30 results on '"structuralism"'
Search Results
2. De-Confining Women! Mental Models Pertaining to Empowerment.
- Author
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Bonin, Sandrine, Ramesh, Reshma, and Mohan, Radhika
- Subjects
WOMEN'S empowerment ,SOCIAL learning ,STRUCTURALISM ,GROUNDED theory ,VIOLENCE against women ,COVID-19 pandemic - Abstract
Gender inequalities in rural India are deeply engraved in the socio-cultural norms and manifest as social learnings, restricting women and girls' access to economic, educational, and political assets and resources. For any empowerment initiatives to address the deep-rooted beliefs, it is essential to understand how women experience this process and identify factors that women perceive as crucial for their growth and development. These empirical factors can complement the theoretical underpinnings on the concepts of empowerment, structuralism, and agency, providing an improved conceptual framework. Through a qualitative method inspired by grounded theory principles, the current study complied in-depth interviews on eight women who were participants of an empowerment initiative to understand their mental models before and after the intervention through retrospective testimonies. This methodology aims to reveal women's mental representation regarding empowerment and identify key contributing factors. The results showed that women gained confidence from a state of deep fear that kept them silent and isolated. Women now attempt to speak and share opinions with families, government officers, and the community. The new exposure gained through the empowerment intervention opened women's horizons and led to achievements, appreciation, and recognition contributing to women's increased happiness. The paper's main theoretical contribution relies on the subject-object relationship, a paradigm embedded in Indian culture, that invites us to approach this phenomenon through complex adaptive system theories to evaluate complexity and agency levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. The Promotion of Sesotho Lexical Items in Technology: The Case of Telecommunications.
- Author
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Monyakane, Mabolaeng Thato
- Subjects
SOTHO language ,TELECOMMUNICATION ,STRUCTURALISM - Abstract
There seems to be introduction of new names and other nominal lexical items with regard to Sesotho language in the advent of the telephone cum cell phone and its variations such as ipad and tablet. For example people talk of tswibila literally translated 'something that can be thrown afar' when Basotho refer to 'a twitter message'. Furthermore there is a promotion of already existing nominal items found in traditional telecommunications. For example mohala (phone call) is no longer only used for traditional landline but applies to cell phone as well. The present research wants to find the extent at which telecommunications nominal terms are abound in Sesotho. The study will use structuralism to ascertain the nominalness of the terms. The paper seeks to argue that language is arbitrary. There is no relationship between the word and the object it represents. The society chooses to conventionalise the word in their language through its repeated usage to the same object. This is the case with Basotho. The study will further add stratificational theory to show that language sounds have combined to form a meaningful word or a sentence in language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. The Amount of Motorcycles Has Impacted City Development in Kaohsiung Based on the Theory and Analysis of Jacques Derrida.
- Author
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Te-Fu Chou
- Subjects
MOTORCYCLES ,MOTORCYCLISTS ,PUBLIC spaces ,URBANIZATION ,DECONSTRUCTION ,CITIES & towns - Abstract
Motorcycle is one of options for each individual when we choose a form of transportation in a big city. However, globally speaking, most metropolitan cities all over the world have very few motorcycles. Not only do excessive motorcycles produce air emission, but they also make the road and pedestrian pathway compacted, thereby affecting the cleanliness of the city and its development. Compared to our neighbors, we have 419.3 motorcycles per mile square in Taiwan, whereas in Singapore there are 210 motorcycles per mile square and 32.5 motorcycles per mile square in Japan. The percentage of motorcycle is several times higher than in Singapore and in Japan. Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics indicates that there are 1,3660,000 motorcycles in Taiwan based on the statistic from the Ministry of Transportation at the end of February 2016. Among all cities and counties, the highest ratio of motorcycle ownership is in Pingtung County, which has 73.4 motorcycles per 100 people. The second is Kaohsiung, which has 71.9 motorcycles per 100 people (usage of the public transportation is less than 15%). The lowest one is Taipei, which has 35.5 motorcycles per 100 people. This article tries to discuss "the development and the amount of motorcycles in Kaohsiung city" based on Jacques Derrida's deconstructionism. J. Derrida tried to break the binary opposition between the subject and object. It is a kind of the centralism of de-logos which focuses on the subject, along with the existence of metaphors and edges. From the perspective of deconstructionism, one of the major objects for a prosperous city development is cleanliness, neatness and convenience. Unfortunately, excessive motorcycles hinder city development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. THE NATURE AND BASIS OF STRUCTURALISM.
