The Current State of Social Mobility Research*

Blau's and Duncan's reconceptualization of social mobility analysis in terms of the status attainment model led to a rapid growth in the number of studies of mobility processes in the United States. Observations of differences in the attainment processes of different segments of the population and theoretical and methodological critiques have produced alternative ways of viewing and analyzing social stratification and mobility. Recent European contributions have tended to be more heavily theory-laden and concerned with social class rather than a continuum of occupational levels. Current developments promise to provide a basis for a rapprochement between the two approaches and further clarification of the relative importance of structural and individual factors in the social mobility process.     

Social Determinants of Inter-Community Mobility: An Inventory of Findings*

L'examen méthodique des données empiriques recueillies au cours de recherches relatives a la migration interneet l'étude des facteurs qui influencent l'érnigration ruraleurbaine mettent en jumiéres certaines caractéristiques des populations impliquées. Les personnes qui vont de la campagne à la ville sont jeunes; elles sont de quotient intellectuel éevé, seolarisées et dotées d'aspirations en matières éducative et professionnelle. Elles partagent les valeurs urbaines plutót que celles du milieu rural. Ces qualityés indiquent des antécédents socio-économiques supérieurs à la moyenne, I'avantage d'avoir été mis en présence de modéles de comportement influents et l'expérience d'un contrôle familial, surtout maternel, qui encouragea des poursuites éducative et professionnelle. Malgré leurs aspirations et leurs dispositions, les personnes qui viennent de la campagne se retrouvent en ville surtout dans des emplois deconsidérés et ils s'assimilent difficilement à l'ensemble urbain.     

Social Mobility and Participation: The Dissociative and Socialization Hypotheses*

Information on participation with kin, with friends, and in voluntary associations was used to test two competing hypothescs of the effects of social mobility on social relations. The dissociative hypothesis maintains that mobility leads to social isolation, while the socialization hypothesis predicts an adptive outcome to mobility. The relationship is more complex than either position would suggest. Social mobility is associated with isolation from kin and friends, but only for the upwardly mobile. The findings obtained with voluntary associations support the socialization hypothesis in that the level of membership of the socially mobile is intermediate between the two stable groups. Social mobility has maladaptive consequences for more intimate and personal social relations, but it is integrative as far as participation in voluntary associations is concerned.     

The Social Mobility of Women: a Causal Model of Socioeconomic Success*

This paper extends the analysis of socioeconomic achievement initiated by Blau and Duncan and subsequently developed by both Jencks and Rainwater. The major extensions are the specification of models for female heads of household in the labor force and the inclusion of several previously neglected predictors of socioeconomic achievement including some which require panel data. Our analysis suggests that a different model is needed for females than for males and that a different model is needed for black females than for white females. The evidence also suggests that the socioeconomic success of women is more fixed by background, education, and occupational factors, and is less a function of individual ability than is the case for men. The evidence supporting this conclusion is particularly compelling for black women.     

Kenneth Burke as Social Theorist*

A sociological reconstruction is made of the neglected ?uvre of Kenneth Burke. His early period is presented through four propositions on verbal explanations as the motives for action in social orders. The later period is shown to treat the metaphorical relationships among major terms in frameworks of motives, especially explanations of “order.”     

Rural-Urban Migration and Social Mobility in Third World Metropolises: a Cross-National Study*

Two implicit models have provided the major frameworks for rural-urban migration research in developing societies: one model, the underprivilege model, predicts that rural migrants enter the bottom rungs of the urban occupational structure and suffer inequality in status attainment in the city; the other model, the push up model, suggests that the influx of rural migrants provides a structural impetus to upward social mobility for the urban natives. This study synthesizes relevant findings from several major Asian and Latin American metropolises and thereby provides a cross-national test of the two models. The paper rejects both models and explicates structural reasons why the models do not hold true in Third World cities.     

