Class Domination and Ideological Hegemony*

Sociological theory poses the issue of whether ideational or coercive factors provide the central basls of social order. The former view maintains (and requires) that a value consensus exist in the empirical world; the latter assumes the existence of a ruling class which dominates the ideational institutions of the society. A preliminary scrutiny of available evidence suggests that: (1) a value consensus does not exist, and (2) there is a high concentration of wealth and economic control which appears to extend into vital political and ideological areas, thereby implying the existence of a dominant or ruling class. Based upon these conclusions, the concept of ideological hegemony is introduced as a significant component of a Marxist view of social order. The hegemonic process is described and available evidence is examined in the areas of political socialization and mass media. A pattern in which debate and discussion are circumscribed while alternative values and world views are ignored or suppressed was found to characterize these two areas. This pattern was seen to provide further support for the Marxist view that an ideological hegemony imposed by the dominant class is the ideational manifestation of a social order based upon coercion.     

Sociological Theory and the Relativistic Paradigm*

Sociological theory is compared to the relativist paradigm which is found in a variety of contemporary intellectual movements: microphysics, drama, theology, art, music and psychology. The principal elements in the relativist paradigm are: (1) complementarity; (2) indeterminacy: (3) relativity. In contrast to this thought pattern, the apparent pluralism represented in the strict, hermeneutical, and critical schools of sociological theory is shown to be questionable. Extant sociological theory is relatively unified at the epistemic level.     

The Present State of Sociological Theory*

Sociology has fractured into a number of schools, each claiming to be distinct from the others and to have its own theory. The trouble with the theories is that most of them fail to make their general propositions explicit. Were they made explicit, all the theories would turn out to contain at least the general propositions of behavioral psychology, and the intellectual unification of sociology could begin. The paper discusses the reasons why many sociologists are reluctant to accept this argument. It also discusses other claimants to the status of theory, including “pattern” theories, functional theories (one of which is really behavioral), and the difficulties created by some uses of the concept, social structure.     

Hegemony,Ideology and Contradictory Consciousness*

The critical phenomena for this paper are the variations in the degree of integration of ideas within mass publics. The theory of ideological hegemony provides a valuable sociological framework from which to study them. Current interpretations indicate that the political cultures of modern democracies consist of two major ideologies: a ruling ideology which is a coherent system of thought, and a subordinate ideology which exhibits contradictory consciousness. Evidence on the integration of ideas was obtained from a re-analysis of a survey of the British electorate.     

The Control of Sociological Theory: In Praise of the Interregnum*

The argument advanced here contends that integrative efforts within sociology exacerbate, rather than mitigate, theoretical and organizational fragmentation. Viewing epistemologically driven movements towards theoretical control as counter- productive, this study contains a proposal for a greater analytical focus on ontology as a better way to promote and preserve the sociological enterprise. Such a move would reflect a return to the ethos of sociology's classical project and encourage embracing theoretical diversity as a desirable condition.     

Relevance and Responsibility in Sociological Research*

Radical sociology is discussed in terms of the sociologist's relevance and responsibility to neglected and oppressed segments of the society. To illustrate these themes, the fate of a five-city community-survey and power-structure research project which was intended to have an impact upon patterns of school segregation is described. Examples of the use and disuse of data by those in positions of authority are provided as evidence of the need for closer articulation of research design and application. The need for a “participatory sociology” is asserted and its character briefly sketched.     

Sociological Perspectives in Bernstein's Sociolinguistics*

An interpretation of selected portions of Bernstein's sociolinguistics is presented. The interpretation suggests that linguistic performance intervenes between social structure and self-concept. The theory is specified through a research application. The specification holds that two views of social structure are implicit within the theory: one micro-cosmic and the other macrocosmic. For Bernstein these views are linked to Mead and Durkheim, respectively. However, the present analysis attempts to show that both are properly understood as Meadian. Linguistic performance is related to self-derogation within a strict Meadian interpretation. The contribution of the theory seems to lie in a specification of a Meadian view of self relative to selected aspects of language.     

