SOC 323 – Chapter 8
Structural theorizing
Patterns of relationships that persist over time and place
Cultural symbol systems
Relations among social units constrained by:
Network location of individuals
Flow of resources
Relations of reciprocity, power, and authority
Development of cultural norms
Configurations of integration among actors
Composed of individuals integrated by status positions and roles
Constrain the actions of individual
Micro encounters generate commitment to the social structure through the arousal of positive emotions
What is the social structure?
Anthony Giddens
social structures exist in the ways people use rules and resources
Individuals
Rules
Normative
Signification codes
Resources
Authoritative
Allocative
From controlling material goods
To control people
Govern behavior
Create meaning
How can we make sure everybody acts together when they’re not in the same place at the same time?
Time-space distanciation
How we stretch physical co-presence through time and space to pattern interactions
Achieving social order
Ways in which rules and resources are knowingly used by people in interaction
modes of reproduction of patterns of social interaction
modalities of structuration
Lead to institutional orders
Symbolic
Political
Economic
Legal
Interpretive schemes
Authoritative resources
Allocative resources
Norms
What goes on inside of us as we create social order in interaction?
Reflexive Monitoring
We watch the behaviors of others and monitor the flow of conversation
Rationalization of action
We provide reasons for what we do
The micro level
Discursive consciousness
Our ability to produce rational verbal accounts of what we do
Practical consciousness
Our knowledge of how to exist and behave socially
Unconscious process
Non-verbal
Influenced by two levels of consciousness
Need to make the world routine and taken-for-granted
Unconscious motivation for action
Ontological security
Trust with others
Reduction of anxiety about self-identity and the constancy of our environment
Routinization and regionalization of interactions
Routines
Opening and closing rituals
Turn-taking
Tact
Locales
Physical space
Contextual knowledge
Vary by physical and symbolic boundaries, duration, span, charcter
Social positions
Frames
Key elements of structuration theory
network theorizing
Networks
Bounded sets of individuals linked by the exchange of material or emotional resources
The patterns of exchange determine the boundaries of the network.
Members exchange resources more frequently with each other than with nonmembers
Basic theoretical concepts
http://oracleofbacon.org/
Patterns and configurations of ties
Number of ties
directedness
Reciprocity of ties
transitivity
density
cliques
Strength of ties
Exchange .
1. SOC 323 – Chapter 8
Structural theorizing
Patterns of relationships that persist over time and place
Cultural symbol systems
Relations among social units constrained by:
Network location of individuals
Flow of resources
Relations of reciprocity, power, and authority
Development of cultural norms
Configurations of integration among actors
Composed of individuals integrated by status positions and
roles
Constrain the actions of individual
Micro encounters generate commitment to the social structure
through the arousal of positive emotions
What is the social structure?
Anthony Giddens
2. social structures exist in the ways people use rules and
resources
Individuals
Rules
Normative
Signification codes
Resources
Authoritative
Allocative
From controlling material goods
To control people
Govern behavior
3. Create meaning
How can we make sure everybody acts together when they’re
not in the same place at the same time?
Time-space distanciation
How we stretch physical co-presence through time and space to
pattern interactions
Achieving social order
Ways in which rules and resources are knowingly used by
people in interaction
modalities of structuration
Lead to institutional orders
Symbolic
5. interaction?
Reflexive Monitoring
We watch the behaviors of others and monitor the flow of
conversation
Rationalization of action
We provide reasons for what we do
The micro level
Discursive consciousness
Our ability to produce rational verbal accounts of what we do
Practical consciousness
Our knowledge of how to exist and behave socially
Unconscious process
Non-verbal
Influenced by two levels of consciousness
Need to make the world routine and taken-for-granted
Unconscious motivation for action
Ontological security
Trust with others
6. Reduction of anxiety about self-identity and the constancy of
our environment
Routinization and regionalization of interactions
Routines
Opening and closing rituals
Turn-taking
Tact
Locales
Physical space
Contextual knowledge
Vary by physical and symbolic boundaries, duration, span,
charcter
7. Social positions
Frames
Key elements of structuration theory
network theorizing
Networks
Bounded sets of individuals linked by the exchange of material
or emotional resources
The patterns of exchange determine the boundaries of the
network.
Members exchange resources more frequently with each other
than with nonmembers
13. This postcard, published circa 1908, shows a white minstrel
team. While both are wearing wigs, the man on the left is in
blackface and drag.
Bert Williams was the only black member of the Ziegfeld
Follies when he joined them in 1910. Shown here in blackface,
he was the highest-paid African-American entertainer of his
day.
25. Looked at history of slavery
Looked at contemporary situation
Slavery destroyed the African family
Prejudice and discrimination hinder advancement
Social change
Findings (“The Philadelphia Negro”)
26. Prejudice
Limits to interactions between races
Qualified African Americans can’t get good jobs
African Americans are not respected
They accept menial jobs
The impracticality of segregation
28. Education, employment, culture
There is no biological foundation for race
World economy based on the interaction of many races
Segregation goes against world trends
What do we need to achieve racial equality?
