Worlds come apart: Systems theory versus critical theory. Drama in the history of sociology in the twentieth century

This article places an episode in the history of sociological theory into intellectual history in the twentieth century. The perspective is chronological as well as contextual. The themes are two theoretical approaches, both embedded in both American and German history, Parsonian Systems Theory and “Frankfurt School” Critical Theory. The chronology shown spanned mainly from the 1940s to the 1960s. The context of the two theories is a period that is crucial in twentieth century history. The protagonists of the two approaches were, in the 1940s, Americans and Germans exiled in the United States. In the 1950s, both approaches were affected by McCarthyism in different ways. The 1960s, however, were the culmination. The dynamics of the two approaches led into a schism which came into the open on the occasion of the 1964 German Sociology Conference in Heidelberg celebrating Max Weber. The article shows the stages in the evolution of the schism, emulating three acts in a drama. The final split was over whether Weber or Marx should be the classic whose oeuvre was to influence sociological thinking today. My aim is to exemplify how these two authoritative approaches in sociological theory, far from escaping the vagaries and vicissitudes of their times, were embedded in twentieth-century history.     

The social position and internal organization of the medical profession in the Third World: the case of Singapore

This paper probes two aspects of the medical profession in Singapore: its structure and its social position. The first section reviews the relevant concepts concerning the structure and the social position of the professions that may be applied to medicine in Singapore. The second section looks into the structure of the medical profession in Singapore from an historical perspective. The third section deals with the internal organization of the medical profession. The fourth section focuses on its social position. The paper concludes with a summary of the main points and a brief comparison of the situation in Singapore with that in other countries.     

The main features of population development in the Czech Republic during the transformation of society

"The behaviour of the population of the Czech Republic has been changing since 1991. The changes have resulted in a considerable decrease in marriages and births, and a slight fall in mortality rates. The decline in the number of newly-weds and new-born children can be attributed to significant structural changes in society connected with the transformation of the reproductive model established in the post war era. The changes have been initiated most notably by the younger generation...."     

Marriages and fertility among Turkish and Moroccan women in Belgium: results from census data

The patterns of family formation and fertility behavior of Turkish and Moroccan women in Belgium are changing rapidly. The census data (1991) indicate a fertility decline. The reasons are changes in the nuptiality patterns, contraceptive behavior, and migratory flows. The changes are not identical in both communities. Young cohorts postpone their marriage, but this is most prominent among Moroccan women. On the other hand, young Turkish women have a clear preference for smaller families. The changes also differentiate according to migrant "generation" and level of education. The changes are not restricted to Belgium but are also observed in the countries of origin.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this articles:
Economies of Signs & Space Scott Lash and John Urry
Postmodernity USA: The Crisis of Social Modernism in Postwar America Anthony Woodiwiss
Organizing Modernity John Law
Postmodernism, Reason and Religion E. Gellner
The adventure of difference Gianni Vattimo
Ways of Escape: Modern Transformations in Leisure and Travel Chris Rojek
Relocating Cultural Studies: developments in theory and research Valda Blundell
Deconstructing Durkheim: A post-post-structuralist critique Jennifer Lehmann
The Frankfurt School: Its History, Theories and Political Significance Rolf Wiggershaus
The European and American University Since 1800, Historical and Sociological Studies Sheldon Rothblatt and Bjorn Wittrock (eds)
Fields of Knowledge, French Academic Culture in Comparative Perspective 1890–1920 Fritz Ringer
The Body and Social Theory
The Sociology of Death: Theory, Culture, Practice David Clark, (ed.)
Researching Women's Lives from a Feminist Perspective Mary Maynard and June Purvis, (eds)
Childhood Identities: Self and Social Relationships in the Experience of the Child Allison James
Fathers and Daughters Sue Sharpe
Racialised Boundaries: Race, Nation, Gender, Colour and Class and the Anti-racist Struggle Floya Anthias and Nira Yuval-Davis
The Ghetto Underclass: Social Science Perspectives W. J. Wilson (ed.)
The Corporate Paradox: Power and Control in the Business Franchise A. Felstead
The Factory and The City: The Story of the Cowley Automobile Workers in Oxford Teresa Hayter and David Harvey (eds)
The Politics of Social Policy M. Sullivan, Harvester Wheat Sheaf
The Eclipse of Council Housing Ian Cole and Robert Furbey
The Road from Paradise: Prospects for Democracy in Eastern Europe Stjepan G. Medtrović with Miroslav Goreta and Slaven Letica
Introducing Statistics for Social Research D. Cramer     

