Interpretivism (postmodernists included)

what do interpretative sociologists believe about sociology being a science

they do not believe that sociology should model itself in natural sciences. they criticise positivist ‘scientific’ approach as inadequate or even as completely unsuited to the study of human beings

what do interpretivists argue the subject matter of sociology is

meaningful social action, and that we can only understand it by successfully interpreting the meanings and motives of the actors involved.

what do interpretivists say sociology is about

unobservable internal meanings, because science only deals with laws of cause and effect, and not human meaning

what do many interpretivists reject

the use of natural science methods and explanations as a model for sociology as they argue there is a fundamental difference between the subject matter of the natural sciences and that of sociology

whats the fundamental difference between the subject matter of the natural sciences and that of sociology- natural sciences

natural science- studies matter which has no consciousness. its behaviour can be explained as a straightforward reaction to an external stimulus. e.g. apple falls to ground because of gravity. it has no consciousness and no choice about its behaviour

whats the fundamental difference between the subject matter of the natural sciences and that of sociology- sociology

sociology- studies people who do have a consciousness. people make sense of and construct their world by attaching meaning to it. their actions can only be understood in terms of these meanings, and meanings are internal to peoples consciousness, not external stimuli they are ideas or constructs- not things

whats the concluding difference between natural science and people

unlike matter, people have free will and can exercise choice.

what does G.H. Mead argue

Mead argued, rather than responding automatically to external stimuli, human beings interpret the meaning of a stimulus and then choose how to respond to it

e.g. when seeing a red light a driver has to first interpret the meaning of stop but even that doesn’t determine their behaviour since they can still choose to obey the direction or not. how they act will depend on the meaning they give to the situation thus their behaviour is because they understand and interpret the rule of traffic and choose to act in accordance.

what do interpretivists believe about external factors on individuals

they believe that individuals are not puppets on a string, manipulated by supposed external ‘social facts’, as positivists believe, but autonomous (independent) beings who construct their social world through the meanings they give to it. the job of the sociologist therefore is to uncover these meanings.

how do interpretivists belive the best way to uncover meanings people give to their actions

by seeing the world from their viewpoint. this involves abandoning the detachment and objectivity favoured by positivists. instead we must put ourselves in the place of the actor

, using what Weber calls Versthen to grasp their meanings

why do interpretivists favour qualitative data

they produce richer, more personal data high in validity and give the sociologist a subjective understanding of the actors meanings and life-world

whats the interpretivists take on Durkheims study of suicide

interactionalists like Douglas reject the positivist idea of external social facts determining our behaviour. he claims individuals have free will and they choose how to act on the basis of meanings. thus to understand suicide we must uncover its meanings for those involved, instead of imposing our own meanings.

why does Douglas reject Durkeims use of quantitative data

he claims they are not objective facts, but simply social constructions resulting from the way coroners label certain deaths as suicides.

what does Douglas propose instead of Durkeims study

that we use qualitative data from case studies of suicide, to reveal the actors meanings and give us better ideas of the real rate of suicide than official statistics

what is Atkinsons take on Durkeims study

he agree with Douglas, rejecting the idea that external social factors determine behaviour, and agrees that statistics are socially constructed.

how do Douglas and Atkinson differ

Atkinson argues that we can never know the ‘real rate’ of suicide, even using qualitative methods. since we can never know for sure what meanings the deceased held.

what do postmodernists argue

also against the idea of a scientific sociology.

why do postmodernists not believe in sociology as a science

they regard natural science as simply a meta-narrative. despite its claim to have special access to the truth, science is just one more ‘big story’; its account for the world is no more valid than others.

if so there is no particular reason why we should adopt science as a model for sociology

how can a scientific approach be dangerous according to postmodernists

because it claims a monopoly of the truth and therefore excludes other points of view. hence a scientific sociology not only makes false claims about having the truth; it is also a form of domination

why do postmodernists consider science to be undesirable

in practise, science has not always led to the progress that positivists believed it would. e..g the emergence and rise of risk societies with the introduction of nuclear weapons has undermined the idea that science is beneficial to human kind

do feminists agree with postmodernists

share the view of postmodernists arguing the quest for a single, scientific feminist theory is a form of domination, since it covertly excludes many groups of women.