Sociological Concepts Research Articles

La sociologia come vocazione: il pubblico e la professionalizzazione sostanziale in Michael Burawoy

The paper illustrates an assessment of theoretical reflections on the concept of public sociology made by Michael Burawoy during a long period of research, occurring between the beginning of the 2000s and the most recent times. In the first place, assumptions concerning the definition of public sociology are presented. Thus, innovative elements compared to the previous interpretation of the term made by Herbert Gans are stressed. The focus is consequently shifted towards epistemological questions raised by necessity/willingness of practicing a reflexive science deeply engaged with publics. Secondly, it is argued how the thought of Max Weber represents an essential reference point to frame the relationship between expertise and audiences. Finally, some conclusive considerations are exposed with respect to the overall intellectual trajectory of the British sociologist.

Don DeLillo’s Falling Man as Cultural Trauma Fiction

Abstract The sociological concept of cultural trauma provides a useful lens for understanding large-scale traumatic events and their literary legacies because this concept recognizes the historical, social, and cultural aspects of trauma rather than limiting its scope to the experiences of individuals or small collectives. The terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 initiated widespread trauma through the spectacle of the planes colliding with the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Literature after 9/11 is both a product of cultural trauma and a means of exploring the profound effects of that trauma. Some 9/11 novels are part of a subgenre I call Cultural Trauma Fiction, which depicts and explores the effect of a large-scale traumatic event on a culture. Texts within this subgenre represent multiple identities and perspectives, engage with cultural concerns about memorializing the trauma, consider the ethics of representing that trauma through different media, and advance counternarratives that challenge dominant government or media narratives about the trauma. Don DeLillo’s Falling Man constitutes a work of Cultural Trauma Fiction in that its structure and narrative strategies move beyond the scope of the novel’s plot, offering insight into the cultural response to 9/11 and countering hegemonic narratives. Works of Cultural Trauma Fiction like Falling Man highlight the collective hidden transcript of traumatic events and challenge official narratives that oversimplify cultural traumas. Falling Man complicates and enriches the collective understanding of 9/11 by challenging, revising, and reconstructing its cultural narratives.

War and the new world order: variants of expected scenarios in the context of the complexity paradigm

The situation in the world after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine can be characterized as an ever-increasing chaos, undermining the foundations of the global order that existed in the world before the start of this war. The theme of the inevitable change of the world order becomes one of the main ones in the world narrative space, actualizing the question — what can the new global order be? The paradigm of complexity as a methodological basis for the construction of the latest sociological concepts allows us to propose conceptual schemes and models of social changes that are able to work with the concepts of social chaos, bifurcation and social order. The basis of the proposed forecast of the expected possible scenarios of the development of events is a model of social changes built on the basis of the paradigm of complexity, which asserts the existence of two mechanisms for creating and maintaining social order — organizational and self-organizing. The organizational mechanism is based on human subjectivity, rational thinking, intelligence, classical scientific forecasting models, logic and evidence. Culturally legitimized during the Modern era. Self-organization is based on mythological thinking, irrationality, belief in a suprapersonal force that is the subject of order creation (God, gods, hero, charismatic leader, higher idea, etc.). The culture of Tradition was based on this. According to the chosen approach, it can be argued that the next arrangement can be predicted only in the form of several equally probable options for global social change. It is assumed that these options will be formed from different variations of the combination of organization and self-organization. There are three of them: 1). Hypermodernity, significant strengthening of organizational mechanisms, further marginalization of self-organization. 2). Neo-tradition (integral Tradition), dominance of self-organization, decline of organizational levers of regulation. 3). Tradomodern, a balanced dialectical unity of self-organization and organization. The points of possible growth of each of the options are indicated, which are currently in the margins of the world socio-cultural space, but at bifurcation points, the new always grows from the marginal. The unique example of the self-organization of the Ukrainian Maidans, volunteer and voluntary movement, which is an experience of combining organization and self-organization, reason and faith, which brings new meanings to the European semantic space, is emphasized. It was emphasized that there is no way to predict which option will be implemented. A small random event can decide everything, but knowing such patterns does not exclude the possibility of at least preparing for all the mentioned possibilities, and maybe working for one of them.

Introducing Point-of-Care PCR technology in general practice: Ambiguities, experiences, and perceptions among health care professionals.

