This article asks how strikes in post-1987 South Korea came to be quantified as economic losses and reframed as “strike risk.” Drawing on governmental statistics, archival materials, and newspaper coverage, I show that the quantification of strikes enabled the state and the media to redefine them as measurable threats to economic order. This shift emerged as economic loss calculations increasingly shaped public discourse on labor conflict. By tracing how numerical estimates gained credibility and authority, the article illustrates how quantification transformed a political confrontation into an economic risk that could be governed. The article contributes to debates on the quantification of risk and on labor government by clarifying how strike risk emerged through attempts to make a fundamentally unquantifiable phenomenon calculable.
This paper reexamines & Eacute;tienne de La Bo & eacute;tie's Discourse of Voluntary Servitude as a foundational yet underappreciated contribution to sociological thought. La Bo & eacute;tie identified two key explanations for the persistence of voluntary servitude: the force of custom and ideological manipulation, alongside a rational calculation of benefits within a hierarchical chain of complicity. Although these explanations appear to present an inherent tension-one emphasizing irrational submission and the other strategic collaboration-this paper argues that La Bo & eacute;tie sought to capture the dual nature of obedience: both voluntary and structural, with distinctive primacy accorded to the voluntary, interest-based dimension. By analyzing and integrating these two dimensions, this study positions La Bo & eacute;tie as a pioneering figure offering a proto-sociological analysis of domination, anticipating modern theories of power that incorporate its ideological and material foundations.
This article examines the Blue Whale phenomenon as a case of moral panic with particular attention to its trajectory in Turkey. Originating in Russia in 2015, Blue Whale spread rapidly through sensationalist media coverage and soon became framed as a global threat to adolescents. In Turkey, the panic intensified between 2016 and 2019, marked by repetitive headlines, expert warnings, state interventions, and even academic publications, all of which reinforced a protectionist discourse while leaving the veracity of the phenomenon largely unquestioned. Adopting a sociological perspective, this article situates Blue Whale within the broader tradition of moral panic studies, highlighting how archetypes of evil and conspiratorial imagination shaped its circulation. It further argues that the Turkish experience mirrors global patterns yet unfolded through its own media ecologies and cultural anxieties. Ultimately, the Blue Whale panic reveals how digital-age fears are constructed, sustained, and localized in specific social contexts.
This study conducts a comparative analysis of the strategies employed by Russia and China in their interactions with the Kazakh khanates during the XVIII-XIX centuries. By examining the distinctive approaches of each power, the study assesses their implications on the socioeconomic and political development of Kazakhstan. Utilizing a historical-comparative methodology, the research delves into archival materials, written sources, and publications by European researchers to provide an in-depth analysis of the dynamics of international relations. The findings reveal that both China and Russia aimed to strengthen their influence in the region through trade relations and territorial claims. China sought to expand its economic influence by promoting trade contacts with Kazakh tribes, thereby supporting their autonomy and restraining Russian expansion. Conversely, the Russian Empire introduced administrative and military structures in Kazakhstan, gradually subordinating it to its political and economic interests, which led to significant changes in the socioeconomic structure of Kazakh society. The study highlights the significant influence of the political and economic strategies of Russia and China on the integration of Kazakh territories into their spheres of interest. By focusing on the comparative and strategic aspects, this research provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between these powers and their lasting impact on the geopolitical landscape of Central Asia.
Guns N ' Roses' Chinese Democracy was one of the most expensive albums ever made and took over a decade to create. The people who completed the Chinese Democracy project were almost entirely different from the people who started it. The album and the people who created it were viewed as strange and unusual by many audiences-as deviant-basically. This article argues that the making of Chinese Democracy can be viewed as a form of collective creative edgework. Edgework is a concept from the sociology of risk that describes how skilled individuals manage risk in high stakes contexts and, by successfully doing so, produce feelings of transcendence in themselves. The making of Chinese Democracy appears to meet the criteria for edgework. The album's creation emerged from a death context; it featured highly skilled people attempting to navigate a situation of high risk, and it generated feelings of psychological euphoria in the people who were involved with it. However, the article argues that the Chinese Democracy project oscillated the edge, sometimes crossing over into chaos. One reason for this, the article argues, is that the project's edgework became destablilized at times by the presence of what Weber calls value rationality.
