Perspectives · Theory Section
Newsletter Archive
2024–2025
Edited by Youbin Kang & Jun Zhou
Winter 2025 — De Leon, Edwards, and Garbes on Racial Capitalism, Somers on Confronting Autocracy, Memorial for Norbert F.Wiley
Summer 2025 — Social Justice, Ermakoff on Authoritarianism, Alexander on Sociology
Winter 2024 — Election Reflections, 2024 Coser Award Lecture by Benzecry
Spring 2024 — 2024 Coser Award Lecture by Decoteau, On Xiaohong Xu, Theory and Palestine
2020–2023
Edited by Abigail Moore, Vasfiye Betul Toprak, and Anne Taylor
Fall 2023 — Smith Tribute, Wilson Interview, Moral Minefields Review
December 2022 – Interview with Jordanna Matlon and Gurminder Bhambra, Book Symposium on Man Among Other Men, Emerging Social Theorists
Summer 2022 – Symposium on Latin America, State of the Canon
December 2021 – Erikson interview, Civil Sphere Theory
July 2021 – Performance and Populism, Theory and Public Sociology, Pragmatist Semiotic Approach to Racist Interactions
2020
Edited by Abigail Moore and Vasfiye Betul Toprak
December 2020 – Teaching Theory Symposium, Decolonizing Theory, Interview with Hammer
2017–2020
Edited by Luis Flores, Dylan Nelson, & Pinar Ustel
Summer 2020 — White on COVID and Theory, Virtual ASA and JTS Sessions, Previews of JTS Symposium
Winter 2019 – Knight and Reed on Mechanistic Explanation; Soc-Fi; Berman, Mudge, Epstein, & Baiocchi on Eyal
Spring/Summer 2019 – Magubane on Decolonizing the Canon; Buccholz on Neoliberal Apartheid; Clarno Reply.
Fall/Winter 2018 – Miller-Idriss on Area Studies and Sociology; Kim on the Transnational Turn; Shiff on Asylum Adjudication
Spring/Summer 2018 – Chen, Pacewicz, and Sobering on Organizations and Democracy; Shestakofsky on Ethnography and Theory; Award Winners and Dissertation Spotlight
Fall 2017 – Lichterman and Spillman on Social Theory Now; Abrutyn, Choo, and Decoteau on the Good Society; Award Winners Tavory and Sweet; Swedberg on Theoretical Contributions
2014–2017
Edited by Damon Mayrl & Erin Metz McDonnell
Spring 2017 — Lizardo on Publishing Theory in ASR; Abrutyn on Durkheim; Lena & Wohl on Aesthetics & Community; Postcolonialism
Fall 2016 – Archer et. al on Critical Realism; Benzecry on Global Standards
Spring 2016 – Mohr on Big Theory Part 2; McDonnell & Brundage on Theory and Public Sociology; Quantum Minds
Fall 2015 – Mohr on Big Theory Part 1; Decoteau on Gut Bugs; Teaching Theory with Klett, Colom & McDonnell; Pragmatism
Spring 2015 – Perrin on Disciplinary Diff in Theorizing; Borch & Christin on recovering classics; Swedberg on Pragmatism; Moodie on Folk Theory; Rose-Greenland on ISIS; Bakker on Weber’s Prebendalism
Fall 2014 – Perrin on Theory -of -for and -from; Benzecry, Go, Frye, and Bargheer on Boundaries of Theory.
2011–2014
Edited by Claire Laurier DeCoteau
May 2014 — Theorizing and Cognitive Science; Systemic Edges; Teaching Theorizing
May 2013 — Julian Go on Postcolonial Theory; Interview with Robert Bellah; Review of a Mead Conference
December 2012 — Espeland on Theorizing; Martin/Frye Dialogue; Junior Theorists Symposium
May 2012 — Replies to Gorski; Questions about Race and Reflexivity; Essays by Bakker and Smikun
November 2011 — Essays by Gorski and Alexander; a Retrospective by Hoganl Reviews of a New Theory Publication; Two Theory Conferences
2010–2011
Edited by Omar Lizardo & Erika Summers-Effler
May 2011 — Conferences, reviews, and events.
November 2010 — Swedberg on Theorizing, Ford on Order, Sonnett reviews Turner.
May 2010 — Zuckerman on Social Network Analysis, Roumbanis on Kierkegaard, and Bertilsson on Pierce.
