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• Boundary of social system
  According to the German social scientist [[Niklas Luhmann]], [[social systems]] are systems of [[communication]]. They have no fixed delimitation '''A system's structure'''
  2 KB (382 words) - 10:30, 26 October 2012
• Boundary of social systems
  ... it even to the extreme, saying "it is at least necessary for it [a social system] to be linked to psychic systems – and what I would like to point out to Also [[Niklas Luhmann]] spoke about boundaries of the social system in his work. From his perspective, boundaries are created by the selectivit
  3 KB (406 words) - 11:45, 19 September 2012
• Bruno Latour
  ...re also these fields of science that hold his most work (see actor network theory). ...ith Callon en Law, Latour was one of the developers of the [[actor network theory]] (Latour,1987).
  5 KB (687 words) - 04:44, 26 October 2012
• Capitalism
  ...haracterised by not having rules or government intervention whatsoever. In theory the market will always reach a perfect equilibrium between supply and deman Founding father of todays capitalism is [[Karl Marx]] (1818-1883). His theory was about unfairly economic distinctions in society between lower class peo
  4 KB (631 words) - 14:15, 23 October 2012
• Complexity reduction of social systems
  This ''complexity reduction'' through selection is called ''system formation''. There are different forms of complexity and also different for - Social complexity: functional differentiation of subsystems.
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• Conflictual (power) relationship
  [[Max Weber|Max Weber]] analysed social relationships into three forms of which conflict relationships are the firs ...tunities of individuals during their own lifetime, it would be considered "social selection" and if it concerns differential chances for the survival of inhe
  6 KB (944 words) - 01:06, 24 October 2012
• Discourse (vs. Language)
  ...y, feminist studies, anthropology, ethnography, cultural studies, literary theory, and the philosophy of science. Within these fields, the notion of "discour ...f which they speak." He traces the role of discourses as language in wider social processes of legitimating and power, emphasizing the construction of curren
  4 KB (647 words) - 14:13, 19 September 2012
• Double contingency
  ...scusses double contingency as a problem that motivates the constitution of social systems (Vanderstraeten, 2002, p.8). Luhmann is mostly interested in the po ...son to communicate and from here create social interaction. Concerning the theory of double contingency one can look at the way a relationship between two pe
  2 KB (323 words) - 11:43, 19 September 2012
• Duality (of structure)
  ... the same time structures are maintained and reproduced only through these social practices (Lippuner & Werlen, 2009, p. 1). ...e 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 ta
  3 KB (497 words) - 14:42, 25 October 2012
• Edward Said
  ...is theory and help to explain his uncertain relationship with contemporary theory" (p.5) ...lonial theory is very well explained by Ashcroft and Ahluwalia (2001): The theory is focussed on investigating "the cultural and political impact of European
  25 KB (3,705 words) - 11:08, 26 October 2012
• Ernst Haekel
  For this geography wiki we are interested in Haekels theory of [[Lebensraum]] which [[Friedrich Ratzel]] adopted. This concept has its ...ingle answer, because human beings and the universe are joined in one mono-system. This view is called monism (Gutenberg, n.d.).
  3 KB (376 words) - 16:14, 9 October 2011
• Felix Guattari
  Felix Guattari met several other social philosophers and activists that shared some of his ideas. However, short af ...ly. A critique of [[Sigmund Freud]]’s psychoanalysis that focuses on its theory of the Oedipus complex.
  8 KB (1,118 words) - 11:42, 24 October 2011
• Field
  ...oximity and distance” (Lippuner et al., 2009, p. 8), it’s a relational social space. ...e of their own logic of distinction, that they seem like an own autonomous social universe (Lippuner et. al., 2009). Examples of fields, which can be seen a
  3 KB (479 words) - 11:44, 19 September 2012
• First order space
  ...l understanding of space, based on theories of [[Language Pragmatic Action Theory]] (Zierhofer, 2002). According to Zierhofer first order space in short mean ...tive categories of space. He chooses to base the categories on a gradation system of orders. This is how the term first order space was coined (ibid., p. 136
  4 KB (653 words) - 13:50, 20 October 2012
• Genealogy
  ... total history - ([[total history vs general history]]) - of Foucault. The theory of genealogy uses many different sources and details. Where [[archaeology]] In the total system of economics labour work and agriculture are devalued. But by showing the h
  7 KB (1,057 words) - 00:29, 24 October 2012
• Habitus
  ...he habitus is a product of conditionings bounds to a certain position in a social space and we can draw the conclusion that the habitus is very differentiate ...econd, it is the generative principle of symbolic practices that reproduce social structures (Lippuner & Werlen, 2009).
  3 KB (424 words) - 12:23, 23 October 2012
• Humberto Maturana
  ...ed Alroe, 2002, pp. 41-42), understood as any human being operating from a system and in the language.) ...e field of visual perception of vertebrates and their statements about the theory of knowledge.
