Classical Sociology Research Articles

Modern infrastructures through the lens of classical sociology: Unpacking ambiguities

Infrastructure—as a concept, word, and physical construct—is deeply intertwined with the shaping of modern societies. The term infrastructure emerged amidst the context of rapid societal changes brought by the Industrial Revolution, evolving from an initial specialized usage associated with railway development to a broader concept materially encapsulating “sociotechnical imaginaries of modernity”. Therefore, an intriguing connection exists between the spread of the notion of “infrastructure” and the roots of sociology as a social science discipline that is worthy to explore. This article delves into the historicity of this concept in relation to classical sociological thought, focusing on the often-implicit notion that “modern” infrastructures developed to collectively organize and support social life on a given territory in enduring ways, indeed, to create “society.” Through a historical-sociological approach, we closely look at specific trajectories of infrastructures of/in modernity and discuss the ambiguities that arise from tracing their historical developments and revisiting classical understandings in the present. Specifically, we focus on shifting world-regional dependencies, collective and individual tensions, and dynamics of rise and decline.

Sociology as science of liberation: a case-study of manual laborers

ABSTRACT This paper begins by adverting to the re-opening of the question of the relationship between (working) class and its representation in light of mounting awareness of the price paid for the eclipse of class-based discourse within politics, academia and the media. Upon the twin bases of a ‘representational deficit’ and search for ‘integral representation’ released by material affluence and unprecedented expectations of agency, I give an account of liberation drawing upon three years of ethnographic fieldwork among manual laborers in Fife (Scotland), beginning with a description of the ‘second nature’ brought into being by doing (manual labor). Introducing the notion of the condition of reduction, I use this as the foundation for an account of individuation which culminates in the exercise of cognitional agency characterized by the alignment of doing, being and knowing. Upon this structuration in truth the paper argues for a fully representational sociology and reviews the sociology of knowledge tradition and some of the self-limiting pre-suppositions of classical sociology, including the short-comings of Marxism, to draw out how sociology can respond to the mass advent of unprecedented freedom.

Collective Identity and Care Ethics: Insights From Chilean Migrant Solidarity Initiatives

The paper examines the term solidarity in its different usages in Chile in the light of migrant organizations. Based on a 11-months ethnographic fieldwork carried on with migrant organizations in Chile, the article aims to add a new layer to the discussion on solidarity. Its theoretical inputs depart from classical sociology to delve into anthropological accounts of solidarity and care, by transitioning from solidarity as charity to a notion of solidarity that combines political commitment with works of care.

An essay on relatıonal analysıs of relatıonal socıology

In recent years, examining social problems such as health, education, environment, poverty, migration, disaster, all kinds of discrimination and inequalities in a relational and intersectional manner has become increasingly preferred. Especially sociologists find the essentialist approach of classical mainstream sociology based on dualities such as traditional-modern, structure and individual inadequate for themselves. In the age of uncertainties and complexities, old views that assumed a human-centered, deterministic and linear imposed by classical or traditional sociological theories have begun to be criticized. In this context, there has been a need to renew the definition of social in a way that includes not only humans but also the beings in our natural environment such as plants, animals and soil. Since it is not appropriate and possible to call this perspective, which finds all dualities such as human-nonhuman, structure-individual, traditional-modern, time-space, macro-micro artificial and prefers process-based analyses, as a new paradigm due to its nature, it is preferred to call it a way of doing sociology. In this original research paper, first the historical development of relational sociology in the world and its differences from classical sociology are revealed. Then, relational sociological studies conducted in Turkey are examined. In fact, within the framework of the article, some predictions are tried to be made about the future of relational sociology based on its current situation. The originality of the article stems from the effort to conduct this systematic review in accordance with relational sociological principles.

