The revival of narrative in historical sociology: What rational choice theory can contribute

Politics and Society

Volumn 24, Issue 3, 1996, Pages 249-271

  Kiser, Edgar ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 0030305112     PISSN: 00323292     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0032329296024003005     Document Type: Article

References (168)

1. 1. Andrew Abbott, "Conceptions of Time and Events in Social Science Methods: Causal and Narrative Approaches," Historical Methods 23 (1990): 140-50; Andrew Abbott, "From Causes to Events. Notes on Narrative Positivism," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 428-55; Ronald Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 456-80; Ronald Aminzade, Ballots and Barricades (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993); Larry Griffin, "Temporality, Events, and Explanation in Historical Sociology," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 403-27; Larry Griffin, "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 5 (1993): 1094-133; William Sewell, "Introduction: Narratives and Social Identities," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 479-88; William Sewell, "Three Temporalities: Toward an Eventful Sociology," in The Historic Turn in the Human Sciences, ed. Terrence J. McDonald (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, forthcoming); Margaret Somers, "Narrativity, Narrative Identity, and Social Action: Rethinking English Working Class Formation," Social Science History 16, no. 4 (1992): 591-630; Margaret Somers, "The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach," Theory and Society 23 (1994): 605-49; George Steinmetz, "Reflections on the Role of Social Narratives in Working Class Formation: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 489-516.
2. 1. Andrew Abbott, "Conceptions of Time and Events in Social Science Methods: Causal and Narrative Approaches," Historical Methods 23 (1990): 140-50; Andrew Abbott, "From Causes to Events. Notes on Narrative Positivism," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 428-55; Ronald Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 456-80; Ronald Aminzade, Ballots and Barricades (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993); Larry Griffin, "Temporality, Events, and Explanation in Historical Sociology," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 403-27; Larry Griffin, "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 5 (1993): 1094-133; William Sewell, "Introduction: Narratives and Social Identities," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 479-88; William Sewell, "Three Temporalities: Toward an Eventful Sociology," in The Historic Turn in the Human Sciences, ed. Terrence J. McDonald (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, forthcoming); Margaret Somers, "Narrativity, Narrative Identity, and Social Action: Rethinking English Working Class Formation," Social Science History 16, no. 4 (1992): 591-630; Margaret Somers, "The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach," Theory and Society 23 (1994): 605-49; George Steinmetz, "Reflections on the Role of Social Narratives in Working Class Formation: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 489-516.
3. 1. Andrew Abbott, "Conceptions of Time and Events in Social Science Methods: Causal and Narrative Approaches," Historical Methods 23 (1990): 140-50; Andrew Abbott, "From Causes to Events. Notes on Narrative Positivism," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 428-55; Ronald Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 456-80; Ronald Aminzade, Ballots and Barricades (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993); Larry Griffin, "Temporality, Events, and Explanation in Historical Sociology," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 403-27; Larry Griffin, "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 5 (1993): 1094-133; William Sewell, "Introduction: Narratives and Social Identities," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 479-88; William Sewell, "Three Temporalities: Toward an Eventful Sociology," in The Historic Turn in the Human Sciences, ed. Terrence J. McDonald (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, forthcoming); Margaret Somers, "Narrativity, Narrative Identity, and Social Action: Rethinking English Working Class Formation," Social Science History 16, no. 4 (1992): 591-630; Margaret Somers, "The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach," Theory and Society 23 (1994): 605-49; George Steinmetz, "Reflections on the Role of Social Narratives in Working Class Formation: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 489-516.
4. 1. Andrew Abbott, "Conceptions of Time and Events in Social Science Methods: Causal and Narrative Approaches," Historical Methods 23 (1990): 140-50; Andrew Abbott, "From Causes to Events. Notes on Narrative Positivism," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 428-55; Ronald Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 456-80; Ronald Aminzade, Ballots and Barricades (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993); Larry Griffin, "Temporality, Events, and Explanation in Historical Sociology," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 403-27; Larry Griffin, "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 5 (1993): 1094-133; William Sewell, "Introduction: Narratives and Social Identities," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 479-88; William Sewell, "Three Temporalities: Toward an Eventful Sociology," in The Historic Turn in the Human Sciences, ed. Terrence J. McDonald (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, forthcoming); Margaret Somers, "Narrativity, Narrative Identity, and Social Action: Rethinking English Working Class Formation," Social Science History 16, no. 4 (1992): 591-630; Margaret Somers, "The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach," Theory and Society 23 (1994): 605-49; George Steinmetz, "Reflections on the Role of Social Narratives in Working Class Formation: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 489-516.
5. 1. Andrew Abbott, "Conceptions of Time and Events in Social Science Methods: Causal and Narrative Approaches," Historical Methods 23 (1990): 140-50; Andrew Abbott, "From Causes to Events. Notes on Narrative Positivism," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 428-55; Ronald Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 456-80; Ronald Aminzade, Ballots and Barricades (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993); Larry Griffin, "Temporality, Events, and Explanation in Historical Sociology," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 403-27; Larry Griffin, "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 5 (1993): 1094-133; William Sewell, "Introduction: Narratives and Social Identities," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 479-88; William Sewell, "Three Temporalities: Toward an Eventful Sociology," in The Historic Turn in the Human Sciences, ed. Terrence J. McDonald (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, forthcoming); Margaret Somers, "Narrativity, Narrative Identity, and Social Action: Rethinking English Working Class Formation," Social Science History 16, no. 4 (1992): 591-630; Margaret Somers, "The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach," Theory and Society 23 (1994): 605-49; George Steinmetz, "Reflections on the Role of Social Narratives in Working Class Formation: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 489-516.
6. 1. Andrew Abbott, "Conceptions of Time and Events in Social Science Methods: Causal and Narrative Approaches," Historical Methods 23 (1990): 140-50; Andrew Abbott, "From Causes to Events. Notes on Narrative Positivism," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 428-55; Ronald Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 456-80; Ronald Aminzade, Ballots and Barricades (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993); Larry Griffin, "Temporality, Events, and Explanation in Historical Sociology," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 403-27; Larry Griffin, "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 5 (1993): 1094-133; William Sewell, "Introduction: Narratives and Social Identities," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 479-88; William Sewell, "Three Temporalities: Toward an Eventful Sociology," in The Historic Turn in the Human Sciences, ed. Terrence J. McDonald (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, forthcoming); Margaret Somers, "Narrativity, Narrative Identity, and Social Action: Rethinking English Working Class Formation," Social Science History 16, no. 4 (1992): 591-630; Margaret Somers, "The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach," Theory and Society 23 (1994): 605-49; George Steinmetz, "Reflections on the Role of Social Narratives in Working Class Formation: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 489-516.
