bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Blind professionals: the influence of careers guidance practitioners
Authors: Maher John
Published: March 2007

This study has sought to investigate the experiences of four blind professionals and the influence of careers guidance practitioners. It emerged that careers guidance professionals did not play a positive role in helping each to establish career goals or find employment. The independent skills that were developed at an early age became most important in later life when seeking employment.
Hand techniques in reading braille; synthesis of spatial and verbal elements of reading
Authors: Lorimer Pamela
Published: March 2007

The use of hands and fingers when reading braille shows many individual differences, leading research workers to investigate why this is so, and which factors would lead to successful reading at an economic rate. A brief description of major differences between visual and tactual reading is followed by early research findings. A major breakthrough in beginning to understand the sense of touch by Gibson led to an increased interest in touch perception as it applies to braille reading. Microanalysis at 1/100 seconds by Millar gave information concerning beginning and slow readers, an answer to the debate on which hand is best for braille, and the spatial and verbal functions of the two hands in braille reading. The final section suggests applications of these findings in the learning situation.
The last ten years: time to ponder
Authors: Pitchers Ben
Published: March 2007

Five major aspects are selected to offer reflective comment on the last ten years of the education of visually bandicapped children in England and Wales. Personal observations and subjective views are included with a main conclusion that good progress has been made.
Learning to read again
Authors: Adams O.F. , McCreery Liz
Published: March 2007

The report describes a projèct in which six visually impaired people who had given up any expectation of reading for pleasure underwent a programme of training to re-learn reading skills. The report shows how, after twelve weeks, the participants were able to read commercial large print either with no optical aid or with a lower level of magnification than would usually be prescribed.
Degas: vision and perception
Authors: Kendall Richard
Published: March 2007

This article discusses Degas's work in relation to his impaired vision. The text is based on the author's article 'Degas and the Contingency of Vision' in the Burlington Magazine, March 1988, where full references, illustrations and bibliography may be found.
Listening at speed
Authors: Aldrich Frances K. , Parkin Alan J.
Published: March 2007

We report two experiments investigating the comprehension of speeded speech. In the first experiment it is shown that acceleration of speech has no effect on the comprehension of text spoken by a male speaker but causes substantial reduction in the comprehension of a female voice. The second experiment shows that the comprehension of the female voice at high speed can be significantly improved if the speech is processed through a commercially available compression device.
Tactile turtle : explorations in space with visually impaired children and a floor turtle
Authors: Gay Penny
Published: March 2007

This article contains extracts from an unpublished dissertation, University of Birmingham, 1988. It describes and evaluates a practical project in which blind and partially sighted children used a floor turtle to find out about space. In particular, the activities gave them valuable experience in using the concepts of right and left and in performing accurate facing movements.
Henshaw's: from School to Independence Centre
Authors: Jones Steve
Published: March 2007

This article outlines the development of Henshaw's from a secondary modern school for blind pupils to a post-16 residential college for less able visually impaired students. It also describes briefly plans for the wider role of the college as a regional resource offering a range of support services.
Improving braille reading skills: the case for extending the teaching of braille reading to upper primary and lower senior classes
Authors: Lorimer John
Published: March 2007

Despite the increasing use of information technology in the education of the visually impaired, braille remains the only effective means by which those unable to see print can become literate. This article discusses American and British experiments which have demonstrated that many people can be taught to read braille considerably faster. A strong implication of the results of these experiments is that systematic training in braille reading should continue throughout and beyond the primary stage.
RNIB Redhill College 1992
Authors: Rowe Michael
Published: March 2007

In this BJVI interview Michael Rowe briefly outlines the developments which have taken place at Hethersett College since it was founded in 1956, developments which warrant its new title of Redhill College from September 1992. He emphasises the fact that thanks to the large number of courses and activities now on offer at the College it can cater for a wide range of young people, including some with moderate or severe learning difficulties and others who are training for open employment.
'Process Consultation' as a model for advisory services for children with impaired vision
Authors: Lloyd-Smith Mel , Thorneycroft Margaret
Published: March 2007

Because increasing numbers of children with visual impairment receive their education in main stream schools, LEA provision relies more and more on peripatetic advisory and support teams. Current concern about the access to and resourcing of these services heightens the need to maximize their efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This requires a clear understanding of the per sonal and professional competencies which the support role entails. The following article seeks to identify these competencies by examining the literature on the 'process consultation' model and by analysing the day-to-day activities of a member of an LEA service for visually impaired children. A survey of classteachers' perceptions of the role indicates priorities for future training for both the supporters and the supported.
Remembering the names for visually and haptically examined braille symbols
Authors: Newman Slater E. , Hall Anthony D. , Pullen Sharon M.
Published: March 2007