In this paper we present findings from a qualitative ethnographic study investigating the experiences and perceptions of general practitioners and other practice staff when introducing a new point of care diagnostic test technology (point of care polymerase chain reaction (POC PCR)) in general practice in Denmark. The ethnographic study was conducted in five general practice clinics, involving observations in four of the clinics and interviews with general practitioners and practice staff in all five clinics. Following an initial analytic phase in which barriers and facilitators in the implementation process of the Point-of-Care test were identified, we developed theoretically informed themes, drawing upon Hartmut Rosa's social theory of technological acceleration. These themes included ambiguous experiences and perceptions of: (i) diagnostic specification and inflation embedded in diagnostic practices; (ii) empowerment and erosion of professional judgment; (iii) strategies of security and insecurity in communication; (iv) the interdependence between professional autonomy and economic structures associated with organizational power; and (v) subjective and organizational time. We discuss how diagnostic technologies simultaneously contribute to and disrupt treatment safety, efficiency, and medical decision-making. Using Rosa's sociological concepts of alienation and resonance, this article furthermore explores how these ambiguous dynamics are experienced in general practice settings. It also examines the implications of navigating a heterogeneous socio-technical and medical landscape and what it means to be a health professional in a contemporary general practice environment that is increasingly shaped by diagnostic technologies.

Heritability of class and status: Implications for sociological theory and research

Most individual-level outcomes of interest to sociologists are indirectly influenced by genetics, including socioeconomic outcomes like education, income, wealth, and occupational status. Despite this knowledge, an integration of sociological theories of class and status with the research literature on genetic heritability is largely lacking, and no previous studies have investigated the role of genetics specifically for class attainment – a central concept in sociology. To amend this, we estimate how much variation in such positions can be attributed to genetic and environmental factors in roughly 5000 Norwegian twin pairs. The results suggest that the variability in class and status attainment is influenced by genetics to a non-negligible degree, while shared environmental factors play a modest role as well. This is in line with previous findings using genetically informed designs to study other socioeconomic outcomes. Our study suggests that in addition to social environments, variation in class and status attainment can partly be explained by genetics.

Beyond coping and adaptation: Toward a sociology of coaching. A necessary paradigm shift to address contemporary dramatic social change

This article discusses how, in today’s world of disruptive and dramatic social change, non-sports related coaching, which includes a wide range of services such as life coaching, career coaching, executive coaching, and team coaching, can inadvertently fuel undesirable social dynamics. There is little or no awareness of this risk among coaches and coachees. The global, fast-growing, multi-billion-dollar industry aimed at supporting people and organizations to perform better and increase wellbeing while managing and adapting to change has been developed with limited sociological input. The article is based on 15 years of social constructionist-informed reflective practice by a sociologist-turned-coach, and uses a multi-layered theory-driven autoethnographic account to argue for a sociologically informed paradigm shift in coaching, as well as relevant sociological knowledge, learning sciences, and action research methodology in coaches’ education. It presents the rationale and key features of a new coaching approach that places dramatic social change-relevant sociological concepts at the heart of the process, helps people develop psycho-sociological awareness, and uses a learning-to-develop through research design. A new definition of coaching to address dramatic social change is derived. Coaching practitioners will find dramatic social change-relevant sociological concepts, critical reflections, coaching questions, and procedures to expand coaching effectiveness. Interdisciplinary research topics are proposed, combining coaching sociology – which must be developed to make coaching a well-founded profession – and coaching psychology, which currently dominates the knowledge production in the field. Implications for workplace strategies to attract, motivate, and retain employees in search of meaning or purpose in life are also suggested.

Rational and ambitious legislators? Role theory, between open questions and new applicability

Abstract Role theory utilizes sociological and political science tools to study parliamentary functioning and parliamentarians’ behavior. While scholars in the USA (1960–70) and Europe (1990–2010) have extensively applied it, this review focuses on its enduring theoretical validity. It introduces a role choice typology, categorizing parliamentarians in empirical studies. The analysis highlights role theory strengths and weaknesses, highlighting that the goal of reelection represents only one potential explanation of parliamentarian behavior. The article suggests reconsidering the sociological concept of role to derive testable hypotheses. In addition, the article extends role theory applications to studying legislative careers and less institutionalized legislatures.

