O que fazer com os clássicos da sociologia? diagnóstico e prognóstico

This article examines the transformation of the role of classical authors in sociology, highlighting its epistemological, methodological, and pedagogical implications. In the first part, it analyzes the change in the function of these authors within the theoretical field, characterizing it as the emergence of a new discursive regime (negative heuristic) and a diffuse consensus that shapes the contemporary scientific ethos. In the second part, it proposes a positive heuristic for the reflection and teaching of sociological theory, focusing on: (1) the reassessment of the relationship between the self-referential and hetero-referential dimensions in the classics’ analyses of modernity; and (2) the recovery of plural analytical models as instruments for investigating and systematizing sociological theories developed during the phase of genesis and institutionalization of the discipline.

KEYWORDS:
Social theory; Sociological classics; Sociological canon