Micro-macro synthesis on the example of theories of social practices in sociology

This article explores the concepts of social practices through the perspectives of Pierre Bourdieu and Anthony Giddens, highlighting their contribution to micro-macro synthesis in contemporary sociology. Micro-macro synthesis seeks to integrate analyses of social phenomena at both individual (micro) and structural/systemic (macro) levels. The concept of practices combined with micro-macro synthesis offers a multidimensional framework for studying social phenomena, emphasizing both individual actions and the influence of structural conditions. This dual focus facilitates understanding how individual behaviors shape society and how societal structures, in turn, affect individual actions.

Bourdieu conceptualizes practice as a product of historical development, shaped by structure and habitus, and embedded within social reality. Practices, for Bourdieu, are governed not by rationality but by the effectiveness of actions in everyday contexts, achieved through the alignment of individual habitus with the structure of available resources. In contrast, Giddens, in his structuration theory, does not isolate practice as a distinct sphere but examines everyday life as a form of social practice, emphasizing routinization. According to Giddens, routinization is the process through which individual behaviors gradually evolve into enduring social structures.

The article also examines the constraints on agent activity within social spaces through the lens of social practice theories. Both Bourdieu’s and Giddens’ approaches provide insights into how social structures influence individual behaviors, shaping the boundaries of human agency.