Papers by Sociology Study
Sociology Study, 2024
The aim of the paper is to explore the main paradigms and methodology of social research, framing... more The aim of the paper is to explore the main paradigms and methodology of social research, framing them in historical path and highlighting the epistemological foundations. It moves from reflection on research methodology as a ‘discourse of method’ to focus on the paradigmatic dimension of the social sciences, according to Kuhn’s meaning for which paradigm indicates a shared and recognized theoretical perspective within the scientific community. The paper highlights the role of paradigms in shaping theoretical and empirical inquiry. It further examines the positivist and neo-positivist paradigms, which emphasize observation and empirical verifiability, quantification, formulation of laws, and cause-and-effect relationships, arguing for the uniqueness of the scientific method. Lazarsfeld brings to the social sciences the language ‘of variables’, borrowed from mathematics and statistics. The distinction introduced by Windelband between ‘nomothetic’ and ‘idiographic’ sciences is followed by Weber’s elaboration of the concept of ‘Verstehen’, which shifts the focus to the understanding of social reality through the meanings that individuals attribute to their actions. The interpretive paradigm paves the way for qualitative research methods. Finally, the paper delves into the complexity paradigm, which challenges the reductionist and deterministic models of classical science and outlines an epistemological shift in the key notions of science, introducing concepts such as ‘emergence’, ‘auto-eco-organization’ and ‘recursive processes’. The complexity of social reality calls for a rethinking of sociological methods, favoring multidimensional and event-based analysis over statistical regularities, privileging observation, intervention and the ‘in vivo method’ on the level of empirical research. Complexity pushes sociology to redefine itself along with its object traditionally understood as ‘society’.
Sociology Study, 2024
The attack by the Islamist group Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, and the immediate Israe... more The attack by the Islamist group Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, and the immediate Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, with the thousands of deaths and the devastation that we are witnessing daily in one of the most densely populated areas of the world, have pushed further away the prospect of a solution of coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians through the establishment of two peoples-two states, a solution that is viewed favorably in non-holy Palestinian and Israeli circles by many Western countries and by the Holy See. To complicate the socio-political picture, we recall that in the last decades, in the territories occupied by Israel in the West Bank, there has been an incessant work of human settlements and the construction of roads and infrastructures, facilitated by Israel’s rapid population growth. According to many analysts, in order to dominate the Palestinians, Israel is now implementing a real system of apartheid that is spreading from the occupied territories to the Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel. Based on the available data, which are not always reliable for political and organizational reasons of the existing statistical systems, this study attempts to grasp the strategic role that differential demography has had and continues to have in this complex conflictual reality.
Sociology Study, 2024
This article explores how the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) can transform and enhance sustai... more This article explores how the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) can transform and enhance sustainable health systems in Africa, supporting the continent’s growth and development goals. The 4IR integrates digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, automation, big data, machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), algorithms, and data-driven innovations, offering unique opportunities to address persistent healthcare challenges in Africa. However, this paper will focus specifically on AI systems within the healthcare sector. The paper will investigate how to address AI-related concerns, including privacy rights violations, data exploitation, and the lack of education and training in adopting these advanced technologies in hospitals. The study aims to find a balance between protecting patients’ data and privacy through cybersecurity and effectively utilizing AI systems in healthcare. This balance can be achieved by adopting a robust ethical and legal framework that establishes precise data and privacy protection policies, ensuring that AI systems are used responsibly and in compliance with established standards.
Sociology Study, 2024
Community art explores alternative social participation and sustainable community life in urban r... more Community art explores alternative social participation and sustainable community life in urban regeneration. There is a need to design an assessment model for the sustainability of community art from a comprehensive and long-term perspective. This report introduces Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as an analytical framework to make a case study of the sustainability of Woofer Ten. The SNA (Social Context-Neighborhood-Actors) model comprehensively reveals the social context, neighborhood, and actors cluster in the network and summarizes the impact of actors and their interactions in the community arts network on sustainability. This report reveals the interactions between urban regeneration, place-making and community arts and their ongoing impact on broader social well-being. Renewed attention to these processes will contribute to the right to the city, citizenship, and activism in the context of Hong Kong’s community culture.