7. 1. Andrew Abbott, "Conceptions of Time and Events in Social Science Methods: Causal and Narrative Approaches," Historical Methods 23 (1990): 140-50; Andrew Abbott, "From Causes to Events. Notes on Narrative Positivism," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 428-55; Ronald Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 456-80; Ronald Aminzade, Ballots and Barricades (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993); Larry Griffin, "Temporality, Events, and Explanation in Historical Sociology," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 403-27; Larry Griffin, "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 5 (1993): 1094-133; William Sewell, "Introduction: Narratives and Social Identities," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 479-88; William Sewell, "Three Temporalities: Toward an Eventful Sociology," in The Historic Turn in the Human Sciences, ed. Terrence J. McDonald (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, forthcoming); Margaret Somers, "Narrativity, Narrative Identity, and Social Action: Rethinking English Working Class Formation," Social Science History 16, no. 4 (1992): 591-630; Margaret Somers, "The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach," Theory and Society 23 (1994): 605-49; George Steinmetz, "Reflections on the Role of Social Narratives in Working Class Formation: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 489-516.
8. 1. Andrew Abbott, "Conceptions of Time and Events in Social Science Methods: Causal and Narrative Approaches," Historical Methods 23 (1990): 140-50; Andrew Abbott, "From Causes to Events. Notes on Narrative Positivism," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 428-55; Ronald Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 456-80; Ronald Aminzade, Ballots and Barricades (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993); Larry Griffin, "Temporality, Events, and Explanation in Historical Sociology," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 403-27; Larry Griffin, "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 5 (1993): 1094-133; William Sewell, "Introduction: Narratives and Social Identities," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 479-88; William Sewell, "Three Temporalities: Toward an Eventful Sociology," in The Historic Turn in the Human Sciences, ed. Terrence J. McDonald (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, forthcoming); Margaret Somers, "Narrativity, Narrative Identity, and Social Action: Rethinking English Working Class Formation," Social Science History 16, no. 4 (1992): 591-630; Margaret Somers, "The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach," Theory and Society 23 (1994): 605-49; George Steinmetz, "Reflections on the Role of Social Narratives in Working Class Formation: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 489-516.
9. 1. Andrew Abbott, "Conceptions of Time and Events in Social Science Methods: Causal and Narrative Approaches," Historical Methods 23 (1990): 140-50; Andrew Abbott, "From Causes to Events. Notes on Narrative Positivism," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 428-55; Ronald Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 456-80; Ronald Aminzade, Ballots and Barricades (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993); Larry Griffin, "Temporality, Events, and Explanation in Historical Sociology," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 403-27; Larry Griffin, "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 5 (1993): 1094-133; William Sewell, "Introduction: Narratives and Social Identities," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 479-88; William Sewell, "Three Temporalities: Toward an Eventful Sociology," in The Historic Turn in the Human Sciences, ed. Terrence J. McDonald (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, forthcoming); Margaret Somers, "Narrativity, Narrative Identity, and Social Action: Rethinking English Working Class Formation," Social Science History 16, no. 4 (1992): 591-630; Margaret Somers, "The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach," Theory and Society 23 (1994): 605-49; George Steinmetz, "Reflections on the Role of Social Narratives in Working Class Formation: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 489-516.
10. 1. Andrew Abbott, "Conceptions of Time and Events in Social Science Methods: Causal and Narrative Approaches," Historical Methods 23 (1990): 140-50; Andrew Abbott, "From Causes to Events. Notes on Narrative Positivism," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 428-55; Ronald Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 456-80; Ronald Aminzade, Ballots and Barricades (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993); Larry Griffin, "Temporality, Events, and Explanation in Historical Sociology," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 403-27; Larry Griffin, "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 5 (1993): 1094-133; William Sewell, "Introduction: Narratives and Social Identities," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 479-88; William Sewell, "Three Temporalities: Toward an Eventful Sociology," in The Historic Turn in the Human Sciences, ed. Terrence J. McDonald (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, forthcoming); Margaret Somers, "Narrativity, Narrative Identity, and Social Action: Rethinking English Working Class Formation," Social Science History 16, no. 4 (1992): 591-630; Margaret Somers, "The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach," Theory and Society 23 (1994): 605-49; George Steinmetz, "Reflections on the Role of Social Narratives in Working Class Formation: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 489-516.
11. 1. Andrew Abbott, "Conceptions of Time and Events in Social Science Methods: Causal and Narrative Approaches," Historical Methods 23 (1990): 140-50; Andrew Abbott, "From Causes to Events. Notes on Narrative Positivism," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 428-55; Ronald Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 456-80; Ronald Aminzade, Ballots and Barricades (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993); Larry Griffin, "Temporality, Events, and Explanation in Historical Sociology," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 403-27; Larry Griffin, "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 5 (1993): 1094-133; William Sewell, "Introduction: Narratives and Social Identities," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 479-88; William Sewell, "Three Temporalities: Toward an Eventful Sociology," in The Historic Turn in the Human Sciences, ed. Terrence J. McDonald (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, forthcoming); Margaret Somers, "Narrativity, Narrative Identity, and Social Action: Rethinking English Working Class Formation," Social Science History 16, no. 4 (1992): 591-630; Margaret Somers, "The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach," Theory and Society 23 (1994): 605-49; George Steinmetz, "Reflections on the Role of Social Narratives in Working Class Formation: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences," Social Science History 16, no. 3 (1992): 489-516.
12. 2. For an interesting argument along similar lines, see Robert Bates, Avner Greif, Margaret Levi, Jean-Laurent Rosenthal, and Barry Weingast, Analytical Narratives (book manuscript in progress).
13. 3. Perhaps the three most influential examples are Barrington Moore, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy (Boston: Beacon Press, 1966); Theda Skocpol, States and Social Revolutions (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979); and Charles Tilly, ed., The Formation of National States in Western Europe (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1975).
14. 3. Perhaps the three most influential examples are Barrington Moore, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy (Boston: Beacon Press, 1966); Theda Skocpol, States and Social Revolutions (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979); and Charles Tilly, ed., The Formation of National States in Western Europe (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1975).
15. 3. Perhaps the three most influential examples are Barrington Moore, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy (Boston: Beacon Press, 1966); Theda Skocpol, States and Social Revolutions (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979); and Charles Tilly, ed., The Formation of National States in Western Europe (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1975).
