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THE MAIN APPROACHES TO SOCIOLOGY:
STRUCTURALISM:
The structuralist approaches focus on large scale (macro) social structures rather than individuals
From its name, they view societies as structures where each person plays a definite role. The people themselves are not seen as important; the social roles they play are
This view thinks that people have no freedom of thought or action; society controls lives (individuals are puppets in society's hands)
EMILE DURKHEIM:
An important structuralist is Emile Durkheim and he studied suicide. You may think that when a person commits suicide, it is an individual act encouraged by personal distresses. However, Durkheim wanted to show that social forces (connections between individuals and support networks like families) played a role.
During his study, he realized that the proportion of people who committed suicide each year in a country didn't vary as much. On the other hand, when it was compared to other countries, there were significant differences
Thus, strong social forces--> low suicide rates and weak social forces--> high suicide rates
Used the positivist method (includes numbers) and looked for correlations (relation between 2 variables but 1 does not necessarily cause the other) and causations (a relation between 2 variables where one causes the other)
INTERPRETIVISM:
This approach focuses on the individual rather than society as a whole therefore uses micro scale
The individual is in control of society and not the other way around
Interpretivists are interested in how individuals make sense of society, social actions (the things they do), and the way individuals see themselves (their identity)
In societies, we are given labels. It is up to every person to choose the labels that is appropriate to them and reject the others. Socially available labels include:
Sex and gender identities
Ethnic identities
Age
Social class
Nationality
Occupation
Roles within a family (being a parent)
Being a part of a religious organization
Interpretivists believe our identities come from our own thoughts rather than from society (structuralists would argue)
NOTE: Structuralism is MACRO - remember by the fact that when you say macro, your mouth opens wide, therefore it is LARGE scale.
NOTE: Structuralism also uses POSITIVIST method - remember that "positive" is the same as the positive sign "+" so it includes mathematical equations and is therefore quantitative/uses numbers
CONSENSUS VS CONFLICT:
CONSENSUS:
Social consensus occurs when people share the same values and there are no major disagreements between the main groups
A society that has social consensus is harmonious and stable and gives people a sense of belonging
To have consensus either:
Every person/group has similar level of wealth, status, and power or
It is accepted that every person/group deserves the level of wealth, status, and power that it has
CONFLICT:
Social conflict occurs when major disagreements occur between groups over wealth, status, and power
The society would be unstable as people do not share the same values
It can come to a point where the group/people in power can suppress anyone who challenges them
*Since interpretivists prioritize the individuals over society, the consensus vs conflict debate does not apply to them. Instead, they are criticized for not seeing the "bigger picture/issue" that includes power etc.
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES THAT AROSE FROM CONSENSUS VS CONFLICT:
FUNCTIONALISM/STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM:
It is the main sociological perspective based on consensus
Functionalists perceive the human society as a human body - each part of society has functions that occur and work harmoniously in order to keep the society healthy and survive. If something goes wrong in one part of society, this can affect other parts of society just like if one system of the body fails, other systems will be affected. This is known as a biological/organic analogy since it compares society to a living organism
Main sociologist: American Talcott Parsons
MARXISM
Established by Karl Marx
Based on a fundamental, permanent, and continuous conflict between social classes
There are two main classes: the bourgeoisie (the owners of wealth and property) who exploit and oppress the proletariats (the working class) who have no choice but to work if they are to survive (proletariats never get paid the full amount and are "wage slaves")
Where functionalists look at parts of society and see how they behave harmoniously and remain stable, Marxists look at the same phenomena and see how they allow the bourgeoisie to keep their wealth and power
Marxism was important in sociology, politics, history, and economics. In politics, it inspired the communism and socialism movements in order to gain equality and eradicate class divisions
Critics of Marxism claim that attempts to make everyone equal only leads to further oppression
Modern Marxist writers are called neo-Marxists
FEMINISM:
It is also based on conflict
Feminists see a fundamental division between the two sexes and argue that men are in control of society and have all the wealth and power. This type of society is known as a patriarchal society.
Feminist sociologists research on gender differences. For example, why do women get paid less than men when girls tend to do better than boys in school.
Like Marxism, Feminism has been a part of many social and political movements. It is important to note that it is not anti-men, but it rather seeks equality
There are 3 types of feminists:
Liberal feminists: they believe that major advancements have been made and that equality is within reach (they don't emphasize conflict)
Radical feminists: even though advancements have been made, the power still remains with men
Marxist/Socialist feminists: bring together both Marxism and feminism - shows how class and gender produce fundamental differences in societies
NOTES DONE BY FARIDA SABET
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