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Principles of Reconstructive Social Theory

Critical Realism, History, and Philosophy in the Social Sciences

ISBN: 978-1-78756-604-0, eISBN: 978-1-78756-603-3

Publication date: 27 July 2018

Abstract

Once again, we are going through “dark times.” The current juncture is critical. For those who associate themselves with critical social theory, broadly understood, there are two options: hypercritique or reconstruction. Either one darkens the picture, uses all possible theories at hand (Adorno, Bourdieu, Foucault, Luhmann) to sketch out a general theory of domination and “closes the system.” Or, alternatively, with the hope of the desperate, one looks for a way out and aligns various theories that propose an alternative vision of the world. This is the task of reconstruction. Drawing on critical realism (Bhaskar), critical theory (Habermas), and antiutilitarian social theory (Caillé), this chapter outlines some principles of reconstructive social theory. Following the distinction between metatheory, social theory, and sociological theory, it explores the epistemological, normative, and existential foundations of reconstructive theory; proposes an articulation between culture and agency as an alternative to the agency-structure debate; and indicates some promising signs that configure a future ontology of the present.

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Acknowledgements

Acknowledgment

A first version of this text was presented at the social theory workshop at the University of Michigan. I thank George Steinmetz for his generous invitation, Luís Flores for his kind assistance, and the participants of the workshop for their constructive critique. I am also grateful to the editors and anonymous reviewers of PPST for their support and suggestions.

Citation

Vandenberghe, F. (2018), "Principles of Reconstructive Social Theory", Critical Realism, History, and Philosophy in the Social Sciences (Political Power and Social Theory, Vol. 34), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 73-88. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0198-871920180000034004

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

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