Social networks in social mechanisms

Coordination: Emmanuel Lazega (Sciences Po-Paris), José Luis Molina (Autonomous University of Barcelona), and Maria Prosperina Vitale (University of Salerno)

Presentation

At a high level of abstraction, social mechanisms can be understood as processes that rely in part on linking a plurality of actors and activities in a more or less stabilized configuration, generating a sequence of events that are likely to have consequences at different levels (micro-, meso- and macro-social) (Manzo, 2014). The use of social network analysis to understand these social mechanisms from their relational and configurational dimension dates back to observations introduced by neo-structuralism in sociology (Lazega, 2012, Stadtfeld & Amati, 2021): at the heart of social phenomena lies the articulation of conflicts and dependencies between actors. In economic sociology, for example, this articulation can be found in cooperation among competitors (Brailly et al., 2018). In organizational sociology, it can be found in cooperation efforts among “rival partners” (An, 2011; Lazega, 2001).

In the field of anthropology, many social mechanisms have been modeled and explained based on similar relational dynamics, such as kinship systems in general (Lévi-Strauss, 2002), including relations of avoidance or proximity between generations (Hage, 1973, 1976), exchanges of symbolic objects in the Melanesian Kula (Ziegler, 2008), Maussian prestige economy rituals based on gift rivalries (Graeber, 2011), the emergence of migratory enclaves through transnational fields (Molina et al., 2018), among many others. Among the mechanisms observed, we particularly highlight the different types of mutual obligations carried by the language of reciprocity and solidarity (Molina et al., 2017), including for example the process of norm differentiation known as ‘schismogenesis’ (Bateson, 2000) or the symmetrical differentiation of groups through comparison and selection of differences, for example between ethnicities (Barth, 1998).

We therefore understand the term ‘social mechanisms’ here in a deliberately broad, multi-level sense. Theorizing, describing and modeling these mechanisms can start, for example, from individual actors (as in so-called “analytical” sociology, with examples of self-fulfilling prophecies based on imitation, spatial segregations produced by preferences expressed in contexts of minority-majority relations, contribution of “Trojan horses” to social desegregation, etc.); or from collective actors (as in neo-structural sociology and anthropology, focusing on organized settings (associations, administrations, companies), communities and institutions and their own dynamics, with examples of self-reinforcement and moderation in solidarities and exclusions; of social control and conflict resolution; of regulation and institutionalization of norms; of socialization and collective learning). Exploring the collective consequences of these mechanisms (for example amplifications, accumulation of advantages or disadvantages; dominations; social cohesion; resiliencies) on a meso- or macro-social scale are is an integral part of these approaches.

This dossier aims to take stock of the use of social network analysis in understanding these social mechanisms, particularly collective ones, in all their diversity. We wish to propose new perspectives reflecting the integration of these approaches. Given the generality of this perspective, we would like to attract as wide a range of contributions as possible, in an attempt to revisit the micro-meso-macro articulations found here and bring them into dialogue with one another. Indeed, new questions are being raised about approaches that focus on social network analysis in understanding these various social mechanisms and their consequences, intentional or unintentional. The following axes reflect these efforts:

  • The comparison of similar social mechanisms in different contexts or organized settings
  • The interdependence and concatenation of these mechanisms, e.g. the joint effects of learning and influence on the emergence, reinforcement, or neutralization of collective norms
  • The multilevel dimension of these mechanisms, particularly the interweaving of actors’ attributes and relationships within social rapports (class, gender, occupation, etc.), and the consequences of these interweavings, for example in terms of inequality or resilience.
  • The dynamics of multi-level networks, accounting for the contextualization of social mechanisms and their temporal dimensions
  • The perceptions and negotiations through which actors respond (to constraints and opportunities) as they embark on social mechanisms and life courses.
  • The relationship between cultural phenomena and relational structures in personal or institutional networks
  • The variety of methods needed to study and understand these mechanisms (social network analysis, social categorization analysis, life course analysis, discourse analysis, agent-based simulations, and many others).

This list is only indicative. This dossier focuses on the impact of relational infrastructures on social mechanisms, understood in the broadest and most diverse sense, and in particular on collective mechanisms. It calls for new research that deserves new visibility.

Manuscript submission information:

We invite authors interested in participating in this special issue to submit an extended abstract (1 to 2 pages) by March 31, 2025 to the three guest editors and the secretariat of the journal. This abstract should identify the authors, their institutions, and their e-mail addresses; and state the research question, field, methodology, expected results, and a brief bibliography. For proposals retained for the special issue, the first draft of the article (maximum length 65,000 characters) is expected by August 31, 2025. Outcome review process: October 1st, 2025. Final submission: November 15, 2025.

Coordination:

References

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Brailly, Julien, Comet, Catherine, Delarre, Sébastien, Eloire, Fabien, Favre, Guillaume, Lazega, Emmanuel, Mounier, Lise, Montes-Lihn, Jaime, Oubenal, Mohamed, Pedro-Varanda, Marta, Penalva-Icher, Elise, Piña-Stranger, Álvaro (2018), “Neo-structural economic sociology beyond embeddedness: Relational infrastructures and social processes in markets and market institutions”, Economic sociology_the european electronic newsletter, Volume 19, Number 3 (July), pages 36-49.

Barth, F. (1998). Ethnic groups and boundaries: The social organization of culture difference. Waveland Press.

Bateson, G. (2000). Steps to an ecology of mind: Collected essays in anthropology, psychiatry, evolution, and epistemology. University of Chicago Press.

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Lazega, E. (2001), The Collegial Phenomenon: The Social Mechanisms of Cooperation Among Peers in a Corporate Law Partnership, Oxford Univ. Press.

Lazega, E. (2012), “Sociologie néo-structurale”, in R.Keucheyan et G.Bronner (eds), Introduction à la théorie sociale contemporaine, Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, p.113-129

Lévi-Strauss, C. (1949). Les Structures Élémentaires de la Parenté. Paris, Presses Universitaires de France

Manzo, G. (Ed.). (2014). Analytical sociology: actions and networks. John Wiley & Sons.

Molina, J. L., Lubbers, M. J., Valenzuela-Garcia, H., & Gómez-Mestres, S. (2017). Cooperation and Competition in Social Anthropology. Anthropology Today, 33(1), 11–14.

Molina, J. L., Martínez-Cháfer, L., Molina-Morales, F. X., Lubbers, M. J. (2018). Industrial districts and migrant enclaves: a model of interaction. European Planning Studies, 26(6), 1160–1180.

Stadtfeld, Ch. & Amati, V. (2021). Network mechanisms and network models, in G.Manzo (Ed), Research Handbook on Analytical Sociology, p.432-452

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