November 2008 A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR IN THIS ISSUE p1 iNEquality08 Conference Report p1 Rethinking the Role of Economic it would be If this issue had a theme, Sociology in Late Capitalism Conferences: Past and Future. If you missed one of our two midterm conferences— “Inequality beyond globalization” in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, or the First ISA p2 Call for Papers Markets as Networks Forum of Sociology in Barcelona, Spain—we’re pleased to provide some intellec- p3 Work in South Africa tually engaging conference reports in this issue. I owe warm thanks to our many p5 Call for Papers SASE contributors for their meticulous reports crackling with ideas. p9 Call for Papers: CRESC Two years have passed since our last World Congress in South Africa, an occa- Annual Conference sion when many of us traveled to learn more about the new South Africa. Johann p12 Welfare and Gender Regimes Maree, Professor of Sociology at the University of Cape Town, is currently work- ing on two projects on work in his country. He has kindly written a short piece on p15 Transnational Corporations this topic that you can find beginning on page three. p16 Responses to the Emerging Global Plutonomy We have one remaining conference scheduled before the next World Congress. p16 The Knowledge Economy This will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria. Please see the Call for Papers on the next page. p17 Call for Papers Anthropology of Stuff Aaron Pitluck p19 Members’ Recent Research Illinois State University, USA p19 Call for Book Proposals and Papers [email protected] p22 Member Spotlights p23 Readings on the anthropology INEQUALITY08 FIRST ISA FORUM OF SOCIOLOGY of financial markets CONFERENCE REPORT Rethinking the Role of p24 Call for Paper: REA Inequality Beyond Economic Sociology in Late Globalization: Capitalism: Report on p26 VI Workshop Enterprises Economic Changes Economic Sociology and the Dynamics as Critique of Inequality Introduction: Sociological Research and Public Debate on Agenda “Inequality beyond globalization” – the Questioning the purpose and the role of RC02 midterm conference in Neuchâtel, sociology is an inherent part of so- Switzerland (June 26-28, 2008), success- ciological enterprise. A recent wave of fully evaluated the status and prospects rethinking sociology and its position in of research in the development of social the world which took place during the inequalities after the decade of global- last decade has come with the idea of ization discourse. Seven plenary and ‘public sociology’ advocated by Michael 18 workshop sessions connected 130 Burawoy. Burawoy’s powerful assertion of researchers from more than 30 countries. the four sociologies, professional, policy, Due to generous support, especially by critical, and public, and his claim that travel grants for participants from Africa, public sociology is vital for the future Asia, Latin-America and Eastern Europe continued on page 2 continued on page 7 page 2 provided by the Swiss-based World Society Foundation and the Swiss Sociological Association, one fourth Markets as Networks of the papers originated from societ- Date: 25-26 September 2009 ies beyond the Western core (the confer- ence papers are posted on the conference Site: Sofia University, Department of Sociology, Sofia, Bulgaria website, see at http://www2.unine.ch/ Organiser: ISA, RC02 “Economy and Society”, the Department of Sociology, Univer- inequality08). sity of Sofia “St. Kliment Ohridski” and the Bulgarian Sociological Association The conference opened with plenary Topics: The conference aims at reviewing the major conceptual tools that economic lectures by Branko Milanovic (World sociology has proposed to understand the various forms of interplay between markets Bank) and Arthur S. Alderson (Indiana) and network structures. How are markets socially constructed via networks, whether who presented reminders on the state of markets are social networks? How can networks of individuals and firms serve as a the art in global income inequality mea- competitive advantage on the market? As a context, of interest here is market opening and closing as an interaction of global orders and national traditions. Globalization is surement. Milanovic presented results primarily geared toward the opening of markets. However, open markets produce ten- from the ongoing project on individual sions and crises, whose settlement involves new forms of closure through re-regulation income inequality in the world (‘inequal- on a transnational level. In this way, national forms of market order are under pressure ity among world citizens’, as Francois of adjustment. Bourgouinon once took it): we will all How do these macro-processes influence the formation, maintenance and dissolu- remember his description how Brazil al- tion of networks of market players? How do the corporations build their networks and most completely covers the world income what is their effect on national (dis)integrity in particular? What kind of networks form distribution, including both (almost) the and maintain small entrepreneurs? How is their development connected to the migra- richest and the