ABSTRACT
One way to develop a theory is by marking its discontinuities with another tradition. The guiding purpose of this chapter is to point out the basic tenets of a realist sociological theory of reflexivity and discuss them in the light of the most advanced lines of thought emerging from the modern debate. In the contemporary sociological landscape, a major contribution to articulating a realist approach to this subject is found in the work of Margaret Archer (1988, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2007), which will be our reference point in this essay.
