bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding Consumption: What Interviews with Retired Households Can Reveal about Budgetary Decisions
Authors: Chattoe Edmund , Gilbert Nigel
Published: March 2010

This paper uses interview data from retired households to inform a discussion about economic models of consumption. It is divided into two parts. In the first part, the economic models are described. The paper then discusses several different types of reasons for finding them unhelpful in explaining consumption. The second part of the paper considers the role of ‘middle range’ theories in developing plausible models of household behaviour. Phenomena which the interviews suggest are important in explaining consumption, such as time allocation, the labour supply decision, the ubiquitous durability of goods and the structure of the household, are not typically supported by middle range theory in current models. Without the constraints of such theory, it is very hard to distinguish models providing genuine explanation from those that merely fit the data. The latter part of the paper also discusses aspects of a new middle range theory of consumption suggested by the interviews.
Back to the Future: ‘Islamic Terrorism’ and Interpretations of past and Present
Authors: Vertigans Stephen , Sutton Philip
Published: March 2010

Commentaries on September's acts of terrorism have tended to rely upon secular accounts to explain both the terrorism and the wider, less violent Islamic resurgence. This has meant that the explanatory focus has been upon threats to Muslims, the negative impact of globalization and interrelated modernization and the role of America within global relations and the Middle East in particular. These generalisations are problematic because they fail to explain the broader appeal of Islam, the character and contemporary nature of Islamic movements and in the instance of the terrorists and al-Qa'ida, the relatively wealthy and educated backgrounds of a significant number of the terrorists.

As a corrective, the paper expands the focus to include the awareness of contemporary problems and the historical origins and successes of Islam that are both seen to legitimise the need for a radical form of Islam, interpreted as a comprehensive way of life. This awareness has been significantly aided through contemporary developments in technology, mass communications and transport networks allied to the rapid growth of education across Muslim countries. These factors, rather than diminishing the appeal of religion, as secularists have argued, are instrumental in the Islamic resurgence generally and specifically in facilitating terrorist activity.
Images of Men: Male Sexuality in Sexual Health Leaflets and Posters for Young People
Authors: Jewitt C.
Published: March 2010

This article presents a social semiotic analysis of the social construction of male sexuality in the images of sexual health posters and leaflets for young people aged 13 to 19 years old. It explores how male sexuality is managed at a visual level in sexual health leaflets and posters, and examines the notions of masculinity, gender and sexuality which inform the imagery in them. The analysis of the main structures of the images in which meanings are encoded reveals a conventional representation of male sexuality. Sexual health leaflets and posters aimed exclusively at young men present a more positive and complex image with regard to some aspects of male sexuality, in particular sexual responsibility and sexual competence. Nonetheless, I conclude that the images in sexual health promotion leaflets and posters reinforce the dominant ideology of masculinity and fail to address the gap between young men's realities and cultural norms of masculinity.
Confronting ‘Uncivil Society’ and the ‘Dark Side of Globalization’: Are Sociological Concepts up to the Task?
Authors: Rumford Chris
Published: March 2010

International terrorism is frequently categorized as one element of ‘uncivil society’ or as the ‘dark side of globalization.’ The paper examines these concepts, finding them unhelpful in understanding the context for the September 11 attacks in the US. Their weakness derives in large part from the uncritical usage of the terms ‘civil society?’ and ‘globalization’ characteristic of much contemporary sociological work. In consequence, sociology is in danger of being marginalized from public debate about the most important issues of our day.
Anti-nuclear Movements: Failed Projects or Heralds of a Direct Action Milieu?
Authors: Welsh Ian
Published: March 2010

This paper adopts a qualitative approach to argue that direct action social movements originating within the environmental and anti-nuclear milieu of the 1970s can be characterised by a process of capacity building. Capacity building adopts Melucci's argument that social movements are ‘networks of networks’. The notion of capacity building is elaborated in terms of the mobilisation potential of movement actors and the diffusion of movement repertoires within the public sphere more generally. Empirically the paper draws on fieldwork covering 1970s / 1980s movement cross-overs in the UK and the conclusions are informed by recent ESRC sponsored work (R 000 22 3486) on the global ‘anti-capitalist’ movement.
‘Claims and Disclaimers: Knowledge, Reflexivity and Representation in Feminist Research’
Authors: Letherby Gayle
Published: March 2010

In this article I consider issues of knowledge, reflexivity and representation in feminist research. Using my feminist sociological doctoral research as an example I add to debate by feminist researchers and others concerned with epistemological authority. After setting the research scene and outlining what I feel I did and did not achieve both substantively and epistemologically I consider some of the contradictions and tensions in feminist research through a consideration of reflexivity and representation. Throughout I consider issues of auto/biography.
Teaching Social Theory in Trying Times
Authors: Canaan Joyce
Published: March 2010

