Social Position Research Articles

Reflecting (on) power?Critical reflections by healthworkers in Germany on racial power and privilege

Abstract Background Healthcare users have increasingly reported on experiences of racial discrimination in healthcare encounters in Germany (Aikins et al. 2020). While research on the experiences of racialised users predominates, examining the perspectives of white professionals, especially those holding positions of authority, regarding their internalised stereotypes and discriminatory practices is also crucial. This study therefore investigated the prevalence of conscious or unconscious biases related to critical whiteness and anti-racism among healthcare workers (doctors, nurses and therapists) and how these attitudes shaped their professional practice. Methods Problem-centred expert interviews (Döringer 2021) with 20 healthcare professionals from medicine, nursing, and therapeutic professions working in hospitals or rehabilitation facilities across three German federal states. Data were analysed using documentary method (Bohnsack 2002). Results Respondents exhibited varying degrees of reflective abilities, and there are limited opportunities for structured self-reflection focused on recognizing and addressing racism. The research interview constituted a much-needed space for such reflection. Those who are sensitised about their own positions of privilege often are so due to external influences and personal trajectories (teenaged children, trade union activism) rather than through the values or structures of their institutions. Unconscious racism nonetheless still manifests, demonstrating the need to create more inclusive environments where critical self-reflection on racism is encouraged. Conclusions To effectively combat racism, German healthcare institutions must systematically implement anti-racist and intersectional interventions. This also entails creating spaces for reflection where staff can openly examine and acknowledge their own biases, fostering an environment conducive to collective action for promoting anti-racist workplace practices. Key messages • Opportunities for self-reflection critical of racism should also be offered across institutions in order to ensure trusting, non-hierarchical spaces. • Reflections on one’s own social positioning and privileges are not common in all circles, so the necessity of this attitude should be communicated in an error-friendly manner.

Social ageing and higher-order interactions: social selectiveness can enhance older individuals' capacity to transmit knowledge.

In long-lived organisms, experience can accumulate with age, such that older individuals may act as repositories of ecological and social knowledge. Such knowledge is often beneficial and can spread via social transmission, leading to the expectation that ageing individuals will remain socially well-integrated. However, social ageing involves multiple processes that modulate the relationship between age and social connectivity in complex ways. We developed a generative model to explore how social ageing may drive changes in social network position and shape older individuals' capacity to transmit knowledge to others. We further employ novel hypernetwork analyses that capture higher-order interactions (i.e. involving ≥ 3 participants) to reveal potential relationships between age and sociality that conventional dyadic networks may overlook. We find that older individuals in our simulations effectively facilitate transmission across a range of scenarios, especially when transmission resembles a complex contagion or when social selectivity (i.e. prioritization of key relationships) rapidly emerges with age. These patterns result from the formation of tight-knit sets of older associates that co-occur in multiple groups, thereby reinforcing one another's capacity to transmit knowledge. Our findings suggest key avenues for future empirical work and illustrate the use of hypernetworks in advancing the study of social behaviour.This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Understanding age and society using natural populations'.

How social and commercial determinants influence exclusive breastfeeding in the Philippines

