THE RECOVERY OF MASADA: A STUDY IN COLLECTIVE MEMORY*

The battle of Masada in 73 A. D. was one of the least significant and least successful events in ancient Jewish history. Our concern is to understand why, after almost two thousand years of obscurity, this event was suddenly remembered and commemorated by Palestinian Jews. Precipitating the 1927 recovery of Masada was the appearance of a very popular poem which used the ancient battle as an allegory of the Jewish settlers' struggle. By restoring this poem to its social context, and by analyzing both in terms of George Herbert Mead's theory of symbolically reconstructed pasts, this article explains the modern appeal of Masada, then brings it to bear on our general knowledge of collective memory.     

PERSONAL AUTHORITY IN THE FAMILY SYSTEM: DEVELOPMENT OF A QUESTIONNAIRE TO MEASURE PERSONAL AUTHORITY IN INTERGENERATIONAL FAMILY PROCESSES*

This paper reports a series of studies on the development of the Personal Authority in the Family System (PAFS) questionnaire. The PAFS questionnaire is designed to measure family processes based on aspects of current intergenerational family theory (Williamson, 1981, 1982b). Eight scales which measure concepts such as differentiation/fusion, intimacy/isolation, and personal authority/intimidation in the three-generational context comprise the questionnaire. Study 1 indicates that the scales have good internal consistency and good test-retest reliability. Correlations with other measures of family processes provide validity for some of the PAFS scales. Study 2 confirms the underlying factor structure of the PAFS questionnaire and supports the construct validity of the scales. Implications for intergenerational family theory and applications in research and clinical practice are discussed.     

The NDP Regime in British Columbia, 1991–2001: A Post‐Mortem*

Cette étude porte sur les relations entre la social‐démocratie, les mouvements sociaux et l'État au cours d'une période de dix ans dans la province de Colombie‐Britannique, au Canada. À l'aide d'une analyse de textes d'interviews en profondeur de représentants de l'État de six ministères importants et de membres du Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Assemblée législative, les auteurs examinent de façon approfondie les difficultés rencontrées par le régime social‐démocrate. Celui‐ci tente de remplir un mandat de réforme sociale en partie inspirée par les programmes de militants de mouvements sociaux, mais il est également limité par les contraintes imposées par la mondialisation économique et par les politiques budgétaires néolibérales. En étudiant les dilemmes et les obstacles structurels, les auteurs tentent de clarifier les profonds défis auxquels sont confrontés les mouvements sociaux à l'époque actuelle. This study focuses on the relationship between social democracy, social movements and the state over a ten‐year period in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Through textual analysis of in‐depth interviews with state officials from six key ministries and New Democratic Party members of the Legislative Assembly, we probe the difficulties faced by a social democratic regime attempting to carry out a mandate for social reform partly driven by the agendas of social movements supporters but also bounded by the constraints imposed by economic globalization and neo‐liberal fiscal policies. In examining the dilemmas and structural obstacles, our study clarifies the profound challenges confronting social movements in the current era.     

FAMILY SIZE IDEALS OF CANADIANS: A METHODOLOGICAL NOTE*

A partir de données recueillies par le sondage d'opinion Canadian Gallup sur le nombre d'enfants par famille considéré comme idéal, cet article suggère que la moyenne de 4.2 enfants par famille, statistique de 1960 fréquemment citée, est faussement exagérée. L'auteur compare les données du sondage de 1960 à celle d'un sondage antérieur (1957). Elle compare aussi les données de récents sondages canadien et américain sur la dimension idéale de la famille. Using data from Canadian Gallup Poll questions on the number of children considered ideal, this paper suggests that the frequently cited 1960 figure of 4.2 children is erroneously inflated. The discussion compares responses in 1960 to responses of an earlier 1957 poll. Comparisons are also made between American and Canadian responses to recent questions on ideal family size.     

THE POLITICIZATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLARIZATION IN THE AMERICAN PUBLIC'S VIEWS OF GLOBAL WARMING, 2001–2010

We examine political polarization over climate change within the American public by analyzing data from 10 nationally representative Gallup Polls between 2001 and 2010. We find that liberals and Democrats are more likely to report beliefs consistent with the scientific consensus and express personal concern about global warming than are conservatives and Republicans. Further, the effects of educational attainment and self‐reported understanding on global warming beliefs and concern are positive for liberals and Democrats, but are weaker or negative for conservatives and Republicans. Last, significant ideological and partisan polarization has occurred on the issue of climate change over the past decade.     

Positivism in Sociological Practice: 1967–1990*

Le positivisme n'est jamais à l'abri de la controverse, surtout en sociologie, où sa viabilité a fait l'objet de longs débate parmi les théoriciens de divers acabits. Mais il reste à savoir jusquà quel point les pratidens de la sociologie considèrent encore le positivisme comme une théorie satisfaisante. Les auteurs examinent cette question par une analyse de contenu de 176 articles choisis au hasard dans les revues des associations de sociologie américaines, canadiennes, scandinaves et britanniques datant de la fin des années 1960 et la fin des années 1980. L'utilisation d'une grille d'analyse construite à partir de sept éléments du positivisme caractéristiques du mouvement de la theory construction révèle des éléments de persistance aussi bien que de changement. Les résultats amènent les auteurs à questionner la relation qui existe entre la théorie et la pratique en sociologie et à se demander si l'épistémologie de la sociologie reflète la réalité de sa pratique. En conclusion, Ton suggère quelques pistes de recherche ultérieure sur le sujet. Positivism is no stranger to controversy, least of all in sociology, where its viability has been the subject of a long-running debate among theorists of different stripes. Yet the question remains to what degree sociological practitioners continue to find positivism to be persuasive. This question is approached through a content analysis of 176 randomly selected articles published in the late 1960s and the late 1980s in the official journals of the American, Canadian, Scandinavian and British sociological associations. Using an index based on seven elements of positivism that were characteristic of the “theory construction” movement of the late 1960s, the authors found both persistence and change. The results raise questions about the relationship between the realms of theory and practice in sociology and whether sociologists' philosophies of science reflect what practitioners actually do in their sociological work. The authors conclude with suggestions for further research on this topic.     

TAKING IT PERSONALLY: ISSUES OF PERSONAL AUTHORITY AND COMPETENCE FOR THE FEMALE IN FAMILY THERAPY TRAINING*

The supervision and training of women requires thinking and planning about how to address issues women bring to the training process as a result of sex-role typing. Dependent behavior and attitudes are interactional problems that need to be overcome in a training process that leads to competency and creativity for therapists. Strategic supervision can benefit women by increasing their self-reliance, sense of personal authority, and competence.