ABSTRACT
Amajorlacunaintherecentliteratureonclassimageryisthe absenceofdetailedmethodologicaldiscussion(inbothitsmore generalandmorespecificsenses)ofsomeoftheproblemsassociatedwithitsstudy.SeveraloftheseissQesareraisedand consideredinthepapersinthisthirdsection.Whatisthe natureofimages?Whatisthestatusofidealtypes?Whatisthe empiricalsupportforimplicithistoricalcomparisons?Whatisthe statusoftheconceptoccupationalcommunity?Whatisthenature ofsociabilityandofcommunalsolidarity?Whatistherelationshipbetweentheabstractcategoriesofthesociologistandtheflux andchangeoftherealworld?Sinceanumberoftheseissuesare germanetofutureresearchuponclassimagery,someofthequestions whichtheyraiseareperhapsworthsketchinginoutlinebywayof introduction.(1)
Sociologistsspendmuchtimeestablishingthestatusofconcepts whichtheyusetoorganise·thestudyofsocialreality.Theanalyticalconcepts'socialclass'and'statusgroup',forexample,are abstractionsfromtherealworldwhicharenotnecessarilydirect representationsofreality.Attheotherextreme,conceptsused todenoteempiricalentitiesraisequestionsaboutthoseentities. Does,forexample,theMafiaexist?Whatisthenatureof glossolalia(SpeakingwithTongues)?Whataretheoriginsof witchcraftbeliefsandaccusations?Aretheconcepts'Mafia', 'glossolalia','witchcraft',unambiguousandimmediatelyintelligible?Problemsofbothananalyticandempiricalkindareposed bytheuseoftheconceptofsocial'images'.Whatisthestatus oftheconcept,anddoesitdenoteanythingreal?
