Sociological Construct Research Articles

Introduction: Proust's Modernist Sociology

The introduction to this special issue sketches out some urgent forms of intelligibility that Proust's Recherche might hold for readers in 2022 given the many crises of the present moment. Whereas Proust's novel is often read as an investigation and valorization of various forms of subjective experience, contributions to this special issue consider how aspects of the Recherche's composition might provoke us to step back and objectify subjective experience in the service of some other kind of knowledge. The introduction juxtaposes Proust's novelistic practice with Pierre Bourdieu's sociological construction of points of view. We see the social world in limited ways because we see it from a single point of view, but we can work critically to rise above those limits and envision a social field of different points of view. The introduction demonstrates how Proust's novel, like Bourdieu's sociological practice, models this form of understanding for us.

Towards an understanding of multilingual investment: multilingual learning experiences among mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong

Abstract This paper investigates a group of mainland Chinese students’ multilingual learning experiences in an English-medium university in multilingual Hong Kong. Informed by the sociological construct of investment, the study focuses on the role of identity and language ideology and their interaction in shaping the participants’ experiences of learning English and Cantonese and their multilingual development. The findings reveal that the participants’ multilingual investments were mediated by their ideologies of sociolinguistic competence and flexible multilingualism, which contributed to the development of their identities as competent multilingual speakers. However, the participants’ negotiations of their multilingual identities were constrained by the local students’ deficit perspectives on the participants’ multilingual competences as a result of the influence of the ideology of native-speakerism in the local society. The findings also show that the participants’ internalization of the ideology of neoliberal multilingualism and the ideology of multilingualism as indexical of cosmopolitan membership prompted their multilingual investments, which expanded their imagined identity options for the future. Taken together, the findings point to the complex and dynamic interaction between identity and language ideology in shaping multilingual investments. The study also expands our understanding of multilingual learning by contributing to the conceptualization of ‘multilingual investment’ from a sociological perspective.

Hadith Study of Neglecting Women as Imam of Congregational Prayer Perspective of Religious Organization Activists in Malang Raya

Women in religion and culture-historical study have a journey of oppression, adversity and, discrimination. Women have always been used as objects of pleasure and victims of lust for men. Many interpretations of religious texts discriminate against women. Many religious figures look down on women through their interpretation of the texts of Al-Qur'an and Sunnah. One of the interpretations is the opinion of the majority of community leaders about the prohibition of women as imams of congregational prayer. This research aims to determine the views of the community from Muhammadiyah, NU, HTI, and Malang Raya Mosque Management regarding the meaning of the hadith of women's delegation as imam (congregational prayer leader) from a social construction perspective. This research is included in the category of qualitative research using the sociological construction theory approach, and the science of hadith criticism. This researcher used a new model in the realm of hadith research, named living hadith. Data collection methods in this research were in-depth interviews and documentation. The selection of informants used a purposive sampling technique. The analytical technique used in this research was the Huberman and Miles interactive model, namely; data reduction, data display, and conclusion. The understanding of activists of religious organizations Muhammadiyah, NU, HTI, and Mosque Management regarding the hadith negation of women being imams of prayer can be classified into two models of understanding. There are textual and contextualist-hermeneutical. Public understanding of the hadith regarding the delegation of women to become imam comes from hadith, opinions of classical scholars, contemporary books, and also comes from the results of intuitive meanings that lead to conservative and progressive.

The role of historical memory in the process of social consolidation in applied linguistic educational space of the region

The article analyzes historical memory as a source for consolidating the applied linguistic educational space. We concluded that the resource of historical memory in development of regional educational space is a socially consolidating factor, since, regardless of the social and cultural capital, it strengthens the collective spatial identity and awareness of belonging (as a historically established socio-territorial community). We considered the role of historical memory in development of the social investment model of regional management as well and concluded that systematic studies of the problems require the use of a multidimensional sociological construct (which is still waiting to be implemented), but it is clear that historical memory is most constructively interpreted not in the context of tradition, but as a cultural symbolic code of the regional management system (if it does not manifest itself in its pure form and includes selection of historical memory elements for solving managerial tasks).

