The Epiphenomenal Mind is both a deflationary attack on the powers of the human mind and a defence of human subjectivity. It is deflationary because in the thesis I argue that consciousness is an epiphenomenal consequence of events in the brain. It is a defence of human subjectivity because I argue that the mind is sui generis real, irreducible, and largely an endogenous product (i.e. not dependent on society or its resources). Part I is devoted to arguing that the conscious mind is epiphenomenal. Arguing from, the irreducibility of mental states, the causal closure of the physical domain, and the principle of causal explanatory exclusion, I seek to demonstrate that all theories of mental causation necessarily violate one or more of these premises. Contemporary approaches to mental causation come under two broad categories, those that argue that mental events are supervenient on physical events (such as Davidson, Kim and Horgan) and those (like Haskar) who argue that the mind is an emergent property of the brain. Supervenience based theories, I argue, end up reducing mental states in their search for a theory of mental causation and emergence based theories end up violating the principle of the causal closure of the physical. In part II, I explore some of the consequences of epiphenomenalism for social theory. This exploration comes in the context of a defence of human subjectivity against (i.) those sociological imperialists who view the mind and self as a 'gift of society', and (ii.) social situationalists who have abandoned the concept of action and an interest in 'what's in the head' of the actor, in favour of a concept of social action which views behaviour as action only to the extent that it is socially meaningful. The conclusion is that the social sciences should return to an interpretative style (Weberian) methodology.

The main focus of this thesis has been an investigation into the lives of men who have experienced some form of mental health problem. It has been suggested that mental illness may not be the most helpful way of conceptualising these experiences, as it presupposes the validity of the medical model of explanations and meanings. Instead it has been proposed that the term 'emotional distress' allows for the embodied nature of the experiences, and distances them from medical definitions. The key sociological concept used in the thesis is that of biographical disruption, a notion used by Bury (1982) in the context of chronic illness, and one of the aims of the research has been to establish the usefulness of this concept to research on experiences of emotional distress. The chosen methodology in achieving this aim is that of life-history narratives, which have been used in the study to illustrate the ways in which emotional distress emerges from and impacts upon the lives of individuals. Eight men provided life-history narratives, and these were supplemented by published (auto)biographical accounts, and by my own experiences as a mental health service user. As men were identified as the focus for the research, an investigation into the role of masculinity as a factor which mediates these expenences was also undertaken. Thus, the contribution that the study makes to sociological knowledge is to extend the concepts which have been applied to chronic illness, into the field of emotional health, with a particular focus on biography, on the role of masculinity, and on embodiment and emotions. It also contributes to an understanding of emotional distress, an experience which is often hidden form view. The thesis concludes that all of these sociological ideas are indeed valuable in the search for meaning in the experience of emotional distress.

In this thesis I have set out to perform two interlocking, although separable, tasks. The first is to provide some insight into the philosophical and theoretical roots of ethnomethodology by investigating the work of Garfinkel and others who have in some way assimilated, borrowed from, or been influenced by his work, in a context provided by a discussion of the work of Husserl and Schutz on the one hand and that of Wittgenstein on the other. I will show the ways in which Schutz has adapted Husserlian phenomenological insights to further his own fundamentally sociological ends and how Garfinkel, borrowing only selectively from Schutz and allowing many other influences to play upon his work (here Kaufman, Parsons and Gurwitsch are important sources of ideas), transforms ideas generated in the phenomenological tradition to an extent which suggests that his writings should be seen in a context set by Wittgenstein's writings (in terms particularly of notions such as 'form of life' and trulel in a sense of those terms which will become apparent), rather than encumbering it with too uuch phenomenological baggage I will move on from there to investigate the writings of other ethnomethodologists, showing how some - for example Cicourel - remain more firmly within the phenomenological tradition, whilst others have taken various of Garfinkel's ideas (although few have taken them whole and undiluted) and investigated, in their various ways, their implications for the study of -social order and society. In the process of this arm of the discussion I will point out some of the weaknesses and strengths of various ethnomethodological positions, suggesting in conclusion that there is important work being done and waiting to be done in the areas currently being investigated. The second task of the thesis is less historically oriented. Here the focus will be upon theoretical issues surrounding the problem of social order and the problem of meaning, problems which will be seen to be interrelated. The chief concern here will be to show the ways in which Wittgenstein and Garfinkel struggle to present and make coherent a sense of 'meaning' which is fundamentally different from that which is espoused by phenomenologists like Schutz and by many other contemporary sociologists, and how this difference rests side by side, in Garfinkel's work, with a radically different approach to the problem of social order from that which characterises the work of Parsons and others. The thrust of this difference lies in an attempt to reconceptualise 'meaning' in a way that does not posit as fundamental the distinction between 'subjectivity' on the one hand and an 'objective' world on the other, but which instead, by emphasising the omniprevalence of 'language games' and the 'indexicality' of expressions, focuses attention on some notion of 'form of life' or of the 'formal structures of practical actions'. The effect of this shift of emphasis, I will suggest, is that 'meaning' becomes transformed from seeming to be a 'thing' of some kind contained within a 'structure' of meanings to become instead an 'embedded' phenomenon, bound up with what we do in the social world, where the things we do generate and exhibit those orderly features which make meaning possible.

