Social Media and Social Change

The growing impact of new media around the world has been the subject of study by scores of scientists in multidisciplinary fields. Satellite TV and the Internet have been viewed as instruments of social and political change — connecting communities, educating the youth, and creating social networks previously unaccounted for, like virtual groups. However, in the Arab World and the Middle East, such technological developments have been hailed as tools for the empowerment of marginalized communities such as women and the youth, also brought new opportunities that have resulted in the breaking of the communication monopoly by those in power and the creation of a new communication environment. Such environment has — as part of its manifestations — the current social transformations that the region is witnessing. Drawing on examples from social media networks used in Tunisia and Egypt, this article analyzes the extent to which new technologies have changed the rules of the game regarding public opinion construction and the communication flow traditionally monopolized by the hegemonic power structures in Arab society. This study not only reveals the decisiveness of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in the Arab Spring countries’ revolutions, but also the extent to which their availability served in a complex manner the democratic transition that Tunisia have been undergoing and the political turmoil that Egypt is witnessing. Furthermore this study argues that such online spheres of communication mark the emergence of the virtual yet vibrant space of political campaigning and social empowerment, especially for the youth and marginalized communities.     

社会心理学视域中的“社会认同”

社会认同理论是二十世纪八十年代以后逐渐兴起的社会心理学理论。伴随着全球化浪潮与社会认同、自我认同危机的逐渐显现,社会认同理论逐渐蔓延到社会学、政治学、民族学、人类学等社会科学研究之中,成为当代社会、文化、族群心理研究的重要理论之一。为了使我们更好地了解、运用社会认同理论,本文从社会心理学的角度就社会认同的概念、内涵及形成机制、支撑体系进行了梳理。     

博物馆的社会责任与社会发展

对于博物馆而言,其责任就是"为社会及其发展服务",使博物馆与观众之间相和谐;使博物馆文化与民众文化需求相协调;使博物馆事业与社会进步相统一;使博物馆社会效益最大化.同时,博物馆应积极与其他组织机构开展合作,博物馆之间的合作应向深度发展;要积极争取全社会支持与参与,彼此形成良好的互动态势,让更多的民众分享博物馆文化.     

Tackling Social Exclusion

Abstract

The opening words of the 1999 report of the government's Social Exclusion Unit, Bringing Britain Together announced that it met its remit to report to the Prime Minister on how to: ‘develop integrated and sustainable approaches to the problems of the worst housing estates, including crime, drugs, unemployment, community breakdown, and bad schools etc.’ In other words the Social Exclusion Unit was instructed to take a problem-solving approach to the issue. This approach meant that the development of an inclusive society would be understood implicitly in terms of dealing with those areas that are perceived as problems. This seems to suggest that social exclusion ‘just happens’ to people who ‘suffer from’ a collection of problems. The agent or agents of this exclusion are rendered invisible by the very linguistic structure of the definition. This paper argues that it is vital to envisage the agents and victims of exclusion and to describe it in terms of the relationship of face to face. A critique drawing upon the insights of Emmanuel Levinas would refuse to allow us to reduce the otherness of the socially excluded to a project defined in the terms of those who exercise power in social relations. Nor would it allow a definition of social exclusion in terms of it being either ‘their’ problem or the consequence of some impersonal force. A theological critique might lead us to argue that the whole project of problem solving when applied to persons is in and of itself highly suspect. Thus the paper concludes by considering what shape might develop from the bringing of insights from philosophical and theological discourses to this perception of social exclusion. It seeks to argue for a radical passivity before the face of the Other (that is in this case those who live in urban housing estates) arguing that those who engage with social exclusion, the ‘name’ that has been given to this face, are first summoned by the Other to a relationship of total responsibility which rejects the reductionist project of the controlling ‘I’.     

From China's Urban Social Space to Social and Environmental Justice

A senior American specialist on China and noted geographer argues that the preoccupation of China geographers' with empirical analyses of that country's dramatic economic, social, and urban transformation over the last two decades—usually explained in terms of the now familiar quadruple forces of globalization, marketization, deregulation, and decentralization—should be broadened to reflect a concern for the problems of disadvantaged groups impacted negatively in dynamic urban and environmental settings. The methodology of reflexive activism is proposed as affording a framework for a more relevant geography focused on the study of China, with the potential to bring about positive and constructive change on behalf of China's disadvantaged population and its natural environment, and (as a possible side benefit) generate local epistemologies enriching the study of geography more broadly. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: P30. 68 references.     

社会价值评价论析

社会是个人及群体之间以一定的协作方式耦合而成的关系系统,社会评价质言之是它的代表者的评价。社会评价不等于对社会的评价。社会的需要和利益是社会评价标准的真实基础,社会进步和人的自由全面发展最充分地反映了社会的需要和闪闪,是一切社会评价标准的最高前提和最终依据。社会评价的科学性与合理性有赖于对评价主体、评价对象和评价标准的正确把握。     

Searle's Social Reality

Book reviewed in this article:
The Construction of Social Reality by John R. Searle     

Calendars Tell History: Social Rhythm and Social Change in Rural Pakistan

Time is an important element of social organization. The temporal models such as the calendar provide social rhythm by regulating various activities. The changing ways of managing time are indicative of social change. This paper presents the changing use of different calendars in Jhokwala Village, Lodhran District, Pakistan. Three calendars are used in most parts of the Punjab to varying degrees for various purposes. These are Bikrami, Islamic Hijri and Gregorian calendars. Each of these calendars has a specific history of use. This paper highlights that people choose between various alternatives in the course of history and the changing use of calendars tells the story of change and continuity in culture and people's attitude towards modern technology and social change.     

Cooperative Housing and Social Cohesion: The Role of Linking Social Capital

Abstract

The article examines the role of housing cooperatives for social cohesion in the city by introducing linking social capital which grasps the vertical dimension of social capital. Housing cooperatives represent a crucial intermediate level between residents and urban housing policy, thus providing opportunity structures for bottom-linked citizen participation. Drawing on the case of Vienna, a large-scale household survey and interviews with key informants provide empirical evidence on the importance of a form of social capital which links actors at different levels in the spatial hierarchy: residents, housing managers and political decision-makers. The findings add to our understanding of the opportunities and problems with resident participation in a policy field structured by multi-level governance. Our two-level analysis shows that the dominant model of governance, top-down as well as neoliberal, has structurally limited the room for participatory practices in cooperative housing. Nevertheless, we argue that professional housing cooperatives have a potential to give residents a voice beyond the neighbourhood. Their strong linkages with public decision-makers at different scales can help leverage ideas and resources of residents.     

20世纪90年代社会学视野下我国社会政策和社会问题研究中的社会性别分析述评

妇女解放和男女平等的追求一直是人类社会一个永恒主题。文章通过对 2 0世纪 90年代这 1 0年里我国社会学界在社会政策和社会问题研究中所反映出来的社会性别意识和观念进行概括 ,总结出他们在研究中所表现出来的一些特点 ,并详细地分析了这些研究中存在的三种情况 ,即对社会性别的忽略或笼统化、一定的社会性别歧视、合理的社会性别分析描述和以抨击偏见维护两性平等。通过综合述评 ,旨在引起我国政界和学界在今后社会政策制定和社会问题研究中对性别问题的高度注意 ,最终促进人类社会的良性协调发展