2006–2009
Edited by Dustin Kidd, Omar Lizardo, & Erika Summers-Effler
November 2009 — Swedberg on Theorizing, Widick on Imaginaries, Strand on Martin, and a Preview of the 2010 Meetings
May 2009 — Bergesen on Terrorism, McDonnell on Bureaucracy, Bentel and Yoshida on Individualism, and Details of Section Activities at the 2009 ASA Meetings
November 2008 — Abrutyn on Institutions, Mahler on Social Action, and Coller on Bourdieu and Simon
June 2008 — Longest on Identity, Reed on Language; Ignatow on Body; and Details of Section Activities at the 2008 ASA Meetings
October 2007 — Griffin, Kivisto, Hall, and Alexander Comment on Jeffrey Alexander’s The Civil Sphere; Chair’s Corner on Theoretical Pragmatics and Cubist Art
July 2007 — Bryson on Writing; Rojas on Black Studies; Pagis on Silence; Theory Listings in the ASA Program; Chair’s Corner; Message from the Editors; New Book Spotlight
December 2006 — Dennis, Browser, and Monteiro on Du Bois; Chair’s Corner; Message from the New Editors; Section Awards; Website Editor Sought
2003–2006
Edited by Neil Gross
August 2006 — Stryker on Theory Growth; Theory at the ASA Meting; Elias on DuBois; Go on the Disobedient Generation
February 2006 — Replies to Sanderson by Adams, Perrin, Kidd, and Wilkes; Sanderson Responds to his Critics; Saioud and Blute on Empirical Trends in Theory. Note: A lengthier version of the debate on Theoretical Work, Pluralism, and Sociological Theory is available as a PDF file.
August 2005 — Reforming Theoretical Work; Deciphering Goffman; Chomsky v. Mead
March 2005 — Theory Surrounds Us; Europeans on US Theory; Mead v. Chomsky; Junior Theorists Symposium, with Participants and Abstracts of Papers
October/November 2004 — Unified Sociological Theory; Theory and Cognitive Science; the ASA and the Professional Group; Theory and International Relations; Section Awards
July 2004 — Theoretical Growth; Feminisms; Grand Theory
April 2004 — Theoretical Cultures; Grand Theory; Teaching Classical Theory; A French-Born Sociologist; Theory and Law and Society
January 2004 — The Theory Section and Satellites; Cultural Studies; Theory and Ethnography; Hero Worship; Reflection on Lewis Coser
October 2003 — Message from the Chair; The End of an Era: Becoming a Theorist
2000–2003
Edited by J. David Knottnerus & Jean Van Delinder
July 2003 — Critical Discourse; Post-Structuralism; Theory Development
April 2003 — Unbounded Rationality; Postmodernism
January 2003 — Empire of the Senses; Honor in Sociology; Postmodernism
October 2002 — Value of Theory; Causal and Descriptive Theory; Weber
July 2002 — Ideal Types; Scientific Sociology
April 2002 — Space; Scientific Sociology; Marx on Globalization
January 2002 — Scientific Sociology; Theory of Global Society
October 2001 — Theory and Empirical Research and Philosophy; Theory Training
July 2001 — Theory and the 1848 Revolutions; Theory and the Internet
April 2001 — Human Nature; The Masters; Theory Training
January 2001 — Protestant Ethic; Emotions; Sociological Imagination
October 2000 — Neighboring Disciplines; Critical Realism; Economics
1997(?)–2000
Edited by Joseph Hopper
July 2000 — Theoretical Integration; Theory and Psychology
April 2000 — Theory Textbooks; Evaluating Theory
January 2000 — Textbooks; Dubois Ascendant
October 1999 — Theory Growth in Sociology; Top Ten Debate
July 1999 — Activist Editing; Theorists’ View of Theory
April 1999 — Teaching Theory; Aphorisms
January 1999 — Reading Theory; Theory Sans Frontieres
October 1998 — Teaching to Non-Theorists; Graduate Theory Training
July 1998 — Creating Theory; Essential Theory Texts
April 1998 — Theory in the Curriculum; Theory as a Vocation
Winter 1998 — The Media and Social Theory
1996(?)–1997
Edited by Chris Ingraham & Steven Seidman
Summer 1997 — Social Theory as a Vocation
Summer 1996 — The Missing Feminist Revolution
1992–1994
Edited by Keith Doubt and Richard Moodey
May 1994 — ASA Meeting in Los Angeles
April 1994 — Practicing Theory; News
February 1994 — Theory in Australia; Theory Section News
1992–1994
Edited by Keith Doubt and Richard Moodey
October 1993 — The Editors Talk; Theory Section News
June 1993 — Creative Disorder
March 1993 — Talmudic Exegesis
January 1993 — A Case of Multiple Personality Disorder
1989(?)–1992
Edited by Chris Prendergast
April 1992 — Berger, Luckhman, McCarthy, Rogers, Eberle, Soeffner, Lemert, and Meyer on Social Construction of Reality
1986–1989
Edited by Charles Powers
July 1989 — Fundamental Theorizing; A Little Journal; Conference or Caucus
April 1989 — Chaos; British Theory; Canadian Sociology; Simmel Studies
January 1989 — Sociobiology; British Theory; Work in Progress
October 1988 — Chair’s Message; Feminism; Meetings
June 1988 — Looking Forward; Conferences
March 1988 — Sociological Theorizing; Theory in Switzerland; Simmel Studies
December 1987 — Seven Theses; Structuralist Theories; Work in Progress
September 1987 — Chair’s Message; Practical Relevance of Theory
June 1987 — Metatheory; Teaching Theory; Sociology in Poland
March 1987 — Leading Edges; World-Systems Analysis; Current Perspectives
Fall 1986 — Chair’s Message; The State of Theory; Mini-Conference; German Theory