Mapping Terms: Towards Analytical Conceptualisation

This chapter engages with the sociological concept of ‘sect’ especially that articulated by Max Weber. Its demonstrates how the concept denotes a community of religious people, committed to their particular chosen religious mode of life. The chapter shows that sectarianism (ta’ifiyya) is a social phenomenon and not an individual choice. Sectarianism comes to be conflated with the ta’ifa. It argues that where sectarianism is hegemonic, the ‘choice’ to belong to the ta’ifa is typically an illusory one. Sectarianism is thus a negation of freedom of choice. On the contrary, exercising this freedom means standing in contradiction with sectarianism itself. The chapter looks thoroughly at how the word ta’ifa has existed and developed in Arabic for a very long time, but that ta’ifiyya is a much more recent development. It is a modern phenomenon. It finally argues that today’s imagined ta’ifas, whose borders are delineated by sectarianism, do not constitute an ethical framework.

RELIGIOUS MORAL PANIC AND ITS SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES

This paper analyzes the phenomenon of religious moral panic, seen as a specific type of general sociological concept of moral panic. The first section presents the general characteristics of this phenomenon. The second section is a discussion about the causes of its origin, which consists of pointing out and observing the key factors that contributed to it. Within the third section, we pointed out the general consequences that the phenomenon of religious moral panic left on society. The final section contains a legal analysis of the characteristics of actions that are connected to the inciting and expansion of moral panic, in terms of recognizing their illegality and the specific offenses that are associated with them. Among the general conclusions, it was emphasized that incitement and spreading of religious moral panic, in addition to ethical impropriety, also delves deeply into the domain of illegality, because such behavior is legally associated with numerous and diverse crimes. In this regard, it was suggested to make parallel efforts towards raising awareness among citizens about the moral inadequacy of such acts, as well as about legal mechanisms for their prohibition and stipulated legal consequences for the perpetrators.

Eternity and Expressive Values

This chapter scrutinizes the literature on constitutional identity, within which eternity clauses are viewed as repositories of the constitution's core values. It analyses unamendability as the site of constitutional expression and eternity clauses as capable of defending against attacks on the integrity and identity of the entire constitution. It also highlights serious problems with importing the sociological concept of identity into constitutional theory's arsenal. This chapter shows that the concept relies on particular understandings of both liberal constitutionalism and pluralism, as well as on a presumed pacified and coherent constitutional ethos. The concept obscures the deep and continuous contestation of the core constitutional commitments rendered unamendable. The chapter also discusses the rise of constitutional identity review as a form of resistance to supranational integration in Europe.

7. Subcultural theories

This chapter discusses Robert Merton’s anomie theory, which indicated several possible forms of reaction by individuals who had suffered from the strain of being unable to attain society’s ultimate goal by the institutionalised means made available to them: typically, regular, productive work. For some, the reaction could involve engaging in deviant or criminal behaviour. Merton’s approach was adopted and modified by other sociologists and criminologists, who were interested in studying the behaviour of groups—usually of young people—within a society, which deviate from or totally reject the views of the majority. Such groups are referred to by sociologists as subcultures. The use of the term ‘subculture’ has largely centred on juvenile delinquent gangs. This restriction is unfortunate because subculture is a sociological concept that has a wide application and the relationship with the emotive topic of gangs has, in many ways, proved to be counterproductive.

Family displays in child–parent interaction

This article engages with the sociological concept of ‘display’, that is, the process by which families show that they are family. The article argues for the need to include considerations of how displays are done at the local interactional level. In conversations between children, parents, and an interactive app, this study identifies two distinct patterns regarding how children develop their answers to the question Who are the people in your family?: the nuclear family display and the family of choice display. Each pattern is characterized by both a specific content and specific interactional, structural properties. Such matches between content and structure show that how something is displayed, as revealed by minute details of interaction, form part of participants’ display work.

El control político de la opinión pública en la España de los Austrias

En el marco de la legislación censoria de la España imperial pretendemos analizar, por una parte, el origen cultural y doctrinal del concepto sociológico de opinión pública en nuestro país, que hunde sus raíces en el absolutismo contrarreformista y fue adoptando una fisonomía reconocible en el seno de la sociedad española del Siglo de Oro, gracias a la contribución de nuestros tratadistas barrocos; y, por otra, la dimensión política y adoctrinadora de la Nueva Comedia y de la predicación religiosa, ya que constituyeron los más efectivos resortes propagandísticos de manipulación de masas impulsados desde el Poder en orden a conseguir la adhesión emocional y, por tanto, irracional del pueblo español al régimen monárquico-señorial de los Austrias.In the framework of the censorship legislation of imperial Spanish we pretend to analyze, on the one hand, the cultural and doctrinal origin of sociological concept of public opinion in our country, which has its roots in counter-reformist absolutism and was adopting a recognizable physiognomy within the spanish society of the Golden Age thanks to the contribution of our baroque writers; and, on the other, the political and indoctrinating dimension of the New Comedy and religious preaching, since they constituted the most effective propaganda springs of mass manipulation driven by the Power in order to achieve emotional accession and, therefore, irrational from the spanish people to the Hispanic monarchy.

Defining Conditional Belonging: The Case of Female Science Fiction Fans

This article offers a rigorous conceptualisation of an undeveloped sociological concept: conditional belonging. It implements and develops conditional belonging in the setting of everyday life by examining female fans of science fiction. Based on 30 in-depth interviews with female fans of Doctor Who and Star Wars, this study defines conditional belonging as a liminal state in which new members are constructed as a threatening ‘other’ and required to demonstrate conformity to the community. Having to align with values established by veteran members disrupts the ability of those who conditionally belong to perceive their identities as authentic. Conditional belonging is explored in offline and online settings, exposing the tactics used online by female fans to ensure their belonging. Through demonstrating the ways in which conditional belonging is cultivated and enforced, this article contributes to a nuanced understanding of belonging, not as a binary condition, but a multi-layered, complex one.