Lecture notes SOCL1014 (Semester 1, Block 1) - Sociology as a Discipline
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Course
SOCL1014 (SOCL1014)
Institution
University Of The Witwatersrand (wits)
These comprehensive class notes delve into the historical development, key theories, and core concepts, offering a profound understanding of the academic field of sociology. Contains everything covered in SOCL1014A Semester 1, Block 1.
Topics Covered:
What is Sociology?
Origins of Sociology
D...
• Sociology is the scientific study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective
behaviour of social relationships.
• Object of study= social structures, social relationships, and social interactions in the context
of “modern industrial societies.” Societies are linked with modernity.
• Industrial societies = technologies of mass production of goods in factories. Which span
from the industrial revolution.
• Modernity = a historical period/era where sets of socio-cultural norms, attitudes and
practices arose
• Sociology is not common sense or life orientation.
THE ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGY
BRIEF HISTORY OF SOCIOLOGY
• Intellectual Forces
o Enlightenment philosophers
o Traceable to 17th-century philosophy and ancient philosophy
o The growth of science and the rise of scientific rationality.
• Social, economic, and political revolutions (18th to 19th century)
o The French Revolution
o The Industrial Revolution
o Urbanisation
o Fear of secularisation
• French Catholic counter-revolutionary and counter-Enlightenment philosophy
o These thoughts popped up against the “destabilising effects” of the Enlightenment
philosophy, the French revolution etc.
• The rise of activist thinking
o Socialism
o Feminism
o Anti-racism
EARLY SOCIOLOGIST AND SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
• Henri de Saint-Simon
o Advocate for scientific and social reform
• Auguste Comte
o Coined the term “sociology”
o Advanced positivism
o Three stages of history: Theological – Metaphysical - Positive
• Emile Durkheim
o Division of Labour
o Social Facts
, o Suicide
o Religion
• Karl Marx
o Class Analysis
o Socialist/ Communist revolution
• Max Weber
o Bureaucracy
o Social Action Theory
o Verstehen
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOLOGY IN EUROPE
FRANCE
Alexis de Tocqueville
• Influenced by the Enlightenment and an advocate of freedom
• Staunch critic of the centralization of power in political systems
• Considered a political scientist
Henri Saint-Simon
• Development of conservative sociology
• Sought to preserve society as it was (without seeking a return to the Middle Ages)
• Positivist
Auguste Comte
• First to use the term “Sociology” – wanted it to be considered a hard science like physics
• Influenced by Henri Saint-Simon – he is also positivist
• Critical of the French Revolution and the Enlightenment for causing disorder
• Had a conservative orientation
• Three Stages of Social Evolution:
o Theological Stage
o Metaphysical Stage
o Positivistic Stage
Emile Durkheim
• Most prominent founder of French Sociology
• First full professor of sociology
• Produced ground-breaking texts – Division of Labour Society, Suicide, Rules of the
Sociological Method, and Elementary Forms of Religious Life
GERMANY
Hegel
, • Known for dialectical idealism – a way of thinking that emphasises process, relations,
dynamics, and contradictions.
• Dialectical idealism focuses on the importance of the mind and its mental products rather
than the material world.
Ludwig Feuerbach
• A bridge between Hegel and Marx
• A critic of Hegel’s focus on consciousness/ idealism
• Adopted materialistic philosophy – Material things mattered more than ideas.
Karl Marx
• Critical of Hegel and Feuerbach
• Developed the concept of dialectical materialism
• Focused on the questions that surround the political economy
• His work forms the root of the radical tradition in sociology
Max Weber
• Parts of work = reaction to Marx
• Focused on rationality, religion, and social stratification
George Simmel
• Small-scale issues
• Wrote on the prostitute, the spendthrifter, etc
• Philosophy of money
• Important to the development of the Symbolic Interactionist School in Sociology
BRITAIN AND ITALY
Herbert Spencer (Britain)
• Theorist of social evolution (social Darwinism)
• Evolution from militant society (structured for defensive and offensive warfare) to industrial
society (based on friendship, altruism, elaborate specialization, and merit.
• Argued against government intervention and social reform
• Positivist
Vilfredo Pareto (Italy)
• Elite theory of social change – challenges Marx and the Enlightenment
• The elite were more rational than the mass and therefore are bound to keep their power and
rule over the masses
• Positivist
• Society was a system in equilibrium
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOLOGY BEFORE AND BEYOND EUROPE
Ibn-Khaldun (North Africa)
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