Drawing on the more political and materialist readings of Weber, Collins identified power politics, state prestige and status struggle as shaping much of social and political life on the macro level. His work has been highly influential within and outside sociology. Collins is tans die Dorothy Swaine Thomas professor in sosiologie, emeritus aan die Universiteit van Pennsilvanië. 5. His books include Interaction Ritual Chains (Princeton) and The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change. Collins is currently Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. AB from Harvard College, MA from Stanford (in psychology), and MA and PhD from Berkeley (in sociology). Sociological Insight is a short book, subtitled… The first section briefly reviews Collins’s main books and assesses their impact on social science. The situations where interactional ritual chains attain high emotional intensity generate the state of collective effervescence, a concept Durkheim coined to describe the focused group attention characterised by synchronic rhythms of bodies and minds. This theory from sociologist Randall Collins, says that all interpersonal relationships are interaction rituals. He carried a large load of graduate students and brought out the best in them, just as he continues to do at the University of Pennsylvania. Interaction Ritual Chains is a major work of sociological theory that attempts to develop a "radical microsociology." The book challenges the conventional views that associate violence with morally flawed individuals by conceptualising violent acts as situational responses. In the popular misconception fostered by blockbuster action movies and best-selling thrillers—not to mention conventional explanations by social scientists—violence is easy under certain conditions, like poverty, racial or ideological hatreds, or family pathologies. A CONFLICT THEORY OF SEXUAL STRATIFICATION' RANDALL COLLINS University of California, San Diego Employment discrimination against women is explained as the result of a distinc-tive system of stratification by sex. Credentialism refers to the common practice of relying on earned credentials … To reduce its myriad complexities to causal order requires theory on another level of analysis. --Jane Kilby, Times Higher Education "Insofar as his analysis has sought to highlight its micro-situational aspects, he must be applauded. In Weberian Sociological Theory (1986) and Macro-History (1999) Collins explores how nation-states attain legitimacy, prestige and resources through symbolic, political, economic and military victories in the wider international contexts. We begin with Michal Mann. For more information view the SAGE Journals Sharing page. Sex, smoking, and social stratification are three very different social phenomena. Eschewing interpretivist visions of the sociological project, Collins is an unabashed advocate of positivism and attempts, in his theoretical work, to formulate "generalized, causal, empirical explanations" for … It starts with sensory input of some kind: sight, sound, senses in the body or on its surface. The Credential Society: A 1979 book by Randall Collins which argues that public schools are social institutions that teach and reward middle class values of competition and achievement. Indeed, his best work is likely to come in the years ahead. During the 1980s and 1990s Collins shifted his attention towards macro-sociological themes exploring the impact of geopolitical change, nation-state formation, wars, revolutions and ethnic conflicts. Sozial- und kulturwissenschaftliche Zugänge und Analysen. Thesis Eleven Pty, Ltd., SAGE Publications, Introduction to special issue: The sociology of Randall Collins, Emotion, interaction and the structure-agency problem: Building on the sociology of Randall Collins, Grounding nationalism: Randall Collins and the sociology of nationhood, Weininger, EB, Lareau, A, Lizardo, O (eds) (. Steven Loyal is an associate professor of Sociology at University College Dublin. Collins’s next highly influential book, The Credential Society: A Historical Sociology of Education and Stratification (1979), advanced further the argument about the conflictual nature of social relations. The interaction ritual chains involve social mechanisms through which individuals and groups generate symbols of group membership that increase their individual and collective emotional energies. He has always been present in his capacity to get others, including me, to think about the issues. Collins is currently the Dorothy Swaine Thomas Professor of Sociology, Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania. These books demonstrate the breadth of his knowledge, his ability to creatively incorporate the classical and contemporary theoretical approaches into a novel framework for analysis and his capacity to apply these theoretical insights to a variety of empirical contexts. Although his early work was also centred on micro-interactional issues, it is only more recently that this research programme, highly influenced by Durkheim and Goffman, has come to the fore. Collins represents the exception here. These intellectual networks tend to rely on intergenerational chains and their influence is dependent on profound disagreements with competing schools of thought. "Offering a wealth of observations...Randall Collins's overall theory is neat: violence is not easy, hence relatively rare. Belknap Press. Armies have also utilised new technologies to extend the distance between the soldiers that shoot at each other so as to prevent the traumatic emotional responses of individuals experiencing the act of killing and injuring others. I cannot remember when we first met, but I had heard of him before I had read his work. Hence in Conflict Sociology (1975) Collins rejects structural-functionalist explanations and Parsons’s one-dimensional reading of Weber while also being critical of the conventional Marxist accounts of social conflict. New York: Cambridge University Press. Collins is tans die Dorothy Swaine Thomas professor in sosiologie, emeritus aan die Universiteit van Pennsilvanië. 