Category: Theory
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Concepts are the building blocks of research articles
The building blocks of a social science research article are concepts. The author must present and define all major concepts. Throughout the article, the author must link these concepts together and explain how they relate to one another. When you think of your article, think of the main concepts and…
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Futurist and Culture Critic Ted Gioia on Cycles, Decline, and the Rise of Microculture
How can we best understand the current cultural landscape and what it means for the future? The Rick Beato interview of Ted Gioia, two thought leaders in the music and cultural sphere, revealed several key insights on the cyclical nature of cultural trends, the decline of traditional media, and the…
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How to think about academic writing in the social sciences
With so many parts to write in a research article, academic writing can seem overwhelming. How should we think about academic writing? In this post, to help with your thinking, I present a simple philosophy of academic writing in the social sciences. It acknowledges who we are and is rooted…
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How to write the theory section of a research article in the social sciences
Every empirical research article in sociology and political science requires a theory section. When you conduct research with data, there are dozens of concepts and theories to choose from. However, only some can fit into the theory section. What to do? This post provides some commonsense tips on how to…
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Max Weber’s Theory of Class, Status, and Power
Sociologists love to cite and discuss Max Weber. Weber wrote a famous essay called, “Class, Status, and Party.” Weber designed the essay to set him apart from Karl Marx, who had a unidimensional view of classes, inequality, and society. Max Weber had a multidimensional view of classes, inequality, and society.…
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Marxist and Neo-Marxist Theories of Social Stratification
Why does social stratification exist? Karl Marx had a Theory Karl Marx, a social and economic thinker in the 19th century, had a theory of how societies are organized and why inequality exists. His powerful theories inspired the Communist revolutions in Russia and China, and eventually in Eastern Europe and…
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Classic Theories of Social Stratification
Why is there inequality in society? Social stratification, and inequality, are fundamental concepts in sociology. We defined stratification as the existence of structured inequalities between social groups on the basis of power and resources. But this just defines the term. A crucial question is: Why does inequality exist in society?…
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Basic Sociology Concepts: Social Stratification and Inequality
What are the basic sociology concepts in social stratification and inequality? To understand basic sociological theories in social stratification and inequality, we must first understand basic concepts in this field. This post presents definitions of basic sociology concepts and concepts related to inequality and social stratification. It is based on…
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What can we learn about society and sociology from very old textbooks? Not much.
In sociology, the concept of society is fundamental. It is a concept that every sociology student, and simply everyone, should think about. But what is society in sociology? And can we learn it from very old sociology textbooks? In this post, I attempt to answer these questions with the work…
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Mythical Farmers and Max Weber’s Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
Where are the farmers in Weber’s Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism? Farming is the US capitalist ideal of a people: morally and spiritually strong, selling the products of their hard labor. We idolize them as the pure embodiment of what society should be. We gain insight into this…
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Intersectionality is Everywhere
Three decades after Kimberle Crenshaw popularized the term “intersectionality,” it has become mainstream. The term is mainstream because it is the truth and because elements of society who are against the idea that we should recognize the deep-seated issues of historically marginalized groups have seized on it as a rallying…
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The Concept and Measurement of Power in Intersectionality
The idea of power is inherent to intersectionality. In this post, we discuss how the concept of power is integral to the concept and framework of intersectionality, and how to measure power structures. Intersectionality is about politics and the use of power. Noted intersectionality scholar Patricia Hill Collins (2015: 3)…
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What is Power? What is a Power Structure?
To define a power structure, we must first define power. Power has many definitions: Power is a relationship We must understand that power is a relationship. Power as a social relationship has two main “agents:” the principal and the subaltern. In this relationship the principal wields power that affects the…
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Social Structure and the Sociological Imagination
In this post, we discuss why the concept of social structure is important for the sociological imagination. The Sociological Imagination and “The Promise” The Sociological Imagination is perhaps sociology’s most famous treatise on what sociology is and should be. It is not necessarily correct, but it is famous. C. Wright…
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Approaches to Intersectionality
What are the major approaches to intersectionality? In studying the influence of identity on attitudes and behavior, there are two major approaches to intersectionality, with some important internal divisions. One is a unitary, or additive, approach, and the other can be called the multiplicative approach. I present the essence of…
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The Interactionist View of Power and Inequality
What is Power? Sociologists typically cite Weber in defining power as the capacity a person or a group has to realize their will despite the resistance of others (Weber 1946). Whether power is a capacity of one actor to change the behavior of another (Dahl 1961) or is a relationship…
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