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Copyright of International Sociology is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article provides information on the conference on The Sociology of Social Security. Innovation and Change, held by the ISA Research Committee on Poverty, Social Welfare and Social Policy and the Department of Health and Social Policy Studies, University of Bergen, in collaboration with the International Social Security Association, held in Bergen, Norway in June 1984. Forty-eight people from 15 countries and 4 continents participated. The general aim of the conference was an assessment and comparison across national boundaries as to the present situation of social security research. The specific topic was innovation and change. During the last few years social security systems have been under pressure in most countries. Some of the suggestions represent innovations with great potential for change, while others are merely repetitions of recommendations which have accompanied the social security system from its early days. The conference papers touched on several of these issues. In focus were the distributional effects of different kinds of social security benefits, analyses of decision-making forces within the social security system and their relevance--or lack of such to the administration of the system, and the political forces influencing the future of social security.

This paper reports the results of a cross-national research study examining the argument that the values and attitudes generated by post-industrial society tend to be incongruent with the imperatives of industrialism. The empirical findings suggest that the 'economic culture' of the Western public, as indicated by attitudes toward economic growth and technological change, as well as by work-values and commitment, is generally supportive of the logic of industrialism. However, there also exists evidence for significant inter- and intra-societal differences which reflect the mediation of various contextual effects on the outcomes of industrialisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper advocates internationalising the sociology curriculum for both practical and theoretical reasons. Macro-sociology must drop the parochialism of implicitly confining itself to intra-state phenomena, based on Western historical experience, and develop a conceptual framework adequate to deal with the emergent transnational scene and transnational global structures and processes of change. Correspondingly, the sociology curriculum must be geared to increasing the international competency of students, both undergraduates and graduates. Doing so will attract better undergraduates seeking careers in the international field, and will for graduates provide training and research that will promote the number of sociologists actually engaged in international studies. Specific recommendations to internationalise the sociology curriculum include (1) an introductory course dealing with large-scale phenomena and their global interdependence and manifestations, including major attention to colonial situations, (2) a topical course on major international issues and problems, (3) a methodological training course in comparative analysis, and (4) a senior seminar regarding the international sphere and its impact or relation to the local national setting. To complement the course work, the curriculum should also provide field research and an internship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the theoretical framework developed in the first paper ('Unfulfilled Systemic Functions of Social Mobility: A Theoretical Scheme'), we analyse the Polish case. We argue that the contribution of collective mobility to politico-revolutionary legitimation processes has been minimal and the contribution of individual mobility to the economic development and to economico-reformist legitimation processes has also been negligible. Our research strategy has been to demonstrate that many aspects of mobility processes taking place in Poland are incompatible with conditions that we have listed in the first paper as conducive to the formation of legitimation beliefs and the sustenance of economic efficiency. Specifically we demonstrate that (1) because collective mobility of the working class and the peasantry encompassed several changes in their economic and cultural positions but did not include major changes in their political position, it could not contribute to the politico-revolutionary legitimation and (2), because individual mobility did not occur according to the qualificational/occupational principle of allocation, promotion and remuneration, it could not contribute to the economico-reformist legitimation nor could it sustain effective utilisation of human resources in economic development. We conclude that the chance to use mobility for the systems's benefit has been wasted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientometrics has become a popular discipline, both as a field of study and a set of methods. Scientometric studies are carried out at varying levels from micro to macro. Institutions of higher learning and governments adopt scientometric measures to inform their decisions and to develop policies pertaining to ranking, standing, funding, impact, visibility and future plans. Institutions, countries and scholars can be evaluated using reliable scientometric indicators which are meaningful instruments