31. Capitalism relies on exploitation to increase profits
Colonization of Africa to extract raw materials and cheap labor
Impoverishment of black nations and black folks
Conflict theories
SOC 323 - Chapter 3
Activity
As we review the various theories, think about analyzing recent
incidents involving the police and African Americans
When we are done, you will pick a theory and use it to analyze
this issue
32. Early theories
Marx, Weber, and Simmel
Karl Marx
"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of
class struggle.”
(Marx and Engels, 1848, Manifesto of the Communist Party).
Materialist dialectic
34. Capitalists
Own the means of production
Control the economy
Workers
Sell their labor
Exploited
The classes of capitalism
Bourgeoisie
Proletariat
Value and Exploitation
35. How much you sell for
Production cost
Added value
Alienation
41. The Production of Class Consciousness
Level of Industrialization
Level of communication and transportation technologies
Level of worker concentration
Level of worker education
Level of production
Level of commodification
Level of worker communication
Level of exploitation
Level of alienation
Level of class consciousness
43. +
+
+
How can we use this to explain…
Max Weber
No, class conflict is not inevitable like Marx said.
Critical conditions that withdraw political legitimacy
44. Correlation of dimensions of stratification
Large gaps between levels of stratification
Low rates of social mobility
Dimensions of stratification
Social class
48. Market societies
Choice of occupation
Freedom to join groups
Impersonal
Cut-throat
Positive side of conflict
If frequent but low in intensity and violence:
49. Regulation by law
Increases sense of group boundaries
Increases centralization of authority
Increases group solidarity
More likely in societies with high levels of structural
interdependence
Contemporary theories
Ralf Dahrendorf
How do groups organize to pursue conflict in situations of
inequality?
60. Hard to determine victory or defeat point
Think about…
Illustrate Coser’s theory with an example of your choice
Functions of conflict
Violent and intense
62. Frequent, low intensity/violence conflicts
Innovation and creativity to release hostilities
Increased system cohesion
Turner’s synthesis
Let’s make this more general
63. Model, part 1
System of interrelated units
Level of inequality in distribution of valued resources
Withdrawal of legitimacy by deprived
Increasing awareness of interest in changing the system of
inequality
64. Model, part 2
+ / -
+
+
+
Withdrawal of legitimacy
Increasing awareness of interest in change
Level of emotional arousal
65. Rate of collective outbursts
Intensity of involvement
Level of organization into conflict groups
66. Model, part 3
+
-
-
-
Level of organization into conflict groups
Likelihood of less violent conflict if…
Technical, political, and social conditions are realized
Interests are articulated independent of values
System capable of regularize conflict relations
67. Likelihood of more violent conflict if…
Failure to realize technical, political, and social conditions
Failure to clearly define interests independent of values
System incapable of regularizing conflict relations
Historical-comparative theories
68. What about the power of the state?
Focus on particular historical conditions
Social change dynamics
Non-elite mobilization
Weak state
Revolution
Elite mobilization
69. Non-elite mobilization
Physical concentration
Increasing solidarity
Low competition
Weakening of links with elites
Perceived exploitation
Low supervision
Receptiveness to radical ideology
Perceived threat from elites
Perceived lack of resources
Perceived weakness of state/elites
Dispersion
Lack of communication
70. High dependence on elite for resources
Lack of own resources
Traditions of inequality
Opportunities for upward mobility
Competition among non-elite
Weakening state power
Political forces
Decreased coercive and administrative power
Failure to make concessions
71. Demographic forces
Population growth
Price inflation
Younger age cohorts
Rural poverty
Urban migration of youth
Fiscal forces
Resource shortage
Inefficient and abusive tax collection
72. New revenue collection
High demands for patronage
Military expenditures
Cost of internal social control
Rigidity of the system
Geo-political engagements
Decrease in state legitimacy
Autonomy of the military
78. Create boundaries for ritual practices
Common focus
Common emotional mood
Strong sense of identity
Polarizing world view
79. Perception of beliefs as morally right
Emotional charge to sacrifice to the group
Such as…
Micro-Level Violence
80. How do you mobilize individuals to commit violence in a
conflict situation?
Ritualized and routinized violence
Neo-Marxian Theories: Eric Olin Wright
Why did Marx go wrong?
The problem of the middle class
Contradictory class locations
81. Power of skilled labor
Mediated class relations
Government workers
Stock holders
82. Path to transformative change
See Figure 3.4
Immanuel Wallerstein
World systems dynamics
Two types of world-systems
World-empires
Central political system
83. World-economies
Common division of labor
Military dominance
Economic tribute
Common culture
No political center or common culture
Endless accumulation of capital
94. Mutation isn’t the driving force
Emergence of sociobiology
Advocates of group selection processes
Sociologists say, “Duh!”
Advocates of individual processes (biologists)
Genic selection
Key behaviors
95. Inclusive fitness
Propensity to cooperate with kin rather than strangers
Reciprocal altruism
Altruism is likely to be reciprocated and increase fitness by
keeping genes in the gene pool
Selfish gene (Richard Dawkins)
96. Genes as copy machines looking to reproduce themselves
Clever genes!