This thesis examines the bilingualism of nine families of Pakistani origin living in England, to gain an understanding of their experience of living through a period of rapid intergenerational language change. The families are all linked to the medical profession and the second generation are educationally successful. The study aims to gain insights into the social and linguistic processes of language shift. It also aims to contribute to understanding of the position of successful ethnic minority young people. Qualitative research methods are used, including interviews and participant observation and analysis of data is interpretive. A corpus of language use is analysed, focusing on intergenerational interaction and code-switching. Discussion of educational issues draws on policy documents. The fIrst three chapters constitute the preliminary section of the thesis. They present the research group, the social, linguistic and educational contexts, a theoretical framework and a critical description of the methodological evolution of the study. Chapters four to nine are data-based and focus on different aspects of the families' bilingualism. Accounts of early language nurture are analysed; bilingual skills and repertoires are investigated and the relationship between linguistic and cultural continuity is explored. A study of in-family bilingual interaction is presented and language education policy and its relevance to family concerns is considered. The study draws coherence from recurring themes, and insights into the experience of transitional bilingualism. Concern for educational success emerges strongly. The different signifIcance of using the minority languages inside the family and outside is revealed and the importance of long-term developments and cultural continuity is clear. Language education policies do not always reflect the priorities of the families. The linguistic situation of the families is very unstable but individuals may well take up very different intellectual positions in relation to their linguistic future.

This is an ethnographic study of student teacher socialization located in a college of higher education. Drawing upon Lacey's research on teacher socialization, the study examines the processes of change and adaptation which a group of twenty-five mature women students underwent during their first year of a four year, B. Ed course. The research approach sits firmly within the qualitative paradigm and employs participant observation, interviews, life history methods and an interactionist perspective to further understanding about how mothers and wives learn to become students. A central feature of the study is the use of the concept of social strategy to explain change, particularly in relation to the way in which the women manage the demands of academic and family responsibilities. The construction of adaptive and coping strategies arise from a tightly interwoven relationship of life history, situational, institutional and structural features. Analyses of the progressive development of strategies revealed that becoming a student teacher was differentially experienced according to material resources, biographical and historical factors. The study offers a holistic analysis of student socialization in which the complexity of adaptation is revealed through the interrelationship of gender, identity, life course, strategies and the negotiation of change. An important part of this change is the emergence of a student teacher and academic identity, both of which are perceived as highly valued, new aspects of self, as well as being a significant part of student teacher socialization. In this hitherto under researched educational and sociological area of inquiry, the way in which biography and structure intersect with gender, reveals the uneasy blend of struggle, contestation, guilt and success which became a daily feature of the women's lives as they strove to reconcile the competing claims on their lives as mothers, wives and full-time students.

