Sociology Definitions and Readings: Disenchantment, Enclosure, Great Witch-hunt, Luddites, Technocracy, Poverty Trap, Alienation/Anomie, Symbol drain/cultural rape, Imperialism/neoliberalism,

Sociology Definitions and Readings Name Institutional Affiliation DEFINITIONS AND READINGS 2 Sociology Definitions and Readings Define A) Disenchantment This term refers to a concept made popul ar by Karl Marx. It refers to the state of the world following the permeation of both science and enlightenment into society's various facets. These facets are stipulated to be under the influence of superstition and religion. Thus, the term can be described as the replacement and erosion of the latter facets and their replacement by scientific knowledge. B) Enclosure This term refers to the practice that involved the demarcation of land holdings following the breaking up of communal lands. The process originated in Europe and was mainly done to increase the efficiency and orderliness of agricultural practices. By breaking up the land's community-owned tracts, the mandate was shifted to individual ownership for the small pieces of land. This practice was largely encouraged by the government. C) Great Witch-hunt This refers to the era in the middle ages where the Inquisition is known to have held ultimate power. The Inquisition utilized this power to quell any elements in society that were viewed to oppose or threaten the power held by this central entity. As a result, many people, mostly women, were caught up with the plethora of methods employed by the Inquisition to maintain control. i.e., this included the use of violence and torture. The actions were not limited to guilty parties and would often be meted out on innocent members of the population who offered opinions not endorsed by the Inquisition. DEFINITIONS AND READINGS 3 D) Luddites This is a term used to refer to individuals who oppose or dislike new technology. The term is normally used to refer to a movement that opposed the mechanization and unskilled labor in place of the skilled craftsmen in the 19th century. They were known to lead violent protests against the manufacturers, often destroying the equipment that made their hard-learned skills defunct. However, the "Luddites" were quelled by government action and policies. E) Technocracy This is an ideology pertaining to the system of governance in a given state. In this setup, the leaders are chosen specifically because of their prowess in a given scientific field. Under this system, scientific knowledge and methods are given precedence with regard to solving society's problems in place of financial gainfulness. F) Poverty Trap This refers to a scenario in which an increment in an individual's income results in the loss of privileges and benefits they possessed. The individual's general situation consequently does not improve. This is a common allusion embedded in the work of Karl Marx. He stipulates that capitalism employs such means to ensure the lower classes provide cheap labor while remaining heavily dependent on the system of production. Define and Distinguish A) Alienation/Anomie Anomie is a state of "normlessness" where norms and values that have previously held a society lose meaning are no longer valid in the society they represented. Primitive accumulation and its importance in the study of social change. The main resistance movements against capitalism, globalization, and neoliberalism in the 1990s and their significance to society., Adam Smith's argument and McNally's counterargument, References Angelis M. Marx and Primitive Accumulation: The continuous character of capital's "enclosures." 2001. The Commoner. McNally D. Another World is Possible: Globalization & Anti-Capitalism. 2nd edition. 2006 Rothschild E. Adam Smith and the Invisible Hand. 1994. The American Economic Review. Vol 84. No. 2 Veltmeyer H. Petras J. Social Movements in Latin America: Neoliberalism and Popular Resistance. 2011