Doing Modernity: Studies in Critical Interactionism

But What is Modernity? Part II July 8th, 2008 by waynemellinger I have describe  modernity  as a term that is used to describe our contemporary era.  In it broadest sense modernity refers to the forms of social life that emerged in the 19th century, that involved industrial capitalism and urbanization, particularly as found in Western societies.  Of course, social life is very different in 2008 from 1908, and different in Mexico City than it is the Stockholm. Clearly modernity takes many forms. As I have been writing this blog I continually note features that seem uniquely “modern”.   What are the defining features of modernity? Here is a list: industrialism capitalism urbanization rapid increase in sophistication of technology surveillance military / state power reflexive attitude dynamic nature and rate of social change persistent concern for examining everyday life through reflexive monitoring self-identity as a reflexive proj...

TO THE INITIATE  Dionysus cries out in the streets.  In the squares he raises his voice.  At the entrance of the city gate he speaks: “How long, O foolish ones, will you love being foolish?  How long will sufferers continue in their suffering and refuse to hear my words of wisdom?  Listen to what I have to say as I make my thoughts known to you.” A set of secrets will be revealed to you – secrets which have been known to the wise ones throughout history.  They are rivaled by those of any secret society – Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, or Freemasons.  As Plato states in  Phaedo  (69c): “For many are the thyrsus-bearers but few are the bacchoi ”. Fascism now pervades our everyday lives, shaped by a consumerist materialism which destructively represses our desires.  We all need to escape alienation and transgress the boundaries of conventional society.  We all need to explore our desires and decode its flows. A...

June 16th, 2008 by waynemellinger Doing Equality:  What Does Non-Hierarchical Social Organization  Look Like? I have been writing about Critical Interactionism as a microsociological approach to domination, drawing attention to the everyday ways in which power is enacted and inequality reproduced. From Goffman’s detailed studies of face-to-face encounters to contemporary analyses of institutional gatekeeping, we are now better equipped to ask: how do "more powerful" people interact with those deemed less powerful? What are the subtle social processes through which inequality is done—and redone? Teachers sorting students, managers hiring employees, and bureaucrats filtering applications: all these instances illustrate interactional moments where dominance is performed, where worth is evaluated, and where difference is reinforced. But if we wish to truly grasp the contours of inequality, we must also study its absence—or at least its disruption. We must examine equality not ...

Unlearning Oppression July 10th, 2008 by waynemellinger Unlearning Oppression Originally posted July 10, 2008. Since this piece was written, I've developed a fuller theoretical account, the Layered Moral Economy of Oppression , which provides the larger structural framework within which the argument below can now be situated. Readers who want that fuller treatment can find it in "The Layered Moral Economy of Oppression: Completing the Santa Barbara School's Unfinished Revolution." In the summer of 2008 I taught Racism and Sexism in America at Antioch University Santa Barbara. I called the class "Unlearning Oppression" because it dealt with the interconnections of class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, ability, and immigration status — not as separate topics to be covered in sequence, but as interlocking systems that implicate every student in the room. My goal was to create a climate in which students could work through their own experience of be...

We Swim in Oceans of Ideology that Pass as Common Sense August 16th, 2008 by waynemellinger We Swim in Oceans of Ideology that Pass as Commonsense Wayne Martin Mellinger, Ph.D. [originally written in 2008, it was re-written in 2024] We Swim in Oceans of Ideology that Pass as Common Sense It is often said that ideology is like the air we breathe: invisible, taken for granted, and vital for our social existence. Yet, like fish in water, we are often unaware of the ideological currents that shape our beliefs, behaviors, and perceptions of reality. The concept of ideology, popularized by Karl Marx and further developed by scholars like Louis Althusser and Antonio Gramsci, refers to the set of ideas, values, and norms that dominate a society and serve to justify its power structures. Far from being neutral or objective, ideology works to normalize and naturalize the status quo, making social arrangements appear inevitable and unquestionable. One of the most insidious aspects of...

Formal Consensus and Non-Hierarchical Social Organization August 28th, 2008 by waynemellinger This summer I am teaching a class in group dynamics at Antioch University Santa Barbara.  This class applies social psychological theories and methods to understanding real-world group dynamics in these students lives.  Of course, I spend a considerable amount of time discussing Critical Interactionism. Many of the readings I use for the class present “mainstream” thinking on topics such as decision-making and leadership, but I try to introduce alternative ways of thinking about workplaces and organizations.  Specifically, I am interested in advocating non-hierarchical forms of social organization, such as used in many progressive groups across the globe. In  Doing Equality  (June 16, 2008), I wrote: Here I want to consider the social processes through which non-hierarchical social organization get done?  What are the interactional dynamics of con...

In 2008 I created a blog entitled “Doing Modernity: A Critical Sociologist Looks at Everyday Life”.  It was initially created to go along with an upper-division course in Social Psychology I was teaching at Antioch University Santa Barbara.  Unfortunately, that blog was erased when Friendster stopped carrying blogs earlier this year.  At that time, I had produced about 80 entries with lots of images, illustrations, artwork and photos. Here I hope to resurrect that blog and continue with its themes and ideas. That earlier blog covered a wide range of concerns and interests, but was centrally concerned with how we “do modernity”–that is, I hoped to examine a few of the concrete practices social actors employ in everyday life to produce and reproduce our society.  Initially, I also hoped to illustrate for my students an autoethnographic approach to examining everyday life, particularly concrete instances of social activity. I would usually begin with t...

Wayne Martin Mellinger, Ph.D. is a social justice educator, activist and writer, living in Santa Barbara, CA. He advocates for our neighbors on the streets, for those with mental health challenges and for all who are denied equal access to basic needs or are treated without dignity and respect. He has worked as an Outreach worker / Case Manager / Counselor for WillBridge of Santa Barbara, New Beginnings Counseling Center, The Safe Parking Program, Transition House and Casa Esperanza. His passion is helping chronically homeless and dually diagnosed individuals transition into permanent housing and self-sufficiency. He has taught sociology, social psychology and anti-oppression classes at Antioch University Santa Barbara, Ventura College, the Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Berkeley campuses of the University of California and the Fielding Graduate University, He received his M.A and Oh.D. inSociology from UC-Santa Barbara. He is also a certified substance abused counselor. He sits on...

At a recent community forum addressing social justice issues with the homeless, I briefly considered the Santa Barbara Homeless Foot Washing (that I conceived and am not preparing for its third incarnation). The forum was sponsored by CLUE--Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, a local non-profit on whose board I serve.  "Ideal type" is a concept that comes from sociology and was conined by Max Weber. An ideal type is formed from characteristics and elements of the given phenomena, but it is not meant to correspond to all of the characteristics of any one particular case. It is not meant to refer to perfect things, moral ideals nor to statistical averages but rather to stress certain elements common to most cases of the given phenomena. The following elements from the Foot Washing might be worth holding onto for other faith-based events planned for the homeless and seeking social justice: 1. Attempt to bring about inter-faith programs of action, which involve a ...