Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 07:37:04 -0600 (MDT)
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To: psn-special@csf.colorado.edu
From: TR Young <TR.Young@uvm.edu>
Subject: Working Toward a Just World
Cc: ahs-talk@ncsu.edu, TEACHSOC@maple.lemoyne.edu,
        SOCIAL-CLASS@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU, socgrad@csf.colorado.edu
The Society for the Study of Social Problems, SSSP,
has issued a booklet containing challenges and visions
and experiences which may be used as guide in working
toward a Just World in the 21st Century.

Pam Roby is Editor of the collection and, in her capacity
as President of SSSP asked four questions of the Chairs
of the various sections of SSSP which asked for:

        1. a vision of a Just World in relation
                 to the mission of each Division.

        2. one or two examples which embody this
                vision/hope.

        3. a list of difficulties/obstacles in working
                toward that vision.

        4. a list of key references upon which to ground
                the quest for a just world.

In her wisdom and essential humanity, Pam has provided all
of us with a valuable resource.

For copies of the booklet, write:

        Executive Office, SSSP
        906 McClung Tower,
        U/Tennesee, Knoxville, Tn
                7996-0490

A Brief Summary:

A. Section on Community Research and Development,
       Bonnie Winfield, Chair:

       Mission for a Just World:
                1. Safe affordable housing
                2. decent health care, nutrition, education
                3. democratic participation in community
                4. elimination of discrimination
               
        Demonstration Projects:
                1. Duidley Street Neighborhood
                2. Centros Sor Isolina Ferre

B. Section on Conflict, Social Action, Social Change,
        Susan Stall, Chair:

        Mission:
                1. Democratic participation in governance
                2. Support for social movements dedicated
                        to social justice
                3. Support for small scale movements
                4. Elimination of structures of Inequality
                5. participatory social research facilities
                6. integrated educational/community relations

        Projects: Policy REsearch Action Group: Chicago
               
C. Crime and Juvenile Delinquency: Nancy Matthews, Chair:
        
        Mission: 
                1. A Criminal Justice System oriented more
                        to justice than social control
                2. More concern with crimes of the powerful
                        against the weak
                3. elimination of targetting by police of
                        minority youth
                4. resources for rehabilitation more than
                        incarceration
                5. preventive policy more so than punitive
                        responses: adequate jobs, support
                        for families, education and recreation
                        support more so than prisons.

        Projects: Family Conference Model, New Zealand, Chicago

D. Drinking/Drugs: Peter Venturelli, Chair:

        Mission: 
                1. an international network of drug research

                2. professional scholarship in drug use

                3. sharing of drug use/abuse information

                4. public forums for debate about drug use policy.
        
                5. a referendum on drug use policy

                6. civil liberties for responsible drug use

                7. share results on drug use policy between nations

                8. support for good teaching/research on drug use.

        Projects: Lindesmith Center, Nationa Develooment and Research
                        Institute, New York

E. Education Problems: Pamela Quiroz, Chair:

        Mission:
                1. Equal opportunity to learn for all peoples
                        regardless of race, ethnicity, gender,
                        sexual preferences and social class.

                2. support of scholarship, research, activism
                        to realize this vision.

        Projects: Head Start, other programs.

F. Environment and Technology: T. Jean Blocker, Chair:

        Mission: 
                1. protection of environment
                
                2. Human rights for a safe environment
                
                3. Public Health regulations enforced for all
                        groups

                4. involvement of poor, minorities in policy

                5. responsibility for pollution by those who pollute.

        Projects: Office of environmental Equity, National 
                        Environmental Justice Advsory Council,
                        Executive Order 12,898 which addresses
                        environmental justice for minorities
                        and low-income populations.

G. Family: Mary Lou Wylie, Chair:

        Mission: 
                1. Basic needs for families guaranteed so
                        families could spend time together;
                        each member develop to full potential.             
                2. Adequate health care.

                3. Gender equality.

                4. compensation/resources for home care; children,
                        aged.

                5. diversity of family forms/family relationships.

        Projects: Sweden

H. Health, Health Policy, and Health Services: Arthur Greil,
          Jeanne Calabor, Jean Elson, co-authors:

        Mission:
                1. Study of social sources of illness, disability.
        