Moli & egrave;re's Alceste is often discussed with reference to his misanthropic personality, but what he aspires to doing, truth-telling, has received relatively less attention. This is curious especially if we consider that Alceste defines flattery, the opposite of truth-telling, as his main adversary. Indeed, it is Alceste's hatred of flattery that explains his misanthropy, not the other way around. We will first discuss the significance of flattery. Then, we trace the consequences of this idea in the play drawing on Aristophanes, Plato, and Aristotle where they define flattery as a relation to untruth and in opposition to friendship. In Plato's Gorgias, however, a second sense of flattery transpires: distorting ideas and practices through instrumental use. We ask what a reflection on flattery in these two interrelated senses can contribute to our understanding of Moli & egrave;re's comedy. What frames our discussion is the relation between Alceste and Philinte (as a stand-in for the social), on the one hand, and the relation between Alceste and C & eacute;lim & egrave;ne (as a stand-in for seduction) on the other. Alceste cuts an abject figure in relation to both Philinte and C & eacute;lim & egrave;ne. We end with a discussion of how Alceste can, for all his abjection, continue to fascinate us.
This study explores the role of Kyrgyz literature in shaping national identity during the post-Soviet transition. It examines how literature contributed to restoring cultural authenticity and national identity as Kyrgyzstan moved from the Soviet model to independence. Using an analytical framework, the research focuses on literary works and cultural symbols that reflect the transformation of national identity. "National identity" is defined as a shared sense of belonging, shaped by traditions, language, and history, while "cultural authenticity" refers to preserving unique cultural elements. The study finds that Kyrgyz literature became a key tool for national revival, drawing on language, folklore, and heroic images to restore cultural memory. Works such as the epic Manas, folk tales, and rituals were instrumental in conveying collective values and historical continuity. The works of Chinghiz Aitmatov are central, blending national traditions with universal themes, and emphasizing Kyrgyz identity while resonating with a global audience. The shift from Russian to Kyrgyz in literature symbolized a cultural and political act, highlighting language as an identity marker. The study highlights the importance of literature in maintaining cultural continuity amid modernization and global challenges.
The film Parasite scrutinizes the inequality of power and status in largely stratified South Korean society. Rooted in the production of film analysis, this paper uses the film Parasite as a single dataset to design the cinematic representation of sociology, aiming to provide a unique perspective on the sociology of emotions, particularly in theorizing fear. The emotional dynamics are depicted in various scenes and episodes of the film. However, despite its title suggesting a parasitic relationship between host and parasite, the climax of the film utilizes fear as a means to manage this unequal power relation, ultimately arguing for the importance of a subtle symmetry between the two distinct families. By adding related real-life observations from South Korea, this paper suggests two new but positive roles of fear, serving as a deterrence against the misuse of dominant power and as a boundary to maintain balance between classes, a concept referred to as "vigilant symbiosis."
ABSTRACT While artificial intelligence (AI) revolutionizes customer service, its emotional implications for users are less explored than its functional efficacy. In this study, the emotional responses of users interacting with AI‐driven virtual assistants and human agents in service support interactions are compared. A quantitative cross‐sectional survey of 150 U.S. adults who had used both human and AI assistants within the past 3 months was conducted. The findings show that human agents elicit more positive affect, with higher ratings for satisfaction, emotional support, and feeling understood. On the other hand, AI assistants were rated as improved problem‐solvers, although interactions with human agents were associated with higher anxiety. In contrast with the efficiency of AI, users indicated a greater affinity for subsequent human interactions. All reported differences were statistically significant ( p < 0.05). Sociologically interpreted through symbolic interactionism and affect theory, the findings show that users value affective connection more than utilitarian success. The study concludes that AI cannot directly substitute the nuanced affective connection provided by humans, with a call for the creation of emotionally intelligent hybrid models that combine the strengths of AI and human agents.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a set of rapid transformations of a technological and economic nature, resulting in the remodeling of society as a whole. The infrastructure of the Fourth Revolution not only represents an expansion of previously observed trends, but reveals itself as a platform on which a qualitatively different world is embedded. This world breaks ties with the earlier tradition of change with, among other things, the introduction of cyber-physical objects. These objects also break the classical dichotomies and invoke an original economic culture. The purpose of this analysis is to identify the mechanisms on the basis of which innovation is formed in the economic culture of the Fourth Revolution. Innovation, after all, is the best expression and realization of the observed changes. Its analysis will be made with reference to the cultural structure of the Fourth Revolution, which means diagnosis in the following areas: material, social, and symbolic. Each of these areas makes it possible to define innovation in relation to another transgression. The result of this diagnosis is the reconstruction of innovation as an analytical category, along with the determination of its ontological status and typological diversity.
Despite being perceived as a remnant of the past, slavery persists in today's increasingly economized and biopoliticized world. To thematize the actuality of slavery, we initially return to Aristotle's discussion/justification of slavery as instrumentalization of human beings. Then we revisit Plato's allegory of the cave through three distinct readings. This threefold reading enables us to frame three present-day cases/examples to reconsider slavery: the Amazon, surrogate motherhood, and the cell phone. The concept of use is pivotal for such reconsideration. Finally, we propose the concept of neo-slavery. Although the traditional accounts of slavery understand slavery through its triangulation with property relations and force, we suggest another triangulation here: neo-slavery, instrumental use, and consent. In this way, the examination of the three cases casts the traditional accounts of slavery in a new light, revitalizing the concept of slavery by putting it into a different use.
