Search

This article uses survey data gathered in fall 2020 and spring 2021 from students at a public, midwestern university to explore the factors affecting self-reports of learning during the pandemic. The consistent finding is that social relationships--support from professors and connections to peers--are critical. The impact of social relationships on learning is statistically significant even when other factors that have received much attention during the pandemic, including self-reports of mental health, technology access, and financial worries, are taken into account. The implications of these findings for our work as sociology teachers during and after the pandemic and for our departmental activities are highlighted.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which promoting sense of community moderates the relationship between servant leadership style and socially responsible leadership (SRL) of public universities in Uganda. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted cross-sectional survey design to collect data at one point in time using self-administered questionnaires from 214 respondents to examine the relationship between servant leadership and socially responsible leadership with promoting sense of community as a moderator. The study used statistical package for social scientists (SPSS) PROCESS MACRO to establish clusters among the surveyed public universities and later a model was derived. Findings: The study found a significant moderating effect of promoting sense of community on servant leadership and socially responsible leadership. Implying that investment in promoting sense of community creates awareness about the socially responsible leadership in public universities. Practical implications: Managers of public universities need to pay keen interest in promoting sense of community to boost socially responsible leadership by building a strong servant leadership style through promoting sense of community for senior managers and leaders especially heads of departments, faculty deans and principals in public universities. Originality/value: This study contributes to socially responsible leadership literature by advancing the idea that SRL is an important resource that enhances through instituting servant leadership and promoting sense of community in a complex environment. Ideally, servant leadership and promoting sense of community is one of the drivers of customer value, efficiency and effectiveness of public universities.

Ethics in research can be broadly divided into two epistemic dimensions. One dimension focuses on bureaucratic procedures (i.e., procedural ethics), while the other focuses on contextually and culturally contested practice of ethics in research (i.e., ethics in practice). Researchers experience both dimensions distinctly in their qualitative research. The review of ethics in prospective research through bureaucratic procedures aims to measure compliance with documented requirements relating to research participants, data management, consent, and ensure researchers can demonstrate their ethical competence before they commence their research. However, researchers often experience unanticipated ethical issues within the context of their research; sometimes ethics-related situations, including language sensitivity, cultural humility, and data processing experienced by researchers can be very different from what was included in bureaucratic procedures. In this study, phenomena related to research ethics in practice, as experienced by social scientists (n = 5) in their qualitative research, are hermeneutically explored and interpreted. The selected phenomena represent the researchers' lived experiences regarding the practice of participant autonomy, specifically exploring participants' right to withdraw from research. These phenomena are interpreted from the theoretical perspectives of situational relativism and self-determined autonomy. The interpreted phenomena reveal the current practices in ethical management of data collected from participants before their decision to withdraw from research (i.e., withdrawal data), are predominantly focused on tangible forms of data (i.e., the information that can easily be distinguished from other data), but ethical concerns associated with intangible forms of data are often neglected. The intangible forms of data are experiential knowing and understanding that include, feeling, emotion, courage, respect, celebration, anger, and the sense of being and belonging. The study recommends that researchers and research professionals should exercise ethical sensitivity and humility towards intangible forms of data collected during qualitative research when participants withdraw their consent.

Using observations from a medical sociology course offered in two formats, we compare how undergraduate premedical students learned to see sociologically after (1) completing a one-semester course in which theory in medical sociology and fieldwork were taught concurrently or (2) completing a two-semester course in which theory in medical sociology and fieldwork were taught in successive semesters. We developed a taxonomy of stages to capture students' learning and measured their progress using video simulations that alternatively depicted scenarios in a more familiar setting (an academic hospital) and a less familiar one (a foreign cultural exchange). Students learned how to see in different ways: In the one-semester course, students came to see like medical sociologists, and in the two-semester course, students also came to see like sociologists more broadly. Educators interested in teaching students to "see more" outside of the health care realm may benefit from choosing the two-semester course option.

Sociologists are engaging in a long-overdue reckoning about the place of the traditional canon in social theory courses and pedagogy. Instructors are revising their syllabi to include a more diverse set of authors while "provincializing" classics that have long been taught as universal. We confront the question of how to teach contested canonical works after an instructor has committed to this work. We argue that progressive reforms to theory syllabi can raise new problems associated with teaching "canonical" works and propose one way to address them with a flexible recipe designed to resolve tensions between pedagogical imperatives. An extended example from our experience teaching Durkheim's "The Elementary Forms of Religious Life" is employed to illustrate our proposal. Our aim is to contribute to an ongoing disciplinary dialogue that will maintain theory's central place in sociology's identity while constantly asking what, and whom, it is for.

