Capital Research from a Sociological Perspective: Academic Context and Key Issues

Capital is a classic research object in sociology,but the voice of sociology is not prominent in the current academic discussions in China.This is a regret today since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to “regulate and guide the healthy development of capital in accordance with the law”.This article reviews the academic context of sociological analysis of capital from the perspectives of structure and agency,and elaborates on the difficulties that need to be addressed to in theoretical research for the healthy development of capital from four perspectives:the characteristics of capital itself,the relationship between the state and capital,the relationship between capital and society,and the relationship between capital and technology.Sociology has the responsibility and ability to make its own unique contributions in capital research through a more integrated theoretical framework and more solid empirical research by transcending critical perspectives and promoting capital for good with a development oriented sociology of capital.