Sociology 100 Issues and Themes in Sociology University of Auckland Semester 2 2011
Lecture 2: Sociological history and theory (Modernizing) Modernism: A set of artistic practices Modernity: The key sociological category to describe the condition of being modern encompassing forms of industrialization, urbanization, extensive divisions of labour cosmopolitanism, globalization and global extension of trade networks and exploitation of raw materials Modernization: The process of becoming modern The Dual Revolution The origins of modernity lie in the Dual Revolution. The Dual Revolution consists of the Industrial Revolution and the 1789 French Revolution. The Dual Revolution The Industrial Revolution Transformed economic life The French Revolution Invented modern political life The Industrial Revolution transformed economic life. The French Revolution invented modern political life with individual citizenship replacing traditional patterns of kinship and monarchy. According to Ian Carter, The processes unleashed by the Enlightenment and Dual Revolution remade, and still remake, the world, so nobody was or is untouched. Key changes and steps to modernity Agricultural/Rural society to Industrial/Urban society Religious beliefs to Rational scientific beliefs - The Enlightenment period was a broad movement of 17 th and 18 th century progressive liberal intellectuals scattered widely across Germany, France, Holland, Britain and the United States.
- Key principle was the Celebration of Progress expansion of human control over the natural world and of culture over nature (Science was the motor which drove this progress ). - Commitment to science, critique and rationality/reason against superstition, assertion and dogma. Barter society to Monetized society - The trading of goods through barter was replaced by monetization and currency. Communal/Feudal society to Capitalist society - Feudal society socially stratified and hierarchal, based on the established order of Lords (land owners), Vassals (organized the fiefs and serfs), Fiefs (the labour force) and Serfs (the peasantry). - Agricultural Revolution innovations allowed an increase in the abundance of harvest and could be preserved longer, which ultimately led to an increase in the value of land. - Industrial Revolution and Industrial Capitalism the economic transformation from an agriculturally based, rural society to and industry based, urbanized society. - Division and specialization of labour made production more efficient but was also more mundane. The French Revolution - Post-Modern society & Service economy Development of post-modern societies with an economy based less on industry and more on a balance between a service and knowledge economy. The French Revolution led to the spread of revolutionary ideas across the world which ignited a culture clash between the new liberals and the old reactionary forces, which tried to repress the new revolutionaries. Industrialization had led to the growth of large urbanized, labour forces (the proletariat) and subsequently trade unions, which created significant political power for these groups. This dialectic and power dynamic sets the foundation for sociology.
Lecture 3: Consumption Consumer societies: Consumer societies are ones in which choice and credit are readily available, in which social value is defined in terms of purchasing power, and in which there is a desire, above all, for that which is new, modern, exciting and fashionable. These societies are based on capitalist economics, mass production, the extension of credit and mass advertising. Consumption is about status and group identity. Pre-Modern world In the pre-modern world, people consumed out of necessity, to survive. Modern world Modernity has provided society with improvement but it does not yield social equality. Society s ability to consume is still unevenly distributed. E.g. the 3 wealthiest men in the world are worth more than the combined GDP of the world s poorest 48 countries. In a developed world, consumption is frequently about status and group identity. Members of society express their privilege through consumption, at somebody else s expense. Consumption and personal identities In pre-modern times upward social was very difficult due to traditional norms. In modern times we can move up in social class and if we cannot, we can do so symbolically by showing off that which we consume. E.g. The way we dress can covey social status. The Concept of credit The concept of credit was developed so that the poor/working class could also consume commodified goods and symbolically improve their status. By creating a desire for a material item and by pricing the item at above the buying power of the working class, the working class are forced to use the credit system to purchase the desired item. Creditors keep the working class poor by allowing the proletariat to purchase items they cannot afford and then have to pay more back to the creditors later. This credit system creates a profit for the bourgeoisie creditors at the expense of the working class.
Lecture 4: Work Bourgeoisie: The class of modern capitalists who are the owners of the means of production and employers of wage labour Proletariat: The class of modern wage labourers who, having no means of production of their own, are reduced to selling their labour in order to live Profit: The sum of money gained when the costs of production and wages are subtracted from the value of the commodities produced at work Deskilling: The division of mental and physical labour Why work? To earn money which we need to live and function as most people in the world are not subsistence farmers. To achieve a social status attached to a certain occupation. Unpaid work, predominantly done by women, props up capitalism. Work is becoming more and more a part of who we are. Our leisure items such as cell phones, computers and internet are even used to connect us to work, making work an intrinsic part of who we are. Wages, Profit and Capitalism Paid work is the place where things (commodities in the form of goods and services) are made and where profits are generated. The fundamental driver of a capitalist society is the accumulation of capital. The origin of all capital is profit. Profit: Profit is the sum of money gained when the costs of production and wages are subtracted from the value of the commodities produced at work. Scientific Management Scientific management are attempts by management to control labour force (e.g. the family corporate culture used to mask the fundamentally exploitive nature of capitalism). Purpose of Scientific management: To reduce workers wasted effort and material: both intentional and unintentional. Division of labour is a type of scientific management where the purpose is to increase efficiency at the expense of personal satisfaction. Frederick Taylor o Promoted further division of labour and specialization of labour/mcdonaldization of jobs. o This led to the deskilling of workers, so that they were easily replaceable but also led to growing worker dissatisfaction.