Theoretical Schema Research Articles

4. A PRAGMATIC RESPONSE1

ABSTRACTIn the years since its twin publication in 2001 (Indian edition) and 2003 (U.S. edition), Textures of Time has attracted a great deal more attention outside the United States than in the American academy. This, we suggest, is because its ideas and approach are rather at odds with the dominant trends in the area of “postcolonial studies.” In this response to three critical essays that engage with the book—by Rama Mantena, Sheldon Pollock, and Christopher Chekuri—we begin by setting out our principal hypotheses as well as the evidentiary structure of the book, which draws mostly on vernacular materials from South India in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The former includes the claim that South India between roughly 1600 and 1800 (and thus in the centuries before the consolidation of colonial rule) possessed considerable and diverse historiographical traditions, though these histories came couched in a variety of genres, rendering them difficult for the uninitiated to recognize at first; the latter requires us to develop the significance of the concepts of “texture” as well as of “subgeneric markers” that help distinguish texts with a historical intention from those that are nonhistorical but have the same generic location. Our response then goes on to discuss why theoretical or śāstric texts in India do not themselves explicitly theorize the distinctions we make. Here, we posit a contrast between “embedded” and “explicated” concepts in the “emic” sphere, suggesting that “texture” belongs to the first category. We explicitly distinguish our views from the poststructuralist (and Barthesian) language adopted by Pollock in his critique of Textures, and the more predictable postcolonial vision of Chekuri. We once more emphasize the need to take the vernacular historiography seriously, and to refine our reading practices, rather than overly depending on normative materials in Sanskrit, or on a prefabricated theoretical schema that derives from a stylized (and impoverished) view of the nature of the transformations produced by colonial rule.

Home and Loss

Home and Loss

Organizations, Resources, and Class Analysis: The Distributional Model and the US Class Structure

This article presents selected features of a theoretical schema we term the distributional model of class analysis which views large organizations, organizationally-based resources, and distributional processes as central to the US class structure. We first review what we term production models of class analysis and illustrate how some features of these models may be linked to insights from studies of class involving large organizations and distributional processes. Building on this foundation, we introduce the main ideas of our model and focus on two central features: generative capital and the distributive order . We identify four forms of generative capital as the basis of class membership: consumption, investment, credentialed skill, and social. Classes are viewed as consisting of individuals and families who possess, over time, similar levels of these resources. The class structure is illustrated with a figure divided into the privileged (top 20 percent) and new working classes (bottom 80 percent) which are posited as having oppositional class interests. We then identify four elements of the distributive order and discuss how each influences the distribution of generative capital forms to individuals and families. We conclude with a discussion of the merits of our model and with illustrations of new lines of inquiry in class analysis the model could stimulate.

Dialogue in Groups

"Abstract: In the present article a synthesis of the main contributions in Gestalt goup counselling is attempted by emphasising the importance of the authentic meeting of persons (including the therapist) in the group. The author suggests, with examples from the counselling practice, that the promotion of the I-Thou dialogue in counselling goups elevates a more creative complexity of the group organisation, which goes beyond the theoretical schemata that have been proposed until now. Key words: group, Gestalt, systemic, Cleveland model, counselling, consonance, interaction, dialogue, I-Thou"

‘Wrapped up’: ideological setting and figurative meaning in African-American gospel rap

In this article I shall attempt to demonstrate the application of an ideology-critical framework designed to give a comprehensive and differentiated account of textual ‘contradictions’ and ‘tensions’ in symbolic forms. Based on Johann Visagie's figurative semiotics of ideological discourse, this theoretical schema is demonstrated via an extensive analysis of the gospel rap video wrapped up by the African-American group Dawkins & Dawkins. As a metaphorically mediated enactment of contemporary-religious meaning, this instance of gospel rap is analysed as a forthright yet complex example of structural ambiguity. Allowing for a detailed reading of the semiotic layering surrounding and infiltrating all dimensions of this text, my interpretation problematises its reading as an uncomplicated, commercialised excursion into the pleasures of an embodied, danced religion. In both ‘highlighting’ and ‘hiding’ the layers of cultural meaning built into the metaphor of danced religion, wrapped up celebrates black religious identity without distancing it from underlying ideological formations associated with collective suffering and social injustice.

