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E ....
...L
The
Origins andC
Development
..E....
..T ..of Sociology
I .... ....
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CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVES
A theory is a set of interrelated statements that explain
how two or more phenomena are related to one another.
American sociology today is composed of several
different theoretical perspectives, each of which has
been influenced by the European founding theorists as
well as by pioneering U.S. sociologists, and by various
events in this country and abroad during the twentieth
century. In this part of the chapter, we will discuss four
contemporary
sociological
theories:
structural
functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism,
and feminist theory. Each offers a lens through which
to view the social world; however, just as changing the
lenses on a camera alters the image that appears in a
photograph, so do each of these theories provide
differing insights into social life.
fj^Ch t)n4MSr ,
Structural Functionalism
JorA
Conflict Theory
16 Chapter 1
Sociological Perspectives
nant values and rules of the larger society and the very
organization of the society. So, for example, we may
teach our children that racism is wrong, but if they live in
racially segregated neighborhoods and go to racially segregated schools where their textbooks teach only about
the accomplishments of White people, they are likely to
grow up with many of the same prejudices as previous
generations. Thus, while social learning can contribute to
social change, its effect is limited without simultaneous
efforts to bring about macro-level change.
Feminist Sociology
You may have noticed that all of the mainstream sociologists we have discussed in this chapter shared several
characteristics: With few exceptions, they were/are all
White men of European ancestry. The fact that this social
group has dominated the discipline means that to a large
extent mainstream sociology has been both Eurocentric
and androcentric (Chafetz, 1997). It is Eurocentric in that
it has tended to focus on beliefs and concerns relevant to
Western societies with European roots. It is androcentric
because it traditionally has been malecentered;
sociological research and writing has been done primarily
by men, using mostly men as research subjects,
V,
Chapter 1
Perspectives
Sociological
TABLE 1.2
Level of
Perspective
Analysis
Macro
Level
Structural
Functionalism
Conflict Theory
Macro
Level
Symbolic
Micro
Level
Interactionism
Feminist
Sociology
Macro
Level
or micro
level
Assumptions
Society is made up of
interrelated
parts,
each
of
which
contributes
to
the
functioning of society
as a whole.
Societies are arranged
in such a way that resources and rewards
are
unevenly
distributed among the
population, and this
inequality
produces
conflict.
Reality is socially created through people's
everyday interactions
and symbolic
communication with
one another.
Gender is a central
organizing factor of
the social world.
Basic Question
Key People
Key Concepts
What function
does a specific
institution provide
for society as a
whole?
Durkhei
m,
Parsons,
Merton
manifest
functions, latent
functions,
normative
consensus,
Who benefits
and who loses
from a particular
social
arrangement?
Marx,
Weber
, Mills
inequality,
conflict
What
are
the
shared meanings
of
a
particular
interaction for the
members
of
a
social group?
Mead,
Blume
r
symbol
s
gender,
sex
CON N E C T I O N S
Impact of social
locators
Impacts of sex
and race in the
workplace