Networks over Culture in the New Economic Sociology: Academic Familism, Borrowed Prestige and Status Hierarchies

• In Event: 385 - Regular Session. Sociology of Knowledge and Ideas

Abstract

Sociology is a multiparadigmatic discipline but in some subfields certain theoretical tools and methods dominate over others. Why so? I examine the historical trajectory of the new economic sociology to show that network theory gained prominence over cultural analysis in this subfield because of academic familism, borrowed prestige, and disciplinary status hierarchies. First, academic familism in a form of intergenerational networks and mentor-mentee transmission reinforced network-based research among early champions of the new economic sociology such as Harrison White and Mark Granovetter and their students. Second, the network perspective in economic sociology thrived on borrowed prestige from natural sciences, which also embraced the study of networks, as well as from affinity with economics because it did not question the fundamental assumption of rational action. This encouraged more placement of network economic sociologists at better-paid business schools, further augmenting legitimacy to this perspective. Third, existing status hierarchies in the discipline regarding methodological approaches and gender also aided the dominance of the quantitative-male led network analyses over the qualitative female-led cultural analyses. The paper stipulates at the end how the theoretical dynamics of the subfield might have recently changed with the growing intellectual fragmentation, migration of network-based economic sociologists out of the discipline, and crisis of legitimacy for economics. More broadly, the paper finds less support for instrumental action of idea entrepreneurs and dense strong networks that create halo effects and collective solidarity, and, instead, highlights the role of inter-disciplinary positioning and borrowed prestige, particularly for lower-status disciplines.

Author

• Nina Bandelj, University of California-Irvine