How to Write the History of Social Theory:A Four-Dimensional Research Framework
The perennial marginality of the history of social theory in sociology has much to do with the lack of a coherent analytical framework,which has led to the synonymity of the history of social theory with introductions to key figures or schools.From the aspects of the object of study,the mode of writing,the mode of evolution,and the mode of explanation,this article proposes a preliminary framework for studying the history of social theory.First,the history of social theory should treat a particular social theory as its object of study and avoid piling up views.Second,the history of social theory should examine particular concepts based on their meanings rather than words while focusing on the evolution of conceptual systems.Third,the historical evolution of social theory has six potential modes:pre-elaboration,inheritance,revival,transformation,forgetting,and termination.Fourth,with respect to the mode of explanation,the history of social theory should balance the tensions between interpretation and explanation,between internalism and externalism,and between ideas and materials by providing a synthetic explanation.Historical sociology and the sociology of knowledge can be helpful academic resources for studying the history of social theory as they provide plentiful theoretical inspirations and research tools.
history of social theoryintellectual historysociologyresearch frameworkmode of evolutionmode of explanation
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
