Sociální studia / Social Studies

Co je to dobré rajče: Případová studie hodnocení v praxi

2022-04-28T13:24:43+02:00

As a contribution to the field of valuation studies this article lays out a number of lessons that follow from an exploratory inquiry into ‘good tomatoes’. We held interviews with tomato experts (developers, growers, sellers, processors, professional cooks and so-called consumers) in the Netherlands and analysed the transcriptions carefully. Grouping our informants’ concerns with tomatoes into clusters, we differentiate between five registers of valuing. These have to do with money, handling, historical time, what it is to be natural, and sensual appeal. There are tensions between and within these registers, that lead to clashes and compromises. Accordingly, valuing tomatoes does not fit into inclusive formal schemes. Neither is it simply a matter of making judgements. Our informants told us how they know whether a tomato is good, but also revealed what they do to make tomatoes good. Their valuing includes activities such as pruning tomato plants and preparing tomato dishes. But if such activities are meant to make tomatoes good, success is never guaranteed. This prompts us to import the notion of care. Care does not offer control, but involves sustained and respectful tinkering towards improvement. Which is not to say in the end the tomatoes our informants care for are good. In the end these tomatoes get eaten. And while eating performs tomatoes as ‘good to eat’, it also finishes them off. Valuing may lead on to destruction. An important lesson for valuation studies indeed.

Vzdělávání jako nástroj rozvoje: vzdělávací strategie a pedagogická autorita neziskových organizací v práci s romskými dětmi a mládeží

2022-04-28T13:00:19+02:00

This paper analyzes the education of Roma children and youth in Czech NGOs from the perspectives of the social anthropology of development and the sociology of education. Activities usually anchored solely in a social work discourse are conceptualized as development education. The paper explores the educational strategies used by NGOs, how the main purpose of their efforts is characterized, and the basis of their pedagogical authority. Based on nine qualitative interviews with NGO representatives based in the city of Brno, the analysis shows that the educational strategies of NGOs are class determined and unreflectively evaluate the social reality of their clients. The pedagogic authority of social workers is based on liberal middle-class values which serve as a hegemonic perspective, through which social workers evaluate the social competences of their clients and their approaches to sexuality, adolescence and leisure activities. Differences in values or practices are considered a problem (underdevelopment) that needs to be solved (developed). The paper argues that insufficient reflection upon the values behind the NGO activities is one of the major reasons for the failure of their integrative efforts.

Dilemata zelené matky: proměna environmentálně příznivého spotřebního chování očima prvorodičky

2022-04-28T13:11:00+02:00

The process of becoming a mother is substantially linked to consumption. It can facilitate this process, but it can also put new mothers through anxiety, stress and fear of failure. Environmentally conscious women face an even greater challenge as they have to combine their pro-environmental values with the specific social norms. We conducted in-depth interviews with six such women – we called them Green Mothers. Rather than focusing on changes in their behaviour, we became interested in dilemmas they have been dealing with. We concluded that consumption plays a somewhat secondary role in accepting their maternal role – Green Mothers keep their reticent attitude. However, they have become less radical and have accepted consumer compromises. Lifestyle dilemmas are most apparent in relation to identity. Green Mothers turn from their intellectual approach to physicality, health concerns and needs of their children. Their interest in global problems declined as they had shifted their focus to more local and imminent issues. Adopting pro-environmental practices is primarily influenced neither by lack of finances, nor by social pressure, but by time. Therefore, our research contributes to the discussion on the high demands of environmentally-friendly lifestyles.

Prekarita práce v období pandemie Covid-19 v perspektivě struktury a subjektivity

2024-10-30T13:50:17+01:00

The Covid-19 pandemic can be seen as an event that, amongst other things, fundamentally affected the world of work. In particular, the precarity of work has been thematized by researchers. This overview paper builds on contemporary theoretical concepts of precarious work and presents the various manifestations of precarity of work during the pandemic captured in social science research to date. The identified mechanisms of pandemic precarity are liminal phase, the disabling and labour market exclusionary effect of pandemic measures, and various aspects of precarity at work and power in the workplace - the theme being both non-compliance with the safety measures and their enforcement in ways that workers perceive as stressful. Another important theme is the experience of work-life conflict, particularly among the group of parents with pre-school and school-age children. The penultimate topic is pandemics as limitation on the life chances of certain socio-demographic groups, based on life course theory. The last section is devoted to issues of emancipation and agency of workers during the pandemic. The identified forms of precarity are then compared with the aforementioned theories in order to identify which can be considered conceptually new. These are found in particular in the area of precarity at work and include challenges related to safety measures, extreme work and new forms of work-life conflict. The ambiguous nature of these phenomena requires exploration of subjectivity of the actors.

Parental Aspiration, Book Ownership, and Scholarly Culture

2024-10-31T14:56:46+01:00

The aim of this paper is to examine the link between a family’s scholarly culture and the educational aspirations of parents for their children. Using data from the first and the second wave of the Czech Household Panel Survey (2015, 2016), the study reveals that the number of books in a household – the core aspect of scholarly culture – is significantly linked to the educational aspirations of parents for their children. However, other indicators of scholarly culture (frequency of reading, general interest in books) are not significantly associated with parents’ university aspirations. These results suggest that, in the Czech Republic, the presence of a large number of books in the home signals higher social status and refers to the economic power of parents rather than to a family’s literacy or reading culture.