A systematic review of figurational sociology within physical education research

ABSTRACT In this systematic review our purpose was to explore how Norbert Elias’s figurational sociology, amounting to 18 volumes of his collective works, has advanced understanding of PE, in both theory and practice. We had two objectives. First, to identify where in the existing research literature figurational sociology has been applied to make sense of PE. Second, to outline how others may apply figurational sociology in their PE research in ways more consistent with Elias’s approach: in more rigorous, less ‘fantastical’ ways, that do his theories greater justice. We used six electronic databases and a manual Google Scholar follow-up. Initially 388 articles were identified, and then reduced to 55 for full text screening. From those, 12 were excluded for failing to meet our inclusion criteria, resulting in a final 43 articles. In analysing these papers, we grouped them into ‘low’ (12 articles), ‘medium’ (17) and ‘high’ (14) categories, according to the depth with which authors drew upon figurational sociology. We found wide usage of how Elias’s approach, ranging from superficial application and understanding by authors, where studies could have been completed more or less without its use, to where it was employed with the depth Elias would have intended. We conclude by suggesting figurational sociology has much to offer in helping us understand social issues in PE, noting its use is sporadic across the global PE academic community, either because scholars are unaware of its illuminating potential, or because they have adopted alternative sociological approaches. Rather than advocate an ‘either-or’ approach for understanding of PE, we refer to Elias’s call for a ‘central theory,’ where sociologists should collectively seek to realise some of the synthetic ambitions of classical sociology.

Rethinking postcolonial sociology

Gregor McLennan sees my book as inaugurating a new phase of “multiplex” postcolonial sociology. This approach moves away from sweeping generalizations about Eurocentrism, Manicheaism, complicity, and pervasive coloniality in “Western” sociology. It pays closer attention to sociology’s internal heterogeneity and is less distrustful of scientific norms such as validity, objectivity, evidence, autonomy, scientific neutrality, and explanation. More specifically, my approach relies (1) on the idea of “context” from the classic sociology of knowledge and intellectual history; (2) on the concept of “field” from Bourdieu; (3) on methods of “close reading” and textual interpretation from literary criticism; and (4) on the “historians’ craft” (Bloch) of using the most extensive available archive of published and unpublished sources. I argue that we can evaluate historical thinkers in their contexts, assessing the constraints and spaces of possibility they faced, and then examine their intellectual choices, the moves they make in the social scientific game. This approach aligns more closely with the ideas of the founders of postcolonial theory, who were more interested in texts that “brush up unstintingly against historical constraints” rather than those that are “inertly of their time” (Edward Said). McLennan agrees that postcolonial sociology is indebted to European Enlightenment traditions; I focus on its roots in the sociology of knowledge and sociological historicism. The article then responds to McLennan’s main “probes.” The first concerns the methodological problem of “labeling investigations as ʽsociologyʼ and specific people as ʽsociologistsʼ”, and the limits of field theory. The second concerns my “outline of a theory of colonial sociological practice,” which tries to understand the dilemmas facing sociologists in colonial situations and the historians who study them. The third probe addresses the question of the scientific exploitation of empire. The sociologists I emphasize did not approach the colonized as a pool of resources to be extracted and exploited but worked across the colonial boundary line to generate knowledge. Although the book focuses on the mid-20th century, I return in my comments to Durkheim, upon whose shoulders so much of the later work was standing. The key is that Durkheim was also a theorist of empire and colonialism and politically an anticolonialist. He described colonies as anomic spaces and rejected biological concepts and hierarchical notions of civilization. He rejected universalistic values while advocating a system of states governed by historically specific morality and law rather than violence. Finally, Durkheim reversed the “imperial gaze,” directing it back at Europe.

Du Bois and the wounds of the First World War

W. E. B. Du Bois occupies a singular place in classical sociology as the most prolific African American scholar of his times. This article demonstrates the profound impact the First World War had on Du Bois’s life, intellectual work and political evolution. While viewing the roots of the war through the lens of the global color-line and Europe’s imperial exploitation of Africa, he nevertheless believed it represented a possibility for the expansion of democracy for people of African descent and African Americans in particular. In the aftermath of the war, Du Bois attempted to reckon with its historical and sociological meaning by writing a book, which he ultimately never completed. Du Bois’s failure to finish what would have been one of his most important works represented the failure of the war itself and his inability to effectively marshal the tools of social science to make sense of the conflict, personally, and intellectually. The war ultimately shaped the trajectory of Du Bois’s scholarship and political radicalism in ways unlike any other sociologist in the 20th century.