Articles written to date in Sociological Research Online as part of the rapid response to the events of 11 September and their aftermath have considered how sociology understands the contemporary world, as Larry Ray (2001) suggested. These articles have suggested that sociology can helpfully consider a number of issues that are emerging as a consequence of these events and that there is an urgency for sociologists to address these questions in the present context. This paper adds to the current debate by considering some implications of September 11th and its aftermath for the teaching of sociology. It does so by first exploring the current marketising context in which we teach and our students learn. It then considers my response to these events as a lecturer teaching Contemporary Social Theory and Globalisation in autumn 2001 and suggests that lecturers need to demonstrate to students now more than ever the usefulness of sociology to developing a fuller understanding of the contemporary world.
Focus Group Data and Qualitative Analysis Programs: Coding the Moving Picture as Well as the Snapshots
Authors: Catterall M. , Maclaran P.
Published: March 2010

Most qualitative data analysis programs include a code and retrieve function. We argue that on-screen coding and the retrieval of coded segments, or snapshots, can result in researchers missing important process elements in focus group data, the moving picture. We review the literature on the analysis of focus group data and conclude that the focus group is not simply a data gathering technique where data collected are analyzed for their specific content such as all text relating to a particular theme. Important and potentially insightful communication and learning processes occur in focus groups as a result of participant interaction. These processes in the data can only be identified by several readings of the whole transcript and tracing an individual's text in the context of other participants’ text; this is difficult to effect on-screen. Thus, we recommend that transcripts are coded on-screen for content and off-screen for process.
Generations and Heritage: Reflections on the Queen Mother's Funeral
Authors: Finch Janet , Morgan David
Published: March 2010

In this paper we argue that the Queen Mother's funeral provided an opportunity to re-assert the ‘Royal Family’ in terms of strong cross-generational relationships rather than as a series of, often fragile, couple relationships. The ceremony of the funeral can be seen as successful in linking these inter-generational themes with other themes of national heritage and continuity.
Has Funding Made a Difference to Research Methods?
Authors: Platt Jennifer
Published: March 2010

It has been argued that foundation funding has distorted methods in American sociology in the direction of quantification. This argument rests on a number of assumptions, of which the key one is that in the absence of such funding, method would have developed differently. Data on the methods of funded and unfunded research articles are analysed, and show that the trend to increasing levels of quantification is almost equally present in unfunded work, which suggests that funding should not be held responsible for the trend.
Nostalgia for Nationalisation - the Politics of Privatisation
Authors: Strangleman Tim
Published: March 2010

This article reviews the current problems of the UK railway industry and in particular the effective re- nationalisation of Railtrack by the government during 2001. The present state of the industry is placed in the context of the process of privatisation, and of the historical development of the sector. It reviews the current literature and media debate that deals with rail privatisation.
Jubilee Mugs: The Monarchy and the Sex Pistols
Authors: Law Alex
Published: March 2010

With rare exceptions sociologists have traditionally had little to say about the British monarchy. In the exceptional cases of the Durkheimian functionalism of Shills and Young (1953), the left humanism of Birnbaum (1955), or the archaic state/backward nation thesis of Nairn (1988), the British nation has been conceived as a homogenous mass. The brief episode of the Sex Pistols’ Jubilee year song ‘God Save the Queen’ exposed some of the divisions within the national ‘mass’, forcing a re-ordering of the balance between detachment and belonging to the Royal idea. I argue that the song acted as a kind of ‘breaching experiment’. Its wilful provocation of Royalist sentiment revealed the level of sanction available to the media-industrial complex to enforce compliance to British self-images of loyal and devoted national communicants.
Knowing your Place: Gender and Reflexivity in two Ethnographies
Authors: Gill Fiona , Maclean Catherine
Published: March 2010

