Frédéric Mérand
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199533244
- eISBN:
- 9780191714474
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199533244.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, European Union
This book explains the creation of the European Union's Security and Defense Policy—to this day the most ambitious project of peacetime military integration. Whether hailed as a vital step in the ...
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This book explains the creation of the European Union's Security and Defense Policy—to this day the most ambitious project of peacetime military integration. Whether hailed as a vital step in the integration of Europe or berated as a wasteful threat to US power, European citizens are increasingly interested in the common defense policy. Today, “European Defense” is more popular than the European Union itself, even in Great Britain. This book addresses the fundamental challenge posed by military integration to the way we think about the state in the 21st century. Looking back over the past fifty years, it shows how statesmen, diplomats, and soldiers have converged towards Brussels as a “natural” solution to their concerns but also as something worth fighting over. The actors most closely associated to the formation of nation-states are now shaping a transgovernmental security and defense arena. As a result, defense policy is being denationalized. Exploring the complex relations between the state, the military, and citizenship in today's Europe, the book argues that European Defense is a symptom, but not a cause, of the transformation of the state. This book is an original contribution to the theory of European integration. Drawing on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, the book develops a political sociology of international relations which seeks to bridge institutionalism and constructivism. This careful study of practices, social representations, and power structures sheds new light on security and defense cooperation, but also on European cooperation more generally.Less
This book explains the creation of the European Union's Security and Defense Policy—to this day the most ambitious project of peacetime military integration. Whether hailed as a vital step in the integration of Europe or berated as a wasteful threat to US power, European citizens are increasingly interested in the common defense policy. Today, “European Defense” is more popular than the European Union itself, even in Great Britain. This book addresses the fundamental challenge posed by military integration to the way we think about the state in the 21st century. Looking back over the past fifty years, it shows how statesmen, diplomats, and soldiers have converged towards Brussels as a “natural” solution to their concerns but also as something worth fighting over. The actors most closely associated to the formation of nation-states are now shaping a transgovernmental security and defense arena. As a result, defense policy is being denationalized. Exploring the complex relations between the state, the military, and citizenship in today's Europe, the book argues that European Defense is a symptom, but not a cause, of the transformation of the state. This book is an original contribution to the theory of European integration. Drawing on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, the book develops a political sociology of international relations which seeks to bridge institutionalism and constructivism. This careful study of practices, social representations, and power structures sheds new light on security and defense cooperation, but also on European cooperation more generally.
Edward G. Carmines and Robert Huckfeldt
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294719
- eISBN:
- 9780191599361
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294719.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Reference
Provides an overview of the ways political scientists have explained political behaviour. Traces the development of approaches from the early electoral studies to economic models, to combinations of ...
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Provides an overview of the ways political scientists have explained political behaviour. Traces the development of approaches from the early electoral studies to economic models, to combinations of context and political agency in a political sociological response, and finally to a return to the individual voter in the form of political psychology. The politics of race is discussed as an example of the interaction of individual and social effects, representing the direction in which the broader political behaviour sub‐discipline is heading.Less
Provides an overview of the ways political scientists have explained political behaviour. Traces the development of approaches from the early electoral studies to economic models, to combinations of context and political agency in a political sociological response, and finally to a return to the individual voter in the form of political psychology. The politics of race is discussed as an example of the interaction of individual and social effects, representing the direction in which the broader political behaviour sub‐discipline is heading.
Frédéric Mérand
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199533244
- eISBN:
- 9780191714474
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199533244.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, European Union
The conclusion develops the implications of the book's argument for the study of European integration and International Relations more generally. The conclusion is framed around two challenges posed ...
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The conclusion develops the implications of the book's argument for the study of European integration and International Relations more generally. The conclusion is framed around two challenges posed by ESDP. The first challenge concerns the inability of traditional EU approaches, such as neofunctionalism or intergovernmentalism, to theorize the development of European defense. The second challenge concerns the nature of the state and its definition in International Relations theory. IR theory has often been accused of being too statocentric, thus neglecting the social determinants of state behavior. For each of these challenges, it is shown how political sociology's critical eye on the role of the state, here grounded in a careful empirical study, can open up new research paths. The chapter concludes with predictions about the future of European defense.Less
The conclusion develops the implications of the book's argument for the study of European integration and International Relations more generally. The conclusion is framed around two challenges posed by ESDP. The first challenge concerns the inability of traditional EU approaches, such as neofunctionalism or intergovernmentalism, to theorize the development of European defense. The second challenge concerns the nature of the state and its definition in International Relations theory. IR theory has often been accused of being too statocentric, thus neglecting the social determinants of state behavior. For each of these challenges, it is shown how political sociology's critical eye on the role of the state, here grounded in a careful empirical study, can open up new research paths. The chapter concludes with predictions about the future of European defense.
