This week’s readings deal primarily with understanding the
sociological imagination and social theory. C. Wright Mills’ piece The
Promise of Sociology focuses on the connection of individual issues such as
unemployment or divorce to a larger scale social issue of the rates of each
phenomenon. The author explains that when a person realizes this connection or
their place in it they come into their sociological imagination. Mills
expresses, “It enables him to take into account how individuals, in the welter
of their daily experience, often become falsely conscious of their social
positions” (p.2). The core issues
here were the interconnection of the different environments and how one directly
relates to the other. What begins
as an isolated incident to the individual might not be as isolated as the person
might think. These situation(s) can then be explained by larger factors. The
sociological imagination comes into play when the person measures their
experience with those of people around them, thus factoring themselves into the
big picture.
Next, there was the passage from the author Charles Lemert, Social Theory: Its Uses and Pleasures.
The focus on this chapter was the origin of social theory and the knowledge that
not only those well versed in the social sciences have the ability to formulate
theories; calling it “a basic survival skill” (p.1). He takes notice of language
as well as the questions one might ask which are the precursors of social
theory. People from an early age not only have the ability to use it but also
the ability to articulate what you see, feel, and experience. The turn of
modernity in human existence signifies the beginning of social theory and people
like Max Weber and Emile Durkheim are frequently cited. The core concept is
seemed he was trying to convey was everyone can and does come up with social
theory; they just don’t realize it.
Then there was Sociology, Theory, and the Modern
Agenda by Allan. This is also about social theory as well as the origin of
sociology. Modern and modernity are the key concepts. Definitions and the
variations of the uses of words such as modern, modernity, state, and society;
in addition to how they are applied to situations have significance to the point
the author was trying to make. The use and meanings of words as they apply to
theory snowball into discussion of perspectives and assumptions. Allan then
defines perspective by comparing it to glasses saying “they bring certain things
into focus and blur our vision to others. Perspectives thus determine what we
see” (p.9). Well what we see is all based on prior knowledge which is
assumption, thus the two directly correlate. Paraphrasing Allan, definitions are
essential to understand the foundation of theory and argument.
The theme of the sociological imagination and connecting self to
society is one that I find particularly interesting. Within the realm of
welfare, this application can be useful. One family struggling to feed their
children can be seen as a personal or smaller level issue whereas hundreds of
families struggling to feed their children is a social issue. Perhaps the
parent(s) were better equip to handle the responsibility of a family a year ago
but now someone has been laid off. Now the life they were accustomed to has to
be re-evaluated in order to live within their means. Unemployment or
under-employment has now become a problem for this family in particular. The
transition from personal to public problem begins when more and more
people/families have difficulty with employment and loss of income, or
difficulty providing life’s basic necessities. The next step is a welfare
program designed to supplement the lost income of the family and aide them for
a short amount of time until they can do better. Quoting
Mills on the sociological imagination, it “enables this possessor to understand
the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the
external career of a variety of individuals” (p.2) The
Promise of Sociology. One can now connect an individual hardship to various
other individuals and their hardships to recognize the relationship between them
and the rest of the population. This is now the work of the sociological
imagination.
sociological imagination and social theory. C. Wright Mills’ piece The
Promise of Sociology focuses on the connection of individual issues such as
unemployment or divorce to a larger scale social issue of the rates of each
phenomenon. The author explains that when a person realizes this connection or
their place in it they come into their sociological imagination. Mills
expresses, “It enables him to take into account how individuals, in the welter
of their daily experience, often become falsely conscious of their social
positions” (p.2). The core issues
here were the interconnection of the different environments and how one directly
relates to the other. What begins
as an isolated incident to the individual might not be as isolated as the person
might think. These situation(s) can then be explained by larger factors. The
sociological imagination comes into play when the person measures their
experience with those of people around them, thus factoring themselves into the
big picture.
Next, there was the passage from the author Charles Lemert, Social Theory: Its Uses and Pleasures.
The focus on this chapter was the origin of social theory and the knowledge that
not only those well versed in the social sciences have the ability to formulate
theories; calling it “a basic survival skill” (p.1). He takes notice of language
as well as the questions one might ask which are the precursors of social
theory. People from an early age not only have the ability to use it but also
the ability to articulate what you see, feel, and experience. The turn of
modernity in human existence signifies the beginning of social theory and people
like Max Weber and Emile Durkheim are frequently cited. The core concept is
seemed he was trying to convey was everyone can and does come up with social
theory; they just don’t realize it.
Then there was Sociology, Theory, and the Modern
Agenda by Allan. This is also about social theory as well as the origin of
sociology. Modern and modernity are the key concepts. Definitions and the
variations of the uses of words such as modern, modernity, state, and society;
in addition to how they are applied to situations have significance to the point
the author was trying to make. The use and meanings of words as they apply to
theory snowball into discussion of perspectives and assumptions. Allan then
defines perspective by comparing it to glasses saying “they bring certain things
into focus and blur our vision to others. Perspectives thus determine what we
see” (p.9). Well what we see is all based on prior knowledge which is
assumption, thus the two directly correlate. Paraphrasing Allan, definitions are
essential to understand the foundation of theory and argument.
The theme of the sociological imagination and connecting self to
society is one that I find particularly interesting. Within the realm of
welfare, this application can be useful. One family struggling to feed their
children can be seen as a personal or smaller level issue whereas hundreds of
families struggling to feed their children is a social issue. Perhaps the
parent(s) were better equip to handle the responsibility of a family a year ago
but now someone has been laid off. Now the life they were accustomed to has to
be re-evaluated in order to live within their means. Unemployment or
under-employment has now become a problem for this family in particular. The
transition from personal to public problem begins when more and more
people/families have difficulty with employment and loss of income, or
difficulty providing life’s basic necessities. The next step is a welfare
program designed to supplement the lost income of the family and aide them for
a short amount of time until they can do better. Quoting
Mills on the sociological imagination, it “enables this possessor to understand
the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the
external career of a variety of individuals” (p.2) The
Promise of Sociology. One can now connect an individual hardship to various
other individuals and their hardships to recognize the relationship between them
and the rest of the population. This is now the work of the sociological
imagination.