MICRO OR MACRO: RESEARCH ON SEXUALITY AND GENDER AND THEIR IMPACTS FOR A SOCIOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING

Abstract

This article is a theoretical exercise that is still under development. Some of the considerations presented here will certainly be improved over time. The elucubrations presented here are intended more to instigate a debate than to position myself as a theorist of sociological practice. The main theoretical lines of sociology can be divided into macrosociological and microsociological approaches, and into collectivist and individualist perspectives. Each line or perspective will work towards a consensus expressed in the search for a synthesis between different approaches or will break away from other approaches, understanding its own as the most appropriate for understanding social phenomena. According to Alexander (1987): On the one hand, radical and stimulating schools of microtheorizing have emerged, emphasizing the contingent nature of the social order and the centrality of individual negotiation. On the other hand, vigorous schools of macrotheorizing have developed, emphasizing the role of coercive structures in determining individual and collective behavior. More than just going into detail about each of these approaches, I intend in this brief work to give examples of how a greater dialogue with studies on sexuality, gender and related topics could help fill some of the gaps and concerns present in many of the theoretical works that address macro or micro sociology, whether collectivist or individualist.