Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Loss And Persistence Of Black-Owned Farms And Farmland: A Review Of The Research Literature And Its Implications, Jess Gilbert, Gwen Sharp, M. Sindy Felin

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper reviews 115 articles and books published since 1971 that comprise almost all of the scholarly research on black farmers and land loss. It provides a general overview as well as discussion of the benefits of landownership for the black community. Several causes of black land and farm loss are reviewed: forced sales due to "heir property," lack of access to government programs, and continuing racial discrimination by lenders and government agencies. A number of the works cited provide possible ways to slow the loss of black-owned land, including strategies to increase the profitability of individual farms and increased …

The Martin County Project: A Student, Faculty, And Citizen Effort At Researching The Effects Of A Technological Disaster, Stephanie Mcspirit, Sharon Hardesty, Robert Welch

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This research note describes two simultaneous events: the Martin County coal waste disaster of October 2000 and our own research efforts in Martin County, Kentucky, in studying the effects of the disaster on the impacted community. Our research was unique in that we involved a large team of undergraduate students in our field and data collections efforts. We also applied more democratic and participatory methods than has been typical in the "techno-disasters" research. We believe that our expanded method has allowed us to glean insights and understanding into the effects and political dynamics of the Martin County coal waste disaster. …

Lagoons, Litter, And The Law: Cafo Regulation As Social Risk Politics, Larry L. Burmeister

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The restructuring of the animal agriculture industry in the United States, a response to globalization dynamics within the world economy, has created a new social risk profile which did not exist in this industry prior to the adoption of factory farm technology. Analysis of the CAFO [concentrated animal feeding operation] regulation debate in Kentucky illustrates the political economy genesis of social risk politics accompanying this new technology. The politics of regulatory efforts to ameliorate such risk, an increasingly frequent occurrence in the risk society era, are examined in a recent attempt to promulgate a CAFO regulatory regime in Kentucky. This …

Passing The Cluck, Dodging Pullets: Corporate Power, Environmental Responsibility, And The Contract Poultry Grower, Joseph J. Molnar, Thomas Hoban, Gail Brant

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Broiler production is concentrated in a few southem states where farmers are highly dependent on contract arrangements for income and livelihood. Poultry is the first animal industry to industrialize and its model of contract farming has been emulated by other animal industries. Environmental standards are becoming increasingly stringent and many farmers are faced with crossroad decisions about investments in dead bird and manure disposal facilities. Asymmetrical power relationships shift waste management responsibilities to growers in a number of ways. This paper details maneuvers poultry integrators use to avoid environmental risk and transfer it to their contract growers. Corporations "pass the …

Social Capital, Structural Conditions, And Mortality: A Study Of Nonmetropolitan Counties In Mississippi, Domenico Parisi, Steven Michael Grice, Michael Taquino, Duane A. Gill

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In this study, we examine the extent to which structural conditions that favor investment in social capital affect mortality across nonmetro counties in Mississippi. To this end, we focus on four county structural conditions: (1) place of residence within county boundaries, (2) civic infrastructure, (3) economic conditions, and (4) county regional location. The results clearly indicate that structural conditions that favor investment in social capital lead to lower mortality. Specifically, concentration of disadvantage conditions has an independent effect on mortality. That is, its effect operates independentIy of other structural conditions. In contrast, the effects of place of residence and civic …

Globalization, Broiler Production, And Community Controversy In East Texas, Douglas H. Constance

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The poultry industry was the first livestock commodity sector to adopt an industrial organizational model. In recent years the pouItry industry has expanded beyond national boundaries into a globalized system of production. The globalization of agriculture and food is a frequent topic of discussion for researchers interested in rural society. A common focus of these discussions is the consequences of corporate penetration on rural areas and the ways local communities respond to such corporate actions. This paper uses the case of the introduction of large-scale broiler production in East Texas combined with a sociology of agriculture and food conceptual framework …

Bribing Biodiversity: Corruption, Participation, And Community-Based Management In Venezuela, Brooke Ann Zanetell, Barbara A. Knuth

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Widespread alarm over the continuing decline of marine and freshwater fisheries has prompted research on the theory and practice of community-based management (CBM). Considering the suite of possible CBM benefits--including local involvement, compliance with regulations, reduced enforcement costs, and sustainable resource use--it is understandable that CBM projects are on the rise. However, there is insufficient examination of the challenges to CBM and the context-specific feasibility of grassroots stewardship. In response, we applied an assessment framework to a Venezuelan fishery to evaluate the feasibility of CBM and to identify barriers to its fruition. We used a variety of methods in concert …

Methods And Ethics In A Life History Study Of Teacher Thinking, James A. Muchmore

