DaMatta revisited

Roberto DaMatta famously argues that in the Brazilian cultural universe stable moral codes buttress familial hierarchy in the house, while situational negotiations underscore egalitarian utopias in the street. In this article, I revise this analytic construct, which a priori assumes that the person of the house and the “individual” of the street are mutually exclusive social categories. Rather than polarize house and street as distinct cultural domains diametrically opposed to one another, I demonstrate ethnographically that houses in the Brazilian state of Maranhão are conceptually continuous with the street to varying degrees. I argue that moral indebtedness in both these domains locally manifests through the emotional economies of respect (respeito), by which persons/individuals introduce measures of emotional proximity or distance into various types of material exchange relations. Both men and women ultimately channel these types of relations into the space of their family houses, which thus become hubs for the circulation of core social values.     

A Global-Middle-Class House?1 Cultural Capital,Taste, and Kitsch

Abstract

In this article, I show how the category of the migrant house, as has been recently discussed in much scholarship, can be expanded to include another subcategory—the global-middle-class house. Recently, the migrant house has generated much research in migration studies and in disciplines of the built environment. Consequently, it has been examined through various perspectives, including home and belonging, materiality in the home, and the transnational home. It has not been examined, however, through the concepts of cultural capital, taste and kitsch, as developed by Bourdieu and others. This article applies these concepts in the exploration of the migrant house through a case study of one house and its transformation from old to new in suburban Melbourne. The article shows how the concepts of cultural capital, taste and kitsch can be utilized to expand the category of the migrant house to include the global-middle-class house. Following a theoretical discussion, the article analyses the old family house, the decision to demolish, the construction process and the redevelopment of a new house, together with an analysis of material objects in the new house and around it. The article argues that this is a specific kind of a migrant house, a global-middle-class house, because it combines popular global taste with objects taken from the ancestral past of its migrant residents.     

Homosexuality in Dakar: Is the Bed the Heart of a Sexual Subculture?

In Dakar, Senegal, a bar forms a meeting place for a group of men who have sex with other men. In an original study, the author profiles this group and explains how cultural as well as economic forces shape meaning in these men’s lives. To place this study in context, the author provides a review of the anthropological literature concerning same-sex behavior in Africa. The author argues that the social formations in which men who have sex with men operate cannot explain their sexual personae, nor can sexual practices be explained by the cultural models that describe them.     

Fraternal Birth Order,Handedness, and Sexual Orientation in a Chinese Population

We examined the relationship between handedness, fraternal birth order, and sexual orientation in a Chinese population, and analyzed the influence of the components assessing sexual orientation and criteria classifying individuals as homosexual on this relationship. A large sample of heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual men and women participated in a web-based survey. Our results showed that homosexual women are more likely to be non-right-handed than heterosexual women, regardless of how sexual orientation was defined, whereas bisexual women are more likely to be non-right-handed than heterosexual women when sexual orientation was assessed via sexual attraction and sexual identity. Bisexual men are more likely to be non-right-handed than heterosexual men when sexual orientation was assessed via sexual attraction. We found neither a fraternal birth-order effect nor an interaction between sibling sex ratio, handedness, and sexual orientation. The small number of siblings may be the reason why we could not replicate the fraternal birth-order effect in this Chinese population, which highlights the importance of cultural differences in the understanding of handedness, fraternal birth order, and sexual orientation.     

SUPERSTITION IN THE HOUSING MARKET

We provide the first solid evidence that Chinese superstitious beliefs can have significant effects on house prices in a North American market with a large immigrant population. Using real estate data on close to 117,000 house sales, we find that houses with address number ending in “4” are sold at a 2.2% discount and those ending in “8” are sold at a 2.5% premium in comparison to houses with other addresses. These price effects are found either in neighborhoods with a higher than average percentage of Chinese residents, consistent with cultural preferences, or in repeated transactions, consistent with speculative behavior. (JEL D03, R2, Z1)     

Some ritual idioms of gender in British television advertising

The focus of this article is on portrayals of men and women in UK TV adverts, especially those for chocolate and related products. These ads were selected because they typically portray people engaged in a limited range of activities, and this permits more systematic comparison between them. Analysis focuses on forms of portrayal distinctive to either gender. Emphasis is placed on two findings - the portrayal of women as detachable from their local environments, and of men as foolish and incompetent. It is argued that these patterns are characteristic of TV ads more generally, and that they have possible connections with general cultural presuppositions concerning men and women.     