Childhood Accident as a Measure of Social Integration*

A partir d'une recherche antérieure ayant démontré moins d'accidents chez les enfants orientaux que chez ceux de race caucasienne, l'auteur vérifia et confirma l'hypothèse que les enfants orientaux acculturés sont plus enclins aux accidents que les enfants orientaux non acculturés. Des questionnaires furent expédiés par la poste et des interviews furent obtenues des méres de 151 enfants inscrits à un plan médical d'assurance en Californie. Les données indiquent que les enfants acculturés de parents acculturés sont enclins à un grand nombre d'accidents parce qu'on encourage chez eux l'indépendance et l'esprit d'aventure et que done ils ont une vie hasardeuse. Les données ne confirment que partiellement l'hypothèse selon laquelle les enfants acculturès de parents non acculturés auraient plusieurs accidents parce qu'ils souffriraient des conflits de l'acculturation et que cet etat de chose les empêcherait de se prémunir contre les dangers auxquels ils sont exposés. Dans sa conclusion, l'auteur applique les concepts durkheimiens de l'egoïsme et de l'anomie aux types d'accidents. Elle discute aussi des aspects méthodologiques qui affeeteraient la validité et la généralité de ses conclusions.     

Social Network as a Subjective Construct: A New Application for an Old Idea*

Bott a défini le reseau social comme etant un ensemble de relations sociales qui ne possèdent pas de frontieres communes. Par ailleurs personne ne s'est préoccupée d'explorer les réepercussions qu'engendrent cette connexion entre ces deux concepts. En se basant sur la définition Wéberienne d'une relation sociale ou interper-sonnelle (m), il devient évident qu'essentiellement c'est une orientation mutuelle entre deux individus; c'est une pérception subjective ou une predisposition. Les conséquences logiques de cette observation par rapport au réseau social sont examinées. On arrive à la conclusion que les réseaux sont aussi des modeles sub-jectifs et, par voie de consequence, ils possedent le pouvoir de guider la conduite dans une situation sociale.
Bott has defined social network as a set of social relationships for which there is no common boundary. Yet, no one has ever bothered to explore the implications of this connection between these two concepts. By examining Weber's definition of social or interpersonal relationship ( ir ), it becomes evident that it is basically a "mutual orientation" between two persons; it is a subjective construct or predisposition. The logical consequences of this observation for the social network are considered, and it is concluded that networks are also subjective constructs and therefore have the potential to guide behaviour in the social situation.     

Translation as an Alternative Space for Political Action

This article examines the genesis, dynamics and positioning of activist groups of translators and interpreters who engage in various forms of collective action. The activism of these groups is distinctive in that they use their linguistic skills to extend narrative space and empower voices made invisible by the global power of English and the politics of language. They further recognise that language and translation themselves constitute a space of resistance, a means of reversing the symbolic order. Their use of hybrid language, their deliberate downgrading of English, the constant shuffling of the order and space allocated to different languages on their websites—all this is as much part of their political agenda as their linguistic mediation of texts and utterances produced by others, in their capacity as translators and interpreters. The article examines the positioning of these groups vis-à-vis what Tarrow (2006, p. 16) terms ‘the new generation of global justice activists’ on the one hand, and professional translators and interpreters on the other, and argues that they occupy a ‘liminal’ space between the world of activism and the service economy.     

Afrocentricity as an Alternative World View for Equality

An official goal of the social work profession is that of equality for all. However, social work's ability to achieve this goal is hampered by the Eurocentric world view, wherein reality is structured to emphasize fragmentation, conflict, and domination, which foster inequality. A better philosophical ''fit'' for social work is the Afrocentric world view. Its view of reality that underscores interdependency, collectivity, and spirituality places it in an excellent position to promote equality. Social workers are encouraged to apply the Afrocentric paradigm to transform social work from a profession primarily concerned with direct practice to a social movement of equality and justice.     

Community Wildfire Events as a Source of Social Conflict*

Abstract The literature notes that natural disasters, including wildfires, that damage human settlements often have the short‐term effect of “bringing people together.” Less recognized is the fact that such events can also generate social conflict at the local level. This study examines the specific sources of such social conflict during and after community wildfire events. Examining qualitative data generated from six case studies of wildfires in the American West, we suggest that integrating the theories of Weber, Giddens, and Habermas with community interaction theory provides a context for understanding such conflict. Rationalized forms of interaction and problem solving imposed by extra‐local organizations during and after wildfire events are often resisted by local actors who are also inhibited from acting due to local capacity limitations. Thus, conflict occurs when social relations are disembedded by non‐local entities, and there is a perceived loss of local agency.     