Braille symbols were presented for haptic or visual examination on a single study trial (summer 1990) along with auditory presentation of their letter names. All subjects (students from North Carolina State University) were then tested haptically both immediately and forty-eight hours later. Forgetting occurred in both conditions. However, those who studied visually did better than those who studied haptically to about the same extent on both tests. These results provide additional support for the use of vision, when possible, in learning braille.
The Blind Mobility Research Unit: 1965-1995
Authors: Dodds A.G. , Howarth C.I.
Published: March 2007

In March of this year the Department of Health ceased to support the work of the Blind Mobility Research Unit. In anticipation of this, its Director, Dr Allan Dodds, approached a number of organisations, including the University of Nottingham and the major charities for the blind, in an attempt to stave off closure of the Unit. In spite of receiving over fifty letters of support from the academic community all over the world, no long-term funding resulted from these approaches, although the RNIB had found themselves able to support half a Research Assistant for two years. The Unit no longer exists and the purpose of this article is to remind ourselves of what we have lost as well as to mark the end of an era of applied research.
Advisory Services for the Visually Impaired in the Northern Territory of Australia: a Unique Experience
Authors: Mason Heather , Gale Gillian
Published: March 2007

Working in a remote area such as the Northern Territory of Australia as an advisory teacher of visually impaired children and young people is very different from comparable services in the United Kingdom. While there are similarities, differences emerge in approaches to individual support and client groups; and difficulties arise out of climatic conditions and geographical isolation. Working with the Aboriginal population has its own set of interesting challenges. The Paper concludes with an examination of the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the service.
The Casualties of `Casual' Sex: A Qualitative Exploration of the Phenomenology of College Students' Hookups
Authors: Paul Elizabeth L. , Hayes Kristen A.
Published: March 2007

One of the most prominent features of the current college campus environment is the casual sex practice of the hookup. Hookups are defined as a sexual encounter between two people who are brief acquaintances or strangers, usually lasting only one night without the expectation of developing a relationship (Paul, McManus, & Hayes, 2000). Although there is a vast literature on college students' casual sexual attitudes and behavior, there is little attention to (a) subjective or experiential elements of and (b) the heterogeneity of casual sexual experiences. The goal of this study was to explore the varied phenomenology or experiential reality of college students' casual sexual hookup experiences. A structured questionnaire soliciting open responses regarding college students' views of a typical hookup and reports of their best and worst hookup experiences was administered to 187 college students. Responses were microanalytically content analyzed and globally thematically analyzed. College students' accounts of hookup experiences included behavioral, situational, cognitive, and emotional elements. As expected, although there was relative uniformity in college students' descriptions of a typical hookup, there was wide variation in college students' descriptions of their best and worst hookup experiences. Moreover, whereas there were few differences between males' and females' descriptions of what transpired, there were some sex differences in descriptions of what was felt after actual casual sexual experiences and in interpretations of why experiences were good or bad.
Gender Effects in an Initial Encounter: A Case Where Men Exceed Women in Disclosure
Authors: Derlega Valerian J. , Winstead Barbara A. , Wong Paul T.P. , Hunter Susan
Published: March 2007

This research examined self-disclosure between all possible pairs of sex of discloser and sex of disclosure target. Assuming that socialization encourages women and men to play different roles, men were expected to take the initiative in comparison to women in the first encounter. Among acquaintances, males may exceed women in their disclosure of personal information in order to control the relationship's development. Results supported this prediction. Males disclosed more intimately than females to an opposite-sex partner whom they had just met. Males paired with a female also exceeded the level of disclosure intimacy for females paired with a female or males paired with a male. The intimacy of self-disclosure for males paired with a female (compared to females paired with a male) was more highly correlated with liking for the partner and with perceptions of the partner's positive feelings toward self. Being singled out as a disclosure target led subjects to infer that their partner liked them, but it did not lead to greater disclosure intimacy nor liking for the partner.
Social Network Analysis: A Structural Perspective for Family Studies
Authors: Acock Alan C. , Hurlbert Jeanne S.
Published: March 2007

