Social Boundaries Research Articles

Believing and belonging in multicultureel Europa: een minderheidsperspectief

As a consequence of international migration, religion has returned – if it had ever disappeared – as an important group boundary in contemporary society. This is evident in research on attitudes and social contacts that repeatedly shows social segregation and negative stereotyping particularly between Muslims and non-Muslims, but also between religious and non-religious individuals. The research outlined in this inaugural lecture focuses on the question under what conditions this group boundary becomes stronger, and when it takes on a more symbolic character or fades altogether. Drawing on large-scale survey research I aim to establish when people with a migration background can identify with and participate in European societies that are prevalently secular but where an anti-Islamic discourse is strong. What role do length of stay and intergroup friendship relations play in this process? I will argue that in addition to counting practice frequencies and the importance of religion, we need to better understand the different meanings that immigrants derive from their religion to get a grip on how and why religion acts as a social boundary in contemporary society.

Territorial Identity: Structure, Boundaries, Reproduction (A Comparative Analysis of the Saratov region, the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria and the Republic of South Ossetia)

The purpose of the article is to analyze the phenomenon of territorial identity as a reflection of modern transformation processes and a relevant indicator of the potential for social mobilization of residents of local territories. The research objectives were to analyze the structure of territorial identity, the forms and mechanisms of reproduction of the external and internal social boundaries of the territorial identity area, and the role of social networks in its reduction. The analysis of the data is based on sociological studies conducted in the Saratov region, the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, and the Republic of South Ossetia. It describes the structural characteristics of territorial identity, the processes of formation of its social boundaries, and evaluates social networks as tools for its preservation, formation, and transformation. The authors conclude that territorial identity occupies a leading place in the structure of an individual self-identification and can be a powerful group consolidating factor.

Thrown into God’s Arms: The Sacrificial Grace of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer encountered Aryan nationalism and racism with sacrificial grace and Christian opposition. One of the first and the very few to speak out against the Nazis and to follow through with active resistance, he resisted Nazi intrusions into the life of the German church and the impact of Nazi bigotry on Jews and others excluded from full participation in German society. During his time in New York City at Union Theological Seminary and at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, he witnessed the impact of racism in the United States. Identifying with the oppressed in both the U.S. and Germany, he said the church of Christ lives in all people, beyond all national, political, social, and racial boundaries. Offering an ecumenical vision of the Christian church that greatly transcends the Christian nationalism of National Socialism, he moved from academic and pastoral ministry to direct action against Nazi oppression by smuggling Jews out of Germany, using ecumenical contexts to spread word about resistance to the Nazis, and seeking the overthrow of Nazi leadership. Self-sacrificing in his devotion to public activism, he saw that God’s love for the world and incarnational Christian spirituality could be expressed through political action. He expressed faith through prayer and justice, not in powerful religious organizations, and sought a future form of the church that might be unexpected—nonreligious in a conventional sense, but able to convert and transform. He consistently sacrificed his own safety to resist the oppression of the German people, while expressing the unity of faith and action in the world through sacrificial grace.

Toward a Queer Postnational Politics: Imagining the Nation Not Surviving

This is a contribution to the discussion forum "Conceptualizing Society after the Modern Territorial State and Nation." Tamar Shirinian offers an approach to postnational politics and social theory by exploring the potential of their queering. Specifically, she contrasts the nation-state, characterized by rigid social boundaries and a claim to control over the population, with the ideal of a "queer diaspora." Moreover, she asserts diasporic existence as an existential and epistemological condition, rather than the marginal "leftovers" of the nation-state as the normative principle of societal organization. Shirinian shows that an insistence on rigid identities, even if subversive in certain cultural and political contexts, can be repressive in other contexts, thus sustaining nationalist and colonial structures of hegemony. Therefore, a truly emancipatory path leads toward the postnational rejection of static identities and territorial allegiances.

Persistence and strengths of informal networks: clientelism in the post-Soviet Union

In this theoretical study, we challenge two prevalent assumptions in the international business domain: the 'disappearance of informal networks' and the 'strength of weak ties' assumptions. Drawing on cultural as well as informality studies, we explore the phenomenon of clientelism and its characteristics in the post-Soviet Union. We argue that informal ties based on patron-client relations are neither disappearing nor is weakness a characteristic that makes them strong. We propose that diverse clientelistic ties appear to persist in the post-Soviet Union, as they are culturally embedded and dynamically adjust to changes in the environment. Finally, we argue that the nature of clientelism is paradoxical: on the one hand, it is prone to favouritism, but when it comes to weak governments, clientelistic practices may, on the other hand, be seen as an effective means to overcome social boundaries by connecting persons of different social classes.