Abstract Background The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months after delivery. However, the EBF rate in the Philippines is only 29%. Existing literature suggests that the influence of infant formula marketing (IFM), communication channels, and traditional health beliefs are possible contributors to low EBF rates, but rare studies have been conducted in low-resource settings. Methods: To bridge the gap, 15 barangays in Palawan were selected; 97 interviews were conducted with lactating mothers (LM), health workers (HW), traditional healers, infant formula sellers, and community leaders (CL) to represent different perspectives. The results were coded and analyzed inductively. Results LM received EBF information through multiple resources. Poverty, lacking breast milk (BM), EBF education, and health benefits (HB) to infants are top contributors to EBF while maternal employment and no BM are top barriers to EBF. Elders, traditional health beliefs (THB), and the influence of COVID-19 can influence EBF in both directions. LM emphasized more on poverty and elders to EBF while HW and CL emphasized the role of EBF education and HB. Urban LM tend to have more regular EBF education, use pumps when going out, and are more influenced by IFM. LM in remote areas tend to have more THB, have more BM substitutes, and share BM. Social classes, locations, Indigeneity, migration, and poverty are intersectioned to influence EBF. Conclusions Multiple social and commercial determinants influenced EBF. LM is facing more challenges to EBF under globalization and capitalism. Remote LM are less benefited from new technologies and policies to promote EBF. Different stakeholders have echo chambers to perceive the determinants of EBF. To improve health equity and EBF, the situations of marginalized people in remote areas should be more considered in policy making. Community building should also be considered differently to assist in EBF. Key messages • The project focuses on social and commercial determinants of exclusive breastfeeding with people in extreme poverty. • The project includes plenty of Indigenous breastfeeding behavior that are underreported.

5.L. Round table: Gaining or losing ground? Leveraging social innovation to improve abortion access in Europe

Abstract Sexual and reproductive health services are fundamental to ensuring a wide range of human rights, including the right to health. This includes guaranteeing access to abortion care, which international human rights bodies and the World Health Organization have recognised as a critical component of states’ obligation to respect and ensure human rights. Abortion regulation in Europe continues to evolve along a continuum from restrictive to liberal. For decades, the legislative trend across Europe has been towards the expansion of entitlements to abortion, and the repeal of legal and policy restrictions. In the last ten years, over 15 European countries have undertaken reforms to modernize their laws, including Belgium, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain. Currently, new progressive reforms are being considered in several countries. However, more restrictive reforms have also been adopted. Health system structures and sociopolitical, cultural, ethical, and moral dimensions shape access to abortion services, while abortion regulation often causes tensions in countries. The landscape is complex, with debates over legalisation and decriminalisation of abortion, and the procedural steps to ensure service provision. Differences in regulation across and within countries result in myriad access inequalities. Understanding abortion regulation in Europe is vital to assessing service equity and access. Exploring the sociopolitical contexts of abortion helps identify potential actions for ensuring access to abortion care. In exploring the range of potential actions, we focus on social innovation, i.e., new social practices to better meet social needs and the processes undertaken to get there. The country expert (HSPM) network of the European Observatory has launched a cross-country study of the state of abortion services in 19 high-income countries since 2018. This workshop will outline the legal, regulatory, service-delivery, and sociopolitical contexts of abortion in Europe, identifying challenges to access. It will take recent experiences in Germany, Ireland, and Portugal to examine differential access, ongoing political debates, and social positioning of abortion in Europe, and as a springboard to discuss the role of social innovation in shaping legal and regulatory changes. Lastly, this workshop will explore how the public health research community can contribute to evidence-based abortion policymaking and implementation. This interactive workshop will start with a presentation of findings from the European Observatory’s cross-country comparison. Then, country experts from the 3 case studies and a representative from the Center for Reproductive Rights will examine the sociopolitical environment of abortion policymaking in Europe. Discussion with audience interventions will reflect on opportunities for social innovation and movement building toward better access to abortion care in Europe and explore the role of the public health research community. Key messages • European abortion laws constantly evolve with a prevalent legislative trend towards expanding access and removing barriers; social innovation can be a lever to progressive law and policy reforms. • In all countries, those seeking abortion care continue to experience multiple access barriers, including those related to policy, regulation, financing, geography, and culture. Speakers/Panelists Katherine Polin Berlin University of Technology, Berlin, Germany Miriam Blümel Berlin University of Technology, Berlin, Germany Catherine Conlon Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Ines Fronteira National School of Public Health - NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal Adriana Lamačková Center for Reproductive Rights, Geneva, Switzerland

“Covid has stopped us all”: the experiences of migrant care workers in formal care settings in Germany

ABSTRACT This research examined how migrant care workers in eldercare institutions in Germany were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on their personal experiences. The research is theoretically grounded in intersectionality and the prisoner of love framework. Drawing on 15 qualitative interviews with migrant care workers (MCWs) from Poland and Bosnia–Herzegovina, the main findings highlight that intersecting social positions play an important role in stratifying experiences for MCWs. Migrant workers with high skill levels and job security stressed similarities to their non-migrant colleagues in their day-to-day work experiences during the pandemic, foregrounding their shared professional self-image and creating solidarity between workers of all backgrounds. Strong workplace relationships, emphasising their professional identity, and adapting career plans were ways to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic. The study’s results emphasise the need for a more balanced portrayal of the pandemic’s impact on migrant workers.

Tribal Middle Class in India

The article presents a historical overview of the emergence of the tribal middle class in India, and how this history has shaped their social identity, location and participation in the Indian society, polity and economy. It initiates a discussion on the conceptual issues associated with identifying the tribal middle class, given its specific historical origins, growth and diversification through colonialism and in post-colonial India. While the article distinguishes between the old and new tribal middle class, it also attempts to delineate its overarching features, particularly that of reconciling the processes of diversification with the politics of evolving a distinct tribal identity. The article argues that the question of tribal integration is at the core of this endeavour. Therefore, it is important to consider the role and participation of the tribal middle class in shaping the nature and politics of tribal integration in India.

How social class shapes breast cancer risk perspectives and prevention practices of Australian midlife women: a qualitative study using the concept of ‘breast cancer candidacy’

BackgroundThe increasing incidence of breast cancer and disease burden is a significant public health concern. While 30% of breast cancers could be prevented through addressing modifiable risk factors, misconceptions among women about breast cancer risks hamper primary prevention. In the absence of primary prevention, secondary prevention such as mammography increases the early detection of breast cancer and improves health outcomes. However, current population-level screening rates indicate secondary prevention is suboptimal. More effective public health efforts to improve breast cancer prevention are required. Given breast cancer is socially patterned, this work explores how social class impacts women’s breast cancer prevention practices. This study uses the concepts of lay epidemiology and candidacy as a mechanism to understand women’s breast cancer risk perspectives. It engages Bourdieu’s relational social class theory to unpack how women’s social, cultural, and structured life contexts shape these perspectives and their considerations regarding primary and secondary prevention.MethodsIn this qualitative study 43 Australian midlife women (aged 45–64 years), were interviewed to explore their understandings of breast cancer risks, how they perceived their own risk, and how this shaped their prevention behaviours. A theory-informed thematic analysis applying Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital, and fields to understand how women’s social class positions shapes risk perspectives and prevention practices was conducted.ResultsThis social class analysis showed differences in how women engage in breast cancer discourse, consider risks, and participate in breast cancer prevention. Middle-class women prioritise health promoting practices and were more likely than working-class and affluent women to attend mammography screening. Working-class women experience structural factors, like low income, stress and difficult life circumstances, which hamper primary prevention practices and for some screening is not considered or prioritised, and their decisions not to screen are less active. Affluent women often do not consider themselves at-risk due to their healthier ‘lifestyles. ’They suggest that this, and their knowledge of screening benefits and harms allows them to make informed decisions not to screen.ConclusionsWomen interpret and understand breast cancer risks differently and enact prevention practices within the parameters afforded by their social class positions. These findings are useful to inform improved public health approaches regarding both modifiable breast cancer risks and increasing mammography screening. To improve equity in breast cancer prevention efforts, such approaches must respond to limitations based on social class and address structural factors that impact prevention practices.

Uncovering intersecting stigmas experienced by people affected by podoconiosis in Nyamasheke district, Rwanda.