READING TENDER MERCIES

Two readings, one realistic, the other subversive, of Tender Mercies , a contemporary "alcoholism" film, are offered. This case study of a cultural text speaks to the problem of how a society represents itself to its members through its depictions of everyday life. It is argued that sociologists have been slow to utilize cultural representations of society. It is contended that a patriarchal bias structures the film in question. A subversive reading of its text shows how this bias works. It is concluded that films like Tender Mercies reproduce key cultural ideologies concerning men, women, family, and alcoholism. The experience of viewing a film cannot be reduced to causes and effects, but must rather be studied in terms of the fields of experience a film makes available to the viewer. A methodology for conducting studies of cultural texts is outlined.     

Housing markets performing class: middle‐class cultures and market professionals in Chile

This article takes a cultural economy approach to the analysis of housing markets as spaces in which class cultures are performed. The design and marketing of real estate projects are understood as the outcome of the interplay of different narratives, practices and materials involving cultural and economic calculations. I explore one particular type of cultural knowledge used during the production and sale of houses: the meanings of class and social mobility. I argue that housing markets and housing production involve the interrelation of several cultural calculations on class and social mobility. In other words, meanings of class and social mobility are instrumentally produced and used in the design, production and marketing of real estate. I describe how cultural calculations about class are inscribed into house location, house design and real estate advertising and marketing devices. Indeed, it is argued that in designing ‘real estate’ projects, agents and executives work as ‘sociologists at large’: they create and perform new meanings of class and social mobility.     

Influence of Culture on Premarital Sexual Permissiveness among Nigerian and Black American Young Adults

Abstract

This study examined the differences in premarital sexual permissiveness among two black young adult populations with different cultural backgrounds, one in Nigeria and the other in the United States. The degree of cultural influence that may be attributed to religious affiliation, parental control, and other potential determinants of attitudes was also examined. A standardized twelve-item sexual permissiveness scale (Reiss) plus questions on religious inclination and other background information were administered to 500 unmarried and unengaged black college students enrolled in health education classes in two collegiate institutions in these countries. In both institutions, the returns represented 80% of the sample population. Chi-square was utilized to analyze data. A statistically significant difference in permissive attitude was found between the two populations, consistent with the hypothesis that Nigeria's restrictive culture would be associated with less a permissive attitude concerning premarital sexual relations than the culture influencing black Americans. However, those of religious bent were less permissive than those with little religious inclination in both samples. Sex and other personal background characteristics were not reliable determinants of permissiveness.     

Meeting the Wharenui Shapes Teaching/Learning Therapy: Place Pedagogy,New Materialism,and Whakaaro Māori

A cultural meeting house hosts a group of Master of Counselling students at the start of their studies. This article focuses on an exploratory study with one student group during their encounter with the house. We give a material‐discursive account of one student's narrative of family, belonging, and connection to the house. In the account we draw on whakaaro Māori (cultural thinking and understanding), new materialism, place‐space learning, and narrative therapy.     

Homosexually Active Latino Men:

This paper presents a critical overview of the literature on homosexual conduct and identity among Latino men both in Latin America and in the United States. The relationships between homosexually active Latino men and their families, the various Latino national origin communities, and gay communities are also considered. Latino perspectives are contrasted with the dominant North American gay understandings of homosexuality in terms of individual identity and political activism. The unique problems of this population are also discussed with an emphasis on the social and cultural resources available to homosexually active Latinos and social work practitioners who serve them. Recommendations for social work practice and further research are offered.     

The Sexual Health of Transgender Men: A Scoping Review

There is a general paucity of research concerning the sexual health of transgender individuals, and most existing research focuses on transgender women. A scoping review concerning the sexual health of transgender men was conducted to identify gaps in the literature and to highlight opportunities for future research and intervention. A comprehensive search of seven databases was conducted. The Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers’ Manual was used as a framework. Some 7,485 articles were initially identified using a search strategy applied to seven online databases: 54 articles were identified as relevant to the research questions and reviewed in detail; of those, 33 were included in the final analysis. Studies were conceptualized into four broad themes: sexual behaviors, sexual identity, sexual pleasure and sexual function, and transactional sex. Besides an overall lack of research, existing studies were often characterized by small convenience samples that do not allow for generalization to the larger population of transgender men. Significant gaps in the literature regarding sexual coercion, sexual and intimate partner violence, and relationship quality and functioning among transgender men exist. There is a need to improve the scope and depth of research examining the sexual health of this population, especially concerning sexual risk behaviors and structural barriers to sexual health care access.     

