Identity and Control: How Social Formations Emerge

by Harrison C. White

In this completely revised edition of one of the foundational texts of network sociology, Harrison White refines and enlarges his groundbreaking theory of how social structure and culture emerge from the chaos and uncertainty of social life. Incorporating new contributions from a group of young sociologists and many fascinating and novel case studies, Identity and Control is the only major book of social theory that links social structure with the lived experience of individuals, providing a rich perspective on the kinds of social formations that develop in the process. Going beyond traditional sociological dichotomies such as agency/structure, individual/society, or micro/macro, Identity and Control presents a toolbox of concepts that will be useful to a wide range of social scientists, as well as those working in public policy, management, or associational life and, beyond, to any reader who is interested in understanding the dynamics of social life.

Genres: Sociology, Psychology, Nonfiction, Social Science

456 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Regina]

This book is brilliant but often incomprehensible. I highly recommend Azarian's interpretation, especially to a network theory nubie! White has developed an entirely original theoretical language for thinking about networks and culture, although he never uses the word culture, instead he talks about "netdoms", "identities" and "contexts". I still have trouble working out what he means, I can't imagine anybody knew what he was talking about in 1992! Don't even think about reading this book if you are not committed to braving the background reading required. I am hoping that his 2nd edition will clear things up a bit...

[Ashley Wu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needed to read and analyze this for my research job— while there are some really brilliant insights (particularly on social networks and ties), the book drained me of a ton of brainpower. Perhaps this is likely due to the fact that I don’t read the most academic literature on abstract concepts, but this was a HARD read.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

My professor of organizational sociology described this as the “Ulysses” of network analysis. I loved the book in all its thorny detail and am on my third read through. Wonderfully sensitive and diverse formalism applied to identities and their behavior in various network morphologies.