Age discrimination and early retirement policies: a comparison of labor market regulation in Canada and the United States

As public policy issues, mandatory retirement and age discrimination are approached differently in Canada and the United States. The legal frameworks, enforcement procedures, and judicial decisions are distinct in the two jurisdictions. The United States, unlike Canada, has specific legislation to protect the rights of older workers, and has a centralized enforcement system. The differences between the two countries are accounted for by the greater emphasis on individual rights in the United States and on communitarianism in Canada. The different policy choices of each society highlight the tensions inherent in North American labor markets. The United States seems to be in a better position to shift toward a labor-management policy which encourages older workers to remain in the workforce.     

Architectural Space in Respite and Intermediate Care: An Actor-Network Theory Analysis

This article presents an analysis of 2 short-term care facilities using actor-network theory with the aim of revealing performative processes in different networks in the buildings in use. The 2 facilities differed in architectural design, which was expected to influence their care model and organization. One facility was larger and accommodated 4 patients/residents in double rooms as well as permanent residents who stayed in single rooms. The other facility was smaller and accommodated only short-term care patients in single rooms. The study revealed that the latter facility received more care-demanding people than the other. The size and the type of patients/residents influenced the social environment. The larger facility was more busy and lively than the smaller one. However, the analysis did not show any difference in quality of care or ambiance. Both facilities were valued as either good or bad by different residents or staff members. The study concludes that therapeutic values and outcomes are defined and redefined in the ongoing performances of everyday interactions.     

Young people’s everyday political talk: a social achievement of democratic engagement

Everyday political talk is an important democratic activity. Research on young people has focused on the role of talk in political socialization. The overall question in this study is: What encourages or impedes young people to participate in everyday political talk? Politics has been described as a potentially unsafe topic. The study investigates young people’s own experiences of conversations in families, peer groups, and social media. The study applies a social interactional approach and understands political talk as a social achievement, related to norms and the management of self-identities. It is based on a multimethod approach comprising individual interviews, group interviews, and diaries. The group consists of 23 high school students (aged 17–18). The results show that the engagement in political talk is sensitive to the social settings. Norms make political topics expected or best to avoid. The family and peer groups are potentially important context for friendly talk, argumentations, exploration of opinions, and identities. The participants are in general more reluctant to express opinions in social media. The fear of face-threatening responses is one important aspect. The study suggests that political talk is an activity in which young people express, reveal, and carefully manage political self-identities.     

Economic internationalization: the new migration in Japan and the United States

"The general proposition argued in this paper is that international migrations are embedded in larger social, economic and political processes.... The first section of the paper addresses the impact of economic internationalization on the formation of new immigration flows into the U.S. during the last 25 years. The second section examines both the magnitude and forms of Japan's recent economic presence in South and Southeast Asia. The third and fourth sections briefly review questions of policy in the U.S. and Japan during the last few years.... The fifth section conveys evidence of illegal immigration to Japan. The sixth section discusses conditions in receiving countries that make possible the adaptation of immigrants with a view to understanding how illegal immigrants in Japan could become part of the Japanese economy involving Japanese employers deeply steeped in an anti-immigration culture." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)     

Age Discrimination and Early Retirement Policies:

As public policy issues, mandatory retirement and age discrimination are approached differently in Canada and the United States. The legal frameworks, enforcement procedures, and judicial decisions are distinct in the two jurisdictions. The United States, unlike Canada, has specific legislation to protect the rights of older workers, and has a centralized enforcement system. The differences between the two countries are accounted for by the greater emphasis on individual rights in he United States and on communitariamsm in Canada. The different policy choices of each society highlight the tensions inherent in North American labor markets. The United States seems to be in a better position to shift toward a labor-management policy which encourages older workers to remain in the workforce.     

