Ethnic Boundary Making: Institutions, Power, Networks by Andreas Wimmer (English

Description: Ethnic Boundary Making by Andreas Wimmer It is hard to avoid seeing ethnicity, race, or nationality wherever one looks. Differences in education, income, and health are often patterned along ethnic or racial lines. But how do we disentangle discrimmation and preferences for certain groups from the everyday working of labor markets and educational institutions or privileging family members or those with similar educational backgrounds? Drawing on a boundary-making perspective first championed by anthropologist Fredrick Barth, Andreas Wimmer introduces a new comparative theory of ethnicity. It explains precisely how and why ethnicity matters in certain societies and contexts but not in others, and why it is sometimes associated with inequality and exclusion, with political and public debate, with closely-held identity, while in other cases ethnicity, race and nationhood do not structure the allocation of resources, invite little political passion, and represent secondary aspects of individual identity. Wimmer argues that when ethnic and racial differences matter they matter because of institutional incentives, differences in power, and pre-existing social networks.Wimmer first provides a broad overview of different ethnic configurations around the world, outlines the new theory, and proposes a set of research designs based on non-ethnic units of observation. Next, he draws on these methods to demonstrate how the utility of the boundary-making approach through a qualitative study of immigrant ethnicity in Switzerland, a network analysis of racial and ethnic boundaries of U.S. college students on Facebook, and a statistical analysis of cultural values in the European Union. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Why does ethnicity matter in certain societies and contexts but not in others? Drawing on the boundary-making perspective first championed by anthropologist Fredrick Barth, Andreas Wimmer introduces a comparative analytic of ethnic group formation. He analyzes how and why ethnic boundaries are sometimes associated with inequality and exclusion, with political salience and public debate, with enduring loyalty and thick identities, while in other cases ethnicity andrace do not structure the allocation of resources, invite little political passion, and represent only secondary aspects of individual identity. Wimmer argues that three key mechanisms influence thedynamics and consequences of ethnic boundary-making: institutional incentives , the distribution of power between individuals, and the reach of pre-existing social networks.Cautioning against seeing ethnicity wherever one looks, Wimmer argues for disentangling ethnic and non-ethnic group formation processes and proposes a set of research designs, analytical principles, and strategies of interpretation appropriate for the task. Several qualitative and quantitativestudies then apply this agenda : on how local residents in immigrant neighborhoods draw symbolic boundaries against each other, on the ethnic and racial composition of friendship networks, and how ethnicclosure influences cultural values. By overcoming essentialist approaches to ethnicity while avoiding the pitfalls of excessive constructivism, Ethnic Boundary Making offers a new perspective on a topic of vital interest to sociologists, anthropologists, and ethnic studies scholars. Author Biography Andreas Wimmer is Professor of Sociology and Faculty Associate of Politics at Princeton University. His research is aimed at understanding the dynamics of nation-state formation, ethnic boundary making and political conflict from a comparative perspective. He is author of Nationalist Exclusion and Ethnic Conflicts: Shadows of Modernity (Cambridge, 2002) and Waves of War: Nationalism and Ethnic Politics in the Modern World (Cambridge 2012) and hisarticles have been published by the American Journal of Sociology, the American Sociological Review, World Politics, Sociological Theory and Ethnic and Racial Studies, among others. Professor Wimmers work has won bestarticle awards from the Comparative Historical, Political, Cultural, and Theory sections of the American Sociological Association as well as the Thyssen Prize for Best Article in the Social Sciences. Table of Contents Introduction1. Herders Heritage2. Strategies and Means3. Conflict and Consensus4. Categorization struggles5. Network Boundaries6. Culture and ClosureConclusionsAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex Review "Ethnic Boundary Making has the makings of a classic. The author takes on a vast and important topic, provides a bold and ambitious theoretical agenda, and engages in theory development by convincingly confronting his hypotheses with data of various kinds. As he goes along, Wimmer explains the implications of his findings for a wide range of theories and debates in sociology and beyond, engaging with the best and the brightest in themulti-disciplinary literatures on ethno-racial divisions, immigration and citizenship, and group formation. This ambitious book will surely leave its mark and be widely debated." -Michele Lamont, author of The Dignity ofWorking Men: Morality and the Boundaries of Race, Class, and Immigration"Ethnic Boundary Making summarizes a vast research program on the topic. Wimmer