in the study of disciplines. Scientometrics serves the purpose of determining the future of academic disciplines as well. However, it has not been applied to the study of the social sciences, including sociology, as much as it has been used in science disciplines. In this essay the need for scientometric studies in the study of sociology is put forward. Reviewing some prominent studies, the essay shows applicable models for scientometric studies for the study of sociology. As the use of scientometrics has not been effectively applied to qualitative studies, the essay presents the potential of scientometric data for qualitative studies of sociology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sociological research in South Africa presents characteristic features in line with its historical and political phases. This article maps the production of sociological research in South Africa during the apartheid and democratic periods. The data used in the article were drawn from the publication records of South African scholars stored in the database of the Web of Science (WoS). A total of 2342 publications representing the period 1970-2015 was sampled for this scientometric analysis. Employing appropriate statistical tests, the article examines the role of collaboration in the production of sociological knowledge in South Africa, and the relationships that exist among collaboration, international partnerships, subject areas and citations. The analysis shows that South African sociological research has distinctive characteristics that represent the two periods of study. It has benefitted from collaboration, both domestic and international. Collaboration continues to grow in specific subject fields of sociological research in South Africa, and has importance in the visibility of sociological research in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decivilising processes are what happens when civilising processes go into reverse; both terms are used here in a specific technical sense derived from the work of Norbert Elias (The Civilising Process, 2 vols., 1978/1982, orig. 1939). The first part of the paper briefly sketches aspects of the theory of civilising processes necessary for identifying symptoms of their reversal. It is inferred that true decivilising processes would be marked by breaking links and shorter chains of social interdependence, associated with higher levels of danger and incalculability in everyday life, the re-emergence of violence into the public sphere and a decline in mutual identification, reduced pressures on individuals to restrain the expression of impulses (including the freer expression of aggressiveness), changes in socialisation and personality formation, and increasing fantasy-content of modes of knowledge. The second part of the paper examines evidence relating to four candidates for the label `decivilising process'. The debate about the `permissive society' suggests that this was `decivilising' in a very limited sense: it involved a `highly controlled decontrolling of emotional controls'. Evidence of an upturn in violence in contemporary United States and British society is examined next; the data of Gurr, Stone and Dunning suggest the long- term trend was until recently downwards. The Holocaust and other instances of mass murder are discussed next. Finally, it is proposed that the clearest cases of decivilising processes would be those where trends could be observed over at least three generations; evidence should be sought in the collapse of complex societies (such as the Roman Empire) and episodes such as the Thirty Years War and its aftermath, and the so-called `Wild West'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the meaning of war as it is articulated in war veterans' life stories and with the intespretive-phenomenological mechanisms through which the war experience is integrated into the course of their lives. The research is based on 63 life stories of Jewish Israeli men (all names are pseudonyms) who fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War as part of their regular military service, in a variety of roles half of them held combat positions and half were support staff The stories were chosen from a clearly defined social group: middle-class, educated and secular men. The analysis of their life stories was derived from a phenomenological conceptual framework. The claim of this paper is that Just as war is institutionalised and normalised into the Israeli macrosocial order, so too the individual integrates and co-opts it into his personal biography. Israeli soldiers do not represent the experience of war as a traumatic experience but rather as a `normalised experience' in their lives, contrary to the findings reported in the general literature about war veterans. The life stories reveal two interpretive-phenomenological mechanisms used by interviewees in normalising the war experience the contiguous (the experience is integrated in the course of life by means of previous social knowledge) interpretation of war and the dual interpretation (the war is simultaneously part of and outside life) of war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the separate and joint roles played by intellectual styles, paradigmatic changes and national exemplars in the modernisation of a scientific discipline on the periphery. The post-war development of sociology in Finland is analysed as an example of social science on the periphery. The