Social Boundaries Research Articles

Systems and Control Engineering at IIT Bombay [Institutes in Control

The city of Mumbai charms every visitor. In particular, its warmth and ethos have remained unchanged over the years. The crowds in the suburban trains and the average person on the street continue to exude this warmth, cutting across social boundaries. Tucked away in the northeast corner of this sprawling metropolis is a still sylvan paradise, where birds chirp, cows moo, monkeys chatter, and the leopard pays periodic visits. And this sylvan paradise hosts an institute of global repute: the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. In this institute is a group, unique in many ways, with faculty members from across the spectrum of science and engineeringÑelectrical, chemical, mechanical, and aerospace engineering as well as applied mathematicsÑwho have established a much-envied academic entity to be reckoned with: Systems and Control. In this issue of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">IEEE Control Systems</i> , we speak with Debasish Chatterjee (Convener, Systems and Control, IIT Bombay) and a few others in their group.

Virtue and Progressive Ideology: Destabilizing Social Class in Richardson’s Pamela and Fielding’s Joseph Andrews

This essay investigates Richardson and Fielding’s projection of social mobility and the intrinsic conditionality of virtue and honor that is essential for social transformation. Maintaining a virtuous status among morally corrupt people destabilizes the established stereotypical view of social hierarchy and incites some aristocratic people’s passion for their servants, violating the consolidation of social class boundaries. Pursuant to the principles of the progressive ideology, some members of the upper class authoritatively thwart endeavors for upward mobility, except for social progression coupled with moral standing and good reputation that is propitiously received with communal acceptance and approbation. Therefore, the novels entail that values of good ethics, chastity, and piety become fundamental requirements for maintaining and enhancing social standing regardless of any prospective deterioration in the material situation. Both novels resist the ideology that honor as virtue is an inherited value that is vested in a certain class by ancestry and heredity. Contrary to this supposition, both contexts associate moral corruption with social degradation and document it historically to reform sinful practices and immodesty. Finally, the authors aspire for ideal societies where the holders of virtue and honor should be rewarded for resisting moral corruption, the allure of materialism, and the greed of capitalism.

Building Walls, Social Groups and Empires: A Study of Political Power and Compliance in the Neo-Assyrian Period

This contribution aims to use social history and social theory to investigate political power and compliance with authority in ancient Western Asia, through the case study of Neo-Assyrian imperial building projects. Our first aim is to discuss the realities of construction work in the Neo-Assyrian Empire, focusing on the building process both through literary sources and archaeological data. Our second goal is to understand the role played by these building sites in the strengthening of local and supra-local political orders, in the consolidation of social group boundaries, and in the construction of political subjectivities of the ancient social actors involved. Our reflection sheds light on the new interpretative possibilities – and challenges – that integrating social theories, archaeological work, and language technology may create.

Digital Ethnic Enclaves: Mate Preferences and Platform Choices Among Chinese Immigrant Online Daters in Vancouver

In light of the growing racialized immigrant population in Canada and advances in dating technologies, this study examines Chinese immigrants' partner preferences and mate selection processes through the lens of online dating. We draw on in-depth interviews with 31 Chinese immigrants who have used online dating services in Metro Vancouver to search for different-sex partners. Chinese immigrant online daters show strong preferences for dating Chinese. They emphasize permanent residency status and similarity in age at arrival when evaluating potential partners. Given their preferences, Chinese immigrants strategically choose the dating platforms they primarily use. Men exhibit higher selectivity in their preferences and choices of platforms. Notably, platforms catering to Chinese users create "digital ethnic enclaves" where Chinese immigrant daters congregate. The findings illuminate the intersection of race, gender, immigrant status, and age at arrival in shaping divergent experiences of mate selection and immigrant assimilation in the digital era.

Policing Christianity in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Angola: Spiritual Incorporation as Therapy and Threat in Africa

Abstract This article investigates the work of Christian churches in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Angola among refugee, migrant, and displaced persons communities and their support of two principal undertakings that allow these groups to reconceptualize belonging and reconstitute communal identities: (1) transnational family building and (2) therapeutic forms of emotional expression and communion. This article also demonstrates how the governments of Cameroon, Nigeria, and Angola perceive such noncitizen groups’ innovative communal practices as inherently destabilizing to fragile national identities, and how state security forces work to dismantle ties of affinity and restrain or apprehend religious authorities in order to preserve social and political boundaries among increasingly diverse and composite societies.

Social boundaries: The lexicographic evolution of Spanish household spirits in discourse

This paper constructs a diachronic analysis of the lexicography of the term denoting the Spanish household spirit, the duende, focusing on the period between approx. 1490 and 1791. I aim to analyse the linguistic path of the household deity in discourse, in order to see how its depiction has changed. The evolution of the being reflects upon the social perception of the spirit, but also upon societal changes. Cultural associations readily available to the authors of the dictionaries under analysis reveal themselves in the alternation between “low-brow”, folkloric beliefs, and the “high-brow”, learned representations of these beliefs. The many facets of the lexicographic entry help create the discourse surrounding the duende, which is essential for the making of a folkloric being. Particularly, the duende is a “small god,” as coined by Michael Ostling, denoting pagan deities that survived the transition towards Christianity through novel interpretations, mostly demonic or classical.

