The social construction of everyday life

Bodies

Ask your partner

• Using Goffman’s idea of performance, in which ways can the body perform:– Gender– Class– Ethnicity

• Using Hall’s circuit of culture (identity, production, consumption, regulation, representation), can you analyse how the body is cultural?

• In what ways can we say that bodies are socially constructed?

Today

• Identity and social construction• The sociology of bodies• The body project – Schilling• Resources and the body project:

– An international perspective: the aryan model• Male bodies – Bordo

Identity – relates very strongly to social construction

• ‘Identity is about belonging, about what you have in common with some people and what differentiates you from others. At its most basic it gives you a sense of personal location, the stable core to your individuality. But it is also about your social relationships, your complex involvement with others’

• (Weeks, 1991:88)

• This leads us to bodies…4

The sociology of bodies• Bodies seem to be straightforward, natural

and given.• ‘Body projects’ 'in the process of becoming; a

project which should be worked at and accomplished as part of an individual's self-identity'.(Shilling, C., 2003, The Body and Social Theory, London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi, Sage Publications. )

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The Body Project• ‘the process of becoming and transforming a biological entity

through social action’ (cited in Macionis and Plummer 2008:213).– Clothing– Washing and hygiene– Medical and fitness regimes (p. 213)– Tatoos piercings

• Individuals are expected to take more responsibility for their health (not smoking, going to the gym…)

• A healthy body is a worthy body; an unhealthy body is a deviant body– Kilbourne’s work:

• Deviation is regulated through contempt, ‘humour’

Resources and the body project• The relationships different classes have with the body, and

different access to resources will affect the body project. The Aryan Model.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yKqOSpDDp4&feature=related

• Complexity:– Access to material resources– Presumed aryan normative

• Idealised female beauty has existed for hundreds of years in the form of:

• Concubines• Paintings • stories

Stereotypes in the media• You looked at Kilbourne’s lecture and the

introductory chapter in your seminars this week

• Advertising leads to the sexualisation and disembodiment of females body parts

• The woman becomes a thing – and not even the whole thing

• Kilbourne connects this to public health issues:– Self-esteem– anorexia/bulimia – Violence and battery

• So sexy so soon:– Young children are increasingly exposed to

sexualised images – Glorification of sex for its physical sake/ splicing

with the emotional and friendship attachments. 8

What about men’s bodies?

• We have so far been looking at the objectified female form:– Disembodied– Sexualised – Commoditised

• How are men’s bodies used in advertising and the media, and is this changing?

Bordo, S (1999) • Susan Bordo wrote about similar

issues to Kilbourne in Unbearable Weight

• The Male Body deals with this question

• she considers the way the male body is portrayed in advertising.

• This book is in the LRC:– Use it for your coursework in term

2– A good, academic source

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Susan Bordo (1999)• ‘beauty (re)discovers the male

body’• Looking through a magazine,

she notices…

• The ‘gaze’• There is a difference between

the gaze for men and women, according to Bordo

• There are two types of male bodies in advertising:– The ‘face-off?’ – The ‘lean’

Male body posture: the ‘face-off’

• His gaze is on us• Hypermasculinity:

– Presumed heteronormativity

– Aggression– Power through these

forms

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This is what Bordo saw

• Body parts• naked men• frankly portrayed as

‘objects’ of a sexual gaze• Objectification • He is not looking at us• Heteronormative?

– For women– For men

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Subject to a scrutinizing gaze

– Increasingly subject to a scrutinizing gaze

– offered up to be gazed at – instead of being the subject of the

gaze

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• David Barton gym: ‘No pecs, no sex.’

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Male body posture: ‘the lean’

• Men’s bodies shown reclining, leaning against, or propped up against something in the fashion typical of women’s bodies.

• ‘Men have complained, justly, about the burden of having to be the sexual initiator, the pursuer, the one of whom sexual “performance” is expected’ (Bordo p190).

