The purpose of this study is to contribute to the construction of a theoretical framework for empirical examination of social movements in Third World countries. Political process theory, currently a dominant perspective on social movements, is the most promising starting point for such a research program; however, it has inherent Western biases, which severely limit its explanatory power for examining Third World social movements. Specifically, I contend that political process theory's understanding of the relationship between the state and social movements, as well as its assumptions about the dynamics of political opportunity structures, inadequately capture the complexities of the Third World social movements. Therefore, as the basis of a larger project, I critique the western biases inherent in the theoretical framework of the political process theory, focusing exclusively on Doug McAdam's contributions to this approach. I employ a hermeneutic method, since it provides a useful means for engaging in discourse with texts. I conclude that McAdam's views on political opportunity and the state reflect a Eurocentric reading and understanding, in large part because his analyses have been based on democratic states.Accordingly, some of the political process theory's key shortcomings for Third World applications are that it overemphasizes the analytic and practical importance of the electoral system, and that its logic is rooted in unrealistic assumptions of inherently stable political structures and institutionalized democratic processes. / Master of Science

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No description available.

The present field experiment investigated the interaction between influence and locus of control in determining procedural justice and satisfaction, in a classroom situation. Perceptions of influence accounted for unique variance in procedural justice and satisfaction. The proposed moderating effects of locus of control on the influence-procedural justice and influence-satisfaction relationships were not supported. Unfortunately, the manipulation of influence was unsuccessful, and several methodological considerations are proposed for future research. / Master of Science

Reciprocity in friendship has been identified as necessary to developmental stages of friendship formation in children and adolescents. Studies of young adults and older adults in reciprocal friendships have focused on gender differences, communication, and social satisfaction, including social supports. There has been little research on the role of reciprocity in same-sex close friendships of middle aged women. Eighteen interviews of women ages 40 to 56 years were qualitatively analyzed to explore the importance of reciprocity and how it is expressed in middle aged same-sex close friendships. The Jones and Vaughan (1990) categories of self-disclosure, emotional support, tangible assistance, and social initiatives were used as a starting point for coding the interview responses. Shared values, acceptance and trust, feedback, and similarity/mutuality over time were additional themes that emerged from the data. The women in this study expected reciprocity from close friends. Tangible assistance and social initiatives did not seem to be important whereas shared values and self-disclosure were the foundations of their friendships. However, there were contradictions and reservations about sharing problems and successes. Self-disclosure, feedback, emotional support, and acceptance and trust were found to be interrelated and reciprocal. Two different levels of listening emerged from the data. The first level was expressed as listening when a close friend self-disclosed with the expectation of being "heard" and "accepted." The second level was expressed as listening when a close friend shared with the expectation of providing feedback. Acceptance and trust emerged as being reciprocally related, while similarity and mutuality emerged as being developmental over time. A relationship between feedback and self-esteem also became evident. The middle aged participants valued reciprocity in their friendships and expressed it with complexity and richness that was multi-dimensional. / Master of Science

Community firearm violence in the United States (US), defined as intentional fatal and nonfatal shootings that result from interpersonal violence, has a disproportionately negative impact on racialized and minoritized groups. Recent research indicates that areas with limited economic prospects, higher concentrations of poverty, and residential instability tend to experience increased firearm violence. These factors are commonly recognized as social determinants of health. It is hypothesized that these determinants are symptoms of deeper upstream factors, including structural racism and longstanding structural disinvestment. This dissertation aims to deepen the understanding of current trends in community firearm violence, especially in relation to the historical context of structural racism. This will be achieved through a systematic review of existing literature and comprehensive empirical research. This dissertation is divided into five chapters, beginning with an introductory overview. The second chapter presents a systematic review of the literature, focusing on various methodologies for measuring structural racism and estimating its association with community firearm violence (Aim 1). Chapters 3 and 4 involve empirical analyses. In Chapter 3, I develop and apply a structural racism index to study its relationship with community firearm violence in U.S. cities (Aim 2). This investigation spans three distinct historical periods of structural racism, testing its long-term impact on the risk of community firearm violence. Chapter 4 examines the impact of hot spot policing specifically through the use of stop, question, and frisk (SQF) on community firearm violence (Aim 3). It is posited that SQF perpetuates structural racism by disproportionately targeting minority communities, thereby contributing to the cyclical nature of violence within these neighborhoods. The aim is to determine if there is a measurable relationship between this single aspect of structural racism and the occurrence of community firearm violence in New York City. The final chapter, Chapter 5, synthesizes the research findings and situates them within the wider epidemiological discourse on firearm violence. The results from Aim 1 of this study highlight a range of methods used to measure structural racism, all consistently demonstrating a positive association between structural racism and the incidence of community firearm violence. The Aim 2 findings demonstrate a statistically significant association between historical structural racism and increased incidence of community firearm violence in cities. Notably, the study identified significant associations between each of the three historical periods under study and a heightened risk of community firearm violence over time. Finally, Aim 3 reveals that stop, question, and frisk practices are statistically significantly associated with an increase in community firearm violence in block groups in New York City, even after controlling for additional indicators of structural racism and spatial dependencies. In conclusion, this dissertation demonstrates a consistent and significant relationship between historical structural racism and the incidence of community firearm violence. Structural racism has a long-standing and widespread influence on community firearm violence, evident across various cities and scales, from broad systems of inequality to individual neighborhoods. This reality necessitates comprehensive, well-targeted interventions by policymakers and community leaders to tackle the deep-rooted causes of violence.

