Mohamed Cherkaoui On The Micro-Macro Debate

0 zaterdag 20 april 2013 Edit this post

The eminent French sociologist Mohamed Cherkaoui addresses the job of delineating the micro-macro distinction inward several works. Since...

The eminent French sociologist Mohamed Cherkaoui addresses the job of delineating the micro-macro distinction inward several works. Since Cherkaoui's empirical enquiry on social stratification in addition to the educational scheme seems oft to pair betwixt micro in addition to macro, his views are of interest.

Cherkaoui's analysis is presented inward English linguistic communication primarily inward 3 places, "The private in addition to the collective" (European Review 11:4 (2003)), "Macrosociology-microsociology" (International Encyclopedia of the Social in addition to Behavioral Sciences, Elsevier (2001), 9117-22), in addition to "Micro-Macro Transitions: Limits of Rational Choice Theory inward James Coleman's 'Foundations of Social Theory'" (link).

First, hither is his paraphrase of the distinction equally it is commonly interpreted:

In essence, microsociology refers to the sociology of the individual, inward isolation from his interactive groups. The macro grade refers to the generality of persons inward a situation. (I-C, 489)

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 sociologist operates on the micrological grade when he seeks to prepare empirically the existence in addition to mensurate the forcefulness of the relation betwixt the educational attainment in addition to the occupational status of individuals. Whatever statistical analysis is used, this disceptation remains on the micro grade inasmuch equally it assumes that individuals are independent from each other inward the same way that educational levels in addition to professions are independent. (I-C, 490)

Fundamentally, he is asserting that "micro" is equated alongside "isolated purposive individual." Cherkaoui is critical of this approach to sociological enquiry because it deliberately ignores "interdependence" -- the fact that individuals in addition to their social properties are related to the behaviour in addition to properties of other individuals. Individuals must move treated inward context; they should non move "de-contextualized" past times sociological studies.

This criticism seems to move valid for a subset of social theorists, including peculiarly those who come about on the footing of the assumptions of rational alternative theory (including James Coleman; watch Cherkaoui's critique of Coleman link).

Now let's plough to the to a greater extent than extensive handling is the entry inward the International Encyclopedia.

Macrosociology to a greater extent than oft than non refers to the written report of a host of social phenomena roofing broad areas over long periods of time. In contrast, microsociology would rather focus on specific phenomena, involving solely limed groups of individuals such equally solid unit of measurement interactions or face-to-face relations. The theories in addition to concepts of macrosociology operate on a systemic grade in addition to occupation aggregated data, whereas those of microsociology are confined to the private level. (M-M, 9117)

In this essay Cherkaoui identifies 3 basic approaches to the micro-macro relation.

V1. The outset is macro-centered; sociology looks for causal relations betwixt i laid of macro facts in addition to another. "[The outset approach] ... consists of analyzing the relations betwixt a given social phenomenon in addition to indepdendent social factors" (9117). This approach tends to disregard the micro; it is oblivious to the bespeak for micro-foundations in addition to lower-level mechanisms.

V2. The minute attempts to explicate macro characteristics on the footing of the aggregate effects of the micro characteristics. "The minute physical care for consists of collecting observations at an infrasystemic grade in addition to developing hypotheses on the footing of such units (individuals, groups, institutions), alongside the purpose of explaining systemic relations through an appropriate synthesis of these observations" (9118). This approach conforms to the logic represented past times Coleman's Boat. It presents the job of social explanation equally i of aggregation of social phenomena from the behaviour of rational actors at the micro level.

V3. The 3rd is what nosotros mightiness telephone phone "formal-structural": it explains characteristics at the macro grade past times analyzing the construction in addition to organization of the macro system. Here it is the nature in addition to topology of the positions inside the social construction that are of interest. "The 3rd approach ... is to analyze the effects due to the nature of the positions in addition to distributions of for sure variables on the behaviour of the system's element units without formulating hypotheses most individuals" (9118). This is reminiscent of what Thomas Schelling referred to equally the "mathematics of musical chairs" inward Micromotives in addition to Macrobehavior. It is the characteristics of the workings (functioning) of the social scheme that supply the footing of social explanation.

Cherkaoui sums upwards his persuasion of the relation betwixt micro-sociology in addition to macro-sociology inward these terms:

The macrostructuralist projection [V1] is express to for sure aspects of social reality. It cannot, whatever to a greater extent than than whatever other theory, offering a solution to the job of the links betwixt the micro in addition to the macro. While the rational alternative theory [V2] presents an undeniable wages over other theories, it cannot serve equally a universal solution: presenting it equally unconditionally valid makes it vulnerable to the same dangers other theories accept encountered. As for functionalism [V3], its mistake was to yield to the temptation of hegemony; it claimed the championship of full general theory of social systems, when roughly of its principles are solely valid for particular, tightly circumscribed domains. This agency that at that topographic point is a correct way of using functionalism in addition to normative theories, simply equally at that topographic point is a incorrect way of using such strong, all-encompassing theories. There tin move no unmarried solution to the job of the links betwixt micro- in addition to macrosociology, whatever to a greater extent than than at that topographic point tin move a unmarried trend for explaining all phenomena (the outset of these problems existence solely an aspect of the second). (9120)

Cherkaoui's critique of Coleman is besides relevant to this issue, since Coleman proceeds alongside explanations moving from micro to macro; or from rational actors to social properties.

My 3rd in addition to concluding remark is that inward Coleman's thinking, equally inward that of many rational alternative theorists, explanation remains purely speculative. With a few exceptions, such equally the historical illustration of "live in addition to allow live" borrowed from Ashworth, nosotros exercise non accept sufficient empirical information on the social processes leading to norm emergence. Suppose nosotros admit that norms are intentionally produced in addition to that individuals, who initiate in addition to keep them, exercise goodness from behaving inward compliance alongside norms for fearfulness of punishment; suppose that the externalities produced past times actions are amid the atmospheric condition for norm emergence; suppose farther that nosotros admit that bilateral telephone substitution or the marketplace are non able to regulate behavior. All these conditions, in addition to the theorem of norm existence, are nonetheless no to a greater extent than than primitive propositions for a simulation model that could solely generate theoretical data. (98)

An of import implication of this passage, in addition to the analysis offered inward the outset 2 articles, is that at that topographic point is no elementary respond to the question, what is the relation betwixt micro in addition to macro inward the social world? Here is Cherkaoui's alternative to Coleman's Boat inward application to Weber's theory of the Protestant Ethic. This diagram indicates a substantially to a greater extent than complex human relationship betwixt macro in addition to micro causal factors. And it stipulates causal processes that displace dorsum in addition to forth betwixt higher in addition to lower levels of social organization in addition to action.