Sexual Harassment: A barrier to Girls Education

There are several instances where inequality is shown against women. Education is one sector where the enrollment of women is far less than the enrollment of men. While there are many factors behind it, the current research will look at one of the least researched phenomena of sexual harassment as the cause behind the lack of registration. The issue of sexual harassment is the least studied in Muslim countries. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of patriarchal social norms, long distance to school, the presence of female teachers, and sexual harassment as factors causing the enrollment of girls. This type of research is quantitative. The sample for this study was 200 respondents collected through a multistage sampling technique from eight rural locations. The methods used in collecting data are observation and questionnaires. The instrument used in collecting data is a questionnaire sheet. The technique used for data analysis is descriptive qualitative and quantitative analysis. The study results show that society plus culture, especially in rural areas, causes low literacy in girls. These social and cultural boundaries create obstacles for women in social action. As a result, most girls are confined to the confines of their homes. The majority of respondents said that traditional cultural values influenced girls' education. The community does not agree to send their daughters to school to work because of the unsafe environment.

What does it mean for humans to be groupish?

AbstractPerhaps because groupishness comes so easily to humans, clear operational definitions of the phenomena and justifications for the claim that it is deep‐seated are lacking in much of the literature. Furthermore, the assertion of human groupishness glosses over several important questions including which behaviors, which social boundaries, and which evolutionary processes make us groupish. In this paper I use an evolutionary lens, and cross‐species and cross‐cultural comparative examples to clarify the bases on which such a claim of particular human groupishness can be made. Specifically, if humans are particularly groupish, it is because we produce culturally‐structured social landscapes. This means the cognitive science of groupishness must incorporate the social science of the cultural evolution of group boundaries.

INDEPENDENT WOMEN FARMERS BETWEEN MINORITIES AND THE POWER OF WOMEN BY FARMER WOMEN GROUP

AbstractThe relationship between men and women is dominated by men. Likewise in village society, in all spaces women become the second class. This paper describes group activities to resist the concept that has been perpetuated as a concrete manifestation of the ideology of feminism. This activity is carried out by the Women Farmers Group (KWT Karya Tani), which is located in Pengalusan Village, Mrebet District, Purbalingga Regency, Central Java. The study approach uses qualitative (ethnography) because it is more to do a more comprehensive study. KWT Karya Tani's agricultural products are several types of organic vegetables. Some of them are processed into sambal kucai, gethuk and peuyeum. From the results of group production and management, KWT won 1st place at the national level from the Ministry of Agriculture, which previously won 1st place in Purbalingga Regency in the yard competition. As subordinated subjects, women in this group can create a solid integration. In addition, they are located in Christian groups, while most of the village society are Muslim. There is a stigma that tends to show social boundaries on the basis of religion. This can further strengthen solidarity and social integration. Finally, at this point, KWT Karya Tani has resisted and deconstructed the power of patriarchy and majority.

The Georgians: The Deeds and Misdeeds of Eighteenth-Century Britain

The Georgians: The Deeds and Misdeeds of Eighteenth-Century Britain

Workers’ Responses to Paternalism in British Factory-Based Events (1840–1860)

Abstract Opportunities to celebrate the success of the firm, its leaders and, by extension, its employees, were numerous in the mid-Victorian period: banquets, dinners and outings, annual gatherings, pleasure trips and excursions, processions around the mills, or ceremonies directly related with the employer’s family. The purpose of this paper is to analyse some of these large communal events organized in textile mills in order to better understand the practices and meanings of paternalism on the side of the workers. The first part of this study of paternalism ‘from below’ explores the feudal structure of paternalism and the complex role played by deference in the large communal events organized in textile factories. The second part, about the large social events organized by captains of industry turned philanthropists, Titus Salt and Samuel Courtauld, examines the display of power in ‘the theatre of paternalism’ and raises the question of a possible circumvention of the paternalistic model on the part of workers. The last part is about the specificities of laudatory poems praising captains of industry and thanking them for the outings and celebrations they organized for their employees. It analyses how this specific poetical subgenre offers a space for renegotiation of paternalism and social boundaries.

Matrimonio e negoziazione del posizionamento sociale in Ḫiṭbat al-šayḫ (Il fidanzamento dello šayḫ, 1915), il romanzo incompiuto di Ṭāhā Ḥusayn

Abstract In the early twentieth century, themes such as the emergence of a young, newly urbanized effendiyya, the idea of marriage nurtured by this new class, the choice of the bride, and the role of the wife and the husband within the family were crucial in the cultural and social debate in Egypt. Throughout the discussion of these themes, the relationship between genders and generations was established, and new social boundaries were negotiated. After a short analysis of the trope of marriage in the first period of the Egyptian novel (1906–1945) this contribution focuses on Ḫiṭbat al-šayḫ (The šayḫ’s engagement), a text by the renowned Egyptian author and academic Ṭāhā Ḥusayn (1889–1973), published only in 2017 by Dār al-waṯāʾiq in Cairo. This novel, although unfinished, offers one of the first examples of epistolary novel in the Egyptian late nahḍa context. The text, which consists of fifteen letters of various lengths, written by five fictional characters, is fundamental in understanding the theme of marriage as a social positioning tool. Indeed, through the mechanism of epistolography, Ḫiṭbat al-šayḫ mirrors the complex social debate, incorporating in its own structure the discussion of social boundaries by different social actors.

