The Sociological Study of Social Change: 1996 Presidential Address
作者指出多数社会学理论假设社会变迁是连续和线性的，这种假设过于局限；而非连续和非线性的数学模型有助于分析当代社会变迁，并在宏观和微观层面具有隐喻和分析价值。
The author calls attention to the restrictiveness of the assumptions of continuity and linearity underlying most sociological theories of social change. She argues that mathematical models built on assumptions of discontinuity and nonlinearity hold promise for analyzing contemporary social change. These models demonstrate the possible outcomes of periods of dramatic social upheaval at both the macro and micro levels, and the have metaphorical value for the conceptualization of social change and upheaval at both levels as well. These mathematical models have analytic value for testing new theories of social change