Critical sociology / Steven M. Buechler.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Buechler, Steven M., 1951- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sociology--Philosophy.

Sociology.

Critical theory.

Physical Description:

xi, 307 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Boulder : Paradigm Publishers, [2014]

Summary:

Critical Sociology is a thoroughly revised, updated, and sophisticated introduction to the sociological perspective as a critical lens on society. Much has happened since the first edition: the Great Recession, the Obama presidency, the burgeoning role of social media, and recent global social movements such the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street, and the Arab Spring. In this second edition, Buechler discusses the changing relationship between social movements and democracy. The book opens with chapters on how to think sociologically; an overview of scientific, humanistic, and critical schools of sociology; and a detailed exposition of the critical tradition. Buechler applies this tradition to economics, politics, and culture; to class, race, and gender; to individualism, self, and identity; and to globalization. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part 1 Sociological Perspectives

1 How to Think Sociologically 3

Sociology and Modernity 3

Thinking Sociologically 6

Sociology's Double Critique 12

2 The Legacy of the Discipline 17

Scientific Sociology 17

Humanistic Sociology 22

Critical Sociology 26

Conclusion 33

3 Toward a Critical Sociology 35

The Frankfurt School Revisited 35

Habermas's Contributions 42

Conclusion 51

Part 2 Power and Domination

4 A Late Capitalist World 55

Marx's Analysis of Capitalism 55

From Liberal to Advanced Capitalism 60

Crisis Tendencies in Advanced Capitalism 61

Capitalism Unbound 71

5 The State of the State 73

Dimensions of the State 74

The Power Structure Debate 77

States in Decline? 88

6 A Mass-Mediated World 91

Culture 101 91

Culture Meets Critical Sociology 93

The Political Economy of Mass Media 96

News, Propaganda, and Journalism 99

An All-Consuming Culture 103

The Social-Media Complex 106

A Note on Domination and Resistance 111

Part 3 Inequality and Difference

7 The Crucible of Class 115

Marx's Model of Class Formation 115

Class or Stratification? 119

Contemporary Class Analysis 122

Enriching the Story 125

Further Complications 129

8 The Social Construction of Race 131

What Is Race? 132

Race vs. Ethnicity 134

Forms of Discrimination 138

Racial Formation 141

The Construction of Whiteness 145

9 Gendered Selves and Worlds 149

A Little History 150

The Sex/Gender System 153

Boyz II Guys 158

Feminist Frameworks 162

New Permutations 166

Part 4 Self and Society

10 The Emergence of the Individual 175

From "We" to "I" 176

Too Much of a Good Thing? 178

A Note on Adolescence 181

Individualism and Its Discontents 182

Habits of the Heart 186

11 How We Become Who We Are 191

Cooley's Contributions 192

Mead's Synthesis 194

Symbolic Interactionism 199

Identity Theory 201

People as Reflexive Actors 203

Conclusion 205

12 The Sociology of Everyday Life 207

Phenomenological Sociology 207

The Social Construction of Reality 210

The Ethnomethodological Turn 212

Social Life as Drama 214

The Self as Project, Commodity, and Story 217

Part 5 Patterns of Change

13 The Challenge of Globalization 225

The Rise and Fall of Modernization Theory 226

The Global World System 229

Globalization: What's New? 232

Recent World System Dynamics 235

Globalization: An Assessment 237

14 The Role of Social Movements 243

Sociology and Social Movements: Siblings of Modernity 243

Understanding Social Movements 246

Social Movements and Progressive Politics 251

Tea Partiers and Occupiers 256

The Global Scene 259

Theorizing Global Activism 262

15 The Case for Democracy 267

The Limits on Democracy 267

Toward a Richer Democracy 270

Movements (and Elections) = Democracy 271

Social Movements as Incubators of Democratic Politics 274

Sociology and Democracy 279.

Notes:

Revised edition of the author's Critical sociology published in 2008.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781612056418

1612056415

9781612056258

1612056253

OCLC:

863632657