F soc usic lecture five

Effective from September 2015 | F_Soc USIC Sociology week 5 - Society
LECTURE FIVE

Contents
1. Review of Lecture Four
2. Positivism vs. Interpretivism
3. Feminist Perspective
4. Feminist Theories
5. Conclusion
6. Homework
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Review of Lecture Four
Last week we discussed why the
natural and social sciences are
different:
•People and societies are dynamic
or in constant change
We reviewed the six steps of the
scientific method for conducting
social research:
1.Define your terms
2.Be objective
3.Follow a logical method
4.Use tested theories
5.Use reliable data
6.Offer reliable explanations
We learned that it is important to
study societies and people because
they change, to learn what causes
them to change but equally why
aspects of social life and social
institutions stay the same.
We also discussed the role of
theory and methods for conducting
social research.

Positivism vs. Interpretivism
Comte the founder of Positivism argue that:
• Social research can be conducted in the same manner as natural
research leading to explore universal laws. (Epistemology)
• Findings laws that govern human societies could help people shape
their lives and improve the welfare of humanity as a whole. (the idea of
progress)
• Social sciences should be concerned only with observable things
that are known directly through experience, therefore, knowledge
about society should only be drawn from observation, comparison and
experimentation. (Methodology)
•Comte regarded sociology as the last science to be developed but
acknowledged the complexity of studying societies.

Interpretivism
In contrast to Positivism, Interpretivism or Anti-Positivism holds that:
 the social domain may not be subject to the same methods of
investigation as the natural world, rejecting the application of
scientific method when conducting social research.
 Different people in different situations understand, or interpret, the
social world in different ways.
 Interpretivist methodologies are based on the rule that social
behaviour can only be understood subjectively, by understanding
how people interpret situations and, by doing so, giving them
meaning.
 Sociologists therefore can only describe reality from the viewpoint
of those who create and define that reality.

Positivist vs. Interpretivist
Methods
Positivist Focus:
Pure objectivity, using terms
such as ‘cause’, ‘effect’,
‘law’ or ‘fact’ to convey the
idea that human behaviour is
controlled by external factors
other than the individual
(structuralism)
Interpretivist Focus:
Highlighting the subjective
nature of human behaviour,
the idea that people are
different from objects because
they have a conscious, an
ability to think for themselves
and agency; the capacity to
act independently and make
their own choices (agency
perspective)

The interpretivist nature of human behaviour
Source: Adapted from Brodeur, J.-P. (2010) The Policing Web, Oxford: Oxford
University Press7
Crime Law and Other
Statutes
Police Legalised Authority
Murder Lethal Force
Assault and battery Reasonable use of force
Kidnapping Arrest and detention
Robbery Use of force to make seizure
Sexual assault Body searches
Theft Seizure
Trespass Enter and search of premises
Invasion of privacy Electronic surveillance
Drug offences Sting operations
Harassment, stalking, intimidation Physical surveillance, interrogation
Violations of traffic regulations Rapid response, chasing suspect

Interpretivism in Research
Interpretivist thinkers such as Max Weber (1864-1920) and George
Simmel (1858-1918) pioneered the interpretive approach toward
social science.
• Interpretivism involves an outside observer attempting to relate to
a particular cultural group from their own point of view as opposed
to interpreting the groups’ actions through the researcher’s
viewpoint.
• Interpretivist argument: sociology cannot predict the behaviour of
conscious human beings in the same manner that physics can
predict changes that affect inanimate objects.

Consider Interpretivist logic when interpreting the meaning of a
handshake for instance.
Among people in Southern California in America this action is a means
of greeting someone.
However in the Szechuan Province in China this may have a different
meaning (intrusion of personal space).
Hence the same action is interpreted by people in a different way
depending on many factors, including culture, language and
geographic location.
• Dependent on the situations people are in at the time
• People will react to the behaviours of others based on their
understanding of the social context in which the behaviour takes
place.

Effective from September 2015 | F_Soc USIC Sociology week 5 - SocietyEffective from September 2015 | FY10 Sociology week 2 - Society
Interpretivism is accused of abandoning the scientific
procedures, making it difficult to apply their findings to
other similar social situations.
Critics of Positivist approach however argue that social
research cannot apply a rigorous scientific method
because people and societies are in constant change,
unlike objects that remain the same. It also neglects to
take into account how universal laws are not feasible
when researching people and societies
Critics of Interpretivist and Positivist approaches :

Feminist Perspectives I
• Largely ignored by early sociological thinkers of the 17th
and 18th
centuries.
• Durkheim argued that men are products of society, women are products
of nature and have different identities, tastes and inclinations.
• Karl Marx argued that women were seen as ‘private property’ owned by
men through marriage, believed women could only be freed from
financial dependence by overthrowing capitalism and social class
structures
• Contemporary sociologists disagree with Durkheim’s view on gender
which minimized women’s identity to that of natural objects that cannot
change or adapt to society.
• However they also struggle to agree with Marx since social class is not
the only factor shaping social divisions which affect relations between
men and women; among others are ethnicity and cultural background.

