soiciology
Governing the body(ies): Politics, Modern state and Resistance
Week six, soci 1125
What we are going to do today!
Having class presentation
Being familiar with Weber’s theory of authority and rationalizations
Being familiar with social moement and social changes in our modern life
Weber’s Power, Domination and Authority
Power: the ability to achieve one’s desires in the face of resistance
Domination: situations in which an entire group of people could be directed to comply with commands
Authority: describes the situation in which subordinates consider the domination by leaders to be legitimate
Politics: Endeavour to gain and maintain control of the state apparatus
State: Institutions that maintain a monopoly over the legitimate use of force in a given territory
Max Weber ‘s three types of Authority
Traditional authority is present when power is legitimated by respecting long-established cultural patterns and traditions
Rational-legal authority is present when power is legitimated through laws, rules, and regulations
Charismatic authority is based on the personal magnetism of individuals who compel people to believe in them and grant them their support
Bureaucracies are the main way of governing modern society by all modern states!
Bureaucracy
a rational organization designed to complete many routine tasks as efficiently as possible
Max Weber’s (1946) defining characteristics of bureaucracies:
An extensive division of labour
Written policies and procedures for workers and customers/clients
Ongoing written records
A hierarchy of authority
Performance-based hiring and promotion
Rationalization
rationalization: the general tendency of modern institutions everyday life to apply instrumental reason — which means choosing the most efficient means to achieve defined goals — instead of fate or magical thoughts to face with social, political and individual reality.
Through rationalization, all of the institutional structures of modern society are reorganized on the principles of efficiency, calculability, and predictability.
Older styles of social organization, based on traditional principles of religion, morality, or custom, cannot compete with the efficiency of rational styles of organization and are gradually replaced.
Modern Bureaucratic system is the prototype of rationalization
Iron cage
Human of modern world become imprisoned in Iron cage of rationalization.
All narrow specialist or bureaucrat serves as only a single cog in an ever-moving mechanism which prescribes to them an essentially fixed route of march.
That Iron cage of rationalization blocked human’s ability to critical thinking out of the box!
When Rationalization becomes irrational
Mcdonaldization: the concept developed by George Ritzer is the best example of irrationality of rationality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdy1AgO6Fp4
Food are supposed to keep us alive and healthy. However, fast food industry, as the most efficient ( instrumentally rationalized )way of food processing, threatens our health!
When the rationalization becomes irrational!
Efficiency, and fast pace of life becomes a goal by itself. Aside from elevating stress and anxiety, efficiency tends to replace other goals in life and becomes an end in itself, such that rational efficiency begins to undermine the substantial human values it was designed to serve (i.e., the ideals of the good life, ethical values, the integrity of human relationships, the enjoyment of beauty and relaxation) .
Instrumental rationality encourages people to rely on bureaucratic system and do not question it critically. It discourages critical thinking because critical thinking is not goal oriented and thus, inefficient!
When Modern Bureaucracy system lead to “banality of Evil”
The efficient Bureaucracy can easily turns into an efficient Killer Machine in hand of the state!
https:// www.youtube.com / watch?v =8Km0LQCK-9I
Break!
Social change
What Is Social Change?
Social change refers to changes in the typical features of society over time.
All societies in history have experienced social changes, the differences of modern society is its fast pace of social change!
Inspirations for Social Change
Technology
Physical Environment( we are facing the changing of echosystem which necessitates changes in our lifestyle)
Demographic Shifts( immigrations, aging populations)
War
Ideas ( new technological innovations revolutionarized people everyday life, e.g. smart phones)
Individual( leaders )
Economic competitions
Government
Social movements
important sociological Approaches to Social Change
Functionalism
While the natural state of society is balance, social problems do arise within society. According to Parsons, the emergence of social problems indicates that the social system is out of balance and needs to be adjusted.
Conflict theory
Believing in dialectical Materialism they see social change as core of progress in society. However, they believe that any change that threatens the rich and powerful, and their control over society, will be resisted by them and the state which represents them.
In order to rid the world of inequality, Marx argued that social change was necessary through active revolt against oppression and exploitation.
Marc Prensky’s example of technological social changes.
The education system is ill-suited to the needs and aspirations of today’s students
Digital Natives
Students who spent entire lives using computers, Internet, cell phones, video games
Digital speakers
Digital Immigrants
Those who did not grow up with digital technology
Have an “accent”
Schools are designed, managed and staffed by digital immigrants
Digital natives and immigrants respond to technology in different ways
Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants (1 of 2)
Table 18.1 Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants
| Digital Native | Digital Immigrant |
| Studies or reads with music and/or television on | Studies or reads in silence |
| Frustrated when email is not replied to immediately | Calls to see if you have received email |
| Ignores email forwards | Replies to and sends email forwards |
| Uses text messaging | Does not see the point of text messaging or is confused by it |
| Reads text and emails from computer screen | Prints out texts and emails to read from paper |
| Embraces new technology | Is nervous of new technology |
| Buys music online | Buys music from a store |
| Reads online newspapers | Reads paper newspapers |
Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants (2 of 2)
Table 18.1 [Continued]
| Digital Native | Digital Immigrant |
| Engages in instant chats | Communicates through phone calls |
| Keeps cellphone turned on at all times | Turns off cellphone |
| Has latest video games | Prefers older video games |
| Programs television so as not to miss an episode | Alters schedule around a television show or misses the episode |
| Uses Google maps | Uses paper maps |
| Multitasks | Does one thing at a time |
SOURCE: Based on Marc Prensky, Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, From On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001)
Question
Think about Marc Prensky’s Digital native or digital immigrants.
Do you consider yourself and your generation as Digital natives? Do you agree with the criticism that he made about education system response to digital native students? Exemplify your argument
Life Cycle of Social Change
Innovation
Something new that inspires a change
Change is slow, adopted by 10-25% of population
Exponential growth
The majority of the population adopts the technology, norms, rules or behaviour.
Saturation
Whereby the change enters a society’s traditions and normal daily practices and reconfigures them accordingly.
Think about face book and Instagram. Does emergences of this platform follow the same cycle?
Social movement
Social movements are collective behaviour performed by collections of people who are organized to bring about or resist social change.
There are four shared characteristics of those who participate in social
movements:
1. A shared common identity
2. Protest is used as one of their primary form of action
3. A reliance on noninstitutionalized networks of interaction
4. A rejection or challenging of dominant forms of power
Four type of social movements
Revolutionary movements are the most extreme because they seek a
complete reorganization of society. ( Zapatist movement in the Southern Mexico)
reformist movements seek to
improve the existing social structure without replacing the existing system.( Black live matters, me too, MADD)
Reactionary movements emerge as a result of individuals challenging
events or decisions that they feel they cannot tolerate. This movement is coming of fear of and backlash against present or possible social changes.( white supremacy movement)
Religious movements are grounded in supernatural and spiritual
systems of belief.( Islamic fundamentalism,)
Think about the anti vaccine mandate movement in Canada. What type of movement would you call it ?
Life Cycle of Social Movements
1. Emergence (e.g., people are dissatisfied but lack organization)
2. Coalescence (e.g., as the group grows it transforms into a formal organization)
3. Bureaucratization (e.g., a hierarchy is established)
4. Decline (e.g., social change is achieved or the movement collapses)
Search and Think about “Indian farmer protest”.
What the type of social movement is it ?( revolutionary, reformist, reactionary , religious)
Can you distinguish the life cycles that the movement has undergone from beginning ( August 2020)?
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