Teamwork, Spirit of the Game and Communication: A Review of Implications from Sociological Constructs for Research and Practice in Ultimate Frisbee Games

Ultimate Frisbee (UF) is a non-contact, challenging, and self-promoted team sport. Its characteristics, such as the game environment and rules, appear to influence the on-the-pitch behaviour of players. This article examines the content of qualitative studies to determine if and how the unique characteristics of UF may be related to nine sociological themes, that may be identified during gameplay. These themes include the following: (a) competition and performance; (b) enjoyment; (c) communication; (d) cooperation/friendship; (e) behaviors/welfare; (f) teamwork/social skills; (g) environment/lifestyle; (h) rules/self-refereeing and (i) spirit of the Game (SOTG). The review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search protocol was used to identify, screen, and select published research articles under a Qualitative Systematic Review (QSR). The search was occurred from 1 June to 30 December 2020 with no limitations regarding the year of publication. Original English-language papers that contained relevant data regarding sociological themes and UF were selected. As a result, nine papers were qualified to be included in the final version of QSR. The files analyzed were structured with MAXQDA. A total of 521 references were identified and selected for analysis. After the Screening (n = 301) and Eligibility (n = 71) phases, a total of 30 potential papers were selected and classified. Nine studies were included in the final analysis. The three most cited sociological themes in these studies were: communication, teamwork/social skills, and spirit of the game. Research suggests that UF involves patterns of interaction related to communication and the spirit of the game that encourage active lifestyles. Finally, we point out that UF is an appropriate sport to include in physical education classes in which the creation of positive relationships between students is the desired outcome. This topic should be explored further through interventional studies done in different contexts although the evidence suggests that UF offers players unique opportunities to experience a combination of physical activity and enjoyment.

PEMAHAMAN HADIS KONSERVASI LINGKUNGAN DAN INTERNALISASINYA PADA CIVITAS AKADEMIKA PROGRAM STUDI ILMU HADIS IAIN KEDIRI

As part of the ecological system, humans have a dominant role in determining the good and bad of the environment. The stability and comfort of the environment depend on the positive behavior around the elements of the ecosystem in it, including humans. The emergence of various environmental problems is also inseparable from human indiscipline in protecting and preserving them. An environment that is maintained properly, will respond positively by providing great benefits to humans. Otherwise, an environment that is treated badly will repay with damage and disaster. The leadership of the Faculty of Ushuluddin and Da'wah at IAIN Kediri was fully aware of this, especially the Hadith Science Study Program. This awareness forms a religious construction based on an understanding of religious texts, particularly Hadith. Through qualitative research, this reality will be described descriptively and analytically. The results illustrate that the epitome construction of environmental conservation activities is manifested in participation in the Green Campus program. The sociological construction contestation was seen in the leadership of the Hadith Science Study Program and the academic community for the absorption of religious teaching, thus generating practices in the form of involvement in tree and flower planting activities in the Faculty of Ushuluddin and Da'wah

PEMAHAMAN HADIS KONSERVASI LINGKUNGAN DAN INTERNALISASINYA PADA CIVITAS AKADEMIKA PROGRAM STUDI ILMU HADIS IAIN KEDIRI

As part of the ecological system, humans have a dominant role in determining the good and bad of the environment. The stability and comfort of the environment depend on the positive behavior around the elements of the ecosystem in it, including humans. The emergence of various environmental problems is also inseparable from human indiscipline in protecting and preserving them. An environment that is maintained properly, will respond positively by providing great benefits to humans. Otherwise, an environment that is treated badly will repay with damage and disaster. The leadership of the Faculty of Ushuluddin and Da'wah at IAIN Kediri was fully aware of this, especially the Hadith Science Study Program. This awareness forms a religious construction based on an understanding of religious texts, particularly Hadith. Through qualitative research, this reality will be described descriptively and analytically. The results illustrate that the epitome construction of environmental conservation activities is manifested in participation in the Green Campus program. The sociological construction contestation was seen in the leadership of the Hadith Science Study Program and the academic community for the absorption of religious teaching, thus generating practices in the form of involvement in tree and flower planting activities in the Faculty of Ushuluddin and Da'wah.

Social contagion and the institutionalisation of GRI-based sustainability reporting practices

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the adoption and diffusion of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)-based sustainability reporting practices within the global financial services sector.Design/methodology/approachThe approach draws on the sociological construct of social contagion theory (SCT) to explain the drivers of diffusion of GRI-based sustainability reporting. Based on a longitudinal study of GRI adoption over a period from 2000 to 2016, thematic content analysis of sustainability reports and media articles was used to refine information gathered that related to nature and spread of GRI-based sustainability practices within the global financial services sector.FindingsThis study finds that the early adopters of GRI-based sustainability reporting and the accompanying media attention influenced the institutional diffusion of GRI-based reporting in the financial services sector. This growth was isomorphic as companies copied best practice models to reduce uncertainty and maintain legitimacy.Originality/valueThis paper focuses on the institutional diffusion of sustainability reporting practices within the global financial sector. It explores the notion of social contagion as an institutional dynamic to understand the drivers for the adoption and diffusion of GRI-based sustainability reporting across national borders. In doing so, the study contributes to the accounting literature on diffusion of innovations in reporting practice, but also, more generally, to the field of diffusion of new ideas in organisations using the unique approach of SCT.

