Sociological analysis is replete with debates about “micro” and “macro,” individual and society, but all too often these miss the point: interacting groups are the hinge that connects the two. To understand how structures matter and how individuals navigate them, we must take groups and people in local communities seriously.
Gary Alan Fine and Tim Hallett skillfully argue that sociologists have the obligation to examine the role of small communities in the creation of both the interaction order and structural realities. With novel concepts and rich ethnographic examples, this book describes how group commitments shape selves and society, emphasizing the importance of a meso-level approach to social organization. Fine and Hallett provide new models of identity, culture, conflict, and control, and consider how a network of groups can provide insight into extended communication channels and social media lattices. Ultimately, they show that, despite the importance of institutions and individuals, group life is the fundamental building block of community.
This timely book makes the case for a local sociology that includes sociality. It will be a welcome resource for students and sociologists, and a necessary call to action for the discipline as a whole.
Table of Contents
OpeningChapter One: Believing in Groups: The Possibility of a Local Sociology
Part I: The Individual in the Group
Chapter Two: Being in Groups: Reflective and Collective Identities
Chapter Three: Belonging to Groups: The Power and Benefits of Commitment
Part II: The World of the Group
Chapter Four: Building Groups: The Power of Idioculture
Chapter Five: Bonding by Groups: The Basis for Collective Action
Part III: The Group in the World
Chapter Six: Battling Groups: The Minuet of Conflict and Control
Chapter Seven: Bridging Groups: Extending the Local
Chapter Eight: Better Sociology: A Call to Small Arms
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