Systemtheorie und rekonstruktive Sozialforschung

How Luhmann’s systems theory can inform gambling studies

“…For Claude Lévi-Strauss (1969), systems were latent structures based on dualistic oppositions such as nature/culture or raw/cooked. Luhmann's systems come close to Pierre Bourdieu's notion of fields, defined as spheres that have specific properties but that are also connected to other fields more closely than in Luhmann's work (Vogd, 2011). Furthermore, Luhmann's thinking is partially built on the work of Talcott Parsons' understanding of systems, but Luhmann rejects its basic assumptions.…”

“…To grasp these processes in detail, context and contexture (Vogd, 2011) are analytically separated. The context is concerned with for example the origin of the data (such as the country of data collection, profession of respondents, etc.…”

“…This might appear a rather simple and descriptive endeavour at first but can easily become more complicated when trying to establish the whole network of polycontexturalities. Such networks are dependent on the observer who replaces any linear causality assumed in actor-based analytical frameworks (Vogd, 2011). The validity of observations may be debated, but observations are not arbitrary because some interpretations can be clearly identified as false (Esposito, 2013).…”

“…Unlike in Foucauldian governmentality studies that observe policies through, and as interwoven with, the use of diffuse power relations (see e.g., Lemke, 2019), a Luhmannian perspective does not take a critical stance from the outset, nor is it personified in individuals. Instead, Luhmann follows the logic of the system to show how policy discourses come into existence and how they work, both in relation to as well as based on different system logics (e.g., Virtanen, 2015a;Vogd, 2011;). Luhmann's theoretical insights would suggest that regulations on the gambling system are possible if, instead of attempting to determine rules for operations, they contribute indirectly by shaping the structures through which gambling is institutionally possible.…”

“…Luhmann's separation of social system types into society, organisations and interactions (Luhmann, 1984;Seidl, 2005) also allows studying gambling from the point of view of the organisation system. Luhmann's insights have been previously applied in organisation studies particularly in German-speaking countries (e.g., Seidl & Becker, 2006;Seidl & Mormann, 2015;Vogd, 2011). In gambling studies, Kankainen and Hellman (in press) have looked at the beneficiaries of gambling as an organisational structure using Luhmann's concepts, but no previous studies have considered gambling operation from the point of view of an organisation as a decision-based system.…”