Female ethnographers often appear to be more aware of their sexual status and its impact on fieldwork and relationships than their male colleagues (Okely 1992: 19, Coffey 1999: 79). Similarly, the behaviour of female fieldworkers is often more closely scrutinised than that of male fieldworkers (Mascarenhas-Keyes 1987: 187), and many female ethnographers’ accounts detail gender-specific issues and challenges that arose during their research (e.g. Moreno 1995: 220, Whitehead 1976, Middleton 1986). This paper draws on the authors’ experiences in two different rural British communities, conducting research using a combination of methods including participant observation and tape-recorded interviews. Catherine Maclean's research examined migration and social change in ‘Beulach’, a remote rural parish in the north of Scotland, while Fiona Gill's research focused on issues of identity in ‘Bordertown’, a small town near the border between Scotland and England. In both cases, while gender was not initially a focus of the research, it became increasingly salient during the fieldwork period. The paper discusses the similarities and differences between the authors’ research experiences, and the factors that account for these. The authors’ research is set in the wider context of ethnographic community studies. The paper explores the emotional impact of the fieldwork on the authors, and the consequences of this for the research. It concludes that although female researchers have to consider and deal with gender-related research problems not faced by their male colleagues, this also has positive consequences as the experiences of female ethnographers encourage a reflexive and self-aware approach.
Cyberscience and Social Boundaries: The Implications of Laboratory Talk on the Internet
Authors: Hine Christine
Published: March 2010

This paper examines the use of an online forum for the discussion of laboratory science. It is argued that such forums are significant in the light of claims made for the impact of information and communications technologies (ICTs) on scientific research, and of broader debates about the role of ICTs in reconfiguring social boundaries. It appears that the impacts of ICTs on scientific research are likely to be diverse and unpredictable, in line with emerging findings in other application domains. In particular, the potential to break down the boundaries between science and lay persons, and between different areas of scientific research, is likely to be limited by the ways in which particular forums are preserved as bounded spaces for specific specialisms. In the case of the forum studied in this paper, discursive practices function to re-establish laboratory boundaries in the online setting. Laboratory talk on the Internet may help to break down barriers between individual laboratories, but is not, in itself, any more accessible to lay people than talk in the private spaces of the laboratory.
The Piano in the Parlour: Methodological Issues in the Conduct of a Restudy
Authors: Davies Charlotte Aull , Charles Nickie
Published: March 2010

Although re-studies are relatively rare in sociological research, they can be very valuable resources for understanding social change. However, they also raise methodological questions about the validity of comparison given the inevitable changes in both social and analytical contexts during the period between the original and the re- study. This paper considers such methodological issues with reference to a major restudy in the area of family and household research. By looking at some of the details of research design in this re-study, we argue that reflexive consideration of relevant changes makes possible an examined and modified research design that retains much of the original and alters the remainder in ways that still allow for meaningful comparison.
From Community to Communicative Policing: ‘Signal Crimes’ and the Problem of Public Reassurance
Authors: Innes Martin , Fielding Nigel
Published: March 2010

In this paper the concept of ‘signal crimes’ is proposed to capture the social semiotic processes by which particular types of criminal and disorderly conduct have a disproportionate impact upon fear of crime. Drawing upon the wider social scientific literature on risk perception, a sense of how and why different crime types might be possessed of different signal values is provided and some of the implications for current police practice outlined.
Using the Internet for Survey Research
Authors: Coomber R.
Published: March 2010

The Internet and electronic mail increasingly offer the research community opportunities that it did not previously have. Access to information has increased as has access to and discussion with those working in similar areas. One other aspect of ‘cyberspace’ which presents enormous possibilities to the research community, currently in its infancy, is the use of the Internet to reach individuals as research subjects. In particular, there may be significant research benefits to be gleaned where the group being researched is normally difficult to reach and/or the issues being researched are of a particularly sensitive nature. This paper outlines some recent survey research using the Internet as the interface between researcher and researched. The target group, illicit ‘drug dealers’, are difficult to access under normal conditions and contacting a spread of such individuals across international borders was previously prohibitive. A discussion of sampling issues is undertaken which concludes that the Internet can be a valuable source of indicative as opposed to easily generalizable data. A practical guide to undertaking research via the Internet is also included.
What are you Worth?: Why Class is an Embarrassing Subject
Authors: Sayer Andrew
Published: March 2010

The paper attempts to explain the unease and evasion that sociologists commonly encounter when asking lay people about class. It is argued that these responses derive from varying degrees of awareness of the morally problematic nature of class. This has been obscured by contemporary sociology's tendency to explain behaviour by reference to interests and power or custom and to overlook lay moral sentiments. That the responses are reasonable is shown by an analysis of a) the injustice of class, b) its effect in distorting moral sentiments, and c) the injuries caused by class. Combinations of self-justification with acknowledgement of undeserved advantages and disadvantages result in ambivalence and embarrassment about class, though this may not preclude class pride. The analysis of these moral sentiments is then developed further in relation to studies of the struggles of the social field, in the work of Bourdieu and others, commenting on his shift from a hermeneutics of suspicion to a hermeneutics of sympathy in The Weight of the World. It is argued that what is at stake in these struggles is not only differences in material wealth and recognition but differences in ability to realise commitments and valued ways of living.
Crossing Borders? Sociology, Globalization and Immobility
Authors: Ray Larry
Published: March 2010