- Author
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Hauer, Thomas
- Subjects
DISCOURSE ,STRUCTURALISM ,POSTMODERNISM (Philosophy) ,LINGUISTICS - Abstract
Postmodern discourse presented by authors like M. Foucault, J. F. Lyotard, J. Derrida, G. Deleuze, etc., contains the common ground resulting from the development of one line of thought, which advanced from the linguistically-oriented discourse of structuralism, over post-structuralism to postmodernism. The thesis that social relationships and linkages are formed by discourse is an essential prerequisite for understanding the way in which these authors analyse the society. The semiologic version of structuralism is probably the most widespread explanation of the origin of structuralism, although certainly not the only possible one. Thus, the basic significance of Ferdinand de Saussure lies not only in his contribution to linguistics, but in the fact that he made a model for the humanities from what at first glance appears to be quite an inaccessible and highly specialized discipline. Perceiving linguistics as a model for other humanities means paying attention to the conventional basis of non-linguistic signs. It always means to distinguish langue from parole, try to go beyond the act, object or subject itself to a system of rules and relationships that allow them to make a difference. Through a philosophical analysis, the text examines the nature of F. de Saussure's linguistic structuralism and its connection with the emergence of poststructuralism and the postmodern philosophical theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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- View/download PDF
6. THE CHANGING STATUS OF A NATIONAL STATE IN CONTEXT OF A GLOBALIZED WORLD POLITICS SYSTEM.
- Author
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Kováčik, Branislav and Klučiarovský, Michal
- Subjects
INTERNATIONAL relations ,GLOBALIZATION ,NATION-state ,MODERNITY ,CIVIL society ,DEMOCRACY - Abstract
Fluid modernity - that is how we should name the relations between globalization and transformating sense of a national state, which are often not so transparent as they could be. The rate and the dynamics of these changes raised the most after the wreck of a bipolar world order and it is noticeable that their roots are much deeper and their causation is much more complicated then it might look at first sight in these relations between the state and the phenomenon of globalization. Globalization is the process of integrating nations and peoples - politically, economically, and culturally - into a larger community. In this broad sense, it is little different from internationalization. Nowadays globalization means more than this incremental process that over the centuries has brought people and nations closer together as technological innovation dissolved barriers of time and distance, and enhanced flows of information promoted greater awareness and understanding. It's also important to note, that the „current trends of globalization "from above" and the gradual strengthening of civil society "from below" in cooperation with the institutional reforms incorporating the process of Europeanisation and strengthening of decentralization tendencies, significantly interfere the way of public affairs organization in Europe. [1] Z. Bauman finds the origin of political relations changes in a change of the human's freedom context. Consecutive liberalization and democratic transformations in legislative system caused the so called transfer of responsibility to an individual, but on the other hand created a fatal diversion in ethics and political debate from an equitable society context into a spehere of human rights. Simply said, the individual starts to act egoistic in a society and is trying to maximalize its joy, welfare and provide its necessary needs or personal growth, in dependence on the type of state he lives in. Bauman also claims that the OECD countries which made it through a transformation from modernity to post-modernity, marked a certain saturation within society in political matters and reached a state where the citizens are careless to the political matters in their own country. This statement obviously applies only to highly-developed states. Globalization is getting more and more into a conflict with a national state, mainly because of transnational corporations acting like there are no borders between single national states. Another estimation is also a development of political society in a national state which is not a suitable answer to appeals incoming nowadays. V. Mezřický in his work Globalizace notes: Today's period of post-sovereign state and a fading citizen's society is characteristic with violated balance of following sub-systems: weakening parliament democracy, weakening morals and cultural background which are not able to keep up with a hypertrophy of expansive market economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
