Reshaping social theory from complexity and ecological perspectives

Thesis Eleven ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Smith ◽  
Chris Jenks
Keyword(s):  
Social Theory ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Self Organization ◽  
Ecological Approach ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Philosophy Of Ecology

This article argues that Durkheim’s founding insight – uniquely social phenomena – presents us with both a foundation for the discipline of sociology and the risk that the discipline will become isolated. This, we argue, has happened. Our contention is that the emergent social phenomena need to be understood in relation to, but not reduced to, their biological and psychological substrates. Similarly, there are a number of other characteristics, notably of self-organization, which are distinguishing properties of social phenomena but also of quite different phenomena. The comparison is instructive. We therefore argue for an ecological approach to sociological theory, which has important relationships to the general theories and philosophy of ecology and biology. We explore a number of terminological and conceptual parallels that may inform our understanding of the relation of social theory to these and other disciplines.

scholarly journals Existence theory: Outline for a theory of social behaviour

2021 ◽  
pp. 1468795X2199824
Author(s):  
Patrick Baert ◽  
Marcus Morgan ◽  
Rin Ushiyama
Keyword(s):  
Formal Education ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Existence Theory ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Cultural Expectations

This article introduces ‘existence theory’ as a new approach to sociological theory and research. Existence theory starts from the assumption that people organise their lives around a limited set of existential milestones. Cultural expectations are such that without the accomplishment of those milestones, individuals may experience their lives as incomplete. Examples of milestones can include the attainment of formal education, a lasting partnership and the creation of a family, but in general the milestones which are important to individuals and their precise articulation will depend on a variety of cultural and structural factors. The achievement of existential milestones often depends on that of other existential milestones, thereby producing what we call an ‘existential ladder’. The article also elaborates on the significance of ‘existential urgency’ in that, due to a variety of factors (some biological, some cultural and structural), there are time limits on when certain existential milestones ought to be achieved by. In contemporary society, we note that individuals seem to have more choice about which milestones are important to them and when they can be achieved, although we emphasise that this flexibility is unevenly distributed. This then provides a steppingstone towards an elaboration of the power dynamics and inequalities underlying both the experience and the achievement of existential milestones. Finally, this paper shows how existence theory helps to reflect on a variety of social phenomena of contemporary significance: populism in politics, forced migration, and the coronavirus pandemic.

scholarly journals The Application of Abductive and Retroductive Inference for the Design and Analysis of Theory-Driven Sociological Research

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha B. Meyer ◽  
Belinda Lunnay
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Stage Model ◽  
Qualitative Research Design

Abductive and retroductive inference are innovative tools of analysis which enable researchers to refine and redevelop social theory. This paper describes and demonstrates how to apply these tools to strengthen sociological theory-driven empirical research outputs. To illustrate how abductive and retroductive inference work for the benefit of enhanced qualitative analysis we present the findings of a qualitative study that investigated heart disease patients’ trust in medical professionals (n=37). We outline the research process using a six-stage model developed by Danermark et al. (1997) that will guide researchers doing exploratory research in how to use abductive and retroductive inference in qualitative research design and analysis. A snapshot of the study findings are provided for illustration purposes. The reader will learn how the application of these under-utilized methodological tools provides a novel way of analyzing sociological research.

THE CURIOUS HISTORICAL DETERMINISM OF RANDALL COLLINS

2003 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
BARBARA MISZTAL ◽  
DIETER FREUNDLIEB
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Ancient Greece ◽  
Global Theory ◽  
China And India ◽  
The Social ◽  
Medieval China ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Intellectual Creativity

Randall Collins' The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change (1998) examines and compares communities of intellectuals linked as networks in ancient and medieval China and India, medieval and modern Japan, ancient Greece, medieval Islam and Judaism, medieval Christendom and modern Europe. The book has been the subject of many interesting and often positive reflections (for example, European Journal of Social Theory 3 (I), 2000; Review Symposium or reviews in Sociological Theory 19 (I), March 2001). However, it has also attracted a number of critical reviews (for example, reviews in Philosophy of the Social Sciences 30 (2), June 2000). Since not many books achieve such notoriety, it is worthwhile to rethink Collins' controversial approach. The aim of this paper is to encourage further debates of notions and issues presented in Collins' book. We would like, by joining two voices—sociologist and philosopher—to reopen discussion of Collins' attempt to discover a universality of patterns of intellectual change, as we think that more interpretative rather than explanatory versions of our respective disciplines can enrich our understanding of blueprints of intellectual creativity.