Following academic globalization, successful integration into the international research community is a fundamental interest for all participating countries. The success of these internationalization processes, however, are often under scrutiny, and the results are rarely unequivocal. This holds true for Central and Eastern Europe, which usually is described as a semiperipheral region of global knowledge production. Analyzing the publication and citation indices of 365 Hungarian social scientists in one national (Hungarian Scientific Bibliography) and two global (Scopus, Google Scholar) databases, we explicate the current international impact of Hungarian academic research while exploring pivotal factors behind the major differences between databases. Our results indicate that Hungarian scholars lag behind their peers in neighboring countries, necessitating effective policy measures. To this end, the analysis recommends the use of standardized global publication databases instead of national datasets, while still acknowledging the shortcomings of the latter in research assessment protocols.

Interdisciplinarity has become one of the catchwords in current higher education and science policies, with the underlying rationale being that scientific breakthroughs and solutions to today's global challenges require collaboration across scientific fields. However, several empirical studies have shown that interdisciplinary promises are not necessarily realised in research practices, due to manifold cognitive, epistemic, cultural and organisational barriers. Drawing on interviews with women academics working in health technology in Finland, this paper traces subtle obstacles, hidden power relations and invisible hierarchies in interdisciplinary research work. A special emphasis is placed on understanding intersections of gender and interdisciplinarity, pointing to gendered implications of the current policy rhetoric of interdisciplinarity.

This article is a conversation between Alyson Cole and James M. Jasper about the role of emotions in politics and social movements. Jasper discusses the recognition of emotions as an integral part of culture and human experience, influenced by feminist writings. He also explores the impact of emotions in right-wing movements and emphasizes the need to study political actors using the same models and concepts. Jasper concludes by discussing the power of charisma and the importance of understanding both short-term and long-term emotions in political analysis. The text also touches on the importance of taking resentment seriously, the role of social media in activism, and the differences between sociology and political science in understanding politics. It discusses the nature of protests and social movements, emphasizing their ongoing work even after they seem to fade. The author shares their research process and current project on toxic masculinity and gender performance. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the concept of "public scholarship" and its different models, specifically the "public intellectual" and the "engaged scholar." The author reflects on their own research trajectory, moving from theory to practice to engagement, and argues that engaged scholarship is more accountable to the demands of justice. The article also discusses the barriers to engaged scholarship and suggests that the "engaged university" should center the work of activist scholars and their community partners. The author acknowledges the importance of diverse perspectives and the need to learn from research traditions that have paved the way. The text discusses the difference between public intellectuals and engaged scholars in the context of advancing justice. Public intellectuals speak to a broad audience but do not interact with specific public stakeholders or contribute to social change. Engaged scholars, on the other hand, work directly with non-academic interest groups to co-produce knowledge that leads to social change. The text emphasizes the importance of community-based research and the need to prioritize the learning of long-time community-based scholars to ensure the integrity and accountability of engaged scholarship. The author also reflects on their own academic trajectory and the limitations of theory in effecting change, highlighting the importance of understanding how scholarship participates in the material matrices of public life. This article discusses the importance of engaged scholarship, which involves collaborating with non-academic partners in the research process. The author shares their experience working on a project funded by the California Department of Cannabis Control to study the impact of cannabis cultivation on Tribal sacred sites and cultural resources. They [Extracted from the article]

The rising divorce rate in developing nations is a cause of concern among social scientists. Though women's ability to dissolve marriages in response to domestic violence can be observed as an agency, it has long been perceived as undesirable for society. The paper examines the complex association between domestic risk factors, violence, and the likelihood of marital dissolution. Using the fourth round of Demographic and Health Survey data, we unravel these relations in India, where domestic violence is extremely high compared to the divorce rate. We find that divorce incidences are rising among Indian women as a protest against domestic violence towards them. Marital dissolution is more common among the victims of severe physical violence and sexual violence than those of emotional violence or less severe violence. Economic empowerment in terms of land ownership and employment has helped the process of dissolving abusive marriages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia as a significant alternative to prevailing theories of justice, including utilitarianism, Marxism, and progressive redistribution. Topics include Nozick's critique of these theories, his engagement with individualist anarchism, and the less examined aspect of his work regarding the pluralism of human nature and its implications for political philosophy.

