Sociology 2271A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Patricia Hill Collins, The Sociological Imagination, Knowledge

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 2271A/B
• Professor: Katherine Pendakis

Document Summary

What is standpoint epistemology? standpoint epistemology: analyses the production of situated knowledge & how we know what we know using an intersectional approach. But it is unique because it places intersectionality at the center of analysis. Intersectionality: the relationships between social structured relations of class, race and gender. Standpoint epistemology is used to cultivate a sociological imagination. Argues that experiences of oppression create critical knowledge that must be incorporated into sociological analysis: wright mills (1916-1962) What a(cid:396)e (cid:862)pe(cid:396)so(cid:374)al t(cid:396)ou(cid:271)les(cid:863) a(cid:374)d (cid:862)pu(cid:271)li(cid:272) issues? (cid:863) Standpoint epistemology distinguishes between personal troubles and private issues: disti(cid:374)(cid:272)tio(cid:374) (cid:449)as (cid:374)a(cid:373)ed (cid:271)(cid:455) c. wright mills i(cid:374) his (cid:271)ook (cid:862)the o(cid:272)iologi(cid:272)al i(cid:373)agi(cid:374)atio(cid:374)(cid:863). Mills was concerned with turning personal troubles into public issues; and the way to do this is through cultivating the sociological imagination via standpoint epistemology. The moment when a sociologically minded person turns personal troubles into public issues, is when (cid:272)o(cid:374)ser(cid:448)ati(cid:448)e thi(cid:374)kers (cid:449)ill sa(cid:455) (cid:862)(cid:455)ou are (cid:373)aki(cid:374)g e(cid:454)(cid:272)uses for that perso(cid:374)s (cid:271)eha(cid:448)iour,(cid:863)