The Paradigm of Social Interaction

The monograph The Paradigm of Social Interaction presents a paradigmatic synthesis in sociology. This is a reaction to the growing paradigmatic divisions in the discipline and an attempt at fostering the cumulative development of sociological knowledge. The suggested conceptual fusion includes micro-sociological interaction theories, recent theories of organizational interactions and the experience from the study on global trends. The intention is to support the building and explanatory application of middle-range theories in all action spheres and at all micro-, mezzo- and macro-social structural levels. The paradigmatic synthesis is developed around five analytical concepts of the determinants of social interactions: environmental, technological, economic, political and cultural complexes. Another conceptual framework fostering explanations consists of social actors, relations and processes as key parameters of the social interaction paradigm. The book also examines the COVID pandemic as a multidimensional crisis, applying the synthetic paradigm as a heuristic tool and knowledge-organizing framework. It is used in the studies on social innovations, societal transformations and global social trends as well. The book will be of interest to researchers, university teachers and doctoral and master's students in the fields of sociology, social theory, critical sociology, philosophy of social sciences, innovation and societal transformation studies.

Nikolai Genov is Professor Emeritus at the Freie Universität Berlin. He received his PhD from the University of Leipzig. His research fields include sociological theory, societal transformations, global trends and cross-border migration. He has been Research Fellow and Visiting Professor at universities in Berkeley, Berlin, Bielefeld, Lund, Moscow, Rome, Seoul and Warsaw. He is the author of more than 350 publications in 28 countries. He has been director of the Institute for Eastern European Studies of the Free University Berlin, vice-president of UNESCO's Management of Social Transformations Program and vice-president of the International Social Science Council (Paris). His recent book publications include Global Trends in Eastern Europe (2016); Challenges of Individualization (2018); and For Sociology (2019).

1. Multi-paradigmatic Sociology 2. Paradigmatic Enhancement of Sociology 3. Upgrading of Social Innovation Studies 4. Social Innovations in Crisis Management 5. Making History: Social Reality and Concepts 6. Societal Transformations 7. Interactions at the Level of Globality 8. The COVID-19 as a Stress-test for Sociology 9. Concluding Remarks