16. 4. Abbott, "From Causes," 432.
17. 5. Sewell, "Three," 42.
18. 6. Aminzade, Ballots, 6.
19. 7. Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," 457.
20. 8. Sewell, "Three."
21. 9. Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," 457.
22. 10. Lawrence Stone, "The Revival of Narrative: Reflections on a New Old History," Past and Present 85 (1979): 3.
23. 11. The exception among sociologists, to be discussed below, is Peter Abell. See The Syntax of Social Life (Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1987); "Some Aspects of Narrative Method," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 93-134; "Narrative Method: A Reply," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 253-266. My debt to his pioneering work should be obvious - this article will be successful if it encourages others to follow his lead. However, Abell is not a historical sociologist and has not applied his narrative method to historical cases. There are also numerous exceptions to this generalization in other disciplines, including most economic historians, many political scientists, and some historians. For interesting, arguments by political scientists and economists linking rational choice and narrative in historical analysis, see Bates et al., Analytical, and Donald McCloskey, If You're So Smart: The Narrative of Economic Enterprise (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1990).
24. 11. The exception among sociologists, to be discussed below, is Peter Abell. See The Syntax of Social Life (Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1987); "Some Aspects of Narrative Method," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 93-134; "Narrative Method: A Reply," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 253-266. My debt to his pioneering work should be obvious - this article will be successful if it encourages others to follow his lead. However, Abell is not a historical sociologist and has not applied his narrative method to historical cases. There are also numerous exceptions to this generalization in other disciplines, including most economic historians, many political scientists, and some historians. For interesting, arguments by political scientists and economists linking rational choice and narrative in historical analysis, see Bates et al., Analytical, and Donald McCloskey, If You're So Smart: The Narrative of Economic Enterprise (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1990).
25. 11. The exception among sociologists, to be discussed below, is Peter Abell. See The Syntax of Social Life (Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1987); "Some Aspects of Narrative Method," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 93-134; "Narrative Method: A Reply," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 253-266. My debt to his pioneering work should be obvious - this article will be successful if it encourages others to follow his lead. However, Abell is not a historical sociologist and has not applied his narrative method to historical cases. There are also numerous exceptions to this generalization in other disciplines, including most economic historians, many political scientists, and some historians. For interesting, arguments by political scientists and economists linking rational choice and narrative in historical analysis, see Bates et al., Analytical, and Donald McCloskey, If You're So Smart: The Narrative of Economic Enterprise (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1990).
26. 11. The exception among sociologists, to be discussed below, is Peter Abell. See The Syntax of Social Life (Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1987); "Some Aspects of Narrative Method," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 93-134; "Narrative Method: A Reply," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 253-266. My debt to his pioneering work should be obvious - this article will be successful if it encourages others to follow his lead. However, Abell is not a historical sociologist and has not applied his narrative method to historical cases. There are also numerous exceptions to this generalization in other disciplines, including most economic historians, many political scientists, and some historians. For interesting, arguments by political scientists and economists linking rational choice and narrative in historical analysis, see Bates et al., Analytical, and Donald McCloskey, If You're So Smart: The Narrative of Economic Enterprise (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1990).
27. 11. The exception among sociologists, to be discussed below, is Peter Abell. See The Syntax of Social Life (Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1987); "Some Aspects of Narrative Method," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 93-134; "Narrative Method: A Reply," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 253-266. My debt to his pioneering work should be obvious - this article will be successful if it encourages others to follow his lead. However, Abell is not a historical sociologist and has not applied his narrative method to historical cases. There are also numerous exceptions to this generalization in other disciplines, including most economic historians, many political scientists, and some historians. For interesting, arguments by political scientists and economists linking rational choice and narrative in historical analysis, see Bates et al., Analytical, and Donald McCloskey, If You're So Smart: The Narrative of Economic Enterprise (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1990).
28. 12. Andrew Abbott, "Measure for Measure: Abell's Narrative Methods," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 205-07; Larry Griffin and Charles Ragin, "Some Observations on Formal Methods of Qualitative Analysis," Sociological Methods and Research 23, no. 1 (1994): 7-8; Jill Quadagno and Stan Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists Forsaken Theory?: Thoughts on the History/Theory Relationship," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 481-507; Sewell, "Three," 29-30; Somers, "The Narrative"; Steinmetz, "Reflections." An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of these cultural/interpretive/identity theories is beyond the scope of this article. My purpose is not to argue that rational choice theory is the only (or even necessarily the "best") way to do narrative analysis. My goal is much more modest - simply to suggest that rational choice has been too quickly rejected by most sociological narrativists and that it does have something to contribute to this type of work.
29. 12. Andrew Abbott, "Measure for Measure: Abell's Narrative Methods," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 205-07; Larry Griffin and Charles Ragin, "Some Observations on Formal Methods of Qualitative Analysis," Sociological Methods and Research 23, no. 1 (1994): 7-8; Jill Quadagno and Stan Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists Forsaken Theory?: Thoughts on the History/Theory Relationship," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 481-507; Sewell, "Three," 29-30; Somers, "The Narrative"; Steinmetz, "Reflections." An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of these cultural/interpretive/identity theories is beyond the scope of this article. My purpose is not to argue that rational choice theory is the only (or even necessarily the "best") way to do narrative analysis. My goal is much more modest - simply to suggest that rational choice has been too quickly rejected by most sociological narrativists and that it does have something to contribute to this type of work.
30. 12. Andrew Abbott, "Measure for Measure: Abell's Narrative Methods," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 205-07; Larry Griffin and Charles Ragin, "Some Observations on Formal Methods of Qualitative Analysis," Sociological Methods and Research 23, no. 1 (1994): 7-8; Jill Quadagno and Stan Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists Forsaken Theory?: Thoughts on the History/Theory Relationship," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 481-507; Sewell, "Three," 29-30; Somers, "The Narrative"; Steinmetz, "Reflections." An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of these cultural/interpretive/identity theories is beyond the scope of this article. My purpose is not to argue that rational choice theory is the only (or even necessarily the "best") way to do narrative analysis. My goal is much more modest - simply to suggest that rational choice has been too quickly rejected by most sociological narrativists and that it does have something to contribute to this type of work.
