Abstract
As sociologists look into the new century for sources of explanatory leverage, we argue that small group research contains untapped theoretical potential. Small groups have been largely ignored as a topic in their own right; instead they are treated as a "black box" in which other social phenomena are observed. We propose a reassessment. By opening the "black box," sociologists will find that the core issues of the discipline come together in small groups. We draw together the literatures of five domains, across which the findings on small groups are fragmented. These findings show that small groups are the locus of both social control and social change, where networks are formed, culture is created, and status order is made concrete. We refer to these as the controlling, contesting, organizing, representing, and allocating features of small groups. As the cross-roads where agency meets structure, small groups offer the micro foundations for a twenty-first century sociological agenda.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 312-323 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Social Psychology Quarterly |
| Volume | 63 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2000 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
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Opening the "black box" : Small groups and twenty-first-century sociology. / Harrington, Brooke; Fine, Gary Alan.
In: Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 63, No. 4, 01.01.2000, p. 312-323.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Opening the "black box"
T2 - Small groups and twenty-first-century sociology
AU - Harrington, Brooke
AU - Fine, Gary Alan
PY - 2000/1/1
Y1 - 2000/1/1
N2 - As sociologists look into the new century for sources of explanatory leverage, we argue that small group research contains untapped theoretical potential. Small groups have been largely ignored as a topic in their own right; instead they are treated as a "black box" in which other social phenomena are observed. We propose a reassessment. By opening the "black box," sociologists will find that the core issues of the discipline come together in small groups. We draw together the literatures of five domains, across which the findings on small groups are fragmented. These findings show that small groups are the locus of both social control and social change, where networks are formed, culture is created, and status order is made concrete. We refer to these as the controlling, contesting, organizing, representing, and allocating features of small groups. As the cross-roads where agency meets structure, small groups offer the micro foundations for a twenty-first century sociological agenda.
AB - As sociologists look into the new century for sources of explanatory leverage, we argue that small group research contains untapped theoretical potential. Small groups have been largely ignored as a topic in their own right; instead they are treated as a "black box" in which other social phenomena are observed. We propose a reassessment. By opening the "black box," sociologists will find that the core issues of the discipline come together in small groups. We draw together the literatures of five domains, across which the findings on small groups are fragmented. These findings show that small groups are the locus of both social control and social change, where networks are formed, culture is created, and status order is made concrete. We refer to these as the controlling, contesting, organizing, representing, and allocating features of small groups. As the cross-roads where agency meets structure, small groups offer the micro foundations for a twenty-first century sociological agenda.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034345163&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0034345163&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2307/2695842
DO - 10.2307/2695842
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0034345163
VL - 63
SP - 312
EP - 323
JO - Social Psychology Quarterly
JF - Social Psychology Quarterly
SN - 0190-2725
IS - 4
ER -