Sociology Study, 2024
This paper explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can support social researchers in utilizing ... more This paper explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can support social researchers in utilizing web-mediated documents for research purposes. It extends traditional documentary analysis to include digital artifacts such as blogs, forums, emails and online archives. The discussion highlights the role of AI in different stages of the research process, including question generation, sample and design definition, ethical considerations, data analysis, and results dissemination, emphasizing how AI can automate complex tasks and enhance research design. The paper also reports on practical experiences using AI tools, specifically ChatGPT-4, in conducting web-mediated documentary analysis and shares some ideas for the integration of AI in social research.
Sociology Study, 2024
The premise of the research paper is to decode the myth and revisit the fact in regard to the Egy... more The premise of the research paper is to decode the myth and revisit the fact in regard to the Egyptian link of the Roma communities through piecing together classical and modern documents, scholarly works, literature and books. The paper is a scholarly endeavour to navigate the historical alley of the Roma community and their emergence in Peloponnese. The research paper assumes the empirical and multidisciplinary approach to dealing with historical myth and alleged origin of the Roma people and responds to the narratives that deconstruct the notion of biblical versions and Egyptian legend. It critically analyzes mendacious premises and mythological rhetoric about Egyptian origin of Roma communities. The paper also addresses the argument premised upon Roma's peripatetic lifestyle, fortune-telling vocation and their professions like bear keeping, animal training, sieve/basket making and jugglery.
Sociology Study, 2024
This research focused on the social roles of women in Al-Abassiya locality, South Kordofan State,... more This research focused on the social roles of women in Al-Abassiya locality, South Kordofan State, examining the obstacles they face and the impact on their participation in peace building. Using qualitative methods, data were collected through various means, revealing that conflicts have significantly affected women's lives, particularly in rural areas. Women play key roles in family, education, health services, and humanitarian aid, but their involvement in conflict resolution and peace building activities is limited. Obstacles include cognitive, economic, social, and institutional barriers. Recommendations include providing education and training programs, strengthening economic status, ensuring women's representation in decision-making bodies, advocating for legal reforms promoting gender equality, improving access to information technologies, educating communities on women's involvement in peace building, and providing support services for women affected by conflicts.
Sociology Study, 2024
This study in Gadarif State, Sudan, analyzes the crucial role of youth in conflict resolution and... more This study in Gadarif State, Sudan, analyzes the crucial role of youth in conflict resolution and peace building efforts amidst the ongoing crisis. Findings reveal that youth, facing economic, environmental, and security challenges, actively engage in peacemaking through initiatives, emergency rooms, and cultural programs, contributing to social cohesion and combatting hate speech. Despite their willingness to build peace, they encounter obstacles like the lack of training programs, limited support, and marginalization in policy-making processes. Recommendations emphasize the necessity of empowering youth through training programs, enhancing government support, and addressing negative perceptions from older generations towards youth contributions. Conclusively, prioritizing youth issues and fostering their participation in peace building initiatives are essential for sustainable peace and social harmony in Gadarif State.
Sociology Study, 2024
This viral outbreak of the novel SARS-CoV-2 has profoundly disrupted lives globally and has place... more This viral outbreak of the novel SARS-CoV-2 has profoundly disrupted lives globally and has placed unparalleled burdens on individual physical and psychological health. It is imperative to comprehend the psychological journey of COVID-19 patients to provide them with effective care. This study aimed to explore the psychological illness experience of severe COVID-19 survivors from the first symptoms, to hospitalization, recovery, and post-discharge adjustment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted from November 2022 to April 2023, with 30 Romanian former COVID-19 patients. Thematic analysis of transcribed interviews identified four major themes: (1) a distant threat; (2) the tipping point; (3) the turning point; and (4) readjustment and growth. Some participants faced denial or uncertainty early on, misattributing symptoms and delaying seeking care. Hospitalization as a last resort brought anxiety, isolation, and closer confrontations with mortality perception. As symptoms improved, and participants received supportive care from both healthcare professionals and family members, hope and optimism appeared. Despite health improvements and feelings of safety, lingering anxiety persisted. Post-discharge adjustment involved managing lasting effects and selectively resuming activities. For some of the participants, reflection afterward prompted greater self-understanding, empathy and connection, and motivation for self-care. The results have implications for healthcare practitioners, policymakers, and researchers.