7. Whose Music?: Whose Knowledge?
- Author
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Australian Society for Music Education. National Conference (11th :1997 : Brisbane, Qld.) and Roylance, Philippa
- Published
- 1997
8. THE PRACTICE OF DIALOGIC LEARNING AS A SUCCESSFUL MEANS TO OVERCOME INEQUALITIES: 'LA PAZ' LEARNING COMMUNITY CASE.
- Author
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ROBLIZO COLMENERO, MANUEL JACINTO
- Subjects
DIALOGICS ,EDUCATION ,CULTURAL intelligence ,EDUCATIONAL equalization ,SCHOOL councils ,STRUCTURALISM - Abstract
The paper presents a successful educational practice that, inspired by the dialogic learning methodological principles, is implemented through a learning community. Theoretical bases are introduced, along with some defining traits of didactic practice. The focus is on the 'La Paz' learning community case, as a means to illustrate both with significant data and relevant human stories how dialogic learning can change lives and decisively contribute to break the cycle of poverty and marginality. Located in two of the poorest neighborhoods in Spain, the experience is particularly representative due to, firstly, the extremely deprived living conditions of the population; and, secondly, because of the intense changes that this educational practice has represented both for the school community and for the neighborhoods as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
9. WHAT ABOUT INTERDISCIPLINARITY WITHIN PHILOSOPHY?
- Author
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VANDERBEEKEN, ROBRECHT
- Subjects
INTERDISCIPLINARY education ,AUTHENTICITY (Philosophy) ,PHILOSOPHERS ,PHENOMENOLOGY ,STRUCTURALISM - Published
- 2011
10. A Deliberative Approach to a More Stable Global Arena.
- Author
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Miller, Leon M.
- Subjects
INTERSTATE relations ,MULTI-level governance (Theory) ,INTERNATIONAL relations ,DEMOCRACY ,SOVEREIGNTY - Abstract
Europe's implementation of its notion of a new role of power in its interstate relations offers the prospect of healing some of the painful aspects of European history. The successful implementation of the current notion of power would certainly contribute to extending Europe's zone of peace and prosperity. Thus, much of the world is watching, with hopeful anticipation, as Europe attempts to apply multi-level governance throughout the European Union. International relations scholars are watching because of how significant Europe's effort to institute a whole new approach to regional governance is to international relations. The cornerstone of this futuristic vision is the belief in the sovereignty of equal citizens who have the power to hold authority accountable to the will of the people. It is hoped that these Western democratic principles will create a type of dialogue where international actors interact within the boundaries of constituted structures to shape an "ontological middle way." In other words international actors will apply deliberative democracy to identifying principles that establish the normative values shaping their relationship. As a result international relations will not be anarchic, nor only interest driven but also value driven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
11. Hierarchies and Policies Without Groups: A View from Brazil.
- Author
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Schwartzman, Luisa
- Subjects
ETHNICITY ,SOCIAL sciences ,STRUCTURALISM ,GROUP identity ,RACE identity - Abstract
Two competing approaches exist currently to the study of race and ethnicity in the social sciences. One, which can be called "structuralist" approach, is concerned with the diagnosis of racial/ethnic inequality and with proposing policies and social movement strategies to give greater access of "minority groups" to positions of power in society. The other, which can be called "constructivist", is concerned with the questioning and relativizing the existence of "ethnic/racial groups" as entities "out there" in the world, and with investigating the processes through which these groups are formed, maintained, changed and dissolved. The social scientific and political tension between these two approaches has become especially visible in the case of Brazil, where a high correlation between skin color and socio-economic status coexists with relatively porous racial boundaries and weak racial group identities. Drawing on insights from both the Brazilianist and the U.S./comparative literatures on race and ethnicity, I draw attention to some of the "missing links" in those literatures that could use constructionist approaches to understand structuralist and policy-oriented concerns. I pay special attention to our need to understand the links between different sites where interactions with racialized meanings occur. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
