Functionalist Perspective
This
perspective is based upon the assumption that society is a stable,
orderly system characterized by societal consensus
Societal Consensus
– a situation in which the majority of members
share a common set of values, beliefs and behavioural expectations
Functionalist Perspective
According to Functionalism, society is composed of interrelated
parts,
each of which serves a function and contributes to the stability of society
It compares society to a living organism (eg. the human body)
It was influenced by Comte, Spencer and Durkeheim
Conflict Perspective
•According
to this perspective, groups in society are
engaged in a continuous power struggle for control of
scarce resources
•Conflict may take the form of politics, litigation,
negotiation or family discussion about financial
matters
Conflict Perspective
•Advocates
of the conflict perspective view social life
as a continuous struggle among competing social
groups
•Key
influences: Simmel, Weber, Marx
Feminist
Perspective
The
feminist perspective focuses on the
significance of gender in understanding and
explaining inequalities that exists between men and
women in the household, in the paid labour force
and in the realms of politics, law and culture
Feminist
sociology attempts to bring to light
women’s personal problems
For example:
violence against women
poverty of women
invisibility of women’s role in
reproduction
Feminist
Perspective
According
to feminists, we live in a patriarchy
Patriarchy – a hierarchical system of power
in which men possess greater
economic and social privilege
than women
Also,
it asserts that society values masculinity
more highly than femininity
Feminist
perspectives assume that gender is
socially created and reinforced through learning
Macrolevel vs Microlevel
The conflict and functional perspectives have been criticized for
focusing primarily on macrolevel analysis
Macrolevel analysis – examines whole societies, large-scale social
structures, and systems (instead of looking at dynamics of individuals’
lives)
Symbolic Interactionism examines people’s day-to-day
interactions and their behaviour in groups; this is called
microlevel analysis
Microlevel analysis – focuses on small groups rather than large-scale
social structures
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
This perspective is based upon the assumption that society
is the sum of the interactions of individuals and groups
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Symbolic interaction occurs when people communicate
through the use of symbols
Symbol – anything that meaningfully represents
something else
For example: signs, gestures, written language and
shared values
(eg. saluting a nation’s flag may be a sign of
patriotism or loyalty, whereas burning that
same flag may show contempt)
Postmodern Perspectives
According
to this perspective, all existing theories have
been unsuccessful in explaining social life in modern
societies that are characterized by post-industrialization,
consumerism and global communications
Postmodernists
oppose grand narratives (ie.
Generalizations developed in academic isolation)
Instead they emphasize the free-flowing sharing of ideas and the
removal of boundaries between academic disciplines
Postmodern Perspectives
Post
modernists have been criticized for ignoring many
of the central problems of our time
For example: inequalities based on race, class, gender; also
inequalities based on global, political and economic oppression