection of pragmatic urban school experiences that focus on restorative approaches situated in the context of social justice. By adopting this approach, researchers and practitioners can connect and extend long-established lines of conceptual and empirical inquiry aimed at improving school practices and thereby gain insights that may otherwise be overlooked or assumed. This holds great promise for generating, refining, and testing theories of restorative practices in educational leadership and will help strengthen already vibrant lines of inquiry on social justice. The authors posit that a broader conceptualization of social and restorative justice adds to extant discourse about students who not only experience various types of daily oppression in US schools but also regularly live on the fringes of society. Chapters are written by a combination of researchers and practicing school leaders who believe in the power of healing and restoring relationships within school communities as opposed to traditional punitive structures. The dynamic approaches discussed throughout the book urge school leaders, teachers, school community members, and those who prepare administrators to look within and build bridges between themselves and the communities in which they serve.
Nationality and citizenship have been subjects of stormy policy debates in many EU countries in recent years. Concerns over the integration of immigrants, but also attempts to forge links with emigrants, have led to changes in the laws regulating loss and acquisition of nationality and citizenship. This title outlines the research conducted by a team of 30 researchers into the nationality laws and their implementation in 15 EU member states. Volume 2 of this study presents detailed studies of each country's nationality laws, their historical background and current provisions. It is a companion to volume 1 which contains comparative analyses based on a novel methodology that permits a detailed comparison how nationality can be acquired or lost across all 15 countries. The results show divergent trends towards liberalization in some countries and new restrictions of access to nationality in others. Volume 1 also examines the impact of international and European law, presents statistical data on naturalisation and assesses administrative practices. Although the European Union has no formal competence in regulating nationality, the nationality laws of member states are linked to each other via the common citizenship of the Union. Member States should therefore agree on common norms for their nationality laws. Volume 1 contains detailed policy recommendations based on the idea that stakeholders in the political community should be given access to nationality. In addition to the two volumes, detailed statistics and further comparative analyses of legal regulations of nationality are available at www.imiscoe.org. Volume 1 & 2 are also available as a set, click here form more information. This is the most comprehensive comparative study of the legal status of nationality so far and it will become an indispensable source of reference for further research. For more information see: http://www.imiscoe.org/natac/
The Virtual Self is an engaging and exciting text that addresses issues relating to our rapidly changing society, social structure, and communication needs. In doing so, it addresses major issues in sociology that inform virtually all of a student's course work. * Introduces students to concepts of the self and society in an age of rapid technology and high speed communication* Examines the relationship between everyday life and social structure in key domains of communication, personality, work/family, leisure and entertainment, and economics* Written in a lively, engaging style for readers without a sociological background
The Big South African Hair Book is a celebration of #NaturalHair and
an exploration of the South African #NaturalHair community. Part peek
into what’s causing generations of women to ditch chemical relaxers,
and part practical haircare guide, this book is an indispensable
companion for everyone from the curl-curious to #NaturalHair veterans.
Journalist Janine Jellars takes us on a fun, funny, no-judgements journey from creamy crack addiction to 'fro freedom. 'Finally, a book that dismantles decades upon decades of black women’s hair misconceptions! Janine Jellars’ conversational tone and non-prescriptive insights nudge readers in the direction of happy, healthy natural hair!' – Kemong Mopedi 'Similar experiences between Janine and I remind me that black identity/black culture is inextricably wound up in one’s hair. Hair is political, it’s complex, complicated and beautiful. Timely and relevant!' – Masasa Mbangeni"
shift and dramatic improvementfrom the yearly data of the 1970s. For several years now, disaggregated methods (i. e., single-case comparisons) have been used to test theories (Davenport and Eads 2001; Rasler 1996; Francisco 1993, 1995, 1996). The single area of Snyder's(Snyder 1978)demandsthat has faltered is in linking levels of analysis in the eld of protest and repression. James DeNardo's (DeNardo 1985) and Lichbach's (Lichbach 1996) formal models have for the most part not beentestedempirically, norhaveRonaldWintrobe's(Wintrobe1998)modelsofd- tators' strategic behavior. The dif culty stems from the disjuncture between game theory or micro models and macro, aggregate data. Green and Shapiro (Green and Shapiro 1994) took an extreme position on this problem: little empirical evidence from rational choice and game theory exists. To the extent that empirical evidence comprises our understanding of politics, rational choice and game theory have - guably contributed as much or more than any other approach. Think of interest group theory before Olson's The Logic of Collective Action, of electoral theory before Cox's (Cox 1997) Making Votes Count, or of coalition theory before Riker's (Riker 1963) The Theory of Political Coalitions. There are few social scientists who would not judge these books as great for economics and political science. Cox's book alone has won every major book prize appropriate in political science. On the normative side, too few political scientists researching democratization are aware of the theory of social choice. Its ndings challenge the foundations of democratic theory (Riker 1982).
