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Showing papers on "Social theory published in 1986"


Book
01 Jan 1986
TL;DR: The sources of social power trace their interrelations throughout human history as discussed by the authors, from neolithic times, through ancient Near Eastern civilizations, the classical Mediterranean age and medieval Europe up to just before the Industrial Revolution in England.
Abstract: Distinguishing four sources of power in human societies – ideological, economic, military and political – The Sources of Social Power traces their interrelations throughout human history In this first volume, Michael Mann examines interrelations between these elements from neolithic times, through ancient Near Eastern civilizations, the classical Mediterranean age and medieval Europe, up to just before the Industrial Revolution in England It offers explanations of the emergence of the state and social stratification; of city-states, militaristic empires and the persistent interaction between them; of the world salvation religions; and of the particular dynamism of medieval and early modern Europe It ends by generalizing about the nature of overall social development, the varying forms of social cohesion and the role of classes and class struggle in history First published in 1986, this new edition of Volume 1 includes a new preface by the author examining the impact and legacy of the work

2,186 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe paths in research and in theory development, that will reconstitute relevance of each for the other, and use a theory of purposive action as a foundation for social theory; this entails acceptance of a form of methodological individualism and rejection of holism.
Abstract: After an extraordinarily promising beginning in 1937 with The Structure of Social Action, Talcott Parsons abandoned his attempt to ground social theory in a theory of purposive action. The functionalism that resulted moved in one direction, while social research has progressively moved in an individual-behavioristic direction, resulting in an ever-widening divergence between research and theory. This paper describes paths in research and in theory development, that will reconstitute relevance of each for the other. The essential elements are two. The first is use of a theory of purposive action as a foundation for social theory; this entails acceptance of a form of methodological individualism and rejection of holism. The second is a focus in social research and theory on the movement from the level of individual actions to macrosocial functioning, that is, the level of system behavior.

1,293 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Gramsci's work does not offer a general socialscience which can be applied to the analysis of social phenomena across a wide comparative range of historical societies as discussed by the authors, and therefore has a direct bearing on the question of the adequacy of existing social theories, since it is precisely in the direction of complexity of existing theories and problems that his most important contribution is to be found.
Abstract: The aim of this collection of essays1 is to facilitate ‘a more sophisticated examination of the hitherto poorly elucidated phenomen of racism and to examine the adequacy of the theoretical formulations, paradigms and interpretive schemes in the social and human sciences…with respect to intolerance and racism and in relation to the complexity of problems they pose.’ This general rubric enables me to situate more precisely the kind of contribution which a study of Gramsci’s work can make to the larger enterprise. In my view, Gramsci’s work does not offer a general social science which can be applied to the analysis of social phenomena across a wide comparative range of historical societies. His potential contribution is more limited. It remains, for all that, of seminal importance. His work is, precisely, of a ‘sophisticating’ kind. He works, broadly, within the marxist paradigm. However, he has extensively revised, renovated and sophisticated many aspects of that theoretical framework to make it more relevant to contemporary social relations in the twentieth century. His work therefore has a direct bearing on the question of the ‘adequacy’ of existing social theories, since it is precisely in the direction of ‘complexifying existing theories and problems’ that his most important theoretical contribution is to be found. These points require further clarification before a substantive resume and assessment of Gramsci’s theoretical contribution can be offered.

1,193 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the body and society explorations in social theory are used as a good way to achieve details about operating certain products and to obtain a user's guide to operating them.
Abstract: the body and society explorations in social theory are a good way to achieve details about operating certainproducts. Many products that you buy can be obtained using instruction manuals. These user guides are clearlybuilt to give step-by-step information about how you ought to go ahead in operating certain equipments. Ahandbook is really a user's guide to operating the equipments. Should you loose your best guide or even the productwould not provide an instructions, you can easily obtain one on the net. You can search for the manual of yourchoice online. Here, it is possible to work with google to browse through the available user guide and find the mainone you'll need. On the net, you'll be able to discover the manual that you might want with great ease andsimplicity

