Social Blueprints Conceptual Foundations of Sociology

by Brown, David K.

• ISBN13: 9780195162264
• ISBN10: 0195162269
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-02-19
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Social Blueprints is a concise introduction to sociological thought that is a refreshing alternative to the approaches of traditional textbooks and other brief introductions to the field. David K. Brown introduces students to concepts and theories that form the foundation of sociologicalreasoning. In a highly engaging style, he uses personal experiences, salient cultural examples, and pressing social issues to ground these ideas in the everyday experiences of students. In five cogent chapters, Brown explores how core sociological ideas such as culture, social structure, identities, power, and globalization can better inform our understanding of the social world. He uses contemporary, historical, and global examples drawn from realms such as music, professionalsports, fashion, film, government, warfare, protests, corporations, workplaces, education, crime, poverty, architecture, and tourism to lend immediate relevance to sociological endeavor. Acutely focused and written with a clear, critical point of view, Social Blueprints is ideal for use inintroductory and other sociology courses as either a primary or supplemental text.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xv
1 INDIVIDUALITY, SOCIETY, AND IDENTITY: CORNERSTONES OF SOCIOLOGICAL REASONING	1	(44)
Introduction	1	(4)
Vivifying the Mundane: The Sociological Imagination	5	(17)
The Sociological Imagination: C. Wright Mills	5	(2)
Individual Problems Versus Social Problems	7	(4)
The Sociology of Celebrities: Individuals in Social Context	11	(5)
The American Preoccupation with Individualism in Cultural, Political, and Economic Life	16	(6)
The Sociology of Identities	22	(8)
Individuals as Webs of Group Affiliation	22	(3)
Social Identities: Repertoire Selection, Multiple Consciousness, and Ambiguity	25	(5)
The Contested Terrain of Sociological Knowledge	30	(11)
Some Cautionary Notes About Sociology Versus Psychology	31	(1)
The Reality of the Social: Social Facts	32	(2)
The Gulf Between Fact and Value Statements	34	(4)
Muddying the Waters: The Politics of Social Knowledge	38	(3)
Conclusion	41	(2)
Suggestions for Further Study	43	(2)
2 SOCIAL THEORIES: THEIR INTERPLAY AND CONTRADICTIONS	45	(52)
The Nature and Relevance of Social Theories	45	(5)
Theories as Paradigms	46	(1)
Theoretical Reasoning: Induction and Deduction	47	(1)
Four Broad Types of Social Theory	48	(2)
Rational Choice Theories: Individuals Pursuing Interests	50	(9)
Where Do Desires Come From?	53	(3)
The Free-Rider Problem: Are Rational People Honest?	56	(2)
Do People Choose to Be Unequal?	58	(1)
Functional Theories: Harmony and Necessary Differences in Social Organization	59	(5)
Basic Functionalist Imagery	60	(4)
Is Social Inequality Simply Necessary?	64	(1)
Symbolic Interactionist and Social Constructionist Theories: Interaction, Meaning, and Everyday Life	64	(11)
Mind, Self, and Society	66	(1)
Modem Symbolic Interactionism	67	(7)
Symbolic Interactionism/Constructionism: Are the Trees Hiding the Forest?	74	(1)
Conflict Theories: Arenas of Power and Inequality	75	(19)
The Interplay of Conflict Theory with Other Perspectives	77	(2)
Karl Marx' Enduring Legacy	79	(5)
Max Weber's Multidimensional Conflict Theory	84	(9)
Conflict Theories: Too Much Pessimism, or Sober Realism?	93	(1)
Conclusion	94	(1)
Suggestions for Further Study	95	(2)
3 CULTURE, STRUCTURE, AND INTERACTION: UNRAVELING THE FIBERS OF SOCIAL LIFE	97	(46)
Introduction	97	(1)
Distinguishing Social Structure, Culture, and Social Interaction	98	(3)
Social Structural Determinism, Cultural Autonomy, and Human Agency	101	(11)
Beyond Good and Evil: Religion as an Emblem of Society	103	(5)
Beyond Cold Hard Cash: The Sociology of Money	108	(4)
Understanding Culture and Social Power	112	(15)
Cashing in on Culture: The Flow of Cultural, Social, and Economic Capital	114	(3)
Roads Between High Culture and Popular Culture	117	(2)
Interpreting Pink Flamingos: Everyday Expressions of Social Positions	119	(3)
"Lions and Tigers and Bears-Oh My!" The Cultural and Political Construction of Social Problems	122	(5)
Cultural Production, Distribution, and Interpretation	127	(13)
A Basic Model of Cultural Production Processes	129	(3)
Making Chili Peppers: Organizational Processes in the Rise of a Band	132	(5)
Pets or Meat? The Interpretation of Cultural Products	137	(3)
Conclusion	140	(1)
Suggestions for Further Study	141	(2)
4 POWER AND AUTHORITY: IN SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, STATES, AND ORGANIZATIONS	143	(51)
The Sociological Perspective on Power	143	(4)
The Power Prism and Its Refractions: An Analytical Tool	144	(3)
Social Power and Social Movements	147	(12)
Reading Power into Political Protests	152	(7)
Power, States, and Legitimacy	159	(12)
Spreading Social Power in Authoritarian Regimes	160	(3)
Theaters of War: The Social Construction of State Legitimacy	163	(8)
Power in Organizations	171	(21)
Power and Control in Workplaces	173	(10)
Bureaucratic Organizations and Abstract Social Power	183	(2)
The Symbolic Architecture of Organizational Power	185	(7)
Conclusion	192	(1)
Suggestions for Further Study	192	(2)
5 GLOBALIZATION: CONCEPTUALIZING TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY SOCIAL CHANGE	194	(49)
Introduction	194	(1)
Globalization: How Global, How New?	195	(2)
Economic and Political Globalization	197	(26)
The Ideological and Policy Basis of the New World Order: Neoliberalism and Its Critics	199	(5)
The Global Power of Transnational Corporations	204	(5)
International Governmental and Nongovernmental Organizations: International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organization, and the G-8	209	(4)
Bittersweet Chocolate: Child Slave Labor in West Africa	213	(1)
So Long Nation, Hello Corporation?	214	(2)
International Social Movements	216	(3)
Mexico: Poverty and Protest in a "Model" Free Trade Nation	219	(4)
Cultural Globalization	223	(15)
Limiting Factors Concerning Cultural Globalization	224	(4)
Global Consumerism: You Gotta Shop Around, Even If It's All the Same	228	(5)
Global Tourism: Cultural Freedom, Structural Constraints, and Exploitation	233	(5)
Conclusion	238	(4)
Suggestions for Further Study	242	(1)
References	243	(8)
Index	251