Redes sociales y ejercicio del poder en la América Hispana: consideraciones teóricas y propuestas de análisis

Abstract

The current article is composed of two clearly distinct parts. The first section summarizes from a theoretical perspective the principal themes in the analysis of social networks, recapitulating their passage from the field of Sociology to History, and exposing the difficulties posed by their application in the field of History proper. The second part, of a more empirical nature, poses and explains the current Dossier’s proposition, which consists of emphasizing the margins of flexibility and the apparently unforeseeable factors that occur in the interaction between individuals and their social milieu, while linking the diverse aspects covered in the dossier, with the conclusions reached by the researchers that have participated in this initiative. Within this same section, certain aspects are analyzed regarding the role of the networks approach in the study of the exercise of power in Spanish America.