Domination and Subjugation in Everyday Life

Reputable scholars have long charged that symbolic interactionism, which is based on the principle of "sociality," discounts the importance that subordination plays in human groups. Emphasizing dominance and power, Athens explains how subordination operates in human group life from a new interactionist's perspective, aptly dubbed by him, "radical interactionism."

Expanding on the work of sociologist Robert E. Park, Athens explains the nature and operation of super-ordination and subordination, which he believes affects all social interaction between human beings and groups. He then develops a generic framework and a common terminology to help explain all forms of social conflicts. Athens argues that a radical interactionism disentangles the nature of domination, power and force, as well as the relationship among them, in a manner consistent with the basic premises of the Chicago school of pragmatism.

This book offers a provocative and intelligent outline of the development and evolution of radical interactionism, a perspective interactionists can add to their toolbox with profit.

Preface

Acknowledgments

Foreword

1 The Idea of a "Radical Interactionism"

2 Radical and Symbolic Interactionism: Demarcating Their Borders

3 Mead's Conception of the Social Act: A Radical Interactionist's Critique

4 Park's Notion of Collective Behavior: A Radical Interactionist's Critique

5 Mead's Analysis of Social Conflict: A Radical Interactionist's Critique

6 Park's Analysis of Human Conflict: A Radical Interactionist's Critique

7 Human Subjugation from a Radical Interactionist's Perspective

8 Dominative Orders and Their Change

9 Dominative Encounters: From Tiffs to Wars

10 Progression through the Dominative Encounter Process: The Calculus of Escalation

11 Conclusion: Twenty-One Principles of Radical Interactionism

References

Index