This article examines Philip Reeve's novel for children, "Mortal Engines", and M.T. Anderson's young adult novel, "Feed", by assessing these dystopias as prototypical texts of what Ulrich Beck calls risk society. Through their visions of a fictional future, the two narratives explore the hazards created by contemporary techno-economic progress,…

This paper, drawing upon a recent study of youth post-compulsory educational and occupational decision-making, argues for a culturalist perspective to understand the persistence of class-based inequalities within VET. The paper begins by outlining two broadly distinct perspectives within current research into youth: an "individualist" approach…

Drawing on Ulrich Beck's theory of "freedom's children," the present contribution examines contemporary concerns about educating young people "for" citizenship as well as educating them "about" citizenship. Under the first theme, the author focuses on the "citizen as learner," highlighting some of the gender- and class-related inequalities that…

Discusses trends in German higher education over the last decade, focusing on the expansion and differentiation of postsecondary education, societal changes in the student population, and the relationship between education and social class in light of the "individualization thesis" of sociologist Ulrich Beck. (MDM)

Contributes to the social theorization of physical access for people with disabilities by critically exploring how Ulrich Beck's "reflexive modernisation" thesis might be applied to the geographical understanding of disability. Demonstrates how Beck's theoretical framework can be used to enrich people's understanding of the genesis and mediation…

This article focuses on the notion of institutional reflexivity. Its theoretical framework is based on the views of a group of sociologists--Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck, Scott Lash--who developed the concept of reflexive modernization. The article applies the notion of institutional reflexivity to the field of higher education and reviews the…

This article considers the tensions and struggles that exist between men and women and between women and women in the academic workplace. The research reported here is a small-scale case study of 22 academic women from two generations who were interviewed about their career experiences. The theoretical framework is materialist feminism and draws…

Universities are under no less pressure to adopt risk management strategies than other public and private organisations. The risk management of doctoral education is a particularly important issue given that a doctorate is the highest academic qualification a university offers and stakes are high in terms of assuring its quality. However, intense…

The work of Ulrich Beck, particularly his concept of the "individualised individual", is increasingly cited by educational social scientists. As yet, there have been few empirical investigations that consider how applicable and relevant is the notion of the "individualised individual" in understanding how people make sense of…

Ulrich Beck's model of the "individualised individual" in a second modernity has generated interest from social scientists in education, particularly in terms of what he has to say about the demise of social class. What has attracted less attention from educationalists is his argument regarding transformations in the nature of work. This article…

This paper offers a critical discourse analysis of a life skills career education curriculum for schools in British Columbia, Canada. This curriculum calls for the development of a set of life skills that are positioned as central to students' employability. At the heart of the curriculum is a focus on personal development, in particular, the need…

The linguistic behavior of individuals and people in the official literature on lifelong learning (LL) was examined and interpreted in light of the theories of individualization in late modern culture and society, particularly the theories of Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens. The analysis was performed to shed light on that literature's ideological…

Discusses several issues related to a modern approach in the interpretation of civil freedom and its relationship to the notion of family. First, presents some definitions and distinctions regarding the sociology of political freedom, which it suggests should become the sociology of citizenship. Then, applies those ideas to families, particularly…

The proceedings of the fall conference of the Eastern Association for Physical Education of College Women includes articles and overviews of mini-sessions. In "Journey Proud," Celeste Ulrich provides observations about human interaction, teaching/learning environments, techniques and methods, and administrative patterns and scholarship. In…

This publication presents proceedings from a 1999 conference on higher education reform and quality that involved six countries: China, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United States. The first section, "Report of the Six-Nation Higher Education Project," presents "Summary of the Progress of the Higher Education…