Knowledge, Experience, and Ruling Relations: Studies in the Social Organization of Knowledge

George Free is a Toronto area writer and teacher, who recently completed
his Ph.D. in the study of the sociology of knowledge at York University.

This book brings together 17 essays written by students and admirers of
Canadian sociologist and feminist author Dorothy E. Smith. It is
designed not to introduce or to explain Smith’s work, but to show how
her approach to the study of the social organization of knowledge can be
used to analyze the experience of a variety of social problems and
conflicts. Dealing with topics ranging from the management of the AIDS
epidemic to issues of mothering and children’s education, the essays
contribute to our understanding of how our experience and knowledge of
the world are shaped by the society in which we live.

As this book testifies, Smith has been an important influence in
Canadian sociology.

Drawing on Marxism, phenomenology, and ethno-methodology, her work has
inspired activists and academics interested in the study of social
problems to make use of some of the most sophisticated ideas currently
available in the social sciences. While the essays vary in quality, each
author makes a strong attempt not only to understand individual
experience in terms of broader social circumstances but also to draw
conclusions for social policy and action.

At the same time, the book suffers from a number of weaknesses that are
typical in such collections. As students and admirers of Smith’s work,
the authors show little interest in, or awareness of, other
contributions to the sociology of knowledge. This lack of awareness
leads to exaggerated claims on Smith’s behalf. Her work is embraced
not simply as one approach to the social study of knowledge, but as an
“alternative sociology” that purports to revise and replace
sociology as a whole.

Unfortunately for a book that aims to clarify and help make sense of
the experience of women and other dominated groups, Knowledge,
Experience, and Ruling Relations is written in an often dense and
jargon-laden style. Clearly, the book will be of interest not to the
people it studies, but to other academics interested in the work of
Dorothy Smith.