ABSTRACT Social reaction theory has occupied a prominent place in sociology, helping to inform the labeling and stigma of a wide variety of traits, conditions and behaviors. While much of this scholarship emphasizes the social scorn and penalties imposed at the individual level, far less attention has been given to the collective impact of positive reactions to non‐normative behaviors. This Perspectives essay examines how hero‐making—which produces a mostly positive label—can lead to social harm, given the politicized, media‐driven culture in which it takes place. In this Perspectives essay, I review current legacy and social media stories and commentary about two recent “vigilantes” (i.e., Daniel Penny and Luigi Mangione) to question the social benefits and consequences of classifying people as heroes or as villains (a mostly negative label) and victims (both a positive and negative label), that is, a hero's counterparts. My commentary underscores the continued value of social reaction theory today and identifies areas of growth, including collective labeling processes and the costs of positive moral judgments today.
ABSTRACT At the center of this study is a key event in the formation of the modern Hungarian literary field: the series of debates known as the Lexicon Trial (1830–1831), which played a decisive role in the institutionalization and autonomization of literature during Hungary's Reform Era (1825–1848). Over these years, the literary sphere gradually began to organize itself around “pure” esthetic judgments—a transformation that can be conceptualized as a “symbolic revolution” in Bourdieu's sense. This historical–sociological analysis focuses on strategies of the “social capitalization of knowledge,” drawing on Viktor Karády's concept to trace how pre‐intellectual groups migrating to Pest‐Buda laid the foundations for the main literary professions. I interpret the polemic surrounding the publication of the lexicon as a clash between the progressive‐autonomous and conservative factions of literary figures, with the aim of capturing, in sociological terms, how a demarcated market of symbolic goods was established in Hungary. I aim to demonstrate the utility of a Bourdieusian historical–sociological framework for examining the genealogy of semi‐peripheral fields of cultural production, particularly those marked by belated embourgeoisement, thereby offering an alternative to positivist literary history. This work also serves as an invitation to apply Bourdieusian historical analysis in one of its domains par excellence: the autonomization of fields.
This study endeavors to measuring workplace spirituality and social desirability among individuals in the context of higher education addressing the challenges posed by Taiwan's low birthrate. It aims to identify the interrelationships between factors enhance workplace spirituality within Taiwan's higher education setting. Initially, instrument construction involved a literature review and back translation. Data collection was carried out using judgmental sampling, resulting in a sample size of 758 participants. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized for data analysis. The results of confirmatory factor analysis, which includes model-fit indices, discriminant validity, convergent validity, and cross-validity, supported the validity of the developed instrument. The subjects of the study focused on in-service university staff and faculties; however, the findings have limitations in terms of generalizability. Given the pressing challenges posed by the low birthrate, Taiwan's higher education sector has experienced significant impacts on freshman enrollment competition. Thus, the development of a valid instrument to address this situation is crucial for researchers and policymakers. The study's findings reveal a particularly serious situation of freshman shortage in private universities, emphasizing the necessity of motivating staff and faculty to actively engage in administrative tasks and services.
This study investigates the perspectives of Muslim student activists in New York City regarding digital public sphere and activism. The research question is: How do digital activist Muslim individuals in the United States conceptualize the relationship between cyberspace and the real world and the impact of digital activism discourses on social change? The issue is examined through a qualitative research design, employing in-depth interviews-conducted between January and August 2022-using semi-structured questions and analyzed through content analysis. The findings indicate that, contrary to the notion that the digital realm operates autonomously and dominates real life, participants do not find the "divided world" narrative convincing. Although acknowledging the distinct nature of each realm, they emphasize the interwoven relationship between the digital and the physical. The effectiveness of digital activism, according to participants, depends on the specific issues addressed, with the digital public sphere offering a meaningful platform for exerting pressure on policymakers.
This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of historical sociology from 2005 to 2025, identifying key trends and challenges within the discipline. Despite a modest annual growth rate of 10.59% and increased publication rates, a significant decline in average citations per document raises concerns about the field's impact and recognition. The authorship landscape is characterized by a predominance of single-authored works and limited international collaboration, predominantly within national contexts, with the USA and UK as leading contributors. Thematic evolution indicates a shift toward emerging topics, such as political sociology and nationalism, whereas traditional concepts appear to be waning. Influential articles addressing critical themes, such as international relations and the sociology of knowledge, highlight ongoing and relevant discussions. A notable transition from a European-centric focus to a broader examination of Asian, Oceanian, and African contexts presents new research opportunities, particularly in digital humanities and education. Methodological advancements, including quantitative methodologies and synthesis analysis techniques, enhance the discipline's adaptability. However, the study's reliance on the Scopus database limits its findings, suggesting that future research should incorporate additional databases for a more comprehensive perspective. The analysis also indicates areas for further exploration, particularly regarding the roles of countries, institutions, journals, and authors in shaping the field.
