Special Sociology Research Articles

‘YAPI-FAİL’ BAĞLAMINDA İLİŞKİSEL DİN SOSYOLOJİSİ PARADİGMASI VE SANAL DİNİ CEMAATLER

Bu çalışma sosyoloji tarihinde yapı-fail ilişkisinin tarihsel anlamda günümüze kadar geçirdiği süreci, din sosyolojisi disipliniyle bağlantılı olarak ele almaktadır. Ayrıca çalışma, özel sosyoloji disiplinleri arasında yer alan din sosyolojisi disiplininin artık, küreselleşme ve modernleşme süreçlerinin bir sonucu olarak yaşanan iletişimsel gelişmeler ışığında, toplumsal araştırmalarda karma teorilere yönelmesini ele almaktadır. Bu bağlamda çalışma karma teori olarak ifade edilen ilişkisel sosyoloji ile din arasındaki etkileşimi sanal dini cemaatler bağlamında konu edinmektedir. Çalışmanın amacı ilişkisel sosyolojinin teorik olarak toplumsal ilişkilerden yola çıkmasının, bir yapı olarak dini ve kurumlarını açıklamadaki yöntemini ele almak ve bu durumu yapı-fail ilişkisinin tam anlamıyla çözemediği toplumsal sorunlardan olan sanal bir ortamda kurulan cemaatler üzerinden anlamaktır. Makale tarihsel dokümantasyon yöntemiyle ele alınmış ve makro bakış açısıyla oluşturulmuştur.

The Significance of Empirical Researches to the General Theory of Shimmei's Sociology

Dr. Masamichi Shimmei (1898-1984) is celebrated by his continuous endeavor to systematize the general theory of sociology. However, his empirical sociology is also very important. In the collected works consisted of ten volumes which were edited by himself before his death, Dr. Shimmei devoted just half of the works to these special sociologies which contained empirical researches, the remain half being assigned to his general theory of sociology. The importance he attached to his special sociology is unexpected, for he has been regarded in general as a general theorist. While his general sociology is based on a theory of action (Koi-kanren), empirical researches are treated in his framework of special sociology, in his system of synthetic sociology (Sogo-shakaigaku). In his sociological theory, the theory of action was conceived as the theory of “Koi-kanren” which contained “content” as well as “form” of social action. From this concept of “Koi-kanren”, the empirical research on various aspects of contents of social action became possible. His studies in domain of special sociology contain such as sociology of knowledge, political sociology and sociology of nations, crowd and regional society, which consist of volumes from No. 6 to No. 10 in his collected works. Because in these works, except the sociology of knowledge, he analyzed concrete and contemporary problems of society such as european ideologies of facism, nations and races, the masses and regions, it was necessary for him to treat empirical data. So far, this article tried to elucidate the place and significance of his empirical researches in his synthetic sociology. It should be insisted that the newer generation of sociologist after him should inherit his sociology to develop more broad and new aspects of empirical resarch.

On the theoretical and empirical development of “Synthetic Sociology”

In this paper I would like to discuss the basic concepts of “synthetic sociology” developed and established by Dr. Shinmei and its problems which contribute to the development of the field in the following two points summarily. 1. Methodological problem : The problem of “total interrelation” of the areas constituting the “society in the wider meaning” as the strategic point, or frame of reference, synthetization in synthetic sociology. 2. Problems concerning substantial and realistic developmets of synthetic sociology ; a. Problem in conceiving the “society in the wider meaning” as the modern or contemporary nation society. b. Problem of areas as the constituting elements of the “society in the wider meaning”. c. Problem of the two phases of integration and opposition (separation) concerning “total interrelation”. In effect, I would like to point, at least in our time, that synthetic sociology develops in a substantial form as various kinds of special sociology in terms of synthetic sociology.