What is a queer feminist method? Both feminists and queer scholars attend to the issue of power, but in somewhat divergent ways. Feminist scholars focus social justice concerns on modernist notions of experience and agency within systems of inequalities, while queer theorists shun a modernist notion of rational actors and focus on the poststructuralist goal of demonstrating the organizing power of discourse. (How) Can social scientists translate these two epistemologies into empirical methods? We consider how traditional social science methods have not been conducive to studying power as everyday discursive marginalization and how interpretive methods can attend to feminist and queer analytical and activist goals. We identify four analytic methods (queer feminist discourse analysis, Loseke's formula stories, queer feminist ethnography, and interpretive materialism) as potentially feminist and queer. In doing so, we find resonances between feminist and queer epistemologies, which, unlike some of our forebearers, we see as entirely compatible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, behavioral, social, and health science researchers have relied on global/retrospective survey methods administered cross-sectionally (i.e., on a single occasion) or longitudinally (i.e., on several occasions separated by weeks, months, or years). More recently, social and health scientists have added daily life survey methods (also known as intensive longitudinal methods or ambulatory assessment) to their toolkit. These methods (e.g., daily diaries, experience sampling, ecological momentary assessment) involve dense repeated assessments in everyday settings. To facilitate research using daily life survey methods, we present SEMA3 (http://www.SEMA3.com), a platform for designing and administering intensive longitudinal daily life surveys via Android and iOS smartphones. SEMA3 fills an important gap by providing researchers with a free, intuitive, and flexible platform with basic and advanced functionality. In this article, we describe SEMA3's development history and system architecture, provide an overview of how to design a study using SEMA3 and outline its key features, and discuss the platform's limitations and propose directions for future development of SEMA3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue that economists, as well as other social scientists, have increasingly focused on parenting as a means of building children's human capital and reducing poverty. This is reflected, in part, in the use of the concept of 'parental investment' to study parenting, which has gained prominence over the past thirty years. This intellectual program is also evident in interventions targeting low-income parents to change parenting behavior to reflect the 'parental investment' model. Our study first documents the rise of the use of 'parental investment' in economics, psychology, and sociology, using a SCOPUS-generated corpus of academic documents. Through a critical analysis of two highly influential articles, we uncover the key assumptions of the economic approach to the study of parenting. We then show how this approach informs parenting programs that directly affect parenting behavior. Finally, we offer preliminary reflections on the consequences of the economization of parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an interview with Paul du Gay and Michael Pryke, two academics who played a significant role in the development of cultural economy as a field of study. They discuss their experiences at the Open University in the 1990s and the events that led to the first and second cultural economy workshops. The interview provides insights into the research culture at the Open University during that time, highlighting the close relationships between postgraduates and central academics, as well as the interdisciplinary nature of the faculty. The interview also mentions the influence of Stuart Hall, who headed the Sociology department at the Open University and had a significant impact on the development of cultural economy. The authors reflect on their own contributions to the field and the influence of other scholars, such as Richard Sennett and Michel Callon. They also discuss the challenges they faced in bringing together different disciplines and perspectives to study finance and money from a cultural lens. Overall, the cultural economy field has made a valuable contribution to understanding the relationships between finance, culture, and everyday life. [Extracted from the article]

Survey researchers have long protected respondent privacy via de‐identification (removing names and other directly identifying information) before sharing data. Unfortunately, recent research demonstrates that these procedures fail to protect respondents from intentional re‐identification attacks, a problem that threatens to undermine vast survey enterprises in academia, government, and industry. This is especially a problem in political science because political beliefs are not merely the subject of our scholarship; they represent some of the most important information respondents want to keep private. We confirm the problem in practice by re‐identifying individuals from a survey about a controversial referendum declaring life beginning at conception. We build on the concept of “differential privacy” to offer new data‐sharing procedures with mathematical guarantees for protecting respondent privacy and statistical validity guarantees for social scientists analyzing differentially private data. The cost of these procedures is larger standard errors, which can be overcome with larger sample sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field access is frequently regarded as a mere practical step in the research process, with insufficient attention given to its broader implications. Numerous writings that focus on gaining field access offer just a collection of practical tips. While these recommendations are valuable, they are specific to each setting and individual experiences. Such an ad hoc approach fosters a limited understanding of the research permit application process and limits the discussion of access by disregarding its inherent uncertainty and its manifold consequences. In authoritarian contexts, obtaining field access remains highly uncertain and can be further complicated by arbitrary decision‐making. This article demonstrates that in Vietnam, social scientists, including anthropologists, must navigate ambiguous processes of trial‐and‐error to secure field access. With the term ‘trial‐and‐error’ we refer to an approach to problem‐solving in which various methods are attempted. Proceeding through trial‐and‐error involves familiarisation, networking, and improvisation. Based on 15 years of experience working in Vietnam we provide evidence that the process of trial‐and‐error is inherent in all three aspects. Beyond the issues surrounding access for foreign researchers, our observations also underscore the pivotal role of trial‐and‐error as a mechanism that Vietnamese citizens employ to navigate the uncertainties and arbitrariness associated with bureaucracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the use of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) in international development programs. It discusses the establishment of innovation labs and research centers focused on data for development, as well as industry-driven initiatives. While these technologies offer potential benefits, there are concerns about biases and harms associated with them. The article also delves into ethical issues surrounding machine learning-based poverty targeting and the need for a broader understanding of datafication and development. It references scholarly works that provide historical and analytical perspectives on data platforms and AI. The text discusses the concept of data colonialism and its implications for human life and social knowledge, drawing comparisons to historical colonialism. It emphasizes the importance of critical historical scholarship in responsibly designing data for development applications and challenges the dominant narratives and practices surrounding AI governance. The article also highlights the need for community engagement and addressing global disparities in technology interactions. It argues for a more holistic and sustainable approach to technology development that prioritizes the public interest and common good, considering the impact on the environment and the relationship between humans and the nonhuman environment. [Extracted from the article]