Gianfranco Poggi
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198780878
- eISBN:
- 9780191695391
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198780878.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This book presents an account of Emile Durkheim's work, focusing on a reassessment of his central ideas and arguments. Durkheim can undoubtedly be considered one of the most significant social ...
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This book presents an account of Emile Durkheim's work, focusing on a reassessment of his central ideas and arguments. Durkheim can undoubtedly be considered one of the most significant social thinkers of the last hundred years and his writings continue to attract both applause and controversy throughout the world, not just from sociologists and scholars from related disciplines but also from all those interested in the way modern society operates. This introduction to Durkheim's thought examines closely all of Durkheim's ‘canonical’ works and assesses their significance today. The book also considers closely the question what did Durkheim mean by ‘society’? It also assesses Durkheim's contribution to both political sociology and the sociology of law, placing his writings in the context of the generation of European scholars to which he belonged.Less
This book presents an account of Emile Durkheim's work, focusing on a reassessment of his central ideas and arguments. Durkheim can undoubtedly be considered one of the most significant social thinkers of the last hundred years and his writings continue to attract both applause and controversy throughout the world, not just from sociologists and scholars from related disciplines but also from all those interested in the way modern society operates. This introduction to Durkheim's thought examines closely all of Durkheim's ‘canonical’ works and assesses their significance today. The book also considers closely the question what did Durkheim mean by ‘society’? It also assesses Durkheim's contribution to both political sociology and the sociology of law, placing his writings in the context of the generation of European scholars to which he belonged.
Rudy B. Andeweg
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250158
- eISBN:
- 9780191599439
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250154.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This chapter gives an overview of approaches to the study of governments, building explicitly on the work of A. King (1975) and C. Campbell (1993), who, respectively, offered three research themes ...
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This chapter gives an overview of approaches to the study of governments, building explicitly on the work of A. King (1975) and C. Campbell (1993), who, respectively, offered three research themes (composition, internal dynamics and external relations) and three theoretical perspectives (institutionalism, rational choice and political sociology/psychology). Each of the three research themes is discussed separately, using examples that illustrate the theoretical perspectives: under ‘composition’, the examples are coalition formation (rational choice) and recruitment/motivation (political sociology/psychology); under ‘internal dynamics’, the examples are prime–ministerial v. cabinet government (institutionalism) and political roles/groupthink (political sociology/psychology); and under ‘external relations’, the examples are executive–legislative relations (institutionalism) and control over bureaucracy (rational choice). The last section of the chapter compares the three theoretical approaches.Less
This chapter gives an overview of approaches to the study of governments, building explicitly on the work of A. King (1975) and C. Campbell (1993), who, respectively, offered three research themes (composition, internal dynamics and external relations) and three theoretical perspectives (institutionalism, rational choice and political sociology/psychology). Each of the three research themes is discussed separately, using examples that illustrate the theoretical perspectives: under ‘composition’, the examples are coalition formation (rational choice) and recruitment/motivation (political sociology/psychology); under ‘internal dynamics’, the examples are prime–ministerial v. cabinet government (institutionalism) and political roles/groupthink (political sociology/psychology); and under ‘external relations’, the examples are executive–legislative relations (institutionalism) and control over bureaucracy (rational choice). The last section of the chapter compares the three theoretical approaches.
Frédéric Mérand
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199533244
- eISBN:
- 9780191714474
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199533244.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, European Union
The introduction explains the challenge posed by the European security and defense policy to the nature of the European state. Building on a critical dialogue between political sociologists and EU ...
