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ISPSAM-ISP - Samfunnsvitenskap

New directions in studies of social differentiation, power, class, status and elite

Awarded: NOK 3.0 mill.

The first Activity of the Project was an international seminar on prosopography and elite studies at UiB november 2012. Prosopography entails investigating a Select Group of historical actors by means of a collective study of their life courses. The Method has not been Applied often in a Norwegian context, but has great potential in extensive studies of elite Groups and Networks. The seminar was followed up in Lausanne spring 2014, aiming at international Research Cooperation. In 2012/13 the Project supported the writing of an article by Vegard Jarness on Cultural preferences and consumption patterns relating to social class, later published in Sociology (see pub.list). In 2013 the Project also supported a Project at NOVA by Jon Ivar Elstad on the consequences of the School reform called "Kunnskapsløftet" on social inequalities in Norwegian primary School, which later also resulted in an international publication by Elstad and Bakken (see pub.list). The Project also partly sponsored the writing of an article by Hagne Flemmen UiO, which has later resulted in an article in Sociology (see pub.list). In february 2014 the Project staged a researcher/PhD course in network analysis at UiB. In june 2014 the Project leaders and international collaborators took part in a Conference in Lausanne on Understanding transformations of Economic Elites in Europe, following up talks initiated in Bergen, laying Foundation for the later Conference at LSE in november 2015 (see below). The major Project Activity in 2014 was an international Conference in Paris 23-24. october (35 selected papers and 4 keynote speakers) on Knowledge, status and power. Elite education, training and expertice, in Cooperation With SciencesPo, Paris, With Agnès van Zanten and Marte Mangset as coordinators. The Conference has resulted in the publication of two special issues in international journals (one in French, the other in English)and inspired further publications. The major Activity in 2015 was a Conference at LSE/London in november on Changes in Elites in Europe, in Collaboration With the Sociology Department at LSE. Based on the Conference (44 selected papers and 3 invited speakers) an international book publication was planned, and later contracted With Routledge, titled "New Directions in Elite Studies". The editors of the book are Olav Korsnes, Johan Heilbron, Johs. Hjellbrekke, Mike Saavage and Felix Bühlmann. All manuscrips have been delivered by July 2017, and prospective date of publication is 2017/18. The book represents a pioneering work in studies of elites, theoretically, methodologically and thematic, and contains contributions from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, France, Holland and UK.

The opposition between class analysis and elite sociology has a long history in sociology and several attempts at a synthesis have also been made, since Raymond Aron in 1950 diagnosed the problem as finding out what is the relation between social differen tiation and political hierarchy in modern societies, using international comparisons as a main research tool to answer the question.Despite these attempts at a conceptual clarification of the relations between social class, status groups and elite(s), a s ynthesis still seems to be as hard to achieve as it was at the time Aron diagnosed the problem. Reformulating Aron's diagnosis of the problem as one that has to do with the exploration and possible development of theoretical and methodological tools to s tudy how various processes of social differentiation relate to the molding of class divides and hierarchical relations of power and domination in different domains, the project will take up only some of the challenges that follow from such a research prog ram. When it comes to improving and strengthening knowledge about, and competence on methodological approaches that have long traditions or are emergent in international sociology, but which have been somewhat of a blind spot in Norwegian, and even in Sca ndinavian sociology, we will focus on network analysis, sequence analysis and prosographic data collection. The project design includes four main instruments - Regular work-shops over specific theoretical and methodological challenges - Engagement of re searchers with specific international publication projects - Invitation of recognised international scholars - Allocation of funds to relieve researchers from teaching duties Main activities of the project will consist in - A series of workshops - An int ernational conference with invited key note speakers - A series of PhD courses and seminars

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ISPSAM-ISP - Samfunnsvitenskap

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