Core concepts and common ground: The relational basis of our discipline

The core of sociology is the key thing that we share as sociologists - the basic-way of viewing social life that makes us distinctive as a discipline. This core is the content that we have to communicate to a larger pubic. I argue that the disciplinary form that best develops a core is a structure i n which there are a high density of positive network ties within the discip line, relatively weak subdivisions within the discipline, and a lower densi ty of ties linking us to outside institutions. I use structural and social psychological theory to talk about the interactional dynamics that weaken t his optimal disciplinary structure. The hope is that these theoretical insi ghts will help us deal productively with some of the major social changes t hat are occurring within our field. fend with eight theoretically derived p ropositions to guide our behavior toward these ends.