Figurational Sociology

Figuration, also called of interdependence, is one of Norbert Elias introduced into sociology term that emphasizes the social gathering of individuals in specific situations.

Relationships between actors

Elias understood as a figuration a dynamic social network of interdependent individuals. These relationships between actors are by Elias the essence of any social community. Sociology has therefore the task of examining these networks of relationships between social actors.

In this context, the term is used with which to combine sociological studies on group structures or constellations of individual behavior patterns. Individuals exist, such as groups, in contexts of other individuals and groups that can only be thought of as a mesh and dependent on each other ( interdependent ).

For Elias, the term acts as a tool, " which will make it the social constraint, so to speak and think as if " individual " and" society " are two different and also antagonistic characters to loosen up. ". The term is intended to eliminate the contrast of such speech and such thinking:

" The web of dependency characteristics of people to each other, their interdependencies, are what binds them together. You are at the heart of what is referred to here as figuration, as a figuration of facing of interdependent people. [ ... ] The concept of figuration has just been introduced because he clear and unambiguous than the existing conceptual tools of sociology expresses that what we call " society ," neither an abstraction of peculiarities gesellschaftslos existing individuals, nor a "system " or a " wholeness " is beyond the individuals, but rather the of interdependence formed by individuals themselves "

Examples of figurations are the ratio of teachers and students of team goalkeeper and or the ratio of a mayor to the inhabitants of a village. In the case of larger figurations - as with the inhabitants of a country or even in the case of world citizenship - the interdependence are correspondingly longer and more differentiated.