Conference Information Features • Znaniecki Conference in Poland • The Essential Readings in Theory • Miniconference in San Francisco • Where Can a Student Find Theory? THE ASA July 1998 THEORY SECTION NEWSLETTER Perspectives VOLUME 20, NUMBER 3 From the Chair’s Desk Section Officers How Do We Create Theory? CHAIR By Guillermina Jasso Guillermina Jasso s the spring semester draws to a close, and new scholarly energies are every- where visible, I want to briefly take stock of sociological theory and the CHAIR-ELECT Theory Section. It has been a splendid privilege to watch the selflessness Janet Saltzman Chafetz A and devotion with which section members nurture the growth of sociological theory and its chief institutional steward, the Theory Section. I called on many of you to PAST CHAIR help with section matters, and you kindly took on extra burdens, many of them Donald Levine thankless except, sub specie aeternitatis, insofar as they play a part in advancing socio- logical theory. The Theory Prize Committee, the Shils-Coleman Prize Committee, SECRETARY-TREASURER the Nominations Committee, and the Membership Committee have been active; the Peter Kivisto newsletter editor has kept us informed; the session organizers have assembled an impressive array of speakers and topics. And thus, we can look forward to our COUNCIL meeting in August as a time for intellectual consolidation and intellectual progress. Keith Doubt Gary Alan Fine The section program for the August meetings includes one regular open session, one Stephen Kalberg roundtables session, and the three-session miniconference, entitled “The Methods Michele Lamont of Theoretical Sociology.” Because the papers from the miniconference are likely to Emanuel Schegloff become the heart of a book, I will be especially on the lookout for discussion at the miniconference sessions that could form the basis for additional papers or discus- Steven Seidman sion in the volume. SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY See METHODS on Page 2 EDITOR Craig Calhoun Social Theory’s Essential Texts PERSPECTIVES By Alan Sica EDITOR argued in my remarks at last year’s to answer, but it occurred to me that ask- Joseph Hopper miniconference session II that if ing some of the top current theory I one had to throw away all the soci- people, all of whom had been chairs of ology or social theory that one owned ex- the Theory Section at one time or another, Submit news and commentary to: cept for those ten volumes that meant the to name their favorite ten works in soci- Joseph Hopper most, those ten would reflect as much ology and/or social theory might serve University of Chicago the passionate involvement of the author as some “empirically” derived basis that Cobb Box 164 with his or her material as it would el- Schmitt and others could use. He ex- 5845 S. Ellis Avenue egant method or steamingly illuminating plained that as a graduate student he is Chicago, IL 60637 theorizing. Right after, Christopher overwhelmed with material, and is look- Schmitt, an ambitious graduate student Phone: (773) 702-3318 ing for advice on how to spend his lim- from Oregon State, asked me what ten Fax: (773) 834-0493 ited amount of time. Below are six lists titles I would name for him (as he took E-mail: [email protected] out a pad to write on). I was unprepared See TOP TEN on Page 6 Page 2 Perspectives Where’s a Good Theory Student to Go? department is strongly oriented towards Readers Respond to Doubt theory. We have many theorists among our faculty (and associated faculty), in- cluding Lewis A. Coser (Visiting Profes- Theory at University of Maryland precisely at integrating theory and meth- sor), Peter Berger, Jeff Coulter, James ods. Thus we not only have theorists, Schmidt, Charles Lindholm, George In response to Keith Doubt’s note but also a vibrant program in theory that in the April issue of Perspectives on Psathas, Adam Seligman, Liah Greenfeld, operates in an intellectually supportive and Stephen Kalberg. Theory is viewed “Where’s the Theory?” I have good news: environment. Theory is alive and well as a major focus as central to our graduate and under- Do send us your tired (of mindless graduate curricula, and we cover an un- of graduate education at research), your hungry (for the University of Mary- usually broad range of schools and LETTERS ideas), your students of land, College Park. Keith, approaches. Moreover, our graduate cur- TO THE EDITOR many cultures yearning to riculum emphasizes theory: two courses do send us your students. be thinkers. Faculty members of the are required (classical and contemporary) Richard Brown and our only qualifying examination is in theory program are Richard Harvey Coordinator of the Graduate Program Brown, William Falk, Jerald Hage, theory. Our graduate theory classes regu- in Theory, University of Maryland, larly attract students from throughout the Patricio Korzeniewicz, Barbara Meeker, College Park George Ritzer, and David Segal. Of university. Last but not least, the