Theory Flashcards

Question

Criticisms of the New Right perspective | Structural consensus theory

Answer 1

* Many of their ideas are seen as simplistic and short-sighted, ignoring the complexities of modern society and reinforcing stereotypes that lack evidence * Example, Charles Murray's views on lone mothers and the underclass have been denounced by Alan Walker (1990) as reliant on littile more than innuedos, assertions and ancedotes rather than firm evidence * Others challenge the native assumptions of the New Right that we have equality of oppurtunity and live in meritocracy ## Footnote However was massively influential in shaping government policies globally since the 1980s. Such influence means that it would be naive and simplistic for sociologists to dismiss it

Answer 2

* Response to modernism * Structuralist, places emphasis on the structures that make up society * Macro theory * Based on a conflict analysis of society especially class conflict

Answer 3

* Interpreted Marx's ideas with the changes in today's modern society * Can offer criticism of traditional Marxist analysis particularly its economic determinism ## Footnote 3 broad neo-Marxist traditions evolved in the 2oth century 1. Gramsci's concept of hegemony 2. Althusser's ideological state apparatus 3. The Frankfurt school

Answer 4

* Marxism over-stresses and underestimates the extent of consensus in society * It is criticised for being over-negative and crudely deterministic in that all social probelms are inevitable blamed on the capitalist system * People (not the economic system) make their own history and for that reason the assumed future of communism cannot be predicted * Functionalist argue that Marxism places too much emphasis on conflict at the expense of recognising the fair amount of consensus in society * Feminists argue that the focus soley on class ignores gender relations * The proletariat show no appetite for a revolution although Marxists explain this away through false consciousness

Answer 5

* Developed as a theoritical perspective because (especially before the 1960s) sociologu often ignored women's experiences and when they were considered they were frequently marginalised * Result of systematic biases and inadequacies of malestream theories * Constructs reality by drawing on women's interpretation of thier experiences and interests * Structural theory, it is centred on how patriarchy shapes the experiences of men and women across society * Interpretive theory, seeks to make sense of women's experiences by portraying the meanings of being a woman in patriarchal society ## Footnote * 1st wave feminism - associated with the campaign for votes before and after WW1 * 2nd wave feminism - associated with the women's liberation movement of 1960s and 70s * 3rd wave feminism - associated with postmodernist ideas of individualism and differentiation. Women were recognised as having a variety of experiences and outcomes associated with income, wealth, ethnicity, age, locality and belief systems * 4th wave feminism - Activist campaigning to build a strong, popular reactive movement particularly by embracing online technology

Answer 6

* Views gender inequality as stemming from the ignorance of men that derives from te strength of socialisation and sex-role conditioning * Solution to gender inequality is education and reform of men although they recognise this sometimes needs the stick of anti-discrimination legislation * Therefore the least radical of all the feminisms ## Footnote AO2 * Applied to social policy and education AO3 * Criticised by other feminists for glossing over the true oppression and exploitation which women experiencce * Other feminists claim that men aren't simply ignorant but have a vested interest in maintaing the patriarchal ways of livinng and thinking that empower them

Answer 7

* Feminists who adopt the Marxist view that the economic dependence women have on men has been created by capitalism * Serves 2 functions 1. Porvide cheap female who can be exploited even more than men 2. Ensure that household chores are done cheaply * When women entered the workforce they traditionally worked in low-piad, low-status, part-time jobs * Solution to women's oppression is the abolitioon of capitalis which would eradicate the double oppression of patriarchy in the home and economic exploitation in the workplace

Answer 8

* Most extreme form of feminism * Focus attention on the power relations between men and women referred to as sexual politics * Argue that all women are oppressed by men in particular within the home and need to break this imbalance of power through a collective identification of their interests through a sense of sisterhood * Gender as a shared class identity * Women share the same sex-class positions because they are controlled (and sometimes abused) by the violence of men * Women's liberation can be achieved by actively challenging and eradicating the prevaiviling systems of patriarchy * Extreme expression of radical feminism is separatism which argues that women can only be free when men are isolated entirely from their lives