• Perhaps this is an escape from that role? 16

Androgeny• Androgeny means the blurring

of stereotypical gender norms• ‘Leaners’ tend to be very

young men.• Different rules for boys and

men?• Boys can be seductive, playful,

flirt?• Men must still be in command

(Face-off)?

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‘No, I don’t think the business of beauty is without its pleasures. It offers a daily ritual of transformation, renewal. Of “putting oneself together” and walking out into the world, more confident than you were . . . . I love shopping for makeup with my friends. (Despite what [many people believe], feminism—certainly not feminism in the nineties—is not synonymous with unshaven legs.) Women bond over shared make-up, shared beauty tips. . . . Too often, though, our bond is over shared pain. . . there’s always that constant judgment and evaluation.’

(Bordo p217)

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• Do you think the same is true of men?In 1997 ‘men . . . comprised over a quarter of cosmetic-surgery patients. . . As many as a million men—and eight million women—have an eating disorder. . . Men’s health magazines . . . dispense diet and exercise advice (“A better Body in Half the Time,” “50 Snacks That Won’t Make You Fat”)’ (Bordo p218).

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• Stereotypes are damaging to both men and women.

• The social construction of gender through advertising is harmful in many ways, including judging oneself according to impossible ideals.

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Ads against stereotypes Dove Pro-Age

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How many adverts show men doing housework?

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Key theories and terms you need to know

• Definitions of micro-sociology (x2)• Agents of socialization ( x5)• Psychodynamic socialization theories• Behaviourism theories • Social Constructionism/ interactionist theories• Margaret Mead• Susan Bordo• Chris Shilling (the body project)• Bandura (Bobo Doll)• Irving Goffman• Garfinkel

Today

• Identity and social construction• The sociology of bodies• The body project – Schilling• Resources and the body project:

– An international perspective: the aryan model• Now –

– The end of term test

Preparation for revision

27th November 2013

Aims

• Familiarise selves with structure of test (exam)• Understand what is expected of you in test• Be confident how much work you need to do

at home in order to succeed

Test Structure

• Two sections:A: 10 short-answer questions (50 marks)B: one essay (50 marks)

• 1.5 hours• Marked out of 100• Worth 10% of final grade

Test Structure

• Section A:You should usually write four or five sentences for each answerDO NOT BULLET POINT/LIST YOUR ANSWERS – MARKS WILL BE TAKEN OFF IF YOU DO: USE FULL SENTENCES!!The more the points, the more you write

Revision tips: flash cards, write your own questions, then write your answers

0 1 2 3 4

No answer

Incomprehensible

One concept

mentioned, OR two

concepts mentioned,

but NO

COMPARISON)

Two concepts, WITH

comparison

Three concepts,

comparison made

Four concepts, clear

comparison made

1. What are the differences between.. and …? Give examples. (4 marks)

Test Structure

• Section B:A typical question:

Compare and contrast Marx’s theory of ---- with Durkheim’s theory of -----. With reference to theory, which is more convincing?

You will write ONE essay from a choice of three essay questionsYou should usually write 1½ - 2 pages for the essay.

Long answer questions

• Plan for at least five minutes.– The best essays are planned.– The plan will not be marked.

• The best essays make an argument.– They use theory to answer and analyse– They analyse examples from different perspectives

Revision tips: write your own essay questions, use your part A flash cards to plan the essay, think of examples from the ‘real world’

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 The pyramid of skills: the bottom two layers are 'Lower-order skills', while the top four layers are 'Higher-order skills'.As there is now less emphasis on testing the lower order skills this implies that it is not possible for candidates to perform well in the essay paper by rote learning of notes.

Some examples:• What role does the family play

in socialisation?• What are the agents of social

change?• What are the main theories

regarding globalisation, and which do you agree with?

• How has British society changed recently?

• According to Marx,• What contributions have

micro-sociological studies made to understanding the social world?

