Great title for a paper: "Conceptualizing Identity as Ideology: A Quantitative Measure of Subcultural Identity"

I happened on this doing a search for quantitative measures and analysis of social status. I haven't looked at the paper but it's a great title, because I'm also interested these days in ideological capture deforming social epistemology, and ideology fueling the animal spirits to engage in social epistemology. Beyond that I think "ideological capture" is a limiting phrase, I'm looking for something more like "macrosociological structure capture" to describe how our general social environment deforms our attempt to understand reality. I don't know if that makes identity a subcategory of ideology, both both are something like macrosociological structures that deform our approaches to understanding reality, it seems to me. So this paper is a bit of a clusterfuck of topics (or at least key words) I'm interested in.

I'm a bit disappointed that the author applied it to the subculture of jambands, as opposed to, say, the subculture of rationalists or immortalists, or existential risk minimizers or even academic bloggers, macroeconomists, any of the communities I have more of a natural interest in. Incidentally, I think it's always useful for the observer to initially turn their new mechanism or measure on themselves -and I think it's more than a stunt. Robin Hanson does this fairly frequently to his credit. So I hope Pamela Hunt does this soon with her subculture of social scientists looking at this type stuff.

http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/1/8/9/7/p18979_index.html

MLA Citation:

Hunt, Pamela. "Conceptualizing Identity as Ideology : A Quantitative Measure of Subcultural Identity" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Marriott Hotel, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, Philadelphia, PA, Aug 12, 2005 <Not Available>. 2009-03-05 <http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p18979_index.html>

APA Citation:

Hunt, P. M. , 2005-08-12 "Conceptualizing Identity as Ideology : A Quantitative Measure of Subcultural Identity" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Marriott Hotel, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, Philadelphia, PA Online <PDF>. 2009-03-05 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p18979_index.html

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Subcultures have historically been studied through qualitative data collection and inductive analysis. This offers researchers an interpretive understanding of the subculture's alternative belief system, or ideology. One important aspect of studying subcultures is delineating the sub-cultural identity. Yet, there is no systematic, rigorous measure of identity as self-meaning in most subcultures, and more generally, there are few scales for measuring sub-cultural identities. Developing a systematic measure of sub-cultural identity could help researchers identify where members situate themselves within the subculture. It could also aid in the statistical analysis of relationships between sub-cultural identity and other variables.
I have three goals in this paper. First, I propose using a measure to gauge individual members' self-meanings in terms of their connection to the popularized jam band scene. In doing so, I will explore whether identities in what was once called the Deadhead subculture are multidimensional. Second, I will discuss how I developed the measure and present preliminary results to illustrate the measure's usefulness in musically based and similar subcultures. Finally, I will describe the unique nature of my research as a member of this subculture and the innovativeness of my methodology to quantitative research.

http://www.westga.edu/soccrim/index_6088.php

Assistant Professor of Sociology
223 Pafford Building
(678) 839-6336
[email protected]
Ph.D. Kent State University
CV: January 2009

Dr. Pam Hunt earned her doctoral degree in sociology from Kent State University in 2008.   Dr. Hunt earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and business administration from the University of Dayton in 1998.  She then spent one year as a volunteer in Dayton's AmeriCorps program.  There she pioneered a youth leadership program designed to motivate inner city youth to be leaders in their communities and to teach American Red Cross courses to younger youth - courses including First Aid, CPR, and HIV/AIDS Education.  Dr. Hunt also earned a Master of Art degree in sociology from Ohio University in 2002.  Her teaching interests include Social Psychology, Social Problems, Qualitative Research Methods, Subcultures, and Sociological Theory.  Her research interests include Social Psychology, Deviance, and Subculture.  Her most recent research investigates meaning socialization within the jamband music subculture.

