Problems of the Network Approach in Sociology

The network approach in sociology is considered as the idea of the network arrangement of sociological knowledge. Numerous versions of the network approach can be found in the literature, typical of which can be considered: social network analysis, relational sociology and actor-network theory. At the same time, there are attempts to explain the specifics of the network approach in terms of general systems theory. The article explores the problem-oriented basis for the network approach in sociology. As a key problem, the author analyzes the inconsistency of the scientific principles of creation and functioning of, on the one hand, a narrative, i.e. a generally accepted sociological tool, and on the other hand, the idea of a network, i.e. a purely informational concept, articulated in various sociological studies with varying degrees of formality. The article interprets the network approach in sociology as a problematic of the conceptual transition from the narrative, which, according to the sociological tradition, initially describes certain social processes, to a specific network representation of these processes. The reasons why the idea of a network, verbally included in the name of the entire approach, are thought of primarily metaphorically are analyzed. The main reason is the lack of a generally recognized concept of a network that can combine in a single analytical procedure, on the one hand, the semantic relations of the sociological narrative, on the other hand, the apparatus of discrete representation of sociological knowledge, called the network within the framework of the approach under consideration.