ASA Theory Section

General Theory Journals

Sociological Theory

Sociological Theory publishes work in all areas of theory, including new substantive theories, history of theory, metatheory, formal theory construction, and synthetic contributions. Although aimed at a sociological readership, its orientation is pluralistic and it welcomes contributions by scholars in other fields. Peer reviewed and published quarterly, Sociological Theory is renowned for featuring the best international research and scholarship.

Theory and Social Inquiry

Theory and Social Inquiry is dedicated to analyzing all facets and dimensions of social life, from micro-level interactions between individuals to the durable institutions that organize societies at a macro level. Our modal article asks big questions, theorizes boldly, and draws on thorough empirical research to arrive at knowledge that often challenges conventional wisdom. We endorse the principle that a critical analysis of existing social structures and social processes is not divorced from – but an important source of – scientific discovery. The journal values rigorous humanistic inquiry as well as historical perspectives on continuity and change. We are open to the full range of social scientific methods, including scholarship that draws on new and innovative approaches under the rubric of problem-solving sociology and engaged research. Theory-inspired, theory-driven, and theory-relevant social science takes many forms. Theory and Social Inquiry is interested in all these modes.

Journal of Classical Sociology

The journal is an essential resource that focuses on international contributions to the classical tradition. The journal elucidates the origins of sociology and also demonstrates how the classical tradition renews the sociological imagination in the present day. The journal is a critical but constructive reflection on the roots and formation of sociology from the Enlightenment to the 21st century. It promotes discussions of early social theory, such as Hobbesian contract theory, through the 19th- and early 20th- century classics associated with the thought of Comte, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Simmel, Veblen. Pareto and Mosca, through to contemporary work, such as network theory and transformations in social systems theory.

European Journal of Social Theory

European Journal of Social Theory brings together social theorists and theoretically-minded social scientists with the objective of making social theory relevant to the challenges facing the social sciences in the 21st century. European Journal of Social Theory‘s conception of social theory is broad-ranging including all varieties of contemporary social and political thought, questions in the philosophy of social science, and theoretical reflection on major social issues.

Distinktion: Journal of Social Theory

Guided by the principle that it is via distinction and difference that liberal modernity is made, maintained, and can be challenged, Distinktion: Journal of Social Theory publishes research at the cutting edge of social theory. Since its founding in 2000, Distinktion has fostered international critical scholarship and exchange in a postfoundational key. It adopts a broad view of social theory that undermines disciplinary boundaries and works to include perspectives outside of the Global North. Distinktion publishes three yearly issues and welcomes research articles and review papers as well as proposals for special issues and forum exhanges that work at the intersection of cultural, economic, philosophical, political, psychoanalytical and sociological construction and which contribute to the comprehension of our current social situation.

Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour

The Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour is a social psychology journal that aims to advance the understanding of people acting, interacting and communicating in the social world of other people, institutions, and material and symbolic culture. Contributions are encouraged to challenge theoretical assumptions, develop productive theories, and cultivate innovative and interdisciplinary research methods. The journal welcomes articles from relevant fields such as psychology, sociology, communication, social policy, management, philosophy and anthropology. We prioritize author experience, simplifying and streamlining the publication process through free format and participation in Wiley journal networks.

Theory, Culture & Society

Theory, Culture & Society is a highly ranked, high impact factor, rigorously peer reviewed journal that publishes original research and review articles in the social and cultural sciences. Launched in 1982 to cater for the resurgence of interest in culture within contemporary social science, Theory, Culture & Society provides a forum for articles which theorize the relationship between culture and society. Theory, Culture & Society is at the cutting edge of recent developments in social and cultural theory. The journal has helped to break down some of the disciplinary barriers between the humanities and the social sciences by opening up a wide range of new questions in cultural theory. Theory, Culture & Society builds upon the heritage of the classic founders of social theory and examines the ways in which this tradition has been reshaped by a new generation of theorists.

Poetics

Poetics is an interdisciplinary journal of theoretical and empirical research on culture, the media and the arts. Particularly welcome are papers that make an original contribution to the major disciplines – sociology, psychology, media and communication studies, and economics – within which promising lines of research on culture, media and the arts have been developed.

Journal of the History of Ideas

Since its inception in 1940, the Journal of the History of Ideas has served as a medium for the publication of research in intellectual history that is of common interest to scholars and students in a wide range of fields. It is committed to encouraging diversity in regional coverage, chronological range, and methodological approaches. JHI defines intellectual history expansively and ecumenically, including the histories of philosophy, of literature and the arts, of the natural and social sciences, of religion, and of political thought. It also encourages scholarship at the intersections of cultural and intellectual history — for example, the history of the book and of visual culture.

Specialized Theory Journals

Antipode: A Radical Journal of Geography

Antipode: A Radical Journal of Geography publishes innovative articles that push at the boundaries of radical geographical thinking. Articles are rigorous and substantive in theoretical and empirical terms; they critique and challenge settled orthodoxies, while engaging the context of intellectual traditions and their particular trajectories; and they put new research or critical analyses to work to contribute to strengthening a Left politics broadly defined. Antipode offers some of the most provocative critical geographical work available today; work from both geographers and their fellow travellers; from scholars both eminent and emerging.

Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy

Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy is a forum for cutting-edge work in feminist philosophy. Since its inception in the mid-1980s, Hypatia has been a catalyst for broadening and refining feminist philosophy as well as an invaluable resource for those who teach in this area. Feminist philosophy arises out of diverse traditions and methods within philosophy and is also richly interdisciplinary in orientation. Hypatia’s commitment to the development of feminist philosophy entails that, in all its policies and practices, Hypatia actively reflects and engages the diversity within feminism itself, the diverse experiences and situations of women, and the diverse forms that gender takes across the globe. Promoting diversity within feminist philosophy and within philosophy in general is thus one of Hypatia’s core objectives.We are committed to publishing articles that are broadly accessible. Hypatia serves as a resource for the wider women’s studies community, for philosophers generally, and for all those interested in philosophical issues raised by feminism.

Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society

Recognized as the leading international journal in women’s studies, Signs is at the forefront of new directions in feminist scholarship. The journal publishes pathbreaking articles, review essays, comparative perspectives, and retrospectives of interdisciplinary interest addressing gender, race, culture, class, nation, and sexuality. Special issue and section topics cover a broad range of geopolitical processes, conditions, and effects; cultural and social configurations; and scholarly and theoretical developments.