Original scientific paper
The Concept of Social Structure and Structural Analysis in Sociology
Vjekoslav Afrić
; Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb
Abstract
The concept of social structure is by no means self-evident, and some clarification of this concept is necessary. As R. Boudon point it one must distinguish between two types of contexts for the concept of structure: contexts of intentional definitions and contexts of operative definitions. In intentional definitions concept of structure vary with the environment in which it occurs. In an operative definition of the concept of structure this concept is synonymous with expressions like: »essence«, »system of relationships«, »totality irreducible to the sum of its parts«, etc. Consequently the structural description of an object is defined as the whole set of theorems based on the application of axioms to this object.
There are many different meanings for concept of structure in contemporary sociology. In spite of that it is possible to find four criteria for their clarification, as it was shown by P. Blau. This four criteria are: 1. level of theoretical perspective, 2. image of structure, 3. concept what is just opposite to the concept of structure, and 4. ways how the roots for social matrix are defined. Different concepts of structure may be close in one and far in another criteria.
The most significant theoretical problem connected with concept of structure and structural analysis in sociology is confrontation between structure and history.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
155735
URI
Publication date:
30.6.1987.
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