Deciphering political utopias: unions, female night work, and gender justice
Titelübersetzung:Deciphering political utopias
Autor/in:
Morgenroth, Christine
Quelle: Historical Social Research, 38 (2013) 2, S 71-90
Inhalt: "The group discussion is a qualitative method perfectly suited for analyzing attitudes and opinions at the supra-individual level and tracing the process of how they emerge. Psychoanalytic group theories expand our understanding of group processes by adding the dimension of the unconscious: groups, too, display defense reactions arid forms of repression. By adding this dimension, the authors can show how social groups proceed to collectively relegate important issues to the realm of the unconscious. In this way, social defense processes are reproduced in actu. In group discussions involving female union members, the predicament of working mothers comes to the fore particularly clearly. An excerpt from a group discussion illustrates that the women seem to perceive night work as the only realistic solution to the problem of reconciling work and family. Only when we turn to a psychoanalytic hermeneutics of scenic understanding are we able to reveal a repressed conception of life looming behind the paradoxical demand: the desire to overcome the separation of productive and reproductive labor in the lives of both sexes; a desire that can only be achieved if labor unions, too, perceive gender relations as a political challenge demanding their attention." (author's abstract)
Schlagwörter:Sozialpsychologie; social psychology; woman; Frauenbild; image of women; Frauenerwerbstätigkeit; women's employment; Nachtarbeit; nightwork; gender; gender-specific factors; Gerechtigkeit; justice; Arbeitsbedingungen; working conditions; Utopie; utopia; Gewerkschaft; trade union; Mutterschaft; motherhood; Familie-Beruf; work-family balance; Gruppe; group; Gruppendiskussion; group discussion
SSOAR Kategorie:Industrie- und Betriebssoziologie, Arbeitssoziologie, industrielle Beziehungen, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Erhebungstechniken und Analysetechniken der Sozialwissenschaften
John Higley's work an elite foundations of social theory and politics
Titelübersetzung:Elitetheoretische Grundlagen sozialwissenschaftlicher Theoriebildung und politischer Analyse
Autor/in:
Pakulski, Jan
Quelle: Historical Social Research, 37 (2012) 1, S 9-20
Inhalt: "John Higley' s work traverses the boundaries of sociology, history and politics in the best tradition of classical social theory, and it has inspired countless scholars across Europe, North America, Australia and Asia. This inspiration has worked on three fronts: paradigmatic, theoretical and empirical. Higley and his colleagues revived the 'elite paradigm' focusing on top national power-holders, where elites are seen as the key social actors and agents of social and political change. An interest in elite theory was also stimulated by his work, especially with respect to the relationship between the key characteristics of national elites, such as their integration and consensus, and the nature (democratic or otherwise) of political regimes. This theoretical work inspired numerous critical analyses of elite transformations that precipitated the post-WWII 'halcyon years' of stability and growth in Europe and North America, the liberal-democratic transformations in post-communist Europe, as well as the recent turbulences: the financial crisis and a prolonged economic slowdown. The work of Higley and colleagues also continues to inspire a revival of macro-theoretical interests, especially in the European social theory, social-historical research, and theoretically informed political analysis." (author's abstract)
Schlagwörter:post-socialist country; Western Europe; Elite; Transformation; Eastern Europe; North America; Demokratie; political change; Russland; Marktwirtschaft; consolidation; political regime; post-communist society; Russia; Europa; elite research; Paradigma; Eliteforschung; Nordamerika; Konsolidierung; postsozialistisches Land; paradigm; United States of America; theory of society; Gesellschaftstheorie; transformation; gender; politisches Regime; Europe; politischer Wandel; Grundlagenforschung; basic research; elite; USA; postkommunistische Gesellschaft; market economy; democracy; woman; Theoriebildung; East Central Europe; Ostmitteleuropa; UdSSR-Nachfolgestaat; theory formation; Osteuropa; USSR successor state; Westeuropa
SSOAR Kategorie:Allgemeine Soziologie, Makrosoziologie, spezielle Theorien und Schulen, Entwicklung und Geschichte der Soziologie, politische Willensbildung, politische Soziologie, politische Kultur
U.S. elite and public views an anti-terrorist military action: are women less militaristic?
