‘John Scott has provided us with an encyclopaedic tour through the foundations and development of social theory which cautions against the contemporary fragmentation of academic work and demonstrates the continued value of sociology′s heritage. The book will become a key resource for students and scholars alike.’ –
Barry Smart, Portsmouth University
This is a comprehensive, critical review of social theory that places leading contributions in their larger context. Written predominantly for students, the scope and range of the subjects and authors dealt with results in one of the most comprehensive introductions to social theory published to date.
Ranging from the philosophical foundations of sociology and the discovery of ′the social′ to distinctive sociological approaches, to the significance of issues pertaining to gender and patriarchy, to questions of modernity and post-modernity, the book is comprehensive in subject matter. Among the distinctive features of the book are:
- Clarity of exposition from a well-known and respected commentator in the field
- Focus boxes to facilitate comprehension
- Tremendous range of material
- Powerful organization of the material around key organizing principles
The book is a major accomplishment which will quickly establish itself as the key set text in Sociology and Social Theory courses.
Table of Content
Social Theory: Should We Forget the Founders?
Genealogy of the Social
Renaissance and Enlightenment
Britain: Individualism and Romanticism
France: Revolution and Science
Germany: Counter-Enlightenment and Reaction
The Social Established
Social Theory goes Global
Culture, System and Socialisation: Formative Views
Culture and Collective Mentality
Cultural Development and Differentiation
Social Systems as Organisms
Social Systems, Forces, and Engery
Socialisation and Enculturation
Action, Conflict and Nature: Formative Views
Action, Interaction, and the Interpersonal
Conflict and Collective Action
Nature, Environment and Bodies
Culture, System, and Socialisation: Developments
Culture, Social Structure, and Lifeworlds
General Systems, Functions, and Complexity
Socialisation, Self, and Mentality
Action, Conflict, and Nature: Developments
Environment and Space
Body and Embodiment
Action, Strategy, and Performance
Conflict, Change, and History
Modernity and Rationalisation
Modernity as Rationalisation
Rationalisation and Political Structures
Economic Rationalisation
Rationalisation and Societal Communities
The Inevitability of Modernity
Intimations of Post-Modernity
Aesthetic Modernism and Post-Modernism
Late Capitalism, Disorganisation, and the Consumer Society
Knowledge Society and the Post-Modern Sensibility
Reflexivity, Individualisation, and Risk
Transnational Networks and Global Flows
About the author
John Scott is an Honorary Professor at the Universities of Essex, Exeter, and Copenhagen. He was formerly a professor of sociology at the Universities of Essex and Leicester, and pro-vice-chancellor for research at the University of Plymouth. He has been president of the British Sociological Association, Chair of the Sociology Section of the British Academy, and in 2013 was awarded the CBE for Services to Social Science. His work covers theoretical sociology, the history of sociology, elites and social stratification, and social network analysis. His most recent books include British Social Theory: Recovering Lost Traditions before 1950 (SAGE, 2018), Envisioning Sociology. Victor Branford, Patrick Geddes, and the Quest for Social Reconstruction (with Ray Bromley, SUNY Press, 2013), Objectivity and Subjectivity in Social Research (with Gayle Letherby and Malcolm Williams, SAGE, 2011).
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