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General Sociology, Sociological
Theory
My
understanding of sociology is multi-paradigmatic both in research and in
teaching. I offer a broad spectrum of sociological theories (Systems Theory,
Symbolic Interactionism, Phenomenological Sociology, Structuralism, Feminism,
Critical Theory, Philosophical Anthropology, Post-Structuralism, Cultural
Studies, Figurational Sociology, historical-sociological approaches of theories
of power [Elias, M. Mann]) – which also include history of sociology,
sociological classics (Durkheim, Tönnies, Simmel, Weber, Mannheim) and older
pre-sociological authors of social theory, beginning with Hobbes and Locke.
1. A specific research area focuses on
developing a new methodology for multi-paradigmatic approaches in sociology.
This research project, which was developed in several stages, ties in with the
method, developed in recent sociological tradition, of the “comparison of
theories in social sciences” (Karl Otto Hondrich). On the one hand this project
involves a meta-reflexive “comparison of comparative theories within German
sociology”, and, on the other hand, it proves this specific method of
case-related comparison of theories or “comparison of theories with one case”.
The problem of General Sociology so
far was to convince the various sociological theories to jointly analyze a single example. Thus an idea for a
project arose: at last, with its spectacular new construction the Potsdamer
Platz in Berlin has fully become a historical, current, and future
place of a real as well as imaginary topology of modernity. The project
develops a thought experiment: to access this socio-cultural artifact, which
embodies concentrated urbanity unlike any other and has therefore an exemplary
status for the polyvalence of modernity, from different theoretical
perspectives. For this “comparisons of theory with one case”, seven
sociological paradigms were solicited: Philosophical Anthropology,
Rational-Choice Theory, Systems Theory, Cultural Studies, Critical Theory of
Frankfurt School, Gender Studies, Discourse Analysis. This project has two
intentions which exceed a mere abstract comparison of theory. On the one hand
the multi-perspective interpretation
demonstrates the different understandings and explanations of modernity
as applied to a single shared case. On the other hand the theoretical
perspectives, which are isolated from each other, shall prove analytically
their value as different sociological
theories of modernity for one case. Theory comparison with one case, a new way
of dealing with the multi-paradigmatic status of sociology, also proved to be
of value in teaching Sociological Theory. This project was put to the test
together with Michael Makropolous in different phases (2001-2004).
Another attempt to specifically
outline and evaluate the condition of the multi-paradigmatic condition of
sociology (also for students), is available in the volume Architektur der Gesellschaft (Architecure of Society, edited
together with Heike Delitz, 2009): twelve authors working with different
sociological theories were invited to conceptualize the phenomena of the ‘Architecture
of Society’ based on their theoretical premises and to choose an example with
which they could illustrate the diagnostic and analytical power of their
particular perspective: Social Morphology (Durkheim, Mauss), Theory of
Figuration and Civilization, Phenomenological-hermeneutical Sociology,
Institutional Analysis, Systems Theory, Philosophical Anthropology, Critical
Theory (Benjamin, Kracauer), Discourse Analysis (Foucault), Gender Studies,
Cultural Studies, Theories of Social Praxis and inequality (Bourdieu), Theory
of Structuration (Giddens).
2. Part of General Sociology is the
self-observation of the discipline of sociology in the form of research into
the history of sociology. A research project on West German Sociology from
1945/49-1975/1990 has been developed since 2009 together with Karl-Siegbert
Rehberg and Stephan Moebius. With the help of oral history interviews with
prominent representatives of the discipline a resource will be established to
allow for recent research on the history of ascent and differentiation of
sociology and its significance for German society in the second half of the 20th
century. Its working hypothesis is that the epoch of West German sociology might
be an important epoch in the history of sociology – in terms of theoretical
innovations, empirical researches, and methods and functions of the discipline
“as a key discipline of (emerging) West-Germany”. A pilot project has been
approved by the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung early 2010.
Publications / Papers / Presentations
Since 2004, member of the Section on
Sociological Theory (Soziologische Theorie) of the German Sociological Association (GSA).
Conferences
and Plenums organized within the Section on Sociological Theory:
“Vergleich der
Theorienvergleiche in der Soziologie” (“Comparison of Comparative Theories in Sociology”,
together with Rainer Geshoff), Dresden 2005
“Wie viel
(menschliche) Natur braucht die Soziologie?” (How much [Human] Nature does Sociology Need?,
together with Uwe Schimank), Plenum GSA congress, Kassel 2006.
“Wie bürgerlich
ist die Moderne? Bürgerliche Gesellschaft, Bürgertum und Bürgerlichkeit“ (How
Bourgeois/Civil is Modernity? Bourgeois Society, Bourgeoisie,
Bourgeois Life Style, together with Andreas Reckwitz), Konstanz 2007.
