Subject-Oriented Sociology

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Subject-oriented sociology is a branch of modern German sociology that places the acting person in their everyday life at the center of research.

Features of a subject-oriented sociology

“ Subject-oriented sociology ” is a heterogeneous and not clearly delimitable theory and research direction in modern German sociology , which places the acting person at the center of theoretical considerations and empirical research. Its aim is to combine the two fundamentally competing conceptual orientations of (a) structural (→ macrosociology ) and (b) action-related (→ microsociology ; → action theory (sociology) ) analysis.

In contrast to other attempts to combine macro and micro perspective ( e.g. in Pierre Bourdieu , e.g. 1987; James Samuel Coleman , e.g. 1995; Anthony Giddens , e.g. 1988; see overall Alexander et al. 1987 ), the importance of the " subject " and its modes of thought and action is particularly emphasized, without starting exclusively from a microsociological or action-theoretical perspective: In this perspective, subjects are affected by society, but at the same time also create society. Such concepts and research methods are part of a partial shift in emphasis in sociology, sometimes referred to as a “ subject-oriented turn ”, which took place around the 1980s and which attempted to break away from emphatically “objectivistic” (or “structural”) concepts ( structural functionalism , functional-structural systems theory (Luhmann) , Marxism , structuralism ).

At the same time, a subject-oriented sociology is differentiated from concepts that also place individual actors at the center of interest and try to solve the “micro-macro problem” in a similar way, but start from primarily rationally controlled actors (→ theory of rational decision ). In contrast, subject-oriented sociology, with recourse to the traditional category of the " subject " (→ subject (philosophy) ), which is steeped in ideals of the Enlightenment (→ Age of Enlightenment ) and humanism , emphasizes the need and ability of people to be relatively autonomous themselves and themselves Shaping living conditions in free cooperation with others, i.e. wanting to be a “subject” and potentially being able to do so. At the same time, however, it is recognized that due to a variety of structural constraints, there are usually only limited social possibilities, so that " subjectivity " often turns out to be more or less reflexively controlled (and often rather "helpless") " resistance " or as only limited successful " Appropriation ”(→ appropriation (philosophy) ) of relationships. Subject-oriented sociology shares this image of man with other theoretical directions to which there are clear theoretical (and research methodological) affinities, e.g. B. Critical Theory , Critical Psychology , Cultural Studies , Historical Anthropology , European Ethnology or Empirical Cultural Studies (→ Folklore ).

Usually a subject-oriented theoretical orientation is accompanied by the investigation of concrete everyday (work and life) contexts , which leads to a preference for qualitative methods of empirical social research (→ qualitative social research ) (non-standardized open interviews, biographical interviews, group discussions / focus groups , participatory / non-participant observation, case studies, etc.).

In sociology, a wide variety of individual directions or different researchers refer to themselves in the broadest sense as “subject-oriented” or are assigned to subject-oriented sociology, so that a uniform definition of a subject-oriented “approach” is only possible to a limited extent (if at all). (See in detail using the example of work and industrial sociology Langfeldt 2009)

The "Munich Subject-Oriented Sociology"

A theory and research direction (and a group of researchers belonging to it) that calls itself “ Munich subject-oriented sociology ” has emerged in particular . It has been working on conceptual elements for a “subject-oriented” program since the 1970s and has presented a large number of publications on this. As the founder can Karl Martin Bolte apply that in the context of two collaborative research centers of the DFG (→ (Professor Emeritus at the University of Munich.) German Research Foundation ) at the University of Munich (SFB 101: "Theoretical foundations of social science professional and labor research"; SFB 333: “Development perspectives of work”) for the first time programmatically formulated the core of a “subject-oriented perspective” for sociology.

He emphasized that it was a matter of bringing " the mutual constitutional relationship between man and society " into focus. The aim is to “ analyze social structures or structural elements (1) in what way they shape human thinking and action, (2) how people of certain socio-historically shaped individualities act within this structural framework and so and so on. a. contribute to its consolidation or change and (3) how ultimately the structures themselves emerged from human interests, ways of thinking and behaviors. “(Bolte 1983: 15, Hervh. IO). The theoretical openness of the approach was important to him : subject-oriented sociology is not a closed theory, but a “ perspective ”, a specific “ taking a look ” (ibid. 16) of sociologically relevant facts within which the theories to be used are only found and used may have to be changed.

In the context of Munich's subject-oriented sociology, several concepts and terms or strands of research have emerged that mainly deal with problems of social work (→ work (social sciences) ; → work (philosophy) ; → work sociology ) in the broadest sense, but with the relationship between ( Pay special attention to commercial) “ work ” and (private) “ life ” and its changes in the transition to capitalism in the 21st century. The following are to be emphasized (chronological order):

  • the “ subject-oriented occupational sociology ” (cf. inter alia Beck / Brater / Daheim 1980);
  • the concept of “ everyday life ” (cf. inter alia Jurczyk / Rerrich 1993, Voss 1991) and related empirical research (cf. inter alia project group “everyday life” 1995);
  • the term “ worker entrepreneur ” (above all Voss / Pongratz 1998) and subsequent studies (including Pongratz / Voß 2003);
  • Research on “ interactive work ” or “service as interaction” (cf., inter alia, Dunkel / Voß 2004, Dunkel / Weihrich 2006);
  • theoretical work and empirical studies on “ delimitation ” (→ delimitation of work ) (cf. Voss 1998) and “ subjectification ” of work (cf. Jurczyk et al. 2009);
  • the concept of “ working customer ” (cf. Voss / Rieder 2006) with a current focus on the problem area of ​​web2.0-based customer integration or “ crowdsourcing ” (cf. inter alia Kleemann / Voß / Rieder 2008, Papsdorf 2009).

literature

General about subject-oriented sociology

  • Langfeldt, B. (2009). Subject orientation in work and industrial sociology. Theories, methods and instruments for capturing work and subjectivity. Wiesbaden: VS.

