Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Politics In The Public Sphere: The Power Of Tiny Publics In Classical Sociology, Gary Alan Fine, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington, Sandro Segre
Politics In The Public Sphere: The Power Of Tiny Publics In Classical Sociology, Gary Alan Fine, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington, Sandro Segre
Brooke Harrington
As Fine and Harrington [2004] have argued, the relationship between individuals and the social systems which they inhabit is shaped within face-to-face groups. Early work by Habermas and others on the development of the public sphere suggests that interactional arenas – salons, taverns, coffee houses, or other small group modalities – create arenas of discourse in which civil society is enacted and made concrete. However, this research has not led – as one might have expected – to the explicit theoretical attention by political sociologists to small groups and their political incarnation as “tiny publics.” In this article, we make …
Where The Action Is: Small Groups And Contemporary Sociological Theory, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington, Gary Alan Fine
Where The Action Is: Small Groups And Contemporary Sociological Theory, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington, Gary Alan Fine
Brooke Harrington
Although small group research has been somewhat marginalized within sociology during the past decades, the authors argue that a focus on interaction arenas can contribute to a more complete analysis of social life. Specifically the authors examine three central domains of sociological analysis—culture, organizations, and the economy—to demonstrate how a focus on the mesolevel of analysis allows for a merging of macrosociology and microsociology. The authors draw on the perspective of sociological miniaturism to provide a model for cross-level research.
Tiny Publics: Small Groups And Civil Society, Gary Alan Fine, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington
Tiny Publics: Small Groups And Civil Society, Gary Alan Fine, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington
Brooke Harrington
It has been conventional to conceptualize civic life through one of two core images: the citizen as lone individualist or the citizen as joiner. Drawing on analyses of the historical development of the public sphere, we propose an alternative analytical framework for civic engagement based on small group interaction. By embracing this micro-level approach, we contribute to the debate on civil society in three ways. By emphasizing local interaction contexts—the microfoundations of civil society—we treat small groups as a cause, context, and consequence of civic engagement. First, through framing and motivating, groups encourage individuals to participate in public discourse and …
The Pervasive Effects Of Network Content, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington
The Pervasive Effects Of Network Content, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington
Brooke Harrington
While network research has become increasingly important to our understanding of organizations, there is growing speculation that the current structural approach may misspecify the nature of network effects by ignoring variation in the content of relational ties (e.g., Podolny and Baron 1997). Network research to date has focused on the structural properties of networks—the overall patterns of connection—to the neglect of qualitative dimensions of relationships (Ibarra 1992). Several recent studies have explicitly called for new research dedicated to “delineating the critical role of tie content” in organizational networks (Gulati and Westphal 1999: 499). Studying tie content, according to these authors, …
Organizational Performance And Corporate Social Capital, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington
Organizational Performance And Corporate Social Capital, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington
Brooke Harrington
This study develops a model of the causal impact of social capital on organizational performance, with particular attention to specifying the contingencies that transform some kinds of network ties into social capital or social liability. The study unpacks the “black box” linking social structure and firms’ goal attainment by turning to mid-level theories of group and group processes. Hypotheses were tested using data from a national survey of investment clubs. The findings indicate that net increases in instrumental ties at the individual level produce social capital at the organization level in two ways: by increasing the information pool available to …
Opening The ‘Black Box:’ Small Groups And 21st Century Sociology, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington, Gary Alan Fine
Opening The ‘Black Box:’ Small Groups And 21st Century Sociology, Elisabeth Brooke Harrington, Gary Alan Fine
Brooke Harrington
As sociologists look into the new century for sources of explanatory leverage, we argue that small group research contains untapped theoretical potential. Small groups have been largely ignored as a topic in their own right; instead they are treated as a “black box” in which other social phenomena are observed. We propose a reassessment. By opening the “black box,” sociologists will find that the core issues of the discipline come together in small groups. We draw together the literatures of five domains, across which the findings on small groups are fragmented. These findings show that small groups are the locus …