Soc 111 Theory and Methods Notes PDF

SOC 111 THEORY AND METHODS LECTURER: Mr. Gideon Desir SOCIOLOGISTS ARE CONCERNED WITH QUESTIONS SUCH AS: 1. HOW ARE SOCIETIES STRUCTURED/ORGANISED? 2. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE SOCIETY? 3. WHAT CAUSES SOCIAL CHANGE? 4. H...

SOC 111 THEORY AND METHODS LECTURER: Mr. Gideon Desir SOCIOLOGISTS ARE CONCERNED WITH QUESTIONS SUCH AS: 1. HOW ARE SOCIETIES STRUCTURED/ORGANISED? 2. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE SOCIETY? 3. WHAT CAUSES SOCIAL CHANGE? 4. HOW SHOULD SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH BE CONDUCTED? Question One: HOW ARE SOCIETIES STRUCTURED? TABLE 1 below illustrates the way in which each of the three classical social thinkers (Marx, Durkheim and Weber) see the structure of society. TABLE 1 DURKHEIM MARX WEBER For Durkheim, society is a For Marx, the society comprises NOMINALISM: For Weber, system comprised of two major parts: the economic society is just a name, it is the interdependent parts, with each infrastructure and the actions of acting individuals that part performing specific superstructure. The former make up society. This principle functions for the maintenance of comprises the means of is known as nominalism. While the whole. Durkheim, Comte production and the mode of Weber acknowledges that and spencer all embrace the production. Generally, the society is a structure, he argues organic analogy which is also economic infrastructure involves that underlying all social known as the organismic the way in which a society structure is the idea. So for approach or organicism. This organizes itself to produce it Weber, ideas lead to action, lead principle states that society can material needs and wants. The to structure. be compared with the human superstructure includes body. Thus, in the same way institutions such as the mass For example, it was someone’s that the human body consists of media, the family, education, idea that led to the John organs such as the heart, lungs, religion and so on. Compton Highway; Nobel stomach, pancreas, liver etc; Laureate Week ; and the society comprises social For Marx, the economy is the Massade Boys Training Centre. institutions such as the family, most powerful institution of the education, religion, economy, society. Marx argued that the Remember Martin Luther King judiciary and so on with each economic infrastructure and Nelson’s Mandela? Well. institution performing specific determines the nature of the Their ideas about social justice functions for the harmony of the superstructure. This principle is and humanity led to the whole system. The idea that the known as economic abolition of racial segregation in “whole is greater than the sum determinism. their countries. Also, it Fidel of its parts is linked with the Castro’s ideas about how Cuba organic analogy. Can you identify any differences should be governed that led to between the way Marx saw what Cuba is today. What do you think? Do you society and the way Durkheim think that the organic analogy is saw society? an effective way of conceiving Weber identified three kinds of the structure of society. Explain How about differences? action: traditional action, the organic analogy. Also, since affective action and rational all parts perform specific action. functions for the benefit of the whole, do you think that any one Traditional action is action part of society is more based on tradition; affective important? action is action based on emotion and rational action is action based on conscious deliberation and choice. What was your motive for coming to SALCC? Was it based on traditional action; affective action; rational action or a combination of the three? Durkheim saw sociology as the Marx was preoccupied with the study of social facts. For nature and structure of capitalist Two of Weber’s most famous Durkheim, social facts are society. For Marx capitalist works are: The Protestant Ethic external to the individual; they society comprised of two major and the Spirit of Capitalism; and are real; they constrain the classes: the bourgeoisie and the Bureaucracy. individual and they are general proletariat. The bourgeoisie i.e. they exist throughout class consists of the owners of In “The Protestant Ethic and the society. the means of production; while spirit of Capitalism” Weber the proletariat class comprised showed that capitalism emerged the dispossessed who owned from the religious ideas of only their labour power. Marx protestants. He argued that argued that capitalism contained protestants were taught that hard the seeds of its own destruction. work and saving would take He also posited that capitalism them to heaven. Thus based on is a dehumanizing system as the this belief the protestants bourgeoisie exploits the worked hard and accumulated proletariat so as to maximize wealth. This for Weber laid the their profits. foundation of capitalism. Regarding Bureaucracy, Weber argued that modern societies were bureaucratic i.e. they were based on rational principles/ideas.