Is friendship a sociological topic?

Abstract

Sociologists have shown little interest in friendship. The rather fragmentary empirical work which does exist on friendship in modern society paradoxically tends to confirm the impression that the subject is of marginal importance; for friendship emerges from much research as a relationship which provides emotional support and small services but little else. Admittedly, there is also evidence indicating links with more classical sociological themes—such as access to jobs. But this evidence is often seen as representing ‘exceptional’ circumstances. Thus, among an immigrant group, friendship ties may be seen as particular to the culture from which immigrants come; among an elite group, the importance of friendship ties may be seen as peculiar to that elite circle. We can talk of a genuine ‘paradigm’ of modern society as being based on relatively impersonal relations. The paper maintains that if friendship is approached differently, it emerges as of more central and ‘structural’ interest. What is required is a shift on both theoretical and methodological levels. Sociology needs to shift its theoretical perspective and recognize that people articulate their values, enact their strategies, develop their language in face-to-face groups, not as isolated individuals. In terms of empirical research, what is needed are methods capable of tracing these groupings. This is difficult at present because most sociological methods rely heavily on data collected on individuals and their attributes.

French connections: the networking strategies of French highly skilled migrants in London

“…Friendships are not simply about relations between just two people; they usually connect overlapping webs of relationships between various actors. Friendships are rarely random but usually link people through shared interests and experiences in particular temporal and spatial contexts (Eve 2002).…”

“…In analysing the process of making new networks, we consider the resources and the interpersonal relationships, as well as the relative social location of the actors, namely the kinds of people with whom migrants form networks (Ryan 2011). Following Eve (2002;2010), we aim to include a discussion of making new friends within a wider analysis of social networks and so challenge the sharp dichotomy between personal friendships and broader network formation.…”

“…In bringing together classic literature on professional (Burt 1998;Granovetter 1983;Uzzi 1999) and friendship (Eve 2002(Eve , 2008(Eve , 2010Ibarra and Desphpande 2004;Wellman 1984) networking with wider discussions on how relationships are managed across time and space (Urry 2002(Urry , 2003, our work contributes to a fuller understanding of why and how highly skilled migrants form networks with particular characteristics. Specifically, we explore the dynamism of social relationships and the factors that both enable and hinder access to and maintenance of different types of social ties in different places.…”

Constructing Facebook: cnstituting social space online

“…Friendship is defined as an "exceptionally strong relationship with expectations for emotional and practical support" (boyd 2006: np). Friendship is further conceptualised as individualised, voluntary, and private as it is a non-specialised relationship that falls outside the concern of formal social structures such as the legal system (Silver 1990;Pahl 2000;Eve 2002). …”

“…Previous social research highlights the affective and supportive aspects of friendship (Gouldern and Strong 1987;Wellman 1992) and concerns itself with close dyadic friendships (Oliker 1989;Eve 2002). In reality friendship exists on a continuum from close, or best, friends to more acquaintance-like ties (Eve 2002 refers to a situation where a social relation is entered into for its own sake, for what can be derived by each person from a sustained association with another; and which is continued only in so far as it is thought by both parties to deliver enough satisfactions for each individual to stay within it.…”