Moral panics as decivilizing processes: Towards an Eliasian approach

Applying the ideas of Norbert Elias to the sociology of moral panics, this article argues that moral panics are processes of decivilization; occurring where civilizing processes break down and decivilizing trends become dominant. Examining the definitions of Goode & Ben-Yehuda (1994) and Stanley Cohen (2002), the article compares key characteristics of moral panics with some of the symptoms of decivilizing processes as proposed by Stephen Mennell (1990). Proposing two different types of campaigns that may accompany panics – integrative campaigns to ‘civilize’ the ‘other’; and exclusionary campaigns to isolate the ‘dangerous’ other – the article concludes by outlining how some of the fundamental concepts of figurational sociology can aid in our understanding of the complexities of moral panics

Shifting the focus? Moral panics as civilizing and decivilizing processes

Copyright @ 2011 London: Routledg

Comment on "A test-tube model for rainfall" by Wilkinson M., EPL 106 (2014) 40001

This paper is a comment to M Wilkinson, EPL 106 (2014) 40001, arXiv:1401.4620 [physics.ao-ph,cond-mat.soft], which draws conclusion from our data that are at variance with our observations

Reality and Representation of Algerian Women: The Complex Dynamic of Heroines and Repressed Women

Since the Algerian war for independence against the French in the 1950s, the roles of Algerian women have been shifting over the past five decades. During the war for independence, women found themselves in positions of power, where their military assistance was necessary to win the war. However, once independence was gained in 1962, women were once again forced into the predetermined roles of wives and mothers. Over the next four decades, the situation in Algeria began to improve as the educational and work opportunities for women increased. After a setback in the 1990s, during Algeria\u27s civil war, Algerian women have continued to make advances in society and are embracing the liberties that accompany a modernizing state. This study examines the development of women\u27s societal positions in Algeria and the different roles that women have played during important events in Algeria\u27s history. Through the application of feminist theory and through the use of film, this study assesses the obstacles that Algerian women have faced in their efforts to gain liberation and respect

Process Management Maturity Assessment

This paper outlines a Business Process Management implementation approach in a large international company. It introduces a Process Management Maturity Assessment (PMMA) which was developed to assess the implementation of Business Process Management. The maturity model is based on the assessment of nine categories which comprehensively cover all aspects which impact the success of Business Process Management. Some findings of the first assessment round are presented to illustrate the benefits of the PMMA approach

Women and Weight Training

There are many motivational factors or barriers that effect women to weight train at a recreational standard. In this research, weight training is any use of resistance machines, bands or the lifting of weights. Through this research, the question of how do women who weight train differ from those who do not in a physical, mental and social aspect is answered. Furthermore, this research identifies what the specifics are refraining women from weight training and how to make these barriers motivate women to weight train based off of all the positive benefits it has for women. The theory that helped framework this administered research was the social role theory which specified the role of society on masculinity and femininity. There are prevalent themes that were raised with this research and they include the impact of gender roles, masculinity, barriers and motivations through the practice of weight training. These resulted in the findings of the conducted research proving how there are still inequalities present regarding women in society who weight train. Results also show how the lack of education of weight training has been the major barrier of women participating in weight training. The common barriers that arise from this theory helped to set up the motivation of goals by women to overcome such a barrier. Also, the findings in this research suggest that there are more barriers than motivations and how women need to develop goals to help motivate them to weight train. The methods conducted took a post-positivism research framework where there was a mix of qualitative and quantitative data. This mix of data is gathered to understand the why and how women weight train based on the female participants. There was a conducted survey that was given to every other woman in the lobbies of Planet Fitness in Victor, NY and Penfield Fitness in Penfield, NY. This research could potentially help the gym understand their female clientele and there was an offered incentive if the woman agreed to take the survey and participate in the research. This research is in the midst of implicating women to see the health impact that weight training can have for an overall physical, mental and social aspects of life. Also, to bring awareness of the inequalities that are still present in today’s male dominated activates and sports

Enterprise Architecture - Framework and Methodology for the Design of Architectures in the Large

The paper outlines the domains of enterprise architecture and basic requirements of “architectures in the large”. A methodology for the description of enterprise architectures is introduced. It is based on three basic views on architecture. The component view describes the elements of architecture and their relationships. The communication view shows how the elements interact with one another. The distribution view describes how the elements are distributed in terms of location or organizational assignment. Based on the three basic views on architecture, complexity can be reduced and elementary construction principles of the architecture can be highlighted. Key element of architecture design is to account for interdependencies among the building blocks of architecture. Blueprints are introduced as a means in planning the deployment of architecture on a large scale. Blueprints give a comprehensive view on the building blocks and how the interact. They show the effects of architecture design between business, application, and infrastructure architecture. The techniques introduced for architecture design are illustrated by using a selection of real life examples from an architecture design project at Siemens AG

Climate change, moral panic, and civilization: on the development of global warming as a social problem

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel UniversityThis study combines moral panic with the figurational sociology of Norbert Elias to explore how climate change has developed as a social problem. The central argument is that,through combining the short-term focus of moral panic with the long-term focus of Elias, we can examine the interplay between planned and unplanned developments in both the perception and reality of climate change. The first part of the research consisted of discourse analysis of a variety of different texts from 1800 to the present. These were used to explore the long-term development of climatechange as emerging from an ecological civilizing process. The second stage of the research related these developments to moral panics, arguing that the emergence of climate change can only be understood by exploring the interplay between long-term processes and short-term campaigns. The third part of the research explored these historical developments at the individual level, examining the notion of individual ecological civilizing processes. 15 semi-structured interviews were undertaken with climate change ‘activists’ and ‘non-activists’, comparing how their biographical developments related to ecological civilizing processes and moral panics. The final part of the research compared climate change with five other empirical examples of moral panics, to explore the civilizing and decivilizing processes and civilizing offensives that occur before, during, and after the panics. The central aim was to demonstrate the complexity of moral panics, and to aid in the reformulation of the concepts of moral panic and decivilization. Through a synthesis of Elias and moral panic, as applied to the example of climate change, this study aimed to: critically assess the development of climate change; to reassess the concept of decivilization and the relation between civilizing processes and offensives; and to reformulate the concept of moral panic, including suggesting how moral panic research ought to be undertaken