Two important sociologists (Peter L. Berger and Pierre Bourdieu) have issued an "invitation to sociology" in the form of now classic text books attempting to invite readers to study the actions of men and women in context. Which means considering both how these men and women became the men and women they are when acting AND considering the situation in which they act - which is beyond their control in most cases. We will therefore pay attention to some classic questions at the heart of sociology such as "what is social order and how does it come about?" but also "what is social conflict and how does it come about?". But also "To what extent (and in which ways) does society shape its members?" versus "To what extent (and in which ways) do the members of a society shape the way it functions as a society?" We will do this by debating some classic texts expounding conflicting points of view about classic topics such as inequality, socialization and family, power, structure and action. We will use the fortnightly rhythm to have longer sessions in each of which we will set two (more or less) opposing views against each other - and then try to see the texts (i.e. the theories) themselves in their context. In this way we will do justice both to Peter Berger's concern about a "humanistic" sociology and Pierre Bourdieu's concern with the need to reflect one's own position in society in order to understand both "structure" and "action" in a scientific way.
Peter L. Berger: "Invitation to Sociology" (1967)
Pierre Bourdieu: "An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology" (1992)
In addition, a reader will be provided with excerpts from different classical texts
eG
eG
eG