Sociological Theory after September 11, 2001 and March 11, 2011

This paper aims to rethink theoretical foundations in sociology comparing  American sociology after September 11, 2001 with Japanese sociology after March 11, 2011.  Although some 'empirical' sociologists in America described and analyzed attacks by terrorists on September 11, 2001 and American society after 911, almost 'theoretical' sociologists kept silence.  However, Jeffrey Alexander, a leading American theoretical and cultural sociologist, has interpreted sociological theory and American society of and after '911' from a post-Parsonian point of view.  On the other hand, although some 'empirical' sociologists in Japan have described Japan Now after the Japan earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011, almost 'theoretical' sociologists within the Parsonian and Post-Parsonian tradition in Japan have kept silence.

In this paper, I will suggest that theoretical foundations for the sociology after 911 and 311 would be established on Jeffrey Alexander's theoretical logic, cultural sociology, and civil society  First, I will discussed that new sociological theorizing including the sociology of 911 and 311 should be multidimensionally reconstructed on the metatheorizing by Talcott Parsons, Jeffrey Alexander, Jonathan Turner, and Richard Münch.  Second, I will argue that new solidarities could be founded on cultural sociology and civil society advocated by Jeffey Alexander keeping a philosophical foundation of multidimensional sociological theorizing.  Finally, it will present what should be done to reconstruct Japanese sociology multidimensionally after March 11, 2011.