Theories and Perspectives - Challenging mainstream sociology - Poststructuralism

4 important questions on Theories and Perspectives - Challenging mainstream sociology - Poststructuralism

Which ideas do poststructuralists critique?

  • They see a darker side to Enlightenment ideals of individual liberty, which is concerned with discipline and surveillance.
    • They observe that knowledge has become a force of control and can oppress alternative ways of thinking.

According to Michel Foucault (1926-1984), power works through discourse to shape public attitudes?
What does discourse mean and what does he mean with this statement?

  • Discourse is the ways of talking and thinking about a subject that is united by common assumptions.
    • E.g., in medieval times 'madness' was seen as harmless and sometiems even as a special 'gift' of perception, whereas today 'madness' is shaped by a scientific, medicalized discourse which emphasizes illness and treatment.
  • What Foucault means with this statement is that expert discourse, shaped by those in power or with authority, can only be challenged by another expert discourse. This means that authority figures can exert power through the use of discourse to influence public opinions.

What is the postmodernist stance on the progression of society?

  • They reject the idea that history has a shape that is progressive and 'goes somewhere.'
  • They reject metanarratives.
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Zygmunt Bauman (1992) describes our age as 'liquid modernity.'
What does that mean?

  • Our age is in constant flux and uncertainty in spite of all attempts to impose (a modern) order and stability onto it.

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