The historiography of Swedish sociology and the bounding of disciplinary identity

Larsson, Anna; Wisselgren, Per

doi:10.1002/jhbs.20166

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Following recent scholarship on the same general topic (Fanning and Hess, 2015;Larsson and Wisselgren, 2006;Wisselgren, 2015), my argument will distance itself from the Portuguese literature, as stated, but also from strict disciplinary (or institutionalist) histories of sociology, which tend to conflate social science with university degrees and with the intellectual products of socially recognized authors. My argument will also deviate from implicitly functionalist sociologies of knowledge, which take for granted the benign nature and progressive or critical outcomes of science in general, and social science in particular, of which the alleged incompatibility between social research and right-wing dictatorships is only one aspect, aptly criticized in the collective volume on this subject edited by Stephen Turner andDirk Käsler (2005[1992]).…”

Section: Introduction: Relics and Monumentsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Continuity through change: State social research and sociology in Portugal

Ágoas

2020

History of the Human Sciences

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This article examines the development of empirical social research in Portugal over about a century and its relation to the early institutionalization of sociology at the tail end of that period. Relying on new empirical data, coupled with a critical reading of the main sources on the topic, it brings to light some epistemic invariants in a disparate body of research, acknowledging the initial persistence of Le Play-inspired as well as properly Le Playsian research methods. Furthermore, it identifies the general continuation of a substantial concern with the (physical and then moral) condition of rural and industrial workers, leading to a disclosure of the political-economic and governmental roots of the social research in question. From a historical sociology perspective, the article explores the relation between state governmentalization and authoritarian rule, on the one hand, and the development of the social sciences, on the other. From a history of science perspective, it acknowledges the continuous use of the same research methods to carry out seemingly incommensurable social research programmes and the later pursuit of a properly sociological research programme that fell back on conflicting methodological and theoretical approaches. In broader terms, the article aims to put forward a historical sociology of theoretical approaches, research methods, and scientific concepts that will hopefully contribute to a clearer understanding of their respective fields of application.

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Section: Introduction: Relics and Monumentsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Continuity through change: State social research and sociology in Portugal

Ágoas

2020

History of the Human Sciences

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“…Whether pure, applied, partisan, public or professional, it is generally accepted that institutional ideologies influence the production and reproduction of different styles of disciplinary knowledge (Becher, 1987(Becher, , 1989Huber, 1990;Larsson and Wisselgren, 2006;Prior, 1994;Tierney, 1991;Ylijoki, 2000). Delamont et al argue that the PhD is a key mechanism for the academic socialization of particular disciplinary identities and 'disciplinary loyalties ' (2000: 181) so that 'graduate student socialization is one powerful mechanism whereby the cultures of the academy are transmitted from generation to generation ' (2000: 179).…”

Section: Disciplinary Identity and Types Of Sociologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Acquiring a Sociological Identity

Seale

2008

Sociology

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The acquisition of a sociological identity during the process of PhD supervision is reported, drawing on detailed analysis of selected observations of the supervision sessions, written communications and other aspects of interaction over the period of a single case study supervision which involved the authors as participants. The transition from an 'applied' identity (in nursing) to a 'pure' or 'professional' identity in sociology is documented, identifying the precise interactional mechanisms for encouraging and achieving this transition. These include 'bracketing' out of common-sense interpretations of behaviour that draw on the old identity and 'distancing' from the normative judgements of professionals inhabiting a dispreferred, non-sociological position. Taking place in a context of enthusiastic, directive and insistent exhortation and presenting a particular and somewhat locally determined version of adequate sociological work, the study shows both supervisor and student collaborating in the social construction of a sociologist. KEY WORDS collaboration / PhD supervision / professional socialization / sociological identity / teaching sociologyIn writing up [the nurses'] ideas you need to look as if you're not personally involved in promoting them … that is essential if it's going to be a sociology thesis rather than nursing research thesis. (Year 1 supervision; supervisor's comment) Downloaded from [I feel that I] now have much more insight into how to write as a sociologist. (Year 3, e-mail message from student) Had quite a tutorial with CS! Debated about sociology of the body. He did not see the point of putting the body in my analysis but I did! (Year 4 student diary entry) Gosh it's wonderful, wonderful how [the thesis has] turned out. (Year 5 supervision, supervisor's comment)

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“…Henriksson-Holmberg, 1923: 50;Thörnberg, 1925: 194) acknowledged Steffen as a Swedish pioneer of sociology. Nevertheless, scholars have accentuated how Steffen's academic contributions have been neglected and were even removed from the general narrative of sociology in Sweden established in the late 1940s (Boalt and Abrahamsson, 1977;Eriksson, 1994;Gullberg, 1972;Larsson and Magdalenic ́, 2015;Larsson and Wisselgren, 2006;Wisselgren, 1997). Given sociologists' preoccupation with the making of classics, Steffen is an interesting case as he is the only domestic candidate that Sweden has ever had from the 'classical period' of sociology (Wagner, 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When Baehr met Steffen: Appraising classicality through the lens of neglect

Ginnerskov

2021

Acta Sociologica

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Classical sociology has long served as a locus for the discipline's self-understanding, and is a phenomenon increasingly studied in its own right. The growing literature is synthesised in Peter Baehr's renowned framework for scrutinising reception and formation processes. By theorising on the trajectories of multiple classics, Baehr has helped pave the way for sociology’s understanding of how classicality becomes established. This paper deploys this framework in order to appraise neglected work with classicality potential in early sociology, namely the bulky production of Sweden's main candidate for a classic, Gustaf F. Steffen (1864–1929), with special attention given to his magnum opus Sociology: A g eneral theory of society (1910–1911). The analysis exposes some of the conceptual ambiguity in Baehr's framework, while proposing that both the notion of a ‘classic’ and the sole focus on reception and formation need to be expanded. This article also argues that our understanding of classicality could be advanced if we were to distinguish between author, text, and theory, since each of these plays different roles in reception, formation, and neglection processes.

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The historiography of Swedish sociology and the bounding of disciplinary identity

Cited by 11 publications

References 25 publications

Continuity through change: State social research and sociology in Portugal

Continuity through change: State social research and sociology in Portugal

Acquiring a Sociological Identity

When Baehr met Steffen: Appraising classicality through the lens of neglect

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