The arbitrariness and normativity of social conventions

This paper investigates a puzzling feature of social conventions: the fact that they are both arbitrary and normative. We examine how this tension is addressed in sociological accounts of conventional phenomena. Traditional approaches tend to generate either synchronic accounts that fail to consider the arbitrariness of conventions, or diachronic accounts that miss central aspects of their normativity. As a remedy, we propose a processual conception that considers conventions as both the outcome and material cause of much human activity. This conceptualization, which borrows from the économie des conventions as well as critical realism, provides a novel perspective on how conventions are nested and defined, and on how they are established, maintained and challenged.

Moral and social development : teachers’ knowledge of learning and teaching strategies in the early years

The intention of the analysis in this paper was to determine, from interviews with eleven early years’ teachers, what knowledge guided their teaching of moral behaviour. Six of the teachers defined moral behaviour in terms of social conventions only. Children’s learning was attributed by five of the teachers to incidental/contextual issues. Nine of the teachers used discussion of issues, in various contexts, as a way of teaching about social and moral issues. The majority of the teachers (n=7) gave the source of their knowledge of pedagogy as practical as opposed to theoretically informed. There was no clear relationship between their definitions, understanding of children’s learning, pedagogy or source of knowledge. Most of the teachers were using discussion, negotiation and reflection to develop the children’s moral and social behaviour. This is probably effective; however, it suggests a strong need for teaching of moral development to be given more prominence and addressed directly in in-service courses so that teachers are clear about their intentions and the most effective ways of achieving them.

Digital culture : blurred boundaries and ethical considerations

The Weberian sense of work and life suggests that working is something around which the rest of life flows. Moreover, work life and domestic life have been defined as separate for most people based on physical structures. That is, being physically in a building at work limited your ability to interact with those who are not nearby – not part of work. As such, social conventions regarding the uses of media at work have become part of our cultural sensibilities – we “know” it is not proper to have romantic discourse over the office phone, much less romance during work! Doing so becomes news. Yet, despite the construction of such distinctions, these workspaces and places have always been difficult to render as such. For example, one might consider the relatively recent development of teleworking from the 1980s or the “putting out system”[1] which dates back to the 1400s – both requiring work in the home. The papers in this special issue draw our attention to some of the ethical issues raised by the growing pervasiveness of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in our everyday lives and the fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult to make distinctions between being somewhere (like work) and being away from some things (like one’s friends, social interests and other parts of life that are not integrated into this space or place [2] )...

A imposição de limites ao exercício da liberdade individual como decorrência imediata da produção de normas de convívio

A coesão de organismos sociais humanos é mantida por meio da imposição de limites ao exercício do livre arbítrio por parte dos indivíduos e das coletividades de indivíduos que os integram e compõem. Esse objetivo é alcançado pela atuação de quatro mecanismos que se influenciam mutuamente: a ética, a moral, o direito e as convenções sociais decorrentes da assimilação de novos conhecimentos. Os limites impostos ao comportamento instituídos no âmbito desses mecanismos serão aplicados tanto ao relacionamento entre indivíduos como ao relacionamento entre comunidades e aos contatos entre estas e aqueles. Tais limites apresentarão algumas características comuns, qualquer que seja o meio onde se desenvolvam: a sensação de legitimidade com que são vistos pelos alcançados; a forma ao mesmo tempo universal e heterogênea por meio da qual se aplicam aos integrantes do meio social em que são estabelecidos; a presença de instrumentos de coerção a eles correlacionados; o caráter dinâmico que faz com que se encontrem em permanente mutação; e o fato de que constituem criações coletivas. Esses limites serão originados de procedimentos específicos para cada período, cultura ou espaço territorial em que se vejam implantados. Não serão permanentemente compatíveis com os valores do meio social no qual são instituídos, mas em todos os casos tenderão a evoluir no sentido de se ajustarem a esses valores. Desse último fenômeno resulta uma estreita vinculação entre o teor de juízos coletivos e o conteúdo dos limites estabelecidos pelo meio social para o comportamento humano, o que acarreta na errônea concepção de que sociedades distintas, por se fundarem em apreciações valorativas igualmente discrepantes, não apresentam traços em comum. Demonstrar que essa última conclusão se afasta da realidade, a partir da premissa de que em qualquer meio social se busca o estabelecimento de limites ao comportamento humano, constitui o objetivo central do presente estudo.

