Showing papers in "Journal of Classical Sociology in 2021"
TL;DR: This article translated the essay by Georg Simmel into English, in the hope that this will contribute to an imaginative rediscovery of this classic text, in which the author gave an overview of the publication's historical and intellectual context, its reception and influence, and the distinctiveness of Simmel's approach.
Abstract: Two previous English translations of this classic essay by Georg Simmel have been in wide circulation, shaping the worldwide reception of Simmel’s urban theory. Both rendered Simmel’s philosophical idiom in psychologistic terms, translating Seele (soul) as ‘psyche’ and Geist (spirit) as ‘mind’. With their overtones of behaviourism, earlier translations bear the clear mark of their time. This translation seeks to return, as much as is possible without sacrificing lucidity, to Simmel’s original idiom, in the hope that this will contribute to an imaginative rediscovery of this classic text. The introduction to the new translation gives an overview of the publication’s historical and intellectual context, its reception and influence, and the distinctiveness of Simmel’s approach.
18 citations
TL;DR: Existence theory as discussed by the authors is a new approach to sociological theory and research, which starts from the assumption that people organise their lives around a limited set of objects (e.g., objects).
Abstract: This article introduces ‘existence theory’ as a new approach to sociological theory and research. Existence theory starts from the assumption that people organise their lives around a limited set o...
15 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed the famous trust argument, which states that a minimum of equality and reciprocity is a prerequisite for sense-making in interaction, while working with P...
Abstract: Garfinkel began developing his famous Trust argument, that a minimum of equality and reciprocity he called ‘Trust Conditions’ is a prerequisite for sense-making in interaction, while working with P...
15 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an introduction to Antonio Gramsci's understanding and analysis of religion is provided, and it is shown that Gramschi's conceptual constellation and key terms -from hegemony to organic intellec...
Abstract: This article provides an introduction to Antonio Gramsci’s understanding and analysis of religion. It shows that Gramsci’s conceptual constellation and key terms – from hegemony to organic intellec...
15 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored the complex interplay between sociology and politics during the Nazi Regime by looking at how some nationalist and national-socialist ideas were incorporated in the literature during the war.
Abstract: This article aims at exploring the complex interplay between sociology and politics during the Nazi Regime by looking at how some nationalist and national-socialist ideas were incorporated in the w...
14 citations
TL;DR: The classics of social theory have a peculiar status: our current list is the product of past academic strategizing, and the list of favored classics has changed as mentioned in this paper, and currently there is a process of re...
Abstract: The classics of social theory have a peculiar status: our current list is the product of past academic strategizing, and the list of favored classics has changed. Currently there is a process of re...
11 citations
TL;DR: 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 un...
Abstract: 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 un...
10 citations
TL;DR: The authors incorrectly attributed to Ferdinand de Saussure (1) the postulate that a narrow theory of meaning can be found in the work of a sociologist, which is incorrect.
Abstract: Cultural analysts in sociology typically cite the work of Ferdinand de Saussure to motivate a narrow theory of meaning. In so doing, sociologists incorrectly attribute to Saussure (1) the postulate...
9 citations
TL;DR: Du Bois actively engaged the scientific racism infecting natural sciences and popular thought as mentioned in this paper, but he also demonstrated a sophisticated and critical engagement with scientific racism in his own life and work.
Abstract: Throughout his life, W.E.B. Du Bois actively engaged the scientific racism infecting natural sciences and popular thought. Nevertheless, he also demonstrated a sophisticated and critical engagement...
8 citations
TL;DR: One of the most contentious debates coursing through sociology is what to do with the canon of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim: abandon the canon, start afresh with a new canon, or reconstruct the existi...
Abstract: One of the most contentious debates coursing through sociology is what to do with the canon of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim: abandon the canon, start afresh with a new canon, or reconstruct the existi...
7 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the anthropocene concept of entanglement was introduced and discussed in the context of sociology and the social sciences, and contemporary concern with the concept of the Anthropocene.
Abstract: Given the recent non-human turn in sociology and the social sciences, the popularity of theories of entanglement, and contemporary concern with the concept of the anthropocene, it is easy to forget...
