Offers a comprehensive perspective on knowledge production in the field of sociology. Moreover, it is a tribute to the scope of Merton's work and the influence Merton has had on the work and life of sociologists around the world. This is reflected in each of the 12 chapters by internationally acclaimed scholars witnessing the range of fields Merton has contributed to as well as the personal impact he has had on sociologists. Among others, the chapters deal with history and social context - an exploration of sociology in three very different countries; the relationship between science and society; the role of experience and the conceptual word; the "Matthew effect" and "repetition with variation." The contributors consider a number of Mertonian themes and concepts, re-evaluating them, adapting them, highlighting their continued relevance and thus opening a well of possibilities for new research.
List of Illustrations and Tables Book Concept and Preface Note to Sound and Sculpture Introduction 1. The Paradoxes of Robert K. Merton: Fragmentary Reflections 2. Looking for Shoulders to Stand on, or for a Paradigm for the Sociology of Science 3. R. K. Merton in France: Foucault, Bourdieu, Latour and the Invention of Mainstream Sociology in Paris 4. Merton in South Asia: The Question of Religion and the Modernity of Science 5. The Contribution of Rober K. Merton's Key Concepts to the Analysis of Gender Differentiation in Society 6. A Tribute to Robert Merton: Protestant and Catholic Ethics Revisited 7. The Concept of Ambivalence in the Relationship between Science and Society 8. Re-evaluating the Place of Science in Evaluating Modernity 9. Democracy and the Normative Structure of Science After Modernity 10. The Matthew Effect Writ Large and Larger: A Study in Sociological Semantics 11. Repetition With Variation: A Mertonian Inquiry Into a Lost Mertonian Concept 12. Robert K. Merton and the Tansformation of Sociology of Knowledge and Possible New Directions Bibliography List of Contributors
