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The article provides an introduction to this issue and notes that the name of the journal will be changing to "The Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue canadienne de sociologie" beginning in 2008.

The present discourse on symmetry of violence between partners originates in the results of surveys primarily using one type of instrument, the Conflict Tactics Scales (Straus, 1979). An examination of the critiques that have been formulated and of the justifications given by the authors of the instrument suggests that symmetry is a result of a specific representation of action constructed by the instrument. Comparing the protocols and results of four large surveys in Canada, England and the United States, the authors underline the importance of taking into account severity in the measurement of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study changes in household consumption patterns, five socioeconomic household groups were defined using a new multidimensional index (IMPR) composed of three dimensions: satisfaction of basic needs, marginalization relative to a reference population, and total disposable household income. When household incomes rose from 1969 to 1992, lower socio-economic groups did not display the same consumption behaviours as upper-income classes. The growth in household income during their life-cycles did not allow them to catch up to higher-income households. Middle-class households experienced marked changes in consumption over their lifecycles, but in the 1990s, they experienced difficulties. Cinq groupes socioéconomiques de ménages sont définis à l'aide d'un nouvel indice multidimensionnel de pauvreté-richesse (IMPR), construit à partir de trois dimensions: satisfaction des besoins de base, marginalisation par rapport à une population de référence et revenu total disponible du ménage. De 1969 à 1992, quand les revenus des ménages augmentent, les classes socioéconomiques qui occupent des positions inférieures n'ont pas les mêmes comportements de consommatîon que les classes supérieures. La croissance des revenus des ménages les moins riches au cours de leur cycle de vie ne leur permet pas de rattraper les positions des ménages plus riches. Dans les années 1990, la classe moyenne connaît une situation difficile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a trend in the past several years to question the legitimacy and validity of social science endeavours. Many view the endogenous historical development of disciplines like sociology as the actual ferment of a serious decline in the normativeness of social science-derived knowledge. The author of this article speaks out against a sociological epistemology trend that argues that explanatory pluralism undermines the credibility of this knowledge. Moreover, he takes a stand against another trend denouncing the instrumentalization of the social sciences, by showing that an enlightened awareness of the limits and obstacles of social science reasoning makes it possible to circumvent this instrumentalization and foster the fundamental nature of social knowledge. The author offers an epistemological reading of Francine Saillant's Cancer et culture to support his thesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After taking a summary look at the links that exist between anthropology and sociology, the author introduces what would seem at first glance to be a new discipline, that of socio-anthropology. Advances made in this new field of research stem from the implications behind the definition given to the object of study, and from the methods used. An economic sector controlled by French-speaking Quebecers serves as an illustration. Its examination draws on the hypothesis that family relationships are constituent of relationships in production, that is, of the economic structure. The author then posits that an interdisciplinary approach is essential in socio-anthropology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focusses on the sociological analysis of the transformations of ethical discourse in today's societies. The author seeks to clarify the notion of ethics as a central concern of sociology, and to identify what seems to constitute the core of the ethical discourse that is beginning to emerge in modern societies. The thrust of this exploration is that until now, modern society, given prior regulatory conditions (i.e., liberalism and "providentialısm"), has engendered an ethical discourse that fosters concerted action by social actors toward a common goal. Neo-liberalist ethical discourse, by contrast, seems unable to produce a positive representation of society as a whole. Consequently, individuals now have difficulty conceiving of an ethics of solidarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]