Sociological Methodology Research Articles

Инклюзивное образование в современном китайском обществе: социологический анализ

This article delves into the analysis of inclusive education in modern Chinese society using sociological methodology. It explores the key factors influencing the development of this educational approach in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), including state policies, social attitudes, cultural characteristics, and economic conditions. Particular attention is paid to the specifics of the development of inclusive education at the present stage and the prospects for its transformation in the near future. The study critically evaluates the effectiveness of existing models of inclusive education and offers recommendations for improving the system. These recommendations include revising principles governing the classification and ranking of disability forms to align them with standards established by the World Health Organization, introducing amendments to China’s current legislation pertaining to educational policies in both schools and universities, improving the accessibility of inclusive education through enhancements in educational infrastructure, increasing the number of professionally trained teachers whose pedagogical preparation meets the demands of inclusive education, and augmenting financial investments in the education of children with special educational needs.

Methodology of the comparative sociology of trust (case study of Russia and China)

The article deals with the methodological issues of the comparative sociology of trust. In order to compare the level of trust in different countries a set of indicators is proposed (generalized trust; particularized trust; trust radius; institutional trust). The problems of measuring generalized and institutional trust in China and Russia are revealed. Based on World Values Survey data, a comparative analysis of trust levels in the Russian Federation and China is carried out. The authors also present data from their own empirical study of trust (telephone survey of the population in St. Petersburg and Leningradskaya Oblast; Internet study of trust, in-depth interviews of both residents of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China). To explain the processes of transformation of trust in the Russian Federation and China, a modernization approach is used and the role of a culture of trust is revealed. China has a high level of both generalized and institutionalized trust based on its own specific culture of trust. But the radius of trust is narrow and indicators of out-group trust are extremely low. In Russia, the level of generalized trust is low, but the level of institutional trust is average, radius of trust is wider and the level of out-group trust is higher. Particularized trust is approximately the same in China and Russia; at least, we have not identified any special “familistic culture of trust”.

Mapping human‐carnivore coexistence: approaches to integrating anthropogenic influences on carnivore distribution and connectivity modelling

AbstractInterdisciplinary approaches to modelling human‐wildlife coexistence have gained much attention in recent years, especially regarding carnivores which are subject to historical human persecution and dynamic attitudes and cultural values. Accordingly, there have been many attempts to gain insights into anthropogenic influences on carnivores through the use of species distribution models and connectivity analyses. However, there have been no global reviews on how anthropogenic influences are incorporated into such models. We conducted a literature review of global terrestrial carnivore species distribution and connectivity studies from 1995 to 2021 to evaluate the type of measure, frequency of use and spatial scale of the predictor variables used to describe environmental conditions and assess anthropogenic influences in such predictive models. We evaluated 2495 variables from 263 carnivore distribution and connectivity studies and found that variables used to describe environmental conditions are four times more commonly used than those used to assess anthropogenic influences on carnivores. However, the number of anthropogenic covariates used in carnivore distribution and connectivity studies has increased by 4.7% per year, and the spatial resolution of those covariates has simultaneously decreased by 7.6% per year. We observed that anthropogenic covariates were used more in studies occurring in the global north and for larger‐bodied carnivores (>15 kg), suggesting the need for better integration of anthropogenic metrics into predictive models more widely and for smaller‐bodied carnivores. To help guide and advance the further use of sociological data into predictive spatial models for carnivores, we propose a framework that emphasizes integration of sociological methodologies and data sources ranging from exploratory expert elicitation to targeted focus group interviews at multiple phases in the conservation planning process.