31. 12. Andrew Abbott, "Measure for Measure: Abell's Narrative Methods," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 205-07; Larry Griffin and Charles Ragin, "Some Observations on Formal Methods of Qualitative Analysis," Sociological Methods and Research 23, no. 1 (1994): 7-8; Jill Quadagno and Stan Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists Forsaken Theory?: Thoughts on the History/Theory Relationship," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 481-507; Sewell, "Three," 29-30; Somers, "The Narrative"; Steinmetz, "Reflections." An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of these cultural/interpretive/identity theories is beyond the scope of this article. My purpose is not to argue that rational choice theory is the only (or even necessarily the "best") way to do narrative analysis. My goal is much more modest - simply to suggest that rational choice has been too quickly rejected by most sociological narrativists and that it does have something to contribute to this type of work.
32. 12. Andrew Abbott, "Measure for Measure: Abell's Narrative Methods," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 205-07; Larry Griffin and Charles Ragin, "Some Observations on Formal Methods of Qualitative Analysis," Sociological Methods and Research 23, no. 1 (1994): 7-8; Jill Quadagno and Stan Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists Forsaken Theory?: Thoughts on the History/Theory Relationship," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 481-507; Sewell, "Three," 29-30; Somers, "The Narrative"; Steinmetz, "Reflections." An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of these cultural/interpretive/identity theories is beyond the scope of this article. My purpose is not to argue that rational choice theory is the only (or even necessarily the "best") way to do narrative analysis. My goal is much more modest - simply to suggest that rational choice has been too quickly rejected by most sociological narrativists and that it does have something to contribute to this type of work.
33. 12. Andrew Abbott, "Measure for Measure: Abell's Narrative Methods," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 205-07; Larry Griffin and Charles Ragin, "Some Observations on Formal Methods of Qualitative Analysis," Sociological Methods and Research 23, no. 1 (1994): 7-8; Jill Quadagno and Stan Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists Forsaken Theory?: Thoughts on the History/Theory Relationship," Sociological Methods and Research 20, no. 4 (1992): 481-507; Sewell, "Three," 29-30; Somers, "The Narrative"; Steinmetz, "Reflections." An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of these cultural/interpretive/identity theories is beyond the scope of this article. My purpose is not to argue that rational choice theory is the only (or even necessarily the "best") way to do narrative analysis. My goal is much more modest - simply to suggest that rational choice has been too quickly rejected by most sociological narrativists and that it does have something to contribute to this type of work.
34. 13. Michael Taylor, "Rationality and Revolutionary Collective Action," in Rationality and Revolution, ed. Michael Taylor (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988), 63-97; Edgar Kiser and Michael Hechter, "The Role of General Theory in Comparative-historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 97, no. 1 (1991): 7, 15-17, 19-23.
35. 13. Michael Taylor, "Rationality and Revolutionary Collective Action," in Rationality and Revolution, ed. Michael Taylor (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988), 63-97; Edgar Kiser and Michael Hechter, "The Role of General Theory in Comparative-historical Sociology," American Journal of Sociology 97, no. 1 (1991): 7, 15-17, 19-23.
36. 14. Abbott, "From Causes," 432.
37. 15. James Coleman, "Social Theory, Social Research, and a Theory of Action," American Journal of Sociology 91, no. 6 (1986): 1327-8.
38. 16. Moore, Social; Tilly, The Formation; Skocpol, States.
39. 16. Moore, Social; Tilly, The Formation; Skocpol, States.
40. 16. Moore, Social; Tilly, The Formation; Skocpol, States.
41. 17. Somers, "Narrativity"; Steinmetz, "Reflections."
42. 17. Somers, "Narrativity"; Steinmetz, "Reflections."
43. 18. Sewell, "Three"; Somers, "Narrativity"; Steinmetz, "Reflections."
44. 18. Sewell, "Three"; Somers, "Narrativity"; Steinmetz, "Reflections."
45. 18. Sewell, "Three"; Somers, "Narrativity"; Steinmetz, "Reflections."
46. 19. Abbott, "From Causes"; Griffin, "Narrative."
47. 19. Abbott, "From Causes"; Griffin, "Narrative."
48. 20. Griffin, "Narrative," 1097.
49. 21. See Griffin, "Temporality," 405; Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time." This definition of historical sociology is problematic in two respects: (1) it includes things that do not seem historical at all, such as some types of ethnomethodological or symbolic interactionist analyses, and (2) it excludes all analyses of the past that do not use the narrative method. The definition thus both creates too much heterogeneity in the category "historical" and attempts to hegemonically exclude alternative methodological approaches.
50. 21. See Griffin, "Temporality," 405; Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time." This definition of historical sociology is problematic in two respects: (1) it includes things that do not seem historical at all, such as some types of ethnomethodological or symbolic interactionist analyses, and (2) it excludes all analyses of the past that do not use the narrative method. The definition thus both creates too much heterogeneity in the category "historical" and attempts to hegemonically exclude alternative methodological approaches.
51. 22. Stone, "The Revival," 10.
52. 23. Griffin, "Temporality," 405.
53. 24. Somers, "The Narrative," 620.
54. 25. Philip Abrams, Historical Sociology (Somerset: Open Books, 1982), 175.
55. 26. Griffin, "Narrative," 1096.
56. 27. Abrams, Historical Sociology, 192.
57. 28. Abbott, "Conceptions," 141. This definition is Abbott's translation of the term into the language of what he calls the traditional "stochastic view." He argues that it is more parsimonious to view events as wholes than to translate them into values of several variables, because most of the cells in any such analytic decomposition will always be empty. Strictly speaking, this may be true. But if a general theory can be used to identify some small subset of features of an event (variables) as causally most important, the analytical strategy may be more parsimonious.
58. 29. Sewell, "Three," 31.
59. 30. Abrams, Historical Sociology, 191.
60. 31. Griffin, "Temporality," 414.
61. 32. Abbott, "From Causes," 428-9.
62. 33. Ibid.
63. 34. Griffin, "Narrative," 1096.
64. 35. Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time."
65. 36. Charles Tilly, Big Structures, Large Processes, Huge Comparisons (New York: Russell Sage, 1984).
66. 37. Sewell, "Three."
67. 38. Skocpol, States.
68. 39. Sewell, "Three," 23-4.
69. 40. Griffin, "Temporality," 407. See also Tilly, Big, 14; Somers, "Narrativity."
70. 40. Griffin, "Temporality," 407. See also Tilly, Big, 14; Somers, "Narrativity."
71. 40. Griffin, "Temporality," 407. See also Tilly, Big, 14; Somers, "Narrativity."
72. 41. Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 501-2.
73. 42. Larry Issac and Larry Griffin, "Ahistoricism in Time-Series Analyses of Historical Process: Critique, Redirection, and Illustrations from U.S. Labor History," American Sociological Review 54 (1989): 873-90. See also Terry Boswell and Cliff Brown, "The Scope of General Theory: Methods for Linking Deductive and Inductive Comparative History," presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Sociological Association, Los Angeles, 1994, for an interesting attempt to use Qualitative Comparative Analysis to methodologically specify scope conditions.
