Context analysis: systems theory and reconstructive social research

The abstraction of Luhmann's systems theory only makes sense if systems are understood as empirical objects that are not visible and tangible as relational entities, but can be understood as reconstructible in principle. However, both in terms of its own theory development and in the context of a research landscape driven by third-party funding, sociological systems theory has so far made little effort to methodologise its relationship between theoretical work and empirical research. Our research specialisation is now exploring ways to overcome this deficit. In particular, Gotthard Günther's theory of polycontexturality plays a role here.