Local Journalists as Brokers: Conceptualizing Information Relationships in Rural Communities

ABSTRACT This paper introduces the concept of brokerage to the scholarship of local news. Drawing on anthropological conceptions of actors that bridge gaps in social structure and help information flow across such gaps, we propose that local journalists act as cultural brokers in rural towns. Building upon Gould and Fernandez (1989, “Structures of Mediation: A Formal Approach to Brokerage in Transaction Networks.” Sociological Methodology 19:89. https://doi.org/10.2307/270949), we employ a typology of five brokerage functions to classify relationships between local journalists, their sources, and their audiences. In addition to coordinating, itinerant, representative, liaison, and gatekeeping brokerage, our analysis reveals a novel type of brokerage: relay brokerage. We argue that this typology is useful to conceptualize information relationships in rural communities and to understand how information flows change when local journalism ebbs. Empirically, the paper presents a comprehensive study of staffing at rural newspapers in Alberta, Canada, revealing that local media are stretched so thin in many geographic areas, there is little left to cut. For scholars, this simplified media ecosystem is an environment where relationships between reporters, sources, and audiences may be more easily analyzed.

The Jewish Yom Kippur (Lev. 16:11-22) and its Relationship with Effutu Aboakyer Festival: A Theological Reflection

This paper explored the parallels between the Jewish Yom Kippur ritual as described in Leviticus 16:11-22 and the Effutu Aboakyer festival celebrated by the Effutu people of Ghana, West Africa. Drawing upon anthropological and sociological methodologies, the study conducted a close exegesis of Leviticus 16:11–22, elucidating its atoning rituals and practices. By situating these rituals within the cultural context of the Effutu community, the paper unveiled remarkable similarities between the Yom Kippur observance and the Aboakyer festival. The chosen methodology acknowledged Scripture’s inherent socio-cultural insights and engages with anthropological research to enrich understanding. The study argued that atonement in traditional festivals does not achieve salvation for humanity; only Jesus’ sacrifice saves. Ultimately, this exploration offers theological reflections that resonate with both African and biblical contexts, shedding light on the enduring relevance of ancient rituals in contemporary cultural frameworks. Keywords: Christ, Effutu Aboakyer Festival, Christ, Leviticus 16, Yom Kippur

The specifics of the subjects of crimes with administrative prejudice in the field of road safety

The subject of this study is the key features of the perpetrators of crimes against road safety, the legal construct of which is made using administrative law. The special status of persons committing crimes of this kind is emphasized by gross disregard for the rules established by law, disregard for the regulations in force against them. Based on the analysis of statistical indicators of road traffic accidents caused by drivers of vehicles, the public danger of committing such criminal acts is justified. These acts imply the onset of criminal consequences only if the person who committed them has special features. The emphasis in this case is on the increased danger of the subjects themselves committing intentional violations of traffic rules, referring them to the malicious type of violators with legal nihilism. To define the concepts of this study, a dialectical methodology was used; in order to comprehensively understand the key features of subjects of crimes with administrative prejudice in the field of road safety, elements of sociological methodology were used. In the study of individual issues, private scientific methods were used, such as formal legal and comparative legal. The results of the conducted research are presented by the classification of signs possessed by the subjects of crimes with administrative prejudice in the field of road safety, their characteristics are given. The connection between the administrative prejudice and the subject as an element of the corpus delicti is substantiated, which, first of all, is justified by the assessment of the social danger of the offender and the choice of a preventive measure commensurate with the social danger of the offender. An important role in assessing public danger is played by determining the psychological portrait of the person who committed the crime, which covers the chronology of his administrative offenses and the frequency of violations of the same prescription. Based on the data obtained about the subject of the crime, the principles of proportionality of punishment and personal responsibility are implemented. In this case, these principles imply the influence of administrative prejudice on the fair distribution of sanctions, and previous administrative offenses aggravate the responsibility of the person.