Revenge, estrangement, nihilism. These are the main feelings identified by historians to describe the political culture and anthropology of the subversive far right, from the second post-war period to the years of terrorism. Social scientists have placed at the centre of their analysis the radical right’s process of coming to terms with the grief caused by the defeat of the fascist regimes in the Second World War. The emphasis on pessimism, however, has pushed into the background the specificity of the elaboration of defeat within right-wing radicalism. The efforts of far-right intellectuals, in fact, had been aimed at overcoming ‘nostalgism’, that particular form of political melancholy, widespread in neo-fascism, which led to regret rather than overcome the fascist experience. In this perspective, the outbreak of global protest in the 1960s opened a difficult generational confrontation within the Italian far right. Neo-fascist youth movements rediscovered the myth of the ‘fascist revolution in its original form’. The division even ran through families, opposing veterans of the Italian Social Republic with extra-parliamentary militants who later entered underground terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of social sciences has been recognized as valuable to inclusive humanitarian programming that aims to be attentive to the needs and initiatives of affected communities. However, the integration of social science-informed community engagement (CE) approaches in humanitarian action remains episodic, fragmented, and under-resourced. This research article provides insights from a study that reviewed existing and needed capacities for the systematic integration of social sciences for community engagement in humanitarian action. We examined what capacity resources exist and what resources need to be developed for strengthening social science integration into humanitarian programming for improved engagement of affected and at-risk communities in conflict and hazard contexts. A mixed method approach was used, including twenty-two key informant interviews and a focus group discussion with social scientists and humanitarian practitioners, an online survey with 42 respondents, a literature review, and a year-long monthly consultation with social scientists and humanitarian practitioners in a UNICEF-led global technical working group. Results illustrate insights on the value of the "social science lens" in humanitarian action and current usage of different social science disciplines. Challenges found include different understandings (e.g., on standardization), languages and methods used by practitioners and social scientists, and how to integrate the seemingly "slow" processes of social sciences to fit emergency response. Institutional barriers to mainstream community-centered humanitarian action facilitated by the social sciences include top-down decision-making and resourcing, lack of localization, and many siloed, dispersed, and episodic efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philosophers and social scientists largely agree that fake news is not just necessarily untruthful, but necessarily insincere: it’s produced either with the intention to deceive or an indifference toward its truth. Against this, I argue insincerity is neither a necessary nor obviously typical feature of fake news. The main argument proceeds in two stages. The first, methodological step develops classification criteria for identifying instances of fake news. By attending to expressed theoretical and practical interests, I observe how our classification practices turn on worries about fake news’s unique political-epistemic risks. From this, I argue (i) theories of fake news should capture independent mechanisms that realise these risks and (ii) the manifestation of them suffices for classifying a news story as fake news. The second step applies the classification criteria to bad science journalism. I argue the systematic epistemic faults in bad science journalism manifest the same political-epistemic risks we see in fake news, which suffices to justify classifying it as fake news. But since such faults aren’t plausibly attributed to its propagators being insincere, insincerity doesn’t function independently as a mechanism for realising fake news’s political-epistemic risks. Thus, I conclude, we should exclude insincerity from our accounts of the phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This text provides a comprehensive overview of the life and contributions of Ranajit Guha, a renowned Indian historian and founder of the Subaltern Studies collective. It explores Guha's engagement with anti-colonialism, his involvement in communist politics, and his examination of the forms of exploitation and resistance in colonial India. The text also discusses the decline of Subaltern Studies, the views and ideas of Guha, and provides a list of references and citations for further research. It is a valuable resource for library patrons interested in Indian history, colonialism, and marginalized populations. [Extracted from the article]