Podoconiosis is a stigmatising neglected tropical condition, but the nature of podoconiosis stigma has not been fully explored. There is a growing understanding that the experience of stigma is intersectional, yet no research has been done on this matter in relation to podoconiosis. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of podoconiosis-related stigma by illustrating how multiple individuals' positionalities intersect to shape the experience of stigma due to podoconiosis. We used qualitative research to explore the experience of stigma among people affected by podoconiosis. Data were gathered using participant observation, interviews, focus group discussions and participatory methods. A total of 59 participants, including patients, local leaders, community health workers, and family members, were purposively selected to participate in this study. We identified three features in which stigma related to podoconiosis was grounded. These were bodily deformation, illness contamination and bodily weakness. The experience of stigma was shaped by the convergence of multiple individual positionalities and identities. Social positionalities and identities based on socio-economic, gender, age and illness status intersected to shape podoconiosis stigma. Our study demonstrates that the experience of stigma due to podoconiosis is intersectional, going beyond biological features of podoconiosis. The stigma experienced by affected individuals is complex, and shaped by the convergence of social structures and many individual identities such as socio-economic status, gender, disability and age. This understanding is crucial to analysing stigma related to podoconiosis, or other NTDs, and for designing interventions that address stigma that arise from biological aspects of disease and social factors simultaneously. Such holistic interventions can significantly improve the well-being of those affected by podoconiosis.

The border in common: The Janus-faced place attachment of cross-border regions

For several decades, cross-border areas have been the setting for the successive deployment of various cross-border cooperation and integration mechanisms. These mechanisms aim primarily to facilitate mobility and interaction between actors through cross-border cooperation projects designed to create institutional cross-border areas. The current article takes an approach centred on attachment to places with the aim of determining whether cross-border areas make sense for their inhabitants. The analyses are based on a cross-sectional survey of 3,200 inhabitants of three institutional cross-border areas: Greater Geneva, the Basque Eurocity and the Eurometropolis of Lille Kortrijk Tournai. The methodology introduces into the field of border studies the technique of structural equation models for the measurement of place attachment using different explanatory variables. Several original results are found. First, place attachment is composed of both the sense of belonging to a country and the residential location of the members ego’s (the respondent) personal network. Second, two notable forms of attachment have an ambivalent relationship within the institutional cross-border areas: attachment to the border region of residence and attachment to the neighbouring border region. Specifically, the estimated attachment to the neighbouring border region favours the declared attachment to the institutional cross-border area. Subsequently, the estimated attachment to either border region also helps explain the choice of location for regular activities. Finally, the reported attachment to the institutional cross-border area is dependent on the individual’s social position. These results open up new perspectives on European integration policies that could rely more strongly on attachment to strengthen social cohesion in institutional cross-border areas.

Beyond smoking: The role of stigma in asthma rates among youth.

This study aimed to examine asthma disparities at the intersection of four sociodemographic characteristics, inhaled substance use, and bias-based bullying as metrics of stigma. We hypothesized that high prevalence groups for asthma would be those with marginalized social positions and those reporting bullying experiences, independent of inhaled substance use. The analytic sample (N = 90,367) included eighth, ninth, and 11th grade students who participated in the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey. Exhaustive Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detection tested all combinations of sociodemographic characteristics (gender identity, sexual orientation, racial/ethnic identity, and access to resources), inhaled substance use (none vs. any), and bias-based bullying about sexuality, gender identity/expression, racial identity, and weight/size to predict mutually exclusive groups of youth based on self-reported asthma diagnosis. Approximately 15% of the sample reported asthma. Sexually, gender, and racially/ethnically diverse youth reported higher rates of asthma relative to their heterosexual, cisgender, and White counterparts. High prevalence groups for asthma (rates between 24% and 41%) were characterized by having multiple marginalized identities, experiencing bias-based bullying, and engaging in inhaled substance use. Three of the 10 intersectional groups with a high prevalence of asthma were not inhaled substance users. These findings suggest that stigma may help explain the asthma disparities among marginalized youth. Efforts to reduce asthma disparities in marginalized youth should move beyond pathologizing the individual through overfocusing on health behaviors and attend to root causes, like experiences of stigma. Future studies should examine systemic inflammation as the potential connection between stigma and asthma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Digital Dis/Connection as Everyday Boundary Work Among Hong Kong BN(O) Migrants in the UK

