The mouths of others: The linguistic performance of race in Bermuda

This paper examines the behaviour of one linguistic feature among one black and one white group of Bermudian men over the age of 50. The acoustic analysis of the mouth vowel, one of the most heavily stereotyped sounds of Bermudian English, is used as a window onto linguistic parody observed in the white group, a community of practice known locally for theatrical dialect performance. In combination with contextual analysis, and in light of social conditions in Bermuda, phonetic findings suggest that this linguistic practice is not only a performance of “Bermudian‐ness,” but also a performance of a racialized stereotype which reflects and reinforces the raciolinguistic hierarchies of contemporary Bermudian society. The paper introduces this under‐researched and unusual sociolinguistic setting to the literature on racialized mock language, as well as attesting further to the usefulness of methods that examine highly self‐conscious speech.     

A Review of Nonfamilial Intergenerational Programs on Changing Age Stereotypes and Well-Being in East Asia

This paper examines whether nonfamilial intergeneration programs reduce age stereotyping and increase the well-being of both youth and older adults in five East Asian communities. We used the systematic review method and screened 2,261 abstracts, selecting 14 publications for full review. Studies reported positive attitudinal changes among young and old participants. The intergeneration programs generally covered one of two themes: art activities or cultural heritage. Three best practices that can enhance intervention effectiveness were pre-intervention training, maintaining the intensity of the intervention on a weekly base, and pair-wise matching between the two stakeholders. More studies are recommended to test intergenerational programs with randomized designs and a wider age range of young participants. Culturally specific intergenerational contact theory is also in need of development, particularly “status concern” between the young and old generation.     

Stereotypes versus experience: Indexing regional identity in Bolivian Valley Spanish

Stereotypes of highland and lowland identity categories in the Santa Cruz valleys of Bolivia are linked to phonetic variation in the Spanish discourse marker pues. Highlanders are believed to say [pwes] or [ps] while lowlanders are believed to say [pweh] or [pwe]. However, these beliefs erase two types of differences. First, they erase a distinction among highlanders. While highlanders from the Potosí‐Oruro area pronounce pues as they are believed to, highlanders from Cochabamba do not. Secondly, these beliefs erase intra‐speaker variation. Highlanders sometimes use the lowland variants of pues, and vice versa. When people use atypical pronunciations, they invoke an indexical field linked to the group associated with that variant. This indexical field references stereotypical ideas about groups even when they are inaccurate. Specifically, highland variants index ‘pushy’ or ‘aggressive’ stances, which are associated with people from Cochabamba, even though people from Cochabamba do not use highland variants of pues.     

The Presentation of Self: Dramaturgical Theory and Generations in Organizations

While interest in intergenerational phenomena has been growing in organizations, academic research in the field of organizational studies has questioned the existence of generational differences. However, despite this questioning, generational stereotypes are known and enacted in the workplace. Using a dramaturgical approach as suggested by Goffman (1959), the purpose of this theory article is to advocate a simple model of generational stereotype reinforcement in organizations in which individuals enact (or do not enact) prototypical generational traits and behaviors when doing so allows them to appear in a positive light to a particular generational group.     

Middle School Children's Career Aspirations: Relationship to Adult Occupations and Gender

The authors explored the relationship between the career aspirations of 89 preadolescents from low socioeconomic backgrounds and the actual occupations of the working adults in their homes with regard to status, job gender identification, and interest ( Holland, 1997 ). There was a significant relationship between boys’ career aspirations and the occupations of the working male adults in their homes, specifically job gender identification and interest. More adult males had stereotypically male jobs—classified as Realistic by Holland (1997) —that was mirrored in the preadolescent boys’ career aspirations. There were no significant matches between the boys and working women or with the girls and the working adults of either gender.     

中国二语学习者跨文化交际中的隐性文化阻碍

通过对比隐性文化中价值观和信仰在中西文化中的差异,剖析文化定势对跨文化交际产生的影响,揭示了二语学习者跨文化交际中的隐性文化阻碍。其目的是增强学习者的跨文化意识、跨文化差异的敏感性,以便能够更顺利地进行跨文化交际。     

Conquering Stereotypes in Research on Race and Gender

In responding to Epstein's essay "On Boundaries," we argue that the stereotypes that Epstein identifies as an ongoing component of racism served as the foundation of sociological scholarship a mere century ago. Today, we argue, it is the continued use of the term stereotype that serves as our "car window" and can hold us back from truly understanding race and gender. The use of the term stereotype is not (nor has it ever been) a useful analytic tool because the term invokes a individualistic and psychological argument where a sociological mechanism might be more fruitfully employed.     

Beyond the stereotypical implications of terrorism: a sociological investigation of Arab immigrants

Post 11 September 2001, terrorism has emerged as the defining stereotype of Arab immigrants. As a result, the study of Arab immigrants has become susceptible to stereotypes because in an era of unprecedented diversity sociological investigation has neglected spirituality. Among the various Arab populations spirituality is fundamental. Subsequently any investigation of Arab immigrants is impossible without acknowledgement of a spiritual dimension in the form of Islam. Moving beyond the stereotypical implications of terrorism will require Western sovereignties to be more informed about the Arab culture. Otherwise, their lack of effort will destine the uninformed to the stereotypical implications of terrorism that will not be limited to Arab immigrants but extend to other populations as well.     

Explaining Gender Gaps in Legislative Committees

ABSTRACT

Legislative committees are often the epicenter of parliamentary influence, so their composition matters. Men are widely overrepresented in prestigious, influential committees, with women concentrated in low-status committees. These gender gaps have repercussions for power, visibility, careers, and policy outcomes. Yet the puzzle of why committees are gendered remains unsolved. Combining insights from quantitative and qualitative methods, we offer two major advances. We develop the literature on committee allocations, providing the first comprehensive gendered analysis. And we show how gender permeates all aspects of political careers from socialization to the political summit, leading to deep-rooted inequalities of power, influence, and opportunity.     

Effect of the content of a news item on Spaniards’ attitudes towards Palestinians and Israelis / Efecto del contenido de una noticia sobre la actitud de los españoles hacia palestinos e israelíes

Based on the effects of framing on audience opinion, the attitudes towards Palestinians and Israelis are evaluated when a news item reports on a violent event between the two sides. To do so, a short inter-group experiment was conducted. A 3 (manipulation of the news item) x 2 (group evaluated) design was applied. Three news formats were presented: (1) about a Palestinian attack on Israel; (2) about an Israeli attack on Palestine; (3) no news item. Half of the participants evaluated the Israelis while the other half evaluated the Palestinians. The results of the study, which was performed with a Spanish sample (N = 319), showed that there were no differences in the evaluation of the group according to the group evaluated, although there were differences according to the manipulation of the news item: in both conditions in which one group attacked another, the group evaluated was rated more negatively than the control group. The results also showed that both emotions and stereotypes mediated the effects of framing on prejudice. These results suggest that the participants’ attitude seems to depend more on the violent framing of the news items than on the role assigned to each group and that emotional processes and stereotypes are what regulate these attitudes.