Contribution To Sociology Research Articles

Sociological contributions to moral education

ABSTRACT While true interdisciplinarity is needed to understand morality and its development, a realistic step in that direction for the current special issue is to enhance and promote a neglected disciplinary contribution to the field, namely sociology. This special issue brings together six articles applying sociological analysis to moral development and education together with one article overviewing sociological contributions to morality in general. The work is intended to invigorate sociological treatments of moral development and education as a step toward a genuinely interdisciplinary domain of research on morality and its education. The contributions to this special issue bring alive the moral background by combining contextual and individual levels of analysis in the exploration of difficult topics.

Sociologia histórica e interpretação do racismo no Brasil

This article examines the contributions of so-called historical or processual sociology to the analysis of racism in Brazil, based on four central concepts: revolution, reproduction, formation and event. The central argument is that the processual analysis of events, in the different approaches selected, offers some alternatives for tackling the main obstacle faced in the field of the sociology of racism: jointly explaining the formation of racial inequalities and their social production in the interaction and sociability between agents. It is suggested that the specific objective of historical sociology in this field of research is the racialization of the social experience of time, that is, the constitution of racialized temporalities.

Subnational Environmental Policy: Trends and Issues

Policies relevant to many key sociological processes are often subnational, enacted at the regional, state/provincial, and/or local levels. This applies notably in the politics of the environmental state, where public and private subnational environmental policies (SNEPs) have major consequences for managing climate change, addressing environmental injustices, regulating land uses, greening energy markets, limiting pollution, and much more. While sociologists focus more on national policies, diverse sociological contributions emphasize the importance of SNEPs and their origins, diffusion, implementation, and sources of backlash. We begin by providing a typology of SNEPs. Next, we highlight not only environmental sociology (with its particular attention to climate change and energy) but also the sociologies of social movements, politics, the economy, science, risk, and organizations, which have each offered unique perspectives. Finally, we outline an agenda for how sociologists can further elaborate a distinctive perspective that highlights inequality, valuation, diffusion, scale shifts, and venue-shopping up to national and global policy systems.

Extolling The Role of Sociology of Education in Empowering Individuals with Disabilities in Nigeria

The paper examined the extolling the role of sociology of education in empowering individuals with disabilities in Nigeria. The paper discussed the concept of disabilities, education, sociology, and sociology of education. The paper also discussed the Contributions of Sociology of Education to People with Disabilities in Nigeria which included; critical analysis of educational systems, understanding social dynamics, advocacy and policy development, examining intersectionality, empowering marginalized voices, critical analysis of social structures, advocacy for inclusive policies, understanding intersectionality among others. The paper concluded that sociology of education stands as a beacon of empowerment for individuals with disabilities in Nigeria. sociology of education paves the way for the empowerment of individuals with disabilities, nurturing a society where every member has the opportunity to thrive and contribute meaningfully. Sociology of education serves as a powerful force for empowerment among individuals with disabilities in Nigeria. The paper recommended among others that; government, non-governmental organization and education philanthropists to provide training and professional development opportunities for educators on inclusive teaching strategies, government should empower individual with disabilities themselves by providing them with opportunities for leadership, advocacy and skill development, teachers and care givers of the people with disability should treat and give them adequate care, love and attention, only specialized teachers with at least a minimum of first degree in special education should be allowed to teach and handle people with disability.

Gendered anti-blackness, maternal health & chattel slavery: OB/Gyn knowledge as a determinant of death of black women

This archival investigation of the Southern Medical and Surgical Journal (SMSJ) focuses on the construction of the American Ob/Gyn profession's medical knowledge system alongside chattel slavery, between 1834 and 1860. I find that language, methods of clinical management of bodies and decision-making processes illustrate the pathways that obstetrical knowledge served as a determinant of death for Black women under chattel slavery. These are byproducts of the condition of possibility, my theoretical framework. The condition, or use of gendered anti-Black logic/practice, specifically the social death and biological indispensability of Black women in the context of chattel slavery, shapes the subjective nature of medical knowledge into a determinant of maternal death for Black women. Using the condition of possibility as a theoretical framework, I will lay the groundwork to reframe the Ob/Gyn knowledge system as a current and ever-present threat to Black women and girls' health. This study's sociological contribution lies in examining medical knowledge construction as a series of social interactions, informed by gendered and racial ideologies, that determine health outcomes for Black women.

