Social Structure

Relationships, Representations, and Rules

Jonathan Eastwood

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English

Polity Press
03 April 2025

Social theory

Social structure is arguably the central concept of sociology, and in recent years a much wider public has taken up with fresh vigor the sociological idea that persistent inequalities are rooted in social structures. Yet there seem to be as many definitions of the term as there are sociologists, and we often struggle to articulate accessible yet precise accounts of structures that can guide empirical research and other kinds of action.

Jonathan Eastwood offers a set of pragmatic strategies for thinking about social structures, emphasizing ways in which we can approach them as complex lacings of relationships, representations, and rules. He then teases out a variety of implications of these strategies for qualitative and quantitative research, the analysis of social problems, and the implementation of social policies. Written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students as well as fellow scholars, this insightful book contributes to our understanding of this fundamental and dynamic ingredient of social life.

By: Jonathan Eastwood
Imprint: Polity Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 226mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 340g
ISBN: 9781509561933
ISBN 10: 1509561935
Pages: 216
Publication Date: 03 April 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface Part 1: The Basic Ideas Chapter 1: The Three Rs Chapter 2: Other Meanings of Social Structure Chapter 3: Interlacings and Intralacings Part 2: Working with Social Structures Chapter 4: Explaining with Structures Chapter 5: Data Structures and Social Structures Chapter 6: Social Structures and Social Policies Conclusion Questions for Reflection and Discussion

Jonathan Eastwood is Professor of Sociology at Washington & Lee University.

Reviews for Social Structure: Relationships, Representations, and Rules

“This informative book takes on the thorny question of what sociologists mean by social structure and addresses it in a novel way. The result ranges widely through sociology and makes concrete, intelligible, and empirically tractable the intuitions that students, activists, and scholars articulate when they talk about structure and order, opportunity and constraint, mechanism and explanation. And it’s a fun read to boot.” Josh Pacewicz, Brown University “Eastwood’s definitional framework not only masterfully captures existing approaches with great parsimony, but transcends the traditional culture–structure dichotomies with something new and promising. Brilliant and accessible, this book also offers stimulating ideas for data analysis, policy analysis, and future theoretical reactions.” Francesco Duina, Bates College