Poverty, Wealth, and Well-Being

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Economic Condition ◽  
Social Relation ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Good Citizenship ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Rich

In the fifth and fourth centuries BC Athenian ideas about poverty were ideologically charged. The poor were contrasted with the rich and found, for the most part, to be both materially and morally deficient. Reflecting ideas about labour, leisure, and good citizenship, the ‘poor’ were considered to be not only those who were destitute, or those who were living at the borders of subsistence, but also those who were moderately well off but had to work for a living. Defined this way, this group covered around 99% of the population of Athens. This book sets out to rethink what it meant to be poor in a world where poverty was understood as the need to work for a living. It explores the discourses that constructed poverty as something to fear and links these with experiences of penia (poverty) among different social groups in Athens. Drawing on poverty research within the social sciences, it argues that poverty in democratic Athens should not necessarily be seen in terms of these elitist ideological categories, nor indeed only as an economic condition (the state of having no wealth), but in terms of social relations, capabilities, and well-being. The volume, therefore, provides a critical reassessment of poverty in democratic Athens which is in line with debates in contemporary poverty research. It develops a framework to analyse the complexities of poverty as a social relation as well as exploring the discourses that shaped it. Poverty is reframed throughout as being dynamic and multidimensional. In doing so, it provides an assessment of what the poor in Athens—men and women, citizen and non-citizen, slave and free—were able to do or to be.

The roles of foreign influences in the evolution of social and filial relations in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Mohammed Akinola Akomolafe
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Moral Values ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Traditional Values ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Almost All

Nigeria, as a geographical entity is replete with various ethnic and cultural identities that have continued to evolve from pre-colonial times to recenttimes. Granted that civilizations from Europe and Arabia have dictated almost all spheres of living, both in the Northern and Southern geographies of the country and eroded nearly all traditional values that would have assisted in curbing social and filial tensions; it is pertinent to inquire into the social relations before this ‘encounter.’ This is important as this research seeks to invoke some aspects of the past that can be relevant for contemporary utility. Hence, through the method of critical analysis, this study takes a look at the socio-economic norms among the pre-colonial cultures that eventually evolved into Nigeria, paying attention to the place of slaves and women and laying emphasis on the filial and communal nature which allowed for a not too wide the gap between the rich and the poor. Even when this study is not unaware of the positive roles of foreign influence, it recounts the deficits of this presence and suggests that aproper way is to explore some indigenous ideas and apply them for contemporary living. Keywords: Culture, Family, Moral Values, Nigeria, Pre-colonial

Religious Implications of the Social Sciences

1971 ◽  
Vol os-18 (4) ◽  
pp. 177-180
Author(s):  
Harriet R. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
The Social

The social sciences and religious studies in a university are interrelated. There are several reasons for this closeness, the author says. Both are concerned with persons and with society. Both are also mindful of origins, of social relations, and of goals and directions for individuals, social groups, and mankind.

Health Research: A Tool for Social Justice and the Poor

1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sitaleki A Finau
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Injustice ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Rich

Health research can, and must, contribute to the alleviation of social injustice and powerlessness and their consequences. In so doing, it needs to ensure that the poor are healthy, productive and happy (that is, they can enjoy the fruits of their productivity). Poverty, unemployment and low health status are symptoms of deprivation borne of powerlessness. Therefore, health research that empowers the researched must address their poverty, unemployment as well as vulnerability to diseases. This can be achieved through their participation in the research funding process. The appropriate participatory research design must allow the poor and deprived to participate in research design, implementation, analysis, and dissemination of information. Such an approach is essential in order to avoid studying the poor to enrich the wealthy. Experiences with, and examples of, health research have demonstrated the consequences of ignoring the need to place the well-being of the researched at the centre of analysis. These have resulted in career advantages for the researchers and the manipulation of results without social justice for the researched. Research has also lead to monetary responses to deprivation without addressing the social and economic inequalities accompanying powerlessness. A shift in the centre of analysis could precipitate different results and actions. It would enable the poor to study the rich to learn how to become wealthy and achieve social justice.