development of Finnish sociology is characterised by changes largely attributable to exogenous influences. Three distinct phases of development can be discerned, which correspond to shifts from one to two-centre and eventually to multiple-centre influences in terms of intellectual styles and paradigms. The three identified phases of development are related to the differential societal utilisation potentials of sociology. The change from one to ultimately several centre influences had beneficial effects on the internal development of the field in terms of diversification of research practices and orienting concerns towards 'high technology' strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first part of this paper I established Durkheim's intense dissatisfaction with the materialism of his earlier work. I demonstrated also how the series of critical reviews of this work embarrassed Durkheim and crystallized his desire to revise his theory. Finally, I showed how a much more subjectivist theory emerged in the 18931896 period. In this second part, I argue that these developments were themselves transitional. Beginning in the published work of 1896, there emerges a much more subjectivist theory still. Durkheim calls this his 'religious sociology'. With it, he felt, he could finally present the alternative to materialism he had always sought, and through it he argued with his critics that he had never been 'materialist' at all! The 'spiritual programme of Durkheim's later writings' has never been appreciated. In the last twenty years of life he sought to rethink and rewrite every aspect of his theory of society. Properly understood, this theory, though badly one-sided, offers a precious legacy to contemporary studies of cultural life. In my conclusion to Part I of this essay, I argued that by the middle of the 1890s Durkheim found himself in a real quandary. From the dramatic shifts which immediately postdated The Division of Labour in 1903, from responses to reviews of this and other early work, and from more personal documents as well, it seems clear that Durkheim realised, consciously or not, that the theory which had informed so much of Division was a drastic mistake. But his positivist faith that scientific objectivity must reveal the very consistency of social life, his intellectual pride in the integrity of his theorising, and perhaps also his lack of critical self-consciousness - all of these factors prevented Durkheim from acknowledging in the mid-1890s that he was, in fact, embarked upon a drastic theoretical revision. To his understandable but, nonetheless, illegitimate indignation, no one seemed aware of this fateful turn - neither his antagonistic critics nor his faithful students. If his new path were to be recognised - if his divergence from the theory of Marxian socialism were ever to be recognised for what it was - his innovation would have to be asserted in a more emphatic and radical way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I offer a new interpretation of the development of Durkheim's thought. Rather than linear progress, Durkheim's scientific career presented a distinctive circularity. Although always interested in a `structural' theory, from the beginning of his work Durkheim sought a structural theory which would decisively differ from the materialist emphasis on coercion. In the first part of his career, however, Durkheim was unable to conceptualise such subjective structure in a satisfactory way. As a result, in his early writings between 1885 and 1893, Durkheim's theorising was incredibly unstable. Starting from an idealism he moved eventually to a materialism. The Division of Labour (1893) contains within itself all these unstable solutions, and even by the time of its publication Durkheim indicated an intense dissatisfaction with the result. Over the next three years he rewrote his theory in a fundamentally subjectivist way. Although throughout this period theoretical issues per se were uppermost in Durkheim's mind, so was the critical reception of his work. I examine the social and intellectual context of Durkheim's France, particularly a series of little known reviews of his first works, to establish this critical milieu, and I demonstrate how sensitive Durkheim was to these criticisms in this decisive period of theoretical change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Sociology is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Reed's intervention in theories of political power is considered, critiqued and continued: we may understand chains of authorization as stretching from sovereign to agent and back again, chains whose links may be called into question and repaired only via Goffmanian performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published in this issue including the one by Raewyn Connel on the nature and preconditions of sociology and another on the theoretical and methodological views on developments in sociology all over the world.

An interview with International Sociological Association president Michael Burawoy is presented. Burawoy shares that he was born in Manchester, England to Russian-Jewish parents. He talks about his time attending a direct grant school and being taught mathematics by his father and getting help from tutors to improve his English language skills. He states that one of the major appeals of sociology to him was the scope it gives to teaching, a career he has always been interested in.

