Structuredes « fonctionnalismes » en science politique
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6237986 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gérard Bergeron (Université Laval, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1970 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 205-240 |
| Publication date | 1970-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Canadian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0008-4239 • E-ISSN: 1744-9324 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0008423900025671 |
| OpenAlex | W2145944645 |
| Language | FR |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 26 |
Even if “functionalism” is a relative newcomer to the study of politics, its theoretical roots are in the classics of political science. Thus it is ironic to note that the political theorists who have reintroduced the notion of functionalism have relied upon models inspired by anthropological and sociological theory.Every functionalist approach is fundamentally holistic and system-oriented. Functionalist theorists may be in error when they deny their common origin, whether direct or metaphorical, in biology. If “the great curse of functionalism is its ‘ism,’ the least of its weaknesses is its plural.” There is more than one functionalism. With respect to political science alone, the author considers the contributions to functional theory of Ernst Haas, Karl Deutsch, David Easton, Gabriel Almond, and Amitai Etzioni.An outline of the author's own research is then presented in the light of the works considered. He argues for a more rigorous functionalism – a “functionalism of functions” which would be derived from specificallypoliticalbehaviour, rather than cross-disciplinary borrowings from other sciences that are theoretically more fertile. The ideal would be the development of apolito-logiqueof the emergence of political from social phenomena which would depart from the core or nerve centre of political functioning: the interplay of the four essential functions of government, legislation, administration, and adjudication.Although they are usually differentiated, political and social systems overlap and are interdependent. It is useful to consider them as a single organism, responsive to internal as well as external exigencies. With the notions offunction, level, perspective,andfieldof analysis, the author indicates how one can move from a model of the functions of the State(Fonctionnement de l'état)to a dynamic conception of the state in operation(L'état en fonctionnement).Finally, the author emphasizes the importance of not denying the political, but of remaining at the level of the political, in order to achieve the greatest theoretical success
Epistemology · Functionalism (philosophy of mind · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Structural functionalism · French Urban and Social Studies · Law · Philosophy · Political and Social Issues
Social science and political theory.
Approaches to comparative and international politics
Political unification
Sociology and modern systems theory.
Symposium on sociological theory
The Politics of the Developing Areas
Social Science and Political Theory
Societies
A Functionalist's Logic
A Functional Approach to International Organization
General Systems, the International System, and the Eastonian Analysis
The Concept of System in Political Science
Of Politics and Social Science
The Nature and Types of Sociological Theory
Politics and Social Science
The Study of Society
Approaches to the Study of Politics
Introduction à une Politique de L'homme
Comparison of Intranational and International Politics
Anthropologie structurale
Remarques sur la notion de fonction
A Functionalist Reappraisal of Pareto's Sociology
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |