Kaimo atskirties profiliai

ENThe first part of the book Community Development and Social Exclusion discusses the political preconditions of the social exclusion of Lithuanian rural communities. The critical analysis of the discourse reveals that (a) public opinion and political discourse do not treat the rural development policy and agriculture policy as separate issues and (b) the policy priorities are linked with the development of agriculture. Therefore rural communities are not considered as social and political agents able to participate in the rural development. The author formulates hypothesis that the political exclusion of the rural communities supports the permanent increase of the subsidies for "paternalistic" system of social care, when at the same time there is an obvious lack of the investments for the programs of rural communities' development. Critical analysis of the different manifestations of discourse (policy papers and mass media) proves the case of excluding rural communities from the mainstream of societal development to the extent that rural educated people (for example, teachers) are trying to escape rural identity. [...] The second part of the book Conceptual Frameworks of the Interpretations of Social Exclusion discusses interpretations of social exclusion. Two different concepts of social exclusion are defined. When social exclusion is interpreted as objectively given, social scientists regard social exclusion as the deviation from objectively given norms of society. When social exclusion is interpreted as the result of social interaction, the focus of the research is the process of excluding. Two different approaches with the implications for developmental and social policies and practices of social care are demonstrated on the typical case of social exclusion, so-called "asocial family".From the objectivistic perspective asocial family is treated as an abnormal social phenomenon, from the perspective of social constructivism "asocial family" is social phenomenon labeled as such in the process of social interaction in which significant role plays the network of social care institutions. The third part of the book Development of Rural Communities analyzes the participatory research as a technology for social innovations and discusses the arguments for placing of participatory research in the practice of sociology. The changing societal conditions have forced social scientists to alter the way sociology has been conceptualized and has been practiced in relation to social change. As practitioners of participatory research are maintaining traditional sociology is producing narratives and practices that are not in the interest of the excluded social groups. In order to reveal the potential of sociology as a technology for the social innovation and social inclusion, it must include the interest and the wisdom of the people in its researching and theorizing activities. Participatory research provides an opportunity to realize this possibility. The concrete methodology of applying participatory research and the factors of success are described. [From the publication]