Organizational Identity presents the classic works on organizational identity alongside more current thinking on the issues. Ranging from theoretical contributions to empirical studies, the readings in this volume address the key issues of organizational identity, and show how these issues have developed through contributions from such diverse fields of study as sociology, psychology, management studies and cultural studies. The readings examine questions such as how organizations understand who they are, why organizations develop a sense of identity and belonging where the boundaries of identity lie and the implications of postmodern and critical theories' challenges to the concept of identity as deeply-rooted and authentic. Includes work by: Stuart Albert, Mats Alvesson, Blake E. Ashforth, Marilynn B. Brewer, George Cheney, Lars Thoger Christensen, C.H. Cooley, Kevin G. Corley, Barbara Czarniawska, Janet M. Dukerich, Jane E. Dutton, Kimberly D. Elsbach, Wendi Gardner, Linda E. Ginzela, Dennis A. Gioia, E. Goffman, Karen Golden-Biddle, Mary Jo Hatch, Roderick M. Kramer, Fred Rael, G.H. Mead, Michael G. Pratt, Anat Rafaeli, Hayagreeva Rao, Majken Schultz, Howard S. Schwartz, Robert I. Sutton, Henri Taijfel, John Turner, David A. Wherren, and Hugh Willmott. Intended to provide easy access to this material for students of organizational identity, it will also be of interest more broadly to students of business, sociology and psychology.
This study of Erich von Stroheim, Ernst Lubitsch, and Billy Wilder focuses on what the common ethical themes in their Hollywood films unveil about the cultural and intellectual heritage of these German and Austrian emigres and their influence on American culture. Aware of the influential power of their films, these filmmakers strove to raise the intellectual standard and the positive educational value of the American film. Brief individual biographies describe their heritage, major influences, and goals and draw connections among the three filmmakers in their preference for German and Austrian literature, which focuses on social criticism, ethics, and the problem of identity. Detailed analyses of their individual styles of filmmaking and readings of selected films reveal how they put their philosophies into practice and to what extent they influenced one another. Films analyzed include "The Merry Widow, " "The Wedding March," "Heaven can Wait, To Be or Not To Be, Sunset Boulevard, "and "The Fortune Cookie "among others. By delineating their contributions to the development of modern film, this research explores the filmmakers impact on film and cultural history. The convergence of social and philosophical inquiry film-history in this study of Lubitsch, Wilder, and von Stroheim will appeal to scholars of film, of German literature and culture, and of American cultural history. Separate chapters discuss each filmmaker and his movies. A glossary of technical terms and a selected filmography are included.
"The Blackwell Companion to Political Sociology "brings together
original essays covering the broad interdisciplinary field of
political sociology. Each contributor uses concepts, theories, and
case studies to investigate their topic and provide a complete
overview of the scholarship.
The volume presents an excellent guide for students as well as researchers seeking a complete reference to the field and a guide to future concerns.
Frances Ruane, Director, Economic and Social Research Institute Irish and international scholars continue to be curious about Ireland's exceptional economic success since the early 1990s. While growth rates peaked at the turn of the millennium, they have since continued at levels that are high by any current international or historical Irish measures. Despite differences of view among Irish economists and policymakers on the relative importance of the factors that have driven growth, there is widespread agreement that the process of globalisation has contributed to Ireland's economic development. In this context, it is helpful to recognise that globalisation has created huge changes in most developed and developing countries and has been associated, inter alia, with reductions in global income disparity but increased income disparity within individual countries. This book reflects on how, from a social perspective, Ireland has prospered over the past decade. In that period we have effectively moved from being a semi-developed to being a developed economy. While the book's main focus is on the social changes induced by economic growth, there is also recognition that social change has facilitated economic growth. Although many would regard the past decade as a period when economic and social elements have combined in a virtuous cycle, there is a lingering question as to the extent to which we have better lives now that we are economically 'better off'.