How the essay is markedVery weak

0-19 (0-39%)

Quite Weak20 -24

(40-49%)Pass

Average25 -29

(50-59%)2:2

Quite Strong30 -34 (60-69)

2:1

Very Strong35-50 (70+

%)1st

Professionalism/presentation

Knowledge and understanding: answering the

questionCognitive skills/

Analysis in subject area

Strength of argument/ Supporting information

End of term test. 10% 1.5 hrs

PART A (40 minutes)• 10 questions • 4 minutes each question• Answer all• Short answer questions • one paragraph each answer• Full sentences (0.25

penalty)• 50 marks

PART B (50 mins)• Choose 1 of 3 questions• Long answer question• Plan: 10 mins• Answer the question: 40

mins• Paragraphs (intro, body,

conclusion)• 50 marks

Mock test

• 45 mins section A:– 4.5 mins each question

• 45 mins section B:– 5 mins planning– 40 mins writing

which student are you?

Topics Included

• Brief political history: Monarchy VS Parliament.

• Expansion of voting rights.• ‘Constitutional monarchy’• Bicameral Parliament• Main political parties• Devolution• Coalition government

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Topics Included

• Growing population-aging• The family and change• Cohabitation, divorce• Social class• Class conflict

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Introducing Sociology: Giddens Chaper 1

• Sociology & ‘Sociological Imagination’• Origins of sociology• Founders of sociology

– Comte– Durkheim– Marx– Weber– Martineau– Khaldun

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Introducing Sociology: Giddens Chaper 1

• Aims of early sociologists• Modern theoretical approaches

– Functionalism– Conflict theory– Symbolic interactionism

• Micro/macro sociology• Importance of sociology

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Globalisation and the study of society: Giddens Ch.4

What is it?Is it really new?

• Pre-modern societies• Pastoral and agrarian• Non-industrial or traditional• Industrial• Post-industrial

Global developmentFactors contributing to globalisation Technology & compression of time and spaceImpacts of globalisation, e.g. weakening of the nation state and national identityThe ‘electric economy’Global commodity chainsGlobalisation debateAmericanisation?

• Social change– Cultural factors– Physical environment– Political organisation

• Sociological approaches– Marx– Weber– Durkheim

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Culture, Norms and Values: Macionis and Plummer Ch. 5

• Definitions of culture• Five major components of culture:

SymbolsLanguageValuesNormsMaterial culture

EthnocentrismCultural RelativismGlocalisationPostmodern culture

Social Construction of Everyday Life: Macionis and Plummer Ch. 7

Nature versus nurtureAgencies of socialisationSocial constructionGender stereotypes within the media The sociology of bodies

How to revise• Re-read the set reading, taking notes on these key topics. • Meet with your friends and test each other.• Use the online Moodle glossary• The short answers are designed to test your knowledge of all

those little points from the reading: not just from the lecture power points

• The essays are designed to test your in-depth critical knowledge of the theories.

• You can’t answer the essay questions without doing a lot of hard work.

• Make sure you can give examples from real life• Think about some of the questions which have been raised in

the workshops

Seminar presentationsPay attention to Moodle

• British Society• What is sociology?• Globalization• Change• Cultures, norms and values• Social constructionism• Marx• Durkheim• Weber

Pay attention to Moodle

• British Society• What is sociology?• Globalization• Change• Cultures, norms and values• Social constructionism• Marx • Durkheim• Weber

Structure of CourseThe end of term test is in two weeks.

End of term test

10%

Essay 10%Presentation 5%

Academic Engagement 5%

Final Exam 70%

Self-study activities

• Revision for end of term test. • Create 8 mind maps on A3 paper using different coloured

pens to revise lectures 1-8.• Bring to lectures and seminars• Bring books to lectures and seminars• Include: key terms, theorists, definitions. Detail! • Go to Moodle Glossary and test a friend on the terms. • Create flash cards that represent key terms.• Go back and do ALL assignments on Moodle• The next two weeks, you will be doing revision and

presentations.