problematizes what others have taken for granted by showing that ethnicity is neither pre-determined and immutable, nor entirely constructed and malleable. In the end, ethnic boundaries reflect the interaction between the power of privileged groups seeking to legitimize their position and those of subordinate ones to alter, though various strategies, their own. Wimmersvast erudition and command of empirical materials worldwide makes the book both a valuable reference point and worth arguing with." -Alejandro Portes, Howard Harrison and Gabrielle Snyder Beck Professor ofSociology, Princeton University"This is one of the most exciting books I have read in any social science in two decades. It offers a root-and-branch revamping of the constructivist paradigm in the study of ethnic division, infusing a field marred by national myopia and cultural parochialism, rampant moralism and stale political posturing with conceptual rigor, empirical vigor, historical depth and geographic breadth. Mating theoretical insights from Barth, Moerman and Bourdieu, Wimmerelaborates a lucid comparative analytic of how and why ethnicity matters. He demonstrates its merits by taking us on a dazzling world tour of salient cases, past and present, and he rolls outsophisticated research designs suited to disentangling ethnic from other dynamics of social structuration. Ethnic Boundary Making marks a signal advance in the study of inequality, identity, and group formation, and it will cement Wimmers place at the forefront of analytic sociology." -Loïc Wacquant, author of Urban Outcasts"The sweeping theoretical ambition of Ethnic Boundary Making is innovative and exciting; Wimmers analytic framework enables the systematized accumulation of knowledge about ethnic boundary processes from the most diverse contexts, promising genuine theoretical advancement of this field." -American Journal of Sociology Promotional Drawing on the boundary-making perspective first championed by anthropologist Fredrick Barth, Andreas Wimmer introduces a comparative analytic of ethnic group formation that overcomes essentialist approaches while also avoiding the pitfalls of excessive constructivism. Long Description Why does ethnicity matter in certain societies and contexts but not in others? Drawing on the boundary-making perspective first championed by anthropologist Fredrick Barth, Andreas Wimmer introduces a comparative analytic of ethnic group formation. He analyzes how and why ethnic boundaries are sometimes associated with inequality and exclusion, with political salience and public debate, with enduring loyalty and thick identities, while in other cases ethnicity andrace do not structure the allocation of resources, invite little political passion, and represent only secondary aspects of individual identity. Wimmer argues that three key mechanisms influence thedynamics and consequences of ethnic boundary-making: institutional incentives , the distribution of power between individuals, and the reach of pre-existing social networks.Cautioning against seeing ethnicity wherever one looks, Wimmer argues for disentangling ethnic and non-ethnic group formation processes and proposes a set of research designs, analytical principles, and strategies of interpretation appropriate for the task. Several qualitative and quantitativestudies then apply this agenda : on how local residents in immigrant neighborhoods draw symbolic boundaries against each other, on the ethnic and racial composition of friendship networks, and how ethnicclosure influences cultural values. By overcoming essentialist approaches to ethnicity while avoiding the pitfalls of excessive constructivism, Ethnic Boundary Making offers a new perspective on a topic of vital interest to sociologists, anthropologists, and ethnic studies scholars. Review Text "Ethnic Boundary Making has the makings of a classic. The author takes on a vast and important topic, provides a bold and ambitious theoretical agenda, and engages in theory development by convincingly confronting his hypotheses with data of various kinds. As he goes along, Wimmer explains the implications of his findings for a wide range of theories and debates in sociology and beyond, engaging with the best and the brightest in themulti-disciplinary literatures on ethno-racial divisions, immigration and citizenship, and group formation. This ambitious book will surely leave its mark and be widely debated." -Michele Lamont, author of The Dignity ofWorking Men: Morality and the Boundaries of Race, Class, and Immigration"Ethnic Boundary Making summarizes a vast research program on the topic. Wimmer problematizes what others have taken for granted by showing that ethnicity is neither pre-determined and immutable, nor entirely constructed and malleable. In the end, ethnic boundaries reflect the interaction between the power of privileged groups seeking to legitimize their position and those of subordinate ones to alter, though various strategies, their own. Wimmersvast erudition and command of empirical materials worldwide makes the book both a valuable reference point and worth arguing with." -Alejandro Portes, Howard Harrison and Gabrielle Snyder Beck Professor ofSociology, Princeton University"This is one of the most exciting books I have read in any social science in two decades. It offers a root-and-branch revamping of the constructivist