                2. Study of social definitions of health/illness.

                3. Study of health care delivery systems.

                4. Comparisions of health care delivery systems
                        across countries.

        Projects: Other 'Western' industrialized countries offer
                some guide.

I. Labor Studies: Vicki Smith, Chair:

        Mission: 
                1. to work for justice; against inequality on
                        the job.
                2. concern about effects of great transformations
                        in work and economy [on race, gender, class
                        third world nations].
                3. effects of new technologies.
        
                4. study new labor organizations
                
                5. evaluation of transformation of labor movements
        
                6. effects of contract/temporary forms of work.

                7. examination of new froms of racial/gender
                        stratification at work

        Projects: Labor Studies Division of AFL-CIO Organizing 
                        Institute. Sociology Labor Network Directory.

J. Poverty, Class, and Inequality: Alan Spector, Co-Chair:
       [Frank Harold Wilson, Co-Chair did not contribute to this part
of Section Statement. Alan Spector reports he could not
        contact him.

        Mission:
                1. expose ways class structures create misery and
                        injustice as well as poverty.
                2. study/oppose dismantling of social welfare
                        safety nets.
                3. mass imprisonment of minority youths.

                4. ethnic wars among peoples abandoned by capitalism.

                5. evaluate attempts to combat class domination
                        by peoples around the world.

        Projects: Most projects which are cited in Western Societies
                        are founded on surplus profits from
imperialism and sale of military hardware.

                  [One should thus be careful about holding such
                        projects as effective solutions to social
                        problems...they work in so far as they 
                        transfer problems in the USA and Europe to
                        poor countries in the 3rd world...TRY].

K. Psychiatric Sociology: Sarah Rosenfield, Chair:

        Mission: 
                1. Make visible the class, gender differences
                        in patterns of mental distress.
                2. study how differences in childhood experiences,
                        in social relationships, in occupational
                        conditions create such patterns.
                3. study how differences in economic resources
                        affect such patterns.
                4. study effective forms for coping.
                
                5. study effects of mental illness on family,
                        self esteem, homelessness.

        Projects: Training in Community Living, The Clubhouse model
                        are examples mentioned.

L. Sexual Behavior, Politics and Communities: Paula Rust and Lloyd
                Klein, Co-Chairs:

        Mission:
                1. Civil Liberties for sexual expression and
                        sexual being.
                2. Production of responsible scholarship.

                3. Provision of forum for both academic and
                        social activism.
                4. Mentoring, networking among activists/scholars.

        Projects: Denmark is mentioned as a place where same-sex
                        marriages are possible even if adoption of
                        children is not.

M. Social Problems Theory: J. William Spencer, Jim Holstein and
                                Donileen Loseke, Co-Chairs:

        Mission:
                1. Theoretic understanding of social problems
                        through empirical research.
                2. Inter-connections of social problems.

                3. Generation of a knowledge base for progressive
                        social policy on all the problems in SSSP.
                4. Giving a Voice to those who challenge status quo.

        Projects: no special projects were mentioned; importance of
                daily work in teaching classes of social problems is
                central to meeting the missions above.

O. Youth, Aging and the Life Course: Timothy Diamond, Chair:

        Mission: to use the lens of race, class, gender nationality
                        and sexuality to more clearly see the
                        sources of oppression for both older and
                        younger people.

                Thus members of the Section carry on the tradition
                        of critical inquiry into the root causes
                        of such oppression.

                And, of late, there is concern about how such 
                        categories: i.e, children/elderly, are
                        created and reified and used to generate
                        inter-generational conflict.

        Projects: The Gray Panthers, Sweden is mentioned.

Conclusion: There is much more in the booklet...obstacles and
        references are particularly important.  One should note
        that all flaws and faults in this summary are mine and
        mine alone...one should get the booklet for a full
        report.

        SSSP is a large section; there is, likely, a member in your
        department...and section Chairs would be, I am sure, pleased
        to provide you with the full report for their section.

Finally, I would like to commend Pam Roby and all the Section Chairs
who shared their visions and resources with us.  I am most grateful
to have such colleagues.

                                                TR Young, Editor
                                                 FROM THE LEFT
                
                        
                
                                
                

                  
                  

               
TR Young
The Red Feather Institute
8085 Essex, Weidman, Mi.,
  48893--ph: [517] 644 3089
  Email: tr@tryoung.com
         TR.Young@uvm.edu