Class And Politics In Contemporary Social Science

Author : Dick Houtman
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351528211
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.14/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Class and Politics in Contemporary Social Science written by Dick Houtman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-12 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dick Houtman argues that neither authoritarianism nor libertarianism can be explained by class or economic background, but rather by position in the cultural domain-- what he calls cultural capital. Although he examines all of the statistics and arguments of the conventional approaches with care and concern, Houtman convincingly demonstrates that the conclusions drawn from earlier studies are untenable at a more general theoretical level. Despite differences among advocates of class explanations, their theories are based on largely identical research findings--in particular a strong negative relationship between education and authoritarianism. Unobstructed by the conclusions these authors felt called upon to draw from the findings themselves, Houtman configures them in a new way. The hypotheses derived from this new theory allow for a systematic, strict, and competitive testing of original theses without ignoring the value of and earlier research. After demonstrating that authoritarianism and libertarianism cannot be explained by class or economic background, Houtman examines the implications of this argument for today's death of class debate in political sociology. He holds it to be unfortunate that the relevance of class to politics is typically addressed by studying the relation between class and voting. This conceals a complex cross-pressure mechanism that causes this relationship to capture the net balance of class voting and its opposite, cultural voting, instead of class voting. He argues that references to a decline in class voting may be basically correct, but dogmatic reliance on the relation between class and voting to prove the point systematically underestimates levels of class voting and produces an exaggerated picture of the decline.

Author : Dick Houtman
Publisher : Transaction Publishers
ISBN 13 : 0202364836
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.34/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Class and Politics in Contemporary Social Science written by Dick Houtman and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dick Houtman argues that neither authoritarianism nor libertarianism can be explained by class or economic background, but rather by position in the cultural domain-- what he calls cultural capital. Although he examines all of the statistics and arguments of the conventional approaches with care and concern, Houtman convincingly demonstrates that the conclusions drawn from earlier studies are untenable at a more general theoretical level. Despite differences among advocates of class explanations, their theories are based on largely identical research findings--in particular a strong negative relationship between education and authoritarianism. Unobstructed by the conclusions these authors felt called upon to draw from the findings themselves, Houtman configures them in a new way. The hypotheses derived from this new theory allow for a systematic, strict, and competitive testing of original theses without ignoring the value of and earlier research. After demonstrating that authoritarianism and libertarianism cannot be explained by class or economic background, Houtman examines the implications of this argument for today's death of class debate in political sociology. He holds it to be unfortunate that the relevance of class to politics is typically addressed by studying the relation between class and voting. This conceals a complex cross-pressure mechanism that causes this relationship to capture the net balance of class voting and its opposite, cultural voting, instead of class voting. He argues that references to a decline in class voting may be basically correct, but dogmatic reliance on the relation between class and voting to prove the point systematically underestimates levels of class voting and produces an exaggerated picture of the decline. "Dick Houtman has an eye for the critical gap in our grand theorizing, and like the classic Dutchman, has filled the gap. This book we must all read to find how better to fill the gaps in our own theorizing about culture, class, and politics."--Terry Nichols Clark, University of Chicago Dick Houtman is professor of sociology at the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Author : John A Perry
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317328973
Total Pages : 496 pages
Book Rating : 4.71/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Contemporary Society written by John A Perry and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-14 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This best-selling text emphasizes why social and cultural changes are the pervasive realities of our time. A key theme of Contemporary Society is that the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial order in today’s world is fraught with difficulties, as was the transition from an agricultural to an industrial order in an earlier era. Within this framework, we can observe the increasing fragmentation of the social order today, which tends to lead people away from community and a common purpose, more often bringing conflict and disunity. Still, countervailing social forces are also at work, providing some stability--some shelter in a sea of change. Ever more, societies are faced with the rapid and transformative power of information technology, which helps propel separate groups of people into a global entity.This introduction to the social sciences shows what the authors have learned from such disciplines as anthropology, geography, history, sociology, psychology, political science, and economics--and how to apply social science approaches to an ever-faster tempo of change. The authors cover family life, interaction with others, racial and ethnic diversity, education, religion, population, environment, and many other topics analyzed in a student-friendly approach. New to this Edition The integration and flow of the text has been improved for better student comprehension. Expanded selection of Web Links to many more sites for student research, many relevant to their interests and entertainment choices Enriched focus on applying social science knowledge to current events (transcending a complete reliance on assumptions from the media) New/expanded coverage on topics throughout the book, including New findings from global warming research and its implications for social life and policy New developments in race relations in an integrated approach throughout many chapters Deepening inequality and the implications that threaten family, education, and student futures—nationally and globally Gender, including new developments in legal gay marriage and transgender Expanded coverage of genetics and the medical potential of human genome sequencing New developments in astrophysics and their potential implications for society Updated Statistics throughout

Author : Anthony Giddens
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 0745666566
Total Pages : 381 pages
Book Rating : 4.63/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Politics, Sociology and Social Theory written by Anthony Giddens and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-05-28 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Built upon a series of critical encounters with major figures in classical and present-day social and political thought, this volume offers not only a challenging critique of major traditions of social and political analysis, but unique insights into the ideas which Giddens has developed over the past two decades.

