Sociology What is the glue that holds

Sociology

What is the “glue” that holds societies together? What provides people with a sense of belonging? Why are these bubbles coming out of my head?

Emile Durkheim ● ● ● Concerned with social order and stability People are a product of their social environment Human potential is socially based, not biologically based Societies are built on social facts Rapid social change produces social strain

Key Terms for Durkheim ● Social Facts – ● Patterned ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that exist outside any one individual but that exert social control over each person. Anomie – Social control becomes ineffective as a result of the loss of shared values and a sense of purpose in society

Provide Some Examples ● Social Facts Anomie

Conflict is necessary to produce social change and a better society I think today I will establish a free and classless society I, too, have these bubbles popping out my head!

Karl Marx ● History is a continuous clash between conflicting ideas and forces – ● Class conflict between capitalist class (bourgeoisie) and the working class (proletariat) – – ● ● Economic changes are most important Alienation Fetishism of Commodities Society should be changed Criticized for too much emphasis on class struggle

Sociology should be value -free – it should exclude the researcher’s personal values and economic interests It really isn’t possible for sociologists to be value-free is it? Then, we need to gain the ability to see the world as others see it

Max Weber ● Bureaucracies – determines the social relationships among people – ● Rationalization – the modern world has become dominated by structures devoted to: – – ● These are destructive to human vitality and freedom Efficiency Calculability Predictability Technological Control Emphasized the goal of value-free inquiry & necessity of understanding how others see the world

Structural Functionalist ● ● Based on the assumption that society is a stable, orderly system (Durkheim) Societal Consensus – ● ● ● Common set of values, beliefs, behavioral expectations Society composed of inter-related parts Social structures and institutions persist because they help society persist Strains

Functionalism & Merton ● Manifest Functions – Intended or overtly recognized by participants in a social unit ● ● Latent Functions – Unintended functions that are hidden and unacknowledged by participants ● ● Examples Dysfunctions – Undesirable consequences ● May threaten a society’s capacity to adapt and survive

Conflict Perspective ● ● Groups in society are engaged in continuous power struggle for control of scarce resources (Marx, Weber) Encompasses several branches: – – – Neo-Marxist (class struggle) Racial-Ethnic (exploitation) Feminist (gender issues)

Symbolic Interactionist ● ● ● Examines people’s day-to-day interactions and their behavior in small groups (micro-level) Society is the sum of the interactions of individuals and groups Subjective Reality – Each person’s interpretation or definition of a given situation (shared or not shared symbols)

Post-Modern ● ● ● Existing theories have not successfully explained social life in a contemporary society Society focused on a shift from production to consumption Postmodern Society – – – Information explosion Rise of a consumer society Global Village