Learned recently that both the Marxist theorists Henri Lefebvre and Maximilien Rubel completed their doctoral theses under Georges Gurvitch. It’s noteworthy to me since Gurvtich had such an unorthodox interpretation of Marx, essentially claiming that he was a Proudhonized Saint-Simonian.

Too bad Beesly and Marx never wrote anything together. I would be fascinated to see how sociology would have played out with a Positivist-Marxist synthesis approved by Marx.

New #sociology paper on Mauss, total social facts, and bridging bio-psycho-social accounts www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

I think this is such an important book at this moment in time. It describes our current situation better than any other that I'm aware of. Collectively, and not just in the US, we are headed down a very dark path.

Now available for advance ordering and/or free download… Anarchy in Alifuru: The History of Stateless Societies in the Maluku Islands by Bima Satria Putra www.minorcompositions.info?p=1596

Proudhon’s Critique of Nationalism in His Federalism Vision by Lingkai Kong (2025) www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/10...

Apparently in the late 19th century, some Jewish anarchists held Yonkiper beler (“Yom Kippur Balls”) antireligious festivities.

You can now download the book on the publisher's website: press.umich.edu/Books/P/Publ... (open access of course)

Short recent article on the influence of Charles Fourier on the surrealist movement following WWII, particularly through André Breton, who is generally seen as the leader of the movement. A PASSIONATE ATTRACTION for Charles Fourier. TOWARDS A NEW SURREALISM 1942–1969 by Fabrice Flahutez (2024)

New full English translation of Proudhon's "The Principle of Federation" by Lingkai Kong - t.co/pRR97CgTLB

New publication: 'Beyond Elias and Tilly: Historical Sociology, Crime and Organised Violence', with the free access here: www.researchgate.net/publication/...

An amusing 2011 interview with Edward Tiryakian. He discusses how we was introduced to sociology through Garfinkel, studied under Parsons (& even reflects on once using the urinal next to him), got caught in the Sorokin-Parsons drama, & discusses a variety of figures in American & French sociology.

“Two forms of modern thought, which are closely allied, though not necessarily confounded in the same men, positivism and socialism, really spring from Saint-Simonism…. [I]t prepared the way both for socialist rhetoric and sociological studies.” —Sébastien Charléty

Right. Is there a single pre-Durkheimian French social theorist taken seriously today? A whole century of thinkers have been relegated to the dustbin of history, despite their pivotal positioning as heirs to the failed French Revolution and as the originators of the concept of ‘social science’.

TIL that only 15% of works published in the US between 1923 and 1963 renewed their initial copyright that lasted for 28 years, which means that 85% of the works from those years are now in the public domain. Starting in 1964, copyrights automatically renewed after the initial 28 years.

Academic publishing in a nutshell. It’s apparently a fair trade to most academics to give their work to companies who charge astronomical prices for it in exchange for individual prestige. There is a kind of feudalistic vibe to it.

I’m only on the Foreword of this book and I can already tell that I’m going to love it. One of the things I hate about contemporary social science is the endless accumulation of empirical evidence with almost no regard for attempting to synthesize it by constructing grand theoretical frameworks.

I can finally share a complete, if rough draft translation of Pierre Leroux's "Equality," together with a draft of the first few sections of its sequel, "Humanity." They are linked from the Pierre Leroux / Doctrine of Humanity project page. www.libertarian-labyrinth.org/pierre-lerou...

Another paradoxical aspect in contemporary sociology is the denial of the concept of progress, yet the implicit assumption of progress within the field. Returns to classical theory are widely seen as contradictory to this progress. Foundational thinkers like Saint-Simon are thrown into the wind.

Sociologist Jan E. Stets on seeing and being seen: "One Thing I Know: Identity Verification Is Important to the Self" Free to read, download, and share through 8/11: journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.... #sociology #identity #identityverification

The paradoxical aspect about studying classical socialist thought is how their analyses resemble those of the “hard” positivistic sociology of today, but their conclusions resemble those of the “soft” social justice wing of sociology. With the exception of Marx, all of sociology ignores them today.

Late post but excited to finally see my chapter in the book Theory Reimagined: Voices of Sociologists from around the World. Check out the book here: frontpagepublications.com/book/theory-...

Andrew Lang published Method in the Study of Totemism in 1911, James Fraser Totemism & Exogamy in 1911, Gérard Lucas The Vicissitudes of Totemism in 1911, Durkheim The Elementary Forms of Religious Life in 1912, Freud Totem & Taboo in 1913… The study of totemism apparently had a moment in the 1910s

Here's a draft of the introduction I wrote for the English edition of Célestin Bouglé's (1911) landmark book "The Sociology of Proudhon". Comments and criticisms are welcome. jumpshare.com/v/rKxdTEzxo5...

Somewhat interesting that in the early 1900s, the Durkheimians added a ‘socialism’ rubric to their journal L’année sociologique with the intent of advancing “the sociological theory of socialism.” In essence, they sought to study the socialist movement from a “purely scientific point of view.”