Convergence in the Innovative Performance of the European Union Countries

The aim of this work is to study whether a process of convergence in innovation in the European countries has occurred or not, by analysing the relative changes in the innovative position of the European countries during the period 2002–2006. Special attention is paid to the relative changes that have occurred in the recently acceded countries and to the poorest countries of the EU-15. The data used in this research come from the fourth and fifth wave of the Community Innovation Survey elaborated by EUROSTAT and collected in different Member States of the European Union. The statistical technique used is the multiple factorial analysis. The study has been carried out on two different sets of firms. On the one hand, it has considered all manufacturing firms (innovative and non-innovative firms) and, on the other, only the innovative manufacturing firms. The results show a moderate convergence process in innovation in the manufacturing as a whole, but not in the innovative firms.     

Sexual behavior in female transsexuals and lesbians

This study was designed to look at the role sexual arousal and behavior play in confirming or resolving gender identity confusion, and at how female‐to‐male transsexuals (FTs) and lesbians (Ls) differ in this area. Detailed interview data on sexual behavior from a clinical sample of 15 FTs compared to a matched research sample of 15 Ls are presented. The mean age for the FTs group was 21 years, 10 months and 23 years, 8 months for the Ls group. The two groups were matched by age, educational background and parental socioeconomic status. The results indicated that the majority of women in both groups had had sexual experience with men as well as women. All clearly preferred women as partners, but the FTs fantasized being men in encounters with women, while the Ls were completely identified women. The Ls sample tended to go through a heterosexual phase before they had their first relationship with another woman, which was typically not until approximately age 20. However, the FTs tended to have their first sexual relationship with a woman in early or middle adolescence. The two groups also differed in various aspects of sexual arousal and behavior, with Ls reporting a higher frequency of orgasms and being more at ease in engaging in intense and satisfactory sexual relations.

The primary value of this study has to be seen as hypothesis rendering. The conclusions are tentative because of the limited sample size. The data add to our knowledge on aspects of female sexuality in general, and the reported differences between the two groups will assist in formulating a differential diagnosis between FTs and Ls in clinical practice.     

泊洛沙姆多柔比星偶联物胶束抗肿瘤作用的体外研究

目的制备泊洛沙姆多柔比星（阿霉素）偶联物（DOX—P）胶束并考察其体外抗肿瘤活性。方法核磁光谱法考察泊洛沙姆多柔比星偶联物胶束结构,差示扫描量热法（差热分析,DSC）观察聚合物的Tm和Tc。流式细胞术和荧光显微术观察人肺腺癌细胞A549对DOX．P胶束的摄取量,MTr法比较游离DOX和DOX—P胶束对A549／DOX细胞的细胞毒性。结果核磁光谱法证实多柔比星处于胶束核心,DSC表明DOX—P的Tm和Tc降低,荧光显微镜观察和流式细胞仪分析均支持胶束能够增强耐药细胞对多柔比星的吸收,MTr法表明DOX—P胶束对耐多柔比星的人肺腺癌细胞A549／DOX的毒性大于游离多柔比星。结论所制备的DOX—P胶束偶联成功,体外抗肿瘤活性良好,且能克服A549／DOX细胞的多药耐药性。     

House demolition and mental health: Victims and witnesses

The research examines the immediate effects of losing one’s home and witnessing the demolition of others houses on the mental health of Palestinian adults and children. The loss group consisted of 47 adults whose homes were demolished, the witness group of 24 adults who witnessed the house demolition, and the control group of 33 adults. The groups were compared for their anxiety, depression, and paranoiac symptoms. In addition, 38 children in the loss group, 36 children in the witness group, and 50 children in the control group were compared for their psychological symptoms. The results showed that adults who were exposed to house demolition showed a higher level of anxiety, depression, and paranoiac symptoms than the witness and control groups. The children in the loss group showed a higher level of psychological symptoms than the children in the witness and control groups. The witness group differed from the control group in having more depression among women and from anxiety, depression, and paranoiac symptoms than men in the loss and witness groups but not in the control group.     

