Sociological Imagination The is a book written by sociologist, C. Wright Mills in 1959. His Sociological Imagination goal in writing this book was to try to reconcile two different and abstract concepts of social reality the "individual" and "society. – C. Wright Mills 'In essence, it is understanding the private in public terms' * Applying your Sociological Imagination to everyday life Coffee. Consider on an individual, personal level it is a drink that provides a pick up due to caffeine content. Coffee drinking is an everyday, commonplace and uninteresting thing. * Consider eating chocolate. What do you think of? However, these everyday acts can be considered from a sociological point of view. We can understand these personal acts in very public terms. Coffee Cultural Norms and Global Development Status and Rituals Deviance Economy Politics Coffee Coffee has Coffee is a Coffee is drinking Coffee is a high drug, and implicated in a presumes a ‘globalisation’ symbolic though it is set of social particular issue, in value: for and economic pattern of past relation to example it it is relationships, economic and trade, human is part of acceptable. especially in social rights and the many social Other drugs relation to development: environment. rituals. It may be international coffee drinking forms part acceptable in trade. has a history. It is politicised of many other It is consumed and what you people's cultures. vastly in It is not a drink is a 'life morning wealthy natural part of choice' e.g. ritual. Two countries but the 'Western' organic, people who grown in poor diet. It is a Fairtrade, local arrange to ones. product of coffee shop V meet for colonialism. Starbucks.
Sociological Imagination The Sociological Imagination is a book written by sociologist, C. Wright Mills in 1959. His goal in writing this book was to try to reconcile two different and abstract concepts of social reality – the "individual" and "society. 'In essence, it is understanding the private in public terms' C. Wright Mills * Applying your Sociological Imagination to everyday life Coffee. Consider on an individual, personal level it is a drink that provides a pick up due to caffeine content. Coffee drinking is an everyday, commonplace and uninteresting thing. * Consider eating chocolate. What do you think of? However, these everyday acts can be considered from a sociological point of view. We can understand these personal acts in very public terms. Coffee Cultural Rituals Coffee has high symbolic value: for example it is part of many social rituals. It forms part of many people's morning ritual. Two people who arrange to meet for Norms and Deviance Coffee is a drug, and though it is it is acceptable. Other drugs may be acceptable in other cultures. Global Economy Coffee is implicated in a set of social and economic relationships, especially in relation to international trade. It is consumed vastly in wealthy countries but grown in poor ones. Development Coffee drinking presumes a particular pattern of past economic and social development: coffee drinking has a history. It is not a natural part of the 'Western' diet. It is a product of colonialism. Status and Politics Coffee is a ‘globalisation’ issue, in relation to trade, human rights and the environment. It is politicised and what you drink is a 'life choice' e.g. organic, Fairtrade, local coffee shop V Starbucks.
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