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Alternative Perspectives on Community Impacting: Toward Complementary Theory and Application
Author(s) -
Knop Edward
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
sociological inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.446
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1475-682X
pISSN - 0038-0245
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-682x.1987.tb01046.x
Subject(s) - complementarity (molecular biology) , sociology , analogy , ideology , epistemology , perspective (graphical) , sociological theory , management science , social science , computer science , politics , economics , law , political science , philosophy , genetics , artificial intelligence , biology
Community impact analysis has been limited in applied effectiveness and sociological contribution because of its primary reliance on an ecological system paradigm and the conservative ideology imbedded therein. It is argued that the quality of community impact analysis and similar social change work would be improved by increased concern with matters of theory. Specifically, improvements can come from: (1) use and further development of alternate sociological perspectives appropriate to the impacting topic, especially those perspectives that deal with community and adaptive processes; and (2) empirical determination of the extent to which various theoretical perspectives fit conditions of specific community cases. The concerns of critical and interactionist theory are discussed as alternatives to the dominant structural‐functional perspective, and a case is made for blending perspectives consistent with themes of “general systems” theory. This blending incorporates structural concerns, but offers more complete guidance by emphasizing relevant process considerations. Aspects of the “dramaturgical” analogy, applied more broadly than usual, illustrate abstract points in the complementarity of the several theories.