Historical Sociology and Time

Abstract

Historical sociologists have criticized their discipline for a tendency to ignore the temporal dimensions of social life, either by studying the correlates of outcomes rather than the character of temporally connected events or by treating events as surface manifestations of large-scale and long-term processes of change. These critiques have led to a reassessment of the value of narratives and to new methods for mapping historical sequences of events. Yet there has been relatively little discussion of the concepts needed to create a more event-centered historical sociology. This article explores the way in which four different concepts of time-duration, pace, trajectory, and cycle-have been used in recent historical social science. These concepts allow one to analyze the temporal characteristics of connected events that constitute long-term historical processes as well as the way in which actors understand and experience the temporal flow of events. They are most useful, the author argues when employed in a manner that is attentive to the understandings of social actors and the problematic reconstruction of the past. These concepts constitute building blocks for the construction of a more event-centered historical sociology.

Is one path enough? Multiple paths and path interaction as an extension of path dependency theory

“…First, some articles mention the existence of 7 bifurcation points or junctures, when alternative future paths appear, which can be interpreted as opportunities for divergent progression (cf., e.g., Araujo and Harrison, 2002). However, most of this literature still adheres to the notion of lock-in and therefore argues that path dependency essentially prevents actors from going down emerging technological paths (Aminzade, 1992;Araujo and Harrison, 2002); lock-in implies that actors lose their ability to adapt to changes and cannot move to other alternatives even if they would prefer to do so (Garud et al, 2010;Vergne and Durand, 2010). This implies that new paths tend to originate from outside existing industries and that industry incumbents can be severely challenged when new technological paths emerge (cf.…”

Continuidades, rupturas y coyunturas en la transformación de los obreros de Madeco S.A., 1973-2003

“…Dentro de una amplia gama de investigaciones derivadas de esta postura, nos apoyamos en tres conceptos que parecen como los más relevantes para estudiar el caso de MADECO 2 . Aminzade (1992) pone énfasis en la noción de herencias históricas específicas (path dependence), según la cual en "una trayectoria dada, las decisiones tomadas en el pasado y los eventos que sucedieron con mucha anterioridad pueden ayudar a explicar los caminos de desarrollo posteriores y los resultados contemporáneos" de una secuencia histórica (1992: 462-463). Los análisis que emplean el concepto de las "herencias históricas" específicas no sólo se diferencian de los intentos por parte de los partidarios de la teoría de la elección racional de elaborar generalizaciones sin referencia al contexto histórico de su objeto de estudio, sino también de la tendencia de los sociólogos históricos tradicionales que desarrollan generalizaciones causales en base a la comparación de procesos similares (por ejemplo las revoluciones o la formación de los EstadoNaciones).…”

Tracing the Path to “Tiger Hood”: Ireland's Move From Protectionism to Outward Looking Economic Development

“…Accounts of how and why events develop as they do necessitate a mode of causal logic that is grounded in time and in characteristically temporal processes (Abrams, 1982;Aminzade, 1992). As Mahoney (2000: 511) notes, path-dependent analyses have at least three defining characteristics: (1) they entail the study of causal processes that are very sensitive to events that occur early on in an overall historical sequence; (2) given the contingent character of these early historical events, they cannot be explained by reason of preceding events or initial conditions; and (3) when contingent historical events occur, path-dependent sequences are reflected in essentially deterministic causal patterns.…”