what is SOCIOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS?

Question

i want to know the concept of it and its difference from sociological imagination

Answer 1

I understand it to mean thinking what you can do for society not what society can do for you.

Answer 2

Sociological Consciousness is another way of considering Sociological Imagination with a more explicit critical stance. It is, literally, and by title, Peter L. Berger's Invitation to Sociology (1966) and focuses on how to think sociologically. There are four motifs or themes for sociologists:

1.The sociologist is involved in debunking, which includes:
oLooking beyond what is presented
oSeeing through what is presented
oMistrust of the apparently obvious
oUnmasking the surface appearance
2.The sociologist deals in unrespectability, which involves:
oAwareness of other than middle class standards and propriety
oNot accepting the division between the respectable as an imposed value by rulers and the unrespectable, so always asking questions and going beyond the respectable and allowed to get a clearer view
3.A sociologist says what is presented as truth is not truth for all (a sociologist is a relativist):
oTruth of one group is never absolute for all
oLooking at the perspectives and beliefs of the different
oGaining insight through examining other cultures
oRealising that ideas change
oThe sociologist can disagree with core beliefs that a society promotes as meaningful
4.And there is the cosmopolitan motif for sociologists:
oLike C. W. Mills the sociologist transcends the particular situation
oBe open to other ways of thinking without being prejudicial
oTranscending where one is and taking a wider world view
oBeing at home where other people are
oIf it is human, it is not alien to the sociologist
So sociological consciousness means a critical awareness of social life. The person with sociological consciousness keeps asking the question why in a critical and information seeking manner about collective level causes and effects. In asking why, new levels of analysis and understanding are revealed.

It means the sociologist having an attitude of suspicion. It is not about taking things for granted as they are or accepting what is on the surface.

It is not that sociology is negative, but that it is analytical and pursues its analysis. Sociology looks at society and asks why and what other it could be.

Answer 3

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1. there is considerabel overlap between the two 2. as you've found it's C W Mills work on 'the sociological imagination' that is most often cited (of the many web sites, I find the set of excerpts from the Rutgers web site to be the most useful- ref 1 below) 3. and it's Peter Bergers work on 'sociological consciousness', including its four aspects, that also contributes to our broader definition of 'what sociolgy is' and 'how to go about sociological analysis'(ref 2 below for a concise summary of Berger's definition and explanation) 4. perhaps the major difference in these overlapping defintions is that Mills is very much a conflict theorist whilst Berger's work is closer to an interractionist perspective. Thus there is a greater emphasis on using the concepts of power and inequality in Mills approach than in Berger's

Answer 4

Staying awake in church.