12. Against Transformation: Toward a Consubstantialist Approach in the Sociology of Culture and Cognition.
- Author
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Strand, Michael
- Subjects
CULTURE ,SOCIAL perception ,SOCIAL cognitive theory ,STRUCTURALISM ,SOCIAL structure - Abstract
This paper outlines a consubstantialist approach to the sociology of culture and cognition. Poised against cognitivist views in culture and cognition, and variants of structuralism in cultural theory, I argue that both camps fall victim to the pitfalls of the operation of autonomous structures responsible for cultural meaning. To establish these points, I first offer a critique of the cognitivist view of cognition, focusing on how it is instantiated in the "Zeruvabelian School of Culturalist Cognitive Sociology." I next review a recurrent problem in cultural theory named Saussure's Paradox, or: How do objectively-produced meanings become subjectively-effective? I examine the various solutions proposed to solve this paradox before outlining the consubstantialist point of view, focusing specifically on Bourdieu's sociologization of Kant's Critique of Judgment. Finally, I review two emerging schools of research in cognitive scienceâ"grounded cognition" and "mirror neurons"âthat offer empirical support to the critique of cognitivism and to the consubstantialist approach. In general, I argue that perceived meaning is not the result of a transformative structure located somewhere in the mind that filters stimuli information, inscribes distinctions in the world and then acts on them, and contributes all the quality there is to find in the world of objects. Rather, it emerges through a relationship of consubstantiality between perceiving subject and perceived objects, and the compatibility of their constitutive social relations that dictate the affordances and valences of the context of meaning present to subjects and enacted by them as a lived significance that subsists in practice. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
13. A Theoretical Integration of Self Categorization Theory and Status Characteristics Theory.
- Author
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Barnum, Christ
- Subjects
CATEGORIZATION (Psychology) ,ACTORS ,THEORY ,STRUCTURALISM ,DISCRIMINATION (Sociology) - Abstract
Status characteristics theory and self categorization theory account successfully for influence patterns in task group settings; however they take different explanatory routes. Self categorization theory focuses on disagreements with in-group members, status characteristics theory on performance expectations. Integrating elements of both theories opens an array of potential new applications without subverting either theory's basic assumptions. We offer a theory that asserts the following: (i) interaction clusters emerge along group boundaries, (ii) within these group clusters behavioral interchange patterns become the chief basis of discrimination between actors, (iii) interaction hierarchies form according to the processes described by E-state structuralism models and (iv) the prototypically of an actor intensifies the effect of group membership so that the prototypical actors' influence over others may become equal to high status actors. Knowledge from our theory could be used to develop intervention strategies to attenuate the status disadvantages some people unfortunately face in organizational and task settings [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
14. Beyond the Antinomies of Structure: Recovering the Insights of Methodological Structuralism.
- Author
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Lizardo, Omar
- Subjects
STRUCTURALISM ,MARXIAN school of sociology ,SOCIAL theory ,RATIONALISM ,REALISM - Abstract
In this paper I attempt to address several enduring problems in the formulation and deployment of the notion of structure in contemporary sociological theory. I proceed by revisiting the question of the fidelity of Giddens' own appropriation of the idea of structure vis a vis the original Levi-Straussian formulation. I show how Giddens own highly selective exegesis of Levi-Strauss, ended up obscuring the latter's most valuable contribution to structural analysis, which I label his methodological structuralism. I show how this approach is in many ways strictly antithetical to Giddens' own "ontological" approach, and avoids many of the logical pitfalls of the structuration account. Second, I review what I consider the most successful attempt to recover the legacy of methodological structuralism: Bourdieu's critique of Levi-Strauss' "objectivism" in The Logic of Practice. I show that rather than being an undiscriminating broadside against "positivism," Bourdieu's critique of Levi-Strauss centers on a specific slippage whereby the latter fails to live up to his own methodological prescriptions regarding the appropriate use of the notion of structure and falls in an ontological trap very similar to that of Giddens. I further argue that Sewell's reconstruction of structuration theory, in its sole focus in fixing Giddens' various logical and conceptual errors, and thus taking as given Giddens' ontological interpretation of Levi-Strauss, ends up with a notion of structure that is at its very core "anti-structuralist" or only structuralist in a weak sense. I close by considering some consequences of adopting a methodological structuralist strategy for current theory building efforts from a relational perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