Rethinking organizational culture in intersectoral coordination: the perspective of boundary work

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to rethink the concept of organizational culture as something that emerges bottom-up by using the sociological concepts of boundary object and boundary work as an analytical lens and to show how this approach can help understand and facilitate intersectoral coordination.Design/methodology/approachWe used observations and qualitative interviews to develop “deep” knowledge about processes of intersectoral coordination. The study draws on a conceptual framework of “boundary work” and “boundary objects” to show how a bottom-up perspective on organizational culture can produce better understanding of and pave the way for intersectoral coordination. We use a case of health professionals engaged in two Danish intersectoral programs developing and providing health promotion services for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).FindingsThe study showed how boundary work revolves around negotiations on how to define, understand and act on the diagnosis of GDM. This diagnosis has the characteristics of a “boundary object”, being more loosely structured in general terms, but strongly structured in local settings. Boundary objects help connect different professionals and facilitate coordination. The analysis showed how the introduction of time and the concept of “lifelong health promotion” helped to transgress existing organizational and professional boundaries.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings contribute to the literature on organizational culture and intersectoral coordination. We highlight the benefits of a practice-oriented, bottom-up perspective for a better understanding of how shared meaning is produced in cross professional coordination and collaboration. While the theoretical implications will be general applicable when studying organizational culture, the implications for practice are sensitive to context and the processes we have described as the outcomes of boundary work are generated from cases that were most likely to provide deep insight into our research topic.Practical implicationsFor practice this can build bridges between organizational and professional boundaries.Originality/valueThe findings contribute to the literature on organizational culture and intersectoral coordination. We highlight the benefits of a practice-oriented, bottom-up perspective for a better understanding of how shared meaning is produced in cross professional coordination. This may build bridges between organizational and professional boundaries in practice settings.

Ethnographic Study on Marriage Practices of Selected Groups in Socorro Surigao Del Norte, Philippines

This study aimed to determine and explore the marriage practices of the selected groups in Socorro, Surigao del Norte. The researcher believed that incorporating these ethnographic marriage practices on values education and ethics would help to understand the sociological, anthropological, and cultural concept of marriage and thus improve the family and society. This study used the Descriptive Phenomenological Research Approach using the Husserl method, as illustrated by Groenewald (2004), with transcribed semi-structured in-depth one-on-one interviews to explore the marriage practices of the selected group in Socorro, Surigao del Norte. A purposive sampling technique was used to find the eight (8) selected identified participants who are leaders, elders, and core members of the tribal group of Iglesia sa Socorro. Thematic analysis was used to determine the themes of the study. Based on the emerging themes, tribal migration and fanatic ideology were the primary historical background of the group's marriage practices. Findings revealed that the marriage practices of the selected groups of Socorro are based upon six emerging themes: customs, beliefs, bylaws, prohibitions, abuses, and trends.Marriage practices and customs are the ceremonial observance and procedures of the group. Beliefs are the faith and convictions of the tribes. Marriage practices, according to bylaws, are the rules and regulations. Prohibitions on marriage practices are the forbidden actions and rules on marriage practices. Abuses of marriage practices are the misuse, exploitation, and perversion of the customs. At the same time, the trending practices on marriage pertain to the new craze or mania observed or confirmed from outside the tribal norms in these current times. Marriage practices based on customs, beliefs, bylaws, and prohibitions are indigenous in traditions. In contrast, abuses of marriage practices and trending marriage practices are products of extremist viewpoints and conformation to outside traditions. They may result in dire consequences, including the destruction of marriage and, thus, the family.

Beyond subcultures: A literature review of gaming communities and sociological analysis

This article is a critical review of studies on gaming communities. In particular, it analyses the use of subcultural, post-subcultural and postmodern subcultural theorists in relation to video games players. Academic use of sociological concepts to study gaming communities, such as neo-tribe, subculture, lifestyle, and scene, is not always explained and almost all sociological instruments show limits in engaging the complex and changing phenomena of video gaming cultures. The article focuses on the misleading use of the term subculture and, therefore, analyses effective applications of post-subcultural and post-modern subcultural approaches to specific case studies. Eventually, the relation between gamers and video games cultures is analysed. In this sense, I argue that the complexity of gaming communities is difficult to be framed and I suggest the use of the Bourdieusian concept of champ.