  7 KB (985 words) - 11:30, 19 September 2012
• Karl Marx
  *''Writings that develop a broad theory of history (historical materialism) as a succession of modes of production, ...the material basis of their existence, by coordinating production with the social relations necessary to support it. Marx held that any mode of production is
  9 KB (1,409 words) - 08:04, 26 October 2012
• Louis Althusser
  ...ot something people could be liberated from, but it’s a dimension of all social formations. For Althusser ideology is referred to the ‘representation of ...are submissive to a certain system, but at the same time the topic of that system. For example: ''Good evening ladies and gentleman, fine that you are all wa
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• Michel Foucault
  ...owledge (1972a). In the 1970’s Foucault threw himself into political and social activism and he strived for the acceptance of homosexuals and for reformati ...lf, living the philosphy he believed in. Yet his interests in politics and social activism did not totally die.
  36 KB (5,512 words) - 12:00, 26 October 2012
• Niklas Luhmann
  ...hmann rejected Parsons theory and went on to rival it with his own systems theory. ... types of systems in all fields of research. A good example is [[Luhmann's theory of society]]. Niklas Luhmann became also famous as one of the most prominen
  5 KB (745 words) - 10:55, 26 October 2012
• Normative Rationality
  ...t kinds”. The respective type of integration described by Habermas is “social integration” relating to “contexts of mutual understanding” and “di ...d to strengten the claim (think of real life examples, supporting abstract theory)
  5 KB (734 words) - 11:26, 10 October 2012
• Observation (vs. experience)
  ...n (Macionis & Plummer, 2008, p.54). By observation lawlike regularities of social life can be tested. ...owledge of subjects and their habits. The researcher takes a look at their social life in various settings. This is also know as fieldwork. Despite the fact
  5 KB (740 words) - 10:03, 26 October 2012
• Operational closure
  ... (e.g. ranging from illegal to legal) which serve to st a boundary to the system and thus operationally close them. .... An object can be only in the system as its representation created by the system and is then called an [[actant]] (ibid., pp. 44-45).
  4 KB (578 words) - 11:36, 19 September 2012
• Performativity
  ...concept such as [[speech act]] and has been used by a number of well known social scientists such as [[Jacques Derrida]], Felman and Butler. The basic concep Butler is probably the most well known social scientist to have extensively worked with the concept of performativity. Sh
  6 KB (923 words) - 11:06, 25 October 2012
• Pierre Bourdieu
  ... Weber|Weber]] (Lippuner & Werlen, 2009, p.45). He came came up with the [[theory of practice]]. ... appreciates it and acts within the world. People that grow up in the same social setting with form a more or less similar habitus. The habitus is therefor a
  10 KB (1,548 words) - 20:41, 25 October 2012
• Possibility of distinction
  ...eory, highlights the paradoxical and self referential nature of a range of social phenomena [1]. 1 Arnoldi, J. (2001) Niklas Luhmann. An Introduction. In: Theory, Culture & Society. Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 2-3.
  1 KB (219 words) - 11:49, 19 September 2012
• Post-structuralism
  ...uistics. According to the poststructuralists, language does not exist as a system of differences among a single set of signs (Gibson-Graham, 2007, p.96). 'Th ...that. This construction has opened up concepts of economy. Determinants of social life, an important one is globalization, are seen as discourses. They are c
  6 KB (808 words) - 18:51, 25 October 2012
• Regionalisation
  ...em. This notion is developed by [[Anthony Giddens]] in his [[Structuration Theory]]. [[Anthony Giddens]] developed the “modes of regionalization” to deal with social organisations of time and space. He offers a fourfold way of classifiying r
  5 KB (643 words) - 21:37, 24 October 2012
• Self reference
  ...tems, self reference have been given a certain elaboration. Systems in the theory of [[Niklas Luhmann]] creates themselves and exist because they are self-re ... important concept to Luhmann. He considers it as the heart of his systems theory where systems not only produce and reproduce themselves but also refer to t
  3 KB (368 words) - 10:47, 24 October 2012
• Semiotics
  ...munication in social sciences and so for semiotics. It has become a key in social and philosophical writing and is used by many influential thinkers (Purvis, ... larger scale is possible as well. Therefore semiotic actors construct the social world together (Helmhout, Jorna, Gazendam, 2009).
  5 KB (793 words) - 09:52, 24 October 2012
• Sign
  The word sign has various meanings. This section is about language as a system of signs. ... of a sign is determined by the relation to other pairs of elements in the system of signs.
  5 KB (782 words) - 16:30, 24 October 2012
• Structure according to Giddens
  ...ture exists as knowledge about how things are to be done, said or written. Social praxis is based on this knowledge and the actualization of it.”(Lippuner, ...s are a normative structure according to which the procedures of action in social situations are interpreted. According to [[Anthony Giddens|Giddens]] they a
  3 KB (422 words) - 14:54, 25 October 2012
• Structure vs. agency
  ... and to act independently. On the other hand ‘structure’ refers to the social systems that constrain, if not completely determine, the actions of individ ... of society. [[Karl Marx]], a theorist, on the other hand, thinks that the social structure can act to the detriment of the majority of individuals in a soci
  3 KB (445 words) - 14:57, 25 October 2012
• Subsystem
  ... their co-existence makes the bigger picture possible. Each subsystem is a system ''an sich'', but the interaction between two or more of them, makes the sys ...e stable. Both programs and codes sets the possibility of observation of a system.