Sociology Study, 2024
This study takes the human resource management major of Guangzhou Institute of Science and Techno... more This study takes the human resource management major of Guangzhou Institute of Science and Technology as an example to discuss the factors influencing the applied talent training mode and improvement paths under digital informatization. The research points out that digital informatization poses new challenges and opportunities to higher education and requires the applied talent training mode to practice and innovate. This study identified five key influencing factors of the applied talent training mode under digital informatization: curriculum setting, teaching methods, faculty structure, practical teaching, and student training. This research presents the improvement paths, including optimizing curriculum settings, innovating teaching methods, adjusting teacher structure, improving practical teaching, and creating student training. Implementing these paths will help students master the latest knowledge and skills of digital informatization, improve their practical ability and innovative thinking to meet the social demand for human resource management professionals, and promote the development of higher education system.
Sociology Study, 2024
The decline in the birth rate, which has been uninterrupted in Italy since the mid-1960s, has had... more The decline in the birth rate, which has been uninterrupted in Italy since the mid-1960s, has had a significant impact on many aspects of society. As far as the educational system is concerned, this phenomenon has acted like a wave, first causing a decline in the population of the first school age groups, then in the other groups, until recently affecting the 19-25 age group, which includes the majority of university students. As a result, the majority of Italian universities have seen a decline over time in both enrollments (matriculations) and student numbers (enrollments), although the situation varies from one area to another. In the Mezzogiorno, this trend is even more pronounced, since an increasing number of resident students tend to favor universities in the Centre-North, creating a South-Centre-North movement, which could be compared to a particular form of cultural tourism, without a similar flow in the opposite direction. Finally, the study highlights the probable consequences of the recent demographic depopulation on the future trend of university enrollment of residents aged 19-25 in the Calabria region, using the most recent demographic projections of Istat and constructing two evolutionary scenarios. In the first scenario, we have assumed that in the near future university enrollment rates remain constant throughout the period considered; in the second scenario, these rates instead experience a gradual and continuous increase. These results could be useful if further forecasts of university enrollments were to be made at the level of individual Calabrian universities.
Sociology Study, 2024
Drawing upon Donna Haraway's cyborg theory, this paper argues that the bicycle can be conceived a... more Drawing upon Donna Haraway's cyborg theory, this paper argues that the bicycle can be conceived as a cyborg extension of body and identity which transcended its mechanical essence to become an integral co-partner for women involved in resistance activities in WWII. More specifically, the study explores how women used cycling during World War II not only for mobility but as a profound expression of courage, endurance and solidarity which enabled them to overcome physical and symbolic barriers under totalitarian regimes. The bicycle emerges not only as a central co-agent but also actively co-creates the situations in which it emerges as a transformative force. Cycling acted as a catalyst for personal and collective empowerment, fostering new subjectivities while transcending physical and social limitations. This study sparks multidimensional discourse on how technological tools can co-create our societies and identities, offering insights into how bicycles can drive socio-political change, promote emancipation and foster inclusivity.