Traditionally, debates about digital exclusion have been concerned with a lack of access to the internet by certain groups. Currently, the debate is shifting towards quality of use. Yet, it remains unclear which processes underlie differences in digital inclusion. By combining macro, micro and meso theoretical perspectives, this thesis examines the influence of resources, context, confidence and social identity through the application of three different research elements: nine preparatory interviews; a survey with 730 students; and an experiment with 200 students from fifteen schools in the Greater London Area. The focus was on teenagers from different gender, ethnicity, physical ability and sexuality groups. The findings show that gender and context are important explanatory factors of internet use. At school, meso (social-identity) factors contributed to explaining internet use; at home, micro (psychological) and macro (resource) factors were more important. This suggests that schools offer equalising environments in which differences in digital inclusion based on socio-economics are evened out. The findings also suggest that personalised and anonymous use at school makes teenagers less vulnerable to peer-pressure. By contrast, anonymity increases undesirable uses at home especially for boys. The experiment shows that addressing teenagers in a neutral (anonymous) way might steer internet behaviour and the perception of skills in a nonstereotypical direction. Finally, the level of digital inclusion at the group level determined the effect of socioeconomic status on internet use. Internet use of (White and Asian boys') groups with high internet status was mainly influenced by macro and micro factors. Group processes and social identification also influenced those (girls, African Caribbean, and disabled) of low internet status. The processes behind internet use were found to be more consistent for digitally advantaged groups than for disadvantaged groups. The thesis concludes that theory regarding digital inclusion should be diversified to address different types of exclusion.

The thesis is divided into three parts. Part I traces the history of Council housing from the nineteenth century to the present day, showing the influences in building and management that have produced poor, run-down publicly owned housing estates. Octavia Hill, the ardent reformer, developed a system of intensive, localised management, coupling slow renovation of the worst slum housing with social support for the most disadvantaged households. Local authorities failed to copy her approach while wanting to combat slums. They built for secure, working families and built large, dense blocks of flats, often displacing the very poor. General housing subsidies were introduced in a big building spurt after World War I, and in 1930 these subsidies were targetted at slum clearance, relief of overcrowding and the construction of flats in inner cities. Local authorities were expanding rapidly and private landlords declined. After World War 11 the mass housing era began and about four million homes were built by Councils over 30 years. Half were industrially built or in the form of flats, both unpopular styles. Most were in cities on large estates. Management problems developed apace, with poor staff training and little political will to provide meticulous landlord services. Lettings policies concentrated the poorest families on the least popular estates. Homelessness increased in spite of evidence of a crude housing surplus. The gap between the Council sector and the owner-occupied sector grew in socio-economic terms. Part 11 examines the detailed evidence of the Government and local authorities illustrating the emergence of difficult to let estates as a major housing problen. Councils were already seriously concerned in the late 1960's. Difficult-to-let estates were first recognised officially in 1974 by the Government. The overwhelming evidence provoked the Government into a major new housing initiative in 1979, the Priority Estates Project. Part III present the conditions on 20 unpopular estates around the country, and the efforts of the local authorities concerned to tackle the problems through local estate-based initiatives. Overall; the conclusion is that major advances can be made through an integrated localised approach, although the future role of elected political bodies as major landlords of predominantly poor communities must be questioned. Autonomous local management organisations, better training and more socially mixed estate communitites are found to be ways forward.