TL;DR: Karl Mannheim's work, particularly his book Ideology and Utopia, has considerable relevance to current concerns about the public role of sociology as mentioned in this paper. But this is not widely recognised, and key aspects of his thought have frequently been neglected or disparaged.
Abstract: Karl Mannheim’s work, particularly his book Ideology and Utopia, has considerable relevance to current concerns about the public role of sociology. However, this is not widely recognised, and key aspects of his thought have frequently been neglected or disparaged. In this article the background to Mannheim’s work is outlined, and a summary provided of the central argument of Ideology and Utopia, comparing this with the positions taken by Max Weber and Georg Lukacs, both of whom were important influences on Mannheim. The major criticisms of, and problems with, Mannheim’s argument are then addressed. While he was by no means completely successful in putting forward a convincing conception of sociology’s public role, there is a great deal to be learned from his work, and from the manner in which he pursued it.
TL;DR: This article addressed the issue of how to theorize with the help of the classics in sociology and pointed out that the main difficulty involved is that Weber et al. have told us next to noth...
Abstract: This article addresses the issue of how to theorize with the help of the classics in sociology; and it is pointed out that the main difficulty involved is that Weber et al have told us next to noth...
TL;DR: The Journal of Classical Sociology (JCS) as mentioned in this paper has published a special issue of its 20th anniversary special issue dedicated to the decolonization of academia, with a focus on the role of classical sociology in Europe and beyond, drawing attention to its continuing presence in British and Anglo-American intellectual circles.
Abstract: This article provides an introduction to the 20th Anniversary Special Issue of the Journal of Classical Sociology. It begins with some brief observations on the key developments that have shaped the disciplinary core of sociology over the past decades. It goes on to reflect on the role of classical sociology in Europe and beyond, drawing attention to its continuing presence in British and Anglo-American intellectual circles. Far from existing in a bubble of academic ivory towers, the paradigms emerging from disputes in the social sciences in general and in sociology in particular are profoundly shaped by wider historical trends – notably those influenced by different forms of collective action, as illustrated in the impact of social movements on the university sector in the late 1960s. In light of recent calls for ‘the decolonization of academia’, we ask to what extent sociology can, and should, strive to go beyond the hegemony of the ‘Western’ canon. Having given a succinct overview of the 20-year history of JCS, we elucidate the different formats of the material published in the journal, stressing the importance of editorial flexibility. On a more substantive note, we point out that the thematic scope of the work published in JCS has been wide-ranging and inclusive – not only because of its editors’ broad conception of ‘classics’ and ‘classicality’, but also because of the interdisciplinary spirit permeating the journal. This commitment, as we explain, manifests itself in the wide range of thinkers and topics discussed – from a multiplicity of perspectives – in the journal. We also grapple with noteworthy challenges posed by the academic publishing industry in the early 21st century, including the difficulties arising from peer-review processes. Finally, we express our gratitude to those who have contributed to this 20th Anniversary Special Issue and emphasize the journal’s commitment to defending the legacy of classical sociology.
TL;DR: In this paper, the focus on representations collectives, social facts that embody sui generis social forces and that direct behaviour in meaningful ways, is revisited, with a focus on representation coll...
Abstract: Emile Durkheim’s late work focuses on representations collectives, social facts that embody sui generis social forces and that direct behaviour in meaningful ways. The focus on representations coll...
TL;DR: Georg Simmel's political position has rarely been discussed explicitly as discussed by the authors, perhaps because many scholars have assumed that Simmel was ‘apolitical’ before 1914. But even bef...
Abstract: Georg Simmel’s political position has rarely been discussed explicitly – perhaps because many scholars have assumed that Simmel was ‘apolitical’ before 1914. The present article shows that even bef...
TL;DR: The authors explored alternative conceptions of classical sociology and continuities and discontinuities in its history, with particular attention to the German and Austrian context and the German-Austrian context with respect to social sciences.
Abstract: This short contribution explores alternative conceptions of classical sociology and continuities and discontinuities in its history, with particular attention to the German and Austrian context and...
