Discipline Of Sociology Research Articles

Vivat universitas! 100 years of institutionalisation of sociology at the Belarusian State University

The article identifies three stages in the development of sociology at BSU, reveals their content and features. It is argued that the institutionalisation of sociology on the territory of Belarus began with the opening of the Belarusian State University and the creation of the department of sociology and primitive culture, where students were given lectures on genetic sociology, issues of labour, law, cultural history, and sociology of family and marriage. After the identification of historical materialism with sociology, the teaching of sociological disciplines was excluded from the curricula of BSU. Sociology revived in the 1960s with the creation of the Problematic Research Laboratory of Sociological Studies at the BSU. In its depths, as well as in the sector of applied sociology at the department of philosophy of the humanities faculties, personnel were trained and the necessary conditions were created for the opening of the section of sociology and the department of sociology in 1989. Professor G. P. Davidyuk is rightfully considered to be the founder of modern Belarusian sociology. Currently, at BSU, centuries-old traditions in the field of sociological science and education are being developed at the Center for Sociological and Political Researches and at the department of sociology of the faculty of philosophy and social sciences. It is concluded that BSU is one of the leading universities in the post-Soviet space and it possesses everything necessary for its further development. Sociological science and scientific schools are actively developing at BSU. The university staff includes well-known specialists who provide the training of highly qualified personnel with competences to work in conditions of global instability and readiness to give an adequate respond to the new challenges of the time.

Laras Madya's Resistance to the Mass Cultural Hegemony and Its Impact on Traditional Societies' Habitus

The problem in this study reviews the efforts of the survival and resistance of LarasMadya against the domination of cultural hegemony that is popular in the wider community. Considering that art LarasMadya is one of the cultural heritage products in the form of a traditional musical ensemble that still survives in the community and is the foundation of the existence of folk culture, it is necessary to maintain and develop it. This study will discuss in more depth the community's resistance efforts in maintaining LarasMadya in the millennial era amid the domination of the cultural hegemony that continues to attack. The resistance, of course, can’t be separated from the habitus of the environment in it. The study approach method in this paper is interdisciplinary, or uses more than one disciplines. In detail, this study uses the disciplines of Sociology and Anthropology to focus on the concept of resistance by James Scott to analyze his efforts to survive (resistance). Meanwhile, to study the habits of the community, using the discipline of cultural studies, the habitus theory of Pierre Bourdieu. This study resulted in findings about the influence of LarasMadya on the habits inherent in traditional community groups. As for the influence on the habits of traditional communities, namely orienting the values of Laras Madya as a reflection of life. Meanwhile, resistance to LarasMadya can also be observed in two forms of resistance, namely open and closed resistance. Consciously or not, very hard efforts are being made to survive and fight the domination of the cultural hegemony of the masses.

Sociologie za mřížemi? Penitenciární sociologie v České republice

The aim of this paper is to introduce discipline of penitentiary sociology, discuss its forms in the context of the Czech Republic, and answer the question of why sociologists do not participate in everyday practice behind bars of Czech prisons even though they have formal ties with this environment. The findings presented in this paper are based on qualitative research conducted in Czech prisons. The data corpus includes qualitative interviews with selected actors in the prison world and an analysis of relevant documents relating to the research topic. Sociology and the prison system meet on two basic levels in the Czech Republic. As an external partnership that seems to have grown stronger over the years and as an internal bond that has weakened (and almost been dismissed) since the end of the 1990s. Sociology has formally retained a place behind the bars of Czech prisons thanks to the sociologists who according to the regulations of the Czech prison service should figure among the prison staff. In reality, the initial enthusiasm for this practice faded over the years and there are no sociologists currently working in Czech prisons. In this paper the author presents some possible explanations for this, ofers a historical description of the (non)participation of sociologists in Czech prisons, and discusses the possibilities for the future development of Czech penitentiary sociology.

