How Institutions ThinkPresentation by:

Kristin Redmond

Janet Hauge

Mary Douglas Born in 1921 Educated at Oxford

University as anthropologist Fieldwork in the Belgian

Congo Affiliated with:

Northwestern Univ. Princeton Univ. Yale Univ. University of Pennsylvania

About the book . . . A result of a lecture series at Syracuse

University in March, 1985 given by Mary Douglas

Two-week lecture series for the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

Emile Durkheim French 1858-1917 Educated in Philosophy Views of Functionalist Society

Studies were based on primitive cultures His beliefs were: the role of society was more

important than the individual Religion explained the unknown His theories were not well received

Ludwik Fleck Polish 1896-1961 Studies based on Durkheim’s theories Trained as a medical doctor Widely renowned for his sociologically-

oriented approach to the study of science and medical knowledge

Functionalism “A social group that generates its own view of the

world, developing a thought style that sustains the pattern of interaction”

“a theory that stresses the interdependence of the patterns and institutions of a society and their interaction in maintaining cultural and social unity” (Webster’s College Dictionary, 1983)

‘Thought Collective’ “The individual within the collective is never,

or hardly ever, conscious of the prevailing thought style which almost always exerts an absolutely compulsive force upon his thinking, and with which it is not possible to be at variance.” Fleck

Institutions Legitimized social groupings- family, games,

ceremony Social institutions make decisions, solve

problems and think on behalf of individuals Institutions organize and classify information

Right and Wrong Institutions squeeze each others’ ideas into a

common shape so we can prove rightness by sheer numbers.

In this we tell one another what right thinking is and pass blame on wrong thinking.

Institutions Remember... Anthropologists are intrigued with

remembering We remember what is politically correct The institution manipulates what it wants us to

remember Studies of primitive cultures reveal people have

great memories. It is attributed to their “simple” existence.

And Forget… Scientists forget previous discoveries and

continually rediscover past scientists works

When they do not fit prevailing political views

The Imperial Palace An example of memory being manipulated by

institutional structures Preserving gives legitimacy to current political

authority– locally and globally Remembering signifies “heavenly mandate” for

the emperor to rule extends to current authority Forgetting aspects of moral, political, financial

decline

Does Size Matter? Many studies relating to institutional scale

Small scale societies vs large scale Originally thought that the size of the institution

affected the behavior of the individual Where the ratio of population to resources is

proportional, individuals in large or small scale societies behave similarly

Institutions: Small and LargeAmish Society “English” Society Small scale Fewer changes Simpler public

memory

Large scale Rapid changes Complex public

memory

However, both have similar accuracy of their collective memories.

Similarly said… How Institutions

Think “In a society where

technology and division of labor are established, people cannot move beyond the limits set by the stable technology and pattern of work.”

The Social Life of Information “Loosening the

links to the dominant institution allows a new more dynamic institution to form that is encouraged to ‘think outside the box’”

Our government Citizens run government, yet the government

creates the laws and enforces them. As an individual you don’t have much

influence or impact over the institution

Classification at the most basic… A baby with no prior classification knowledge

learns first to classify good and bad feelings. He cries due to a negative feeling (hunger, wet, tired).

Bad:cry Good:content Good/bad is the most fundamental

classification.

Classifying is institutionalized Colin

2 parent family Minimal

caregivers Regular routines

Baby at Angel’s Wings (emergency foster care) Removed from

family Changing

caregivers Minimal routine

Wine classification France – wine is categorized by region and

chateau California – wine is classified by the grape

Although both systems work to classify wine the systems cannot be compared.

Self-fulfilling prophecy Institutional classifying produces labels which

allow us to classify. Once a label is determined, the category gets

filled up. Autism Preschool handicap class

Book Reviews and Impact Web of Science - cited 30+ times EBSCO – cited 92 times ...“this is not an easy book to breeze through.

But what it shakes and reshapes is so fundamental to how we perceive and (try to) direct our institutions, that questions raised here can percolate out into our daily deeds at the oddest times.” Stewart Brand (Global Business Network review, Dec. 1989)

Our Critique Very confusing, a difficult read Jumped back and forth, covered many

different peoples’ viewpoints Her viewpoints are unclear Could have been illustrated with more relative

examples (such as the wine)

The people we meet… At a cocktail party in the US, one would ask

someone, “What do you do?” In Morocco at a party, one would ask, “Where

are you from?”

What would you ask?

Other things to consider… How does the scale of institutions you are a

part of influence your input to that institution?

Can you think outside of your institution? If so, how?