‘Just Crumbling to Bits’? An Exploration of the Body, Ageing, Injury and Career in Classical Ballet Dancers

Ballet is, for reasons that are unclear, a neglected topic in the sociology of the body. Our article works on three levels: firstly, as an account of ex-dancers’‘lived experience’ of embodiment; secondly, as an application of Bourdieu’s theoretical schema; and thirdly, as a philosophically grounded critique of radical social constructionist views of the body.We describe Royal Ballet dancers’ perceptions of their bodies, of ageing, of injury and of their careers.We draw on Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and cultural capital in our investigation of embodiment. Ageing and injury are potential epiphanies that encourage dancers to reflect on their embodied habitus and their career. We argue that the decline in a dancer’s physical capital undermines radical social constructionist views.This study, although set within the narrow field of dance, illuminates the broader relationships between the body, self, and society.

Developing a Model for the Measurement of Social Inclusion and Social Capital in Regional Australia

This paper reviews the literature on social inclusion and social capital to develop a framework to guide the selection of items and measures for the forth coming SA Department of Human Services Survey of Social Inclusion to be held in the region of Northern Adelaide in South Australia. Northern Adelaide is a region with areas of high socio-economic disadvantage, characterized by high unemploy ment and poverty. Survey respondents' perceptions of social inclusion and social capital in Northern Adelaide will be examined by developing indices, which address the theoretical schema discussed in this paper. Epistemological differences between seminal theorists on social inclusion and social capital suggest the development of a broad suite of indices is required to enable the collection of data of interest to researchers from differing theoretical perspectives. Data collected in the survey will be mapped using Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies against loca tions within Northern Adelaide and in relation to existing Australian Bureau of Statistics, Commonwealth and State Government databases on age, gender, relative socio-economic disadvantage and other variables.

Self-Reflection in Multicultural Training: Be Careful What You Ask For

Self-reflection in multicultural education is an important means to develop self-awareness and ultimately to change professional behavior in favor of more equitable health care to diverse populations. As conceptualized by scholars in the field of psychology, racial identity theory is critical to understanding and planning for the potentially wide range of predictable reactions to provocative activities, including those negative reactions that do not necessarily herald a flaw in programming. Careful consideration of racial identity developmental phases can also assist program planners to optimally meet the needs of individual physician trainees in their ongoing constructive professional and personal development, and in strategically mobilizing and having ready the type of institutional leadership that supports trainees' change processes. The authors focus on white physician trainees, the largest racial group of U.S. physicians and medical students. They first explain what they mean by the terms white and nonwhite. Racial identity theory is then applied, with true case examples, to explore such issues as where the self-proclaimed "color-blind" trainee fits into this theoretical schema, and how medical educators can best serve trainees who are resistant or indifferent to discussions of racism in medicine and equity in health care delivery. Ultimately, the authors' goal is to demonstrate that engendering genuine self-reflection can substantively improve the delivery of health care to the nation's diverse population. To help achieve that goal, they emphasize what to anticipate in effecting optimal trainee education and how to create an institutional climate supportive of individual change.

AN INTEGRATED MODEL TO STUDY THE STRUCTURAL AND FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES

The current agrarian sector in developed countries like those in the European Union (EU) is facing a risky but fascinating situation. On one hand, a subsidy-based structure (mainly cereals, oil crops, protein crops and livestock) has to be substituted and, on the other, a competitive and sustainable environment has to be created aiming at high quality products, territory maintenance and stable income sources. Everything must be integrated in a free but fair world trade framework. This uncertain environment could modify the structure of our agrarian sector in the near future. Some farm types (agrarian profiles, AP) could disappear trying to reach a new financial -competitive- and structural -modernization- equilibrium. Also, some of these last AP should be maintained, basically using income transfers from public administrations -subsidies, in order to stabilize the territory structure of some regions (population, soil, landscape,...) To study the socio-economic structure, the medium/long-term financial situation -sustainability- and the productive (financial and social) efficiency of selected AP, this paper proposes an integrated chain of methodologies and offers some preliminary examples of empirical results. The main objective of our global research work is to test the method sequence up using real socio-economic data. This sequence integrates medium/long-term financial analysis based on Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) with a standard efficiency analysis that includes Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) with imprecise data. According to this objective, some methodological and computational advances in MCS and DEA are also considered and tested. In this paper the general and theoretical schema of the model is presented.

