Analytical Sociology and Theories of the Middle Range

Bibliographic Data

ID7102365
AuthorsLars Udehn (Stockholm University)
EditorsPeter Bearman, Peter Hedström (0000-0003-3536-8449)
Year2011
Publication date2011-01-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenueThe Oxford handbook of analytical sociology (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199215362.013.2
OpenAlexW621593341
ISBN9780199215362
LanguageEN
Citations received58

This article locates analytic sociology in the Mertonian tradition of middle-range theory, which focuses on partial explanation of phenomena observed in different social domains through identification of core causal mechanisms. Robert K. Merton was one of the most important figures in twentieth-century sociology. He wrote on a wide range of topics, including bureaucracy, deviance, mass communications, professions, social stratification, and the sociology of science, paying attention to the consolidation and codification of existing sociological theories. His theoretical agenda has much in common with that of contemporary analytical sociology. This article begins with an overview of Merton’s middle-range theory, followed by a discussion of the micro-macro relationship. It then considers Merton’s arguments regarding social dynamics, along with his theories of self-fulfilling prophecies and the Matthew effect. It also explains different kinds of middle-range theories and concludes by stressing the importance of developing theories with sufficient causal depth

Deviance (statistics · Epistemology · Historical sociology · Positive economics · Social science · Social theory · Sociological theory · Sociology · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Mathematics · Philosophy

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