Читать книгу Sociology - Anthony Giddens - Страница 24

There are three recurring features in our broad approach to sociology in the book. First, we look to connect small-scale, micro-level social encounters with the large-scale, macro level of social institutions and societies. Individual interactions can have an impact on the larger world of social institutions, but the latter also influence our daily lives in very profound ways. This is a two-way interchange and lies at the heart of many social processes. It is our view that comprehensive sociological analysis requires situations and events to be understood at both the micro and the macro level.

Second, the book adopts a comparative-historical standpoint. In our global age, sociology must investigate the relationships between a range of societies and the varied ways in which they influence one another. A wide variety of source material is introduced that is drawn from many societies around the world. In particular, most chapters cover societies in both the Global South and the Global North, which makes for a more comprehensive understanding. In our view, comparative, historical sociology is essential if we are to understand today’s globalizing social world.

Third, we continually seek to connect the social with the personal. In this sense we take a lead from the American sociologist C. Wright Mills, who said that sociology connects the study of personal troubles, such as losing a job or getting divorced, with wider social issues, such as economic restructuring and shifting gender relations. The task of sociologists is to connect people’s personal experience to patterns of social change in order to arrive at a better understanding.

Studying sociology can be a liberating experience that opens up our imagination, bringing new ideas and perspectives to bear, creating an awareness of areas of social life and cultures that are very different from our own. Sociology can also force us to see familiar aspects of life in new ways that challenge our firmly held opinions. This is the starting point for developing a sociological way of thinking, or what sociologists call a sociological imagination.