While the defense of public image in political, corporate, and celebrity rhetoric has been widely studied, religious image repair has been largely ignored. "Divine Apology" considers the unique circumstances facing religious figures in need of restoring their reputations by examining a blend of historical and contemporary defenses offered by various figures and groups. The author covers apologia as advanced by the Apostle Paul, Justin Martyr, Martin Luther, Jimmy Swaggart, evangelical opponents of the Jesus Seminar, and conservative leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention. He concludes that strategies used for religious image repair often differ significantly from those employed by politicians, corporations, and other public figures. In this unique volume, Miller demonstrates that religious groups and individuals are as motivated as anyone else to purify their public images. The issues prompting defenses, however, are more likely to focus on epistemological conflicts and clashes of worldviews than on inappropriate behaviors. As a consequence, religious apologists are more likely to associate attacks against their beliefs as assaults against their characters. This causes religious image restoration discourse to manifest itself as more transcendent than defenses in traditional situations involving laypeople. Miller posits that the presence of God and religious antecedents as salient audiences, as well as other factors concerning audience and context, work to shape a form of apology that is characteristically religious.
Clinical sociology, in its broadest sense, is the application of a sociological perspective to facilitate change. Its practitioners are primarily change agents rather than scholars or researchers, and work with a client, be that an individual, family, group, organization, or community. The contribut
The ultimate guide for the student encountering anthropology for
the first time, Anthropology: The Basics explains and explores key
anthropological concepts including:
This student-friendly text provides an overview of the fundamental principles of anthropology and is an invaluable guide for anyone wanting to learn more about this fascinating subject.
This book is an inquiry into identity in modern society. The
inquiry starts from the social psychological premise that identity
both results from interaction in the social world and in turn
guides interaction in the social world. It builds on and
incorporates insights from philosophy, cognitive neuroscience,
psychology, cultural studies, anthropology and sociology. The theoretical heart of the book is an integrative social psychological approach which revolves around the author's self-aspect model of identity (SAMI). The text reviews previous research guided by SAMI, but also further refines the model. In addition, it places particular emphasis on identity in the context of minority-majority relations, intercultural contact and conflict, and participation in collective action. The book concludes by identifying areas of identity worthy of future research.
This book offers an interpretation of the myths that shape television images and reinforce this culture's dominant ideology. It provides histories of all television genres and connects developments within each genre to political, social, and cultural shifts in the larger society. This new Second Edition updates the previous edition's close textual analysis of representative series and serials to mid-1993, reflecting the significant changes that have occurred in both the business of television in the United States and in the larger society's dominant ideology. The Second Edition also reflects significant advances in critical theory related to the study of television that have occurred over the past decade, and it incorporates both the structuralist critical position (dominant in the first edition) and a post-structuralist position which moves away from a determinist textual analysis of ideology to a consideration of possible multiple decodings.
In this groundbreaking book, sociologist Andrew Perrin shows that rules and institutions, while important, are not the core of democracy. Instead, as Alexis de Tocqueville showed in the early years of the American republic, democracy is first and foremost a matter of culture: the shared ideas, practices, and technologies that help individuals combine into publics and achieve representation. Reinterpreting democracy as culture reveals the ways the media, public opinion polling, and changing technologies shape democracy and citizenship. As Perrin shows, the founders of the United States produced a social, cultural, and legal environment fertile for democratic development and in the two centuries since, citizens and publics use that environment and shared culture to re-imagine and extend that democracy. American Democracy provides a fresh, innovative approach to democracy that will change the way readers understand their roles as citizens and participants. Never will you enter a voting booth or answer a poll again without realizing what a truly social act it is. This will be necessary reading for scholars, students, and the public seeking to understand the challenges and opportunities for democratic citizenship from Toqueville to town halls to Twitter.
This book explores the ways in which sociological arguments are constructed and presented, looking at what can be learned from the contrasting styles of sociologists working in different periods and theoretical traditions. Fundamental debates in the discipline are addressed, such as 'can sociology provide final answers?' and 'how far is detachment feasible or desirable?'. Finally, the book considers the practical significance which thinking about styles of argument has for all students of sociology.
This comprehensive handbook provides an overview of key theoretical perspectives, concepts, and methodological approaches that, while applied to diverse phenomena, are united in their general approach to the study of lives across age phases. In surveying the wide terrain of life course studies with dual emphases on theory and empirical research, this important reference work presents probative concepts and methods and identifies promising avenues for future research. Included are sections on history and cross-national variability, normative structuring, movement through the life course, transitions in the life course, turning points, connections between life phases, methodology, and the future of the life course. A major reference work and a seminal text, it is essential reading for social scientists studying phases within the life course, social psychologists in sociology and psychology, demographers and academics in the field of the life course as well as students in these disciplines.
Participants from Couch-Stone Symposium 2014 have transformed their presentations into elegant papers for this collection. Chapters fall into three categorical themes, largely reflecting their position in the symposium but, more importantly, reflecting a natural progression in scope of symbolic interactionist work in music: moving from observations of the individual to observation of organizations to interdisciplinary observations of music from scholars in related disciplines. |
You may like...
|