Development of Sociological Thought -- List of Themes ...



Development of Sociological Thought -- List of Themes -- Final Exam

Feminist Theory

- West and Zimmerman’s notion of doing gender and its relevance today.

- the differences between radical and liberal feminism

- intersectionality as it relates to feminist theory

Dorothy Smith:

- her view regarding the tendency of mainstream sociology to objectify women and

others who are the focus of social research

- her position that there are multiple realities, and that interpretation is a central component of social research

- her suggestion that sociologists include the context and circumstances of their own situation in their writing as a way to raise the quality of social research

Bell Hooks:

- her position that women of various ethnic and class backgrounds have different experiences and a diverse range of concerns and goals

- her critique of mainstream feminist theory as reflecting the views of white upper-middle class educated women, and its unwillingness to be open to alternative perspectives

- her position that the exclusionary practices of feminist thinkers has hindered progression of the feminist movement

Theories of Race and Ethnicity

William J. Wilson:

- his point that one must look at the ways race and class are related and intersect as a way to understand how these factors influence the social order

- his point that while race is still significant, class has become a more significant factor in determining the life chances of an individual

Charles Willie

- his point that race is still a powerful factor in shaping the life chances of individuals

- his claims regarding the significance of residential segregation, education, and social position as having an influence on the life chances of individuals

Stephen Steinberg:

- his point that pluralism is in many ways incompatible with the principles of democracy

- his argument that perceived differences in race and ethnicity are socially constructed

- his position that cultural symbols of the past provide a false sense of security to shield us from present-day discontents

Critical Theory

Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno:

- their critique of the Enlightenment ideal

- their critique of positivism

- their critique of Marxism

- their critique of capitalism and socialism

- their argument that there are two fundamental human interests – instrumental and

emancipatory – and that the first is gradually taking over the second.

- their notion of the culture industry and the importance of this in contemporary society.

- their pessimism with regard to the growing "instrumental rationality" in modern society.

Herbert Marcuse

- the notion of repressive tolerance

- his argument that modern society is creating “one dimensional man”

Jurgen Habermas:

- his claim that communication is among the most important of human interests.

- his belief that there has been a decline in the public sphere over the course of modernity.

- his notion of "legitimation crisis".

- his theory of "communicative action"

- his idea that forming truth via consensus helps to avoid the problems of relativism.

Douglas Kellner

- his point that critical theory is still relevant today.

- his argument regarding the differences between capitalism in the past and present.

- his claim that contemporary society is not actually postindustrial or postmodern.

Agency - Structure Debate

Anthony Giddens:

- social scientists should focus on the dialectical interplay between agency and structure

- the concept of "structuration theory"

- his point that in their search for a sense of security, people tend to rationalize or routinize their world

- his claim that individuals develop a practical consciousness and often unknowingly rely on this when negotiating the terrain of everyday social life

Pierre Bourdieu:

- his criticisms of the "objectivists" and the "subjectivists", and the tendency of sociologists to study society from one perspective or the other.

- his focus on practice as the dialectical relationship between structure and agency

- the concept of "habitus" as a way out of the dualism between agency and structure

- his notion of "field" as a more flexible way to conceive of various aspects of society.

- his claim that "cultural capital" is as important as economic capital in shaping the social order

- his argument that sociologists should approach their work in a reflexive manner, and that this would improve the quality of their investigations

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