Late Modern Projectivity and Existentialism

The article addresses the issue of the relationship between existentialism and late modern projectivity interpreted in terms of project work and of biographical projectivity. It does so from the perspective of transformations of subjectivity in modernity and late modernity, and, therefore, from the perspective of the process of individualization. The objective is to answer the question of the belonging of existentialism to one of these sociocultural formations. For these purposes, some major categories of existentialism such as project, anxiety, and temporality are analyzed. Their analysis leads to the conclusion that there is a close, structural correlation between existentialism and sociocultural structures of modernity as well as that existentialism, in contrast to late modern projectivity, has some emancipatory potential related to its alienating status in modernity. The article refers to the methodology of qualitative sociology.

Late Modern Individualization in Light of Critical Theory (the Frankfurt School): An Essay

The article describes the dialectic of the process of individualization in modernity and late modernity from the perspective of critical theory, particularly in its classical form (Frankfurt School). This dialectic consists in the transformation of individualization as a medium of emancipation into individualization understood not only as an ideology but most of all as a productive force of neoliberal capitalism, as a principle of its functioning. The article discusses the social-cultural determinants of this transformation, and subsequently the way in which late-modern individualism in the form of self-realization is functionalized by the market and subjected to the requirements of profit and efficiency in individual areas of economic and social life in the neoliberal world. The article refers to the methodology of qualitative sociology.

СОЦІОЛОГІЗАЦІЯ ПРИРОДНОГО ПРАВА: ДО ПИТАННЯ ПРО СУМІСНІСТЬ ТИПІВ ПРАВОРОЗУМІННЯ

The article presents research of the widespread tendency to justify the concept of natural law within empirical sociocultural and anthropological factors in order to deprive it of its metaphysical character, which corresponds to sociological methodology. Emphasis is laid on the assumption of fundamental compatibility of the concepts of natural and sociological law, which, according to the author, is false. This outlines the related goal of the thesis that lies in proving formal logical and methodological incompatibility of the aforementioned concepts as well as inability of the sociological interpretation of natural law to solve the problem of lack of trust therein. Emphasis is also laid on inability of sociological methodology to solve the problem of ethical justification of the correctness of legal standards and behavior, which is clearly manifested in the projections of legitimacy and values. It is emphasized that the ethical foundations of law are not derived from the actual condition and require absolute values of transcendent (metaphysical) nature. The conclusion is made that natural law and sociological law are comparable but logically incompatible concepts, since they are formed according to opposite essential features determining the oppositeness of the elements that constitute their scope. In addition, the notions and concepts under research are opposite according to the ontological principles of origin and essence as well as according to the cognitive ideals forming the principles of their methodology. Together, this makes it possible to insist on the oppositeness of their nature. However, their oppositeness does not exclude complementarity in performance of the methodological work they do, albeit in their own way. Therefore, the gaps in knowledge of the ontological foundations of the theory of natural law are not a reason to abandon its instrumental capabilities as a value-oriented measure for the norms established by people. To restore trust in natural law, sociologization thereof is not enough, since the empirical methodology of sociologism creates only the illusion of solution to the problem of justifying the ethical foundations of the legal order solved by the concept of natural law in a different cognitive way. Key words: natural law, sociological law, sociologization of natural law, sociological methodology, metaphysics, legitimacy, values.

СОЦИАЛЬНО-ПОЛИТИЧЕСКИЕ АСПЕКТЫ ВОСПИТАНИЯ СОВРЕМЕННОЙ РОССИЙСКОЙ МОЛОДЕЖИ

The purpose is the analysis of the socio-political aspects of modern Russian youth education in the context of the formation of Russian civic identity, patriotism, a system of value orientations and beliefs among the younger generation, the development of skills of political participation and political activity. Procedure and methods. The article, based on the methodology of sociology of education, examines the theoretical and methodological aspects of the political education of youth. An attempt is made to measure the political education of the younger generation on the basis of axiological and activity approaches. Results. It is shown that the result of political education is the level of political and legal culture of the individual, their active civic position. Based on the results of the study the authors of the article note that there is an urgent need to expand the range of the educational component of educational organizations based on the historical and political education of the younger generation. Theoretical significance. The assumption is substantiated that in a transforming society the political and sociocultural aspects of the ongoing changes come first, therefore, state investments in the human potential of society and, above all, in the comprehensive development of Russian youth seem to be a priority of state policy. The problems of theoretical and methodological aspects of political education as one of the important social institutions require understanding and development of methodological tools.

