Basic theoretical dispositions Flashcards
Grand theory
tends to be universal in assumed scope, macro, structuralism, playing down individual human agency.
Mid-range theory
Regional/cultural structures operate with some autonomy within the broader global system.
- does not tend to universalism.
Micro-level theory
focuses on individual agency in determining, interpreting and shaping reality.
Rational choice theory
assumes that individuals are rational actors who seek to maximize their own benefit/interest.
Postmodernism
- Rejects objectivity & universalism.
- Focus on reality as constituted through ideological values and knowledge claims.
- Often focused on language and symbolism.
Postcolonial theory
concerned with the impact of colonialism on social life across the globe.
Symbolic interactionism
meaning emerges through shared understanding generated in the process of communication (rejects objective meaning).
Structural functionalism
society is an organic totality, all parts play an essential role in maintaining the whole of society.
Marxism
concerned with how modes of production are social and create relations of power and inequality.
Critical race theory
argues that racial inequality emerges from the social, economic, and legal differences that white people created between “races” to maintain elite white interest.
Social reproduction theory
a combination of the organization of production, the organization of social reproduction, the perpetuation of gender, and the continuation of class relations.
Liberal/pluralist feminism
argues that gender inequality lies in the denial of rights to women in education and employment.
Dual systems theory
argues that patriarchy and capitalism both inherently benefit men.
Queer theory
exploring the oppressive power of dominant sexuality norms, and the damage they cause to those who cannot, or do not wish to, live according to those norms.
Universalism
concept that some ideas have universal application.