1120 pages. In Gugutzer, Robert/Staack, Michael (Hrsg. Thus, what marks Randy’s intellectual achievements is not just their volume and obvious brilliance, but also their influence on generations of sociologists all over the world. 1002-1019. Randall Collins (gebore op 29 Julie 1941) is 'n Amerikaanse sosioloog wat invloedryk was in sy onderrig en skryfwerk. 1986. This novel analytical framework is deployed to explain very different forms of social action ranging from smoking rituals and social stratification patterns to sexual practices and formal political institutions. And now, he is the 102nd President the American Sociological Association, an honor that seemed (to me) almost inevitable for several decades. Three-part model: sensory input -- central channeling -- action output From a physiological perspective, everything that we call psychological involves a 3-part sequence. World. I’m going to show how conflict theory is applicable to different levels of social William James' Whole-Body Psychology, With A Theory of Alzheimer's Disease. Randall Collins is an American sociologist, and writer. Thus, Collins demonstrates how empirical studies on state formation and social stratification have fostered development of sociological knowledge over time. These theoretical books have also played a significant role in helping Collins articulate a powerful analytical model to explain large-scale social change. He is a leading contemporary social theorist whose areas of expertise include Randall Collins is Dorothy Swaine Thomas Professor of Sociology at University of Pennsylvania. In: George Ritzer (Hg. In the last two decades Collins has focused much of his attention on micro-sociology. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 245-259. ), Körper und Ritual. For example, many armed organisations tend to draft new recruits as groups of friends and family members rather than solitary individuals in order to benefit from their already existing interaction ritual chains. Randall Collins is arguably one of the world’s leading social theorists and probably the most prominent American sociologist. In the final paper, ‘Grounding Nationalism: Randall Collins and the Sociology of Nationhood’, Siniša Malešević examines the relative, though by no means absolute, neglect of nationalism in the work of the classical sociologists. Sociology Department . In his paper ‘Emotion, Interaction and the Structure-Agency Problem: Building on the Sociology of Randall Collins’, Anthony King argues that sociology is in a state of crisis. 109-132 in Sociology Since Midcentury: Essays in Theory Cumulation. Cowan, Ruth Schwartz. Randall Collins In the popular misconception fostered by blockbuster action movies and best-selling thrillers—not to mention conventional explanations by social scientists—violence is easy under certain conditions, like poverty, racial or ideological hatreds, or family pathologies. Weblinks It is a false lead to look for types of violent individuals, constant across situations. In addition, he read papers from scholars from all over the world; he gave many talks on and off campus; he participated in public debates (mostly with me) for the benefit of our graduate students; and in general, Randy created an intellectual synergy and dynamism that is rare. Rather, Collins (1975) draws on the work of Weber, Durkheim, and Goffman to argue that symbolic goods and emotional solidarity are … Functional and Conflict Theories of Educational Stratification Randall Collins American Sociological Review, Vol. Randy is a true intellectual, but he also knows how to have a good time and enjoy life. He proclaimed that Randy might be the smartest person he had ever met—a surprising admission since my colleague tended to see himself as this "smartest person." Collins identifies several organisational and technological developments that have facilitated this process. Many black and female students are now enrolled in ‘Lower Ed’ profit-oriented institutions with high tuition costs but low levels of symbolic prestige. In addition, the ideas that underpin Collins’s macro-sociology of violence have also found their more popularised application in his recently published two volume novel Civil War 2 (2018). ... “Levi-Strauss' Structural History.” Pp. Interaction Ritual Chains is a major work of sociological theory that attempts to develop a “radical microsociology.” In his view, social actions are shaped by the emotional energies displayed in face-to-face encounters where high energy individuals tend to direct much of these collective interfaces. Hence by zooming in on the different intellectual traditions and on the ways new interpretative frameworks are generated, Collins devised a unique theory of intellectual change that explores not only how new knowledge is created but also how and why some theories gain influence while others remain invisible. And yet, argues sociologist Randall Collins, they and much else in our social lives are driven by a common force: interaction rituals. Collins calls his approach Weberian” What does he mean by that term? New York: Academic Press ... “Levi-Strauss' Structural History.” Pp. One of the key arguments advanced is that most individuals are adverse to, and incompetent at, violence in face-to-face