Globalization theorists frequently claim that the disembedding of social relations across various dimensions renders obsolete the former object of sociology, namely ‘society’. The exceptional change to social life arising from globalization demands that sociality is viewed in more fluid and complex ways than in the past. A closer examination of classical concepts of the social would reveal more nuanced and multidimensional concepts. I suggest that globalization does not entail the stretching of social relations beyond recognition, but reconfigures spaces and identities according to powerful dynamics. Classical theory emphasizes the embeddedness of exchanges and flows in social and cultural relations. This will be exemplified with reference to migration, which both epitomizes globalizing tendencies and illustrates its limitations. Along with mobile subjects there are immobile subjects (racialized migrants) policed by actual and threatened violence, who have been underplayed in globalization theory. The paper concludes that concepts of the ‘social’ may need rethinking but central to this should be an understanding of the interlocking of mobility with the circulation of capital, commodities and cultural practices.
Dynamics of Social Capital: Trends and Turnover in Associational Membership in England and Wales, 1972-1999
Authors: Li Yaojun , Savage Mike , Tampubolon Gindo , Warde Alan , Tomlinson Mark
Published: March 2010

Following the important recent work of Robert Putnam, there is considerable current debate about whether the volume of ‘social capital’ in western societies is in decline and if so what might be the implications for political democracy. Evaluations of the arguments are difficult both because the concept of social capital is a contested one and because measuring social capital is difficult. This paper focuses on membership of voluntary associations in England and Wales as a key measure of social capital and analyses trends in associational membership and their social determinants using the Oxford Mobility Study and British Household Panel Survey. We show that focusing on seven associations there is a broad pattern of stability in membership with the striking and remarkable exception of falling male membership of trade unions and working-men?s clubs. We see this as testimony to a class polarisation in membership in which working class men have been increasingly marginalised from associational memberships. Our conclusion argues that if the membership of voluntary associations is to be used as an index of social capital, there is an increasing social skewing of membership and an intensifying service class hegemony over social capital which poses major concerns for its potential to sustain democratic politics.
‘You Make Yourself Sound So Important’ Fieldwork Experiences, Identity Construction, and Non- Western Researchers Abroad
Authors: Ladino Carolina
Published: March 2010

The article explores processes of identity construction. It specifically looks into respondents' images of the visiting researcher. Using my own experience as a Colombian researcher in the shanty towns of northern Mexico, the paper looks into respondents' responses to non- white, non-western researchers while doing fieldwork. My own fieldwork experiences revealed that local images of Colombians as ‘southerners’ conflicted with local expectations about researchers. This situation forced me to adopt the identity respondents felt best suited me locally. Besides stating that not all researchers in the developing world are white, western and in a powerful position, the paper highlights that the construction of identities takes place ‘through’ and not outside difference. This process allowed me to understand the contradictory processes that lead to successful feminist alliances being formed with the ‘other’ in a research context.
Understanding Probabilities and Re-Considering Traditional Research Training
Authors: Gorard Stephen
Published: March 2010

Social science is facing increasing demands for research involving ‘quantitative’ approaches. Among these are the need, expressed by policy-makers, for practical evidence about what works, and the demand, exemplified by the new ESRC guidelines for research training, that all researchers learn something about techniques of analysis involving numbers. At the same time, however, traditional ‘quantitative’ approaches are facing a major upheaval caused by growing criticism of null hypothesis significance testing (NHSTs), the increasing availability of high quality numeric datasets, and the development of more and more complex forms of statistical analysis. This paper shows how a re- consideration of the nature and function of probabilities (or uncertainties) in research suggests a new approach to research training that will be more appropriate than traditional courses on statistics for all learners, and that will help researchers explain their findings to policy-makers.
Locating Frames in the Discursive Universe
Authors: Fisher K.
Published: March 2010

Scholars from a range of disciplines use the term ‘frame’ to mean a variety of disjointed and incompatible concepts. This paper examines a range of framing literature, from the writings of authors including Erving Goffman, Tuen van Dijk, Serge Moscovici, George Lakoff, Alan Johnson, William Gamson, David Snow, Robert Benford and Paolo Donati. Then it develops the theoretical case for defining frames as semi-structured elements of discourse which people use to make sense of information they encounter. Additionally, this paper demonstrates the need to include social system frames, which provide patterns for understanding social relations, among the presently acknowledged frame types. Frames develop in parallel with language, vary across cultures, and shape, but are distinct from other extra-linguistic discourse forms, including myths and ideologies.
Clustering Local Tastes in Global Culture: The Reception Structure of Hollywood Films
Authors: Chon Bum Soo , Barnett George , Choi Young
Published: March 2010

