Book contents
- Network Analysis
- Structural Analysis in the Social Sciences
- Network Analysis
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Thinking Structurally
- 2 What Is Social Structure?
- 3 What Is a Social Network?
- 4 How Are Social Network Data Collected?
- 5 How Are Social Network Data Visualized?
- Part II Seeing Structure
- Part III Making Structural Predictions
- References
- Index
- References
2 - What Is Social Structure?
from Part I - Thinking Structurally
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 September 2023
- Network Analysis
- Structural Analysis in the Social Sciences
- Network Analysis
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Thinking Structurally
- 2 What Is Social Structure?
- 3 What Is a Social Network?
- 4 How Are Social Network Data Collected?
- 5 How Are Social Network Data Visualized?
- Part II Seeing Structure
- Part III Making Structural Predictions
- References
- Index
- References
Summary
The primary aim of social network analysis is building and evaluating theories of social structure – that is, enduring patterns of human interaction and ways of thinking about and organizing human groups. The sheer complexity of social structure prevents encapsulation in any single model, and this complexity is compounded as we incorporate cultural beliefs and social expectations in addition to interactions. Networks link actors to one another in systems, raising tricky questions about the locus of control and activity, particularly regarding the extent to which people are active agents or passive puppets (to put it bluntly) of social structure. While acknowledging deep and ultimately unsettled issues in the field, we provide readers with an overarching though still evolving theoretical account of social structure that can guide both inductive and deductive social network research and allow plug-in points for different perspectives on agency, culture, and constraint.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Network AnalysisIntegrating Social Network Theory, Method, and Application with R, pp. 19 - 44Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023