Research films are a rarity in sociology. Enthralled by the potential of research films and having made three films so far, the author believes that this medium offers great opportunities for sociologists. As a powerful means of communication with its tremendous appeal to sociologists and the public alike, research films have a future as an effective tool of data collection like surveys and interviews. But this largely depends upon the readiness of sociologists to make use of the medium of film in their research, by sparing some of their time to learn the necessary skills of filming and editing. Making research films is as rigorous as writing a research paper or a book, and it offers a great deal of satisfaction and pleasure to the sociologist-filmmaker. Against a backdrop of the production of the author's own research films, this article looks at the relevance of the medium to present sociological concepts and theses, the work associated with the production of a research film, the skills that can be learned to produce a movie without relying on film professionals, and the impact that it can have on the career of sociologists in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first acquaintance of Turks with sociology took place in the 19th century. Auguste Comte paid considerable attention to Turks, seeing them as the bridge between Asia and Europe. Since then sociology has been present sometimes as an idea-oriented and sometimes as a data-oriented or policy-oriented discipline. Le Play and Durkheim have also been influential, while in the 1930s German refugees became prominent; since the 1950s there have been more contacts with US sociology. The journey of sociology in Turkey has been an interrupted one, with six consecutive associations, not all exclusively for sociologists, and its progress has often been involved with political developments in the wider society. The current association, founded in 1990, is described in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines current theoretical debates about the public sphere by looking through the prism of race and the media. The history of the black public sphere in the United States illustrates why the publicity strategies of marginalized groups cannot concentrate solely on ‘mainstream’ media and dominant publics, but must also include active participation in, and cultivation of, alternative public spheres. Historically, the black press has served three important functions: providing a forum for debate and self-improvement; monitoring the mainstream press; and increasing black visibility in white civil society. Because a tolerant and inclusive civil society is most likely when there is a differentiated and diverse set of communications media, the current crisis of the black press is a crisis for American civil society. Those in the ‘mainstream’ media have a responsibility to respond to this crisis by recognizing the importance of alternative publics and increasing their engagement with the African-American press. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on the characteristics of Japanese sociology and society focusing on huge domestic publishing market and dual-structure labor market. Topics include Japanese sociologists unintentionally achieving the indigenization of social science; and requiring specialized knowledge such as the ability for interpreting statistics.

Akiwowo (1986b) and Makinde (1988) raise several issues on the possibility of an African sociological tradition. They argue that sociology can be done in African idioms and they supply us with some concepts, principally those of 'asuwada', 'ajobi', 'ajogbe' and 'ifogbontayese', with which we can begin to work out indigenous sociological theories. In this paper, we accept that it is possible to do sociology in African idioms. But we must specify the concepts to be used, clarify their meaning, suggest their interrelationships in thought and practice and show their applicability to social phenomena. Neither Akiwowo nor Makinde have sufficiently clarified their concepts for doing sociology in Yoruba (their African idiom of choice). We direct attention to some neglected possibilities inhering in the conceptual discoveries made by Akiwowo, especially those regarding the importance of language, philosophy and sociological theory to the development of indigenous explanatory paradigms. We conclude with some general comments on Akiwowo's affirmation of an African sociology of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his discussion of the peace movement, Artur Meier (International Sociology 3: 77-87) put forward a number of interesting sociological arguments and outlined a programme for future research. Using CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) as a case study and drawing upon an accumulation of British research, this paper follows Meier's research recommendations and attempts to answer some of Meier's questions. It is shown that, contrary to Meier's beliefs, CND is a remarkably homogeneous and class-bound mass social movement. It is argued that a focus on the component parts of the peace movement necessarily leads to the political sociology of nation-states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employment in different industries and sectors of the economy influences the socio-economic status, occupational prestige, income and social mobility of individuals irrespective of characteristics such as class, education, gender, social background etc. In order to prove this claim, the paper places social mobility, class structure transformations and socio-economic achievement in their economic context characterised by the industrial and sectoral composition. The consequences of an individual's location in a so defined economic setting constitute the main topic of the analysis. The addition of a structural economic dimension increases our ability to explain these processes. Thus, the economic structure, defined in terms of industries and