Crime in Philadelphia: Bayesian Clustering with Particle Optimization

Accurate estimation of the change in crime over time is a critical first step toward better understanding of public safety in large urban environments. Bayesian hierarchical modeling is a natural way to study spatial variation in urban crime dynamics at the neighborhood level, since it facilitates principled “sharing of information” between spatially adjacent neighborhoods. Typically, however, cities contain many physical and social boundaries that may manifest as spatial discontinuities in crime patterns. In this situation, standard prior choices often yield overly smooth parameter estimates, which can ultimately produce mis-calibrated forecasts. To prevent potential over-smoothing, we introduce a prior that partitions the set of neighborhoods into several clusters and encourages spatial smoothness within each cluster. In terms of model implementation, conventional stochastic search techniques are computationally prohibitive, as they must traverse a combinatorially vast space of partitions. We introduce an ensemble optimization procedure that simultaneously identifies several high probability partitions by solving one optimization problem using a new local search strategy. We then use the identified partitions to estimate crime trends in Philadelphia between 2006 and 2017. On simulated and real data, our proposed method demonstrates good estimation and partition selection performance. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Teaching as a pedagogical responsibility: an introduction

ABSTRACT In this special issue, the research interest is focused on classroom activities. To adequately understand and examine the classroom situation, the wholeness and complexity of the teaching situation should be maintained and paid attention as much as possible throughout the research process. In dialogues and comparisons between the German concept of Didaktik and the American concepts of curriculum theory and pedagogy, the differences between a European, continental, and Anglo-Saxon conceptualization of education often have been emphasized. Inspired by both the German tradition of Bildung and the American philosophy of pragmatism, we here understand classroom activity as communication on selected parts of collective knowledge and social culture, shaping the conditions for both the continuity and renewal of society. Furthermore, the concept of didactics is viewed as the conceptualization of empirically based pedagogical problems in classrooms. Even if both the traditions of Bildung and pragmatism embrace a reflective approach, Dewey’s pragmatism places more emphasis on freedom and openness in terms of communication across social boundaries and on a mutual dependency between education and democracy. In terms of democracy, a Deweyan view of pragmatism could thus contribute to the German didactic tradition and the meanings of the concepts of didactics and pedagogical responsibility.

Regionalism, social boundaries and cultural interaction in the Levantine Early Bronze Age

Regionalism, social boundaries and cultural interaction in the Levantine Early Bronze Age

Thirteenth and fourteenth century ceramic decoration and social groups in the central great Plains

This paper considers possible social groups and interactions on the thirteenth through fifteenth century central Plains by examining patterns of ceramic rim face and upper body decoration. My analysis tabulates design motifs by site and/or locality, identifying a basic dichotomy between the northern / western area of the central Plains and the southern / eastern area, along with a third distinct pattern in the set of anomalously large sites on Ponca Creek in northeastern Nebraska. In the north and west, potters often used a diverse set of motifs on the faces of paneled rims and sometimes put Oneota designs on vessel upper bodies. In the south and east, they rarely decorated the face of any form of rim and sometimes put a pattern of alternating triangles filled with opposed diagonal lines on vessel upper bodies. This dichotomy maps onto a distinction between ossuary and cemetery burials and likely defines a social boundary between groups with long-standing interaction with different regions to the east of the Plains. The Ponca Creek data show a mixture of central Plains and Oneota styles along with hints of other regional patterns that may suggest the existence of a multi-ethnic community.

The “Long History” of Nidūy – from Tannaitic Literature to Late Antiquity

ABSTRACT The nidūy is the primary method of excommunication used by the early rabbis in the first two centuries CE. This article suggests some new readings in the earliest texts discussing this practice and their reception in Talmudic writing from Late Antiquity. By understanding excommunication as an attempt to set social boundaries and noticing the differences between the early texts, one can try to see the texts about nidūy as evidence of the social structures of the texts’ creators, or at least their views about the proper social order. I shall argue that earlier rabbinic literature reflects unorganised and non-institutional rabbinic circles that were, like other groups in the broader Jewish society, in process of formation. In contrast, the Talmudic, later texts reflect an effort to form a more organised one with clearer hierarchies and social roles.

Undoing Matricide as Maternal Radical Care

AbstractThe concept of matricide theorizes the marginal position of the mother within a phallocentric and patriarchal society from a psychoanalytic perspective. This article seeks to contribute to the understanding of transformative nonmatricidal processes by analyzing the relations between the psychic and political aspects of these processes. We argue that nonmatricidal spaces can be created through the mobilization of a maternal affect as a care practice that transgresses social and normative boundaries. By reading the biblical story of Moses's birth and childhood, we depict the emergence of a nonmatricidal space and the ways in which this space defies and disturbs social boundaries forced by a heteronormative, phallocentric, and patriarchal law. We draw on Luce Irigaray's and Kelly Oliver's concept of a “loving look” to theorize how maternal affect is mobilized as an ethical and a political commitment, which affirms alternative positions of subjectivity and agency. We conclude by arguing that an integrated account of nonmatricidal relational spaces and maternal radical care practices might offer a wider understanding of the political effects of maternal politics as radical care practices.

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.