Experimentalism and Sociology

This book is based on the understanding that the diversity and heterogeneity of science and society are not only issue of critique, but engender experimental forms of collaboration. Building on John Dewey's experimental theory of knowledge and inquiry, practice theory, science and technology studies and the anthropology of nature, the book offers a trenchant redefinition of a present-focused sociology as a science of experience in the spirit of experimentalism. Crisis, instead of being a mere problem, is understood as the baseline for creativity and innovation. Committed to the experimental pursuit, the book provides an experience-based methodological approach for an inter- and trans disciplinary sociology. Finally, it argues for a globalized and transformative sociological outreach beyond established epistemic and national borders. This book is of interest to sociologists and other social scientists pursuing experimentalism in method and/or practice.

Autorentext

Professor PhD habil. Tanja Bogusz is a sociologist and social anthropologist at Kassel University, Germany, where she has been heading the group "Sociology of Social Disparities" since 2016. She has earned grants for research projects at the crossroads of social theory, human-environmental relations, biodiversity research, and social cohesion (DFG, BMBF, FMSH, DAAD). In 2011-13 she did an ethnographic inquiry on marine taxonomy at the Natural History Museum in Paris that led to a study of a large international biodiversity expedition in Papua New Guinea. Stemming from her implementation within the expedition, a newly discovered species (Joculator boguszae) was named after her. She has published broadly on French sociology and anthropology (classic and contemporary), pragmatism and practice theories, social sciences of nature and sociological experimentalism. Before Kassel she was appointed as a visiting professor at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris, the Collège de France Paris, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and as a fellow at the Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies in Erfurt. In 2017 she completed her habilitation in sociology at Friedrich-Schiller Universität Jena.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Introduction: Experimentalism - an Old Name for Some New Ways of Thinking. Chapter 2: Categorial Foundations for a Social Theory of Experimentalism: John Dewey as Sociologist.2.1 Experiencing, testing, cooperate - On the Relevance of the experimental Perspective for Sociology.2.2. Flashback: History and Scope of the US-American Pragmatist Movement. 2.3 Deweys logical Experimentalism as Sociology. 2.3.1 "Experience": Dewey's procedural Theory of Knowledge. 2.3.2 "Test": Dewey's constructivist Social Theory. 2.3.3 "Cooperation": Dewey's Theory of Society.2. 4. What means Experimentalism? Summary and first Hypothesises. Chapter 3: Test Run I: What means Experience? Experimentalist Sociologies as Theories of Knowledge.3.1 Why Rorty was Wrong.3.2 Socio-political Experiential Differences as Originator for Experimental Action:the City, the Land, the Laboratory.3.3 The Modi operandi of Experience: Situating, co-relating, materializing. 3.3.1 "Situate": The transformative Moment of Experiential Differences - Chicago School. 3.3.2 "Co-relate": The Practice-Theoretical Thesis of Continuity - Bourdieu in Algeria. 3.3.3 "Materialize": Experimental Translation of Researcher's Experience - Knorr- Cetina in the Laboratory.3.4 Interim Conclusion: The Experimental Theory of Knowledge. Chapter 4: Test Run II: What means Test? Social-Theoretical Effects of Experimentalism.4.1 Heisenberg and the Random Universe.4.2 The Test-Situation as Incentive for Experimental Knowledge Production.4.3 The Modi operandi of the Test: Preparing, testing, modelling. 4.3.1 "Preparing": Luhmann's Sociological Knowledge Theory. 4.3.2 "Testing": The Experiment as an Event - Actor-Network-Theory as methodological Pragmatism. 4.3.3 "Modelling": Ratification of epistemic Relevancies - The Pragmatic Sociology of Critique.4.4 Interim Conclusion: The Experimental Social Theory. Chapter 5: Test Run III: What means Cooperation? Experimentalism as a Contribution for a Critical Social Ecology.5.1 Epistemic Cloudbursts and Nice-Weather-Theories.5.2. Cooperations as a Response to Experiential Differences: Entangled Modernity, the Environment, the Public.5.3 The Modi operandi of Cooperation: Criticising, participating, collaborating. 5.3.1 "Criticising": On the Productivity of the Nature-Culture-Divide - Descola's Cosmo-Political Anthropology of Nature 5.3.2 "Participating": Experimental Sociologies of Critical Publics - STS and ANT. 5.3.3 "Collaborating": Bringing Dewey to a Marine-Biological Expedition - Doing Biodiversity.5.4 Interim Conclusion: The Experimentalist Theory of Society. Chapter 6: Conclusion - from the Science of Crisis to the Science of Experience. 6.1 Experience versus Crisis.6.2 Test versus Settlement.6.3 Cooperation versus Solidarity.6.4 Outlook.