Potsdamer Platz. Theoretische Perspektiven zur Kultursoziologie eines Ortes der Moderne
(Potsdamer Platz. Theoretical
Perspectives for a Cultural Sociology of a Place of Modernity.), annual
convention of the GSA section Cultural Sociology, Berlin 2002, together with
Michael Makropoulos.
“Der
Potsdamer Platz als gesellschaftsdiagnostisches Artefakt” (Potsdamer Platz as
an Artifact of Sociodiagnostics), in: Ästhetik
und Kommunikation, 116/33, spring 2002, 84-119.
Systems Theory (Andreas Ziemann)
Philosophical Anthropology (Joachim Fischer)
Critical Theory (Christine Resch / Heinz Steinert)
Discourse Analysis and Semiology (Michael Makropoulos)
Potsdamer Platz. Soziologische
Theorien zu einem Ort der Moderne (Potsdamer Platz.
Sociological Theories for a Location
of Modernity. ed., together with Michael Makropoulos), München 2004.
Rational-Choice-Theory (Jürgen Friedrichs / Christiane Bremer)
Critical Theory (Christine Resch / Heinz Steinert)
Systems Theory (Andreas Ziemann / Andreas Göbel)
Philosophical Anthropology (Joachim Fischer)
Discourse Analysis and Semiology (Michael Makropoulos)
Cultural Studies (Udo Göttlich / Rainer Winter)
Gender Studies (Hannelore Bublitz / Dierk Spreen)
Vergleich der
Theorienvergleiche in der deutschen Soziologie (Comparison of Comparative Theories in
German Sociology), co-organized together with Rainer Greshoff for the GSA Section
on Sociological Theory, June 17-18, 2005, Technische Universität Dresden.
Michael Schmid
(München): Theoretische Modelle und Erklärung. Einige Grundprobleme des
soziologischen Theorievergleichs
Georg Kneer (Schwäbisch-Gmünd): Theorienvergleich als Reflexionsinstrument des
Wissenschaftssystems
Joachim Fischer (Dresden): "Potsdamer Platz". Theorienvergleich an
einem Fall
Urs Stäheli (Basel): Parasitäre Lektürestrategien - Zur (Un-)Möglichkeit von
Theorievergleichen
Wolfgang L. Schneider (Freiburg i.Br.): Hermeneutischer Theorienvergleich
Rainer Greshoff (Hagen): Theorienvergleich als Grund-Verhältnisklärung. Ein
Vorschlag zur vergleichenden Bestandsaufnahme theoretischer Vielfalt
Annette Treibel (Karlsruhe): Theorienvergleiche im Spannungsfeld von
Fachdiskursen und Lehrpraxis
Roman Langer (Hamburg): Theorien auf Gemeinsamkeiten analysieren. Arbeitsschritte
zur Konstruktion integrativer Theorien u. ihr Erklärungsnutzen
Wolfgang Knöbl (Göttingen): Zur Problematik eines historisch-kontextualisierenden
Theorievergleichs
Die Architektur der Gesellschaft (The
Architecture of Society)
Architektur der Moderne im Blick soziologischer Theorien (Architecture of Modernity from the
Perspective of Sociological Theory), 2. Convention on Sociology of
Architecture, April 28.-29., 2006 at the Technical University Dresden.
Die Architektur
der Gesellschaft. Theorien für die Architektursoziologie (Architecture
of society. Theories for
a Sociology of Architecture, ed., together with Heike Delitz), Bielefeld 2009.
Social Morphology: Durkheim, Halbwachs (Markus Schroer)
Figurational Sociology: Elias (Herbert Schubert)
Phenomenological-hermeneutical Sociology (Achim Hahn)
Institutional Analysis (Markus Dauss / Karl-Siegbert Rehberg)
Historical-sociological theory of cognition: Giedion, Benjamin, Kracauer
(Detlev Schöttker)
Philosophical Anthropology (Heike Delitz)
Systems and Form Theory (Dirk Baecker)
Discourse Analysis (Stefan Meissner)
Gender Studies (Susanne Frank)
Cultural Studies (Udo Göttlich)
Theory of Social Inequality: Bourdieu (Jens Dangschat)
Theory of Structuration (Martina Löw)
Audio-Visual Resources on German Sociology after 1945
Research project together with
Karl-Siegbert Rehberg (Dresden) und Stephan Moebius (Graz)
Co-Interviewer
on oral history interviews on West German Sociology, pilot project 2010 / Fritz
Thyssen Stiftung.
Interviews already with Rainer M. Lepsius, Burkhart Lutz, Kurt Lenk,
Renate Mayntz, Werner Mangold, Iring Fetscher, Bernhard Schäfers.
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