Sociological Glossary

Glossary

• Capital Conversion

  Bourdieu’s concept of capital conversion explains how educational qualifications (cultural capital) can be transformed into economic capital through job opportunities.

• Capitalist Realism

  Coined by Mark Fisher, capitalist realism describes the pervasive belief that capitalism is the only viable economic and political system, making alternative social structures seem impossible.

• Charismatic Authority

  Max Weber’s concept of charismatic authority refers to power derived from an individual's extraordinary personal qualities and ability to inspire followers.

• Civic Engagement

  Civic engagement refers to active participation in public life, including voting, volunteering, and involvement in community organisations.

• Civil Inattention

  Goffman’s concept of civil inattention refers to the subtle ways individuals acknowledge each other in public while maintaining social distance.

• Class Consciousness

  A Marxist concept referring to the awareness of one’s social class and the recognition of shared interests among class members.

• Class Struggle

  Class struggle refers to the ongoing conflict between different social classes over resources, power, and control of production.

• Class, Status, and Party

  Weber expanded on Marx’s class theory by introducing status (social prestige) and party (political power) as additional dimensions of stratification.

• Collective Consciousness

  Collective consciousness refers to the shared beliefs, values, and norms that hold a society together.

• Collective Effervescence

  Durkheim’s concept of collective effervescence describes the shared energy and unity individuals experience in group rituals or religious gatherings.

• Commodification

  Commodification is the process by which goods, services, and even social relationships are transformed into marketable commodities.

• Commodity Fetishism

  Commodity fetishism refers to the way capitalist societies obscure the labour behind goods, making commodities appear as having intrinsic value beyond social relations.

• Conspicuous Consumption

  A term from Thorstein Veblen, conspicuous consumption refers to the display of wealth and material goods as a means of attaining social status.

• Contextual Admissions

  Contextual admissions take into account applicants' socio-economic background and school performance when assessing university applications.

• Corporate Crime

  Corporate crime refers to illegal activities committed by corporations or individuals acting on behalf of corporations, often involving financial fraud, environmental violations, or unsafe working conditions.

• Credentialism

  Credentialism refers to the increasing emphasis on formal educational qualifications as a requirement for jobs, often reinforcing class divisions.

• Cultural Capital

  Cultural capital refers to the non-economic resources—such as knowledge, skills, education, and cultural tastes—that provide social advantage.

• Cultural Deprivation

  Cultural deprivation is the theory that working-class students lack the cultural resources (e.g., language skills, educational experiences) necessary for academic success.

• Cultural Hegemony

  Developed by Antonio Gramsci, cultural hegemony refers to the dominance of a ruling class ideology that becomes accepted as the cultural norm, shaping public consciousness.

• Cultural Relativism

  Cultural relativism is the perspective that beliefs, norms, and values should be understood within their own cultural context rather than judged against external standards.