Differentiation among people: Blau's revised view of sociology

Samenvatting

Reversing his own former position, P. Blau calls for a reorientation of sociology towards the macrosociological analysis of social structure. To this end, he suggests a new framework for such an analysis. Upon closer inspection, the framework & the hypotheses it generated are very weak. Why is this so? Blau bases his framework on three typical elements of present-day sociological 'approaches': (1) a selective revival of classical traditions under neglect of what has been done in sociology since, (2) a conception of macrosociology that denies the relevance of individualistic propositions, & (3) a spurious claim that the small set of independent variables considered suffices to explain virtually every important social phenomenon. All three elements are bound to weaken Blau's framework to the point where he even becomes unable to relate a simple message: that it is important to study differentiation among people. AA.