poorest world citiziens, tion streams in the global world and what is the specific role of family networks? The or his borrowing from literary texts, to expectation is to study how the interaction of processes located at different levels of institutionalization produces new, more open and more flexible market and network describe income distribution in the 19th structures. The important focus is expected to be the theoretical clarification of the very century. These insights were paralleled by concept of network and the way in which network mechanisms generate social capital. those of Anthony Shorrocks (UNU, Hel- Social capital is seen here as competitive advantage on the market which has network sinki) who, later, opened the second day origins. Related focus of interest is on information as a core of intersection between with a precise description of the chang- market and network: how and under what circumstances the structure of prior relations ing patterns of global wealth ownership, among people and organisations in a market can affect, or replace, the flow of market and corresponded to Milanovic in the information and what can people do with it? The network mechanisms such as conta- stressing of the importance of new in- gion (imitation), prominence (reputation), closure, brokerage, etc. should be explored. comes and fortunes in emerging societies Topics: - The Concept of Network; Network Formation, Maintenance and Dissolution: such as China and Russia. An unexpected the Network Structure of Social Capital; Markets as Social Networks; - Small Entre- twist of Shorrocks lay in the hint that, preneurship, Family Networks and Migration in a Globalizing World; - Corporation in after correcting for GDP growth and ex- Networks – National (Dis)Integrity?; - Different Market Routes – Different Networks. change rates, the highest rise in fortunes The general objective of the conference is to attract papers reporting on recent empirical was in the five large conservative welfare research, theoretical contributions and, of course, good combinations of the two. states (Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and Language: English the Netherlands) and Australia, while Fee: 80 € and is payable upon arrival or via bank transfer (For details see conference Japan and even Taiwan fell behind in that registration form on the website.) For early bird registration until 1 May 2009: 50 €. regard. Limited grants available for young researchers and also scholars from CEE can apply for Alderson presented the state of his a fee waiver and contribution to their travel expenses. research on the income developments in different income strata which recently Deadline: March 1, 2009. The abstracts should not exceed 500 words. Please send an spread from earlier work on core societ- abstract using the form on the website and also a short CV with a list of publications. ies to the analysis of semi-peripheral Information on acceptance will be sent to participants at the end of March 2009. The countries, showing that even income final deadline for papers is set for 5th of September 2009. inequality is definitely more than just Gini-coefficients. Contact: Assoc. Prof. Tanya Chavdarova (University of Sofia, Department of Sociology, A session on new concepts of inequal- 125 Tzarigradsko Shosse Blvd., Bl. 4, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria) ity showed the high level, but equally E-mail: [email protected] Tel.: +359 888 719 376; /Fax: +359 2 870 6260 high complexity and diversity of recent Internet: http://www.netmark.bsa-bg.org inequality understanding. Sylvia Walby page 3 (Lancaster/GB) traced the influence both for Germany and Great Britain. of globalization on the complexity of Contrasting to these dynamics, Pascale recent inequalities, while Manuela Boatca Gazareth and Christian Suter (Neuchâtel, (Eichstätt/D) challenged the notion of Switzerland) were able to show the im- ‘new’ inequalities by uncovering traces of portance of cultural deprivation, i.e. the old vertical structures in the globalized existence or non-existence of culturally reality, and Bettina Mahlert (Bielefeld/D) accepted living standards as dish washers, discussed the insights which the neo- as a measure of social inequality, while institutionalist theory of world polity noting a remarkable stability over the five adds to the study of global inequality. years under study. Gertraude Mikl-Horke (Vienna) added The third and fourth plenary lectures her understanding of a new dichotomy combined two known experts of in- between actors and subjects in economic equalities in the respective world regions Work in South Africa change. of their study: Evelyne Huber (North Paid work in South Africa is very In the session on persistence and Carolina) on Latin America and Nina different from paid work in the rest of changes in inequalities, two European Bandelj (Irvine) on the East European Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas most paid work in Africa is For transition countries, Bandelj showed that the informal, a remarkably small propor- tion of it is informal in South Africa. Informal work is work that is not transition from socialism to regulated in any way.