Measuring the well-being of individuals is a significant challenge for social scientists, policy makers, and suppliers of social programming, since well-being consists of many dimensions that are difficult to measure, both individually and collectively. Moreover, the relative contribution of each of the various aspects to overall well-being is unknown. We try to answer this challenge using the methodology of Benjamin et al. (Am Econ Rev 104(9):2698–2735, 2014) and using a survey that measures preferences over 27 aspects of individual well-being. We provide estimates of these preferences for a representative sample of the Israeli population. We also document heterogeneity in preferences for respondents with different current levels of well-being and for different demographic groups. For some aspects of well-being, we provide evidence of decreasing marginal utility. For other aspects, we find evidence for what appears to be an increasing marginal utility but we argue that it likely reflects an endogenous determination of the level of well-being. We discuss the policy implications of our findings and how our results could be aggregated to a well-being index that could be used to evaluate and compare the effects of different policy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, social scientists have long understood the importance of national symbols and the role they play in both the construction and maintenance of the nation, but in-depth analysis of the national flag has been overlooked. In particular, the cultural significance of the British flag that sits within the Australian national flag warrants focused consideration, as it symbolises the moment Australia became a British possession in multifarious ways. In this article, a critical analysis of the Australian flag demonstrates how the primary symbol of the nation can heighten White privilege through its official point of honour. Vexillology and Indigenist Standpoint Pedagogy provide a framework from which to deconstruct the Australian flag. This article conducts a critical examination of the social, institutional and historical frameworks that support the flag to argue that it is an ongoing signifier of White cultural power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing number of suicide cases in India's top engineering institutions indicates a mental health emergency. Deteriorated mental health status of engineering students has been a major concern for social scientists, policymakers, educationists, and parents. Nevertheless, not much academic research has addressed this issue. The current study aims to explore the anteceding factors associated with mental health crises among engineering students. This study relies on a sequential exploratory mixed‐method design. In the first phase, 16 undergraduate students were interviewed to explore the anteceding factors that deteriorate their mental health status. Based on the qualitative findings, we developed a hypothesized model. In the second phase, this model is tested through a quantitative study (N = 395). Inductive thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews revealed that students' mental health status (stress and guilt‐related symptoms) was associated with (a) centrality of engineering identity, (b) parental pressure, (c) academic stress during the coaching period and college years, (d) upward social comparison, and (e) motivation‐related factors (intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and academic amotivation). Based on this finding, a model is developed that connects academic amotivation, intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, academic stress, and the mental health status of the students. The quantitative study results indicated that academic amotivation significantly mediates the relationship between academic stress and mental health status. Moreover, male engineering students score significantly higher in mental health status and significantly lower in extrinsic motivation‐identified than female students. The study concludes that academic stress is a key issue in determining amotivation and deteriorated mental health status of engineering undergraduates. Practitioner Points: Engineering identity centrality, parental pressure, and academic stress deteriorate the mental health status of Indian engineering students.Academic amotivation significantly mediates the relationship between academic stress and the mental health status of Indian engineering students.Male engineering students tend to have a lower mental health status as compared to female engineering students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimental method is designed to secure the reliable attribution of causal relationships by means of controlled comparison across conditions. Doing so, however, depends upon the reduction of uncertainties and inconsistencies in the process of comparison; and this poses particularly significant challenges for the behavioral and social sciences because they work with human subjects, whose malleability and complexity often interact in unexpected ways with experimental manipulations, thus resulting in unpredictable behavior. Drawing on the Science and Technology Studies perspective and one of our authors' experiences in experimental work, this paper examines how experimental social scientists manage to establish objectivity and standardization in the face of vagaries arising from working with human subjects. In identifying experimental researchers' solutions to this challenge, we draw on methodological discussions among applied social scientists as naturally occurring data, through which we show how some seemingly mundane practices play essential roles in extracting patterns out of otherwise unpredictable behaviors in the lab. Closely examining such strategies, we reveal the inherent instabilities in the experimental method when adopted in the social sciences and discuss their methodological implications. In conclusion, we make tentative suggestions for escaping the kinds of methodological impasses which we have identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses bias in faculty hiring decisions and its impact on the selection process. Previous studies have shown bias in favor of certain candidates based on gender and race, but recent studies have conflicting findings. The article presents a new study that analyzes data from a survey of mechanical engineering faculty members to understand the influence of candidate characteristics, selection conditions, and evaluator demographics on hiring decisions. The study found that factors such as publication record and expertise played a significant role in evaluations, but perceived identity also had an impact. The article emphasizes the importance of reducing bias in faculty hiring and promoting inclusivity in higher education institutions. [Extracted from the article]

