A. K. Saran’s Sociology: Towards a Critique of Modernist Mode in Social Sciences

2021 ◽  
pp. 003802292097031
Author(s):  
Ajit Kumar Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
Philosophical Method ◽  
Traditional Values ◽  
Great Contribution ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
Academic World ◽  
Philosophical Orientation ◽  
Negative Side ◽  
Professional Sociologist

In the academic world of Indian Sociology, the deeply philosophical orientation of A. K. Saran’s approach, together with the masterly approaches developed by Radha Kamal Mukerjee and D. P. Mukerjee, each in his own distinct way came to be known as the trait of the Lucknow School, which made the great contribution of making traditional values not as the object of the study but as the frame of reference for sociological study and analysis. Saran, in this academic endeavour, appears to be influenced by the great philosophers like Rene Guenon, A. K. Coomaraswamy, Frithjof Schuon, Micro Pallis and Titus Burckhardt. These philosophers, though concerned with the crises of modern civilisation, were primarily remained engaged in the enunciation and interpretation of the traditional doctrines at the abstract doctrinal level. But Saran as a professional sociologist remained busy throughout his life in expounding and examining theories and ideologies, problems and problematic, conflicts and contradictions and norms, values and institutions of modern societies and welfarism. Saran took on the negative side of the task, that is, the critique of modernity as his vocation, whose unique logic-dialectical-philosophical method became his trademark. Through this article, I take an opportunity to make today’s academic world familiar with some of the significant contributions of Saran.

scholarly journals To walk on the Penrose stairs of science

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toan Manh Ho ◽  
Hong-Kong T. Nguyen ◽  
Thu-Trang Vuong ◽  
NGUYỄN Minh Hoàng ◽  
Tung Manh Ho
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Academic World

How we have learnt to overcome our shortcomings, face our fears, and grow as competent researchers in the harsh academic world. Published in Behavioural and Social Sciences at Nature Research

scholarly journals Cyclical theories of social change: Spengler and Toynbee

Sociologija ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-312
Author(s):  
Dragoljub Kaurin
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Change ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
The West ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Historical Cycles ◽  
Proper Unit ◽  
Oswald Spengler

This paper is centrally concerned with discussing critically and rethinking the theoretical concepts put forward by Oswald Spengler in Decline of the West and Arnold Toynbee in A Study of History. It focuses on the theoretical, heuristic and epistemological value of these theories in the era of renaissance of philosophic history in some quarters (see for example Graham, 2002) and cooperation between social sciences. Spengler is credited with the idea of historical cycles, rethinking of the progressivist view and discovering a radically different approach to the study of the human past, which is embodied in his idea of culture as the proper unit for historical and sociological study. However, some of his views proved to be intrinsically intellectually dubious, but on the whole, his was a major contribution to the study of social change. Arnold Toynbee on the other hand was more empirically and sociologically oriented, while Spengler?s views are more heavily philosophical. Toynbee partly developed his ideas rather consistently, but at the same time included many unclear and inaccurate points in his theory. Both authors can be rightfully considered to be classical authors in this field and both provided incentive for studies that cross-cut social sciences (philosophy, history, sociology). Moreover, Decline of the West and A Study of History are truly post-disciplinary works.

Reframing Society and Culture in Post-Soviet Russia

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 710-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Davis ◽  
Howard Davis ◽  
Sergey Erofeev
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Historical Materialism ◽  
Institutional Development ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Academic World ◽  
International Trends ◽  
The Social ◽  
Soviet Russia ◽  
Soviet Experience

Abstract How far have social theorists in Russia engaged with the international academic world since the era dominated by Soviet-style historical materialism? Mainstream theories in sociology and ‘culturology’ use new vocabulary but remain loyal to ideological interpretations of society and culture. A minority of Russian sociologists have translated, adopted and critiqued Western ideas. Works by three such authors are explored and compared. This leads to consideration of the institutional development of the social sciences in post-Soviet Russia and their relative isolation from international trends, especially in the regions. The discussion highlights the limitations of old institutional hierarchies and suggests that there is new demand for internationally-trained social scientists to analyze and interpret the post-Soviet experience in innovative ways.