15. Power, Structuralism and Emancipation in the Works of Burke and Foucault.
- Author
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Leveille, John
- Subjects
STRUCTURALISM ,POWER (Social sciences) ,SOCIAL movements - Abstract
AbstractPower, Structuralism, and Emancipation in the Works of Burke and Foucaultby John Leveille, Ph.D.In this paper, I compare and contrast the ways in which Michel Foucault and Kenneth Burke address several topics - structuralism, the question of the subject, the theory of symbols, and theories of politics and emancipation. While each of their theories of politics and emancipation are found wanting, Burke's approach to the theory of symbols and the question of the subject appears to point to a more fruitful direction for sociological inquiry. However, if Burke's theory is to be rendered serviceable it needs to be significantly modified or adapted. Specifically, it needs to be grafted onto a materialist, though not necessarily a Marxist, understanding of the social world, and it needs to radically revise its understanding of the concept of social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
16. Sinking the Boat to Save the Social: Networks as Paradigm, Not (Just) Variable, Theory or Method.
- Author
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Adams, Jimi
- Subjects
SOCIAL sciences ,SOCIAL network analysis ,SOCIAL groups ,MANAGEMENT science ,INDIVIDUALISM - Abstract
In this paper, I take up the claim that social network analysis (SNA) offers a paradigmatic shift in the way we conduct social science. I build on James Coleman's challenge to sociologists to better establish the connection between micro-level processes and methodological individualism to macro level outcomes. I alter his schema to demonstrate that SNA instead suggests a starting point that moves beyond the individual and focuses instead on the spaces that separate them and the relationships that fill those spaces. I then argue that this shift in thinking has not been readily incorporated into areas of sociology outside of SNA mainly because researchers frequently misattribute SNA's contributions as being limited only to adding variables for analysis, suggesting alternative methodological strategies or building new theoretical propositions. Bringing SNA more fully into all areas of sociology will radically alter the questions we ask and therefore the potential results of our research. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
17. Bourdieu and the Environment: Toward an Integrated Model for Environmental Sociology.
- Author
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Snyder, Bryan
- Subjects
REALISM ,CRISES ,SOCIAL sciences ,THEORY ,SOCIAL psychology ,SOCIOLOGY - Abstract
The field of environmental sociology has historically been split between two intellectual orientations: (1) structural-materialism, which has a tendency to focus on the objective reality of the environmental crisis, independent of subjective interpretation, and (2) constructivism, which has a tendency to focus on the perceptual and cultural dimensions of the environmental crisis. The field has seen very few integrated models, which pay attention to both structural conditions of existence and subjective experience within those conditions. Bourdieu's theory of practice, though not yet applied to the field of environmental sociology, does just this. By operationalizing the principle of practice as the outcome of the dialectical relationship between structure and agency, Bourdieu provides a unique perspective on the established order; one that differs from both of the two most widely recognized theories within the field (treadmill of production and ecological modernization). Bourdieu's commonalities and divergences with existing theories will be discussed, as will his wider contribution to the field of environmental sociology. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2006
18. Understanding Vulnerability To Disasters: A Cross-National Analysis Of 4,000 Climate-Related Disasters.
- Author
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Parks, Bradley C. and Roberts, J. Timmons
- Subjects
NATURAL disasters ,DISASTER relief ,ENVIRONMENTAL degradation ,ENVIRONMENTAL quality ,EPIDEMIOLOGY ,EMERGENCY management - Abstract
In this paper, we find that that journalistic accounts and most expert case studies do not do justice to the complexity of causal forces producing and reproducing vulnerability to disasters. Using raw disaster data compiled by the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), we develop three cross-national measures of climate risk, based on 4,040 climate-related natural disasters between 1980 and 2002. These are population-adjusted rates of the cumulative number of people killed, made homeless, or otherwise affected by climate-related disasters (wind storms, flooding, drought, and heat waves) during the period. The most powerful predictors of vulnerability to climate disasters are a country's level of urbanization, the security of its property rights regime, its coastal exposure, national income, and levels of domestic inequality. We also find that behind these current "proximate" causes of a country's ability to cope with climate disasters is the way it is "inserted" into the world economy. Countries with a colonial legacy of extraction of its resources - as measured by the narrowness of its export base - are structurally predisposed toward higher levels of social, economic, and institutional vulnerability. These structural disadvantages, we argue, limit their ability to protect themselves from poverty and environmental degradation, but also the growing frequency and strength of climate-related disasters. Disaster relief and prevention that treats only symptoms and not political and economic structure are doomed to longer-term failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2005
