William Outhwaite 
The Future of Society [PDF ebook] 

This important Manifesto argues that we still need a concept of
society in order to make sense of the forces which structure our
lives.

* Written by leading social theorist William Outhwaite

* Asks if the notion of society is relevant in the twenty-first
century

* Goes to the heart of contemporary social and political
debate

* Examines critiques of the concept of society from neoliberals,
postmodernists, and globalization theorists

Table of Content

Preface.

1. The Origins of ‘Society’.

Part I: Critiques of Society.

2. Society and the Individual: Neoliberalism, Social
Constructionism and Communitarianism.

3. Postmodernism.

4. Globalisation.

Part II: Reconstructing Society.

5. Modernity and Society.

6. Towards a Synthesis? Theory and Metatheory.

Part III: Implications.

7. Society Lite? Theories of Civil Society.

8. Is There a European Society?.

Postscript: A Defensible Concept of ‘Society’.

Notes.

Bibliography.

Index

About the author

William Outhwaite is Professor of Sociology at the
University of Sussex. His previous publications include
Habermas: A Critical Introduction (1994), New
Philosophies of Social Science (1987), and Understanding
Social Life (Second Edition, 1986). He is co-author of
Social Theory and Postcommunism (Blackwell, 2004), editor of
The Blackwell Dictionary of Modern Social Thought (2002) and
The Habermas Reader (1996), and co-editor of The
Sociology of Politics (1998).