scholarly journals Salvar-nos do cinismo: teologia e classes sociais

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (289) ◽  
pp. 102-124
Author(s):  
Jung Mo Sung
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
Ethical Criticism ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Theological Critique

A crise econômica que atinge os Estados Unidos e a Europa e a visibilidade mundial dos movimentos “Ocupem” nos Estados Unidos colocaram novamente o tema da desigualdade social em destaque. Geralmente, nas Igrejas e na teologia, esse assunto é objeto de crítica ética utilizando-se o conceito de classes sociais em termos de renda, ricos e pobres. Este artigo defende a tese de que, para superamos o cinismo frente ao sofrimento dos pobres, é preciso ir além: é preciso uma crítica teológica que se liberte do cinismo e trabalhe com a noção de classes sociais, associada ao lugar nas relações sociais de produção, de idolatria e de pecado estrutural.Abstract: The economic crisis affecting the United States and Europe and the worldwide visibility of the movement “Occupy” in the United States brought the issue of social inequality once more to the fore. Generally, in the Churches and in theology, this matter is the target of ethical criticism where the concept of social classes - in terms of income, the rich and the poor - is used. This article defends the thesis that, in order to overcome cynicism in face of the suffering of the poor, we must go further: we need a theological critique that can free itself from cynicism and work with the notion of social classes associated with the place in the social relations of production and with the notion of idolatry and structural sin.Keywords: Economics. Market. Social classes. Social conflict. Structural sin. Theology. Idolatry. Option for the poor.

Back to Basics: Class, Social Theory, and Sport

2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Bairner
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Political Economy ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Historical Materialism ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Sociology Of Sport ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Social ◽  
Per Se

It is relatively easy to understand why Marxism has been increasingly discredited in recent years both in the sociology of sport and in the social sciences more generally. Guilty by association with the failed attempts to construct communist societies, it has also come under attack from a variety of sources for its economic reductionism and its perceived inability to think beyond class. Even those Marxists such as Gramsci, who are invoked within the sociology of sport by exponents of cultural studies, are lauded not for their Marxism per se but rather for their (mistakenly inferred) willingness to play down the significance of political economy. This essay argues, however, that much has been lost as a result of the retreat from Marxism, and specifically, the abandonment of the belief in the ultimate determinacy of the economic realm and the importance of social class. This is not meant to imply that other sources of identity, together with the various forms of discrimination suffered by a host of different social groups, do not matter or that their materiality cannot be linked effectively to class-based analysis. One might argue, however, that the interests of those groups have been better served in recent years by academic sociologists than have the interests of the poor. With that in mind, the time has come, perhaps, for Marxist sociologists of sport to offer fewer apologies and to replace these with a more robust defense of the subtleties of historical materialism as properly understood. At the very least this means reviving the argument that our identities can best be understood in terms of economics.

STAGES IN SOCIAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 265-272
Author(s):  
Venelin Terziev ◽  
Preslava Dimitrova
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
National Society ◽  
Complex Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The social policy of a country is a set of specific activities aimed at regulating the social relations between different in their social status subjects. This approach to clarifying social policy is also called functional and essentially addresses social policy as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality in society. It provides an opportunity to look for inequalities in the economic positions of individuals in relation to ownership, labor and working conditions, distribution of income and consumption, social security and health, to look for the sources of these inequalities and their social justification or undue application.The modern state takes on social functions that seek to regulate imbalances, to protect weak social positions and prevent the disintegration of the social system. It regulates the processes in society by harmonizing interests and opposing marginalization. Every modern country develops social activities that reflect the specifics of a particular society, correspond to its economic, political and cultural status. They are the result of political decisions aimed at directing and regulating the process of adaptation of the national society to the transformations of the market environment. Social policy is at the heart of the development and governance of each country. Despite the fact that too many factors and problems affect it, it largely determines the physical and mental state of the population as well as the relationships and interrelationships between people. On the other hand, social policy allows for a more global study and solving of vital social problems of civil society. On the basis of the programs and actions of political parties and state bodies, the guidelines for the development of society are outlined. Social policy should be seen as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality between different individuals and social groups in society. Its importance is determined by the possibility of establishing on the basis of the complex approach: the economic positions of the different social groups and individuals, by determining the differences between them in terms of income, consumption, working conditions, health, etc .; to explain the causes of inequality; to look for concrete and specific measures to overcome the emerging social disparities.