empha- these, Brown, Hage, and Ritzer devote sis in our graduate program upon quali- their scholarship mainly to original theo- Theory at Boston University tative methods might also be attractive retical work. The others do and teach to burgeoning theorists. We hope soon theory mainly as it relates to organiza- In response to Keith Doubt’s ques- to continue our search, begun last year, tions, social psychology, or political tion about where students seeking good for a further theorist. economy. The program focuses on clas- graduate education in social theory may Stephen Kalberg sical, contemporary, and metatheory, cov- go, one answer is: Boston University. Our Boston University ers a broad range of approaches from logical deductive theory construction to a more discourse oriented or postmodern Theories, Predictions, and Postulates kind of theorizing. Several of our mem- bers are internationally recognized think- METHODS from Page 1 ers in these fields. How do new theories arise? By painstaking crafting of fruitful assumptions reflect- We have about a dozen graduate stu- ing the treasury of ideas. How does a theory grow? By exuberant derivation of dents specializing in theory, though, as predictions. How do theories combine to form larger, more inclusive theories? By required of all our students, they have systematically linking the postulates and predictions of each theory to the postulates another specialty area as well (for both and predictions of every other theory under consideration, thereby arriving at a new intellectual and market reasons). Our basic set of assumptions from which spring all the predictions. And new and appealing theory students are active as a group and ideas can set in motion a new sequence of theoretical events—a new postulate, form a distinct and supportive intellec- generating new implications, the new theory subsequently linked to other (new or tual subculture within the department. old) theories. They meet regularly among themselves, are preparing their own website, and the But theory development does not happen automatically. There are long hours and like. Our students frequently coauthor much travail intellectuel. And there is method. Like cutting a diamond, making wine, with their mentors. We also often hold or playing a musical instrument, method makes wonders. This August at the mini- international conferences on theoretical conference, we shall have an opportunity to think self-consciously and critically about issues. the range of methods now in the service of theoretical sociology—exploring new In addition, I think it could be said methods and new ways to improve old methods, and providing new challenges for that theoretical reflection is widely re- spected throughout our department, not theorists and methodologists alike. The Theory Section, steward of sociological just among those designated as “theo- theory and of the tools for the advancement of theory, can be proud of the part it rists.” One of the capstone courses prior plays. to Ph.D. candidacy, for example, is aimed SEE PAGE 3 FOR THE COMPLETE MINICONFERENCE SCHEDULE Perspectives Page 3 Theory at the ASA Meetings Miniconference Spotlight on The Methods of Theory he 1998 Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association will take place on August 21-25, 1998 in San Francisco. The Theory Section has scheduled a miniconference consisting of three sessions, an open topics session, a T roundtables session, a business meeting, and a reception to be held jointly with the Section on Mathematical Sociology. All Theory Section events will be held on Monday, August 24. Several other theory sessions have been organized by the ASA Program Committee as well, with topics ranging from the history of sociological theory to postmodernist theory. Other Sessions Organized by the Theory Section MINICONFERENCE: THE METHODS OF THEORETICAL WORK Monday, August 24, 8:30 a.m.-2:15 p.m. Topics in Sociological Theory Session 433. Monday, August 24, 2:30 p.m.- Theoretical Methods I: alism). Ronald L. Jepperson, Stanford Uni- 4:15 p.m. Where Do Theories Come From? versity The theme of this session might be called “New Tools for Conceptualizing Social Phe- Session 355. 8:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Three Formal Models of Organizational Inertia: Different Paths in Theory Build- nomena.” Each of the four papers suggests This is a session on the genealogy of ing? Gabor Peli, University of Groningen, a different way of conceiving of social rela- theory, a subject rarely addressed by soci- and Michael Hannan, Stanford University tionships or structures from what has com- ologists or anyone else. Donald Black has monly been used. They suggest an open- asked several prominent theorists to dis- On the Evolution of Organizational ness to rethinking our approaches to theo- cuss the process by which they developed Forms: Formal Models. Laszlo Polos, Uni- retical questions in the discipline. a theory or type of theory, focusing par- versity of Amsterdam, Glenn R.