438 citations


Book
31 Jan 1986
TL;DR: In this paper, Collins argues that much of Max Weber's work has been misunderstood, and that many of his most striking and sophisticated theories have been overlooked, and proposes a new interpretation of Weberian sociology and to show how the more fruitful lines of the Weberian approach can be projected to current world issues.
Abstract: Randall Collins convincingly argues that much of Max Weber's work has been misunderstood, and that many of his most striking and sophisticated theories have been overlooked. By analysing hitherto little known aspects of Weber's writings, Professor Collins is able both to offer a new interpretation of Weberian sociology and to show how the more fruitful lines of the Weberian approach can be projected to an analysis of current world issues. Professor Collins begins with Weber's theory of the rise of capitalism, examining it in the light of Weber's later writings on the subject and extending the Weberian line of reasoning to suggest a 'Weberian revolution' in both medieval Europe and China. He also offers a new interpretation of Weber's theory of politics, showing it to be a 'world-system' model; and he expands this into a theory of geopolitics, using as a particular illustration the prediction of the future decline of Russian world power. Another 'buried treasure' in the corpus is Weber's conflict theory of the family as sex and property, which Professor Collins applies to the historical question of the conditions that led to the initial rise in the status of women. The broad view of Weber's works shows that Weberian sociology remains intellectually alive and that many of his theories still represent the frontier of our knowledge about large-scale social processes.

355 citations


Book
01 Jan 1986
TL;DR: Niklas Luhmann as mentioned in this paper analyzed the emergence of "love" as the basis of personal relationships in modern societies and argued that, while family systems remained intact in the transition from traditional to modern societies, a semantics for love developed to accommodate extra-marital relationships; this semantics was then transferred back into marriage and eventually transformed marriage itself.
Abstract: In this important book Niklas Luhmann - one of the leading social thinkers of the late 20th century - analyses the emergence of 'love' as the basis of personal relationships in modern societies. He argues that, while family systems remained intact in the transition from traditional to modern societies, a semantics for love developed to accommodate extra-marital relationships; this semantics was then transferred back into marriage and eventually transformed marriage itself. Drawing on a diverse range of historical and literary sources, Luhmann retraces the emergence and evolution of the special semantics of passionate love that has come to form the basis of modern forms of intimacy and personal relationships. This classic book by Luhmann has been widely recognized as a work of major importance. It is an outstanding contribution to social theory and it provides an original and illuminating perspective on the nature of modern marriage and sexuality.

282 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1986
TL;DR: The authors suggests that current ways of thinking about disability are inadequate, both theoretically and as a basis for social policy, and that most writers have remained locked within a personal tragedy theory of disability and have failed to examine the concept of disability critically.
Abstract: This paper suggests that current ways of thinking about disability are inadequate, both theoretically and as a basis for social policy. The main reason for this is that most writers have remained locked within a ‘personal tragedy theory of disability’ and have failed to examine the concept of disability critically. Even those writers who have attempted to take disability seriously have failed to move beyond a traditional framework and have subsequently produced sterile accounts. The final section of the paper begins to suggest what a social theory of disability might look like.

245 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Abrahamson as discussed by the authors recasts the concept of structure as an instantaneous correspondence between an infrastructure, a sociostructure, and a superstructure, three manifestations of collective life joined through a dynamic juxtaposition of technological solutions, political exchanges, and social interpretations in and around organizations.
Abstract: I am grateful to many colleagues for their comments on previous versions of this manuscript. Special thanks to Eric Abrahamson, R. Kabaliswaran, Michael Rosen, and the reviewers and editors of ASQ for helpful discussions along the way. The development of this paper was supported in part by a grant from the Tenneco Fund Program at the Graduate School of Business Administration, New York University. Theories of structure have artificially segregated various streams of research on intraorganizational and interorganizational relations. This paper recasts the concept of structure as an instantaneous correspondence between an infrastructure, a sociostructure, and a superstructurethree manifestations of collective life joined through a dynamic juxtaposition of technological solutions, political exchanges, and social interpretations in and around organizations. These levels are shown to describe reflexive yet partially autonomous realmswhose progressive interrelatedness is governed by processes of convergence and divergence, thereby supporting both stability and change in social relationships within organizations, populations, and communities. Ultimately, it is argued, structuring can be understood as a dialectical unfolding of relations between embedded social actors that translates individual action into societal consequences.

