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In some instances, there is even a stronger link between religion and power structures.
The caste system in India privileges the rights of the priestly class. However, political leaders in India have also formed strong ties with the Brahmin class. These ties serve to "legitimize" the power in the political government.
Evaluating conflict theory
Conflict theory provides several important insights regarding the conservative role that religion has played in society. McGuire and Collins' study provide specific cases that uphold Marx's original premise. These studies show how conflict thinking still remains relevant, even until today.
However, the emphasis on the conservative and status quo orientation of religion also glosses over religion's liberating potential. Theologians like Gustavo Gutierrez, a priest who served in a Peruvian slum in the 1960s, argued that ministering to spiritual needs was not enough, and that the church should take a more active role in politics. Since then, the movement has grown into a larger mass movement in Latin America. Because of the importance religion occupies...
Examples such as these show that religion can serve dual and even opposite functions in society.
Works Cited
Collins, Randall (1981). Sociology since mid century: Essays in theory cumulation. New York: Academic Press.
Durkheim, Emile. (1912). The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. New York: Oxford University Press
Hunter, James Davison. (1983). American evangelicalism: Conservative religion and the quandary of modernity. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
Lawson, R. (1998). From American church to immigrant church: the changing face of seventh-day Adventism in metropolitan new York. Sociology of Religion, Winter 1998. Retrieved Oct 23, 2004, at http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SOR/is_4_59/ai_53590308.
McGuire, Meredith (1981). Religion: The Social Context. Belmont: Wadsworth.
Wilson, William Julius (1999). The Bridge Over the Racial Divide: Rising Inequality and Coalition Politcs. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Works Cited
Collins, Randall (1981). Sociology since mid century: Essays in theory cumulation. New York: Academic Press.
Durkheim, Emile. (1912). The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. New York: Oxford University Press
Hunter, James Davison. (1983). American evangelicalism: Conservative religion and the quandary of modernity. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
Lawson, R. (1998). From American church to immigrant church: the changing face of seventh-day Adventism in metropolitan new York. Sociology of Religion, Winter 1998. Retrieved Oct 23, 2004, at http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SOR/is_4_59/ai_53590308.
E. As waitresses.) II. Social Action Max Weber developed the concept of social action as a means of describing those actions that take into account actions and reactions of other people, then modifying that action based on those occurrences. Sociologists employ social action as a conceptual model as a means of determining how certain behaviors are modified in specific environments. When we evaluate the norms of social discourse and the customs that
Interpretive sociology does not agree with the thought that behavior is related to society as effect is related to cause since this entire idea is dysfunctional with that which composes social life in reality. Interpretive sociology holds that understanding of our fellow man should be the pursuit of each day as sense is made of their individual societal existence. Seeking to understand is the concept held in interpretive sociology
The economy is society's base structure. This does not mean, however, that everything that occurs in history stems from the economy. Finally, the "materialism" of "historical materialism" is rooted in the idea that the capitalist mode of production is largely contingent on the behavior of participants in the market economy. To sum up, historical materialism is based on a series of principles. The first of these is how humans interact
Sociology and Racism Sociologists recognize that social stratification is a cultural universal, an aspect present in every society. In many societies, these social hierarchies are based on factors like class, gender or kinship. In the United States and most advanced industrialized capitalist countries, for example, being wealthy can significantly improve a person's life chances. In a society as diverse as the United States, racial and ethnic categories are another key factor in
Religion is linked to self-esteem for two main reasons. The first reason why religion is related to self-esteem in empirical studies is that personal religiosity may increase what is known as locus of control: the sense that God and practices like prayer facilitate control over life events and personal psychological issues. Laoire (1997) conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blind study in which 90 "agents" prayed for 406 subjects. The results showed
Introduction · Wright Mills, a well-established sociologist, defines sociological imagination as the ability to see things from a social perspective and establish a relationship between society's history and biography. Sociological imagination requires one to pull out from the issue of study to have an outsider perspective. Pulling out is necessary to ensure one is not biased (Mills, p.6). · The importance of teaching sociological imagination is to help individuals to understand their