... Durkheim focuses on social forces in regards to suicide, specifically social integration and moral regulation on human behavior. The text also states that the role of religion on suicidal behaviors is also neglected. Durkheim argues that suicide is a social fact and can be described using sociological terms and methods. He insists that “suicide rates increase when there are deficient integration and regulation functions within religious, familial and political group” (page 923). He emphasizes the importance of integration, especially as an important function for youth behavior. Durkheim also covers school factors and points out that schools are important institutions in adolescent life, including involvement in school activities and valuing education. Weak bonds to schools can alienate adolescents and increase the likelihood of suicide. There is a pattern of this type of thought in Durkheim’s work. Weak bonds to religion and religious institutions have a similar effect. According to Durkheim, religion is a product of society, a communal phenomenon and commitment to collective norms, traditions and values. Religion leads to less self-destructive behavior and less chances of suicide. Ties to positive institutions promote collective positive values. The text doesn’t really explore, however, how religion can be a negative influence and contribute to suicide. For example, what about a 16 year old football player who attends church religiously and participates in youth group...
Words: 637 - Pages: 3
...there is a sense of inequality towards women in terms of religion. The purpose of this research paper is to discover and understand feminist views on religion, as well as define the term “religious feminist.” In my findings, I have yet to conclude whether being a feminist and being a full devote, faithful follower to a religion can coexist. Although, when researching on the topic of “religion and feminism,” sites such as religionandfeminism.com are full of commentators and scholars who believe otherwise: that there can be such a thing as the religious feminist. However, it seems as though equality within religion is a never-ending battle. Author of Bad Feminist: Take One/ Take Two, Roxanne Gay, describes her favorite definition of feminism as “just women who don’t want to be treated like shit.” (303). Like others, Gay feels as if she falls short of what a true feminist is. The online dictionary describes a feminist as one who advocates social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men. So what does it mean when one claims to be a “bad” feminist? Gay goes on in her excerpt about how some feminist public speakers often contradict themselves when advocating the ideal feminist. Does being a religious feminist mean you are a contradictory? In Kristin Aune’s Why Feminists Are Less Religious, she tries to examine the possibility of feminism leading to women rejecting traditional religion. Aune and her colleague, Catherine Redfern, surveyed nearly...
Words: 965 - Pages: 4
...on the role of religion in society today (18 marks: AO1: 6, AO2: 12) This question is asking you to examine the strengths/limitations of feminism in comparison to other social theories. You will need to critically analyse and evaluate the following claims in your essay. * Feminist theorists argue that religion is a: Instrument of domination A product of patriarchy Serves the interest of men * Women are always unequal to men in terms of: Institutions – leadership and hierarchy Representation – culture, in scriptures. Attitudes and beliefs - socialisation Item A Sociologists disagree about the role of religion in society. Functionalists, for example, see religion mainly as a positive force. However, Marxists see religion as a tool of capitalism. They argue that it acts to justify inequality, helping to keep the poor satisfied by giving them hope of better times to come and preventing social unrest and revolution. Feminists see religion as a force for subordination and patriarchal oppression. This view is supported by evidence such as the differential treatment of women in religious congregations. Other sociologists argue that such evidence is out of date and that women are no longer the victims of religious oppression. Introduction Briefly explain the feminist view of religion– negative – patriarchy – conservative force. Briefly compare to the Marxist view as it is similar. Feminists show us the negative elements of religion but fail to see...
Words: 1559 - Pages: 7
...Feminism in Multicultural Societies An analysis of Dutch Multicultural and Postsecular Developments and their Implications for Feminist Debates Eva Midden A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the requirements of the degree of PhD at the University of Central Lancashire May 2010 Student Declaration Concurrent registration for two or more academic awards I declare that while registered as a candidate for the research degree, I have not been registered candidate or enrolled student for another award of the University or other academic or professional institution Material submitted for another award I declare that no material contained in the thesis has been used in any other submission for an academic award and is solely my own work Signature of Candidate Type of Award School ___PhD_________________________________ ___Centre for Professional Ethics___________ 1 Abstract It was long assumed that both multiculturalism and feminism are connected to progressive movements and hence have comparable and compatible goals. However, both in academia and in popular media the critique on multiculturalism has grown and is often accompanied with arguments related to gender equality and/or feminism. According to political scientist Susan Moller Okin for example there are fundamental conflicts between our commitment to gender equality and the desire to respect the customs of minority cultures or religions. If we agree that women...
