Biosociology of Dominance and Deference

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Rowman & Littlefield, 2005 - 197 páginas
Biology_perhaps the most exciting science of the last half-century_is reaching into scholarly disciplines throughout academia, yet sociology has barely entertained it. The reasons for hesitation are clear enough. Sociobiology and ethology have been unappealing to sociologists because they explain human behavior the same way they explain the behavior of social insects, fish, and birds; often evoking images of sexism and Social Darwinism, both anathemas to modern sociologists. Nonetheless, sociologists do show growing interest in biology and what it can contribute to their discipline. In this short, engaging volume Allan Mazur develops new and sociologically sophisticated concepts to bring these fields together. His book is about the social biology of face-to-face dominance interactions and it explores the evolution of behavior through connections among biology, language, culture, and socialization. Topics include comparative primate behavior, physiological and brain mechanisms underlying status processes, and the relevance of the body surface (face, physique, gestures) to status allocation. The book is meant to be a self-contained exploration_sociologists would require no prior knowledge of biology; biologists would require no prior knowledge of sociology_and a fun, informative supplement for courses throughout sociology and the social sciences.

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Contenido

Fish
1
And People
5
Evolution
19
Soft Parts and Behavior
29
Primates
45
Status Signs
65
Allocating Ranks
79
Conversation
93
Testosterone
109
Violence
131
Take a Chimp Add Language Melt the Glaciers
151
StressInduced Coalitions
161
References
169
Index
187
About the Author
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Allan Mazur is a sociologist and an engineer, and has been professor of public affairs at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University since 1979.

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