Sociology has seen increased interest in *theorizing*: the practical work of developing theory.
Having recently immersed myself in this literature, I decided to make a list of 20 of my favorite publications🧵⬇️
#SocTwitter #AcademicTwitter
BOOKS
Swedberg - The Art of Social Theory
The most obvious reference on this list. Discusses every aspect of theorizing, from observation and naming to concept formation and explanation
press.princeton.edu/books/hardcove…
Tavory & Timmermans - Abductive Analysis
Lays out the epistemological and methodological basis for 'abductive analysis', one of the more exciting approaches to theory-development
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book…
Abbott - Methods of Discovery
Overflowing with techniques for how to come up with innovate research questions and arguments
amazon.com/Methods-Discov…
Becker - Tricks of the Trade
Similar to Abbott's 'Methods', this text is a treasure trove of techniques for doing cool stuff with your data
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book…
Alvesson & Kärreman - Qualitative Research and Theory Development
Resembles 'Abductive Analysis' but puts more emphasis on creativity and less emphasis on 'dataistic' approaches to theory development
us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/qual…
Zerubavel - 'An invitation to concept-driven sociology'
Introduces Zerubavel's 'Simmelian' method of theorizing, designed to reveal fundamental and/or hidden social patterns
amazon.com/Generally-Spea…
@soenke_ahrens - How to Take Smart Notes
Not about theory development per se, but details the note-taking method that Niklas Luhmann used in constructing his theoretical system
amazon.com/How-Take-Smart…
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Alvesson & Sandberg - Generating research questions through problematization
Argues against 'gap finding' and proposes 'problematization' as a more fruitful methodology for generating theory-informed research questions
journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/am…
Davis - That's interesting!
Traces the differences between interesting and non-interesting theories in sociology. A classic
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00…
@HereisMears - Puzzling in Sociology
Discusses the perils and promises of 'puzzles' as drivers of sociological research
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11…
Mintzberg - Developing theory about the development of theory
An essayistic reflection on Mintzberg's own approach to theorizing
elgaronline.com/view/edcoll/97…
@kjhealy - Fuck Nuance
Discusses how we can generate interesting, empirically generative, and/or practically successful theories (hint: not by way of 'nuance')
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11…
Swedberg - On the use of definitions in sociology
Highlights different types of definitions and their role in sociological theorizing
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11…
Vaughan - Theorizing Disaster
Details the approach to theory-development that Vaughan applied in her classic study of the Challenger Launch Decision
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.117…
SPECIAL ISSUES
. @SocTheory has devoted an entire issue to ‘good theorizing’
journals.sagepub.com/toc/stx/35/2
British Journal of Sociology has devoted an issue to discussions of Swedberg's Art of Social Theory
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14684446/2…
THE ‘THEORY’ IN ‘THEORIZING’
Since it's hard to discuss theorizing without a clear conception of theory, I close with three additional works:
First, Abend's near-canonical "The meaning of theory"
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.…
Second, Abend’s "Styles of Sociological Thought", which highlights the epistemological differences between theorizing in US and Mexican sociology
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.111…
And finally, Sandberg and Alvesson’s "Meanings of Theory", which builds on Abend's work and distinguishes five types of theory in organization and management studies
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11…
That's all! Do you miss any key texts? Let me know in the comments below!
Oops, @StefanTimmerma6 and Iddo Tavory's "Data Analysis in Qualitative Research" fell out of the list. Following up on "Abductive Analysis", this book looks more closely at the practical details of *doing* an abductive analysis
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book…
Looking for more key works? Check out this follow-up thread 🔥
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