cultural sociology as a research area of the cfs · pdf filecultural sociology as a research...

Center for Fundamental Sociology

www.cfs-leviathan.ru

Cultural Sociology as a research area

of the CFS(24/10/2008)



1. Cultural sociology in question: theoretical and methodological discussion and theory-oriented research;

2. Collection of translated principal works in cultural sociology;

3. Annotated codifier of theoretical sociology: cultural sociology as a pilot codification project;1. Stages of precodifying work;2. Codifier in use;3. Results of codification;

Presentation plan



1. Cultural sociology in question: theoretical and methodological discussion

and theory-oriented research




Theory:• Autonomy of culture and late Durkheimian program• Theorizing on the sacred as a core of cultural sociology analysis• Sacred as a seamless joint of social morphology and meaning• Two sides of the sacred• “Unsaidness of the sacred” (“Ordinary language breaks down in extraordinary cases” J. Austin)• “Morphogenetic” modifying Durkheimian theory of the sacred




Methodology:• Studies of symbolic classifications (binary oppositions, semantics of separation, etc.)• Desecration, pollution as a dominant symbolic mechanism to be identified• Metaphors and their conflict reconstruction as a promising methodological approach



1. Cultural sociology in question: theory-oriented research

1. University Life Metaphors:• Conflict around plagiarism• Metaphors in discourse (students, teachers, officials etc)

2. Sociology of Painting:• Beyond the production of culture perspective (Becker, Bourdieu

etc)• Canvases as specific space which requires corresponding mode of

eye;• Cultural genesis of “contemporary eye”;

3. Places of Memory.



2. Translations and reviews


2.1. Collection of translated principal works in cultural sociology

A. Filippov, Cultural sociology and contemporary theoretical sociologyS. Bankovskaya, The sociological project of Mary DouglasD. Kurakin, Cultural sociology: Symbolic Classifications vs. “Iron Cage”Part 1. Foundations of cultural sociology J. C. Alexander and P. Smith, The Strong Program in Cultural SociologyA. Kane, Analytic and concrete forms of the autonomy of culturePart 2. Principal cultural sociology approaches in theorizingM. Douglas, Grid and Group – Natural Symbols, Second edition, Ch. 4.J. C. Alexander, The Promise of a Cultural Sociology: Technological Discourse and the Sacred and Profane Information MachineP. Smith, Narrating the Guillotine: Punishment Technology as Myth and SymbolS. J. Tambiah, The Magical Power of WordsV. Turner, Social Dramas and Ritual MetaphorsPart 3. Cultural Sociology in action: environment, symbol and meaning of social life


M. Douglas, Control of Symbols – Natural Symbols, Second edition, Ch. 9.M. Douglas, Environments at RiskD. Allen, The Flux of Time in Ancient GreeceM. Douglas, Deciphering a MealM. Douglas, Social Control of Cognition: Factors in Joke PerceptionJ. C. Alexander, The Meaningful Construction of Inequality and the Struggles Against It: A 'Strong Program' Approach to How Social Boundaries Change



Eyerman, Ron and Lisa McCormick (eds.) (2006). Myth, Meaningand Performance: Toward a New Cultural Sociology of the Arts. Paradigm Press.

R. Eyerman, Toward a Meaningful Sociology of the ArtsR. Witkin, Chewing on Clement Greenberg: Abstraction andthe Two Faces of ModernismJ.C. Zhang, The Meaning of Style: Postmodernism, Demystification, and Dissonance in Post-Tiananmen ChineseAvant-Garde ArtS. Sherwood, Seeker of the Sacred: A Late Durkheimian Theoryof the ArtistT. DeNora, Music as Agency in Beethoven’s VienaL. McCormick, Music as Social Performance

2.2. Collection of reviews (will be published in 2008-09)


3. Annotated codifier of theoretical sociology: cultural sociology as a pilot

codification project




Forming the body of potentially relevant texts

Preparing suitable texts for the codifying software

Administrating the distribution of texts for further codifying

3.1. Stages of precodifying work

1

2

3



•The source of texts: journal databases like JSTOR, SAGE etc.

•The criterion of selection: mentioning the key authors

•The mechanism of selection: all the texts for the period of selected year that in their body or reference contain at least one of the modifications of the name of any key author

E.g. for Mary Douglas:

3.1. Stages of precodifying work: Forming the body of potentially relevant texts

Douglas Mary, Mary Douglas, M Douglas, Douglas M



3.1. Stages of precodifying work: Preparing suitable texts for the codifying software

Texts in journal databases:

PDF format

Conversionmodule

Texts suitable for codifying:

TXT format



3.1. Stages of precodifying work: Administrating the distribution of texts

for further codifying

Administrator1) The packet of files for codifying

(PDF source + TXT product)

Expert

2) The packet of positive expert decision files3) Report on the codifying process that includes:• the names of all the files codified during the current session• detailed information on positive expert decision files

Codifying

Updating the database

E.G.



3.1. Stages of precodifying work: Administrating the distribution of texts

for further codifying



3.2. Codifier in Use

Expert possesses:•basic knowledge of the sphere in question•qualification in using the Codifier software

Codifier Software



3.2. Codifier in Use: connection to Conceptual Module

Pic.1



3.2. Codifier in Use: log in

User name / Expert name

Path to the pre-made Conceptual Module containing structured sets of keywords used in the analysis

Pic.2



3.2. Codifier in Use: opening unit sourceand unit text, attaching unit statistics

Unit Source

Unit Text

Unit StatisticsPic.3



3.2. Codifier in Use: Unit Analysis Module

Pic.4

TextStatistics



3.2. Codifier in Use: Keyword Statistics

Pic.4.1

Morphostatic Theory of the Sacred

Morphogenetic Theory of the Sacred

Authors of Primary Importance

Other Authors


3.2. Codifier in Use: Groups

www.cfs-leviathan.ruPic.5

List of groups



3.2. Codifier in Use: Authors

Pic.6

List of authors


3.2. Codifier in Use: Keywords




3.2. Codifier in Use: Tips

Pic.8



3.2. Codifier in Use: Expert Decision-Making

Fields for information



3.2. Codifier in Use: Bibliography


3.2. Codifier in Use: Annotation




3.2. Codifier in Use: Author Names



3.2. Codifier in Use: Unit Groups



3.2. Codifier in Use: Project Manager

Pic.14-15



3.2. Codifier in Use: Project Structure

Pic.16



3.2. Codifier in Use: Project Structure

Pic. 17



3.2. Codifier in Use: New Groups

Pic.18



1. Mapping and structuring of the field;2. All texts are distributed according to the structure of the field;3. All texts are accompanied by commentaries;4. Some key texts are accompanied with annotations;

• Annotation – short summary of the text from the perspective of cultural sociology and its codification;

5. Some key texts are reviewed;6. Some key texts are translated in Russian;7. Permanent monitoring of key texts in cultural sociology.

3.3. Results of codification



SAGE2007• All: 47 998• After selection: ≈ 1000

• With commentaries: ≈ 150• With annotations: ≈ 30• Reviews: 1-2

3.3. Results of codification: Statistics (only 2007)



3.4. Documentation of codification process



What the codifier is…

• Publication stream monitoring;• Text analysis medium;• Way of reporting results of theoretical work;• Framework of theorizing;• Basis for a team working in sociological theory.



Dmitry Kurakin

Nikita KharlamovNail FarkhatdinovNataliya KomarovaMaksim Kozharin

Experts:Anna VolikEkaterina GribovaAnna ChistyakovaMaria Polikashina

Members of the working group

cultural sociology as a research area of the cfs · pdf filecultural sociology as a research...

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