Robert K.

Merton and Contemporary Sociology by Carlo Mongardini; Simonetta Tabboni

Review by: Terry Nichols Clark
Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 28, No. 6 (Nov., 1999), p. 744
Published by: American Sociological Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2655600 .
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744 theories and Epistemology

persons
ranging
from
general
socialcritics
to
moretechnical
sciencestudies
researchers.
In
fact,workin these"specialized"
areasmakes
Merton's
ideasunusually
important
forgeneral
socialtheory.
Theseareasprovide
a precise
and
lucidseries
ofqueries,
criticisms,
andanswers
to
the
core
issues
raised
by
cultural
relativists,
postRobertK. Mertonand Contemporary
Sociology,
socialconstructionists,
and other
edited
byCarlo Mongardini andSimonetta modernists,
critics
ofthegrand
tradition
from
Weber
Tabboni. New Brunswick,
NJ:Transaction,recent
Merton.
1998. 330 pp. $44.95 cloth.
ISBN:1-56000-318- through
ThusMerton's
writings,
reexamined
inthese
9.
diverse
chapters,
takeoncontemporary
concern.
TERRYNICHOLSCLARK
His reflections
coverrelations
between
theory
Universityof Chicago
andempirical
work,
manifest
andlatentfunctnclark@smidway.
uc1vicago.edu
tions,
breaking
upthemacrosocial
toshow,
for
instance,
thatwhatis"functional"
for"therich"
This book,whichcouldbe subtitled
"Why
maybe dysfunctional
forthe"thepoor,"and
should
wereadMerton
thel990s?"brings
out
how
both
material
and
cultural
factors
interpenmanygeneral
pointsin theRobert
K. Merton
etrate
and
advance
knowledge.
Merton
worked
legacy.
Theunusual
tack:focusing
onhisbroadthrough
dozens
of
concerns
raised
by
Marxists
erintellectual
concerns,
whichlendsa distinct
from
the1930sonward;
he
perspective
on Merton.
The contributors
are andotherradicals
addressed
repeatedly
most
of
the
critical
conmainly
European,
often
Italian,
andtheirconraised
bythepost-1968
critics
ofthegrand
cerns
with
broader
socialtheory
andsocialinter- cerns
tradition.
For
instance,
in
a
chapter
on the
pretation
highlight
thebroader
"functions"
that
"open
society"
Giuliano
Gioro
shows
how
Merton's
writings
can perform
forsociology
Merton's
recasting
of
functional
analysis
made
it
today.
Thevolume
thusprovides
a foundation
consistent
with
Marxist
analyses
and
those
of
formoregeneral
socialtheory
forcontemporary
advocates
ofradical
democratic
participareaders.
Why?
Because
socialscience
after
1968 other
tion.
Addressing
another
recent
issue,
Elena
so often
criticized
earlier
work.
Wherearewe
Besozzi
writes
on
"The
Model
of
Theorynow?This is the deeperquestionthe book
Research
Circularity
as a WayOutof
addresses.
Seeking
toformulate
a clearandself- Emprical
Sztompka,
consciouslocationforthe entiresociology the Micro-MacroDichotomy."
Crothers,
Zuckerman,
and
others
pursue
related
enterprise,
building
on the legacyof these
concerns.
1960s-199Os debates,
is the mainrecurrent
himself
contributes
anafterword
that
themethroughout
the book's21 chapters. Merton
keythemes.
He shedsnewlighton
Youngercriticalsociologists,
generalsocial reviews
byshowing
howhegrappled
with
theorists,
and othersconcerned
withspecific many often
concerns
of
younger
social
critics
when
he
himfields,
suchas science
anddeviance,
cantherein similar
issues,
from
the
forefindillumination
and a foundation
on selfwasimmersed
1930s,whenCommunism
andFascism
seemed
which
tobuild.
theWestern
mainstream
Filippo
Barbano
starts
withthereception
of to be overwhelming
legacy,
up
to
the
present.
Here
as
ever,his
Merton
in Italy.He wrote
theintroduction
to
scrutiny
ofevery
question,
hisskepticism
successive
Italianeditions
ofSocialTheoryand intense
received
answers,
andhisoriginal
synSocialStructure,
andherecharts
closely
therise toward
buildcumulatively
on past
andfallofinterest
invarious
Mertonian
themes thesesrepeatedly
yetpushsubstantially
ahead.His comfrom
the1950s to thepresent.
Merton
(with work,
and
Parsons
andLazarsfeld)
defined
American
soci- mentsshowhow Mertonthe humanist
moralist,
theengaged
socialobserver,
ologyinthepostwar
years
formany
Europeanssometimes
onallmanner
ofconcerns
tofashion
origiandAmericans.
Butin the1970s and'80s the draws
Iftheresult
isnotgrand
theoriseofhermeneutics
andsocialcriticism
prompt-nalformulations.
fashioned
a paradigm
for
edquestloning
ofthislegacy.
Merton's
codifica- ry,he nevertheless
thatthousands
usetoday.
Andby
tionof thesociology
of knowledge
traditionsocialscience
from
KarlMannheim,
andfounding
ofthesoci- standing
onit,they
seefurther,
evenifmostare
ology
ofscience,
arethuscentral
toreassess-for
unaware
ofthedeeper
foundations.

_3

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