The Social Worker as Transdisciplinary Professional: A Reflective Account

The transdisciplinary key worker model requires early childhood intervention professionals to make radical adjustment in their respective scopes of knowledge and practice. Focused on the author’s brief experience in a key worker role, the article highlights challenges and contradictions that arise when health and welfare professionals are expected not only to exchange knowledge, skills, and expertise, but also to perform each other’s work. Two contextual, reflective accounts of the reasons why social workers should be cautious in task transfers in transdisciplinary teams are given. The article renews support for social workers playing professionally appropriate roles in early childhood intervention teams in ways that can protect best service delivery to children with disability and their families.     

Production Workers and perceptions of Intraorganization Mobility *

This paper examines the intraorganizational mobility interests of production workers in manufacturing organizations. Substantial numbers of workers report not only being interested in mobility within their organizations, but many also claim to be actively pursuing that objective. The immediate supervisor is found to be a central figure in their goal achievement plans.     

Climbing the “Agricultural Ladder”: Social Mobility and Motivations for Migration in an Ecuadorian Colonist Community*

Abstract During the early decades of the 20^th century in the American Midwest young farming families achieved social mobility by moving up an ‘agricultural ladder’ through a series of rungs, from unpaid family work, to wage labor, to tenant farming, to a mortgaged farm, and, finally, to full ownership of a farm. In this paper we use the concept of an agricultural ladder to understand processes of social mobility in a Third World setting. A case study of a small rural community in the Ecuadorian Amazon reveals that while the young think in terms of an agricultural ladder, they see temporary labor migration to distant places, rather than local wage labor, as the only way that they can amass the capital necessary to purchase land and reach the top rung on the ladder.     

Restructuring the Past: Toward an Appreciation of the Social Context of Social Science*

The recent surge of interest in the history of the social sciences reflects the unsettled conditions which obtain within these disciplines. Historical analysis may prove an aid to the resolution of these conditions, but only if it does not fall into the genre generally called "whig history"—mythologized history which functions to legitimate contemporary practices by assimilating all previous developments to a stylized narrative of continuous, inevitable "progress." Because "whig history" is intrinsic to the "scientific ethos," its rejection entails a reconsideration of the nature of the scientific enterprise in general, and of social science in particular.     

Impact of Globalization on Social Mobility in Japan and Korea: Focusing on Middle Classes in Fluid Societies*

Abstract: We argue that the social mobility of the Japanese middle classes is becoming closer to that of their Korean counterparts thanks to their increasing exposure to globalization. Globalization upsets the balance between transaction costs and opportunity costs of Japanese economic institutions such as Japanese management practices and the long‐term relationship between the principal contractor and its subcontractors (the shitauke relationship). As a result, it makes social mobility of the new and old middle classes, which have been protected by such institutions, more fluid. Thus we make this argument based on the assumption that the Korean middle classes have already been exposed to globalization and thus are more mobile than their Japanese counterparts. Then we test its empirical validity by analyzing absolute and relative mobility of the middle classes in the two societies with national representative data sets assembled in Japan in 1975, 1985 and 1995 and in Korea in 1990. The results of the analysis show: (1) that the Korean middle classes are more fluid than their Japanese counterparts; and (2) that globalization has affected the social mobility of the old middle class much more than that of the new middle class in Japan. The second finding implies that Japanese management customs that have protected a certain portion of the new middle class are less affected by globalization than the institutions that have protected the old middle class. In other words, the practices have a stronger inertia of institution.     

Social signals as design interventions for enhancing citizen science contributions*

Despite the scientific potential and increasing popularity of web-based citizen science, low contribution from volunteers is often a major hurdle. Studies have shown that individual behavior could be altered through targeted design interventions, but little is known about the specific factors that modulate volunteers’ contributions. A particularly elusive question entails the role of social feedback, in the form of targeted notifications about the contribution of other volunteers. Based on social comparison theory, we hypothesized that (1) volunteers increase contribution when presented with information about a high-performing peer or group, and (2) volunteers conform more strongly to a group rather than to a single peer. To test whether volunteers’ contributions change due to the exposure to the contribution of a peer or group norm, we systematically varied the information presented to participants in an environmental monitoring citizen science project. Volunteers increased their contributions when they were presented with the contribution of a high-performing peer and norm, but they were not influenced by a low-performing peer or norm. Further, we found that volunteers were more likely to match the contributions of a group than that of a peer. However, when volunteers were simultaneously exposed to information about a peer and a group, the effect depended on the respective performance of the peer and group. A theoretical model was developed to explain volunteers’ response and dissect the specific role of social comparison. Our findings offer the possibility of increasing volunteers’ contributions through design interventions.