Social Theory and Modern Sociology


Book Description

In this book Anthony Giddens addresses a range of issues concerning current developments in social theory, relating them to the prospects for sociology in the closing decades of the twentieth-century.




Profiles in Contemporary Social Theory


Book Description

This comprehensive book provides an indispensable introduction to the most significant figures in contemporary social theory. Grounded strongly in the European tradition, the profiles include Michel Foucault, J[um]urgen Habermas, Roland Barthes, Jean Baudrillard, Pierre Bourdieu, Zygmunt Bauman, Martin Heidegger, Frederic Jameson, Richard Rorty, Nancy Chodorow, Anthony Giddens, Stuart Hall, Luce Irigaray and Donna Haraway. In guiding students through the key figures in an accessible and authoritative fashion, the book provides detailed accounts of the development of the work of major social theorists and charts the relationship between different traditions of social, cultural and political thought.




The Constitution of Society


Book Description

Anthony Giddens has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade. In The Constitution of Society he outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form. A particular feature is Giddens's concern to connect abstract problems of theory to an interpretation of the nature of empirical method in the social sciences. In presenting his own ideas, Giddens mounts a critical attack on some of the more orthodox sociological views. The Constitution of Society is an invaluable reference book for all those concerned with the basic issues in contemporary social theory.




Globalization, Critique and Social Theory


Book Description

In recent years, under the impression and the burden of globalization and neoliberalism, debates about the relationship between the theory and practice of progress - including the theory and practice of social critique - have gone through an unexpected and momentous revival, renewal and rejuvenation.




Social Theory


Book Description

Social theory is the theoretical core of the social sciences, clearly distinguishable from political theory and cultural analysis. This book offers a unique overview of the development of social theory from the end of the Second World War in 1945 to the present day. Spanning the literature in English, French and German, it provides an excellent background to the most important social theorists and theories in contemporary sociological thought, with crisp summaries of the main books, arguments and controversies. It also deals with newly emerging schools from rational choice to symbolic interactionism, with new ambitious approaches (Habermas, Luhmann, Giddens, Bourdieu), structuralism and antistructuralism, critical revisions of modernization theory, feminism and neopragmatism. Written by two of the world's leading sociologists and based on their extensive academic teaching, this unrivalled work is ideal both for students in the social sciences and humanities and for anyone interested in contemporary theoretical debates.




Social Theory of Modern Societies


Book Description

This book offers a comprehensive appraisal of the work of Anthony Giddens, who is known worldwide as one of the leading figures in social theory and the social sciences. During the last decade Giddens has published a series of substantial volumes which have defined a distinctive and original theoretical approach. The twin focal points of his approach are the 'theory of structuration' and the analysis of 'modernity'. Giddens's writings on these and related themes are widely recognized as among the most important contributions to theoretical debate in the social sciences. Social Theory of Modern Societies is the first volume to provide a systematic and critical assessment of Giddens's contributions. The volume includes eleven critical essays - all of which were specially commissioned for this volume - by authors who are well known in their own fields: Zygmunt Bauman, Richard J. Bernstein, Derek Gregory, Nicky Gregson, David Held, Bob Jessop, Linda Murgatroyd, Peter Saunders, Martin Shaw, John B. Thompson and Erik Olin Wright. In a long concluding chapter, Anthony Giddens responds to the criticisms raised by these and other authors, clarifying and elaborating his current views. The result is a unique and engaging book which gives both a critical evaluation of Giddens's work and a guide to some of the theoretical issues which are at the forefront of the social sciences today. It will be of interest to students and academics in sociology, politics and geography, and to students in the social sciences and humanities generally.




Anthony Giddens and Modern Social Theory


Book Description

Anthony Giddens is widely recognized as one of the most important sociologists of the post-war period. This is the first full-length work to examine Giddens' social theory. It guides the reader through Giddens' early attempt to overcome the duality of structure and agency. He saw this duality as a major failing of social theories of modernity. His attempt to resolve the problem can be regarded as the key to the development of his brandmark `structuration theory'. The book is the most complete and thorough assessment of Giddens' work currently available. It incorporates insights from many different perspectives into his theory of structuration, his work on the formation of cultural identities and the fate of the nation-state. This fa




Theology and Social Theory


Book Description

This is a revised edition of John Milbank’s masterpiece, which sketches the outline of a specifically theological social theory. The Times Higher Education Supplement wrote of the first edition that it was “a tour de force of systematic theology. It would be churlish not to acknowledge its provocation and brilliance”. Featured in The Church Times “100 Best Christian Books" Brings this classic work up-to-date by reviewing the development of modern social thought. Features a substantial new introduction by Milbank, clarifying the theoretical basis for his work. Challenges the notion that sociological critiques of theology are ‘scientific’. Outlines a specifically theological social theory, and in doing so, engages with a wide range of thinkers from Plato to Deleuze. Written by one of the world’s most influential contemporary theologians and the author of numerous books.