Titelübersetzung:Die Bewertung antiterroristischer Militäraktionen durch Eliten und Bevölkerung in den USA: sind Frauen weniger militaristisch?
Autor/in:
Moore, Gwen; Dolan, Scott
Quelle: Historical Social Research, 37 (2012) 1, S 223-242
Inhalt: "Increasing numbers of U.S. women in elite positions lead us to ask if women and men share the same anti-terrorist policy attitudes, or whether elite (and non-elite) women are less militaristic. Using data from four surveys of elites and masses from 1986 to 2004, we examine men's and women's attitudes towards the use of three types of force against terrorists and how these have changed over time. Elite and non-elite women are typically less supportive than their men counterparts of military action against terrorists, but after the September 11, 2001 attacks die gender gap decreased and large majorities favoured such action. Among elites, but not the public, gender differences diminish among those with similar demographic and political positions. With negligible gender differences among similarly placed elites, and high levels of militarism among the masses, we conclude that U.S. elites have broad latitude in setting anti-terrorist policies." (author's abstract)
Schlagwörter:USA; United States of America; Elite; elite; Eliteforschung; elite research; politische Elite; political elite; Terrorismusbekämpfung; fight against terrorism; Bevölkerung; population; Einstellung; attitude; Bewertung; evaluation; Anti-Terror-Politik; anti-terror policy; woman; Militarismus; militarism; gender; militärische Intervention; military intervention; Regressionsanalyse; regression analysis; Militär; military; Macht; power; Gewalt; violence; vergleichende Politikwissenschaft; comparative political science; Nordamerika; North America
SSOAR Kategorie:allgemeine Geschichte, Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, Sicherheitspolitik, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Titelübersetzung:Geburtenpolitik in Deutschland, 1912-1945: Diskurse, Politik und Praxis
Autor/in:
Usborne, Cornelie
Quelle: Historical Social Research, 36 (2011) 2, S 140-161
Inhalt: "This article compares the responses to the declining birthrate by three very different regimes in Wilhelmine, Weimar and Nazi Germany. In their intent these policies were markedly different: just before and during the First World War a declining birthrate symbolized national decline, sapping national progress and military power and the central aim was to boost fertility almost at any price; eugenics was not yet a major influence on official Wilhelmine policy. In the wake of the devastation reaped by the lost war and also influenced by the depression at the end of the 1920s the democratically elected governments of the Weimar Republic attempted to 'rationalize' reproduction to suit the prevailing socio-economic circumstances and the belief in modernity in industry and everyday life. They favored 'fewer but better children' but their policies remained fragmented and heavily contested; lawmakers tried to balance individual rights and collective interests, welfarism and eugenic concerns. In contrast, Nazi leaders developed a comprehensive and sophisticated system of selective reproduction based on racial prejudice; legal safeguards to protect the rights of individuals were ruthlessly dismantled. Material and ideological inducements to boost the birthrate benefited only 'Aryans' and healthy Germans. A series of extremely repressive measures were introduced: on the one hand they were meant to curb the breeding of the 'unfit', like Jews, gypsies, or those considered congenitally diseased and, on the other, they aimed to curb individual birth control by those deemed 'fit'. But of course the picture is more complicated. If we compare official population programs with their implementation at the local level and also with the reproductive strategies employed by ordinary women and men, a more subtle picture emerges about the regimes which is marked by both fundamental changes but also striking continuities." (author's abstract)
Titelübersetzung:Individualisierung und Fertilität
Autor/in:
Ehrhardt, Jens; Kohli, Martin
Quelle: Historical Social Research, 36 (2011) 2, S 35-64
