Open research questions in Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
547 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 5,488 Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
Together, this special issue demonstrates the continued vitality of student activism as an object of sociological inquiry and illustrates how further research on student activism can generate theoretical insights that extend well beyond the study of student activism itself.
They should be studied, he averred, not by definition in advance, but by having a good look at the varieties and following them through their many contingencies in the course of problematic survival (Hughes 1971).
for Peck, Dennis and Herbert J. Rubin 1983 "Bureaucratic needs and evaluation research: a case study of the department of housing and urban development." Evaluation Review 7:685-703. Rifkin, Jeremy 1985 Declaration of a Heretic. Boston: Kegan Paul. Routledge & Roebuck, J u l i an B. 1978 "Where do we go from here?
The meaning of this apparel for participants in the S&M subculture has not yet been explored, although there is an apparent consensus within that community that goes beyond its special significance for the individual.
Future research could explore the applications of Coleman's diagram in various fields of sociology. Future research could investigate the limitations of the diagram and potential extensions.
There is a need to distinguish the diagram from theory and explanation as such. There is a lack of detailed summaries of explanations in terms of kinds of assumptions and implications to which Coleman's diagram refers.
The paper notes that the Cologne School of Sociology's methodology lacks micro-macro modeling and systematic application of general action theories - The paper also notes that the methodology does not include a systematic program for theory comparison
The Methodology of the Cologne School of Sociology as a Precursor of Analytical–Empirical Sociology: Strengths and Weaknesses · 2026 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the analysis of the Cologne School of Sociology's methodology - The paper notes that the methodology's relevance to modern analytical-empirical sociology has not been fully explored
The Methodology of the Cologne School of Sociology as a Precursor of Analytical–Empirical Sociology: Strengths and Weaknesses · 2026 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the study of Sacks's work, particularly in relation to his legacy and contributions. It highlights the need for further research on Sacks's work and its relevance to various fields of study.
The paper identifies a gap in the emphasis on meaning in identity theory - The authors note that meaning has been underemphasized in identity theory, but is receiving increasing attention
Identities, meaning, the social structure, and the life course: Developing identity theory in sociology · 2026 · DOIWhen were the individuals born, or against what historical period did they enter? What resources were available to them early on? What socialization experi- ences did they encounter? How did the timing of early identities influence the timing of later identities? There is a rich array of issues that need to be explored.
Identities, meaning, the social structure, and the life course: Developing identity theory in sociology · 2026 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the societal concept and its evolution. The study highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the societal concept and its interpretive potential for explaining the structural integrity of society.
Genesis and evolution of the concept of societal in the social and human sciences. Part I. Historical-theoretical reconstruction · 2026 · DOIOne challenge is the complexity and multifaceted nature of the concept of race. Another challenge is the need to consider multiple concepts of co-descent-based difference. A third challenge is the lack of a comprehensive framework for cross-national comparisons.
The study is limited to two countries, the United States and Italy. The sample size is not explicitly stated, but over 150 interviews were conducted.
Further exploration of the application of militant ethnography in different contexts. Investigation of the potential for decolonizing research to challenge traditional power dynamics.
The Ethics of Immersion: Militancy, Reflexivity, and Knowledge Production in Transnational Activism · 2026 · DOIThe lack of understanding of how political commitment affects researcher positioning. The need for a non-hegemonic anthropology that challenges traditional power dynamics in research.
The Ethics of Immersion: Militancy, Reflexivity, and Knowledge Production in Transnational Activism · 2026 · DOI215 I will make relevant recommendations for future research: the utility of the first principles of democracy social change process grounded theory as a transformational framework, the principles in upholding the ideal of government for the people, and the practical utility of the conceptual framework. These future research recommendations are methodological and based on my grounded theory methodology experience.
The American Founding Documents and Democratic Social Change: A Constructivist Grounded Theory · 2026 · DOIWhile scholarship exploring the financial barriers for working-class students of UK higher education (UKHE) has explored undergraduate, and to a lesser extent postgraduate, taught levels, academic understandings of working-class students at the doctoral level are scarce.
