num_pages: 184
description: Biologyperhaps the most exciting science of the last half-centuryis 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 explorationsociologists would require no prior knowledge of biology; biologists would require no prior knowledge of sociologyand a fun informative supplement for courses throughout sociology and the social sciences.
language: English
title: Biosociology of Dominance and Deference
publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers