Categorization as a Form of Theorizing in Sociology

Formalization of scientific knowledge is underlain by the process of categorization. Searching for the subject of a study is conditioned by the creation of relevant categories that name it, defining its contents and draw a line between the subject and other related categories. In the process of theorizing the subject acquires predicates— a collection of indictors that identify its contents and meaning. The process is tantamount to institutionalization of the subject and expansion of its description with the help of complex predicates of the second and third level. Hence the subject is embedded into a descriptive structure, formed by a set of interconnected scientific categories. The structure of theoretical categories and the empirical study are engaged in a complex theoretical interaction that imply a change of language constructs and a possible reduction of key concepts to facilitate the creation of empirical indicators. The contradiction between the theoretical construction and empirical, inductive basis of a study often led to a denial of the necessity and existence of the high-level conceptual structures that inform scientific reflection. Further complications were related to the fact that many categories used in sociology are metaphorical and therefore vulnerable to ideological manipulation. However, the praxis of sociology, as any other science, shows that high-level reflection and general categories are necessary. They sustain the continuity of research and allow to observe changed in the subject under study.