Conversation Analysis

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Sidnell
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
Turn Taking ◽  
Close Study ◽  
Humanities And Social Sciences ◽  
Action Sequencing

Conversation analysis is an approach to the study of social interaction and talk-in-interaction that, although rooted in the sociological study of everyday life, has exerted significant influence across the humanities and social sciences including linguistics. Drawing on recordings (both audio and video) naturalistic interaction (unscripted, non-elicited, etc.) conversation analysts attempt to describe the stable practices and underlying normative organizations of interaction by moving back and forth between the close study of singular instances and the analysis of patterns exhibited across collections of cases. Four important domains of research within conversation analysis are turn-taking, repair, action formation and ascription, and action sequencing.

Democracy and the Scientific Method In the Philosophy of John Dewey

1969 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph G. Metz
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Science ◽  
John Dewey ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Political Democracy ◽  
Traditional Values ◽  
Experimental Science ◽  
Philosophical Orientation ◽  
Normative Content

John Dewey was both a devoted student of politics and an eminent philosopher. He constructed his theory of political democracy according to his own philosophical orientation. At the same time, he believed that political science should be pursued independently of political philosophy on the assumption that the “scientific method” alone is meaningful in resolving political questions. It is through his philosophy of “experience,” instrumentalism, that Dewey resolved the potential antithesis between philosophy and experimental science as he understood it. It is the scientific method alone, Dewey insists, that can do justice to the integrity of “experience.” Moreover, through its application to political democracy, the scientific method is the link connecting philosophical instrumentalism and democracy. Accordingly, this essay will attempt to show: 1) the threefold relationship among philosophy, science, and democracy provides the key to an understanding of Dewey's political thought; 2) the philosophical antecedents of instrumentalism, being inseparable from Dewey's “scientific method,” provide normative content for his democratic theory; and 3) the purpose of Dewey's application of the scientific method to political democracy is to reshape traditional values in accordance with the philosophical — and not necessarily scientific — antecedents of instrumentalism.

Obraz współczesnej akademickości w Polsce

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 30-38
Author(s):  
Andrzej Chodubski
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
European Union ◽  
Information Society ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
Traditional Values ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Scientific Communities ◽  
The University ◽  
The Bologna Process

It is indicated in the lecture that higher education (universities) is one of the fundamentalentities that change the image of cultural and civilizational life. Nowadays, its existence in Poland is based on the European Union projects, including rules of so called the Bologna process. Changes in theimage and development of the Polish academicism that have been taking place, became subject of deep criticism made by scientific communities, as well as broad publicopinion. In the process of these changes a clash between traditional values and information society creation was revealed. A particularly critical attitude towards the present development of academicism at the University is presented by representatives of humanities and social sciences.

scholarly journals أهمية الدراسات البينيَّة بالنهوض الأكاديمي في دراسة الفن وفق التفكير المقاصدي

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (96) ◽  
pp. 125-98
Author(s):  
رائد جميل عكاشة
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Knowledge Structure ◽  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
Social Sciences And Humanities ◽  
Semantic Fields ◽  
Program Of Study ◽  
Art Program ◽  
Integrative Studies ◽  
The One

