Tradition and innovation in classical sociology : tenth anniversary report of JCS

Perhaps the very idea of ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“classical sociologyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ is a contradiction in terms; sociology was originally that social science peculiarly concerned with the study of the processes of modernization and the condition of modernity, that is, with the critical examination of ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“post-traditionalââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ developments and hence ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“post-classicalââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ forms of social organization. Its concerns have broadened subsequently, but the focus of sociology remains on the exploration of the nature and development of social structure and social action in the post-traditional world. In the nineteenth century, sociologists invented new concepts and experimented with new methods to study the emergence of unprecedented social phenomena and the rise of a type of society that was variously called ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“modern societyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢, ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“industrial societyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢, and ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“capitalist societyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. In the twentieth century, there was a further elaboration of key sociological concepts, and it became increasingly popular to proclaim the rise of yet another form of society, described as ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“post-industrial societyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢, ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“late modern societyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢, ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“post-modern societyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢, or ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“network societyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. In the current century, the idea of globalization has swept everything before it, leading to the notion that ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“societyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ has now been replaced by flows and networks of people, objects, and ideas. With the transition from traditional to modern societies, the integrative power of Gemeinschaft began to compete with the systemic power of Gesellschaft; with the transition from modern to late modern societies, the local horizons of our Lebenswelt appear to be increasingly shaped by the deterritorialized networks of the Weltgesellschaft. If we are ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“post-traditionalââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢, surely we are also ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“post-classicalââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that many contemporary sociologists have some difficulty accepting the very idea of classical sociology.