From Metaphor to Practice

This article explores how the link between the hand and the mind might be exploited in the making of strategy. Using Mintzberg’s image of a potter undergoing iterative and recursive learning and knowledge-building processes as a point of departure, the authors develop a three-level theoretical schema, progressing from the physiological to the psychological to the social to trace the consequences of the hand-mind link. To illustrate their theoretical schema, the authors present an illustration case of managers from a large telecommunications firm experimenting with a process for strategy making in which they actively use their hands to construct representations of their organization and its environment. The authors conclude that new and potent forms of strategy making might be attained if the fundamental human experience of using one’s hands is put in the service of all kinds of organizational learning.

Horses for Courses? The Political Discourse of Globalisation and European Integration in the UK and Ireland

In recent years there has been growing interest in the role of discourses of globalisation and European integration in shaping political outcomes. As a variety of authors have suggested, these discourses may play a powerful causal role in determining the trajectory of policy change and, as such, should be treated as objects of enquiry in their own right. Yet, while much recent scholarship has pointed to the need for systematic empirical analysis of policy-making discourses, little such analysis has yet been undertaken. Our aim in this paper is to contribute to this task, by mapping contemporary appeals to globalisation and European integration in two EU states: Britain and the Irish Republic. We present findings from the discourse analysis (using QSR NVivo) of over 100 speeches backed by supplementary interviews in both cases. Building upon, extending and updating an earlier discussion, we develop a theoretical schema for the classification and mapping of a range of different discourses of globalisation and European integration. These we categorise in terms of the contingent or inevitable character attributed to the process in question and the positive, open-ended or negative connotations it is seen to entail. What becomes apparent is the highly strategic ways in which such discourses are used, the articulation of which depends greatly upon the context in which they are deployed and the audience for which they are intended.

Two Conceptions of Black Nationalism

The essay provides both an interpretation and a theoretical reconstruction of the political philosophy of Martin Delany, a mid-nineteenth-century radical abolitionist and one of the founders of the doctrine of black nationalism. It identifies two competing strands in Delany's social thought, “classical” nationalism and “pragmatic” nationalism, where each underwrites a different conception of the analytical and normative underpinnings of black political solidarity. It is argued that the pragmatic variant is the more cogent of the two and the one to which Delany is most committed. It is also suggested that pragmatic nationalism can still serve usefully as a theoretical schema through which African Americans can understand and carry out their current political projects.

Reflections on embodiment and vulnerability

Bodies matter as our experience of them is the basis both for social life and also for much medical and social research. There has been a spectacular increase in academic...

Market-Focused Strategic Flexibility: Conceptual Advances and an Integrative Model

This article develops the concept of market-focused strategic flexibility. It begins with a review of the historical perspectives of strategic flexibility. To support the conceptualization, the authors offer a theoretical schema that considers market-focused strategic flexibility as conceptually rooted in capabilities theory, resource-based views of the firm, and options. With the conceptualization in place, the authors propose an integrative model that explicates the mediating role of market-focused strategic flexibility in marketing strategy frameworks. Propositions are developed relating market-driven and driving orientations to market-focused strategic flexibility with consideration for how turbulent macro environments modify the relationship. In addition, the authors offer propositions regarding outcomes of market-focused strategic flexibility under conditions of macro environmental turbulence.

On universalism in connection with the interpretation of magic in the semiotics of Juri Lotman

The article examines the first phase of the universalistic interpretations in Juri Lotman’s semiotics, which is characterized by holism and maximalism derived from the Saussurean cultural concept. There is an analysis of Juri Lotman’s 1967 lecture, previously unpublished, where universal status is accorded to text functions (including magic functions). Such an approach is a substantial revision of the Saussurean understandings of the relationship between language and speech. This interpretation of magic is compared with the examination of the same concept in Juri Lotman’s 1981 article “Contract and self-sacrifice as archetypical cultural models”, which substantially contradicts the concept developed in his 1967 lecture. Both these magic models produce a number of objections, and apparently seem to bear the deforming traces of their respective universalistic theoretical schema.