206 citations


Book
01 Jan 1986
TL;DR: The Mental and the Material as discussed by the authors is a key book of contemporary social theory, where the authors argue that human beings do not just live in society, they produce society in order to live.
Abstract: What is the specificity of the human race within nature? How is its history to be explained? What impact do material realities, natural and man-made, have on human beings? What role does thought, in all its dimensions, play in the production of social relations? How are the human sciences to be advanced today? These are among the crucial questions confronted by Maurice Godelier, the world's most distinguished Marxist anthropologist, in this key book of contemporary social theory. Its point of departure lies in a fact and a hypothesis. The fact: in contrast to other social animals, human beings do not just live in society, they produce society in order to live. The hypothesis: because they have the unique capacity to appropriate and transform nature, they produce culture and create history. Drawing on his own extensive fieldwork and ranging over the most diverse ethnographic data, Godelier substantiates his case by attending to the analysis of both social relations of production and the production of social relations. In a sustained challenge to currently dominant schemas, he offers a series of highly original theses on the constitution, reproduction and transformation of societies, recasting the distinction between infrastructure and superstructures, illuminating the relations between economic determination and political/ideological dominance, and clarifying the character of ideology and its central role in the perpetuation of dominance and exploitation. Theoretically ambitious and empirically rigorous, The Mental and the Material constitutes a great advance in the mode of production debate and demonstrates the enormous explanatory potential of historical materialism.

149 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: For example, the authors found that explaining how or why two variables might be related leads to an increased belief in and use of the explained theory, while exposure to new data indicating a zero relation between the social variables in question only moderated the explanation-induced theories; it did not eliminate them.
Abstract: Social theories-beliefs about relations between variables in the social environment-are often used in making judgments, predictions, or decisions. Three experiments on the role of explanation in the development and use of social theories were presented. We found that explaining how or why two variables might be related leads to an increased belief in and use of the explained theory. A counterexplanation task was found to be effective in eliminating this initial explanation bias (Experiments 2 & 3). These explanation and counterexplanation effects occurred in a variety of theory domains (Experiment I), with simple belief measures (Experiments I & 3), and with complex social judgments involving multiple predictor variables (Experiment 2). Finally, we found that such new, explanationinduced beliefs did not lead to biased evaluation of new data. However, exposure to new data indicating a zero relation between the social variables in question only moderated the explanation-induced theories; it did not eliminate them (Experiment 3). Implications for decision making in real-world contexts and for understanding the cognitive processes underlying explanation effects in the present and in related judgment domains were also examined. Social judgments and decisions, ranging from the trivial to the absolutely crucial, frequently are made using social theories of dubious validity. By social theories we mean beliefs people hold about how and in what way variables in the social environment are related (cf. Anderson, Lepper, & Ross, 1980). Consider the decisions faced by emergency room doctors when presented with a 3-year-old child admitted for treatment of head injuries, bruises, and lacerations possibly due to parental child abuse. Should the attending physicians call the police, or try to get the parents to see the hospital counseling personnel, or simply ignore the evidence of child abuse? The decision will be based on the physicians' social theories about the effects of various interventions on the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual well-being of abused children. Some may believe that legal prosecution of the parents, perhaps resulting in the courts placing the child in a foster or adoptive home, produces the best outcomes for abused children. Others may believe that family counseling, without legal intervention, is best. Still others may feel that legal and psychological interventions are both worse than doing nothing-namely, that the parents will probably not engage in abusive behaviors again, and that they will provide the best environment for their own child. Or consider political decisions concerning national defense issues. Should the United States continue the present massive build-up of nuclear and nonnuclear forces? People's judgments will depend on their social theories relating these actions to the responses of the Soviets. Do threatening gestures promote peace

