Classical Sociological Theory Research Articles

Research on the Asymmetric Development of the Contribution of Mobile Games and Client Games to China's Video Game Industry

This paper will focus on two important areas in the electronic game industry, namely, "mobile games", which are mainly operated and played on portable mobile devices and "client games", which are mainly operated on non-portable mobile devices such as computers, game consoles and televisions. The market in the Chinese mainland is selected as the research object. First, it explains the background of the development of these two different types of games in the Chinese mainland market and the trend in recent years. Clarify the basic content and specific differences between mobile games and client games in terms of definitions. Second, it discusses in detail the reasons for the asymmetric development of mobile and client games in the Chinese market. It uses the representative work of China's mobile games "Genshin Impact" and the part of 3A games in client games for case study, and makes a comparative analysis using classic sociological theories such as "localization", "globalization", and "McDonaldization". The paper discusses the internal reasons for the uneven development of these two different game media in the Chinese mainland market and the possible consequences of the assembly line of the game industry. Finally, the paper gives solutions to the market layout of mobile and client games in the Chinese mainland from the perspective of complete system and legal construction of the government, the improvement of the marketing mode of game developers and the enhancement of users' ability to explore the game market independently.

Emotions in the Perspective of Sociology

The article presents the history of development of sociological thought on emotions and demonstrates two classic traditions of their understanding: a positivistic one, describing the duality of human nature (individual and social, emotional and rational), and a neo-positivistic one, oriented towards actions and interactions between individuals (emotions are placed in individuals). A sociological typology of emotions is presented, offering a distinction between universal emotions (primary, basic, fundamental) and secondary (socially constructed). Among many social definitions of emotions, Steven Gordon’s definition was used owing to its cultural and constructivist references. The second part of the article presents classic sociological theories of emotions and contemporary trends in sociological studies of emotions.

Sociology of corporate governance and the emerging disintermediation

Purpose This study aims to observe and discuss an emerging disintermediation in transportation, finance and health care, and explain how these three key areas depend on intermediary institutions that are the fruit of modern corporate governance conditions that find their roots in classical sociological theory. Design/methodology/approach The authors review and incorporate a diversity of research literature to explain the likelihood for the development and continuation of disintermediation. Findings The authors map two sociological perspectives (Emile Durkheim’s theory of interdependence and Herbert Spencer’s theory of contracts) to two modern corporate governance theories (resource dependence theory and agency theory). The authors then discuss the challenging social situation resulting from modern corporate governance and show how these conditions create the potential for a continuum of disintermediation across the specific and crucial economic sectors of transportation, finance and health care. Originality/value The implications of this theoretical integration can help organizational leaders navigate complex social and strategic issues and prepare for the consequences that may result from the emerging disintermediation.

The Gallery as Contact Zone: Renée Green’s Taste Venue, 1994, at Pat Hearn Gallery, New York

In 1994, artist Renée Green rendered the Pat Hearn Gallery as an open-ended site to study shifting taste cultures in New York City’s SoHo. The project tested the commercial gallery as a potential ‘contact zone’ (Mary Louise Pratt), where cultures meet and grapple with each other in asymmetrical relations of power. By embracing curatorial and museological tactics, she activated long-standing issues regarding the representation of race, first by ‘curating’ an exhibition of real and mimetic historical artefacts and second by refashioning the gallery as a venue for events. This article discusses how exhibitions may or may not facilitate contact zones. Focusing on postmodern ‘hipness’ in the 1990s, I argue that Green’s framing of the gallery as a site of trendiness complexifies Pratt’s idea of the contact zone as well as more classic sociological theories of class.

Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Family Structure in Nigeria

Purpose: The study sought to analyze the impacts of industrial revolution on the family structure in Nigeria
 Methodology: The study adopted a desktop methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
 Findings: The results show that there has been a change of family structure since the pre industrialization era and the post industrialization era. The historical process of industrialization changed the ways in which families were structured and interacted. Family bonding are decreasing and divorce rate is increasing rapidly. These shift not only affected the roles of spouses and parents but also those of children. Industrialization changed gender roles and Enlightenment philosophies that inspired new ideals of equality, personal freedom, and individualism.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The modernization theory, Talcott Parsons’ theory and the classic sociological theory may be used to anchor future studies in the sociology sector. The study results will also benefit other stakeholders such as the policy makers as well as researchers and scholars from different parts of the world. The top management of both public and private industries in the country will also use the study findings to improve families and ensure high and stable performance in all their activities and programs. The study recommends that the adoption of effective social protection development policies in the family structure will help to improve efficiency in their major operations and activities.

