Development Of Sociological Theory Research Articles

Scientific cognition in sociology: Challenges and problems

Relevance Scientific cognition is the basis for the development of scientific disciplines, including sociology, and contributes to the understanding and explanation of complex social phenomena, political processes, clarification of causal relationships, identification of trends, understanding the structure and functioning of social phenomena, which is achieved through a systematic and methodological approach to the study of social reality. Sociology plays an important role in solving social problems, identifying social imbalances, studying social interactions and transformations, and developing social policies and strategies.Purpose. The purpose of this study is to consider scientific cognition in sociology and identify its features, methods, and results.Methodology. In the course of the research, the following theoretical methods were used: analogy � for comparing and analysing sociological phenomena using similar phenomena from other branches of knowledge; historical method � for studying the development of sociology as a science and the concept of scientific cognition over time; systematisation � to organise concepts and theories into a logical and structured system.Results. In the course of the research, the following theoretical methods were used: analogy � for comparing and analysing sociological phenomena using similar phenomena from other branches of knowledge; historical method � for studying the development of sociology as a science and the concept of scientific cognition over time; systematisation � to organise concepts and theories into a logical and structured system. The study analysed the features of scientific cognition in sociology and its methodological foundations that contribute to understanding social phenomena. In particular, it was found that scientific cognition in sociology requires an interdisciplinary approach, cooperation with other sciences. Attention was focused on the methodological foundations of scientific cognition in sociology. The concept of a scientific approach in sociological research was also systematised, which provides objective results and expands the understanding of the social world.Conclusions. The paper highlights the results and new approaches to the study of social phenomena. The challenges and problems faced by sociologists in the process of scientific cognition were identified, and possible ways to solve them were proposed. The study results make a practical contribution for sociologists, scientists and practitioners in the social sciences, creating the basis for the further development of sociological theory, methodology, and research approaches.

Institutions: a promising topic insufficiently clarified

The basic question of sociology is what sets of rules and order are used in society and how they are maintained. One possible answer is based on the concept of institutions, which still provokes theoretical discussions due to, among other things, a certain ambiguity, since the term ‘institution’ is, figuratively speaking, shrouded in a kind of fog that prevents it from being captured in any direct, clear way. Today, ambitions of philosophy, political science, anthropology or mathematical game theory, which try to solve this problem outside the sociological framework, contribute to the deepening of the ambiguities surrounding the concept of institutions. Some approaches tend to define institutions as a cyber black box with inputs and outputs, whose working remains largely hidden (especially philosophical and mathematical approaches strive to find some common universal principle or even mathematical formula). From the perspective of general sociological theory, the article considers the topic of institutions. The author identifies this topic as a central issue that needs to be reconsidered in sociology. The starting point of the article is the analysis of concepts related to the topic, their definitions and paradigmatic integration. In the following part, the author considers the theoretical interpretations in the works of Peter Berger, Thomas Luckmann, John Searle, and the concepts inspired by game theories and rational behaviour theories. After that, ten basic issues of the current approaches are identified. The author pays particular attention to the fact that methodological individualism tends to dominate, which explains the ignorance of certain issues, especially of a holistic and macro-social nature, thus, leading to some problematic simplifications. The article shows what needs to be changed in the current social-scientific thinking on institutions in order to develop a more appropriate starting point for the further development of sociological theory.

Does Phenomenology (Still) Matter? Three Phenomenological Traditions and Sociological Theory

Phenomenology has played an important role in the development of sociological theory. While modern phenomenology’s origins lie in the seminal work of Edmund Husserl, the perspective has, however, never operated as a unified school or system of thought. This article reviews three major traditions of phenomenology: phenomenology as existential philosophy, phenomenology as hermeneutics of being, and social phenomenology. It contrasts the largely extraneous influence of the first two phenomenological traditions on social theorizing with the more intrinsic relationship between social phenomenology and the development of sociological theory in the USA. Then, the article discusses the latter relationship in the context of the intellectual role of the transmitter of the social phenomenological tradition to the USA, Alfred Schutz. In spite of its historical importance, in contemporary social theory, phenomenology is described at best as marginal and at worst as irrelevant and outdated. The article highlights the costs of phenomenology’s exclusion by engaging in a counter-reading of Schutz against canonical representations of his work. There is a continued relevance for social phenomenology to social and cultural theorizing that grounds its objects in the phenomenal and reflexive encounter with the life world.