We review research on egocentric networks to show how network analysis provides both a distinctive perspective and a methodology for studying the family. In this perspective, individuals are influenced by social networks but are also active agents in their creation. We describe such key concepts as density, range, size, homogeneity and homophily. We also consider network stability, affect structure, segmentation and overlap. We discuss a number of methodological issues along with work in selected substantive areas. Finally, we discuss the data resources of network analysis and suggest an agenda for family applications of network concepts and methodology.
Conservation of Social Resources: Social Support Resource Theory
Authors: Hobfoll Stevan E. , Freedy John , Lane Carol , Geller Pamela
Published: March 2007

A motivational model of social support was developed, based on a general stress model termed Conservation of Resources Theory (COR). COR suggests that individuals have, as a primary goal to preserve and protect those resources that they value. This resource conservation is made possible, in turn, by possessing a strong resource pool such that resource strength preserves further resource development and resource security. Resources, in other words, are both valued directly and valued indirectly as they serve to protect other resources. Social support provides a major reservoir for resources outside those endowed to the self (e.g. high self-esteem, sense of mastery). Examining our model and those proposed recently by others, we suggest that social support may be a central building block of health and well-being because together with personal resources t is related to overall sense of identity. Corollaries of this theory were also developed and supporting research was presented. Implications of our social support resource theory for social support intervention were considered.
Social Support by Many Other Names: Towards a Unified Conceptualization
Authors: Newcomb Michael D.
Published: March 2007

Social support is a provision of the social environment and one important aspect of exchange between a person and the social world. This perspective may enhance appreciation for the common features shared by diverse types of interpersonal connectedness, such as bonding, attachment, friendship, intimacy and companionship. At least three hypotheses follow: (1) social support should be moderately stable across time and developmental periods; (2) social support changes as a result of transactions between a person and the social environment; (3) amount of perceived social support should be reasonably consistent across various areas of life. Empirical support for the first two propositions is reviewed and new data on the final point are presented. The findings support the conceptual commonality of social support and personal contact, but also emphasize their unique differences.
Masculinity, Femininity and Relationship Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Interpersonal Competence
Authors: Lamke Leanne K. , Sollie Donna L. , Durbin Robin G. , Fitzpatrick Jacki A.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine more fully the relationship between masculinity, femininity and satisfaction among dating couples. A multivariate causal model was developed and tested to assess Ickes' (1985) conceptual model of gender-role influences on relationship satisfaction. Dating couples ( N = 174) completed the Personal Attributes Questionnaire, the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire and the Relationship Satisfaction Scale. Results indicated that for both males and females, relationship satisfaction was related to their own expressive competence and to perceptions of their partner as feminine. Also, levels of expressive competence mediated the relationship between self-perceptions of femininity and satisfaction. For females, perceptions of partners' femininity were predicted by males' and females' self-perceived femininity. For males, perceptions of partners' femininity were predicted by females' self-perceived femininity and males' self-perceived masculinity. Discussion focuses on the implications of these findings not only for the specific model of gender-role influences in dyadic interactions, but also for more `broadly conceived theories of relationship development.
Personality Perceptions Associated with Six Styles of Love
Authors: Taraban Carolyn Beth , Hendrick Clyde
Published: March 2007

The perceived personality traits associated with different love attitudes were examined using Hendrick & Hendrick's (1986) Love Attitudes Scale as stimulus material for the expression of six love styles (Lee, 1973). One group of subjects was asked to generate descriptive personality traits for six target persons, each of whom represented one of the six love attitudes. A second group rated the importance of the various traits for describing a particular target person. It was found that each love attitude had relatively distinct personality traits associated with it. Thus, the target persons representing the different love attitudes were perceived quite differently. The results suggest that there may be different prototypes for different styles of love.
Help Wanted: A Grand Theorist of Interpersonal Relationships, Sociologist or Anthropologist Preferred
Authors: Berscheid Ellen
Published: March 2007

Knowledge about interpersonal relationships is currently encapsulated within type of relationship (e.g. romantic, parental), with relationship type confounded with disciplinary approach, with the characteristics of the partners usually found in that type of relationship, as well as with the nature of the relationship phenomena examined. It is argued that a critical issue for the relationship field is whether a grand, overarching theory of relationships can be developed. Such a theory would directly address the principal relationship types, delineating the similarities and differences among them with respect to the causal conditions associated with various relationship phenomena. It is further argued that an important class of causal conditions that governs behavior in all relationships is the culturally defined norms, roles and expectations associated with type of relationship, and that these cultural prescriptions - as opposed to `individualistic' causal conditions - must play an important role in any unifying theory. If so, the sociological and anthropological perspectives need to achieve better balance with the psychological perspective that is becoming dominant in theory and research on interpersonal relationships.
Joint Leisure Time in Friend and Romantic Relationships: The Role of Activity Type, Social Skills and Positivity
Authors: Flora Jeanne , Segrin Chris
Published: March 2007

