Relational sociology of Harrison White and his followers: Towards a theory of sociocultural duality
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu12.2023.301Abstract
The paper presents an overview of the history of the cultural turn in social network analysis. The cultural turn has proclaimed the crucial role of not only social but also cultural structures. On the one hand, cultural structures construct a context for social interactions. On the other hand, social network mechanisms determine the features of the use of symbolic forms by actors. According to Harrison White and John Mohr, sociocultural duality can be defined as a process of mutual construction of social and cultural orders. It should be noted that the idea of White about the mutual construction of culture and structure (the concept of netdom) has become a starting point for theoretical and empirical debates on the duality of social and cultural networks. The concept of network domain (netdom) includes both social networks (net) and spaces of symbolic forms (dom). Hence, the task of this paper is to identify the theoretical and methodological arguments of researchers emphasising the importance of sociocultural duality. The paper discusses in detail the concepts of duality and relational sociology. But the main part of the article is focused on the analysis of the relational sociology of Harrison White and his followers (A.Mische, J.Fuhse, N.Crossley). Relational sociology rejects substantialist ideas and, therefore, it is directed to the research of processual social and cultural structures. The final arguments summarise cutting-edge topics for future research on sociocultural duality
Keywords:
relational sociology, Harrison White, duality, culture, social networks
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Литература
Mohr J., Rawlings C. Formal models of culture // A Handbook of Cultural Sociology / J.Hall, L.Grindstaff, M.-C.Lo (eds). London: Routledge, 2010. P. 118–128.
Mische A. Relational Sociology, Culture, and Agency // The Sage Handbook of Social Network Analysis / J. Scott, P.Carrington (eds). London: Sage, 2011. P. 80–97.
White H.C. Identity and Control: How Social Formations Emerge. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008.
Tilly C. Explaining Social Processes. Boulder: Paradigm, 2008.
Emirbayer M. The Alexander school of cultural sociology // Thesis Eleven. 2004. No. 79. P. 5–15.
Mützel S., Breiger R. Duality beyond persons and groups // The Oxford Handbook of Social Networks / R.Light, J.Moody (eds). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. P. 392–413.
Спиноза Б. Сочинения: в 2 т. Т. 1. СПб.: Наука, 1999.
Lee M., Martin J.L. Doorway to the dharma of duality // Poetics. 2018. Vol. 68. P. 18–30.
Breiger R. Baruch Spinoza: Monism and complementarity // Sociological insights of great thinkers: Sociology through Literature, Philosophy, and Science / C.Edling, J.Rydgren (eds). Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2011. P. 255–262.
Mützel S., Kressin L. From Simmel to relational sociology // The Handbook of Classical Sociological Theory / S.Abrutyn, O.Lizardo (eds). Cham: Springer, 2020. P. 217–238.
Breiger R. The duality of persons and groups // Social Forces. 1974. Vol. 53, no. 2. P. 181–190.
Schultz J., Breiger R. The strength of weak culture // Poetics. 2010. Vol. 38, no. 6. P. 610–624.
Breiger R. Dualities of culture and structure: Seeing through cultural holes // Relationale Soziologie / J.Fuhse, S.Mützel (eds). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag, 2010. P. 37–47.
Basov N., Breiger R., Hellsten I. Socio-semantic and other dualities // Poetics. 2020. Vol. 78. Art. 101433.
Donati P. Introduzione alla sociologia relazionale. Milano: FrancoAngeli, 1983.
Fuhse J. Social networks of meaning and communication. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021.
Донати П. Реляционная теория общества: Социальная жизнь с точки зрения критического реализма. М.: Изд-во ПСТГУ, 2019.
Donati P., Archer M. The Relational Subject. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Porpora D. Critical realism as relational sociology // The Palgrave Handbook of Relational Sociology / F.Dépelteau (ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. P. 413-429.
Emirbayer M. Manifesto for a relational sociology // American Journal of Sociology. 1997. Vol. 103, no. 2. P. 281–317.