Words: 97145 - Pages: 389
...Introduction This bibliography focuses on the political tradition of sociology. The political tradition is composed of various perspectives, however this specific bibliography has a focus on feminism. The bibliography begins with a reference involving the political tradition as a whole and transitions to references with an emphasis on feminism. The articles presented all cover a variety of natures of feminism including Black feminism, intersectional feminism, post-feminism, and second wave feminism. The articles that follow the first reference focusing on the political tradition have been placed in alphabetical order as they are all equally related to the political tradition and each serve their own purpose. Béland, D., Ramos, H., and Stanbridge, K. (2016) “Political Sociology is Dead. Long Live Political Sociology?” Canadian Review of Sociology, 53(3): 337-339 Contrary to the contradicting title, this article takes an approach to justify that political sociology is very much alive. Béland, Ramos, and Stanbridge argue that the ‘old’ variety of political sociology is ‘dead’. This ‘old’ form of political sociology is described in this article as relating to the relationships between classes,...
Words: 932 - Pages: 4
...Here's an essay plan for.. "Assess the view that religion inhibits change". The studies with a "*" next to them are what I'd mention, but I've included the studies which would work. Paragraph 1 - Introduction - Give a definition of Social Change and state that the three founding fathers (Marx, Durkheim and Weber) were interested in social change. Paragraph 2 - Functionalism - I'd start by mentioning functionalism. Write a paragraph saying what it's about (organic analogy, socialisation, norms and values, etc). - Identify and explain some studies: -- Durkheim - Totem Poles -- Parsons - Core Values -- Malinowski - Life Crisis and Unpredictable Events* -- Civil Religions* - Link back by saying that due to religion being responsible for keeping norms and values running, society is unable to change. Therefore, functionalism inhibits change. AO2: Functionalism is sometimes considered too positive and ignores negative aspects of society such as oppression and conflict. Paragraph 3 - Marxism - Like Functionalism, Marxism states religion inhibits change. Write a little bit about Marxism and how it states that there is conflict between the middle and working classes. - Identify and explain some studies: -- Halvey -- Leech -- Hook -- Caste System* -- Camel Quote - "It's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven".* -- Divine Right of Kings* AO2: Neo-Marxism - Otto Maduro and Liberation Theology. Could...
Words: 466 - Pages: 2
...Feminism in Bangladesh: Establishing equal rights between men & women in young generation. SADMAN ANIS Students University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh ABSTRACT This is basically exploratory study and was conducted at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh & United International University, Dhanmondi,Dhaka, Bangladesh over a period of 10 days started from 1st December, 2012 to 10th December, 2010. The main objective of this study is to describe what the condition of feminism in Bangladesh and what is the thinking of our varsity girl about feminism. Total 21 respondents were selected based on age class of 18-22. Feminism is a belief in the right of women to have political, social, and economic equality with men. It is a discourse that involves various movements, theories, and philosophies which are concerned with the issue of gender difference, advocate equality for women, and campaign for women’s rights and interests. According to some, the history of feminism can be divided into three waves. The first wave was in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the second was in the 1960s and 1970s and the third extends from the 1990s to the present. Feminist theory emerged from these feminist movements. It is manifest in a variety of disciplines such as feminist geography, feminist history and feminist literary criticism. Although feminism has emerged in nineteenth in the world, it is yet unknown to women of our country. The concept of feminism in Bangladesh has...