Questionnaires were sent by mail and e-mail to 143 members of the Sociological Practice Association. The purpose of the questionnaire was to measure the role expectations as qualities (competencies), role expectations as actions, and role enactments of the respondents'. An additional goal was to examine how respondents perceived their work to be sociological in nature, and how they saw their work as different from the practices of social workers, counselors, and psychologists. The first question that was addressed was, “Do sociological practitioners have clear and unambiguous role expectations for their work as practitioners?” The data showed that most role expectations measured as competencies were clear and unambiguous, and only a few were ambiguous and unclear. The second question addressed was, “Do sociological practitioners perceive their role enactments to differ from other helping professionals such as social workers, counselors, and psychologists?” The data showed that sociological practitioners do perceive their role enactments to be different because of their use of sociological theory and their focus on social structures. The final question asked was, “How do sociological practitioners perceive their work as sociological in theory, methods, or both?” The data showed that sociological practitioners perceive their work as sociological based on their use of sociological theory. Most respondents reported that they used common scientific methods, and few reported the use of psychological theory.

Abstract not available

Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Esta Tese objetiva analisar a relação entre a imaginação sociológica brasileira e os problemas públicos do país. Tomando como base a análise da produção de livros de sociologia publicados no Brasil entre 1940 e 2012, partimos da hipótese segundo a qual a imaginação sociológica brasileira tem, desde seu processo inicial de institucionalização, se mostrado responsiva e normativa em relação aos problemas públicos mais prementes colocados em cada conjuntura política. Em diálogo com a proposta da sociologia pública formulada originalmente por Michael Burawoy, nos Estados Unidos, procuramos demonstrar que uma experiência sociológica periférica, como a brasileira, marcada pela forte interdependência entre sociologia profissional e sociologia pública, possibilita repensar diferentes formas de imaginação sobre a noção de sociologia pública, tanto analítica quanto normativamente, ampliando suas bases teóricas e práticas. Objetivamos, nesse sentido, propor uma agenda intelectual em torno da sociologia pública voltada para a construção de um cosmopolitismo de conexões, que procure articulações entre o nacional e o universal na compreensão e enfrentamento de problemas públicos, para a qual a experiência sociológica brasileira tem muito para contribuir. / This Thesis aims to analyze the relationship between the sociological imagination and public problems in Brazil. Based on an analysis of the editorial output of sociology books in Brazil between 1940 and 2012, we suggest that the Brazilian sociological imagination has, since its initial process of institutionalization, proved responsive and normative regarding the most relevant public problems in each political conjuncture. In dialogue with the proposal of a public sociology, as originally formulated by Michael Burawoy in the United States, we demonstrate that a peripheral sociological experiment, such as the Brazilian one, characterized by the strong interdependence between professional sociology and public sociology, could provide a contribution in the process of rethinking different forms of imagination concerning the notion of public sociology - in both analytical and normative terms - broadening its theoretical and practical basis. To this end, we propose an intellectual agenda around public sociology focused on building a cosmopolitanism of connections, which seeks to connect the national and the universal in understanding and facing public problems, to which the Brazilian sociological experiment has much to contribute.

Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Esta Tese objetiva analisar a relação entre a imaginação sociológica brasileira e os problemas públicos do país. Tomando como base a análise da produção de livros de sociologia publicados no Brasil entre 1940 e 2012, partimos da hipótese segundo a qual a imaginação sociológica brasileira tem, desde seu processo inicial de institucionalização, se mostrado responsiva e normativa em relação aos problemas públicos mais prementes colocados em cada conjuntura política. Em diálogo com a proposta da sociologia pública formulada originalmente por Michael Burawoy, nos Estados Unidos, procuramos demonstrar que uma experiência sociológica periférica, como a brasileira, marcada pela forte interdependência entre sociologia profissional e sociologia pública, possibilita repensar diferentes formas de imaginação sobre a noção de sociologia pública, tanto analítica quanto normativamente, ampliando suas bases teóricas e práticas. Objetivamos, nesse sentido, propor uma agenda intelectual em torno da sociologia pública voltada para a construção de um cosmopolitismo de conexões, que procure articulações entre o nacional e o universal na compreensão e enfrentamento de problemas públicos, para a qual a experiência sociológica brasileira tem muito para contribuir. / This Thesis aims to analyze the relationship between the sociological imagination and public problems in Brazil. Based on an analysis of the editorial output of sociology books in Brazil between 1940 and 2012, we suggest that the Brazilian sociological imagination has, since its initial process of institutionalization, proved responsive and normative regarding the most relevant public problems in each political conjuncture. In dialogue with the proposal of a public sociology, as originally formulated by Michael Burawoy in the United States, we demonstrate that a peripheral sociological experiment, such as the Brazilian one, characterized by the strong interdependence between professional sociology and public sociology, could provide a contribution in the process of rethinking different forms of imagination concerning the notion of public sociology - in both analytical and normative terms - broadening its theoretical and practical basis. To this end, we propose an intellectual agenda around public sociology focused on building a cosmopolitanism of connections, which seeks to connect the national and the universal in understanding and facing public problems, to which the Brazilian sociological experiment has much to contribute.