BLACK IS, BLACK AIN'T: BIRACIALS, MIDDLE-CLASS BLACKS, AND THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF BLACKNESS

Using interview and observation data from white and African-American parents of murdered children, this article explores a primary social process accompanying acute loss: the social construction of blame. Findings reveal that race and class are primary forces that shape not only the experience of loss, but also attributions of cause, designations of blame, and the construction of post-mortem identities. While poor Black informants encountered avoidance strategies on the part of authorities (e.g., police) when their child was murdered, whites and upper middle-class Blacks received emotional support. This differential treatment by authorities led to either legitimate or disenfranchised grief, both of which were addressed by the strategy of “sanctification,” a form of emotion work.

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On Being a “Good” Indonesian Muslim Woman: An Autoethnography

Humanity & Society ◽

10.1177/0160597618814872 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 43 (4) ◽

pp. 351-374 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nelly Martin-Anatias

Keyword(s):

Middle Class ◽

Social Construction ◽

Muslim Woman ◽

The Self ◽

State Laws ◽

The Social ◽

Authoritarian Government ◽

Definition Of ◽

Hegemonic Construction

In this study, I propose through my own voice, attachment, and representation an expansive and inclusive construction of Indonesian Muslim middle-class women that may pose a challenge to the hegemonic construction of Indonesianness. I explore the renegotiation of the self, using the definition of Ibuism, state laws, and Islamic teachings as the frameworks through which the “good” Indonesian Muslim woman is constructed. Ibuism, derived from Ibu, an Indonesian term for “mother,” refers to the social construction of Indonesian womanhood within the household domain, as imposed by the authoritarian government for nearly 32 years (1966–1998). I use reflexive notes as my data to explore how the postauthoritarian era has affected me as a representative subject. Autoethnography offers a space to find that others’ assessment of my Muslimness is an effective lens through which I view my being and my becoming as a woman, an Indonesian, and a Muslim.

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Constructing Drug Using Victims

Contemporary Drug Problems ◽

10.1177/0091450917748981 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 67-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sofia Laguna

Keyword(s):

Middle Class ◽

Social Construction ◽

Social Identity Theory ◽

Drug Users ◽

The United States ◽

Drug Laws ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Congressional Hearings ◽

The Social ◽

Congressional Hearing

Sociologists and political scientists examining the social construction of public anxiety surrounding drug use in the United States have argued that racial minorities are the targets of the harshest drug laws while middle-class whites are shielded. In this article, I provide further evidence that middle-class, white drug users are shielded from harsh punishment by analyzing the process through which U.S. legislators and policy makers decide which drug users need punishment and which deserve protection and treatment. Analyzing transcripts from federal Congressional hearings, I examine the rhetoric of legislators and stakeholder witnesses concerning the use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) by middle-class whites. Building on the social construction literature, I use social identity theory to demonstrate how legislators within Congressional hearings create in- and out-groups in order to categorize different drug users and dealers. My analysis of Congressional hearing language concerning white MDMA use demonstrates that Congressional speakers use rhetoric to convince committee members and the wider public that middle-class, white drug users are different from drug users of color and that the appropriate policy response is education and treatment rather than punishment. My findings highlight how middle-class, white drug users are characterized differently from drug users of color, providing further evidence that U.S. drug policy has historically favored middle-class, white drug users.

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The social construction of the ‘middle class’

Imagining the Middle Class ◽

10.1017/cbo9780511622175.009 ◽

1995 ◽

pp. 223-272

Keyword(s):

Middle Class ◽

Social Construction ◽

The Social

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Constructing the Antichrist as Superstar: Marilyn Manson and the Mechanics of Eschatological Narrative

Persona Studies ◽

10.21153/ps2017vol3no1art651 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 43-59

Author(s):

Patrick William Osborne

Keyword(s):

Middle Class ◽

Social Construction ◽

Social Problem ◽

Rock Music ◽

Moral Panic ◽

Cultural Scripts ◽

Collective Memories ◽

Cultural Symbols ◽

Folk Beliefs ◽

The Social

This article examines the moral crusade against Marilyn Manson’s Antichrist Superstar, the various sign-vehicles that contributed to his persona, and the social construction of a folk devil. By fashioning his persona using previous claims concerning Satan’s influence in society - primarily, those employed during the 1980s Satanism scare - Manson ensured that Antichrist Superstar would incite panic as moral crusaders interpreted his pseudo-ostensive actions using collective memories and explanatory millenarianism. He achieved this aim by attacking middle-class Christian ideologies and connecting his persona to previous social problems and cultural scripts to delineate his deviant character. The pseudo-ostensive characteristics of Manson’s stage performances and blasphemous lyrics grant creditability to traditional folk beliefs concerning Satan’s influence in rock music therefore allowing conservative groups to interpret his persona using pre-existing rumours and narratives. By presenting himself as the Antichrist, Manson became a social problem for fundamentalist Christianity: a reiterated moral panic greatly blown out of proportion, and produced using traditional exaggerations and deviant stereotypes in a collective attempt to construct a folk devil. Because Manson’s image and lyrics are meticulously fashioned from various cultural symbols concerning evil and the Antichrist, he encourages his own demonization by enticing his audience to employ explanatory millenarianism and the knowledge of previous cultural scripts to interpret the traditional representations of evil he dangles before them.

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