sectors, has to be interpreted as an additional dimension of social structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The designation 'sociology of health' or 'medical anhropology/sociology' indicates, at best, only the field and not the peculiarities of the field. As a consequence much work in this sub-discipline is of the genre, 'Sociology/Anthropology: Case Study Illness (or Health)'. This paper attempts to regroup the contributions made in this field in order to demonstrate the utility of establishing the specificities of the sub-discipline 'sociology/anthroplogy of illness'. Such an exercise would also provide us with a consistent framework for formulating health policies as well as for appreciating the reasons why WHO's blueprint of 'Health for All' and China's 'Barefoot Doctor' programme ran into difficulties. Furthermore, a systematic pursuit of the specificities of sociology/anthropology of illness would also force us to mutate our understanding of at least a few received formulations on the sociology/anthropology of deviance. professions, and even of tradition and modernity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the professional integration of university graduates (Bachelor's degree level). The objectives are (a) to delimit the notion of vocational integration; (b) to build a typology of the vocational integration focusing on the process of stabilization in the job market rather than on the correspondence between education and employment; and (c) to measure the influence of the field of studies and of two sociodemographic characteristics (gender and social origin) on the level of vocational integration of graduates using a logistic regression analysis The analysis is based on a data bank on the educational paths and the entry in the labour market of graduates 3 years after graduation in 1986. It was found that the gender, social origin and field of studies at the Bachelor's degree level are all factors that have a direct impact on the level of vocational integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the field of sociology in Portugal as of December 1994 with focus on the Portuguese Sociological Association. As recent as 20 years ago, sociology was non-existent in Portugal. Since then it has shown a brisk development. Jos&eacute Madureira Pinto estimates that there are about 1,000 sociologists in Portugal today. About 40% are invloved in teaching and/or research at universities and colleges. The remainder, which has been increasing overall and relatively, can be found in central, regional and local authorities, companies and their associations, trade unions, consultancies, and so on. The idea that sociologists' professional status and activities are quite widespread in Portugal is confirmed considering that the majority of authors of nearly 200 papers presented at the recent second Portuguese Sociology Congress represent more than 50 institutions with which they work for. The situation has to be related to one of the specific traits of Portuguese sociology today--to avoid the separating demands of scientific research and professional activity. The Portuguese Sociological Association was founded by a few dozen of people on 1985. It was immediately accepted as a member of the International Sociological Association. Today it has about 700 members.

This analysis of art values is focused on the specificity of the contemporary international art world, i.e., the increasing interdependence between the market where transactions are made and the cultural field where the homologation of art values is achieved. In support of this analysis, two cases are studied: the market of `art classé' and the market of paintings `by the dozen'. This paper is an attempt to link the sociology of social interactions to the economic concept of imperfect information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apocalyptic dimension of the ecological situation seems to emerge in the present-day environmental debate. But in contrast to the early seventies, eco-alarmism in its present form seems to reflect growing uncertainties and anxieties related to the changing character of late modern society. Such uncertainties and anxieties do not only pertain to high-consequence risks, as exemplified by the Chernobyl accident, but also to local problems of providing safe drinking water from the tap. Ulrich Beck's risk-society theory, elaborated by Anthony Giddens, analyses these eco-anxieties against the background of changing conditions of modernity. Because of its overall pessimistic undertone and its basic questioning of the role of science and technology in overcoming an eco-catastrophe, the risk-society theory seems to fundamentally contradict ecological modernisation theory. In confronting both perspectives, the paper aims to contribute to environmental sociology in three ways. First, we try to come to understand the present-day rise of eco-alarmism. Second, an evaluation is made of the contribution of risk-society theory in analysing environmental problems and in developing projective realistic utopian models dealing with the environmental crisis under conditions of late or reflexive modernity. Finally, by bringing formal sociological theory into environmental sociology, both models contribute to the conceptual development and refinement of the sub-discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author argues in this paper that we need a new paradigm for the idea of development. Its linkage with the notion of ever on going progress has to be abandoned Mere tinkering with this concept of development such as advancing the idea of organic development, is no longer sufficient. In fact only phases of development exist within a dynamic equilibrium This idea however does not seem to be appropriate particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Hence, a provisional strategy is necessary to implement a counter-movement to the idea of development This countermovement can