МІЖДИСЦИПЛІНАРНА СИНТЕЗІЯ КОНВЕНЦІЙ ТА ПАТЕРНІВ СУЧАСНОЇ ПОПУЛЯРНОЇ КУЛЬТУРИ США

This article offers a comprehensive interdisciplinary analysis of contemporary popular culture in the United States, with a focus on its development over the past two decades. The research encompasses various theoretical approaches, including philosophical, economic, sociological, psychological, historical, and anthropological perspectives, aiming to provide a nuanced understanding of the complex and multifaceted phenomenon of popular culture within the context of globalization and digital transformation. Attention is given to the impact of recommendation algorithms on popular culture, particularly their role in fostering cultural homogenization, personalizing cultural experiences, and shaping new cultural trends. The issues of cultural hybridization, the ritualization of social practices, and the significance of collective memory in the context of popular culture are also explored. Historical analysis reveals the periodization and evolution of cultural institutions, while the socio-anthropological approach highlights the importance of symbolic structures in the formation of cultural narratives. The philosophical lens emphasizes the postmodern characteristics of contemporary popular culture, including the deconstruction of traditional cultural patterns, and analyzes the dynamics of metaphysical concepts, particularly the idea of presence within the conditions of hyperreality. Sociological methodologies assist in addressing the structuration of cultural practices and adaptive processes of socialization through social networks and other digital platforms, which are emerging as new spaces for the construction of social identities. The psychological analysis focuses on the cognitive and emotional effects induced by popular culture, including cognitive disintegration caused by excessive media consumption, and the impact of social comparison on self-esteem and the psychological well-being of individuals. It is emphasized that popular culture products can be designed to appeal to unconscious desires and internalized norms, shaping motivational structures and social behavior patterns. The economic perspective highlights the processes of commodification of cultural products and the monetization of cultural industries. The article underscores the necessity of integrating these approaches to gain a deeper understanding of how contemporary popular culture in the United States influences global cultural processes and shapes the future directions of cultural practices and social structures. The conclusions emphasize the importance of an interdisciplinary approach that allows for a comprehensive consideration of the impact of popular culture on society, its cultural norms, identities, and social dynamics.

Start Generating: Harnessing Generative Artificial Intelligence for Sociological Research

How can generative artificial intelligence (GAI) be used for sociological research? The author explores applications to the study of text and images across multiple domains, including computational, qualitative, and experimental research. Drawing upon recent research and stylized experiments with DALL·E and GPT-4, the author illustrates the potential applications of text-to-text, image-to-text, and text-to-image models for sociological research. Across these areas, GAI can make advanced computational methods more efficient, flexible, and accessible. The author also emphasizes several challenges raised by these technologies, including interpretability, transparency, reliability, reproducibility, ethics, and privacy, as well as the implications of bias and bias mitigation efforts and the trade-offs between proprietary models and open-source alternatives. When used with care, these technologies can help advance many different areas of sociological methodology, complementing and enhancing our existing toolkits.

Аксиология М. Вебера в современной перспективе

The article is devoted to the value problems in the sociology of M. Weber. It shows the interrelation of Weber’s sociological methodology and theory of social action with the neo-Kantianism of the Baden school. The differ-ences between G. Rickert’s axiology and M. Weber’s approach are revealed. Thus, the article interprets the specificity of M. Weber’s attitude to the consideration of value issues in social sciences both at the time of choosing the subject of research and as part of the scientific research itself. The role of value pluralism in M. Weber’s social theory is demonstrated, the problem of the influence of religious values on economic ethics is touched upon. Antinomies of “ethics of persuasion and ethics of responsibility” in M. Weber’s political works are outlined, their influence on various value systems is shown. The influence of M. Weber’s thought on modern theories of values is characterized. New approaches to the analysis of this topic based on the material of mod-ern sociology and psychology of values are outlined.