Author : Prof Klaus Eder
Publisher : SAGE
ISBN 13 : 9781446238257
Total Pages : 244 pages
Book Rating : 4.53/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The New Politics of Class written by Prof Klaus Eder and published by SAGE. This book was released on 1993-06-10 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are contemporary societies organized by class? In recent years the apparent fragmentation of established class structures and the emergence of new social movements - in particular the women's movement and environmentalism - have altered the traditional expressions of class in society. At the same time, these changes have posed fundamental questions for the concept of class in sociology and political science. In this major reassessment, Klaus Eder offers a new perspective on the status of class in modernity. Drawing on a critique of Bourdieu, Touraine and Habermas, he outlines a cultural conception of class as the basis for understanding contemporary societies. His model reevaluates the role of the middle classes, traditionally the crux of class analysis, and links class to social theories of power and cultural capital. The result is a cultural theory of class which incorporates the changing forms of collective action and the new social movements of contemporary societies.

Author : Klaus Eder
Publisher : SAGE Publications Limited
ISBN 13 : 9780803988682
Total Pages : 242 pages
Book Rating : 4.80/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The New Politics of Class written by Klaus Eder and published by SAGE Publications Limited. This book was released on 1993-08-19 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are contemporary societies organized by class? In recent years the apparent fragmentation of established class structures and the emergence of new social movements - in particular the women's movement and environmentalism - have altered the traditional expressions of class in society. At the same time, these changes have posed fundamental questions for the concept of class in sociology and political science. In this major reassessment, Klaus Eder offers a new perspective on the status of class in modernity. Drawing on a critique of Bourdieu, Touraine and Habermas, he outlines a cultural conception of class as the basis for understanding contemporary societies. His model reevaluates the role of the middle classes, traditiona

Author : Daniel Beland
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780199830879
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.78/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Ideas and Politics in Social Science Research written by Daniel Beland and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-12-10 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Writing about ideas, John Maynard Keynes noted that they are "more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else." One would expect, therefore, that political science--a discipline that focuses specifically on the nature of power--would have a healthy respect for the role of ideas. However, for a variety of reasons--not least of which is the influence of rational choice theory, which presumes that individuals are self-maximizing rational actors--this is not the case, and the literature on the topic is fairly thin. As the stellar cast of contributors to this volume show, ideas are in fact powerful shapers of political and social life. In Ideas and Politics in Social Science Research, Daniel B?land and Robert Henry Cox have gathered leading scholars from a variety of subdisciplines in political science and sociology to provide a general overview of the theoretical, empirical, and methodological issues raised by social science research on ideas and politics. Throughout, they hone in on three central questions. What is the theoretical basis for studying ideas in politics? What are the best methods? What sort of empirical puzzles can be solved by examining ideas and related phenomena such as discourse, policy paradigms, and framing processes? In sum, this is a state-of-the-art academic work on both the role of ideas in politics and the analytical utility that derives from studying them.

Author : AndreBeteille
Publisher : Penguin UK
ISBN 13 : 9352141571
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.79/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Ideology & Social Science written by AndreBeteille and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2006-05-13 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the pioneers of sociological studies in India, Professor Andre Beteille has, over the past four decades, contributed a series of topical and stimulating articles to various newspapers. Some of these articles were collected in the book Chronicles of Our time, published a few years ago. Ideology and Social Science is a new and riveting collection of Professor Beteille’s writings on Indian society, politics and culture. The fifty articles in this book cover a very wide range of subjects: from the practice of sociology to the prospects of political liberalism, from contemporary debates about caste ad caste quotas to old and still persisting myths about what is said to constitute the essence of Indian culture. Beteille’s ambit includes the relevant and important themes of secularism, diversity and unity in cultures, the culture of tolerance, discrimination at work, value systems in the changing Indian family, and caste practices in village communities. Steering clear of passing intellectual trends as well as partisan politics, Beteille reaches his conclusions based on a careful examination of the evidence, not on a search for facts that fit a preconceived theory. Through his writings, he makes a cogent and passionate appeal to separate sociological theory from the frameworks of social activism. For students of sociology as well as the general reader, this is a book that will stimulate thought and generate interest in social and political issues that are at the core of India’s modernity and tradition.

Author : Peter Achterberg
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351520210
Total Pages : 144 pages
Book Rating : 4.18/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Farewell to the Leftist Working Class written by Peter Achterberg and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-05 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social conflicts and voting patterns in Western nations indicate a gradual erosion of working-class support for the left, a process that class theory itself cannot adequately explain. Farewell to the Leftist Working Class aims to fill this gap by developing, testing, and confirming an alternative explanation of rightist tendencies among the underprivileged. The authors argue that cultural issues revolving around individual liberty and maintenance of social order have become much more significant since World War II.The obligation to work and strict notions of deservingness have become central to the debate about the welfare state. Indeed, although economic egalitarianism is more typically found among the working class, it is only firmly connected to a universalistic and inclusionary progressive political ideology among the middle class.Farewell to the Leftist Working Class reports cutting-edge research into the withering away of working-class support for the left and the welfare state, drawing mostly on survey data collected in Western Europe, the United States, and other Western countries.

Author : Fidelma Ashe
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.71/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Contemporary Social and Political Theory written by Fidelma Ashe and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new and accessible introduction to contemporary social and political theory examines the impact of new ideas such as feminist theory, poststructuralism, hermeneutics and critical theory. The innovations brought by these currents to the intellectual traditions of Europe and America are outlined and assessed. Designed for the newcomer to theory, no previous knowledge is assumed and a student-friendly approach is adopted throughout.