- 64 -sources of information are . (2) I am attempting an interorganizational study of community mental healthfacilities . Specifically, I am interested in how the services in the community operate (or do not operate)as a service network for former mental patients . I am not only interested in how individual mental patientsget hooked into the network, but also how different individuals <strong>and</strong> professionals within the serviceagencies are connected to each other . In other words, I am interested in who knows who in the mental healthnetwork in Oklahoma City, how information in transmitted through the network, <strong>and</strong> how referrals are made fromone agency to the other . (3) I am also interested in investigating some of the dominant community attitudestoward mental patients living in urban neighbourhoods . In this context, I am specifically concerned withthe differences between attitudes held by people in neighborhoods that have high concentrations of formermental patients <strong>and</strong> neighborhoods where no mental patients live . In this sense, I am hoping to test thehypothesis that acceptance of mental illness is inversely related to the distance individuals are able tokeep between themselves <strong>and</strong> any manifestation of mental illness .I am interested in hearing from anyone who is interested in any of these topics, <strong>and</strong> who would like tohear more about what I plan to do . It would be especially useful, however, to hear from people who had somesuggestions to make about how I might proceed in any of these areas . I am, of course, concerned to locate<strong>and</strong> hear about other studies that have been done in these areas, <strong>and</strong> to obtain guidance from individualswho might be experts in the field . I am currently at the pilot stage, searching through the literature<strong>and</strong> devising methodologies, so I would be very appreciative of any help that other Network members couldprovide ."MomHelp Wanted:AdviceonScaling <strong>Social</strong> Support :"I am presently working on a longitudinal study investigating life stress <strong>and</strong> illness . We have developeda scale in order to measure the mediating influence of the social support network . To describe briefly,the respondent is asked to list individuals with whom he or she has discussions relating to potentiallystressful areas of social functioning (i .e . home <strong>and</strong> family) . Also the relationship, helpfulness <strong>and</strong>reciprocity are recorded for each listed individual . In addition, we ask about the respondent's networkof key figures . I have been considering the appropriateness of our scale for network analysis . Could youplease direct me to a person who could give some advice <strong>and</strong> direction concerning our scale <strong>and</strong> networkanalysis?" Deborah Scott, McMaster University, Life Events Study, 3H, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton,Ontario, Canada, L8S 4J9 .What Use is Network Analysis?A Comment from our Peripatetic Editor : (Barry WeZZman)"At a chic Wassenaar cocktail party the other week, I was challenged to defend the intellectualusefulness of network analysis . My first sally was that "it enables us to frame important new questions"--thinking here of White's Chains of Opportunity, small world studies <strong>and</strong> such-- but an ethnomethodologist inthe crowd retorted that anybody can invent new questions . I went on to point out all the new techniquesfor measuring <strong>and</strong> modelling aspects of social structure--from density - knitting to block-modelling--<strong>and</strong>for gathering data in new ways -- such as British <strong>and</strong> North American attempts to get at non-local, nonsolidary,non-tribal networks .But this didn't satisfy my interlocutors . "Mere fiddling!" One philosopher of science agreed to letme off the hook only if I could show examples of where network folk have gone head-to-head with other modesof analysis <strong>and</strong> come up with more powerful analyses . A few favorite examples immediately came to mind :(1) The studies of contentions for power <strong>and</strong> collective violence by Charles Tilly <strong>and</strong> others have clearlyrun the mass society/relative deprivation psychologistic enthusiasts "out of the rink", as we say in Canada(see Tilly's updated review article in the forthcoming revised edition of Violence in America, edited byGraham <strong>and</strong> Gurr) (2) African <strong>and</strong> Indian studies (e .g . Leslie Howard) of third world rural-urban migrantshave greatly shaken the"attitude change as a cause of modernization perspective . (3) The whole corpus ofrelations between countries--or between interest groups within <strong>and</strong> across countries--which started at thetime of Gunder Frank <strong>and</strong> others' formulation of "dependency theory" <strong>and</strong> has now moved beyond that in thework of such as Immanuel Wallerstein <strong>and</strong> Harriet Friedmann .But surely there must be others who didn't leap immediately to mind under the influence of such fiercequestioning . So I pass the buck to you . Please send <strong>Connections</strong> statements of comparative network <strong>and</strong>non-network explanations of similar phenomena (with as full citations as possible) . Modest authors, whoforebear to cite themselves, can be assured of anonymity as to the source ."<strong>Social</strong> Change <strong>and</strong> Collective ActionRecent papers from the Center for Research on <strong>Social</strong> Organization, 330 Packard Street, University ofMichigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48104, U .S .A . (Our thanks to Quantum for this compilation) . Reports havea minimum fee of 50 cents, with a rate of roughly 1 cent per page for longer reports .John Boyd, R .A . Schweitzer <strong>and</strong> Charles Tilly . 1978 . "British Contentious Gatherings of 1828" . CRSOWorking Paper 171 .Oliver Carsten . 1977 . "Work <strong>and</strong> the Lodge : Fraternalism in Meriden <strong>and</strong> New Britain, Connecticut,"CRSO Working Paper 157 .