Systematic integration in the study and understanding of social phenomena – An Analytical Study of Social Research Methods and Methods –: التكامل المنهجي في دراسة وفهم الظواهر الاجتماعية – دراسة تحليلية في مناهج وطرائق البحث الاجتماعي –

The aim of the research is to clarify the method of systematic integration in the study of social phenomena, which is considered one of the most important methodological cognitive issues in curriculum science, through the use of the qualitative and quantitative method in the study of one social phenomenon. This study aimed to achieve synergy and systematic integration between the various social research methods. In order to increase the understanding of the studied phenomena as well as to reach better results in the field of social research to enrich scientific and social knowledge. This study also came to clarify the importance of the integration of the quantitative and qualitative approaches in the study of social phenomena due to their contribution to deepening the understanding and interpretation of the social phenomena addressed to the study and research. The study also sought to clarify the methodological approaches, approaches and methodological tools that together constitute an integrated unit represented in the systematic construction of sociology, as well as It aimed to define the basic dimensions of methodological integration, and the research relied on the analytical sociological approach as an approach and method for analysis in the field of social studies, and the study concluded that relying on the quantitative approach only in the study of social phenomena does not lead the researcher to accurate and honest results, just as the use of the qualitative approach is not sufficient. To treat social phenomena, they must be used together to better and stronger support for interpretation. The study also found the extent of the importance of multiple approaches to the study of one social phenomenon. The research also recommended a set of recommendations, the most important of which are: Calling researchers to use methodological integration in studying social phenomena, linking theory with social reality, and the necessity to use at least one form of methodological integration in one study.

Enabling Teachers as Front Liners in Maintaining Learners’ Emotional Well-Being during Covid-19 Context: Ubuntu/Botho as a Guiding Principle

This article is an attempt to theoretically present Ubuntu/Botho philosophy as a complementary approach to guide efforts intended to restore and maintain positive emotional well-being among African Basotho school going children and youth during COVID-19 and beyond. Research shows that COVID-19 pandemic has impacted badly on school systems, particularly teaching and learning process and school life in general. The central assumption driving this paper is that factors emanating from Covid-19 pandemic do not only contribute to the damage of learning process for many learners, but they also contribute to a mental and emotional health crisis, as a result of lost access to services that are naturally offered by schools. Informed by Ubuntu/Botho philosophy, the paper argues that schools have moral obligation to protect learners’ emotional health as a crucial variable for both their complete psychosocial well-being and academic achievement. It looks at maintenance of emotional well-being from the lens of Ubuntu/Botho world view. Ubuntu/Botho adoption as a theoretical framework is an effort to contribute knowledge and suggest practice that have their foundation on the experiences of people, informed by their own sociological and cultural constructs. Ubuntu/Botho as a guiding principle places values such as compassion, empathy, sharing, respect, solidarity at the centre of human co-existence, thus, has the potential to create school relationships and support systems that can restore and maintain positive emotions.

La comprensión sociológica de Marianne Schnitger sobre la ciudad: debate implícito con Max Weber y Georg Simmel sobre lo público y lo privado

El estudio de la ciudad moderna, en la Sociología Clásica, ha sido un punto de inflexión para comprender la transición de la comunidad tradicional a la sociedad moderna. Particularmente, Max Weber y Georg Simmel aportaron marcos comprensivos sobre los cambios de una racionalidad tradicional hacia una racionalidad orientada a fines, así como también la transformación de las formas de socialización en las grandes ciudades. La ciudad representa entonces, un diagnóstico de la modernidad relevante en la construcción de la Sociología. Sin embargo, es necesario incluir la participación de Marianne Schnitger en este diagnóstico y debate tanto con Simmel y Weber. Si bien ella no escribió directamente sobre la ciudad, no se debe soslayar su aportación al tema de la distinción entre lo público y privado, las emociones y sentimientos y la dimensión ética entre la calle y la casa. Marianne tuvo como escenario a Berlín, y desde ahí discutirá la subjetividad de la mujer y su relación con lo masculino, la ética y las emociones. En este texto analizo los argumentos convergentes y divergentes que sobre la ciudad tuvieron tanto Weber, Simmel y Schnitger a partir de conceptos similares que habrán de contribuir a la teoría sociológica clásica.