Fighting for funding, working-class women’s transitions to sociology doctoral education: ‘significant academic others’, economic and social capital · 2026 · DOIFuture research should continue to explore the role of normativity in sociological accounts. Future research should consider the implications of the distinction between the good and the right for sociological research. Future research should engage with the practical implications of the paper's findings for sociological practice.
The paper identifies a gap in the literature on normativity in sociology, particularly with regards to the location of normative content. The paper argues that prior work has failed to adequately account for the role of normativity in sociological accounts.
Further study of the relationship between EM/CA and CS. Exploration of the implications of the paper's findings for observational studies and fieldwork in the social sciences.
“What the World is Made Up of”: The Chicago School’s Alternates and Laterals in Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis · 2025 · DOIThe gap in understanding the relationship between EM/CA and CS. The need for a comparative account of EM/CA and CS.
“What the World is Made Up of”: The Chicago School’s Alternates and Laterals in Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis · 2025 · DOIOthers are encouraged to vigorously critique and modify the recommendations. Hospitals are encouraged to conduct experiments to evaluate the proposals.
Future research could build on David Marsden's work by exploring the application of his theory of employment systems. Future research could examine the implications of his work for organizational practice and policy. Future research could investigate the relevance of his comparative craft in contemporary employment relations.
The paper identifies a gap in the literature in terms of understanding the employment relationship. The gap is addressed by David Marsden's work, which emphasizes the importance of understanding economic theory and models.
Most-cited papers in Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
- Framing Processes and Social Movements: An Overview and Assessment · Annual Review of Sociology · 2000 · 6,304 citations
- Resource Mobilization and Social Movements: A Partial Theory · American Journal of Sociology · 1977 · 3,999 citations
- Frame Alignment Processes, Micromobilization, and Movement Participation · American Sociological Review · 1986 · 3,790 citations
- The Study of Boundaries in the Social Sciences · Annual Review of Sociology · 2002 · 3,689 citations
- Modernization, Cultural Change, and the Persistence of Traditional Values · American Sociological Review · 2000 · 2,459 citations
- Path dependence in historical sociology · Theory and Society · 2000 · 2,355 citations
- The Interaction Order: American Sociological Association, 1982 Presidential Address · American Sociological Review · 1983 · 2,122 citations
- What is Wrong with Social Theory? · American Sociological Review · 1954 · 1,846 citations
- Collective Identity and Social Movements · Annual Review of Sociology · 2001 · 1,698 citations
- For Public Sociology · American Sociological Review · 2005 · 1,525 citations
Most recent work
- Explanation in Sociology and Coleman’s Diagram · KZfSS Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie · 2026
- Identities, meaning, the social structure, and the life course: Developing identity theory in sociology · Theory and Society · 2026
- Positional sociology and the material conditions of subjectivities · Distinktion Journal of Social Theory · 2026
- Toward a Genealogy of Indian Sociology: Knowledge as Nationalism, Nationalism as Knowledge · Sociological Bulletin · 2026
- The Methodology of the Cologne School of Sociology as a Precursor of Analytical–Empirical Sociology: Strengths and Weaknesses · KZfSS Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie · 2026
- Humanism in My Everyday Life Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love AHS · Humanity & Society · 2026
- If There’s No Causal Model, It’s Just Activism: An Autoethnographic Reflection on Criminology’s Rejection of the Scholarvist Model · Feminist Criminology · 2026
- Not Here to Fit in: Criminology’s Institutional Contradictions and Feminist Scholar-Activism · Feminist Criminology · 2026
- Civil Sphere Theory Meets Cultural Sociology: Close Encounters of the Symbolic Kind · Cultural Sociology · 2026
- ‘Doing something with society’: the emergent professional identity of sociology graduates · Studies in Higher Education · 2026
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