The British Journal of Sociology
Volume 50 No.4 December l999
pages 543-562
Abstract
Theoretical conceptualizations of the structure/agency relationship have been central to the development of the discipline, yet tend to exhibit two major limitations. First, they share a relatively disembodied view of the agent which overemphasizes cognition and marginalizes the significance of the emotional dimensions of interaction for human action and social structure. Second, most have difficulty maintaining the causal significance of both the 'people' and the 'parts' of the social system and are, therefore, unable to examine adequately their interplay. This paper suggests these problems are related, and examines the contribution recent formulations of the 'interaction order' can make toward overcoming the difficulties characteristic of this key sociological debate. The 'interaction order' identifies the embodied dimensions of interaction as consequential for, yet irreducible to, structures and agents, enables us to investigate the 'loose coupling' of interaction to individuals and social systems, but is underdeveloped in important respects. This paper addresses these limitations. It also highlights the utility for the structure/agency debate of identifying a sector of embodied interactions concerned with the maintenance of social selves, and suggests how this sector of social life might be developed analytically.
Keywords: The structure/agency relationship, 'interaction order', embodiment, emotions.
Chris Shilling
School of Social and Historical Studies
University of Portsmouth