“Batygin was a Deep-Thinking Social Philosopher, but could Come Down to the Level of Empirical Sociology”. Interview prepared by D.M. Rogozin

This interview is dedicated to remembering the Russian scientist G.S. Batygin (1951–2003), who made a significant contribution to the field of sociological methodology. Particular attention is paid not so much to his scientific thinking, associated with intense critical reflection on different methodological approaches in social theory, but to ideas about him as a personality type.

Constructivism and primordialism: complementary methodologies in ethnology and sociology

Constructivism and primordialism: complementary methodologies in ethnology and sociology

The language of a political scientist: mental conflict and the problem of understanding

The article analyzes the situation in the world, shows that the cardinal changes that have occurred in Russia and in the West in recent decades, associated with the spread of neocolonialism, the degradation of Western culture, the growth of international tension, are accompanied by a war for the consciousness of citizens. The author emphasizes that the concepts and terms used in scientific, political and everyday speech are a means of manipulating people's consciousness. The task of the scientist is to resist these influences by adjusting their content accordingly to the conditions created. The author's interpretation of the content of the concepts "choice", "Russia", "Europe", "West", "nuclear strike" is given, the need for responsibility for their use is emphasized. The article describes the methodology and principles of logical sociology, reveals the specifics of the use of the conceptual apparatus in a situation of mental conflict, and formulates the basic principles of the study of social reality in logical sociology by A. A. Zinoviev. The meaning of the superidea and the argumentation of S. Karaganov's thesis are revealed: "There is no choice: Russia will have to launch a nuclear strike on Europe", the logical inconsistency of the thesis is shown.

Interview With Adrian Raftery

SummaryProfessor Adrian E. Raftery is the Boeing International Professor of Statistics and Sociology and an adjunct professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and obtained a BA in Mathematics (1976) and an MSc in Statistics and Operations Research (1977) at Trinity College Dublin. He obtained a doctorate in mathematical statistics in 1980 from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, France, under the supervision of Paul Deheuvels. He was a lecturer in statistics at Trinity College Dublin from 1980 to 1986, and then an associate (1986–1990) and full (1990‐present) professor of statistics and sociology at the University of Washington. He was the founding Director of the Center for Statistics and Social Sciences (1999–2009). Professor Raftery has published over 200 articles in peer‐reviewed statistical, sociological and other journals. His research focuses on Bayesian model selection and Bayesian model averaging, model‐based clustering, inference for deterministic simulation models, and the development of new statistical methods for demography, sociology, and the environmental and health sciences. He is a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy, a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and an elected Member of the Sociological Research Association. He has won the Population Association of America's Clifford C. Clogg Award, the American Sociological Association's Paul F. Lazarsfeld Award for Distinguished Contribution to Knowledge, the Jerome Sacks Award for Outstanding Cross‐Disciplinary Research from the National Institute of Statistical Sciences, the Parzen Prize for Statistical Innovation, and the Science Foundation Ireland St. Patrick's Day Medal. He is also a former Coordinating and Applications Editor of the Journal of the American Statistical Association and a former Editor of Sociological Methodology. He was identified as the world's most cited researcher in mathematics for the decade 1995–2005 by Thomson‐ISI. Thirty‐three students have obtained PhD's working under Raftery's supervision, of whom 21 hold or have held tenure‐track university faculty positions. He has over 150 academic descendants. This interview took place over two sessions in March 2023.

