Those individuals in our midst without a firm and fixed place to call home in society have elicited variously: fear, disgust, disdain, punishment, pity, nostalgia, and curiosity. The transience of their lives positions them ‘outside the city walls’ both literally and symbolically. These widely negative perceptions see those who experience Homelessness to be burdened both physically and emotionally. This vastly complicated issue is one, seemingly, without a solution. So what can sport, specifically football, offer to that which has hitherto failed to erase this issue? Homelessness and sport manifest obvious inequalities. So in society as in sport there are winners and losers. Similar to sport, Homelessness is enduring and kaleidoscopic. Attitudes toward sport, like arguably the most marginalised members of any society, can change with time and place. Social inequalities are reflected in sport even if sport has positioned itself as a salve for a range of social problems. An annual football tournament that carries the claim that ‘A ball can change the world’ might offer a somewhat simplistic and mythopoeic view of sport. Such a view of sport has been challenged but it has its aficionados. Whether or not football, in its delivery or play, is capable of solving anything for those enduring the predicament of Homelessness is tantamount to this inquiry. What follows seeks to complement contemporary research by offering a panoptic view of the genre of that termed ‘Homeless Football’ (HF) utilising an analysis of one country’s – England – national programme and a HF initiative in a local setting. The local, national and international segue – hopefully – serves to illustrate the interactions between those playing and those delivering. Using French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s theories and concepts, the social field of HF is considered and interrogated. In this space of play will be the focus of four specific questions were asked: What is the social field of HF and how can it be understood? Who are the social agents taking part in HF? How does HF ‘sit’ within the broader sport-for-development sector? And lastly, is there a meaningful impact for individuals experiencing Homelessness through participation in such football opportunities? The research presents the complexities that encompass HF in definition, delivery, and desired outcomes. The genre has many angles and aficionados. If it has critics they remain silent. The dualism of Homelessness and Football proved to be a seductive partnership.

<p> Especially since the "new social movements" of the 1960s and 1970s, the complexities of group status difference and oppression have posed major challenges to social movements aimed at justice and equality. This paper explores the potential for social movement organizations to approach race, class, gender, and sexuality in ways that resist essentialized identities and expose and challenge the dynamics of power by which structural oppression operates. Focusing on the Washington Peace Center&ndash;a social movement organization in the District of Columbia&ndash;as a case study, I utilize qualitative, oral history interviews to illuminate the process of group difference interrogation and anti-oppression activism over time. I find that justice-seeking social movements&ndash; through an attention to standpoint, openness to the claims of other social movements, and proper consideration of the connection between local, national, and global issues&ndash;are capable of meaningful engagement across group difference that undermines complex and interrelated oppressions.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Sociology, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: A, page: 3171. Adviser: Arthur S. Alderson. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 15, 2008).

Crisis, conflict, and consumption| Case studies of the politics and culture of neoliberalization in urban responses to global economic transformations

<p> This study examined the impact of 12-step programs on executives' leadership styles. Nine executives in active recovery from addiction were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling strategies and completed surveys and interviews about the use, outcomes, and transferability of 12-step program elements. Participants reported heavily relying on the 12-step program in their personal and professional lives. Participants reported several personal, professional, and leadership impacts as a result of their use of the 12-step program, such as learning to connect with God and others, achieving professional success, and having a different motivation. These impacts enable them to balance concerns of both humanity and results in the workplace. A 12-step program adapted for both a non-recovery population and organization specific culture could be an effective and inexpensive way to develop humanistic, results-oriented leaders. Continued research should use a larger sample and examine the unique impact of each program element.</p>

<p> This research is a case study analysis of Downtown Project, a corporate-led redevelopment endeavor currently taking place in downtown Las Vegas. Through private money and public partnerships, Internet retailer Zappos has relocated its headquarters to a neighborhood previously characterized by economic instability, and is actively constructing a concentrated "creative class" community of tech startups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. By examining Downtown Project, this research seeks to analyze the ways in which corporate-led redevelopment plays a powerful role in the local growth machine, asking who benefits, at what potential costs, and whose interests are served in downtown redevelopment projects. This research situates Downtown Project within the current economic context of Las Vegas, one of the cities hit the hardest by the recession and foreclosure crisis, in addition to placing this endeavor within the historical context of Las Vegas development and the city's "tradition of invention." This research also provides analysis of how this particular development is both similar to and different from other notable U.S. examples of corporate-led redevelopment. This case study draws from physical observations, maps, media coverage, census tract information, financial records, and a series of interviews in order to critically examine the key players and prominent narratives of this ambitious attempt at community building, and ask questions about the social justice and equitable development aspects of such a project.</p>

<p> This dissertation is an arts-based research project into transformative followership &ndash; the complementary skill set to transformative leadership. The outcome of the research is a collection of stories &ndash; a fictionalized presentation of the findings. This research departs from the transactional view that most followers are cogs in the wheels of productivity who aspire to become leaders, arriving at the more recent view that followers are critical components of a transformative leadership dynamic.</p><p> Reframing followers as change agents that are effecting deep cultural transformation, it is suggested that our collective experiences generate contemporary cultural myths that are more suitably presented in a format that validates subjective experience &ndash; storytelling. The relationship between facts, fiction, and truth will be considered. Three recent social protest movements provide a context for observing transformational followers and how, or if, they can be categorized.</p><p> Acknowledging and honoring the impact of electronic media on the storytelling tradition, all of these elements &ndash; reframed followers, our collective experience, and modern-day storytelling &ndash; combine to create a new paradigm for looking at followership. Keywords: followership, change agents, storytelling </p>

<p> This exploratory study examined the relationship between communities of practice and professional identity. The purpose of the study was to quantitatively examine the extent to which there were relationships between Wenger's dimensions of community of practice (domain, community, and practice) and professional identity among veterinarians. This was accomplished by conducting a survey study using correlation analysis. The research question was as follows: To what extent are there relationships between Wenger's dimensions of community of practice (domain, community, and practice) and professional identity among veterinarians? </p><p> A combined survey consisting of items from the Community of Practice Measure and the Professional Identity Survey was used to collect data. Snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit 125 veterinarians to participate in the study. To explore the research question, three sets of null and alternative hypotheses were developed and tested. Overall, the results showed that the dimensions of communities of practice had positive statistically significant relationships with the professional identity. Domain, community and practice all had moderate to low positive relationships with professional identity. </p><p> The significance of this study is that it expanded Brown's (1997; 2007) conceptual framework of professional identity development. It also contributed to the body of knowledge on social science research conducted on veterinarians. Finally, it offered quantitative findings to the existing literature on communities of practice and professional identity&mdash;that is, as domain, community, and practice are enhanced, so is professional identity.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Sociology, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 7, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-10, Section: A, page: 4077. Advisers: Bernice Pescosolido; Eliza Pavalko.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Sociology, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-04, Section: A, page: 1554. Adviser: Clem Brooks. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 14, 2007)."