Synopses & Reviews
In
Society in Action, Piotr Sztompka sets forth a highly topical contribution to central theoretical debates of contemporary sociology. Taking the idea and practice of collective mobilization as his theme, Sztompka argues that modern institutions, particularly of late, are characterized by an increasing awareness of collective empowerment. The most obvious concrete expression of this phenomenon, as Sztompka makes clear, is the rise of a diversity of active social movements such as those which dramatically transformed Europe in the 1980s, from the birth of Solidarity in 1980 to the 1989 "Autumn of Nations."
Sztompka connects the interpretations of such collective activity to a wider grasp of the nature of social action. The result is a comprehensive and original theory of social change which focuses on the self-transforming influence on society of its members' striving for freedom, autonomy, and self-fulfillment. He develops his theory by means of a general concept of "social becoming," the roots of which he traces to the early romantic and humanist work of Karl Marx and his followers and to two influential sociological schools of today, the theory of agency and historical sociology.
Sztompka situates his theory midway between the rigid determinism of social totalities and the unbridled voluntarism of free individuals. Social change, he demonstrates, can be understood neither as the outcome of individual actions taken alone nor as structurally determined actions. Instead, he confers upon social organizations and movements a "self-transcending" quality: they express human agency yet, by virtue of their active character, are quite often able to achieve unpredictable outcomes.
Throughout his analysis of social movements and revolutions in history, Sztompka emphasizes the dynamics of spontaneous social change generated from below—a theoretical testimony to the rapid and fundamental social change in Eastern Europe in recent history. Against the fashions of postmodernist malaise, boredom, and disenchantment, his theory of social becoming expresses the possibility of emancipation, of change leading to positive gains. His work registers a belief in progress, not inevitably gained, but its attainment fully dependent upon the creativity and optimism of an active citizenry.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-205) and index.
About the Author
Piotr Sztompka is professor of sociology at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, and visiting professor in the Department of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley. His books published in
English include Sociological Dilemmas: Toward a Dialectic Paradigm.
Table of Contents
Preface
Part I - The background
1. Toward a theoretical reorientation
Finally, a true paradigm?
Using masters
Setting the path
2. The evolving focus on agency
In search of agency
Paradoxes of human experience
The swing of the theoretical pendulum
Toward a synthetic framework
3. On the shoulders of Marx
Why Marx?
Levels, aspects and modalities
The portrait of a human actor
The vision of social wholes
Praxis as the context of mediation
History as the mechanism of mediation
Agential and historical theory?
Part II - The theory
4. Ontology of the constructed world
Overcoming dilemmas
The focus on structures
Individuals: autonomous but bridled
Sequential logic of the process
Choosing in the field of possibilities
Reflexive consciousness
5. The model of social becoming
Setting the layout
In the middle: agency and praxis
Environments: nature and consciousness
Enter time
The becoming of social becoming
The ultimate premise: human nature
6. Active and passive society
The puzzle of social becoming
Four levels of social structure
Variety of agents and actions
Forms of power: domination and hegemony
Determinants of agency
Part III - The applications
7. Social movements: double morphogenesis
Two selected interpretations
Strategic research area
External morphogenesis
A cause or a carrier of change?
Movements in the wider context
Internal morphogenesis
Toward a truly dynamic model
8. Revolutions: the peak of social becoming
The idea of revolution: myth and theory
The theory of revolution: new directions
Revolution as a mode of social becoming
The promise of agential and historical theory
Notes
Bibliography
Index