Joey 1997 Today

Drawing on , Sprague critiques the discipline’s conceptual preference for "decontextualized abstractions". She argues that the "standard" unit of analysis in sociology is often an abstract individual, which reflects the life experiences of men whose daily physical and emotional needs are traditionally managed by others (typically women). This allows male theorists to view the world as a series of abstract structures and rational choices, ignoring the "relations of reproduction" and lived experiences that are sociologically invisible in mainstream theory. 3. Institutional Power and Exclusion

Sprague utilizes a clever play on words in her title, "Can[n]on," to highlight the dual nature of these foundational texts. They are both a (a sacred body of law or literature) and a cannon (a weapon of exclusion and power). She suggests that by elevating a small group of "founding fathers" to the status of "holy men," the discipline treats their specific, historically situated perspectives as universal truths. 2. Standpoint and Abstraction joey 1997

," published in Gender & Society . This seminal work offers a feminist critique of how the sociological canon is constructed and maintained. Drawing on , Sprague critiques the discipline’s conceptual