| Description |
viii, 268 pages ; 24 cm |
| Series |
Routledge studies in social and political thought ; 39 |
|
Routledge studies in social and political thought ; 39
|
| Contents |
Pt. I. Contemporary social theory -- 1. Structure and agency -- 2. The relevance of parsons -- 3. Structure, habitus, discourse -- 4. The reality of realism -- Pt. II. Classical sociology -- 5. Hegel and the concept of Geist -- 6. From praxis to historical materialism -- 7. Status groups and the Protestant ethic -- 8. Society and ritual -- Pt. III. Towards a hermeneutic sociology -- 9. Hermeneutics and idealism -- 10. Hermeneutics and individualism -- 11. Hermeneutics and critique -- 12. Beyond structure and agency |
| Summary |
"The book begins by defining and criticising contemporary social theory. It analyses the work of Giddens, Bourdieu, Foucault, Bhaskar and Habermas to demonstrate that their commitment to structure and agency is unsustainable. The book then proceeds to recover a sociology which focuses on social relations by reference to the works of classical sociology; to Hegel, Marx, Weber and Durkheim. Finally, the book establishes a new 'hermeneutic' paradigm in which social relations are primary." |
|
"Drawing on the work of Gadamer, the book demonstrates that a sociology which focuses on social relations does not imply a return to idealism, nor a retreat into individualism, nor a rejection of critique. Rather, a hermeneutic sociology which prioritises human social relations is the only coherent paradigm which is available today. The author argues that sociologists studying the dramatic social transformations which are currently occuring should focus on social relations between humans; they should not attempt to understand contemporary changes in terms of structure and agency." "The Structure of Social Theory will be of essential value to those working in the fields of sociology and social theory."--BOOK JACKET |
| Notes |
First published in 2004, first issued in paperback 2012 |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 247-260) and index |
| Subject |
Sociology -- History.
|
|
Sociology -- Philosophy.
|
| LC no. |
2003023222 |
| ISBN |
9780415652063 |
|
0415263344 (alkaline paper) |
|
