Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2002 07:16:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: Michael Handelman <mhandelman1-AT-yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: AUT: Academia....


This may be overly idealist of me, but do you think
one of the reason for sociology seems to be to the
left of Poli Sci and Economics, has something to do
with the fact that because sociology deals with the
study of groups and society, it tends to be *somewhat*
innoculated to Bourgeois ideology regarding the
individual (Thatcher's "There is no such thing as
society" seems to be about as pure Bourgeois ideology
as one can get, and this ideology seems extremely
antithetical to sociology).


This is one of those anecdotes, which probably don't
have much empirical basis, but nonetheless it might
illustrate something:

Looking through my Sociology Textbook, I find it
interesting how, "Conflict Theory" (aka Marxism) and
Feminism are given equal weight in each chapter
compared to conservative theories like Structural
Functionalism, and Symbolic Interactionism. 

But in my Poli Sci Textbook, "critical theories" are
mentioned (VERY BRIEFLY) in one chapter and not talked
about again.


--- Geo Maher <geomaher-AT-yahoo.com> wrote:
> As someone who has studied in all three fields, I
> can
> support that claim. What I personally noticed is
> that
> political science departments fall somewhere between
> economics and sociology departments on an
> ideological
> spectrum. The way that I see it, everyone likes to
> feel important, and so economists will tend toward a
> set of beliefs in which economics is important (ie,
> many become neoliberals). For them to do anything
> else
> would be to cede authority to other departments, by
> for example admitting that the economy is meant to
> serve the society or political decisionmaking. In
> the
> present rigid division between departments, one
> probably wouldn't expect much less.
> 
> geo
> 
> --- Michael Handelman <mhandelman1-AT-yahoo.com> wrote:
> > I'm in First Year University, and I've noticed how
> > certain fields like Political Science and
> Economics
> > seem to have FAR more rightist and centrist
> > academics
> > and less leftists than say something like
> Sociology.
> > 
> > Has anyone else noticed this or am I just
> imagining
> > it?
> > 
> > 
> > If I'm not imagining this, could someone offer an
> > explaination of this phenomenon?
> > 
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> ====> "Look for me in the whirlwind - dare to struggle,
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> ========================> George J. Ciccariello Maher IV
> St. John's College
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