While digital media can be seen to keep alive social connections among migrants across borders, the impact of how digital disconnection has redrawn migrants’ boundaries has not been adequately researched. Migrants subjected to the dual border-and-boundary work of Western host countries and their non-Western home countries make for complicated self–other boundary narratives. This study explores the everyday boundary work of migrants originating from Hong Kong, a former British colony, who have chosen to relocate to the UK through the British National (Overseas) (BN[O]) visa scheme. The scheme was catalysed by the 2019 political upheaval in Chinese Hong Kong and the UK–Hong Kong colonial affiliation. Through the lens of dis/connection assemblage, we conceptualise digital dis/connections as a form of boundary work and conduct in-depth interviews and thematic analysis of 14 BN(O)s. We demonstrate that digital disconnection can be seen as a socio-political practice related to identity regulation by situating BN(O)s’ digital media practices within the political projects of belonging in the UK, Hong Kong, and China. Through a matrix of disconnected approaches, BN(O)s shape boundaries around identity politics in terms of social positions, a sense of belonging, and social relations. The political meaning of digital disconnection is highlighted through its fracture of connected space-time and resilient management of social relationships<strong>.</strong>

Unveiling the Influences: Self-Esteem and Peer Impact on Luxury Consumption Among Consumers

In order to examine the impacts of peer influence and self-esteem on luxury consumption. This research employed online and offline questionnaire to gather customer self-esteem degrees, personality characteristics, along with conspicuous consumption behaviors. The information and data were construed through one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression analysis. Accordingly, it was indicated that customers with higher degrees of self-esteem showed firmer willingness and action in luxury purchase intentions, and peer influence remarkably impacted their conspicuous consumption. In brief, self-esteem and peer influence are both key players in luxury consumption.Researches have revealed that consumers buy articles of luxury, in an attempt to satisfy the demands for materials and improve their self-worth and social positions. Luxury consumption is prominently impacted by collective self-esteem, since consumers believe that when they purchase luxury goods, their social position and personal image will improve. Moreover, peer correlations exert a highly important effect on young customers, which is deeply intensified by social media and celebrity effects.According to the findings, luxury brands need to take into consideration these points with regard to developing marketing tactics: for starters, meeting the demands of customers with discrepant degrees of self-esteem through individualized marketing tactics, with a focus on the product uniqueness and brand recognition. Secondly, through the transmission of brand stories and values, enhance emotional connections among consumers. Finally, leverage the influence of social media and opinion leaders to attract and retain young consumers. Through these strategies, luxury brands can better meet consumer needs and enhance market competitiveness.

Fractured paths: undocumented Latina/o students’ college-going experiences amidst shifting policies

The necessity of a college degree is irrefutable. However, the path to college for undocumented students can be crowded with boulders, steep walls, or altogether non-existent. Drawing on interviews with 25 undocumented Latina/o students and 5 years (2012–2017) of school ethnography, I show that their college-going experiences are framed by the convergence of Hillcrest high school’s college practices and a broader shifting policy context—CA Dream Act 2011, DACA 2012, and CA Dream Loan 2014. I find that a pervasive silence regarding undocumented students’ distinct needs permeates Hillcrest’s college-going practices. This silence mediates the intended benefits of shifting policies by discounting the influence of students’ intersecting social locations (undocumented status, working-class position) as students strive to pursuit a post-secondary education. Undocumented Latina/o high school students’ experiences urge for a reconceptualization of college-going frameworks that account for morphing inequities within educational institutions in the 21st century.

