Ansgar Weymann

Grundlagentheoretische Voraussetzungen Methodisch Kontrollierten Fremdverstehens

Das Abschlusskapitel versucht eine mogliche wissenschafts- und grundlagentheoretische Plattform fur die Ansatze dieses Sammelbandes zu formulieren. (0)

Future of the Life Course

The life course and life course policy have become a focus of attention and inquiry as a consequence of occidental modernization. Modern society is characterized by high degrees of complexity, differentiation, and functional specialization, resulting in individualized lives, as well as by the continuing rationalization of societal institutions. Individuals became liberated and at the same time disconnected from religion, tradition, and local communities—from everyday life-worlds. Highly specialized institutions tailored to all segments and situations in the life course, from cradle to grave, have replaced Gemeinschaft (community) with Gesellschaft (society).

Sozialer Wandel, Generationsverhältnisse und Technikgenerationen

Das Thema Generationen und Generationsverhaltnisse spiegelt seit alters den Versuch wider, die historische Zeit sozialer Gemeinschaften und die individuelle Lebenszeit in Beziehung zu setzen1. Das Individuum tritt in die Geschichte einer Familie, einer Orts- oder Religionsgemeinschaft ein und findet darin seinen Platz. In modernen Fassungen uberschreitet der Generationsbegriff jedoch diesen engen gemeinschaftlichen Bereich. Er wird ein makrosoziologisches Konzept. In der Soziologie verbindet sich seit Mannheims klassischem Aufsatz uber das „Problem der Generationen“ (Mannheim 1978) die Idee der Verflechtung historischer Zeiten und differierender sozialer Lagerungen von Geburtskohorten mit der Vorstellung einer damit einhergehenden Entwicklung jeweils historisch unterschiedlichen sozialen Wissens von Kohorten als Generationen. Personal gepragte familiare Generationsbeziehungen werden um strukturell bedingte gesellschaftliche Generationsverhaltnisse erganzt. Das historisch alte Thema der Generationen erhalt eine sozialstrukturelle, kulturelle und politische Makrodimension.

The Educating State—Historical Developments and Current Trends

Education policy is considered a classic prerogative of the modern nation state. In the twenty-first century, we have seemingly entered a period of transformation of the state toward internationalization in the field of education policy. How do the forces of national legacies and the forces of global universalism interact in times when international organizations (IOs) are designing and implementing concepts for international education policies and trying to shape national education policy outputs? This chapter contends that nation states respond in idiosyncratic ways to the new international influences as a result of pecularities in path-dependencies which determine—what we call— national transformation capacities. Two principle dynamics of development are possible.

The Internationalization of Education Policy: Towards Convergence of National Paths?

Education policy is today considered a classic prerogative of the modern nation state. As a means to integrate the nation state and as a key tool to improve economic growth, it denotes a core element of its sovereignty and autonomy. Today, however, steps towards the internationalization of education policy can be observed (Bascia et al. 2005; Daun 2005; Mundy 2005; Zajda 2005). With initiatives such as the ‘Programme for International Student Assessment’ (PISA; directed by the OECD) and the Bologna process (in the EU context), international organizations (IOs) have increasingly become important actors in education policy. But how did education policy become transferred to the international level? Why are states willing to share control of their sphere of this policy field? In this chapter, we show that the reasons for this diffusion of statehood in education policy lie in the domestic domain itself: as states are increasingly unable to solve their problems individually, they turn to international organizations and ask them to develop internationally applicable solutions. However, by transferring responsibilities for education policy to international organizations, states triggered institutional dynamics within the IOs leading to the progress of internationally adopted standards and the harmonization of systems. These developments have a strong impact on national paths in education policy as they can lead to convergence between states.

Social change and the life course in East Germany: a cohort approach to inequalities

Outlines the experiences of East Germany as unification takes place. Presents the findings of a study analysing three groups of East Germans in their transitions from education to employment and subsequent careers from 1985 onwards. Suggests that the findings indicate that changes in macro structure and life courses are closely interrelated. Covers mobility, unemployment, retraining, competition, fertility rates and coping strategies.

Berufliche Mobilität im Transformationsprozeß

Die Transformation Ostdeutschlands von einer sozialistischen Planwirtschaft zu einer sozialen, von staatlichen Interventionen gerahmten Marktwirtschaft wurde durch eine Ubertragung der westdeutschen Institutionen eingeleitet, die mit den Wahlen vom Marz 1990, der Wahrungsunion und den Vereinbarungen des Einigungsvertrags ihren Abschlus fand (Mayer 1996: 332).

Integration and the Education State. Institutional History and Public Discourse in England, France, Germany, and the US

Social integration through education and education policy serves as a panacea against the multifaceted social ills of modern society. As a means of integrating the nation-state through culture and ideology, as a key tool for improving political power and legitimacy through educational meritocracy and credentials, and through fueling and stimulating economic growth via human capital investment, education policy denotes a core element of the state’s sovereignty and autonomy. The assumed potential of education to improve political, economic and cultural development has made education policy increasingly important within the spectrum of national policy fields. This chapter first studies the rise of the Education State in western nations from the early beginnings in the 16th century to the heyday of the education state at the dawn of the 20th century. Then, the chapter analyzes the public discourse of education and education policy throughout the 20th century in the international press: the Frankfurter (Allgemeine) Zeitung, The Times, The New York Times and Le Figaro. Surprisingly, education coverage of national and international aspects of education has declined in the course of the 20th century. Has the rise of the Education State and the confidence in the panacea of education policy reached its limits?

Sociology in Germany: Institutional Development and Paradigmatic Structure

The German Sociological Association (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Soziologie/DGS) was established in 1909. Its first meeting was held in Frankfurt in 1910. Both dates indicate a longish history of German sociology. That history also signals a typically German problem: this chapter is in fact not about sociology in all Germany nor about all sociology in German. First, sociology in the German Democratic Republic is excluded. After a late start and a time of troubled recovery in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which included conflicts with the official doctrine of Marxism-Leninism (Weymann, 1972), it may now be experiencing an interesting development. Second, sociology in Austria (and German-speaking Switzerland) is also excluded, although separate national sociological associations were only founded very recently and mutual memberships as well as common annual meetings continue — for example, 5th meeting Vienna, 1926; 6th meeting Zurich, 1928; 24th meeting Zurich, 1988 (see Lepsius, 1981a; Knoll et al., 1981; Kasler, 1981). Third, this article will not deal with the impact of Nazism, which forced about 80 per cent of sociologists to emigrate or to retire and caused some other scholars to collaborate with the regime (Lepenies, 1981; Lepsius, 1981b; Mertens, 1987). Thus it is basically my aim to describe sociology in the Federal Republic of Germany, with the history of sociology in Germany as the broader frame of reference (Konig, 1987; Lepsius, 1981a; Luschen, 1979a).

Utilization of social sciences in public discourse: Labeling problems

This article reports the main results of an empirical research project on the utilization of social sciences in the field of labor market and educational policy in West Germany since the 1960s. The research interest focused upon utilization of social science knowledge in public discourse paralleling policy decisions. The analysis shows that the social sciences are used extensively for labeling social problems. The use made of social science knowledge can be described as a certain combination of instrumental and conceptual utilization. In the concluding section of the article, the innovation problem of social science utilization is considered.