‘Everything’s a pound here, come and ‘ave a look!’: Fandom and the Car Boot Sale

Cutting through social, cultural and racial boundaries, the car boot sale appeals to those who are involuntarily excluded from mainstream commerce as well as groups who simply enjoy the freedom provided by a marginal retail space. Nicky Gregson and Louise Crewe’s work from the late 1990s and early 2000s remains the most detailed study of the event, however changes to the social and cultural climate suggest that a reexamination of the sale’s enduring appeal is long overdue. This article provides an updated assessment of how the car boot sale functions in an age of economic and social uncertainty and considers what specific pleasures and opportunities it offers attendees. The article combines the critical framework of fan studies with ethnographic research in order to discuss the ways ‘booters’ accumulate and exchange subcultural capital, engage in acts of collecting, and foster thriving communities through attendance, conversation and consumption. The article transforms the author’s ‘lived experience’ into an examination of the complex cultural practices that occur throughout the car boot sale. In highlighting the role skill, knowledge and expertise play in the successful navigation of the event, the work draws attention not only to the manner in which boot fairs allow for feats of consumption and dispossession, but also how these acts enable attendees to develop and affirm significant and meaningful social identities.

“The Beach is Closed, But Not to Us”: Pandemic Experience and Social Boundaries in Rural Okinawa

Abstract This article offers an anthropological and ethnographic perspective on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected and shaped rural community social behaviour in Kayo village during Japan’s first official state of emergency, April 7th to May 6th, 2020. It draws from observations and informal conversations with villagers during this period. First, it discusses the researcher’s experience of living in a rural village in northern Okinawa during the state of emergency and addresses the position of the ethnographer during the pandemic. It explores the Japanese concept of uchi/soto (inside/outside), to discuss the insider/outsider dynamics that character-ise everyday social life in Okinawa. Secondly, it engages with Marshall Sahlins’ (2013) idea of kinship as ‘social mutuality’ to consider how the pandemic invites us to rethink interpersonal relationships, space negotiation, and social boundaries, and how the latter are reconstructed and negotiated according to the new situation (emergency state). The example of Okinawa rural communities shows how rural populations can reconceptualise their environment and practices during the pandemic. It allows us to understand how notions of space, accessibility and kinship are reshaped into subtle boundaries between locals and outsiders in order to regulate access.

Service ecosystem boundary and boundary work

We aim to explain service ecosystem change at the intersection of focal service ecosystems through the concepts of boundary and boundary work. We define a service ecosystem boundary as a set of symbolic or social boundaries that enable the functioning of an ecosystem by identifying and authorizing actors and recognizing, legitimizing, and protecting resources. We further introduce boundary work and conceptualize the three types through which it manifests in service ecosystems: competitive, collaborative, and configurational. We further illustrate this typology by applying these types of boundary work in an analysis of the evolution of the music service ecosystem. Our paper has implications for the definition of actors and resources in service ecosystems in addition to the processes that include or exclude these actors and resources. Furthermore, our conceptualization contributes to the literature by providing a lens for investigating boundary changes in service ecosystems and explaining their fluidity or stability.

Addressing the Problem of Poverty through an International Cooperation Project: The Case Study of Agriculture Development by JICA in Cameroon

In this era of globalization, with social problems extending across social and geographical boundaries, partnerships between governments and international organizations are key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Agriculture is essential to reducing poverty in Cameroon. Since 2002, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has contributed to agricultural development through various projects in Cameroon. However, research has not been conducted to determine the contributions of agricultural development to poverty reduction. The aim of this study is to outline current agricultural problems and international cooperation projects in Cameroon. A social inquiry involving the collection of qualitative and quantitative data was conducted to assess whether agricultural projects have contributed to increasing income and alleviating other multidimensional indicators of poverty amongst the beneficiaries. In this paper, we provide useful recommendations with respect to solving the problem of poverty and achieving the SDGs. The analysis revealed that agriculture projects have significantly contributed to an increase in income, wellbeing and standard of living of the project beneficiaries. African countries, such as Cameroon, need to address poverty by improving the agricultural sector because these nations cannot currently maintain a stable crop production. International cooperation in the agricultural sector can help to increase crop yields, incomes and quality of life.