[EXPO] Parmi les expôts remarquables de l'exposition "Auguste Comte et Saint-Simon", cette édition originale du "Plan des travaux scientifiques nécessaires pour réorganiser les société" d'Auguste Comte, paru à nouveau sous le titre de "Système de politique positive" en 1824).

Just received a copy of the anarchist sociologist Sal Restivo's latest book "The Treachery of Realities: Safeguarding Truth in the Age of Science Denial". It appears to be a pretty timely publication in the age of Trumpism. I'll try to fit the massive table of contents into four images.

JUST published (free access) Full article: Warrior ethos and the spirit of nationalism www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

While I think society can be described as a “being”, I don’t think a biological analogy, like Spencer used, works. There are too many contradictory elements that are in a constant state of conflict. And this is true even for societies that appear more “simplistic” in comparison to ours.

Thanks Cayce! Full text also available here: openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/items/e67128...

I think the Saint-Simon/Comte rupture is an important moment in sociology. Comte followed Saint-Simon's early works and prioritized scientific ideas as leading to systemic change. In contrast, Saint-Simon’s later works held that industrial and scientific activities were of equal importance.

Been slow to post this article that just came out in a relatively new European journal focused on #organizations (and #sociology). For those that dont follow it, Germans and Scandinavians are committing some serious theory. Reading everything. Debating. www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...

This lively 1912 discussion of Proudhonian social thought, centered on Bouglé's book The Sociology of Proudhon, is excellent, in my view. As the discussion shows, Bouglé was among the first to bring attention to Proudhon's sociological theories, which had been largely overlooked until this point.

Categories in Social Interaction by Kevin Whitehead, Elizabeth Stokoe, and Geoffrey Raymond investigates the situated (re)production of categories, from the most mundane and unremarkable to those most strongly associated with power and privilege. Read more here: www.routledge.com/Categories-i...

At the origins of sociology and socialism is an attempted synthesis of liberalism with conservatism, which occurs most notably in the work of Saint-Simon. The assumption appears to be that ideologies of social groups only grasp particular aspects of social reality and need to be put in dialogue.

The recording of the lecture 'Nationalism and War in the 21st century Europe' that I gave on 5th June 2023 at the LSE is now available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIYz...

I did not expect to go to a grant administration conference today and hear a presentation about Max Weber and his theories of bureaucracy…. Proof you can tie in sociology to nearly everything.

“Rational Socialists” vs. the Anarchists — four translations from "rational socialist" circles, including an 1858 response to Proudhon, a 1900 review of Stirner, etc., plus an entertaining bit from a different "rational socialist" in 1849. www.libertarian-labyrinth.org/featured-art...

Some thinkers in the 20th century used terms like “fusion” and “interpenetration” of minds to make sense of how group level processes, like collective force and collective conscience, come about. Today, “synchronization” seems to be how researchers make sense of these emergent properties.

I might be wrong but I think “social law” is equivalent with the “laws of society” that positivists seek. Society revolves around a shared sense of justice, which is in a state of flux. The “laws” of justice can be accessed through immediate experience and ultimately seek to realize justice.

Although most sociology textbooks start with Comte, attempts at a social science go back decades prior. During the French Revolution, there were two distinct attempts by Sieyès and Condorcet. A little later, the ideologues Destutt de Tracy and Cabanis both make attempts at a social science.

I kind of think once sociology is able to produce some kind of widely-adapted technology that can model some social dynamic (eg. status, power, solidarity) as it emerges in social life, it will lay the basis for real change in society. There is a paradigm of reality embedded within every technology.

And today is the 250th Meck Dec day in which Charlotte, NC (where I’m from) declared independence from the British monarchy over a year before the rest of the nation. Now, it’s probably a myth based on the less radical Mecklenburg Resolves a week later but it’s still an important shared myth here.

Today marks 200 years since the death of Henri de Saint-Simon (1760–1825). His death is sometimes seen as giving rise to the first socialist movement (the Saint-Simonians). It also hangs heavily in the background to when Auguste Comte wrote his first magnum opus & laid the foundation of sociology.

[LE SAVIEZ VOUS] Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon, philosophe, économiste, grand penseur de l'ère industrielle et personnage ô combien important dans le parcours philosophique et personnel d'Auguste Comte, est mort il y a très précisément 200 ans, le 19 mai 1825.

This paper with @omarlizardo.sciences.social.ap.brid.gy is a fave of mine. Really was the beginning of my own foray into affective neuroscience. An opening statement about an affective self. #sociology sethabrutyn.com/wp-content/u...

My short contribution for the Thesis 11 website: thesiseleven.com/2025/04/30/a...

Just published (in free access). Lea David and I analyse the dynamics of violence in Gaza through the prism of sociology of war: www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10....

Great quick read. It has exceeded my expectations so far (about halfway through).