Rural Sociology Commons^™

An Application Of The Massacre Model To A 700 Year Old Mystery, Larry Zimmerman, James R. Stewart

Great Plains Sociologist

During the 1978 field season, the University of South Dakota's Archaeological Laboratory was contracted by the Corpsof Engineers, Omaha District, to remove what were thought at that time to be several burials from the end of the fortification ditch. The steep-sided area had been made unstable by a looter's hole. As a consequence of stepping-back the excavations so that the area could be stabilized, the remains of nearly 500 people in one large bone pile were exposed. Paramortem paleopathology of the massacre victims (Zimmerman, Gregg and Gregg 1981) indicated that every individual had been badly mutilated and many had been …

Gender And Perceived Severity Of Informal Sanctions: A Case Study Of Convicted Dui Offenders In Cass County, North Dakota, Terry D. Stratton, James H. Larson

Great Plains Sociologist

The use of informal sanctions as deterrents to socially undesirable behavior is not new. Particularly at a time when individuals (especially public figures) are subject to growing scrutinization, the breadth of public censure is expanding to envelop a seemingly wider array of moral and legal violations. Minor law-breakers, too, are being made increasingly aware of the public's social monitoring role a role which functions as a dynamic reference point by which individuals, on the basis of certain actions, are deemed to be "deviant" or "respectable" (Douglas, 1970). "What is relatively new, however, is the "formalization of the informal sanction"; that …

Front Matter, Clifford L. Staples

Great Plains Sociologist

Front Matter

Free Trade Or Managed Trade: Implications For North Dakota Farmers, Curtis W. Stofferahn

Great Plains Sociologist

Agricultural trade conflicts have escalated as major western economies have begun to subsidize their farm exports in an effort to gain or retain market shares. At the heart of this agricultural trade conflict is the escalating subsidies race between the United States and the European Economic Community. Total US farm exports soared in just ten years (1971-1981) from $8billion to $45 billion (Figure 1). Since then they fell dramatically to $28 billion in 1986. Simultaneously, the Economic Community expanded its value of agricultural export trade from $5 billion dollars in 1971to $28billion in 1981. By 1986, the EEC value of …

Affordable Rural Coalitions For Health (Arch): An Application Of Sociology, Richard L. Ludtke, Kazi Ahmed, Jack M. Geller

Great Plains Sociologist

The rural context for health care systems has been experiencing substantial stress in recent times. The population, from which providers must obtain patients, is no longer growing as it had during the 1970s, but rather is likely to be either stable or decline where agriculture or energy are the primary economic sectors (Agresta, 1985, Johnson, 1989). Accompanying depopulation, in farming and energy producing communities an economic stagnation or depression has also been occurring. Both the loss of population base and restricted economies serve to limit patient use of clinics and hospitals, reducing their revenues and contributing to a further limitation …

The Farm Movement In America's Heartland: A Profile Of Leaders, Their Power, And Problems, Suzan F. Pearson, Thomas C. Langham

Great Plains Sociologist

A body of new farm leaders emerged during the mid-1980s in response to the farm crisis in the Upper Midwest. This paper explores the influence of these leaders in shaping the direction of their groups. It does so through examining the farm leaders' socio-demographic characteristics, their use of power, and the way they confront problems. The leaders of two groups, the Farm Crisis Committee (FCC) and Groundswell (GS), are studied. The data for this paper were collected through use of a nonrandom-purposive sampling method. They were gathered through administration of a survey questionnaire in 1986 and intensive interviews during 1986-87. …

Front Matter, Clifford L. Staples

Great Plains Sociologist

Front Matter

Transnational Corporations: A Question Of Power, Ronald E. Stover, Melanie Eldridge-Lichty, Mansour Haghighatain

Great Plains Sociologist

pe important social processes that occur in modem societies —whether industrial or in currently industrializing societies —either originate in, or ^e strongly mediated by, formal organizations (Perrow, 198S:vii). Since World War II, a new and logically distinct organizational form — the transnational Corporation (TNC) — has arisen. With the ability to shift operations anywhere within a corporate domain that includes several countries, TNC's represent an extreme powerful organizational form. But in discussions and presentations about TNC s, communication relevant to their power and influence is sometimes inadequate. The purpose of this paper is to present a graphic illustration of the …