Inhalt: "In this paper, the authors discuss individualization theory as a parsimonious framework concept to describe and explain core points of fertility change in Western societies since the end of the 19th century. They emphasize two dimensions of individualization: firstly, the increase in status of the individual in cultural, social, economic and legal respects (human dignity); secondly, the increase in autonomy and freedom of choice. In contrast to other approaches based on individualization theory, the authors do not use the concept of self-realization in the sense of an increased orientation towards purely individual interests, not least because this concept has failed before the renewed rise in fertility that has recently been observed in some advanced societies. They discuss the relevance of these two dimensions of individualization in the context of the first transition and the 1960s with its declining fertility rates. Whereas the first demographic transition can be mainly explained by the rising status of children, which increased the costs of parenting and thus changed the interests of (potential) parents to have children, the transition in the 1960s resulted mainly from the rising status of women in education and the labor market. An important but hitherto neglected change was the increasing divorce rates, as the possibility to dissolve a marriage devalued the traditional gender contract of the breadwinner/ housewife model and decreased the willingness of women and men to invest in marriage and children. The contrast between the recently growing fertility rates in Sweden, France and the US with the continuously low fertility in the German-speaking countries can partly be seen as a result of different divorce regimes. Whereas the first group of countries has limited the entitlement to spousal support through alimonies, the second group has institutionalized extensive entitlements for mothers." (author's abstract)
Schlagwörter:Fruchtbarkeit; fertility; demographischer Übergang; demographic transition; historische Entwicklung; historical development; Individualisierung; individualization; Federal Republic of Germany; internationaler Vergleich; international comparison; Ehescheidung; divorce; Theorie; theory; westliche Welt; Western world; 19. Jahrhundert; nineteenth century; 20. Jahrhundert; twentieth century; Geburtenrückgang; declining birth rate; Bevölkerungsentwicklung; population development; woman; Bildung; education; Arbeitsmarkt; labor market; Geschlechterverhältnis; gender relations; Schweden; Sweden; Frankreich; France; USA; United States of America; Nordamerika; North America
SSOAR Kategorie:Sozialgeschichte, historische Sozialforschung, Bevölkerung
The evolution of labor relations inside a Russian firm during late tansition: evidence from personnel data
Titelübersetzung:Die Entwicklung innerbetrieblicher Arbeitsverhältnisse einer russischen Firma in Zeiten der Transformation: Evidenz von Personaldaten
Autor/in:
Lehmann, Hartmut
Quelle: Historical Social Research, 35 (2010) 2, S 334-361
Inhalt: "Diese Studie bespricht drei Arbeiten, die sich mit dem internen Arbeitsmarkt einer russischen Firma in den Jahren 1997 bis 2002 befassen und sich dabei auf drei Themenbereiche konzentrieren. Die Arbeiten analysieren bisher nicht zugängliche Personaldaten, die die Arbeitsgeschichte jedes einzelnen Beschäftigten sowie monatliche Löhne und Gesamtvergütung im Jahresdurchschnitt beinhalten. Da diese Arbeiten Teil eines größeren Forschungsprojektes über interne Arbeitsmärkte in Russland und der Ukraine sind, beginnt unsere Studie mit einer generellen Einschätzung, wie die Analyse von Personaldaten aus Transformationsländern zur allgemeinen Literatur über interne Arbeitsmärkte beitragen kann. Kurzen Beschreibungen der analysierten Firma und der benutzten Personaldaten folgen die Motivierung und ausschlaggebenden Resultate der drei Arbeiten. Die erste Arbeit untersucht die Frage, wie die Kosten der russischen Finanzkrise des Jahres 1998 auf die Beschäftigten innerhalb der Firma verteilt werden und ob langjährig beschäftigte Arbeitnehmer von negativen Schocks abgeschirmt werden. Das zweite Papier betrachtet die Diskussion über die Lohnbestimmung in Russland und analysiert die engere Fragestellung, ob lokale Arbeitsmarktbedingungen einen wichtigen Faktor im Lohnbestimmungsprozess darstellen oder ob stabile interne Arbeitsmarktstrukturen von vorrangiger Bedeutung für das Personalmanagement der Firma sind. Die letzte besprochene Arbeit liefert einen Beitrag zu der Literatur über die Arbeitsmarkterfahrungen von Frauen während der Transformation, indem sie die Entwicklung und die Determinanten des geschlechtsspezifischen Lohndifferentials innerhalb der Firma aufzeigt." (Autorenreferat)