While religion constituted one of the main topics of interest for early social scientists, faith traditions have silently slipped from this central role. When religion now appears in psychological research, it is usually relegated to the position of either the object of psychological investigation (which psychology purports to "explain") or a static piece in the empirical puzzle (as one variable among many when explaining clinical or social outcomes). In either case, religion is generally no longer seen as an equal partner to the social sciences in our attempts to better understand of the human condition. However, there are and have been voices within psychology that see this as unnecessarily myopic. James Jackson Putnam (1846–1918), an early supporter of the emerging field of psychoanalysis, advocated that psychology take seriously philosophy, metaphysics, and religion. Putnam's objections to the narrowing of our view of human life in the spirit of scientism fell largely on deaf ears, and his call for psychology to include that which lies beyond the walls of empirical naturalism and reductionism remains relevant today. In as far as theoretical innovation in psychology is more of a creative recognition than true scientific discovery, philosophy and religion constitute tremendously rich, and unfortunately underappreciated, fonts of inspiration. Putnam saw in religion the "dim recognition" of "the creative spirit of the universe." We briefly reflect on the example of obsessive–compulsive disorder and the much older religious concept of scruples, including approaches to mindfulness. This example is suggestive of the richness of psychological insights to be found in religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Conflict and Transformation: Essays on European Law and Policy" by Christian Joerges is a collection of essays that critically examines the development of European Union (EU) socio-economic governance and the integration project as a whole. The book argues that the failure of "integration through law" has led to the rise of technocratic rule and a lack of democratic deliberation. Joerges proposes an alternative constitutional paradigm called "conflicts law" that aims to preserve the diversity of member states while addressing the tensions tearing Europe apart. The book raises important questions about the role of law, the responsibility of lawyers, and the need to confront Europe's dark legacies. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Berliner Journal für Soziologie is the property of Springer Nature 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 paper examines the concept of life-environmentalism (seikatsu kankyō shugi), which emerged in the 1980s as a shared research framework among Japanese social scientists studying the adverse effects of modern industrialization of everyday life in rural communities. Despite its recognition in Japan, the life-environmentalist approach remains largely unknown to Anglophone literature. While the recently published book, Everyday Life-Environmentalism, provides an introductory English-language text, it lacks thorough theoretical articulation of the approach in relation to contemporary Anglophone approaches. This paper centers on actor-network theory, a widely circulated approach within post-human and more-than-human geographies, as a comparative frame of reference to elucidate key characteristics of life-environmentalism. Through a comparative examination of the applications of these approaches to a local case study, we suggest that life-environmentalism offers valuable insights when analyzing socioenvironmental controversies and community-level responses, particularly in contexts where a long-standing social community is central to the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an excerpt from the book "Hush of the Land: A Lifetime in the Bob Marshall Wilderness" by Arnold "Smoke" Elser with Eva-Maria Maggi. It reflects on the author's experiences as an outfitter and guide in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. The text describes the beauty of the area, the challenges of preserving it, and the connection people can find with nature through horse travel. It also shares stories of encounters with grizzly bears and the impact of the author's work on visitors. The article discusses the opposition to logging and mining plans in the area and the efforts to protect and expand wilderness areas in Montana. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Bylye Gody is the property of Cherkas Global University Press 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.)

The article discusses the concept of political representation and its role in democracy, exploring different perspectives and challenges. It highlights Lisa Disch's book "Making Constituencies," which offers a fresh perspective on representation and democracy. Disch argues that representation is not just a reflection of existing interests, but also constructs them through claims. The text also examines Disch's arguments about political polarization and partisan sorting in American democracy, as well as her emphasis on the transformative dimensions of politics. However, the author raises questions about Disch's division between the social and the political and the discounting of collective identities. The text concludes by acknowledging the stimulating nature of Disch's book but questioning its normative framework and ability to address the complexities of representative democracy. [Extracted from the article]

