The paper aims to discuss the materials and outcomes of recently conducted research dealing with an analysis of the similarities and differences in current sociological theories exploring social inter-connection phenomena. The authors translate the term "obschenie" employed in Russian literature as "social intercourse". Four basic theoretical constructions are under scrutiny, those being Anne Rawls' interaction order theory, Randall Collins' interaction ritual chains theory, Jeffrey Alexander's theory of social performance, and Jonathan Turner's theory of interpersonal behavior. The paper's point of departure is an idea that there is a line ascending from the sociological theory of human interactions to the tradition represented in social science by Durkheim and Goffman. The discussion opens with an attempt to depict and classify the realities of "social intercourse" occurrences, followed with an assessment of its basic characteristics. Having displayed analytical and conceptual problems that the phenomenon "social intercourse" generates for sociological theory, the paper turns to a comparative analysis of the four noted theoretical interpretations of interaction in society. The outcomes of such an analysis drive authors to present and explore the research dilemmas that configure current theoretical sociological analysis of "social intercourse". The closing part of the paper delineates the relations between the sociology of "social intercourse" with the sociology of everyday life and the sociology of emotions.

Original languageRussian
Pages (from-to)133-162
Number of pages30
JournalSotsiologicheskoe Obozrenie
Volume16
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

    Scopus subject areas

  • Social Sciences(all)

    Research areas

  • Anne Rawls, Comparative analysis, Jeffrey Alexander, Jonathan Turner, Randall Collins, Social interaction, Social intercourse, Sociological theory

ID: 11787861