When Story Becomes Theory: Storytelling as Sociological Theorizing

Q1 Arts and Humanities

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review Pub Date : 2010-06-30 DOI:10.3860/APSSR.V10I1.1579

D. Erasga

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引用次数: 10

Abstract

Sociological imagination is an open invitation to theorize via the stories we tell ourselves and others. The essay explores how literary narratives mediate social reality and in the process, become genuine and legitimate materials for sociological theorizing. To do so, the paper traces the epistemic affinity of sociology and literature, examines the issues endemic in the field of sociology of literature, and assesses their implications in the search for new directions in sociological theorizing. Using the auto/biographical genre, this essay (1) appraises how storytelling as a discursive art weaves different categories of narratives that describe different layers of experience; and, (2) argues that for theorizing purposes, this type of material should neither be read with purely dramatic nor documentary interests, but in terms of its interpretive affordances. Retelling the story of symbolic interactionism, the essay ends with a challenge to sociological theorizing that is receptive to and facilitative of possibilities for searching the social in the literary. Keywords: storytelling; social theory; sociology of literature; story of sociology DOI: 10.3860/apssr.v10i1.1579 Asia-Pacific Social Science Review 10:1 (2010), pp. 21-38

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当故事成为理论:作为社会学理论化的故事叙述

社会学想象力是一个公开的邀请，通过我们告诉自己和他人的故事来进行理论化。本文探讨了文学叙事如何调解社会现实，并在此过程中成为社会学理论化的真实和合理的材料。为此，本文追溯了社会学和文学的认识论亲缘关系，考察了文学社会学领域的特有问题，并评估了它们对社会学理论化新方向的探索意义。本文使用自动/传记类型，(1)评价讲故事作为一种话语艺术如何编织不同类别的叙述，描述不同层次的经验;并且，(2)认为，为了理论化的目的，这种类型的材料既不应该纯粹以戏剧或文献的兴趣来阅读，而应该根据其解释的启示来阅读。本文重述了象征互动主义的故事，最后对社会学理论提出了挑战，社会学理论接受并促进了在文学中寻找社会的可能性。关键词:讲故事;社会理论;文学社会学;社会学的故事DOI: 10.3860/apssr.v10i1.1579亚太社会科学评论10:1 (2010)，pp. 21-38

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来源期刊

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review Arts and Humanities-History

CiteScore

1.40

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Asia-Pacific Social Science Review (APSSR) is an internationally refereed journal published biannually (June and December) by De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines. It aims to be a leading venue for authors seeking to share their data and perspectives on compelling and emerging topics in the social sciences with, and to create an impact on, the region’s communities of academics, researchers, students, civil society, policymakers, development specialists, among others. Topics related to or with implications for the region that are pursued employing sound methodologies and comparative, and inter, multi and transdisciplinary approaches are of particular interest.