On Munich subject-oriented sociology

General:

  • Bolte, KM (1983): Subject-Oriented Sociology - Plea for a Research Perspective. In: KM Bolte / E. Treutner (ed.): Subject-oriented work and occupational sociology, Frankfurt / M .; New York: Campus, pp. 12–36
  • Bolte, KM (1997): Subject-oriented sociology in the context of sociological research - attempt at localization. In: GG Voss / HJ Pongratz (eds.) (1997): Subject-oriented sociology. Karl Martin Bolte on his seventieth birthday. Opladen: Leske and Budrich, pp. 31–40
  • Voss, GG / Pongratz, H. (1997): Subject and Structure - Munich's Subject-Oriented Sociology. In this. (Ed.) (1997): Subject-oriented sociology. Karl Martin Bolte on his seventieth birthday. Opladen: Leske and Budrich, pp. 7-29
  • Weihrich, M. (2001): Everyday lifestyle and institutional selection or: What are the advantages of putting the everyday lifestyle in the Coleman bath? In: GG Voss / M. Weihrich (ed.): Day in and day out. New contributions to the sociology of everyday life. Munich and Mering: Hampp, pp. 219-236

About the specific concepts:

  • Beck. U. / Beck-Gernsheim. E. (1994): Individualization in Modern Societies - Perspectives and Controversies of a Subject-Oriented Sociology. In this. (Ed.): Risky Freedoms. Individualization in modern societies. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, ​​pp. 10–39.
  • Beck. U. / Brater M. / Daheim, HJ (1980): Sociology of work and professions. Basics, problem areas, research results. Reinbek: Rowohlt
  • Dunkel, W. / Voß, GG (ed.) (2004): Service as interaction - contributions from a research project: Elderly care - Deutsche Bahn - Call Center, Hampp, Munich / Mering.
  • Dunkel, W. / Weihrich, M. (2006): Interactive work - A concept for deciphering personal service work. In: Wolfgang Dunkel; Dieter Sauer (Ed.): On the omnipresence of disappearing work - new challenges for work research, edition sigma, Berlin, pp. 67–82.
  • Jurczyk, K. / Rerrich, MS (Eds.). (1993). Everyday work. Contributions to a sociology of everyday life. Freiburg: Lambertus.
  • Jurczyk, K. / Schier, M. / Szymenderski, P. / Lange, A. / Voß, GG (2009). Unlimited work - unlimited family. Border management in everyday life as a new challenge. Berlin: edition sigma.
  • Kleemann, F./Voß, GG / Rieder, R. (2008). Crowdsourcing and the working consumer AIS studies (download: www.ais-studien.de).
  • Papsdorf, Ch. (2009). How surfing becomes work. Crowdsourcing in the Web2.0. Frankfurt a. M., New York: Campus
  • Pongratz, HJ / Voss, GG (2003). Worker entrepreneur. Employment orientations in unbounded forms of work. Berlin: edition sigma.
  • Project group "Everyday Lifestyle" (ed.). (1995). Everyday lifestyle. Arrangements between traditionality and modernization. Opladen: Leske + Budrich.
  • Voss, GG (1991). Lifestyle as work. About the autonomy of the person in everyday life in society. Stuttgart: Enke
  • Voss, GG / Pongratz, HJ (1998). The worker entrepreneur. A new basic form of the "commodity labor"? Cologne Journal for Sociology and Social Psychology, 50 (1), 131–158.
  • Voss, GG (1998). The delimitation of work and labor. A subject-oriented interpretation of the change in work. Communications from labor market and occupational research, 31 (3), 473–487.
  • Voss, GG / Rieder, K. (2006, 2nd edition). The working customer. How Consumers Become Unpaid Employees. Frankfurt a. M., New York: Campus.
  • Weihrich, M. (1998): Course regulations. A qualitative panel study of everyday life in the East German transformation process. Pfaffenweiler: Centaurus.

Other sources mentioned

  • Alexander, J. / Giesen, B. / Münch, R. / Smelser, N. (eds.) (1987). The Micro-Macro-Link. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press.
  • Bourdieu, P. (1987). Social sense. Critique of Theoretical Reason. Frankfurt a. M .: Suhrkamp.
  • Coleman, JS (1995). Basics of social theory. Munich, Vienna: Oldenbourg.
  • Giddens, A. (1988). The constitution of society. Outlines of a theory of structuring. Frankfurt a. M., New York: Campus.

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