Relations-In-Process: In Honour of François Dépelteau

• Nick Crossley ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Manchester

     University of Manchester

     Reino Unido

     
• Localización: Digithum: A relational perspective on culture and society, ISSN-e 1575-2275, Nº. 26, 2020 (Ejemplar dedicado a: La obra de François Dépélteau (Editor: Prof. Peeter Selg))
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen

  • In this paper, reflecting the twin interests of François Dépelteau, I draw together the themes of ‘relationality’ and ‘process’. Having argued that the concept of ‘relations’ is central to sociology (and a fortiori ‘relational’ sociology), I discuss some of the problems associated with the concept. In this context I propose a processual conception. A social relation, I argue, is the ‘state of play’ in an interaction history between two actors and, as such, is always ‘in process’. Relations do not exist in isolation, however. They concatenate in complex networks, which are themselves always ‘in process’. The later sections of the paper discuss such networks and the mechanisms which drive their evolution across time.