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Journal Article•DOI•

Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@@The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration.

Alan Sica, Anthony Giddens
01 May 1986-Contemporary Sociology-Vol. 15, Iss: 3, pp 344
TL;DR: Giddens as mentioned in this paper has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade and outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form.
Abstract: Anthony Giddens has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade. In "The Constitution of Society" he outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form. A particular feature is Giddens' concern to connect abstract problems of theory to an interpretation of the nature of empirical method in the social sciences. In presenting his own ideas, Giddens mounts a critical attack on some of the more orthodox sociological views. "The Constitution of Society" is an invaluable reference book for all those concerned with the basic issues in contemporary social theory.
Citations
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Journal Article•DOI•
Accounting for the Contradictory Organizational Consequences of Information Technology: Theoretical Directions and Methodological Implications

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Daniel Robey1, Marie-Claude Boudreau1•
Georgia State University1
01 Feb 1999-Information Systems Research
TL;DR: This paper reviews the contradictory empirical findings both across studies and within studies, and proposes the use of theories employing a logic of opposition to study the organizational consequences of information technology.
Abstract: Although much contemporary thought considers advanced information technologies as either determinants or enablers of radical organizational change, empirical studies have revealed inconsistent findings to support the deterministic logic implicit in such arguments. This paper reviews the contradictory empirical findings both across studies and within studies, and proposes the use of theories employing a logic of opposition to study the organizational consequences of information technology. In contrast to a logic of determination, a logic of opposition explains organizational change by identifying forces both promoting change and impeding change. Four specific theories are considered: organizational politics, organizational culture, institutional theory, and organizational learning. Each theory is briefly described to illustrate its usefulness to the problem of explaining information technology's role in organizational change. Four methodological implications of using these theories are also discussed: empirical identification of opposing forces, statement of opposing hypotheses, process research, and employing multiple interpretations.

825 citations

Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."

  • ...Dialectical reasoning pervades many other theories of social behavior, including the metatheoretical framework of structuration theory (Giddens 1984)....

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Journal Article•DOI•
Paradoxes of Participation: Questioning Participatory Approaches to Development

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Frances Cleaver1•
University of Bradford1
01 Jun 1999-Journal of International Development
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that despite significant claims to the contrary there is little evidence of the long-term eAectiveness of participation in materially improving the conditions of the most vulnerable people or as a strategy for social change.
Abstract: This article suggests that the concepts underlying participatory approaches to development should be subject to greater critical analysis. Drawing on research on water resource management in sub-Saharan Africa, and on social theory concerning the recursive relationship between agency and structure, it illustrates the need for a more complex understanding of issues of eAciency and empowerment in participatory appro- aches. Particularly, two key concepts are examined: ideas about the nature and role of institutions; and models of individual action. The article concludes by identifying the questions such an analysis raises about the relationships between community, social capital and the state. Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 1 PARTICIPATION IN DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSE Heroic claims are made for participatory approaches to development, these being justified in the terms of ensuring greater eAciency and eAectiveness of investment and of contributing to processes of democratization and empowerment. The conundrum of ensuring the sustainability of development interventions is assumed to be solvable by the proper involvement of beneficiaries in the supply and management of resources, services and facilities. However, despite significant claims to the contrary there is little evidence of the long-term eAectiveness of participation in materially improving the conditions of the most vulnerable people or as a strategy for social change. Whilst the evidence for eAciency receives some support on a small scale, the evidence regarding empower- ment and sustainability is more partial, tenuous and reliant on assertions of the rightness of the approach and process rather than convincing proof of outcomes. Participation has therefore become an act of faith in development; something we believe in and rarely question. This act of faith is based on three main tenets; that

821 citations

Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."

  • ...Considerable attempts have been made to understand the complexities, diversity and regularities of patterns of interaction between individuals and social structure (Giddens, 1984; Douglas, 1987; Granovetter, 1992; Long, 1992; Goetz, 1996, etc.)....

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  • ...…little recognize that in examining motivation it is helpful to see a person positioned in multiple ways with social relations conferred by specific social identities (Giddens, 1984) and that in Long's words; individuals are only ever partly enrolled in the projects of others (Long, 1992)....