Inhalt: "This paper surveys three studies on the internal labor market of one Russian firm spanning the years 1997 to 2002 and focusing on three different issues. The studies use unique personnel data that were collected by us and that include the work history of each employee as well as annual averages of monthly wages and total compensation. Since the three studies are part of a larger project on internal labor markets in Russia and Ukraine during transition, the paper starts off with a general assessment of how the analysis of personnel data from transition countries can contribute to the general literature on internal labor markets. After short descriptions of the investigated firm and the personnel data at our disposal, the motivation and the pertinent results of the three studies are presented. While the first study looks at the question how the costs of a financial crisis are spread over the workforce and whether incumbent employees are sheltered from negative shocks in the economy, the second study is tied to the discussion of wage determination in Russia and analyzes the narrower question whether local labor market conditions are an important factor in the wage determination process of the firm at hand or whether stable internal labor market structures are of primary concern for its human resource managers. The third study contributes to the literature on the labor market experience of women in transition by analyzing the evolution and the determinants of the gender earnings gap in the firm." (author's abstract)
Partisan competition and women's suffrage in the United States
Titelübersetzung:Parteienwettbewerb und Frauenwahlrecht in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika
Autor/in:
Munshi, Soumyanetra
Quelle: Historical Social Research, 35 (2010) 3, S 351-388
Inhalt: "Though women's suffrage was federally mandated in the United States by the nineteenth amendment in 1920, many states had granted suffrage to women prior to that and most of these early suffrage states were clustered in the west. The author revisits some of the popular conjectures that have been put forward to explain why these states moved first to give women the vote and offer a hypothesis of partisan competition leading to suffrage extension. Using event history analysis, she finds strong evidence that early enfranchisement of women in the western states was driven by the intensity of competition between Republicans and Democrats, as well as by adverse female-male ratios and greater concentration of the population in urban areas. Moreover, as might be expected from the geographic concentration of the suffrage states, she finds evidence that suffrage adoption was strongly and positively related to whether a neighboring state had women's suffrage. Also, the 'risk' of suffrage enactments was increasing over time foreshadowing the success of the nineteenth amendment." (author's abstract)
Schlagwörter:diffusion; federal state; Republikanische Partei; party; demographic factors; political theory; North America; Diffusion; suffrage; Democratic Party (USA); Demokratische Partei; Methode; historical analysis; microeconomic factors; Partei; deskriptive Statistik; Bundesstaat; descriptive statistics; Nordamerika; soziale Faktoren; politische Theorie; Wahlrecht; United States of America; Republican Party; historische Analyse; regionale Faktoren; model; regional factors; ökonomische Faktoren; Modell; political situation; method; Wettbewerb; comparison; USA; woman; competition; demographische Faktoren; politische Situation; social factors; Vergleich
SSOAR Kategorie:allgemeine Geschichte, Allgemeines, spezielle Theorien und Schulen, Methoden, Entwicklung und Geschichte der Politikwissenschaft, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, politische Willensbildung, politische Soziologie, politische Kultur
Die unsichtbare Generation: Kinder sowjetischer Besatzungssoldaten in Österreich und Deutschland
Titelübersetzung:The invisible generation: children of Soviet occupations soldiers in Austria and Germany
Autor/in:
Stelzl-Marx, Barbara
Quelle: Historical Social Research, 34 (2009) 3, S 352-372
