Reflexive sociology? No, reflexive society. Three pre-conditions of sociological thought

Abstract

Classical sociology was built upon three constitutive beliefs, rarely discussed. The first defined the space of sociology, the second defined the time and the third the position of the observer and the type of discourse. All three defined the subject matter of sociological investigation and the way to address it. This paper attempts to do three things: 1) identify these three beliefs; 2) make them explicit and discuss them; 3) ultimately transcend tem, go beyond them profiting from three evidences: globalization, post-modernity and reflexivity. It is thus an exercise in sociology of sociology, understood as a general epistemological reflection that makes explicit (as singular subject) social reflexivity, understood, not as a self-analysis of the sociologist, but as a reflexivity of society upon itself.