19. A Structuralist's Lament: Questioning the Dialogue Between Young Americans and Politics.
- Author
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Doyle, Jaime
- Subjects
YOUTH in politics ,POLITICAL participation ,COMMUNICATION & politics ,PRACTICAL politics - Abstract
This article examines low youth civic engagement in U.S. politics. The article suggests that the problems with low voter turnout and political engagement is caused by the behavior of young people seeking a clearer dialogue with politics. It is inferred that a communication gap between the structure of politics and the understanding of youth also lead to their lack of engagement in politics.
- Published
- 2005
20. Culture, Power, and Institutions: A Multi-Institutional Politics Approach to Social Movements.
- Author
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Armstrong, Elizabeth A. and Bernstein, Mary
- Subjects
SOCIAL movements ,SOCIAL history ,STRUCTURALISM ,ACTIVISTS ,LGBTQ+ people - Abstract
This paper argues that because of their reliance on a state-centered structuralism, political process and contentious politics models cannot account for sexuality and gender movements that are often not oriented toward the state and are concerned with challenging existing systems of cultural classification. We draw on institutional and feminist theories to develop a multi-institutional politics (MP) approach to social movements based on an alternative theory of institutionalized power. The MP approach also re-conceptualizes the relationship between the material and symbolic realms. We draw on examples from the LGBT movement and illustrate the generalizability of the MP approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
21. Renarrating Foucault: Archaeology and Cultural Sociology.
- Author
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Reed, Isaac
- Subjects
ARCHAEOLOGY ,CULTURE ,PHENOMENOLOGY ,POSITIVISM ,STRUCTURALISM - Abstract
In social theory today, interpretations of Foucault often take his middle period as the apex of his work. The paradigmatic version of this narrative is Dryfus? and Rabinow?s (1983) account of the ?failure of archaeology.? But close examination reveals the reasons given for this failure to be specious. The false self-consciousness of archaeology as an ?extreme phenomenological positivism,? led to a characterization of it as an impossible form of structuralism, which was then dismissed as caught in the modernist analytic of finitude. Furthermore, Rabinow and Dryfus, with Foucault?s blessing, reject a priori the idea, implicit in archaeology, that discourse can be relatively autonomous from the practices it unites. This reveals that the move, in the middle Foucault and in many Foucault-inspired cultural studies, towards a more institution- and power-based account of discourse, is a return to a reductionism that has deep similarities with Marxism. Seen in this light, the archaeology of the early Foucault emerges as a highly sophisticated interpretive sociology free of the metaphysical impediments of philosophical hermeneutics. Reopening social theory to an archaeological perspective will allow Foucaultian sociology to develop a richer account of meaning, and cultural sociology to develop a more robust account of institutions and power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
22. The Politics of Race and Research.
- Author
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Baronov, David
- Subjects
RACE ,RESEARCH ,RACE relations ,HERMENEUTICS ,FOUNDATIONALISM (Theory of knowledge) ,POSITIVISM - Abstract
The purpose of this essay is to analyze the implications of four methodological approaches for the study of race relations in US society?postpositivism, structuralism, hermeneutics and antifoundationalism. After detailing these four, we turn to the familiar case of an undergraduate student who wishes to better understand race relations on his/her campus. By detailing the implications of the student researcher?s methodological choices in such a case, it will become clear how certain questions about race relations are permitted, for example, by postpositivism that are not permitted by antifoundationalism (and vice versa). At the same time, some forms of knowledge regarding race relations may be a central focus from a structuralist perspective but of only marginal interest for hermeneutics (and vice versa). In the course of research the investigator represents an active agent, making a number of methodological choices that ultimately determine the types of questions one can ask and the forms of knowledge that can be generated. Thus an informed and intentional researcher is one who both (1) understands (and consciously wrestles with) the methodological choices available to him/her and who (2) interprets his/her findings within the limits of these choices. For those who study race in the US, these choices carry enormous consequences. They contribute to a highly contentious body of knowledge concerning the fundamental nature of race as a social category. Indeed, the true significance of race (declining or otherwise) is premised upon a long chain of seemingly innocuous methodological choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
23. Some implications of mental imagery on the epistemic value of scientific research.
- Author
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Coman, Emil
- Abstract
The paper presents some arguments and evidence regarding the implications of mental imagery on the process of production and justification of scientific theories. Cognitive approaches are presented, some specific examples regarding creation of scientific concepts (in physics and communication), and philosophical conclusions from the perspective of including imaging in the scientific production are explored. I also propose a new category of mental imagery called structuralist. The final conclusion points towards a strong connection between mental imagery and the justification of structural realism. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
24. Resource Structuralism and Gender Economic Inequality.
- Author
-
Michalski, Joseph H.
- Subjects
GENDER inequality ,GENDER ,ECONOMICS ,EQUALITY ,DEVELOPED countries - Abstract
This paper addresses the following question: What explains patterns of gender economic inequality in advanced-industrial societies? The thesis advanced here, derived from a resource structuralism framework, highlights several factors: a gendered division of labor, the commodification of "women's work", the constraints of social reproduction, the decline and devaluation of capital resources, and the gendered nature of welfare state policies. The paper explores these dimensions through a combination of a theoretical discussion and presentation of cross-national research, with particular attention to the Canadian situation. The paper has three main sections: 1) a discussion of resource structuralism as an explanatory framework; 2) an in-depth discussion of explanatory factors derived from the theory; and 3) summary remarks about the social and policy implications of the theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2003
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
25. Sociocognitive Processes as Social Structure of Freshman Year Social Networks.
- Author
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Tyson, William
- Subjects
SOCIAL structure ,COLLEGE students ,SOCIAL groups ,SOCIAL networks ,STRUCTURALISM - Abstract
Constructuralism and structuralism are competing and complementary perspectives that explain general patterns of association. Carley's (1989) constructuralism emphasizes the role of shared knowledge in the formation of social structure that govern interaction and the development of ties. Race is a key construct in the organization of people and knowledge. This creates conflict for individuals who are dissimilar from others of their race. This prospective study examines the role of similarity and difference in the formation of social networks during the freshman year of college on a freshman campus at a mid-size elite private university. Two waves of data report precollege goals and expectations for college followed by freshman year social networks. Analysis of precollege data found significant difference between black, Latino, and Asian students from white students on a majority of goal and expectation measures. Analysis of social networks will be completed upon receiving the data. Theoretical perspectives on sociocognition and homophily yield four options for dissimilar students who do not form in-group ties: (1) Students can form out-group ties; (2) Students can look outside the population; (3) Students can rely on more proximate ties with others in their residence hall; and (4) Students can form smaller networks. This paper presents models and hypotheses to test these options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2003
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
26. Functionalism Revisited: A practice based Functionalism.
- Author
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Kim, Hyo
- Subjects
STRUCTURALISM ,FUNCTIONALISM (Psychology) ,ECONOMICS ,MANAGEMENT ,ORGANIZATIONAL behavior ,ORGANIZATIONAL research - Abstract
This paper reviews theoretical works in three approaches in organizational research: (1) rationalized individual model (Transaction Cost Economics and Principal Agent Theory), (2) structuralism/functionalism model (Resource Dependence Theory and Institutional Theory), and (3) structurational model (Granovetter's Social Embeddedness Model and Giddens' Structuration Theory). Reviewing the last approach in depth, this paper points out that it has been recognized as an important guideline for studying organizational phenomena even in two other approaches, which resulted in an emphasis on individual actions over structural forces. However, the concepts found in Giddens' Theory of Structuration -- regularity, ontological security, deep lying mode of tension management, etc. -- suggest that the first two approaches are not incompatible with the structurational approach. This paper argues that (1) once sui-generis characteristics of functionalism and structuralism are discarded, and (2) the fact that regularities (structural forces and functional characteristics) found in organizational studies are based upon organizations' actions in a specific organizational and economic institution is acknowledged, functionalism and structuralism might enhance the structurational approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2003