arise from a reflection upon art and philosophy which are non developmental phenomena i e they do not have a development in the sense of unlimited progress. Thus, in the fields of art and philosophy a distinction between developed and developing countries cannot be maintained while developmental differences between the Western world and sub Saharan Africa are of course very real in other fields A dialogue between artists and philosophers from both parts of the world can and has to take place on the level of complete equality As such it also acts as a counterforce to the idea of development in areas other than art and philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses Goldthorpe's (1984) interpretation of corporatism and dualism as divergent tendencies of capitalism. In contrast, it is proposed that both are patterns of political economy representing partial solutions to the common problems of advanced capitalist democracies, primarily the damage caused by the business cycle to both capital and labour. The two patterns are not incompatible and may coexist, as in the case of Israel, with the consequence that the working class is weakened. Corporatism and dualism are two patterns of the transformation of class conflict into forms of politically controlled conflict that must be analysed in an historical perspective. The theoretical concepts central to both approaches are briefly summarised, and various concepts shared by them are explored. The Israeli case is discussed, anal it is argued that in the Israeli pattern the original economic class conflict is transferred to the political arena and transformed into national conflict between Israeli and Arab workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the question: what is an unintended consequence? It presents a classification which enables us to understand different types of unintended consequences. The classification refers to several questions: whether or not the effects are social, whether they are desirable, whether they fulfill the initial intention, whether they are unanticipated, and whether they occur later than the initial action. The classification is used to deal with the phenomenon of unintended-but-anticipated consequences and is exemplified by the cases of sub-optimality, counter-finality and structuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important challenge for macrosociology in the 1990s is to account for the cluster of social movements in different post-World War II settings, most recently those that intend structural changes in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. To account for these extraordinary phenomena of historical significance calls for a new global synchronic and diachronic analysis. After discussing three major waves of these movements that have in common a challenge to the authority of the modern state, this paper proposes that 'neomodernisation analysis' may be the most appropriate macro-paradigm to relate sociology to the comparative study of cycles of modernisation and of centres of modernity. It is highly relevant since many regions of the world are undergoing ah important new phase of modernisation and since there may be taking place ah important shift in the epicentre of modernity. State socialism is bankrupt in Eastern Europe. Governments, ruling parties, of the opposition, experts, and expert committees are desperately searching . . . for a new paradigm, a new social and economic model with which to launch these countries onto a new course of dynamic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Sociology is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of International Sociology is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article offers views on launching the journal International Sociology. Instead of publishing exclusively authors interested in the analysis of socio-cultural diversity across the world, the journal prefers to publish papers by people motivated by their own national and cultural traditions, the summing-up of which will offer to the reader a more global and comprehensive view of contemporary sociology. A new science that since the eighteenth century was proposed as an effort to take into account the other's viewpoint. In launching a new journal, the International Sociological Association wants just to create a new possibility for sociologists across the world to be a better acquainted with each other's works. For that, a balanced editorial policy will be pursued to publish authors from diverse regions, age and sex groups, as well as theoretical orientations. The time has come to recognize that the Third World and the socialist world are part of the intellectual production system on which, undoubtedly, Western culture will continue to make a strong impression. The endeavor of the journal is to increase knowledge about contemporary societies and sociologies, by showing pluralistic paths of concern in sociology rooted in different historical and cultural traditions.

Research in sociology on social trust is historically recent, reflecting changing conditions underlying self-appraisal in late modernity. Acknowledgement of these changing conditions, and especially their institutional background, contributes to a reconceptualization of the notion of trust and the role of inter-personal trust in social relationships. Under conditions of late modernity, described in the article as 'precarious institutional maturity', trust operates primarily as a term in a vocabulary of motive or as a value or appraisal regarding self and other, rather than directly facilitating social relationships. The supposed significance of trust, it is shown, tends to be exaggerated in the literature. The importance of the widely neglected institutional context is indicated in part through consideration of the case of guanxi (Chinese connections) in which high levels of social solidarity exist in the absence of trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]