Inhalt: 'Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg kamen in ganz Österreich und Deutschland sogenannte 'Besatzungskinder' auf die Welt: als Folge freiwilliger sexueller Beziehungen zwischen einheimischen Frauen und Besatzungsangehörigen, aber auch als Folge von Vergewaltigungen. Sie galten als 'Kinder des Feindes', obwohl die Väter de jure keine Feinde mehr waren, und waren - gemeinsam mit ihren Müttern - meist unterschiedlichen Formen von Diskriminierung ausgesetzt. Gerade Kinder sowjetischer Besatzungsangehöriger bildeten eine 'ideale' Angriffsfläche für rassische, ideologische und moralische Vorurteile, was zum Teil auch eine Folge der NS-Propaganda darstellte. 'Russenkind' oder auch 'Russenbalg' war noch in den 1960er Jahren ein gebräuchliches Schimpfwort. Gemäß Stalins Politik waren Eheschließungen zwischen sowjetischen Soldaten und österreichischen bzw. deutschen Frauen so gut wie ausgeschlossen. Die meisten Armeeangehörigen wurden sogar zurück in die UdSSR versetzt, sobald eine derartige Liaison publik wurde. Jahrzehntelang war ein Kontakt beinahe unmöglich. Somit wuchs die Mehrheit der 'Besatzungskinder' als eine vaterlose Generation auf. Die Suche nach dem Vater ist für viele der Betroffenen Zeit ihres Lebens ein Thema. Im Vordergrund steht die Ergründung der eigenen Identität, die Frage nach den persönlichen Wurzeln.' (Autorenreferat)
Inhalt: 'After the Second World War, so-called 'children of occupation' were born all over Austria and Germany: as a result of voluntary sexual encounters between local women and foreign occupation troops, but also as a consequence of rape. They were often regarded as 'children of the enemy' and - together with their mothers - were frequently discriminated against. Especially the children of Soviet occupation troops were confronted with racial, ideological and moral prejudice that can be traced back to the Nazi era. 'Russenkind' ('Russian child') or 'Russenbalg' ('Russian brat') were common abusive words up to the 1960s. In accordance with Stalin's policy, weddings between Soviet soldiers and Austrian or German women were practically impossible. Most soldiers or officers were even sent back to the USSR when their liaisons with local women became known. For several decades hardly any contact was feasible. Thus the majority of 'children of occupation' grew up as a fatherless generation. Many of them have been in search of their biological fathers, regardless of the difficulty of obtaining any reliable information. This is linked with the desire to explore one's own identity and look for one's personal roots.' (author's abstract)
Der lange Schatten des Zweiten Weltkriegs: Kinder deutscher Wehrmachtssoldaten und einheimischer Frauen in Dänemark
Titelübersetzung:The long shadow of the Second World War: children of German soldiers and local women born in Denmark during World War II
Autor/in:
Mochmann, Ingvill C.; Oland, Arne
Quelle: Historical Social Research, 34 (2009) 3, S 283-303
Inhalt: 'In diesem Aufsatz sollen Erfahrungen von Kindern deutscher Soldaten und Däninnen analysiert werden, die während der Besatzung Dänemarks im 2. Weltkrieg geboren wurden. Die Frage ist, inwieweit die biologische Herkunft als Kind eines deutschen Soldaten für den Lebensweg von Bedeutung gewesen ist. Zuerst soll der militärische Kontext der Okkupation Dänemarks durch Deutschland kurz zusammengefasst werden. Danach wird auf die dänischen Frauen eingegangen, die eine Beziehung zu einem deutschen Soldaten hatten, sowie deren Situation während und nach dem 2. Weltkrieg. Dies ist wichtig, um zu verstehen, welcher Handlungsrahmen für die fraternisierenden Däninnen vorhanden war, vor allem wenn sie schwanger und Mutter eines Kind des Krieges wurden. Letztlich sollen die Situation und Erfahrungen der Kinder, die von Wehrmachtssoldaten und dänischen Frauen während der Okkupation in Dänemark gezeugt wurden, dargestellt und diskutiert werden. Zusammenfassend zeigen die Ergebnisse ein differenziertes Bild in Bezug auf Erlebnisse und Lebenssituationen dieser Kinder sowie ihre Einstellung zur biologischen Herkunft und deren Bedeutung für ihren Lebensweg.' (Autorenreferat)
Inhalt: 'In this paper experiences of Danish children born of war will be analyzed. The question is to what extent the biological background as a child fathered by a German soldier has been of importance for the child's life course. Firstly, the military context of the occupation will be summarized. Thereafter, information on the Danish women who had relationships with German soldiers will be presented as well as their position within Danish society during and after World War II. This is important in order to understand which options the fraternizing women had, in particular when pregnant or mother of a child born of war. Finally, the situation and experiences of the children of German soldiers and local Danish women during the occupation of Denmark will be discussed. In summary, the results indicate a differentiated picture of this group, both in relation to experiences and life situation as well as with regard to attitudes towards their own biological origin and the impact this has had on their life course.' (author's abstract)
