Theories of markets and theories of society
Citation: Marion Fourcade (2007) Theories of markets and theories of society. American Behavioral Scientist (RSS)
DOI (original publisher): 10.1177/0002764207299351
Semantic Scholar (metadata): 10.1177/0002764207299351
Sci-Hub (fulltext): 10.1177/0002764207299351
Internet Archive Scholar (search for fulltext): Theories of markets and theories of society
Download: http://sociology.berkeley.edu/profiles/fourcade/pdf/ABS 2007.pdf
Tagged: Sociology
(RSS) economic sociology (RSS), bourdieu (RSS), social theory (RSS), social science (RSS)
Summary
In this essay, Fourcade elaborates a classification of the state of the field of economic sociology as of 2007. She argues that since its emergence in the mid-1980's, economic sociology has given rise to three major "camps" of scholarship on markets and market activity: structuralists pursuing network analysis, structuralists pursuing new institutionalist analyses of fields, and performativists (1019). She the describes the the major contributions and core claims of these three camps, arguing that they all embrace a relational perspective of markets and society (1028). This relational perspective provides overarching coherence to the recent trajectory of the field and positions economic sociology somewhere between the "individualistic parsimony" of economic theory and the "homogeneous higher order" of grand Parsonian theory (1029). She also contends that each area has something to offer to the field of social theory as a whole insofar as they provide a broader, more general explanation of social relations.
Theoretical and Practical Relevance
The significance of this article largely derives from Fourcade's status as a rising figure within the field of economic sociology and the discipline of U.S. sociology as a whole. Her interpretations of the field possess clarity, coherence, and explanatory power, elaborating the Bourdieuian perspective of the field as a whole that she has articulated elsewhere (including a 2006 Annual Review piece co-authored with Kieran Healy). The piece is useful for anyone seeking a broad understanding of some of the major currents within economic sociology as well as a clearer understanding of the backdrop for Fourcade's own contributions to the field.
