Séance 3: Parler avec les gens

Question 1

What is the subject of Michael Pollack’s research?

Answer 1

The Nazi repression system and the experience of deportees.

Question 2

What is the main research question of Pollack’s study?

Answer 2

How did individuals manage to maintain their social identities during and after the concentration camp?

Question 3

What are the results of Pollack’s research?

Answer 3

1. Identity tested before arrest.
2. The camp as a ‘total institution’ using self-destruction techniques.
3. Desocialization followed by resocialization (new connections).
4. Learning the ‘logic of the camp.’
5. Relationship to the past aids in thinking about identity continuity.
6. Four forms of adjustment: withdrawal, intransigence, installation, conversion.
7. Silence and testimonies after liberation.

Question 4

What methods did Pollack use in his research?

Answer 4

Life story interviews, historical methods (archives), interviews, testimonies, and social space reconstruction.

Question 5

What data did Pollack collect?

Answer 5

16 biographical interviews with deportees from 1943 to 1944, biographical writings of Auschwitz survivors, judicial depositions, and historical testimonies.

Question 6

What are the strengths of Pollack’s research?

Answer 6

Strong involvement of the researcher and strong involvement of the interviewees.

Question 7

What are the limitations of Pollack’s research?

Answer 7

1. Difficulty in producing sociological analysis from biographical narratives.
2. Risk of trivializing the Holocaust.
3. Challenges in using ‘constructed’ sources.
4. Risk of reactivating traumatic experiences.
5. Value judgments in testimonies.

Question 8

What is the focus of Howard Becker’s study on marijuana users?

Answer 8

The analysis of marijuana use for pleasure.

Question 9

What learning aspects are involved in marijuana use according to Becker?

Answer 9

1. Technique.
2. Awareness of new sensations.
3. Learning to enjoy these sensations.

Question 10

What are the goals of Becker’s research?

Answer 10

1. A new way to analyze deviance.
2. New users often lack knowledge on how to smoke, which is essential for pleasure and continued use.
3. Investigating what motivates individuals to try marijuana and what encourages them to try again.

Question 11

What methods did Becker employ in his research?

Answer 11

Biographical interviews with marijuana smokers.

Question 12

What data did Becker collect?

Answer 12

50 interviews with marijuana users.

Question 13

What are the strengths of Becker’s research?

Answer 13

1. Modern method.
2. New approach to deviance.
3. Rich methodology.
4. Theoretical impact: certain behaviors become ‘deviant’ due to social reactions.

Question 14

What are the limitations of Becker’s research?

Answer 14

1. Limited sample and specific local context.
2. Focus only on the social aspect of marijuana consumption.
3. No focus on associated risks.