This paper describes the shared structure of Hollywood film consumption based on data obtained from the Variety International Film Guide (1995, 1998, 2000). It focuses on the consumption of the top 10 films in over 30 countries, using a longitudinal study to explain the structure of cultural consumption, how it has transformed over time, and how it is related to cultural factors. The results indicate that the structure of film consumption is comprised of three cultural clusters: local film-based, strong and weak homogenization clusters. The results suggest that countries consume the Hollywood films in different ways and have different selection for foreign films. Also, the results suggest that the film consumption pattern was significantly related to cultural zone network.
‘‘Lifting up the Little Form’: Victorian Images of Childhood and Death 1870-1900’
Authors: Paris Heather
Published: March 2010

This paper takes forward the view put forward by Diana Gittins that the visual representation of childhood appeared simple but could have deceived Victorian audiences. It does this by analyzing those images - few in number - which linked childhood with death and describes them in relation to the majority of childhood imagery between 1870 and 1900. The paper also suggests that there are pitfalls in regarding the visual part of the historical record solely as an illustrative resource. The author argues that death did not belong in the Victorian cultural delineation of the child's world. Rather, mortality is best understood as one part of the adult domain in which the child was a relative stranger. When childhood was brought into close visual alignment with death, notions of remorse, reproof, sin and safety could emerge alongside grief as preoccupations which concealed as much as they revealed. The known reality of death's impact on children's lives was kept visually hidden from Victorian audiences, even if it was acknowledged in many associated commentaries. The vast majority of images addressing childhood themes from the period set out a benign, if instructional, view of relationships between adults and children. Those few images which did link childhood with death were part of a social and cultural context which preferred to blot out their implications. Children were far more likely to be depicted as the embodiment of life. A preference existed for visual material which endorsed, rather than undermined, adult care and control of the child's world. Pictures linking mortality to childhood were few in number because they were unbearable to audiences for unacknowledged reasons. As well as grief, such scenes of mortality made graphic reference to occasions when adults were powerless to protect every child.
‘Risking the University? Learning to be a Manager-Academic in UK Universities’
Authors: Deem Rosemary , Johnson Rachel
Published: March 2010

The paper explores the extent to which Heads of Department and Pro-Vice Chancellors, or manager-academics, in UK universities are aware of and prepared for the so-called ‘risk society’. It draws on a research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council concerned with the management of UK universities and the extent of permeation within universities of recent ideologies about new practices for managing public services. Recent debates in social theory about the concept of a risk society and risk cultures, and how these might be applied to higher education, are considered. Key features of a rapidly changing environment for the conduct and management of academic work are also outlined. The focus and methodology of the ESRC research project are explained. Interview data from Head of Department and Pro-Vice Chancellors are then used to illustrate a range of responses to notions of risk made by manager-academics. Finally, the paper examines how the learning of manager-academics could be better supported, in order that post-holders can acquire the flexibility and reflexivity which living in a risk society and culture seems to demand.
‘Persistence and Silence: A Narrative Analysis of Employee Responses to Organisational Change’
Authors: Bryant Melanie
Published: March 2010

This article is concerned with how employees talk about organisational change and focuses specifically on how employees discuss reactions and responses to change through the construction of narratives. Employees included in this study suggest that the use of voice as an attempt to inform managers of their discontent, or remaining silent and passive are the most common responses to organisational change. Within sociology and management literature, voice has been considered as a constructive response to change, providing invaluable feedback to managers about declining conditions or performance lapses. Alternatively, remaining silent or passive has been documented as a weak strategy in which the individual renounces control and forms a dependency relationship with powerful groups such as managers. The primary aim of this paper is to challenge the argument that voice is a constructive response to change and suggest that voice is likely to be perceived as destructive, thus leading to the removal of responsibilities and career opportunities. Furthermore, this paper argues that silence is the more constructive response to change, which is documented in this research as leading to the advancement of careers. Relationships between the way employees respond to organisational change and the type of narrative that they construct is also discussed. Those who report remaining silent construct ‘conversion stories’ suggesting that organisational change provided a turning point in which employees could embrace management practices and gain career advancement. Alternatively, those who reported using voice construct ‘atrocity tales’ in which change is associated with stories of workplace bullying, removal of career opportunities and workplace violence. These narratives suggest that the use of voice as a response to change is more complex than its original intent and explanation in the literature, providing challenges for researchers in understanding where voice as a constructive response ends and where resistance to change begins.
‘Let Me Entertain You: Researching the ‘Thirtysomething’ Generation’
Authors: Burnett Judith
Published: March 2010

