| The overriding goal of my dissertation research is to integrate apparently incompatible, even opposing perspectives in sociological theory, in research methods, and in theories of race relations.; In the field of sociological theory, I examine and critique middleman minority theory and Foucauldian social theory. The goal of my critique is to develop what Jeffrey Alexander refers to as a "multi-dimensional" theory, i.e., theory which accounts for (a) cultural as well as material/economic motives for action, and which also takes into account (b) resistance as well as subjection to power. While Bonacich and Said overemphasize material motives of action and subjection to power respectively, I find that their writings also contain implicit discourses about the power of culture and of possibilities for political resistance.; In the field of qualitative research methods, I attempt to integrate opposing research programmes, i.e., research methods which emphasize inductive (i.e., emphasize data collection) vs. deductive reasoning (i.e., emphasize theoretical analysis). I conclude that that social theory is of central importance in field research methods, but with the caveat that data must be used in order to reconstruct theory rather than used simply to reproduce or confirm a pre existing theory.; Lastly, in my dissertation research, I attempt to adjudicate between opposing views of Korean-Black relations. Typically, accounts of Korean Black relations either (1) over emphasize conflict and incivility between Korean merchants and their African American customers, while other accounts (such as Jennifer Lee's Civility in the City) emphasize that the vast majority of Korean-Black relations are civil and unproblematic.; My own position is that civility and conflict are inextricably intertwined. More specifically, I argue that civility is in fact the direct outcome of previous conflicts and boycotts. In other words, the looming threat of protest, even violence, is what forces Korean merchants to behave in a civil manner towards their African American customers in the first place.; I also point out that civil interactions and friendly conversations allow some Korean merchants to better police their African American store customers, i.e., to engage in surveillance. The brief merchant-customer conversation serves as an opportunity to discover and detect who in the community is stably employed (i.e., "good") and who has been in trouble with the law (i.e., is "bad"). Civility in this case is exploited to conduct criminological research about Black community members. |
