Conceptualization of the society category in the history of sociology: key discussions

Abstract

The article highlights and analyzes in detail the key discussions that took place in the history of sociology in relation to the category of society and its conceptualization: about the essence of society, about the driving forces (factors) that determine the development of society; on the identification of historical types of societies; about the methodology of analysis of society. Within the framework of the first discussion – about the essence of society, approaches to the essence of society by sociological nominalists and sociological realists are considered. The second discussion, dedicated to the driving forces of societal development, is presented from the points of view of geographic, demographic, technological, cultural, biological and economic determinists. Special attention is paid to the concept of socio-historical determinism, and within its framework – to the categories of social production and social activity. In the third discussion, devoted to the problem of identifying historical types of societies, the stages of development of societies according to H. Spencer, the movement of society from barbarism to civilization by J.St. Mill, and also provides a typology of societies according to E. Giddens. The trajectories of development of industrial societies also apply to this discussion. The article examines the concept of “new industrial society” by J. Galbraith, ideas about modern and postmodern societies, ideas about “reflexive modernization”. Particular attention is paid to the information and digital societies. Approaches to the category of digitalization are outlined, a definition of a digital society is given, types of digital inequality are outlined, which lead to a special social exclusion that reduces the life chances of people. The fourth discussion, about the methodology of analyzing society, is presented by the points of view of structural functionalists – T. Parsons and E. Shills, as well as a systematic approach that takes into account the totality of all types of relations between members of society, in modern sociology is designated by the concept of “societal relations”. The article emphasizes that it is societal relations that form social reality, which has a significant impact on the content and forms of social behavior of people and the world around them in a particular society. The authors also consider the reasons for the critical understanding of the category of society in modern sociology, and also provide arguments showing its significance.