Examining Journalists’ Adoption of Social Media Tools in Contexts of Precarity

ABSTRACT Digital technologies have changed journalists’ work practices and their roles with far-reaching effects for news production. While many studies focus on the ways social media transforms editorial processes, much of this research examines fully democratic Western countries. We examine how journalists in Turkey, who occupy particularly precarious social positions, incorporate social media tools into their routines, and the effects of these tools on journalistic role conceptions. To understand this, we analyzed 10 interviews with Turkish editors and reporters from popular Turkish news outlets. These journalists say their roles are shifting from active news formation to passive information relay — they are becoming aggregators rather than reporters. And while social networking sites increase the volume of newsworthy ideas that journalists encounter, they also increase the pressure on editors and reporters to compete with other news outlets. The organizations we studied did not employ separate fact-checking teams or software for news verification, leading to workflow challenges around verifying large quantities of information collected from social media. Our findings suggest that journalists in precarious positions might be especially reliant on social media logics in their daily work since they lack the social, political, and occupational security to improvise or resist new practices and values.

Analysis Of Symbolic Value In Purchasing Imitation Louis Vuitton Bags: Economic Sociology Perspective

This research aims to explain the symbolic value in influencing the business of buying imitation Louis Vuitton bags which is seen using Beckert's (2009) four market valuation criteria. Based on a survey conducted by the Indonesian Anti-Counterfeiting Society (MIAP), economic losses due to imitation goods in Indonesia continue to increase every year until reaching a peak in 2014 of 65.1 billion rupiah, in 2020 it was recorded at 291 trillion, with a tax loss of 967 billion rupiah and employment of more than 2 million. Control over counterfeit goods is getting stricter. As explained by Cicilia King, Communications Manager for Louis Vuitton (Indonesia), especially in Europe, the company provides education, including to officers at airports, so that they are able to identify whether an item is genuine or fake. Louis Vuitton, according to various records, is the most counterfeited famous brand ( Kompas.com ). Young consumers are increasingly buying imitation products from luxury brands. Because late childhood is a time of searching for identity and a time of change (Asyia et al., 2022; Sofianita, 2015). This research uses Beckert's theory in the article The social order of markets (2009). Researchers used a qualitative approach with a case study type of research. The findings in this research explain that market valuation criteria consisting of standardization, cognitive anchoring, normative legitimacy, and social positioning are explained in this case study. KEYWORDS : Symbolic Value, Imitation, Louis Vuitton, Qualitative, Case Study

Sociodemographic Influence on the Management of Orofacial Cleft in Urban and Rural Indonesia.

To explore the social experiences of orofacial cleft patients and contextualize sociodemographic influence on management disparities in rural and urban areas of Indonesia. This study explores patients' lives in two demographical settings in South Sulawesi Province, Makassar and Selayar Islands Regency. It employs ethnography, including open-ended interviews and observations of patients, their neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. Secondary data from the two regencies and South Sulawesi province are employed to demonstrate demographic disparities in patient care between urban and rural areas. Thematic content analysis was performed according to socio-demographical differences and networks involved in the management. This study engaged a diverse group of participants, including patients, family caregivers, medical team members, and patient peers (n = 40), primarily from middle to low-income families. Parents in both regions had limited knowledge about treatment modalities, which resulted in concerns regarding the safety of surgical procedures and the postponement of mandatory surgeries. In rural areas, patients faced significant financial burdens when referred to Makassar. In contrast to parents in Selayar, parents in Makassar prioritized more social interaction to ensure that their children attended school, college, and work. Patients in both settings reported facing various obstacles at different stages of their lives. Sociodemographic conditions contribute to disparities in treatment, social positioning, and self-perception. Promoting education about the safety of medical and rural surgical procedures is vital. Involving patients in public activities and providing support from family caregivers is paramount to nurturing patients' optimistic outlooks.

