Theoretical Thinking in Sociology

Lecture 2

What?

• Sociology a systematic study of:• Human life• Human behaviour• Relationships• Structures • Change and continuity • Power dynamics (bracketing)

Sociological Imagination

• Individual and Society

• Link between immediate personal setting and remote general social world

Perspective andTheory?

• to understand, explain and predict phenomena systematically

• What should be the focus of research and how should it be studied?

• No single theory dominant in sociology

• Research is theory testing or theory constructing

Three Theoretical Perspectives

• Functionalist Perspective

• Conflict Perspective

• Interactionist Perspective

Functionalist Functionalist

perspective (Emile Durkheim)

• Social facts: an existence of their own in the society in which we are born and are imposed on the individual ways of thinking, feeling and acting (lang)

• Social facts have implicit coercive power (use of legal currency )

• Only through resistance realization comes

• Social facts include ‘currents of opinion’

Functionalist Functionalist

perspective (Emile Durkheim)

• Social facts: an existence of their own in the society in which we are born and are imposed on the individual ways of thinking, feeling and acting (lang)

• Social facts have implicit coercive power (use of legal currency )

• Only through resistance realization comes

• Social facts include ‘currents of opinion’

Functionalist cont

• Social facts• Studying social facts as things (use of

currency)• Coerciveness of social facts• Dysfunctions: parts disrupting society • Evaluation depends one’s own values

(jihad or terrorism)

Func:

• Focus: Order and stability : Social ties cementing the society

• Organic solidarity • Mechanical solidarity• Manifest functions• Latent Functions• E.g. Suicide a weakening of social ties (no central emotional

quality, or immediate circumstances)• Why does a part exist ? What are the intended and

unintended consequences ?

The Conflict Perspective

• Karl Marx (1818-1883)• Focus on conflict • Classes: Bourgeoisie vs proletariat • Base and super structure• False Consciousness ( Marx) ;

misrecognition, symbolic violence (Bourdieu)

Who benefits and at the expense of who ?

Interationist Perspective

• Max Weber (1864-1920)• Interest: Web of interaction which construct society • How is human action affected by different

forces?• How do involved parties experience, • interpret • influence and respond to what they and others

are doing in a course of action?• Kinds of social action • Traditional • Affectional • Value-rational• Instrumental-rational

Conflict Perspective

• Assumption of continual tension between groups over capitals

• State of competition for power• Struggle between social classes

inevitable

1900s(Karl Marx)

Conflict Perspective

• Questions:• Who suffers at the expense of

whose domination• How institutions serve to privilige

the elite (education, media) whose ideology

Conflict Perspective

• Focus• Change and redistribution• Analysis of society to resist oppression

Challenging status quo (voting )• Feminist view: gender inequity: giving

voice to female point of view• Pierre Bourdieu: Education

Interactionist Perspective

• Focus on micro social interaction• (eg jury decisions)• Interaction with meaningful objects

(material and symbolic)• Social ascribed symbolic meaning is

highlighted (English, salute, tattoos, dress)• Verbal and nonverbal communication• Dramaturgical approach (Goffman, 1922-

1931)

Mead 1863- 1931

Conflict View

False consciousness, Misrecognition

False ideas of success, subordinate certain groups, symbolic violence

Feminist view: reinforcing of gender roles by watching or participating sports

• Interactionist view: • Shared understanding of social

behaviour. • How everyday behaviour is shaped by

the specific norms, values and de• mands of sports• Dramaturgical approach (Goffman,

1922-1931)

Significance of Theory

• Systematic Knowledge • Evaluation, Explanation, Prediction

Dealing with Theoretical dilemmas

• Theoretical Dilemmas – How do human action and social structure

interact?– Is society is based on consensus or conflict?– How should gender as category be treated– How does modern social development come

about?– Can we develop social theories?

Structure and human action contin

• Weber: Our actions are constrained but not limited by social structure

• ‘Structuration’ Giddins ‘action possible because of socially structured knowledge e.g language (clever)

• Conventions and rituals (tea, food, Baluchistan, Sindh)

• Constructing new structures or reinforcing old ones

Consensus or Conflict

• Durkhiem: Interdependence of parts (division of labour): integrated whole

• Harmony important for continuation • Marx: Class conflict based on unequal resources• Conflict based on race and gender• Interconnection between conflict and consensus

(interdependence of interests for Marx also) Consensus could be behind false consciousness or ideology)

• Interactionist: society a web of social relations which are structured into conflict and consensus by individuals

The Issue of Gender • Durkheim Men and women different: society

and nature• Social position and identity rests on their

biology• Marx: Differences in power between gender

reflect class divisions• Women as ‘private property’ of men by

marriage• Cultural constraints and differences ?• Interactionist: Gender not fixed category but

performed by what they do and what roles are assigned to and accepted by individuals

Theories About Society Cont

• Michel Foucault prisons, hospitals, schools, controlling and monitoring , discipline and surveillance

• Power ideology and discourse in relation to modern organizations

• Power and discourse (madness) understanding the present by digging into the past

How does modern social

development come about?• Marxist Perspective : changing

economic relationships • Weber, non economic factors,

religious values, ‘rationalization’ organization of life on the basis of efficiency

• Functionalist through institutional change

Reflection

• Exploring your Interests• What insights would the different

perspectives provide to the study of :

• Gender • Poverty• Sports