The Relationship Between Reservation Economic And Educational Structural Characteristics And Cultural Traditionalism: A Research Note, Terry E. Huffman

Great Plains Sociologist

The economic and educational structural characteristics of Indian reservations generally have been well documented. American Indians are among the poorest and least educated of America's ethnics. The 1884 Presidential Commission on Indian Reservation Economies (PCIEIE) reported that in 1883 the unemployment rate for Indians living on reservations was 22 percent. Furthermore, the Commission cited Census information as indicating that in 1880 around 408,000 Indians (or approximately 27 percent of the total Indian population) were living below the poverty line. Educationally, Indians appear to be faring better than in years past. However, PCIRB reported that in 1880 about one-third of the …

Marxist Feminist Theory: A Review, A Critique, And An Offering, Patricia Ann Wasley Lomire

Great Plains Sociologist

The relationship between gender and stratification is one of the most problematic areas in social science (Crompton and Mann, 1988). A review of stratification theory suggests that, in general, main-stream theories are inadequate since they often ignore the independent positions of females in stratification systems (Acker,. 1973, 1980; Lenski, 1988; Tyree and Hodge, 1978). In particular, Marxist feminist theories are limiting since they are unable to explain the origin and persistence of gender domination (Balbus, 1982; Crompton and Mann, 1986; Goldthrope, 1983; Halby, 1986). Although Marxist feminism is "the most prevalent feminist framework" (Jagger and Rothenberg, 1984), it is becoming …

A Study Of The Relative Contribution Of Selected Sociocultural And Personality Variables To The Exploration Of Prejudice And Discrimination In South Dakota, Dan Peterson

Great Plains Sociologist

An extensive amount of scholarly research has been done on the subjects of prejudice and discrimination. The vast majority of this research in the United States has focused on Blacks and Jews and very little on the American Indian. The general public had very little knowledge of the situation on Indian reservations or the relationship that existed between the Indians and Whites until the early 1970s when American Indian activists began to engage in protests. That emerged from these protests were images of white racism and bigotry, separatist movements and a general climate of hostility in those areas where protests …

Excessive Infant Mortality: An Exploration Of Factors Contributing To South Dakota Indians' Life Chances, Dana Dewitt, Donald Arwood, Linda Baer

Great Plains Sociologist

The consequences of racial inequality are clearly delineated in an analysis of social indicators between racial groups. Among the more direct indicators of social inequality are infant and general mortality rates (Anderson, 1973:286). Indeed, "no cold statistic expresses more eloquently the difference between a society of sufficiency and a society of deprivation than the infant mortality rate" (Newland, 1981:5). Societies of deprivation that produce higher rates of infant mortality are characterized by low levels of education (Bertoli at al., 1984; Heoht and Outright, 1979), poor health care (Gortmaker, 1879), lower socioeconomic status (Fordyce, 1977), and other problematic environmental conditions. South …

To Dehumanize And Slaughter: A Natural History Model Of Massacres, James R. Stewart, Larry J. Zimmerman

Great Plains Sociologist

The phenomenon of massacre appears as a blight on the history of mankind, and history is replete with numerous examples. Despite their apparent barbaric nature, however, massacres have probably been more common in the contemporary world. A concept of massacres is often evaluative based principally on public perception. Newspaper headlines detailing the gore of My Lai and Sabra-Shatilla captivated and titillated readers throughout the world. Reported, but not documented, examples of "mass murder" in Cambodia, Uganda and Afghanistan also attested to its prevalence. What combination of factors - sociological, psychological, political, or economic - produce this extreme form of group …

Front Matter, Harlowe Hatle

Great Plains Sociologist

Front Matter

Why Do Females Remain In Violent Dating Relationships?, David Olday, Jennifer Legg, Beverly Wesley

Great Plains Sociologist

Recent interest in the study of physical aggression/coercion in dating violence follows more than a decade of research on marital violence and violence against children. In the 1980's, studies have shown the frequency of violence in dating relationships to be approximately as high as in marriage (Makepeace, 1981, 1983; Laner and Thompson, 1982; Gate, et. al. 1982 and others). These studies revealed 20% or more of those sampled reported at least one incident of dating violence. Consistent with studies of marital violence, incidents are usually perceived as being relatively mild, involving slapping, pushing, and shoving (Henton, et. al., 1983; Makepeace …

Research Note: An Assessment Of Documentary / Bibliographic Resources Available For The Study Of Corporate Control, Jack Niemonen

Great Plains Sociologist

The study of the structure of power in advanced capitalist society has a controversial history, particularly in relation to the question "Who controls the largest industrial corporations in the United States?" Any attempt to answer this question requires that the concept of "control" be operationalized and that the appropriate data be gathered. Given the problem of corporate secrecy, and perhaps an inherent distrust of sociologists, such an investigation does not lend itself well-to traditional data gathering techniques. Documentary/bibliographic research shows promise for such investigations, but few systematic statements have appeared in the literature showing where to find data and outlining …

The Role Of Voluntary Association Membership On Rural Community Residents' Awareness Of Community Issues, Gary A. Goreham, Richard W. Rathge, Larry Leistritz

Great Plains Sociologist

Over the past several decades, communities in rural America have undergone dramatic changes, such as declining-populations, aging populations, loss of businesses, churches, and schools, and sagging economies. In agriculturally dependent rural counties, many of these changes have been related to shifts in the structure of agriculture, and more currently, to the economic crisis facing the agricultural industry. Awareness of and support for those farmers experiencing financial strain has been noted by both researchers and the public media. However, the degree to which residents of rural communities are aware of how farm financial strain affects their rural communities has not been …

Economic Hardship And Stress Among Farm Operators In North Dakota: The Suffering Effect Of Social Support, Kevin A. Kettner, Jack M. Geller, Richard Ludtke, Janet Kelly

Great Plains Sociologist

The changing economic character of American agriculture is producing more than just surplus crops, it is also producing measurable increases in stress. This stress is a consequence of the faltering economic conditions in rural America (Cogner et. al,, 1986; Farmer, 1986), which has significant implications for the well-being of our rural population. Long term depression, increased suicide rates, family strain and violence are all results of this economic change (Farmer, 1986). Faraer (1986), characterized the rural sector as financially, emotionally, and socially troubled. These troubles are directly linked to the economic crisis rural America is experiencing. Social scientists and mental …

Retirement Patterns Of Elderly Farm Operators, David Kavanagh, James R. Stewart

Great Plains Sociologist

Gerontological literature abounds with studies of retirement and has successfully refuted many of the prevailing myths and misconceptions about the negative effects that retirement was purported to have upon health, self-esteem and life satisfaction. Atchley (1971) concluded that a large majority of retirees generally expressed satisfaction with retirement. Heidbreder (1972) and Streib and Schneider (1971) also found mostly positive attitudes expressed by professional, white-collar and blue-collar workers and a majority in each occupational group reported that they were pleasantly surprised with their ease of adjustment to retirement. These and other studies, however, relied almost exclusively upon surveys of urban populations. …

The Agricultural Crisis In The Upper Midwest: Responses To Financial Distress On The Family Farm, Thomas C. Langham

Great Plains Sociologist

The farm crisis in the Upper Midwest in the mid-1980s created financial distress that has deeply affected farm families. This paper examines the experiences of these families attempting to survive their financial troubles. It provides a portrait of their personal characteristics and gives a sense of the conditions that they confront in their daily lives. Out of the insights gleaned, this study furnishes ideas for future research. Twenty-two husbands and nineteen wives from twenty-five farm families participated in this study. The data collected from these financially troubled families was gathered between February and November 1986. It was obtained through use …

Psychological Centrality And Self-Concept Change, Clifford L. Staples

Great Plains Sociologist

Any theory of the self-concept must address itself to the "thorny problem of self-concept change (Rosenberg, 1979: 76)." That is, what are the conditions under which individuals will be willing or unwilling to change the way they think and feel about themselves? Here we explore the possibility that the psychological centrality (Rosenberg, 1979: 73-77) or relative phenomenological importance, of a self-conception is one factor that influences a person's willingness to consider changing that self-conception. Rosenberg (1979: 75-76) develops the problem of psychological centrality and self-concept change in terms of the apparently contradictory evidence generated by attempts to get people to …

