Chapter 1 Flashcards
archaeology of knowledge
Focault’s term for the process of “digging down” to find out how a piece of information was constructed, typically in order to discover or expose flaws in the way supposed facts or truths were established
backstage
(as described by Goffman) the site of private, personal, or intimate encounters between individuals
bourgeoisie
Marx’s term for the owners of the means of production (or capital, as it was known during the industrial area)
capital
Marx’s term for the fund and properties necessary for the large-scale manufacture and trade of goods
class
Marx’s term for a socioeconomic group defined either relationally (in relation to means of production - owner, worker), or absolutely (money, education, respect)
conflict theory
a sociological perspective espousing the view that complex societies are made up of groups in conflict, with one or more groups dominating or oppressing others
critical sociology
sociology that challenges both established sociological theories and the research that sociologists do
cultural mosaic
a metaphor for any society in which individual ethnic groups are able to maintain specific distinctive identities
discourse
a conceptual framework with its own internal logic and underlying assumptions. different disciplines, such as sociology and psychology each have their own discourses
dramaturgical approach
(as described by Goffman) a way of approaching sociological research as if everyday life were taking place on the stage of a theatre
disproportionate representation
a situation that occurs when an atypically high or low number of a particular social group is associated with a specific situation
egalitarianism
the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities
ethnography
a research method in which communities or groups are studied through extensive fieldwork. ethnography requires the researcher to participate daily in the lives of the subjects, observing their actions and asking questions
folk society
a rural, small-scale, homogenous society imbued with a strong sense of the sacred and the personal, usually in contrasts to urban societies
front stage
the site of social interactions designed for public display
ideology
a relatively coherent set of interrelated beliefs about society and the people in it
impression management
the ways in which people present themselves publicly in specific roles and social circumstances
intersectionality
the way different social factors combine to shape the negative experience of a minoritized group. the greater the number of negativity valued social locations you have, the greater the degree of discrimination you are likely to experience
latent dysfunction
the unintended negative consequence of a social process or institution (eg. the way religion divides people)
latent function
the largely unintended and unrecognized positive consequence of a social process or institution (eg. religion causes social opportunities to older people to wouldn’t otherwise have the chance)
macrosociology
an approach to sociological inquiry that involves looking at the large-scale structure and dynamics as society as a whole
manifest function
the intended and widely recognized function of a social process or institution
melting pot
a metaphor for a country in which immigrants are believed or expected to lose their cultural distinctiveness and assimilate into the dominant society
microsociology
an approach to sociology that focuses not on the grand scale of society but on the plans, motivations, and actions of the individual or a specific group
narratives
stories that reflect the lives and views of the tellers
objective/objectivity
a supposed quality of scientific research that is not influenced by emotions, personality, or particular life experiences the individual scientist. it better applies to the physical sciences than to social sciences
policy sociology
the use of sociological research and data to produce social change, especially through government or corporate policy
political economy
an interdisciplinary discipline that involves sociology, political science, economics, law, anthropology, and history. it looks primarily at the relationship between politics and the economics surrounding the production, distribution, and consumption of goods
professional sociology
sociology that involves research typically designed to generate highly specific information, often with the aim of applying it to a particular problem or intellectual question. its usual audience is the academic world of sociology departments, academic journals, professional associations, and conferences
proletariat
the people who work for wages and do not own capital, the means of production, in an industrial, capitalist society
Protestant (work) ethic
a set of values embodied in early Protestantism, believed to have led to the development of modern capitalism (such as working all day, not indulging in anything)
public sociology
sociology that addresses an audience outside of the academy. it is presented in a language that can be understood by the college-educated reader, without the dense style of the academic paper or journal, and express concern for a breadth of sociological subjects
social fact
term for a patterned way of acting, thinking, and feeling that exists outside of the individual but that exerts control over all people
social gospel
a movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Canada, the US, and various European countries to apply the human welfare principles of Christianity to the social, medical, and psychological ills brought on by industrialization and uncontrolled capitalism
social location
a unique vantage point influenced by the important social characteristics of an individual, including class, race, age, gender, sexual orientation, and degree of ability, that inform the individual’s perspective and shape their experience
sociological imagination
the capacity to shift from the perspective of the personal experience to the grander, societal scale that has caused or influenced that personal experience
sociology
the social science that studies the development, structure, and functioning of human society
standpoint theory
the view that knowledge is developed from a particular lived position, making objectivity impossible
structural functionalism
a sociological approach that examines the way social systems operate by viewing those systems in terms of the various parts or structures of which they were made. the structural-functionalist approach views society as being like a human body, made up of different structures each having its own function
subjective
denoting theories, beliefs, and opinions, influenced by emotions, personality, and particular life experiences of the individual
symbolic interactionism
a view of social behaviour that looks at the meaning of daily social interactions, including the words and gestures we use and how they are interpreted by others
total institutions
institutions such as the military, hospitals, and asylums that regulate all aspects of an individual’s life
totalitarian discourse
any discourse that makes a universal claim about how all knowledge and understanding can be achieved
vertical mosaic
metaphor to describe a society or nation in which there is a hierarchy of higher and lower ethnic groups
