PhD student Miloš Broćić and Professor Dan Silver have recently published an article on the reception of Georg Simmel in the Annual Review of Sociology. The article explores the importance of Simmel's work for urban and conflict studies since 1975. Miloš Broćić is a doctoral candidate in the department of Sociology. He is currently completing his dissertation that is entitled, Expression in Politics. Professor Dan Silver is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto, with teaching responsibilities on the UT Scarborough (UTSC) Campus. His research focuses on theories, urban environments, culture, and cultural policies.
We have included the citation and abstract of the article. The full article is available online
Miloš Broćić and Daniel Silver. 2021. "The Influence of Simmel on American Sociology Since 1975" Annual Review of Sociology 47:1, 87-108
Abstract
Recent decades have seen Georg Simmel's canonical status in American sociology solidify and his impact on research expand. A broad understanding of his influence, however, remains elusive. This review remedies this situation by evaluating Simmel's legacy in American sociology since 1975. We articulate Simmel's sociological orientation by elaborating the concepts of form, interaction, and dualism. Employing a network analysis of references to Simmel since 1975, we examine how Simmelian concepts have been adopted in research. We find Simmel became an anchor for change in urban and conflict studies, where scholars moved from his earlier functionalist reception toward a formalist interpretation. This formalist reception consolidated Simmel's status as a classic in network research and symbolic interactionism during the 1980s. Recent work in economic sociology and the sociology of culture, however, builds on Simmel's growing reception within relational sociology. We conclude with several ways to further articulate Simmel's ideas in the discipline.