Strengthening Qualitative Research Through Methodological Innovation and Integration: The Dynamics of Civic Relationships:

通过方法创新和整合加强定性研究：公民关系的动态：

• 批准号: 0719760
• 负责人: Christopher Weare
• 金额: $ 12.5万
• 依托单位: University of Southern California
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-02-15 至 2010-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0719760&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Strengthening; Qualitative; Research; Through; Methodological

SES-0719760Christopher WeareAnn CriglerNina S. EliasophPaul R. LichtermanUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThis study integrates ethnographic research with social network analysis (SNA) to explore the relational, cultural, and institutional dynamics that shape how civic groups define their identities and public issues. The study is motivated by theoretical and empirical findings concerning civic associations, civic culture, and civic engagement. Many studies link a strong civic culture, a set of norms in support of democratic institutions, with a vibrant associational life in which citizens sustain public-spirited conversation and develop solidarities and horizons of interest that reach beyond their circles of like-minded friends. These associations, however, remain somewhat of a black box. Ethnographers who have closely examined associations find that many voluntary associations do not fit the ideal propounded in these theories, that associations actually support multiple forms of civic culture, and that similar activities do occur in other institutional spheres. The study seeks to improve our understanding of how associations shape civic culture by examining how everyday methods of talking and coordinating action both within and between groups help to constitute organizations and their fields. A field is all of the civic, governmental or commercial organizations, coalitions, alliances, etc., that have discussed or acted in relation to a public problem. The study focuses on housing issues in Los Angeles because it is constituted with a rich set of associations with differing interests and cultural backgrounds. This focus also highlights the contrasting understandings that differing groups bring to that field and the dynamics generated by interaction between differing understandings. The research is guided by three key concepts. The first is group styles which are defined as the intersection between speech norms, conceptual boundaries, and membership bonds that have enabling and constraining effect on internal and external interactions. The second is issue vocabularies -- how people define social issues, paying close attention to words and phrases in everyday communication, and the third is networks which are not only the set of ties between individuals and associations but also the meanings attributed to those ties and the stories that sustain them. The empirical work begins with a social network analysis of the association within the housing field to define the how organizations understand the boundaries and structure of the field. The project will then conduct a number of ethnographies to examine the process by which group styles are formed, maintained, and transferred between groups, employing the network data to compare associations' real and perceived environments. This work has empirical and theoretical impacts on the field as well as broader social benefits for addressing perceived deficits in civic engagement. Empirically, this work more closely integrates ethnography and SNA than previous efforts, thereby leveraging insights generated from each method to improve the other. These synergies are critical for exploring the civic dynamics of interest and facilitate theoretical developments by contextualizing ethnographic work and by more deeply exploring the meanings attached to the social relations identified through SNA. This combination will deepen and complement existing work on the civic role of associations in ways that will temper expectations for programs that aim to increase associational participation and refine concepts on the institutional reforms required to promote positive forms of citizenship. Also, by clarifying the diversity of civic styles, it will enhance citizens' sense of choices in civic engagement, particularly those from historically disenfranchised communities that tend not to participate is traditional forms of civic activities.

Christopher WeareAnn CriglerNina S.埃利亚索夫保罗河Lichterman University of Southern California本研究将人种学研究与社会网络分析（SNA）相结合，探索塑造公民团体如何定义其身份和公共问题的关系，文化和制度动态。 本研究的动机是关于公民协会，公民文化和公民参与的理论和实证研究结果。 许多研究将强大的公民文化、一套支持民主体制的规范与充满活力的社团生活联系起来，在这种生活中，公民保持公益性的对话，发展团结和超越志同道合的朋友圈子的兴趣。 然而，这些关联在某种程度上仍然是一个黑匣子。 民族志学者对社团进行了仔细的研究，发现许多志愿社团并不符合这些理论中提出的理想，社团实际上支持多种形式的公民文化，类似的活动也确实发生在其他制度领域。 该研究旨在通过研究团体内部和团体之间的日常对话和协调行动方法如何有助于构成组织及其领域，提高我们对协会如何塑造公民文化的理解。 一个领域是所有的公民，政府或商业组织，联盟，联盟等，讨论或采取行动与公共问题有关。 本研究的重点是洛杉矶的住房问题，因为它是由一组具有不同利益和文化背景的丰富协会组成的。 这一重点还突出了不同群体对这一领域的不同理解，以及不同理解之间的互动所产生的动态。 本研究以三个关键概念为指导。 第一种是群体风格，它被定义为言语规范、概念边界和成员关系之间的交叉点，对内部和外部互动具有促进和约束作用。 第二个是议题词汇-人们如何定义社会议题，密切关注日常交流中的词汇和短语;第三个是网络，它不仅是个人和社团之间的联系，而且是赋予这些联系的意义和维持这些联系的故事。 实证工作开始与社会网络分析的协会在住房领域内，以确定组织如何理解的边界和结构的领域。 然后，该项目将进行一些民族志研究的过程中，群体风格的形成，维持，并在群体之间转移，利用网络数据比较协会的真实的和感知的环境。 这项工作对实地产生了经验和理论影响，并为解决公民参与方面的明显不足带来了更广泛的社会效益。 从经验上讲，这项工作比以前的努力更紧密地结合了人种学和SNA，从而利用每种方法产生的见解来改进另一种方法。 这些协同作用对于探索利益的公民动力至关重要，并通过将民族志工作置于背景中以及通过更深入地探索通过SNA确定的社会关系的意义来促进理论发展。 这种结合将深化和补充关于社团的公民作用的现有工作，从而缓和对旨在增加社团参与的方案的期望，并完善促进积极形式的公民身份所需的体制改革概念。 此外，通过澄清公民风格的多样性，它将增强公民在公民参与方面的选择意识，特别是那些来自历史上被剥夺公民权的社区的人，他们往往不参加传统形式的公民活动。