The Qualitative Report

During the past decade, there has been an increasing interest in the use of life history and narrative approaches to study teacher thinking and teacher development. Unlike other forms of educational research, in which relationships between researchers and participants are characterized by business-like transactions that rarely extend into the realm of the personal, life history and narrative research can involve relationships that are personal and complex. Such research can also generate massive amounts of data--in the form of field notes, interview transcripts, and other documents--which are very difficult to synthesize. This article presents some of the methodological and ethical issues …

The Presentation Of Paradise: Impression Management And The Contemporary Nursing Home, Jason S. Ulsperger, John Paul

The Qualitative Report

This report discusses dramaturgical perspectives, organizational impression management, and the history of the nursing home industry. Through participant observation, it uses a critical dramaturgical analysis to examine social interaction in three for-profit nursing homes. It explores how employees in these facilities create impressions of affective care in the face of negative publicity and long-term care competition. Specifically, the article examines four impression management tactics related to nursing home environments, concluding with suggestions for future research relating to organizational deviance.

Doing Family Research At The Jail: Reflections Of A Prison Widow, Joyce A. Arditti

The Qualitative Report

In this article, I reflect on my experience running a small family research project at a local jail. I focus on methodological and policy issues inherent in controversial research, as well as my own personal reactions to the criminal justice system. Implications of insider status are discussed as they apply to researcher stance and responsibilities in corrections settings.

Enhancing The Rigor Of Qualitative Research: Application Of A Case Methodology To Build Theories Of It Implementation, Guy Paré

The Qualitative Report

This paper presents and illustrates how the approach proposed by Eisenhardt (1989) for building theories from intensive qualitative research, more precisely case study research, can help information systems and medical informatics researchers understand and explain the inherently dynamic nature of IT implementation. The approach, which adopts a positivist view of research, relies on past literature and empirical data as well as on the insights of the researcher to build incrementally more powerful theories. We describe in some detail how this methodology was applied in a particular case study on IT implementation in the health care context and how the use …

Class Size Reduction: A Facilitator Of Instructional Program Coherence, Derick M. Kiger

The Qualitative Report

This case study evaluation explored how class size reduction (CSR) combined with other reform initiatives and contextual factors to affect student achievement. The evaluand was an elementary school that implemented Wisconsin's fortified CSR program named SAGE. Evidence was collected from existing records and purposively selected teachers via a focus group. A three-phase "cut and paste" analysis strategy was used to reduce data, display data, and draw and verify conclusions. Main and interaction effects are reported. Findings suggest smaller classes may affect student achievement by facilitating the coherence of school-level instructional programs.

Post-It Notes: Social Workers And Research Participants Sticking Together, Judy Heitzman

The Qualitative Report

This autoethnography reflects the author's perceptions of a collaborative social work process called qualitative inquiry. Using a quiltmaking metaphor, the author creates a recipe for collaborative learning between qualitative researchers and study participants. The metaphors associated with quiltmaking reflect a participatory action research model, and encourage qualitative researchers to stretch their creativity and collaboration skills.

Anorexic Eating: Two Case Studies In Hong Kong, Zenobia C.Y. Chan, Joyce L.C. Ma

The Qualitative Report

Little attention has been paid to the eating experience of anorectic females during the course of their illness. In order to enrich this understanding, two adult anorexics were selected and their emails were collected and analyzed. Analysis of these emails reveals the patients' experiences with and feelings about eating, which can provide an in-depth understanding of their circumstances and family dynamics. The paper ends with a discussion of the results, limitations, and implications of using emails as the data source of a qualitative study, and how they can reveal the informants' inner landscapes.

Not In My Social World: A Cultural Analysis Of Media Representations, Contested Spaces, And Sympathy For The Homeless, James A. Forte

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The social constructionist approach offers conceptual tools that may augment social workers' persuasive powers and problem solving capacities. In this case study, I examine a newspaper campaign to cast the homeless in negative terms and justify the closing of a shelter. Findings are presented as seven themes used by competing claims-makers. Each constructs a different depiction of the homeless, of homelessness, and of preferred solutions. Linkages between community memberships and favored problem definitions are identified. I conclude with suggestions for how "intelligent social reconstruction" might help social workers function as sympathy brokers for the vulnerable. (Key words: homelessness, NIMBY, mass …

Cultural Commentary: "Murcan," Through And Through, William C. Levin

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Créativité Esthétique Et Enrichissement Du Français Dans La Prose Romanesque D'Ahmadou Kourouma, Gerard Marie Noumssi, Rodolphine Sylvie Wamba

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

It becomes clear that Ahmadou Kourouma's literary work is marked by the predominance of authentically African techniques of expression (semantax). With this in mind, the present study tries to analyse its linguistic manifestations as techniques of aesthetic creativity and of the enrichment of the French language through the writing of novels. This is why we have serialized and described the expressive neologies in the corpus of our study while pointing out their stylistic effects: the Negro-African imagery. Still in the same perspective the strategies identified and analyzed help to illustrate a narrative polyphony resulting from highly oralized contexts with the …

Review Of Preserving Privilege: California Politics, Propositions, And People Of Color. Jewelle Taylor Gibbs And Teiahsha Bankhead. Reviewed By Devon Brooks., Devon Brooks

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jewelle Taylor Gibbs and Teiahsha Bankhead, Preserving Privilege: California Politics, Propositions, and People of Color. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2001.

