From: "Chris Hurl" <munkah-AT-hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: AUT: Academia.... (Sociology)
Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 11:15:18 -0700


hey all,

Sorry to jump in here late... I just started reading this thread on 
sociology and wanted to put forward my viewpoint as a sociology student over 
here in British Columbia.  First of all, I think that sociology can be very 
regressive insofar as it is a "discipline" that students are pushed into.  
Beginning my degree, I was obliged to take a course entitled, "research 
design" that, while claiming to include a "diversity" of different research 
methods, in fact invoked the positivism of J.S. Mill as the be all and end 
all of legitimate research.  Despite these rigid courses however, sociology 
is not much of a "discipline".  It is often sufficiently vague to allow for 
whatever sort of social research you wanna pursue.  But Sociology is also a 
battlefield in which different groups vie for hegemonic leadership of the 
discipline through a "war of position".  Thus, my research is only enabled 
since there are Marxist, Feminist people in my department that are willing 
to argue for the legitimacy of my research.  If it were up to Mr. JS Mill or 
the American Journal of Sociology for that matter, I would be booted out of 
the program.  Over here, the Quantitative Sociologists have largely taken 
control of the department and put forward a positivistic platform conducive 
towards government funding that marginalize these voices.  The hiring 
process is a horrible ordeal that splits the department.  However, the 
quantitative researchers, with substantial government grants behind them, 
usually have more say in who gets hired.

While many students are directed towards regression analysis of marriage 
rates in Canada, others find absolute subversion in postmodern theory.  Many 
students posit themselves as rebels to the extent that they can quote the 
works of Derrida and Hakim Bey, however, any attempt to mobilize these 
students for action is often quite futile.  Over here, the Liberals have 
come to power, shutting down women's shelters and hospitals in order to 
finance their bid for the 2010 Olympics.  Often, in organizing actions 
against these cuts, there are only one or two sociology students marching in 
broad community protests of 20,000.  The next day, they are all in a 
graduate seminar on "counter-hegemony" discussing Derrida's concept of 
"differance" as an effective tool in subverting the dominant order.  It is 
like pulling teeth, even in organizing for our own interests.  For instance, 
the Liberals are increasing tuition by 30 percent each year for the next 
three years.  In organizing against these hikes, less than a handful of 
people show up at meetings.

As sociologists, we are taught to isolate ourselves from the community and 
from each other.  This manifests itself in both the "quantitative" camp 
which relies on census data rather than direct interaction with the 
community, and the "postmodern" camp which epitomizes subversion in the 
deconstruction of Althusser.  But there is room to move as long as the 
Marxists/Feminists maintain a presence in the department.

chris

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