Events

Sociologists have long been interested in history, and particularly how the unfolding of history can help us to understand contemporary social formations and struggles. Some of the key figures of the discipline focussed at length on understanding the present with the past. In spite of this, historical sociology has not been a strong focus of new empirically driven research in the discipline for several decades now. And yet, a growing interest in postcolonial sociology has indicated a possible resurgence of historical sociology. Understanding the implications, legacies, traces, or continuities of European colonialism for contemporary social life has become a growing area of interest, particularly for those working on race and racism, ethnicity and migration. At the same time, postcolonial sociology has advanced some damning critiques of historical sociology. This talk explores the conundrum of ‘postcolonial historical sociology’ after the Eurocentric, post- and decolonial critiques of Sociology as a discipline. At the same time, it argues that growing interest in postcolonial sociology necessitates the development and uncovering of concepts and methodological tools for undertaking postcolonial historical sociology. Without fully elaborating a single approach to postcolonial historical sociology, the final task of the talk is to propose some principles and methodological approaches in order to spark a wider discussion about theory and method in historical sociology after the postcolonial turn.

Sociologists have long been interested in history, and particularly how the unfolding of history can help us to understand contemporary social formations and struggles. Some of the key figures of the discipline focussed at length on understanding the present with the past. In spite of this, historical sociology has not been a strong focus of new empirically driven research in the discipline for several decades now. And yet, a growing interest in postcolonial sociology has indicated a possible resurgence of historical sociology. Understanding the implications, legacies, traces, or continuities of European colonialism for contemporary social life has become a growing area of interest, particularly for those working on race and racism, ethnicity and migration. At the same time, postcolonial sociology has advanced some damning critiques of historical sociology. This talk explores the conundrum of ‘postcolonial historical sociology’ after the Eurocentric, post- and decolonial critiques of Sociology as a discipline. At the same time, it argues that growing interest in postcolonial sociology necessitates the development and uncovering of concepts and methodological tools for undertaking postcolonial historical sociology. Without fully elaborating a single approach to postcolonial historical sociology, the final task of the talk is to propose some principles and methodological approaches in order to spark a wider discussion about theory and method in historical sociology after the postcolonial turn.

The Sociology Seminar Series for Trinity Term is convened by Richard Breen.  For more information about this or any of the seminars in the series, please contact sociology.secretary@nuffield.ox.ac.uk.