Blumer

Question 1

The Three Principals

Answer 1

“that human beings act toward things on the basis of the meaning that things have for them”

“that the meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with one’s fellows

“that these meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretative process used by the person in dealing with the things he encounters”

Question 2

Six Root Images

Answer 2

Human groups of societies

Social interaction (mutual meaning making and role taking)

Objects (physical, social, abstract)

The human being as an acting organism

Human action

Interconnection of the lines of action (joint action, i.e. marriage, war, going to church, etc.)

Question 3

Blumer’s Rules for Research

Answer 3

The Possession and Use of a Prior Picture or Scheme of the Empirical World under Study —- know what you’re looking for, what is data, hypotheses, etc.

The Asking of Questions of the Empirical World and the Conversion of the Questions into Problems —- be grounded in the empirical world, let the Qs come from it

Determination of the Data to be Sought and the Means to be Employed in Getting the Data
- Even though set by the problem, the data need to be constantly examined to see if they require a revision or rejection. Also, means of data collection depend on the kind of data you want.

Determination of Relations Between the Data

Interpretation of the Findings

The Use of Concepts

Question 4

Blumer - Racial prejudice - general definitions, not characteristics

Answer 4

Argues that race prejudice exists in a sense of group position rather than a set of feelings which members of one racial group have toward the members of another racial group

Racial prejudice is a matter of racial identification made of oneself and of others and the way in which groups are conceived in relation to each other

To characterize another racial group is, by opposition, to define one’s own group

Question 5

Blumer - characteristics of racial prejudice in the dominant group

Answer 5

Feeling of superiority

Feeling that subordinate race is intrinsically different

Feeling of proprietary claim to certain areas of privilege and advantage

Fear and suspicion that the subordinate race harbors prerogatives of dominant race

Dominant group defines subordinate group and relations between them

• The process of definitions occurs through complex interaction and communication between members of dominant group
• Definition occurs with an abstract image of the subordinate racial group