Animism: Comparing Durkheim and Chidester’s analyses of EB Tylor’s theory of religion

The purpose of this research study was to compare the analyses of the anthropologist Edward Tylor’s animist theory of religion in the work of two major scholars of religion. At the beginning of the 20th century, Durkheim refuted Tylor’s classical explanation of the origin of religion, before he would proceed to develop his own sociological explanation. At the turn of the 21st century, from a postcolonial South African location, David Chidester offered a critical analysis of the triple mediation under colonial and imperial conditions that made Tylor’s evolutionary theory possible. By foregrounding definitions, making arguments explicit and comparing these two assessments, the two analyses shed light on each other as well as allowed us to view the issue of animism in a new light. This article concluded by highlighting points that emerged and need continuing attention in the academic study of religion.Contribution: This article, as part of a collection on re-readings of major theorists of religion, offers a comparison of Durkheim and Chidester’s analyses of Tylor’s classical animist theory of religion. By comparison, the analyses shed light on each other and on the theory of animism itself, highlighting critical issues that deserve the continuing focus of students of religion.

Social stratification in the sociological theory of P. Bourdieu

The relevance of the work is due to the transformations of the modern system of social stratification and opportunities for social mobility, as well as the need to find relevant approaches for their study. The article is devoted to reconstruction in a holistic form of the main provisions of the theory of social stratification of P. Bourdieu. His vision of the social structure of modern society is original and based on numerous empirical studies. The article analyzes the methodological foundations and features of the theory of social stratification of the French sociologist. Heuristic potential of one of modern constructivist methodological approaches to analysis of social stratification and social mobility is considered. P. Bourdieu significantly contributed to the fact that the sociological explanation of the modern system of social stratification is being transformed. He described the main characteristics of the social structure of a post-industrial society, the main trends in its development, developed proposals for using some categories necessary to explain it. Developing his own theory of habitus and the theory of social capital, P. Bourdieu proposes to explore the position of the individual, which is represented through a lifestyle. Bourdieu’s theory of social stratification can be applied to the problems of modern social inequality. The author of the article made an attempt to trace the research logic of the French sociologist, as well as show the relationship of various blocks of the theory of social stratification.

No such thing as sociological excuses? Performativity, rationality and social scientific expertise in late liberalism

This article examines a frequent assumption of sociological accounts of knowledge: the idea that knowledge acts. The performativity of knowledge claims is here analysed through the prism of ‘sociological excuses’: the idea that sociological explanations can act as ‘excuses’ for otherwise unacceptable behaviour. The article builds on Austin’s distinction between illocutionary and perlocutionary effects to discuss the relationship between sociological explanation, sociological justification and sociological critique. It argues that understanding how (and if) sociological explanations can act requires paying attention to social and political conditions of performativity and their transformation in late liberalism.

‘The Fool’ Revisited: The Making of Žižek as Sacrificial Public Intellectual

This article provides a sociological explanation for the global emergence of Slavoj Žižek as a public intellectual. It presents an integrative account encompassing both personal and institutional aspects. Drawing on positioning theory and performative frameworks, the article contributes to the sociology of intellectuals, as well as to the vast ‘Žižek-literature’ that focuses on his philosophical content or political activities. We analyse the distinctiveness of Žižek’s performances, arguing that Žižek acts as a ‘sacrificial intellectual’: he plays ‘the fool’ and relies on irony to undermine the traditional role of the authoritative intellectual. Within the context of the digital public sphere and declining intellectual authority, Žižek’s unique form of positioning has been particularly effective and has contributed to his celebrity status.

Pathologizing the Unknown: A Sociological Explanation for the (Mis-)Use of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome as a Diagnosis

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a diagnosis given to infants who die suddenly and unexpectedly before the age of one. After decades of research into SIDS, little has been conclusively determined regarding the etiology of this phenomenon. While SIDS deaths are in reality undetermined deaths, there is resistance to abandon SIDS and synonymous terminology. This paper identifies the social functions that a diagnosis of SIDS provides both to the families of the deceased, as well as the physicians who treat them. It is suggested that these social functions help to explain why, despite being inaccurate and misleading, SIDS is still widely used today. It is argued, however, that the forensic pathology and medical community as a whole should lead a systematic shift away from the use of SIDS as a diagnosis. Adopting more medically-appropriate terminology would better serve the goals of the medical profession and the families they serve.

From non-runner to parkrunner: Subjective athletic identity and experience of parkrun

Parkrun is a mass sporting community event which presents itself as a global social movement that aims to create a healthier and happier population. Existing research has explored the impact of parkrun on physical and mental wellbeing, and the mechanisms through which it may change physical activity behaviours. This paper draws upon a UK-wide survey of 8157 parkrunners to explore the subjective athletic identities of those who initially self-identified as non-runners. We examine how identity change is associated with perceptions and experiences of parkrun and demonstrate that parkrun has facilitated subjectivity change that leads many former non-running parkrunners to engage in running outside of the event. Using a Bourdieusian framework we argue that those who frequently engage in parkrun perceive a variety of health and performance changes that become legitimising factors for new health/sport behaviours. Our data add to existing research by demonstrating that parkrun provides a platform for individuals to become ‘runners’, whilst also offering a sociological explanation of how behaviour change may occur.

Emotional Labor and the Power of International Bureaucrats

This article advances a theory on the power of international bureaucrats and bureaucracies in world politics. It argues that bureaucrats become powerful when they stage emotionally calibrated performances as “servants” before state principals and carve out space for action through “whispering,” “propagating,” cultivating patrons, and building coalitions in the backstage of official interaction. These “servant” performances involve what sociologist Arlie Hochschild calls “emotional labor”—the management of feelings in work performances. I develop a theory of emotional labor that suggests why international bureaucrats manage emotions as they perform as servants and why some bureaucrats with prized sociological profiles are empowered on the back of “confident” servant performances. In contrast to principal–agent, constructivist, and psychological accounts, this is a micro-sociological explanation for bureaucratic power. I evaluate this theory with an ethnography of the Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)—a “least likely” case for bureaucratic power under prevailing theorizations. I also demonstrate how the ASEAN case is a sharper instance of a more general phenomenon. This article advances the study of emotions and emotional labor, the role of social class in shaping competent practice, and the debate on the power of bureaucrats and international organizations in international relations.