Poland has a relatively short history of immigration compared to other member states of the European Union. However, in recent decades, the number of foreigners in Poland has increased significantly. Intercultural relations may take the form of hostility, conflict, antagonism, segregation, separation, neutral co-presence, partial social…

The purpose of this paper is to problematize that which has been taken for granted about the notion of multiculturalism in Japan. Multiculturalism is a "hot" issue in Japan. As the Japanese government started to promote "internationalization" since 1980s, slogans such as "international exchange," "cultural…

The argument undergirding this essay is that the new environmental movement in the United States is partly a symbolic issue. Some liberal or radical members of key strategic elites who are alienated from the social and political system are drawn to concrete issues which serve as a surrogate for a real criticism of the hegemonic structure. The…

The use of polling is partly responsible for a change in the relationship between government and public opinion. There is a range of public opinion from little or no concern to very intense concern about an issue. Polls translate personal beliefs into collective public opinions, often losing the strong feelings at the one end and the moderate…

Five papers from a 1980 conference on normalization reflect contemporary thinking about the principle's implication for mental retardation. G. Dybwad begins with "Normalization and Its Impact on Social and Public Policy," in which he cites progress in the popular attitude towards individuals with retardation. A panel discussion by S. Kaplan, V.…

Although the New Zealand government is spending millions of dollars to teach the Maori language in preschool language nests and immersion primary schools, its language policies are unlikely to succeed because they do not address the perceived low social status of the language. A marketing paradigm outlines how language can be viewed as a product…

Few Americans understand the extent to which our nation is at risk. While our ability to compete on an international scale has diminished, our commitment to national defense and social programs and the costs for such programs have increased. The solution to this general predicament lies in the competition of ideas and ideals and in the…

There are few racial or urban/rural differences in public attitudes toward agriculture and government agricultural policies. The Farming in American Life Study, a collaborative effort by 14 land grant institutions in the South and Midwest, gathered 3,239 completed questionnaires from a national stratified random sample for a completion rate of 46…

Discusses the negative effects of social and economic development on conditions for children and families. Focuses on worldwide cuts in funding of social services for families and the need to change the political culture toward a more sustainable one that allows for proper levels of care, play, and education of children. (JPB)

In 1994, about 60 to 70% of Americans supported parental spanking. This paper examines student misbehavior, school discipline, prevention, treatment, and punishment in U.S. society Currently, 23 states still allow paddling in schools, and most states do not allow the spanking of foster children. As of 1994, all but a few of the national…

Reviewed in this address are research findings demonstrating that while some diversity in families is normal and functional, other forms of family diversity result from problems and are associated with human suffering. It is argued that both developmental and clinical studies have established the general rule that the father's positive presence in…

Reviews the contributions of Ollie Randall, a pioneer in the field of aging, and discusses current issues and future directions in gerontology, in five papers presented at the Ollie A. Randall Symposium, at the Gerontological Society of America, 35th Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, 1982. (JAC)

Attitudes about farming and government agricultural policies differed among residential categories ranging from urban to rural. A mail survey gathered 3,232 completed questionnaires from a national random sample of 9,250 households. Statistical weighting made respondent categories representative of national proportions. Although respondents…

This Technical Committee Report focuses on theological, ethical, and spiritual values within the context of spiritual well-being from the perspective of institutionalized religion in America. The place of organized religion in regard to aging and its role in developing national aging policies is examined. A presentation of the data base for this…

The effects of Social Darwinism, eugenics, and contemporary political conservatism on the status of advocacy efforts for the mentally retarded are reviewed. Provided are historical sketches of Social Darwinism, which viewed the retarded as members of an inferior race, and eugenics, which argued for sterilization of the "genetically…