TY - CHAP

T1 - Crowd and Collective Behavior

AU - Borch, Christian

AU - Schiermer, Bjørn

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - This chapter examines the main ideas of classical sociology of crowd and collective behavior, as well as its analytical potential in a present-day context. We show that while classical sociological ideas of crowd and collective behavior met with heavy critique during the 1960s and 1970s, the fin-de-siècle literature was more nuanced and ambiguous than is often claimed. For example, classical crowd theory presents crowds not only as negative entities, but also as positive manifestations of sociality. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the group of scholars usually associated with the tradition of classical crowd and collective behavior theory (Gustave Le Bon, Gabriel Tarde, Robert E. Park, etc.) should be expanded to include Emile Durkheim, whose work is otherwise often considered to stand in opposition to classical sociology of crowd and collective behavior. Finally, in our examination of the ways in which this redefined group of classical theorists of crowd and collective behavior can be productively mobilized for present-day sociological analysis, we focus on mediated and digital phenomena, such as how online blogs can generate a crowd-like following, and how fully automated trading algorithms on financial markets can engage in crowd and collective behavior.

AB - This chapter examines the main ideas of classical sociology of crowd and collective behavior, as well as its analytical potential in a present-day context. We show that while classical sociological ideas of crowd and collective behavior met with heavy critique during the 1960s and 1970s, the fin-de-siècle literature was more nuanced and ambiguous than is often claimed. For example, classical crowd theory presents crowds not only as negative entities, but also as positive manifestations of sociality. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the group of scholars usually associated with the tradition of classical crowd and collective behavior theory (Gustave Le Bon, Gabriel Tarde, Robert E. Park, etc.) should be expanded to include Emile Durkheim, whose work is otherwise often considered to stand in opposition to classical sociology of crowd and collective behavior. Finally, in our examination of the ways in which this redefined group of classical theorists of crowd and collective behavior can be productively mobilized for present-day sociological analysis, we focus on mediated and digital phenomena, such as how online blogs can generate a crowd-like following, and how fully automated trading algorithms on financial markets can engage in crowd and collective behavior.

KW - Collective behavior

KW - Crowds

KW - Digital

KW - Durkheim

KW - Le Bon

KW - Tarde

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85125587580&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-030-78205-4_20

DO - 10.1007/978-3-030-78205-4_20

M3 - Book chapter

AN - SCOPUS:85125587580

SN - 978-3-030-78204-7

T3 - Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research

SP - 439

EP - 465

BT - Handbook of Classical Sociological Theory

A2 - Abrutyn, Seth

A2 - Lizardo, Omar

PB - Springer

CY - Cham

ER -