Materiality and Social Life

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore Schatzki
Keyword(s):  
Social Theory ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Kentucky Bluegrass ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
History Of ◽  
Material History ◽  
Human Practices ◽  
Bluegrass Region ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Do So

An important issue in contemporary social theory is how social thought can systematically take materiality into account. This article suggests that one way social theory can do so is by working with an ontology that treats materiality as part of society. The article presents one such ontology, according to which social phenomena consist in nexuses of human practices and material arrangements. This ontology (1) recognizes three ways materiality is part of social phenomena, (2) holds that most social phenomena are intercalated constellations of practices, technology, and materiality, and (3) opens up consideration of relations between practices and material arrangements. A brief practice-material history of the Kentucky Bluegrass region where the author resides illustrates the idea that social phenomena evince changing material configurations over time.

scholarly journals The ‘duplex’ perspective as an attempt to resolve the key sociological dilemma

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 170-175
Author(s):  
I. Šulc
Keyword(s):  
Social Theory ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Historical Sociology ◽  
Theoretical Knowledge ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Sociological Perspective ◽  
Scientific Interest ◽  
Historical Processes ◽  
Sociological Thought

This article is a review of the books by the famous Czech sociologist, head of the Historical Sociology Chair of the Faculty for Humanities at the Charles University (Prague), Jiří Šubrt Historical Processes, Social Changes, and Modernization in the Sociological Perspective (Moscow: RUDN; 2017. 248 p.), Antinomies, Dilemmas, and Discussions in the Contemporary Sociological Thought: Essays on Social Theory (Moscow: RUDN; 2018. 280 p.), and Individualism, Holism and the Central Dilemma of Sociological Theory (Bingley: Emerald Publishig; 2019. 184 p.). All three works focus on the key sociological dilemma - individualism versus holism, which has been the main scientific interest of J. Šubrt in recent years. The relevance of this dilemma is obvious: individualism declares the subjectivity of the person, while holism insists on the objectivity of the supra-individual social reality, and this contradiction hinders the development of theoretical knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary to try to resolve this contradiction, which Šubrt does by critically analyzing the previous attempts to resolve this dilemma and by considering it in the ‘duplex’ perspective that reflects both voluntarist and social principles.

scholarly journals Planejamento: do economicismo moderno à dialética socioespacial

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Lucas Linhares
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Critical Assessment ◽  
Planning Theory ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
The Social ◽  
Analytical Category ◽  
Rationality Model

A teoria e a práxis do planejamento, nas sociedades capitalistas modernas, refletem a consolidação de um modelo de racionalidade fundado numa visão mecanicista dos processos sociais. A matriz positivista da ciência – que busca enunciar (e predizer) os fenômenos sociais por meio de leis universais – alcançou posição hegemônica e assentou as bases do planejamento moderno. No campo da Economia Política, dominada pela perspectiva mecanicista embutida na corrente neoclássica, a busca da construção de esquemas teóricos generalistas confere ao espaço, enquanto categoria analítica, um papel secundário. O presente artigo propõe inicialmente uma discussão epistemológica, buscando avaliar criticamente o significado da incorporação de um paradigma economicista e mecanicista por parte da teoria do planejamento. Entrecortando a discussão epistemológica, procuramos, amparados na perspectiva teórica neomarxista, reafirmar o papel do espaço como categoria elementar à compreensão dialética da dinâmica capitalista, sem a qual uma teoria do planejamento incorreria em importante lacuna. O reconhecimento de que as contradições do modo de produção devem ser desvendadas pela investigação do espaço socialmente engendrado é capaz de nos conduzir a uma teoria social mais robusta no balizamento do planejamento.Palavras-chave: planejamento; dialética socioespacial; modernidade; espaço social.Abstract: In modern capitalist societies, the Planning Theory and Praxis reflects a consolidation of a “mechanical” rationality model which treats social phenomena as they could be described by universal and immutable laws. Specifically in the field on Political Economy which is dominated by neoclassical corpus, searching for general theoretical schemes tends to neglect the “space” as analytical category. Initially, this paper aims to make an epistemological discussion and to make a critical assessment of the embodiment of the “mechanical paradigm” by the Planning Theory. Moreover, this paper intends to put the space on foreground of the Social Theory, i.e., the space is taken as a fundamental category to comprehend the capitalist dynamics. Looking into socially built space allows us to reach a socio-spatial dialectics and hence a more comprehensive Social Theory and a stronger Planning Theory.Keywords: planning; socio-spatial dialectics; modernity; social space.

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