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  • ...Functional project approaches to participation little recognize that in examining motivation it is helpful to see a person positioned in multiple ways with social relations conferred by specific social identities (Giddens, 1984) and that in Long's words; individuals are only ever partly enrolled in the projects of others (Long, 1992)....

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  • ...We need to better understand the non-project nature of people's lives, the complex livelihood inter-linkages that make an impact in one area likely to be felt in others and the potential for unintended consequences arising from any intended intervention or act (Giddens, 1984; Long, 1992)....

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Journal Article•DOI•
Motivation and Justification: A Dual‐Process Model of Culture in Action1

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Stephen Vaisey1•
University of California, Berkeley1
01 May 2009-American Journal of Sociology
TL;DR: A new model of culture in action is presented that finds that though respondents cannot articulate clear principles of moral judgment, their choice from a list of moral‐cultural scripts strongly predicts later behavior.
Abstract: This article presents a new model of culture in action Although most sociologists who study culture emphasize its role in post hoc sense making, sociologists of religion and social psychologists tend to focus on the role beliefs play in motivation The dual‐process model integrates justificatory and motivational approaches by distinguishing between “discursive” and “practical” modes of culture and cognition The author uses panel data from the National Study of Youth and Religion to illustrate the model's usefulness Consistent with its predictions, he finds that though respondents cannot articulate clear principles of moral judgment, their choice from a list of moral‐cultural scripts strongly predicts later behavior

815 citations

Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."

  • ...American Journal of Sociology threads in previous work by linking them to clear cognitive mechanisms and thereby improve our understanding of the culture-action link....

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  • ...American Journal of Sociology approach to cognition from two different directions....

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  • ...It appears that the vast majority of individuals, living as they do in a world that is not continuously narrated in theoretical terms, rely on practical consciousness for most of their decisions (Giddens 1984)....

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  • ...Just as Swidler’s essay was published in the American Sociological Review, social movement scholars, for example, were moving away from the idea of ideological motivation toward a notion of “framing” as persuasive social practice (e.g., Snow et al. 1986)....

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  • ...American Journal of Sociology...

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Journal Article•DOI•
Towards a reflexive sociology: A workshop with Pierre Bourdieu

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Loïc Wacquant
21 Jan 1989-Sociological Theory
TL;DR: The work of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu has emerged as one of the most innovative, wide-ranging, and influential bodies of theories and research in contemporary social science as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Over the last two decades, the work of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu has emerged as one of the most innovative, wide-ranging, and influential bodies of theories and research in contemporary social science.1 Cutting deeply across the disciplinary boundaries that delimit sociology, anthropology, education, cultural history, linguistics, and philosophy, as well as across a broad spectrum of areas of specialized sociological inquiry (from the study of peasants, art, unemployment, schools, fertility, and literature to the

814 citations

Book Chapter•DOI•
The Question of Participation: Toward Authentic Public Participation in Public Administration

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Cheryl Simrell King, Kathryn M. Feltey, Bridget O'Neill Susel
01 Jul 1998-Public Administration Review
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used interviews and focus-group discussions to look for some answers to how the processes of public participation can be improved and suggest that improving public participation requires changes in citizen and administrator roles and relationships and in administrative processes.
Abstract: How can the processes of public participation be improved? This study uses interviews and focus-group discussions to look for some answers. The results suggest that improving public participation requires changes in citizen and administrator roles and relationships and in administrative processes. Specifically, we need to move away from static and reactive processes toward more dynamic and deliberative processes. The article suggests some practical steps to achieve these changes.

809 citations

Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."

  • ...Systems and structures are nothing more than the habitual practices of the people involved in the system, or what Giddens (1984) calls recursive practices....

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References
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Book•
Urban social segregation

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Ceri Peach
01 Jan 1975

98 citations

Related Papers (5)
Giddens's Structuration Theory

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Review Articles : Central Dilemmas in Giddens's Theory of Structuration

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Review Article : The Theory of Structuration: Prospects and Problems*

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01 Oct 1984-Acta Sociologica
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