Compare and contrast Structural Functional Theories (see ch. 2), paying particular attention to the discourse in contemporary social life. Consider differences and similarities in approaches to studying and investigating contemporary social life.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

varies. A different version of structuralism emerged during the mid-twentieth century in France.3 French structuralism is most distinct from American structural functionalism in its particular emphasis on language. In contrast to Parsons’s structural functionalism, which emphasizes human social organization at the level of institutions and interaction, French structuralism focuses on meaning and the role of language in the organization of systems of ideas. French structuralists seek to demonstrate how language has formal properties (such as grammar) that provide the structure not only for communication, but also for broader aspects of human existence. Consider, for instance, language and gender. In the 1960s and 1970s, feminists
in the United States challenged the sexism inherent in terms such as “fireman”, “policeman”, “mailman”,etc.. Defenders of the linguistic status quo maintained that obsessing over words was petty; everyone knew that “man” meant “men and women”, just as “mankind” meant humankind. But feminists argued that irrespective of material, institutional issues (e.g. the number of men and women employed as police officers, fire fighters, etc), the terminology itself was problematic because the terminology itself had actual consequences, reaffirming sexism both in individuals’ thinking and in society as a whole.