Homo sociologicus and the Society of Individuals

Solve the Dilemma of Individualism and Holism in Historical Sociology” published in the journal
Historická sociologie No. 1/2015. Its primary topic is social roles, a theme actively discussed in
sociological literature from the 1950s to the 1980s but afterwards largely neglected because the
concepts of individual human actors (agents) and their actions (agency) pushed the topic of roles
to the sidelines. This article tries to show that despite this intellectual shift, the theme of social
roles deserves attention even today, and in particular that the concept of “role playing” can be
useful in sociological theory to resolve the seemingly irreconcilable opposition of individualistic
and holistic approaches.