contexts. As violent episodes break everyday routine activities and as such disrupt collective ritual cooperation, they create tension and emotional discomfort. "Offering a wealth of observations...Randall Collins's overall theory is neat: violence is not easy, hence relatively rare. Publication Date: 03/15/2000. Not only was Collins at the forefront of emphasising status groups in his macro-sociology, he was also a pioneer in combining the work of Weber with Durkheim, Goffman and Garfinkel. There have been many lunches, dinners, parties, hikes, car rides, and sailing trips where we continued to talk sociology. For Collins violent encounters generate similar human responses that are characterised by confrontational tension and fear. In Contemporary Populist Politics through the Macroscopic Lens of Collins’ Conflict Theory, Ralph Schroeder argues that although Collins is a leading historical sociologist, especially evident in his early macro-oriented work focusing on conflict, he fails to tie together and explain the interplay between the various strands of his thinking centred on economic change, the role of geo-politics and social movements. The second section offers a summary overview of the papers that comprise the special issue. His books include Interaction Ritual Chains (Princeton) and The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change . In his theory of violence, contemporary sociologist Randall Collins includes both individuals who must have skills to carry out violent interactions and the materials and resources that organization must equip themselves within order to carry out violence. Variations in the Collins, Randall (1990a): Conflict Theory and the Advance of Macro-Historical Sociology. He has made an enormous contribution to sociological theory, the study of state formation, power, violence, sociology of the family, social stratification, sociology of emotions, historical and political sociology, the sociology of education, and the sociology of intellectuals. He received a B.A. (From Randall Collins, Conflict Sociology. Sex, smoking, and social stratification are three very different social phenomena. Also in process are a series on what produces charismatic leaders, and on how sociological processes generate creativity in literature and science. The first two represent extremes in terms of the varieties of capitalism while the latter two represent developing societies. Although sociology does not possess the cognitive consensus or the rapid discovery model, both of which characterise the natural sciences, sociologists can build predictive theories that can be tested empirically. His books include Interaction Ritual Chains (Princeton) and The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change. His recent books include Grounded Nationalisms: A Sociological Analysis (Cambridge University Press, 2019), The Rise of Organised Brutality: A Historical Sociology of Violence (Cambridge University Press, 2017, recipient of the ASA book award in 2018), Nation-States and Nationalisms: Organisation, Ideology and Solidarity (Polity, 2013) and The Sociology of War and Violence (Cambridge University Press, 2010). We seek the contours of situations, which shape the emotions and acts of the individuals who step inside them. Hence most human beings are reluctant to engage in violent encounters, and when compelled to take part in such violent situations they are usually inept or even paralysed by fear. It is a compelling argument." Collins, Randall (1990b): Stratification, Emotional Energy and the Transient Emotions, in: Theodore D. Kemper (Hg. Randall Collins convincingly argues that much of Max Weber's work has been misunderstood, and that many of his most striking and sophisticated theories have been overlooked. The email address and/or password entered does not match our records, please check and try again. What, according to Collins, are the weaknesses of the Functionalist approach? Collins has not only penned several works about sociology and its history, but he is also responsible for a novel about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective character, Sherlock Holmes. Sometime in the mid-1970s, a colleague told me that he had just spent time with this incredibly smart assistant professor, Randall Collins, during a meeting at UC-San Diego. Credentialism and educational inflation are any of a number of related processes involving increased demands for formal educational qualifications, and the devaluation of these qualifications. For Collins these chains are critical for the production and maintenance of group solidarity, and as such they can be measured empirically: the degree of intergroup solidarity can be determined in part by exploring the intensity of collective attachments to specific group symbols. It is under attack from individualism, behaviourism, and actor-network theory, which focuses on material objects. Philadelphia PA 19104-6299 U.S.A. phone: 215-573-6176 . Sign in here to access free tools such as favourites and alerts, or to access personal subscriptions, If you have access to journal content via a university, library or employer, sign in here, Research off-campus without worrying about access issues. Members of _ can log in with their society credentials below. Hence this special issue aims to go further in order to explore different aspects of Collins’s work, including his theories of violence, interaction ritual chains, credential society, conflict sociology, nationalism, geo-political change and his sociology of emotions among others. Randall Collins: Conflict & Geopolitical Theory Conflict theory has a long history in sociology. 