Introducing Social Networks
- Alain Degenne - CNRS, France
- Michel Forsé - University of Lille, France
The authors provide a thorough grounding in the application of the methods of social network analysis. They offer an understanding of the theory of social structures in which social network analysis is grounded, a summary of the concepts needed for dealing with more advanced techniques, and guides for using the primary computer software packages for social network analysis.
`We highly recommend this book for those who need an introduction to network analysis but want more than a textbook and want to actually move directly into research and data analysis' - Bulletin de Methodologie Sociologique
`This book is a valuable addition. The social network area is so lively, important and distinctive that it needs a goodnew introductory book every few years....It packs a surprising amount of important material into a modest amount of space, and delivers the material with style' - Sociological Research Online
The book written by Degenne and Forse has an agenda of not going into details of the social network analysis as a method but rather they are interested in putting structural analysis into perspective. The authors explain graph theory, equivalence and centrality mesaures, they also bridge them to the relevant and timely discussions of other studies. Thus, theory of social structures are well-researched and argued. It is more than a textbook since it delves into the relevant research as well as data analysis.
