Sociology's topic is the entire social world (or
worlds, if you like), not just problems, troubles, ills, etc. A few years
ago Randall Collins wrote a short article in Contemporary Sociology that pointed
out that American sociology is dominated, and hampered, by a "social
problems" orientation. I think Ritzer and perhaps Lemert also published
short pieces in CS making a similar point. I don't see this as much in
sociology outside of the U.S. It's interesting that areas like sociology
of food and sociology of tourism are flourishing with very substantial European
input. The wider scope of interests in social history, anthropology, and
geography seems instructive--these areas share much with sociology but are less
dominated by doom and gloom scenarios. Of course it's important to be able
to bring a critical focus on society's most pressing problems, but sociology can
have a larger vision.
Peter Grahame
Dickinson College
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 10:57
AM
Subject: TEACHSOC: Escape from sociology
The full picture
A question.
There have been several
posts suggesting that sociology only presents the negative, the
depressing. It appears that we are
set upon shocking our students
and showing them the truth about the world they live in. Sometimes the
perfect is allowed
to be the enemy of the good. One of our
colleagues teaching in what they considered a conservative area sees
there job as telling
".....students that I am a missionary sent here by the
forces of reason to drag the population, kicking and screaming, into the 21st
Century"
However, over the years when I have asked the list for
examples of break through in sociology the list has been silent. So much
for bringing
anyone into the 21st century.
Perhaps a prime example
of this narrow negative vision is found in the sociological imagination.
SI claims that personal troubles/problems
are linked to social
structure. Or in his own words SI is "By such means the personal
uneasiness of individuals is focused upon explicit troubles
and the
indifference of publics is transformed into involvement with public issues."
True to its parent Social Darwinism as C W Mills states," It is
characteristic of Herbert Spencer - turgid, polysyllabic,
comprehensive;"
My question is, are only personal/psychological
troubles/uneasiness linked to public issues/social structure? What about
personal victories,
achievements or glories? Durkheim advises, "To this
we reply that, by revealing the causes of phenomena, science
furnishes the means
of producing them." (Durkheim, 1964, p48).
As an applied sociologist I am interested in using social technologies in
producing victories, and
achievements not uneasiness and troubles.
Given the variety of classroom troubles reported on the list,
tardiness, not working, anger etc. perhaps we should focus on the
science of sociology
and go beyond the negative.
Del
|
