Social theory

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

Actor-Network Theory, organizations and critique: towards a politics of organizing

Abstract: In recent years the approach to social theory known as Actor-Network Theory (ANT) has been adopted within a range of social science fields. Despite its popularity, ANT is considered a controversial approach in that it appears to promote a sociological perspective that lacks substantive political critique. This is argued to be particularly true in ANT’s ‘translations’ in management and organization studies (MOS). In this article, we argue that the ‘ANT and After’ literature offers the potential to develop such a political critique. In particular we suggest it presents the opportunity to develop an approach that de-naturalizes organization(s), has the ability to deliver critical performativity, and at the same time offer a reflexive approach to management and organizational knowledge. Using organizational examples, we argue that ANT and After can offer insights relevant to the development of a critical perspective on MOS, notably through its advocacy of a ‘political ontology’ of organizing.

Media meta-capital: Extending the range of Bourdieu’s field theory

Abstract: This article addresses a general problem in media sociology – how to understand the media both as an internal production process and as a general frame for categorizing the social world, with specific reference to a version of this problem in recent work on media within Bourdieu’s field-based tradition of research (work previously reviewed by Rodney Benson in Theory and Society28). It argues that certain problems arise in reconciling this work’s detailed explanations of the media field’s internal workings (and the interrelations of that field’s workings to the workings of other fields) and general claims made about the “symbolic power” of media in a broader sense. These problems can be solved, the author argues, by adopting the concept of meta-capital developed by Bourdieu himself in his late work on the state, and returning to the wider framework of symbolic system and symbolic power that was important in Bourdieu’s social theory before it became dominated by field theory. Media, it is proposed, have meta-capital over the rules of play, and the definition of capital (especially symbolic capital), that operate within a wide range of contemporary fields of production. This level of explanation needs to be added to specific accounts of the detailed workings of the media field. The conclusion points to questions for further work, including on the state’s relative strength and the media’s meta-capital that must be carried out through detailed empirical work on a global comparative basis.

Theoretical frameworks for African American women

Abstract: Applying appropriate theoretical frameworks for black women is challenging because many theories are very general and do not consider multiple identities and roles. Critical race theory and black feminist thought are suggested as appropriate frameworks and applied to the needs of black women in higher education.

Encyclopedia of social theory

Abstract: "The Encyclopedia of Social Theory", two-volume set, is an indispensable reference source for anyone interested in understanding the roots of contemporary social theory. It examines the global landscape of all the key theories and the theorists behind them and presents them in the context needed to understand the strengths and weaknesses of all the key areas of the discipline.These include: Structural fundamentalism; Marxist theory; Critical theory; Phenomenology; Ethnomethodology; Exchange theory; Rational choice; Feminism; Multiculturalism; and Postmodernism. "The Encyclopedia of Social Theory" draws together a team of international scholars led by the editor, George Ritzer, one of the most prolific social theorists. This is a benchmark reference tool for understanding the development, achievements and prospects of social theory. Key features and benefits include: over 280 entries; a master bibliography; a complete Reader's Guide; extensive biographical coverage of the major theorists; and extensive cross-referencing.