Status Inconsistent Entrepreneurs And Robert Merton's Innovation, Paul E. Krueger

Great Plains Sociologist

From where springs forth entrepreneurs? The United States is experiencing an unprecedented increase of entrepreneurs. They have emerged in growing numbers during the past ten to fifteen years (Drucker, 1985), reaching a crescendo in what American Demographics has called the "Entrepreneurial Eighties" (Russell, 1985). Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley recently recognized this occurrence by declaring an "Entrepreneur Day" for his city at the annual meeting of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (Givens and Goldberg, 1986). What is an entrepreneur? There have been many definitions since the term was coined by French economist J. B. Say in about 1800 (Drucker, 1985). According …

Building Productivism In Rural China: The Case Of Residential Restructuring In Chengdu, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper theorizes the rural restructuring in China today as a transition towards productivism – characterized by both a productivist agricultural regime and productivist rural spaces. The rise of the productivist agricultural regime has spearheaded this transition for two decades; now the residential restructuring programs implemented under various policy schemes are also producing spaces of productivism in the new concentrated settlements. This paper, employing Halfacree’s three-fold conceptual model of rural space and using the empirical case of residential restructuring in Chengdu, offers the first full analysis of the rise of productivism in all three facets of rural space. It demonstrates …

Testing The Drosophila Maternal Haploid Gene For Functional Divergence And A Role In Hybrid Incompatibility, Dean M. Castillo, Benjamin Mccormick, Connor M. Kean, Sahana Natesan, Daniel A. Barbash

Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

Crosses between Drosophila simulans females and Drosophila melanogaster males produce viable F1 sons and poorly viable F1 daughters. Unlike most hybrid incompatibilities, this hybrid incompatibility violates Haldane’s rule, the observation that incompatibilities preferentially affect the heterogametic sex. Furthermore, it has a different genetic basis than hybrid lethality in the reciprocal cross, with the causal allele in Drosophila melanogaster being a large species-specific block of complex satellite DNA on its X chromosome known as the 359-bp satellite, rather than a protein-coding locus. The causal allele(s) in Drosophila simulans are unknown but likely involve maternally expressed genes or factors since the F1 …

Incorporating Chokeberry (Aronia) Into A Home Landscape, Claude J. Jean, Paul E. Read, Ellen T. Paparozzi

Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

Chokeberry (Aronia) is an ornamental plant that has found use in the home landscape, providing colorful displays and annually producing berries for the enjoyment of the homeowner and wildlife alike. With careful placement, this durable plant needs minimal care and has few pest problems. It is gaining attention for its timeless beauty.

Community Well-Being And Leadership In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2022 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz, Amanda Tupper

Nebraska Rural Poll

Rural Nebraskans are less positive about the current change and expected future change in their communities this year. The proportion believing their community has changed for the better has typically been greater than the proportion believing it has changed for the worse. However, last year the proportion believing their community changed for the worse was slightly more than the proportion believing it had changed for the better (similar to what occurred in 2003 and 2009). This year, that gap widened a bit.

Despite that, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community by many different measures. Most rural Nebraskans rate their …

Views Of Well-Being In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2022 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz, Amanda Tupper

Nebraska Rural Poll

This year, rural Nebraskans are more pessimistic about their current situation than they’ve been in the past nine years. The proportion believing they are worse off than they were five years ago was 21 percent, up from the 11 percent reported last year. This is the highest level since 2013, when 26 percent believed they were worse off. This increase in pessimism did not translate into a decrease in optimism, however. This year, one-half of rural Nebraskans believe they are better off compared to five years ago, similar to 52 percent last year. The corresponding change occurred in a decrease …

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (Nasis) 2022 Methodology Report, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS)

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Youth Tobacco Survey 2022, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Student Health and Risk Prevention Surveillance System (SHARP)

No abstract provided.

Nasis 2022: Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey Questionnaire, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS)

No abstract provided.