Download What is Sociology?

SOCIOLOGY NOTES OF ANTHONY GIDDENS &
PHILIP W. SUTTON
What is Sociology?
• Sociology is a subject of enormous scale and
scope. The use of the sociological
imagination enables us to move beyond the
assumption that our own experiences are the
whole story about social life. For example,
this chapter points to five ways in which
coffee drinking can be viewed afresh if we
‘think ourselves away’ from the ‘immediacy
of personal circumstances’.
Sociological Imagination and C. Wright
Mills
• C. Wright Mills coined the terms ‘public issues’
and ‘private troubles’ to illustrate the
connection between the freely willed actions
of the individual and the patterning effects of
social structure. The chapter emphasizes the
interrelationship between individual
behaviour and the patterning effects of social
institutions, and introduces the term
‘structuration’ to describe this continuous
process of reconstruction.
A Canon of Key ‘Classical’ Thinkers
• Sociology relies on a canon of key ‘classical’
thinkers and some common themes which link
contemporary sociology with its roots in the
twin revolutions of the revolutions century.
Three basic questions are: (a) what is human
nature? (b) why is society structured as it is?
and (c) how and why do societies change?
Auguste Comte
• Auguste Comte is known for inventing the
term ‘sociology’ and wanted the discipline to
be scientific, concerned only with ‘observable
entities that are known directly to experience’,
an idea now associated with the term
‘positivism’.
Emile Durkheim
• Emile Durkheim went further with his
emphasis on social facts and the application of
natural science methods to social inquiry.
Durkheim saw that increasing complexity of
the division of labour threatened social
cohesion and produced feelings of deep
uncertainty for individuals, which he termed
‘anomie’.
Karl Marx
• Karl Marx’s main focus was on capitalist
economies and the separation of society into
capital owners and wage labourers – two
groups whose interests were inherently in
conflict. This analysis was grounded in his
broader ‘materialist conception of history’ and
the view that class struggle was the main
motive force in history.
Max Weber
• Max Weber’s work can be seen as in debate
with Marx, with a greater emphasis on the
role of ideas and beliefs in producing social
change and less reliance on class conflicts. In
Weber’s work, capitalism was just one
amongst many forces shaping social change.
His primary concept is rationalization: a blend
of science, technology and bureaucratic
organization, all directed towards the
achievement of greater efficiency.
Approaches to Sociology
• More recent developments stemming from
the work of Durkheim, Marx and Weber are
functionalism, conflict theories and symbolic
interactionism, respectively. Functionalism
and conflict theories tend towards
macrosociological analysis whilst symbolic
interactionism favours microsociological
studies.
Functionalism
• Functionalism is traced through Comte and
Durkheim and presented in terms of its use of
an organic analogy, an emphasis on moral
consensus and its dominance during the
careers of Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton.
Conflict Theories
• Conflict theories take a similarly systemic
overview of social life but pay more attention
to issues of power and inequality.
Symbolic Interactionism
• Symbolic interactionism concentrates
attention on the meaningful character of
social life and is concerned with the
production of meaning in social interactions.
The chapter focuses on Mead’s interest in the
role of the symbol in language use. It is the
sharing of this symbolism that shapes
interactions.
Benefits of Studying Sociology
• Sociology offers the following benefits. First, its
comparative approach encourages greater awareness of
cultural differences and a better understanding of the
specific problems of others. Second, a sensitivity to the
intended and unintended consequences of social action is
an aid to better evaluation of policy initiatives and the
formation of more effective policy. Third, and related to
this, a background in sociology provides a sound foundation
for a number of professional careers reliant on
understanding of society and social relations: business or
think tank analysts, urban planners, social workers,
journalists, etc. Fourth, it offers self-enlightenment: it is not
just policy-makers who have the right and ability to make
decisions about people’s lives.
Benefits of Studying Sociology
• Michael Burawoy has argued for a ‘public sociology’ to
forge relationships with audiences beyond the narrow
confines of universities. He maintains that the
‘professional sociology’ in the twentieth century has
been beneficial, but it has also led to sociologists
talking more to each other than to the public. Public
sociology speaks with social groups such as trade
unions, social movements, faith groups and
organizations in civil society in a genuine conversation
about the future direction of society. In this sense, the
suggestion is that a more politically engaged sociology
is necessary, and that sociology’s audience is much
broader than it has been up until this point.
The End
Copyright 2012 Anthony
Giddens & Philip W. Sutton