THE INDIVIDUAL'S PLACE IN THE SOCIOLOGY: UNDER THE PRISM OF THE FREEDOMAND OF SOCIAL CONSTRANGIMENTOS

Abstract

The idea of the article to discuss the apparent duality between the individual and society that seems to accompany sociology, in several authors and theories, during different historical moments, under the format of an interaction that could be designated as the 'paradox of freedom and constraint". The argument developed is that such a sociological theme that gives a different priority to the individual and social levels makes part of the history of the epistemic field, characterizing a pendular movement. It is a none linear course, influenced by philosophic and political conceptions built in different moments, with repercussions on the theoretical models that shape the field of the social sciences. By developing those reflections. the article makes a reference to classic and contemporary authors that were dedicated particularly to the interactions between the individual and society, still defining, as an example, the discussion around individual action, considered to be subject of rights, present in the sociological literature of social movements.