{"title":"Max Weber and the chemistry of the Protestant ethic","authors":"Dávid Kollár","doi":"10.1177/05390184211052874","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184211052874","url":null,"abstract":"This article aims to reconstruct a possible interpretation of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism through the concept of elective affinity, which, as I have read, records fundamental implications for social science thinking. I argue that, in contrast to mechanical descriptions, Weber’s model sought to capture social phenomena through interactions between elements with heterogeneous qualitative properties. This effort, in turn, bears a very strong resemblance to the operation of social science models examining the functioning of complex systems. In line with this, I proceed as follows: first, I briefly outline the backbone of the argument of The Protestant Ethic, and then, through the concept of elective affinity, show how it can be fitted into one of the defining lines of current social science approaches. In line with this, I attempt to discuss the argument of The Protestant Ethic in the context of agent-based models. I argue that Weber’s approach can be seen as essentially a prototype of agent-based modeling.","PeriodicalId":47697,"journal":{"name":"Social Science Information Sur Les Sciences Sociales","volume":"60 1","pages":"504 - 521"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49017062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mapping the field of misinformation correction and its effects: A review of four decades of research","authors":"Qinyu Eva, O. Sakura, Gefei Li","doi":"10.1177/05390184211053759","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184211053759","url":null,"abstract":"Why people still rely on misinformation after clear corrections is a major concern driving relevant research. Different fields, from psychology to marketing, have been seeking answers. Yet there remains no systematic review to integrate these theoretical and empirical insights. To fill the gap, this article reviewed 135 articles on misinformation correction and its effects written before 2020 to examine the knowledge generated in the field. Our findings indicate a consistent interest on this topic over the past four decades, and a sharp increase of relevant scholarly work in the last ten years. Nevertheless, most studies have been built upon psychological inquiries and quantitative methodologies. What is lacking includes longitudinal measurements of debunking effectiveness, theoretical insights beyond cognitive sciences, methodological contributions from qualitative approaches, and empirical evidence from non-western societies. With this analysis, we propose worthwhile focuses for future exploration.","PeriodicalId":47697,"journal":{"name":"Social Science Information Sur Les Sciences Sociales","volume":"60 1","pages":"522 - 547"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41705823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Giacoman, J. Alfaro, Isabel Margarita Aguilera Bornand, Rodrigo Torres
{"title":"Becoming vegan: A study of career and habitus","authors":"C. Giacoman, J. Alfaro, Isabel Margarita Aguilera Bornand, Rodrigo Torres","doi":"10.1177/05390184211049933","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184211049933","url":null,"abstract":"This article aims to understand the stages of adopting veganism in young people. To achieve this objective, we analyze 30 biographical interviews with young vegans in Santiago, Chile. The participant’s stories allow us to identify that the transition to this new lifestyle implies acquiring a secondary habitus, that is, a gradual shift in understanding and acting in the world, which entails progressive identity changes until becoming vegan. This transition consists of five steps: personal questioning, vegetarianism attempt, vegetarianism, veganism, and activism. This path constitutes a career process but presents nuances according to the young people’s social class of origin and individual characteristics. The main contribution of this article is to delve into the career stages that lead to the consolidation of a vegan identity, based on two classical sociological concepts (career and habitus).","PeriodicalId":47697,"journal":{"name":"Social Science Information Sur Les Sciences Sociales","volume":"60 1","pages":"560 - 582"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45776539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The x and society syndrome","authors":"Volker H. Schmidt","doi":"10.1177/05390184211039647","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184211039647","url":null,"abstract":"Half a century of behavioral, practice-oriented research in fields as diverse as politics, economy, law, and science has generated insights that improve our understanding of these fields’ workings considerably. Surveying the pertinent literature, however, also leads to a baffling finding: the social that this research sought to vindicate is not there. And this, the article shows, is no coincidence. Rather, it is a direct consequence of the middle range approach of theorizing this research both adopts and reflects; an artefact of a mode of analysis which makes the social into a derivative of an essential other: the topic under investigation. As a result, its meaning changes every time the analysis switches to a new field, to some other ‘x’. A proposal is made to fix this problem by drawing on general sociological theory, with whose help it can be easily avoided.","PeriodicalId":47697,"journal":{"name":"Social Science Information Sur Les Sciences Sociales","volume":"60 1","pages":"483 - 503"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42976535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Identity and change of a field: A literature analysis of the concept of social mobility","authors":"M. Nico","doi":"10.1177/05390184211022178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184211022178","url":null,"abstract":"Social mobility is one of the concepts which is the most intrinsically bound to sociology. Hence, the diachronic analysis of this concept contributes to our understanding of sociology and the way that the discipline has changed, as it turned to individual social trajectories according to different topics. Aimed at contributing to this understanding, I’ve developed a literature review based on a systematic collection of the scientific publications in social sciences directly addressing social mobility. A database with conceptual and methodological variables was compiled (N=1054) and worked on. Distinct periods in the life course of this concept have been identified, with the emergence of a scattered concept (1920–1959), the golden age of social mobility (1960–1989), followed by a period of fragmentation and resistance (1990–2012). These three periods are characterized by different methodological and geographical hegemonies, flows and volumes of publications, and also by different tendencies and theoretical and disciplinary rivalries.","PeriodicalId":47697,"journal":{"name":"Social Science Information Sur Les Sciences Sociales","volume":"60 1","pages":"457 - 478"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/05390184211022178","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45882670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Science evaluation – As it is, as it could be","authors":"Andrea Mubi Brighenti","doi":"10.1177/05390184211021205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184211021205","url":null,"abstract":"In this short commentary, I discuss Olof Hallonsten’s