Poverty and Penia

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Theoretical Approach ◽  
Ancient World ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Social ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Previous Scholarship

This chapter lays out the theoretical approach for the book and discusses the methodological problems of writing about poverty and the poor in the ancient world. Whilst studying the lives of the poor in the ancient world is to some extent elusive, it argues that historians can do more than simply imagine this group of people back into the gaps left by other evidence. As well as reviewing previous scholarship on poverty in the ancient world, it suggests a way forward which is more in line with contemporary poverty research within the social sciences.

scholarly journals Vertical position can affect categorization of the rich and the poor in Chinese culture

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 183449092110257
Author(s):  
Qiong Li ◽  
Chen Deng ◽  
Bin Zuo ◽  
Xiaobin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Social Categorization ◽  
High Income ◽  
Vertical Position ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Rich

This study explored whether vertical position affects social categorization of the rich and the poor. Experiment 1 used high- and low-income occupations as stimuli, and found participants categorized high-income occupations faster when they were presented in the top vertical position compared to the bottom vertical position. In Experiment 2, participants responded using either the “up” or “down” key to categorize high- and low-income occupations, and responded faster to high-income occupations with the “up” key and low-income occupations with the “down” key. In Experiment 3, names identified as belonging to either rich or poor individuals were presented at the top or bottom of a screen, and the results were the same as in Experiments 1 and 2. These findings suggest that social categorization based on wealth involved perceptual simulations of vertical position, and that vertical position affects the social categorization of the rich and the poor.

scholarly journals Music to My Ears: A Material-semiotic Analysis of Fetal Heart Sounds in Midwifery Prenatal Care

2021 ◽  
pp. 016224392110051
Author(s):  
Annekatrin Skeide
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Prenatal Care ◽  
Fetal Heart ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Analytical Tool ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Parental Love ◽  
The Social ◽  
Care Practices ◽  
The Aesthetic

Unlike sonographic examinations, sonic fetal heartbeat monitoring has received relatively little attention from scholars in the social sciences. Using the case of fetal heartbeat monitoring as part of midwifery prenatal care in Germany, this contribution introduces music as an analytical tool for exploring the aesthetic dimensions of obstetrical surveillance practices. Based on ethnographic stories, three orchestrations are compared in which three different instruments help audiences to listen to what becomes fetal heartbeat music and to qualify fetal and pregnant lives in relation to each other. In the Doppler-based orchestration, audible heartbeat music is taken as a sign of a child in need of parental love and care cultivated to listen. The Pinard horn makes esoteric fetal music that can be appreciated by the midwife as a skilled instrumentalist alone and helps to enact a child hidden in the belly. The cardiotocograph brings about soothing music and a reassuring relationship with a child but also durable scripts of juridical beauty. This material-semiotic analysis amplifies how well-being is shaped in midwifery prenatal care practices.

Constructivist Moral Realism

1998 ◽  
pp. 147-153
Author(s):  
J. K. Swindler
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Moral Realism ◽  
Social Ontology ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social World ◽  
Moral Law ◽  
Social Morality ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Realm

We are social animals in the sense that we spontaneously invent and continuously re-invent the social realm. But, not unlike other artifacts, once real, social relations, practices, institutions, etc., obey prior laws, some of which are moral laws. Hence, with regard to social reality, we ought to be ontological constructivists and moral realists. This is the view sketched here, taking as points of departure Searle's recent work on social ontology and May's on group morality. Moral and social selves are distinguished to acknowledge that social reality is constructed but social morality is not. It is shown how and why moral law requiring respect for the dignity and well being of agents governs a social world comprising roles that are real only because of their occupants' social intentions.

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