Editorial Board:
Editor:
George H. Conklin,
 North Carolina
 Central University

Board:
Bob Davis,
 North Carolina
 Agricultural and
 Technical State
 University

Richard Dixon,
 UNC-Wilmington

Ken Land,
 Duke University

Miles Simpson,
 North Carolina
 Central University

Ron Wimberley,
 N.C. State University

Robert Wortham,
 North Carolina
 Central University

Editorial Assistants

Rob Tolliver,
 Duke University

Shannon O'Connor,
 North Carolina
 Central University

John W.M. Russell,
 Technical
 Consultant

® 
Volume 6, Number 1

Spring 2008

Outline of Articles

1. Sex and Suicide: A Cross-National Test of a Convergence Hypothesis
   by Patrick Nolan, Kyle Irwin, Jennifer Triplett, Shannon McDonough and Emily Guerrero-Arnold
   Durkheim argued in Suicide that over time the suicide rates of males and females would become similar and converge.  Using data from the World Health Organization and the World Bank, comparisons of the female-to-male suicide ratio across societies at different levels of development, and with varying degrees of female involvement, are studied.  The results reveal generally non-significant differences, and when significant, differences found are opposite of those predicted.  We conclude that it may finally be time to say that some of Durkheim's theory/arguments concerning suicide are refuted. 
2. Savannah Homicides in a Century of Change: 1896 to 1903 and 1986 to 1993 
   by Vance McLaughlin and Richard R. E. Kania 
   This study examines homicides in two 8-year periods, 90 years apart, in Savannah, Georgia, using pre-UCR homicide data from multiple public records sources for the early period and detailed police reports to augment the Uniform Crime Reports in the later period.  The study finds significant changes in male homicide frequencies and rates, with Euro-American perpetrated homicides declining dramatically while Afro-American homicide rates increased somewhat between the two periods.  There was also a steep decline in police use of deadly force in the later period.  The Euro-American homicide data call into question the validity of the concept of  a persistent "Southern Culture of Violence." 
3. W.E.B. Du Bois' Urban Sociology: Reflections on African American Quality of Life in Philadelphia 
   by  Robert A. Wortham
   W.E.B. Du Bois' The Philadelphia Negro ([1899], 1996) is a classic work in urban ecology and urban ethnography.  In this small area social study, Du Bois demonstrates how an understanding of the properties of social structure provides a framework for discussing African American quality of life in an urban setting.  Relying on extensive use of census data, a survey of Philadelphia's Seventh Ward and ethnographic description, Du Bois utilizes methodological triangulation to specify how Philadelphia's urban inequality is a function of race and class, a point which is also made in Wilson and Taub's 2006 study on neighborhood transition in Chicago.  Du Bois anticipates the work of Park, Burgess and McKenzie as he comments on the movement of groups in and out of slum areas, and he provides evidence which suggests that the Seventh Ward functioned as an African American economic enclave.  In addition to being a seminal thinker in the development of scientific sociology in the U.S., Du Bois is also one of urban sociology's pioneering figures.
4. Household Bridging and Bonding Social Capital:  Do "New Urbanism" Characteristics Make a Difference? 
   by David E. Redburn and Kenneth Peterson 
   The relationship between social capital and neighborhood characteristics is the central focus of this study.  We examine how the two types of social capital, "bonding" and "bridging" might be related to to the so-called "New Urbanism" traits found in some neighborhoods.  Variables gender, having children under 18, education and marital status are related to levels of social capital.  In addition, some evidence suggests that levels of social capital are correlated with the presence of of "New Urbanist" traits in neighborhoods. 
5. Predictive Factors of Disparities in Childhood Immunization Services: Some Evidence from Southern United States
   by Roger Yao Klomegah 
   The most important predictors of differential immunization services in the current study are educational level of mothers, family income and race/ethnicity. Educational level of mothers is an important variable, especially in explaining after-hours phone calls to clients by providers. Mothers with more than 12 years of education do receive phone calls from providers. Educated and well-informed mothers may ensure that necessary immunization services are provided to their children.
6. Acculturation of Iranian Migrants in Australia 
   by Mohammad T. Iman
   The acculturation process of Iranian immigrants to Australian society was examined.  The subjects were 250 Iranian migrants who were living in Sydney during the study.  Each completed a questionnaire with fourfold acculturation scales: assimilation, separation, integration and marginalization.  Education appeared to be positively correlated with integration, assimilation and marginalization, suggesting that educated individuals may not only develop high integration and assimilation tendencies, but also a high tendency of marginalization. This finding goes against the findings of other studies with respect to the development of marginalization attitudes. 
   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

   ©2008 by the North Carolina Sociological Association