The Integration Between Syara’ and Ade’ in Marriage Tradition Bugis Bone, South Sulawesi

This study seeks to examine the incorporation of Islamic and customary law into the marriage customs of the Bugis Bone community in South Sulawesi. This research is an empirical legal study employing a legal history and legal sociology methodology. The data for this study was generated from studies of relevant literature and in-depth interviews. This study suggests that syara' and ade' are integrated in the Bugis marital tradition, as evidenced by sompa or dowry, tudang penni, mappacci and mabbarazanji, mappanre tame, and assitulung-tulungan or ma'jama (helpng each other or work collaboratively). If you are referring to the study of Islamic law, then this tradition is part of al-urf, which does not contradict the Qur'an, Sunnah, or good practices, and can be adopted because it provides benefits and advantages. The diverse marriage rituals practiced by the Bugis Bone group are the consequence of the fusion of Islamic and customary law that has occurred throughout the course of the community's history. Because Islamic law, being the most essential component of Islamic teachings, cannot be divorced from society's norms, which have become living law. This fact also constitutes a scientific argument that refutes the receptie theory advanced by earlier experts. From the perspective of Islamic law, the marriage tradition of the Bugis Bone group revealed a harmonious combination of Islamic and customary law. Similarly, sociologically, this integration is able to create rules that control and help achieve harmony and mutual benefit.

Involvement or attachment theory: Exploring the determinants and consequences of individual (work) involvement with particular reference to escape motivation

ABSTRACT The following research on individual involvement and escape motivation is presented to open the possibility that studies of ‘involvement’ may reveal different areas for psychotherapy than the predominant concept of ‘attachment’, which has formed the basis of new and existing therapies. Particularly, whether notions of ‘involvement capacity’, ‘escape motivation’ and other involvement typologies, as well as the psychological/sociological interplay between individual and organisational/societal perspectives, are pertinent for psychotherapy. The previously unpublished research, a follow-up to a 1979 study, again combining psychological and sociological methodologies for researching involvement, reinforced that a significant theme, not given attention in the literature, was that people also work to escape from their personal problems. Organisational/managerial perspectives are contrasted with individual perspectives and notions as Etzioni’s moral and alienative involvement are re-evaluated. Mixed methods were used including Bruner’s narrative analysis, Weber’s ideal types, and a phenomenological stance influenced by existentialism and psychoanalysis. The results arising from this empirical study of people who are nurses in the context of a subsequent literature review indicate they are motivated to get involved in work: to escape personal problems; earn money; and, for the satisfaction from the work itself. There are also detrimental effects arising from the ‘emotional labour’ required.

Факторный анализ установления уголовно-правового запрета на нарушение правил дорожного движения лицом, подвергнутым административному наказанию или имеющим судимость

Abstract: Introduction. The article examines the factors influencing the imposition of legal prohibition in the sphere of traffic violations by a person who has been subjected to administrative punishment or has a criminal record. The social danger of these crimes is underlined. The purpose of the study is to factorize the imposition of criminal prohibition on traffic violations by a person subjected to administrative punishment or having a criminal record.
 Methods: Dialectical methodology was used to define the concept of this study; elements of sociological methodology were used for multidimensional understanding of the factors of establishing a legal ban on traffic violations by a person subjected to administrative punishment or having a criminal record.
 The examination of criminal law norms as a system of law and the identification of factors that contributed to the criminalization of the reviewed offenses was carried out by means of the factor approach Moreover, the present study included the systematic method (to establish the system-forming features of the criminal legislation); the structural-functional method (to determine the influence of each factor on the criminalization of the reviewed corpus delicti). When examining certain aspects, special scientific methods such as formal-legal, specificallyhistorical and comparativelegal methods were used.
 Results: The classification of factors contributing to the imposition of legal prohibition on traffic violations by a person subjected to administrative punishment or having a criminal record is givenas well as their description. The authors explain the main role of the social factor, its interrelation and influence on other factors. The study revealsthe necessity ofthe involvement of civil organizations to prevent and suppress these types of crimes. The author suggests some measures to prevent traffic offenses committed by a person subjected to administrative punishment or having a criminal record.