Jaipur • New Delhi • Bengaluru • Guwahati • Kolkata
Craig Calhoun
Robert K. Merton (1910–2003) was one of the most influential
sociologists of the twentieth century, producing clear theories and innovative
research that continue to shape multiple disciplines. Merton’s reach can be
felt in the study of social structure, social psychology, deviance,
professions, organizations, culture, and science. Yet for all his fame, Merton
is only partially understood. He is treated by scholars as a functional
analyst, when in truth his contributions transcend paradigm.
Gathering together twelve major sociologists, Craig Calhoun
launches a thorough reconsideration of Merton’s achievements and inspires a
renewed engagement with sociological theory. Merton’s work addressed the
challenges of integrating research and theory. It connected different fields of
empirical research and spoke to the importance of overcoming divisions between
allegedly pure and applied sociology. Merton also sought to integrate sociology
with the institutional analysis of science, each informing the other. By
bringing together different aspects of his work in one volume, Calhoun
illuminates the interdisciplinary and unifying dimensions of Merton’s approach,
while also advancing the intellectual agenda of an increasingly vital area of
study.
Introduction:
On Merton’s Legacy and Contemporary Sociology, by Craig Calhoun
Reflections on a Common Theme:
Establishing the Phenomenon, Adumbration, and Ideal Types, by Alejandro Portes
Mechanisms of the Middle Range, by
Charles Tilly
Eliding the Theory/Research and
Basic/Applied Divides: Implications of Merton’s Middle Range, by Robert J.
Sampson
The Contributions of Robert K. Merton
to Culture Theory, by Cynthia Fuchs Epstein
Culture and Uncertainty, by Viviana A.
Zelizer
Paradigm for the Sociology of Science,
by Thomas F. Gieryn
A Critical Reconsideration of the
Ethos and Autonomy of Science, by Aaron L. Panofsky
Merton, Mannheim, and the Sociology of
Knowledge, by Alan Sica
The Ethos of Science and the Ethos of
Democracy, by Ragnvald Kalleberg
Merton’s Sociology of Rhetoric, by
Peter Simonson
On Sociological Semantics as an
Evolving Research Program, by Harriet Zuckerman
How Merton Sociologizes the History of
Ideas, by Charles Camic
Craig Calhoun is president of the Berggruen Institute. He was
previously director and president of the London School of Economics and
Political Science, where he remains Centennial Professor.
Sukhadeo Thorat and Narender Kumar (Eds.)
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