Introduction to Sociological Theory and Inequality

This set explores core sociological concepts from the first five weeks, including paradigms like Conflict Theory, Marxist economic formulas, and modern theories of race and gender.

Abend's Theory 1

A logically connected system of general propositions that establishes a relationship between two or more variables.

Theory as Hermeneutics (Theory 3)

An interpretive task focused on the meaning and significance of empirical phenomena rather than causal relationships.

Falsifiability

The scientific requirement that a theory must be capable of being checked against evidence and potentially proven wrong; if it cannot be tested, it is not science.

Macro-level Theory

A theoretical focus on large-scale factors like geography or language that influence human behavior beyond the reach of individual control.

Structural Functionalism

A macro-level theory of social stability that views society as a harmonious and balanced system characterized by cooperation.

Conflict Theory

A macro-level theory of social inequality that views society as divided and competitive, focusing on who benefits at the expense of others.

Linguistic Relativity

The principle that the structure of a language influences or determines the ways in which its speakers perceive and think about the world.

Mechanical Solidarity

Emile Durkheim's term for social integration based on shared beliefs and a common collective conscience in simpler societies.

Double Consciousness

W.E.B. Du Bois's concept describing the internal conflict of seeing oneself through the reflection of a society that views one with contempt.

Veil of Ignorance

A thought experiment where individuals design a fair society without knowing their own status, class, or privileges within that society.

Surplus Value Formula

The heart of capitalism represented as $s/v$, where $s$ is surplus value and $v$ is wages.

Rate of Profit Formula

Represented by Marx as $P = s/(c + v)$ where $c$ is constant capital and $v$ is variable capital (wages).

Dialectical Historical Materialism

Karl Marx's philosophical framework for understanding history based on material conditions and social contradictions.

Alienation

The Marxist concept that capitalism separates workers from the products they make, the labor process, their fellow humans, and their own human nature.

False Consciousness

An individual's lack of awareness regarding their true social position or the systemic nature of injustice, preventing revolution.

Racial Formation Theory

Omi and Winant's theory defining race as a sociohistorical process where racial categories are created, inhabited, and transformed.

Outgroup Homogeneity

The psychological tendency to view members of a group different from one's own as being more similar to each other than they actually are.

Stereotype Threat

A decrease in performance caused by an individual's awareness of negative cultural stereotypes regarding their social group.

Intersectionality

A framework for analyzing how various social identities—such as race, gender, and class—overlap to create unique experiences of privilege and oppression.

Feminization of Poverty

The global trend where women are disproportionately represented among the poor due to unequal education, lower wages, and child-rearing burdens.

Semantic Predicament

Gabriel Abend's term for the linguistic trap where sociologists argue over definitions of 'theory' as if they have a single objective essence.

Intersubjectivity

The scientific goal of achieving objectivity through shared external representations and peer verification, despite individual researcher biases.

McDonaldization

George Ritzer's concept describing the spread of fast-food principles—efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control—into other social sectors.

Correspondence Principle

The Marxist theory from Bowles and Gintis stating that the hidden curriculum in schools mirrors the hierarchy and routines of the capitalist workplace.

Doing Gender

West and Zimmerman's theory that gender is a routine, methodical accomplishment produced through social interaction rather than a static trait.