TL;DR: Bourdieu as mentioned in this paper developed a sociology for scrutinizing the processes of domination and accumulation that allow social reproduction to take place, yet, Bourdieu rarely tackled the problem of social reproduction.
Abstract: Building on Marx and Weber, Bourdieu developed a sociology for scrutinizing the processes of domination and accumulation that allow social reproduction to take place. Yet, Bourdieu rarely tackled t...
TL;DR: Gregory Bateson developed his transdisciplinary thinking in the shadow of sociology, but his ideas are not generally viewed as part of the field of classical sociology as mentioned in this paper, and this article will explain why.
Abstract: Gregory Bateson developed his transdisciplinary thinking in the shadow of sociology, but his ideas are not generally viewed as part of the field of classical sociology. This article will explain th...
TL;DR: In this paper, the indeterminacy of the idea of what is social, what constitutes and exemplifies it, at different scales, has been identified as the reason why sociology teaching uniquely requires study of its classics.
Abstract: Why does sociology teaching uniquely require study of its classics? The answer, it is suggested, lies in the indeterminacy of the idea of what is social—what constitutes and exemplifies it, at diff...
TL;DR: In this article, a marginalised member of the British upper-middle class, who moved first from the South to the North of England, was auto-analyzed by a sociologist.
Abstract: This article aims to contribute to a sociology of knowledge via an autoanalysis of a marginalised member of the British upper-middle class, who moved first from the South to the North of England an...
TL;DR: In this paper, the contribution of early social phenomenologists working in the 1920s and 1930s in Germany to charisma theory is explored, focusing on the works of Gerda Walther, Herman Schma...
Abstract: This paper explores the contribution of early social phenomenologists working in the 1920s and 1930s in Germany to charisma theory. Specifically, I focus on the works of Gerda Walther, Herman Schma...
TL;DR: In some ways, since the Second World War, Latin America has evolved in accordance with the pattern set out by the much-derided modernization theories of that period as discussed by the authors. But the region has also fulfilled the doomsday predictions of modernization's leading critic -dependency theory.
Abstract: In some ways, since the Second World War, Latin America has evolved in accordance with the pattern set out by the much-derided modernization theories of that period. The region has gone through the demographic transition from high death/high birth rates to low death/low birth rates; the Catholic Church has lost sway over culture, personal morality and religious observance; women have joined the (paid) labour force on a massive scale and have achieved parity or even superiority in education at all levels, if not in all disciplines; a substantial middle class has developed. But the region has also fulfilled the doomsday predictions of modernization’s leading critic – dependency theory. Capitalism has continued to dominate, inequality has deepened and raw materials exports continue to be almost the only engine of economic growth, which itself has been unstable (as predicted) and sluggish. China and South Korea, which at least on conventional measures of per capita GNP, were a long way behind Latin America in the 1950s, have long since leapt ahead, and China has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty even while its inequality has also increased. Latin America also exhibits persistent inequality, but without the ‘saving grace’ of lifting such a high percentage of the population out of poverty.
TL;DR: This article reported some problems of accuracy and tone in the complete English translation of Georg Simmel's sociologi... using illustrative passages and comparisons with previous partial translations. But they did not report any problems of correctness and tone.
Abstract: Using illustrative passages and comparisons with previous partial translations, this paper reports some problems of accuracy and tone in the complete English translation of Georg Simmel’s sociologi...
TL;DR: In 2011, it has been a centenary since the best-known book by Robert Michels titled Zur Soziologie des Parteiwesens in der Demokratie modernen as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In 2011, it has been a centenary since the best-known book by Robert Michels titled Zur Soziologie des Parteiwesens in der Demokratie modernen. Untersuchungen uber die oligarchischen Tendenzen des ...
TL;DR: The authors examines the writings on loyalty and betrayal of sociologist Erving Goffman and political scientist Morton Grodzins and concludes that both men made unique contributions to the understanding of political science.
Abstract: This article examines the writings on loyalty and betrayal of sociologist Erving Goffman and political scientist Morton Grodzins. Both thinkers made unique contributions to the understanding of tho...