Theory Beyond Structure and Agency

"In this insightful and highly readable book, Jean-Sébastien Guy takes us on an intellectual tour de force that makes us see the social world in a different light. A fresh perspective and an essential contribution to the current discussions of social systems and relational sociology."

-Jan A. Fuhse, Heisenberg Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany

"In this original and provocative book, Jean-Sebastien Guy convincingly shows how the problem of structure and agency that has preoccupied sociologists throughout the history of their discipline amounts to an optical illusion. Employing the concepts of the metric and the nonmetric and using a variety of readily accessible examples, the author proposes an entirely different social theoretical lens that is perceptive to the internal variety of social reality."

-Olli Pyyhtinen, Professor of Sociology at the University of Tampere, Finland

This book offers asolution for the problem of structure and agency in sociological theory by developing a new pair of fundamental concepts: metric and nonmetric. Nonmetric forms, arising in a crowd made out of innumerable individuals, correspond to social groups that divide the many individuals in the crowd into insiders and outsiders. Metric forms correspond to congested zones like traffic jams on a highway: individuals are constantly entering and leaving these zones so that they continue to exist, even though the individuals passing through them change. Building from these concepts, we can understand "agency" as a requirement for group identity and group membership, thus associating it with nonmetric forms, and "structure" as a building-up effect following the accumulation of metric forms. This reveals the contradiction between structure and agency to be a case of forced perspective, leaving us victim to an optical illusion.

Auteur

Jean-Sébastien Guy is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, where he teaches classical and contemporary theory. He has published on globalization, Niklas Luhmann's systems theory and relational sociology.

Texte du rabat

This book offers a solution for the problem of structure and agency in sociological theory by developing a new pair of fundamental concepts: metric and nonmetric. Nonmetric forms, arising in a crowd made out of innumerable individuals, correspond to social groups that divide the many individuals in the crowd into insiders and outsiders. Metric forms correspond to congested zones like traffic jams on a highway: individuals are constantly entering and leaving these zones so that they continue to exist, even though the individuals passing through them change. Building from these concepts, we can understand "agency" as a requirement for group identity and group membership, thus associating it with nonmetric forms, and "structure" as a building-up effect following the accumulation of metric forms. This reveals the contradiction between structure and agency to be a case of forced perspective, leaving us victim to an optical illusion.

Contenu

Chapter 1. Introduction

1.1. From structure and agency to metric and nonmetric

1.2. Preliminary lessons from the sociology of globalization

1.3. A little help from philosophy

1.4. Plan of the book: toward a three layers model

Chapter 2. Structure and Agency: Problem and Solution

2.1. The problem of structure and agency (phase A)

2.2. Forced perspective and depthless perception (phase B)

2.3. Breaking the illusion: a threefold operationalization (phase C)

2.3.1. First operationalization: the micro/macro distinction

2.3.2. Second operationalization: the individual/society distinction

2.3.3. Third operationalization: the structure/agency distinction

2.4. Conclusion

Chapter 3. DeLanda and the Metric/Nonmetric Distinction

3.1. The concept of multiplicity (phase A)

3.2. The concept of assemblage (phase A, continued)

3.3. DeLanda against DeLanda (phase B)

3.4. Metric and nonmetric: an overview (phase C)

3.4.1. First dichotomy

3.4.2. Second dichotomy

3.4.3. Third dichotomy

3.4.4. Fourth dichotomy

3.5. Conclusion

Chapter 4. Metric and Nonmetric in Weber and Durkheim

4.1 The relation actor/action (phase A)

4.2. The relation between types of action (phase B)

4.3. Metric and nonmetric in Weber (phase C)

4.3.1. The dichotomy between patrimonialism and bureaucracy

4.3.2. The different types of rationality

4.3.3. The separation of value-spheres

4.3.4. Charisma and its routinization

4.3.5. Additional remarks on the separation of value-spheres

4.4. The theory of Homo duplex (phase A)

4.5. The critique of Homo duplex (phase B)

4.6. Metric and nonmetric in Durkheim (phase C)

4.7. Conclusion

Chapter 5. Forms and Medium in Luhmann's Systems Theory

5.1. Communication as operation of social systems (phases A)

5.2. Beyond conversation (phase B)

5.3. The crowd as medium of communication (phase C)

5.4. Modernity as functional differentiation (phase A)

5.5. Beyond inclusion and exclusion (phase B)

5.5. Metric and nonmetric in Luhmann (phase C)

5.6. Conclusion

Chapter 6. Bourdieu, Giddens and Foucault Through the Metric/Nonmetric Distinction

6.1. Pierre Bourdieu

6.2. Anthony Giddens

6.3. Michel Foucault

6.4. Conclusion

Chapter 7. Applying the Metric/Nonmetric Distinction

7.1. Weber on capitalism

7.2. The history of capitalism: nonmetric aspects

7.3. The history of capitalism: metric aspects

7.4. From history to social change

7.5. Conclusion

Chapter 8. General Conclusion