143 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors review the major themes and problematics that have emerged over the last decade in post-modern social theory and propose a set of proposals concerning the future directions social theories and empirical research might take, in light of the postmodern critique.
Abstract: My intentions are to review the major themes and problematics that have emerged over the last decade in postmodern social theory (see Foster 1983; Bernstein 1985; Jameson 1983, 1984a; Huyssen 1984; Jencks 1985; Newman 1985). I will examine the works of two leading French postmodern theorists, Lyotard (1971, 1974, 1984) and Baudrillard (1968, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1981, 1983a, 1983b, 1983c) against the backdrop of the poststructuralist and Critical Theory formulations of Barthes, Lacan, Althusser, Levi-Strauss, Derrida and Habermas. I hope to relate American social theory more closely to postmodern formulations. At the same time it is my desire to make social theory more alive to the current crises that grip the present world economic and cultural structures (Denzin 1986). Because Lyotard and Baudrillard offer explicit and implicit critiques of the Frankfurt School and Habermas, it will be necessary to briefly speak to Habermas's theory of communicative action (1975, 1983) as it applies to the legitimation crisis in post-capitalist societies. I will take up in order the following topics: (1) the current state of American social theory; (2) a brief discussion of the defining characteristics of postmodern theory; (3) an analysis of the major themes in Baudrillard and Lyotard's works; (4) a discussion of the Habermas critique of postmodernism and postmodern theory; (5) a set of proposals concerning the future directions social theory and empirical research might take, in light of the postmodern critique.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a mode of investigating social theories that focuses on the relation between the social theory and its audience, which is the most important aspect of the social theorist's archetypal situation, like the two-faced Roman god Janus.
Abstract: Philosophers of social science have usually examined social theories logically or empirically to discover their formal coherence or testable propositions. Yet these modes of investigation overlook an important aspect of the social theorist’s archetypal situation: like the two-faced Roman god Janus he confronts not only a puzzling social world but also a puzzled audience. This double confrontation constrains his social theory in two ways: on the one side it must explain this social world following the rules of logic or the scientific method, on the other side it must take into account the concerns of its audience. Most philosophers of social science have focused on the first constraint: the relation between the social theory and the social world. But for a more complete understanding of how social theories are formed, we need a mode of investigating them that focuses on the second constraint: the relation between the social theory and its audience. It is this latter relation, even more than the former, that determines the social theory’s ultimate reputation. Although no single discipline has investigated social theories in precisely this way, both ’phenomenology’ (which studies experience) and ‘rhetoric’ (which studies its control) come closest to the mode of investigation I envisage.’ To this new perspective, phenomenology can contribute the idea that individuals organize the objects of their world not logically or empirically but ‘phenomenologically’, not according to the

Book
31 Jan 1986
TL;DR: Natural Law and Human Dignity as mentioned in this paper, the first major work to appear in English is unique in its attempt to get beyond the usual oppositions between the natural law and social utopian traditions, providing basic insights on the question of human rights in a socialist society.
Abstract: Ernst Bloch (1885-1977), one of the most original and influential of contemporary European thinkers and a founder of the Frankfurt School, has left his mark on a range of fields from philosophy and social theory to aesthetics and theology. Natural Law and Human Dignity, the first of his major works to appear in English is unique in its attempt to get beyond the usual oppositions between the natural law and social utopian traditions, providing basic insights on the question of human rights in a socialist society. Natural Law and Human Dignity is a sweeping yet synthetic work that critically reviews the great legal philosophies, from Plato to the present, in order to uncover and clarify the normative features of true socialism. Along the way it offers thoughtful reflections on topics as diverse as the abolition of poverty and degradation, the nature of the state, and the installation of freedom and dignity. Taking the idea of natural law as his guiding thread, Bloch argues that revolution and right, rather than being antagonistic, are fundamentally interconnected. With their emphasis on human dignity, the traditions of natural law have an irreplaceable contribution to make to the socialist vision of a more humane society. In his effort to wed the demands of law and right to the agenda of social revolution, Bloch offers a radical restructuring of our understanding of the social world. This rethinking of the fundamental principles of political philosophy is the product of a long personal and philosophical odyssey. Bloch lived as a writer in Munich, Bern, and Berlin until he was forced to emigrate to Czechoslovakia and then to the United States during World War 11. After the war he returned to East Germany, where he held a chair in philosophy at the University of Leipzig. He emigrated to the west as the Berlin Wall was being built (carrying the manuscript of this book under his arm), and he taught at the University of Tubingen until his death. Natural Law and Human Dignity is included in the series Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought, edited by Thomas McCarthy.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: New Rules of Sociological Method: A Positive Critique of Interpretative Sociologies as mentioned in this paper and Central Problems in Social Theory: Action, Structure and Contradiction in Social Analysis.
Abstract: New Rules of Sociological Method: A Positive Critique of Interpretative Sociologies Central Problems in Social Theory: Action, Structure and Contradiction in Social Analysis A Contemporary Critique of Historical Materialism. Vol. 1. Power, Property and the State

