The Concept of Strategy in Sociology: A Note of Dissent

This paper takes up the debate on strategy initiated by Crow (Sociology 23). It argues that the concept of strategy has been uncritically appropriated by sociology. It has been treated as though it were an unproblematic concept, whereas in fact it is embedded within specific discourses and has particular social effects. In particular, Crow fails to consider the explicit use of the concept of strategy in two key areas of social life - the military and business organisation. Had he considered these areas, he would have noted that the concept of strategy needs understanding in terms of its role in reproducing specific sets of hierarchically organised social relations. We argue that utilising the concept of strategy in other areas of social life has similar power effects. In our view, strategy must be treated as a topic of sociological analysis, not as a resource for explaining social life.