The Role of Religious Experiences and Religious Institutions: Comparing Peter L. Berger’s and Hans Joas’ Approach to Religion

Abstract Hans Joas (born 1948) has repeatedly criticized Peter L. Berger (1929–2017) for placing religious experiences in the cognitive realm, where it runs the risk of being “contaminated” by secularization and pluralism. Instead, Joas has proposed to locate religious experiences in the “deeper layers” of the human person, where it is protected against mere cognitive reductionism and against contamination by secularization and pluralism. Despite his critique, Joas follows a similar path of Berger, as he explains the phenomenon of religion from an inductive point of view that originates in the experiential realm. This article demonstrates how Joas’ approach operates on a similar methodology like the one of Berger and ultimately results in similar theoretical conclusions despite their differing theoretical foundations. Moreover, this article illuminates an implicit methodological similarity between Joas and Berger that, on the one hand, differs from one of the taken-for-granted methodologies in the discipline of sociology (of religion), and, on the other hand, strongly influences the disposition of religious institutions in their definition of religion.

Rurality and Crises of Democracy: What Can Rural Sociology Offer the Present Moment?*

AbstractThis article discusses the growing political divide in the United States and how ideological polarization has increasingly assumed spatial dimensions, as rural areas have become strongly associated with Republican support, and urban areas have become associated with strong Democratic support. In the context of the recent Trump administration, marked not only by authoritarian tendencies, ethno‐nationalism, and hostility towards democratic institutions, but its denouement represented by the U.S. Capitol insurrection on January 6th, 2021 and the weeks that followed, what are the implications for growing spatialized civic and political divides, and indeed for democracy itself? I discuss several main approaches taken by social scientists to explain the relationship between spatial and political divides in the United States, including those that focus on shifting political geographies, cultural factors, economic anxiety, and racial resentment. Then, pointing to several recent exemplars, I identify theoretical, methodological, and perspectival strengths that the discipline of rural sociology can and should engage in developing explanatory frameworks for better understanding these social and spatial shifts – shifts that are simultaneously crises of democracy and crises of epistemology.

A TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE PEDAGOCIG WORKERS’ PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY UNDER QUALIFICATION IMPROVEMENT CONDITIONS

The article discloses the essence of such notions as competency, professional competency, technology; it is proved that improvement of professional competency in pedagogic workers in the course of their qualification improvement occurs due to a technology, the constituents of which are lectures, seminar classes and trainings. The authors have determined considerable differences in methodologies on conducting laboratory and practical classes in nature sciences and humanities and sociology disciplines to attain the main goals of training, as well as the methodology of teaching juridical disciplines at higher education institutions. The importance of the attained knowledge in rendering socio-psychological and corrective services to students with special learning needs and its practical application in the higher education institutions’ practices has been researched; also, the efficiency of the described technology for the qualification improvement courses attendees in their further pedagogic activities has been proved.

The Road Less Travelled: Using Administrative Data To Understand Inequalities By Sexual Orientation

Understanding the processes contributing to equality of opportunity and outcomes in contemporary societies is at the core of the discipline of sociology. This paper illustrates the value of administrative data to underpin research aimed at identifying, monitoring, and addressing socio-economic disparities between population groups. To accomplish this, I draw on three case studies of recent empirical research leveraging administrative data to examine processes contributing to the (re)production of inequalities by sexual orientation. Collectively, the three case studies exemplify how data sources that fall within the broad category of ‘administrative data’ can help social researchers generate new, policy-relevant knowledge on socio-economic inequalities, as well as robust information to contextualize public and legislative debate. The paper concludes with a discussion of the promises and challenges of using administrative data to understand inequalities by sexual orientation, as well as inequalities between other minority and majority groups.

Knowledge, boundaries, and bodies: Social construction between medical sociology and science and technology studies

AbstractMedical sociology and science and technology studies (STS) emerged from different positions, but often closely related concerns, within the broad discipline of sociology. Their interface and areas of overlap have mostly been shaped by theoretical positions broadly considered “social constructionist.” Taken together, these perspectives provide empirical and theoretical tools to analyze important questions about how social inequalities, forms of scientific knowledge, and patterns of human health come to be produced and feedback into one another. Examining their intersection enables sociological questions such as: How is medical and public health scientific knowledge produced, stabilized, and taken as fact? How are scientific facts about health and illness used, experienced, and challenged? What is the relationship between health inequalities and public health or medical knowledge? This article seeks to briefly trace the important contributions that social constructionist research has made at the interstices of medical sociology and STS, further clarifying the history, points of intersection, and areas of diversion between them. The current COVID‐19 pandemic has unveiled the political struggles that constitute public health scientific knowledge and circulation. The interface between STS and medical sociology can help us to make sense of the interrelationships between politics, power inequalities, and public health scientific knowledge.

