Appropriateness and Structure
Résumé
This article proposes a theoretical synthesis combining two separate traditions in the sociology of knowledge: on the one hand, a symbolic interactionist approach to social rationality based on a theory of knowledge claims and appropriateness judgments; on the other hand, a neo-structural approach to social processes focusing on collective learning and co-orientation observed through the structure and dynamics of advice networks (i.e., “who seeks advice from whom”) in formally organized social contexts. This synthesis brings to light the diversity of epistemic communities, statuses and alignments brought about by secondary socialization and collective learning in the managerial and market society.