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Nov 15, 2017 · Giddens: We are suffering from ‘cosmopolitan overload’ and a huge task lies before us – to create responsible capitalism. by Labinot Kunushevci*. From the editor: The following interview with a distinguished British sociologist and political thinker Lord Anthony Giddens is interesting from various perspectives.
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November 15, 2017 October 15, 2019 Oleg Komlik. Giddens: We...
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Jan 15, 2010 · In those works, she laid out what she initially described as her morphogenetic approach but later, under the influence of Roy Bhaskar, re-named as critical realism. Reading the article again in 2009, its continued prominence is obvious.
- Anthony King
- 2010
Aug 1, 2017 · A summary of Giddens’ ‘Sociology’ (2017): The Introduction ‘The world we live in today can feel liberating and exciting but, at the same time confusing and worrying. Global communications and friendships across national boundaries are in many ways easier to sustain than in previous times, yet we also see violent crime, international ...
Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens MAE (born 18 January 1938) is an English sociologist who is known for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. He is considered to be one of the most prominent modern sociologists and is the author of at least 34 books, published in at least 29 languages, issuing on average more than one book every year.
- Overview
- Theories of structure and agency
- Giddens’s theory
structuration theory, concept in sociology that offers perspectives on human behaviour based on a synthesis of structure and agency effects known as the “duality of structure.” Instead of describing the capacity of human action as being constrained by powerful stable societal structures (such as educational, religious, or political institutions) or...
The nexus of structure and agency has been a central tenet in the field of sociology since its inception. Theories that argue for the preeminence of structure (also called the objectivist view in this context) resolve that the behaviour of individuals is largely determined by their socialization into that structure (such as conforming to a society’s expectations with respect to gender or social class). Structures operate at varying levels, with the research lens focused at the level appropriate to the question at hand. At its highest level, society can be thought to consist of mass socioeconomic stratifications (such as through distinct social classes). On a mid-range scale, institutions and social networks (such as religious or familial structures) might form the focus of study, and at the microscale one might consider how community or professional norms constrain agency. Structuralists describe the effect of structure in contrasting ways. French social scientist Émile Durkheim highlighted the positive role of stability and permanence, whereas philosopher Karl Marx described structures as protecting the few, doing little to meet the needs of the many.
In contrast, proponents of agency theory (also called the subjective view in this context) consider that individuals possess the ability to exercise their own free will and make their own choices. Here, social structures are viewed as products of individual action that are sustained or discarded, rather than as incommensurable forces.
Sociologists have questioned the polarized nature of the structure-agency debate, highlighting the synthesis of these two influences on human behaviour. A prominent scholar in this respect is British sociologist Anthony Giddens, who developed the concept of structuration. Giddens argues that just as an individual’s autonomy is influenced by structure, structures are maintained and adapted through the exercise of agency. The interface at which an actor meets a structure is termed “structuration.”
Thus, structuration theory attempts to understand human social behaviour by resolving the competing views of structure-agency and macro-micro perspectives. This is achieved by studying the processes that take place at the interface between the actor and the structure. Structuration theory takes the position that social action cannot be fully explained by the structure or agency theories alone. Instead, it recognizes that actors operate within the context of rules produced by social structures, and only by acting in a compliant manner are these structures reinforced. As a result, social structures have no inherent stability outside human action because they are socially constructed. Alternatively, through the exercise of reflexivity, agents modify social structures by acting outside the constraints the structures place on them.
Giddens’s framework of structure differs from that in the classic theory. He proposes three kinds of structure in a social system. The first is signification, where meaning is coded in the practice of language and discourse. The second is legitimation, consisting of the normative perspectives embedded as societal norms and values. Giddens’s final structural element is domination, concerned with how power is applied, particularly in the control of resources.
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Dec 3, 2020 · The chapter argues that weaknesses in Anthony Giddens’s later work on “third-way” politics are a consequence of its neglect of the best instincts of his earlier, seminal work on structuration theory.
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Jun 15, 2017 · Anthony Giddens (1938- ) is a British sociologist who is known for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. He is considered to be one of the most prominent modern sociologists, the author of at least 34 books, published in at least 29 languages, issuing on average more than one book….
