UK. Social research, carried out by means of a questionnaire survey, into the public opinion of inequalities and injustice in the social structure - includes the historical background 1918 to 1962, self assigned social status, possession of certain consumer goods, attitudes to income distribution and social services, and concludes with a social theory of justice and a study of the possibilities of and limits to social reform. Bibliography pp. 322 to 330.
The importance of justice cannot be overstated. As one author has put it, "A better understanding of how justice concerns develop and function in people's lives should enable us to plan more effectively for institutional and other social change to deal with the problems that confront humankind" (S. C. Lerner, 1981, p. 466). The volume in which that statement appeared-an earlier one in this same series-was devoted to exploring the impact that dwindling resources and an increasing rate of change have had upon people's concern for justice. In contrast, the present volume places greater emphasis on the word under standing, as it was used in the context of the preceding quotation, than upon effective planning, social change, and ways of dealing with human problems. Nothing in that statement of purpose is meant to belittle the urgency of translat ing understanding into action, because the social significance of justice concerns is a major factor that has prompted the authors of the chapters in this book to do research in the area. Rather, this volume receives its emphasis from Kurt Lewin's famous dictum there is nothing so practical as a good theory. The need for good theory is ongoing, and these pages are dedicated to a search for new pathways toward better theory.
Why Men Rebel was first published in 1970 after a decade of political violence across the world. Forty years later, serious conflicts continue in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Ted Robert Gurr reintroduces us to his landmark work, putting it in context with the research it influenced as well as world events. Why Men Rebel remains highly relevant to today's violent and unstable world with its holistic, people-based understanding of the causes of political protest and rebellion. With its close eye on the politics of group identity, this book provides new insight into contemporary security challenges.
Issues of social justice have been an important part of social psychology since the explosion of psychological research that occurred during and after World War II. At that time, psychologists began to move away from earlier theories that paid little attention to people's subjective understanding of the world. As increasing attention was paid to people's thoughts about their social experiences, it was discovered that people are strongly affected by their assessments of what is just or fair in their dealings with others. This recognition has led to a broad range of studies exploring what people mean by justice and how it influences their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
First published in 1986. This volume presents papers from the fourth Ontario Symposium on Personality and Social Psychology, held at the University o f Western Ontario, October 15- 16, 1983. The contributors are active researchers in the areas of relative deprivation and social com parison, whose chapters document the continuing vitality of these topics. One of the purposes of this volume is to provide an accurate picture of our current knowledge about relative deprivation and social comparison processes.
From July 16 through July 21, 1984 a group of American and West German scholars met in Marburg, West Germany to discuss their com mon work on the topic of justice in social relations. For over 30 hours they presented papers, raised questions about each other's work, and in so doing plotted a course for future research and theory building on this topic. The participants were asked to present work that represented their most recent state-of-the-science contributions in the area. The con tributions to this volume represent refined versions of those presentations-papers that have been improved by the authors' consid eration of the comments and reactions of their colleagues. The result, we believe, is a work that represents the cutting edge of scholarly inquiry into the important matter of justice in social relations. To give the participants the freedom to present their ideas in the most appropriate way, we, the conference organizers and the editors of this volume, gave them complete control over the form and substance of their presentations. The resulting diversity is reflected in this book, where the reader will find critical integrative reviews of the literature, reports of research investigations, and statements of theoretical posi tions. The chapters are organized with respect to the common themes that emerged in the way the authors addressed the issues of justice in social relations. Each of these themes-conflict and power, theoretical perspectives, norms, and applications-is represented by a part of this book.
