Description
Book SynopsisThis unique and innovative text provides undergraduate students with tools to think sociologically through the lens of everyday life. Normative social organization and taken for granted beliefs and actions are exposed as key mechanisms of power and social inequality in western societies today. By "unpacking the centre" students are encouraged to turn their social worlds inside out and explore alternatives to the dominant social order.
The text is divided into three parts. In Part One students learn how to use theory and methodology, which are blended seamlessly throughout the text. It shows how to position Michel Foucault as a companion to theorists such as Karl Marx and Stuart Hall, while signaling the importance of non-western and Indigenous knowledges, experiences, and rights. In Part Two, students explore – and challenge – normativity; the normal body, heterosexuality, whiteness, the two-gender system, aging, and the under-side of citizenship. In Part Three,
Table of Contents
Preface Introduction: Unpacking the Centre Part One: Foundations 1. Thinking about Power Deborah Brock, York University 2. Assembling Our Toolkit Andrea Noack, Ryerson University and Aryn Martin, York University Part Two: The Centre, Normalization, and Power 3. Fashioning the Normal Body Anne McGuire, University of Toronto and Kelly Fritsch, Carleton University 4. Trans/Gender Dan Irving, Carleton University 5. Thinking "Straight" Alix Holtby, York University 6. Whiteness Invented Melanie Knight, Ryerson University 7. Being "Middle Class" Mark P. Thomas, York University 8. Growing Up, Growing Old Rebecca Raby, Brock University 9. Citizenship and Borders Nandita Sharma, University of Hawaii at Manoa Part Three: Everyday Practices 10. Science and the "Matter" of Power Aryn Martin, York University 11. Are You "Normal"? Heidi Rimke, University of Winnipeg and Deborah Brock, York University 12. Going Shopping: The Politics of Everyday Consumption Dennis Soron, Brock University 13. Are You Financially Fit? Mary Beth Raddon, Brock University 14. Let’s Get a Coffee Gavin Fridell, Saint Mary’s University and Erika Koss, Saint Mary’s University 15. Indigenous Youth: Representing Themselves Margot Francis, Brock University 16. Being a Tourist Gada Mahrouse, Concordia University Conclusion
