Origin of 'Bifurcated Consciousness' Concept
The concept of 'bifurcated consciousness' was introduced by sociologist Dorothy E. Smith.
Understanding Bifurcated Consciousness
Dorothy E. Smith used the term 'bifurcated consciousness' to describe the divided awareness experienced by individuals, particularly women, in modern, patriarchal societies. This division occurs between the subjective, lived experience and the objective, abstract, and often male-dominated modes of thought and social organization.
- Smith argued that individuals must constantly translate experiences from their 'local', personal reality into the categories and language of the dominant, abstract social structure.
- This translation process creates a split or bifurcation in consciousness, requiring individuals to navigate multiple, often conflicting, frames of reference.
- Her work emphasizes how this division impacts understanding and action, particularly within sociological analysis originating from the standpoint of the oppressed.
Therefore, Dorothy E. Smith is credited with developing the concept of 'bifurcated consciousness'.
Important Questions from Sociological Thinkers, Sociological Traditions
Ethnomethodology is concerned with -
A. The study of ordinary people's method for making sense of and creating order in everyday life.
B. When people talk or act, they are constantly engaged in interpreting what is going on around them.
C. There is an inherent relationship between talk and action.
D. The study of social phenomena by using highly structured interviews of a very large sample size.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below
Which of the following is true of Edward Said's Orientalism?
(A) It was published in 1979.
(B) Utilises the concept of discursive formulation as argued by Foucault.
(C) He has taken up the detailed analysis of imaginative geography and representation of the Orient.
(D) It is one of the foundational texts of Postcolonial theory.
(E) It puts to use Barthes' concept of 'death of the author'.
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Weber's definition of sociology is " that Science which aims at the Verstehen of social behaviour", where Verstehen means
According to _____________ , Institutional arrangements meet one of various levels of needs or requisites(ie) biological, structural and symbolic.
Match List I with List II:
List I List II (a) R. K. Merton (1) Myth (b) Claude Levi Strauss (2) Archaic Societies (c) Talcott Parsons (3) Savage (d) Bronislaw Malinowski (4) Dysfunctions
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