This paper explores the limits and possibilities of research in the sociology of generation by taking the ‘thirtysomething’ cohort as a case study. It addresses a number of critical research issues, namely: how does one identify the parameters of a generation? Are there different sorts of generations, and if so how can this fact be established? And how can one deal with the internal diversity of generations, both in terms of their stratification and in the lived experiences of its members? The empirical research for this study was conducted using focus groups, and analysis loosely follows a grounded theory approach. In the paper, I reflect upon how the context of doing research in an ‘entertainment and consumer society’ might affect the research process and its findings. This leads me to conclude that research methods themselves have an historicizing character, and that sociology also has a generational flavour.
‘A Divergence of Views: Attitude change and the religious crisis over homosexuality’
Authors: Crockett Alasdair , Voas David
Published: March 2010

British attitudes towards homosexuality have changed with astonishing rapidity over recent decades. Society has managed to assimilate these shifts with relative ease. The Christian churches, however, as repositories of tradition and defenders of inherited values, have been finding it increasingly difficult to adjust to the new environment. The Church of England is internally divided in the face of an external crisis: the Archbishop of Canterbury acknowledges that the global Anglican Communion could split over the issue, and the church faces similar pressures domestically. These events raise important questions about how religious institutions come to terms with modernity. The rapidity of social change, the decline in deference to authority, the increase in tolerance of anything that seems a private matter, and the sense that sexuality is fundamental to the free expression of personal identity, all make it difficult for a church to declare that sexual orientation might disqualify one from ministry or even membership. This paper analyses empirical evidence covering two decades from the British Social Attitudes and British Household Panel surveys. It is apparent that no real consensus yet exists on basic issues of sexual morality. Society as a whole is highly polarised over the question of whether same-sex unions are wrong, with significant and increasing divisions between young and old, women and men, and religious and non-religious. Far from being better placed than others to avoid disputes, Christian churches suffer from compounded problems. The attitudes of lay Christians are starkly and increasingly polarised along the dimensions of ideology and religious practice. This gulf presents a particular problem for churches with both liberal and evangelical wings, notably the Church of England.
‘Social Change, Friendship and Civic Participation’
Authors: Li Yaojun , Savage Mike , Pickles Andrew
Published: March 2010

This paper studies the changing distribution of social capital and its impact on class formation in England and Wales from a ‘class structural’ perspective. It compares data from the Social Mobility Inquiry (1972) and the British Household Panel Survey (1992 and 1998) to show a distinct change in the class profiling of membership in civic organisations, with traditionally working-class dominated associations losing their working-class character, and middle-class dominated associations becoming even more middle-class dominated. Similar changes are evident for class-differentiated patterns of friendship. Our study indicates the class polarization of social capital in England and Wales.
Organisation Man - Women and Organisational Culture
Authors: Coates G.
Published: March 2010

Four decades ago, Whyte (1956), described how a new human expression had become universally evident. This was the notion of the ‘Organisation Man’, an early corporate culture characterised by the middle ranks of managers in large organisations, who were subject to a ‘social ethic’. Under the original conception gender was not an issue. However, in a contemporary view of human resource management (HRM) and corporate culture, it has become crucial to understanding both notions of competitive advantage, and the thesis and influence of commitment in the literature and the workplace.

This article deals with some issues of women and the organisation man/corporate culture thesis. Unlike many studies (e.g. Fletcher et al, 1993), there is a need to make a distinction between women and men concerning their perceptions and roles. A need to clarify the changes that have taken place in relation to the corporate culture thesis. The analysis in this paper is based on initial research material. It deals with the above issues in relation to gender in contemporary society, asking as it does, if the notion of corporate culture has changed to one where both men and women are implicated in the project at a full, emotional level.
‘By Name United, by Sex Divided: A Brief Analysis of the Current Crisis Facing the Anglican Communion’
Authors: Yip Andrew K. T. , Keenan Michael
Published: March 2010

