Cole’s Sociological Works

This chapter outlines the sociological contributions Cole made. The first of these is an early form of structuration theory whereby, drawing upon the work of Rousseau, Cole reframes the question of structure and agency as one of politics, seeing the associative will of individuals helping to constitute the general will, which in turn shapes the actions of individuals. It is then shown how this sociological vision is the basis for Cole’s normative ideal of guild socialism, with particular emphasis paid to the topics of capitalism, the state and democracy. Following this, Cole’s broader sociological contributions are discussed. This includes his role as the author of one of the first sociology textbooks in Britain, Social Theory (1920) and as one of the early significant writers on the topic of class. Here Cole’s anticipation of later trends are discussed. From here, Cole’s role in an early sociological survey, the Nuffield Social Reconstruction Survey, is discussed and it is noted how he sat at the crossroads of methodological developments in the discipline yet in his belief for the normative ends of the survey, was differentiated from British sociology. Finally, Cole is interrogated for his views on gender, race and empire. Here we can identify a mixed bag, with women as a ‘strategic absence’, yet some inkling of progressive views, while race (at least in the UK) remained simply an absence. However, this chapter also presents Cole as a significant sociologist of imperialism who also used voices from the Global South in his work.