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Social theory

About: Social theory is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 11421 publications have been published within this topic receiving 624898 citations.


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Book
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: Turner as mentioned in this paper argues that there is no plausible mechanism by which a "practice" is transmitted or reproduced, and explains why social theory cannot get beyond the stage of constructing fuzzy analogies, and why the standard constructions of the contemporary philosophical problem of relativism depend upon this defective notion.
Abstract: The concept of "practices" whether of representation, of political or scientific traditions, or of organizational culture is central to social theory. In this book, Stephen Turner presents the first analysis and critique of the idea of practice as it has developed in the various theoretical traditions of the social sciences and the humanities. Understood broadly as a tacit understanding "shared" by a group, the concept of a practice has a fatal difficulty, Turner argues: there is no plausible mechanism by which a "practice" is transmitted or reproduced. The historical uses of the concept, from Durkheim to Kripke's version of Wittgenstein, provide examples of the contortions that thinkers have been forced into by this problem, and show the ultimate implausibility of the idea. Turner's conclusion sketches a picture of what happens when we do without the notion of a shared practice, and how this bears on social theory and philosophy. It explains why social theory cannot get beyond the stage of constructing fuzzy analogies, and why the standard constructions of the contemporary philosophical problem of relativism depend upon this defective notion. This first book-length critique of practice theory is sure to stir discussion and controversy in a wide range of fields, from philosophy and science studies to sociology, anthropology, literary studies, and political and legal theory."

362 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article defined narrative as a concept and as a methodological tool in social science, and provided intellectual background on how narrative developed in literary theory and how it has been applied in cognitive analysis, and discussed narratives as sites of cultural contestation and the role of narrative in the construction of social theory.
Abstract: ▪ Abstract Narratives—the stories people tell—provide a rich source of information about how people make sense of their lives, about how they construct disparate facts and weave them together cognitively to make sense of reality. Narrative analysis is particularly useful in providing insight on the cognitive process and on the role of culture in shaping any human universals. We begin by defining narrative as a concept and as a methodological tool in social science. We provide intellectual background on how narrative developed in literary theory and how it has been applied in cognitive analysis. We then discuss narratives as sites of cultural contestation and the role of narrative in the construction of social theory. We conclude on a note of caution, suggesting the need for care when interpreting narratives.

361 citations

Book
30 Mar 2000
TL;DR: Eating Out as mentioned in this paper is a study of the consumption of food outside the home, based on extensive original research carried out in England in the 1990s, and examines social inequalities in access to eating out, social distinction, interactions between customers and staff, and economic and social implications of the practice.
Abstract: Eating Out, first published in 2000, is a fascinating study of the consumption of food outside the home, based on extensive original research carried out in England in the 1990s. Reflecting the explosion of interest in food, ranging from food scares to the national obsession with celebrity chefs, the practice of eating out has increased dramatically over recent years. Through surveys and intensive interviews, the authors have collected a wealth of information into people's attitudes towards, and expectations of, eating out as a form of entertainment and an expression of taste and status. Amongst other topics they examine social inequalities in access to eating out, social distinction, interactions between customers and staff, and the economic and social implications of the practice. Eating Out will be a valuable resource to academics, advanced students and practitioners in the sociology of consumption, cultural studies, social anthropology, tourism and hospitality, home economics, marketing, and the general reader.

359 citations

Book
01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: In this paper, a social constructionist approach for constructing religion, self-and society is presented, and the vagaries of religious pluralism are discussed, as well as social theory and religious movements.
Abstract: Introduction 1. Religion: a social constructionist approach 2. Secularisation 3. The vagaries of religious pluralism 4. Globalisation and religion 5. Social theory and religious movements 6. Constructing religion, self and society.

359 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a conceptualization of social materiality is developed whereby social processes and structures and material process and structures are seen as mutually enacting, and the relevance of "materiality" to understanding changing modes of control in organizational life is explored.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to explore the relevance of ‘materiality’ to understanding changing modes of control in organizational life. In doing this, materiality is not placed in a dualistic relationship with social relations. Rather a conceptualization of ‘social materiality’ is developed whereby social processes and structures and material processes and structures are seen as mutually enacting. In developing this concept of social materiality, I have drawn upon insights from three areas of social theory. These are studies of material culture, Lefebvre’s work on the ‘social production of space’, and sociological and phenomenological approaches to embodiment. The final section of the article explores how control and materiality are linked through spatial politics in one organizational case.

356 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
202323
202241
2021232
2020308
2019305
2018326