4 ms·

I studied Sociology in Spain. I'd say that this problems are correlated with almost anything related with the school of Frankfurt / critical theorists. Not only

I studied Sociology in Spain. I'd say that this problems are correlated with almost anything related with the school of Frankfurt / critical theorists. Not only do they have this problems, but professors affiliated with this school of thought were incredibly pervasive, manipulative and conspirative against other professors and students that didn't agree with them or had other worldviews. I had feminist theory as subject. I remember one day we were talking about power dynamics in sex and all that Jazz. The professor said something along the lines that the state should teach people which sex positions were misogynist. She asked the students for opinions and I said that I wasn't cool with the state watching what people does in their bedroom. Exposed my arguments, and she was out of her mind, calling me a "neoliberal" in front of my peers, and even talking about me with other classes (other students told me). That was the first time that I was aware of this behavior. Later I found that this group of people maneuvered to make life difficult to other professors, sabotaging their research etc etc. Thankfully there was the other bunch of people that made it tolerable. Statistics I, II, III, Research Methodology I & II, Macroeconomics I & II, Anthropology (he was clearly a conservative) and some others I forgot. Maybe all this transfers to publishing. Speaking with students from other faculties in Spain and other countries, I've heard similar stories. To this day I think studying sociology was a waste of my time. It was interesting, and having statistics and research background made me employable, but to be honest the atmosphere was barely tolerable.

candiodari 8y ago
But that's the whole concept of social studies: identify grievances versus a given value system that is treated as dogma, and then threaten and shame society into (sometimes draconian) measures to fix those grievances. Is it any wonder they treat students the same ?
- iagovar 8y ago
  Not at all. "Social studies" AKA Social Sciences are divided into, say, two ethical perspectives. In one sides is Marx and all the marxist school. This people believes that the social scientist has to have the desire of changing society, and he should act upon it. In the other side is pretty much everyone else (highly simplifying here), mostly people that believes that actual science has to be separated of any activism, and that achieving the highest degree of neutralism and detachment is desirable. While is not hard to detach science from activism, it is hard to not comment on what the actual desirable society would be, if you are involved in the field. IIRC you have examples of this in functionalism and simbolic interactionism schools, that had both descriptive and inferential studies, but didn't mix activism on it, as far as I can tell.

candiodari 8y ago

But that's the whole concept of social studies: identify grievances versus a given value system that is treated as dogma, and then threaten and shame society into (sometimes draconian) measures to fix those grievances. Is it any wonder they treat students the same ?

iagovar 8y ago
Not at all. "Social studies" AKA Social Sciences are divided into, say, two ethical perspectives. In one sides is Marx and all the marxist school. This people believes that the social scientist has to have the desire of changing society, and he should act upon it. In the other side is pretty much everyone else (highly simplifying here), mostly people that believes that actual science has to be separated of any activism, and that achieving the highest degree of neutralism and detachment is desirable. While is not hard to detach science from activism, it is hard to not comment on what the actual desirable society would be, if you are involved in the field. IIRC you have examples of this in functionalism and simbolic interactionism schools, that had both descriptive and inferential studies, but didn't mix activism on it, as far as I can tell.