The Problem of Solidarity: Theories and Models PDF
Preview The Problem of Solidarity: Theories and Models
229x152 HB The Problem of Solidarity Theories and Models Editedby Patrick Doreian and Thomas Fararo UniversityofPittsburgh Pennsylvania,USA ~ ~~o~~~~n~~;up LONDONANDNEWYORK Copyright © 1998 OPA (Overseas Publishers Association) N.V. Published by license under the Gordon and Breach Publishers imprint. All rights reserved. Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedorutilizedinanyform orby any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, orbyanyinformationstorageorretrieval system,without permissionin writing from the publisher. Published by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN 711 ThirdAvenue, NewYork, NY 10017 BritishLibrary CataloguinginPublicationData The problemofsolidarity: theories and models 1. Solidarity 2. Social structure I. Doreian, PatrickII. Fararo, Thomas J. 303.3 ISBN 90-5700-533-6 Publisher's Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original may be apparent. CONTENTS Preface vii I Introduction 1 TheTheory ofSolidarity: AnAgendaofProblems 1 ThomasJ. FararoandPatrickDoreian II Rationality and Solidarity 2 A Theory ofthe State and ofSocial Order 33 Sun-KiChaiandMichaelHechter 3 TheMicrofoundations ofSolidarity: A FramingApproach 61 SiegwartLindenberg 4 TheManagementofTrustRelations via Institutional and StructuralEmbeddedness 113 JeroenWeesie, VincentBuskens andWernerRaub 5 A MathematicalModel ofGroup Dynamics Including the Effects ofSolidarity 139 WolfgangWeidlichandDirkHelbing III Affectand Solidarity 6 Conditions for Empathic Solidarity 197 DavidR. Heise vi CONTENTS 7 Modelling the InteractionRitual Theory ofSolidarity 213 RandallCollinsandRobertHanneman IV Social Networks and Solidarity 8 Solidarity and SocialNetworks 239 RonaldL. BreigerandJohnM. Roberts, Jr. 9 Structures andProcesses ofSolidarity: An Initial Formalization 263 EugeneC. Johnsen 10 Group FormationinFriendship Networks 303 EvelienP. H. Zeggelink V Assessment 11 SocialNetworkConceptions ofGroup Solidarity 343 BarryMarkovsky 12 Solidarity, Social Structure, and Social Control 373 JohnSkvoretz Aboutthe Contributors 403 AuthorIndex 407 SubjectIndex 409 PREFACE Intheworldatlargeandinsociology, solidarityis akeyproblem. At present,theworldisundergoingsomesortoftransformationwebarely understand. Social systems thought to be secure have broken down. Oldhostilities based on ethnic identities have beenrenewed. Onthe otherhand,globalizationoftheeconomyseemstobedrivingaprocess ofintegration atthe worldlevel. Forthe sociology ofthis confusing situation, thereisthechallengeofarriving atasoundcognitivemap ping. Onthe one hand, each nation-state is akind ofsystem ofsoli darities in terms ofinternal differentiation within a broader collec tiveidentity. Theheightening ofthe salienceofethnic, religious and otherinternalboundariesputs astrainonthe solidarityoftheoverall collectivity. Ontheotherhand, theworldhas beendeficientinover allsolidarityandglobalizationoftheeconomymaybeproducingthe sortoforganic solidarity that Durkheim analyzed at the nation-state level aboutahundredyears ago. Howeverwe map the situation, the problemofsolidarity looms large as aproblemboth for participants in these processes and for those who take the role of dispassionate analyst. This latter step makes the whole process reflexive. In this book, we stepbackfrom theevidentturmoilinthe worldto posethe problem ofsolidarity as a cognitive problem ofbasic science. What issolidarity?Howisitproducedandreproduced?Howisitrelatedto other social processes? How can we formalize such processes and create conditions for studying theirproperties fruitfully? PartI, the Introduction, contains ourintroductorychapterthatsets the stage for the varied chapters that follow. We frame the problem bothinterms ofsome ofits history within sociology andinterms of itscurrentstateinsociologicaltheory,leadingustoproposeanagenda for theory-driven model building under the presupposition that for malmodelsgaininsignificancebytheirconnectednesstothecurrent state oftheory andresearch. In writing this chapter, our plan was to viii PREFACE stimulatecolleagueswhomightbeinterestedinmaking somecontri butiontoourknowledgeaboutsolidarityatatheoreticallevel,whether inmathematical form ornot. We contactedAmerican andEuropean scholars,bothsociologistsandnon-sociologists,includingcolleagues in mathematics and the natural sciences, sending each acopy ofour draftchapter.Wewerefortunatethatalmostallagreedtowriteonthe subject, eventhough somehadnotpreviously