Towards a sociology of (public) mourning?

Within the last decade or so there has been a growing recognition among sociologists of the role played by emotions in various aspects of human behaviour (witness, for example, the range of articles appearing in Sociology alone, e.g. Jackson 1993; Craib 1995; Burkitt 1997, and the formation of a BSA study group devoted to the sociology of emotion). This burgeoning focus on emotions has challenged sociology to rethink its dominant conception of the human subject as governed by rational and conscious thought alone. In so doing it has raised a question mark both against the adequacy of the (theoretical) tools used for analysing emotions which have developed from these premises and the ability of sociology in general to provide answers to such questions

Historical sociology of the city

About the book: This Handbook consists of 26 chapters on historical sociology. It is divided into three parts. Part One is devoted to Foundations and covers Marx, Weber, evolutionary and functionalist approaches, the Annales School, Elias, Nelson and Eisenstadt. Part Two moves on to consider major approaches, such as modernization approaches, late Marxist approaches, historical geography, institutional approaches, cultural history, intellectual history, postcolonial and genealogical approaches. The third part is devoted to the major substantive themes in historical sociology ranging from state formation, nationalism, social movements, classes, patriarchy, architecture, religion and moral regulation to problems of periodization and East-West divisions. Each part includes an introduction that summarizes and contextualizes chapters. A general introduction to the volume outlines the current situation of historical sociology after the cultural turn in the social sciences. It argues that historical sociology is deeply divided between explanatory `sociological' approaches and more empirical and interpretative `historical' approaches

Nature, society and social change

Environmental destruction has become an everyday reality in the contemporary world. Major concerns are being put forward regarding the dangers to the environment in general and to human societies in particular, with strong focus currently being put on climate change. Sociology has an important role to play in the analysis of environmental problems. The interaction between nature and society can be analysed through the concept of overdetermination. At the same time, the social construction on environmental problems is imperative for environmental issues to reach the agenda. An active environmental sociology which is as much concerned with analysis as it is with social change, should clearly highlight that claimsmaking and political strategy is imperative in the tackling of environmental issues within the public sphere.peer-reviewe

Schumpeter on money, banking and finance: An institutionalist perspective

In this paper, we provide an institutional interpretation of Schumpeter's analysis of money, banking and finance. This interpretation is founded on an overall investigation into Schumpeter's writings addressing those issues from different perspectives.In section 1, we discuss the widespread evolutionist interpretation of Schumpeter and rather assert an institutionalist perspective. In support of our interpretation, we highlight the specific role played by economic sociology in Schumpeter's methodological approach. Economic sociology, indeed, provides the foundations of a theory of institutions and institutional change, which is often undermined by the usual evolutionary interpretation. We believe, however, that taking this dimension seriously into account may have implications for our understanding of economic and institutional change in Schumpeter. Section 2 illustrates this general statement by focusing on Schumpeter's analysis of money, banking and finance, and their respective roles in the process of economic development.Schumpeter; Money; Credit, Financial system, Institutional change; Economic sociology

Keynes's German Contenders 1932-1944: On the Sociology of Multiple Discoveries in Economics

In a pathbreaking study on some alleged anticipations of Keynes''s General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, Don Patinkin in apparently applying Merton''s sociological approach to the problem of anticipations and multiples in economics, rejects Kalecki and the Stockholm School as anticipators. Patinkin''s contribution has a dual significance in improving our understanding of Keynesian economics, on the one hand, and in suggesting a novel approach to the sociology of economics on the other. This paper is concerned with Patinkin''s sociology. His approach by emphasizing the "central message" of a particular work, neglects the received sociological theory of knowledge in a way that compromises his entire investigation. This contention is illustrated by looking at Keynes''s German contenders. They had anticipated Keynesian theories and applied them in the years before the General Theory was published. Nevertheless, they rejected aspects of Keynesian economics after the appearanced the General Theory. True to his narrowly focussed approach, Patinkin could not analyze this body of work, which both anticipated and extended the General Theory. Keynes''s central message significantly differed from that of his contenders.public economics ;

Reflections on Method in Interwar American Sociology

The article provides a historical contextualization of the debates on theory and method within interwar American sociology. This period is often portrayed as the “golden” age of empirical inquiry resulting in proliferation of methodological orientations. It is argued that the demands of professionalization and specialization within the discipline produced a research model which succeeded in analyzing specific issues, but failed to find a convincing answer to the general question of the logic of society’s development

New Horizons in Psychiatry

Psychiatrists have long held that there should be more psychiatry in general medicine, and the nonpsychiatric physicians have said that there should be much more medicine in psychiatry. Both groups have been perfectly correct and are being told by the consuming population that there must be more sociology in each of them. The future psychiatrist must and will work with his colleagues in medicine, not to achieve a utopia, but at least to approach this desirable situation in some degree

Economics in Relation to Sociology: Dualisms and Vilfredo Pareto's Pluralistic Methodology

Many economists remember the masters of Lausanne for their important contributions to general equilibrium and welfare economics, but Leon Walras and Vilfredo Pareto both pursued much broader social research agendas. Walras did this within the general framework of economics, by complementing his ‘pure economics’ with ‘social economics’. Pareto, in contrast, first isolated economic theory from the influence of other social phenomena and distinguished between the result of theoretical economics and the concrete economic phenomenon. He then developed a general theory of social equilibrium which, inter alia, provided for a synthetic reconciliation of economics with sociology to understand the concrete phenomenon. This paper investigates the relationship between Pareto’s economics and his sociology. Its main contribution is the clarification of the pluralistic character of his methodology. This is done by considering how dualistic distinctions became an important device for Pareto, with particular reference to Sheila Dow’s notion of dualism and Andrew Mearman’s categories of dualism. Pareto’s pluralistic approach is shown as a neo-positive blend of ‘temporary’ Cartesian and non-Cartesian elements, which is not consistent with Dow’s own Babylonian approach to economics. The paper also reveals the economic phenomena that Pareto considered were dominated by sociological influences and, therefore, not amenable to Cartesian analysis.economic equilibrium, pluralism, Vilfredo Pareto, social equilibrium

Социология избирательного процесса: проблемы становления

Being an institute of real democracy, elections reflect social and economic, cultural,political and legal, as well as national society development. Therefore, electoral process has become an object of sociological research. Formation of separate research direction,named electoral sociology, needs a certain selection of topics related to social contents of elections out of general sociology problems and of political sociology in particular