Sociologies (Oct 2007)
Harrison White : des réseaux sociaux à une théorie structurale de l'action
Abstract
Harrison White is a major figure of North American sociology and an important theorist of social network analysis. His book Identity and Control, first published in 1992 and currently being revised for a second edition, proposes a structural theory of social action that aims at substantially modifying our sociological imagination. This article suggests a first understanding of the main concepts of Identity and Control and attempts to uncover the main theoretical and methodological innovations of this major book. More specifically, Identity and Control goes beyond traditional sociological dichotomies such as micro/macro, individualism/holism, experience/structure, static/dynamic by relying on an approach based on social networks and networks of meaning and by proposing a set of concepts that are either new or reconstructed in an unconventional way (such as disciplines, styles, rhetorics, or regimes).