The power of WHO epistemic communities: The “tobacco epidemic” as construct

AbstractThe aim of this article is to present the idea that the tobacco epidemic, included in the World Health Organization's (WHO) documents, may have contributed to the success of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The tobacco epidemic as a construct was present in internal and official WHO documentation as well as in scientific publications of the tobacco control‐oriented scientists who constituted the anti‐tobacco epistemic community. Using a qualitative approach, I analyzed three sets of texts to describe the features of the tobacco epidemic and how it may have contributed to the success of the FCTC. The methodology of the analysis was based on the sociological concept of medicalization. I argue that by virtue of medicalized framing in the case of the FCTC, the WHO was able to influence the debate on tobacco control.Related ArticlesLuján José, Luis. 2023. “Evidence‐Based Policies: Lessons from Regulatory Science.” Politics & Policy 51(4): 524–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12543.Newman, Joshua. 2019. “The Role of Uncertainty in Regulating E‐Cigarettes: The Emergence of a Regulatory Regime, 2005‐15.” Politics & Policy 47(2): 407–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12294.Roberts, Alex N. 2023. “The Scientization of Public Policy and Politics: A New Approach to Conceptualizing and Identifying the Phenomenon.” Politics & Policy 51(5): 726–54. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12548.

The profession’s response to overt and covert threats to the ruling hegemony

ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between three sociological concepts in an architectural context: profession, hegemony, and government, focusing on times of crisis. The crisis is caused by two types of perceived threat to the hegemonic social order: one is overt and recognized by the government, and the other is covert and not officially acknowledged. In both cases, the threat has the potential to overturn the power hierarchy and thus damage the status of the profession. This relationship is observed through architectural analysis because the products of architecture represent identities, values, and power relations, thus enabling an examination of the profession’s role in the broader social context. The findings of the study indicate that in a time of crisis, which is perceived – even by the authorities – as a threat to society at large, the profession makes itself entirely available to assist the governmental authority so as to preserve the existing hegemony. By contrast, when the ruling authorities do not consider the crisis to constitute a threat to the hegemonic social order, the profession ‘chooses its battles’ based on its interest in preserving the hegemony, to retain its own power and status.

Wearing their heart on a wall: the World’s Biggest Comic

Abstract An arts-based project, using a community development approach engaging people in a community of place to address suicide prevention, is potentially powerful. This involves linking community development and mental health promotion practice. The challenge in doing this is that, conceptually, the integration between the two is incomplete and there is a lack of guidance about effective community processes. This paper analyses community development processes to create the World’s Biggest Comic (WBC). The WBC was an innovative, large scale public art project engaging local artists, some with a lived experience of mental illness, to tell a story of Will and Hope. A 15-part comic story, printed on vinyl canvas panels and mounted on buildings, covered 600 m2. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=217471332673743 Conducted in a small rural South Australian community by the local volunteer Suicide Prevention Network, the WBC aimed to raise awareness, break down stigma, and prompt life-saving conversations. Results of a mixed method impact evaluation are presented using a community development framework that considers ‘people’, ‘space’, and ‘place’. The use of sociological concepts about community and the community field, the value of relationships, and listening to the voices of those with a lived experience of mental illness, may assist practice. Some potential learnings and pitfalls in using a community development approach in mental health promotion are discussed.

Key sociological concepts for medicine: standardisation and medicine.

Key sociological concepts for medicine: standardisation and medicine.

Key sociological concepts for medicine: medical conspiracy theories.

Key sociological concepts for medicine: medical conspiracy theories.

Ethnomusicology, Folklore, and Social Relevance. By Josep Martí. Translated by Peter Collins