Merit, Solidarity, and the Common Good

The university has long been oriented toward a meritocratic ideal that emphasizes individual labor and individual measures of success. However, recent studies showing the professorate to be depressed, lonely, and extremely anxious about their future careers raise questions about the merits of such meritocracy. Drawing upon classical sociological theories of solidarity as well as recent scholarship on meritocracy in American culture this essay argues that the meritocratic ideals of contemporary academia have stripped it of the ability to produce the genuine solidarity that sustains communities.

Виртуальные сообщества как новые акторы социальной реальности

The article is devoted to the analysis of the phenomenon of virtual communities that arise in social networks, today more and more often go beyond their boundaries, having a significant impact on social reality. Based on the classical sociological theories of small groups by Ch. Cooley and F. Tennis, as well as new approaches to the study of network communities by G. Reingold, N. Baym, B. Wellman, the authors explicate the very concept of a virtual community, reveal a relationship with real communities, and propose a typology modern virtual communities. Depending on the degree of influence on social reality, the authors propose to single out explicit-real (latent-virtual); exclusively virtual; explicit-virtual (latent-real) virtual communities. Using the case method, the article discusses examples of the activities of virtual communities of the third type: the community of the financial network r/wallstreetbets on the Reddit platform and the community of the founder of the “Men’s State” V. Pozdnyakov§ in Telegram. Specific examples demonstrate the mechanisms of influencing social reality through such tools as speeches, flash mobs, spam attacks, and Internet promotions. As a result, the authors note the need for a multidimensional analysis of virtual communities by government agencies, business representatives, research centers in order to study them and develop mechanisms for an adequate response to possible challenges.

Mikhail Dragomanov on Consequences of Violating the Principle of Separation of Church and State

The article considers the problems of relations between the Church and the state in the classical sociological theory of M. Drahomanov and modern sociology. In the Western sociology of religion, considerable attention is paid to distinguishing the contexts of state and Сhurch practices, which can be compatible or incompatible with democracy. Compatible with democracy is a form of interaction between Church and state that ensures the protection of religious freedom and religious self-expression of all religious organizations and excludes discrimination based on religion. The negative consequences of the violation of the «principle of separation of Church from the State» described in the works of M. Drahomanov are analyzed. The socio-cultural effects of state intervention in the affairs of the Church at the level of society are investigated: violation of the principle of freedom of conscience, religious repression, forced unification of religions, and migration of believers as a result of repression by the state. It is emphasized that the violation of the principle of freedom of conscience contributes to the formation of an imposed and inauthentic identity of the individual, the growth of religious conformity, and the strengthening of «categorical inequality» in society. The social consequences of religious discrimination are analyzed: the growth of mass tension and frustration in society, the conflict between different Church communities, and the weakening of the effect of cohesion. The negative consequences of the violation of the «principle of separation of Church from the state» for the state Church are demonstrated: weakening of influence in society, rejection of the intellectuals, and latent atheism of the population. It is emphasized that to neutralize these negative effects, it is necessary to observe the constitutional principle of separation of the Church from the state. It was concluded that the separation of Church from state should contribute to the establishment of interreligious tolerance and understanding in society.

“Dangerous modernity!”, or the shadow play of modernity and its characters: instrumental rationality - money - technology (Part 2)

The article is the second part of the essay on the phenomenon of alienation and its forms in modern societies (the first part was published in 2021, No. 4). In this part, the author focuses on technology as fetishized by the modern thinking and on various manifestations of alienation in labor, which are not only (and not so much) a consequence of private ownership of the means of production (according to Marx), but also a by-product of objective tendencies of social differentiation as aggravated in the course of historical development (division of labor) and the subordination of most spheres of the modern social experience to the logic of instrumental rationality. Excessive specialization, standardization, algorithmization, routinization of activities, technological and functional operationalization of the work process and professional roles, the dominance of means over goals, administrative and bureaucratic regulation and control have become signs of the time and distinctive features of the rhythm of activity not only in industrial enterprises, but also in non-physical labor. An important aspect (and a background circumstance) in the diagnosis of modernity is the fact that in recent centuries, modern societies have developed mainly in the urban social-ecological environment. The format and style of urban life with its role-based fragmentation and specific depersonification (and an increase in anonymity) also provoked a range of consequences that make alienation a challenge for modern societies. The author uses the concepts of classical sociological theory as a key tool for analyzing and describing the universe of modernity, and refers to the ideas of M. Weber, G. Simmel, L. Wirth, H.M. McLuhan, H. Marcuse, G. Friedmann, С. Lefort and others.