Environmental judgment in early childhood and its relationship with the understanding of the concept of living beings

The evidence collected concerning the biocentric judgment that young children express when evaluating human actions on the environment leads some scholars to suggest that an essential understanding of the notion of living beings should appear earlier than previously believed. This research project aims to study that assumption. To this end, young children’s choice when they are put in situation of having to compare and choose the most negative option between environmentally harmful actions and the breaking of social conventions are examined. Afterwards, the results are categorized in relation to those obtained from the study of children’s grasp of the distinction between living beings and inanimate entities. The data is analysed according to the individuals’ age and overall, it suggests a lack of relationship between environmental judgment and the understanding of the concept of living beings. The final results are discussed in keeping with recent research in the field of moral development that underscores the role that unconscious emotional processing plays in the individual’s normative judgment.

小学学习不良儿童对言语交际策略的理解与运用

[Abstract] Verbal communication strategy (VCS) refers to a programmed knowledge applied by individuals to understand and express intentions via language symbols in their realization of communicative objectives according to social conventions. As an important index of social development, verbal communication strategy has provided a new perspective for social skill studies. However, more work has to be done in the investigation of LD children’s VCS developmental pattern and affecting mechanism. Through contextual test, structured interview and role-play, the present study, by adopting integrated measurements of instrumental and interpersonal effectiveness, explored the developmental characteristics of Chinese learning-disabled primary school children across 3-6th grades at both comprehension and application levels. Then, their social perspective-taking performance and verbal retelling competence of each participant were examined, on the basis of which, path analysis was conducted, with social perspective-taking, verbal retelling and verbal communication strategy comprehension as independent variables, to reveal the inner mechanism affecting LD children’s application of verbal communication strategy. Finally, an intervention study was carried out through a combination of polite request strategy understanding lessons and social perspective-taking training dramas. The results indicate that:(1) No significant grade differences were found in LD group for polite request strategy, while significant differences were reported across different grades of non-LD children. For indirect reply strategy, significant grade and gender differences were found among LD children, but the developmental trajectory between the two groups was different. For both polite request and indirect reply strategies, the strategy comprehension level of LD children was significantly lower than those without learning disabilities. (2) No significant grade and gender differences were found in LD group in their application of polite request strategy, while for non-LD children, significant differences were reported across different grades. For indirect reply strategy, both LD and non-LD groups exhibited similar developmental characteristics. Significant group differences only exist in the over-all application level of polite request strategies, not in indirect reply strategies. However, the differences of the latter between the two groups were found at significant level only among the 11-12 year olds. (3) LD children’s perspective-taking and verbal retelling competence were significantly lower than those of non-LD group. For polite request strategy, the influence of social perspective-taking to strategy application was indirect and must be via strategy comprehension, while for indirect reply strategy, strategy comprehension was found to play as a partial mediator between social perspective-taking and strategy application. The influence of verbal retelling to strategy application was indirect on both types of strategies. (4) LD children’s strategy comprehension and social perspective-taking level can be improved, and the improvement of these two competences has significant positive impact on the increase of their strategy application level. Key Words: learning disabilities, verbal communication strategy, social perspective- taking

Using Focus Groups to Research Sensitive Issues: Insights from Group Interviews on Nursing in the Northern Ireland “Troubles”

In this article the authors discuss the usefulness of focus groups for researching sensitive issues using evidence from a study examining the experiences of nurses providing care in the context of the Northern Ireland Troubles. They conducted three group interviews with nurses during which they asked about the issues the nurses face(d) in providing nursing care amid enduring social division. Through a discursive analysis of within-group interaction, they demonstrate how participants employ a range of interpretive resources, the effect of which is to prioritize particular knowledge concerning the nature of nursing care. The identification of such patterned activity highlights the ethnographic value of focus groups to reveal social conventions guiding the production of accounts but also suggests that accounts cannot be divorced from the circumstances of their production. Consequently, the authors argue that focus groups should be considered most useful for illuminating locally sanctioned ways of talking about sensitive issues.

Actual and perceived coaches' sportspersonship behaviours and their relationship with young athletes' sportspersonship orientations

Hom' s (2008) model of coaching effectiveness provides a framework that outlines the antecedent factors that influence coaches' behaviours as well as the way in which coaches' behaviours can influence the psychosocial development of athletes. Perceived coaches" behaviours have been shown to predict the self-reported unsportspersonlike behaviours of young athletes (Shields et aI., 2007). However, very few studies have examined actual coaches' sportspersonship behaviours (Arthur-Banning et aI., 2009; Cote et aI., 1993; Trudel e t aI., 1991). The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the relationships between coaches' and athletes' sportspersonship orientations and behaviours. Participants included competitive male basketball coaches (N = 5) and their male athletes aged 10 to 13 (N= 48). Two investigators systematically observed coaches' sportspersonship behaviours. Subsequently, coaches and athletes completed questionnaires based on the Multidimensional Sportspersonship Orientations Scale (MSOS; Vallerand et aI., 1997). The results showed that coaches' self-reported sportspersonship orientations and athletes' perceptions of their coaches behaviours were consistent with coaches' actual behaviours for respect for the rules and officials as well as for social conventions. A series of multiple regressions were conducted in order to determine whether or not athletes' perceptions of their coaches' sportspersonship behaviours predicted the sportspersonship orientations of athletes. The only significant regression model was for athletes' negative approach toward sport participation. The results also suggest that the MSOS has reliability and validity issues.

