The Non-Jewish Individual Essay -- Jewish History, Kafka

The Non-Jewish Individual Jewish history is a study of a people in exile. Since the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, the experience of the Jewish individual in relation to non-Jewish society has often been that of an outsider looking in. In addition, the distinct Jewish culture, religion, and philosophy identifiably marked the Jews as a separate people. Although this demarcation exposed the Jews to many negative ideological trends, Isaac Deutscher’s â€Å"The Non-Jewish Jew† argues that this marginalization enabled the great thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries to revolutionize the European continent. As the title suggests, the non-Jewish Jews were individuals that abandoned Judaism. Deutscher argues that the historical exclusion imbued Jewish people with the innate perspective of the external critic. When the individuals liberated themselves from the ideological shackles of Judaism this now double marginalization provided the perspective of the extreme outsider. Once freed from both the restrictions of Jewish and Christian ideology they were then able to reinterpret society and develop the theories that would revolutionize the world. Deutscher asserts that the famous non-Jewish Jews such as Spinoza, Heine, Marx, and others were representatives of this perspective. In essence, their independence from society enabled them to criticize and fundamentally change the ideological landscape of Europe in ways that other thinkers bound by Christian or Jewish ideology could not. However, with an analysis of Deutscher’s argument through Franz Kafka’s â€Å"A Report to an Academy† it becomes clear that his â€Å"Non-Jewish Jews† were not only dependent upon society, but also more importantly they were not actually Jewish. Initially, Kakfa’s â€Å"... ...by the subjects of Deutscher’s â€Å"The Non-Jewish Jew† are reflected and exhibited in Deutscher’s work. His assertion that Jews have a special ability to critically analyze society because of their historical isolation supports the same race based ideology that the historical figures worked against. Additionally, the association of Marx, Heine, and the others to this racially decided independence from society fails to acknowledge their deep connection to their non-Jewish culture. Therefore, through an analysis of Deutscher’s work through the context of Kafka’s â€Å"A Report to an Academy† it becomes apparent that Deutscher undermines his argument by failing to appropriately state the relevance of the historical figures connection to society and most importantly, by allowing racial inflections to manipulate his perspective of his subject revolutionary individuals.

How do feminists view the division of labour

How do feminists view the division of labour within the family home? sy Chelb7 How do feminists view the division of labour within the family home? Feminism is a collection of movements and beliefs aimed at defining and defending women's rights within society and politics aiming for all round equality, A big issue that arises within women rights is inequality in the household. The division of labour in the home is how fairly the jobs are shared between the partners in the household.Sociologists named Young and Willmott carried out a study in 1937 in aethnal Green, London. They looked into the roles in families within the home and come to the conclusion that Over time most families have become The symmetrical family. This implies roles are being shared between the man and women Within the home. They called this the march Of progress. Feminists reject this ‘March Of progress' View as they say roles are not equal within the home. In a research there is evidence that men ‘hel p' at home but it is far from symmetry within the roles.Feminists say that men usually claim to be helping by doing the pleasurable jobs rather than the work, herefore research so far suggests feminists view the division of labour within the family home as unequal. Sociologist Ann Oakley disagrees with Young and Willmotts view. Rather than seeing a march of progress tonards symmetry since 19th century Ilke Young and Willmott do, Oakley describes how â€Å"the housewife role has become the dominant role tor married women†. She also argues that Men only ever ‘help' at home rather than work. Another sociologist supporting Oakley's idea Is Mary Boulton (1983b.During research Boulton found that fewer than of husbands had a major ole in childcare. She argues that Young and Willmott exaggerate men's contribution by look'ng at tasks that involve childcare rather than responsibilities. When reviewing the research so far it becomes apparent that women sociologists (particularly f eminists) support the idea that men rarely take on tasks within the home and that male sociologists support that this is in fact improving and we are on a march towards progress, Twisting this biased view are two sociologists named Hilary Silver (1987) and Juliet Schor (1993).They argued that because of ommercialised good and services the housewife role has almost disappeared, They say that items such as freezers. microwave ovens and ready meals reduce the amount of domestic labour to be done, However critics argue that for poorer women this iS not an Option. Feminists argue that even though commercialisation has been reduced the Other chores are still not shared equallyq The impact Of paid work iS a more recent debate in feminists. Logically if both man and women Of the house are in paid full time work feminists say that the housework should be shared equally between the couple.Feminists argue that this is not the case. women are being made to carry a dual burden. This outcome is d etermined in large part by traditional gender roles that have been accepted by society over time. on the other hand to the feminist view some sociologists argue that women working In full time paid jobs lead to a more equal division of labour. Jonathan Gershuny (1994) found 83% of housework and those who worked part time still done 82%. Wives who worked full time did 73% of housework. Gershuny explains this trend towards greater equality in terms of gradual change in values and parental role models.He argues social values are gradually adapting to the fact more women are working full time. Similarly Oriel Sullivan's (2000) analysis of nationally representative data collected in 1975, 1987 and 1997 found a trend towards greater equality as men did more domestic labour. Particularly there was an increase in couples with an equal division with men doing more traditionally women's Jobs. Feminists view this division of labour as inaccurate. Equality and symmetry within housework would me an each partner is doing 50% of housework and chores.Whereas even sociologists who are gainst the feminist view towards domestic labour are showing in their results that well over 50% of housework is done by women. Sociologist Dunne (1999)done a study on 37 cohabiting lesbian couples with dependent children. Dunne found evidence of symmetry in their relationships. In lesbian relationships household tasks are not linked to a particular gender scripts. This allows lesbian couples to have more equal relationships. For example as one of the women said in Dunne's study â€Å"In heterosexual relationships there is always a subconscious belief that women are upposed to do the housework.This supports the radical feminist view that relationships between men and women are inevitably patriarchal and that women can only achieve equality in same sex relationships. Similarly, Jeffery Weeks (1999) argues that same sex relationships offer greater possibilities of equality because the division of l abour is open to negotiation and agreement and not based on a patriarchal tradition. To conclude evidence shows that a women being in paid work leads to more equality in the division of labour, though probably only if she is in full work.Many feminists argue that in reality the effect of this is limited and women still continue to shoulder a dual or triple burden. Feminists argue that the root of the problem is patriarchy. Patriarchy ensures that women earn less at work and therefore have less bargaining in the home. Patriarchal gender scripts shape societys expectations about the domestic roles within the house. In my opinion until the subconscious belief that women should do the domestic work has being changed by society's outlook feminists will always feel that patriarchy is the main reason for the inequality of labour within the home.

