ppt basic concepts in ccs

8/8/2019 PPT Basic Concepts in CCS

1/28


2/28

Georg Simmel: The Stranger

German sociologist and philosopher Georg

Simmel (1858-1918) wrote important studiesof urban sociology, social conflict theory,

and small-group relationships.


3/28

Georg Simmel: The Stranger

The strangerin Simmels terminology, is not just awanderer who comes today and goes tomorrow,having no specific structural position. On thecontrary, he is a:

person who comes today and stays tomorrowHe is fixed within a particular spatial groupbut hispositionis determinedby the fact that he does

not belong to it from the beginning, and that hemay leave again.


4/28


5/28

The Strangeris:

an element of the group itself while not being fully part ofit. He therefore is assigned a role that no other members ofthe group can play. By virtue of his partial involvement in

group affairs he can attain an objectivity that othermembers cannot reach

Moreover, being distant and near at the same time, thestranger will often be called upon as a confidant

In similar ways, the stranger may be a better judge between

conflicting parties than full members of the group since he isnot tied to either of the contenders

(Coser 1971:182)


6/28


7/28

Robert Park and Marginal Man

Born February 14, 1864, died February 7, 1944. Robert Ezra Park was

an American sociologist noted for his work on ethnic minority groups,

particularly African Americans, and on human ecology, a term he is

credited with coining. One of the leading figures in what came to beknown as the Chicago school of sociology, he initiated a great deal of

fieldwork in Chicago that explored race relations, migration, ethnic

relations, social movements, and social disorganization.


8/28


"The marginal man...is one whom fate hascondemned to live in two societies and in

two, not merely different but antagonisticcultures....his mind is the crucible in which

two different and refractory cultures may besaid to melt and, either wholly or in part,fuse." (Robert E. Park, 1937)


9/28


10/28


Most often associated with immigrants, the

marginal man is an individual who lives in two

different worlds, and is a stranger in both.

(Levine & others, 1976)

MarginalMan is a cultural hybrid, an

individual on the margin of two cultureswhich never completely fused. (Park, 1928).


11/28


12/28


13/28


14/28

Heterophily & Homophily Theory

Generalizations about Heterophily &

Homophily Theory:

Most communication occurs between

homophilous individuals.Homophilous communication is moreeffective than heterophilous communication.

Effective communication between

individuals leads to their greater homophily inknowledge, attitudes and overt behavior.


15/28


16/28

Cosmopoliteness

The degree to which a person has a relativelyhigh level of communication outside of

his/her own system.

Cosmopolites provide a system with

opennessthe degree to which the systemexchanges information with the environment


17/28

Social Distance

According to Robert E. Park, Social Distance

is the degree to which an individual perceivesa lack of intimacy with individuals who are

different in ethnicity, race, religion,

occupation or other variables

(Park, 1924; Park, 1950, pp. 256-260)


18/28

Rules governing social distance and proximity

between individuals:They are practices that are prescribed, allowed, or

forbidden.

They may vary, depending on whether they occur in public,or private space.

They may change from one generation to another and vary

in different social and gender contexts.

The rules are thus dynamic and diverse.


19/28


20/28

Use of first names upon first contact:

from prescribed to forbiddenIn Canada and the USA, a first name may be used on first contact.First names are prescribed. This does not necessarily signifyproximity, which causes confusion among the French in thesecontexts.

In China, first names are not used in public contexts; they are onlyfor intimate use (although some change is noted in new generations).First names are forbidden. This interdiction explains why manyChinese have recourse to nicknames or foreign first names, which

may be used in public.


21/28


22/28


23/28


24/28

Smiling in public:

In the USA, the social rule is to smile whenever eyes meet.If there is no smile forthcoming, people will worry andwonder whether they haven't done something wrong.

In France, the rule is not to smile at strangers. The risk isthat of looking foolish. orth Americans may perceive theFrench as arrogant because of this.

In China, a smile can denote embarrassment ornervousness.


25/28


26/28

Saying thanks may denote social distance

China: It is not common to say thank you to one's wife or to

persons who are very close. Thanking denotes social distance.

Canada and the USA: children are educated to say thank you atthe end of many social interactions


27/28

Eye contact

In Poland, someone who avoids eye contact during a

conversation is considered to be untruthful orvery

timid. Looking straight into the eyes of the other person

is a sign ofself-confidence.

In China one avoids looking straight into the eyes of the

other person in formal communication.

In France it is prescribed to look straight into the eyes

but not too much


28/28

ppt basic concepts in ccs

Documents