The Palgrave Handbook of Relational Sociology

This handbook on relational sociology is about a rapidly growing approach in the social sciences; an approach which is connected to the interests of a large, diverse pool of researchers across a range of disciplines.The book aims to elucidate the complexity and the scope of this growing approach by dealing with three central questions: where does relational sociology come from and what are its principal concerns? What are the main theoretical and methodological currents within relational sociology? What have we studied in relational sociology and what are the results? Relational sociology has been one of the key foundations of the 'relational turn' in human sciences since the 1980s, and offers the opportunity to redefine the basic epistemological and ontological principles of sociology as we know it.

Auteur
François Dépelteau is Professor of Sociology at Laurentian University, Canada. He is a specialist in sociological theory and relational sociology, and has published many books and articles in journals such as Sociological Theory and The International Review of Sociology.

Résumé

This handbook on relational sociology covers a rapidly growing approach in the social sciencesone which is connected to the interests of a large, diverse pool of researchers across a range of disciplines. Relational sociology has been one of the key foundations of the relational turn in human sciences since the 1980s, and it offers a unique opportunity to redefine the basic epistemological and ontological principles of sociology as we know it. The contributors collected here aim to elucidate the complexity and the scope of this growing approach by dealing with three central questions: Where does relational sociology come from and what are its principal concerns? What are the main theoretical and methodological currents within relational sociology? What have we studied in relational sociology and what are the results?

Contenu

1. Relational Thinking in Sociology: Relevance, Concurrence and Dissonance.- 2. The Relation as Magical Operator: Overcoming the Divide between Relational and Processual Sociology.- 3. Sociology of Infinitesimal Difference: Gabriel's Tarde Heritage.- 4. Pluralism and Relationism in Social Theory: Lessons from the Tarde/Durkheim Debate.- 5. G.H. Mead and Relational Sociology: The Case of Concepts.- 6. Pragmatist Methodological Relationalism in Sociological Understanding of Evolving Human Culture.- 7. Gilles Deleuze and Relational Sociology.- 8. Triangular Relations: Michel Serres on Parasites, Angels, Quasi-objects, and the Virtual.- 9. Bruno Latour and Relational Sociology.- 10. Georg Simmel and Relational Sociology.- 11. Georg Simmel's Concepts of Forms of Sociation as an Analytical Tool for Relational Sociology.- 12. Switchings among Netdoms: The Relational Sociology of Harrison White.- 13. Relationalism and Social Networks.- 14. Is Niklas Luhmann a Relational Sociologist?.- 15.Charles Tilly and Relational Sociology.- 16. Michael Mann and Relational Sociology.- 17. Pierre Bourdieu and Relational Sociology.-18. Relational Sociology and Postcolonial Theory: Sketches of a 'Postcolonial Relationism'.- 19. 'To Understand the Shore, it is not Enough... to Pick up an Empty Shell...': Feminist Epistemologies, Ecological Thinking, and relational Ontologies.- 20. Beyond the Manifesto: Mustafa Emirbayer and Relational Sociology.- 21. Critical Realism as Relational Sociology.- 22. An Original Relational Sociology Grounded in Critical Realism.- 23. Deconstructing and Reconstructing Social Networks.- 24. Networks, Interactions and Relations.- 25. From the Concept of 'Trans-action' to a Process-Relational Sociology.-26. Relational Agency.- 27. Power and Relational Sociology.- 28. Relational Radicalization.- 29. The Relational Meaning-Making of Riots: Narrative Logic and Network Performance of the London 'Riots'.- 30. Music Sociology and Relational Perspective.- 31. RelationalSociology: Contributions to Understanding Residential Decision-Making in Later Life.- 32. Relations, Organizing, Leadership and Education.- 33. Marcel Mauss, the Gift and Relational Sociology.