With few exceptions, science studies has neglected potential insights that could be gained
by studying sociology, a discipline that has played an important role in its own
development. This thesis addresses the specificities of sociology from the perspective of
constructivist science studies and explores the tensions that arise as a result of this
encounter. The theoretical framework is based on actor-network theory (the work of
Bruno Latour in particular), and supplemented with the work of Pierre Bourdieu (his
theory of sociology in particular) to examine issues specific to sociology. Via a document
and interview-based study of sociology in Latvia set against the background of Soviet
science, the thesis argues that an open-ended and normatively saturated conception of
knowledge hampers the stability of the discipline. I suggest, however, that these qualities
matter vitally to the long-term development of sociology as a form of knowledge.
Applied to sociology, a science studies understanding of science illustrates what happens
when the intimate connection between political representation and scientific
representation is not concealed, and hybridity is acknowledged.