El Orden Social en el pensamiento de Comte

Although the real dimensions of Comte's theoretical contribution in the construction of sociology as a scientific discipline remain a controversial subject, it can’t be denied that his work constitutes an initial impetus for the development of sociological thinking. Through the revision of some central aspects of the theoretical production of Comte, the present article aims to characterize the relevance that had the configuration of the social order in the positivism of the french intellectual. It is argued in this contribution that the design of social order had a double meaning in Comte's scheme, since it was an objective to be reached through the implementation of positivism, but at the same time it played an instrumental role as the central axis of progress and the effective consolidation of positivist design. However, through the influence of determinism, the positivist social order is described in Comte's vision as an inescapable historical destiny, without receiving an adequate explanation about its functioning.

The Shadow and the Substance of Lenin after 150 Years

Citation: Marshall A. (2020) The Shadow and the Substance of Lenin after 150 Years. Mir Rossii, vol. 29, no 4, pp. 134–149. DOI: 10.17323/1811-038X-2020-29-4-134-149
 150 years since Lenin’s birth marks an anniversary that raises questions around Lenin’s meaning today and his ultimate historical legacy. By distinguishing both Lenin the man, and the cult of commemoration that for 60 years surrounded him, from the core method behind Lenin’s own thought, this article addresses the question of if and why Lenin still matters in Europe today. It does so by arguing for an Ilyenkovian reading of Lenin’s main ideas and contributions. The current condition of European politics is, to a significant degree, still a by-product of the rejection of ‘Leninism’ after 1989, Leninism having evolved after 1924 into a sociological construct designed predominantly to facilitate the accelerated industrialization of backward societies. The rejection of Leninism as an alternate form of modernity led, via a consciously post-modern moment in central and eastern Europe, to the substitution of ‘memory politics’, fostering a more openly competitive political culture focused around race, identity, religious faith, and often radical ethnic nationalism. The dangers of such an outcome were foreshadowed in the concerns of the Soviet philosopher Evald Ilyenkov, who sought in the 1960s and 1970s to counterbalance the rise of neopositivist thinking in his era by revisiting the dialectics of the ideal first explored by Marx and Lenin. Whilst Ilyenkov saw mechanistic materialism as the greater latent danger in his own day, he also opposed the subjective idealism of ‘socialism with a human face’, and the idealist currents that arose in response to neopositivist rhetoric in Soviet social life. He found in Lenin an intellectual ally of his own belief that the true definition of the ideal emerges via the collaborative collective activity of society as a whole in a particular historical moment, rather than via embracing one or other of these two extremes. Through Ilyenkov, Lenin continues to speak to our own times.

The role of personal norms in the choice of mode for commuting

Research in travel behavioural studies have shown that social forces play a significant role in travel decision making like socio-economic factors. Several studies have tested models with different subjective variables to investigate their effects on travel behaviour. Understanding the influence of social norm and personal norm on travel mode choice preference is essential in promoting sustainable travel, considering the reported importance of these social forces in decision-making. This study draws upon the theories underpinning these sociological constructs and the integrated choice and latent variable (ICLV) framework to develop an ICLV model by incorporating social norm and personal norm as latent variables to investigate their impact on transport mode choice decisions. The results of the ICLV model is consistent with the findings in similar studies and extend the literature in transport mode choice modelling. The results indicate that internalised norms or personal norms have a significant influence on individual behaviour, and positively influence travel behaviour. This strengthens the claim that activated norms and pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) influence overt behaviour by inducing a sense of obligations to act. The results also suggest that individuals with pro-environmental attitude are likely to travel with sustainable travel modes. Thus, reinforcing the importance of sociological and psychological factors in decision-making. Unlike studies involving social norms and personal norms, this research is novel because it applies the ICLV framework to empirically investigate the impact of these sociological constructs on travel mode choice behaviour by incorporating them as latent variables in an ICLV model. The contribution of this study to the literature is that it shows that personal norm has a substantial positive impact on sustainable travel. The impact of this study could be situated in the framework of sustainable transport. The findings are relevant for policymaking, the development of policies meant to create awareness of the consequences of travel behaviour could promote the development of strong personal norms, and consequently influence travel decision making. This can be useful for promoting sustainable travel as the findings shed light on the characteristics of individuals most likely to travel by active modes or PT.

