The American Field of Sociology between the Global and the Local

• In Event: 2162 - History of Sociology/Social Thought: The Problematic Influence of the American Canon

Abstract

There are long traditions and mutual influences among US and foreign sociologies, but usually they are looked at separately. In contrast, we argue, that any object under study must be put within the whole set of relations: internal, external and historical ones. Hence, an investigation of US sociology should start by contextualizing it historically while also including relations to other fields such as the European one. This paper therefore begins with a historical outline of the US-American field of sociology, and then turns to the reconstruction of the current field by using geometric data analysis. For this purpose, we combine data taken from sociology full professors’ CVs, the American Sociological Association and the National Science Foundation. Our results show that the US field of sociology is divided along two dimensions: (1) The dominant/the dominated, and (2) “spiritual” versus “temporal” power. On the dominant side, we localize a “cosmopolitan”, “European” pole that is opposed to the “local”, “domestic” pole of that universe. We further find a homology of positions and position-takings: the “European” pole favors abstract and partially prestigious research topics, while the “local” pole has a taste for conventional, more “down-to-earth” interests. Moreover, sociologists localized in the “local” area hold academic and institutional power, and have access to money. Thus, relations between the American and the European fields are complex, which not only concerns the global hierarchy but also the multidimensional internal structure of the fields.

Authors

• Tomasz Warczok, Pedagogical University of Cracow

• Stephanie Beyer, Leibniz University Hanover, LCSS