Making the Familiar Strange

In Chapter 1, Conley describes sociology as an attempt to “make the familiar strange.” In other words, sociologists systematically study the everyday world that we often take for granted. Sociologists do this in order to better understand why people do the things they do. Describe some of your everyday actions and interactions with others. Based on your reading in Chapter 1, how do you think a sociologist might describe or explain some of these activities? In other words, how would a sociologist connect your everyday experiences to larger social forces? Examples might include maintaining your personal appearance, going to college, working, parenting, buying your coffee every morning, etc.