Administrative data linkage in Canada: Implications for sociological research.

This paper explores some of the implications that administrative data, defined as data initially collected for purposes other than research, will have for Sociology. Although administrative data are "found" rather than "made" and, in turn, pose several challenges, we argue that the potential of these data warrant the investment, and may lead to a new methodological imagination that can shed a light on time-tested concepts and advance our understanding of society. We show that it is already possible to advance several sociological debates through the use of administrative data and demonstrate the potential of these data through some examples drawn from classical sociological theory. We conclude by arguing that administrative data's potential will likely ensure that it becomes an important component of sociological research agendas in the coming years.

“If no one grieves, no one will remember”: Cultural palimpsests and the creation of social ties through rituals

Classic sociological theories hold that rituals offer opportunities for community integration and cohesion. Rituals allow people to come together across many differences and experience similar thoughts and feelings. Death rituals raise existential questions about the purpose of society and generally foster preexisting social ties. This paper examines the efforts of a US community of volunteers who gather to bury unclaimed, or “abandoned,” babies. Drawing on ethnographic research over a two‐year period, we advance the concept of cultural palimpsest to capture the process by which a gathering of strangers turns a potentially divisive political issue in to a community forming event. We find that in their efforts to mourn babies to whom they have no connection, these volunteers temporarily foster new social bonds that allow them to work through unresolved grief. Similar processes of ritualistically inverting social meanings occur whenever people gather to turn potentially negative into group forming events.

ОТ БЮРОКРАТИИ К ПРАВИТЕЛЬСТВУ: ЭТАПЫ И ОСОБЕННОСТИ ИНТЕРПРЕТАЦИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОГО АДМИНИСТРИРОВАНИЯ В СОЦИАЛЬНЫХ НАУКАХ

The purpose of the article is to consider the stages and features of the evolution of the concept of "state administration" in the history of Russian sociology of management and the analysis of its modern interpretations. The methodology of the research is based on the provisions and concepts as a classical sociological theory (M. Weber, K. Marx, A. Fayol), and on some developments of modern domestic and foreign scientists (R. Drago, A.I. Prigozhin, Zh.T. Toshchenko). Dialectical and systematic methods, methods of historicism and structural and functional analysis, elements of the method of linguistic analysis of scientific literature were used in the preparation of the article. As a result of the study, six main periods in the formation of views of domestic sociological schools on the concept under study are chronologically identified and the results of each of the periods are compared. The interpretation of the socio-managerial category "public administration" is presented, its relationship with another category - "public administration" is shown. The author comes to the conclusion that the evolution of the concept under consideration was decisively influenced not only by objective social needs, but also by subjective re-quests of state power. At the same time, in the process of development of domestic so-cio-managerial thought, "extremes" in the interpretations of this concept were gradually overcome.

"On The Shoulders of Giants": Theoretical Heritage of Sociology Classics for the Analysis of Modern Society

The article analyzes the potential of classical sociological theories for the research of modern societies. It is shown that the reason for the loss of interest in the classical heritage is the spread of vulgar interpretations of sociological postmodernism, radicalizing the rejection of theoretical meta-narratives, as well as presentism in the research attitudes of young sociologists. Using the example of L. Mumford's "megamachine" concept, the heuristic possibilities of sociological classics for understanding social relations in a digital society are shown. There are similarities and differences of the "megamachines" of the past as machine-like social organizations created to maximize human labor, managerial, etc. functions with social connections mediated by digital media. The conclusion is made that the application of the concept of "megamachine" to modern society actualizes an assumption that if in the societies of classical capitalism materialized labor dominated the living (K. Marx), then in a digital society objectified and embodied in symbolic systems and in complex techniques communication, information and intelligence assert their dominance over live communications and social connections.