Modelos de predicación y clasificación dinámica oracional de los verbos y de los papeles configuracionales

The concept of predication has its philosophical roots in Plato and Aristotle. The first section reviews the modern development since Peirce’s relational logic and describes traditional pitfalls in the treatment of predication. In section two the traditional reduction of predication to constructions with an auxiliary is critically assessed and a new, dynamical treatment of predication is developed, which draws from another tradition, that of dynamic systems theory and more specifically catastrophe theory. For two basic types of predication (predication with copula (or Ø-copula) and predication with simple (dynamical) verb) the new type of description is demonstrated. Section three considers the semantics of verbs entering into phrasal constructions, and more specifically verbs of locomotion, motion, action and change. Five basic domains of locomotion/motion/action/change are distinguished and catastrophe theoretical schemata are proposed for them. A consequence of this analysis is a new classification of verbs of motion and of semantic roles. Section four treats some elaborations of the basic schemata proposed in section four. In the final section more marginal cases of predication are discussed and conclusions regarding the nature of predication are drawn.

Control and legitimation in government accountability processes: the private finance initiative in the UK

This paper explores a number of dimensions of the accountability processes of governments. Accountability is associated with giving reasons for conduct for responsibilities or authority granted. A key argument of this paper is that governments make themselves accountable but only in a political, rather than managerial sense, resulting in, paradoxically, increasing, rather than decreasing forms of control over society. Due to their unique position in society, where their very existence is dependent upon them exercising control over other parts of society, anything they do has a controlling outcome. Coupling this with a lack of day by day control by the voting public, who have power to elect these bodies in western democracies but not a power to dictate practical action, leaves governments in a uniquely powerful position. Partly to avoid the searching questions from the public, resulting in more detailed forms of political accountability, and, following the logic of the paper, increasing control, governments have seen it appropriate to set up separate internal bodies (such as the auditor generals and the national audit offices) to demonstrate that they are subject to investigation. However, a further key argument of the paper is that, rather than providing an independent voice, auditor generals and the national audit offices provide legitimation to the original actions rather than a curtailment of these processes. The paper builds this complex argument conceptually and empirically. At a conceptual level it draws from a number of different literature bases to provide a “middle range" (Laughlin, 1995) theoretical schema. This is then amplified and developed through an empirical case in connection with the UK’s private finance initiative.

A obra poética de Pablo Neruda: um estudo psicanalítico

Neste trabalho realizou-se uma leitura da obra poética de Pablo Neruda, conforme os pressupostos teóricos de Freud e Lacan. A preocupação inicial foi a de elaborar um esquema teórico que fornecesse subsídios ao estudo. Num segundo momento foi realizada uma leitura das principais obras que marcam os três períodos literários de Pablo Neruda, tentando-se interpretar psicanaliticamente a rede simbólica encontrada nessas obras. Com base nas análises realizadas, pôde-se observar que a poesia de Pablo Neruda parece possuir um papel de figura objetal, possibilitando ao autor religar-se às suas figuras parentais, nas quais projeta os seus desejos e frustrações.

Literary pedagogy in nursing: a theory-based perspective.

Using fictional and autobiographical literature in nursing education is a primary way of understanding patients' lived experiences and fostering development of essential relational and reflective thinking skills. Application of literary theory to this pedagogic practice can expand conceptualization of teaching goals, inform specific teaching strategies, and potentially contribute to socially consequential educational outcomes. This article describes a theoretical schema that focuses on pedagogical goals in terms of the three related skills (i.e., reading, interpretation, criticism) of textual competence.

Perinatal infection, fetal inflammatory response, white matter damage, and cognitive limitations in children born preterm.

Only sparse information is available about a possible association between antenatal infection outside the brain and subsequent cognitive limitations among preterm infants. Based on published studies, we provide a theoretical schema that links them via the fetal inflammatory response and neonatal white matter damage. We conclude that the relationship between antenatal infection and cognitive limitations deserves much further attention by researchers interested in the prevention of this undesirable outcome of prematurity.