Development as Liberation.

At a point in history where the worlds social and ecological boundaries are at a true testing point, this article presents some thoughts and questions around the tensions between reformist and revolutionary actions and ends in presenting dreaming as a tool towards emancipation. Through these thoughts, collective action is a central cog towards meaningful progress.

Sensemaking in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: A narrative exploration of polarised morality in an NHS Trust.

This article presents an analysis of personal diaries kept by health-care staff within a specialist NHS Trust in England during the initial 3 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. It adopts a moral sensemaking perspective to explore how NHS employees mobilised and reframed ideas of right and wrong in order to make sense of unprecedented uncertainty and displacement. By focussing on how the macro and micro politics of the pandemic were played out in the organisation, the study finds that polarised moral judgements were invoked in order to justify and rationalise a broad array of associated emergent emotions, intuitions, behaviours and practices. This polarisation of moral responses could be seen as a desire to bring order out of chaos and put matters back into place following displacement. This is inevitably an ongoing, complex and variegated enterprise whose results can be as often discomforting as they can be reassuring. Indeed, while moral sensemaking was partly beneficial for staff in that it promoted a greater sense of camaraderie and support for others, it also appeared to have darker consequences in terms of staff wellbeing and the development of more impermeable social boundaries across the organisation through processes of moral 'othering'.

"Because we all love K-Pop": How young adults reshape symbolic boundaries in Paris, Manchester, and Philadelphia.

In this paper, we examine how young adults who are consumers of K-Pop in three culturally diverse cities (Paris, Philadelphia, and Manchester) reshape their symbolic boundaries to face social challenges. Analyzing data from 132 interviews, we show how young adults mainly confront social exclusion in Paris, fight racism in Philadelphia and deal with xenophobia in Manchester. Although K-Pop adds to the dynamics of exclusion due to being perceived as culturally foreign, our participants use K-Pop as a resource to reshape social boundaries towards new forms of inclusion. They do this by relying on K-Pop as a cultural product that promotes inclusion, and on their affiliation with the K-Pop community on a local and global level.

Book Review: Laura M. Zucconi, Ancient Medicine. From Mesopotamia to Rome, Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2019.

In her foreword to Laura M. Zucconi’s lengthy publication on ancient medicine, Candida Moss, Cadbury Professor of Theology in School of Philosophy, Theology, and Religion of the University of Birmingham (UK), indicates how important the author’s work is as it brings together a number of research fields, often examined in silos or “balkanized” (p. xv) areas of expertise. According to Moss, Zucconi’s transdisciplinary approach is what is most exceptional in this publication; a “complicated web of geographical, social, and historical boundaries” (p. xvi). At the start, besides the foreword, there is a section on abbreviations and acknowledgments. At the end, a detailed bibliography and three handy indexes (authors, subjects, scriptures and other ancient texts) complete Zucconi’s superb work on ancient medicine. As both historians and medical practitioners will probably constitute the majority of this publication’s readers, the introduction explains some general health-related concepts, such as health, disease, illness, healers and patients, as well as a historical overview of the contexts—time and place—discussed.

Qualitative Study on How Social Media Addiction Relates Rules and Boundaries

Sosyal medya zaman ve mekân konularında esneklik kazandıran ve insan bedeninin doğal sınırlamalarını ortadan kaldıran araçlardan bir tanesi olarak düşünülebilir. Son yirmi yılda özellikle genç yetişkinler arasında popülerlik kazandığı söylenebilir. Sosyal medyanın yaygınlaşmasıyla birlikte araştırmacılar yönünü yeni bir bağımlılık türü olan sosyal medya bağımlılığını çalışmaya çevirmişlerdir. Bağımlılık nicel araştırmalarda genellikle yasal sorunlar ve kural ihlalleri ile ilişkilendirilse de bu konudaki nitel araştırma literatürü kısıtlıdır. Bu çalışmanın amacı sosyal medya bağımlılarının kurallarla ve sınırlarla ilişkili deneyimlerini anlamaya çalışarak literatüre katkı sağlamaktır. Bu amaçla nitel bir araştırma yöntemi olan Yorumlayıcı Fenomenolojik Analiz yönteminden faydalanılmıştır. Bu doğrultuda altı katılımcı ile yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Görüşmeler sonunda elde edilen veriler analize tabi tutulmuştur. Analiz sonucunda ortaya çıkan iki tema (1) sınırsızlık alanı olarak algılanan sosyal medya ve (2) otorite figürlerine göre konumlanma olarak isimlendirilmiştir. Bu temalar Lacanyen Psikanalitik teori çerçevesinde tartışılmıştır.