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To what extent does Islam help explain the dynamics of a participatory civil society in the post-Soviet Muslim-majority Central Asia? More specifically, to what extent does the variation in Islam (personal religiosity) and political Islam (support for Islam’s role in politics) help predict the propensity to engage in elite-challenging collective political actions, rooted in self-assertive social capital? Grounded in emancipative social capital theory, this article embarks on an individual-level quantitative analysis to systematically examine the variation in self-assertive collective action in four Central Asian republics. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the empirical nexus between general religiosity (Islam), Islamism (Political Islam), and elite-challenging collective actions and offers new clues on the empirical interactions between resurgent Islam and collective political participation in the post-Communist Muslim world.

The aim of this study was to pursue an investigation on the educational performance of immigrant children living in Sweden by means of interviews and in the light of the social capital theory. With some earlier researchers suggesting that children with immigrant background have the tendency of performing lower in school compared to native children. This study uses Social capital theory to highlight the relationship between individuals and social structures influencing families in terms of educational performance of theirchildren. The study was carried out qualitatively with four immigrants parents been interviewed. The result of the interviews showed that parent’s role in their children’s educational performance is vital as well as the role of the community. The study also raises a question of self-confidence of children and parents. The result furthered showed that children’s educational performance is influenced by activities.

Magister Artium - MA / Death is an everyday occurrence for many urban Africans living in South Africa, and it is expressed through the everyday management of financial and social networks. The purpose of this study is to investigate what happens to African migrants, particularly the Ngemba people of Cameroon living in Cape Town when they die “away from home”. In this study, I will be exploring the steps followed, the rites that are performed, perceptions regarding death and funerals, as well as the social implications that death has for the group members concerned, and the various challenges faced when someone dies ‘away from home’. In other to achieve all this, I used a qualitative research design in which in-depth interviews and participant observation were administered to sixteen (16) participants.

This study is framed in Bourdieu’s theory of capital, which asserts that the choices we make are usually designed to help us become better off economically; that economic capital is, to some degree, exchangeable with other types of capital (e.g., social and cultural); and that other types of capital can be exchanged for economic capital. The purpose of this study was to understand which forms of capital native English-speaking and native Spanish-speaking families believed they would acquire by choosing to participate in or not participate in Spanish dual language immersion. In this study I interviewed four native Spanish-speaking students who did not participate in dual language immersion, and their parents, and four native English-speaking students who did participate in dual language immersion, and their parents. I also conducted a focus group with the teachers of both the native Spanish and native English-speaking students. I found that the native English-speaking families perceived that they were able to use the dual language immersion program to gain many forms of capital. By contrast, the native Spanish-speaking families also perceived that they gained capital by not participating in the program, but not as much as if they had participated in dual language immersion. I suggest some ways to make participation in dual language immersion more equitable for all families.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In current higher education fundraising models where alumni are aligned with their degree-granting unit, the academic library struggles to match the fundraising outcomes of its campus peers. A survey of seventy-nine fundraisers in academic libraries collected data on fundraising activity. It reveals common practices amongst fundraisers working in this environment and ongoing challenges to success. In a second study, a fundraising model based on social capital is proposed as an alternative to the traditional alumni model. The final study evaluates interviews with thirty-two individuals that further explores the challenges to fundraising success and the efficacy of social capital building as a method to overcome systemic challenges. Interviewees include academic library fundraisers, library deans/directors and university development leaders. Findings reveal a strong interest in a social capital-based approach to fundraising but reveal the necessity to pair the new model with revised fundraiser assessment models capable of measuring these soft skills.

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Credit cooperatives make a significant economic and social contribution to development in Kenya. They are unique financial institutions that are jointly owned and democratically controlled by their members. This study explores how members of Kenyan credit cooperatives achieve economic cooperation. A sociological basis of cooperation exists because cooperatives are voluntary associations. Economic cooperation was thus conceptualised as collective economic action that enables individual actors to secure economic benefits through associational membership. An economic sociology perspective provided the theoretical basis for combining the analysis of economic interests and social relations. The study employed a qualitative case study research design involving a rural and an urban credit cooperative. Social capital was used to explore the role of associational features in facilitating collective action while the concept of institutions was used to examine how institutions organize and shape collective action. Each cooperative was conceptualised as a microstructure to enable an analysis of group relations. An analysis of the economic and socio-political context provided the contextual basis for economic cooperation. The findings suggest that shared values and solidarity bonds are important in creating collective economic resources while maintenance of the collective resources depends on regular reciprocity exchanges, effective enforcement and transparent representation. A new regulatory framework that emphasizes prudential standards and economic efficiency has redefined the incentive structure for Kenyan credit cooperatives. It is likely to favour a business rather than a social welfare mentality in the cooperatives. The socio-political context reveals persistent vertical linkages that have resulted in low political and economic power for rural smallholder farmers compared to urban public sector employees. The study concludes that although credit cooperatives have acted as financial catalysts by enabling the participation of disadvantaged groups in the economic sphere, they are also societal mirrors that reflect the broader income and gender inequalities existing in society. The recognition of cooperatives as economic and social organizations therefore contributes to a better understanding of how cooperatives work.

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The integration of immigrants has been a significant area of research, focusing on aspects such as employment, housing, and education for newly arrived community members. In recent years, scholarly attention has increasingly turned toward social networks and their influence on immigrant integration into the labor market of the host country. This study aims to examine the role of social networks in relation to labor market integration by conducting an in-depth analysis of two distinct groups of second-generation immigrants in Sweden, originating from Bosnia and Somalia. Additionally, the study explores the impact of social identities, including social class, education, culture, and gender, on their integration and the formation of social ties. Through a case study of Växjö, this research offers an opportunity to explore the long-term effects of networks by comparing the similarities and differences in the patterns of integration among second-generation immigrants from Bosnia and Somalia. The qualitative case study employs semi-structured interviews supplemented by a desk analysis of existing research and published works. By synthesizing social network and social capital theories, the analysis sheds light on the significance of strong and weak ties for skilled and less skilled immigrants in finding employment and achieving labor market integration. Based on 18 interviews, the findings highlight contrasting patterns between the Bosnian and Somali immigrant groups. Because of the Bosnians' higher education levels and middle-class backgrounds, they predominantly rely on weak ties to secure employment. Conversely, most Somalis heavily depend on strong relationships due to cultural considerations, lower levels of education, and social class. Moreover, while Bosnian networks exhibit gender equality in educational attainment and access to job opportunities, Somali networks still face challenges regarding gender disparities in labor market access. This comparative study contributes to peace and development research by generating new knowledge and understanding of the role of social networks in the economic integration of immigrant groups from diverse backgrounds and cultures. The findings underscore the importance of considering the interplay between social ties, social identities, and employment.