A globalized symbolic environment ward by the States and dominated by organizations: enticing the nobility and influencing the class habitus

Purpose Through Bourdieusian sociology, this study aims to interpret a globalized symbolic environment ward by the States and dominated by organizations through the States’ Nobilities enticing and the Euro-American influences disseminated by the cultural circuit of capitalism in the inculcation and incorporation of a class habitus conniving with this logic of domination. Design/methodology/approach This study has developed a theoretical essay based on the contributions of Bourdieusian sociology to discuss and understand the following concepts and their respective relationships: symbolic environment, globalization, organizations, State, State Nobility, Euro-American influences, cultural circuit of capitalism and class habitus. Findings The arguments built throughout this theoretical essay recognized how class habitus on environment contributes to organizations establishing themselves as a space that consolidates and replicates the domination logic. As indicated, the State Nobility is an intermediary element between dominant organizations and the State, as dominated. Practical implications This theoretical essay signals that less harmful alliances between organizations, the State Nobility and the State could culminate in social, environmental and economic scenarios provided with more inclusion, diversity and preservation. Social implications This study presents an in-depth conceptual analysis to hold power structures responsible as direct and indirect drivers of environmental problems, with their different proportions and severity levels, affecting the planet. Originality/value This study proposes an alternative lens to debate and question how much the results presented by the contemporary world order compensate (if in any way) the damage that invades and deteriorate environmental assets.

Quranic Analysis: A Critical Examination of Gender in Islamic and Western Paradigms

The modern era epitomizes a period of profound transformation across diverse spheres including science, technology, politics, and warfare, characterized by discovery, innovation, and globalization. European powers and their colonies spearheaded a comprehensive colonization endeavor encompassing politics, economics, and culture, shaping what we recognize today as the modern world. This era heralded the ascendance of capitalism, liberalism, materialism, and globalization, predominantly led by Western hegemony, notably post-Cold War American capital, extending its influence globally. Modernity, with its core tenets of moral autonomy, human rights, civil equality, consumerism, market freedom, and secularism, presents a formidable challenge to traditional religious frameworks, particularly within the Abrahamic Faiths. The secularization of society, relegating religion to the private sphere, prompts shifts within religious communities, including Islam, regarding values, ethics, and gender roles. Muslims navigate a complex landscape, torn between adherence to Islamic principles and the pervasive secular worldview propagated by the modern West. Despite maintaining Islamic beliefs and practices, individuals are inevitably influenced by the dominant secular paradigm, shaped by Western education systems and cultural norms. This convergence engenders a tension wherein Islamic principles are often interpreted through a liberal and secular lens, leading to internal conflicts, doubts, and confusion. This article endeavors to establish a framework for understanding gender within Islam, rooted in the foundational texts of the Quran and Sunnah. While acknowledging the potential contributions of sociology, anthropology, and gender studies to the discourse, the focus remains on traditional Islamic scholarship, drawing insights from Islamic jurisprudence and theology to elucidate gender roles and relations. By grounding the discussion in Islamic principles, the aim is to reconcile contemporary understandings of gender with the enduring teachings of Islam, offering clarity amidst the complexities of modernity. The research methodology for this article is primarily rooted in Islamic Hermeneutics or Islamic Textual Analysis that involves a systematic examination and understanding of scripture to derive meaning and guidance. The complexity of the topic also demands a nuanced exploration of the intersections between religion, culture, and modernity, with a specific focus on the evolving understanding of gender within the Muslim community. The research explored two questions: How does scripture define, discuss, and describe gender, and what implications does the Islamic paradigm of gender hold for contemporary societal attitudes and practices? As a result, the text highlights how society, media, literature, and culture heavily influence how we perceive ideas and process information, including our understanding and application of Islam. This can lead to conflict within ourselves, especially when we interpret Islamic texts and guidance through the prism of modern liberal thought or other ideologies. As Muslims, we need to remain grounded in our teachings and understanding that are rooted in the words of God and the example of His Prophet ﷺ. Our morals, values, ethics, and principles should not be shaped by the changing standards of society around us.