Adam Mestyan's book, "Modern Arab Kingship: Remaking the Ottoman Political Order in the Interwar Middle East," explores the recycling of empire in the twentieth-century Middle East. Mestyan focuses on the concept of political order and how Islam and monarchy became reattached after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The book challenges the idea that the Mandate period introduced a European political order to the Middle East and instead examines how local actors reworked Ottoman political institutions in response to political challenges. Mestyan's analysis includes discussions on genealogical politics, the transformation of the Ottoman Empire, and the recycling of the Ottoman order in various Middle Eastern states. The book offers a complex and comprehensive exploration of the topic and may appeal to social scientists and historians interested in the region and the legacy of empire. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Child sexual abuse is a universal social challenge and the victims of childhood sexual abuse suffer a range of short and long term psychological, social, behavioral and physical problems that vary in different cultures. The study was carried out to explore the perceived impacts of childhood sexual abuse in Pakistan, because no such study was conducted in Pakistan earlier. Methods: Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data. A snowball sampling technique was used to approach the sample of current study. The sample of the study comprised ten female survivors of childhood sexual abuse of age ranged between 18 and 22 years (Mage= 20.10 years) with the education ranging from matric to BSc. Out of these participants, four were married and six were unmarried and belonged to different cities of Punjab, Pakistan. Data were collected via a semi-structured interview schedule and all interviews were verbatim transcribed. Results: A rigorous iterative process of data analysis resulted in three super-ordinate themes and ten sub-ordinate themes: Experiencing Abuse (emotional trauma, and physical distress), Psycho-social Distress (low self-esteem, negative self-concept, psychological pain, social suffering, and retaliation vs. forgiveness), and Sexual Difficulties (passive role, emotionally aloof, aversion from hetero-sexuality and avoidance). Conclusion: It was concluded that childhood sexual abuse is an intense experience that has short- and long-term negative impacts on the lives of female survivors and engulfs their lives as a whole. The study has implications for psychiatrists, psychologists, family counselors, social scientists, educationists, and parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incel community—which is characterized by an anti-feminist misogynistic ideology and has been linked with terrorist attacks—has become an increasing focus of attention among social scientists, policy makers, and professionals involved in preventing radicalization and extremism. In this systematic review we provide an up-to-date account of scientific research on the incel phenomenon. Using PRISMA guidelines, we initially identified 593 records, primarily through online database research. After full screening and duplicate removal, 78 articles remained. We divided the analyzed records into four macro-categorizations, covering theoretical, technological, violent, and personality-related components of the incel ideology. We examined the clinical implications of the analyzed findings, focusing on the potential criminological and pathological consequences related to the incel status—on a personal, interpersonal, and societal basis. Finally, suggestions regarding clinical intervention and future research foci are provided based on the knowledge gaps identified through the review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social scientists often treat the commodity form and commodity fetishism as concepts that reduce meaning to an economic base. The paper claims that this view is misguided and, furthermore, that these concepts enable us to formulate a dynamic approach to meaning in economic life. Building on recent discussions of commodity fetishism, I outline this dynamic approach to meaning and the commodity form. This approach demands attention to three issues: (1) the distinction between interpretations‐in exchange and interpretations‐of exchange; (2) how interpretations‐of exchange relate to interpretations‐in exchange; and (3) how status hierarchies can mediate this dynamic of meaning associated with the commodity form. In explaining these issues, I draw on a range of examples that illustrate their relevance to the organization of the capitalist world. The purpose is to illustrate that we can discuss meaning and the commodity form in a non‐reductive manner, and in so doing draw distinct strands of social scientific investigation into conversation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the historical development and growth of Victory Christian Fellowship (VCF) as a mother megachurch in the Philippines and its influence on establishing multi-site megachurches across Metro Manila. It uses literature reviews, field visits, and leadership interviews to analyze VCF's growth strategies, including discipleship, leadership development, and social engagement.

"The Omnipotent State of Mind: Psychoanalytic Perspectives" edited by Jean Arundale is a book that delves into the concept of omnipotence from a psychoanalytic standpoint. Divided into three sections, the book examines the origins, purpose, and challenges associated with omnipotence. It explores how omnipotence manifests in different stages of life and its connection to psychological defenses and pathological structures. The article based on the book discusses the concept of omnipotence, its relationship with narcissistic object relations, and its impact on culture and society, particularly in the context of political populism. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of relinquishing omnipotence for personal growth and development. [Extracted from the article]

