Reading Sociologically: Part 1

Encouraging students to read more widely than their given textbook is something most sociology teachers do at some point in the course. Usually at the very start when everyone’s still fresh and keen.

And usually with the same outcome.

They don’t have the time, can’t understand highly technical research, it’s all too dry and dull.

What I’ve tried to do with this selection of readings, therefore, is keep things as short as possible (ideally a few pages at most), avoid research that’s written for a specialised audience and chose stuff that’s vaguely interesting – particularly material that’s a little counter-intuitive or which, at the very least, makes us look at familiar ideas and problems in a new and slightly different (sociological) light.

In this respect, Peter Berger, in his seminal work “Invitation to Sociology” (1963), argues that a crucial feature of a sociological mindset is to defamiliarise the everyday:  to make the familiar strange. In other words, sociological understanding is predicated on the idea that we should approach familiar scenes as if we are seeing them for the first time. The reason for this, he argues, is that

“The first wisdom of sociology is this – things are not what they seem”.

The point here being that we should approach the social world without preconceptions about what we are seeing – or, at the very least to follow Weber in being aware of our personal biases. If we make the world “strange” we are better positioned to analyse and understand it, rather than taking what we already know for granted.

And that really is the point of encouraging your students to read at  least some of materials I’ve selected. It should help them question both their own preconceptions and the world in which they live and study.

And if they find themselves doing this, there’s a chance they’ll start to see sociology as something of a vocation rather than just another subject to study.

Stranger things have happened.

Invitation to Sociology: The Sociologist: Berger (1963)

This relatively short reading deals with Berger’s view of “the sociologist” and what motivates him or her to pursue a sociological career.

I’ve included it here because I think it speaks to what motivates people to study the world sociologically (it certainly grabbed my attention when I first started to understand what sociology involved) and, as such, gives students new to the subject something to consider and discuss.

I’ve also included this particular reading because it ends by suggesting that those students who, in the words of the phenomenologist Alfred Schuetz, live in a world-taken-for-granted or who would prefer to avoid “shocking discoveries”, might like to reconsider opting to study sociology.

Which is probably a bit harsh, but sometimes you just have to be cruel to be kind.

As an aside, one thing you’ll immediately note in this reading if you’re female is the use of “men” throughout the extract. I could be clever and suggest you interpret this in the context of Heidegger’s concept of “Das Man” (The One) – i.e. he’s not referring to “men”, per se, but to “humankind” (a synecdoche) – but it’s probably closer to the truth that when this was written the use of androcentric language (language that centres men as the default) was the norm in academic writing.

Which, in itself, is an interesting sociological observation.

Body Ritual Among the Nacirema: Miner (1956)

This reading follows neatly from the Berger piece by highlighting how our preconceived notions about something – in this case the “Nacirema Tribe” – influence how we see and interpret people’s behaviour. In this instance, of course, “Nacirema” is simply an palindrome of “American”.

If you prefer there’s a British version (or versions) doing the rounds (“Sherbit Culture”) that draw on Miner’s work and while they serve a purpose they don’t, for me, have the depth and detail of the original.

The Dead Grandmother Effect: Adams (1999)

This is a reading that’s a particular favourite because it takes a straight-faced approach to a “problem” that is patently absurd (you’ll need to read the piece to understand exactly why). It’s also really useful as a way of sensitising students to some of the potential problems of social research and theory-building – it’s an interesting and informative way, for example, of getting students to understand that sociological (or indeed any kind of ) research isn’t necessarily about simply identifying “the facts” about a problem and constructing theories to explain them.

What if the “facts” you’ve identified aren’t really facts at all…

One Hundred Percent American: Linten (1937)

This short piece focusing on the notion of culture and cultural exchange is interesting for a couple of reasons: Firstly, it cleverly demonstrates how cultural exchange – of ideas, behaviours and material objects – is always a two-way process. Secondly, it was published nearly 100 years ago, over which time the globalisation of cultural ideas and artefacts has proceeded apace.

And then some.

If you’re using this particular reading in the UK it could be used to encourage your students to research the origins of the cultural artefacts they use in their everyday lives.

On Being Sane in Insane Places: Rosenhan (1973)

“If sanity and insanity exist, how shall we know them?”

This simple question was the starting-point for what was arguably one of the most interesting and important experiments of the 20^th century, based around questions of sanity, insanity and how we know what constitutes either.

While the experiment (or, to be precise, experiments) is conventionally seen as a questioning of mental health professionals and the competences they claim, sociologically its importance lies in the labelling process, particularly the difficulty the participating students – none of whom were actually mentally ill – faced in rejecting the labels imposed on them. The study has much wider implications for the general labelling process as experienced by those lacking to power to successfully challenge designations made by powerful actors, such as governments, the police and the media.

As I’ve suggested, this is Part 1 in a planned series and while I’ve got a not-insignificant number of readings lined-up for subsequent parts it would be interesting to know if you’ve got any personal favourites you’d like to share with your fellow teachers.

If that’s the case, please feel free to send me the details.