Midlife Career Transitions of Men Who Are Scientists and Engineers: A Narrative Study

This article summarizes the results of a qualitative study of career transition experiences of middle‐aged male scientists and engineers in the current socioeconomic environment in the United States. The study addresses the effects of the transitions from psychosocial perspectives. The authors selected participants from research organizations, industry, and academic fields. The authors used a narrative approach to collect data and analyzed the data using a grounded theory approach. The results suggest that the major factors that describe the dynamics in the career transition experiences are personhood, relationships, lifestyle, and workplace environment. The findings and their implications in developing coping skills and counseling strategies are discussed.     

Tracing Differentiation in Gendered Leadership: An Analysis of Differences in Gender Composition in Top Management in Business,Politics and the Civil Service

The aim of this article is to discuss the relationship between the gendering of leadership positions and sector‐specific structures within politics, business and the civil service in Denmark in the context of differences between the Nordic countries and other western countries. The analysis is based on data from a survey of top male and female leaders within the three sectors. The theoretical point of departure of this article is constructivist. It looks at gender as constituted by actions in social space, orchestrated by structural processes and a symbolic order of gender. This constitutes a cultural discourse on gender reflected in gender conventions in society and in a range of possibilities of gender positioning. Expressions of this are discussed in the analysis of the patterns of difference in structural conditions for women and men in leadership positions to be found within the three sectors. The structural conditions encompass access conditions and conditions for gendered positioning and are analysed on the basis of data on social background, education, career course, family, children and distribution of housework. The analysis shows that there is a correlation between gender composition of leadership and possibilities of gendered positioning within a sector. The results are finally discussed as possible expressions of an egalitarian culture.     

Women,marriage and family--traditionalism vs. modernity in Albania

"The aim of the article is to illustrate how the transition from traditionalism to modernity in Albanian society is reflected in the fields of decision-making in choosing the marriage partner, arena of choosing the marriage partner, and factors of importance for harmony in the marital relationship. We also outline the changes in women's participation in productive work, in social and policy life, and in education. The empirical material stems from a survey conducted in Albania [in] 1984. The number of respondents was 1,303. We conclude that there is a strong modernistic tendency both with regard to choosing marriage partner and factors important for harmony. The main feature of the development in Albania is the rapidity and explicitness of changes in attitudes towards marriage and family and in women's position."     

Body posture in elderly,physically active males

The objective of this study was to evaluate the shape of anterior–posterior curvatures of the spine and to determine the values of body symmetry deviations in the frontal plane, in elderly males. The study group consisted of 34 males aged between 61 and 83 years, attending two hour-long training sessions a week. The comparative group consisted of 30 students. The photogrammetric method based on the Moire phenomenon was used to evaluate the body posture. The obtained data confirm characteristic tendencies of physiological spinal curvatures to change with the aging process. A decrease of the lumbar–sacral spinal-segment inclination and an increase of the upper thoracic spinal-segment inclination were observed in the elderly males. Whereas, the value of thoracic kyphosis lower-segment inclination was similar to the value obtained in young adult males. The stated differences indicate a flattening of lumbar lordosis and a deepening of the upper arch of thoracic kyphosis, which results in a characteristic body posture in the standing position with the head protruding and the upper trunk segment inclined. The above-mentioned observations indicate a dominance of the angular thoracic kyphosis value over the remaining spinal curvatures. These differences occur to a greater degree in elderly males.     

Maximum force levels in different positions of shoulder and elbow

The number of occupational diseases in Mexico is alarming and clearly it is important to do studies with the purpose of improving the design of workstations. The objective of this research is to determine the maximum force levels in different positions of shoulder and elbow. An experiment was conducted with 16 subjects between 18 and 28 years old: 8 male and 8 female. We considered 16 different positions, working with the right and left arm to perform the tasks of pull and push. The tasks consisted of pushing or pulling a dynamometer for a period of 3 seconds as hard as possible. The results were presented in tables. The tables show the mean, standard deviation and range of force levels in different positions.