Ungleichheit und Vorurteil

The authors take a look at how established sociological research in Germany deals with two distinct subjects: migrants in the German school system and New Fascists. The article highlights surprising, contrary feeling rules social scientists active in these two research areas develop regarding their objects of investigation. As it turns out in both cases social disintegration serves as an explanatory research frame. But feeling rules derived from this frame point in opposite directions. New Fascists are cast in the roles of victims of social change and institutional failure, thus calling for empathy and/or sympathy as the feeling to be directed towards them. Migrants, in contrast, are blamed for their situation, which invokes indifference and antipathy as a feeling rule. Comparing both research areas reveals how they connect to each other. Together they establish a dichotomous emotional regime which traces the lines of simultaneous inclusion in and exclusion from the German society.     

Die Idee sozialer Gerechtigkeit

The paper aims to show that the modern idea of social justice is insofar historically contingent as it has actually emerged under certain social conditions only, i.e. in reaction to the ‘social question’ in the 19th century, but that it nevertheless relies on some very basic and historically highly invariable requirements of justice. With this aim in view, the author first presents a conceptual explication of the concepts of morality and justice. On this basis, he makes an attempt to explain the historical development of the idea of social justice as a process of its successive unfolding in the context of the development of modern society. The paper ends with some brief remarks on the present situation and the future prospects of the struggle for social justice.     

Die symbolische Macht der Individualisierung und der Kampf um die Kritik

In the article we highlight an aspect of the crisis of criticism which we call ??speechlessness of criticism??. The heterogeneous criticism cannot be bundled up to a critical story any more. A common language with explicatory pictures and grammars is missing. Two explanations are offered for the ??speechlessness?? of criticism: the changes of the normative power of justification orders and the individualisation process. Both developments are a symbolic power which can explain the speechlessness of the criticism of capitalism at least partially. After the sketch of the symbolic power of the legitimation order of project and individualisation, starting points for a renaissance of criticism are analysed. Finally we explore the relevance of a reflexive combination of critical sociology and sociology of criticism for the concept of a critical sociology of criticism.     

Die Wiederentdeckung sozialer Regeln — Institutionen bei Durkheim und North

The article analyses institutions in the context of social order and compares the concepts of E. Durkheim and D. C. North regarding their function as social rule. The article shows the relevance of constraints for the possibility of cooperation and peaceful exchange. Institutions can be conceived just as such constraints. It is shown, how both the classical approach of Durkheim and North institutional economics define institutions as social rules resp. societal constraints. The article discusses the thesis that the later North becomes similar to the Durkheimian ‘contractual solidarity’ by anchoring formal institutions in ideologies and shared mental models. Both argue with the embeddedness of formal rules in the cultural. The second thesis is that North narrows institutions to means of cognitive interpretation of a complex environment. This means a “cognitive turn” in the notion of institutions that are blind for their feature as a social rule. This “cognitive turn” is discussed also regarding the sociological neo-institutionalism.     

Soziale Ungleichheit und Bildungspartizipation im weiterführenden Schulsystem Österreichs

The paper investigates the relationship between social inequality and participation in the Austrian high school system (secondary level II). The European Community Household Panel is used as data basis. The results show differences in participation rate by sex and by the three classical dimensions of stratification, namely education, occupation and income of parents. Hence, social inequality still exists in Austria. Gender differences have been reversed: Nowadays, more girls attend high schools than boys. Inequalities are reduced by secondary technical and vocational colleges.     

Antizipation und ihre Formalisierung. Zur Simulation sozialer Systeme nach Loet Leydesdorff

The paper in hand ventures to introduce a mathematical formalization of anticipation in social systems as suggested by Loet Leydesdorff on the background of the anticipatory-conception by Daniel Dubois and the Theory of Social Systems by Niklas Luhmann. The paper discusses a difference between Luhmann and Leydesdorff concerning their conceptions of information and hints at possibilities to overcome this difference by considering the medium-form-distinction as introduced by Luhmann.     