argument against science evaluation. My invitation is to place the discussion in a wider frame that takes into account the many challenges scientists and scientific institutions face today. I argue in favor of a ‘start from the middle’ approach that gives emphasis to the inner principle of valorization of the scientific endeavor.","PeriodicalId":47697,"journal":{"name":"Social Science Information Sur Les Sciences Sociales","volume":"60 1","pages":"324 - 328"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/05390184211021205","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41820598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From ‘the people’ to the crowd: The push for independence in Catalonia","authors":"Esperança Bielsa","doi":"10.1177/05390184211021354","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184211021354","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines the sociological value of Elias Canetti’s work on crowds and power. It explores crowd action and imagery in the push for Catalan independence through the analysis of materials published on Twitter by Tsunami Democràtic, which emerged to coordinate the response to the sentencing of Catalan political leaders after the unilateral declaration of independence. It then goes on to discuss how a crowd-based approach offers a supplementary perspective to contemporary studies of populism, on the one hand, and to accounts that primarily focus on the role of social media in organizing political protest movements, on the other. An analysis of crowds not only avoids both methodological holism and methodological individualism. It also helps to understand why so many people were mobilized beyond the power of concepts, ideologies and discourse.","PeriodicalId":47697,"journal":{"name":"Social Science Information Sur Les Sciences Sociales","volume":"60 1","pages":"395 - 412"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/05390184211021354","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48706115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Science needs more external evaluation, not less","authors":"L. Knaapen","doi":"10.1177/05390184211019161","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184211019161","url":null,"abstract":"When science is evaluated by bureaucrats and administrators, it is usually done by quantified performance metrics, for the purpose of economic productivity. Olof Hallonsten criticizes both the means (quantification) and purpose (economization) of such external evaluation. I share the concern that such neoliberal performance metrics are shallow, over-simplified and inaccurate, but differ in how best to oppose this reductionism. Hallonsten proposes to replace quantitative performance metrics with qualitative in-depth evaluation of science, which would keep evaluation internal to scientific communities. I argue that such qualitative internal evaluation will not be enough to challenge current external evaluation since it does little to counteract neoliberal politics, and fails to provide the accountability that science owes the public. To assure that the many worthy purposes of science (i.e. truth, democracy, well-being, justice) are valued and pursued, I argue science needs more and more diverse external evaluation. The diversification of science evaluation can go in many directions: towards both quantified performance metrics and qualitative internal assessments and beyond economic productivity to value science’s broader societal contributions. In addition to administrators and public servants, science evaluators must also include diverse counterpublics of scientists: civil society, journalists, interested lay public and scientists themselves. More diverse external evaluation is perhaps no more accurate than neoliberal quantified metrics, but by valuing the myriad contributions of science and the diversity of its producers and users, it is hopefully less partial and perhaps more just.","PeriodicalId":47697,"journal":{"name":"Social Science Information Sur Les Sciences Sociales","volume":"60 1","pages":"338 - 344"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/05390184211019161","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44528046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What makes a global movement? Analyzing the conditions for strong participation in the climate strike","authors":"T. Laux","doi":"10.1177/05390184211022251","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184211022251","url":null,"abstract":"The Fridays For Future movement and their global climate strikes put climate change on political agendas worldwide and created a new wave of climate activism. The emergence of a global movement is a rare and contingent phenomenon that promises insights for political sociology and globalization research. This study consists of a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of 17 democratic countries to analyze the conditions for strong mobilization of the third global climate strike. Four mechanisms are identified, showing that trust in environmental movements, the availability of resources through international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) and information and communication technologies (ICT), and frame resonance are sufficient for explaining strong mobilization. These results illustrate that global movements depend on several equifinal mechanisms for mobilization on the nation-state level. Furthermore, the findings illustrate that the global features of a global movement are necessary but not sufficient for explaining its emergence.","PeriodicalId":47697,"journal":{"name":"Social Science Information Sur Les Sciences Sociales","volume":"60 1","pages":"413 - 435"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43905227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The oracles of science: On grant peer review and competitive funding","authors":"Lambros Roumbanis","doi":"10.1177/05390184211019241","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184211019241","url":null,"abstract":"From a purely epistemological point of view, evaluating and predicting the future success of new research projects is often considered very difficult. Is it possible to forecast important findings and breakthrough in science, and if not, then what is the point trying to do it anyway? Still, that is what funding agencies all over the world expect their reviewers to do, but a number of previous studies has shown that this form of evaluation of innovation, promise and future impact are a fundamentally uncertain and arbitrary practice. This is the context that I will discuss in the present essay, and I will claim that there is a deeply irrational element embedded in today’s heavy reliance on experts to screen, rank and select among the increasing numbers of good research projects, because they can, in principal, never discern the true potential behind the written proposals. Hence, I think it is motivated to see grant peer review as an ‘oracle of science’. My overall focus will be on the limits of competitive funding and also that the writing and reviewing of proposals is a waste of researchers’ precious time. And I will propose that we really need to develop new ways of thinking about how we organize research and distribute opportunities within academia.","PeriodicalId":47697,"journal":{"name":"Social Science Information Sur Les Sciences Sociales","volume":"60 1","pages":"356 - 362"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/05390184211019241","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43762394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}