Understanding how objective quantities are translated into subjective evaluations has long been of interest to social scientists, medical professionals, and policymakers with an interest in how people process and act on quantitative information. The theory of decision by sampling proposes a comparative procedure: Values seem larger or smaller based on how they rank in a comparison set, the decision sample. But what values are included in this decision sample? We identify and test four mechanistic accounts, each suggesting that how previously encountered attribute values are processed determines whether they linger in the sample to guide the subjective interpretation, and thus the influence, of newly encountered values. Testing our ideas through studies of loss aversion, delay discounting, and vaccine hesitancy, we find strongest support for one account: Quantities need to be subjectively evaluated—rather than merely encountered—for them to enter the decision sample, alter the subjective interpretation of other values, and then guide decision making. Discussion focuses on how the present findings inform understanding of the nature of the decision sample and identify new research directions for the longstanding question of how comparison standards influence decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although W.E.B. Du Bois' impact on race theory is well-known among social scientists; his work is not widely incorporated into the sociolinguistic canon on racial identity through language. Moreover, one pervasive feature in sociolinguistic discourses is the paucity of literature exploring the Afro-Portuguese language. In addressing these shortcomings, we utilise Du Bois' double consciousness theory and the raciolinguistic perspective to discuss the process of racial identity experienced by Afro-Brazilians. DuBois' work demonstrates that context and standpoint theorising provides a deeper understanding of racial identity. This paper explores the dyadic relationship formed between linguistics and racial identity through the lens of Du Bois' double consciousness. This sets the benchmark for double linguistic consciousness in which this article explains is the awareness of self is understood not only by race but also by language. The aim is to add to the racializing discourse by exploring the connection between the racialisation process for blacks and the racial significance of language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"When Conscience Calls: Moral Courage in Times of Confusion and Despair" by Kristen Monroe is a thought-provoking and inspiring book that explores the concept of moral courage in liberal democracy. Monroe presents a new conceptualization of moral courage that focuses on agency and intentionality, supported by interviews with nearly 100 individuals who have demonstrated moral courage. The book raises questions about risk perception, the role of support networks, and the social consequences of moral courage. While further empirical studies are needed, the book offers valuable insights into the conditions under which moral courage is displayed. [Extracted from the article]

This document is an afterword that reflects on the themes discussed in a special issue on digital death. The author, who has a background in theology, anthropology, and sociology, provides a retrospective of their own research on death and highlights the importance of considering concepts such as play, personhood, allurement, and fear in the study of digitally framed mortality. The author also discusses the potential ethical issues and emotional dynamics involved in online interactions with the dead, as well as the role of digital technologies in facilitating posthumous bonds. The document emphasizes the need for further research and critical evaluation in the field of digital death. [Extracted from the article]

This document summarizes a symposium presented in the International Journal of Psychology that focuses on the context-dependent drivers of sustainable behavior. The symposium includes presentations on topics such as risk perception, sustainable energy technologies, sustainable seafood choices, message framing, and corporate environmental responsibility. A study conducted in the United States found that different terms used to describe climate change can influence public attitudes and responses. Another study in India examined the impact of groundwater arsenic contamination on mental health and well-being. The study found that affected individuals reported poorer well-being, higher levels of mental health problems, and greater stigma. Additionally, studies explored the relationship between nature exposure and psychological well-being in adolescents, the relationship between noise exposure and mental health symptoms, and the concept of "Ibasho" as a place of acceptance and comfort. These findings provide valuable insights into promoting sustainable behaviors, addressing environmental health issues, and understanding the psychological impact of various factors. [Extracted from the article]

This document provides a summary of various articles and studies related to community psychology and social issues. It includes a report from the American Psychological Association's Task Force on immigration and health issues in the US, which emphasizes the importance of understanding the immigrant experience and the role of psychologists in advocating for immigrants. The document also covers presentations on topics such as community mental health interventions, social policy legislation, and promoting well-being in diverse communities. Additionally, it includes studies on the determinants of social intelligence in India, approaches to restoring community resilience, and the use of digital stories in substance misuse training programs. These studies offer valuable insights and recommendations for addressing social issues and promoting well-being in diverse communities. [Extracted from the article]

This document is a collection of abstracts from various articles related to planning, history, theory, administration, and ethics. The articles cover a range of topics, including American Indian historical trauma, Yup'ik culture in Alaska, community-based participatory research in indigenous communities, intimate partner violence prevention, empowerment theory, batterer intervention program practices, ethnography in community psychology, and implementing evidence-based practices in afterschool programs. Each abstract provides a brief overview of the article's content and key findings. These articles offer valuable insights into diverse perspectives and approaches within the field of community psychology and planning. [Extracted from the article]