Россия в перспективе исторической социологии: эвристические перспективы и методологические проблемы

The article discusses the heuristic and methodological potential of historical sociology as one of the most dynamically developing disciplines of modern social and scientific knowledge. It is argued that this area of research is functionally capable of taking on the role of today's analytical philosophy of history in the form of integrity and, at the same time, the operational reflection of the historical experience of our country. The article points out the deficient nature of previous conceptualizations of the domestic past from the point of view of historical sociology. First, the development of this discipline in the West is briefly analyzed, starting with the classics of world sociology. The qualitative and quantitative growth of historical and sociological research in the second half of the 20th century—which led to a significant expansion of the explanatory repertoire of macrosociology—is highlighted. Next, the ambivalent position of historical sociology in Russia is discussed, where—despite the existing interest in its methodological categories and substantive results—a full-fledged institutionalization of this sociological discipline has not yet occurred. Thus, a conclusion is made about the existence of a serious local tradition of interest in historical-sociological synthesis, starting with the classics of historiography and pioneers of Russian sociology at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. At the same time, substantial progress is highlighted on the part of the domestic social-scientific community in the reception of the achievements of world-historical sociology at the beginning of the 21st century. The next section shows the particular relevance of modern historical-sociological approaches to the problematization of the past in the context of the domestic epistemological situation. A number of the most promising thematic complexes in modern Russian academia are highlighted. In conclusion, we highlight issues concerning framework research and scientific organization faced by historical sociology in Russia.

Как можно понимать и как тогда практиковать историческую социологию

The essay presents its author's understanding of historical sociology, as well as a view on how to practice historical sociology. The preconditions that have been necessary for the emergence of historical sociology from the American intellectual tradition are the following: first, to overcome the ‘historiosophical ahistoricism’ of classical sociology and the ahistoricism of early empirical sociology in the United States. Second, the emergence of ‘social history’ in Europe under the influence of the Great War and the social sciences rejecting the idea of progress in its evolutionary and revolutionary interpretations. The essay provides a detailed investigation of the features of the ‘new historical science’ in comparison with its traditional counterpart, as well as exploring the similarities and differences between social history and historical sociology. Social history is considered as an intermediate link between the classical ‘sociology of history’ and American historical sociology. Following social history, historical sociology turns to comparative studies and quantitative methods, but at the same time does not abandon hermeneutics. Historical sociology presupposes a mutual weakening of the nomothetics of classical ‘grand theories’ and the ideography of traditional history. It also implies a full-fledged sociological investigation of historical phenomena using procedures accepted in empirical sociology, rather than the reinterpretation of historical research in sociological-theoretical terms. This results in the emergence of special (rather than general) processual and medium-level theories of social change based on historical facts. Historical sociology focuses on theoretical generalizations, which clearly distinguishes it from social history. The essay investigates the different approaches and purposes of using the comparative historical method - and the quantitative methods that complement it. In turn, their utilization leads to problems with the acceptance of their results by traditional historians specialized in a single country and on studying primary sources in the original. Instead of concluding, the author discusses his experience and participation in the institutionalization of historical sociology in Russia and points out the problems hindering it.

Classical Sociologists' views of the Nation and its Main Paradigms About the Origin of the Kurds

This interdisciplinary article addresses two primary investigations: the sociological standpoint on the notion of nation and fundamental approaches concerning the Kurds' origin. Consequently, we seek responses to the following pair of inquiries: Firstly, it delves into the foundational aspects of understanding the origin of Kurds and Kurdish nationalism, questioning its historiography. Secondly, it investigates the categorization of fundamental ideas and approaches regarding nation and nationalism and examines the extent of their influence on Kurdish literature in the related field. The study takes a dual perspective. Initially, it explores the perspectives of classical sociologists such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and George Simmel on the concept of nation. In contrast to historical perspectives, sociologists analyze the notion through the prisms of social solidarity, moral environment, citizenship, Western rationality, and the nation as a superstructure. The second part of the article delves into the core approaches of primordialism, constructionism, and ethno-symbolism. The study concludes that the investigation into the origins of Kurds is a relatively recent development, influenced by a myriad of external and internal factors. Kurdish researchers have conducted their studies within the framework of the three above-mentioned methods, with visible differences of opinion regarding the origin of Kurds and Kurdish nationalism. Simultaneously, a distinct approach is emerging, asserting the uniqueness of the Kurdish issue and suggesting it transcends common modern paradigms.

