Ok brainstorming done. Here is my official* short list of sociology breakthroughs:
5. Distinction (Bourdieu)
4. Interaction ritual (Goffman)
3. The Matthew Effect (Merton)
2. Double consciousness (Du Bois)
(bonus 2.) Looking-glass self (Cooley)
1. Social capital (Coleman)
*def not official
5. Distinction (Bourdieu)
4. Interaction ritual (Goffman)
3. The Matthew Effect (Merton)
2. Double consciousness (Du Bois)
(bonus 2.) Looking-glass self (Cooley)
1. Social capital (Coleman)
*def not official
Reposted from
Laura K. Nelson
Ok sociology, what do you think are genuine breakthroughs that our field has made. Contributions that might convince skeptical but sympathetic *academics* (not the public) of the value of our field? I'll brainstorm some of mine in the thread - I treat sociology very broadly
Comments
Though I think the phrase itself predates both of them
And it’s a team effort, but West and Zimmerman on how gender is performed (and is distinct from sex and sex category). Have to co award the humanists (Butler, etc) there but soc has its distinctive and key contribution.
For networks, Granovetter strength of weak ties would presumably be up there?
Double consciousness.
Homophily.
the 30% rule (tokenist dynamics in the firm)
burt's work on minority social networks versus powerful networks ("women pose a puzzle)
Seeing this again and again and again .. on repeat... so predictive...
Tokenism - GOOD ONE
5. Coleman: rational choice take on social capital
4. Matthew Effect: explains power laws & preferential attachment, core to network/complexity studies
3. Simmel: triads and dyads and triatic closure are essential to almost all network studies
+
1. Coleman (again) demonstrated the empirical testing of stochastic processes in social networks, now one of the most influential approaches in formal modeling