definitions
sociology: the study of companions and group life
sociological imagination: the ability to see the connections between our personal lives and the social world we live in
social structure: patterns of social relationships and behaviours that work as a system to constrain individual choice
agency: the ability to influence the world around us
economics: the study of the world from the standpoint of the economy
political science: the study of the world from the standpoint of the state
sociology: the study of the world from the standpoint of civil society
civil society: a set of organisations, associations, movements that exist outside both the state and the economy
pragmatic social behaviourism: a theory of how our sense of self emerge from social interactions
generalised other: an internalised sense of expectations of others
phenomenology: the philosophical study of how we experience things from our own point of view
symbolic interactionism: the study of face-to-face interactions with particular attention to the creation of meaning
dramaturgy: everyday social life is like a theatrical performance in which we are all actors on a metaphorical “stage”
impression management: we act in such a way that others will form desired impressions of us and our current situation
about communication, not just ‘deception’
ethnomethodology: the study of the methods people use for producing recognisable social orders
‘ethno’: pertaining to member of a social group
‘method’: a systematic procedure for accomplishing something
‘ology’: the study of
queer theory: a “conceptualisation which sees sexual power as embedded in different levels of social life” (Stein n Plummer, 1994, quoted in Pasco 2005:331) and interrogates areas of the social world not usually seen as sexuality
heterosexism: a system of belief that privileges heterosexuality as the “normal” and “natural” form of sexual attraction
homophobia: discrimination, prejudice n violence against gay n lesbian people
heteronormativity: “the myriad ways in which heterosexuality is produced as a natural, unproblematic, taken-for-granted phenomenon” (Kitzinger 2005:478)
“these include the presumptions that there are only 2 sexes; that it is ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ for people of different sexes to be attracted to one another; that these attractions may be publicly displayed and celebrated: that social institutions such as marriage and the family are appropriately organised around different-sex pairings; that same-sex couples are (if not ‘deviant’) a ‘variation on’ or an ‘alternative to heterosexual couple’
conversation analysis (CA): focuses on the sequential organisation and overall structure of conversation (eg turn-taking)
membership categorisation analysis (MCA): focuses on how people selectively invoke social categories in their talk
the economy rule: people can be categorised in infinite ways, but one category can be referentially adequate
by categorising one another w/ particular Membership Categorisation Devices (MCD eg gender, race, family, etc), we are inviting each other to interpret the situation in a specific way
the consistency rule: if one person in a situation has been categorised with a particular MCD, the other people in the situation can also be categorised using that device
discourse: a textually mediated system of practice that creates “truth” and knowledge
conceptualisation: the refinement and specification of abstract concepts
operationalisation: the development of specific research procedures that help us identify empirical observations that represent those concepts in the real world
Max Weber:
class: groups of ppl who are in similar market situation n share similar economic opportunities and life chances
property owners, propertyless intelligentsia, petty bourgeoisie, manual working-class
status: the social honour and prestige associated with an individual/group (may not align w economic class)
party: the power derived from political organisation and ideology
power: the ability to impose one’s will on others
Pierre Bourdieu:
economic capital: wealth, income, financial inheritances, monetary assets; what you own
social capital: resources based on connections n group membership
cultural capital: what you know and how you live it
institutionalised cultural capital: status conferred by institution (eg education)
objectified cultural capital: cultural goods that we own
embodied cultural capital: skills, competencies n knowledge
social construction: the production of difference through social experience
race: “a concept which signifies and symbolises social conflicts and interests by referring to different types of human bodies”
racial formation: “the sociohistorical process by which racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed”
racial project: “an interpretation, representation or explanation of racial dynamics, and [a simultaneous] effort to reorganise and redistribute resources along particular racial lines”
the “building block” of racial formation
racial projects occur at the “macro” level of social structural forces and social movements, as well as at the “micro” level of everyday interactions
generalised list completer: “ a word or phrase that shows there are other relevant list items that need not be specified”
accounts:
1. “a statement made by a social actor to explain unanticipated or untoward behaviour”
2. “in ethnomethodological and conversation-analytic research, the term ‘account’ is also used more broadly to refer to participants’ descriptions of the world”
“accountable” = intelligible, observable-and-reportable, can be described in an account
gender uptake: “interpretive acts that take up a performer’s conduct and sex-categorical ‘essence’ as a relevant sign-object pair on an indexical or iconic ground”
semiotics: the study of signs as well as their use and interpretation
semiosis: “the interpretive process by which we use signs to make meaning out of the world”
analytic induction: concepts and categories ‘emerge’ organically from data