Resumo

PIGNUOLI OCAMPO, Sergio. The Definition of ‘the Social’ and the System of Coordinates of Sociality. Estud. sociol [online]. 2021, vol.39, n.117, pp.685-715.  Epub 04-Abr-2022. ISSN 2448-6442.  https://doi.org/10.24201/es.2021v39n117.2085.

This paper reviews the problem of the definition of ‘the social’ or the unit of analysis in sociology and develops a theoretical-methodological approach designed to improve the way it is dealt with. To this end, the discussions of the micro-macro link and the conceptions of sociality are examined. Three theoretical cores in force in sociology are identified and a systematic relationship between them is drawn up. Based on these premises, the concept of the system of coordinates of sociality is introduced and a theoretical-methodological scheme based on it is developed. The cores are established as dimensions (monadic, dyadic and triadic) of a space of sociological properties, the origin of the coordinates is fixed, and the axes are scaled. Finally, their basal properties, basic operations, and general fields of application are defined.

Palavras-chave : sociological theory; systematics; definition of the social.