English

These are times that trouble the soul. American sociologist, pragmatist, and race historian, W.E.B. Du Bois can be helpful in examining and resolving some of the racial and political tensions in the United States. After the lynching of sixty-two African Americans in Atlanta in 1906, Du Bois wrote a year later that the problem of the nineteenth century is the problem of color line. An examination of his’ race theory is helpful in the same way as history is instructive. Black history is intertwined and forms with the mosaic of American history.  Du Bois as a sociologist cannot be separated from Du Bois as a social activist. His life was one of incessant struggle to challenge the status quo and to expose the contradictory nature of nation’s ideals. His intellectual pedigree underscores his political and social activism. Du Bois is relevant today to the secular as well and the religious world in the struggle for social justice. This paper argues that a re-reading of Du Bois should be examined in view of the totality of his own professed religious and spiritual temperament and sensibilities.  Du Bois challenges the discipline of sociology to probe into the unexplored dimension of his life and works. This is also a clarion call for young people of all races and ethnicities to interrogate the relevance of his work in addressing social justice. His theory informs his praxis more so today as the nation faces new challenges in post-Obama presidency and the ravaging effects of COVID-19.   Key words: Africanism, double consciousness, Africa, justice inequality, Jim Crow, racism, sociology, prophets, secular.

The History of Protestant Youth Ministry; a Review

Abstract In the academic study of youth ministry, the disciplines of theology, sociology, and biblical studies are well represented, but not the discipline of history. This paper reviews what has been written about the history of Protestant youth ministry and attempts to synthesise changes over time. Then it highlights particular insights taken from the histories that could help those involved in youth ministry to be critical about their thinking and practice and to undertake practical theology. The insights identified are: the impact of historical context on youth ministry; the tension between nurture and conversion; the influence of theology; the relevance of class; and the importance of considering gender. This paper highlights the need for more research in this area and suggests that this research could assist youth ministers in considering their goals in ministry, their methodology, and the effectiveness of different kinds of youth organisations.

Elfreda Chatman, Theorist and Teacher: Reflections on Her Lessons on Theory Development in Information Science

Dr. Elfreda Chatman was a professor of library and information science at the University of North Carolina and Florida State University in the 1990s and early 2000s until her passing in 2002. Her research incorporated the disciplines of education, sociology, and LIS, covering topics at the nexus of these fields, from which she worked to develop a unified theoretical framework for scientific inquiry. Chatman’s work and teachings are as useful today as they were 20 years ago. Her approach to teaching theory development is explored by examining her course syllabi, her extensive course reading list, and students’ lecture notes. Chatman improved library and information science by encouraging scholars to combine theory with practice in their study of the interaction between people and information.

FEATURES OF THE USE OF COMPARATIVE METHODS IN TEACHING THE DISCIPLINE «COMPARATIVE SOCIOLOGY»

The article examines the features of the discipline of comparative sociology. In the process of mastering the discipline, first of all, the author expresses the opinion that the discipline is taught with a deep understanding of its features. In many fields of science, especially in the natural, social and human sciences, special attention is paid to the specifics of the comparative method, which is first used in research. In particular, the author will try to reveal the features of the application of J.S. Mill’s method of gauche induction in sociology. The author emphasizes that before embarking on a research, a research scientist must first analyze what and how to analyze a given problem. The author points out that comparative research in the social sciences is much more difficult. A researcher of social problems must pay attention to the volatility of society, which means that the object of research also changes. Mill’s research methods are consistent with experiments in experimental sciences. It’s application in sociological sciences leads to some difficulties in work. Because society is always changing, and with it the way of life. The fact social change is also reflected in social progress is likely to mean the instability of the research subject.