Value-driven issues throughout the development of sociological theory

The paper examines and compares how the major sociological theories treat axiological issues. Value-driven topics are analysed in view of their relevance to society in times of crisis, when both societal life and the very structure of society undergo dramatic change. Nowadays, social scientists around the world are also witnessing such a change due to the emergence of alternative schools of sociological thought (non-classical, interpretive, postmodern, etc.) and, subsequently, the necessity to revise the paradigms that have been existed in sociology so far. Since the above-mentioned approaches are often used to address value-related issues, building a solid theoretical framework for these studies takes on considerable significance. Furthermore, the paradigm revision has been prompted by technological advances changing all areas of people’s lives, especially social interactions. The global human community, integral in nature, is being formed, and production of human values now matters more than production of things; hence the “expansion” of value-focused perspectives in contemporary sociology. The authors give special attention to collectivities which are higher-order units of the social system. These units are described as well-organised action systems where each individual performs his/her specific role. Just as the role of an individual is distinct from that of the collectivity (because the individual and the collectivity are different as units), so too a distinction is drawn between the value and the norm — because they represent different levels of social relationships. Values are the main connecting element between the society’s cultural system and the social sphere while norms, for the most part, belong to the social system. Values serve primarily to maintain the pattern according to which the society is functioning at a given time; norms are essential to social integration. Apart from being the means of regulating social processes and relationships, norms embody the “principles” that can be applied beyond a particular social system. The authors underline that it is important for Ukrainian sociology to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of axiology and make good use of those ideas because this is a prerequisite for its successful integration into the global sociological community.

Change – social and personal: Thomas and Znaniecki’s The Polish Peasant for the study of present-day change in global higher education

The present work represents an extrapolation of W.I. Thomas and Florian Znaniecki’s study, The Polish Peasant in Europe and America, on behalf of the development of sociological theory. The article focuses on careers and institutions in higher education. The curriculum vitae serves as the novel human document by which to investigate both social and personal change. Academic careers are studied by virtue of their objective and subjective dimensions. Objectively, the institution of education is revealed through the shifting expectations that govern work in academia in specific historical times (indicated by the cohort in which academics earned their Ph.D.s) and in specific socially bound places (indicated by the type of university in which academics work). Major social change in education is likely to spell personal change for the way in which people subjectively experience the contemporary academic career. The data come from U.S.-based academics; parallel transformational changes are observable globally. The global change discussed in the work centres on the diffusion and institutionalization of the research role. The sources and consequences of this change are problematic. Akin to Thomas and Znaniecki’s larger analytic aims, patterns of change are used inductively to formulate theory: the paper culminates by postulating a theory of increasing tendencies in the way knowledge is produced in higher education institutions throughout the world.

«Society», «State», and Institutional Matrixes: a Case in Interdisciplinary Meso-analysis

The paper presents an example of interdisciplinarity in the development of sociological theory. It is about incorporating the immanent content of such language constants as «society» and «state» into the theory of institutional X-Y matrixes. For this purpose, the method of interdisciplinary meso-analysis is used, which allows us to systematise and organise knowledge from linguistics, obtained by etymological analysis, and apply it in sociological studies. In our sample we compare the etymology of the words «society» and «state» in the languages of those countries where X-matrix institutions dominate (Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi / Sanskrit) and Y-matrix institutions dominate (English, French, German). It is shown that the etymology of the language constants «society» and «state» in the investigated languages quite clearly reflects the essential features of institutional organisation in countries with different dominant matrixes. Thus, it was revealed that the construction of such a basic language constant as «society» in the countries with the dominance of a Y-matrix follows the logic «from the particular to the general», or the deductive logic of aggregation «from the bottom» (bottom-up) – from individuals to society. In turn, for countries with the dominance of X-matrix, the etymological analysis of the word «society» reveals the inductive logic «from the general to the particular», or «from the top» (top-down) – when the whole (society) is pre-eminent in relation to individuals who are secondary in relation to it. Also, a different etymology of the language constant «state» has been revealed in countries with a dominance of the X- or Y-matrix. The results obtained are not only additional evidence of significant differences between societies with the dominance of institutional X- or Y-matrixes, but also substantiate the relevance and application of meso-analysis when conducting such interdisciplinary research. They also serve as a contribution to the development of linguistic sociology, since they show the relationship between the types of societies (their social structures) and the content of the most important linguistic constants that are characteristic of these types of societies, «cleansed» from the cultural context. The results obtained are also important for deeper understanding in international communication between sociologists.

JEFFREY ALEXANDER AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL SOCIOLOGY

Abstract Alexander's work has had a major impact on cultural sociology and the development of sociological theory more generally. His work in cultural sociology provides a large and useful toolkit for sociologists interested in doing empirical work on meaning and society. His theory of the civil sphere provides a template for scholars interested in studying the processes by which society itself become an object of interpretation and evaluation. All of these intellectual contributions have been supported by a generous style of theoretical practice, which combines solidarity, ritual, and a commitment to a "hermeneutics of faith".