Establishing the Health Governance of Flows: Authority Performances and Expertise at the International Sanitary Conference of 1892

Abstract At the 1892 International Sanitary Conference in Venice, experts established international health politics as governing the flows of people, traffic, and information. This focus has remained ingrained in current health politics and shaped the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper focuses on the micropolitics among these experts to understand the emergence of such governance expertise. In Venice, experts struggled to perform authority as European governments were unwilling to accept authoritative international expert practice. In response, the experts limited the role of international politics to regulating the movements of information, traffic, and people to make their expertise more agreeable. Such compromising governance expertise entailed two acts of silencing. The experts claimed that interventions that limited themselves to governing these flows were still highly effective and also silenced the de facto intrusiveness of their expertise into colonized sites. Combining classical sociology with science and technology studies, this article contributes conceptually by detailing how authority performances affect governance expertise. Contributing to the history of international relations, I show how the notion of international health politics as governing flows—rather than targeting ill health with global sanitary reform—became established in the late nineteenth century.

Comparative Analysis: Machine vs Human Translation of Educational Scientific Texts. Challenges and Solutions

Introduction. The purpose of this article is to analyze the features of identity formation and identification processes in postmodern society and in digital society. The article explores various approaches to the concept of «identity» within the framework of socio-humanitarian theories. The interrelation of real and virtual identity, the emergence of new forms and models of identity are considered. Two approaches to the analysis of identity in a digital society are analyzed and compared: digital optimism and digital pessimism.Methodology and sources. The article uses a comparative analysis of various theoretical approaches to identity formation. An interdisciplinary approach is used to understand the features of identity in the era of digitalization. As the main sources for the study of the phenomenon of identity there were used works of classics of sociology and psychology E. Erickson, J.G. Meade, E. Durkheim, as well as studies of representatives of modern philosophical and sociological theories Z. Bauman, A. Giddens, S. Turkle, A.A. Lisenkova, T.G. Leshkevich.Results and discussion. It is shown that in postmodern society, identity is characterized by the processes of individualization, fragmentation and the absence of a single cultural center. In a digital society, along with the processes of individualization, there are processes of standardization and unification of person. It is concluded that in a digital society, identity has positive and negative sides. On the one hand, there is a positive vector for the use of online communications, network interaction of people, which destroys spatial and temporal boundaries, as well as social barriers. On the other hand, new types of virtual identity are being formed, challenging a person's own identity.Conclusion. It is concluded that the digital society changes human identity, identification practices and strategies. The consequence of these processes is the formation of a person fused with digital technologies, which leads to the transformation of the social order, social norms and society as a whole.

Digital Technologies and Society: Identity Transformation

Introduction. The purpose of this article is to analyze the features of identity formation and identification processes in postmodern society and in digital society. The article explores various approaches to the concept of «identity» within the framework of socio-humanitarian theories. The interrelation of real and virtual identity, the emergence of new forms and models of identity are considered. Two approaches to the analysis of identity in a digital society are analyzed and compared: digital optimism and digital pessimism.Methodology and sources. The article uses a comparative analysis of various theoretical approaches to identity formation. An interdisciplinary approach is used to understand the features of identity in the era of digitalization. As the main sources f or the study of the phenomenon of identity there were used works of classics of sociology and psychology E. Erickson, J.G. Meade, E. Durkheim, as well as studies of representatives of modern philosophical and sociological theories Z. Bauman, A. Giddens, S. Turkle, A.A. Lisenkova, T.G. Leshkevich.Results and discussion. It is shown that in postmodern society, identity is characterized by the processes of individualization, fragmentation and the absence of a single cultural center. In a digital society, along with the processes of individualization, there are processes of standardization and unification of person. It is concluded that in a digital society, identity has positive and negative sides. On the one hand, there is a positive vector for the use of online communications, network interaction of people, which destroys spatial and temporal boundaries, as well as social barriers. On the other hand, new types of virtual identity are being formed, challenging a person's own identity.Conclusion. It is concluded that the digital society changes human identity, identification practices and strategies. The consequence of these processes is the formation of a person fused with digital technologies, which leads to the transformation of the social order, social norms and society as a whole.

