Substantive social theory / W.G. Runciman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Runciman, W. G. (Walter Garrison), 1934-

Series:

Runciman, W. G. (Walter Garrison), 1934- Treatise on social theory ; v. 2.

Treatise on social theory ; v. 2

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sociology--Philosophy.

Sociology.

Social sciences--Methodology.

Social sciences.

Social sciences--Philosophy.

Physical Description:

xiii, 493 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1989.

Summary:

This second of three volumes sets out a general account of the structure and evolution of human societies. Mr. Runciman argues first, that societies are to be defined as sets of roles whose incumbents are competitors for access to, or control of, the means of production, persuasion and coercion; and second, that the process by which societies evolve is one of competitive selection of the practices by which roles are defined, analogous, but not reducible, to natural selection. He illustrates and tests these theses with evidence drawn from the whole range of societies documented in the historical and ethnographic record. The result is an original, powerful and far-reaching reformulation of evolutionary sociological theory which will make it possible for sociologists to do for the classification and analysis of societies what Darwin and his successors have done for the classification and analysis of species.

Contents:

1 Introduction: societies as subjects for science 1

What are societies made of? 1

The dimensions of social structure 12

Roles and systacts 20

Mobility of persons and roles 27

Competitive selection and social evolution 37

Inter-societal comparisons and principles of taxonomy 48

2 Social relations 61

The range of variation 61

Standard roles and routine careers 70

Functional differentiation and the accretion of power 76

Ranks, distances and barriers 86

Systactic identity and collective consciousness 97

Pervasive roles and central institutions 113

3 Social structure 123

Stability and dissent 123

Reproduction, polarization and compression 138

Systactic patterns and modes of the distribution of power 148

Contradictions and constraints 172

Functional alternatives (1) 182

Functional alternatives (2) 208

Functional alternatives (3) 244

Inter-societal relations 266

4 Social evolution 285

Processes of change 285

Regressions and catastrophes 310

Dead-ends and turning-points 320

Rebellions, reforms and revolutions 340

Test cases 367

Hegemony and decline 433.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

0521249597

0521369835

OCLC:

19474441