Sociologische theorievorming door middel van historisch onderzoek: een voorbeeld

Samenvatting

An attempt is made to show the usefulness of historical investigation for sociological theories. The hypothesis, that people in a conflict between their material interests & their ideology act in conformity with their material interests & in contradiction with their ideology, does not hold in this investigation. The textile workers in Lancashire behaved in conformity with their ideology ("against slavery, in favor of democracy") by choosing the side of the North in the American Civil War. They acted by this in contradiction with their material interests, because they were, for their incomes, dependent on Southern cotton. Data have been collected from historical studies concerning Lancashire in the years 1860-1865 & concerning the American Civil War. A distinction must be made between long- & short-term material interests. Based on this distinction, two new hypotheses are formulated. AA.