SOC101Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Social Stratification, Star Network, Georg Simmel
Document Summary
Last week- to understand social reality we should start with interaction patterns: social phenomenon defined by physical presence of co-actors. This perspective argues we have no grasp of macro structures apart from their foundations in micro processes which are interactions. Collins and interactional chains- comes close to social relations notions. Focus on one problem of network analysis given by granovetter and weak ties. Heritage on which authors build are simmel, mead, and norbert elias (instead of focusing on structures, we should look at figurations in which persons are embedded- figurational sociology) Contemporary proponents granovetter- tries to develop underlying arguments. Granovetter says much of sociological theory has an atomized perspective of the individual which we should go beyond. Granovetter says we should see the individual as embedded in ongoing situations. So instead of being an actor acting out of self-interest, we should see the individual as part of ongoing social transactions or relations.