After research that has identified joint activity time as a relational maintenance behavior, this study examined specific qualitative variables that affect the reward value and maintenance potential of joint leisure time. This experiment manipulated leisure activity type in romantic and friend relationships, and measured the social skills and positivity exhibited in a joint leisure event in the laboratory. A total of 104 dyads (50 romantics and 54 friends) were videotaped while engaged in one of three activity conditions (game, relax, TV). Participants also completed follow-up questionnaires. In general, results indicated that when participants exhibited good social skills and perceived positivity in their partner, their joint activity time was more satisfying. Activity type influenced the opportunities for satisfying interaction. Relationship type had no effect on leisure satisfaction. Contributions to rewarding joint leisure time for relationships are discussed.
Small Firms and Environmental Management
Authors: Schaper Michael
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to determine if any factors exist which can be used to predict the level of environmentally responsible ('green') business behaviour amongst SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). The variables examined included environmental attitudes of owner/managers, personal demographic variables (age, gender and education level) of the owner, and key external variables (consumer demand, capital availability, firm size, time and information resources). The owner/managers of 154 retail pharmacies in Western Australia were examined. The results showed a high level of 'green' attitudes amongst owners, but no statistically significant relationship between attitudes and their firm's actual performance. None of the demographic characteristics of the owner/managers were related to actual levels of environmental performance. However, two external variables (the amount of time available for owners to undertake discretionary business activity, and the level of environmental information available to business owners) were found to be significantly positively related to a firm's 'green' activities.
Monthly Index to the Financial Times: how good is it?
Authors: Foster Pamela
Published: March 2007

The Financial Times is probably the most important business information resource used in Britain. This paper is the first detailed evaluation of the Monthly Index to the Financial Times Scope, arrangement, indexing methods, timeliness and price are evaluated
The problems of handling Market Research Information
Authors: Stoll Martin
Published: March 2007

Eight problem areas facing marketing researchers handling information are discussed. information is production-driven; needs of clients; demands for specific information; comparability; availability and access; time-lags; credibility and presentation.
New technology and the provision of business information in UK company libraries
Authors: Withers Hywel
Published: March 2007

The research project described in this article aimed at investigating the current and future use of new technology in UK company libraries. Data was obtained through a questionnaire completed by librarians in the field and great value was placed on comment and opinion, in addition to purely factual response. Increased availability and usage of new technology is foreseen, aimed primarily at improving the efficiency of the services provided.
How to find product information
Authors: Edmonds Diana
Published: March 2007

Business information specialists often fight shy of product information - a pity because it's no harder to use than, say, financial information. This article evaluates the major sources of product information contained in directories, trade literature, standards and patents.
How to understand financial information
Authors: McMahon Richard G. P.
Published: March 2007

This paper, the second in a two part series, continues to explain how to interpret and understand financial information. It deals with measures of liquidity, solvency and fund flows and describes how to establish standards agamst which a company's financial ratios can be compared.
Pensions information: how to find out
Authors: Houghton Tom
Published: March 2007

Pensions are receiving increasing attention with growing interest in planning for old age and in the vast sums of money involved. We have recently seen a White paper on Social Security which covers pensions and is the culmination of several years' debate by government and private bodies. Pension provision in the U.K. consists of state, occupational (employment-based) and personal (private provision) pensions. A large number of sources of information are now available including periodicals, books, libraries and associations.
Business information from industrial espionage- a state-of-the-art review
Authors: Lawton Tricia , Rennie Janet , Eisenschitz Tamara
Published: March 2007

An investigation into industrial espionage. Evaluates legal standing of methods used in industrial espionage. Analyses the views of twelve experts - private investigators, security consultants and journalists. Summarises findings of questions asked in four main areas - the type of information sought by industrial spies, the methods used, the level of activity and the people and organisations involved.
The Electronic Dilemma of Television Advertising
Authors: Sepstrup Preben
Published: March 2007

This article outlines the horns of an `electronic dilemma' for television advertising originating in recent technological developments, and describes the reactions of advertisers and the media industry to this dilemma in the United States and Europe. Issues for European policy makers arising from these reactions are also discussed, including measures that could be taken to counteract their undesirable consequences.
News Diffusion After the Assassination of a Neighbour
Authors: Haraldsen G. , Broddason T. , Hedinsson E. , Kalkkinen M. L. , Svendsen E. Nordahl
Published: March 2007