Leocadiya Mikhailovna Drobizheva. Life in Science

The article presents the scientific biography of L.M. Drobizheva (1933–2021), who headed the Moscow School of Ethnic Sociology for many years. The article reveals the stages of the formation of ethnosociology in USSR and later in Russia — from its origin in the late 1960s as a method of field ethnographic research aimed at studying the ethno-social processes of Soviet society, to the formation by the end of the second decade of the XXI century as a branch sociological discipline that studies the processes and phenomena that arise in an ethnically marked social space. The article describes the transformation of the methodological approaches of the Moscow ethno-sociological school, the outstanding contribution of L.M. Drobizheva to the formation of the scientific method of the School, and its connection with social practice.

The town of bent necks: interorganizational causes and consequences of relational rivalry

PurposeThis study aims at developing a conceptual framework for the networking behaviour of firms having relational and non-relational competitive interactions. Initially the question of how negative ties change the meaning of competition for the rival firms was discussed and then how these types of interactions can change possible networking preferences of organizations were theoretically estimated.Design/methodology/approachThis study suggests that relational rivalry is closely linked with negative ties and even the emergence of strong positive ties among firms is viewed as a consequence of dyadic negative interactions. Different types of competitive conditions were classified under non-relational and relational categories.FindingsNot applicable.Originality/valueA majority of the studies on interorganizational networks are mostly concerned with positive tie formation patterns and the consequences of these interactions. However, there is limited number of macro-level studies, which realized explanatory potential of the negative interfirm relations. Negative interorganizational relations may also make significant contributions to the discipline of economic sociology.

Elfreda Chatman, Theorist and Teacher: Reflections on Her Lessons on Theory Development in Information Science

Dr. Elfreda Chatman was a professor of library and information science at the University of North Carolina and Florida State University in the 1990s and early 2000s until her passing in 2002. Her research incorporated the disciplines of education, sociology, and LIS, covering topics at the nexus of these fields, from which she worked to develop a unified theoretical framework for scientific inquiry. Chatman’s work and teachings are as useful today as they were 20 years ago. Her approach to teaching theory development is explored by examining her course syllabi, her extensive course reading list, and students’ lecture notes. Chatman improved library and information science by encouraging scholars to combine theory with practice in their study of the interaction between people and information.

\u201cQuiet is the New Loud\u201d: The Biosociology Debate\u2019s Absent Voices

In 2000, a controversial article about hormones and gender roles was published to stimulate debate about whether and how biological knowledge should be integrated in sociological research. Two decades later, this so-called biosociology debate is more relevant than ever, as biological knowledge has become widespread across societies and scientific disciplines. Hence, we as sociologists are regularly confronted with biological explanations that challenge our own explanations. Whether this happens in the scientific arena, the classroom, media, or even at social events, these situations often force us, individually, to take a stance on whether to meet such explanations with dialogue or opposition. One could therefore expect that sociologists have an interest in discussing these issues with their peers, but their lack of participation in the biosociology debate suggests otherwise. This paper explores possible reasons for this absence and how sociologists’ views on biosociology are influenced by key agents – sociological associations and journals. Smith’s “A Sacred project of American Sociology”, and Scott’s “A Sociology of Nothing” served as theoretical tools in the paper. A qualitative content analysis of presidential addresses of four sociological associations was conducted. The analyses suggest that sociologist avoid biosociology for widely different reasons, including fear that biosociology legitimizes oppression. This avoidance is probably reinforced by the leftish politization of the sociological discipline and the rightish politization of society. Overcoming obstacles to engagement in biosociology is required to safeguard the scientific integrity of sociology and enable sociologists to provide relevant contributions to research on the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.

Sociotherapy in the Time of COVID-19: A Critical Position Paper on the Importance of Sociology.

This paper contends that sociotherapy, a sociologically informed approach to therapy, is a viable alternative to the diagnostic model recognized by the College of Registered Psychotherapists in Ontario (CRPO). The Psychotherapy Act (2007) along with the Regulated Health Professions Act (1991) gives the CRPO authorization to regulate the practice of psychotherapy and to control titles affiliated with the act of psychotherapy. I offer a discussion of sociotherapy and socioanalysis as clinical alternatives to the conservative and normalizing approaches endorsed by the College. I situate sociotherapy and socioanalysis in the discipline of sociology and in relation to Freudian psychoanalysis. I offer my own sociotherapeutic practice as an illustration of how the societal and the psychological, the social, and the psychic must be engaged in concert. I underscore the importance of dialogue, as opposed to diagnostics, interpretation as opposed to assessments and psychosocial contemplation as opposed to cognitive-behavioral treatment in clinical practice.