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The introduction explains the challenge posed by the European security and defense policy to the nature of the European state. Building on a critical dialogue between political sociologists and EU scholars, it places military integration in the broader perspective of state formation since the 16th century. The puzzle is to understand why a large number of political leaders, defense planners, and diplomats are willing, without an external threat, to surrender key elements of state sovereignty. The argument is that the interpenetration of European states has created strong incentives for state actors to coordinate their foreign and defense policies at the EU level. More specifically, the development of ESDP is analyzed as the creation of transgovernmental field through fifty years of intense military and foreign policy cooperation among Europeans in the EU and also in NATO. Other theoretical perspectives on European defense (realism, liberalism, constructivism, and foreign policy analysis) are then presented and critiqued.Less
The introduction explains the challenge posed by the European security and defense policy to the nature of the European state. Building on a critical dialogue between political sociologists and EU scholars, it places military integration in the broader perspective of state formation since the 16th century. The puzzle is to understand why a large number of political leaders, defense planners, and diplomats are willing, without an external threat, to surrender key elements of state sovereignty. The argument is that the interpenetration of European states has created strong incentives for state actors to coordinate their foreign and defense policies at the EU level. More specifically, the development of ESDP is analyzed as the creation of transgovernmental field through fifty years of intense military and foreign policy cooperation among Europeans in the EU and also in NATO. Other theoretical perspectives on European defense (realism, liberalism, constructivism, and foreign policy analysis) are then presented and critiqued.
Stefan Svallfors
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804754354
- eISBN:
- 9780804768153
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804754354.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
This concluding chapter analyzes the results presented in the book in relation to the development of political sociology. It argues that the papers together represent a “fourth generation” of ...
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This concluding chapter analyzes the results presented in the book in relation to the development of political sociology. It argues that the papers together represent a “fourth generation” of scholarship in the field, where institutional feedback effects in general, and public policies in particular, are analyzed in a comparative perspective. Political sociology was born in the 1940s in New York City, at Columbia University's Bureau of Applied Social Research, under the intellectual leadership of Paul Lazarsfeld. The “Columbia School” and Lazarsfeld made important contributions to the development of research in the field of political sociology. In particular, Lazarsfeld pioneered the analysis of latent structures, while the Columbia School made the first rigorous and systematic attempts to analyze the social factors that influence voting and espoused a “social determinism” in the study of political behavior, for which it came under contemporary criticism. Aside from feedback effects of institutions, other concepts such as public policies and the moral economy of welfare states have improved the conceptualization of the relation between social cleavages, political orientations, and institutions.Less
This concluding chapter analyzes the results presented in the book in relation to the development of political sociology. It argues that the papers together represent a “fourth generation” of scholarship in the field, where institutional feedback effects in general, and public policies in particular, are analyzed in a comparative perspective. Political sociology was born in the 1940s in New York City, at Columbia University's Bureau of Applied Social Research, under the intellectual leadership of Paul Lazarsfeld. The “Columbia School” and Lazarsfeld made important contributions to the development of research in the field of political sociology. In particular, Lazarsfeld pioneered the analysis of latent structures, while the Columbia School made the first rigorous and systematic attempts to analyze the social factors that influence voting and espoused a “social determinism” in the study of political behavior, for which it came under contemporary criticism. Aside from feedback effects of institutions, other concepts such as public policies and the moral economy of welfare states have improved the conceptualization of the relation between social cleavages, political orientations, and institutions.
Chris Rhomberg
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520236189
- eISBN:
- 9780520940888
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520236189.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Race and Ethnicity
In the early 1920s, a powerful Ku Klux Klan movement burst forth in many American cities, targeting immigrant Jews and Catholics and people of color and attracting an estimated four to six million ...
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In the early 1920s, a powerful Ku Klux Klan movement burst forth in many American cities, targeting immigrant Jews and Catholics and people of color and attracting an estimated four to six million members. This book uses an explanatory framework built on three basic analytic dimensions: socioeconomic structure, institutional politics, and urban civil society. It introduces concepts drawn from three corresponding, well-known paradigms in sociology and political science: traditional political sociology; the “new institutionalism”; and social movement theory. Furthermore, it provides a case study of three social movements in Oakland, from the point of view of urban political development in twentieth-century America. The focus is on the struggles of groups and actors to forge a political solidarity and community in an urban context. An overview of the chapters included in this book is finally presented.Less
In the early 1920s, a powerful Ku Klux Klan movement burst forth in many American cities, targeting immigrant Jews and Catholics and people of color and attracting an estimated four to six million members. This book uses an explanatory framework built on three basic analytic dimensions: socioeconomic structure, institutional politics, and urban civil society. It introduces concepts drawn from three corresponding, well-known paradigms in sociology and political science: traditional political sociology; the “new institutionalism”; and social movement theory. Furthermore, it provides a case study of three social movements in Oakland, from the point of view of urban political development in twentieth-century America. The focus is on the struggles of groups and actors to forge a political solidarity and community in an urban context. An overview of the chapters included in this book is finally presented.
