Social Theory for Beginners
Distributed for Policy Press at the University of Bristol
496 pages
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6 3/4 x 9 1/2
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© 2010
Treating social theory as an exciting intellectual journey in its own right, this new introductory-level textbook presents the key ideas and concepts in social theory together with an account of the intellectual background from which they emerged. Aimed at first-year undergraduates studying sociology and all related disciplines in the social sciences and humanities, it provides an introduction to the major questions and debates facing social theorists and sociologists. Clearly designed presentation and layout features help readers navigate their way around the material thus giving them the best chance of finding what they need quickly and easily.
Contents
List of figures
Preface and acknowledgements
Introduction: Who is this book for and how do I use it?
1. What is social theory?
2. Where did social theory come from?
3. Émile Durkheim and the coming of industrial society
4. Karl Marx, capitalism and revolution
5. Max Weber, rational capitalism and social action
6. Talcott Parsons, functionalism and the social system
7. Social interactionism and the real lives of social actors
8. Western Marxism, Antonio Gramsci and the Frankfurt School
9. Language, structure, meaning
10. Discourse and power: post-structuralist social theory
11. Feminist social theory
12. Reviving theories of modernity: Habermas, Giddens and Bourdieu
13. Theories of modernity and post-modernity
14. Reflexive modernisation: the global dimension and cultural theory
15. The boundary problem in contemporary social theory
Glossary
References
Index
Preface and acknowledgements
Introduction: Who is this book for and how do I use it?
1. What is social theory?
2. Where did social theory come from?
3. Émile Durkheim and the coming of industrial society
4. Karl Marx, capitalism and revolution
5. Max Weber, rational capitalism and social action
6. Talcott Parsons, functionalism and the social system
7. Social interactionism and the real lives of social actors
8. Western Marxism, Antonio Gramsci and the Frankfurt School
9. Language, structure, meaning
10. Discourse and power: post-structuralist social theory
11. Feminist social theory
12. Reviving theories of modernity: Habermas, Giddens and Bourdieu
13. Theories of modernity and post-modernity
14. Reflexive modernisation: the global dimension and cultural theory
15. The boundary problem in contemporary social theory
Glossary
References
Index
For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu
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