Feminist Perspectives II
Feminist Perspective address a broad range of approaches dealing with
male-female relationships from the female perspective.
Feminist sociological views highlight the effects of patriarchy on gender
relationships. Patriarchy refers to a male dominated society.
Most nations are at their root patriarchal where the father is considered
the head of the household, the breadwinner and decision-maker. Males
are given more power in political and economic spheres.
Feminists examine the role of women in societies under the idea that
the interests of men are always considered more important than those of
women.
Order and control in society are based on male power.

Feminist Theories I
There are different types of feminist theories and each emphasise different
forms of control as a way of understanding male-dominated social order.
Feminist social theory has influenced social policy for many years
addressing women’s lack of legal rights in society, lack of representation on
their rights to reproduction and the social consequences of living in a
patriarchal culture.
Feminism is concerned with improving the conditions of women in society,
hence feminist theory is about developing ideas, concepts and philosophies
that help meet that agenda.
Feminist theories challenge the sociological theories that are based on the
experience of men and not designed to capture women’s experiences.
It also focuses on adding to sociology as a subject and injecting the
acknowledgement of women’s female-oriented private sphere of household
and families.

Feminist Theories II
Feminist theory is a term covering an increasing range of positions. Here we
will focus on the three core feminist views:
1.Liberal Feminism which focuses on the control of women through sexual
discrimination.
2.Marxist Feminism which focuses on social class inequality as a context in
which females are oppressed, exploited and discriminated against in
patriarchal societies.
3.Radical Feminism which focuses specifically on patriarchy as the main
system of oppression against women. They argue that under patriarchy
women are controlled by men in both the public ( e.g. workplace) and private
(e.g. home) spheres.

 Liberal Feminism looks for explanations of gender inequalities in
social and cultural attitudes.
 Unlike Radical and Marxist Feminists, Liberal Feminists do not
see women’s subordination as part of a larger system or
structure, but other factors mainly sexism and discrimination of
women in the workplace, educational institutions and the media.
 Their focus has been on establishing and protecting equal
opportunities for women through legislation and other democratic
means.
 In the UK, legal advances such as the Equal Pay Act (1970) and
the Sex Discrimination Act (1975) were actively supported by
Liberal Feminists who argued that acknowledging women’s
rights in law decrease in discrimination against them.
 Critics of Liberal Feminism argue that they are unsuccessful in
dealing with the root causes of gender inequality because they do
not acknowledge the systemic nature of women’s oppression in
society.
Liberal Feminism
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15

Marxist Feminists focus on the systemic nature of women’s
oppression :
• Capitalism as a socioeconomic, political and cultural
structure plays a major role in women’s subservience to
men because patriarchy has its roots in private property.
Freidrich Engles (1820-1895) for example argued that
Capitalism intensifies patriarchy by concentrating wealth
and power in the hands of a small number of men.
• For Capitalism to succeed it must define people in society,
particularly women, as consumers to persuade them that
their needs will only be met through the ever increasing
consumptions of goods and services.
• Capitalism also relies on women’s unpaid labour at home
doing the caring and cleaning for free.
Marxist Feminism

Radical feminism argues that:
Men are responsible for and benefit from the exploitation of
women through patriarchy; a universal phenomenon that has
existed across time and cultures.
Concentrate on the family as one of the primary sources of
women’s oppression.
They agree with Marxist feminists that men exploit women by
relying on the free domestic labour that women provide in the
home.
However, they also add that as a group, men also deny women
positions of power and influence in society.
They argue that male violence against women is central to male
supremacy and that domestic violence, rape and sexual
harassment are all part of systemic oppression of women.
Radical Feminism

Radical Feminism
They highlight how daily interactions in life such as non-verbal
communication, patterns of listening and interrupting and a women’s sense of
comfort in public all contribute to inequality.
The arguments go further to include popular conceptions of female beauty
and sexuality that emphasize a slime body and a caring, nurturing,
subservient attitude towards men.

Radical Feminism
The objectification of women through the media, fashion and advertising turns
women into objects whose main purpose is to please and entertain men.
Radical Feminists do not believe that women can be liberated from
oppression and exploitation through gradual reforms because patriarchy is a
systemic phenomenon. Gender equality can only be obtained through the
abolition of patriarchal order.
Critics of Radical Feminist theory argue that assuming patriarchy exists in all
societies does not leave room for historical and cultural variations. Also it
ignores the important influence that race, class or ethnicity may have on
women’s subordination

Conclusion
In this lecture we reviewed the different sociological viewpoints most
commonly discussed and applied in social science research.
We reviewed the Positivist and Interpretivist approaches into the
study of social sciences.
We also discussed research from women’s perspectives as opposed
to conducting research in society assuming that men and women are
treated equally.

• Review lecture notes and write down
questions for seminar one.
• Read Giddens and Sutton on ‘Theories
and Perspectives’ pp.94-95 as well as on
‘Cities and Urban Life’ pp.207-208 (Simmel
on mental life of city-dwellers) available on
MOLE. This will be a part of your week 5
seminar activities.
Homework

F soc usic lecture five

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