2023/08/01 by Richard Swedberg · 1 voice
Business, Management and Accounting · Social Sciences · #Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice #Management and Organizational Studies #Social and Cultural Dynamics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1515/joso-2023-0019
openalex publication_date 2023/08/01 · openalex created_date 2023/10/19 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract In this paper two different approaches to social theory are presented, and then illustrated through an in-depth analysis of one study, The Dynamics of Bureaucracy (1955) by Peter M. Blau. The first of these two ideal types focuses on theory as a text, say Suicide by Durkheim or some journal article ( theory as a text ). According to this viewpoint, which is the conventional one, theory is seen as embodied and finalized in a text, not so different from a literary text. According to the second approach, which is more in the spirit of theorizing, theory is instead seen as a set of interconnected activities ( theory as activities ). According to this perspective, theory means to engage in a number of activities besides reading: you do research, including work with theoretical issues; you then try to formulate and write down a final version of the theory in an article or a book. A theory is always part of a large set of activities. The paper ends with a comparison of the two perspectives as well as an attempt to see what Blau’s work can add to our understanding of theory as a practical and creative enterprise.