Introducing Social Theory by Jones Pip Bradbury Liz & Liz Bradbury

Author:Jones, Pip,Bradbury, Liz & Liz Bradbury [Jones, Pip & Bradbury, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781509505081
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Published: 2018-01-08T00:00:00+00:00

Ethnomethodology

Garfinkel, Harold (1984): Studies in Ethnomethodology, Polity.

Rawls, Anne Warfield (2013): ‘The early years, 1939–1953: Garfinkel at North Carolina, Harvard and Princeton’, Journal of Classical Sociology 13/2: 303–12.

Sharrock, W. W. and Anderson, R. J. (2010): The Ethnomethodologists, 2nd edn, Routledge.

6

LANGUAGE, DISCOURSE AND POWER IN MODERNITY: JÜRGEN HABERMAS AND MICHEL FOUCAULT

Introduction

The recognition of the importance of language as a principal means by which social members construct social order has been taken up by Habermas and Foucault in two quite contrasting ways that, again, take us back to the question of the importance of sociology contributing to the enlightened self-understanding of social actors.

According to Foucault, the social sciences are part of a wider body of modern forms of knowledge which are all deeply entwined in specific forms of surveillance and administration of members of society. This form of power operates in disguised and highly effective ways. Foucault argues that being more aware of the operation of this power won’t mean we can do anything to stop it and even suggests that such power is powerful enough that it creates its own resistance. Foucault’s analysis of the operations of power has been highly influential across the social and historical sciences and it has been the subject of sustained criticism by theorists who believe that social theories that seek, as Foucault’s does, to reveal otherwise covert forms of power should do so with the aim of providing theoretical foundations for furthering social enlightenment and democracy.

This is Habermas’ position. As we shall see, he stands fiercely opposed to what he perceives as Foucault’s and related postmodernist attempts to diminish or undermine the importance of fostering a rational critique of society. Habermas’ defence of the rational resources and potential for social progress within modernity informs his theory of communicative action, which he believes provides a secure grounding or foundation for the rational and potentially enlightening capacity of modernity.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.