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Chapter Three

Objectives. To outline the concerns of sociological writers at the turn of the century.To outline the growing influence of American contributions to sociology, and in particular to focus on the challenges of feminist and black American writers.To discuss the mid-century dominance of American socio

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Chapter Three

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    1. Chapter Three The Story of Sociology II: From Classical to Contemporary

    2. Objectives To outline the concerns of sociological writers at the turn of the century. To outline the growing influence of American contributions to sociology, and in particular to focus on the challenges of feminist and black American writers. To discuss the mid-century dominance of American sociology in general and Talcott Parsons in particular. To describe the variety of sociological approaches in the latter part of the century and the development of a pluralism of theoretical understanding.

    3. Georg Simmel (1858-1918) Considered the experiences of modern life and the dynamics of interpersonal relationships Theoretical focus: The form that social interaction takes in particular role-situations Looked at general forms of ‘sociality’ Cooperation, sociability, conflict, subordination, power etc ‘Macro’ patterns of social consumption As important as the production of goods Urbanisation as a major ‘structural’ feature of industrial societies

    4. Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) Registered power/urgency of feminist ideas Influenced by Mary Wollstonecraft Theoretical focus: Reasons for lack of women’s independence: Women exploited and undervalued Men monopolised wider sphere of work and politics Gendered divisions reproduced in: All forms of socialisation Basic ideological conceptions of what the very ‘essence’ of manhood and womanhood is

    5. W.E.B du Bois (1868-1963) Anna Julia Cooper (1858-1964) African-American thinkers and activists Theoretical focus: Ethnicity and racism Experiences of slave and post-slave conditions in USA ‘Double consciousness’ (du Bois) How gender roles cross-cut the racial dilemma (Cooper) Deep commitment to ideas of enlightenment Principles being corrupted by racism and oppression Largely marginalised within mainstream sociology

    6. Micro-sociology The social construction of individual identity Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) Ideological emphasis on individual self-interest as the positive motivation for social adaption Charles Cooley (‘Looking-glass’ self ) Perception of self related to how we think others see us George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) Founded what was later labelled symbolic interactionism Language as a symbolic medium ‘Me’ as a social role linked to processes of socialisation Erving Goffman (Ethnomethodology) Dynamics of conformity and subversion in total institutions

    7. The ‘Chicago school’ Concerned with social problems The new ‘ecology’ of cities and group life Rapid growth of American cities Generation of social ‘zones’ and subgroups City development caused social problems such as social conflict, deprivation, strikes, racist violence etc Sociologists need to identify and help solve social problems Using empirical research and a structural analysis

    8. Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) Developed ‘Grand Theory’ of sociology Defended centrality of theory to sociology Needed prior to empirical research, social problems and individual identity analysis Goals and actions of agents strongly shaped by social norms and values The ‘Chinese Box’ Model of systems and subsystems ‘Total action system’ including cultural, physiological, personality and social systems Legal system (including four sub-systems) part of social system Much critique of Parsons by mid-1960s

    9. Conflict theory/neo-Marxism Emerged 1960s - 1970s Challenged structural-functionalism (Parsons) Conflict theory Social order as a precarious thing Criticised for being too generalised Neo-Marxism Use of Marxist analysis Influenced by considerations of capitalism and class Included role of culture and consumption in society Considered feminist and ethnic/indigenous movements

    10. Exchange theory/ Rational choice theory Result of decline of Marxism during the 1980s Conservative alternative Theoretical focus: Social interactions should be understood in ‘individualist’ and ‘behaviourist’ terms Transactions between individuals which carry various costs and benefits to the participating individual But included social structure and cultural norms Consideration of social power (overlap with neo-Marxism) Incorporated feminist analysis

    11. Post-structuralism Reaction against structuralism Macro approach to sociology Attempts to identify the structures or unconscious symbolic codes shaming social life Post-structuralism Argue social world not as stable as structuralists assume Attempt to uncover underlying structures and ‘deconstruct’ the reality that we take to be stable

    12. Summary Broad overview and summary given of most influential sociological concepts, themes and theorists: Georg Simmel (Formal sociology) Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Feminism) du Bois and Cooper (Sociology of race and ethnicity) Micro-sociology (Spencer, Cooley, Mead, Goffman) The Chicago School (Zoning of cities) Talcott Parsons (Structural-functionalism) Conflict theory/neo-Marxism Exchange theory/Rational choice theory Post-structuralism

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