Figurational theory, marketing and markets: Moving from description and technological empiricism to empirical-theoretical explanations

In the final chapter we conclude with some thoughts and insights into what we see as two rather problematic and worrying tendencies within much of the academic scholarship in marketing, and the social sciences more generally - the rise of technological empiricism and tendency towards description at the expense of explanation. Both developments, while distinct, are interconnected. We outline some of the problems arising from this and suggest that a (re)engagement with Elias's work could help in re-socialising empirical analysis and at the same time give confidence to those keen to develop social explanations.