Book summary and key concepts

¶ … Social World

Book Summary for Chapter 1 of Our Social World

The introductory chapter of Our Social World delineates a number of salient characteristics of sociology. It not only describes the central aspects of sociology as an area of study, but places it in the context of the present moment. Rather than defining sociology within a narrow range of practices, the author frames sociology as a particular way of engaging with the world. The chapter is written in an easily accessible manner, usefully assuming that the reader has no prior experience with sociology; this book review summarizes the topics covered in the chapter and unpacks the meaning of the material discusses.

It is particularly useful that the authors place the chapter in the context of contemporary global events; not only does this evoke the title of the book but it demonstrates the large extent to which sociology is inextricably linked with global inquiry. Moreover, the authors not only emphasize awareness of global events, but also on witnessing cultural events from the perspective of people from different cultures. For example, the discussion of the terrorist attacks on September 11 refrains from simply examining those who committed the crimes but also describes the cultural climate in which the attacks took place. Indeed, the authors frame the event as an unpredictable occurrence that happened in a generally predictable world. This is especially applicable to the reader because, as the authors stipulate, social groups are pervasive and everyone belongs to them. Indeed, the authors go so far as to say that social patterns are overlooked as being self-evident, when in fact they inform every facet of the way in which people view and engage with the world. While more explanation would be helpful as to exactly how the world is predictable, the authors go to great lengths to emphasize that current events do not take place in a vacuum and that a sociological approach invariably involves analyzes the cultural structures in which something occurs.

In addition to discussing how sociologists analyze current events, Chapter 1 describes how sociology involves applying a balanced approach toward morality and belief systems. For example, those with diametrically opposed belief systems often view each other as immoral, when in fact their conflicts are merely the result of the social constructs to which they subscribe. The authors state that there are two overriding principles associated with studying the "social world": first, one must have the ability to observe and express a desire to find answers (12). This definition identifies the state of inquiry that is imperative to sociology; while there is still some confusion to exactly what is meant by the term "social world," the definition captures the importance of observation in this field of study.