TY - JOUR

T1 - Editorial for the special issue “Scopes of the Social Imaginary in Sociology” in the ÖZS

AU - Herbrik, Regine

AU - Schlechtriemen, Tobias

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2019, Österreichische Gesellschaft für Soziologie.

PY - 2019/11/1

Y1 - 2019/11/1

N2 - In this editorial, we offer an overview of research on the social imaginary. We begin by sketching the difficulties one faces when dealing scientifically with the social imaginary as an object of study, as a theoretical concept, or as an approach to studying cultural phenomena. We then collect the different lines of tradition, which have so far referred to the social imaginary within sociology. Although it often seems to play a marginal role for sociological theories, it nevertheless becomes clear how important the social imaginary is for a whole range of different approaches. In a further step, we elaborate theoretical and methodological starting points for productive research. We offer a heuristic scheme which should help to relate and classify different conceptions of and approaches to the social imaginary. Building on this, we delineate the research questions and fields of investigation which the social imaginary reveals, as well as the epistemological and social functions which it enables. Finally, we introduce the reader to the contributions of this special issue.

AB - In this editorial, we offer an overview of research on the social imaginary. We begin by sketching the difficulties one faces when dealing scientifically with the social imaginary as an object of study, as a theoretical concept, or as an approach to studying cultural phenomena. We then collect the different lines of tradition, which have so far referred to the social imaginary within sociology. Although it often seems to play a marginal role for sociological theories, it nevertheless becomes clear how important the social imaginary is for a whole range of different approaches. In a further step, we elaborate theoretical and methodological starting points for productive research. We offer a heuristic scheme which should help to relate and classify different conceptions of and approaches to the social imaginary. Building on this, we delineate the research questions and fields of investigation which the social imaginary reveals, as well as the epistemological and social functions which it enables. Finally, we introduce the reader to the contributions of this special issue.

KW - Sociology

KW - Castoriadis

KW - Heuristics

KW - Methods and fields of research on social imaginaries

KW - Overview of the literature

KW - Social imaginary

KW - Sociological theory

KW - Sociology of knowledge

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85075141273&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/d3bd5db9-12a9-3727-aba7-6efb9d8615a7/

U2 - 10.1007/s11614-019-00370-3

DO - 10.1007/s11614-019-00370-3

M3 - Other (editorial matter etc.)

VL - 44

SP - 1

EP - 15

JO - Österreichische Zeitschrift für Soziologie

JF - Österreichische Zeitschrift für Soziologie

SN - 1011-0070

IS - 2

ER -