Michael Pearlman . 1977a . "Great Britain, 1828-1834 : Historiography <strong>and</strong> Selected Bibliography" . CRSOWorking Paper 159 .1977b . "Some Political Issues in Nineteenth-Century Britain . Part One : The Government<strong>and</strong> Workers' Associations, the Rural Rebellions of 1830, Parish Government, Catholic Emancipation" . CRSOWorking Paper 160 .. 1977c . "Some Political Issues in Nineteenth-Century Britain, Part Two : The Rights ofCollective Association <strong>and</strong> Assembly ; Parliamentary Reform : Industrial Conflict" CRSO Working Paper 165 .Charles Tilly . 1978a . "Studying <strong>Social</strong> Movements/Studying Collective Action" . CRSO Working Paper 168 .1978d . "The Web of Collective Action in Eighteenth Century Cities" . CRSO Working Paper174 .Charles Tilly <strong>and</strong> R .A . Schweitzer . 1977 . "Contentious Gatherings in Great Britain, 1828-1833 : ProvisionalPlans for Enumeration <strong>and</strong> Coding" . revised version . CRSO Working Paper 163 .Oliver Zunz . 1977a . "Detroit's Ethnic Neighborhoods at the End of the Nineteenth Century", CRSO WorkingPaper 161 .Dissertations (write to authors directly) :- 65 -Ronald Aminzade . 1978 . "Class Struggles <strong>and</strong> <strong>Social</strong> Change : Toulouse, France, 1830-1870 unpublisheddoctoral dissertation in sociology, University of Michigan .Frank Munger . 1977 . "Popular Protest <strong>and</strong> its Suppression in Early Nineteenth Century Lancashire,Engl<strong>and</strong> : A Study of Theories of Protest <strong>and</strong> Repression", unpublished doctoral dissertation in sociology,University of Michigan .Topics for a Course on "The Analysis of <strong>Social</strong> <strong>Networks</strong>"(submitted by Paul MuZZer, KoZn)<strong>Social</strong> <strong>Networks</strong>--a New Paradigm?The Network Structure of Informal RelationsPrimary Environments : Egocentric <strong>Networks</strong>Network Density <strong>and</strong> Conjugal RolesCommunity as a Network of <strong>Networks</strong>Mediating Everyday Life <strong>and</strong> Societal InstitutionsThe Search for Specialized PersonsReachability of Local Elites<strong>Networks</strong> of Collective ActorsStructure of Local Elite <strong>Networks</strong>Decisions within <strong>Networks</strong> : Patterns of Conflict <strong>and</strong> CoalitionStructure of the Network of Formal OrganizationsSocietal Interlocks : Positions <strong>and</strong> Collective ActorsFormal <strong>and</strong> Informal Relations between CorporationsNational Elites : Monolithic or Polycentric?Any suggestions for readings on these topics?RENEW NOW : CONNECTIONS VOL . III (<strong>1979</strong>-1980)SOCIAL NETWORKS VOL, II (<strong>1979</strong>-1980)RENEWAL FORM AT THE BACK OF THIS ISSUE .
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