Synopses & Reviews
In this completely revised edition of one of the foundational texts of network sociology, Harrison White refines and enlarges his groundbreaking theory of how social structure and culture emerge from the chaos and uncertainty of social life. Incorporating new contributions from a group of young sociologists and many fascinating and novel case studies, Identity and Control is the only major book of social theory that links social structure with the lived experience of individuals, providing a rich perspective on the kinds of social formations that develop in the process. Going beyond traditional sociological dichotomies such as agency/structure, individual/society, or micro/macro, Identity and Control presents a toolbox of concepts that will be useful to a wide range of social scientists, as well as those working in public policy, management, or associational life and, beyond, to any reader who is interested in understanding the dynamics of social life.
Review
Praise for the original edition: "[In this book] White has managed to cram a lifetime of singularly deep thinking about the social order that makes the best start yet on augmenting the economic understanding of man. -- David Warsh, Boston Globe Praise for the original edition: "This work is unique in that it presents a fully formed structural theory of human behavior and organization from the ground up, including seminal terms and the directions in which future research should proceed. -- C. A. Pressler, Choice Praise for the original edition: "[This book] deserves to be widely read and discussed. White attempts nothing less than a comprehensive theoretical synthesis of social scientific ideas. -- John Scott, British Journal of Sociology
Review
Praise for the original edition: "[In this book] White has managed to cram a lifetime of singularly deep thinking about the social order that makes the best start yet on augmenting the economic understanding of man."--David Warsh, Boston Globe
Review
Praise for the original edition: "This work is unique in that it presents a fully formed structural theory of human behavior and organization from the ground up, including seminal terms and the directions in which future research should proceed."--C. A. Pressler, Choice
Review
Praise for the original edition: "[This book] deserves to be widely read and discussed. White attempts nothing less than a comprehensive theoretical synthesis of social scientific ideas."--John Scott, British Journal of Sociology
Synopsis
In this completely revised edition of one of the foundational texts of network sociology, Harrison White refines and enlarges his groundbreaking theory of how social structure and culture emerge from the chaos and uncertainty of social life. Incorporating new contributions from a group of young sociologists and many fascinating and novel case studies, Identity and Control is the only major book of social theory that links social structure with the lived experience of individuals, providing a rich perspective on the kinds of social formations that develop in the process. Going beyond traditional sociological dichotomies such as agency/structure, individual/society, or micro/macro, Identity and Control presents a toolbox of concepts that will be useful to a wide range of social scientists, as well as those working in public policy, management, or associational life and, beyond, to any reader who is interested in understanding the dynamics of social life.
Synopsis
In this completely revised edition of one of the foundational texts of network sociology, Harrison White refines and enlarges his groundbreaking theory of how social structure and culture emerge from the chaos and uncertainty of social life. Incorporating new contributions from a group of young sociologists and many fascinating and novel case studies, Identity and Control is the only major book of social theory that links social structure with the lived experience of individuals, providing a rich perspective on the kinds of social formations that develop in the process. Going beyond traditional sociological dichotomies such as agency/structure, individual/society, or micro/macro, Identity and Control presents a toolbox of concepts that will be useful to a wide range of social scientists, as well as those working in public policy, management, or associational life and, beyond, to any reader who is interested in understanding the dynamics of social life.
About the Author
Harrison C. White is the Giddings Professor of Sociology at Columbia University. His books include "Markets from Networks: Socioeconomic Models of Production" (Princeton) and "Careers and Creativity: Social Forces in the Arts".
Table of Contents
LIST OF FIGURES ix
PREFACE xi
CHAPTER ONE: Introduction to Identity and Control 3
Identities from Contingencies 5
Control and Decoupling 9
Scope and Terms of Social Organization 14
CHAPTER TWO: Disciplines 22
Pecking Orders 23
Three Species from Valuation Orderings 28
Embedding and Variations 32
Interfaces 38
Arenas 48
Councils 54
Catnets for Black Hole in Index Space 60
CHAPTER THREE: Network and Stories 65
Ties and Stories 66
Tracings of Social Space 70
Network as Population 78
Types of Tie 84
Blockmodels of Structural Equivalence 93
Ambiguity versus Ambage 102
CHAPTER FOUR: Institutions 116
Village Caste and University Science 118
Boundaries 126
Values 136
Corporatism 142
Clientelism 150
Norman Feudalism 156
Positions across Role Frames 160
CHAPTER FIVE: Styles and Person 166
Styles 167
Profiles 177
Entourages 191
Persons 196
Careers 212
Professionalism and Regimes 222
CHAPTER SIX: Getting Action 230
Further Control in Time 232
Hieratic Styles 237
Agenda for Agency 245
Getting Action 254
Dual Hierarchy and Servile Elite 267
General Management 273
Annealing 281
CHAPTER SEVEN: Rhetoric and Theory 287
Rhetorics and Systems 288
Rationality 297
History and Natural Science as Guides 303
Identity and Control 312
APPENDIX 1: One Hundred Topics 317
Conjectures 1-27 317
Speculations 1-19 321
Questions 1-54 323
APPENDIX 2: Some Models 328
A. Disciplines and Networks 328
B. Space-Times 337
C. Persons as Kalman Filters 346
APPENDIX 3: List of Software 350
WORKS CITED 351
INDEX 415