The current controversies in relation to homosexuality - which emanated from the western quarters but quickly engulfed the entire Anglican Communion - highlight two significant issues. In our view, the first issue, regarding the ‘religious citizenship’ of lesbian and gay Christians, is generally a western concern. The second issue pertaining to the prospect of the disintegration of the Anglican Communion, however, needs to be examined within a global context. On the first issue, we argue that, since the contemporary western religious landscape (and society in general) prioritizes the authority of the self rather than that of religious institution/tradition, the traditional religious discourse that marginalizes lesbian and gay Christians is undermined by an increasingly sophisticated reverse discourse. This reverse discourse, equipped with lesbian and gay affirming theology and documentation of lived experiences, also converges with contemporary cultural (secular) discourse of human rights and personal liberty, which values social diversity, including sexual difference. We believe that the social and political currency of the reverse discourse will proliferate, thus eclipsing the traditional discourse that appears increasingly out of step with contemporary western socio-cultural reality. On the second issue, we welcome the heightened significance and relevance of (local) culture and Christianity in the debate. We argue that the decentralization (i.e. de-westernization) of the Anglican Communion should be welcomed, for there are various versions of Christianity, the conception and practice of which are closely informed by local cultures. Thus, to force the production of a unified Anglican response to moral or social issues that are differently defined across cultures may prove counter-productive.
NUD*IST in Action: Its use and its Usefulness in a Study of Chronic Illness in Young People
Authors: Buston K.
Published: March 2010

Much has been written in recent years about using computers packages to assist qualitative data analysis. The focus has been on the implications of this development for the analytical process. This paper describes the use of NUD*IST in a recently completed study of the experiences of chronically ill young people, and assesses the epistemological effects of its usage. As well as providing basic practical information on some of NUD*IST's functions, whilst highlighting one particular way of utilising the package, the paper addresses some of the methodological issues raised in the CAQDAS debate by drawing on this ‘real-life’ experience.
‘Doing the North-South splits: Post-modern Strain on a Pre-modern Institution’
Authors: Mutter Robin
Published: March 2010

‘The controversy in the Anglican Church around homosexuality within the priesthood is considered in terms of the kind of world-view held by an important faction of those in opposition. An example of research into the world-view of Charismatic Christians running an Anglican outreach project in the UK is taken to gain insight into the world-wide Evangelical Charismatic resurgence. Parallels are drawn with the position taken by the Southern hemisphere Anglicans and it is argued that this opposition is unlikely to be yielding to the secularising influences of pluralistic industrialised societies. Robertson (1985) proposes that religious forms in differentiated societies, such as Charismatic Evangelicalism, draw strength from global integration. It is argued that this thesis is relevant to understanding the nature of divisions within Anglicanism as these world-wide factions cut across and divide a broad church. That the world contains varying conditions of secularisation and counter-secularisation (Berger, 1999) places additional and intolerable strain on a world-wide communion that tries to embrace a plurality.’
‘Diasporicity in the City of Portsmouth (UK): Local and Global Connections of Black Britishness’
Authors: Dudrah Rajinder
Published: March 2010

This article engages with the theoretical premise of diasporicity - the local/regional specificities and workings of a given diaspora. Diasporicity is an attempt to extend the vocabulary of the concept of diaspora as an intervention against fixed ideas of race and nation. The article tests the usefulness of some aspects of ‘diasporicity’ by applying them to the settlement of African, Caribbean and South Asian Black British groups in Portsmouth, UK. The article draws on qualitative research, including extended interviews, and offers a social commentary on Black British diasporic connections that are distinctive to this city and, at the same time, contribute to an overall idea of Black Britishness.
‘Baudrillard on Simulations: An Exegesis and a Critique’
Authors: Raffel Stanley
Published: March 2010

This paper is an attempt to explain, apply, and ultimately to point to certain limitations of, Baudrillard's idea that ours is the age of simulations. As the concept has not always been clearly discussed in the literature, early sections of the paper are devoted to describing the notion and providing some specific examples. How Baudrillard can claim that the age of simulations represents a new, qualitatively distinct, stage of society is also examined. Having articulated the basic idea, the paper goes on to try to show its power by utilizing it to analyze a typical contemporary phenomenon, Starbucks. Thus far the paper's main aim has been to argue that simulation is indeed an illuminating concept. However, we next point to a serious dilemma which is certainly not resolved by Baudrillard himself. This problem is the fact that he leaves us, apparently, with no ability to ever see through simulations. In response to this difficulty, the final sections of this article try to show how it is actually possible to accept Baudrillard's basic insight as to the existence and spread of simulations but also possess resources to detect them, thus resisting Baudrillard's pessimistic conclusion that there is no viable alternative to either living in or producing a world of simulated things. In this section of the paper, a major additional focus is Baudrillard's analysis of the first Gulf War.
Emotions after Dark - A Sociological Impression of the 2003 New York Blackout
Authors: Yuill Chris
Published: March 2010