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
27. From Naturalisation to Sacralisation: Changing Paradigms for Analysing Visual Advertising.
- Author
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Doyle, Waddick
- Subjects
ADVERTISING ,STRUCTURALISM ,LINGUISTICS ,CULTURAL studies theory (Communication) ,COMMUNICATIONS research - Abstract
Advertising has been understood in the structuralist tradition of cultural studies as naturalising social relations by making brands appear natural. This raticle traces a series of approaches to the analysis of advertising that have developed in Britain and the US within the context of media studies over the last 30 years.. It questions how this model has developed from a particularly English understanding of French structuralism which has become a type of orthodoxy in Britain Other theoretical analyses of advertising from of linguistics from pragmatics and speech act theory are considered.. Overall the article argues that the structuralist position that advertising naturalises products is no longer relevant but rather that we should consider how advertising sacralises brands, giving them a supernatural quality by allowing them to cross the border of the media world to the ordinary world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2003
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
28. MONSTROUS INTIMACY. OF LITERATURE AS EXPERIENCE.
- Author
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KRISTEVA, JULIA
- Subjects
HUMAN activity recognition ,PSYCHOLINGUISTICS ,MIND & body ,STRUCTURALISM ,COGNITIVE psychology - Published
- 1995
29. A TEST OF A PATH-GOAL MOTIVATIONAL THEORY OF LEADERSHIP.
- Author
-
Dessler, Gary
- Subjects
PSYCHOLOGICAL stress ,AMBIGUITY ,ANXIETY ,LEADERSHIP ,ORGANIZATION ,BEHAVIOR ,ROLE ambiguity ,EXPECTANCY theories ,ORGANIZATIONAL behavior ,STRUCTURALISM - Abstract
The major purpose of the present study is to determine whether the effects of leader initiating structure and consideration vary with the nature of the subordinate's task. In particular, the general hypothesis states that the intrinsic uncertainty or ambiguity of the task will moderate the relationship between leader behavior an subordinate role perceptions and satisfaction. Three hypotheses were tested in the present study: 1) The correlations between leader initiating structure and subordinate role ambiguity, satisfaction and path-goal expectancies will be moderated by degree of respondent task certainty. The higher the certainty the smaller will be: (1) the negative correlation with role ambiguity; and (2) the positive correlation with satisfaction and expectancies. 2) Leader consideration will have a positive covarying influence on the relationship between leader initiating structure and subordinate satisfaction and expectancies. Specifically, the correlation between initiating structure and the major dependent variables will be lower when recomputed with the effects of leader consideration partialled out. 3) Finally, an exploratory analysis was carried out to determine the role played by subordinate authoritarianism on the relationship between initiating structure, satisfaction, and task certainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 1972
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
30. ORGANIZATION THEORY: A SINE QUA NON OF A THEORY OF ORGANIZATIONS.
- Author
-
Kefalas, Asterios G.
- Subjects
ORGANIZATIONAL sociology ,ORGANIZATION ,COMPREHENSION ,COMPLEX organizations ,ORGANICISM ,ORGANIZATIONAL growth ,TELEOLOGY ,BEHAVIOR ,STRUCTURALISM ,STRATEGY (Philosophy) - Abstract
Man is by nature inquisitive: his sensory organs search the world around him while his mind attempts to organize his observations and insights into coherent schemes. A persistent curiosity about the starred heavens and the terrestial world has ultimately granted man verifiable theories by which he grasps his world. Applications of these theories coupled with a panoply of a sophisticated technology have established the validity of these theories so firmly that their explanations have become part of our "common sense". With this brief investigation of organized complexities in mind we can now attempt to define the term "organization". A definition of organization should include both structural and functional considerations. From the structural viewpoint (structure refers to the order of parts) the degree of organization reflects the degree of hierarchic arrangements as well as the span of the hierarchy, that is, the number of subsystems under one hierarchy. Hierarchies with moderate spans facilitate understanding because, by and large, they are nearly decomposable or dissectible. From the functional viewpoint (function refers to the order of processes), the degree of organization reflects the degree of self-regulation involving both control (negative feedback), as well as evolution or growth (positive feedback). Thus, from both structural and functional viewpoints, the degree of organization of an organized complexity is defined by fixed rules (hierarchic arrangements) and flexible strategies (orders of feed back loops). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 1972
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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