METHODS OF TEACHING SOCIOLOGICAL DISCIPLINES FOR STUDENTS OF THE SPECIALTY «231-SOCIAL WORK»

During the period of reforming of higher education in Ukraine, issues related to the methodology and technology of teaching sociological disciplines in higher education for non-core specialties become relevant. Sociology as a science is especially relevant in Ukraine, as it preconditions the creation of scientific foundations of a conscious civil society, which enriches the population with freedom of thought and harmonious development. In order for an individual to use the obtained freedom responsibly and effectively, it is necessary to understand the fundamental principles of the functioning of various institutions of the state, its social phenomena and processes. That is why there is a need to analyze and improve the existing methods of teaching sociological disciplines. The aim of the study is to research methods of teaching sociological disciplines for students majoring in «231 − Social Work». The following methods and approaches were used in the course of research: system analysis − to find out the characteristics of modern methods of teaching sociological disciplines in free economic zones; comparative and multifactor analysis − to compare the existing types of teaching methods in the free economic zone; method of operationalization of concepts − to describe the specifics of teaching sociological disciplines in higher educational establishments. The method of teaching sociological disciplines is that it forms in students majoring in «social work» culture and thinking, the ability to correctly perceive social processes occurring in our post-communist society, contributes to the formation of knowledge about social reality, explains the logic of social development, develops conceptual apparatus, methodology and methods of sociological research.

PECULIARITIES OF TEACHING THE SUBJECT «METHODS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH» FOR STUDENTS OF THE SPECIALTY «231-SOCIAL WORK»

In modern Ukrainian society there is a problem of professional training of students, which depends on the quality and features of methods of teaching professional disciplines. Also in recent years, the specialty of social work is gaining importance and almost no state can do without qualified social workers who not only provide assistance to various groups, but also participate in the development of regulations and legislation. Social work as a branch of social knowledge that is actively developing, covers both global social technologies and certain methods of working with specific types of social problems. The subject «Methods of social research» is based on modern methods of collecting and processing information and sociological data, which will undoubtedly help the sociologist and social worker in solving social problems. The purpose of the article is to identify and study the features of teaching the subject «Methods of Social Research», the material of which is necessary for future social workers in working with different groups and social problems. General scientific and sociological methods of cognition of social phenomena and processes were used, namely: logical-historical, structural-functionalist and comparative analysis − to study the peculiarities of teaching sociological disciplines; analysis and synthesis − to highlight the content of teaching methods; classifications − for typology of methods of teaching disciplines; structural-functional analysis − to clarify the structure of teaching. The following features of teaching the subject «Methods of social researches» can be revealed: studying of the modern SPSS program which is necessary for social workers during research work; the teacher uses different teaching methods depending on the level of knowledge of students and the complexity of the topic; teachers involve students in writing research papers, which are an integral part of training of future bachelors and masters; in addition to the material according to the curriculum, students also study general competencies.

Migrujące pojęcie kultury. Wokół antropologii Clifforda Geertza

The article concerns the problem of the boundary between the disciplines of anthropology and sociology, and changes in the way of understanding the concept of culture. The main thesis of the article the concept of culture. The main thesis of the article is the claim that the socio-economic changes, after the Second War, lead to a redefinition of the concept of culture, and for blurring the boundary between anthropology and sociology. Culture today becomes a social issue. It is no longer a matter of discovering new lands, tropics and orient. Culture has become something ordinary today, something that seems to be among ordinary people, who living in ordinary cities. The subject of the article goes around Clifford Geertz’s theory of culture, because he is an anthropologist who notices this blurring of boundaries. In order to achieve the aim of the article and confirm the thesis put forward in it, the author divided the text into three parts. In the first one she presents – in outline – the turns and changes that took place both in science and in the social sphere. In the second part, she refers to Geertz’s theory and tries to show what his understanding of the concept of culture looks like. In the third point, she tries to grasp this transitioning of culture into the area of sociology. In this context, the name of Talcott Parsons comes in.