In this article, data about the diffusion of news in Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Finland following the assassination of Olof Palme are presented. Special attention is given to the relation between diffusion patterns and media consumption patterns, and the relation between the importance of an event and the amount of personal communication in the diffusion process. It is argued that the significance of these two relations change with different cases of diffusion. They should therefore be interpreted as measures which reveal unique features about individual cases of news diffusion.
More Than Learning: The Diffusion of News on the Assassination of Olof Palme in England, Germany, Italy and Hungary
Authors: Kepplinger Hans Mathias , Levendel Adám , Livolsi Marino , Wober Mallory
Published: March 2007

In a study of diffusion of news about the Palme assassination, rate and amount of diffusion was investigated in four European countries (England, Germany, Hungary and Italy). First source of learning, as well as subsequent reactions and communication activities were also studied. In all four countries, knowledge about the murder was widespread, and the electronic media dominated the diffusion pattern. Diffusion was very rapid. The results are discussed and interpreted in terms of time zone differences, sociocultural differences, differential media structures, etc.
Social Action and the Ambivalence of Communication: A Critique of Habermas's Theory
Authors: Crespi Franco
Published: March 2007

The problem of communication seems to be considered in our culture along two main opposing lines: on the one hand, as a development which can endanger the individual and collective capacity to control social complexity; on the other hand, as a model for a new kind of rationality. The possibility of applying such different interpretations is perhaps revelatory of the ambivalence of communication as such. Through a critique of Habermas's theory of communicative rationality, the author shows that the inherent limitations and negative aspects of any form of discourse can never be overcome. It is necessary instead to reach a delicate balance between absolutization, which gives to communication forms their determinate character, and relativization, which recognizes that life experience is ever more complex than any symbolic expression of it can be.
Reporting on Deaths: The Perspective Coverage of Accident News in a German Tabloid
Authors: Burdach Konrad J.
Published: March 2007

Prescientific experience shows that the news value of a calamitous event happening to one or more persons (e.g. a disease or an accident) depends on two main factors: firstly, on the grade of seriousness or fatality of the event and secondly, on the psychological distance between the persons affected (victims) and those who get the news (recipients). This phenomenon can be observed in interpersonal as well as in mass communication contexts.

In the present study the correlation between the geographic distance and the number of victims, on the one hand, and the space allocated to accident news, on the other hand, was analysed in a Munich newspaper. The results show that there was a nearly log-linear relationship between the distance of the fatal event and the average space per death of the accident report.
Simulated Interaction: How the Television Journalist Speaks
Authors: Mancini Paolo
Published: March 2007

The concept of `para-social interaction' has chiefly been applied to entertainment materials. Following suggestions from Goffman, from the pragmatics of Palo Alto and from other approaches in discourse analysis, this article draws attention to the interactional strategies and devices often embedded in television news. It outlines a set of `meta-discoursive indicators', through which it should be possible to define and analyse the role the television journalist assumes before his audience, and the kind of interaction he tries to develop with the televiewer.
Television in the New Broadcasting Environment: Public Policy Lessons from the Canadian Experience
Authors: Hoskins C. , McFadyen S.
Published: March 2007

The new distribution technologies are fostering a new television broadcasting environment with more channels and less regulation. Many nations are concerned that the expansion of viewer choice, and with it the availability of foreign programmes (often US), will inevitably marginalize domestic production. Are there public policy measures that can help maintain a healthy domestic programme production industry in this new environment? In this paper we consider the public policy lessons that can be gleaned from the Canadian experience. This experience is uniquely relevant because geographic proximity and other factors have long exposed Canadian producers to substantial US competition. We find that in such an environment regulation is ineffective in inducing indigenous programming, but that a programme production fund, similar to that operated by Telefilm Canada, can be successful.
The Swedish Media Accountability System: A Research Perspective
Authors: Weibull Lennart , Börjesson Britt
Published: March 2007

This article examines the system of media accountability in Sweden: the code of journalistic ethics and good practice, and the apparatus for the examination and judgement of complaints. Results from an extensive research programme in Sweden demonstrate that this system has acquired legitimacy among both journalists and public. The article argues that its legitimacy derives from the way the system evolved, with the support and close involvement of the Swedish media organizations. However, in order to be truly effective, a code of conduct should be relevant to every-day journalistic practice. The article argues that the code should be capable of change and renewal if it is to become an integral part of normal, responsible journalistic practice.
The Women's Movement and the Media: Constructing a Public Identity
Authors: van Zoonen Elisabeth A.
Published: March 2007