PAMELA M. HUNT
Department of Sociology & Criminology (678) 839-6336
223 Pafford [email protected]
University of West Georgia
Carrollton, Georgia 30118
EDUCATION
Ph.D. 2008, Kent State University, Sociology
M.A. 2002, Ohio University, Sociology
B.S. 1998, University of Dayton, Marketing and Business Administration
PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT
2008-present Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of West
Georgia
2002-2008 Instructor and Graduate Assistant, Department of Sociology, Kent State University
2000-2002 Instructor and Graduate Assistant, Department of Sociology, Ohio University
RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS
Social Psychology, Deviance, Social Inequalities, Social Problems, Research Methods, Theory
PUBLICATIONS
Hunt, Pamela M. 2008. “From Festies to Tourrats: Examining the Relationship between Jamband
Subculture Involvement and Role Meanings.” Social Psychology Quarterly 71(4):356-78.
UNDER REVIEW
Hunt, Pamela M. “Not Fade Away: The Jamband Subculture as Temporary Community.” In Same
Time Next Year: Recurrent Temporary Communities, edited by Robert Gardner. Manuscript in final stages
of revision; editor is currently securing publisher.
Hunt, Pamela M. “Communalism: Is it Deviant? Investigating Behavior Meanings in a Communal
Subculture.” Revise and resubmit to Deviant Behavior.
IN PROGRESS
Hunt, Pamela. “Meaning Differences in Settings.”
Hunt, Pamela. “A Quantitative Measure of Subcultural Ideology.”
Hunt, Pamela. “Gender and Meaning Variation within the Jamband Subculture.”
AWARDS AND HONORS
2007 Outstanding Graduate Student Paper, Sociology of Emotions Section of the
American Sociological Association
2007 University Fellow, Kent State University, Department of Sociology
2003 Alpha Kappa Delta Honor Society
2000 Congressional Recognition of Outstanding Service to Community, AmeriCorps
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS AND INVITED TALKS
Hunt, Pamela. 2009. “Meaning Differences in Settings.” To be presented at the Southern Sociological
Society (SSS) annual meeting, New Orleans, LA.
Hunt, Pamela. 2008. “Communalism: Is it Deviant? Investigating Behavior Meanings in a Communal
Subculture.” Presented at the Mid-South Sociological Association (MSSA) annual meeting,
Huntsville, AL.
Hunt, Pamela. 2007. “Membership and Subcultural Identity Meaning: Exploring Two Continuous
Measures of Membership in the Jamband Subculture.” Presented at the American Sociological
Association (ASA) annual meeting, New York, NY.
Hunt, Pamela. 2007. “Not Fade Away: Jamband Subculture as Temporary Community.” Presented at
Society for the Study of Symbolic Interactionism (SSSI) annual meeting, New York, NY.
Hunt, Pamela. 2006. “Using Affect Control Theory to Understand Subculture.” Presented at Group
Processes Mini-Conference held at the ASA annual meeting, Montreal, Quebec.
Hunt, Pamela. 2005. “Conceptualizing Ideology as Identity: A Quantitative Measure of Subcultural
Identity.” Presented in Sociology of Culture Regular Session ASA annual meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Hunt, Pamela and Frank Falk. 2004. “Investigating the Historical Significance of Northeast Ohio to
the Underground Railroad.” Presented at North Central Sociological Association (NCSA) annual
meeting, Cleveland, OH.
Hunt, Pamela. 2003. “Where the Music Takes You: A Symbolic Interactionist View of Nomadic
Vendors in a Music Scene.” Presented at the Couch-Stone Symposium, Tempe, AZ.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Assistant Professor
2008-present University of West Georgia, Sociology and Criminology Department
Courses Taught: Introduction to Sociology
Social Psychology
Qualitative Research
Instructor
2003 - 2008 Kent State University, Sociology Department
Courses Taught: Social Problems
Individual & Society
2006 Hiram College, Sociology Department and Weekend College
Courses Taught: Social Problems
2001 - 2002 Ohio University, Sociology Department
Courses Taught: Social Problems
Teaching Assistant
2002 - 2003 Kent State University, Sociology Department
Courses: Introduction to Sociology; Minorities in America; Introduction to Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual Studies; Childhood in Society
2000 - 2001 Ohio University, Sociology Department
Courses: Social Problems; Sociology of Sport; Social Psychology
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
2003 Research Assistant, Quality of Life of People with Mental Illness
PI: Dr. Christian Ritter, Kent State University
Duties: Attended meetings and court proceedings involving patients with mental
illness. Conducted in-person interviewing of patients for assessment.
2003 Research Associate, Qualitative Research Project on Gender Issues in Case
Elementary School Reading Proficiency
PI: Dr. Carolyn Behrman, University of Akron
Duties: Led group of undergraduates in the implementation of various qualitative
methods, including observation, field notes, and interviewing young children.
MEDIA INTERVIEWS
2005 Collins, Clayton. “Caught in a Jam.” Christian Science Monitor, September 9, 2005
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
2008-present Mid-South Sociological Association
2008-present Southern Sociological Society
2006 - 2007 Sociologists for Women in Society
2002 - present American Sociological Association. Sections: Social Psychology; Emotions; Crime,
Law, and Deviance
SERVICE ACTIVITIES
Service to the Discipline:
2007 Textbook Reviewer: Reading Between the Lines, 4th edition
2006 Ad Hoc Reviewer: Sociological Focus
2006 Textbook Reviewer: Joel Best’s Social Problems: A Constructionist Approach
2005 Presider, Roundtable. “Theory: Theories of Resistance and Dissent.” American
Sociological Association annual meeting, Philadelphia, PA
2004 Organizer and Presider. “Program Evaluation Research.” North Central
Sociological Association annual meeting, Cleveland, OH
Service to University of West Georgia
2008 Faculty Advisor, Sociology Club and Alpha Kappa Delta
2009-2011 Editorial Board, Studies in the Social Sciences Journal
Service to Kent State University:
2007 - 2008 Search Committee, Doctoral Representative
2006 – 2007 Kent State chapter of Sociologists for Women in Society, Secretary
2005 – 2006 Faculty Advisory Committee, Doctoral Representative
2004 - 2005 Graduate Student Senate, Sociology Senator
2003 - 2004 Friends and Allies Student Organization, Faculty Advisor
2003 Reviewer for Research Award Committee, Graduate Student Senate
2002 - 2004 Curriculum and Undergraduate Studies Committee, Doctoral Representative
REFERENCES
Dr. Amy Kroska Dr. Matthew T. Lee
Associate Professor Associate Professor
Department of Sociology Department of Sociology
University of Oklahoma University of Akron
329B Kaufman Hall 256 Olin Hall
780 Van Vleet Oval Akron, Ohio 44325-1905
Norman, Oklahoma 73109 (330) 972-5357
(405)325-2793 [email protected]
[email protected]
Dr. Will Kalkhoff Dr. John F. Zipp
Associate Professor Professor and Department Chair
Department of Sociology Department of Sociology
Kent State University University of Akron
312 Merrill Hall 247B Olin Hall
Kent, Ohio 44242-0001 Akron, Ohio 44325-1905
(330) 672-3712 (330) 972-7480
[email protected] [email protected]

