Calls for Papers: "ERCES ONLINE QUARTERLY REVIEW Back to Top
The Online Quarterly Review of Crime, Ethics and Social Philosophy, an interdisciplinary international journal, is the official journal of the European & International Research Group on Crime, Ethics and Social Philosophy (ERCES). ERCES was founded as a satellite of the European Society of Criminology. On account of the specific nature of its missions and objectives, ERCES is committed to set up a structure of organization which shall remain closely in link with the ESC, but acquire progressively relative independance and autonomy. The ERCES-Online-Journal is a quarterly published revue.
The journal is dedicated to investigation & fundamental theoretical discussion of crime and deviance, providing a focal centre for ethics, social philosophy and social theory discussion; in particular it is committed to provide criminologists and deviancy-theorists with fundamental ethical, historical and social philosophical issues. Ethics is thought as a broad range of morals in the various fields of social life - politics, justice and economics. Ethics and social philosophy issues which have received lees consideration in contemporary discussions on crime and deviancy than other issues.
The Review seeks submissions on issues that contribute to development of empirical and theoretical knowledge within the field of ethics, crime/deviance and Social Philosophy. The Reviews aims to develop investigation of the relation between norms & values and the relevance of norms and values to social control, crime and criminal justice issues.
Specific foci might be the relation between facts and norms; the ethical, philosophical and religious aspects of crime and deviancy; universals, collective values and multicultural societies, value-systems in pre-modern, modern and late-modern society; social control and political/economical ethics; morally deplorable acts and formal / informal social reaction; crime,laity and religion; common consciousness, social philosophy and justice; history of crime - concepts; history of moral philosophy, of criminology and deviance-theory.
The Review is an pluralistic, interdisciplinary international journal. It is an inherent part in the interactive strategy of ERCES; the ERCES-site provides authers and lecturers with an interactive round-table discussion. The access to the ERCES Online Quarterly Review is free. The Revue is a peer-revied journal. Considering that the access to scientific knowledge shall be equal for all and free, we are not seeking for subscription fees. But we are pleased to receive donations and / or funds which help to maintain free access and to reach our goals. All submissions must be in English and submitted electronically (in Microsoft Works, Microsoft Word(6.0 or higher),or Word Perfect format). All submissions and enquiries should be addressed to Thomas Gilly, chief-editor at editorqreverces@yahoo.fr
Online journal address
http://www.erces.com/journal/Journal.htm"
Welcome
I think Sociology is a lot like how the writer and director of The Incredibles describes cartoons:
In sociology, we often call this the "definition of the situation". It could be extended perhaps to also capture the spirit of what Mills called the "Sociological Imagination". No matter what moniker we give it, it is with this "essence" that I believe sociologists must concern themselves, not as rigid actuaries or impartial "scientists", but rather to approach their task much like the artist--with expression, grace, humility, as well as a good dose of criticism.
When an artist visualizes a painting they are working on, they have in their minds-eye an image of how it will look. Even when the "reality" of what they are actually looking at may simply be a block of stone or a blank canvas and table full of paints to mix. They can shape the creative process, but they do not control it completely. What shape their work will finally achieve is largely due to how they urge their clay, stone, paint or musical notation to find its expression in the face of significant constraints, i.e., time, temperature, temper and even a little bit of luck. Their final product may not look "identical" to what they had in mind, but their ability to "bump it up" can have breathtaking results. Take Michelangelo's masterpiece "Il Davido". Considered virtually perfect by many in the art world, the marble from which this sublime form was born was was rejected as flawed by others:
The gallery that houses this masterpiece is entered through a good sized hallway lined on both sides with the guardians of David--a group of unfinished works called "The Captives", aptly named because they look like bodies frozen in the cold hard marble yearning to break out. Michelangelo abandoned them because they were too far from his vision. However, when I visited the museum, I was really taken by these figures--I could see on the one hand how they were not "perfect", but there was something quite spectacular in their imperfection. It all boiled down to a matter of interpretation and vision.
Sociologists face the same dilemma. I think we have a great chance to work with diverse communities to address important social problems. We must remain aware, however, that our goal is not to "reproduce reality" or impose solutions on communities that are external and coercive of their needs. Our job is to use all of the tools in our kit to "bump it up" and encourage individuals to appreciate the beauty of community involvement and the satisfaction of (cultural) self-determination.
The reason to do animation is caricature. Good caricature picks out the essense of the statement and removes everything else. It's not simply about reproducing reality; It's about bumping it up.Good research and teaching by sociologists should likewise attempt to find the essence of a statement and remove everything else. Of course I am not naive enough to think that "essence"="TRUTH", or that all of the external forces and pressures individuals confront, especially in marginalized communities, can somehow be magically removed or held constant. I consider what Bird calls essence more a reflection of the process of sense making in which people engage everyday in order to bring some modicum of rationality to a seemingly hyper-irrational set of social contexts and interactions.
In sociology, we often call this the "definition of the situation". It could be extended perhaps to also capture the spirit of what Mills called the "Sociological Imagination". No matter what moniker we give it, it is with this "essence" that I believe sociologists must concern themselves, not as rigid actuaries or impartial "scientists", but rather to approach their task much like the artist--with expression, grace, humility, as well as a good dose of criticism.
When an artist visualizes a painting they are working on, they have in their minds-eye an image of how it will look. Even when the "reality" of what they are actually looking at may simply be a block of stone or a blank canvas and table full of paints to mix. They can shape the creative process, but they do not control it completely. What shape their work will finally achieve is largely due to how they urge their clay, stone, paint or musical notation to find its expression in the face of significant constraints, i.e., time, temperature, temper and even a little bit of luck. Their final product may not look "identical" to what they had in mind, but their ability to "bump it up" can have breathtaking results. Take Michelangelo's masterpiece "Il Davido". Considered virtually perfect by many in the art world, the marble from which this sublime form was born was was rejected as flawed by others:
Michelangelo took a rejected piece of marble that had numerous veins running through it and carved it into this Goliath-sized sculpture that was originally commissioned by Opera del Duomo
Michelangelo was young when he completed The David, yet you can see his talent and genius in this sculpture. He was 25 years old when he began the statue in 1501. No other sculptor wanted this piece of marble because it could be prone to shatter, but Michelangelo created a masterpiece with it...
The gallery that houses this masterpiece is entered through a good sized hallway lined on both sides with the guardians of David--a group of unfinished works called "The Captives", aptly named because they look like bodies frozen in the cold hard marble yearning to break out. Michelangelo abandoned them because they were too far from his vision. However, when I visited the museum, I was really taken by these figures--I could see on the one hand how they were not "perfect", but there was something quite spectacular in their imperfection. It all boiled down to a matter of interpretation and vision.
Sociologists face the same dilemma. I think we have a great chance to work with diverse communities to address important social problems. We must remain aware, however, that our goal is not to "reproduce reality" or impose solutions on communities that are external and coercive of their needs. Our job is to use all of the tools in our kit to "bump it up" and encourage individuals to appreciate the beauty of community involvement and the satisfaction of (cultural) self-determination.
Friday, March 20, 2009
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