Quantitative Inquiry in the Early Sociology of W. E. B. Du Bois

Abstract A New Du Boisian Sociology has recently clarified, elevated, and synthesized Du Bois’s sociological contributions. We argue that more systematic and detailed study of Du Bois’s research methodologies, with an eye towards their contemporary applicability, can further strengthen this body of scholarship. Here we begin this effort with sustained attention to Du Bois’s use of quantitative data and methods during a productive and illustrative period around the turn of the twentieth century (1898–1902). This adds a level of depth and specificity to a subset of existing Du Bois scholarship that has more generally noted quantitative inquiry as one aspect of Du Bois’s social-scientific approach of mixed-methods triangulation. We detail how and why Du Bois developed an inductive, theoretically generative approach to his research on race. This orientation appears, at first glance, to be a misfit for contemporary quantitative sociology, which is currently skewed towards deductive theory testing and causal inference. We demonstrate that Du Bois’s quantitative methodology invites sociologists to return to exploratory, descriptive, and theoretically generative quantitative research based on creative syntheses of primary and secondary data that span generations and levels of institutional and geographic aggregation. Such data can, among other possibilities, assess within- and between-race comparisons and intersections of race with factors including class, gender, age, place, and time. Our study also enters Du Bois, as historical precedent, into current debates regarding quantification’s productive role, if any, in social science research on race/racism and other axes of systemic inequality.

Diversity, Dialogue, and the Sociology of Development

The study of development has been fundamental for sociologists since the earliest days of the discipline. Yet, after over a century of sociological inquiry, how much do we know about development, and what is the future of development from a sociological perspective? This special issue highlights how eclectic and inclusive the field of sociology of development has become in recent decades, illustrating the depth and proliferation of our sociological understanding of “development” through new theoretical and methodological approaches and explorations of emerging topics. In this introduction, we examine early sociological contributions to development theories and policies that have been central to sociology of development dialogue, and the questions that set a foundation for future research. In doing so, we argue that a commitment to inclusive creativity and critique of established views not only can shape sociological discussions but also has the potential to impact the institutionalization of knowledge in the policy arena.

Collective memory: between individual systems of consciousness and social systems.

Following a long period of neglect, research on different facets of collective memory is now developing apace in the human and social sciences, as well as at their interface with psychology and neuroscience. This resolutely multidisciplinary renewal of interest in memory sciences has given rise to a plethora of concepts with diverse meanings (e.g., social frameworks of memory, collective, shared, collaborative, social memory). The purpose of the present study was to provide a conceptual overview from a historical perspective, and above all to clarify concepts that are often used interchangeably, even though they refer to very different realities. Based on recent research in psychology and neuroscience, we use the concept of collective memory to refer to the operations of individual systems of consciousness. Collective memory is not the memory of a collective, but that of its individual members, either as members of social groups (shared memory) or as participants in social interactions (collaborative memory). Drawing on the contributions of contemporary sociology, we show that social memory is not collective memory, as it refers not to individual systems of consciousness, but to social systems. More specifically, it is the outcome of communication operations which, through redundancy and repetition, perform a continuous and selective re-imprinting of meaning that can be used for communication. Writing, printing and the new communication technologies constitute the three historical stages in the formation and development of an autonomous social memory, independent of living memories and social interactions. In the modern era, mass media fulfill an essential function of social memory, by sorting between forgetting and remembering on a planetary scale. When thinking about the articulation between collective memory and social memory, the concept of structural coupling allows us to identify two mechanisms by which individual systems of consciousness and social systems can interact and be mutually sensitized: schemas and scripts, and social roles. Transdisciplinary approach spearheads major methodological and conceptual advances and is particularly promising for clinical practice, as it should result in a better understanding of memory pathologies, including PTSD, but also cognitive disorders in cancer (chemobrain) or in neurodegenerative diseases.

