The idea of the social network originated in attempts to examine social relationships in terms of their structural patterns and their change over time. The concept of social networks was first developed through social psychological work on the communication and leadership structures of small groups as well as sociological and anthropological work on kinship and community relations. From the 1960s, this idea came to be extended to a wider range of social relations, especially economic and political relations, through the formulation of mathematical models of networks. Facilitated by advances in computing technology, the construction of more systematic and more powerful network methods were subsequently developed. The aim of this collection is to bring together the principal sources in the development of the techniques of social network analysis, from early metaphorical statements in Simmel and Radcliffe-Brown through the more systematic explorations in sociology and social anthropology to contemporary formalizations.
A new introduction explores the history of social networks and highlights the arguments of those who treat social network analysis as a loose, qualitative approach, as well as those who see potential in its technical, mathematical uses.