Posted by Dave Elder-Vass
The phenomenon of normativity – the existence of norms and how the normative pressures that sustain them operate – is fundamental to the conduct of every aspect of social life. Yet, arguably, this important area has been somewhat neglected in recent realist social ontology. Increasing numbers of researchers, however, are finding it helpful to draw on the concept of norm circles to make sense of norms, how they function, and how they are shaped.
A norm circle is the group of people and/or organizations that are prepared to endorse and enforce a norm, thus encouraging a tendency for people to follow it in their practices (Elder-Vass, 2010, 2012). Researchers in a number of disciplines and fields have employed the concept to make sense of, for example, the tactics adopted by activist groups (Blee, 2013), Holocaust memorial activities (Richardson, 2017), corporate social responsibility (Baker & Modell, 2019), sports coaching (Nichol et al., 2021) and foreign policy failure (Hassan, 2024). The recently formed online Norm Circles Discussion Group has also attracted significant interest from researchers from a broad range of disciplines in learning more about the concept and making use of it in their research.
This special issue or forum in the Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour will provide an opportunity to reflect on and deepen the concept of norm circles from a theoretical point of view and to illustrate its application in empirical research.
The editors invite papers from scholars at all career stages and in all disciplines, fields and geographical regions that address any one or more of the following:
- explore the meaning, significance and validity of the concept of norm circles
- apply the concept of norm circles to empirical cases, perhaps also reflecting on the implications for appropriate use of the concept
- explore the relevance of norm circles for analysing and understanding historical or contemporary social, cultural and technological patterns and shifts
- consider the relation of the concept to wider social, political and philosophical questions and to other traditions of thought in the social sciences
- reflect on the implications of the concept for policy and practice
To support paper development, the editors of the special issue would be happy to discuss proposed papers prior to submission by offering informal feedback on short proposals. However, such discussion does not imply acceptance of the resulting paper. If you would like to take advantage of this, please submit a proposal of up to 600 words to Dave Elder-Vass by 10th August 2025.
Special issue editors
Angela Martinez Dy, Loughborough University London
Dave Elder-Vass, Loughborough University
Sven Modell, University of Manchester
Timeline for submissions
10 August 2025 – deadline for (optional) submission of brief proposals to the special issue editors for informal feedback (see above)
11 January 2026 – deadline for submission of full papers to the Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour through the usual submission system
References
Baker, M., & Modell, S. (2019). Rethinking performativity: A critical realist analysis of accounting for corporate social responsibility. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 32(4), 930–956. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-11-2017-3247
Blee, K. (2013). How Options Disappear: Causality and Emergence in Grassroots Activist Groups. American Journal of Sociology, 119(3), 655–681. https://doi.org/10.1086/675347
Elder-Vass, D. (2010). The Causal Power of Social Structures. Cambridge University Press.
Elder-Vass, D. (2012). The Reality of Social Construction. Cambridge University Press.
Hassan, O. (2024). Why the European Union Failed in Afghanistan. Bristol University Press. https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/monochap/book/9781529240764/ch001.xml
Nichol, A. J., Hayes, P. R., Vickery, W., Boocock, E., Potrac, P., & Hall, E. T. (2021). Athletes as “Sites of Normative Intersectionality”: Critically Exploring the Ontology of Influence in Sport Coaching. Sociology of Sport Journal, 38(3), 241–250. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2020-0114
Richardson, J. E. (2017). Making memory makers: Interpellation, norm circles and Holocaust Memorial Day Trust workshops. Memory Studies, 1750698017720259. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750698017720259