Dewey J., Bentley A. Knowing and the Known. Boston: Beacon Press, 1949.
Dépelteau F., Powell C. (eds). Applying Relational Sociology. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.
Dépelteau F. Relational Sociology, Pragmatism, Transactions and Social Fields // International Review of Sociology. 2015. Vol. 25, no. 1. P. 45–64.
Erikson E. Relationalism and social networks // The Palgrave Handbook of Relational Sociology / F.Dépelteau (ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. P. 271–287.
Ерофеева М.А. О возможности акторно-сетевой теории действия // Социология власти. 2015. Т. 27, № 4. C. 51–71.
Mützel S. Networks as culturally constituted processes: A comparison of relational sociology and actor-network theory // Current Sociology. 2009. Vol. 57, no. 6. P. 871–887.
Мальцева Д.В. Сетевой подход как феномен социологической теории // Социологические исследования. 2018. № 4. С. 3–14.
Erikson E. Formalist and relationalist theory in social network analysis // Sociological Theory. 2013. Vol. 31, no. 3. P. 219–242.
Щеглова Т.Е., Мальцева Д.В., Ким А.В. Блокмоделинг для анализа социальных структур: методологические основания // Социология: методология, методы, математическое моделирование (Социология: 4М). 2021. 52. С. 7–35.
Brint S. Hidden meanings: Cultural content and context in Harrison White’s structural sociology // Sociological Theory. 1992. Vol. 10, no. 2. P. 194–208.
White H.C. Social grammar from culture: Reply to Steven Brint // Sociological Theory. 1992. Vol. 10, no. 2. P. 209–213.
White H.C. Identity and Control: Towards a Structural Theory of Action. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992.
Fontdevila J. Switching among Netdoms: The relational sociology of Harrison C.White // The Palgrave Handbook of Relational Sociology / F.Dépelteau (ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. P. 231–269.
Giddens A. The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1984.
Fuhse J. Theories of Social Networks // The Oxford Handbook of Social Networks / R.Light, J.Moody (eds). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. P. 34–49.
Mead G.H. Mind, Self, and Society from the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1934.
Луман Н. Социальные системы. СПб.: Наука, 2007.
White H.C., Fuhse J., Thiemann M., Buchholz L. Networks and meaning: Styles and switchings // Soziale Systeme. 2007. Vol. 13, no. 1–2. P. 534–555.
Azarian G. The General Sociology of Harrison C. White: Chaos and Order in Networks. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
White H.C., Godart F.C., Thiemann M. Turning points and the space of possibles: A relational perspective on the different forms of uncertainty // Applying Relational Sociology / F.Dépelteau, C.Powell (eds). New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. P. 137–154.
Schmitt M., Fuhse J. Zur Aktualität von Harrison White: Einführung in sein Werk. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 2015.
Ким А.В. Качественный сетевой анализ в стратегии смешивания методов в социальных науках: систематический обзор литературы // Социология: методология, методы, математическое моделирование (Социология: 4М). 2021. Т. 2, 53. C. 83–116.
Diani M., Mische A. Network approaches and social movements // The Oxford Handbook of Social Movements / D.Della Porta, M.Diani (eds). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. P. 306–325.
Mische A. Partisan performance: The relational construction of Brazilian youth activist publics // Social Movement Dynamics: New Perspectives on Theory and Research from Latin America / M. von Bülow, F.M.Rossi (eds). London: Routledge, 2016. P. 43–71.
Goffman E. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Anchor Books, 1959.
Fuhse J., Gondal N. Networks from culture: Mechanisms of tie-formation follow institutionalized rules in social fields // Social Networks. 2022. (В печати)
Fuhse J., Stuhler O., Riebling J., Martin J.L. Relating social and symbolic relations in quantitative text analysis. A study of parliamentary discourse in the Weimar Republic // Poetics. 2020. Vol. 78. Art. 101363.