Дуалистическая логика развития социологической теории. Часть 1

Дуалистическая логика развития социологической теории. Часть 1

How to Make Theories Untestable: A Guide to Theorists

A cursory glance at the development of sociological theory should indicate to any in dependent observer that any theorist who seeks sociological fame must ensure that his theories are essentially untestable. Despite this, to my knowledge, all writers who have addressed themselves to the question of theory building and this is, surprisingly, particularly true in explicitly pedagogical texts - have inexplicably concerned themselves exclusively with the question of how to construct testable theories. It is hoped that this paper may held redirect attention to what is clearly the more sensible question: how does one construct untestable theories?

W.I. Thomas, Robert K. Merton, and the definition of a common situational approach

This articles aims to demonstrate how it is possible to compare the sociologies of William Isaac Thomas and Robert K. Merton, defining a common situational approach. This would result in a third alternative between symbolic interactionism and functionalism, that tries to go beyond the limits of the two approaches in terms of: abstractness, scarce attention to power dynamics, implicit or explicit acceptance of status quo, weak operationalization. The author focused on the biographical and intellectual contacts between the two scholars and on analogies at an epistemological, methodological and theoretical level. Finally, the situational approach is connected with the more recent developments in sociological theory.

Reflexivity as situated problem-solving: A pragmatist alternative to general theory

Recent developments in sociological theory have addressed the linkage between structure and agency via a conception of reflexivity and the agent’s internal conversation as a means of understanding the (variable) contribution that the self and its powers contribute to social outcomes. In this paper, I present a sociological realism utilising the approach of American pragmatism (Dewey and Mead) to argue for a different way of conceptualising reflexivity, namely as an occasioned feature of interaction. On this view, reflexivity arises in relation to problems in interaction and is oriented to their resolution. It is argued that the self has a social structure and that reflexivity inheres in interactions and not in different types of individual self-identity. The paper discusses general issues of reflexivity in terms of conceptions of sociology’s “dialogic.” Archer’s relation to actors whose behaviours are under scrutiny, before going on to discuss Margaret Archer’s typology of the “inner dialogues” of actors and its use to understand social mobility.

Hacia la observación de una sociedad venidera: Una entrevista con Dirk Baecker

Dirk Baecker has been recognized as one of the most prominent German sociologists with important works on cultural theory, sociological theory, economic sociology and organizational sociology, among others. The following unreleased interview covers various subjects of interest of the German sociologist, as social systems theory, new developments in sociological theory, world society and their important work on what he has called: the ‘next society'.

How Do the Evolution and Innovation of Social Network Analysis Matter to Computer Science and Communications?

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of evolution and innovation in social network analysis to the paradigm of social networking. It explains how the development of sociological theory and the structural properties of social groups matter to computer science and communications. Authors such as Moreno, John Barnes and Harrison C. White provide evidence of a growing body of literature addressing the networking of people, organizations and communities to explain the structure of society. This perspective has passed from sociology to other fields, changing understandings of social phenomena. Social networks remain a potent concept for analyzing computer science and communications. This paper shows how and why this has occurred and examines substantive areas in which social network analysis has been applied—mainly how the advantages of graphic visualization and computer software packages have influenced SNA in different audiences and publics leading to the unfolding of social networking to different audiences and publics.

North Central Sociological Association 2012 Ruth and John Useem Plenary Address. Political Renewal: Occupations, Springs, and Tea Parties

Novelty is paramount in the development of sociological theory—so much so that sometimes novelty is attributed even when it does not really exist. The study of social movements is hardly exempt from this problem and at times the craving for newness can become palpable. Despite that desire, however, some have concluded that things really have not changed much over a score of years—at least in terms of the implications for theory—but now, we think the time has finally come. Three recent mobilizations have provided us with something new into which we can sink our collective teeth. The Tea Party, the Arab Spring, and Occupy Wall Street represent changes in the motivations and tactics driving social and political change that can renew the study of protest and collective political influence. These three bursts of political behavior reveal important edges of social movement study even as they exhibit roots in the now classic ideas in the field.

