Sociology: Nacirema Culture and Society

Introduction to Sociology

• Sociology is the systematic study of human society.
• Core areas of study include social inequality, social institutions, and social change.
• Sociologists aim to uncover general themes in everyday life, critique the familiar, and understand how society shapes individuals and vice-versa.
• Several qualitative and quantitative methods are employed in sociological research.

Birth of a New Discipline

• Modern democracy, industrial revolution, and scientific revolutions all contributed to the formation of sociology.
• The modern era's social dynamics sharply contrast those of previous historical eras.
• The development of the sociological discipline mirrored these epochal changes.

Introduction: Understanding Society II

• The principal aims of sociological research include defining everyday life themes, questioning the familiar, and examining how individuals shape society as well as being shaped by it.
• Examples of pioneering sociological studies exist such as Durkheim's study of suicide (1897), which analyzed societal impacts on individual behavior.

Sociology and Democracy

• Modern democracy is essential to sociological thought.
• People shape and alter society; authority is found in societal structures, not external forces.
• Public issues, historically attributed to natural causes, now viewed as social issues, such as shifts from theocratic to democratic societies.

Scientific Revolution

• The Scientific Revolution (or Enlightenment) marked a turning point in thought.
• Key features included a reliance on reason and empiricism (observation and experience).
• Scientific thought advanced social values such as freedom, equality, and tolerance, challenging existing authorities.

Industrial Revolution and Urbanization

• Rapid urbanization accompanied industrialization.
• Social relations changed dramatically in urban environments, unlike the rural traditions of the past.
• Studies of poverty and other social issues arising from industrialization emerged as a new focus in sociology.

Three Core Aims of Sociology

• The three main goals of sociology are to define general themes in life, question the familiar, and examine how individuals shape and are shaped by society.
• This involves considering the general in the particular (Peter Berger, 1963)

1. Find the General Themes in Everyday Life

• Sociologists search for patterns in human behavior.
• This includes understanding why certain social patterns exist and how they become ingrained in daily life.

2. Questioning the Familiar

• Everyday social life is not always apparent.
• Familiarity can hinder deeper understanding of social functions.
• Critical sociological thinking requires examination of everyday assumptions.
• Examples include analyzing seemingly simple social conventions to understand their underlying social rules and norms.

Questioning the Familiar – Specific Example (Nacirema)

• Horace Miner's "Body Rituals Among the Nacirema" (1956) is a case study illustrating the need to question assumptions about social norms.
• This example showcases the anthropological perspective of discovering new social norms even within relatively familiar societies.

3. How We Shape Society vs. How it Shapes Us

• The formation of institutions exemplifies the active role of groups in shaping society and how the individuals who created those institutions are influenced by them.

Who are the Nacirema?

• The Nacirema are not a distinct group; this is an ethnographic example of how societal norms can be viewed with an anthropological perspective.
• Anthropologists aim to document behaviors in a non-judgmental manner.

The Nacirema Ritual System

• The Nacirema practice elaborate rituals centered around their belief that the human body is flawed.
• Rituals center around cleansing, curing illnesses, and achieving beauty.

Émile Durkheim and the Study of Suicide

• Durkheim's research demonstrated the influence of societal factors on individual behavior.
• Durkheim believed suicide is not an isolated action, but impacted by broader societal circumstances and variables.
• He noted that suicide rates vary based on societal factors like social integration and social regulation.

4 Types of Suicide

• Egoistic: low social integration.
• Altruistic: high social integration
• Anomic: low social regulation
• Fatalistic: high social regulation.

Egoistic Suicide

• Low social integration factors lead to higher suicide rates.
• This is correlated with individualism in religion (Protestantism) compared to more collectivist religions.

Altruistic Suicide

• High social integration factors lead to higher suicide rates.
• Occurring when individuals prioritize group needs above their own (e.g., suicide for the military or religious cults).

Anomic Suicide

• Low social regulation leads to higher rates of suicide.
• This occurs when the social norms and structures in society are weak.

Fatalistic Suicide

• High social regulation and lack of individual autonomy contribute to high rates of suicide.
• This is exemplified with slaves in historical periods and similar cases.

Research Methods: How Do Sociologists Study Society?

• Sociologists use various methods to study society.

Quantitative Methods

• Surveys: gathering data through questionnaires from large groups.
• Experiments: comparing groups to understand behavior and the factors that influence it.

Qualitative Methods

• Interviews: in-depth conversations to better grasp individual experiences and insights.
• Participant observation (ethnography): active involvement in a social group to learn about norms and social behavior over a significant period.

Additional Research Methods

• Content analysis: studying documents, texts, and similar media.
• Focus groups: discussions with larger groups, like interviews.

Doing Sociology

• Different sociological research methods are useful for answering specific types of research questions about a social behavior.
• Examples include using questionnaires to study crime, experiments to understand perception of criminals, interviews to examine complex thought patterns, and participant observation.

Harold Garfinkel - Breaching Experiments

• Harold Garfinkel's breaching experiments illuminate social norms.
• Social interactions are based on established norms and expectations.
• Breaking social rules forces participants to confront the inherent rules governing society and social interactions.

Summary

• Sociology systematically studies human society.
• Sociologists focus on social inequality, social institutions, and social change.
• They use various qualitative and quantitative research methods to understand social behavior patterns.