From 25th to 27th of April I attended the VIth Catalan and Ist International Conference of Sociology, Societies and Cultures, Beyond the Borders, at Perpignan, France.
This summer, professor Cristina Petreñas (University of Barcelona), professor Ignasi Puigdellívol and me published the paper titled "From educational segregation to transformative inclusion" at the International Review of Qualitative Research, edited by Norman K. Danzin, within a monographic on Communicative Methodology.
Abstract: Recent studies conducted in Europe using communicative methodology highlight that different ways of grouping students has a direct effect on their academic output. This article analyzes how said research methodology identifies and analyzes those student groupings that provide greater academic success and improve classroom coexistence at Spanish educational centers. Said methodology entails all of the research participants—researchers, teachers, families, and students—reflecting on the consequences of streaming, mixture, and inclusion for student academic achievement. Following this, our conclusions are compared with the policies and educational practices implemented in Spanish schools, which are not based on scientific knowledge and do not usually lead to academic success. Finally, recommendations are presented for future educational policies with the aim of providing an alternative for teachers and educational managers that would substantially improve student academic success.
From 4th to 9th of August I attended the VIth CIS-Harvard Summer Seminar on Sociological and Politological Research, at Boston, USA.
This summer, professor Cristina Petreñas (University of Barcelona), professor Ignasi Puigdellívol and me published the paper titled "From educational segregation to transformative inclusion" at the International Review of Qualitative Research, edited by Norman K. Danzin, within a monographic on Communicative Methodology.
Abstract: Recent studies conducted in Europe using communicative methodology highlight that different ways of grouping students has a direct effect on their academic output. This article analyzes how said research methodology identifies and analyzes those student groupings that provide greater academic success and improve classroom coexistence at Spanish educational centers. Said methodology entails all of the research participants—researchers, teachers, families, and students—reflecting on the consequences of streaming, mixture, and inclusion for student academic achievement. Following this, our conclusions are compared with the policies and educational practices implemented in Spanish schools, which are not based on scientific knowledge and do not usually lead to academic success. Finally, recommendations are presented for future educational policies with the aim of providing an alternative for teachers and educational managers that would substantially improve student academic success.
From 4th to 9th of August I attended the VIth CIS-Harvard Summer Seminar on Sociological and Politological Research, at Boston, USA.
We had an intensive program of seminars and lectures with US and based-in-US Spanish professors, see the program.
I presented a communication titled "Young first generation immigrants social integration in an
assimilationist context. The role of social capital in Spanish immigration". It received good critiques and interesting comments from some of the Seminar's attendees, that will improve this work.
Abstract: This paper shows the diverse implications of family networks and ethnic communities as predictor variables in the social integration of young (aged 16 to 35) first generation immigrants in Spain. There are few works focused on the social mobility of young first generation immigrants. The work is some of the results of the Spanish RTD project “Social Networks as a Social Support Providers” (2008-2011) PSI 2008-01937, and it used the Spanish National Immigration Survey, the largest of its kind to date. We will test whether the Segmented Assimilation Theory (Portes & Zhou, 1993) is true in the case of young first generation immigrants in an assimilationist and acculturationist context. And we can see that the theory’s prediction is only in partly completed, because immigrants with a high number of relatives and strong support should integrate more fully than they do. An acculturationist and assimilationist environment, as like the law enforcement, make solidarity fruitless; have as a consequence that a bigger number of relatives and an even bigger family support network, provides a lower social integration index for immigrants coming from countries with a lower GPD. Path analysis allows us to state that while strong and weak ties separately have a negative impact on social integration, their combined effect presents a positive one. And as like, it shows that assimilation and strong ties, when they are combined they have a positive impact on integration, while when they are taken separately, they have a negative one. We finally highlighted some different features among adult and young immigrant social networks and social capital.
Abstract: This paper shows the diverse implications of family networks and ethnic communities as predictor variables in the social integration of young (aged 16 to 35) first generation immigrants in Spain. There are few works focused on the social mobility of young first generation immigrants. The work is some of the results of the Spanish RTD project “Social Networks as a Social Support Providers” (2008-2011) PSI 2008-01937, and it used the Spanish National Immigration Survey, the largest of its kind to date. We will test whether the Segmented Assimilation Theory (Portes & Zhou, 1993) is true in the case of young first generation immigrants in an assimilationist and acculturationist context. And we can see that the theory’s prediction is only in partly completed, because immigrants with a high number of relatives and strong support should integrate more fully than they do. An acculturationist and assimilationist environment, as like the law enforcement, make solidarity fruitless; have as a consequence that a bigger number of relatives and an even bigger family support network, provides a lower social integration index for immigrants coming from countries with a lower GPD. Path analysis allows us to state that while strong and weak ties separately have a negative impact on social integration, their combined effect presents a positive one. And as like, it shows that assimilation and strong ties, when they are combined they have a positive impact on integration, while when they are taken separately, they have a negative one. We finally highlighted some different features among adult and young immigrant social networks and social capital.
From 10th to 13th of August I attended the 108th American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Interrogating Inequality. Linking Micro and Macro.
ASA's Annual Meeting a great and intense Conference, with a lot of communications' presentations, business meetings, and networking contacts. I strongly recomend it.
From 28th to 30th of August I attended the XIth European Sociological Association Conference, Crisis, Critique and Change.
I attended the Conference with my colleagues from CREA (University of Barcelona), an incredible and dynamic human and research group, that presented around fourteen comunications.
