L48 Anthro 3283 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Thomas Luckmann, Malaria, Epidemiology
RGH Chapter 2
Max Weber – early 20th century sociologist, defined sociology as “the science whose object it is
to interpret the meaning of social action and thereby give a causal explanation of the way in
which this action proceeds and the effect which it produces”
• Saw sociology as a science in the sense that it could identify certain causal relationships
between social forms
• Anti-positivist
• Sought to interpret the meanings of cultural norms, symbols, and values that connect
people to structures such as bureaucratic institutions of the state
Biosocial Analysis and the Sociology of Knowledge
• A biosocial approach says that such biologic and clinical processes are inflected by
society, political economy, history, and culture and are thus best understood as
interactions of biological and social processes
• One central illustration of the biosocial nature of disease is the correlation between
disease risk and poverty
• Economic status, education level, cultural traditions, and access to infrastructure all
influence dietary habits, a crucial determinant of heart disease and obesity
• A biosocial approach demands the reconciliation and occasional disruption of multiple
frames of knowledge
o Ex: a med student might see the cause of cerebral malaria by a protozoa and the
treatments for it, whereas an epidemiologist or public health planner will see the
problem as an environmental problem (spraying DDT and mosquito vectors)
• The biological views of malaria causality largely won out over the geographic and
sociological views in the 1970s
o Some historical analyses suggest that land development and distribution are as
important as technological interventions in eliminating malaria
• Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann (1966) “The Social Construction of Reality” –
defines the sociology of knowledge as “whatever passes for knowledge in a society,
regardless of the ultimate validity or invalidity of such knowledge”
o Explain how people share mental conceptions about the world: when any group of
people find themselves together, they construct norms to governs their relations
o Institionalization – “reciprocal typicifcation of habitualized action by types of
actors” leads to the eventual objectification that habitualized action as an
institution
▪ Assumptions and accidents become historicized into truths and knowledge
is created
o To understand the socially constructed universe one must understand the social
organization that permits the definers to do their defining
o What? Says Who? It is through this process that people’s knowledge and beliefs
about the world “regardless of its ultimate validity/invalidity” become legitimized
in society, and the world can be “socially constructed”
o Legitimation explains how practices become institutionalized
▪ Ex: a person might eat healthy b/c public health norms recommend it
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
o Social construction become naturalized over time, as if they were invariant parts
of the nature of things
o DSM is an examples of social construction of knowledge in medicine; an
authoritative text designed to guide practice and treatment of disorders
▪ Some people might say that it is immune to cultural variance
▪ Until 1973 – DSM said homosexuality was a disease; shows how social
biases shaped medical diagnosis
▪ Stigma associated with depression has decreased, use of drugs more
accepted
▪ Medicalization – subjective experiences are redefined as disease; Ex: if
someone griefs for more than 2 weeks they are clinically depressed;
trauma after war = PTSD
• Illness/sickness/disease used interchangeably, but are different
o Illness – subjective experience of symptoms by persons and their communities
o Disease – the reinterpretation of these symptoms as objective categories by
medical practitioners
o Sickness – pathology at the population level
The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Action
• Robert Merton’s theory offers insight into how social construction of knowledge does not
show how well-intentioned initiatives can unwittingly cost lives and resources
• Purpose action, according to Merton, involves motives and a choice among alternatives;
it must have a goal and a process
• Asks why purposive social actions often fail to achieve their intended result
• Unanticipated consequences of purposive action vary as do their causes - one potential
cause is knowledge asymmetries; Ex: a doctor might misunderstand the language of a
patient and misdiagnose them
o Even with all relevant info, one can always make an error or take an action that
subverts one’s ultimate goal
• He identifies “rigidity of habit” on the part of individuals or institutions and the
“imperious immediacy of interest” as potential causes of unanticipated consequences
o Ex: 1994 Rwandan genocide, UN set up refugee camps, but they became base for
the genocide instead – unintended violence
• Institutional values can prevent us from anticipating possible outcomes
o Ex: large infrastructure projects, have intended and unintended consequences
• In some cases, announcing plans can alter the circumstances surrounding an action
The Rationalization of the World
• Max Weber says there are 3 modes of authority:
o Traditional – patriarchal, patrimonial, feudal power derives from history, custom
or institutionalization; power passed on from generation to generation
o Charismatic – generated by extraordinary leaders capable of mobilizing large
numbers of people around an idea or goal
▪ Religious leaders (Buddha, Jesus)
▪ Political leaders (Mandela, Hitler)
▪ Leaders of moral movement (Gandhi, Mother Theresa, MLK)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