تحاول الدراسة بناء تصور حول برنامج للفنون بناءً على مقاصد الشريعة، وأهمية الدراسات البينية والتكاملية في تحقيق توازن بين البنية المعرفية الإسلامية الممثلة في الأصول التأسيسية (القرآن الكريم والسنة النبوية) والتراث الحضاري من جهة، وعلوم العصر من جهة أخرى. لقد غدت التكاملية إطاراً مرجعياً ومعياراً لفهم العلاقات بين العلوم، وإعادة تنظيمها، واكتشاف أواصر القربى بينها، لا سيما بين تلك العلوم ذات الحقول الدلالية المشتركة كما في العلوم الاجتماعية والعلوم الإنسانية. ومنهجية التفكير المقاصدي مهمة في نقل التفكير من صفة الجزئية إلى صفة الكلية، حتى يستوعب الظاهرة بصورة أكثر شمولية. إن التوازن المشار إليه يفيد في تحديد نوعية الخطاب الفني المناسب للمرحلة، ويعمل على تأسيس البرنامج التعليمي للفن بناء على التصوّر المعرفي والوظيفة الحضارية للفن أولاً (المعرفة)، وليس على تركيبته وبُعده الفني والجمالي (العلم)، وسيُفعّل فكرة البدائل الحضارية التي هي جزء أصيل من التفكير المقاصدي. This study attempts to develop a conception of art program of study based on the purposes of the Shari'a (maqasid), and the importance of interdisciplinary and integrative studies to achieve a balance between the Islamic knowledge structure in the founding sources (Quran and Sunnah) on the one hand, and the cultural heritage and contemporary knowledge in the other. Integration has become a frame of reference and a criterion for understanding, reconstructing and reconciling knowledge, especially knowledge with common semantic fields, such as social sciences and humanities. The approach of maqasidi thinking is important in moving from partial thinking to a wider space of global thinking in order to comprehend the phenomenon in a more comprehensive way. The balance referred to is useful in determining the quality of an appropriate artistic discourse. It helps to establish an educational art program based on the cognitive perception and cultural function of art; i.e., knowledge, not on its composition and its artistic aesthetic dimension (science). It will also activate the idea of cultural alternatives, as an integral part of the maqasidi thinking.

Beyond prosumer capitalism: Retaining the original understanding of prosumption

2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 663-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Dusi
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Grand Narrative ◽  
Academic World ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
The Social ◽  
Analytical Power

The term prosumption, simultaneously production and consumption, is becoming increasingly popular in the academic world. The growing interest in this concept, established by Alvin Toffler in 1980, is the result of several changes that fostered the fading of the classical producer–consumer division. Its increasing importance is especially noticeable in the social sciences. The attention George Ritzer recently devoted to this concept led to the development of a reworked version that raises concerns regarding the expansion of its applicability to all human activities and the proposal of the notion of prosumer capitalism as part of a new grand narrative in social sciences. Embracing the reworked version in preference to the original one seems not only to reduce the analytical power of the concept, but also to affect its ability to effectively describe a heterogeneous range of prosumption manifestations as well as to limit its fruitfulness for future research.

scholarly journals INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF SCIENCE AND THE SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY — DIFFICULTIES AND OPPORTUNITIES

2020 ◽  
pp. 50-61
Author(s):  
Jarosław Charchuła
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Social Institution ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
Academic World ◽  
Scientific Institutions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Components ◽  
The University ◽  
Globalized World

It is evident that, especially in the recent decades, the scientific institutions have strongly evolved and modified their structures in order to be adapted to the changing socio-cultural environment as well as to be more aware of the need to generate new knowledge in order to support the economic growth. Social sciences tried to interpret the process of institutionalization of science in the academic world in various ways, analyzing the social components of the process of creating the knowledge. The approach in social sciences is primarily characterized by the study of the level of institutionalization that enables the study of the features that, in turn, define science as a social institution. This approach is useful in the study of higher education systems because the institutionalized principles make the structure of an organization and primarily provide the information about what regulates the formation of a university and not only about what regulates the behavior of an individual. The organization of the university is a clear example to understand the changes that are taking place in social institutions based on scientific and technological knowledge. In fact, in recent decades, universities have changed the way they organize their activities. The new requirements favor the reorganization of the knowledge creation process which has significant consequences for changes in the internal structure of a science institution. This article focuses on the analysis of the process of institutionalization of science. This approach to science is primarily characterized by the analysis of the features that define science as a social institution. In this context, the most important challenges and difficulties related to these processes in a globalized world are presented.

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