Torsello, Davide - Pappová, Melinda: Social Networks in Movement. Time, interaction and interethnic spaces in Central Eastern Europe - Nostra Tempora 8. (Somorja-Dunaszerdahely, 2003)
Aknowledgement
Studying networks nowadays. On the utility of a notion 11 bolic interactionism, Harold Garfinkel’s ethnomethodology and, last but not least, Erving Goffman’s seminal ideas. These two aspects bring to light the dissent with the then predominant functionalism and structural-functionalism and voice the need for complementary notions to somewhat correct the deficiencies of these two perspectives by stressing the active role of the individual in diverse social contexts. This is mainly the reason why the author of Friends of Friends strongly upholds the advantage of two notions: namely, interaction and above all network. Thus, social analysis related to the latter term is not only a mere empirical issue of data gathering but also a fresh theoretic approach that stresses both the dynamics and processes of social phenomena and the intentionality and malleability of human actions (Sanjek 1996: 396). Until now, after the initial reactions to Boissevain’s suggestions, there were not many theoretic or empirical studies on networks, at least in the field of social anthropology (Sanjek 1996: 397). Though the project did not fall totally on deaf ears, it was never part of the anthropological main stream. The reasons underlying this decades-long indifference are many and should be reviewed. In the first place, we must note that a network analysis calls for a diligent and persevering field research, besides the contextualisation and constant comparison with ethnographic data acquired through other means of social research. Moreover, we should recall that until recently the interpretation of results was linked to the use of data processing systems that were hardly available and/or familiar to anthropologists. In my opinion, there are also less empirical reasons especially in the 1980s and 1990s that explain (but do not justify) anthropology's lack of interest for the study of networks. I believe that over the last twenty years anthropology in general and particularly social anthropology have tried to prove, rightly or not, the ethic value of human behaviour even by adducing ethnographic data gathered directly on the field. Given this emphasis on the moral dimension within the social sphere, obviously enough the transactionalist approach in which the notion of network is grounded becomes inappropriate and