Japanese Rural Sociology before World War II

From 1920's to early 1940's Japanese rural sociology were gradually coming into existence as special sociology with two systematic theories. The two theories were Eitaro Suzuki's 'Shizenson' theory and Kizaemon Ariga's 'Ie-rengo' theory which was mainly researching on 'Dozoku' group. This paper is to discuss how the two theories were influenced in the formative process by agricultural policy, folklore, and American rural sociology, and it is also to deal with what characteristics they came to possess as a result of the influence.Summing up, Suzuki and Ariga were alike in trying to investigate the structure of Japanese rural society with the key concepts of their own inventions. While Suzuki's 'shizenson' theory, whose method accepted the influence of American rural sociology, was chiefly founded on the facts in the rural society in the southwestern part of Japan, on the other hand Ariga's'Ie-rengo' theory, under the enormous influence of folklore, was based upon the study of 'Dozoku' group which had often been observed in the rural society in the northeastern part of Japan, and it was the theory generalizing the hierarchal pattern in social relation, admitting that it was true of the social character of Japanese people.

Industrial Sociology in Africa: Foundations and Prospects

How sensibly can one talk of industrial sociology in a non-industrial continent? Industrial sociology has been called the ‘special’ sociology whose task should be to carry through scientifically the analyses of the social relationships and interactions present within the industrial organisation in all its theoretical depth and breadth.1 Raif Dahrendorf, for instance, in Industrie und Betriebssoziologie (Berlin, 1962), whilst accepting industrial sociology as one of the ‘special’ sociologies, makes the reservation that it is concerned with the industrial society. But since the whole process of industrialisation was a historical one, the limitation of industrial sociology to any specific period must be an open question, especially since every kind of society requires the production of goods and services through industrial organisation. Elsewhere I have questioned the premises and validity of Dahrendorf's assertion;2 but it must be admitted that in its present form this special sociology has little or no meaning for the pre-industrial societies largely because they have not yet been exposed to it as a scientific tool. Nevertheless, sociological researches in pre-industrial societies can demonstrate the operational use of industrial sociological categories, such as performance efficiency and incentives, managerial techniques, industrial commitment, and the effect of industrial work on personality, as will be shown below by surveying the work of C. H. Northcott, W. Elkan, and Y. Glass in pre-industrial societies of Africa.

The Sociology of Ferdinand Tonnies

Modern German sociology bears many traces of the influence of the various academic disciplines from which the present generation of German sociologist were recruited. It reflects the current philosophical thought of the various schools. One of the most important and influential figures of today is Tonnies, who was greatly influenced by Hobbes. Spencer, and Sir Henry Maine. His most important contribution consists of the fundamental dichotomy, community and society. The former refers to natural, organic groups; the latter to artificial and conscious and deliberate groupings. In accordance with this distinction he conceives of sociology as capable of division into two great fields: general and special sociology. The former, deals with social life in any form, conscious or unconscious. It includes social biology and social pshychology. Special sociology consists of pure, applied and empirical sociology. It deals mainly with structural forms of social life as seen through the concepts community and society. His three most important works are Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft; Die Sitte, which is a study of the mores; and Kritik der offentlichen Meinung, which is a comprehensive study of social movements and public opinion. Tonnies has systematically exploited a limited number of basic concepts and has attempted to see the whole of experience in terms of these. This has resulted in a conceptual and distorted point of view on the one hand, but a thorough analysis of a very limited phase of experience in intellectualistic terms on the other. In this he is fairly typical of a great number of his European contemporaries.

The Study of Sociology

THERE are not a few signs, of which the book before us is an important one, that thought is moving in the direction indicated by Mr. Mill in the quasi-prophetical conclusion to his “System of Logic,” where he expresses his belief in the prominence of sociological inquiries in the intellectual achievements of the next two or three generations of European thinkers. What has been called by Hegel the speculative historical method has taken a considerable step in advance since Mr. Mill wrote thus. History, written from the speculative or philosophical stand-point, may be regarded as a special Sociology—Sociology, that is, applied to the investigation of the laws of growth and development of some one society, as exhibited either throughout its whole career, or within some limited period. General Sociology stands to history in a position analogous to that occupied by general physiology with regard to the special physiology of man or of any other species of animal. This analogy will serve to throw some light upon the fact that there has been much greater progress made in the special department of speculative history than in the wider field of Sociology. Up to a certain point, the broader generalisations of the higher science must be preceded by the more restricted generalisations of the lower. But when this point has been reached, when the higher principles have been formulated with approximate completeness, then the advances along the lines of general and special thought will proceed pari passu; progess in one will by its reflex influence make possible a correlative progress in the other. The relations between Sociology and history appear to be nearing this stage. The Study of Sociology. By Herbert Spencer. (London: Henry S. King and Co.)