Despite being an issue of much concern, the relationship of the women's movement with news media has rarely been subjected to systematic analysis. This article presents the results of an extensive study of the interaction between the media and the women's movement in the Netherlands at the time of the movement's resurrection in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The core questions of this study concern the construction of a public identity of the movement in the media, which is conceived as the product not merely of a collision of discourses of gender and politics, but also of conflicting organizational routines of movement and media, and of diverging individual preferences of journalists and activists. Discourse analysis of news coverage shows that the movement's public identity is constructed within a liberal feminist framework and is built upon three `foundations': `emancipation' is legitimate, `feminism' is deviant; movement activists are quite different from and not representative of `ordinary' women; the movement is directed against men. The article argues that the observed construction of women's political activity is not particular to the Netherlands or to the particular time period.
The Imagined Transnational Public Sphere in the European Community's Broadcast Philosophy: Implications for Democracy
Authors: Venturelli Shalini S.
Published: March 2007

This paper argues that emerging policies for transforming diverse configurations of national media into a singular transnational system collide with fundamentally irreconcilable propositions of the meaning and significance of the public interest in the Western democratic tradition. Internal policy contradictions within the EC's notion of `Europeanization' of the media lead to a set of serious implications for the meaning and practice of modern civil society and for the role of communication within it. A transfrontier sector created by the EC has launched a radical trend towards corporatization of broadcasting in Europe, which is in serious opposition to some fundamental principles of the European democratic tradition. Analysis of policy discourse indicates a general trend towards market-oriented reregulation and a retreat from the obligations of broadcast systems to the historical concept of civil society and the status of citizenship constituted within a democratic public sphere.
Portuguese Cinema: In the Doldrums of Neglect
Authors: Traquina Nelson
Published: March 2007

The profound transformations of the cinema and audiovisual industries (indeed their growing interdependence) that present new challenges in the 1990s have not as yet provoked a global, coherent response nor, it seems, jarred Portuguese policymakers from their silent policy of disregard. This study shows how, in the doldrums of neglect, the crisis of Portuguese cinema grows ever deeper.
Towards a `Videocracy'?
Authors: Mazzoleni Gianpietro
Published: March 2007

The victory of media mogul Silvio Berlusconi in the 1994 Italian elections, epitomizes the dramatic changes in the political arena and in the country's form of political communication. This article analyses the social, political and media factors that shaped the transition from the `First Republic' of the old party establishment, which was overthrown as a result of judicial enquiries, to the `Second Republic' of the new political subjects, and discusses the complex reasons that brought Berlusconi to power. The article takes as its starting point the electoral campaign of 1994. It describes in detail the changes and explains why they represent a turning point in Italian political communication. Finally, it attempts to interpret the `Berlusconi phenomenon' and discusses its alleged danger for Italian democracy.
US Voices on UK Radio
Authors: Morris Nancy
Published: March 2007

This article explores the reasons for the frequent use of US voices for station identifications and promotional announcements on youth-oriented commercial radio throughout the UK. Interviews with radio station executives established that US accents are used in order to distinguish station promotional announcements from other audio material, to evoke associations with US popular culture, and because they are a historical remnant of the early days of British `pirate' radio and commercial broadcasting. US accents also bypass the class distinctions carried by UK accents. Finally, an aggressive US style of vocal delivery has taken on glamorous associations. This `international pop speak' indexes youth, modernity and contemporary popular culture. The study considers the implications of the use of `international pop speak' on UK radio in terms of concerns about the consequences of international media flows, and concludes that British traditions are not endangered by the US influence on broadcasting.
ANOTHER TYPE OF THIRD WORLD DEPENDENCY: THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Authors: Gareau Frederick H.
Published: March 2007

The social sciences are Western products and aspects of the socio-cultural dependency of the Third World. They are ethnocentric in terms of research areas and membership of research groups. Within those groups there are sharp national boundaries reflected in publications such as the American dominated International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Both Marxism and Popperian naturalism regard this as unproblematical. The Third World can choose from the range of expert knowledge (not science) which the Western social sciences provide and develop their own social science groups.
THE NATURE OF SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND PRACTICE WORLDWIDE: A PERSPECTIVE FROM INDIA
Authors: Oommen T. K.
Published: March 2007

