How to write the social after performativity and its obstructions?

Abstract

This essay attempts two things. First, by comparing recent books associated with the "new French pragmatism" it discusses different ways of writing and composing social theory texts. The comparison finds that the chosen books, while sharing a broadly similar theoretical approach, present different ways of composing and demonstrating their theses in writing. Using traditional categories to distinguish literary genres, it can be said that books on social theory were found to be written as essays, novels and fables. Second, from a speculative reading of Fabián Muniesa's (2014) latest book The Provoked Economy. Economic reality and the performative turn, it is suggested that recent social theory is not only a rich source of new forms of writing, but also provides new constraints or obstructions. Two of these obstructions are distinguished and analyzed: the first is labeled "thou shalt not write against" and, the second, "thou shalt write according to your object of inquiry."