Ethnography’s capacity to contribute to the cumulation of theory: a case study of differentiation–polarisation theory

The paper sets out to examine the role that ethnographic work can and should play in the development of sociological theory, focusing on the case study of differentiation–polarisation theory. It provides a detailed discussion of the work of Hargreaves (1967), Lacey (1970) and Ball (1981) and assesses the degree to which their work was ethnographic in contemporary terms. It argues that the model of theory development they offer does not need to be understood in the manner adopted by Hammersley in his account of their work as a model for theory development and testing in the sociology of education. Rather it requires the ethnographer to be more attuned towards setting and maintaining a theoretical agenda, by (a) being more preoccupied with refining existing or established theoretical ideas and concepts and (b) retaining the capacity for the fieldwork setting to inform and direct the study.

Ethnography’s Capacity to Contribute to the Cumulation of Theory: A Case Study of Strong’s Work on Goffman

This article discusses how ethnography can contribute toward the development of sociological theory. It uses a case study of one theoretical idea refined through ethnographic fieldwork—Phil Strong’s (1979; 1988) work on Erving Goffman’s theory of ceremony.The article argues that Strong effectively applied Goffman’s ideas to different settings and successfully extended Goffman’s ideas on ceremony. In doing so, Strong demonstrated how ethnography can be more productive in developing theoretical ideas, but this productivity relied on his personal enthusiasm for theory and fieldwork. Strong’s theoretical empiricism provides an exemplar of how theory and conceptual refinement can grow as a result of doing ethnography the right way.

Qualitative and quantitative approaches to health impact assessment: An analysis of the political and philosophical milieu of the multi-method approach

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a relatively new, but increasingly important, contributor to both local and national decision-making processes. Adopting a multi-method approach, it incorporates qualitative and quantitative analyses to determine the various health impacts of policies and projects. HIA thus reflects recent developments in sociological theory, which have promoted qualitative techniques and challenged the dominance of quantitative methods. HIA embodies a particular renegotiation of the qualitative/quantitative opposition; each individual HIA represents an empirical instance of this renegotiation. As such, HIA can be conceptualized as a kind of ‘political space’, in which the opposition in question is structured by various social forces and plays out in concrete ways. Moreover, and notwithstanding the supposed methodological rapprochement, an analysis of a number of HIAs claims to expose a continuing, but perhaps unsurprising, privilege in favour of quantitative methods. In the first place, the paper contends that closer examination reveals this privileging to be unjustified, both empirically and theoretically, and alternative methodological and epistemological configurations are suggested accordingly. Specific gestures are made in this respect toward the work of Martin Heidegger and Jacques Derrida. In particular, the paper argues for a broad hermeneutic approach that both encompasses and situates the methodological tensions HIA stages. Second, attention is drawn to the fact that various and particular sociopolitical conditions maintain the characteristic architecture of the opposition. The political importance of HIA across a series of key issues is underscored in support of a more radical interpretation. For once situated within its wider cultural context, HIA ceases to resemble some straightforwardly neutral technology for health protection and delivery. If, instead, one reads it as an indicative micropolitical phenomenon, then one can begin to interrogate this simple policy tool in more complex ways. HIA both reveals, and is implicated in, a more fundamental and diffuse process that is presently resisting, undermining and regenerating traditional power distributions within the administration of health and beyond. The paper implicitly argues that HIA can only be properly understood within this context and, equally, allows one a certain analytical access to this context.

Ideology and the Development of Sociological Theory

Ideology and the Development of Sociological Theory

Some of Robert K. Merton's Contributions to Justice Theory

For more than fifty years, Robert K. Merton has been a towering figure in sociology, contributing to both the development of sociological theory and the empirical test of sociological propositions, and applying sociological principles to a multiplicity of domains. His ideas and insights have shaped sociology in fundamental ways, providing fresh new perspectives that clarify old questions, and that lead to new ways of addressing them. As is evident in this article, Merton's work on reference groups made foundational contributions to justice theory. But, perhaps more importantly we honor him not only by celebrating those contributions already visible to us but by continuing to think hard about the problems he posed. Justice theorists of tomorrow may have even greater cause to honor him

Three Faces of Explanation: Rethinking the Theory Project

Knowledgeable observers disagree about the state of theory development in sociology. Some critics claim that sociology has not produced general theory and is incapable of doing so. Others take strong exception to this view but admit that theory development in sociology lags behind other sciences. Furthermore, even the defenders cannot agree on how much theory is in the sociological storehouse. More important, individual sociologists claim to have produced more theory than any objective observer is likely to find. This article tries to understand debates about the state of theory development in sociology. It advances a simple thesis: What passes for sociological “theory” consists mainly of discourse that is neither theoretical nor explanatory, and explanations that are not theoretical. The article identifies two commonly used forms of sociological explanation, compares them with theoretical explanations, and suggests how sociologists can exploit the connections among the three forms to enhance theory construction in the field.