Les «Turcs» de Parc-Extension l'exemple d'un «ordre» communautaire

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

L’abandon scolaire en milieu rural marocain : une analyse interactionniste du point de vue des familles.

Cette recherche appréhende le phénomène de l’abandon scolaire en contexte rural marocain à partir du point de vue privilégié des familles sur cette question. L’abandon scolaire est d’une ampleur importante dans les pays en développement, comme l’ont mentionné plusieurs rapports de l’UNESCO (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, etc.). Plusieurs facteurs contribueraient à l’abandon scolaire des élèves: la pauvreté, le redoublement, l’échec scolaire, les effets de culture liés au genre, la qualité des écoles et des apprentissages, le travail des enfants, le cout d’opportunité, l’analphabétisme des parents, etc. (Ananga, 2011; Chedati, 2004; Diagne, 2007; Gouzi et El Aoufi, 2006; Naseer et al., 2011; Sabates, Hossain et Lewin, 2010a). La recension des écrits effectuée indique aussi différentes conséquences du phénomène sur le plan social, notamment l’augmentation du taux d’analphabétisme, la non réalisation de la scolarisation primaire universelle, ainsi que sur le plan économique, dont le taux de chômage élevé. La majorité des études qui se sont penchées sur ce phénomène sont surtout de nature économique, abordant peu la question par le point de vue des familles qui sont pourtant les premières concernées par l’abandon scolaire de leur enfant. En outre, elles sont presqu’essentiellement quantitatives, les chiffres obtenus indiquant l’importance des facteurs de risque, laissant dans l’ombre une explication en profondeur du phénomène. L’angle théorique retenu pour éclairer ce phénomène est celui de la théorie des représentations sociales développée par Moscovici (1989) qui jette une lumière sur les rapports qu’entretient un acteur ou groupe social à l’égard d’objets sociaux tels que l’éducation. Cette théorie est appuyée par les concepts de «rapport à l’école» et de «rapport au savoir» de Charlot (1992) qui permettent d’examiner comment les élèves et leurs familles se positionnent face au processus de scolarisation, à partir de la question suivante : Quelles représentations les familles de milieux ruraux ont-elles de l’école marocaine et qui participeraient au processus conduisant éventuellement à l’abandon de l’école par leur(s) enfant(s)? Quels sont leurs rapports à l’école? Pour répondre à cette question, des entretiens biographiques compréhensifs ont été menés auprès de six familles de la région rurale de Tidili; rencontrées séparément, elles se sont exprimées sur l’abandon scolaire de l’un de leurs enfants. Une analyse de contenu telle que proposée par Bardin (dans Negura, 2006) a été mobilisée sur les verbatim des entretiens pour rendre compte de leur point de vue. Celle-ci a conduit à dégager deux registres d’analyse, tels que proposés par Morrissette (2010) pour exploiter d’au plus près le matériau d’analyse. (1) Le premier s’inscrit dans une logique descriptive et restitutive; il rend compte du point de vue des familles selon deux catégories, soit le rapport à l’école et le rapport à la société. Il ressort de ce registre l’importance des rapports entre les familles et les enseignants dans le phénomène de l’abandon scolaire. (2) Le deuxième registre s’inscrit dans une logique plus conceptualisante; il propose un nouvel éclairage du point de vue des familles à partir d’une perspective interactionniste (Becker, 1982) qui permet de poser un regard transversal sur le registre précédent. C’est ainsi qu’ont émergé des négociations sociales conduisant à l’abandon scolaire d’un enfant, lesquels sont marqués par des «modes d’interaction» entre les familles et l’école et des conventions sociales, deux niveaux d’interaction qui renseignent la dynamique évolutive conduisant à l’abandon scolaire d’un enfant.

passagem de Drummond pelo fantástico

It is quite possible that the story “O Gerente” (1945), by Carlos Drummond de Andrade, is unknown to the Brazilian reader, who’s more familiar with his poetry. However, the peculiarity of its narrative language and the treatment given to fantastic awakening interest in the text, which challenges the possibilities of literary research. The humor, a trait more common in the poetry of Drummond, becomes a stylistic strategy with curious effects of meaning, as well as the structural aspects of the narrative. The fantastic, a category that Drummond has not cultivated, appears so unusual in his narrative. Our purpose is to analyze the discursive construction procedures for establishing differences between the traditional and the new paradigms of the fantastic. For this, we will seek to highlight the story fragments that allow the discussion of certain issues such as social conventions, the everyday, the feeling of love, the tension created between the comic and tragic.