Schlagwörter:soziale Herkunft; soldier; wedding; Schwangerschaft; Heirat; Denmark; pregnancy; social relations; Kind; Zweiter Weltkrieg; collaboration; war; Lebenssituation; nichteheliches Kind; adoption; child brought up in an institution; Adoption; Dänemark; Besatzungsmacht; illegitimate child; soziale Beziehungen; Ehe; social background; marriage; occupying power; World War II; Vaterschaft; Kollaboration; Heimkind; Krieg; identity; life situation; Vergewaltigung; woman; Identität; rape; child; nationale Identität; Soldat; fatherhood; national identity
SSOAR Kategorie:Jugendsoziologie, Soziologie der Kindheit, Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, Sicherheitspolitik, Sozialgeschichte, historische Sozialforschung
Suizidalität im Alltagsdiskurs: populare Deutungen des "Selbstmords" im 20. Jahrhundert
Titelübersetzung:Suicidal tendencies in everyday-life discourse: popular interpretations of suicide in the 20th century
Autor/in:
Hoffmann, Susanne
Quelle: Historical Social Research, 34 (2009) 4, S 188-203
Inhalt: 'Ausgehend von den geschlechtsspezifischen Suizidraten im 20. Jahrhundert diskutiert der Beitrag populare Deutungen von Suizidalität in deutschsprachigen Ländern dieser Epoche. Unter Suizidalität werden dabei Suizidgedanken, -drohungen, -versuche und vollzogene Suizide gefasst. In einem ersten Schritt wird gezeigt, dass Selbsttötungen für beide Geschlechter ein Thema des autobiographischen Schreibens waren, für das die wertneutral gemeinten Begriffe 'Selbstmord' oder 'Freitod' standen. Daraufhin wird gezeigt, dass die Religion im 20. Jahrhundert aus den popularen Suiziddeutungen weitgehend verschwunden ist. Es wird das Spektrum der alltagsdiskursiven Erklärungen für Suizidalität aufgezeigt: Mit dem Fokus auf 'soziale Beziehungen' entsprachen die Erklärungen der psychoanalytischen Theoriebildung der Zeit, folgten aber der medizinisch-psychiatrischen Pathologisierung des Suizids nicht. Die polythetische und polyseme Logik der alltagsdiskursiven Erklärungen wird in einem dritten Schritt, mit einer handlungstheoretisch und wissenssoziologisch fundierten Diskursanalyse, analysiert. Abschließend werden geschlechtsspezifische Aspekte des Suizidgeschehens herausgearbeitet, die in der popularen Autobiographik, insbesondere an den Erklärungsmustern, festzumachen sind. Die alltagsdiskursiven Deutungen stifteten für die Überlebenden und Hinterbliebenen Sinn, indem sie den 'Selbstmord' als legitimes Mittel der Lebens- und Krisenbewältigung verstanden. Als Quellengrundlage dienen 155 unveröffentlichte, so genannte populare Autobiographien aus der BRD (ohne DDR), Österreich und der Schweiz, die qualitativ und quantifizierend ausgewertet wurden.' (Autorenreferat)
Inhalt: 'Starting with gender specific suicide rates, this essay analyzes popular interpretations of suicide in the 20th century in German-speaking countries. Under the term suicidal tendencies, all thoughts, notices, attempts and committed suicides are summarized. In a first step it will be shown that suicide was for both men and women a topic of autobiographical writing. They used the German term 'Selbstmord' in a neutral way without judging the deed morally. After this the insignificance of religion for populare interpretations of suicide will be demonstrated. The next chapter analyzes the scope of popular explications of suicidal tendencies. Focusing on 'Social relations' popular explanations resembled psychoanalytic ones. That was not the case for pathologizing medico-psychiatric explanations that did not enter everyday life discourse. Instead, these explanations followed a polythetic and polysemic logic that will be analyzed in the third step with a methodologically extended discourse analysis. Finally, gender specific explanations will be presented. Popular interpretations endowed meaning for the surviving to comprehend the suicide as legitimated means to cope with life and crisis management. The essay is based on 155 unpublished, so called popular autobiographies from Germany (without GDR), Austria and Switzerland. They were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively.' (author's abstract)