Sociology

After a relative silence of nearly four decades, matriarchal theory has been the subject of renewed interest in the social sciences. This paper traces the origins of matriarchal theory to its proximate roots in the nineteenth century speculative literature, and analyzes its impact on the development of utopian models for the restructuring of society along feminist and humanist lines.

Research workers often abandon interesting `soft data' accumulated in the course of project work because of problems of analysis. This paper describes solutions to some familiar problems which emerged during the course of five years evaluative work with a community work organization. The suggestions for dealing with the mass of data systematically and in a manner which generates a conceptual framework, and the means of establishing reliability and validity may be adapted for use in other projects. Analysis based upon this rigourous approach to `soft data' was found to be of practical use to fieldworkers and the methods have been useful in other projects.

This paper is based on an investigation of a reorganized comprehensive school. Although in the tradition of the `new' sociology of education, it is critical of aspects of such an approach. It attempts to give a greater insight than hitherto into the work relationships of teachers in schools; concentrates on the consequences for self and role performance of teacher career experience, focusing particularly on teacher/headteacher interaction. Intra-school `horizontal' and `vertical' aspects of teachers' careers (particularly, `the streaming of teachers') and associated moral careers are examined; and the formation of a `cabal' and a `clique' noted. This professional segmentation is linked with the streaming of children and the distribution of `stratified knowledge' within the school, which are seen to guarantee distinctive pupil identities and educational careers. In conclusion, the suggestion is made that comprehensive schooling, as at this school, is a negation of the comprehensive principle.

Defining the business elite to consist of the directors of approximately one thousand of the largest British companies, it is proposed that those who serve simultaneously on two or more of these boards constitute a distinct class segment. Because the interlocking-directorship network that is the foundation of this segment overarches nearly all large firms, and because its members have an exceptional span of experience and influence in corporate matters, it is anticipated that the dominant segment plays a leading role in carrying the collective needs of large enterprise to both government and the non-profit sector. This thesis is examined using information collected from a variety of sources on 1,972 directors of 196 large companies. It is found that dominant segment members are far more likely than other company directors to serve on advisory and governing bodies associated with a variety of government and non-profit organizations. It is also found that dominant segment members disproportionately enter these governing circles because of their favourable position in both the formal business associations, exemplified by the Confederation of British Industry, and informal associations of business leaders, most visibly manifest in exclusive-club networks. The observed patterns suggest that the dominant segment is positioned to promote the class-wide interests of all large companies. Some revision is required in the prevailing conceptions of the relations between big business and the state.

A survey of the attitudes of first generation Soviet workers on the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia demonstrates the significance of three social institutions - the Soviet army, the Communist party and closed enterprises - in adult socialization and in the production of strong support for the Soviet regime as a whole. The concept of `embeddedness in the regime', which refers to the number and strength of social ties between an individual (or a group) and the existing political regime, is suggested as an analytically useful concept in the analysis of Soviet society.