William J. Novak
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226277646
- eISBN:
- 9780226277813
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226277813.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, Political History
This chapter draws attention to the vital role of interdisciplinary perspectives in law, history, sociology, and political science in redirecting our understanding of the origins, development, and ...
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This chapter draws attention to the vital role of interdisciplinary perspectives in law, history, sociology, and political science in redirecting our understanding of the origins, development, and nature of the American state. It highlights the particularly formative role of an emerging theoretical literature concerning the character of statecraft in modern democratic regimes. The paper begins with an acknowledgment of the difficulty of the state concept as articulated in the diverse contributions of American history, political sociology, and American Political Development. It goes on to question the predominance of the essentially bureaucratic and Weberian model of the state that has governed thinking about and controlled discussion of the American state for the last two generations. It concludes by using the interdisciplinary perspectives that have recently emerged in socio-legal studies in the United States to generate an alternative approach to American state development that takes account of the nature of democratic rule as well as the fungibility of the state/society boundary.Less
This chapter draws attention to the vital role of interdisciplinary perspectives in law, history, sociology, and political science in redirecting our understanding of the origins, development, and nature of the American state. It highlights the particularly formative role of an emerging theoretical literature concerning the character of statecraft in modern democratic regimes. The paper begins with an acknowledgment of the difficulty of the state concept as articulated in the diverse contributions of American history, political sociology, and American Political Development. It goes on to question the predominance of the essentially bureaucratic and Weberian model of the state that has governed thinking about and controlled discussion of the American state for the last two generations. It concludes by using the interdisciplinary perspectives that have recently emerged in socio-legal studies in the United States to generate an alternative approach to American state development that takes account of the nature of democratic rule as well as the fungibility of the state/society boundary.
Jason Beckfield
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- August 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190492472
- eISBN:
- 9780190492502
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190492472.003.0001
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Public Health
In this chapter, the author discusses several concepts, measures, and datasets that open new avenues for social epidemiologists to use political sociology to explain the distribution of population ...
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In this chapter, the author discusses several concepts, measures, and datasets that open new avenues for social epidemiologists to use political sociology to explain the distribution of population health. He also describes how social epidemiological concepts can feed back into political sociology to advance its agenda of understanding the social organization of power. Three themes integrate the concerns of these still-disconnected fields: (1) conceptualization of etiologic period, (2) definition of population, and (3) distinction between population averages and population variances. Mutual appreciation of the key concepts for each field is essential for the development of synthetic engagement between political sociology and social epidemiology.Less
In this chapter, the author discusses several concepts, measures, and datasets that open new avenues for social epidemiologists to use political sociology to explain the distribution of population health. He also describes how social epidemiological concepts can feed back into political sociology to advance its agenda of understanding the social organization of power. Three themes integrate the concerns of these still-disconnected fields: (1) conceptualization of etiologic period, (2) definition of population, and (3) distinction between population averages and population variances. Mutual appreciation of the key concepts for each field is essential for the development of synthetic engagement between political sociology and social epidemiology.
Alissa Cordner
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231171465
- eISBN:
- 9780231541381
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231171465.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Science, Technology and Environment
Initially marketed as a life-saving advancement, flame retardants are now mired in controversy. Some argue that data show the chemicals are unsafe while others continue to support their use. The ...