Max Weber on Culture, Authority, and the Iron Cage

With Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim, W.E.B. DuBois, and Harriet Martineau, Max Weber is considered one of the founders of sociology. Living and working between 1864 and 1920, Weber is remembered as a prolific social theorist who focused on economics, culture, religion, politics, and the interplay among them. Three of his biggest contributions to sociology include the way he theorized the relationship between culture and economy, his theory of authority, and his concept of the iron cage of rationality. Weber on the Relationships Between Culture and Economy Webers most well-known and widely read work is The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. This book is considered a landmark text of social theory and sociology generally because of how Weber convincingly illustrates the important connections between culture and economy. Positioned against Marxs historical materialist approach to theorizing the emergence and development of capitalism, Weber presented a theory in which the values of ascetic Protestantism fostered the acquisitive nature of the capitalist economic system. Webers discussion of the relationship between culture and economy was a ground-breaking theory at the time. It set up an important theoretical tradition in sociology of taking the cultural realm of values and ideology seriously as a social force that interacts with and influences other aspects of society like politics and the economy. What Makes Authority Possible Weber made a very important contribution to the way we understand how people and institutions come to have authority in society, how they keep it, and how it influences our lives. Weber articulated his theory of authority in the essay  Politics as a Vocation, which first took form in a lecture he delivered in Munich in 1919. Weber theorized that there are three forms of authority that allow people and institutions to attain legitimate rule over society: 1. traditional, or that rooted in the traditions and values of the past that follows the logic of this is the way things have always been; 2. charismatic, or that premised on individual positive and admirable characteristics like heroism, being relatable, and showing visionary leadership; and 3. legal-rational, or that which is rooted in the laws of the state and represented by those entrusted to protect them. This theory of Webers reflects his focus on the political, social, and cultural importance of the modern state as an apparatus that strongly influences what happens in society and in our lives. Weber on the Iron Cage Analyzing the effects the iron cage of bureaucracy has on individuals in society is one of Webers landmark contributions to social theory, which he articulated in  The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Weber used the phrase, originally  stahlhartes Gehà ¤use  in German, to refer to the way the bureaucratic rationality of modern Western societies comes to fundamentally limit and direct social life and individual lives. Weber explained that modern bureaucracy was organized around rational principles like hierarchical roles, compartmentalized knowledge and roles, a perceived merit-based system of employment and advancement, and the legal-rationality authority of the rule of law. As this system of rule -- common to modern Western states -- is perceived as legitimate and thus unquestionable, it exerts what Weber perceived to be an  extreme and unjust influence on other aspects of society and individual lives: the iron cage limits freedom and possibility. This aspect of Webers theory would prove deeply influential to the further development of social theory  and was built upon at length by the critical theorists associated with the Frankfurt School.