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Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions · Model answer

Critically assess R. K. Merton’s views on the contributions of research to the development of sociological theory.

  • UPSC 1986
  • Sociological Thinkers

Robert K. Merton rejected both speculative grand theory and fact-gathering without ideas. In "Sociological Theory" (American Journal of Sociology, 1945) and "The Bearing of Empirical Research upon the Development of Social Theory" (American Sociological Review, 1948), later chapters of Social Theory and Social Structure (1949; 1968), he argued that research does far more than test…

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What the full answer covers

  • I. The reciprocal relation
  • II. Four contributions of research to theory
  • III. Critical assessment
  • IV. Indian illustration
  • Conclusion

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