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Initially marketed as a life-saving advancement, flame retardants are now mired in controversy. Some argue that data show the chemicals are unsafe while others continue to support their use. The tactics of each side have far-reaching consequences for how we interpret new scientific discoveries. An experienced environmental sociologist, Alissa Cordner conducts more than a hundred interviews with activists, scientists, regulators, and industry professionals to isolate the social, scientific, economic, and political forces influencing environmental health policy today. Introducing “strategic science translation,” she describes how stakeholders use scientific evidence to support nonscientific goals and construct “conceptual risk formulas” to shape risk assessment and the interpretation of empirical evidence. A revelatory text for public-health advocates, Toxic Safety demonstrates that while all parties interested in health issues use science to support their claims, they do not compete on a level playing field and even good intentions can have deleterious effects.Less
Initially marketed as a life-saving advancement, flame retardants are now mired in controversy. Some argue that data show the chemicals are unsafe while others continue to support their use. The tactics of each side have far-reaching consequences for how we interpret new scientific discoveries. An experienced environmental sociologist, Alissa Cordner conducts more than a hundred interviews with activists, scientists, regulators, and industry professionals to isolate the social, scientific, economic, and political forces influencing environmental health policy today. Introducing “strategic science translation,” she describes how stakeholders use scientific evidence to support nonscientific goals and construct “conceptual risk formulas” to shape risk assessment and the interpretation of empirical evidence. A revelatory text for public-health advocates, Toxic Safety demonstrates that while all parties interested in health issues use science to support their claims, they do not compete on a level playing field and even good intentions can have deleterious effects.
Stefan Svallfors
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804754354
- eISBN:
- 9780804768153
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804754354.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
Political sociologists study the link between social and political life, primarily by understanding variations in the relationship between social structure, political orientations, and political ...
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Political sociologists study the link between social and political life, primarily by understanding variations in the relationship between social structure, political orientations, and political action, and by explaining the patterns that arise. Political sociology thus encompasses issues ranging from the orientations and action patterns of mass publics, the rise and fall of political parties, and the development and effects of political institutions. This book explores variations and mechanisms underlying the interrelationships among political institutions, social cleavages, and orientations among citizens in advanced industrial societies. It documents changes in welfare states and decision-making arrangements, along with variations of and mechanisms behind individual-level political orientations and identity formation. The chapter outlines the current main patterns of change in welfare states and decision-making structures, and presents the book's conceptual framework of analysis, including key concepts such as political articulation, moral economy, orientations, social cleavages, institutional feedback effects, and institutions.Less
Political sociologists study the link between social and political life, primarily by understanding variations in the relationship between social structure, political orientations, and political action, and by explaining the patterns that arise. Political sociology thus encompasses issues ranging from the orientations and action patterns of mass publics, the rise and fall of political parties, and the development and effects of political institutions. This book explores variations and mechanisms underlying the interrelationships among political institutions, social cleavages, and orientations among citizens in advanced industrial societies. It documents changes in welfare states and decision-making arrangements, along with variations of and mechanisms behind individual-level political orientations and identity formation. The chapter outlines the current main patterns of change in welfare states and decision-making structures, and presents the book's conceptual framework of analysis, including key concepts such as political articulation, moral economy, orientations, social cleavages, institutional feedback effects, and institutions.
Jason Beckfield
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- August 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190492472
- eISBN:
- 9780190492502
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190492472.001.0001
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Public Health
Health, illness, and death are distributed unequally around the world. Babies born in Japan can expect to live to age 80 or over, while babies born in Malawi can expect to die before the age of 50. ...
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Health, illness, and death are distributed unequally around the world. Babies born in Japan can expect to live to age 80 or over, while babies born in Malawi can expect to die before the age of 50. As important, birth into one race, class, and gender within one society vs. another also matters enormously for one’s health. To answer such questions about social inequalities in health, Political Sociology and the People’s Health responds to two research trends that are motivating scholarship at the leading edge of inquiry into population health. First, social epidemiology is turning toward policy and politics to explain the unequal global distribution of population health. Second, social stratification research is turning toward new conceptualizations and theorizations of how institutions—the “rules of the game” that organize power in social life—distribute social goods, including health. Political Sociology and the People’s Health advances these two turns by developing new hypotheses that integrate insights from political sociology and social epidemiology. Political sociology offers a rich array of concepts, measures, and data that help social epidemiologists develop new hypotheses about how macroscopic factors like social policy, labor markets, and the racialized and gendered state shape the distribution of population health. Social epidemiology offers innovative approaches to the conceptualization and measurement of population, etiologic period, and distribution that can advance research on the relationships between institutions and inequalities. Developing the conversation between these fields, Political Sociology and the People’s Health describes how human institutional arrangements distribute life and death.Less
Health, illness, and death are distributed unequally around the world. Babies born in Japan can expect to live to age 80 or over, while babies born in Malawi can expect to die before the age of 50. As important, birth into one race, class, and gender within one society vs. another also matters enormously for one’s health. To answer such questions about social inequalities in health, Political Sociology and the People’s Health responds to two research trends that are motivating scholarship at the leading edge of inquiry into population health. First, social epidemiology is turning toward policy and politics to explain the unequal global distribution of population health. Second, social stratification research is turning toward new conceptualizations and theorizations of how institutions—the “rules of the game” that organize power in social life—distribute social goods, including health. Political Sociology and the People’s Health advances these two turns by developing new hypotheses that integrate insights from political sociology and social epidemiology. Political sociology offers a rich array of concepts, measures, and data that help social epidemiologists develop new hypotheses about how macroscopic factors like social policy, labor markets, and the racialized and gendered state shape the distribution of population health. Social epidemiology offers innovative approaches to the conceptualization and measurement of population, etiologic period, and distribution that can advance research on the relationships between institutions and inequalities. Developing the conversation between these fields, Political Sociology and the People’s Health describes how human institutional arrangements distribute life and death.