The Sociological Profession and Revolution*

Is present Western sociology helping prepare revolution? Conservative and liberal sociologies clearly help keep the social system as it is without questioning it at its roots. But also the current radical research is not as radical as it may seem, since it implicitly accepts the socio-political ignorance of the masses and does not question the neo-capitalistic principle of separation between theory and praxis. The final objective of a revolutionary sociology should be to make all people become their own revolutionary sociologists.     

Chaos,Order, and Sociological Theoy*

This article reexamines, in historical context, the “problem of order” and change in sociological theory in the light of the findings of Chaos Theory. The value of this new perspective is that order and disorder, order and change, are no longer presented as irreconcilable opposites but as dimensions of the same process. Order generates chaos, and chaos generates order. These ideas are linked into a holistic perspective in which “centriphery” is seen as an attractor that accounts for order and change in human social life and entropy as an equal partner to information/energy in the creative thrust of human social life.     

Women in Religion: A Sociological Perspective*

Religious ministry, theology, and even the study of religion in history and sociology have been done for so long from a male point of view that the burgeoning activity and reflection of women scholars and activists are not yet researched or deliberated when male scholars define the parameters for interpretation and name the problems as they perceive them. Current scholarship is sadly lacking in its address of modern problems in religious perspective, especially as attempts are made to understand the new pressures on population and institutions.     

Authoritative Knowledge and Heteronomy in Classical Sociological Theory

This article traces the impact of philosophical questions regarding the grounds of moral autonomy and heteronomy (rule-from-another as opposed to rule-from-oneself) on classical sociological theory, arguing that both Weber and Durkheim understood sociology to have a contribution to make in the debate with Kant over the grounds of ethical action. Both insisted that the only possible ethical action was one within the bounds of rational knowledge that was inherently authoritative, but this sat uneasily with their focus on the relation between concrete social authority and the authoritativeness of beliefs in the sociology of religion. In rejecting Comte's explicit avowal of the embodiment of moral authority in the secular priesthood of sociologists, Weber and Durkheim had to paper over the social authority supporting the formulation of this rational knowledge. Each then produced a sociology of knowledge without a well-specified mechanism, in turn encouraging the development of the sociology of knowledge as a flawed sub-discipline.     

Sociological Research and the American Working Class*

Postwar literature reveals that sociologists disagree on the composition of the working class and neglect to specify relationships among its manual, clerical, and service workers. Contrary to Marxist thought, evidence on the deskilling of working-class occupations is inconclusive. Marxist and non-Marxists agree that management has not succeeded in dictating the control of work. The literature foils to locate connections between technology, work alienation, job dissatisfaction, and the societal alienation of workers. Weakest theory and research deal with the political mobilization of the working class, which is hampered by its internal stratification and cleavages. Paradoxically, labor unions are more effective in promoting consumer interests than those of their members or other workers.     

If Simmel Were A Fieldworker: On Formal Sociological Theory And Analytical Field Research*

In this paper, an attempt is made to apply the methodological principles of SimmeFs formal sociology to fieldwork and, thus, to lay out systematically the methodological foundations of “analytical field research.” The paper centers around three major methodological principles: (a) shifting the emphasis from actual facts to the particular analytical perspectives from which they are viewed; (b) establishing concern with formal patterns which are abstracted from reality rather than with its concrete contents; (c) studying only selected aspects of concrete phenomena and making a commitment to particular analytical concerns and foci. Based on these methodological principles, certain guidelines for analytical field researchers are then recommended.     

The Sociological Literature on Nuclear Issues*

In this paper we address the question of the existing and potential role of sociologists in the nuclear debate by first sketching some of the major nuclear issues, second by guaging the extent of professional attention which sociology has focused on nuclear issue. Our focus is on the professional sociological literature. In addition to it there is a vast peace literature which ranges from academic studies to newsletters and propaganda pieces. Sociologists may contribute heavily to the peace literature and be active in the peace or relatede campaigns, but we exclude these activities from our study. We view them as actions which sociologists do in their roles of concerned citizens. Our focus here is on the professional sociological literature and our comments pertain solely to it. We select thirteen journals to represent various aspects of this literature and review all issues from 1945 to the present to guage the coverage of nuclear issues in the sociological literature.