Words: 6113 - Pages: 25
...Foundation Course 1 Human Rights, Gender & Environment Understanding Patriarchy Suranjita Ray• Subordination of women to men is prevalent in large parts of the world. We come across experiences where women are not only treated as subordinate to men but are also subject to discriminations, humiliations, exploitations, oppressions, control and violence. Women experience discrimination and unequal treatment in terms of basic right to food, health care, education, employment, control over productive resources, decision-making and livelihood not because of their biological differences or sex, which is natural but because of their gender differences which is a social construct. “Sex is considered a fact - one is born with either male or female genitalia. Gender is considered a social construction - it grants meaning to the fact of sex. Conversely, it could be said that only after specific meanings came to be attached to the sexes, did sex differences become pertinent” (Geetha, 2002: 10). Gender based discriminations and exploitations are widespread and the socio-culturally defined characteristics, aptitudes, abilities, desires, personality traits, roles, responsibilities and behavioral patterns of men and women contribute to the inequalities and hierarchies in society. Gender differences are man made and they get legitimised in a patriarchal society. This paper attempts to link the theoretical dimensions of patriarchy with its empirical experiences to engage in the ongoing...
Words: 9801 - Pages: 40
...History Pg.7 5. Indian Feminism Pg.9 6. Where feminism goes wrong Pg.14 7. Bibliography Pg.20 ABSTRACT Women have always been an integral part of society. However, more often than not their contribution in the human society has been ignored. This gave rise to the need of empowering women and hence the feminist movement. This research project aims to comprehend and analyze the very essence of Feminism in terms of the 3rd wave and in Indian context. It also analyses the myths associated with feminism and the flaws which lead to the ambiguity in the whole concept of feminism. Further, the paper discusses as to whether the term “feminism” can be brought under one general definition or there is much more to it. INTRODUCTION DEFINITION "A woman should be barefoot, pregnant and chained to a stove," stated Ben Glantz, a high school senior. Drew Pershing, another senior, also shared a joke, "What does a woman do after she leaves a battered shelter? The dishes...if she knows what's good for her!" Daily jokes and comments such as these, no matter how harmless, are detrimental to the status of women and a dangerous undermining of their accomplishments. Shared by both genders, sexually discriminative comments are widely accepted in society as normal and harmless. "I didn't mean anything by that; I was just kidding," whimpered Ben Glantz after receiving several cold stares from young women who overheard his bashing, sexist comment. The word ‘Feminism’ seems to refer to an...
Words: 5715 - Pages: 23
...P1: Explain the principle sociological perspectives. In this assignment I will be explaining some of the different sociological perspectives in today’s society. The sociological perspectives which I will be explaining will be Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, and interactionism, Collectivism, Postmodernism and The New Right. The first perspective which I will be explaining will be Functionalism. Functionalism is the view that our society is based onagreed norms and values. A norm is social rules that define correct behaviour in society. An example of a norm can be an individual attending school until they are the age of 18. Values are what are important to an individual and this differs in class, culture, ethnicity and gender. An example of a value which is important to most of our society is going to school, going to church or volunteering. Functionalists see social structure or the organisation of society as more important than the individual itself. They say that people are born into society and become the product if all social influences around them because they’re socialised by different institutions such as family, education, media and religion. Sociologist Talcott Parsons sees society as a system that works together to keep things running smoothly just like the human body. Social consensus is a key belief of functionalism. It allows society to continue to progress because the theory believes that we have shared norms and values in society which we must follow. Another...
Words: 1069 - Pages: 5
...How has feminism attempted to achieve women’s liberation, and has the battle been won? This essay aims to outline how feminism has and continues its attempt to achieve women’s liberation.This essay will reflect the current situation in Europe. The essay begins by describing the first and second wave of feminism, providing an overview of the ideas of some important feminist thinkers and activists. It then introduces the third wave, modern feminism and concludes with some remarks regarding the development of feminism insofar as it affects modern organizations willing to tackle gender inequality. The concept defined as the ‘first wave of feminism’ finds it origins in the mid-nineteenth century, with the ‘suffragettes’—as those pioneers were called—and their struggle to achieve equal political rights. These women’s central aim was to obtain the right to vote, even if that meant they had to protest through various hunger strikes, as they did in London. The ‘second wave of feminism’ focused on ending all forms of sexism, and it fought both psychological and sexual oppression towards women. Among others, Betty Friedan realized that women felt frustrated due to the oppression that came from their perceived role in society, namely that of staying at home. The patriarchal culture started to be criticized by many radical feminists. This second wave was very marked by Simone De Beauvoir and her work, The Second Sex. She believed “one is not born a woman, one becomes one”. Eva Figes wrote...
