Questions tagged [sociology]
Questions regarding the history of the scientific study of societies and how humans act and interact in groups.
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How do we know baroque art depicted obese ladies because of a different ideal of beauty?
I've often heard that the obesity of women in baroque art signs that such women were the ideal of beauty. How could we know that? And how could we know it wasn't just "cultural rationalization" of a ...
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When did homosexuality become unacceptable in Europe?
In the ancient greek world male homosexuality was common and didn't attract the same scorn as it did even 100 years ago. So 2,000 years ago, it was acceptable, and 100 years ago it was unacceptable. ...
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Is the scarlet letter 'A' a real historical thing?
I've heard someone say something like:
It's not a scarlet letter, it's not a mark on your forehead you keep for life.
Obviously this was said in terms of permanency of a badge of shame, or ...
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Why did Nazi soldiers do Hitler's bidding?
The atrocities committed by Nazi soldiers during World War II are well known. I'd like to know what motivated those soldiers to do Hitler's bidding. Were they brainwashed? Did they believe they were ...
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Was it common to brush off Hitler's radical remarks as just figures of speech to whip up the supporters among US commentators in the 1930's?
I've got to this interview with a historian about the pre-war mood between the American reporters and this quote caught my eye:
If you look back to the very beginning of Hitler's rhetoric about Jews, ...
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Was it ever illegal for two people of different religions to marry in the UK?
Was it ever illegal for 2 people of different religions (e.g. Catholic & Anglican) to marry in the UK? I'm refering only to "civil marriage". I'm sure, even now, that the Catholic church may not ...
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What is the name of the theory opposite to the Great Man theory?
The Great Man theory is a 19th-century idea according to which history can be largely explained by the impact of "great men", or heroes; highly influential individuals.
In nearly every lecture on ...
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What are the social preconditions for division of labour, when compared in different emerging civilizations?
I would like to know if historians/economists/sociologists agree on the preconditions required for division of labour in ancient and/or earlier societies. Are there any common preconditions and ...
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At what point do armies tend to break?
I remember hearing something about where it was discerned that after a certain percent of losses armies tend to break (ie retreat). Does research on this exist? If so, at what point do armies tend ...
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When was divorce made illegal again in Ireland?
Divorce has been legal in the UK for a long time (since Henry VII obviously). Ireland was part of the UK since 1800 (Act of Union of 1800), so I assume that civil divorce was legal in Ireland in the ...
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Are there any examples of people being able to predict the consequences of communication revolutions?
I often read predictions about future technologies from analysis companies like Gartner Group. These studies often strike me as awfully linear in their view on development. I would, therefore, like to ...
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What is the status of Weber's protestant ethic thesis?
Max Weber in his famous book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism elaborates a thesis that relates the development of the capitalistic system is a result of the work ethic that emerged ...
- 333
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In a challenge to duel, what happened if a thrown gauntlet (and later, glove) was refused?
What would become of a gauntlet or glove after a denied duel? I'm not finding any hints on Google.
Would the challenger abandon it after throwing it to their challengee's feet, as a matter of honor? ...
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How do nations maintain sovereignty over conquered nations?
After the battle of Hastings, William defeated the English with ~7000 men. What I don't understand fully, is how an army of 7000 can maintain control over England, which had around 1.7 million people ...
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How did the Mongol Nomads' System of Raiding and Trading Work?
I've read (in a source I no longer remember) that the Mongol tribes of the Steppe, like some other cultures, had this habit of raiding each other without it being seen as an act of war. More ...
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Is the Krishna (a god within Hinduism), an appropriated historical figure?
Some people on quora etc, put claims to redefine the events within in the Hinduism theology as verifiable & scientifically true historical events and in such an attempt, the Mythological narrative ...
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Did people during the Renaissance believe that the heart had two chambers?
Short question (adapted from @Oddthinking at Skeptics.SE):
How many chambers did the scientific population of the world (excluding Leonardo da Vinci), think the human heart had during the Renaissance?...
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Are there documented shifts in how history, time, and accuracy were regarded in society? [closed]
I recall an interview where Reza Aslan described that History, in its present form, didn't always exist that way. That is the rigor, validation, and peer review wasn't present. Instead, it was a ...
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0
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Is there systematic cross-country studies about the relationship between individualistic/collectivistic cultures and the number of unique last names?
Anecdotally, more individualistic cultures (e.g. England) tend to have many last names, while more collectivistic cultures (e.g. Korea) tend to have many common last names (Choi, Lee, etc.).
Is there ...
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Have there been any notable people that have claimed that classism and not racism is the current cause of racial inequality? [closed]
Particularly in the United States, class and race seem to be interrelated, i.e., people are generally separated by both their wealth and by their race. Given the history of racism in the United States,...
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When did polygamy start becoming illegal? [closed]
Anyone knows when the greek/roman (or anyone else) start prohibiting polygamy and why?
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