While the material culture of everyday objects has been a common subject of sociological analysis, there is a range of conceptual approaches a sociologist may take, which will naturally affect resulting theories. To illustrate this, two studies with contrasting views of objects and their position in the social world will be examined: Ariztia’s study of material culture in the home decoration practices of families in Chilean, and Baker’s ethnography on object exchange within online rock fan communities…
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People are divided into their social status according to wealth, gender, and ethnicity. These classes give people boundaries and limitations, which may reduce their ability to improve their social status as the years go by. Plutarch, a Greek historian, once said, “An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics” (Collins 1). Although a certain level of inequality still exists in society today, it does not seem to stack up against the dire situation of the…
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shaped by others he interacts with. That is all I knew or may be guessed. So now, when I was introduced to basic sociology and one week before finishing class, my notion about basic sociology acquired some foundations. I would even say the “tree of sociological understanding“have roots now. All the things I barely understood became…
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Relying on outward traits to determine the answer to the question aforementioned would result in erroneous answers since it concerns race which is a social construct. For this reason, one needs to approach it using sociological sciences. By approaching this question from a sociological perspective one realizes that these sports, in general, require capital and by analyzing data on economic class and wealth distribution between races one can conclude that Asians and whites are predominant in this sport…
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I sketched my sociological portrait, I found myself looking at the multiple statuses I hold in society and how each came about. I am not only a father to an young adult, but a son, a brother, a friend to many, a neighbor, a student once again and a blue-collar worker. Each of these statuses developed during various times in my life, and requires me to take on, at times, numerous roles. These statuses have defined who I have become and the impacts I have on society. My sociological portrait will be…
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When trying to find an explanation for why or how events or situations occur, sociological theory is a necessary tool. Sociological theory is a way of observing the world and trying to interpret and analyze the data at different levels and from different perspectives. There are three different types of theories that sociologists use to explain social phenomenon; structural functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. Each has a different perspective and can be used to try to understand…
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The most appropriate social approach for examining the society the the twenty first century would be group three; Feminist Sociology. The Feminist Sociology group is one of the major contemporary sociological theories, which analyzes the status of women and men in society with the purpose of using that knowledge to better women's lives. Feminist theorists also question the differences between women, including how race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, nationality, and age intersect with gender. This…
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In the introduction of the “The Sociological Imagination”, Charles Wright Mills’ discusses the importance of the intricate relationship between private matters and public issues as well as the changing role of sociology within the social sciences. He defines the Sociological Imagination as a way for “us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society” (C Wright Mills 1959, p. 6). Expanding on the idea that by living, we contribute to the way society is shaped even…
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Ethnic nations are those where a group of people share common primordial backgrounds such as religion, culture and language. If a minority successfully integrates into a society it can create a sense of a social nation. The minority ‘adopts the society’ of the majority. Ethnicity is then taken as a way of identifying oneself based on what they can relate to and what makes them different from other people. People take pride in their ethnicities and go as far as living according to the beliefs of…
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The sociological imagination is the notion that allows a person to understand the greater picture of oneself and one's role in society. Mills said, “Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both’’. What this quote means is that people always understand the history or the person. In order to understand the individual you have to know their personal history and how they fit into the society. In order to understand history of the society…
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