Daniel Nehring, Gerardo Gómez Michel, and Magdalena López
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781529200997
- eISBN:
- 9781529201345
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781529200997.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
The introduction explores the cultural dynamics of neoliberalism and anti-neoliberal resistance in Latin America. While Latin American neoliberalisms and the regions transition – perhaps temporary – ...
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The introduction explores the cultural dynamics of neoliberalism and anti-neoliberal resistance in Latin America. While Latin American neoliberalisms and the regions transition – perhaps temporary – to post-neoliberalism have been extensively debated (Dávila 2012, Flores-Macias 2012, Goodale and Postero 2013), extant research has largely focused on relevant political and socio-economic processes. The cultural dynamics of neoliberalism, anti-neoliberalism and post-neoliberalism, in terms of the discursive construction of neoliberal common sense and the organisation of everyday beliefs, norms, values and systems of meaning, have received far less attention. The introductory chapter then sketches the subject matter of the following case studies. Together, the studies in this volume seek to address this gap. They pursue three objectives. First, they seek to explore how neoliberal narratives of self and social relationships have transformed everyday life in contemporary Latin America. Second, they examine how these narratives are being contested and supplanted by a diversity of alternative modes of experience and practices in a diversity of settings, in the context of anti-neoliberal and post-neoliberal socio-political programmes. In this context, the studies in this book address the questions to what extent contemporary Latin America might in fact be described as post-neoliberal, given the crisis of political challenges to neoliberalism in societies such as Venezuela, Argentina or Bolivia. Third, the following chapters interrogate the discourses and cultural practices through which a societal consensus for the pursuit of neoliberal politics may be established, defended and contested.Less
The introduction explores the cultural dynamics of neoliberalism and anti-neoliberal resistance in Latin America. While Latin American neoliberalisms and the regions transition – perhaps temporary – to post-neoliberalism have been extensively debated (Dávila 2012, Flores-Macias 2012, Goodale and Postero 2013), extant research has largely focused on relevant political and socio-economic processes. The cultural dynamics of neoliberalism, anti-neoliberalism and post-neoliberalism, in terms of the discursive construction of neoliberal common sense and the organisation of everyday beliefs, norms, values and systems of meaning, have received far less attention. The introductory chapter then sketches the subject matter of the following case studies. Together, the studies in this volume seek to address this gap. They pursue three objectives. First, they seek to explore how neoliberal narratives of self and social relationships have transformed everyday life in contemporary Latin America. Second, they examine how these narratives are being contested and supplanted by a diversity of alternative modes of experience and practices in a diversity of settings, in the context of anti-neoliberal and post-neoliberal socio-political programmes. In this context, the studies in this book address the questions to what extent contemporary Latin America might in fact be described as post-neoliberal, given the crisis of political challenges to neoliberalism in societies such as Venezuela, Argentina or Bolivia. Third, the following chapters interrogate the discourses and cultural practices through which a societal consensus for the pursuit of neoliberal politics may be established, defended and contested.