Comments

[TGGP]

Brayden at OrgTheory has a post on macrosociological causation here. I remember either Pinker or Cosmides/Tooby mocking the idea.

Perhaps the fact that most people would consider jambands a silly subject makes it a better topic with less possibility of motivated distortion.

I think lots of sociologists have turned attention on themselves (broadly speaking), though the result is often enough post-modernist science-denial of the sort Alan Sokal parodied. I think even Marx before them had come up with a sort of declasse category of intellectuals determined to overthrow capitalism in his theory of history.

[Hopefully Anonymous]

A caricature of how the ideological animal spirits may drive social epistemological activity is Krugman and DeLong on the Left, Mankiw on the Right, Kling and Caplan in a sort of eccentric Libertarian space, all seeking to promote their ideologies and smash the others' and thus working much harder at analyses than without the ideological battles, resulting in more useful knowledge for society.

[TGGP]

Reminds me of Will Wilkinson here:
http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2009/02/28/animal-spirits-and-positional-ambition/

I don't see the EconLoggers as trying to tear down Mankiw's conservatism (I don't even think he'd agree to being referred to as a conservative). He seems more like a moderate on their side in a unidimensional political scale (Feldstein is different in that he's pro-military, but Kling seems to have leanings that way anyway).

[Hopefully Anonymous]

TGGP I should clarify that I think Mankiw's conservatism would be what Reihann Salaam would call "ironic". I was just reaching for an accessible icon. He does seem to engage in ideological pissing contests with Krugman, even if Krugman is more of a true believer and Mankiw is more ironic, performing, and careerist in his conservative republican shtick.

[Pamela Hunt]

Hi there. I'm the author of the paper, Pam Hunt. This citation is actually of a conference paper I presented years ago. If you'd like to see the finished product, it will be in print in the near future.

The title of the conference paper doesn't do it justice. I have changed to be simpler. The paper is about creating a quantitative measure of ideological embeddedness from qualitative sources. I took qualitative interviews and observations and created a vignette measure where folks could rate their similarity to each of 5 character vignettes.

Anyway, the measure is designed to be used in any subculture or group.

[Hopefully Anonymous]

Professor Hunt.
Thanks for visiting. Sounds interesting and I'm sure we'll be discussing the finished paper.

[rc helicopter]

Impressive blog! -Arron