Duality (of structure)

From Geography

The duality of structure is one of the core concepts of Giddens’ theory of structuration. The classical social theory is characterized by a dichotomy of structure and agency. On opposition of this, the structuration theory argues that social structures are the medium and the outcome of human agency. All social practices are carried out under specific structural conditions. While at the same time structures are maintained and reproduced only through these social practices (Lippuner & Werlen, 2009, p. 1).

According to Giddens, structure is to be understood as a set of social rules and resources which influence action. This set of rules can be seen as a property of social institutions, the social systems. A system is a reproduced and recognized pattern of relations between people. These patterns are organized as social practice. So, because of structure rules are placed upon people. An example of this is the duality between men and woman. Before emancipation of women, the roles of men and women were set in the social system. The man of the house was supposed to earn the money and his wife should take care of the household. Thus, structure can be seen as a motivation for action (Blogspot, 2012).

Though the duality of structure, Giddens tried to make a third way, a bridge, between structuralism and the action theoretical approach, or between humanism and Marxism (Aitken & Valentine, p. 86). Giddens saw society as neither existing independently of human activity nor being a product of it. He saw agents as structured and structuring. Agency and structures need each other, like a soccergame needs participants in the form of soccerplayers and a referee. Structuration theory also points out that social structures have to be continually produced and reproduced, that is, maintained, in actual everyday practices (Lippuner & Werlen, 2009, p. 40).

Structure

Structures are enabling and constraining agency, but they also exist only by agency. Structures do not have a consciousness; they do not exist outside agency and are no system of interaction. Structure comes to 'live' by action, like language comes to live by speech. (Lippuner & Werlen, 2009, p. 43). So structures only exist through agency ("Imagine there is war, and nobody would go").

By this duality of structure, structuration theory overcomes the macro-micro dichotomy. Thrift (1985) understood the continual interplay of agency and structure over time and space as an interplay at all physical scales, from a room in a house to the territories demarcated by nation-states (Aitken & Valentine, 2006, p. 88).

References

• Aitken, S., & Valentine, G. (2006). Approaches to Human Geography. London: Sage.

• Blogspot (2012). Anthony Giddens's Duality of Structure in Sociology. finding date: 8 october 2012, at http://criticalsociologist.blogspot.nl/2009/02/giddenss-duality-of-structure-in.html

• Lippuner, R. & Werlen, B. (2009). Structuration Theory. In: International Encyclopedia for Human Geography. Elsevier.

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