Sociology of Knowledge

Definition of Sociology of Knowledge

The Canada social science dictionary [1] provides the following meaning of Sociology of Knowledge: The study of the social bases of what is known, believed or valued both by individuals and society. The essential idea is that knowledge itself, how it is defined and constituted, is a cultural product shaped by social context and history. In this view knowledge cannot be treated as a thing in itself, as an objective, universally true body of facts and theory, but must be understood in the social context in which it originated. The principal ideas of postmodernism are closely linked to this long tradition in philosophy and the social sciences. See: POSTMODERN in this legal dictionary and in the world encyclopedia of law.

Sociology of Knowledge: Resources

Notes and References

• Drislane, R., & Parkinson, G. (2016). (Concept of) Sociology of Knowledge. Online dictionary of the social sciences. Open University of Canada