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804756501
- eISBN:
- 9780804774215
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804756501.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Theory
Raymond Aron believed that the principal axis of division between totalitarianism and constitutional pluralism lay in the role of the political party. Hannah Arendt, by contrast, had little to say ...
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Raymond Aron believed that the principal axis of division between totalitarianism and constitutional pluralism lay in the role of the political party. Hannah Arendt, by contrast, had little to say about political parties, unless it was to contrast them invidiously with the spontaneous participation of revolutionary councils. Where Arendt saw unprecedented events, Aron stressed the dynamic between continuity and “mutation,” social logic and chance, necessity and accident, process and drama. This chapter suggests that Aron offers a subtle, sober, and logical account of totalitarianism in which the tools of political sociology are employed to impressive effect, and does not deny the reality of the political.Less
Raymond Aron believed that the principal axis of division between totalitarianism and constitutional pluralism lay in the role of the political party. Hannah Arendt, by contrast, had little to say about political parties, unless it was to contrast them invidiously with the spontaneous participation of revolutionary councils. Where Arendt saw unprecedented events, Aron stressed the dynamic between continuity and “mutation,” social logic and chance, necessity and accident, process and drama. This chapter suggests that Aron offers a subtle, sober, and logical account of totalitarianism in which the tools of political sociology are employed to impressive effect, and does not deny the reality of the political.
Javier Auyero and María Fernanda Berti
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691173030
- eISBN:
- 9781400865888
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691173030.003.0006
- Subject:
- Sociology, Urban and Rural Studies
This book has examined how violence dislocates individuals' lives and disrupts the collective life of Arquitecto Tucci. It has also identified economic and political forces at the root of the ...
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This book has examined how violence dislocates individuals' lives and disrupts the collective life of Arquitecto Tucci. It has also identified economic and political forces at the root of the whirlpool of violence that wreaks havoc in Tucci's daily life. This conclusion summarizes the book's main findings and proposes a political sociology of urban marginality by highlighting parallels and convergences with other territories of urban relegation in the Americas. It argues that, to make better sense of concatenated violence—and the individual and collective actions it generates—it is necessary to pay attention to state actions and inactions, such as police brutality, police participation in crime (such as the drug trade), and the almost total (and patriarchal) institutional disregard for—and occasional complicity with—domestic and sexual violence.Less
This book has examined how violence dislocates individuals' lives and disrupts the collective life of Arquitecto Tucci. It has also identified economic and political forces at the root of the whirlpool of violence that wreaks havoc in Tucci's daily life. This conclusion summarizes the book's main findings and proposes a political sociology of urban marginality by highlighting parallels and convergences with other territories of urban relegation in the Americas. It argues that, to make better sense of concatenated violence—and the individual and collective actions it generates—it is necessary to pay attention to state actions and inactions, such as police brutality, police participation in crime (such as the drug trade), and the almost total (and patriarchal) institutional disregard for—and occasional complicity with—domestic and sexual violence.
Andreas Schedler
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199680320
- eISBN:
- 9780191760242
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199680320.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
Electoral authoritarian regimes hold regular multiparty elections subject to severe and systematic manipulation. The Politics of Uncertainty analyzes their distinctive internal dynamics. ...
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Electoral authoritarian regimes hold regular multiparty elections subject to severe and systematic manipulation. The Politics of Uncertainty analyzes their distinctive internal dynamics. Theoretically as well as empirically, it studies regime struggles between government and opposition under electoral authoritarian conditions. After tracing the global expansion of electoral authoritarianism since the end of the Cold War, the introductory chapter distinguishes between various perspectives on authoritarian elections. While some authors comprehend them as adornments and others as simple authoritarian instruments, this book conceives them as arenas of asymmetric conflict whose outcomes are contingent, dependent on the dynamics of conflict between government and opposition. The introduction describes this actor and election-centered approach as an instance of “political institutionalism” and situates it within the comparative literature on authoritarian regime dynamics.Less
Electoral authoritarian regimes hold regular multiparty elections subject to severe and systematic manipulation. The Politics of Uncertainty analyzes their distinctive internal dynamics. Theoretically as well as empirically, it studies regime struggles between government and opposition under electoral authoritarian conditions. After tracing the global expansion of electoral authoritarianism since the end of the Cold War, the introductory chapter distinguishes between various perspectives on authoritarian elections. While some authors comprehend them as adornments and others as simple authoritarian instruments, this book conceives them as arenas of asymmetric conflict whose outcomes are contingent, dependent on the dynamics of conflict between government and opposition. The introduction describes this actor and election-centered approach as an instance of “political institutionalism” and situates it within the comparative literature on authoritarian regime dynamics.
Alissa Cordner
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231171465
- eISBN:
- 9780231541381
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231171465.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Science, Technology and Environment
The Introduction describes the contested arena of environmental health controversies, and summarizing the existing social science literature on environmental risks and scientific uncertainty
The Introduction describes the contested arena of environmental health controversies, and summarizing the existing social science literature on environmental risks and scientific uncertainty
Caitríona Carter, Richard Freeman, and Martin Lawn
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719091858
- eISBN:
- 9781781708415
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719091858.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
What do we imagine when we imagine Europe and the European Union? What unacknowledged assumptions do we hold? This Introduction argues that, for a long time, EU studies has been dominated by ...
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What do we imagine when we imagine Europe and the European Union? What unacknowledged assumptions do we hold? This Introduction argues that, for a long time, EU studies has been dominated by discussions in which ‘the EU’ is consistently treated as an object: supranational, intergovernmental, multi-level, monotopia. Yet, theoretical debates over which image is ‘correct’, although important, are nonetheless camouflaging a more fundamental divide about how we can and should imagine Europe. And this is an ontological divide. Indeed, we argue that it is only through identifying this ontological divide that scholarship is enabled – if it so desires – to move away from imagining Europe as an object and think of Europe differently. We explain why we focus on ontology and set out our own starting point. Critically, rather than beginning by assuming the EU to be supranational or intergovernmental or some hybrid organisation, we instead start out by making inclusive assumptions about its causal structures. These are process-orientated, collectivist and interpretivist assumptions enabling us to re-imagine Europe as a space of action. We elaborate our concept of space –physical, symbolic, peopled, bordered, multiple and routinised – and ask where are these spaces of Europe and what goes on in them?Less
What do we imagine when we imagine Europe and the European Union? What unacknowledged assumptions do we hold? This Introduction argues that, for a long time, EU studies has been dominated by discussions in which ‘the EU’ is consistently treated as an object: supranational, intergovernmental, multi-level, monotopia. Yet, theoretical debates over which image is ‘correct’, although important, are nonetheless camouflaging a more fundamental divide about how we can and should imagine Europe. And this is an ontological divide. Indeed, we argue that it is only through identifying this ontological divide that scholarship is enabled – if it so desires – to move away from imagining Europe as an object and think of Europe differently. We explain why we focus on ontology and set out our own starting point. Critically, rather than beginning by assuming the EU to be supranational or intergovernmental or some hybrid organisation, we instead start out by making inclusive assumptions about its causal structures. These are process-orientated, collectivist and interpretivist assumptions enabling us to re-imagine Europe as a space of action. We elaborate our concept of space –physical, symbolic, peopled, bordered, multiple and routinised – and ask where are these spaces of Europe and what goes on in them?
Heath Brown
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781501704833
- eISBN:
- 9781501705922
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501704833.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter explores the demographic shifts that took place between 2000 and 2012, which saw the composition of immigrants in the United States change greatly. Despite growing in number over the ...
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This chapter explores the demographic shifts that took place between 2000 and 2012, which saw the composition of immigrants in the United States change greatly. Despite growing in number over the last three decades, immigrants have participated in politics at lower levels than other U.S. citizens. This chapter examines the gap in immigrant voting with the help of important findings from political behavior and political sociology research. This literature shows how varied immigrant politics are in the United States and also suggests why nonprofit engagement in elections should draw more attention. The chapter also examines how political institutions, especially nonprofit organizations, have advanced and sometimes slowed immigrant voting.Less
This chapter explores the demographic shifts that took place between 2000 and 2012, which saw the composition of immigrants in the United States change greatly. Despite growing in number over the last three decades, immigrants have participated in politics at lower levels than other U.S. citizens. This chapter examines the gap in immigrant voting with the help of important findings from political behavior and political sociology research. This literature shows how varied immigrant politics are in the United States and also suggests why nonprofit engagement in elections should draw more attention. The chapter also examines how political institutions, especially nonprofit organizations, have advanced and sometimes slowed immigrant voting.