Fear of Chaos: Sociological Interpretation of Demand for Detective Genre

The essay offers a sociological analysis of the origin and popularity of the detective genre. There are many explanations for the phenomenon of the popularity of the detective genre, but they do not answer the question why the genre became relevant in the middle of the 19th century and remains so until now. Its genesis and role are interpreted in the middle and late 19th century and in the modern world. The moment when the detective genre emerged approximately coincides with the birth of classical sociological theories. Both sociology and the new literary genre are reflections on the changes that took place in the 19th century. The detective reflects current social problems and new technologies. The classic detective contains many typical features of positivist, functionalist, Weber and Marxist discourses. The essence of detective discourse is built into the ideas of faith in the scientific method and the morality of order, criticism of the capitalistic social system and the possibility of understanding social actions and motivation of different characters. The demand for a detective today is crucially connected with the rapid technological and social changes that take place today, and the Future Shock caused by them, described by Alvin Toffler. The pace of technological change is noticeably ahead of human adaptation to a new social reality. A person is forced to somehow endure or overcome this severe state for the psyche. Reading detective stories creates a short-term illusion of the possibility of mitigating and overcoming the Future Shock. However, reading or viewing a detective story does not provide a real chance to adapt to the liquid modernity.Such an important psychotherapeutic function is unique among literary and movie genres, so it can be predicted that detectives, despite the skepticism of many critics and intellectuals, will remain in demand and relevant in the future.

The politics of assetization: from devices of calculation to devices of obligation

ABSTRACT This article develops a new theoretical perspective on the politics of financialization with housing as its specific case. The argument uses the recent debate on assets and assetization in the Social Studies of Finance as a starting point. In this debate, the asset is introduced vis-à-vis the commodity as a fruitful analytical category. The article argues that the suggested shift from the commodity to the asset allows for a novel understanding of the politics of financialization if it is accompanied by a parallel shift from ‘devices of calculation’ to what is here termed ‘devices of obligation’. Devices of obligation address the politics that produce the durability that the asset requires. Accounting for such politics of obligation offers a nuanced comprehension of the material, infrastructural, legal, and moral forms of binding time that are crucial for financialized revenues. In order to develop this theoretical framework, the article links insights from the Social Studies of Finance to the classical sociological theory of obligation in the work of Marcel Mauss. This allows a more granular understanding of the political dimension of financialization beyond the state. The analytical viability of this theoretical perspective is demonstrated through a case-study of the processes of the financialization of housing in Spain shortly before the financial crisis of 2008.

The origins of the theory of values in sociology and directions of its development

Since the first stages in the development of society and its scientific models, the term value has become a center of theoretical and applied concepts. On the one hand, in everyday life, we all understand the importance of value diversity; however, on the other hand, it is not clear how this diversity can be combined with the social order. The article presents an attempt to identify those interdisciplinary origins of the theory of values that are the most significant for the conceptual definition of value and for the empirical study of the value system of the contemporary society in sociology. The author identifies two conditional trends in the development of the theory of values, which are fundamentally important for sociology: the first trend is presented by the development of a kind of axiological concept which was originally purely philosophical. As a rule, the origins of this trend are found in the works of I. Kant (morality as duty, its relationship with freedom and natural aspirations, objective goals, absolute values, etc.), since all subsequent philosophical interpretations of values either followed or criticized his transcendental approach. Thus, representatives of neo-Kantianism focused on such concepts as revaluation of values, value devaluation, imaginary values and guiding cultural values, values and estimates. The origins of the classical sociological theories of values are found in the works of E. Durkheim: he believed that values formed a kind of objective reality on which social harmony can and should be based; therefore, the main social phenomena (religion, morality, law, economics, aesthetics) are systems of (very different) values, or social ideals. The evolution of sociological interpretations of values was determined by the gradual departure from purely theoretical concepts to generalized methodological models, which allowed to describe the role of values in the institutionalized performance of the functions of preserving and reproducing a cultural model, and then to empirical-instrumental models based on the terms value orientations and social attitudes. Thus, the second conditional trend in the development of the theory of values in sociology is determined by the introduction of methods for the empirical study of value diversity in the historical and comparative perspectives.

