Rituals of migration: an introduction

ABSTRACT

This introduction presents a framework for the articles in the special issue Rituals of Migration. First, it provides an overview of studies of ritual and migration, highlighting the fruitfulness of exploring the two fields together and arguing for the use of ritual as a cultural prism on processes of continuity and change in migration. In light of these analytical approaches, the introduction continues by outlining and discussing the three major themes that crosscut the articles (the interrelations between change and continuity, processes of placemaking and lines of social differentiation), demonstrating how the articles can shed light on these issues.     

Mogong and chieftaincy in western Guangxi and Southeast Asia

This article is devoted to establishing, by means of textual and comparative evidence, a link between the religious practitioners called mogong (Zh. bouxmo) and chiefly houses. The mogong are male priests who recite texts in the ‘local’ language, in this case Zhuang or Bouyei. They are also found among other Tai peoples, including the Dai in Yunnan, the Tày and Nùng in Vietnam, and also among other ethnic groups in mainland Southeast Asia. Theirs is a very ancient tradition, dating back possibly 2000 years. Most of the studies on mogong in the PRC have treated the mogong either as an instance of ‘primitive religion’ or as ‘folk beliefs’, and some scholars have declared that the mogong had no connection with politics or government. My argument, based on new evidence from a survey of Zhuang vernacular texts, is that the Zhuang mogong only became village-level vernacular priests after the disbandment of the native chieftaincies, starting in the early eighteenth century, and that before that they were attached directly to chiefly lineages, as they still were in Yunnan and in Southeast Asia until the 1940s. The mogong were responsible for the most important triennial sacrifices to the guardian spirits of the domain.     

A criterion-referenced multidimensional job-related model prediction capability to perform occupations among persons with chronic pain

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this prospective study was an exploration of the construct of the criterion-referenced multidimensional job-related model (CMVA) aimed for predicting patients' with chronic pain capability to perform occupations. METHODS: The study samples were 1) participants (n=84) who at present were not performing employed work (median sick-listing period 12 months) because of chronic pain and 2) participants (n = 104) who at present were performing employed work at least 20 hours of a workweek. The participants had experiences of 40 different occupations classified into five of the occupational categories of Jist's Enhanced Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Data were collected through ten assessment instruments and a structured interview, comprising 54 variables and 465 items. Data were analyzed using multiple regression with forward entering of variables. RESULTS: The CMVA model (Adjusted R^2 0.777, F (4, 183) = 164.067; p<0.001) was able to explain 78% of the variance. CMVA contained the aspects; "the work demands-variable, the person-variable of work life values, the environment-variable of social support and the two occupational performances-variables; self-perceived capability to perform work tasks/the simulated work tasks". CONCLUSIONS: The construct of CMVA was robust suggesting that among persons with chronic pain, the predictors focusing on their capability to perform occupations are of great importance.     

Adolescents' Plans for Family Formation: Is Parental Socialization Important?

This study examines adolescents' plans for family formation (marriage and parenthood) and the congruence between their plans and their mothers' expectations and behaviors within these spheres. Using log‐linear and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models to analyze data from the National Survey of Children (N= 724 ), this study addresses mechanisms of family socialization (e.g., modeling and defining influence) informed by social learning and symbolic interactionist theories. It also reveals whether and how these mechanisms vary according to gender. Results reveal that family factors best predict children's plans, although peer groups also may be important. In addition, defining influence is stronger than modeling influence.     

RISK AVERSION RELATES TO COGNITIVE ABILITY: PREFERENCES OR NOISE?

Recent experimental studies suggest that risk aversion is negatively related to cognitive ability. In this paper we report evidence that this relation may be spurious. We recruit a large subject pool drawn from the general Danish population for our experiment. By presenting subjects with choice tasks that vary the bias induced by random choices, we are able to generate both negative and positive correlations between risk aversion and cognitive ability. Our results suggest that cognitive ability is related to random decision making rather than to risk preferences. (JEL: C81, C91, D12, D81)     

Assessing the effects of an early retirement program

We investigate induced retirement effects of the Norwegian early retirement program AFP and emphasize effects caused by relocations of some individuals from disability pension and unemployment to AFP. Theoretical considerations predict that AFP unambiguously induces more early retirement. Analyzing Norwegian register data 1994–96 with parametric and non-parametric methods, we demonstrate that i) economic incentives influence the retirement decision, ii) there is a significant net induced retirement effect, iii) by a conservative judgment, at least 50% of the AFP retirees would have stayed in the labor force without the scheme.All correspondence to Espen Bratberg. We are indebted to the referees for detailed remarks, which significantly improved the paper. Financial support from the Norwegian Research Council and the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs is greatly appreciated. We are grateful for valuable comments from Erik Hernæs and Astrid Grasdal, seminar participants at the Norwegian School of Management in Oslo, the Institute for International Economic Studies in Stockholm, and the University of Linz, the 2000 Conference of the European Society for Population Economics in Bonn, and the German-Norwegian Seminar on Social Insurance in Berlin, 2000. Bratberg would also like to thank the Humboldt University for its hospitality during a stay in the winter of 2003. Responsible editor: Christoph M. Schmidt.     

Predicting responses to sexually aggressive stories: The role of consent,interest in sexual aggression,and overall sexual interest

Measures of interest in sexual aggression and overall sexual interest were used to predict men's responses to consensual and nonconsensual stories that contained forceful sexual content. College males (N = 108) listened to these stories and completed questionnaires assessing self‐reported sexual arousal and desire, their perceptions of the woman's enjoyment and sexual desire in the stories, their likelihood of acting like the man in the stories, and how likely they would be to read similar stories. Multiple regression analyses revealed that overall sexual interest variables were significant predictors of responses to both consensual and nonconsensual stories, while interest in sexual aggression predicted responses to only the nonconsensual story. The present study highlights the importance of considering overall sexual interest measures in sexual aggression research.     

Factors contributing to the perpetration of workplace incivility: the importance of organizational aspects and experiencing incivility from others

In recent years a growing amount of research has been conducted in the area of workplace incivility. Whereas many studies have focused on the victims and the consequences of incivility, little attention has been paid to the perpetrators and antecedents of workplace incivility. This study aims to identify possible antecedents of workplace incivility, by investigating organizational aspects as well as the possibility that being the target of incivility from co-workers and supervisors could induce incivility. A total of 512 employees (378 women and 133 men) in the school sector in a Swedish municipality completed an online questionnaire. Overall, the results of structural equation modelling analyses showed that organizational variables were related to the perpetration of incivility. A direct relationship was found between being uncivil and organizational change, job insecurity, low social support from co-workers and high job demands. However, the strongest relationship was found between experienced incivility from co-workers and instigated incivility. This could be reflecting a climate or culture of incivility in the organization, and carry implications for future practice in interventions against workplace incivility. The results indicate the importance of focusing on the perspective of the instigator to gain knowledge about the process of workplace incivility.