Historical Sociology of Organizations. Part I

The possibility of a highly productive relationship between historical sociology and organization studies has existed for many decades, but this potential for the two fields of research and theory to enrich and stimulate each other in innovative ways still remains relatively underexplored. Some progress has already been made in developing the relationship between organization studies and the discipline of history, and this can constitute the foundation for a closer collaboration, more specifically, with historical sociology. This session calls for current empirical research and theoretical interventions that approach questions of organizational structures, processes and their and dynamics from a historical sociological perspective, as well as examinations of key questions in historical sociology that benefit from a focus on organizational dimensions. If the bulk of organizational sociology tends towards synchronic analysis, there is a great deal to be gained from complementing existing research and theory with diachronic analysis of longer-term historical processes in organizational life.

The session will not be limited to studies of past events; we will also welcome papers that address questions concerning the ‘history of the present’, i.e. studies of current developments emphasizing their historical roots and explaining contemporary situations as anchored in longer-term processes of historical development.

We welcome all proposals engaging with the potential for historical sociology and organization studies to deepen, develop and extent their respective fields of knowledge in innovative and stimulating ways.