Sociology Study, 2024
This study explores the integration of Experienced Involvement (ExIn) in social-psychiatric care ... more This study explores the integration of Experienced Involvement (ExIn) in social-psychiatric care in Germany, emphasizing both the challenges and opportunities it presents. The European Leonardo da Vinci Project (2005-2007) established a curriculum for ExIn, promoting participatory structures in psychiatric services. While peer support is well-established in other European countries, Germany's experience is still developing. This research uses a mixed methods design, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, to investigate the professional experiences of ExIn recovery companions and team colleagues in German clinics and support services. The findings reveal numerous benefits: for social-psychiatric services, ExIn enhances service quality, inclusivity, and accessibility; for team colleagues, it fosters reflexivity, hope, and trust, and improves self-care; for service users, it provides empowerment, easy access to support, trust, and hope, and offers credible role models. Despite these benefits, challenges such as stigmatization, lack of recognition, and financial constraints remain and require to be addressed. The study highlights the need and provides implications for a dedicated and inclusive approach to effectively implementing ExIn, ultimately enriching psychiatric care through experiential knowledge and reducing prejudice within mental health services.
Sociology Study, 2024
This paper presents a comprehensive exploration of the complex phenomenon of homelessness in Cali... more This paper presents a comprehensive exploration of the complex phenomenon of homelessness in California, with a specific focus on the state's three largest cities-Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. Against the backdrop of a high cost of living and a housing market strained by insufficient affordable options, the multifaceted nature of social diversity further complicates the landscape, leading to a widespread presence of homelessness that spans both major urban centers and rural regions. Through an in-depth examination of the distinct challenges confronting each city, ranging from housing shortages to intricate social dynamics, this study seeks to illuminate the underlying factors driving homelessness and identify potential avenues for intervention. Moreover, the paper delves into the unique vulnerabilities experienced by certain demographics within the homeless population, including veterans, families with children, and LGBTQ+ individuals, highlighting the critical need for targeted solutions tailored to their specific needs. By synthesizing existing research and incorporating firsthand accounts, this research endeavor aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of homelessness in California and inform the development of comprehensive strategies aimed at fostering inclusive, sustainable communities statewide.
Sociology Study, 2024
In this paper, I examine the Twitter accounts of right-wing extremist groups (RWEGs) in India, ar... more In this paper, I examine the Twitter accounts of right-wing extremist groups (RWEGs) in India, arguing that the abjectification of Muslim masculinities is central to the narratives of Hindu supremacist groups. The abjectification process on Twitter serves as a rhetorical device to: a) criticize and problematize Muslim masculinities; b) idealize and glorify Hindu and white masculinities; c) promote Hindu and white masculine nationalist projects; and d) unify Hindu supremacists against Muslim others. By analyzing the gender ideologies expressed implicitly or explicitly on the Twitter accounts of RWEGs, and using the "Love Jihad" conspiracy case as a focal point, I demonstrate how the abjectification of Muslim masculinities is constructed in opposition to the idealized Hindu masculinities. This study highlights the intersection of gender and nationalism in the digital discourse of Hindu supremacist groups, offering insights into the mechanisms through which social media platforms are used to reinforce and propagate Islamophobic ideologies.
Sociology Study, 2024
For the longest time, peacemaking and peacekeeping were the only post-factum interventions to res... more For the longest time, peacemaking and peacekeeping were the only post-factum interventions to resolve armed conflicts usually related to a nation-state's borders or territory. Peacebuilding has its origins in sociology (Galtung, 1969; 1975) and is used today as a preferred concept in matters of conflict. However, this paper explores why peacebuilding, as the Secretary General of the United Nations advocates in A New Agenda for Peace, must become a nonlinear and contextual process that promotes the prevention of conflict and invites a transformative approach to addressing the linkages between peace, security, and climate. Furthermore, this paper advocates that peacebuilding grounded in social psychology and social anthropology will bring about transformative outcomes as it will build relationships at the community level and become a preventive tool to address incipient tensions within the community. Peacebuilding as social work will benefit the community and lay the necessary foundations for a sustainable future. Social workers are equipped to assess, analyze, and solve problems. Their capacity to do ongoing social diagnosis is a critical tool to prevent skirmishes degenerating into conflicts. Social work could be the much-needed resource to further develop theory and practice that contributes to active peacebuilding.
