Dr. Bruce Arai

Dean, Brantford Campus - On administrative leave July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013

Contact Information

Email: barai@wlu.ca
Phone: 519.756.8228 ext.5782

Office Location: RCE 117

Biography

I have been at Laurier Brantford since July 2003, and I have become very fond of this campus, my colleagues and students, and the larger community of Brantford. The place is truly new, innovative and unique, and I am very happy to have been offered the opportunity to participate in the development of Laurier Brantford. Before coming here, I spent 8 years in the Sociology and Anthropology Department at the Waterloo campus.

Degrees:

• Ph.D. University of British Columbia, Sociology, 1995       
• M.A. University of New Brunswick, Sociology, 1990
• B.A. University of Calgary, 1988

Research and Teaching Interests:

My research and teaching interests are generally in the areas of the sociology of work, the sociology of education and environmental sociology. One thread that brings these areas together is my interest in people and groups on the “privileged margins”. I have studied the self-employed, homeschoolers, and small firms in some of my recent research, and all of these groups are somewhat marginal, and also in a position of relative privilege. I also teach both quantitative and qualitative research methods, and unlike many of my students in these classes, I enjoy these courses immensely.

Selected Publications

Articles in Refereed Journals

Arai, A. Bruce (2001) Science and Culture in the Environmental State: The Case of Reactor Shutdowns at Ontario Hydro. Organization and Environment, 14(3):290-305.

Arai, A. Bruce (2000) Changing Motivations for Homeschooling in Canada. Canadian Journal of Education, 25(3): 204-17.

Arai, A. Bruce (2000) Self-employment as a Response to the Double Day for Women and Men in Canada. The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, 37(2):125-42.

Arai, A. Bruce (1999) Homeschooling and the Redefinition of Citizenship. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 7(27):1-18.

Arai, A. Bruce (1997) The Road Not Taken: The Transition from Unemployment to Self-employment in Canada, 1961-1994." The Canadian Journal of Sociology, 22(3):365-82.

Chapters in Books and Book Reviews

Arai, A. Bruce (2004) Chapter 23: Research Methods. Pp. 596-617 in Lonre Tepperman and Jim Curtis (eds). The Social World. Toronto: Oxford University Press (forthcoming).

Arai, A. Bruce (2000) Class Patterns and Life Chances in Canada. In M. Kanwar and D. Swenson (eds) Issues in Canadian Sociology, 2nd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall-Hunt).Conference Papers

Elliott, Brian, Neil Guppy, Clayton Mosher and A. Bruce Arai (1999) "On the Edge: Socio- Demographic Transformations in the Lower Fraser Basin" Pp. 135-69 in M. Healey (ed.) Seeking Sustainability in the Lower Fraser Basin: Issues and Choices. Vancouver: Institute for Resources and the Environment, Westwater Research, UBC.

Arai, A. Bruce (2000) Review of Human Survivability in the 21st Century: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999. Environments.

Arai, A. Bruce (1999) Review of Research in Social Stratifcation and Mobility, v.16 (1998). Kevin T. Liecht, editor. Stamford: JAI Press. The Canadian Journal of Sociology Online, May, 1999.

Arai, A. Bruce (1998) Review of From Post-Industrial to Post-Modern Society: New Theories of the Contemporary World, by Krishan Kumar. Oxford: Blackwell, 1995. The Canadian Journal of Sociology, 23(1):115-117.

Saar, Amy and Bruce Arai (2002). Flexibility and ecological modernization: Environmental pressures to transform production. Paper presented at the 15th World Congress of Sociology, July 7-13, 2002, Brisbane, Australia.

Janke, Mark and Bruce Arai (2002). Flexibility at what Cost? Towards a More General Understanding of the Balance Between Flexibility and Inflexibility in the Success of Small Firms. Paper presented at the 37th Annual Meetings of the Canada Sociology and Anthropology Association, May, 2002, Toronto, Ontario.

Arai, Bruce and Jo Ann Little (2000). Expansions and Contractions in the Canadian Brewing Industry. Paper presented at the 35th Annual Meetings of the Canada Sociology and Anthropology Association, 27-31 May, 2000, Edmonton, Alberta.

Phillips, Susan and A. Bruce Arai (2000). Behavioural Problems in Public and Religious Schools: Evidence from the National Education Longitudinal Study. Paper presented at the International Sociological Association (Sociology of Education section) mid-term Conference on School Governance, 5-7 July, 2000, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Arai, A. Bruce (1999) Science and Culture in the Environmental State: The Case of Reactor Shutdowns at Ontario Hydro. Paper presented at the International Sociological Association Conference on the Environmental State Under Pressure. 6-7 August, Chicago, Illinois. (Later published in Organization and Environment).

Arai, A. Bruce (1998) Teaching Kids at Home: Homeschooling and the Modification of Individual, State and Family Responsibilities. Presented at the Second Annual Conference of the Parkland Institute, 12-14 November, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.

Arai, A. Bruce (1997) The Differing Experiences of the Double Day for Employed and Self-employed Women in Canada. Presented at the 1st Annual Conference of the Parkland Institute, 6-8 November, University of Alberta, Edmonton Alberta. (Later published in The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology).