Realist social theory : the morphogenetic approach
TL;DR: The Morphogenetic Cycle: the basis of the morphogenetic approach 7. Structural and cultural conditioning 8. The morphogenesis of agency 9. Social elaboration.
Abstract: Building on her seminal contribution to social theory in Culture and Agency, in this 1995 book Margaret Archer develops her morphogenetic approach, applying it to the problem of structure and agency. Since structure and agency constitute different levels of stratified social reality, each possesses distinctive emergent properties which are real and causally efficacious but irreducible to one another. The problem, therefore, is shown to be how to link the two rather than conflate them, as has been common theoretical practice. Realist Social Theory: The Morphogenetic Approach not only rejects methodological individualism and holism, but argues that the debate between them has been replaced by a new one, between elisionary theorising and emergentist theories based on a realist ontology of the social world. The morphogenetic approach is the sociological complement of transcendental realism, and together they provide a basis for non-conflationary theorizing which is also of direct utility to the practising social analyst.
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TL;DR: This paper argued that the relationship between stability and change is best viewed as a duality, not a dualism, and strongly criticised the concept of punctuated evolution and defended a historical institutionalist position, against a constructivist institutionalist one.
Abstract: Stability and change are key issues for policy analysts, but the literature on the relationship between the two is limited in both senses of the term. This article examines that literature, placing in it firmly against discussions about how to conceptualize time and arguing that the relationship between stability and change is best viewed as a duality, not a dualism. As such, the article strongly critiques the concept of punctuated evolution and defends a historical institutionalist position, against a constructivist institutionalist one.
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...He begins with a critique of both Archer's ( 1995 , 2000 ) and Giddens' ( 1984 ) work on the structure/agency problem which he suggests have inadequate conceptualizations of time....
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Proceedings Article•
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: A set of methodological principles for conducting and evaluating critical realism-based explanatory case study research within the information systems (IS) field are proposed, consistent with the ontological and epistemological assumptions of critical realism.
Abstract: Critical realism has been proposed as an alternative philosophical paradigm to positivism and interpretivism, but few papers have offered guidelines or suggestions for applying this philosophy to actual research methodologies This article proposes a set of methodological principles for conducting and evaluating critical realism-based explanatory case study research within the information systems (IS) field The principles are consistent with the ontological and epistemological assumptions of critical realism, which are discussed along with a brief comparison to the contrasting assumptions from positivism and interpretivism Examples from published case study articles in the IS research literature are discussed in order to demonstrate each principle in more detail
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a new approach to understand technology-harm relations, which brings the theory of critical realism, Simondon and Floridi into conversation, and offers a stratigraphy of harm that enables us to excavate the different layers of human-technology and technology -harm relations.
Abstract: Understanding how technologies contribute to social harms is a perennial issue, animating debate within and well beyond criminology. This article contributes to these debates in two ways. First, it critically examines five of the key approaches criminologists have used to think through how technologies contribute to harms. Second, it proposes a new approach to understanding ‘technology–harm relations’. Bringing the theory of critical realism, Simondon and Floridi into conversation, the proposed approach offers a stratigraphy of harm that enables us to excavate the different layers of human–technology and technology–harm relations. In doing so, it enables us to distinguish between four technology–harm relations that untangle the socio-technicality of harmful events: instrumental utility harms, generative utility harms, instrumental technicity harms and generative technicity harms.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a critical theory lens, using critical realist methodology, to analyse empirical data collected through interviews and documents for the three transport infrastructure projects, two road tunnels and one light rail in Sydney Australia.
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