paradigm in the study of ethnic division, infusing a field marred by national myopia and cultural parochialism, rampant moralism and stale political posturing with conceptual rigor, empirical vigor, historical depth and geographic breadth. Mating theoretical insights from Barth, Moerman and Bourdieu, Wimmerelaborates a lucid comparative analytic of how and why ethnicity matters. He demonstrates its merits by taking us on a dazzling world tour of salient cases, past and present, and he rolls outsophisticated research designs suited to disentangling ethnic from other dynamics of social structuration. Ethnic Boundary Making marks a signal advance in the study of inequality, identity, and group formation, and it will cement Wimmers place at the forefront of analytic sociology." -Loïc Wacquant, author of Urban Outcasts"The sweeping theoretical ambition of Ethnic Boundary Making is innovative and exciting; Wimmers analytic framework enables the systematized accumulation of knowledge about ethnic boundary processes from the most diverse contexts, promising genuine theoretical advancement of this field." -American Journal of Sociology Review Quote "Ethnic Boundary Making has the makings of a classic. The author takes on a vast and important topic, provides a bold and ambitious theoretical agenda, and engages in theory development by convincingly confronting his hypotheses with data of various kinds. As he goes along, Wimmer explains the implications of his findings for a wide range of theories and debates in sociology and beyond, engaging with the best and the brightest in the multi-disciplinary literatures on ethno-racial divisions, immigration and citizenship, and group formation. This ambitious book will surely leave its mark and be widely debated." -Michele Lamont, author of The Dignity of Working Men: Morality and the Boundaries of Race, Class, and Immigration "Ethnic Boundary Making summarizes a vast research program on the topic. Wimmer problematizes what others have taken for granted by showing that ethnicity is neither pre-determined and immutable, nor entirely constructed and malleable. In the end, ethnic boundaries reflect the interaction between the power of privileged groups seeking to legitimize their position and those of subordinate ones to alter, though various strategies, their own. Wimmers vast erudition and command of empirical materials worldwide makes the book both a valuable reference point and worth arguing with." -Alejandro Portes, Howard Harrison and Gabrielle Snyder Beck Professor of Sociology, Princeton University "This is one of the most exciting books I have read in any social science in two decades. It offers a root-and-branch revamping of the constructivist paradigm in the study of ethnic division, infusing a field marred by national myopia and cultural parochialism, rampant moralism and stale political posturing with conceptual rigor, empirical vigor, historical depth and geographic breadth. Mating theoretical insights from Barth, Moerman and Bourdieu, Wimmer elaborates a lucid comparative analytic of how and why ethnicity matters. He demonstrates its merits by taking us on a dazzling world tour of salient cases, past and present, and he rolls out sophisticated research designs suited to disentangling ethnic from other dynamics of social structuration. Ethnic Boundary Making marks a signal advance in the study of inequality, identity, and group formation, and it will cement Wimmers place at the forefront of analytic sociology." -Loc Wacquant, author of Urban Outcasts "The sweeping theoretical ambition of Ethnic Boundary Making is innovative and exciting; Wimmers analytic framework enables the systematized accumulation of knowledge about ethnic boundary processes from the most diverse contexts, promising genuine theoretical advancement of this field." -American Journal of Sociology Feature Conferences: ASOA, ESS, MSS, NCSA, PSS, SSS, APSA, MWPS, AAA, International Association for Social Network Analysis (INSNA), Association of the Studies of Nationalities, Association of the Study of Ethnicity (ASN) and Nationalism (ASEN)Courses: Race and Ethnicity (SS0440); Political Sociology (SSA630); Sociology of Ethnic Groups (SSA680); Ethnicity and Race Relations (SSA230); Comparative Politics (SS6215);Selling point: Draws on sophistacted theory and empirical research to introduce a broad comparative theory of ethnicity Details ISBN0199927391 Author Andreas Wimmer Short Title ETHNIC BOUNDARY MAKING Series Oxford Studies in Culture and Politics Language English ISBN-10 0199927391 ISBN-13 9780199927395 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY 305.8 Year 2013 Subtitle Institutions, Power, Networks Position Professor of Sociology Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States Affiliation Professor of Sociology, Princeton University UK Release Date 2013-02-07 AU Release Date 2013-02-07 NZ Release Date 2013-02-07 US Release Date 2013-02-07 Birth 1564 Death 1593 Qualifications BA, MED Pages 304 Publisher Oxford University Press Inc Publication Date 2013-02-07 Imprint Oxford University Press Inc Alternative 9780199927371 Illustrations 10 b/w line, 2 b/w halftone Audience Tertiary & Higher Education We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:97825994;

Price: 44.9 AUD

Location: Melbourne

End Time: 2024-11-26T21:01:32.000Z

Shipping Cost: 9.46 AUD