SOCL 2001 Chapter : Social Theory
Document Summary
Karl marx (not a real sociologist)- conflict is a part of everything: historical materialism - social issues result from conflict over resources, conflict drives social change throughout history, humans dominate environment, humans dominate other humans. Max weber: verstehen: "understanding" in german, emphasis on subjectivity became a foundation of interpretive sociology. Emile durkheim : considered founding practitioner or positivist sociology, notion that there is one truth, division of labor helps to determine how social cohesion is (or is not) maintained. Identifies the roles phenomena play in keeping society working: society is a living organism and institutions are like vital organs, emphasizes the role of consensus in maintaining order. Identifies power relationships that create different phenomena in society: social inequality results from power struggles between groups. Symbolic interactionism: focuses on how face-to-face interactions create the social world. Individuals act based on symbolic meanings attached to objects and people.
