Journalistic sources seem to suggest that there has been a resurgence of the American Religious Left (i.e., politically liberal Christians who support progressive agendas) in the wake of the strong support from the conservative Christian right in the 2016 presidential election of Donald J. Trump. Using quantitative analysis, we draw on survey data from the General Social Survey, the Public Religion Research Institute, and the National Congregations Study to assess the possibility of a resurgence among the Religious Left. In comparison with a speculated rise, our analysis indicates a notable decline in both the prevalence and engagement of Americans who self-identify as both religious and politically liberal. Not only is the constituency of the Religious Left shrinking, they have also been steadily disengaging from political activity in the last decade. Especially when looking at more recent elections, it has been those among the Secular Left who have been the most politically engaged. We summarize these empirical patterns in relation to the Religious Right and consider the potential for influence among the Religious Left aside from electoral politics. We also briefly consider other possibilities for their political impact and reflect on the inadequacy of the label “Religious Left” for capturing important dynamics. In the end, we urge greater attention to politics among sociologists of religion, providing a set of research questions to consider in light of the upcoming American 2020 national election.

<p>Sociological approach to mental illness have been dominated by the epidemiological approach. The lack of success of this approach is evidenced in the paucity of definitive findings it has produced, and in the lack of any generally accepted theory of the etiology of "schizophrenia" and the other functional mental disorders. It is the fundamental thesis of this work that the model of "schizophrenia" used by the sociologist is essentially misconstrued. Consequently, rather than suggesting methodological refinements in case finding techniques, the whole rationale underlying the epidemiological approach is subjected to a thoroughgoing critique. By treating the recurrent problems which have hampered research as investigable problems in themselves, a radially different approach to doing the sociology of mental illnesses is suggested. Rather than accepting psychiatric definitions of what constitutes a case, it is suggested that sociologists (and by implication psychiatrists) should concern themselves with the social meanings of mental illness; and treat "schizophrenia" as a label which defines the relationship between individuals and not as defining a property of an individual.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>[missing pages 70 and 178]</p> / <p>The purpose of this thesis is to show how a sectarian group with a definite ideology and value system employs various insulating and isolating mechanisms to retain its members and to shield them from the harmful influences of the larger society. Some of the mechanisms we shall discuss are: (1) the importance and the manner of proselytization, (2) the significance of the sect's value system and ideology in providing an alternate frame of reference, (3) the importance of one's social contact with sect members, and (4) the insulting function of the sect's normative system. We do not imply that other sects do not employ some of thees mechanisms as well but note that Jehovah's Witnesses are peculiar in that they make use of all of these in a combination that effects ideological and social isolation of the sect from the secular world, resulting in a sectarian community.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

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Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Anthropology, 2000. / Bibliography: leaves 381-418.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Duquesne University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 331-367) and index.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Anthropology, March 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

How is place communicated? Places of significance are often contested areas. How do communities talk about these places? Can they talk about them in ways that make their meanings understood to others? In this dissertation, hearings from the Kaho'olawe Island Conveyance Commission hearings are analyzed in an effort to understand the many layers of meaning imbedded in a particular place; the island of Kaho'olawe in the State of Hawai'i. These hearings are unique in many ways, because they are the culmination of a twenty year effort to get the United States government to recognize Native Hawaiian claims to the island. This dissertation looks at metaphors of the land, the social drama which covers the 20 years since the first trespassers landed on the island, and at the stories told by two witnesses about their connection to the land. Each way of looking at what people are saying about the island highlights the differences in the way Hawaiians and the military construct place. In part, these differences are emphasized by their use of the same symbols. Both the military and Hawaiians emphasize the uniqueness of the island and its importance in the maintenance of their culture. Analysis of the testimonies also foregrounds deep tensions in the relationship between the military and Hawaiians that stem, in part, from differing definitions of who are Hawaiians. The conclusion is that the island is a place of cultural significance to both Native Hawaiians and the military. However, each side frames the symbols that they use very differently, and thus, the two sides have difficulty communicating in meaningful ways with each other.

Studies of identity in anthropology have recently sought to articulate a growing awareness of the multiplicity and fluidity of human identification and affiliation. This discourse addresses static frameworks that historically mire the concept of identity within an “imagined community” of uniformity, positioning group after group within a model of un-altering, ‘sameness’. Frequently lost in the re-conceptualization is the consistent archetype of the “normative” against which “groups of color” or alterity are compared/contrasted. In this project I develop a theoretical direction from which one may examine notions of identity applied to Deaf populations through ethnographic engagement with Deaf populations in the U.S. and Britain. This theoretical development is ethnographically applied to a study of Black Deaf identity and a new theory of identity that emerges. This theory specifically allows us to identify: (1) current constructions of Deaf identity predicated on White normativity. (2) the importance of Deaf institutions and organizations as collectivities of embodied agency integral in developing models of identity that reflect multiplicity or a static/hegemonic identity within which alterity is marginalized. (3) the utility of an alternate transcultural model which effectively addresses the concept of identity and its embodied complexity.

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