A Sociological Imagination at Work: An Appreciation of the Contribution of John Eldridge

The early experience of John Eldridge (17 May 1936 to 24 December 2022) in teaching adult classes and research in industry led him to appreciate the understandings and expertise of shop-floor informants, and to think critically about the unequal relations of authority and power that conditioned people’s working lives. His radical Weberian orientation to dispassionate research fused with his Methodist background to underpin a strong linkage between his scholarship and a commitment to social justice and peace. Fully conversant with sociological research and theory, John explored the complexity and the variety of forms of conflict and accommodation in a distinctive sociological contribution to the debate on the character of workplace industrial conflict in the 1960s and 1970s, and the centrality of analyses of contested cultures, power relations and control strategies in the organization and evolution of industrial enterprises. Later, this formed the basis for a systematic investigation of media bias in industrial relations reportage. He also explored the contested issue of ‘industrial democracy’. John’s essays for Historical Studies in Industrial Relations revisited key researchers and texts in the sociology of work and industrial relations, and highlighted their continuing relevance for understanding our world.

Life's Work: History, Biography, and Ideas

Part personal autobiography, part intellectual history, this article offers lessons from a long career, reflections on my sociological contributions, and an account of how major social changes shaped my trajectory and made me the sociologist I am. I also offer an assessment of some of my central ideas and some new suggestions about how to understand culture.

Anorexia Nervosa and gender: a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach; Part 1 – Historical, epidemiological, clinical, and familial aspects

This study was performed in order to broaden the understanding of anorexia nervosa as a paradigmatic condition among eating disorders, considering the principle that individual and collective factors are fundamental in the construction of health and disease phenomena. The study is divided into three parts; in this one – the first - historical, etiologic, epidemiologic and clinical aspects are discussed; in the second part, the discussion involves the contributions of Psychology, Anthropology and Sociology, also in an interdisciplinary arrangement, as well as the third part - which concludes the study - presents a theoretical essay on the use of some homeopathic medicines applicable to the treatment of anorexia nervosa, considering the Law of Similarity of the Homeopathic Doctrine. A bibliographic review was performed over the state of the art of the clinical condition anorexia nervosa, using the PubMed search platform. Although each part of the study has an independent context, the reader will benefit from reading and understanding the three parts, since the interdisciplinary arrangement reinforces the understanding of the subject studied in its general and specific aspects. The first part is presented with emphasis on the etiological, epidemiological, clinical and familial aspects of the disorder, but always emphasizing the interaction with social determinants in the genesis of anorexia nervosa. It is concluded that interdisciplinary studies are necessary and can broaden understanding over the genesis of human suffering – as occurs in the clinical condition anorexia nervosa - thus bringing patients closer to the most effective therapies, in a holistic perspective.

Anorexia Nervosa and Gender - a Comprehensive Interdisciplinary Approach; Part 2: Collective and Individual Factors in the Construction of the Disorder

This study was performed to broaden the understanding of Anorexia Nervosa as a paradigmatic condition among eating disorders, considering the principle that individual and collective factors are fundamental in the construction of health and disease phenomena. This study is divided into three parts; in the first part - historical, etiologic, epidemiologic and clinical aspects are discussed; in the second part – this one -, the discussion involves the contributions of Psychology, Anthropology and Sociology, also in an interdisciplinary arrangement; the third part - which concludes the study - presents a theoretical essay on the use of some homeopathic medicines at least theoretically applicable to the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa, considering the Law of Similarity of the Homeopathic Doctrine. A bibliographic review was performed using the PubMed search platform. Although each part of the study has an independent context, the reader will benefit from reading and understanding the three parts. The second part – this one - is presented with emphasis on contributions of some of the main social sciences – Psychology, Anthropology and Sociology – and discusses theoretical concepts expressed by Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Jacques Lacan, Clifford Geertz, Marcel Mauss, among other scientists - always emphasizing the interaction between individual and collective factors as contributors to the genesis of Anorexia Nervosa. It is concluded that interdisciplinary studies are necessary and can broaden understanding over the genesis of human suffering – as occurs in the clinical condition Anorexia Nervosa - thus bringing patients closer to the most effective therapies, in a holistic perspective.