Space of perception of holidays by Ukrainians: towards the possibilities of conceptualization

The article is devoted to the study of the perceptual space of the functioning of the holiday in Ukrainian society. The authors refer to the materials of the multi-year survey-omnibus KІIS with the aim of analyzing the differentiation of distances and relationships between a number of religious, secular, and state holidays in Ukrainian society using the method of multidimensional scaling. The article proposes its own conception of the space of perception, built on a number of known concepts of social perception. Proposing hypotheses regarding the potential axes of spatial structuring is carried out using the work of such sociologists and anthropologists as representatives of the College of Sociology (J. Bataille, R. Caillois), classical sociology (E. Durkheim) and carnival theory (M. Bakhtin). At the conceptual level, the authors take into account the dialectic of unity and struggle of individual and collective, sacred and profane, rational and irrational, public and intimate, etc. in the holiday. Within the framework of the analysis, the authors identified and described the axes that are stable and reproduced in all years of the KІIS omnibus survey, which the authors designate as "rational modernity - irrational archaic" and "publicity - privacy". The authors pay special attention to the dynamics of the holidays selected for analysis; they refer to the holidays that demonstrate the greatest "movements" in space over the years. Considerable attention is paid to attempts to explain the reasons for such dynamics, which the authors look for in externalities relative to public awareness of holidays (political events, pandemic (self) isolation, cultural processes, social phenomena, etc.). Among the holidays, the authors receive special attention Trinity, Victory Day (May 9), Independence Day of Ukraine, Defender's Day, New Year, Christmas, International Women's Day, which, firstly, turned out to be the most sensitive to the factors of dynamics specified by the authors, and - the second - the most dynamic and sociologically demonstrative. A number of prospects for further research of this topic are proposed, starting from what the authors have already achieved in this article.

Исчезает ли этничность в городской среде? Некоторые ответы на загадки большого города

Background. The processes of industrialisation and modernisation, according to classical sociologists, should lead to the blurring of ethnic differences, but practice shows the opposite trend. The purpose of the paper is to identify the level of civil and ethnic identity in the settlements of different types (metropolis, town, village), and the impact of various factors on its formation. Materials and methods. The implementation of the research tasks has been achieved on the basis of analysing the data of the nationwide research by the RAS Institute of Sociology “20 years of reform as viewed by Russians”, a series of studies by the International Relations Research Center of the RAS Institute of Sociology in Moscow and the republics on a representative sample, a study conducted by the subdepartment of sociology and personnel management” of Penza State University under the grant “Dynamics of students’ values and attitudes in the Volga Federal District under Russian sociocultural modernisation”, as well as data of the European Social Survey. Sociological survey and secondary analysis methods have been used. Results. The analysis of the research results showed that civil and ethnic identity in the cities not only lower than in the rural areas, but the significance of ethnic identity in the cities is even a little higher. Conclusions. The nature of interethnic relations is influenced by many factors, such as the level of education, satisfaction or dissatisfaction with one’s life, the assessment of what people gained or lost in the last decade, the collapse of hopes, anger against corruption and injustice in life. In addition, each factor in conjunction with the others “works” in different ways on every territory.

Towards a new theory of citizenship: migration rights in the chilean case

Introduction: This article investigates how migration processes impact human rights and redefine the conception of citizenship, using a qualitative case study based on the Chilean experience. Methodology: It applies a qualitative, descriptive and explanatory approach, analysing from a historical-theoretical perspective the contributions of classical sociologists on citizenship rights and how these have been influenced by migration. Analysis and Results: The analysis demonstrates that the traditional notion of citizenship, centred on residence, national identity and legal guarantees, is insufficient in the current context. The findings suggest that modern citizenship must transcend simple national membership and political participation, encompassing a broader spectrum of social and human dimensions. Conclusions: The study concludes that citizenship should not be viewed in a reductionist or exclusively legal manner, but as a multidimensional concept that needs to be rethought to reflect the realities of global migration and cultural interconnectedness. It highlights the need for a more inclusive and adaptive approach to citizenship in the contemporary world.

