Between Science and Politics: Three Functions of Normativity in Social Theory

• In Event: Theory Section Open Call Paper Session

Abstract

This article contributes to ongoing debate surrounding the so-called “normative turn” in sociology by reflecting on the function of normativity in social theory. Rather than classifying approaches according to theoretical schools, as others have done, we suggest an analytical understanding of normativity. Our argument is therefore less concerned with diagnosing a possible ‘turn’ than with recognizing the different purposes of normative engagement. Drawing on our research on the history of the concept of public space and on the politics of climate change mitigation technologies, we develop a typology comprising three distinct but interrelated senses of normativity: objectual, epistemological, and prescriptive. We argue that the latter constitutes one of social theory’s unacknowledged requirement, and that all three modalities are co-constitutive of social theory. Social theory operates within a field of tensions in which scientific authority, political possibilities, and attempts to separate science from politics are themselves normative issues.

Authors

• Jan Gilles, London School of Economics and Political Science

• Carla Rivera