Trajectories and Prospects of Grand Theory in the Social Sciences

This essay introduces the special issue on “Trajectories and Prospects of Grand Theory in the Social Sciences.” It situates the question of “grand theory” in broader debates about the state of theory and highlights a number of distinctions that can aid sociological and historical investigation. We distinguish between the production and reception of theoretical works, and between reception and productive application. We discuss selective memory, disciplinary boundary-crossings, and contingent processes of canonization. Contributions to the special issue interrogate the way the term “grand theory” has been used by actors and highlight factors enabling the production of theory received as grand.