The micro-macro dilemma in sociology: Perplexities and perspectives

Abstract

The micro-macro or agency-structure question is indisputably one of the most important theoretical issues within the human and social sciences. The main purpose of this paper is to carefully explore, fruitfully overview and comprehensively critique the contemporary sociological literature on micro (agency) and macro (structure), from a reflexive-dialectical standpoint. This particular standpoint strategically emphasizes both the circularity and the relative autonomy of structures vis ? vis actors, or of institutions vis ? vis individuals. In this analytic context, it is critically discussed the varied notion of a middle position on the ongoing theoretical debate between positivism and constructivism, as well as the epistemologically beneficial role that meta-theoretical reflexivity and the internal conversation can potentially play in this debate. In specific, the internal conversation (Margaret Archer) gives a reflexive-dialectical impetus to the micro-macro relationship, while embracing a needed analytical dualism (not necessarily an ontological one).Pitanje odnosa mikro-makro ili dejstvenosti i strukture bez sumnje je jedno od najvaznijih teorijskih pitanja u humanistickim i drustvenim naukama. Ovaj rad ima za prvenstveni cilj da u sirokom zahvatu pregleda, brizljivo razmotri i detaljno kriticki preispita savremenu sociolosku literaturu o mikronivou (odnosno, dejstvenosti) i makronivou (odnosno, strukturi), sa jednog refleksivno-dijalektickog stanovista. Ovo stanoviste strateski naglasava kako cirkularnost tako i relativnu autonomiju struktura u odnosu na aktere, ili pak institucija u odnosu na pojedince. U ovom analitickim kontekstu, kriticki se razmatra ideja o srednjoj poziciji u tekucoj teorijskoj debati izmedju pozitivizma i konstruktivizma, kao i epistemoloski blagotvorna uloga koju metateorijska refleksivnost i unutrasnji razgovor mogu igrati u toj debati. Konkretno, unutrasnji razgovor (Margaret Arcer) pruza refleksivnodijalekticki podstrek odnosu mikro i makro, dok istovremeno zastupa neophodni analiticki (ne nuzno i ontoloski) dualizam.