SOC 103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Naimans, Mass Media, False Consciousness

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 103
• Professor: Rebecca Lock

Document Summary

The social construction of ideas & knowledge the truth. Emphasizes a materialist, dialectical, and conscious(ness) perspective. A grand narrative : there is a truth underneath, there are false explanations, we can get to. Examining power relations is crucial for getting beyond false consciousness. Macro-sociological perspective - sometimes forgets the thinking individual. An ideology is: a body of assumptions, ideas, and values that combine into a coherent. Our ideas arise out of certain contexts: social, historical, relations of power. Marx: it is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence but their social world-view existence that determines their consciousness. Through agents of socialization (ex. family, media, and education) Through everyday experiences we develop beliefs and values (explicitly and implicitly). Marx and engels: ideas are social creations, but those with economic power in any society also have power over its ideas . Beliefs and values that bind individual together become naturalized. In naturalizing, ideological processes mask or hide historical processes.