Review Of Love's Revolution: Interracial Marriage. Maria P. Root. Reviewed By Dianne Rush Woods., Dianne Rush Woods

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Maria P. Root, Love's Revolution: Interracial Marriage. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2001. $69.50 hardcover, $22.95 papercover.

"For Their Own Good?": Sex Work, Social Control And Social Workers, A Historical Perspective, Stéphanie Wahab

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article provides an overview of the social responses to prostitution since the mid 1800s and how the responses of social workers have been shaped by shifting social contexts. Understanding the complex interplay of these forces is key to mapping out the divergent social work practice approaches with sex workers and their influence over time. The article presents three main constructs which have influenced social work responses to sex work; 1) the notion that women needed to be protected for their own good, 2) competing class values and, 3) social control.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 29, No. 4 (December 2002)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• DIFFERENT TYPES OF WELFARE STATES? A METHODOLOGICAL DECONSTRUCTION OF
• COMPARATIVE RESEARCH - Rebecca A. Van Voorhis
• FROM SOCIAL WORK TO HUMAN SERVICES - David Stoesz
• "FOR THEIR OWN GOOD?": SEX WORK, SOCIAL CONTROL, AND SOCIAL WORKERS, A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE - Sephanie Wahab
• EXPLORATORY RESEARCH IN PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES: AS ASSESSMENT OF DISSEMINATION AND UTILIZATION - Teresa Dal Santo, Sheryl Goldberg, Pamela Choice, and Michael J. Austin
• HEALTH SERVICES SOCIAL WORKERS' ACTIVITIES WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: PREDICTERS OF COMMUNITY PRACTICE - Richard L. Beaulaurier
• OPEN FOR BUSINESS: EXPLORING THE LIFE STAGES OF TWO CANADIAN STREET YOUTH SHELTERS …

Open For Business: Exploring The Life Stages Of Two Canadian Street Youth Shelters, Jeff Karabanow

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Youth shelters have emerged as significant resources for homeless and runaway adolescents. Through participant observations of shelter culture, review of agency archival materials, and in-depth interviews with 21 shelter workers (front line staff, middle managers, and upper-level executives), this analysis explores the life stages of two Canadian street youth shelters, highlighting the dramatic transformations in their internal operations and external environments. This paper also offers an understanding of organizational evolutionary processes.

Assets And Neighboring: An Exploration Into Household Assets And Efforts To Be A Good Neighbor, Tim Reutebuch

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A non-random, cross-sectional sampling procedure was utilized in this study to explore the relationship between the level of household assets and their corresponding level of neighboring. Surveys from 111 households were collected from September 1997, to April 1999, in seven Ohio counties to elucidate the relationship between the level of assets in working poor households and selected household demographic variables, and their propensity to provide various forms of community assistance over the previous month from the time of survey. Findings revealed that households 1) with more than one adult and 2) with lower levels of monthly earned income were more …

The New Poverty Studies: The Ethnography Of Power, Politics And Impoverished People In The United States. Judith Goode And Jeff Maskovsky (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Judith Goode and Jeff Maskovsky (Eds.), The New Poverty Studies: The Ethnography of Power, Politics and Impoverished People in the United States. New York: New York University Press, 2001. $55.00 hardcover, $19.50 papercover.

Using Metaphor To Make Sense And Build Theory In Qualitative Analysis, Peter Aubusson

The Qualitative Report

This paper proposes analogical mapping as a strategy for data analysis. Research is often messy. Where it explores the unknown and follows unexpected paths it often generates unanticipated findings. Presented with extensive data and the initial analysis describing 'themes' the researcher asks, "What does it all mean?" Thus we are challenged to make sense of the world we see, to theorise and not merely describe. This report outlines a method of analysis using metaphor as a thinking tool to interpret findings from a study in education. In the study reported here, metaphor provided a means of analysis to delve deeply …

Front Matter, Comparative Civilizations Review

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Charles Melville, Ed. Safavid Persia: The History And Politics Of An Islamic Society, Laina Farhat-Holzman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Comparative Civilizations Review

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Beatrix Midant-Reynes. The Prehistory Of Egypt: From The First Egyptians To The First Pharoahs, Laurence Grambow Wolf

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Global Vision Of World History In Contemporary China, Ricardo K. S. Mak

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.