Sitas, the poet-sociologist of spaces for struggles and reconciliation: reconnecting postcolonial Cyprus to South Africa and the world

ABSTRACT This paper examines the intellectual and sociological contribution of Sitas as a diasporic public intellectual who bridges and navigates between continents. Sitas's creative, scientific, and critical engagement in postcolonial thinking connects Cyprus to Africa, drawing from both his country of origin, Cyprus, and South Africa, where he excelled as a dramatist, poet, sociologist and public intellectual. This ‘in-betweenness’ seems to be the basis for the vantage point from which to observe society to inspire him during his remarkable intellectual and artistic journey within and between the continents. Perhaps unknown outside Cyprus, Sitas has had a crucial impact on the development of critical social sciences and civic action in Cyprus: the study of racism, intolerance, and the potential for reconciliation and between Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots and bringing to Cyprus postcolonial perspectives from the Global South, opening new readings in the study of reconciliation, borders, migration, precarity and social space.

The relationship between social life and emotions. Adam Ferguson and sociology.

Adam Ferguson has a leading position among those who have developed a sociological interpretation of modernity that dismiss metaphysics without following the echoes of rationalism. Ferguson outlines a vision of social life that correlates the analysis of individual behavior to the study of social context and institutions. Consistently with this approach, the Scottish scholar emphasizes the multidimensionality of human beings without forgetting the non-rational features of social behavior. This essay aims to discuss Ferguson's thought with a special attention to the importance of the emotions in social life, so as to enhance the contribution of classical sociology to the analysis of the emotionality. Ferguson, in fact, argues that emotions have a leading role in shaping the behaviors and values of individuals. Developed in the context of Scottish Enlightenment, Ferguson's sociology shows how the study of modern society can be reconciled with a reasonable as well as emotional approach to social life.

Brief adjustments to the contribution of historical sociology to Latin-American constitutionalism

Resumo O objetivo principal do artigo é apresentar a sociologia histórica como método apto a gerar abordagens inovadoras para o campo do direito constitucional latino-americano. Considerando a lógica da longa duração (long durée), o artigo problematiza a necessidade de superação da dinâmica constituinte apenas como uma construção do futuro para alçar a uma estratégia de desvelamento de continuidades. A partir de elementos da realidade brasileira, o artigo apresenta dois casos em que são indicadas as potencialidades de aplicação do método da sociologia histórica para o constitucionalismo na região. O primeiro trata da permanência da legalidade autoritária a partir da atuação dos tribunais após a redemocratização da região. O segundo discorre sobre a formação normativa constitucional e infraconstitucional da administração pública brasileira. A metodologia utilizada é a do ensaio analítico e seu fundamento, para a indicação dos problemas históricos concretos apresentados, é a abertura do método da sociologia histórica à hibridação de disciplinas.

Sociological contributions to the study of social innovation: A critical review

AbstractSociology has long been interested in innovating solutions to social problems. However, this desire has also been a source of controversy as it can conflict with the discipline's ambition also to be recognized as a hard science. This paper critically reviews sociological contributions to the study of social innovation. It first contextualizes these contributions by discussing the origins of sociology's interest in transforming society, the growing tension between that interest and sociology's other aspiration to create objective knowledge about the social world, and how more sociologists have relocated to business schools where most research on social innovation is now being conducted. Next, it summarizes sociologists' contributions, which emphasize how social innovation is organized by institutions, networks, social movements, and organizations themselves. It then discusses criticisms of this work and responses to these critiques. It concludes by asking whether sociologists' research on social innovation has advanced their discipline's dual mission of reforming and explaining society and what additional studies are needed.

On welfare pluralism, social policy and the contribution of sociology: Revisiting Robert Pinker.

On occasion it makes sound sense to undertake a retrospective review of a late colleague's contribution to his or her subject area. This applies to Robert Pinker, Professor of Social Administration at the London School of Economics, who died at the age of 89 in February 2021. Over a long life he made a major impact on working for press freedom and to social work studies, but this article concerns his work on social policy, and particularly on the idea of welfare pluralism, a many-faceted idea the exploration of which powered two pathbreaking books Social Theory and Social Policy (1971) and The Idea of Welfare (1979). In the twentieth century many states including the United Kingdom had greatly expanded their welfare provisions for their citizens, and, in some, an academic subject area, often called social administration or social policy had grown in response. Pinker started writing in the 1960s, dissatisfied with the conventional approach of Richard Titmuss and others, almost exclusively concerned with the state and welfare. He made the case for a radical rebalance toward including everyday experiences of obligations and how familial informal welfare practices are strengthened, weakened or modified by formal social services. However, ahead of his time, Pinker was arguing for an enhanced sociological imagination in the study of social policy and on the very idea of "welfare". This article has sections reflecting the facets of Pinker's thinking about welfare pluralism, including "social policy's past", "exchange and stigma", "taking informal welfare seriously", "divergent views of altruism", "comparative studies", "on a mixture of means to welfare" and "aspects of Pinker's legacy". The idea of welfare pluralism is now familiar. But Pinker's crucial pioneering role, depth of understanding of the issues and grasp of their intertwining is seldom recalled. This article should help to meet the need for his contribution to be reinserted into the mainstream of sociological thought on welfare, so enriching new research.