6-3/8 x 9-1/4 inches. According to Barnes, Weber’s shift from focusing on status groups to class analysis in order to explain social processes that took place in the last two centuries was both unnecessary and mistaken: rather, class conflict should be reconceived as status group struggle. Google Scholar. Collins’ current work includes macro patterns of violence including contemporary war, as well as solutions to police violence. It also provides an important corrective to individualistic and rational choice inspired sociologies. It has been a distinct honor and pleasure to be Randy’s friend for more than 30 years and, for 12 years, his colleague at University of California-Riverside (UCR). Randall Collins (born July 29, 1941) is an American sociologist who has been influential in both his teaching and writing. To reduce its myriad complexities to causal order requires theory on another level of analysis. For example, we met in Pasadena while Judy, his wife, visited her father and Randy prepared for a presentation later in the day in Los Angeles; we adjourned to a bar for lunch and on napkins began to write out ideas for what eventually became the journal Sociological Theory. Collins, Randall. New York: Academic Press. I had an often-loud dialogue with Randy, just as many others around the globe have used Randy’s ideas to stimulate their work in a more silent dialogue. It is all of a piece: what Randall Collins calls ‘forward panic’. Dr. Randall Collins is an American sociologist who has been influential in both his teaching and writing. In his early work Collins attempted to overcome the deep polarities that underpinned 1960s and early 1970s sociological thought – the epistemological splits between conflict and consensus focused theories of social order and the methodological ruptures between the positivists and the interpretivists. Weberian Sociological Theory. Some of the major failures in Collins’s approach constitute part of a sociology of absences characterising his work. at Harvard 1963 (where he studied with Talcott Parsons); M.A. The level of interpersonal interaction is all-inclusive; by the same token, it is highly abstract. Such a sociological absence, he argues, was reinforced by scholars of nationalism who were for the most part non-sociologists. We have a truncated view of what William James is about. A theory of Alzheimer’s . Randall Collins is coming to the theory of conflict as a model that describes the diversity of the social world and, at the same time includes all of its variety. In the last paper Randall Collins thoughtfully reflects and responds to the ideas and arguments of all these papers, pointing to developments and misunderstandings in his impressive oeuvre. Collins, Randall. This introduction to a special issue outlines the significance of Randall Collins’s contribution to sociology. A sociologist who concentrated on theory, with an encyclopedic knowledge of world history and in particular intellectual history, I regard him as a candidate for greatest intellectual of the 20th century whom no one outside his field knows. And yet, argues sociologist Randall Collins, they and much else in our social lives are driven by a common force: interaction rituals. Instead, King draws on another aspect of Goffman’s work: his emphasis on maintaining face and honour in interactions, which has been generalised in Scheff’s micro-sociological approach. He read my papers quickly and offered many comments and suggestions, and I also read his. Randall Collins, Emile Durkheim, Erving Goffman, theory, Max Weber Introduction Randall Collins is arguably one of the world’s leading social theorists and probably the As Collins (2008: 2) emphasises: not violent individuals, but violent situations – this is what micro-sociolegal theory is about. New York: Academic Press. His theory includes both _____ and _____ components. Office Address: University of Pennsylvania . If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Thus, in Max Weber: A Skeleton Key (1985), the Weberian Sociological Theory (1986), and Macro-History: Essays in Sociology of the Long Run (1999), and many articles and book chapters published in this period, Collins advances a conflict and status-centred analysis of social relations. Professor Randall Collins has had a remarkable career. Randall Collins traces the movement of philosophical thought in ancient Greece, China, Japan, India, the medieval Islamic and Jewish world, medieval Christendom, and modern Europe. The Credential Society: An Historical Sociology of Education and Stratification. Of the many foundational works that Randy has written, Conflict Sociology is for me his best because it is an effort to develop a general theory—stated in a system of abstract laws—of human society at the micro, meso, and macro levels of social reality. Randall Collins (gebore op 29 Julie 1941) is 'n Amerikaanse sosioloog wat invloedryk was in sy onderrig en skryfwerk. Randy is certainly one of the most cited sociologists ever, and he has published an enormous body of work. at Harvard 1963 (where he studied with Talcott Parsons); M.A. PAPERBACK. What emerges from this history is a social theory of intellectual change, one that avoids both the reduction of ideas to the influences of society at large and the purely contingent local construction of meanings. Google Scholar. The book challenges the conventional views that associate violence with morally flawed individuals by conceptualising violent acts as situational … These studies emphasise the role emotions, rituals and routine encounters play in social life. Ritual theory, Sociology of Philosophies: a Global theory of Intellectual Change Statuses and Groups. 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