Structure and Dynamics eJournal of the Anthropological and Related Sciences
Encyclopedia
Structure and Dynamics: eJournal of Anthropological and Related Sciences is an open access, free, peer reviewed journal edited by Douglas R. White
at the Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Irvine
. The journal is part of the University of California eScholarship collection.
Structure and dynamics is the name of a subfield in the social sciences
, used particularly in social anthropology
and sociology
, which connotes that while structure is an important concept in social theory, contemporary social theory has long since moved beyond structural functionalism
, which was identified with Radcliffe-Brown and Talcott Parsons
. It is also an important subfield in the complexity sciences
.
Douglas R. White
Douglas R. White is an American complexity researcher , social anthropologist, sociologist, and social network researcher at the University of California, Irvine.-Biography:...
at the Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
. The journal is part of the University of California eScholarship collection.
Structure and dynamics is the name of a subfield in the social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
, used particularly in social anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
and sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, which connotes that while structure is an important concept in social theory, contemporary social theory has long since moved beyond structural functionalism
Structural functionalism
Structural functionalism is a broad perspective in sociology and anthropology which sets out to interpret society as a structure with interrelated parts. Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms, customs, traditions and institutions...
, which was identified with Radcliffe-Brown and Talcott Parsons
Talcott Parsons
Talcott Parsons was an American sociologist who served on the faculty of Harvard University from 1927 to 1973....
. It is also an important subfield in the complexity sciences
Complexity
In general usage, complexity tends to be used to characterize something with many parts in intricate arrangement. The study of these complex linkages is the main goal of complex systems theory. In science there are at this time a number of approaches to characterizing complexity, many of which are...
.