This article raises the need for (Spanish) ethnomusicology to replace rigid nineteenth century approaches with renewed anthropological and sociological concepts and analytical tools, Through the notion of “social relevance,” the author responds to this need and advocates for the study of horizontal influence (dynamic, meaningful), rather than vertical roots (ancestral, quasi-sacred) in a musical repertoire. “Social relevance” would be the academic opposite to “cultural paternity” (as ethnic ascription), prioritizing the importance that a song, instrument, or dance has for a community in a specific moment. Therefore, the main task of an ethnomusicologist is to understand the musical life of a society, because the relevance does not depend on music itself, but on its context. Consequently, the concept of social relevance rejects perceptions of popular music studies as marginal, and instead accepts the study of popular music as a discipline that deserves full scholarly attention, eliminating mythologized hierarchies of elite groups. The article discusses how social relevance manifests in three interrelated dimensions: meaning, or how a musical piece is perceived; the uses to which it is put; and its social functions. These analyses apply to different genres such as opera, jazz, rock, folk, classical, and avant-garde music, and point out the universal attributes they all share according to the principle of their social relevance.
 Citation:
 Originally published in Spanish as “Etnomusicología, folklore y relevancia social.” In Actas del I Congreso de la Sociedad Ibérica de Etnomusicología, edited by Jordi Raventós, 11-22. Barcelona: La mà de Guido, 1996.

Mechanisms in sociology-a critical intervention.

The notion of the mechanism is one of the most popular and widely used concepts in science and sociology is no exception. This paper problematizes the widespread and often uncritical use of the term "mechanism" in contemporary sociology. Drawing on the mechanistic worldview associated with leading figures of the scientific revolution, the paper emphasizes the impact of mechanistic thinking on the societal rationalization process identified by Max Weber and the Frankfurt School. The analysis suggests that mechanisms, when applied to sociological theories, may uncritically reproduce a cultural fetish of the rational society with potentially dehumanizing consequences. The author advocates for a critical reflection on the cultural and historical context of mechanisms, urging sociologists to view them not merely as analytical tools but as active contributors to the creation and shaping of social worlds erected on a belief in instrumental reason.

Key sociological concepts for medicine: risk, medicine and pandemics.

Key sociological concepts for medicine: risk, medicine and pandemics.

Russian sociologists on the foundations of solidarity: subjectivity, predictability and common feelings

Each concept of solidarity emphasises certain grounds and factors of solidarisation of society, linking them to social changes or, on the contrary, to the constants of human existence. In periods of social change, not only a decrease or increase in the degree of social consolidation takes place, but also a weakening of some forms of solidarity and the formation of others. The purpose of this study is to identify the bases of solidarity related to sociality and anthropological parameters of being. Although forms of solidarity change from society to society and at different historical stages of their development, no society remains viable and progressive in the absence of solidarity. The present study of the foundations of solidarity goes beyond both traditional sociological concepts of integration and disintegration, of normal society and anomie, and psychological theories of group needs and self-expression, that describe only the immediate preconditions and effects of solidarity. The author relies on secondary analysis of sources and theoretical analysis of sociological concepts of sociality and social reproduction. The research materials include publications by Russian scholars from the 19th century, when the first concepts of sobornost', omnipresence and positivist-practical interpretations of solidarity emerged in Russian sociology, to the present day, devoted to the issues of conditions for the formation of solidarity, consolidation and deconsolidation of society. The author identifies explicitly and implicitly present in the sources of understanding about the foundations of solidarity related to the constants of human existence and sociality: subjectivity, predictability and commonality of feelings. The subjectivity of social actors as the highest, reflexive level of subjectivity determines their ability and will to social creativity and actions in favour of the social whole. The predictability of the social environment ensures the majority's adherence to acceptable common rules, belief in common values on the basis of mutual trust and justice. Mutual aid and altruism within solidarity communities are considered as impossible without the third foundation of solidarity - the community of feelings of social subjects, associated with the commonality of their life worlds.

Demystifying the Link between Social Media Addiction and Sharing without Verification: The Role of Absentmindedness and Wellbeing

In this paper, we argue that one can understand the adoption and routine use of enterprise systems by examining the fit between the system and the social structures of the organization. We develop a model of the adoption and long- term use of enterprise systems based on sociological concepts (Lord Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory) rather than the usual cognitive psychology concepts. We focus on the adoption and use of three versions of an enterprise KMS to support sales representatives at a multinational pharmaceutical firm. Our first study (a five-year case study of the KMS that went through one failed deployment and two successful ones) shows that the structures of signification, legitimation, and domination all influence loyal use, although domination may be less important. Our second study (a survey of 893 users at the firm) shows that the structures of signification, legitimation, and domination explain about 50 percent of the variance in ongoing loyal use but that their relative importance depends on the job experience of the users: signification and legitimation influence novices more, and signification and domination influence experts more. We believe that this parsimonious three-factor model offers a useful approach for future research and practice.