  3 KB (445 words) - 13:15, 24 October 2012
• System of interaction
  ...ction are two examples. These two systems are much related to eachother. A system of interaction is not a structure in itself, but does have a lot of qualiti ...eraction (speech) is successful. So the process of speaking structures the system of interaction (Olson & Yahia, 2006, p.3).
  2 KB (262 words) - 10:32, 26 October 2012
• Talcott Parsons
  ...universal scheme to understand the unity of social structures. He saw this theory more in a psychological, economic, political, and religious or philosophica ...ublications were developed out of this idea. Parsons also came up with the theory that every member of society fulfills these four functional imperatives, wi
  2 KB (355 words) - 14:06, 23 October 2012
• Actant
  ...society - but rather as two faces of the same phenomenon. He then turns to theory, and lastly, briefly, to the hyphen (Gregory, Johnston, Pratt, Watts & What .../macro- distinction which it asserts as historically problematic in social theory (Gregory et al., 2009).
  3 KB (460 words) - 05:09, 26 October 2012
• Actor network theory
  ...ing agent. The task is to deploy actors as networks of mediations. The ANT theory has proved to be helpful to gain an understanding of the relationships betw ...w attention to features of the world which are normally ignored in classic social science accounts (Gregory et al., 2009, p.6). Other important point that th
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• Alfred Schütz
  ...and [[Ethnomethodology]]. His most famous work is [[Phenomenology]] of the Social world (Campbell, 1991). ...He sees it as a basic element. He tries to explain spatial action by using social systems. Husserl had a great influence on the methodology of Schütz. His m
  7 KB (1,029 words) - 13:58, 25 October 2012
• Alienation
  Alienation is a theory written by Karl Marx. Alienation refers to estrangement, division, or dist ... is an underpinning for the critique against the capitalism as an economic system.
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• Autonomy of social(sub) systems
  ...her. As a result of Luhmann’s specific sociological concerns, a [[social system]] is differentiated into interactions, organisations and societies. Luhmann, N. (1995) ''Social systems'' Standford: Standford university press; Gren, M & Zierhofer, W. (2
  904 B (127 words) - 12:36, 20 September 2012
• Autopoiesis
  ...n to express meaning, interpretation and communication in terms of systems theory (Gren & Zierhofer, 2003, p. 616). Luhmann gives the following definition of ...ent, whether this takes the form of life, consciousness or (in the case of social systems) communication. Autopoiesis is the mode of reproduction of these sy
  5 KB (721 words) - 08:42, 24 October 2012
• Autopoiesis (vs. Allopoiesis)
  ...themselves. This term is also used by [[Niklas Luhmann]] in the context of social systems, which is described a little below. ...ools which are used for reaching the purpose. An example of an allopoietic system is a car factory. Raw materials are being used as generator for the car, al
  3 KB (393 words) - 15:17, 22 September 2012
• Time-Space distanciation
  ... not necessarily tied to each other. Or in other words, the reformation of social relations across an indefinite span of time-space. (Werlen, 2009) ...hat his time-space distanciation has two important implications for social theory, in general.
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• Psychic systems
  ...system is a closed system, but it exists as an environment to the [[social system]]. ... make a distinction between the ‘world’ and ‘everything else’, the system would only result in chaos. Observations of differences make identification
  4 KB (594 words) - 13:33, 7 October 2012
• Francisco Varela
  ...selves. [[Niklas Luhmann]] also used this term, he used it in a context of social systems ... unity of difference: a critical appraisal of Niklas Luhmann’s theory of social systems in the context of corporeality and spatiality. In: ''Environment an
  3 KB (452 words) - 13:47, 17 October 2012
• Society
  ...unications. To be frank society makes communication possible between other social systems, as it includes all communications it can not communicate on it's o ...anding of the loose components, however, makes it possible to understand a system such as society, without seeing it as a whole.
  5 KB (665 words) - 20:50, 25 October 2012
• Social systems
  ...sage of [[meaning]]. Social systems cannot exist without material systems. Social systems are as earlier mentioned constituted by [[self reference]]. They re ... sees three different levels of analysis. By doing this, he can position [[social systems]] in relation to other systems.
  3 KB (417 words) - 20:07, 21 October 2012
• Corporeality
  ...communication. However, Luhmann does not elaborate this concept in systems theory. He only recognizes that corporeality in communication exists (Gren & Zierh ...e Unity of difference. A critical appraisal of Niklas Luhmann´s theory of social systems in the context of corporeality and spatiality. Nijmegen: University
  2 KB (226 words) - 16:22, 25 September 2012