Crossley N. Relations-In-Process: In honour of François Dépelteau // Digithum. 2020. No. 26. P.1–14.
Crossley N. A dependent structure of interdependence: Structure and agency in relational perspective // Sociology. 2021. Vol. 56, no. 1. P. 166–182.
Donati P. Transcending Modernity with Relational Thinking. London: Routledge, 2021.
References
Mohr J., Rawlings C. Formal models of culture. A Handbook of Cultural Sociology, J.Hall, L.Grindstaff, M.-C.Lo (eds). London, Routledge, 2010, pp. 118–128.
Mische A. Relational Sociology, Culture, and Agency. The Sage Handbook of Social Network Analysis, J. Scott, P.Carrington (eds). London, Sage, 2011, pp. 80–97.
White H.C. Identity and Control: How Social Formations Emerge. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2008.
Tilly C. Explaining Social Processes. Boulder, Paradigm, 2008.
Emirbayer M. The Alexander school of cultural sociology. Thesis Eleven, 2004, no. 79, pp. 5–15.
Mützel S., Breiger R. Duality beyond persons and groups. The Oxford Handbook of Social Networks, R.Light, J.Moody (eds). Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020, pp. 392–413.
Spinoza B. Essays, in 2 vols, vol. 1. St. Petersburg, Nauka Publ., 1999. (In Russian)
Lee M., Martin J.L. Doorway to the Dharma of Duality. Poetics, 2018, vol. 68, pp. 18–30.
Breiger R. Baruch Spinoza: Monism and complementarity. Sociological insights of great thinkers: Sociology through Literature, Philosophy, and Science, C.Edling, J.Rydgren (eds). Santa Barbara, Praeger, 2011, pp. 255–262.
Mützel S., Kressin L. From Simmel to relational sociology. The Handbook of Classical Sociological Theory, S.Abrutyn, O.Lizardo (eds). Cham, Springer, 2020, pp. 217–238.
Breiger R. The duality of persons and groups. Social Forces, 1974, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 181–190.
Schultz J., Breiger R. The strength of weak culture. Poetics, 2010, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 610–624.
Breiger R. Dualities of culture and structure: Seeing through cultural holes. Relationale Soziologie, J.Fuhse, S.Mützel (eds). Wiesbaden, VS Verlag, 2010, pp. 37–47.
Basov N., Breiger R., Hellsten I. Socio-semantic and other dualities. Poetics, 2020, vol. 78, art. 101433.
Donati P. Introduzione alla Sociologia Relazionale. Milano, FrancoAngeli, 1983.
Fuhse J. Social Networks of Meaning and Communication. New York, Oxford University Press, 2021.
Donati P. Relational Theory of Society: Social Life from a Perspective of Critical Realism. Moscow, PSTGU Press, 2019. (In Russian)
Donati P., Archer M. The Relational Subject. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Porpora D. Critical realism as relational sociology. The Palgrave Handbook of Relational Sociology, F.Dépelteau (ed.). New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018, pp. 413–429.
Emirbayer M. Manifesto for a relational sociology. American Journal of Sociology, 1997, vol. 103, no. 2, pp. 281–317.
Dewey J., Bentley A. Knowing and the Known. Boston, Beacon Press, 1949.
Dépelteau F., Powell C. (eds). Applying Relational Sociology. New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.
Dépelteau F. Relational sociology, pragmatism, transactions and social fields. International Review of Sociology, 2015, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 45–64.
Erikson E. Relationalism and social networks. The Palgrave Handbook of Relational Sociology, F.Dépelteau (ed.). New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018, pp. 271–287.
Erofeeva M.A. On the possibility of actor-network theory of action. Sotsiologiia Vlasti, 2015, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 51–71. (In Russian)
Mützel S. Networks as culturally constituted processes: A comparison of relational sociology and actor-network theory. Current Sociology, 2009, vol. 57, no. 6, pp. 871–887.