74. 42. Larry Issac and Larry Griffin, "Ahistoricism in Time-Series Analyses of Historical Process: Critique, Redirection, and Illustrations from U.S. Labor History," American Sociological Review 54 (1989): 873-90. See also Terry Boswell and Cliff Brown, "The Scope of General Theory: Methods for Linking Deductive and Inductive Comparative History," presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Sociological Association, Los Angeles, 1994, for an interesting attempt to use Qualitative Comparative Analysis to methodologically specify scope conditions.
75. 43. Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," 462.
76. 44. One of the most difficult aspects of arguments stressing path dependence is the counterfactual analysis required to demonstrate the existence of foreclosed paths. On this point, see Jon Elster, Logic and Society (New York: John Wiley, 1978); Griffin, "Narrative"; and Edgar Riser and Margaret Levi, "Using Counterfactuals in Historical Analysis: Theories of Revolution," in Counterfactuals in International Relations, ed. Philip Tetlock and Aaron Belkin (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996).
77. 44. One of the most difficult aspects of arguments stressing path dependence is the counterfactual analysis required to demonstrate the existence of foreclosed paths. On this point, see Jon Elster, Logic and Society (New York: John Wiley, 1978); Griffin, "Narrative"; and Edgar Riser and Margaret Levi, "Using Counterfactuals in Historical Analysis: Theories of Revolution," in Counterfactuals in International Relations, ed. Philip Tetlock and Aaron Belkin (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996).
78. 44. One of the most difficult aspects of arguments stressing path dependence is the counterfactual analysis required to demonstrate the existence of foreclosed paths. On this point, see Jon Elster, Logic and Society (New York: John Wiley, 1978); Griffin, "Narrative"; and Edgar Riser and Margaret Levi, "Using Counterfactuals in Historical Analysis: Theories of Revolution," in Counterfactuals in International Relations, ed. Philip Tetlock and Aaron Belkin (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996).
79. 45. Abrams, Historical Sociology, 307.
80. 46. Ibid., 314.
81. 47. Some formal narrative methodologies already contain some substantive theory. The ETHNO program developed by David Heise, "Modeling Event Structures," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 14 (1989): 139-69, and used by Griffin, "Narrative," contains "theoretical constraints." In fact, Griffin, "Narrative," 1105, notes that ETHNO was influenced by rational choice theory and contains some similar elements in its internal logic. However, ETHNO does not contain a full causal theory, and Griffin, "Narrative," 1107-8, repeatedly circumvents the theoretical constraints it does have in his analysis of lynchings.
82. 47. Some formal narrative methodologies already contain some substantive theory. The ETHNO program developed by David Heise, "Modeling Event Structures," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 14 (1989): 139-69, and used by Griffin, "Narrative," contains "theoretical constraints." In fact, Griffin, "Narrative," 1105, notes that ETHNO was influenced by rational choice theory and contains some similar elements in its internal logic. However, ETHNO does not contain a full causal theory, and Griffin, "Narrative," 1107-8, repeatedly circumvents the theoretical constraints it does have in his analysis of lynchings.
83. 47. Some formal narrative methodologies already contain some substantive theory. The ETHNO program developed by David Heise, "Modeling Event Structures," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 14 (1989): 139-69, and used by Griffin, "Narrative," contains "theoretical constraints." In fact, Griffin, "Narrative," 1105, notes that ETHNO was influenced by rational choice theory and contains some similar elements in its internal logic. However, ETHNO does not contain a full causal theory, and Griffin, "Narrative," 1107-8, repeatedly circumvents the theoretical constraints it does have in his analysis of lynchings.
84. 47. Some formal narrative methodologies already contain some substantive theory. The ETHNO program developed by David Heise, "Modeling Event Structures," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 14 (1989): 139-69, and used by Griffin, "Narrative," contains "theoretical constraints." In fact, Griffin, "Narrative," 1105, notes that ETHNO was influenced by rational choice theory and contains some similar elements in its internal logic. However, ETHNO does not contain a full causal theory, and Griffin, "Narrative," 1107-8, repeatedly circumvents the theoretical constraints it does have in his analysis of lynchings.
85. 48. Other narrativists advocate the use of theory, but not general, deductive theory. Sewell, "Three," 49, thinks that sociologists "will increasingly have to look to historians and their narratives for theoretical inspiration." Aminzade, Ballots, 25-7, wants to develop "theoretically structured stories" using "historically grounded theory." Somers, "Narrativity," 594, worries that the use of abstract theory can result in "denarrativized" narrative (by which she seems to mean a narrative that lacks sufficient attention to time and space). Although Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 505, are critical of general theory (as advocated by Kiser and Hechter, "The Role"), they too see a role for some type of theory in narrative analysis.
86. 48. Other narrativists advocate the use of theory, but not general, deductive theory. Sewell, "Three," 49, thinks that sociologists "will increasingly have to look to historians and their narratives for theoretical inspiration." Aminzade, Ballots, 25-7, wants to develop "theoretically structured stories" using "historically grounded theory." Somers, "Narrativity," 594, worries that the use of abstract theory can result in "denarrativized" narrative (by which she seems to mean a narrative that lacks sufficient attention to time and space). Although Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 505, are critical of general theory (as advocated by Kiser and Hechter, "The Role"), they too see a role for some type of theory in narrative analysis.
87. 48. Other narrativists advocate the use of theory, but not general, deductive theory. Sewell, "Three," 49, thinks that sociologists "will increasingly have to look to historians and their narratives for theoretical inspiration." Aminzade, Ballots, 25-7, wants to develop "theoretically structured stories" using "historically grounded theory." Somers, "Narrativity," 594, worries that the use of abstract theory can result in "denarrativized" narrative (by which she seems to mean a narrative that lacks sufficient attention to time and space). Although Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 505, are critical of general theory (as advocated by Kiser and Hechter, "The Role"), they too see a role for some type of theory in narrative analysis.
88. 48. Other narrativists advocate the use of theory, but not general, deductive theory. Sewell, "Three," 49, thinks that sociologists "will increasingly have to look to historians and their narratives for theoretical inspiration." Aminzade, Ballots, 25-7, wants to develop "theoretically structured stories" using "historically grounded theory." Somers, "Narrativity," 594, worries that the use of abstract theory can result in "denarrativized" narrative (by which she seems to mean a narrative that lacks sufficient attention to time and space). Although Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 505, are critical of general theory (as advocated by Kiser and Hechter, "The Role"), they too see a role for some type of theory in narrative analysis.