L'animal et l'homme: De l'exploitation à la sauvegarde ed. by Anne-Marie Flambard-Héricher and François Blary

Reviewed by: L'animal et l'homme: De l'exploitation à la sauvegarde ed. by Anne-Marie Flambard-Héricher and François Blary Violette Pouillard (bio) L'animal et l'homme: De l'exploitation à la sauvegarde Edited by Anne-Marie Flambard-Héricher and François Blary. Paris: Éditions du Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques, 2021. Pp. 358. This edited collection, which gathers papers around the theme of the exploitation and protection of both domestic and wild animals, is one of several collections of the proceedings of the 141st French National Congress of Historical and Scientific Societies (Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques) devoted to the theme "Animal and Man." In line with the Congress's multidisciplinary approach, this volume brings together contributions in history, archaeology, archaeozoology, sociology, anthropology, and geography, as well as fields including architecture, information and communication sciences, ethics, and (ethno)pharmacology. The associated diversity of heuristic and methodological issues is reinforced by the broad spectrum of themes, cultural areas, and periods investigated. Thus, if the publication of the proceedings of the annual Congress reflects the current state of the art and research debates, as stated in its aims, this edited collection cannot escape the observation that research in human-animal studies is marked by a deep fragmentation. The exploitation-protection dialectic forms a salutary binding theme; however, the effect is diminished by the absence of introductory remarks for each part of the volume. Finally, though the field of animal history, and more broadly of human-animal studies, has been marked by a profound renewal of research questions for more than a decade, notably around the integration of animals as actors into academic narratives and the forms this integration may take, the book evokes these historiographical debates only marginally. Although the book cannot reflect the current state of the art, it indirectly raises questions about the place and future of the field of animal history and human-animal studies: Is the human-animal issue sufficient to define or institutionally establish a field of research that would be interdisciplinary by nature? How can animal history dialogue with other research fields, and can the discipline exempt itself from addressing historiographical issues that have [End Page 582] influenced adjacent fields such as environmental history (e.g., concerning the social impact of wildlife conservation policies) or the history of science (e.g., the revaluation of empirical knowledge) without running the risk of provincialism or isolation? Finally, could the prominence of controversies regarding the status and condition of animals in (French) academic and public discourse blur the boundaries between academic production and societal debates on the "animal issue," rather than enrich academic production and enhance its specificity and (societal) interest? The defense of the "indispensable nature of animal experimentation" (p. 291) by Jean Costentin and Hubert Vaudry, who write as practitioners and not as researchers in ethics, particularly highlights this issue. Despite the heterogeneous character of the volume, the reader will find in it many interesting contributions, impossible to detail in full here. An important set of contributions focuses on the choices and constraints associated with the use of animals and animal products which, as demonstrated in several articles on medieval (Sarah Claire) and early modern (Opaline Robin and Benoît Clavel) cases, can only be understood in relation to the changing economic, social, and environmental specificities of the time, the study of which requires a localized and fine-tuned approach. Other contributions, in particular that of Mathieu Béghin on intensive pig farming in Amiens during the Middle Ages, reframe the intensification of livestock farming in the long-term and shed light on local to regional remapping of farming geographies resulting from increases in productivity. Catherine Chadefaud and Philippe Madeline both draw attention to the interest of approaching such socio-spatial redistribution through the gestures, techniques, and structures of animal husbandry. In the third part of the book, on the dialectic between protection and destruction, moving from Nicolas Baron's contribution on rabies in cattle, which sheds light on the protective role of vaccines, to Christiane Demeulenaere-Douyère's article on the antivivisection and antivaccination activities of the activist Marie Huot (1846–1930) brings to light the tensions between...