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Although the social work profession has recognized some value in the insights provided by feminism, little effort has been made to incorporate femi nist perspectives and theories into social work's knowledge base as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: IN NUMEROUS ways, the values, ethical commitments, purposes, and philo sophical systems of feminism and social work converge and impart added mean ing to each other. Although the social work profession has recognized some value in the insights provided by feminism, little effort has been made to incorporate femi nist perspectives and theories into social work's knowledge base. The profession has yet to recognize and articulate the elemental core of shared social work and

Book
01 Jan 1986
TL;DR: The authors brings together the different traditions of social policy study -social administration, welfare economics and marxist political economy -to shed light on the complex relationships between the state, poverty and inequality, the current fiscal crisis, bureaucracy and social welfare, and the making and implementation of policy.
Abstract: This work brings together the different traditions of social policy study - social administration, welfare economics and marxist political economy - to shed light on the complex relationships between the state, poverty and inequality, the current fiscal crisis, bureaucracy and social welfare, and the making and implementation of policy. Their approach is detailed and comparative, considering the functioning and objectives of social policies in advanced Western societies from a British perspective. This book follows on from Michael Hill's "Understanding Social Policy". In explaining the concepts and theories in greater depth, it should be useful for students of sociology, politics, economics and social administration.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a sociological explanation of sexual behavior is proposed, which is universally linked to the social structure in three specific areas: (a) marital jealousy, (b) gender role power and (c) beliefs about normality.
Abstract: The Freudian, Marxian, and sociobiological explanations of sexuality are not well designed for answering questions concerning differences among societies or groups in their sexual lifestyles. A macro-level, societal explanation of sexuality is needed to answer such questions. Such a theory is lacking in sociology but is developed in this paper. Sexuality is defined as a societal product whose importance lies more in its physical pleasure and selfdisclosure aspects than in its reproductive potential. Those qualities are universally valued because they are the building blocks of social relationships. This paper proposes that sexuality is universally linked to the social structure in three specific areas: (a) marital jealousy, (b) gender role power, and (c) beliefs about normality. Variations and interrelations of these three linkages are explained by the logical structure of this sociological theory. Evidence concerning the theory is explored by examining the Standard Cross Cultural Sample, National Opinion Research Center surveys, and individual research on other societies. The sociological explanation presented here applies to both heterosexual and homosexual relationships and to both industrial and nonindustrial societies. A number of specific, interrelated propositions that explain societal variations within the three universal linkage areas are explored. The logical structure of the theory is developed as the context of those propositions. The paper also treats the relevance of this theory for the applied professions dealing with sexuality.


Book
01 Feb 1986
TL;DR: Engels, the search for origins and feminist theory Engels, class and women public and private worlds domestic labour and the political economy of women psychoanalysis, masculinity/femininity and the family an extended theory of social reproduction.
Abstract: Engels, the search for origins and feminist theory Engels, class and women public and private worlds domestic labour and the political economy of women psychoanalysis, masculinity/femininity and the family an extended theory of social reproduction.



