The Uses of Giddens' Structuration Theory

Abstract: Anthony Giddens has made claims for the utility of structuration theory. These claims present structuration theory as a contributant to the post-empiricist reconstruction of theory and application in social science, and, consequently, as ajustification for a different conception of empirical research from that favoured in the old theory-building tradition. What Giddens has not done is exemplify its use in empirical inquiries of his own or employ it explicitly in analyses of particular substantive areas. There is, however, no need to wait for Giddens himself to show us how to use his theory. Structuration theory has enabled colleagues across the social sciences to address what they perceive to be fundamental deficiencies in theirdisciplines and specialties as presently constituted, and it has provided all or part of the theoretical framework and conceptual vocabulary for an already large number of empirical projects. This article offers a typology of uses with examples fromaccountancy, archaeology, business and management studies, human geography, informatics, organisation studies, political science, religious studies and sociology. The subheadings are as follows: reconstituting a discipline, reconstituting a specialty , reconstituting an inter-disciplinary field, reworking literature and past research, facilitating empirical research and reconsidering modernity. It is argued that the extraordinary take-up of Giddens is connected to his provision of user-friendly 'intermediate theory'.;