Sometimes an unexpected event or crisis can occur that is of sociological interest where for a period of time a particular society is faced with a number of challenges. This sociological impression will explore one such event, the New York blackout of 2003, by developing a ‘street level snapshot’ of the experiences of New Yorkers during the power outage. The majority of material for this impression was gathered by acting as sociological flâneur, guided by the ideas of Benjamin, Simmel, Parks, and Jacobs into understanding the experience of modernity and city life by taking to the streets and directly observing what transpires. Further material from the internet and the media is used to augment the personal observation. Finally, drawing on the sociology of emotions a speculative discussion attempts to make sense of what was observed particularly the strong upsurge in emotion and the passionate way in which New Yorkers kept their neighbourhoods and city functioning. Throughout the essay reflexive and reflective comments will be made concerning the sociologist carrying out ‘spontaneous’ research into temporary but significant events.
‘Labour Market Participation and Conditions of Employment: A Comparison of Minority Ethnic Groups and Refugees in Britain’
Authors: Bloch Alice
Published: March 2010

This paper draws on data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and from a survey of 400 refugees in Britain in order to present an up to data comparison of the labour market experiences of minority ethnic groups and refugees. It will show that refugees experience lower rates of employment than their ethnic minority counterparts and that those refugees in employment are more likely to be in temporary and part-time work with poorer terms and conditions of employment and with lower wages. The reasons why refugees experience greater disadvantage in the labour market than others include structural barriers due to policies such as dispersal that can leave refugees isolated from social and community networks that provide information and advice and informal routes into employment but also leave refugees in areas with higher levels of unemployment. Migration patterns are also influential with refugees for the most part arriving more recently in Britain than people from minority ethnic groups. Refugees are also increasingly reliant on agents and smugglers to plan their route and destination and so asylum seekers can find themselves in countries where they have no social networks. Social networks and community organisations play an important role in the early stages of settlement. Finally, the circumstances of exile, attitudes to the country of origin and the insecurity of having temporary status in Britain all prevent economic activity.
The Fabric of Society: An Investigation of the Emotional and Sensory Experience of Wearing Denim Clothing
Authors: Candy Fiona Jane
Published: March 2010

This article aims to open up the realms of sensory experience and affect in connection with the wearing of clothing. By creating a visual focus on denim, an ‘ordinary’ everyday style of generic urban dress, my intention is to present a new approach to the study of clothing in general. This approach is concerned with the study of the clothed body and the experiences of wearers, rather than as fashion, which tends to take up only the onlooker's viewpoint. This article intends to establish the need for such an approach, to stimulate the reader's sensibilities in relevant ways and to report on path finding experiments that indicate ways forward for future work.
Social Life under the Microscope?
Authors: Büscher Monika
Published: March 2010

Video is an important new instrument for sociological research, sometimes welcomed as the ‘microscope’ of social science. It provides access to important and otherwise difficult to examine aspects of human interaction. Moreover, because video captures practice in its lived production as ‘another next first time’ (Garfinkel 2002), it makes it possible to study practical creativity - the way in which people invent new practices. In this paper, I probe the microscope metaphor through concrete examples from my work with landscape architects and computer scientists in participatory technology research and design projects.
Social Barriers to Peace: Socialisation Processes in the Radicalisation of the Palestinian Struggle
Authors: Vertigans Stephen
Published: March 2010

Contemporary analysis of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians tends to focus upon Islamic terrorism and Israeli state aggression. Representations and analysis are dominated by media images of terrorist/freedom fighters atrocities and military incursions. Explanations have concentrated upon ‘tit-for-tat’ killings and, in the case of Islamic terrorists/freedom fighters, their actions are seen as acts of desperation against a backdrop of materialist exclusion. These accounts often inform about current events but do not develop broad levels of understanding and explanation that are required if the reasons for the contemporary nature of radicalism within the conflict are to be established. This paper aims to address why violence is increasing today when many of the issues facing Palestinians have been experienced for generations. It is argued that while material problems are central to understanding the long-term conflict, social experiences and interactions are also crucial to understanding the contemporary situation. Consequently attention within this paper is placed upon changes in socialisation processes and discursive consciousness that have become instrumental in the radicalisation of many Palestinians and as such are barriers to peace.
Sociological Practitioners Contributing to New Product Development: Mapping the Challenges
Authors: Jacobs An
Published: March 2010

To continue making profit in industry, companies use extensive research in the development of new products. This complex interdisciplinary process includes some social scientists. By using a SWOT framework as an analytical tool, this paper seeks to summarize the reflections as retrieved from the corpus of scientific publications in which the authors present themselves as sociologists or ethnographers, or as designers or marketers working with sociologists, sociology or ethnography while doing market, consumer, and usability research. This map can be a first step to determine how sociological practitioners can take advantage of the opportunities (e.g. concurrent engineering) in the product-development process through employing their strengths (e.g. context sensitivity), while averting threats (e.g. time pressure) by means of avoiding, correcting or compensating for their weaknesses (e.g. socialization in doing academic sociology).