Maltseva D.V. Network approach as a phenomenon of sociological theory. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniia, 2018, no. 4, pp. 3–14. (In Russian)
Erikson E. Formalist and relationalist theory in social network analysis. Sociological Theory, 2013, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 219–242.
Shcheglova T.E., Maltseva D.V., Kim A.V. Blockmodeling for analysis of social structures: Theoretical and methodological foundations. Sotsiologiia: Metodologiia, metody, matematicheskoe modelirovanie (Sotsiologiia: 4M), 2021, no. 52, pp. 7–35. (In Russian)
Brint S. Hidden meanings: Cultural content and context in Harrison White’s structural sociology. Sociological Theory, 1992, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 194–208.
White H.C. Social grammar from culture: Reply to Steven Brint. Sociological Theory, 1992, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 209–213.
White H.C. Identity and Control: Towards a Structural Theory of Action. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1992.
Fontdevila J. Switching among Netdoms: The Relational Sociology of Harrison C.White. The Palgrave Handbook of Relational Sociology, F.Dépelteau (ed.). New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018, pp. 231–269.
Giddens A. The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration. Cambridge, Polity Press, 1984.
Fuhse J. Theories of Social Networks. The Oxford Handbook of Social Networks, R.Light, J.Moody (eds). Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020, pp. 34–49.
Mead G.H. Mind, Self, and Society from the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist. Chicago, Chicago University Press, 1934.
Luhmann N. Social Systems. St. Petersburg, Nauka Publ., 2007. (In Russian)
White H.C., Fuhse J., Thiemann M., Buchholz L. Networks and meaning: Styles and switchings. Soziale Systeme, 2007, vol. 13, no. 1–2, pp. 534–555.
Azarian G. The General Sociology of Harrison C.White: Chaos and Order in Networks. New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
White H.C, Godart F.C., Thiemann M. Turning points and the space of possibles: A relational perspective on the different forms of uncertainty. Applying Relational Sociology, F.Dépelteau, C.Powell (eds). New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, pp. 137–154.
Schmitt M., Fuhse J. Zur Aktualität von Harrison White: Einführung in sein Werk. Wiesbaden, Springer VS, 2015.
Kim A.V. Qualitative network analysis in the strategy of mixing methods in the social sciences: A systematic literature review. Sotsiologiia: metodologiia, metody, matematicheskoe modelirovanie (Sotsiologiia: 4M), 2021, vol. 2, no. 53, pp. 83–116. (In Russian)
Diani M., Mische A. Network approaches and social movements. The Oxford Handbook of Social Movements, D.Della Porta, M.Diani (eds). Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2015, pp. 306–325.
Mische A. Partisan performance: The relational construction of Brazilian youth activist publics. Social Movement Dynamics: New Perspectives on Theory and Research from Latin America, M. von Bülow, F.M.Rossi (eds). London, Routledge, 2016, pp. 43–71.
Goffman E. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York, Anchor Books, 1959.
Fuhse J., Gondal N. Networks from culture: Mechanisms of tie-formation follow institutionalized rules in social fields. Social Networks, 2022. (In print)
Fuhse J., Stuhler O., Riebling J., MartinJ.L. Relating social and symbolic relations in quantitative text analysis. A study of parliamentary discourse in the Weimar Republic. Poetics, 2020, vol. 78, art. 101363.
Crossley N. Relations-In-Process: In honour of François Dépelteau. Digithum, 2020, no. 26, pp. 1–14.
Crossley N. A dependent structure of interdependence: Structure and agency in relational perspective. Sociology, 2021, vol. 56, no. 1, pp. 166–182.
Donati P. Transcending Modernity with Relational Thinking. London, Routledge, 2021.
Downloads
Published
2024-01-28
How to Cite
Kovalev, D. I. (2024). Relational sociology of Harrison White and his followers: Towards a theory of sociocultural duality. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Sociology, 16(3), 242–258. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu12.2023.301
Issue
Section
Theory and methodology of sociology
License
Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Sociology" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.