„Asyle“ — Über Goffmans Analyse und Kritik sozialer Ausgrenzung und Kontrolle

Goffman’s “Asylum” still belongs to the most important works treating “total institutions”. Reviewed after nearly fifty years, the enormous impact of this book is still evident. On the other hand, it is evident, too, that it relied to a certain degree on the conditions of its time. In addition, the way the topics were treated appears in different ways insufficient. The article tries to advance Goffman’s concepts by confronting them with the historical development of the way heavy psychic disorders are treated nowadays. As a result, it is proposed to step further ahead by taking Goffman’s proposals on a more abstract level (dealing with specific functions and the way they are treated instead of a fixed type of “institution”). In addition, those dimensions excluded by Goffman’s socio-phenomenological approach — history and psychodynamics — should be reintegrated on a higher level.     

Organisationsformen sozialer Hilfstätigkeit im Spiegel der wechselseitigen Wahrnehmung von hauptamtlichen und ehrenamtlichen Bewährungshelfern

The current development of the social sector is marked by a transformation of basic conditions, which is expressed in terms of an increasing cost pressure and an enhancement of status and a structural change of voluntary work. This paper addresses the question which patterns of mutual perception professional and voluntary social workers develop under such circumstances. Considering the Austrian probation service as example the social climate between professional and voluntary social workers is analysed. The main finding is that the mentioned transformations do not necessarily generate a conflict between vocational and non-vocational staff. Although the tasks of professional and voluntary probation officers are partially overlapping they view themselves mutually as enrichment and supplement and not as rivals. The extent of individual experiences of acceptance and appreciation may be identified as a background factor for the cooperative climate. Self-experienced acceptance and appreciation inhibits negative attitudes towards the other group.     

Verantwortliches Handeln als soziologischer Grundbegriff

As a critical modification of Parsons voluntaristic theory of action as well as of the theories of rational choice, this contribution suggests Max Weber’s concept of “responsibility” or “responsible action” as an enclosing model of action rationality, integrating both individual freedom of choice as well as over-individual categorical values. This systematical benefit of the concept of “responsibility” is especially due to the idea of a “value discussion”. This dialogical enlargement of rationality includes a modern theory of validity essentially needed to save the rationality of categorical values and to allow the equality of value-rational orientations next to questions of utility. This being said, responsibility can be presented as a basic concept of sociology, containing the key to an integrative social theory based on methodological individualism.     

Wählen als Gruppenerfahrung?

Lazarsfeld et al. have formulated a voting model, which is based on the influences of group embedding. This essentially means that people adapt their voting behaviour according to their social embeddings. However, the individualisation thesis has recently claimed that group embeddings have become looser and more often contradictory. Can the empiric findings of Lazarsfeld therefore still be valid? This analysis, which is based on a panel study on the Styrian Local Elections 2000, sets out to test the applicability of this voting model. It can be shown clearly, that people are still more likely to vote for the parties, which are popular within their social surroundings. However, when put under cross pressures, people tend to change their party preferences, whereas relevant cross pressures are not only resulting from social embeddings, but also from the evaluation of politicians, issues and so on.     

Provisorien als Dauereinrichtung. Zur Wahl organisierter Unterkünfte für Asylsuchende durch die öffentliche Hand

Reporting some central results of an Austrian regional study this paper deals with the selection of accommodations for asylum seekers made by the public authorities. One of the main characteristics of this selection is the permanent use of buildings which are thought to be used only as temporary arrangements. Despite the fact that most asylum seekers have to live under these conditions for many years their stay is typically presented in the form of a temporary anomaly - a confusing phenomenon on the edge of society. The article discusses the authorities’ point of view as well as the experiences of the affected municipalities and outlines some important consequences.     

„Ausschließlich zahlenorientiert, ausschließlich an Erträgen orientiert“. Vermarktlichung als Organisationsprinzip und Anerkennungsproblem

The paper discusses the marketization of organizations and focuses on its consequences for organization members. It broadens the current debate of the issue by adding the dimension of social recognition. Indeed, the pursuit of recognition mobilises highly qualified knowledge workers’ comprehensive commitment in specific ways. Based on a case study the paper shows how the interviewed managers pursue recognition in ambiguous ways, and that this pursuit leads them into a dual trap of both admiration and appreciation. Only as a result of the pursuit of recognition failing on both sides, a person’s pride in their craft is replaced by a hollow ethos of duty. In this perspective the “marketization of subjectivity” is not merely a mirror image of structural constraints, nor an outcome of semantics that conceptualizes the market sphere as an “anethic institution” (Weber).