Dinâmicas empresariais: um olhar antropológico sobre o processo seletivo para trainee Jovens Talentos Natura 2014

The hypothesis that guides this work is: in the scenario posed by the first decade of the XXI century, the private companies act to conciliate their organizational principles, mission (how they want to arrive), vision (where they want to arrive) and values to the principles of its individual members, setting a certain style of corporate culture. That culture would pass by all hierarchical levels of enterprises, promoting the creation of subjective bonds between themselves and their employees in order to create or maintain, through shared values, social conventions that would ensure the certain style of symbolic domination inside and outside the physical and relational enterprises' spaces. I have as general objective, analyze, through a socio-anthropological approach, the dimension of the culture of private companies, how this guides the market practice and, in this sense, I seek to problematize the relationship between the actions of the analyzed companies (Nestle and, more specifically, Natura) and the representations and motivations of their employees. Furthermore, this study aims, specifically, to understand how the vision, the raison of being and the beliefs of Natura configure themselves as important strategic directives for the consolidation of an emotional bond between employees and those who aspire to be part of this organization. For this, I analyzed the Report Natura 2012, the conversations with some company employees and my participation in the selection process for trainee Young Talents Natura 2014

Dinâmicas empresariais: um olhar antropológico sobre o processo seletivo para trainee Jovens Talentos Natura 2014

The hypothesis that guides this work is: in the scenario posed by the first decade of the XXI century, the private companies act to conciliate their organizational principles, mission (how they want to arrive), vision (where they want to arrive) and values to the principles of its individual members, setting a certain style of corporate culture. That culture would pass by all hierarchical levels of enterprises, promoting the creation of subjective bonds between themselves and their employees in order to create or maintain, through shared values, social conventions that would ensure the certain style of symbolic domination inside and outside the physical and relational enterprises' spaces. I have as general objective, analyze, through a socio-anthropological approach, the dimension of the culture of private companies, how this guides the market practice and, in this sense, I seek to problematize the relationship between the actions of the analyzed companies (Nestle and, more specifically, Natura) and the representations and motivations of their employees. Furthermore, this study aims, specifically, to understand how the vision, the raison of being and the beliefs of Natura configure themselves as important strategic directives for the consolidation of an emotional bond between employees and those who aspire to be part of this organization. For this, I analyzed the Report Natura 2012, the conversations with some company employees and my participation in the selection process for trainee Young Talents Natura 2014

Regulation and the Management of Expectations - Rating Agencies Revisited

In the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, scholars have begun to revise their conceptions of how market participants interact. While the traditional “rationalist optic” posits market participants who are able to process decisionrelevant information and thereby transform uncertainty into quantifiable risks, the increasingly popular “sociological optic” stresses the role of uncertainty in expectation formation and social conventions for creating confidence in markets. Applications of the sociological optic to concrete regulatory problems are still limited. By subjecting both optics to the same regulatory problem—the role of credit rating agencies (CRAs) and their ratings in capital markets—this paper provides insights into whether the sociological optic offers advice to tackle concrete regulatory problems and discusses the potential of the sociological optic in complementing the rationalist optic. The empirical application suggests that the sociological optic is not only able to improve our understanding of the role of CRAs and their ratings, but also to provide solutions complementary to those posited by the rationalist optic.

El modelo conyugal en la ciudad de Buenos Aires de la segunda posguerra : El compañerismo de complementariedad y el impulso familiarista

El período de la posguerra se ha caracterizado por el vigor del impulso familiarista. En la Argentina éste ha sido estudiado a partir de los discursos, las políticas y las regulaciones, en función de entender las políticas públicas y las especificidades del peronismo. Pero la comprensión de esta dimensión política e institucional del impulso familiarista requiere contar con un conocimiento detallado de los patrones de comportamiento que demarcaban la normatividad social en la vida cotidiana. Justamente, este artículo describe el modelo conyugal a mediados del siglo XX con intenciones de conocer las convenciones sociales, entendidas como las pautas de conducta y los sistemas de significados, que constituían el marco de la experiencia individual. Esta descripción está organizada a partir de tres aspectos concretos del modelo conyugal: la elección matrimonial, la importancia del estado conyugal para la identidad adulta y las expectativas depositadas en el matrimonio. Para este análisis se utilizan expresiones culturales de los medios de comunicación, como las revistas y la radio, fuentes que han sido aún poco explotadas pero que resultan de especial riqueza para aproximarse al universo cultural y las convenciones con las que interpela al público masivo. Estas fuentes se articulan con otras más transitadas como estadísticas, discursos, códigos de comportamientos, memorias, etc.