2026/02/26 by Keith Sawyer · 1 voice
Neuroscience · Social Sciences · #Critical Realism in Sociology #Embodied and Extended Cognition #Social and Cultural Dynamics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/sas.2025.10039
openalex publication_date 2026/02/26 · openalex created_date 2026/02/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
Abstract This paper presents the theory of improvisational emergence , an account of how social phenomena emerge from improvisational processes. I build outward from the small-group improvisational encounter to provide an account of the relationship between individuals, groups, and societies. Social entities, including groups and societies, emerge from people engaged in group improvisation. But even though social entities emerge from individuals in interaction, their study cannot be reduced to the study of individuals, because once having emerged, social entities have causal power over individuals. The theory of improvisational emergence addresses the structure-agency relationship and the micro-macro debate in sociological theory. It moves beyond practice and structuration theories in positing an ontological separation between people and society. Improvisational emergence allows us to explain the relationship between the improvisational creativity of each participating individual and the collective improvisationality of the group. A complete understanding of social phenomena, including social structures, norms, and cultures, must be grounded in the theoretical and empirical study of creative improvisation.