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Analytical Sociology and Its Critics*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2010

Gianluca Manzo
Gianluca Manzo*
Affiliation:
GEMASS-CNRS, Université de Paris IV - Sorbonne [[email protected]].
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Abstract

In reaction to the criticisms to which analytical sociology has been subject with increasing frequency, the article attempts an overall assessment of this research program by addressing the following questions: where does contemporary analytical sociology come from? what are the differences between the “old” and “new” analytical sociology? what does analytical sociology really consist of? do the critics of analytical sociology have good reasons to be critical? Gross’s 2009 ASR article is deeply discussed in order to answer the last question.

Résumé

Face aux critiques que la sociologie analytique reçoit avec une fréquence croissante, cet article propose une évaluation globale de ce programme de recherche en posant quatre questions : quelle est l’origine de la sociologie analytique ? quelles sont les différences entre l’« ancienne » et la « nouvelle » sociologie analytique ? ; qu’est-ce que la sociologie analytique contient vraiment ? ; les détracteurs de la sociologie analytique ont-ils vraiment raison d’être mécontents ? L’article récent de Neil Gross est discuté dans le détail pour répondre à ce dernier point.

Zusammenfassung

Da die analytische Soziologie immer stärker kritisiert wird, geht dieser Beitrag dem Sachverhalt mit vier Fragen auf den Grund: wie ist die analytische Soziologie entstanden, wie lassen sich die Unterschiede zwischen alter und neuer analytischer Soziologie festmachen, wie sind ihre Inhalte zu definieren, und dürfen die Anfechter wirklich unzufrieden sein? Neil Gross Aufsatz wird detailliert besprochen, wobei der letzten Frage große Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt wird.

Keywords

Analytical sociologyMechanismsDBO theoryAgent-based modelsSociologie analytiqueMécanismesThéorie DBOModèle “agent-base”Analytische SoziologieMechanismusDBO TheorieMitarbeitermodell
Type
Research Articles
Information
European Journal of Sociology / Archives Européennes de Sociologie , Volume 51 , Issue 1 , April 2010 , pp. 129 - 170
Copyright
Copyright © A.E.S. 2010

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