89. 48. Other narrativists advocate the use of theory, but not general, deductive theory. Sewell, "Three," 49, thinks that sociologists "will increasingly have to look to historians and their narratives for theoretical inspiration." Aminzade, Ballots, 25-7, wants to develop "theoretically structured stories" using "historically grounded theory." Somers, "Narrativity," 594, worries that the use of abstract theory can result in "denarrativized" narrative (by which she seems to mean a narrative that lacks sufficient attention to time and space). Although Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 505, are critical of general theory (as advocated by Kiser and Hechter, "The Role"), they too see a role for some type of theory in narrative analysis.
90. 49. Griffin, "Narrative," 1100.
91. 50. Ibid., 1102-3.
92. 51. Abrams, Historical Sociology, 211-2.
93. 52. Griffin, "Temporality," 420. See also Somers, "Narrativity," 601, on testing "plot hypotheses."
94. 52. Griffin, "Temporality," 420. See also Somers, "Narrativity," 601, on testing "plot hypotheses."
95. 53. The following arguments about scope conditions draw on the general discussion in Bernard Cohen, Developing Sociological Knowledge (Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1989).
96. 54. Many other factors affect the testability of theories. First, in order to be testable a theory must be stated in prepositional form. This is the problem with Quadagno and Knapp's, "Have Historical Sociologists," 505, argument that the role of theory should not be to provide "answers" (presumably in the form of testable propositions), but only to raise questions for narrative analysis to address (Griffin, "Temporality," 422, agrees). Since questions cannot be tested, they cannot generate anomalies, and all philosophers of science agree that discovering anomalies is the main source of cumulation of knowledge. On this point, see Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962); Imre Lakatos, The Methodology of Scientific Research Programs (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978). Finally, testing is facilitated by the explicitness of the theory (since the propositions must be clear), the parsimony of the theory (since less data will be required for testing), and the greater the number and diversity of propositions it generates (since more potential tests are possible).
97. 54. Many other factors affect the testability of theories. First, in order to be testable a theory must be stated in prepositional form. This is the problem with Quadagno and Knapp's, "Have Historical Sociologists," 505, argument that the role of theory should not be to provide "answers" (presumably in the form of testable propositions), but only to raise questions for narrative analysis to address (Griffin, "Temporality," 422, agrees). Since questions cannot be tested, they cannot generate anomalies, and all philosophers of science agree that discovering anomalies is the main source of cumulation of knowledge. On this point, see Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962); Imre Lakatos, The Methodology of Scientific Research Programs (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978). Finally, testing is facilitated by the explicitness of the theory (since the propositions must be clear), the parsimony of the theory (since less data will be required for testing), and the greater the number and diversity of propositions it generates (since more potential tests are possible).
98. 54. Many other factors affect the testability of theories. First, in order to be testable a theory must be stated in prepositional form. This is the problem with Quadagno and Knapp's, "Have Historical Sociologists," 505, argument that the role of theory should not be to provide "answers" (presumably in the form of testable propositions), but only to raise questions for narrative analysis to address (Griffin, "Temporality," 422, agrees). Since questions cannot be tested, they cannot generate anomalies, and all philosophers of science agree that discovering anomalies is the main source of cumulation of knowledge. On this point, see Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962); Imre Lakatos, The Methodology of Scientific Research Programs (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978). Finally, testing is facilitated by the explicitness of the theory (since the propositions must be clear), the parsimony of the theory (since less data will be required for testing), and the greater the number and diversity of propositions it generates (since more potential tests are possible).
99. 54. Many other factors affect the testability of theories. First, in order to be testable a theory must be stated in prepositional form. This is the problem with Quadagno and Knapp's, "Have Historical Sociologists," 505, argument that the role of theory should not be to provide "answers" (presumably in the form of testable propositions), but only to raise questions for narrative analysis to address (Griffin, "Temporality," 422, agrees). Since questions cannot be tested, they cannot generate anomalies, and all philosophers of science agree that discovering anomalies is the main source of cumulation of knowledge. On this point, see Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962); Imre Lakatos, The Methodology of Scientific Research Programs (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978). Finally, testing is facilitated by the explicitness of the theory (since the propositions must be clear), the parsimony of the theory (since less data will be required for testing), and the greater the number and diversity of propositions it generates (since more potential tests are possible).
100. 55. Abbott, "Conceptions"; Griffin, "Temporality," 407; Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 501-2; Somers, "Narrativity."
101. 55. Abbott, "Conceptions"; Griffin, "Temporality," 407; Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 501-2; Somers, "Narrativity."
102. 55. Abbott, "Conceptions"; Griffin, "Temporality," 407; Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 501-2; Somers, "Narrativity."
103. 55. Abbott, "Conceptions"; Griffin, "Temporality," 407; Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 501-2; Somers, "Narrativity."
104. 56. Edgar Kiser, "Markets and Hierarchies in Early Modern Tax Systems: A Principal-Agent Analysis," Politics and Society 22, no. 3 (1994): 284-315.
105. 57. Ibid.
106. 58. Edgar Kiser and Kathryn Baker, "Could Privatization Increase the Efficiency of Tax Collection in Less Developed Countries?" Policy Studies Journal 22, no. 3 (1994): 489-501. The data used in this article are more illustrative than conclusive, so further empirical work on the privatization of tax collection in contemporary less developed countries is warranted.
107. 59. George Steinmetz, Regulating the Social (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993).
108. 60. Griffin, "Narrative."
109. 61. Ibid., 1126.
110. 62. Ibid., 1111, 1113, 1115, 1119.
111. 63. Sewell, "Three," 4, 24; see also Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 495.
112. 63. Sewell, "Three," 4, 24; see also Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists," 495.
113. 64. Sewell, "Three," 41-2; Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time." The other main source of contingency and indeterminacy for narrativists is the complex conjunctural nature of causation. For example, Abbott, "From Causes," 439, argues that "reality does not happen in main effects but in interactions."
114. 64. Sewell, "Three," 41-2; Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time." The other main source of contingency and indeterminacy for narrativists is the complex conjunctural nature of causation. For example, Abbott, "From Causes," 439, argues that "reality does not happen in main effects but in interactions."
115. 64. Sewell, "Three," 41-2; Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time." The other main source of contingency and indeterminacy for narrativists is the complex conjunctural nature of causation. For example, Abbott, "From Causes," 439, argues that "reality does not happen in main effects but in interactions."
116. 65. Emphasis added. Griffin, "Narrative," 1099.
117. 66. Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time"; Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists"; Sewell, "Three."
118. 66. Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time"; Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists"; Sewell, "Three."
119. 66. Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time"; Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists"; Sewell, "Three."
120. 67. For criticisms, see Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists"; Abbott, "From Causes," "Measure," 205-6; Somers, "Narrativity."
121. 67. For criticisms, see Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists"; Abbott, "From Causes," "Measure," 205-6; Somers, "Narrativity."
122. 67. For criticisms, see Quadagno and Knapp, "Have Historical Sociologists"; Abbott, "From Causes," "Measure," 205-6; Somers, "Narrativity."
123. 68. See Abell, "Some Aspects," 263, for a similar definition. This definition combines the traditional view of narrative as a discursive mode of representation with the more contemporary stress on temporality. McCloskey, If You're So Smart, also separates narrative (stories) from theory (models). He defines narrative as follows: "A story ... sets down in chronological order the raw experience in one domain." Narrativists may object that this definition is too narrow, that narrative is not just a method but contains theoretical argument (that shapes "characters" and organizes "plots") as well. This is true in the sense that there are no totally atheoretical narratives; narrative is never just "data." However, since I want to explore the role that theory does and should play in narrative, it is useful to analytically separate the theoretical from the methodological aspect of narrative.
124. 68. See Abell, "Some Aspects," 263, for a similar definition. This definition combines the traditional view of narrative as a discursive mode of representation with the more contemporary stress on temporality. McCloskey, If You're So Smart, also separates narrative (stories) from theory (models). He defines narrative as follows: "A story ... sets down in chronological order the raw experience in one domain." Narrativists may object that this definition is too narrow, that narrative is not just a method but contains theoretical argument (that shapes "characters" and organizes "plots") as well. This is true in the sense that there are no totally atheoretical narratives; narrative is never just "data." However, since I want to explore the role that theory does and should play in narrative, it is useful to analytically separate the theoretical from the methodological aspect of narrative.
125. 69. This is similar to Abbott's, "Conceptions," 141, definition of events as conjunctures.
126. 70. For example, in Griffin, "Temporality," 417.
127. 71. Abbott, "From Causes," 428-30.
128. 72. Griffin, "Temporality," 425.
129. 73. Griffin, "Narrative," 1251-2. See also Abrams, Historical Sociology, x, xv, 192; Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," 467.
130. 73. Griffin, "Narrative," 1251-2. See also Abrams, Historical Sociology, x, xv, 192; Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," 467.
131. 73. Griffin, "Narrative," 1251-2. See also Abrams, Historical Sociology, x, xv, 192; Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," 467.
132. 74. Max Weber, Economy and Society (Berkeley: University of California Press, [1922] 1968).
133. 75. Arthur Stinchcombe, "The Conditions of Fruitfulness of Theorizing about Mechanisms in Social Science," Philosophy of the Social Sciences 21, no. 3 (1991): 367-88.
134. 76. Stinchcombe, ibid., 384, notes that " 'Assumption mongering,' showing that the theories of the mechanisms are not true, is therefore seldom a useful strategy in scientific theorizing at an aggregate level. Just as statistical mechanics is still useful even if molecules of gases are not little round elastic balls, so assumptions that all people can calculate at a level two standard deviations above the mean may not be far enough wrong in relevant ways to undermine assumptions of rationality in economics."
135. 77. David Kreps, Game Theory and Economic Modeling (Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1990), 13.
136. 78. Abbott, "From Causes," 443-5, notes that game theory is one of the "most interesting of modeling techniques" that may serve as a "useful bridge" in moving toward a fully narrative method. However, he is critical of game theory because it is often difficult to know which of many different game theoretic models is appropriate in any analysis and because it has no way to explain preferences.
137. 79. Abell, "Some Aspects." The extent of disagreement about the role of theory in narrative analysis is illustrated by contrasting reactions to Abell's work. In a recent symposium, he was criticized both for having too little theory and for having too much. David Wilier, "A Critique of Abell's 'Paths of Social Determination,' " Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 192-3, 200, and Thomas Fararo, "Generating Narrative Forms," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 154, criticize Abell for having an insufficient theory of structure and lacking an explanatory theory. On the other hand, Abbott, "Measure," 205-6, who has no substantive theory associated with his narrative method, criticizes Abell for including too much theory (and for using rational choice and game theory in particular).
138. 79. Abell, "Some Aspects." The extent of disagreement about the role of theory in narrative analysis is illustrated by contrasting reactions to Abell's work. In a recent symposium, he was criticized both for having too little theory and for having too much. David Wilier, "A Critique of Abell's 'Paths of Social Determination,' " Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 192-3, 200, and Thomas Fararo, "Generating Narrative Forms," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 154, criticize Abell for having an insufficient theory of structure and lacking an explanatory theory. On the other hand, Abbott, "Measure," 205-6, who has no substantive theory associated with his narrative method, criticizes Abell for including too much theory (and for using rational choice and game theory in particular).
139. 79. Abell, "Some Aspects." The extent of disagreement about the role of theory in narrative analysis is illustrated by contrasting reactions to Abell's work. In a recent symposium, he was criticized both for having too little theory and for having too much. David Wilier, "A Critique of Abell's 'Paths of Social Determination,' " Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 192-3, 200, and Thomas Fararo, "Generating Narrative Forms," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 154, criticize Abell for having an insufficient theory of structure and lacking an explanatory theory. On the other hand, Abbott, "Measure," 205-6, who has no substantive theory associated with his narrative method, criticizes Abell for including too much theory (and for using rational choice and game theory in particular).
140. 79. Abell, "Some Aspects." The extent of disagreement about the role of theory in narrative analysis is illustrated by contrasting reactions to Abell's work. In a recent symposium, he was criticized both for having too little theory and for having too much. David Wilier, "A Critique of Abell's 'Paths of Social Determination,' " Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 192-3, 200, and Thomas Fararo, "Generating Narrative Forms," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 18, no. 2-3 (1993): 154, criticize Abell for having an insufficient theory of structure and lacking an explanatory theory. On the other hand, Abbott, "Measure," 205-6, who has no substantive theory associated with his narrative method, criticizes Abell for including too much theory (and for using rational choice and game theory in particular).
141. 80. Seigwart Lindenberg, "Social Production Functions, Deficits, and Revolutions: Pre-revolutionary France and Russia," Rationality and Society (July 1989): 50-76.
142. 81. Douglas Heckathorn, "Collective Sanctions and the Creation of Prisoner's Dilemma Norms," American Journal of Sociology 94 (1988): 535-62; "Collective Sanctions and Compliance Norms: A Formal Theory of Group-Mediated Social Control," American Sociological Review 55 (1990): 366-84.
143. 81. Douglas Heckathorn, "Collective Sanctions and the Creation of Prisoner's Dilemma Norms," American Journal of Sociology 94 (1988): 535-62; "Collective Sanctions and Compliance Norms: A Formal Theory of Group-Mediated Social Control," American Sociological Review 55 (1990): 366-84.
144. 82. Cliff Brown and Terry Boswell, "Strikebreaking or Solidarity in the Great Steel Strike of 1919: A Split Labor Market, Game-Theoretic, and QCA Analysis," American Journal of Sociology 100, no. 6 (1995): 1479-1519.
145. 83. Mary Brinton, "The Social-Institutional Bases of Gender Stratification: Japan as an Illustrative Case," American Journal of Sociology 94, no. 2 (1988): 300-34.
146. 84. Yoram Barzel and Edgar Kiser, "The Development and Decline of Medieval Voting Institutions: A Comparison of England and France," Economic Inquiry, forthcoming.
147. 85. See Barry Weingast and Michael Moran, "Bureaucratic Discretion or Congressional Control?: Regulatory Policy Making by the Federal Trade Commission," Journal of Political Economy 91 (1983): 765-800, on congressional committees, and David Mueller, Public Choice II (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989), 255, on bureaus proposing budgets.
148. 85. See Barry Weingast and Michael Moran, "Bureaucratic Discretion or Congressional Control?: Regulatory Policy Making by the Federal Trade Commission," Journal of Political Economy 91 (1983): 765-800, on congressional committees, and David Mueller, Public Choice II (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989), 255, on bureaus proposing budgets.
149. 86. Aminzade, "Historical Sociology and Time," 471.
150. 87. Margaret Levi, Of Rule and Revenue (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988).
151. 88. Brian Arthur, "Self-Reinforcing Mechanisms in Economics," in The Economy as an Evolving Complex System, ed. P. Anderson, K. Arrow, and D. Pines (Reading, MA: Addison Wesley, 1988); Brian Arthur, "Competing Technologies, Increasing Returns, and Lock In by Historical Events," Economic Journal 99 (1989): 116-31; Paul David, "Clio and the Economics of QWERTY," American Economic Review 75 (1985): 332-7.
152. 88. Brian Arthur, "Self-Reinforcing Mechanisms in Economics," in The Economy as an Evolving Complex System, ed. P. Anderson, K. Arrow, and D. Pines (Reading, MA: Addison Wesley, 1988); Brian Arthur, "Competing Technologies, Increasing Returns, and Lock In by Historical Events," Economic Journal 99 (1989): 116-31; Paul David, "Clio and the Economics of QWERTY," American Economic Review 75 (1985): 332-7.
153. 88. Brian Arthur, "Self-Reinforcing Mechanisms in Economics," in The Economy as an Evolving Complex System, ed. P. Anderson, K. Arrow, and D. Pines (Reading, MA: Addison Wesley, 1988); Brian Arthur, "Competing Technologies, Increasing Returns, and Lock In by Historical Events," Economic Journal 99 (1989): 116-31; Paul David, "Clio and the Economics of QWERTY," American Economic Review 75 (1985): 332-7.
154. 89. The case of evolutionary biology illustrates well the necessity of combining narrative methods with general theory. Although narrativists often like to point to the importance of path dependence and contingency in the narratives of evolutionary biologists such as Gould, it is important to note that in addition to these features, general theory such as natural selection and molecular biology guides these stories. The former provides macrolevel causal mechanisms and the latter microlevel causal mechanisms.
155. 90. Oliver Williamson, "Transaction Cost Economics and Organization Theory," Industrial and Corporate Change 2, no. 2 (1993): 143.
156. 91. Douglas North, Institutions, Institutional Change, and Economic Performance (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991), 92-5.
157. 92. Paul Baron and Michael Hannan, "The Impact of Economics on Contemporary Sociology," Journal of Economic Perspectives 32 (1994): 1141-2.
158. 93. Arthur, "Self-Reinforcing," 10.
159. 94. Thomas Schelling, Micromotives and Macrobehavior (New York: Norton, 1960); see also Kreps, Game, 100-2.
160. 94. Thomas Schelling, Micromotives and Macrobehavior (New York: Norton, 1960); see also Kreps, Game, 100-2.
161. 95. Abell, The Syntax', "Some Aspects"; Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, "Counterfactuals in International Affairs: Some Insights from Game Theory," in Counterfactuals in International Relations, ed. Philip Tetlock and Aaron Belkin (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, forthcoming); Barry Weingast, "Off-The-Path Behavior: A Game-Theoretic Approach to Counterfactuals and Its Implications for Political and Historical Analysis," in Counterfactuals in International Relations, ed. Philip Tetlock and Aaron Belkin (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, forthcoming).
162. 95. Abell, The Syntax', "Some Aspects"; Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, "Counterfactuals in International Affairs: Some Insights from Game Theory," in Counterfactuals in International Relations, ed. Philip Tetlock and Aaron Belkin (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, forthcoming); Barry Weingast, "Off-The-Path Behavior: A Game-Theoretic Approach to Counterfactuals and Its Implications for Political and Historical Analysis," in Counterfactuals in International Relations, ed. Philip Tetlock and Aaron Belkin (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, forthcoming).
163. 95. Abell, The Syntax', "Some Aspects"; Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, "Counterfactuals in International Affairs: Some Insights from Game Theory," in Counterfactuals in International Relations, ed. Philip Tetlock and Aaron Belkin (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, forthcoming); Barry Weingast, "Off-The-Path Behavior: A Game-Theoretic Approach to Counterfactuals and Its Implications for Political and Historical Analysis," in Counterfactuals in International Relations, ed. Philip Tetlock and Aaron Belkin (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, forthcoming).
164. 96. In contrast, Griffin's "Temporality," 417, view of the role of theory is complicated by an inability to separate it from historical particulars in his discussion of how narratives explain. "Events fuse the historically particular and the theoretically general so thoroughly that the distinction between the two is largely mute." A major problem with making this distinction mute is that it is not clear which arguments (or which parts of arguments) can be applied only to the case at hand, and which may be transportable to other cases (and, if so, to what types of other cases).
165. 97. Edgar Kiser and Yoram Barzel, "The Origins of Democracy in England," Rationality and Society 3, no. 4 (1991): 396-422.
166. 98. Steinmetz, "Reflections."
167. 99. Somers, "Narrativity."
168. 100. Sewell, "Three."