In nineteenth-century Ottoman thought, the idea of mankind emerged in response to state crisis and epistemic transformation. This article explores how Ottoman and Turkish intellectuals and statesmen conceptualized and redefined the idea of humanity-shaped by Orientalist discourses-through their engagement with Victor Hugo's statement: "to have the world as our homeland and humanity as our nation," between the 1860s and 1930s. Beginning with & Scedil;inasi, who translated Hugo's statement in one of his odes as "My nation is mankind, my homeland is the earth" to articulate a new conception of humanity, this article traces the transformation of the idea of universal humanity and civilization through the intellectual discourse that emerged around this statement. Universal humanity and civilization, along with their Ottoman counterpart-Ottomanism-were regarded as mechanisms to integrate the population and convince them of the state's continuity. However, the global rejection of universalism, the occupation of Ottoman territories by Western powers, the Balkan Wars, the perception that non-Muslims could not be convinced of Ottoman unity, and the rise of nationalism led to the marginalization of universal values and Ottomanism itself. Ultimately, the universal neo-human came to represent the Turks, whereas the West became the "one-toothed beast called 'Civilization!'"
This article's purpose is to explore the cinematic portrayal of Dalit empowerment and resistance in Mari Selvaraj's Maamannan (2023). The film investigates the intricacies of Dalit identity, resilience, and social mobilization, offering a compelling narrative that challenges established norms and prejudices. The research tries to respond to the question of how Maamannan (2023) aims to portray the evolution of Dalit characters from marginalized subjects into empowered agents. The study employs a multidisciplinary approach, drawing from film studies and Dalit studies to answer the research question of how Maamannan (2023) employs visual storytelling techniques, character development, and narrative structure to depict the complex journey of Dalit individuals striving for empowerment and justice in a deeply stratified society. This research highlights the significance of Maamannan (2023) as a cinematic representation of Dalit empowerment and resistance, shedding light on the transformative power of cinema in advocating social justice and equality. This paper adopts a semiotic analysis of the film as a research methodology to examine the story elements such as narrative structure, character, and plot. The findings of this study contribute to the ongoing discourse on representation, identity, and activism in contemporary Indian cinema.
This research study's aim was to examine the development of philanthropic activities in Orenburg from the 19th to early 20th century, focusing on their institutional pathways, functional classifications, and social dimensions. This study contextualizes philanthropic initiatives within the ideological, confessional, and political framework of late imperial Russia, analyzing how these practices influenced social welfare and perpetuated hierarchical structures, rather than depicting charity as solely altruistic. In the course of the study, historical-critical, comparative, generalization, historical-genetic, retrospective, and system-structural analysis and data volume analysis methods are used. As a result of the conducted study, it is identified that charitable activities in Orenburg in the 19th to early 20th centuries were conducted very actively. At that time, in Orenburg, benefactors opened several important institutions of a religious and educational nature, which had a substantial impact on the state of culture and society in general. Among such institutions were the St. Olga's Orphanage, opened in 1872, the Burnaev madrasah, the mosque and the Khusainiya madrasah, opened in 1891. The resources from this study may be used in further research on the subject, and the findings may enhance understanding of attitudes toward charity acts in modern society.
This article explores the construction of militarized masculinity and nationalist myths in Turkish Cold War cinema of the 1960s through a comparative analysis of two films: On Korkusuz Adam (Ten Fearless Men, 1964) and Göklerdeki Sevgili (The Lover in the Skies, 1966). Produced and circulated in a period of political realignments as a response to the Cold War and the Cyprus conflict, these films played a role in the popularization of the myth of warrior nation. Hence, relying on theories on the formulation of political myths and gendered nationalism, this study shows how the representation of the Cyprus conflict worked to justify national superiority and heroism of Turks. Close reading and contextual film analysis reveal that these films do not merely reproduce the official nationalist discourse, but they actively shape militarist discourses by inviting viewers to align with the Turkish hero's point of view. Furthermore, the study inserts the films into a broader Cold War cultural corpus through establishing parallels with American and South Korean examples. In doing so, it deepens the analysis of the relationship between politics and culture by stating what role globally played by Turkish cinema in the production and popularization of the myth of warrior nation.