The Evolution of Sociological Approaches Towards Conceptualizing Consumption in Western Sociology

The second half of the 20th century saw multiple directions of consumer research emerge in sociology, including a cultural turn, a material turn, a practical turn, a turn towards sustainability, and a digital turn. These turns indicate trends in sociological thought, which arise with increasing speed and overlap each other. On the one hand, these directions build upon ideas about consumption brought forth by the classics of economic theory and sociology, and on the other hand they constantly attempt to critically comprehend basic concepts and fill them with new meaning. The purpose of the article is to expand on the concept of consumption by reviewing the historical evolution of views on this concept in sociology of the 20–21 centuries. It first considers the integral definitions of consumption presented by contemporary sociologists (V. Radaev, E.R. McDonnell, A. Warde). From there it outlines the basic views on consumption held by classics of sociology (K. Marx, G. Simmel, T. Veblen, M. Weber, the Frankfurt School, P. Bourdieu). Finally, sociological approaches towards consumption that appeared during the second half of the 20th century are examined. A review of key approaches towards consumption demonstrates how the concept of consumption has consistently acquired new meanings and contexts, also acquiring an internal independent logic and transforming into a multidimensional concept in sociology. The paper covers a broad timeline and is based on key sociological works, without claiming to be able to comprehensively describe them. Also this paper does not consider the Russian tradition of research.

What can women in classical sociology teach us about contemporary sociology of religion?

This article presents the main work of two women in classical sociology, Harriet Martineau (1802–1876) and Ida B. Wells (1862–1931). While some sociologists have pointed to the significance of their work and that of other early women classical sociologists, most sociologists, and in particular, most sociologists of religion, have ignored their work. This article asks which themes in sociology and the sociology of religion these women addressed that many male classical sociologists failed to address. How does the study of these two women point to important issues in current sociology of religion? The analysis shows that central themes in the work of Martineau and Wells were the intersections of religion, gender, race, and social class. Their work also points to another highly important issue seldom addressed in current sociology of religion, namely the link between various forms of religion and the realization of democracy.

Dystopian Views of Classical Sociologists and Their Social Extensions

Classical sociologists such as Marx, Comte, Durkheim, Weber have made significant contributions to the understanding of social life, institutions, norms and structures by studying society, social dynamics and the complexity of human behavior, providing profound insights and laying the foundation for modern sociological thought. While the theories of these sociologists have greatly enriched the understanding of social structures and the formation of predictions about future social order, their works also contain sharp warnings about utopian fictions of social trends and their potential dystopian consequences, but they often offer gloomy predictions of a dystopian future depicting an undesirable or chaotic society. While critically examining the dystopian elements in the works of classical sociologists, who portrayed the depressing picture of social life in different ways by emphasizing social inequality, the oppressive nature of capitalism, the alienation of the individual and the anomie of modern society, from a sociological perspective, this article discusses the theories based on dystopian thought and addresses their relevance to contemporary issues and their validity in today's society, and also assesses the validity of ideas and the consistency of predictions in the contemporary world where dystopian elements continue to manifest. It is therefore important to gain a deeper understanding of the sociological imagination and the continuing relevance of classical sociological thought by examining these dystopian perspectives of sociologists who emphasize their concern about the potential consequences of uncontrolled social developments.

Theoretical and conceptual foundations of research on religious Conservatism as a social structure in the works of Karl Mannheim and Talcott Parsons

The article is devoted to the study of the theoretical and methodological foundations of the research field of religious conservatism. By itself, religious conservatism as a phenomenon of public life and social structure, since its inception, has had a great influence not only on the religious sphere of society, but also on the political and even economic spheres. The modern research field of religious conservatism is quite diverse, there are a large number of different directions and schools in it, but most of them borrow their methodological foundations from a certain number of classical works on sociology, formed within the framework of mainstream sociological secularism. In this regard, secularism attitudes continue to be reproduced quite often in modern sociological science. The purpose of this work is to examine the early, fundamental theoretical and methodological positions created in classical sociological works on the topic of religious conservatism as a social structure and social phenomenon. To achieve the goal, it was necessary to solve the following tasks: 1) To characterize the works of the early stage of the study of religious conservatism in sociology; 2) To identify and characterize the theories of society in which the main works were created; 3) To define the concept of religious conservatism as a social phenomenon or social structure; 4) Describe the impact of these concepts on further sociological discussion. The research materials were theoretical studies by foreign authors devoted to the conceptualization of the theme of religious conservatism. The research methodology is based on secondary analysis. The results revealed the main patterns of the theoretical foundations of religious conservatism in the works of the classics of sociology.