A growing number of lesbian women are choosing to have children within the context of an openly lesbian lifestyle. This dissertation research represents a departure from much previous work in this area, with a shift in focus from children of lesbian and gay parents in the UK or North America, to an exploration of the perspectives and experiences of lesbian parents themselves within two particular European contexts. Interviews were carried out with 68 lesbian women in Sweden and Ireland. The role of social and institutional contexts in shaping these women's parenting possibilities, choices and experiences were explored. An important finding of the study concerns cross-national differences in discourses of fatherhood and parenting. Swedish women were far more likely to choose an involved donor than Irish women. The differing possibilities and strategies available to lesbian women illustrate wider assumptions about gender and 'the family'. An examination of the significance of the genetic 'tie' found that heteronormative constructions of biology were both displaced and retained in families with co-parents. The lack of legal recognition of co-parents amounted to a difference in social validation as a parent that was negotiated in diverse ways. The study also explored the concept of gender flexibility among lesbian parents. Participants in this research demonstrated a relative absence of dichotomous gender roles, resulting in a division of labour largely characterised by equality between partners. The reinscription of discourses of gender and kinship by lesbian parents highlights the centrality of symbols such as biology, at the same time that lesbian parents may reconstruct such discourses, creating points of rupture in heteronormative relations. Finally, the study reveals the heteronormative assumptions of the Swedish and Irish welfare states, which lead to these families' efforts to resist socially exclusionary practices in contexts where they are perceived as outside the norm.

Total Quality Management (TQM) has been heralded as a new way of managing organizations. While there are widespread endeavours by organizations to implement TQM, a visible lag exists between the adoption of TQM and a systematic evaluation of this phenomenon. The thesis, therefore, addresses a fundamental question in TQM; what is the impact, if any, of a TQM intervention on employee work attitudes? This 'before and after study' examines the impact of a 'soft' TQM intervention on two key elements of TQM: teamwork and continuous improvement. A questionnaire was completed by respondents six months prior to and nine months after the launch of the intervention. The starting point in the evaluation is the development of theoretical models containing hypothesized antecedents of teamwork and continuous improvement which are empirically tested on the data. The intervention is then evaluated on the basis of its direct and indirect effects on the two key elements of TQM. In addition, the impact of the intervention is assessed both at the individual and the organizational level. At the individual level, the intervention was found to have a significant effect on team orientation as well as on a number of dimensions of continuous improvement, including general orientation to quality, improvement as part of the job and intrinsic motivation. However, a significant overall improvement at the organizational level was not evidenced in any of these variables. This raises the possibility that a longer time lag may be required for the individual level effects to develop into an overall organizational improvement. Additional important findings emerged from this evaluation. First, a consistent finding throughout is the importance of supervisory behaviour in affecting employee attitudes. Second, employee assessment of the intervention is a more significant predictor of subsequent changes than employee participation in the intervention per se. Finally, the prior experience and attitudes of individuals have a significant effect on how the intervention is assessed, which subsequently affects changes in attitudes, highlighting the fact that organizational change interventions do not occur in a vacuum.

Sociological studies of the lottery have largely underplayed both the rich history of lotteries in the UK and the richness of meaning that it bears today for its players. They prefer, instead, to limit themselves to issues of pathological and deviant gambling, and to issues of class and regressive taxation. Historically, the growth to maturity in the eighteenth century of UK state lotteries was co-extensive with the establishment and institutionalization of rational capitalism. Their banning in 1826 reflected the separation of legitimate financial speculation from gambling. Sociological theories of gambling have found in it a similar tense affinity with the values of rational capitalism. Gambling is largely conceived, in one way or another, as a safety-valve allowing release from an irresolvable tension in capitalism between prudence and risk-taking. The current UK National Lottery, however, creates diffiulties for these theories. In this thesis I show that the ‘invisibility’ of the lottery – its privatization and its peculiar embeddedness in everyday life – renders problematic a central assumption of theories of gambling: that the release afforded is derived from its providing an exciting focus of economic irrationality. The charitable aspect of the Lottery seems to be in contrast to the Lottery as gambling because the altruistic impulse seems to be fundamentally opposed to the acquisitive spirit of gambling. I show how the Lottery is, by its nature and by its use, able to arbitrate between these apparently contradictory pulls. Thus, in the case of the Lottery, one may add to Devereux’s list of ways in which gambling is able to serve as a mediator between irreconcilable value strains in capitalism a capacity to offer either a release or, indeed, a rapprochement between those values. The contribution of the thesis is three-fold: a critical theoretical appraisal and development of theories of gambling, new empirical data (31 unstructured in-depth interviews) in an under-researched field, and an historical analysis of the relationship between lotteries and aspects of the development of capitalism.