Words: 1171 - Pages: 5
...The religion of Islam has been in existence since the 7th-century C.E, with its founder being Muhammed. It was one of the first monotheistic religions along with Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity. Islam has always appealed to people of different backgrounds because of its universal message of paradise after death. Despite this, throughout its life, Islam has experienced changes such as the emergence of radical groups, more equality, and varying translations of the Qur'an while having continuities such as religious persecution, sect divisions, and rituals. Since the beginning, Muslims have shown religious fervor by spreading its core values to gain adherent whether voluntary or not. However, in recent years, there has been an emergence of extreme radical groups of Islam. These groups have committed terrorist attacks against U.S. and France in the name of Islam. Because of these small minority groups, Muslims are automatically seen as terrorist and extremely radical. A big step towards a change of the religion...
Words: 609 - Pages: 3
...P1: explain the principal sociological perspectives. In sociology there are six main principal perspectives and these are Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, Interactionism, Postmodernism, Collectivism and New Right. Functionalism In 1951, Talcott Parsons introduced the Functionalist view and this studies the social structure as a whole of how it functions as well as how each social structure is crucial in the interests of society. Functionalism believes that humans and the society have basic needs, institutions and governments might be responsible to meet the required needs of people also the functionalist may consider that they are different kinds of sources that could limit the individual’s behaviour within the chosen society, meaning that the society will behave appropriately based on one’s behaviour while having the same values, on the other hand the functionalist view does recognise that there may be errors or inequalities within the society but bearing in mind this can be functional for the society. However there have been criticisms against functionalism as some may believe that it is not a realistic way of living and not considering one’s own choices also functionalism may seem to ignore conflict and diversity within individuals in the society. Parsons sees inequalities as a well function to society as it helps in the running of society or community. The main key idea of functionalism is to ensure smooth running of the society and this is done through the structures...
Words: 1766 - Pages: 8
...f Notes: Feminism Feminism has become so common in our world today that it seems to appear everywhere. Everywhere we turn and wherever you look there is feminist. In fact, feminism has so many different meanings that people take it to mean very little. Well, how do you define feminism and what is it? As a general definition, feminism is a very sophisticated philosophical movement and is also known as, “the biggest intellectual monster”. It is a philosophy in which women and their contributions are valued. This system of ideas and political practices are based on the principles that women are human beings that are equal to men. Feminism is also based on social, political and economical equality for women. It has been known that feminists can be anyone in the population (men, women, boys and girls). Feminism has been widely described as a huge movement too for the past 50 plus years and includes everyone who wishes the world to be equally the same without boundaries. These so called “boundaries” are known as discrimination against certain things such as religion, age, gender, etc. Numerous people tend to view the whole world with their own senses. Feminist tend to view the world though as being very unequal. For example, being “gypped” or “jewed”, meaning you were ripped off. Therefore, in order to fix it and be “equally treated” there are three goals or strategies used (social, radical and liberal feminism). I see feminism as allowing women to expand their careers and...
Words: 377 - Pages: 2
...They explained that previous schools of thought in feminism are unable to fully acknowledge the issues faced by women of color in particular because they are unable to view them as being experienced simultaneously rather than occurring separately (Combahee, 249) because, as white women, they do not experience these intersections of identity. In Crenshaw’s article “Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex” she outlines a particular occurrence with General Motors wherein which several black female workers were laid off and they argued against the discrimination that led to the termination of their jobs. General Motors cited that their layoff policy was based on seniority, with those who have worked for the company the longest having a greater chance of keeping their job. This explanation was...
Words: 1284 - Pages: 6