Sociology Study, 2024
The phenomenon of marital dissolution in later life, also referred to as "gray divorce", is descr... more The phenomenon of marital dissolution in later life, also referred to as "gray divorce", is described on the rise in contemporary Western societies. This article contributes to the study of marriage breakdown in older age, with a specific focus on Italian society. First, the temporal trends of this phenomenon are reconstructed using official statistics. The data reveal that, although still relatively rare, the dissolution of marriage in later life is expanding in Italy. The analysis of the period from 1974 to 2015 indicates a rise in the average age at separation, a higher percentage of spouses over 50 years on the total number of couples obtaining legal separation, and an increase in the proportion of Italian spouses separating after many years of marriage. Furthermore, data from the national survey "Family and Social Subjects", conducted in 2016 by the Italian National Institute of Statistics, are utilized to explore the relationship between specific traits of those who separated and their tendency to dissolve marriages before or after the age of 50. The data suggest that individuals with characteristics such as lower educational attainment, residence in the South and Islands, and adherence to more traditional family models are more likely to experience separation in later life.
Sociology Study, 2024
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in the field of education worldwide, includi... more The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in the field of education worldwide, including in the United Arab Emirates. Teachers and students had to adapt to remote learning and virtual classrooms, leading to various challenges in maintaining educational standards. The sudden transition to remote teaching could have a negative impact on students' reading abilities, especially in the Arabic language. To gain insight into the unique challenges encountered by Arabic language teachers in the UAE, a survey was conducted to explore their assessment of teaching quality, student-teacher interaction, and learning outcomes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the survey revealed a significant decline of student reading abilities and identified several major issues in online Arabic language teaching. These issues included limited interaction between students and teachers, challenges in monitoring students' class participation and performance, and challenges in effectively assessing students' reading skills. The results also demonstrated some other challenges faced by Arabic language teachers, including a lack of preparedness, a lack of subscription to relevant platforms, and a lack of resources for online learning. Several solutions to these challenges are proposed, including reevaluating the balance between depth and breadth in the curriculum, integrating language skills into the curriculum more effectively, providing more comprehensive teacher professional development, implementing student grouping strategies, utilizing retired and expert teachers in specific content areas, allocating time for interventions, and improving support from both teachers and parents to ensure the quality of online learning.
Sociology Study, 2024
The content of current third-wave feminism differs significantly from that of previous feminist m... more The content of current third-wave feminism differs significantly from that of previous feminist movements, which sought equal human and civil rights for women. In third-wave feminism, gender is primarily understood as a social category that is linguistically constructed. The now classic work Gender Trouble (1990) by philosopher Judith Butler is decisive for this "linguistic turn" in the social sciences. However, Butler's work is systematically based on two philosophical traditions that are already highly controversial in themselves: sophism and existentialism, linked to a pre-modern magical worldview. The following essay is a critique of these lines of tradition, followed by the question of the extent to which they can serve citizens of an enlightened society in naming and constructively addressing actual social grievances.
Sociology Study, 2024
Mediatic sporting events are increasingly used in the geopolitical arena to gain consensus, at th... more Mediatic sporting events are increasingly used in the geopolitical arena to gain consensus, at the same time emerging as platforms for the discussion of social issues, such as human rights and sustainability. This article presents an investigation into the role of mediatic sporting events and digital platforms in sparking political debate and social engagement to bring about change, including discussions on global and local interests and the performances of activist fans to promote debate on specific issues. The investigation employs a quantitative methodology. The initial inductive analysis uses a matrix of cultural key-frames of the empowerment and protest that accompany media sporting events, verifying their presence and effectiveness in different communication milieus. An analysis of the representation of protests on social media was performed through content analysis. The results of the investigation show that mediatic sporting events are to be understood as a diverse range of generators of multiple political effects: from the exercise of power to mass mobilization and media criticism.
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Papers by Sociology Study