Professor Ana Vidu (University of Barcelona) and me distributed a communication titled "Which network structures and strategies provide greater integration to immigrants in Spain?" at the Research Network 35 of Sociology of Migration.
Abstract: In this paper, we present the results of a quantitative research on the role of social capital in determining the migrants socioeconomic position and their social mobility in Spain. This research is part of the RTD project “Social Networks as a Social Support Providers” (2008-2011) PSI 2008-01937, and we analize data from the National Survey on Immigration, the largest in Spain to date. The theoretical framework draws from different classic contributions on social capital and social networks, and is then applied to the analysis of migrant social networks. For example, we focus on the effects that the different social ties have on social integration (Granovetter, 1973) or the kind of strategies migrants develop: concentrating a great number of family members in the country of destination, or a family network dispersion strategy between countries and regions (Stark & Taylor, 1989). We constructed a typology of social network structures to indicate these strategies, and we analized the degree of socioeconomic promotion they provide. Likewise we highlight differences among countries of origin. In brief, we confirm, first, that in the case of first generation of migrants in Spain large networks, even though they help the migrant, do not provide an upward mobility; on the contrary, smaller networks sustained by a dispersion strategy do achieve this. Secondly, we found that the exclusion that migrants of certain origins face prevent them from having an upward mobility, even though they have extensive social support networks. Thus, the Spanish social structure, discriminates certain origins, and in addition, it does not favor the development of their social networks nor the promotion through these networks.
Abstract: The growing diversity in our societies debates makes new and sometimes conflicting values. The accommodation of religious pluralism is one of the major challenges we face as we reveal the recent outbreaks of racism towards certain minorities. The religious phenomenon, far from diminishing, currently experiences a peak due to changing social paradigm and therefore the need to actively build our personal biography. The balance between the recognition of ethnic and religious minorities, and to ensure equality among all members of a society requires to define guidelines for the management of pluralistic societies. These should be based on scientific evidence that support the building of a society in which members share a public culture, common standards and consensus. Otherwise, not strengthen social cohesion and allow discrimination generates high human and economic costs. In this sense the present communication further defines a model of secularism that guarantees freedom of expression in major areas (education, health, housing, employment, participation) to limit the protection of human rights for all people. Are to be identified and strategies developed in the context of strong diversity are overcoming stereotypes and hate speech among religious traditions. This allows us to identify successful performances universal and transferable in this definition of a model of secularism.
Abstract: In this paper, we present the results of a quantitative research on the role of social capital in determining the migrants socioeconomic position and their social mobility in Spain. This research is part of the RTD project “Social Networks as a Social Support Providers” (2008-2011) PSI 2008-01937, and we analize data from the National Survey on Immigration, the largest in Spain to date. The theoretical framework draws from different classic contributions on social capital and social networks, and is then applied to the analysis of migrant social networks. For example, we focus on the effects that the different social ties have on social integration (Granovetter, 1973) or the kind of strategies migrants develop: concentrating a great number of family members in the country of destination, or a family network dispersion strategy between countries and regions (Stark & Taylor, 1989). We constructed a typology of social network structures to indicate these strategies, and we analized the degree of socioeconomic promotion they provide. Likewise we highlight differences among countries of origin. In brief, we confirm, first, that in the case of first generation of migrants in Spain large networks, even though they help the migrant, do not provide an upward mobility; on the contrary, smaller networks sustained by a dispersion strategy do achieve this. Secondly, we found that the exclusion that migrants of certain origins face prevent them from having an upward mobility, even though they have extensive social support networks. Thus, the Spanish social structure, discriminates certain origins, and in addition, it does not favor the development of their social networks nor the promotion through these networks.
Professor Lena de Botton (University of Barcelona), professor Oriol Rios (University of Barcelona) and me presented a communication titled "Successful actions for the management of religious diversity: A model of secularism for a plural and united society" at Research Network 34 of Sociology of Religion.
Abstract: The growing diversity in our societies debates makes new and sometimes conflicting values. The accommodation of religious pluralism is one of the major challenges we face as we reveal the recent outbreaks of racism towards certain minorities. The religious phenomenon, far from diminishing, currently experiences a peak due to changing social paradigm and therefore the need to actively build our personal biography. The balance between the recognition of ethnic and religious minorities, and to ensure equality among all members of a society requires to define guidelines for the management of pluralistic societies. These should be based on scientific evidence that support the building of a society in which members share a public culture, common standards and consensus. Otherwise, not strengthen social cohesion and allow discrimination generates high human and economic costs. In this sense the present communication further defines a model of secularism that guarantees freedom of expression in major areas (education, health, housing, employment, participation) to limit the protection of human rights for all people. Are to be identified and strategies developed in the context of strong diversity are overcoming stereotypes and hate speech among religious traditions. This allows us to identify successful performances universal and transferable in this definition of a model of secularism.
Both communications, but specially the second one, raised the interest and questions of the attendees.
ESA's it's another interesting and dynamic Conference that gathers professors and researchers all over Europe, and some beyond, that promotes an horitzontal and critical sharing of knowledge and research. I also strongly recommend it.
This summer I also read an interesting book about the Chinese educational and social system, specialy focused on the inculcation and development of the educational desire among the Chinese people. It's an ethnography of the educative community and the educational system of Zouping, a Shangdong's county, that can be transposable to the whole country. I recommend its lecture to those interested in Chinese educational system or interested in China social system in general. Andrew B. Kipnis, 2011, "Governing Educational Desire. Culture, Politics and Schooling in China", Chicago, The University of Chicago Press.
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