More than comfort and discomfort: Emotion work of parenting children with autism in Hong Kong

Abstract This paper examines how and why parents with children with autism perform emotion work and illuminates the implications for social work. Based on qualitative data, this paper identifies five domains of emotion management strategies, including managing shame and loss, mediation and negotiation in the families, surviving social stigma, surviving institutional barriers, and negotiating socially acceptable identities. This paper contributes to the literature of parenting children with disability by introducing the sociological construct of emotion work (Hochshild, 1984; DeVault, 1999) to the social work literature to highlight the active agency of parental work and broaden the understanding of emotion in the social work context. First, it argues that significance of parents’ emotion work should be acknowledged as including their struggle to survive in a predominantly unfriendly environment. Second, the emotions of these parents are not necessarily associated with negative experiences and the pathological features of their children but can also be linked to a positive and empowering process. Moreover, this paper illuminates the complexity of challenges encountered by parents in relation to the disability discourses and recommends the alternative approach of neurodiversity which is in line with the social work values of social justice and diversity.

Bauman in China

Zygmunt Bauman was one of the most influential sociologists in the English-speaking world. His work is translated into many languages. Chinese studies of Bauman started later than in the English-speaking world but have their own characteristics. In China, the interest is in sociology, culture, Marxism and aesthetics. This article surveys the current situation of Chinese Bauman studies and establishes the state of Chinese translations and studies of Bauman, and examines Chinese reception and interpretation of Bauman’s thought, especially theories of modernity and postmodernity. Its purpose is to display the state of Chinese Bauman studies on the one hand, and to take Bauman’s thought as a lesson in the construction of Chinese sociology on the other, leaving open the question of what studies of modernity might have to learn from Chinese experience and theory.

“Taught by reality”: Brecht’s Haltung and the profitable uses of a materialistic super-objective

ABSTRACT Haltung (variously translated as attitude, stance, bearing, posture or demeanour) is as central to Brecht’s approach as the concept of Super-Objective is to Stanislavsky’s. For the actor seeking to draw on both traditions, dialectical tensions can arise between Haltung/Attitude (a sociological construct, essentially fluctuating and inconsistent) and Super-Objective (a psychological concept, fundamentally constant and stable). This paper proposes incorporating these apparently contradictory concepts into a unified working methodology for the actor. The paper starts by reviewing key theoretical pronouncements made by Brecht in relation to Haltung and describes an interesting extension of this concept in the practice of a contemporary theatre company. Brecht’s views on personality and, by extension, of dramatic character, are reviewed and tested in the light of current perspectives in the psychology of individual difference. The paper goes on to examine the concept of Haltung in light of Stanislavsky’s notion of “inner tone” and considers that current models of personality as well as the rehearsal practices of Brecht’s main actors support a conflation of the notions of Haltung and Super-Objective, yet concludes that the adoption of a Haltung of necessity leads actors to selecting a certain type of Super-Objective and “inner tone”, here defined as “realistic”. Throughout, examples are offered using the records of Brecht’s productions of Mother Courage and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. A final section illustrates how the working model proposed could be applied to an understanding of a character normally associated with the Stanislavskian tradition: Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard.

Blest Be the Tie That Binds

AbstractThis chapter explores the relationship between program evaluation and social change through the lens of key historical periods in the development of the field. Also profiled is the relationship between the practice of program evaluation by evaluators, and the communities or contexts in which the evaluand is situated. And finally, the chapter explores the strong bonds that support group consciousness and a desire for change. “Oppositional Consciousness,” a sociological construct, serves as a heuristic that may be useful for program evaluators seeking to promote, support, or inspire social change.

Toward a multifaceted understanding of Lareau's “sense of entitlement”: Bridging sociological and psychological constructs

AbstractIn her influential ethnographic study, Lareau proposed that intensive middle‐class parenting strategies produce in children a “sense of entitlement” that can be used to gain advantages in schools and other institutional settings. In this article, we review both sociological and psychological studies to propose a multifaceted understanding of a sense of entitlement that challenges the assumption that the consequences of entitlement are exclusively positive. We also compare “sense of entitlement” with four psychological constructs—academic entitlement, help‐seeking, interpersonal control, and agentic engagement—that provide critical clues for subsequent empirical efforts. Our study highlights the benefits of bridging sociological and psychological work, not only to connect related disciplines and concepts, but also to assess and refine theory.

'Team capital’ in quality improvement teams: findings from an ethnographic study of front-line quality improvement in the NHS

BackgroundTeamwork is important in the design and delivery of initiatives in complex healthcare systems but the specifics of quality improvement (QI) teams are not well studied.ObjectiveTo explain the functioning of...