A concise history of sociology’s ‘indigenization’ in postwar Taiwan: Emergence, transformation, and invisibilization

In Taiwan, sociology is ‘the Western knowledge’ by its origin, and inevitably will be indigenized, especially in the process of teaching or researching. The development of sociology in postwar Taiwan takes a crooked path. It is in the crooked path to postwar that the indigenization in Taiwan’s sociology takes different faces, employing different terminology and constellating around different academic figures to embody the indigenization as we have known today. Although the path from sinicization to Taiwanization may nicely capture the basic line of Taiwan’s sociology after the Second World War, it does fail to reveal the details that can suggest to a more dynamic, more controversial side of indigenization. In this short article, we review the emergence, transformation, and invisibilization of indigenization in postwar Taiwan in the following three aspects: its periodization, the socio-political background in which the debate is embedded, and the key issues involved. While the indigenization debate has been subsiding in last decade, we will argue that the ideal which the debate evinces is still significant and influential. In conclusion, we propose an alternative view to rethink the indigenization of Taiwan’s sociology. In terms of reciprocal comparison and connected histories, Taiwan’s case exemplifies an alternative trajectory of modernity, which is potential to correct the hitherto double historical misrecognition of modernity upheld by classical sociological theories, and to build a new synthesis or a new theory of modernities.

The sociology of the legal profession in the digital age

ABSTRACT This article explores how classical sociological theories such as functionalism, critical approaches, and Weberian intepretivism, can help understand the legal profession in the digital age. It argues that functionalist approaches allow to explore the changing societal role of lawyers in a digital world. Critical approaches allow for understanding how the legal profession respond to different constellations of actors and other social forces and how it is characterized by internal divisions and stratifications. Finally, Weberian approaches are helpful to reveal how the legal profession legitimizes itself by developing specific legal rationalities in response to societal and political dynamics.

Social partnership in education: implementation practice at the local level (the results of a new experiment of the People's Ukrainian Academy)

This article attempts to analyze the problem of social partnership in educational sphere, based on the results of the experiment of the People's Ukrainian Academy on the formation and development of social partnership as an effective factor in ensuring the stability and prospects of education. The demand for the idea of social partnership in educational sphere as an effective factor in ensuring stability and further development of educational systems has been substantiated. The potential of classical sociological theories in the study of social partnership is revealed, the main theoretical aspects of the implementation of social partnership in educational sphere are determined. The directions of the research developments of domestic scientists on the state and trends in the development of social partnership, reforming higher education based on the consolidation of efforts of stakeholders, technologies of social partnership, stakeholder relations, problems of trust in educational sphere are presented.
 The analysis of theoretical developments and practical implementation of intermediate results of research and experimental work within the framework of the experiment is presented. Attention is drawn to such types of social partnership in education, which define partnership as a system of relationships between the subjects of the educational process and the educational institution; partnership as a level of the organization of relations between an educational institution and external social structures.
 The effective principles of joint activities are highlighted such as: consistency; voluntariness; trust; interrelation and interdependence of actions of stakeholders; flexibility and mobility; continuity, common values. Organizational and coordinating forms of social partnership have been determined, which have already proven their effectiveness. Among them, the following can be found: a board of trustees, an advisory board on financial and investment issues, a resource center for social partnership at the regional level; resource center for social partnership on the basis of an educational institution; a council of partners of the educational institution. Priority directions for further implementation of the experiment have been determined.

On the essential role of organized skepticism in science’s “internal and lawful autonomy” (Eigengesetzlichkeit)

The institution of science is said to be under pressure from political, economic and social interests, manifested in alleged bureaucratization, managerial reforms, anti-intellectual movements on university campuses, and widespread questioning of expert knowledge in society. Commercialization of academic publishing and the growth of competitive funding have increased the importance of journal and grant peer review in science and seem also to have contributed to the proliferation of false impressions about the nature of scientific knowledge production and science’s role in society. In this article, these developments are problematized and put into perspective with the help of classic sociological theory in a Weberian and Mertonian tradition, in an attempt to shed new light on the debate on the governance and institutional autonomy of science. First, academic science is identified as a Weberian value sphere with “internal and lawful autonomy” ( Eigengesetzlichkeit), and the broader functionalist context of this supposition is discussed. Second, Merton’s theory of the normative structure of science is used to give specific content to Eigengesetzlichkeit in the case of science. Third, the concept of organized skepticism is developed to represent a range of social patterns ubiquitous in scientific practice, and its epistemological and sociological foundations are discussed. Organized skepticism is thus identified as the essential feature of science’s Eigengesetzlichkeit.