given it serious atten tion while others were acknowledged major theorists of solidarity. As a consequence, the book realizes our hope that theorists ofsoli darity would be led to more formal statements oftheir ideas, while mathematical model-builders would respond by turning their atten tiontothisimportanttheoreticalproblem.Wehopealsothattheideas generatedinthisenterprisewillprovefruitfulforempiricalstudiesof solidarity. One of our motives in writing this chapter was to stimulate the integration of theories of solidarity with, and through, a variety of formalizations ofkey theoretical ideas. From the outset, we recog nized that this would be a long and difficult process. Indeed, most theorists didnotattemptto connecttheirideastothoseofothertheo rists, and, inthis sense, the outcomereflects the currentconditionof social theory more than it corrects it: diverse perspectives produce contrastingconceptualizationsandformalizations. Evenso,thefoun dations for integrative work are in place through the efforts of our contributors. Each chapter makes some theoretical contribution to our ongoing collective dialogue about the problem of solidarity, viewedas afundamentalproblemfor sociologicalscience.Thisdoes not imply that each is free from conceptual, theoretical or method ological problems- indeed, our hope is that triggering an ensuing debateconcerningtheseproblemswillbeamajorcontributionofthis book. We asked Barry Markovsky and John Skvoretz to read and com mentonallthechapterstheyreceivedfromus.Theirchaptersprovide lucid assessments ofthe strengths and weaknesses ofthe othercon tributions. In addition, we adopted Skvoretz'spartitionofthepapers intothreepredominantapproachestosolidarityinorganizingthevol ume into three parts that are bracketed by our introduction and the conclusioncontaining two assessment chapters. PartII, Rationality and Solidarity, contains four chapters. We dis cuss Michael Hechter's major and influential work, Principles of GroupSolidarity,inourintroduction. Inhisbook,Hechteraddresses PREFACE ix thesolidarityproblemviaconsiderationoftheproblemoforder:given scarcityofresources andrational actors withgoals thatrequirethese resources, how is order in social life possible? Here, in chapter 2, Sun-KiChaiandHechtercollaboratetoproducebothanextensionof Hechter'stheoryandthebeginningsofamathematicalformalization ofit. SiegwartLindenberghasbeenattheforefrontofrationalchoice thinkinginsociology,withimportantmethodologicalandtheoretical papers advocating this paradigm. In chapter 3, he first reviews and criticizes various microfoundational approaches to solidarity theory and then, drawing upon his own priorwork, presents anotherexpla nation ofhow solidarity ties are builtand maintained. Gametheoryis amulti-personrationalchoicemodel, stressingstra tegic aspects of social interaction. Jeroen Weesie, Vincent Buskens andWernerRaub- agroupofEuropeansociologicalgametheorists - drawupontheirpriorworkinapproachingtheproblemofsolidarity througharigorous analysis ofthemechanismsproducingtrustinso cialrelations(chapter4).Thefieldofmathematicalsociologyhasbeen enrichedrecentlybytheinvolvementofsomeEuropean-basedphysi cists.WolfgangWeidlichandDirkHelbing,twoleadingmembersof this emerging scientificresearcheffort, provideanelegantstatement oftheirstochasticanddynamicmodel-buildingmethodology,together with an application to the problemofsolidarity, inchapter5. Part III, Affect and Solidarity, contains two chapters by leading theoristswhohavestressedtheroleofaffectinsocialprocesses.David Heise's major research program has involved the creation and ad vance ofthe Affect Control Model (also discussed in our introduc tion).Hismodelincorporatesideasfromcontroltheoryandsymbolic interactionisminsociologytoformalizehowaffectivemeaningsdrive social interaction. In chapter 6, Heise brings his perspective to bear ontheproblemofsolidarity,stressingthesituatedemergenceofcom mon consciousness, what he calls "empathic solidarity." Randall Collins, as a leading sociological theorist, has advanced an inter actionistmodelbasedonDurkheimianideasconcerningthecentrality ofritualinsociallife. This InteractionRitualChainmodelforms the basis for his collaborative chapter 7 with Robert Hanneman, whose own work has focused on the use ofdynamic simulation models in theoretical sociology. PartIV,SocialNetworksandSolidarity,featuresthreecontributions. RonaldBreigeris amajorfigureinthehistoryofthesocialnetworks paradigmas ithas developed during and since the 1970s. In chapter
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