Sociology ought to be totalistic in its orientation as everything human is native to sociology. Given this, an understanding of the nature of sociological research and practice in specific societies provides a necessary input in the pursuit of sociology. Therefore, India, comprising one-sixth of humanity and well-known for its legendary socio-cultural complexity is a particularly appropriate case to be analysed in this context. Colonialism, nationalism and the modern Indian State successively and conjointly shaped Indian society. Having emerged and being practised in a society moulded by contradictory forces, Indian sociology faces several dilemmas. The paper not only lists the major dilemmas but also identifies the crucial elements of the pluralist paradigm which is emerging to cope with these dilemmas. The paradigm is a welcome addition on two counts: it adequately mirrors the complex social reality of India and forms an invaluable input to the practice of sociology, worldwide.
THEORETICAL THESES ON `SOCIAL MODERNISATION'
Authors: Lulu Li
Published: March 2007

Social modernisation is revealed in practice as a substantive process, continuous historically, not identical with Westernisation, in multi-type relations with tradition, and as distinct from economic development, encompasses the general development of the human being. Its main features include the development of science and technology, economic growth, the advancement of social organisation and democratisation, modernisation of social values and ways of life, and urbanisation. Different countries modernise differently. Colonialism, the international division of labour, antiquated social structures and deficiencies in education are historic obstacles which require study. Each country develops its own strategy through planning, absorption of foreign ideas or tolerating a dual structure, but the state will take the leading role. China's own size, ancient civilisation and socialism make it the most distinctive case of modernisation.
Transnational Networking and the Social Production of Representations of Identities by Indigenous Peoples' Organizations of Latin America
Authors: Mato Daniel
Published: March 2007

This article discusses how some current transnational relations between global agents and indigenous peoples' organizations in Latin America impress the representations of identities and associated ideas of these organizations in combination with being useful in the achievement of these organizations' goals for their peoples. Such a discussion serves two main purposes: (1) to contribute to the development of a theory of social change in the current age of globalization through criticizing the established scholarly practice of studying `local' cases as if they actually exist, or as if they may at least be detached from the world orders in which they take part without any significant consequence; and (2) to criticize the colonial legacy of area studies, anthropology and other academic disciplines of studying `the Other' - very often indigenous peoples - which, independently of researchers' intentions, contribute to informing agents of the colonial or post-colonial powers and trying instead to produce knowledge that is potentially useful to `local' agents about `global' agents, their practices and the impact they may have on `local' agents' practices. A few illustrative examples taken from the author's field and documentary research about some current experiences in Latin America are used to show how transnational networks of `local' grassroots organizations and diverse kinds of `local' intermediary non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and `global agents' (i.e. international agencies, bilateral cooperation agencies, the multilateral banks, transnational foundations, as well as transnational social movements and NGOs) play significant roles in the social making of representations of indigenous peoples' identities and associated ideas.
The Russian Sociological Association
Authors: Butenko I. A.
Published: March 2007

This article is about the creation, resuscitation and activity of the Russian Sociological Association in the context of the transformation of sociology brought about by the changes in its societal setting from 1916 till the end of the 20th century. The periodization used (`thaw', `stagnation', `perestroika' and `transition period'), is the one recognized in the newest reading of Russian history, and is primarily based upon the degree of liberalism of government and freedom of speech. It shows that in the autocratic (Tsarist and later socialist) state there was no place for civil society organizations. The intelligentsia played the role of opposition, expressing its social and political concerns primarily in literary fiction and the arts. The sociological profession was a very ideological one, and the professional association had to control the presentations made by Soviet sociologists. After the collapse of the Communist regime, the imposed unity of the sociological community disintegrated. The gradual transition to civil society provides new opportunities for sociologists, and first of all opportunities for the conscious and scientifically grounded shaping of social processes.
Bridging Global Divides?
Authors: Smith Jackie
Published: March 2007

A growing body of research has revealed a rapid expansion in transnational organizing and activism, but we know relatively little about the qualitative changes these transnational ties represent. Using surveys of transnational social movement organizations (TSMOs) and additional case study material, this paper examines the extent to which these organizations have been able to articulate strategic frames that motivate global level organizing and collective action. The analysis also investigates how inequities between the global North and South affect TSMO solidarity. Key findings are that, while TSMOs have helped expand routine communications among geographically dispersed memberships, there is also evidence that they have developed new skills for managing the differences that characterize such memberships. But gaps between Northern and Southern members persist, particularly regarding groups' abilities to relate local concerns to global level campaigns. Another concern is that, while TSMOs help integrate new groups into global political processes, expanding participation in global activism may foster even greater diversity and conflict among social change groups working in global arenas. Transnational groups have been better at cultivating shared understandings of the problems they address than at building consensus around a shared response to these problems.
NATIONALISM AND CIVIL SOCIETY: DEMOCRACY, DIVERSITY AND SELF-DETERMINATION
Authors: Calhoun Craig
Published: March 2007