Book ChapterDOI
01 May 1986
TL;DR: The culture of Latin America's governing and intellectual elites is integrally Western, that is, it has emerged within the broader confines of Western European culture, modified of course by the special characteristics Spain and Portugal imparted to their former colonies as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The liberal heritage in an era of ideological consensus Political and social ideas in Latin America have been affected by two obvious though frequently unappreciated facts that distinguish the region from other parts of the ‘non-Western’, ‘developing’, or ‘third’ world with which it has often been compared. First, the culture of Latin America's governing and intellectual elites is integrally Western, that is, it has emerged within the broader confines of Western European culture, modified of course by the special characteristics Spain and Portugal imparted to their former colonies. Second, the nations of Latin America, with the exception of Cuba, gained their political independence at the beginning of the nineteenth century. It is now common to refer to nineteenth-century Latin America as ‘neo-colonial’, which suggests a situation of economic and cultural dependence for nations that were politically independent. The implication is that independence was formal and superficial and that dependence was the deeper and more significant experience of the region. It is clear that the elites of ninteenth-century Latin America were tied to, even dependent on, Europe, and that their economic interests within the international capitalist system formed part of that tie. It is also clear that the bond with Europe was strengthened after 1870, with the burgeoning of the Latin American export economies. Less clear is that the circumstance of early political independence can be regarded as a superficial element in Latin American culture. On the contrary, the ideologies, political programmes and social theories of the nineteenth century, while intellectually ‘European’, were nonetheless distinctive and authentically ‘Latin American’, in part because they emerged in politically independent nations.

Book
01 Jun 1986
TL;DR: It's important for you to start having that hobby that will lead you to join in better concept of life and reading will be a positive activity to do every time.
Abstract: After more than a decade teaching ancient Greek history and philosophy at University College, Oxford, British philosopher and political theorist Bernard Bosanquet (1848–1923) resigned from his post to spend more time writing. He was particularly interested in contemporary social theory, and was involved with the Charity Organisation Society and the London Ethical Society. Much of his work focused on the place of logic in philosophy, especially its role in metaphysical thought - the area where he is considered to have made his most important intellectual contributions. In 1888 he published this two-volume study of logic, addressing a variety of questions relating to logic, and drawing from the work of Hegel (1770–1831) in his examination. In Volume 2, Bosanquet focuses on inference, arguing that it has a similar essence to judgment but is fundamentally different in that it is used to 'mediate' reality.

Book
01 Jan 1986
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined sport from a social-theoretical perspective, focusing on youth sports, intercollegiate athletics, and other areas of sociology of sport, and discussed social theory as it applies to youth sports.
Abstract: Unlike other books on the subject which follow a problem- or issue-oriented approach, this text examines sport from a social-theoretical perspective. In 21 chapters, prominent scholars such as John Loy, Barry McPherson, Brian Sutton-Smith, Stanley Eitzen, Jay Coakley, and Eric Dunning discuss social theory as it applies to youth sports, intercollegiate athletics, and other areas of sociology of sport.

Book
01 Jan 1986
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an introduction to rationality and social structure: an introduction Part I. Stratification: 2. Agricultural enterprise and rural class relations 3. Interdependence and inequality: a specification of the Davis-Moore theory 5. Marxist theories of power and empirical research 6. Social mobility in industrial labor markets 7. The sociology of ethnic loyalties 8. Organizations: 9. Social structure and the founding of organizations.
Abstract: Introduction 1. Rationality and social structure: an introduction Part I. Stratification: 2. Agricultural enterprise and rural class relations 3. Some empirical consequences of the Davis-Moore theory of stratification 4. Interdependence and inequality: a specification of the Davis-Moore theory 5. Marxist theories of power and empirical research 6. Social mobility in industrial labor markets 7. The sociology of ethnic loyalties 8. The deep structure of moral categories, eighteenth-century French stratification and the Revolution Part II. Organizations: 9. Bureaucratic and craft administration of production: a comparative study 10. Social structure and the founding of organizations 11. On social factors in administrative organization 12. Norms of exchange Part III. Sociology as a Profession: 13. On getting 'hung up' and other assorted illnesses 14. Review of Max Weber's Economy and Society 15. Merton's theory of social structure 16. A structural analysis of sociology 17. The mathematical biology of survey research centres 18. On journal editing as a probabilistic process 19. Should sociologists forget their mothers and fathers? Bibliography Name and place-name index Subject index.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a historical review of education in South Africa is presented towards an assessment, with a focus on the role of race and gender in the education system. But this review is limited to South Africa.
Abstract: (1986). A Historical Review of Education in South Africa: towards an assessment. Comparative Education: Vol. 22, No. 3, pp. 185-200.