Answer 9

* Derived because black women felt white feminists failed to recognise some women were oppressed not only by feminism but by racism too * Criticised the ethnocentricity of most feminism which was focused on white women's experiences * To liberate women the system of racism must be challenged alongside patriarchy and capitalism * Plays an important role in differentiating different women's experiences of family life * Recognising that racism can be a frequent experience for women From Black and Minority Ething Groups (BMEs) they're more positive about the institution of the family seeing it as a postential safe hagen for its members in a racist world

Answer 10

* We now live in a postmodern society * Post-feminists argue that the shift towards an increasingly gender equal society has made feminism no longer relavant * Other strand of postmodern feminism embraces the argument of postmodernism that we are now living i an increasingly fragmented and pluralistic society centred on individuality and multiple identites * Recognise gender is a very important determinant of life chances, the experiences of individual women differ. Factos like social class, age, ethnicity, physical appearance and locality shaoe and individualise women's experiences * Some women are more oppressed by men than others * A more individualistic approach is thus necessary ## Footnote AO2 * Diffference feminism recognises that women's experiences of family life varies depending on their type of household. Nicholson and Calhoun (Families and households)

Answer 11

* Ethnocentric largely ignoring black women. Ignores the fac that for black women racial oppression may be of equal or greater significance * Orientated to Western society and largely ignores 3rd world women * Ignores the positive way in which many women view the family and relationships with women

Answer 12

Redresses the way in which women have been systematically ignored from malestream sociology. As a perspective it focuses on issues and meanings of being female, and the oppression of women (possible as a sex-class) by patriarchal forces

Answer 13

* Origin associated with Max Weber (1864-1920) * Mirco approach * Focuses on micro-level of social life - the way in which individuals interact with each other * Only by looking at how individual humans are able to interact can we understand how social order is created * Purpose of action theory is to explain human behaviour but avoids making assumptions of the determinism of the constraining social structure * Examines the personal meanings that lie behind actions * Recognises the importance and influences of others on behaviour * Nature of society lies in the extradionary ability of humans to work out what is going on around them * From this they can choose to act in a particular way * Since people's actions stem from their conscious engagement in what are perceived to be meaningful encouters the resut is social order (the shared imagination in people's minds of a society that seems to work) * **Society is the result of interactions carried out by actors interpreting and giving meaning to the social setting they find themselves in and choosing courses of action accordingly** ## Footnote Also known as **interpretive theory**

Answer 14

* Derives from Weber's action theory * Created by Blumer and Herbert * Rejects any attempt to make sense of society as a system * Tries to understand the meanings behind individual's actions * Micro-approach * Focueses on the interaction between individuals (actors) and the world (actors' stage where they perform a variety of roles) * Interested in the actions of indviduals (e.g. why people choose to behave the way they do as voluntaristic behaviour) rather than the structures in which they operate * Stresses the importance of an actor's ability to interpret the social world arguing there is no objectiv reality instead the worldis real inside each indivdual's head * The self can be interpreted in 3 ways 1. How we imagine we appear to others 2. How we imagine their judgement of that appearance 3. Our response to those perceived judgements such as pride, anger

Answer 15

* Functionalists and Marxists criticise interactionism for neglecting social structures which they argue impact directly on people's lives and shape life chances and oppurtunities * Marxists argue that the structure of social class is particularly important whether or not actors are consciously aware of it

Answer 16

* Means after modernity * Implies it was preceded by a period of modernity and before that there was a period of pre-modernity ## Footnote Modernity reflects the era of industrialisation

Answer 17

* Period of modernity is associated with industrialisation * As society today is different of the Industrial Revolution some argue that we are now living in a postmodern society * Not everyone supports this view (Marxists argue society is fundamentally the same capitalistic system with the same economic relations of class exploitation) * Those who believe we are in modern period use 'late mordern' to concede some social and cultural difference to 19th century * Society is now characterised by its preoccupation with consumerism, shopping, and style which is fundamentally different to the old society centred on production and work * Society is becoming fragmented and individualistic - there is diversity aowing people to make personal choices in every field of like * Doesn't recognise objective reality * Realiity is what is inside people's heads * Rejects ideas of grand theories since there are multiple versions of reality * Under modernity identity was linked to production typically job and social class * In postmodernity is linked to consumption with surface imahes amd style becoming important defining features * Identity is about wearing labelled clothes which now conveniently have the labels outside so everyonce can see them, brand of car, neighbourhood, media consumed etc * Icons and signs are therefore increasingly consumed for their appearance rather than for their utility