In the wake of communism, nationalism has regained prominence as a source of global tension and instability. These problems, and nationalism itself, are often dismissed as transitional difficulties rather than studied as basic to the modern world. This paper argues, to the contrary, that nationalism is produced by central features of the modern world, including the ongoing process of globalisation. Its centrality derives first of all from the need to identify the `self' implied by the notion of political self-determination. This ties nationalism to democracy. But nationalism is also shaped in problematic ways by modern individualism. Metaphorically, the nation is often treated as an individual. Nations are also commonly conceived of as categories of like individuals rather than as webs of social relationships. This places an emphasis on sameness which often makes nationalism an enemy of diversity. It also provides the basis for arguments that national identity should take precedence over other competing identities - regional, familial, gender, interest-group, occupational, and so on. Nationalism is particularly potent and problematic where diverse institutions of civil society are lacking or fail to provide for a diversity of public discourses and collective identities.
COLLECTIVE EFFERVESCENCE, SOCIAL CHANGE AND CHARISMA: DURKHEIM, WEBER AND 1989
Authors: Tiryakian Edward A.
Published: March 2007

A meaningful interpretation of the dynamics of recent momentous historical changes - most notably the unexpected and surprising implosion of the Soviet empire in 1989-1990 - may be obtained by recombining aspects of the sociology of religion analyses of Weber and Durkheim. In particular, their complementary notions of `charisma' and `collective effervescence' provide an understanding of how social actors in coercive secular states, confronted by a seeming monopoly of the use of physical force, are able, in certain exceptional circumstances, to mobilise and disarm the state. The assembling of the social or national community is the background to Weber's discussion of charismatic leadership and the foreground to Durkheim. The `velvet revolutions' of 1989 in various countries of Eastern Europe may be seen as manifestations of an historical moment of `collective effervescence' in which the assembled collectivity itself, more than individual figures, manifested the empowerment of charisma.
Representations of Drinking and Alcoholism in French Cinema
Authors: Steudler François
Published: March 2007

In the following article, the product of on-going research into the representation of drinking and alcoholism in French cinema, the writer first assesses the relevance to this particular field of the study of cinema. He goes on to present the social setting for consumption of the main kinds of liquor shown on the screen, and attempts to determine the existence of certain types of person more driven than others to drink to excess, and whether there are social and psychological situations more conducive to overindulgence.
From 'Society' To the Social Actor: a Reconsideration of Agency and Its Determinants in Sociological Analysis
Authors: Mongardini Carlo
Published: March 2007

Sociology has created the social and has acted as its interpreter but has introduced an untenable simplification of the human The image of society has replaced reality. To regain the dignity of science, contemporary sociology has to reintroduce the complexity of the acting subject — as both starting and ending points in any interactional relation - into the complexity of the situation The acting subject should be re-examined to take into account the complexity both of psychological attitude in social relationships and the definition of preconditions and prefigurations of action Collective imagery, individual prefigurations and experience should be considered in order to correlate pre- and back-regions of social action In doing so, sociologists should be aware that what we can really observe and the very elements of our experiencing are but fragments of a real process whose unity is not accessible to us and which we can only reconstruct through the imagination. The natural sciences reconstruct seemingly symmetric complexity. The social sciences can only investigate living processes through big asymmetrical simplifications The general simplification of the representation may only be integrated by humanistic sociology, which, within certain limits and in a context similar to the arts, should be capable of reintegrating the representation with the complexity of real experience, without losing touch with it, but rather adding to it the value of the peculiarity and historicity experienced in day-to-day life.
Illich, Education, and the Human Genome Project: Reflections on Paradoxical Counterproductivity
Authors: Robert Jason Scott
Published: March 2007

The Human Genome Project (HGP) brings genetics and genetic knowledge to the point of paradoxical counterproductivity. Population-wide genetic screens, replacing specific tests intended for and useful to those at risk, become counterproductive when the HGP's "normal human " defines everybody as at risk. More over, the knowledge generated by the HGP disables those whom it is meant to serve: We are rendered impotent as a laity, subject to expertise regarding the truth of our being. The standard response here is that we need more science education and easier access to scientific knowledge. But that is simply to beg the question. The question to ask about knowledge is not whether it is true or properly scientific (which it may very well be) but rather whether it is good. The good of knowledge must be demonstrated and not uncritically assumed. Thus, more education can, too, be paradoxically counterproductive. What, then, are our prospects?