SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY AND PRACTICE REVISITED

Rather than answering what theory is or should be, our focus is on general challenges and examples that illuminate how theory and concepts may be used in fruitful and productive ways. in social sciences. The project has gathered scholars from a broad range of sociology, with different theoretical approaches and been an important arena for theory and concept development. The project includes Norwegian, Nordic, and several internationally leading scholars from Europe and the USA, in joint seminars, PhD-courses and book projects. The project leaders, Håkon Leiulfsrud and Peter Sohlberg, have edited and contributed in two volumes published by Brill; Theory in Action. Theoretical Constructionism (2016) og Concepts in Action (2018). A third volume on the construction of the sociological research object will be finalised at the end of 2018. The texts and insights from the project have successfully been used in PhD and MA--courses, and contributed to a more active focus on theory and concepts in research practice.

The project is designed as a highly collaborative project involving sociologists from a variety of Norwegian and international milieus with the aim of describing, analyzing and developing sociological theory. The strategy behind the project is to focus on different aspects of the theoretical craft in sociology. More specifically the following sub-projects are planned: -Analytical and genealogical study of basic sociological concepts. The focus is on the diversity of theoretical constructions of basic soci ological concepts and the implications for corresponding social constructions in everyday life social life. -An inventory of theoretical operations within social science. This empirical and analytical study is complimentary to the conceptual elaboration a bove. This subproject focuses on principal aspects of the sociological craft by describing, analyzing and problem atizing theoretical procedures, as e.g. types of aggregation, formation of typologies, formation of ideal-types, etc. -Empirically oriented f unctionalism to be revisited. Due to ideological connotations, criticism from a philosophy of science perspective and the dominance of deductive functionalism, the aspect of empirical functional analysis are under-exploited and seldom discussed in contemp orary sociology. This sub-project investigates the potential of empirically fruitful functional analysis and analyzes the variety of functional analysis. -The methodology and status of grand theories. This study of grand theories will analyze their limita tions and possible contribution to the understanding of global challenges. Several aspects of grand theory are described, analyzed and discussed, e.g. the methodologies behind their construction; their applicability, the possible distinction between nomen clatures and theories; the knowledge-claims of grand theories. -Critical sociology will be problematized and applied to contemporary societal challenges.