Sociology
Key Sociologists
Max Weber (German, 1864 -1920)Info Cited as one of the founding members of Sociology
Pierre Bourdieu (France 1930 - 2002)
Karl Marx (Germany, France, Belgium, United Kingdom 1818-1883)
Theory of Cultural Capital : (influenced by Marx)
Existentialism?
Sociological Imagination
How this compares to common sense?
C Wright [Mills] 1959 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociological_imagination)
Influences on Modernity
Age of Enlightenment (1730-1815) Awareness of life outside of religion and tradition
Industrial Revolution (1760 - 1840) Transition to mass manufacturing
Rise of Individualism and civilised society
Decline of monarchical empires
Emergence of capitalism
French Revolution (1789-1804)
Anthony Giddens (UK, 1938 -)
Structuration
One of the most well known modern Sociologists - holistic view of modern societies
Urbanisation (increase in population and move to living in cities)
Emergence of leisure time
State power and surveillance, political rather than religious control
Emotions: Marriage, childhood, views on execution and violence
Alienation of modern life
Émile Durkheim (France 1858 - 1917)
Disenchantment/rationalisation
Georg Simmel (Germany, France 1858-1918)
Neo-Kantian
Study of natural world and urban life
Social relations = more imporsonal
The metropolis and mental life (1903)
Erving Goffman (Canada, US, 1922 - 1982) thought of as most influential American sociologist
Symbolic interaction, social construction of self - how we present ourselves in different social situations
Habitus
Deviance and crime, discussed that all societies have deviance and crime
Functionalism, division of labour, anomie (lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group - normlessness)
Famous for study of suicide
Robert Merton (US, 1910 - 2003)
Anomie - used to refer to strain put on individuals behaviour when difference between accepted norms conflict with social reality
Strain Theories Conformists, Innovators, Ritualism, Retreatists, Rebels
Edwin Sutherland :(US 1883 -1950)
Criminology (9 propositions)
Travis Hirschi (US 1935 - 2017) social control theory in regards to deviation
Howard Becker (US 1928 - ) Labelling Theory
Social Class and Identity (social identities related to economic inequalities in society). Exists within the modern ideal and age of enlightenment.
Crime & Deviance
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Rational Choice theories - act of deviance as action part of reaction and as a choice based on rational decision weighing up the risks
Moral Crusades (studies by Becker - role of moral entrepreneurs with different driving forces to drive moral stances against labelled deviance ie. prohibition and criminalisation of marijuana by FBI department to justify existence #
Labelling Theory (Howard Becker) more collection of works states there is no such thing as deviance per se but types of people and activities that are labelled deviant #Also known as constructionist approach in broader sociological approaches. Why is there now a problem - what are the influences to label the activity as deviant?
Control Theories - why do people conform rather than deviate, turning the question around, why is there not more crime? Most influential study by Hirschi around social bonds
Durkhiem: Suicide and anomie - higher levels of suicide in societies that have lower levers of religious/grouped cohesive integration
Anomie: Feeling of aimlessness #
Karl Marx - proposed that social class would take over - communism which didn't happen. Marxist is to follow Marx not be a communist.
Class Division (socio economic differences in material prosperity and power)
Bourgeoisie: ruling classes in capitalist own means of production
Proletariat: Working Class - earn thier living
Affected by knowldge dand wealth division and the uneven distribution = social inequalities
Terms
classes (Marxist) upper and lower class. Social class today doesn't necessarily fit with economic wealth and influenced by social and cultural trends. Decline of working class trends ie. manufacturing like Holden and reduction in unions
Stratification (structural functionalism)
Modern rise of the petty bourgeoisie (small business owners)
Modern class includes rise of the professional
Weber : challenged Marx and proposed Class Power, social status & political power #
Culture & class belief
Ideology
Hegemony
Pierre Bourdieu - social practice. Objective social relations and subjective interpretations of the world - central concept Habitus (embodied dispositions). Behavioural regularities with unconscious acts of reflexivity ie. tennis player [#]
Linked ti systematic inequalities
Cultural Capital and tastes - who you know and networks(#f100a8)
Race & Ethnicity
Demand of national state for uniformity
Societies more plural due to migration and globalisation
Ethnicity: Cultural practices and outlooks specific to community of people include: language, history, religion etc
Nationalism: ideology based on belief people with common characteristic
Minority group: members disadvantaged due to discriminattion. Have a sense of belonging
Multiculturalism: complex term, generally used around idea culutral differences respected, quite often in relation to migrants letting go of cultural traditions and assimilate culture
Racist: believes biological explanation around superiority or inferiority
Refugees: recognised accordance with UNHCR Asylum-Seeker: individuals sought international protection and waiting for refugee status
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Sex, Gender & Power
Definitions
Sex: Biological/anatomical differences between men and women
Hegemonic masculinity
Social Inequalty
Rise of feminism
Identity
Gender Roles
Gender and systems of Patriarchy preexist modernity - change in modern society
Gender: Psychological, social and cultural differences M & F (usually looked at as binary)
Patriarchy: dominance of men over women
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Global Society
Neoliberalism
Globalisation Radicals - creation of a global culture or 'global village - McLuhan'. homogeneous culture. Dream of work citizenship
Globalisation sceptics: see global flows as negative, promotes cultural imperialism and market dominance by US/West. Based on global inequalitites
Globalisation transformationalists
World system Theory (Wallerstien 1974)
New International Division of Labour (NIDL): Transnational Corporations, International specialisation of tasks, Outsourcing