Let us look a little closer at research. To put this in practical terms: the sociological study of crime (sometimes known as Criminology or Deviance) cannot really get very far as a socio-logical study without due consideration of jurisprudence and the legal theories governing the resolution of torts. Therefore the sociological study of crime will rely upon knowledge derived in the specialised professional field of law. Just as a psychological study of crime may focus on the impacts of criminal behaviour for the formation of personality (either the victims, the perpetrators, the law enforcement officers or the citizenry), so also the sociological analysis of crime will focus upon the social consequences of crime - the way in which criminal networks impact family life; the way in which the public safety of children and older people is affected; how education should approach the enforcement of rules and so on. The prison, as a penal institution, also becomes a specialised focus for structural analysis in the sociological and social-psychological study of the law in civil society.
We also have to take into account the distribution of economic resources and whether particular trends in crime statistics have some kind of basis in the unequal distribution of resources within a society. There is a way of viewing legal processes in terms of economic factors, and hence the sociological study of crime should also keep economic theory on its horizon.
Moreover, the legal resolution of crimes involve punishment; punishment involves variation of severity with the appeals to mitigating circumstances. So some understanding of sentencing, rehabilitation and restitution is required. The sociological study of crime also confronts the manner in which professional counselling, psychiatric services and social workers are involved in the process.
Industrial organisation has to be studied in terms of bureaucratic modes of control as well as appreciating the economic significance of various accounting methods and fiscal policies. How do we classify types of business organisation; can this be correlated with accounting and industrial practises? How are workers viewed in terms of the firm? What place does the union have? How are wages and salaries regulated in terms of current industrial law?
In the history of art the study of abstract
expressionism can line up as many paintings as possible in chronological
fashion to show how different artists and schools developed various techniques
in an attempt to overcome previous artistic traditions in a particular period.
But the leading aesthetic ideas about the freedom of the painter can also be
significantly deepened by comparison and contrast with developments in
literature (novels and poetry), drama, music and philosophy. In this way we can
begin to develop a sociological view of artistic fashion.
These are three possible ‘areas’ of study in which a student may undertake upon more intensive study. The list of topics in each of these areas is seemingly endless. But the point is this : no matter how specialised the area of study, the analysis of law, or business or art in terms of social structures must, by the very nature of the case, deal with all aspects of human society.
We begin to see why a general (philosophical) overview of society is needed. Not all disciplines will deal with all aspects of society in the same way, or with the same intensity; but any one social study must imply some overview of the totality of social life and hence an orientation which is governed by its meaningfulness under heaven.
Any one aspect of society must be treated as one among many. This aspect is isolated from all the other aspects in an abstract way - the fully interwoven fabric of human social responsibility manifests itself in many different and distinct aspects and it is this reality which gives rise to the possibility of various sub-disciplines which all have a relative life of their own.
We begin to see why any specialised engagement by the Christian social theorist or researcher must imply an overview of the social order of things - it must also imply a theoretical account of how all aspects of human society are inter-dependent, interwoven into the one coherent reality of God’s creation. Just because our concepts are limited does not mean that our account is incoherent. Just because our knowledge is incomplete that does not mean it is illogical or ill-founded.
Society is marred by sin in many tragic ways. It is true that social theory and research has to give some account of the rich but impoverished fabric of society. Social theory relies heavily upon the philosophy for its insights into the character, structure and limits of theoretical thought, as well as the character, structure and limits of social life and of social actors. But that thought, and that social action, should not be idealised. It involves our religious response which includes our cultivation of theoretical insight.
In social theory we are not just dealing with abstract ‘aspects’ of society. We are also looking at the way in which we can scientifically view society via its many aspects. The aspects we think and talk about in an abstract manner are ways of looking at the multi-faceted human condition in which our responsibility is played out in a `bundle’ of social roles..
Social theory focuses our attention upon the historical formation of institutions, it identifies the processes which led to the emergence of social organisations each dedicated to different purposes. It emphasizes that social relationships are sometimes freely formed without institutional constraint and organised routines. Social theory and research investigates how humans go about the task of cultivating social relationships in the matrix of human responsibility. In other words such formulations should challenge us at our most basic presupposition to do our work, but they do not as such constitute the theoretic work we have to do.
When we look at the contemporary (post-modern) social science curriculum, at high school or at university, or when we are confronted by the subject-choices available to us in undergraduate or post-graduate study, we are often confused. Our perplexity is sometimes profound. How should we choose?
We are confronted with institutional and professional differentiation; it is almost as if we have rows and rows of academic products on the shelves of various university supermarkets from which we are being encouraged to choose. There may be diversity in the professional schools we can choose to attend. There is diversity in faculties; there is diversity in departments. There is a diversity in focus - some courses are more practical, some are more theoretical - and there is a diversity in ideology which indicates various ways of getting things into focus. Often we will discover that within any one department there is a significant range to chose from. Diversity is emphasized on all fronts.
But what of the underlying unity which binds the diversity together? Indeed is there any such coherence? It is seemingly an individual matter, the subject of endless speculation by professional academic and student alike.
Religion, ethics, law, literature, politics, economics, history, sociology, languages, psychology and philosophy very often confront us as distinct `products’ manufactured by separate departments, and therefore quite different in content from each other.
Christian social theory cannot accept this academic supermarket as a normal state of affairs. At the very least such differentiation should become the focus of a critical historical investigation of how things in ‘higher learning’ have come to be this way. Why are they presented as `products’ on a supermarket shelf? The way things now are is not necessarily how things could or should be. Part of the Christian calling in social theory will be to contribute to changing the social conditions of science and scholarship. We need to give due regard to the unity and diversity of reality under heaven and respect the various valid ways of exploring God’s creational handiwork. One of the ways to do this is in the field of social theory and research. That is why this small book has been written. The Christian approach to science and scholarship is not only focussed upon the content of university courses. It must also direct its critical gaze at the package in which Higher Learning is organised, and marketed in our society. We have to ask whether our universities are capable, any more, of doing justice to the scientific task.
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August 2004 © A
Christian Calling in Social Theory and Research is a work written by
Bruce C Wearne (PhD), 29 Lawrence Rd., Point Lonsdale Vic 3225 AUSTRALIA, 61-3-5258-3913.
Each chapter may be photocopied or retransmitted in its entirety only with
full acknowledgement of the author and the source. It shall not otherwise be
reprinted or transmitted without permission. This personal project
aims to encourage a positive Christian student engagement in
universities around the world which need to better understand the vocation of
science as an expression of our love for God and our neighbour. Your
comments are welcome. Email can be sent to bcwearne@ozemail.com.au
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