Capitalizing on sport labor migration: The role of ethnic capitalism in the discriminatory, regulatory, and exploitative environment for international college athletes in the United States

International college athletes (ICAs) are integral to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and lie at a particular social location as they are international students and college sport laborers. However, little research examines the discriminatory regulations toward ICAs by the NCAA, its member institutions, and the US federal government. Recent court rulings that permit college athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL) do not benefit ICAs because of outdated and exclusionary restrictions imposed by federal immigration policies, visa laws, and US tax laws, which prohibit ICAs from having equitable rights, building their personal brand and professional careers. To examine the discrimination, regulation, and exploitation of ICAs by the US federal government and the NCAA, we apply the theory of ethnic capitalism, which highlights the marginalization of groups based on their ethnicity and national origin. In this setting, ICAs are treated as bodies of athletic labor, recruited for institutional gain and athletic program reputation to benefit US higher education institutions (HEIs). To conclude, we propose the need for the NCAA and its member institutions to treat ICAs equitably and include, support, and advocate for them, specifically regarding their inclusion in NIL on US lands.

The End of Quantitative Research in Social Work? The Threat Posed by Postmodern/Critical Theory's Increasing Colonization of Academia

Quantitative research plays an instrumental role in facilitating health and wellness. Effective interventions are developed, assessed, and refined through the application of logic and empirical evidence in a scientific milieu characterized by diverse views. However, the increasing colonization of academic discourse by postmodern/critical theory (PCT) may undermine foundational concepts upon which quantitative research rests. The postpositivist tradition in which quantitative methods are embedded emphasizes probabilistic truth, logic, empirical evidence, and the interplay of diverse, frequently conflicting perspectives. Conversely, some currents of thought within PCT emphasize multiple realities, intuition, personal stories of lived experience, and the exclusion of views that challenge PCT tenets. The increasing adoption of these concepts in academia may limit or even delegitimize quantitative research as currently practiced in social work. We conclude by arguing that social work clients are best served by a scientific discourse that values multiple theoretical frameworks, research methodologies, and scientists operating from different social locations.

Factors affecting Russian elites’ perceptions of civil protests: evidence from the survey of Russian elites, 2016 and 2020

ABSTRACT Which elites support civil protests, and which ones oppose them? Existing studies of civil protests in authoritarian regimes have mainly examined their triggers, effectiveness and the responses they provoke from authoritarian states. While these studies offer implications regarding the durability of authoritarian states, they have not examined elite perceptions of civil protests, which may contribute to the authoritarian reactions to such protests. Using the Survey of Russian Elites from 2016 and 2020, this paper analyses the factors that affect Russian elites’ perceptions of protests. I argue that elites’ perceptions of protests depend on their democratic value orientation, social position and media use. The findings reveal that elites who value civil liberties approve of protests, while those closely linked to the Kremlin, those who frequently use traditional media and members of the United Russia Party oppose protests. However, the effects of the independent variables differ slightly depending on the protest method’s intensity and the survey’s wave. This study sheds light on the causal relationship between Russian elites’ individual characteristics and their perceptions of protests.

Examining the Effect of Parents on Children’s Career Choices in the Context of Class Positions

This article delves into the social mobility strategies employed by parents and their descendants from diverse social classes in structuring educational pathways and vocational choices across successive generations. The study relies on qualitative data from in-depth interviews conducted in Ankara with 24 parents and 18 offspring. Data analysis reveals that the strategies parents and their offspring embrace are intricately shaped by their social class positions and the cultural, social, and economic capital available to the latter. Labourer families grappling with cultural capital limitations exhibit constrained guidance to their offspring. In contrast, self-employed professional families actively deploy their comprehensive cultural capital to perpetuate privileged class positions across generations. Business owners or commercial entrepreneurs, characterised by a distinctive outlook, view education as a pathway to attain heightened social status rather than as a means of upward mobility. To address the inequalities uncovered in this research, establishing counselling centres for families to guide how to mentor their children and for the children themselves to facilitate the discovery of their abilities and interests could offer a solution toward mitigating these inequalities.