Abstract

PIRES, Rui Pena. Conceptual trees: a contribution for a multidimensional reconstruction of the concepts of action and structure. Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas [online]. 2007, n.53, pp.11-50. ISSN 0873-6529.

In contrast to the negative tendency for hyper-differentiation in theoretical sociology, I propose the reconstruction of the concepts of social action and social structure in a multidimensional perspective, transforming some of the competing meanings of these concepts in complementary analytical dimensions. For this, I draw a "generative" conceptual tree based on a common starting point (social order), branching in two segments that correspond to two different ontological categories (action and structure), and further branched through chains of logical presupposition. On the second branching level, I distinguish between rational and interpretative actions on one hand, and between external and internal structure on the other, and the process is repeated for two more levels. In total, I identify eight analytical dimensions both in the action and in the structure branches.

Keywords : social order; social action; interpretative action; rational action; social structure; institutional structure; relational structure; internalised structure.

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