300153 Sociological theory beyond the canon (S) (SoSe 2023)

The seminar revolves around the following question: How can postcolonical critique inform our discussion about the selection and reading of 'canonical' sociological texts?

Sociological theory is often taught as a tradition based on the works of authors with western (or northern) origins – people like Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, Talcott Parsons, Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, Niklas Luhmann or Bruno Latour. These works are the first readings students usually encounter and they often inform the daily work of experienced sociologists. In that sense, they constitute the canon of sociological thought.

From a postcolonial and/or decolonial perspective, this tradition has been criticized as ‘eurocentric’: as a style of thought that claims to make sense of the social world in general terms while in fact arguing from a specific point of view centered around Europe and/or North America.

In the seminar, we discuss what this critique might entail for our own work with and on sociological theories: What exactly does ‘eurocentrism’ mean? What is problematic about the western tradition and thus needs to be reconsidered? What, on the other hand, could be considered valuable about this tradition and worthy to be preserved? And what, in our own practice of theorizing, can we do to expand our understanding of sociological theory beyond the western canon?

The readings in the first part of the seminar will push our discussion in three distinct – though closely connected – directions: (1) Critique of eurocentrism: What exactly does or could it mean? Which aspects and dimensions of eurocentrism can be distinguished? (2) The historical experience behind the western canon of sociological theory (and its implications): In which historical situations and from which social perspectives did the ‘classical’ theorists develop their theories? What were they able to see from their perspectives, what did they miss? (3) Which non-western (non-northern) authors and texts could be added and help transform the old canon of sociological theory into a new, and truly global, canon? What can we learn from authors that have gone through different experiences than the western classics and therefore tend to see the social world with different eyes?

In the second part of the seminar, students can then bring in their own ideas and preferences to select the readings and topics for our discussions.

Requirements for participation, required level

No specific requirements, just interest in sociological theory

Bibliography

- Alatas, Syed Farid/Vineeta Sinha: Sociological Theory Beyond the Canon, London: Palgrave, 2017
- Bhambra, Gurminder K./John Holmwood: Colonialism and Modern Social Theory, Cambridge: Polity, 2021
- Connell, Raewyn: Southern Theory: The Global Dynamics of Knowledge in Social Science, London: Polity, 2007