1.23. Structuration theory

Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory (Giddens, 1984; 1990) draws together the two principal strands of social thinking. In the structuralist tradition the emphasis is on social structure (which is primarily seen as a form of constraint over human behaviour), whereas in the phenomenological and hermeneutic traditions the human agent is the primary focus. Structuration theory attempts to recast structure and agency as a mutually dependent duality. Human actors display agency, but in a structural context, and this mutually dependent relationship (structure influences action, action influences structure) evolves over time and space. In this way many micro actions come to constitute the social interaction. The theory helps illuminate both how participation is embedded in its social context and how it evolves over time. Technology is in this context socially transformative as well as socially transformed and hence any process study needs to consider the interdependence of human action and social structure.





References:

Giddens, A. (1984). The Constitution of Society. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Giddens, A. (1990). The Consequences of Modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press.

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