Sociology

Jun 3

Penny Lewis, City University of New York, From Hardhats v. Hippies to Occupying Wall Street: Class & Social Protest in the U.S.

Jun 7

Sociology Department Capstone Reception, 12:00 - 2:00, College Eight Red Room

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Society: Some Assembly Required (no manual included)

Sociology is frequently expected to shed light upon pressing public issues – political and economic crises, social inequalities, environmental destruction. To do this sociologists often try to create instruction manuals that map social relations and social forces to show how societies work.

These manuals frequently presume the existence of social forces we can easily detect, social processes we can map, and social relations we can approximate.  How does sociology critically engage with, and adapt to, the complexity of the current conjuncture?  In this time of great political, economic and cultural transformation, with technology generating new social relationships, and with crises challenging existing academic frameworks, we suggest that manuals with fixed pictures of society may limit our understanding. (read more)