Thought Questions (Phenomenology/Social Constructionism)
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Phenomenology has also been termed “social constructionism.” In a nutshell, the perspective argues that the world is socially constructed.
Alfred Schutz
1. What are “consociates,” and what is the theoretical significance of the concept? That is, why is it important in terms of understanding those factors that influence immediate definition of the situation and then subsequent behavior to have “consociate-like” knowledge of an individual or group of people?
2. What properties of the social world are different from those of the natural world that makes study of social phenomena different from the study of natural phenomena? (HINT: The answer determines the appropriate object of study for social investigators, according to Schutz).
3. Explain the “postulate of subjective interpretation” (begins on page 295, 5th ed).
Harold Garfinkel
4. After reading Garfinkel, undertake an analysis of one of your common day environments (e.g. work or home) as a ‘foreign observer.’ That is, take the role of someone unfamiliar with the everyday definitions and behaviors typical of that particular environment. Write a paragraph or two of analytical description for me. NOTE: I do not require nor recommend a behavioral experiment — neither you nor your consociates need the heartache! Also, with respect to the Theoretical Dimensions analysis for this abstract, you do NOT need to incorporate Garfinkel’s writing. While certainly based on theoretical assertions about the social world, Garfinkel’s writing offers a methodology for testing often uncontested/unproblematicized assumptions about shared definition of reality as the basis of social action