Technorati Tags: consciousness , sociology
François de Singly, in article "Sociology, a particular form of consciousness," tries to answer the question formulated Bernard Lahire book title What is sociology? . To begin with, mentioned two areas in which sociology can provide: the scientific and social. Question the fact that sociological studies tend to be classified in one or the other, with a clear tendency to obscure the social and raise the scientific, engineering and financial controller. This article, then, is presented by its author as an account of his own "sociological learning", where judgments are not in fact hopelessly separated from value judgments towards integration of evidence available to the sociologist. I intend to discuss this paper is to review the items described to me made sense of a closer, in which recognize certain proximity to what has been my learning so far. Of course, as a way to avoid responsibility or insanity plea in an uncertain future, write this represents only an exercise to write down what we now think about the text of Singly and sociology in general, since what he review has taken place in his years of experience ... I still can not find work and recently finished college.
Let's go, then. De Singly concerns that current sociological which seeks to depart from common sense, distrusting people's speeches and engaging in elaborate science from what we find in the social world. The author claims to have followed this trend until it questioned the character that disqualifies a scholar with the sense that individuals have their own behavior. I'm interested in this question because in my thesis applied theory that sees common sense as a natural attitude with which we face everyday, refraining from asking questions that complicate too much attention. And it bothers me to conceive a certain group of social researchers that abstracts natural attitude, so to develop quality social knowledge. It examines the meaning that people give their behaviors would try to overcome the obvious and delve into elements that govern our relationships and are not detectable in day to day. This, coupled with a rigorous methodological procedure and a strong theoretical elaboration, would resolve the intention of Singly about working towards a social science and sociology, as well as their results may justify their behavior to the study subjects: Ideally
, a theory must rest on two types of recognition: that of the couple, who approved the execution of scientific work, and the true age it considers the world's scholarly vision proposal is totally foreign, [...] (Singly of, 2006:38)
Overcome obvious
would then be a grace of sociology. François de Singly refers to unveiling a new course with disappointment:
But gradually he did not understand the sociological approach should be systematically matched with the vision of disenchanted individuals, and why not illuminating, except in the register the complaint of illusions, the conduct of individuals who had no regard to their behavior. (Singly of, 2006:39)
Here we a nerve. The author refers to the function of unveiling of sociology, which come to backgrounds that are not usually seen from a natural attitude, would be assessed only by subjects for whom illusions unveiled hiding processes have weakened.
Sometime around the third year of college, I was shocked that the responses of some sociology is often indirect and also painful, as they involve concessions from many sides. But today it seems fun to face complex situations, where black and white are not the only options. And just that anxious to de Singly: objectivist theories that define explanatory categories arbitrarily while leaving aside the elements that do not fit into these theories. The author states that in it there is nothing wrong with both the responses obtained in this way are not high as the only possible determinations as white / black.
In another area, François de Singly expressed interest in addressing in-depth awareness. Notes that it has been marginalized from behavioral studies in sociology explanation, which focuses on the observable in the subjects themselves rather than their interpretations. It is supported by Anthony Giddens and its development on the reflective log to express the presence of a conscience is strengthened in modern times, as social agents have the knowledge learned. Sociologists, then, produce social knowledge that is available to those who manage to assimilate and develop social activity from that point. The way the material is received and used sociological competence of a sociology of sociology that deals with the impact of this discipline in their audiences, which includes scholars and the world's dispossessed.
scholar This audience does not perceive any proximity to any theory can be the target of two functions of sociology: the disclosure and the accompanying, disenchanted and understood. For this classification of Singly tantamount to referring to public / private, to macro / micro, with the quantitative / qualitative, but they would be referred to the conscience takes place in them, but meanwhile the objective and subjective are rarely found in a same investigation.
interesting thing about this article is the author's call to give relevance sociological consciousness so that sociology hold reflection in modern societies. Thus advocates the use of qualitative methods, participatory research, where subjects can not prepare a speech scholars and consistent with his own biographical setting, bringing the private to public, winning strong and legitimate place in society.
This integration of consciousness, awareness and a sociology that underpins the reflectivity can exceed that of Singly questions made to sociology. First, the social scientist and the result can be reconciled when scientific research goes hand in hand with thought processes, social knowledge is achieved by appealing to the exercise reflective subjects. In addition, the theoretical application and could not be so arbitrary, so the societal outcomes are not limited to white or black. Nor does it allow a hierarchy of sociological objects, especially when talking about lo público y lo privado.
Investigación acción-participativa, investigación dialógica, hablamos de una disciplina que no “asista”, que no se involucre con su objeto de estudio al punto de cegarse por él, sino de impulsar procesos y de hacer protagonistas de ellos a los sujetos-actores-agentes. En todo caso, es una perspectiva que exige un cambio de actitud por parte de la comunidad sociológica en general, pues lo que se considera científico proviene de la aceptación de un público restringido, y éste deberá encontrarse ante buenas razones para no desestimar investigaciones de este tipo.
Además, de Singly habla de la conciencia de una forma que supera los ideologismos, because it is not carrying infants manifest a kind of sociological elites to the masses, and raises awareness policy to specific purposes. It is about giving space to the training and support of consciousness arising during the same investigation, even regardless of the results, so the impact on individuals is not predictable by the researcher.
On the other hand, learning that exposes the author reflects advances in the discussion of the aims of sociology. Today it is common to handle arguments that some decades ago were not available, so it is that we can pass in a few years, as sociologists beginners, testing these ideas. In Personally, I think that the proposal would avoid many of Singly and work more informative publications in the field, using the potential of awareness. It would be informative, rather, to persuade groups of people who are happy, who are unhappy, they are classless, to come a revolution, which must accept the universality of any theory. Being accepted by the scientific community and methods used by different subjects, sociology can be scientifically and socially useful. Reference
- Singly, François de, "Sociology, a particular form of consciousness" in Laihre, Bernard (ed.) (2006), What is sociology? , Twenty First Century Publishers, Argentina, 2006.