Perceptions of sexual coercion in heterosexual dating relationships: the role of aggressor gender and tactics

A large body of research has found a concerning prevalence rate of sexual coercion in heterosexual college student dating relationships; however, little research has examined how college students perceive and interpret these behaviors. In the current study we examined the impact of initiator gender and sexually coercive strategy (verbal pressure, purposeful intoxication, physical force, or control/mutual consent) on perceptions of the aggressor, victim, behavior, and relationship quality. Results indicated that men who coerce are viewed as aggressive; women who coerce are viewed as promiscuous. Targets of sexual coercion are not perceived as experiencing high levels of victimization following the incident. These findings suggest that college students do not perceive sexually coercive behaviors to be highly problematic. The results are discussed in terms of gender roles and practical implications for college student relationships.     

The Sex Check: The Development of an HIV-Prevention Service to Address the Needs of Latino MSM

The Sex Check is a brief, telephone-delivered, HIV-prevention intervention tailored for individuals who are at high risk of HIV infection or transmission but who are neither reducing their risk on their own nor seeking support for this purpose. Because the intervention is delivered on a one-to-one basis, permits anonymity, is marketed to "men who have sex with men," and is brief, it may be particularly responsive to cultural, structural, and attitudinal barriers to serving Latino MSM. Because many Latino MSM continue to engage in high risk sexual behaviors, developing and testing prevention interventions with this population is a public health priority.     

Community and drug use among gay men: the role of neighborhoods and networks

Gay neighborhoods serve as vital places for gay men's socializing, yet few studies have examined their contributions to gay men's health-either directly or indirectly via residents' social networks. Drawing from theoretical perspectives on community and networks, we test hypotheses concerning whether gay neighborhoods and social network factors are associated with patterns of recent illicit drug use among a sample of 740 urban gay men from New York City. Higher odds of drug use were observed among individuals who resided in gay neighborhoods, had networks composed predominantly of other gay men, and had increased socialization with gay men. Network factors did not mediate associations between gay neighborhoods and drug use. These findings highlight the need to better contextualize the health risks faced by gay men by accounting for both neighborhood and network structures.     

Immigration and cultural policies: a bone of contention between the Province of Quebec and the Canadian federal government

"This article addresses the way in which the Province of Quebec has obtained increasing power in the area of immigration.... Data from interviews with key members of [the Ministry of Immigration] and from selected documents are drawn on to illustrate Quebec's cultural politics. The Quebec position on the question of immigration as it has evolved in the context of immigration policies defined by the federal government in Ottawa is examined.... In particular, the present article considers how attempts to construct a cultural identity and a nation-state in Quebec have had important consequences for immigration policy and for attitudes and policies concerning Quebec's cultural minorities. The emergence of the notion of 'cultural communities' as a result of the constitutional rivalry and the on-going struggle for legitimacy between Quebec and Ottawa is also explored."     

The increasing importance of friends: Changes in core discussion network composition in post-communist Hungary between 1997 – 2015

In order to detect changes in social connectivity, we examined evolutions in the personal network structure by analyzing over-time trends in the composition of the population’s core discussion networks on four cross-sectional, nationally representative surveys between 1997 and 2015, in the era of post-communism, in Hungary. There has been a very significant change; in fact, a reversal of trends regarding the composition of the core discussion networks (CDNs) concerning kin and non-kin ties over the past decades. Our data suggest that friendship ties gained more importance. There seems to be a generation-specific aspect of the change: young people include family ties less often than older people and this effect strengthens over time. Women still have a higher ratio of kin ties compared to men and this effect does not change significantly during the analyzed period.     

Assimilation and Educational Achievement: the Case of the Second Generation Japanese-American*

A review of the literature reveals three conflicting hypotheses concerning Japanese-American educational achievement. Data from a three-generational, national sample of Japanese-Americans are examined to determine the correlates of the second-generation respondents'(the Nisei) educational achievement. Employing four measures of assimilation—cultural, structural, marital, and identificational—the findings suggest that the greater the assimilation of the respondent, the higher the educational achievement. These findings and their implications are discussed.