H1
Sociological imagination= idea that one can use sociology to shed light on the social origins and
context of personal problems and issues. Somebody with sociological imaginatino sees their troubles
not simply as an issue of their individual failings, but can identify how one’s difficulties have social
roots.
C. Wright Mills
Consumer culture= historically specific type of society where the necessities of life are produced as
commodities in the marketplace. A consumer can be contrasted with a substistence society where
people make the stuff they need to survive.
Roberta Sassatelli
See the strange in the familiar (why are things organized this way? How did it become this way?)
Peter Berger
Fundemental class division between factory workers (proletariat) and business owners (bourgeoisie)
Karl Marx
Conspicuous consumption= consumption of highly visible luxury goods by elites to distinguish
themselves from their social inferiors. Conspicuous consumption is publicly oriented and rooted in
social comparisons. Contemporary examples of conspicuous consumption include high-end
automobiles and branded luxury purses.
Thorstein Veblen
Globalization= series of social, political, economic, cultural and environmental processes by which
people, places and economies are increasingly interconnected (and people have become increasingly
aware of this). Globalization has benefits and disadvantaged that are not felt equally within and
between societies.
Research method= technique for collecting sociological data. Research methods are often grouped
into 2 categories: qualitative & quantitative. This should not be interpreted as a rigid divide, since
there can be considerable overlap. Many sociologist use a mixed methods approach that takes up
whatever qualitative and/or quantitative techniqe is best suited for the emperical question at hand.
3 thinking frames:
1. Material/ cultural material goods, cultural/historical: meanings embedded in product
We cannot fully understand the world of consumer stuff without thinking about both its
material and cultural significance.
2. Structure/agency strucutre: refer to enduring patterns that organize social life.
Agency= refers to the extent to which individuals are seen as having the capacity to think and make
decisions with relative independence from larger, structural forces. It is most useful to think about
agency in relative terms. Every actor hase some degree of agency, but some actors have much more
than others.
- Thinking about your social location is one way to conceptualize how some groups may be able to
exercise agency more freely than others in a social structure.
, Social location= an individuals position within various overlapping social groups (gender, religion,
age, sexuality, religion, language)
- Individual consumer choices are shaped by structural constraints (how much money, how
(dis)advantaged are we within relations of social inequality).
- Consumers also possess agency. Oppurtunities for exercising agency are shaped by our social
location
3. Micro-macro
Microsociological= explorations of patterns of thought, behavior and interaction in small-scale social
groups and settings; reflective of relatively short periods of time and small spatial dimensions
(meanings people associate with a brand)
Macrosociological= explorations of large-scale, enduring social structures, patterns and processes;
reflective of phenomena involving relatively long time period and/or large spatial dimensions
(how promote clothing corporations consumer identities)
, H2
Theoretical perspectives= models for studying society as a whole, or a specific element of social life.
Each theoretical perspectives makes particular assumptions, and homes in on specific elements –
macrostructures or micro interactions, social functioning or inter-group conflict.
Introductory sociology tetbooks typically refer to 3 major theoretical perspectives:
1. Functionalist perspectives which have a macro focus on how the system works as a whole to
maintain social order (Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons)
2. Conflict perspectives which also have a macro focus and examine inter-group struggles over
power and resources between classes (Karl Marx), status groups (Max Weber), and men and
women (feminism)
3. Interactionist perspectives which study how society is created on a micro level through
symbolically laden everyday human interactions (George Mead, Erving Goffman)
Focus on conflict, the class conflict that occurs in capitalist societies.
Commodity fetishism= various facets of production are obscured at the final end-point of
consumption. A commodity is fetishized when its production process – especially the labor
embedded in the process – is invisible to the casual consumer (Karl Marx)
Focus on understanding how society comes together to funciton a cohesive whole.
Totem= an object, animal, force or phenomenon used as an emblem to represent aspects of a groups
shared identity. Totems are collectively revered and this serves to foster group solidarity.
Feminist= set of perspectives that seek to understand and critique gender inequality. There are
various feminist perspectives within sociology. While feminism has historically focused on gender, an
intersectional feminist explores how gender relations intertwine with other systems of inequality
(race, class, sexuality)
Femininity= the traits, practices, meanings and value associated with being a woman in given
context. Though feminity is often associated with care work, emotional intelligence and focus on
physical appearance, ideas of eminity are socially constructed and vary across and within different
times, spaces and cultures.
By feeding the family, a woman conducts hersalf as recognizable womanly
Qualitative interviewing= a sociological research method in which the researcher asks a series of
open-ended questions in order to elicit narratives from a participant. This method is particularly
useful for understanding individuals’ experiences, interpretations and identitites.
Marjorie Devault
Sociological perspective of culture= systems and patterns of symbols, meaning and values that are
shared by members of a group.
Norms= often informal, but widely known and accepted ways of doing things within a particular
culture.
Deviance= a violation of social norms, as defined by a particular culture.
Sanctions= an action that indicates the approval or disapproval of conduct rlating to a social norm.
When people conform to social norms, they may receive positive sanctions in the form of rewards,
like compliments or medals. When people violate social norms, they may receive a negative sanction
